The Chronicles of Harold the Healer Ch. 03

"I did it?" she asked, wide-eyed, as the baby was placed in a basin of warm water by Leila.

"Yes, you did, sweetheart," replied her mother, starting the cleaning process as Nancy left the room and quickly returned with a large suitcase, from which she extracted a scale with a top large enough to put a baby on. This was set on the floor and calibrated as Leila dried off the crying newborn and placed him on it.

"Eight pounds, two ounces!" announced Nancy. "What a big boy you are! Time to go to Mama." Leila and Marcie helped Brenda to sit up and propped pillows behind her back, and Nancy handed the baby to her. Brenda cradled him in her left arm over her breast.

"Your milk will come in soon, and he will be hungry," said Leila with a smile. Brenda got an odd look on her face, closed her eyes, and grunted. The placenta emerged from her vagina.

"That's gross!" Marcie exclaimed. Leila grinned and hit the whole bed with a strong Clean spell, getting rid of all the fluids, placenta, and everything else in one go.

"I really, really wish that I could do that Clean spell," said Nancy, shaking her head and smiling. "Now how are we going to get Fred back here?" Right on cue, his face appeared at the window, looking around and trying to see in. They all screamed a bit in surprise, making the baby cry again.

"Is it safe to come in now?" he asked, looking worried, after Leila had opened the window.

"Yes, Fred, it's safe now," said Brenda, smiling tiredly. "I will not rip off your cock and feed it to the geese, no matter how much pain it has caused me." He disappeared from the window, and shortly after they heard the door open and close, and the sound of boots being removed.

"He's all wrinkled and red," were his first words, accompanied by a crooked grin, as he entered the now rather crowded room. "Look at the hair on him," he added, kneeling at the side of the bed next to his wife and tentatively stroking the baby's head with a large hand. "We made this?" His brown eyes were shining as he looked into hers.

"We made this," Brenda replied, stroking his wet hair. "You must have been hanging around the house, waiting." He nodded as the baby started seeking her nipple.

"I knew that you were going to be fast and I didn't want to go too far. I wanted to be here for you. I felt so bad to hear you in such... such pain," he whispered, tears now trickling down his warm, handsome face. "I'd sworn on my life itself that I'd never hurt you or allow harm to come to you, and there you were..." He couldn't continue, and Brenda stroked his head as he wept.

"Fred, my dear, this is why we don't allow men in the delivery room," said Nancy, resting her left hand on his right shoulder. "It's the loving ones that cause all the problems."

"Fred, my dearest man, all is forgiven, if forgiveness is what you need," she said softly as the other three quietly left the room and stood by the door. "We'll have to go through this all over again for the next one, you know."

"The next one?" he asked, looking alarmed. "I'm not even ready for this one!" This got laughs from all of them. "Nancy, I owe you a ride home, and I promise to travel at a much more reasonable pace this time." They laughed again. "I think that we nearly ran over Healer Harold on the way here."

"It's a good thing he's got quick reflexes," the midwife replied, shaking her head. They got her stuff packed up again and stepped onto the porch, where Leila quickly Warded them to keep the rain off. She and Marcie watched as the two returned to the buggy, whose seats Fred had to hastily wipe off with a cloth kept in an oilskin bag under his seat before they could sit in them.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to officiate at your wedding," Brenda said when they returned to the bedroom. "We will be there in the audience, cheering you on, though."

"Thank you. That means a lot," Leila replied. The baby was not ready to feed yet and had fallen asleep at his mother's breast. "What will you call him?"

"We decided on Samuel Michael, after Fred's father and mine, and Harold Jaggers," she replied, getting startled reactions.

"Why would you name him after Papa?" asked Marcie, looking at the baby.

"He helped to make him possible," she replied.

"This I'd like to hear," said Leila, pulling up a chair and sitting down. "I don't think that rascal tells me a quarter of the stuff he's been up to."

"This was about four years ago," Brenda replied. Marcie pulled a sheet over her to keep her warmer, and got a smile of thanks. "I had appendicitis, and my parents recognized the symptoms. Somehow, they knew that one of the traveling Healers was due in town that day, so they loaded me in the buggy and drove from the farm up the Provis Road to get him. I thought that I'd never feel more pain than I'd felt on that day. Every bounce and bump on the road had me screaming in agony. As it turned out, it was him. Thank the Goddess that he was running early and we didn't have to go far. I don't think that he would have normally used the words that he said when he had a look at me with one of those Windows. My parents laid me out in the back of the buggy while he frantically ransacked his pack for a medical kit. He must have knocked me out with a Sleep spell, because the next thing I remember was him showing me a disgusting red bloated thing in his hand and said that it was my appendix. My Mom and Dad are farmers, of course, and see all sorts of gross stuff all the time, but this was too much for them and they threw up at the side of the road."

"Why didn't you get me? I'd have done that easily."

"We couldn't find you. You weren't at home and they had no idea where you were." Leila looked troubled, but relieved, and shook her head with a smile.

"That man has a real knack for showing up at the right time," she replied. "We have to get you up and dressed and ready to go home." By the time Fred had returned with a noticeably tired horse twenty minutes later, the baby had been given a diaper and blanket from Leila's emergency supply cupboard and Brenda was dressed, her hair brushed, and had drunk two large mugs of fresh water and devoured a sandwich that Marcie had made.

"Thank you so much for everything," Fred said at the doorstep as he helped Brenda through the door, "both you Healer Leila and you Healer-in-Training Marcie. You don't mind Samuel's extra name?" he added, looking a bit worried.

"I think that Harold would be honoured," replied the Healer. "Speaking of whom, Marcie and I have a date at Pella's to get our dresses and our hair done. Don't worry, we'll walk there," she added hastily. "You two get home and settled in, and we'll see you in the Park at about six."

"We'll all be there," Brenda replied. "Thank you both." They walked to the buggy, got in, and Fred backed it out to the street. They waved as they drove to the main street and managed to turn left onto it to head to their farm just south of the Town limits. Marcie had also made them sandwiches, which were quickly eaten and washed down with a mug of water. After a quick trip to the privy for each of them, they grabbed their hats and were ready to go.

"It's been about an hour and a half since your Papa left for Mrs. Blandford's place, and I hope that she was able to delay him a bit," said Leila as they walked quickly towards Pella the tailor's shop. The light rain pattered off the Ward and slid onto the sidewalks on either side of them. "We'll be a bit late, but they'll understand when we tell them what's been going on." Rain or no rain, Sunday shopping had to be done and Main Street was bustling with people, their umbrellas, and various horse-drawn conveyances. Word had definitely gotten around, as they were stopped a few times and congratulated by people who were happy for them and that she'd made an excellent choice.

"More people know about your Papa than I realized," she said as they finally found refuge in Pella's shop, only to be greeted enthusiastically by its inhabitants. "Sorry for the delay," she apologized, "but Mayor Brenda went into labour during her checkup and gave birth to Samuel."

"Now there's a good omen if I've ever heard one," said Pella, a tall, slender woman whose skin was a few shades darker than the average for the area. She and her husband had been refugees from Carcosa after it had been liberated from the theocratic dictatorship of the Yellow Autarch by the Kingdom more than twenty years ago. Her long, black hair was now more salt than pepper and her face was lined a bit with middle age, but her dark brown eyes had not lost their flash. "It went well?"

"The delivery was very fast, only about an hour from the time it started. It was a good thing that she was in getting a check-up when she started. Poor Fred, he was practically beside himself." She neglected to say that it was her suggestion that they have sex to see if strong orgasms and a component of his semen would get her started.

"Hello, Marcie," said Sylvia, Pella's oldest daughter, who was the spitting image of her mother when she was 24. "I swear that you've grown another inch since the last time I saw you!" Marcie gave her a gap-toothed grin.

"Everyone keeps saying that! Maybe Mama feeds me too well."

"We will have to see if you have outgrown your new dress," said Olivia, going to the storeroom in the back, while Ramon, her father, brought out the off-white dress that they had altered after her initial visit in the morning.

"Please try this on, Leila, and see if we did the alterations right."

"I have no doubt that you did them right," she replied with a warm smile, taking the garment and moving to the changing area in the back of the store. "This is just a formality." As she drew the heavy curtain around the four-by-four change "room", Olivia returned with Marcie's dress, which was a shade of blue very similar to her eye colour.

"That's so pretty!" Marcie marveled. "Thank you!"

"Don't thank me until you try it on," Olivia, who was a bit shorter than Sylvia and looked more like her father, replied. "You take the other change room." With some help, they drew the curtain around the other change area.

"Harold was by here about ten minutes ago," said Ramon conversationally. "He wanted to check in and see how we were doing, and also to ask for directions to Miranda Keystone's house."

"Bother that man!" Leila exclaimed, emerging from the changing area and striding towards the full-length mirror with two wings on hinges for the side view. She paused to give herself a good long look from all angles that she could see. "This is the most beautiful dress that I've ever seen! Thank you so much!" It was cut low enough in the front to show a hint of cleavage and tight enough around her waist to subtly emphasize her shapely rump, and ended just above her ankles with delicate lace that was echoed around her wrists and neckline. Beadwork, stitching, and even the occasional sequin to add a little flash made eye-catching patterns.

"The pleasure is ours," Pella replied, also scrutinizing their handiwork carefully. "It's the least we can do after all that you both have done for us over the years."

"Oh, Marcie!" said her mother as Marcie emerged from her change area clad in the blue dress. "You look wonderful! Come stand in front of the mirror and see!" Marcie ran over and had a look.

"I love it!" she squealed delightedly, but then paused and looked sad.

"What's wrong?" asked Olivia, looking concerned.

"It's such a pretty dress, I wish that I could wear it forever, but I'll outgrow it before school starts again in September."

"Maybe you will," said Sylvia briskly, "but we put in lots of extra material behind the seams and we can let it out to make it last longer for you. Oof!" She was the recipient of a big hug from a happy Marcie.

"Did Harold suspect anything?" Leila asked as the two of them posed in front of the mirrors.

"He wondered if we were in league with Wanda Cartwright," Ramon replied, shaking his head. "Every single person who visits the bakery says the same thing. I have no idea why," he added innocently. The bakery's displays of mouth-watering temptations was the downfall of many a diet. "He didn't seem to suspect that anything was going on, though. The directions I gave him to Miranda's place would keep him away from the Park, if he followed them," he added. "Now it's time for Franco to do your hair. Please have a seat." Chairs had been brought and the two were seated.

"He isn't nearby," she replied as Franco, Pella and Ramon's 17-year-old son, began to deftly weave her hair so that there was a braid around the top of each side of her head that joined at the back into a narrow braid that went the length at the back. The remainder of her half-copper, half-silver hair that descended below her shoulders was brushed smooth.

"Oh Mama, you look like a queen!" exclaimed Marcie, whose hair had been brushed by Olivia to prepare for a similar treatment. As Franco worked his magic on Marcie, they continued to talk.

"What plans do you have for the wedding?" Pella inquired over her shoulder as she moved towards the front to greet an incoming customer. "Wanda! If people see you in here, they will be even more convinced that we're plotting together!" A hearty laugh was her response.

"I thought I'd let you know that the cake is nearly done. It will be cooled and frosted and ready to go by 6:00. Most of the town will be there, so they'll only be able to get a small slice. And your groom-to-be dropped by and had a large piece of that cake you saw in the case. He said that doing Magic makes one hungry."

"He was at Kim Blandford's place fixing her tomato blight problem," Leila replied, joining Pella at the front. "Doing Magic can be energy-intensive, so we can get away with consuming your sinful snacks." Her mock glower was met with a look of mildly outraged innocence. "Brenda had her baby boy earlier this afternoon," she continued, and Wanda's face lit up.

"She'll be happy about that! The late stages of pregnancy are no fun for anyone. How was the labour?"

"Very fast, just over an hour." Wanda's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Eight pounds, two ounces."

"Wow, to pass a kid of that size in that short a time! We'll have to send her something special. And I have to get back to work," she continued ruefully. "See you this evening." She turned to go, then stopped and turned around again. "Have you figured out how you're going to get him dressed up? He can't get married in his traveling clothes!"

"Oh, bother! There's always got to be something!" Leila exclaimed. "All I have is his formal doctor's work suit back home."

"He needs something that will match that gorgeous dress of yours!" Wanda replied, turning again and hurrying out into the light rain.

"So, we first have to find something that fits him, then get him into it," mused Sylvia.

"Mama, I'm done!" Leila turned and walked back to the mirrors and her daughter stood up. Her long auburn hair was done in the same style as hers, and it looked marvellous.

"Franco, you are a genius! You'll be getting lots of requests for this after the wedding!" The teenaged stylist found himself squeezed almost breathless by two simultaneous hugs.

"Thank you!" he replied shyly after he was released. "I saw this in one of my books and thought that it would suit you. Sylvia was good enough to be my test subject."

"It only took him two tries," Sylvia replied with a proud smile. "It doesn't work at all for me, but it makes you two look almost regal. Now we have to keep Harold away from you until then."

"And we have to get him dressed," mused Ramon. "The classic would be to find a way to get him thoroughly dirty..."

"But he has that Clean spell," Pella countered. "He can clean anything with just a few words."

"Then we have to steal them or shred them," he replied pensively. "How about a relaxing time in Nellie's spa? A mani-pedi wouldn't appeal to him, but maybe some time in the sauna or a massage would help him rest and relax?"

"I'm not sure about that," said Leila dubiously. "Nellie does like to have a...", she looked at Marcie, who seemed to be all ears, "hands-on relationship with her customers." There were memories of hot back and leg massages in the sauna that had somehow ended with one supple, strong hand probing and stroking her inflamed pussy and another squeezing her breasts and stroking her nipples until an orgasm had ripped through her. She had always felt obligated to then demonstrate to Nellie the techniques that Harold used on her to devastating success, especially searching for the sweet spot on the top wall of her vagina with her middle finger and sending little sparks of energy into it while doing the same with her tongue on Nellie's somewhat oversized clitoris until she was rewarded by a loud groan and a jet of fluid. She had to quickly shove those memories aside before she got too hot.

"She does massages," said Marcie, matter-of-factly. "Of course, she has a hands-on relationship with her customers." She grinned impudently as the others rolled their eyes and groaned.

"Has your father been corrupting you?" her mother demanded, hands on hips.

"No, Mama. He has been teaching me," she paused to remember the phrase, "unexpected linguistic relationships." She put on an expression of wide-eyed innocence that fooled nobody.

"In other words, puns," sighed Pella, shaking her head in mock sorrow. "He really should be ashamed of himself." That didn't fool anybody either because Harold had found out her weakness a long time ago and happily shared what he'd come up with on his visits, much to the discomfiture of her friends and family. Except for Franco, which reinforced her belief that the love of puns was somehow inherited.

"Leave that to us, Leila," assured Olivia. "We'll figure something out. You have things to do. There won't be much time between the end of the rain and the start of the ceremony."

"It won't be much longer," said Marcie, "maybe half an hour at most."

"The dresses can stay here," said Sylvia as their wearers moved back to the changing area. "We don't want them to get messed up."

"Definitely not!" Leila exclaimed from behind her curtain. "These should be national treasures! We'll cover up the hair with our hats so nobody will see too soon."

"Other people will want their hair like theirs," said Ramon, wagging an admonishing finger at his son. "I hope that you are ready for the rush!"

"I will show it to the others in the Hair Salon," Franco replied with a grin. "We'll come up with alternatives for those whose hair is too short to make it work." A round of embraces followed before Leila and Marcie could escape from Pella's onto the street.

"Mama, look at the fancy coach!" exclaimed Marcie, pointing at a large coach, painted black and white with gold trim and with a fancy crest painted on the door that they could see. It was drawn by four horses of various colours, had a driver well-muffled against the wet weather, and was making its way carefully down the street, where it eventually stopped in front of the Dewdrop Inn, which was across the street and a bit south of them on the other side of a cross street.

"That crest is from the Magic School!" Leila exclaimed in astonishment. "What on Earth are they doing here?" They could see that it was getting some interest from the various passers-by, as it was highly unusual for "Persons of Quality" to visit Magwitch.

"Let's go look!" her daughter replied, her blue eyes shining with excitement.

"They're probably here to see me about something," she mused, holding Marcie's hand and looking both ways for an opening in the traffic. "There are other Mages in that coach. Interesting."

"Maybe they're looking for Papa." They managed to scoot across the street to the General Store.

"That's the last thing we need if I'm going to be marrying him this afternoon! At least the rain has finally stopped."