Chapter 13: Over Snow by Winter Sown

22 Foreyule, S.R. 1311

Bilbo did not care who it was, so long as it was an adult. He needed help so badly. He raced down the passage to the front hall and flung open the door.

It was Tam Goodchild the gardener. Bilbo flung himself at the hobbit. "Oh! Oh, Master Tam, I am so glad to see you!"

The gardener held him back at arm's length and looked at the tween. "Master Bilbo, whatever is wrong? Where's the Squire?"

Bilbo made an effort to get hold of himself, and took a deep breath, and squared his shoulders. "Papa is ill, and so is Mama. They are dreadfully ill, Master Tam, and I don't know what to do."

"Well, I have to say as I was worrited. We all know it's not like the Squire not to be around in times of trouble. What's wrong with 'em, Master Bilbo?"

"They both began sneezing and then coughing and running a fever a few days ago. Mama had been down to Greenbriars, and she said that Dora and Drogo had the sniffles and that they feared it might be catarrh."

Tam nodded. "Mistress Rose is still holed up, but her 'prentice Sage Rumble was visiting her family during the snowfall. It's catarrh, and there are a lot of hobbits here in town down with it. I was up here to shovel the walk down to the lane, for I feared that you were all snowed in up here. From the looks of it, I weren't far wrong."

"We are more or less clear at the back, Master Tam," said Bilbo. "I've been able to get to the woodpile and back to the house, but we've been snowed in at the front for several days. I only had to dig a little at the back-- Papa remembered to bring the shovel in the house before he got sick."

"Mr. Bungo is a right clever hobbit, and long-sighted as well. D' you want me to look in on your folks now?"

"If you please, Master Tam." Bilbo said anxiously.

The gardener wiped his feet well on the mat, and followed Bilbo back to the Master's room. Bilbo opened the door cautiously. His mother was half-sitting against the pillows, her arm across her face, but she was not asleep. Bungo was asleep, however.

"Mama, Master Tam is here."

"Oh, thank goodness!" she whispered hoarsely. She began to cough again, and Bilbo rushed over to pour her a tumbler of water. After a few sips, she took a breath, and Bilbo was alarmed to hear her wheezing. "Has the snow cleared?"

"No, Mistress; but some o' us managed to clear part o' the lane and a few o' the paths. Me nephew from Bywater was able to get in wi' a sledge and a few supplies. Mistress Rose is still snowed in; we're a-going to try to get her clear tomorrow. Miss Sage is clear-- she's a-staying down at Number 5 Bagshot Row with her cousins."

Bungo began to cough. If anything, his coughing and wheezing sounded worse than Belladonna. Bilbo went around to him with another tumbler of water, and was alarmed at how feverish his father's brow was. Bungo moaned and began coughing again.

"Mama," he said seriously, "I am going down to Number 5, and see about fetching Miss Sage up here." Miss Sage wasn't yet a healer, yet she was nearing the end of her apprenticeship, and seemed a very practical and competent sort.

" 'Tis a good idea, Master Bilbo," said Tam with approval. "Mistress, I'll finish clearing the walk and also in the back, and see to splitting some more wood and a-bringing it up. Master Bilbo tells me that you are almost out."

"Thank you, Tam," she said. She turned to Bilbo. "Be careful, son, and bundle up well-- the last thing we need is for you to get sick as well."

Once more Bilbo struggled into leggings, jacket, coat, scarf, hat, gloves, and this time, he added his cloak.

The cold nearly took his breath away. At least the front walk was clear. The lane, as Tam had said, had been partly cleared. Bagshot Row was down the Hill in the other direction from Greenbriars. Bilbo began to walk down that way, but as he went, it began to snow again, at first a few flurries, but then quickly it began to swirl around him enough to slow his pace and make it hard for him to see. However, it was not far to Number 5, and even in the swirling snow its bright red door was easy to spot. He pounded on the door, and soon it was opened by little Barty Rumble, whose eyes went wide. "Master Bilbo!" he gasped.

"Barty, is your cousin Sage here?"

The child nodded, eyes wide. Then he turned and in a bellow that belied his small size yelled: "SAGE!"

Sage and Mrs. Rumble came from the kitchen. "What on earth are you a-hollering at, Hobart Rumble?" asked his mother sternly, and then her own eyes went wide at the sight of Bilbo standing there, the door still wide open.

"Oh, Master Bilbo! Do come in! Barty, close the door, you're letting in all the snow!"

Bilbo stepped into the smial and it was with no small relief that he left the snow behind as Barty shut the door. "Miss Sage, my parents are both very ill. When Master Tam told me that you were here, I thought I would see if you could come down and take a look at them. I know Mistress Rose is still snowed in, you see, and well-- I'm dreadfully worried about them. I think it may be catarrh. Before she got ill, Mama said that it was going around."

Sage nodded. "It wouldn't surprise me, Master Bilbo, not at all. It has been going around. That's part o' why I'm here. I come to see Tam's children who was taken with it before the last big snow hit; as they was in Number 3, it seemed only right that I come next door to stay with kin. They are all better now, though."

That brought Bilbo up short. "It's snowing again! Perhaps we won't be able to get back up to Bag End!"

Barty ran up to the window. "It's almost stopped again, Master Bilbo."

"I think we can make it, Master Bilbo," Sage said. "Let me get my satchel with what I'll need, and bundle up. We'll head up the Hill right away."

It did not take them long, and soon Bilbo found himself back in the dwindling snowflakes, Miss Sage at his side. All the progress made on the road had been erased by the snow. The new layer of snow was not deep, but it was enough to hide the road once more, as well as any small potholes and icy patches. They did not speak as they needed to be careful of placing each step. The snow had stopped by the time the gate to Bag End's front path came in view.

Bilbo pushed open the door, and they entered the hall, along with a few stray snowflakes. He took Miss Sage's cloak, and hung it on one of the pegs by the door, before he began taking off his own cloak and coat. They wiped their feet upon the mat, and then Bilbo led her back to his parents' room.

Miss Sage looked about with interest. She had never been inside Bag End before, and she had often heard what a splendid hole it was. It certainly seemed so to her now, but she had little time to appreciate it as Bilbo opened the door to the room and led her to her patients.

Both appeared to be sleeping, and rather than wake them right away, she drew off the pendulum she wore about her neck. Her pendulum was a disk carved with a design of knots and made of bone. It was pierced at the top and strung upon a cord of silk. Her father had carved it for her when he learned she was to become an apprentice healer, and whenever she used it, she was reminded of her parents' pride in her.

She began with Mistress Belladonna. Taking a calming breath to center herself as she had been taught, she dangled the pendulum above Mistress Belladonna, beginning with her feet, and moving up her body slowly and methodically. Sage observed the patterns the pendulum made, swinging back and forth sometimes, sometimes in a circular motion-- and sometimes, especially as Sage reached the chest and lung area, erratically. She frowned.

Then she walked around the bed, and began to repeat the process on the Master. She was alarmed to realise that the erratic swinging was even more pronounced in his case. Before she quite finished, he suddenly was wracked with a bout of coughing. He sat up abruptly. The cough sounded wet, and he was wheezing mightily as he tried to draw in his breath between coughs. He blinked, and looked blearily at her through watery red eyes. "Do I know you?" he rasped.

Bilbo, who had been standing right behind her, said "It's Miss Sage Rumble, Mistress Rose's apprentice, Papa."

"At your service, Mr. Baggins." She dropped the pendulum cord back around her neck and drew out her listening tube. "Can you lean forward a little, sir?" she asked.

Bungo nodded, then closed his eyes briefly. "Dizzy," he whispered. He leaned forward, and Sage put the wide end of the tube against his back, and her ear to the other end.

She listened for a few seconds, then put her hand to his head. He was slightly feverish. "Master Bilbo, you told me that you gave your parents willow-bark tea. When did you do that last?"

"About four hours ago, Miss Sage. Was that the right thing to do? I've been giving them as much as I can."

"Oh, yes, Master Bilbo, willow-bark is good for fever. But it's probably about worn off now. I think his fever's going up again."

Belladonna had wakened now, and Miss Sage introduced herself and went back to the other side to examine her more closely as well.

She stood back and looked at both of her patients, who were gazing up at her with the exhausted and unquestioning gaze of the truly sick. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a cloth bag.  "Master Bilbo, this is willow-bark with a few other herbs mixed in that will be good for your parents. You take it and go fix them up some tea with this. Use about the same amount as you would with just the willow-bark. Add a little honey, too, if you still have any."

Relieved at having something to do, Bilbo went into the kitchen to prepare it. As soon as he left, she looked at Bungo and Belladonna seriously. "Mr. and Mrs. Baggins, I think you know you have had catarrh; but it's only become worse. You've both developed the lung sickness. Both of you are very ill, and I think you are worse off than the young master can handle."

Belladonna burst into tears. "He's taken such good care of us, Miss Sage; he's a good son."

Bungo somehow mustered up the strength to put an arm around his wife. "He is. But Miss Sage is right. Yet I do not know what we can do about it in this dreadful weather. I do not know who we could find that could come. I am sure many have this illness in their own holes."

"Could Mr. Fosco help out?"

Belladonna shook her head sadly. "Not with the young ones depending on him. I am sure that Ruby is not well enough yet to keep the children alone."

Just then Bilbo came back in with the tea tray. Miss Sage took it from him and placed it on the table by the bed and passed the cups to his parents.

"Papa, Tam chopped us some more wood, and he wants to know what else he can do to help? He came into the kitchen while I was in there."

Bungo blinked. His mind was foggy, and he really did not know what to answer. Sage could tell by his blank expression. "I'll have a word with him, Master Bilbo. I know of a few useful things he can do. You sit here until I come back and make sure they drink all their tea!" She gave him a reassuring smile, not missing the pale drawn face, or the dark circles under his eyes.

She strode into the kitchen, wishing mightily that her Mistress was available right now. Outwardly she was all confidence, but inwardly she was very worried. The Bagginses were very ill indeed, especialy Mr. Baggins. If they should get worse, if the worst should happen, poor little Master Bilbo should not be alone. She so wished she could consult her Mistress right now-- though she'd been told she was nearly finished with her apprenticeship, she did not feel as confident as she would if she were a full Healer. She saw Tam sitting at the table nursing his own cup of tea.

"Tam," she said without preamble, "could Missus Twofoot come up and watch with Master Bilbo for a few days?" Ivy Twofoot was Tam's sister.

He shook his head. "I reckon not, Sage. She just got over her own bout wi' the catarrh, and now Jack and Posey are down with it."

"Is the Post running yet?"

"I saw t' Postmaster while we was a-working on the road. He said barring a bad snowfall tonight, he's going to try to get a rider through to the Thain tomorrow."

Sage thought rapidly. "I'll get Master Bilbo to write a letter then, maybe we'll get some help from his Tookish relations if the weather don't worsen. And nothing for it, I'll stay here as much as I can with Master Bilbo to watch over the Squire and the Mistress. You tell my auntie what's going on, have her send me over my things. And ask about the village, see if any of the goodwives can come up and spell me ever once in a while. Sick as his mum and da are, I don't want Master Bilbo alone with them."

Tam's eyes widened as her meaning became clear.

She returned to the sick room. Bilbo had placed the empty teacups on the tray, and watched anxiously as his parents once more fell asleep, this time helped by the extra herbs that Sage had put in the tea.

"Master Bilbo, I'm going to stay for a while."

The relief on his face was palpable; if he'd had the energy, he'd have shouted out his thanks. As it was he simply nodded gratefully.

"I want you to go to bed, Master Bilbo. I'll spell you in here. But you need some real rest. And Mag tells me the Postmaster plans to try sending out a rider tomorrow to Tuckborough. When you wake up, you write a letter to your grandfather and tell him about your folks being so sick. It may take a few days, but you know the Old Took will see that things are taken care of!"

Bilbo went off to his room, never so glad in his life to shed his clothes and slip into his nightshirt, and to slide between the sheets of his bed.