CHAPTER 4

Just before dawn, the healer found herself beginning to drowse. She sat forward and looked at the bed. Her patient was in good hands. She got up to leave, but before she did, she unfolded a coverlet from the foot of the bed and laid it over Merry. She placed a hand on Pippin’s brow, to be certain no fever had returned, and then went out and shut the door.

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Pippin’s leg hurt. His head hurt. His nose was all stuffed up. And he had to relieve himself again. All in all, he was fairly miserable.

On the up side, Merry was here. His cousin lay on his side, far enough away not to jostle Pippin’s injury, but close enough to lay one hand on his arm. It was the same way Merry had stayed with him in Ithilien; the same way Pippin had stayed with Merry in the Houses of Healing. His cousin was snoring very softly, as he often did when laying on his side, and his face looked quite peaceful. Pippin regretted having to wake him, but it couldn’t be helped; he had to cough.

Merry’s eyes flew open. “Are you all right, Pip?”

“Good bording, Berry,” he croaked.

Merry sat up and pushed the coverlet away. “Lawks, Pippin, you sound dreadful.”

“Thag you bery buch, as Bibo once sed.”

They both chuckled, and then Merry assisted him as Paladin had done the night before. Merry was a little better at it than his father had been, but even so, Pippin could not help a yip of pain. Merry winced. He was just getting Pippin settled back when there was a knock on the door.

Merry looked at Pippin who nodded. “Come in,” he called.

It was Diamond. Pippin stifled the urge both to groan and to pull the blanket up over his head and hide. It was foolish to mind her seeing him like this--she was a healer, for goodness’ sake! But there it was: he didn’t mind her seeing him in pain when it was from a noble heroic injury; he very much minded her seeing him all red-faced and puffy from a stupid cold!

She had brought a tray with a kettle, cups and the herbs she needed to mix the medicinal tea. “Good morning,” she said cheerily.

“Good morning, Miss Diamond,” said Merry, moving to build up the fire on the grate, so that she could heat the kettle.

“ ‘Bordig,” said Pippin reluctantly. Only his eyes peeked out from the blanket as he glanced in her direction.

“He’s a bit stuffed up this morning,” said Merry.

“So I hear,” she laughed. Her dimples flashed, and Pippin’s heart gave a little flutter at the sight of them. “This tea will help, as will sitting up. Mr. Brandybuck, could you be so good as to help me?”

“Only if you will call me ‘Merry’!”

“Then you must drop the ‘miss’ and call me ‘Diamond’.”

Pippin felt a stab of entirely unreasonable jealousy. This was ridiculous. He knew Merry had eyes for no one but Estella Bolger. Get a grip on yourself, you silly Took! he told himself. Out loud he said “ ’d you bust ca’ be ’Bibbid’.”

“Very well, ‘Bibbid‘,” she laughed.

Oh! There were those dimples again! He thought he could say any number of ridiculous things to see those dimples.

Merry went to the head of the bed, and helped Pippin to lean forward, while Diamond put an extra pillow behind his back. Then they each took him by an arm and pulled him back and up.

Pain shot through him; he let out a gasp as the blood drained from his face. He felt more than a bit woozy.

“Oh, Pip! I’m sorry!” said Merry, distressed.

“My apologies, Pippin!” exclaimed Diamond. “We should have done that more slowly.” Diamond was embarrassed. It was a good thing that Mistress Lavender had not seen her be so clumsy with a patient, she thought.

“ ’S all right,” he gasped.

Diamond held the tea up to his lips; it was much the same as the night before, though he could taste more of the bitter willow-bark in it. In his upright position, with the warmth of the steaming tea wafting up, he could begin to feel the congestion as it drained away. He found that in just a few moments, he could breathe through his nose once more.

“Ah, that’s better,” he sighed. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, flashing her dimples once more, as she turned to put the empty cup away. Pippin could not tear his gaze away.

He could feel a pair of grey eyes boring into the back of his skull. He turned his regard to see Merry standing there, arms crossed, smirking at him.

“What?” he mouthed, silently and crossly.

Merry grinned, raised a brow, and flicked a glance at the young healer, who was busy setting the tray to rights.

Pippin blushed.

Merry chuckled.

Pippin shrugged, and looked a bit wistful.

Diamond turned around, and the amused expression vanished from Merry’s face as though it had never been there.

Pippin looked grateful.

Merry smiled fondly.

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The sound of her newborn twins crying brought Pimpernel instantly awake. She could hear them in the next room, but before she could get out of bed, the door opened, and her cousin Garnet came in with a babe on each arm.

“I’m sorry, Pimmie,” she said, “but I do believe that they want their breakfast.”

Pimpernel sat up to take little Drogo and Primula in her arms. “I think that you are right.” She soon had them nursing. “Where is Milo?”

“He took the lasses with him to the family quarters for first breakfast, so that you could have a bit of a lie in.”

Her husband was thoughtful that way. She felt tears spring to her eyes as she thought of what *could* have been this morning.

“Garnet, when the twins have finished nursing, could you watch them for a bit. I want to get dressed and go see my brother.”

“Of course, cousin! I’d be glad of a chance to watch the little dears. They are such lovely babies.”

Pimpernel smiled her thanks, and thought of how only a few months ago this cousin would have been just about the last person she would consider asking to mind her children. But Garnet and her sisters had changed a great deal over the last little while, and all of it for the better.

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Tanto leaned up on one arm, and reached over to brush away the curls from his wife’s brow. Vinca was still sleeping deeply after having taken the sleeping draught the night before. She had been so distraught.

As soon as she woke up, they had a call to make. Pippin needed to know just how grateful they were. It gave Tanto the funniest feeling in the pit of his stomach, every time he realized how nearly he had come to death, and how his brother-in-law had been willing to sacrifice himself to save him. Could he have done the same? He wished he knew.

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There was a knock on Pippin’s door. This time, Merry went over to open it himself.

It was a maidservant, with a tea trolley, loaded with a lavish first breakfast, enough for all three of them.

Pippin was not sure he could face food right now.

But Merry wheeled the trolley over, and began to prepare three plates. There was porridge, laced with honey and cream; there were apples cooked with cinnamon; there were some lovely, yeasty buns, piping hot. There were boiled eggs. There was butter, and a jar of blackberry jam, and the honey pot. There was a fragrant pot of tea, and a pitcher of fruit juice.

After the first few bites, Pippin felt his appetite return, and he polished off all his first serving, and over half of his second, before he was sated. He began to feel drowsy.

Merry sat on the foot of his bed, eating his third serving, while Diamond sat in the chair by the bed. Pippin began to doze off as the food and medicine did their work, keeping his eyes on the healer all the while.

As he ate, Merry observed her while she ate. So this was the lass who had caught Pippin’s eye? She seemed a good sort; young, but then so was Pip, for all the maturity he had gained on the Quest. The question was, was she good enough for Pippin? He’d make it a point to find out. And if she was, then perhaps he could use a bit of his older and more experienced cousin’s advice…