Three: Saving His Marriage

Doing his rounds before he left for the evening, Dr. Clive checked up on Olivia, satisfied she was okay, he certified her free to go home after extracting a promise from her not to overdo it anymore. He would have preferred for her to stay a while for observation but since she was insistent and impatient to get discharged, he obliged her.

He then got ready to go home as the nurses for the next shift came to report for duty as well as another doctor who was to take his place.

'Umh!' he sighed. I can finally go home now. Thank goodness, I won't have to give Eleanor any excuses to night, he thought with a smile, recalling the promise his wife had made him about giving herself to him in any possible position he might want her. Eleanor was so adorable.

He had a car but preferred to walk. It was part of his routine for healthy living. He could see his house from a distance and was walking faster in anticipation of the evening when his phone rang. Thinking it was his wife becoming impatient, he picked the call without ascertaining the caller's ID.

'Dr. Clive', a nurse called. 'You have to get here immediately!'

'Oh, not again', he said, stamping his foot. He was undecided. He was just a stone throw from his house, should he go on home and tell his wife he had to go back to the hospital or should he just rush back, take care of the emergency and get back, this time in his car to fulfill his promise to his wife?

If I get to the house now, Eleanor might not allow me out again. She might nag me into going o ut with her and it would be a disaster since I'll be distracted thinking about the emergency case and the patient whose life I have put on the line. But if I go and I'm able to save the patient, I might get back though a bit late and still save the evening. I took a vow to save lives. Eleanor would understand, he decided.

This helped him make up his mind as he turned back and at a run, got back to the hospital and the patient. He was glad he did because the doctor was at a loss what to do and the patient was losing blood and they were almost losing him.

Clive sprung into action and by the time the patient was stabilized, it was about 9pm. He stared at his wristwatch, how had the time flown this way? As he worked, he hadn't been aware of the passing time. He had only been anxious to save the man's life.

'Thank you doctor for saving Michael's life', the wife of the patient said to him. 'May the Goddess bless you!'

'You are welcome madam!' he said as he hurriedly took off his lab coat and other protective clothing he had put on before going into the theatre.

He washed his hands, took his car keys from his drawer and ran to the garage and drove home.

Eleanor was already seething. She had dressed up for the occasion and had waited,stamping her foot as she paced round the apartment.

'I'm so sorry, darling', he said as soon as he got in and saw her. 'there was an emergency?'

Eleanor looked away from him, trying to control her fury.

'It might be late but we can still go out!' he said. Why aren't you dressed yet? It's okay. I'll help you dress and we shall be on our way!' he said touching her shoulders conciliatorily.

'Are you insane?' she lashed out at him, shaking off his hands from her shoulders violently. 'There's always an emergency at the hospital. Was there really an emergency or were you with someone?'

'Don't be ridiculous, darling!' he said shocked. 'You know I could never cheat on you!'

'I am beginning to wonder about that!' she shouted. 'This was a date for seven pm and this is already ten pm and you still want me to go out with you? You have shown me time and time again that you prefer your work to me. Your work always comes first. Then take your work out to dinner, she snapped and stormed off into the bedroom, threw herself on the bed and covered herself, sobbing.

Clive had a quick shower and came into the room, laid beside his wife on the bed.

'Darling', he said. 'It's okay. I'll try not to disappoint you next time!'

'You are always saying that and things are not getting better!' she sniffed. She had dressed very sexily this evening to impress him but he had not come back early like he promised and she had torn off the dressing anger and put on a pair of jeans trousers, deciding the evening was ruined.

Clive drew close to her. 'We can still salvage the evening. The evening is not over yet. Let's have dinner here at home and then enjoy each other's company in bed, exploring with the positions and styles you promised me. How about that?' he said in a bid to make her happier.

'To hell with you, Clive Lancaster!' she shouted. 'You failed to fulfill your promise to me because you are married to your job but you expect me to fulfill mine to you?'she asked, eyes blazing. 'Get your job to roll in the hay with you!'

'Darling, don't be like that', he said, not knowing how to appease his wife and feeling hungry. He had had nothing but the hastily grabbed breakfast that morning. 'I shall make something for us to eat, then you can sleep, if you are not up to it, okay?' he said, not waiting for her response as he walked into the kitchen

He got up, quickly put something delicious together for them, set the table with a bottle of white wine in a bucket of ice.

'Darling, our dinner er supper is ready!' he called but got no response. He went into their room, only to find that Eleanor was not there. A quick search of the house revealed that she had relocated to the guest room for the evening.

'I get it, Eleanor!' he said. 'You are not under pressure to do anything but at least come and eat something'.

'I'm not hungry!' she said, turning her back on him.

'Alright then, I shall bring the wine here, so we can pop it together in celebration!' he said enthusiastically.

'Clive, don't you know when to stop?' she snapped. 'I'm not interested. Leave me alone, I want to sleep! Anymore disturbance from you and I'll leave the house for you!'

All his attempt to get her to come to table was fruitless and he went back to the table, desolately, and ate alone. leaving the wine on the table as he walked wearily back to bed where he thought for a while, thinking that he would be unable to sleep but actually slept - alone. He was very tired from the busy day he had at the office. He was woken by his alarm at dawn and he started preparing for another day's work, wondering if Eleanor forgiven him for the previous night. He didn't life it when they had a row or were on a no - speaking - terms with his wife, which she seemed to enjoy quite a lot.