Doctor in Danger

"And so...?"

"And so they paid up."

Martin now understood why Harmony might be taken for Sari's older sister instead of her mother.

"So now you know," Harmony said. "I'm glad I told you because otherwise you might have found out via Dr. Baker. Do you still want to employ me?"

Martin was a trifle shocked by this question. "Of course I want to employ you. My employing you has nothing to do with your marital status, and anyway, you seem to have done a good job with your daughter."

"Yes, she's lovely isn't she," Harmony said with undisguised pride. "I could almost forgive that guy for giving me something as beautiful as her. But I sometimes worry about her being shut away here."

"But she told me she loves it here," Martin said.

"Yes, she does, and at least now she's got a job suited to her training; but I sometimes worry about her future. So far she's avoided the mistake I made...no that's wrong; you can't call Sari a mistake can you?"

Martin chuckled and said, "If she was a mistake she's one of the most beautiful mistakes I've ever seen."

"But what about her future; she's not the sort to be content with a life like Miss Reynolds. She'll want...in fact I know she wants, to get married and have children, and most of the best young men leave this place because they can't get work here, and what's left...well, I know it sounds snobbish, but who is there who could...who would..."

"Be worthy of her?"

"Sounds a bit old fashioned and ridiculous doesn't it, but yes, I suppose that's what I mean."

Not being familiar with the local young males Martin had no answer to the question. After a few more words about Harmony starting to work for him, and the arrangements seeming to be satisfactory for the time being, he said goodbye to her and made his way to the surgery and his car.

As he drove back to the city he wondered if he had been right in employing these two women, but concluded that having two such decorative females around the practice would not do the business any harm.

His secular vow of celibacy was for some reason feeling a bit frayed round the edges.

* * * * * * * *

Martin began work in the practice, and to his amazement found that Sari, even before she was properly on the payroll, had set up the computer system.

Now everything would be modern and efficient. There was a problem however, and that lay in the Point Danger populace.

Quickly Martin began to discover what a deep hole Dr. Ferris had dug into the Point Danger psyche. Patients came to him demanding, "The stuff what Doctor give me."

When referring to Dr. Ferris it was always simply "Doctor." "Doctor always give me this," "Doctor said that," "Doctor always come to see me when I had the trembles."

When faced with a demand for what Martin knew was a useless prescription, he initially refused to acquiesce, but on looking at the patients' records he was amazed at the number of ailments Dr. Ferris had cured by simply prescribing placebos.

Martin knew that many of the problems patients came to him with would go away of their own accord, something that Dr. Ferris had also obviously known, so eventually, and against his "scientific medicine" conscience, Martin gave in and prescribed the innocuous medications.

Sari had the computer side of the practice running smoothly, and seemed to have the same interpersonal skills as her mother; soothing the nervous patient and dealing effectively with those who were obstreperous.

Harmony took over much of the minor work; giving injections to trembling patients; dealing with cuts and bruises; lancing boils and carbuncles, and taking blood samples from patients who were inclined to vomit or faint. In addition she kept the practice area and the house spotlessly clean.

At the end of the three months trail period Martin told Sari and Harmony that they was permanently on the pay roll. As he said to them, looking at Harmony, "We work together so harmoniously."

When he first began work Martin had received a flood of patients who had come to take a look and try him out. He found himself confronted by ailments that no scientific medical text ever mentions.

Along with "The trembles," there was "The woggles," "Dithers," "Creaks," "Belly shakes," "Heart diggles," "The crumbles," and on one occasion a patient reported that he had caught a "macrobe."

One night, at two o'clock in the morning, Martin was awakened by a complaining telephone.

"The wife's gone dingbats," the voice at the other end said, "Can't do nuthink wiv 'er; says she'll go bonkers and they'll put 'er in the looney bin."

Martin hastened out to the lonely farm where the "dingbats" farmer's wife lived.

After calming her down the story was that she had been reading in a magazine about the symptoms and ultimate results of contracting various venereal diseases. In the deeps of the night when the nightmares come riding out she had decided she had contracted syphilis.

Martin tried to reassure her, but in tears she insisted, "I know I got it 'cause me twat's sore and it'll go to me brain an' I'll go bonkers."

Further questioning by Martin elicited the following; while her husband was away from the farm a young fertilizer salesman had called. Rarely serviced by her husband his wife had taken advantage of the salesman's obvious erection, "'An I let 'im screw me; 'e done it to me four times."

An examination of her "twat" suggested that she had over indulged in "screwing" and this was the cause of the soreness."

Realizing that it was useless to tell his hysterical patient that she did not have syphilis, Martin gave her a neutral injection, while assuring her that this was the latest in cures for syphilis, adding that it worked instantly and never failed, although the soreness would continue for a day or two.

As he drove away, leaving behind a happy and recovered farmer's wife, Martin muttered to himself, "Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all."

And thus did Dr. Martin Holder gradually settled into his practice and became accustomed to the foibles of his patients. As one elderly local rather surprisingly said to him, "Here we just go with the flow Doc."

"Doc" was what he became, never gaining the more respectful title, "Doctor," that had been accorded his predecessor.

There was however one aspect of doctoring in Point Danger that he had not anticipated.

* * * * * * * *

Now it must be said that Martin at the age of twenty eight, handsome and unmarried, was of considerable interest to the unmarried, and even some married local females.

It was the young males who tended to leave the town to become accountants, apprentice boiler makers, plumbers and all those trades and professions that were not available to them in Point Danger. Thus there was a general shortage of young males in Point Danger.

Of course some girls left as well, but not in the same numbers. Those who remained tended to serve in the supermarket, the pharmacy and the few other shops that required assistants, or being of farming stock, remained at home working on the farm.

As one local put it, the lot of the local girl was to "Leave school at sixteen, have her hair permed, get pregnant and get married," usually in that order.

Clearly the presence of a good looking young doctor in their midst, was for the local females rather like the presence of nectar to a honeyeater bird.

It was in this situation that Martin came to fully appreciate the presence of Harmony in the practice.

If I might give a few examples; one young lady of fifteen who, somewhat enamored of the young Doc, on entering his consulting room, said, "Would you take a look at my boobies to see if they're okay, Doc?"

Much to the girl's dismay Harmony was immediately called in to witness that Martin did no evil. Harmony stood there somewhat amused as after a cursory examination Martin pronounced the "boobies" to be in fine shape and "very promising."

A surprising number, not only of girls, but also older women came to him saying -- to quote one such lady -- "I think I've got a stranger in the larder, would have a feel round Doc?"

Again it was the task of Harmony to act as Martin's moral minder.

One lady of considerable physical attractions insisted on stripping naked because she felt that she was "lopsided" and Martin would be unable to tell unless he saw her, "In the raw." The lady was a keen tennis player and the only blemish Martin could find was that her right breast was slightly more developed than her left breast. He suggested she try playing tennis left handed for a while.

Many other such incidents occurred, such as the large number of women who suspected they had breast cancer and wanted Martin to have a squeeze. Their disappointment, apart from Harmony's presence, was added to when he suggest they make the trek to Darley Heads Hospital where they had equipment appropriate for the testing of breast cancer.

Commenting to Harmony on one occasion about the inordinate number of females in Point Danger who seemed to believe that they suffered from genital and mammary problems, she said, "That's the difficulty of being an unmarried doctor," and then humorously added, "Perhaps that's why the place is called "Point Danger."

That this was not the case Harmony demonstrated. It came about as follows:

Martin was one of those men who being of gentle disposition, and being romantic by nature, still believed that even modern woman - despite growing evidence to the contrary -- are the more sensitive of the genders. Hence Martin tended to prefer the company of women to that of men.

As you might imagine, this was a grave disadvantage to an avowed celibate.

I am reminded of the story about an early Christian hermit-monk, who, having spent many years in the isolation of an Egyptian desert tomb, one day decided that he would visit the nearest town. Walking along the road to the town he was met by a woman. One glance was sufficient. He fled in horror back to his tomb.

Unfortunately for Martin he did not have a desert tomb to flee back to, and so when Harmony said to him soon after starting to work for him, "Would you like to come on a picnic with me to the Point Danger lighthouse?" Martin, despite his unfortunate Melanie experience, readily agreed.

A fatal error some might think.

The picnic proved to be a mixture of the educational and satanic temptation.

The lighthouse stood on the extreme edge of The Point. Beneath it great ocean rollers crashed against forbidding cliffs.

In the early days of the colony when there had been no railways or adequate roads, all supplies to the then small coastal villages were brought in by sailing boats. They brought in necessary supplies and took out the regional products.

Point Danger was so named because of the many ships that were wrecked on the cliffs until the lighthouse was established.

After relating this to Martin they settled down for their picnic, and it was then that the Tempter entered.

Harmony was wearing shorts and a shirt for the occasion. The shirt, with several buttons undone, gave a delightful view of her cleavage. The shorts, being very short, gave an equally clear view of Harmony's long, smooth, creamy legs.

After eating their picnic lunch Harmony lay back on the grass, her hands behind her head, causing her normally prominent breasts to become even more conspicuous.

Had Martin not been committed to eternal chastity, this would have been the moment when he would have enjoyed her female beauty. It is true, that for the moment good and evil, virtue and vice, fought for predominance over his frail masculinity.

Those of you, who are given to moral excellence, will rejoice to know that on this occasion virtue won.

"I think...er...I think we should...er...be getting back; I've got evening surgery to...er...yes...so..."

Harmony removed her hands from behind her head. Her breasts returned to their normal position and sighing said, "Yes, I suppose so."

Thus did Martin defeat the wiles of the Evil One.

* * * * * * * *

Had Harmony and the male deprived women of Point Danger been the only source of demonic temptation, Martin might have been safe, but there was one other close to him.

Now let us consider. Two very attractive women working for him; mother and daughter; the mother thirty five years of age, the daughter twenty one years of age. At twenty eight years of age, unmarried, good looking, avowedly celibate, Martin, age-wise was somewhere between mother and daughter.

Those of you of more compassionate inclination will understand that Martin's situation was fraught with danger. Those of that inclination will feel even greater compassion when I say that despite his vow of celibacy Martin had not thereby been rendered neuter.

If only Miss Reynolds had decided to stay on and work for Martin, but alas, it had not been so.

Harmony's youthful experience with a middle-aged man had produced a similar effect on her as Martin's experience with Melanie. She had followed her own path of chastity, but the advent of Martin was rather like a second coming in her life that had shaken her chaste resolve.

Apart from the general female population of Point Danger and its interest in Martin, we must consider the propinquity that Harmony enjoyed in relation to Martin. This gave her a considerable advantage over other women of the town.

Had it been only Harmony who had this access to Martin, all might have remained uncomplicated, but as you will realize, there was another who also had ready access to Martin, namely, Sari.

Harmony had already stated that Sari had matrimonial ambitions. That ambition might have been like a figure on the distant horizon, but with the coming of Martin that figure began to loom large.

"How wonderful it would be," she thought, "to be married to such as he; to live with him in Point Danger," and how different it would be from those gauche young men she had admitted to her vagina while living in the city.

The problem as Sari perceived was, that Martin gave no sign that he was ready to enter a love nest with her, and the dark blue button-up overall type dress she wore as a receptionist's uniform gave little opportunity for her to show her more desirable assets. Sari even felt a trifle resentful that her mother had a white uniform which, although in the same style as her dark blue uniform, did seem sexier.

To what extent mother and daughter understood that they had rival interests in Martin, is unknown, at least in the early stages of that rivalry.

And what of Martin in the midst of this situation? I fear that his devotion to chastity had worn very thin indeed. In defense of his virtue I must say that it was not merely the constant presence of two very attractive females in his life that drew him ever closer to surrender, but in addition, the realization that as a married doctor he would be safe from the more predacious females of Point Danger, or at least a bit safer.

At such times someone has to make a move; the question was who would to make it. My opinion is -- and it is only opinion -- it would never have been Martin. The Melanie poison still lurked in his soul.

It is here that we must consider his Achilles heel, or rather, as I shall relate; his two Achilles heels.

Let us consider first his Achilles heel in relation to Sari.

It was Sari's skill with the computer that served as the equivalent of arrow that Paris shot at the original Achilles and slew him.

If Martin had greater computer skills then his whole future might have been different.

One evening after his final consultation he was trying to print out a document, but whatever he did, the printer refused to budge. Sari was on the point of going home when Martin called her into his consulting room.

"The damned printer won't print," he complained.

"Let me have a look," Sari said.

While Martin remained seated at his desk Sari came to stand beside him. A subtle fragrance assailed Martin's nostrils; her body was very close to him; there were stirrings in his nether region.

Sari, in the annoying way people skilled with computers have, took the mouse, clicked here and there, and the printer began to come to life.

"How did you do that," Martin asked.

Again in the annoying way computer literates have, Sari said, "It's easy' just put your hand on the mouse"

He put his hand on the mouse and her hand came over his; her hand was soft and seemed to pulsate.

Her face was very close to his as she said, "You click on this, then here, that's all there is to it."

There was that moment when their eyes met questioningly. Sari kissed him softly on the lips as she drew his hand to her breasts. '

When their lips parted she whispered, "I know what you want, so let me give it to you."

Martin certainly knew what he wanted, and had his chastity been a physical edifice its collapse would have been great indeed.

With fumbling fingers he strove to unbutton her dress, but Sari, was before him, and undid them herself. Beyond lay sweet breasts barely covered by the flimsy bras; quickly his hands were caressing those sweet hemispheres with their icing pink nipples.

As he sucked her nipples Sari managed to get his zip undone, and after a bit of a struggle exposed his erect penis. Removing her self from him for a few seconds she removed her panties and then sat across Martin, facing him.

It did not take long. The period of abstinence over, Martin was quickly shooting his sperm into Sari. In fact it was too quick for Sari who did not reach orgasm. But that wasn't the end of it.

Sari was very late home that night, and when asked by Harmony what had detained her, she replied, not altogether untruthfully. "Martin had a computer problem that I had to sort out for him."

It was however the other Martin problem that she had sorted out that gave her immense satisfaction and high hope for the future.

* * * * * * * *

I have mention Martin's second Achilles heel; and this can be summed up in one word, "Food."

I do not suggest that Martin was a gargantuan eater; on the contrary he was a modest eater. What he appreciated was good cooking.

Soon after his arrival in Point Danger, Harmony had decided that Martin needed someone to cook for him. She began by leaving meals that only needed heating; from there she went on to bringing over meals that she and Sari were having. Then came to time when she said occasionally, "Why don't you join Sari and me for the evening meal?"

Martin was grateful since his own cooking was to say the least inadequate.

It was soon after Martin began his affair with Sari -- which had become a daily affair -- that Harmony invited Martin to "Come to my place this evening for a meal."

On his arrival he was disconcerted by Harmony's apparel. She was wearing a loose fitting and extremely vaporous garment that gave tantalizing views of unfettered breasts, and he suspected an equally panty free genital region.

On previous occasions when he had gone to Harmony's house to dine Sari had always been present. That night she was absent.

When Martin enquired as to her whereabouts Harmony seemed to be slightly discomposed.

"Oh...er...she's gone to the city. It's Saturday tomorrow and I've agreed to step in as receptionist for the morning surgery, and there is no evening surgery. She wants to buy some clothes -- I don't know what's come over her lately, she never used to be so concerned about what she wore, but just lately...I hope you don't mind?"

Martin assumed that the question related to Sari's absence from work, and not to what she wore. He did feel a little miffed that he had not been consulted, but with Harmony's cooking in mind he decided not to rock the boat and said, "No...no...that's all right."

The meal was, as usual, delicious, and he was in an excellent mood when he offered to help with the washing up. It was during that process and while passing a plate to Harmony who was drying, his hand brushed against her breasts.