"It's A Boy"
Note: Fergus puts a rude doctor in his place. Mother Nature and the rest of the Council meet the new future Tooth Fairy at the Year-End Holiday Conference, and after the meeting she pulls Fergus and fam aside for a chat.
Since this is 500 years in the past, not all of the Council members are the same. Mother Nature, Father Time, Cupid, Jack Frost and Sandman are the same (although the Sandman legend wasn't around in 1500, so I'm taking some creative license here). There is a different Easter Bunny (again, creative license), Santa is a different Santa, and obviously Alpha hasn't even been born yet. Bernard isn't the Head Elf at this point, but he makes an appearance. And, though it isn't explicitly stated, the 'current' Head Elf, Jeremy, is Curtis's father.
"Chapter 2: Debut"
1510
No one ever explained to Fergus that new babies cried a lot. The first week after his son's birth was relatively peaceful. The baby spent a lot of time sleeping, only crying to announce that he needed a feed or a change, but colic set in after that, and it was a nightmare. Nothing he or Cori did could calm the boy, who frequently screamed himself hoarse, and the town's closest doctor began to grow annoyed with the anxious new parents. On their fourth visit, the young doctor made the mistake of snapping at Cori and driving her to tears.
"You silly woman, there is nothing wrong with your son," Dr. Seth raised his voice to be heard above the exhausted infant's plaintive wails. "It's a simple case of colic, just like it was the last time you brought him here, and the time before that, and the time before that. I already told you what to do, and if you'd been paying attention-"
Cori's face twisted and she turned away with a loud sob, and Fergus got between them, his hands beginning to glow red with his personal shade of magic. His contained rage was truly a sight to behold. "That's more than enough. Listen, you pompous ass, I don't care if you learned at the elbow of Hippocrates himself, that doesn't give you the right to speak to my wife that way. If you'd let her get a word in edgewise, you'd know that we followed your instructions to the letter, and he's still screaming all the time!"
Dr. Seth seemed to be doing his best goldfish impression as his mouth opened and closed, but even if he could have found his voice, Fergus wasn't giving him an opening.
"We can't sleep, he can't sleep, and he's miserable! He won't eat when he's like this. We tried rubbing that stuff on his belly, we tried a warm bath, we tried pacing the room with him, walking him outside for a change of scenery, and every night he screams so hard he turns purple! Now, either your diagnosis is wrong, and you're just too stubborn to admit it, or we need to try something else. And apologize to my wife...before I say something unkind." Fergus curled his glowing hands into fists. He wasn't known for being violent, but he was a large man, and he was furious.
Dr. Seth had backed up so that his slate gray wings brushed against the hanging anatomy chart, causing it to sway, and he vigorously nodded his head. "I apologize...Um...let me have another look at the boy."
"Absolutely not," Fergus grabbed his coat and put it on. "You're never going near our child again. We'll find someone who knows what he's doing. Let's go, Cori. It's a bit of a flight, but I hear Dr. Tanin is very nice."
The couple left without another word, and Dr. Seth sat down with a 'thump'. "That man is clearly unhinged..."
Dr. Tanin was an altogether different sort of man than Dr. Seth, and the first thing he did upon opening the door of his clinic and seeing the stern father, the distraught young mother, and their wailing infant, was draw them in and pull up some chairs. "Sit down, my dear. Shut the door behind you, sir. Now, what seems to be the trouble?"
Cori was so relieved to be welcomed in instead of being treated like an inconvenience that she went to pieces and couldn't speak. Dr. Tanin passed her a handkerchief and turned to Fergus. "Why don't you catch me up while I give this little fellow a look-over?"
Fergus liked this new doctor already. "We were told it was colic, but nothing we were told to do seems to help."
"Have you tried a warm bath?" asked Dr. Tanin as he checked little Roy's vital signs.
Cori sniffled as she began to calm down. "We've tried everything. Dr. Seth wouldn't even listen to me..."
"Oh, him. Several former patients of his have complained to me about him. Bit of a stuffed shirt, from what I hear, though it's rather unprofessional of me to say so." The Doctor rolled his eyes, then frowned when the infant spit up and grew even more upset. "Ohh, I know, little man...Not fun, huh? Does that happen often?"
Both parents nodded, and Cori added, "It's always a few minutes to an hour after he eats."
After listening to their questions and asking a few of his own, Dr. Tanin nodded and asked them one more thing. "How do you normally hold him after he eats? Like this, on his back?"
"Yes," Cori nodded, still sniffling a little.
"Hm. Well, I have to concur with Dr. Seth; your son does indeed have colic."
Fergus wasn't sure if he wanted to tell this doctor off too, or simply sit down and admit defeat, but Dr. Tanin wasn't finished.
"And a moderate case of reflux. And what that means is, when he eats, the part of his stomach that holds his feed down is letting a little bit come back up again, and this is what causes him to spit up." He paused to allow the new parents to take this in.
"Does it hurt him?" asked Cori, on the verge of tears again. Baby Roy, for his part, had finally exhausted himself and fallen into a fitful sleep with his chin resting on the doctor's shoulder.
"It does cause some discomfort, I'm afraid, but he should grow out of it within the year. His digestive system is still maturing, you see." Dr. Tanin explained, "Just keep doing what you're doing for the colic. Try giving him smaller, more frequent feeds. And try holding him upright instead."
Cori sighed as her husband put an arm around her and rubbed her shoulder. "Thank you. For actually listening to us. Dr. Seth was just awful..."
Dr. Tanin looked disdainful at the mention of the other doctor's name. "These young bucks all think they have something to prove. Maybe time and experience will knock him down from his perch."
Fergus chuckled; he knew who they would be taking their son to from now on!
On November twenty-eighth, a sullen-looking Elf watched as the Head Elf followed Santa into the study. He rubbed one of his thin black dreadlocks between his thumb and finger, wondering what exactly went on during a Council meeting, and why he, the Keeper of the Handbook, wasn't allowed in. It wasn't as if he was the low man on the totem pole, after all! As Santa's third in command, Bernard thought he deserved to at least be in the loop! It just wasn't fair.
And this meeting was an important one, too! It was the Year-End Holiday Conference, after all, and he'd heard a rumor that a new future member of the Council, the latest in line to be the Tooth Fairy, had been born in September. Would the new baby be introduced today? It was so exciting, and he was going to miss it! Just because the Head Elf, Jeremy, looked more like a human teenager due to the 'age' magic of his position, that didn't mean he had the right to lord it over-
"Coming through! Oneside, Bernie!" Cupid flew over Bernard's head with a saucy salute, weaving through the gap in the closing door at the last second.
"It's Bernard."
Jack Frost was the next to arrive, strolling down the hall like he owned the place. "Hello, Elves! Nice day for a blizzard, isn't it? You're welcome, by the way. Bernie, long time no see. How're things?"
"It's-"
"Okay, okaaay, 'Bernard'. Why are you sitting out here when you could be in there?" Jack pointed first at the bench, then at the closed door which seemed to mock the grumpy Elf.
"Because Santa's the boss, and he says so," Bernard folded his arms. Instead of reading the Handbook, he was sitting on it. The book had some very good pointers, but much of it was so outdated that he looked upon the information as 'guidelines' rather than 'law that must be obeyed at all costs'. This annoyed Jeremy, who was a stickler for the rules, and Bernard had a suspicion that he had gotten Santa to exclude him from these meetings. "Anyway, what do you care?"
"Oh, now, that hurt," Jack Frost put a hand over his frozen heart. "I won't even tell you what I know about the new arrival."
Bernard bit his lip, then called after Jack in his high-pitched childlike voice, "Hey, wait a minute!"
"Hm, I thought I heard someone calling me, but...nope! Must've been the wind." And with that, Jack Frost entered the study, and a chorus of groans met Bernard's ears as the door shut behind the Sprite.
"Gingersnaps..."
Cori, who had approached unseen with her husband and son, giggled merrily at this. "Such language."
"Oh! Sorry, Tooth Fairy, I...oh." Bernard blinked when he saw the bundle in her arms. So, it was true! "Congratulations, ma'am!"
"Now, Bernard, you know I asked you to call me 'Cori'," She playfully scolded him. At her elbow, Fergus stifled a yawn. "But thank you. Would you like to see him?"
"I...'him'?" Bernard's thick eyebrows shot up. Then, realizing that he was being rude, he quickly recovered himself. "Sure!"
Fergus leaned in and muttered, "Dear, the meeting's about to start..." Then he threw up his hands and sighed as his wife disregarded this.
"These things always start a little late," Cori said over her shoulder as she leaned over and pulled back a corner of the blanket so that Bernard could see.
Like all of Santa's Elves, Bernard loved children, and he had a special soft spot for babies. Before their wings grew out, Fairies and humans were practically identical, so he wasn't surprised at what he saw. As he got his first look at the new Tooth Fairy, Bernard privately thought to himself that there was no doubt whatsoever about the baby's paternity. There were differences, of course; Fergus's hair was a lighter shade of brown, and it was straight. The baby had his mother's hair color, and Bernard could tell that if he let it grow out it would have a bit of a curl to it. Other than that, if someone were to show him an image of Fergus at the same age, he could easily mistake them for twins. "Can I hold him?"
Fergus stewed in the background. He wanted to get this meeting over with so that they could go home. His mother-in-law, the current Tooth Fairy, was laid up, hence the reason why they had come in her stead, and his wife should be asleep so that she could safely make her rounds. This delay irked him.
"Of course. In fact, would you be so good as to watch him for a little while? He's been a bit fussy, and I don't know how long we'll be," Cori passed her son over to Bernard, who held the newborn in an expert grip. The baby jumped a little as he was passed from one set of arms to the other, but feeling secure he didn't quite wake up.
"Sure! We'll be fine out here, won't we, Sport?" Bernard grinned as he sat back down on the bench.
Fergus raised an eyebrow. "'Sport'?"
Mother Nature and Father Time waited patiently for the last member of the Council to arrive so that they could begin. Although most of them didn't know it yet, this was a time of both joy and sadness; a new life had come into the world, and would soon be brought before the Council to be recognized, but one of their number was soon to be leaving.
The current Santa, a quiet man who didn't have much in the way of a sense of humor, spoke in undertones with Jeremy while the rest of the Council got settled.
Sandman snoozed by the fireplace. He worked hard all night long, so for now Mother Nature let him sleep.
The Easter Bunny preened her long black ears, doing her best to ignore Jack Frost's entrance, but she lost that battle when the Winter Sprite did a double-take and stared at her expanding middle.
"Again, Easter Bunny? How many heirs to the 'bunny throne' do you need?"
"How dare you!" The heavily pregnant rabbit struggled to her feet and threw a dyed egg at Jack, missing him by a mile; her eyesight wasn't very good, and she refused to wear spectacles. Unfortunately, the egg hit Cupid right between the eyes, knocking off his crown of golden laurel leaves. As small as he was, the blow sent him spiraling to the floor.
"Wh...'Ey!"
Easter Bunny covered her twitching nose with her paws and quickly sat back down again. "Ooh, I'm so sorry, Cupid!"
Jack wagged a finger at her. "And well you should be."
Mother Nature's gavel came down with a sharp 'CRACK', and Sandman snorted awake. "Jack!"
Jack wisely moved off and sat down.
Then the door opened, and Cori-Tooth Fairy-walked in with her husband, who was largely ignored by half of the people in the room. Not that he minded; these affairs had never interested him. Pleasantries were exchanged, and Mother Nature got things started.
"Very well, then, I now convene the Year-End Holiday Conference," She tapped the gavel on the block, and she looked more serious than usual. "And this year it's a somber occasion; Santa has an announcement to make."
Santa got to his feet and cleared his throat; Jeremy, his Head Elf, looked down at the floor. "Thank you, Mother Nature, and thank all of you for coming. I'm sorry to say that this will be my last meeting with you all."
"What?" Cori leaned forward as if she hadn't heard him correctly.
"I'm afraid so, Tooth Fairy. I've been Santa Claus for a long time. My wife and I have watched from afar as our children grew up and had families of their own, but we never could be a part of it. We've outlived all three of them, and our last great-grandchild has just become engaged to be married. Mrs. Claus and I...we're very tired. And so, I've hand-picked my successor, although he doesn't know it yet."
The Easter Bunny, already emotional from her pregnancy, was crying into a handful of the grass she'd used to line her basket. If it wasn't for her black fur, she would have ended up with grass stains. Sandman awkwardly patted her on the shoulder, but he had been through this many times before. Occasionally, he would become close friends with one of the more transient members of the Council, but he hadn't had much to do with this particular Santa.
Father Time sighed as he leaned on his staff. "And this is really what you want?"
Santa nodded. "It's what we want. I don't think humans were ever meant to live beyond a human lifespan. Not when we have to leave the ones we love behind, watching them grow old and die while we remain."
Mother Nature and Father Time exchanged a sorrowful look, and Father time stroked his beard. "So be it. But we'll miss you."
Fergus heard his wife sniffle, and he laid a hand on her shoulder without a word. Almost as if in answer to this, a baby started crying just outside the door, drawing everyone's attention. Mother Nature, who knew about the baby's existence, simply smiled and addressed the couple.
"And with that, I believe our next order of business has asserted themself. Tooth Fairy, do you have anything to add?" Mother Nature had a twinkle in her eye.
Cori wiped away a tear and smiled back. "I do. That is, we do. Our child was born on September the twentieth."
Easter Bunny screamed and seized her in a tight embrace, causing Fergus to look at her as if she were insane, and there was a round of congratulations from everyone except for Jack Frost and Cupid. Jack didn't care at all, and Cupid simply made a noise of acknowledgement and gave a nod.
There was a knock at the door, and they heard Bernard clear his throat and raise his voice to be heard over the cries. "Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt, but the kid just threw up on me."
"Oh, dear..." Cori put a hand over her face as she got up to retrieve her son and apologize. "I'm so sorry, Bernard. I forgot to tell you, he has reflux. I should have showed you how to hold him so that wouldn't happen..."
Bernard didn't look too upset by it as he handed over the fussy infant. "Oh, don't worry about it. That's happened to me before. I just want to go clean up."
"Of course," Cori took the baby and watched Bernard leave. Behind her, you could hear a pin drop.
Then, as one, everyone but Mother Nature chorused, "'He'?"
Cori patted her son on the back as he hiccupped to an uncertain stop, and nodded. "I know, it surprised us too. But here he is."
"Ooh, let me see, let me see!" Easter Bunny hopped over for a better look.
Roy couldn't support his head very well yet, but he managed to turn it enough to look for the source of the voice. The face that loomed in front of him caused his eyes to widen, and he simply stared.
"Do you want to come see me?" Easter Bunny held out her arms, but Roy was now looking around the room at everyone else.
A human baby's vision would still be blurry, only being able to make out vague shapes and colors unless the face or object was close, but he had no trouble making out the details. His expression said it as plain as any words could; who are these people?
Cori passed him over to the Easter Bunny-an experienced mother herself-and when the Easter Bunny finished cooing over the new arrival she handed him over to Mother Nature.
"Ohhh, look at this angel...Look at all that hair!" The Nature Goddess looped a tiny curl around her pinkie finger, beaming down at him before smiling at the parents. "He looks like you, Fergus."
Fergus gave an unenthusiastic nod, which his wife noticed but didn't mention. This got Mother Nature's attention as well, but she kept it to herself for the time being.
The men were less inclined to fuss over someone they would most likely have as a co-worker, but all in all the new arrival was well received and seemed happy enough to be held by Mother Nature.
Cupid folded his arms and smirked at Cori. "You know, I remember when your mother introduced you. You bopped Sandy here on the snoot."
Sandman stifled a yawn. "I remember that, too. I wonder if he'll have your right hook."
"I don't know about that, but he can kick!" She laughed.
When the meeting came to a close and everyone began to leave, Mother Nature called after the Fairies. "Oh, Tooth Fairy? Can I have a word with you and Fergus?"
The husband and wife were confused, but they doubled back to see what Mother Nature wanted.
"What is it, Mother Nature?" Cori asked while Fergus remained tight-lipped.
"First of all, congratulations. Although I did notice some trepidation on your part, Fergus. Is everything all right?
Fergus quirked the corner of his mouth in slight annoyance; he'd thought he hid it well. "Everything's fine."
Mother Nature nodded, but Cori contradicted her husband.
"Actually...we are a little bit concerned. I remember being teased about my name growing up, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. And Fergus..." She looked at Fergus as if asking permission, but he merely crossed his arms and stayed silent; not forbidding her, but clearly not happy either. "We both got teased, actually. But the baby...His wings are smaller than usual."
"Oh, I see..." Mother Nature gently laid her palm on Roy's head, and the baby smiled. The poor child had no idea of the hard times he was likely to face, both growing up and as an adult. For now, though, he seemed happy enough, and it was clear to Mother Nature that his parents adored him. Fergus had his own way of showing it, but it the love was there just the same, as it should be. "But he'll have something the other Fairy children won't have."
"What's that?" They asked.
"A seat on the Council. And he is most welcome."