Chapter 38. ...the Tasting of the Pudding

Diamond awakened to feel the bed shaking. Thinking her husband gripped in the old nightmare, she rolled over and sat up, only to find his eyes open. He had pulled the bad leg up and was gripping it tightly.

'What is it, love?' she asked.

'Hurts,' he gasped, and she saw blood on his lip where he had bitten it. She rose, but he grabbed her arm. 'Don't go...'

She settled back to the bed. 'I need to get the healer,' she said, but he was beyond reason.

Raising her voice, hoping she would not waken the twins, she called, 'Farry! Faramir!' Her son did not appear, but the twins' nurse did, wrapper hastily pulled on, hair loose upon her shoulders.

'What is it, Mistress?'

'Get Healer Woodruff, quickly, then waken the Mayor and the Master. Something's wrong with the Thain.'

'Yes, Mum,' the nurse said and was gone.

It seemed like an eternity, but Healer Woodruff was there quickly. She looked beautiful to Diamond, with her hair wild from sleep and pillow-creased cheek.

'What do we have here?' she said, and her calm was an anchor to cling to. 'Thain Peregrin, can you hear me?'

A wordless groan came in answer.

'Talk to me, Sir, tell me what is happening.'

'Afire...' he gritted. 'Feels as if I'm being roasted alive by orcs.' Sweat beaded on his forehead. The healer examined him as well as she could, but could not get him to straighten the leg, knotted and tightly contracted by muscle spasms.

'Can't you give him something?' Diamond was saying as the door swung open to admit Sam and Merry.

Woodruff shook her head. 'No, not with this kind of pain. It's nerve pain, nothing will touch it. I'd have to give him enough to knock him out, and that could stop his heart in the state he's in.'

'That might be an improvement,' Pippin gritted before another agonising spasm robbed him of speech.

The healer made a decision. 'Build up the fire,' she directed Sam. 'Fill the kettle with water, get it hot,' she told Merry. She turned to the frightened nurse. 'I want a basin and clean cloths, quickly!' All scattered to do her bidding.

'Talk to him,' she said to Diamond. 'It may do some good. Sing... something.'

Diamond began to croon a lullaby, her voice catching in her throat. Sam soon had the fire burning vigorously, and Merry put the kettle on and came back to put his hands gently on Diamond's shoulders. Sam stood aghast on the other side of the bed, staring down at Pippin.

'Sam?' Diamond asked as she came to the end of the song. 'Samwise, are you all right?'

He shook his head. 'In the name of all that's good,' he breathed. 'What have I done?'

The healer poured the steaming water into the basin, adding the cloths. 'This is something I've used in the muscle sickness, to ease the spasms,' she said. 'It might help here.' She took up a hot cloth, nearly scalding her fingertips, and began to wrap it around the leg. She repeated it until she had the entire leg wrapped in hot cloths, from groin to toes. 'Put more water on to heat,' she said.

'You'll burn him,' Diamond protested.

The healer chuckled without humour. 'He's already burning, he says... we'll fight fire with fire.' She looked up. 'Don't worry, Mistress, I'm being careful. If it's cool enough for my fingers, it won't burn him.'

As the cloths cooled, she replaced them with fresh ones. 'Keep singing,' she said to Diamond. 'Talk to him. Distract him.' Though her husband's moans tore at her heart, she complied, singing snatches of old songs as they came into her head.

Sam kept the fire bright, Merry topped off the water, Diamond held her husband and sang to him, the healer replenished the cloths, trying to keep them as hot as possible. Diamond did not know how long they fought, but eventually she thought the spasms might be easing slightly. The healer was gradually able to straighten the leg, but continued to apply the hot cloths.

Near dawn, the spasms eased yet more, then ceased, and the Thain fell into a heavy sleep.

Woodruff turned to Diamond. 'I think we should take the leg now, whilst he's sleeping,' she said soberly.

'Take the--' Diamond gasped. 'You mean... off?'

The healer nodded. 'Aye.' She looked down at her patient, then back to his wife. 'I don't know that he could survive another night like the last.'

Diamond's thoughts were awhirl. She looked down into her husband's sleeping face, still etched with pain and exhaustion, but the thought of facing Pippin when he awakened made her hesitate. It seemed too much of a betrayal to her.

She shook her head, gaining firmness. 'No,' she said. 'No, I won't do that to him. It's his leg; it's his decision to make.'

'Very well, my lady,' Healer Woodruff said softly. 'I will abide by your decision.' She turned to the Mayor and the Master. 'You might as well go get some rest now,' she said. 'He'll sleep awhile, I think. I will let you know if there's any change.'

They took turns watching with him throughout the day, but he didn't waken. When the time for the evening meal came, Healer Woodruff escorted Diamond from the room. 'Go get yourself a proper dinner, Mistress,' she said. 'I'll sit with him until you're done. You've had no rest this day.'

Diamond was reluctant to leave, but the healer insisted.

The mood in the great room was subdued. Even the young Gamgees had little to say. They had awakened that morning to the unimaginable sound of their father weeping. Creeping from their beds, they saw his face buried in Rose's shoulder while she soothed him, trying to comfort a pain that could not be comforted. Mayor Sam acted more as if he were at a burial feast than a celebration welcoming the Mayor and his Mistress back to the Shire.

Halfway through the silent meal, Diamond looked up to see the Mayor and the Master staring in shock at something behind her. Hearing steps, she turned. Pippin walked up to her with a broad smile and a bounce in his step. Pippin... walked?

'Hullo, everyone, sorry I'm late,' he grinned. 'I seem to have overslept myself.' Pulling out his chair, he seated himself next to Diamond. 'What's for dinner? I'm starved!' He took in the juicy roast, puffed pudding, fluffy potatoes roasted in their jackets, accompanying breads and salads and vegetables and fruit compote, and his eyes sparkled. 'A veritable feast!' he said, rubbing his hands together as a servant placed a loaded plate before him.

He looked up. 'What's everybody staring at?' he asked, mischief dancing in his eyes. 'Eat! Before all this marvelous food gets cold!' He suited word to action, cutting off a piece of succulent flesh and stuffing it into his mouth, closing his eyes in rapture. 'Mmmmm,' he said. 'Seems as if the cooks have finally got things right.'