Goblin Moon (21 page)

A week later, Tearach was standing in the garden. Kathy sat upon a bench embroidering a tiny white gown for the baby. He was left to his own thoughts, and he was the first to see Clove racing across the meadow, a still form lying in her arms.

He bolted over the fence and met her halfway. “What's happened?"

"It's Timmon,” she said, weeping. “He was climbing a tree and fell. Yours was the closest cottage so I...” She broke down, unable to speak more.

Tearach saw the boy's arm dangling at an awkward angle. He carefully took the child from her and turned in the direction of the castle. If Owen wasn't present, the Sorceress would know what to do.

"
No!
” Kathy loudly commanded. “Bring him into the cottage; he shouldn't be carried around if he fell."

Remembering Kathy's experience in emergency medicine, he did as she asked. It might be better to bring help back. He could travel faster without the boy anyway, and she was right about not jostling him about.

"I'll get help. Do what you can,” he told her as he laid the boy on the living room sofa.

Kathy and Clove knelt beside Timmon as Tearach tore out of the cottage.

"How far did he fall?” Kathy asked.

"Perhaps ten feet, but he hit his head hard. I saw the whole thing.” She began to sob uncontrollably.

Kathy felt for a pulse and found it to be strong and steady. Timmon moaned slightly and opened his eyes.

"Mummy,” he murmured and began to cry.

Kathy asked him simple questions which he was able to answer, and that was a good sign. Timmon had a dark spot over his left eye and his left arm was definitely broken. “How long was he unconscious before you got to us?"

"Perhaps five minutes. No longer."

Clove began to gain more control, as most parents did, when their child began to show signs of responding. Kathy checked for other breaks or more serious injuries, but she couldn't feel anything else wrong. Without x-rays, it was impossible to tell for sure. She calmly began to talk to the boy, reassuring him. He was able to move his other limbs and seemed to show more signs of awareness as the moments passed.

Using a medical kit she found in the upstairs bathroom, Kathy immobilized his injured arm. The head injury concerned her the most, but that wasn't what worried the little boy.

Timmon took one look over his shoulder and began to cry in earnest. “They're all torn up, Mummy!"

"Your wings are the least of my worries right now, little man. We'll talk about them later. For now, just let Kathy look at you. All right, darling?"

It wasn't long before Tearach arrived with Owen and several other men, including Lore. Though they had no wings showing, Kathy surmised they were Fairies. One of them, a tall blond man, rushed toward Clove.

"What happened, sweetheart?” He pulled her to him with one hand, and he began to stroke Timmon's hair with the other.

"Look at my wings, Daddy? They're all torn,” Timmon cried again.

"Don't worry, Timmon. We'll take you to the castle and let Owen look at you in the infirmary,” his father told him.

Owen looked Timmon over and praised Kathy's efforts to stabilize the boy's injuries. Then Timmon's father gently lifted him and the entire group headed toward the castle. Word quickly spread that Timmon had been injured and a crowd was already gathering when they arrived. The Sorceress led them inside and toward the emergency room. Kathy began to understand how serious an injury could be when a patient was so far away from a hospital. Realizing Owen or one of the other physicians might not always be available, a plan began to form in her mind.

She accompanied Owen into the emergency room. A portable x-ray machine showed no other breaks or serious problems other than the broken arm.

Away from Timmon's hearing, Owen spoke to the parents and the others. There was little point in patient confidentiality since the entire woods seemed to know what had happened and would ask questions about the little boy's accident. It seemed their culture was a great deal more close-knit than anything Kathy was accustomed to. She listened to Owen's assessment.

"He'll be right as rain in no time. His wings, however, are another matter. As you've seen, they're badly torn, and I don't know of any way to repair such damage. I'm sorry."

"It will have to be enough,” Timmon's father responded. “He's lucky he wasn't killed. I'm afraid Timmon will be quite upset about it, though."

Kathy turned to Tearach and quietly asked, “Do his wings matter that much?"

"Once torn, they'll wither away. He simply won't have any one day. It seems like a minor thing compared to his concussion or a broken arm, but he won't exactly be a Fairy anymore. It'll be hard on him. Wings to a Fairy are as important as an arm to you and me."

Kathy swallowed hard. Given what Tearach had told her, maybe trying something unheard of would be an acceptable course of action. She walked back to where Timmon sat crying and pitifully looking over his shoulders at the tattered remains of his green wings. No amount of comfort was able to soften his despair. Kathy decided to offer what help she could. Giving up just wasn't in her nature.

"Please, may I look at his wings?"

Clove and Timmon's father looked at one another.

"I don't see why not. You certainly can't harm them now,” Clove sadly responded.

Kathy adjusted the operating room light so she could see straight through the wings. She studied the torn parts and began to think.

Tearach wondered what was going on in that brilliant brain. They watched Kathy gently unfold the torn, gossamer wings and survey the damage. The next words out of her mouth sounded ridiculous.

"Could someone bring me tweezers, fishing line, some lightweight paper, an embroidery needle, paste and some slabs of very light weight wood?"

"What are you thinking of, Kathy?” Owen shook his head at the incomprehensible list.

"Well, if you can't make a thing worse, then the only course of action is to try. So, I'm going to do something radical. That's if you approve,” Kathy directed this last remark to Timmon's parents.

"Go ahead,” Clove replied. “What will you do?"

She shrugged. “The best I can."

Twenty minutes later, Tearach stood back and watched as Kathy began to work. She took the tweezers and gently unfolded the boy's torn wings. With the light shining through them, she carefully matched each shred with its counterpart. She then threaded the clear fishing line through the embroidery needle, and began to carefully sew the tears back together. At that point, everyone gasped at the progress she'd made. The wings almost looked good as new. Apparently not satisfied, Kathy took the paste and began to gently spread it over the wings. She then glued rice paper on both sides of the two appendages. Over this, she placed square pieces of Balsa wood and tied more fishing line around them to hold them in place. Timmon now looked as if he had two boards on his back.
If
the wings grew back together, the paper could be easily torn away and the filament cut. Just like stitches. It was a very unique kind of bandaging.

"Well, this might not work, but it's better than letting these lovely wings waste away,” Kathy said with a shrug.

"Kathy, you're
brilliant!"
Owen remarked. “Nothing in my training allows for such ingenuity. It's nothing short of genius.

When Timmon's parents began to respond in kind, she stopped them. “We have no idea if this will work. Let's just hold the applause until he's better and we can unwrap his wings."

"How long will it take to know?” Timmon's father asked.

"When his cast comes off, we'll check the wings. That should be enough time, don't you think, Owen?"

"If it isn't, then they won't heal at all,” he agreed.

Tearach stood in the corner with some of the other men. The little boy lay sleeping on the operating table. Immense pride filled him. Kathy was amazing. If he'd looked the world over, he couldn't have found a more resourceful, intelligent woman. And he knew he was deeply, hopelessly in love with her. Instead of the realization bringing him joy, it was one more stone around his burdened soul. While she helped someone else's child, she'd be helpless to save her own.

He left the room and walked outside. He needed to be near the forest, to glean what comfort he could from it.

Kathy saw Tearach's departure and quickly excused herself from the others. She followed him outside. “Tearach, wait!"

He turned and let her catch up with him. “That was a wonderful thing you did, Kathy, whether it works or not. Only a very caring mind could conceive of such an idea."

"He's just a little boy. He shouldn't suffer the rest of his life for climbing a tree. I just wanted to help him."

They walked on in silence. Why couldn't things be different? Why couldn't he have a normal life and raise a family with her? More than anything, he desired that these wishes could come to pass.

He suddenly turned, pulled her into his arms and kissed her hard. She responded with equal ardor. They walked back to the cottage with their arms about one another, keeping their thoughts to themselves.

From the edge of the woods, Mabb watched closely. A burning hatred welled within her against the woman Tearach held. The child she carried should have been hers. The Goblin Leader should be
her
mate, warming
her
bed and loving
her
. Tearach had once killed one of his own people so that a human could live. Now, he was lying with an outsider and looking at her as if she could do no wrong. Had he forgotten what they'd done to the Goblin race? Had he forgiven the sins of Exmoor so easily?

Tears clouded her vision and a malevolent idea began to form. “Hold him while you can, human. Hold him while you can,” she viciously muttered.

Each hour that passed, Tearach fell more and more under Kathy's spell. Word of her attempt to save Timmon's wings reached the rest of the Order. People stopped by to speak with her and even show her some of the magic they possessed. She had been accepted. There were even a few more injuries she helped treat, though none so serious as to warrant more than consoling words and bandaging. The fact that she was there for them prompted Owen to suggest she be given more surgical training and medical supplies. Kathy was ecstatic about the idea, saying it was a niche she could fill and be doing a job she loved.

"I feel needed here,” she remarked.

You are,
Tearach silently agreed.
I need you more than anyone
.

Weeks went by, and it was finally time to remove Timmon's cast. It had been a difficult chore for his parents to keep him subdued enough to let his arm heal, let alone his wings. But, they'd soon know what the outcome would be. Would he have a usable set of wings?

Tearach was among those present as Kathy unwrapped her makeshift bandaging. When the paper was peeled away and the filament cut, Timmon was able to flutter a perfectly healed set of small wings. Under scrutiny, his parents were unable to tell where the actual tears had ever been. To them, Kathy was nothing short of a heroine. Tearach watched as she humbly accepted their thanks.

Outside, the weather grew cooler. Samhain approached and his anxiety grew. Kathy and Cairna became closer and made plans for the baby. Tearach loved Kathy so much he'd give his own life to see her happy. He held her tenderly at night, but he was sure she didn't have a clue as to his romantic feelings. She did perceive, however, that he was still consumed by the impending death of their baby. For that reason, there was a mixture of subdued anger and determination in her gaze, but she didn't voice her opinions as long as he didn't vent his.

He sadly checked the supplies Cairna would take to the Dolmen. A time that should have been filled with joy became a living nightmare. If Kathy died trying to have his child, it would be his fault. One more life on his conscience.

Because Tearach was so immersed in himself, Kathy turned to Cairna to ask for more information about the traditions of the Goblin people. Tearach had become so silent and withdrawn that having a normal conversation with him was almost impossible. He would only answer in monosyllables and respond automatically. Thankfully, Cairna seemed oblivious to his mental state.

Despite his withdrawal, Kathy was determined to have him deliver their baby. More than anything, she wanted to be alone with him when the time came, to have
him
be the first to hold their child. She felt a growing sense of anticipation. Owen assured her everything was absolutely normal. Only a problem with the delivery could stop the baby's safe arrival, and she trusted Tearach. She knew where her heart lay.

The night before Samhain, Kathy heard singing and other sounds of celebration break out in the woods. She'd been showered with gifts which, due to her anxiousness, she'd been unable to open, and Tearach had been too distracted to help. She stood at the window of their room, listening to the celebration when her water broke. She gasped and grabbed for the bedpost. Before she could say a word, Tearach was beside her.

"I'm here, Kathy. I'll be right here,” Tearach crooned. “We need to make our way to the Dolmen. Are you ready?” His heart pounded in his ears, and he had never been more frightened. But Kathy must never know. It wouldn't help her delivery.

She took a deep breath and nodded. “Remember your promise, Tearach? That no one will take the baby away?"

"I remember, love. I remember."

Love?
It was only an expression, Kathy told herself. He was just afraid for the baby and it had slipped out. She ignored the small endearment, changed into a fresh Druid robe with Tearach's help, and made her way to the door. Cairna hugged her once more and smiled.

"Peace go with you, Kathy. This night begins a new life for us all. I'll be here to help when you get back. The nursery is all ready. I can't wait!"

Cairna's exuberance showed, but Tearach did a good job of looking calm. Kathy knew he was anything
but
calm. He led her away from the cottage and toward the Dolmen. On the way, pain almost forced Kathy to her knees.