Spring Showers

By Donna and Abs

 Spring had definitely come to Edan. Not only were there new fae everywhere it seemed like, but April had arrived with a series of gentle showers that were causing flowers to start blooming all around the town. The fae living in the Secret Garden were especially delighted, but some of them were getting a little bored sitting around. They wanted something to do! 

They had been busy enough when the new ones had arrived. But now that everyone was settled in, they started to wonder what they would do.  Some of the new fae were "herb" fae, and very good at cooking, and Fae suggested that since the manor houses always seemed so understaffed, maybe they would enjoy making themselves useful that way. 

It seemed like a good idea!  Ginger, Coriander and Clover left the garden to go see if they could find a job. The first place they headed was to the Town Hall, to talk to Methos. He had the biggest manor house of them all! 

He was thrilled with the idea, though he warned whoever wanted the job that his wife also liked cooking.  "It's just that she's with child," he said, "and she needs her rest.  There is one other thing, as well," he smiled to himself.  "We're not the only ones living there." 

"What about the leprechaun lady?" giggled Ginger. "We heard she was helping out." 

"She and her husband," Methos nodded.  "She is.  Between Mary and Crystal we've been well fed.  But Mary is, after all, the Queen of the Leprechauns, so it might not be a bad thing to have help for her.  She's cleaning the place now."  He grinned and shook his head.  "We also have a Leprechaun governess.  Moriah." 

"And now you have a cook," Ginger said with a friendly smile. "Who else could use one of use?" 

"I'd expect the other manors.  Perhaps Grey - Charity just had twins.  And Winston is all alone in that large place just outside town." He thought it humorous that Ginger, the redhead, would offer to work at his manor.  Crystal was the only non-redheaded female in the place! 

Suddenly he got an idea.  Thinking of home, and the children, he got to thinking about Lupe.  "Would one of you consider helping out at the Hotel?" he asked. 

"I would love that," Coriander snickered. "Endora has told me all about some of the guys that live there." 

"They mean well," smiled Methos.  "It's the other female you need to be warned against.  She can be pretty hard to handle, especially when she thinks you are trying to usurp her authority.  But she's  having trips soon, and she really *does* need help." 

"No worries," Coriander told Methos. "I'll make sure she knows that she is *boss*, not me."  

Clover, who had been quiet all this time, spoke up, saying she felt sorry for the man who lived all by himself, and asked if she could work for him. 

Methos looked over the pretty blond and said, "I doubt he'd turn down the help.  Especially when it is as pretty as you are.  Winston was raised well, and is used to having many servants, but I think he's done well on his own and is proud of making it thus far on his own." 

Ginger had a thoughtful look on her face. "Maybe one of the other leprechauns would help that woman with the twins? Your nanny could ask one of them if they would be willing." 

"We could at that.  Moriah is very good with them." 

The three fae skipped out of the Town Hall, smiles on their faces. They giggled as Duncan MacLeod held the door open for them. "Have a good day, ladies," he told them as he went inside. 

"Hey Old Man," the Highlander said, "Sarah Jo is taking a nap. I just came in to see if you needed me for anything for awhile." 

"Things are quiet for now," he said.  "Though I must say I am not comfortable with the town being occupied this heavily by the military." 

Duncan shrugged. "It's better than the alternative, don't you think? I'm going to head over to the clinic to tell Doc that Sarah wants me to go tell Kat that she wants to see her. She didn't tell me why. Just told me to go fetch her," he said with an offended look on his face. 

Methos smiled at all the "telling", and the general disposition of his friend.  Of course, it was a slightly mocking smile, but Duncan knew Methos too well to be offended at *that*.  "Go on, then," said the Ancient One.  "You might be a father sooner than you thought." 

"That's what I'm afraid of!" Duncan said. "Though she doesn't seem any more uncomfortable than she has been. Do you want to babysit Doireann while Kat is here?" 

"Always a joy," said Methos. 

With a nod, Duncan jogged off to the clinic to tell Doc what was going on. Ben immediately grabbed his bag and coat, which he laid over his arm as he walked over to Sarah Jo's house. The hardest part of the last several weeks had been keeping the extremely pregnant nurse from over doing it. She had a very difficult time just sitting around doing nothing. 

But of course, as time went on, she was so uncomfortable there were just things she could not do.  That did not make it easier on her mind, of course; she was frustrated and sometimes wished it were all over. 

Since Duncan had told him Sarah Jo was taking a nap, he let himself into the house. He found her in her bed, moaning softly in her sleep. 

Of course he went over to her, and ever so gently kissed her forehead.  When she did not wake right away, he took her pulse and felt her "bump" to see if the baby was active, or if he could feel any contractions. 

The baby was definitely dropped, that was for sure. The last several days, the constant pressure of its head on her bladder had made her very uncomfortable indeed. As he resting his hand on her distended belly, he could feel it tighten into a hard knot. But the only way to tell if it was a contraction or just Broxton Hicks would be to do an internal exam, and he didn't want to wake her for that. 

Since Kat was also on his way, he made himself comfortable to wait for her - or for Sarah to wake, whatever came first. It gave him time to think about her promise to have one for him.  Would she still do that, he wondered, now that she was married? 

He and Prudence had pretty much moved in together, though she still saw Clay from time to time - and made him pay for his interest in Hannah Peale!  That Prudence was a spitfire, he smiled to himself.  Then he frowned, because just that morning they had thought MacKenzie's hair was going blond! 

Sarah Jo stirred in her sleep and opened an eye. "Heya, Ben," she groaned softly. "Babysitting?" 

"In a manner of speaking.  I am sitting, and I am waiting for a baby." 

"Me too," she said, grunting as she rolled up into a sitting position. "I have a bloody show earlier this morning." 

"You were having a contraction, but I did not want to wake you to check. May I?" he asked. 

"Let me go pee first," she requested, struggling to stand up. "The little one is doing another headstand on my bladder!"  

But as she stood, her water broke with a rush, spilling onto the floor and soaking her thoroughly. 

"Tarnation!" she gasped. She would have knelt down to clean up the mess but Ben stopped her from doing it. About that time, Kat walked in. 

"Looks like I'm just in time," she chuckled as she moved in to help. "Duncan is taking Doireann over for Methos to try to corral. He will be here in just a moment!" 

"He'll get here just in time too!" said Doc as they got the mother to be back into bed.  "C'mon, Sarah Jo, open up." 

A few minutes later, it was determined that Sarah Jo was a good six centimeters dilated. "No turning back now, huh?" she said with a deep sigh after she breathed through a contraction that was a great deal stronger than the ones she had been having all morning. 

"No," sighed Ben, "though it is the first virgin birth I've ever personally attended.  I missed the other by a few days." 

Katherine raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She was too busy trying to get Sarah Jo comfortable. The sound of a door closing downstairs and a moment later, the buzz of another Immortal let them know that Duncan was on his way up. 

"Voila, the father made it!" Ben said, smiling at the look of surprise on Duncan’s face as what was going registered. 

The next couple of hours passed quickly. Sarah Jo was a tough little cookie when it came to enduring pain, and other than an occasional soft moan, did not complain as she labored. And it was indeed hard labor. Duncan's child was not going to be tiny like Charity's twins had been!  There was only one, but he was full term and of a lusty size, like his father.  The shoulders alone gave his paternity away! 

At long last, Sarah Jo's child made his way into the world, complaining loudly at the top of his lungs. "He's all boy," Katherine chuckled as she cleaned him up as he lay on Sarah Jo's chest. 

"My boy," Duncan said in whispered awe. Outside the bay window of the bedroom, another spring shower was bringing renewal to Edan.