Chapter 50. Examination

The healer met them at the main entrance to the Hall. He didn't have to ask what had happened; he had been expecting this for some time now.

'We'll take him to my rooms,' the Thain said. 'No need to disturb Estella.' The healer nodded, and he and Doderas bent to take some of the Master's weight. They carried him to the Thain's room. As they laid him on Pippin's bed, the Thain met the healer's eye. 'Robin, isn't it?'

'That's right,' the healer said, taking up Merry's wrist and peering intently into the Master's face.

'Last I noticed you were old Ossilan's apprentice.'

'You haven't noticed much the past few years, now, have you?' Robin said as he continued his examination.

The Thain chuckled.

'But then, of course, the last few years you always brought your own healer with you to the Hall,' Robin added. 'They never let me near you, not that I didn't know exactly what game they were playing.'

'What game was that?' Pippin asked as he and Sam watched.

'You know very well, 'twas "Let's Pretend There's Naught Much Wrong with the Thain", but any healer worth his salt could tell at a look the real story.'

'It was general knowledge then?' Pippin said softly.

The healer sat back and fixed him with a bright eye. 'No,' he said. 'The signs were there for a healer to read, I don't think too many others would know what to look for. But any healer worth his salt knows how to hold his tongue as well. We all knew you were dying, Sir, just didn't have to say so... a look, a nod when "the Thain" came up in conversation, O yes, all the healers knew. But the rest of the Shire kept thinking and hoping, and we just let them go on doing so... no harm in't, I suppose.'

'Ah,' Pippin nodded, and Sam grinned. It wasn't often you caught the Thain at a loss for words.

'Allow me to congratulate you on your recovery, Sir,' the healer said, straightening up to roll his sleeves back down.

'O aye,' the Thain said, then looked pointedly back to Merry. 'How is he?'

'At first I thought his heart had given out, from what young Doderas said, and the way the Master's been driving himself.' He gave a sigh of relief. 'But the heart's still going strong, no thanks to its owner.'

'What then?' the Mayor asked.

Robin shook his head. 'Sheer exhaustion,' he said. 'Too much on his plate, with yourself dying, Thain--or not, as it were, and the steward nearly getting himself killt, the drought these past three years and the crops failing almost completely this year, and...' he stopped.

'We know about the Mistress,' Pippin said quietly.

'And that, as well,' the healer sighed. 'Not much for it. How do I get him to rest?' He looked again at Pippin. 'I don't know why they even bother to have a healer here at the Hall,' he grumbled. 'Nobody ever listens to me, anyhow. Are the Tooks any better?'

'Worse,' Pippin said.

'Much worse,' Sam amended.

Robin nodded. 'Guess I might as well stay on here, then,' he said. Looking back to Merry, he said, 'Best thing for him right now is sleep, and I do believe he ought to sleep awhile, now. This has been a long time coming. Perhaps the two of you might make yourselves useful, sit on him or something.'

'We can do that,' Sam said.

Pippin nodded. 'Can you send Berilac to us?' he asked. 'We've some business to discuss...' he looked down at the bed, 'unless you think it would disturb the Master.'

Robin chuckled. 'I think you could lay him in the middle of the racecourse and ride all the ponies in Eastfarthing over and around him and he'd sleep through it at this point.'

As if to belie the healer's words, Merry half-opened his eyes. 'Hullo, Frodo,' he said to Pippin. 'Good to see you. Are you staying long?'

'Perhaps,' Pippin said cautiously.

'Good. It's been too long since we've talked.' Merry sighed and closed his eyes again.

Pippin and Samwise stared at the healer. Robin shook his head. 'You go without sleep for long enough, your thinking gets fuzzy. You start seeing things... or people... that aren't there. He's not delirious.' He brushed the back of his hand against Merry's forehead, checking for fever, finding none. 'He's just very, very tired.'

He rose, strode to the door, jerked it open to reveal Doderas waiting in the corridor. 'All right, lad,' he said. 'You can report to the steward that the Master's resting comfortably, and then you and Elberic carry him here as soon as he can leave the feast.'

Doderas nodded. 'We can bring him right away,' he said. 'He'd arranged for Merimas to take over at need.'

'Right, then, lad, what are you waiting for? Off with you now!' Robin said, making a shooing gesture. He turned back into the room. 'I'm just going to check on the Mistress, then I'll be back,' he said. 'Might as well make yourselves comfortable.'

Pippin nodded and poured two glasses of brandy, then he and Sam settled in chairs on either side of the bed.

'At least there's not a shortage of brandy,' the Mayor said.

'O aye,' the Thain agreed. 'We'll hardly miss the food as long as the brandy holds out.'