All That Matters is You
A crack. A sickening crack was all he'd heard. Pippin's laughter had ceased. Heedless to the long fall, Merry dropped from the tree in which they'd both been climbing and began to search frantically for his cousin.
"Pip? Pippin?" Merry called through the thick silence, but there was no reply.
He noticed the splintered branch first, mold weakening the heartwood until it gave. Pippin lay not far away among the undergrowth, only confirming what Merry had feared. He'd fallen with the tree limb, and was just as still.
"Pippin," he mouthed, and moved to his cousin. Merry took in a sharp breath. The sight of Pippin's leg made his stomach turn. It was already beginning to darken with bruising, and had not yet swelled enough to cover the unnatural curve in his calf. Kneeling, Merry reached to stroke a gash just above Pippin's left eye, but withdrew, fearing that any touch might injure the small hobbit further. A small breeze rustled the leaves above, and Pippin's eyelashes fluttered open. Merry allowed himself to breathe again.
"Mer...something's wrong," Pippin winced, "it hurts," He clenched his jaw in pain.
"Shh," Merry took Pippin's hand with shaking fingers, gently clasping the sweaty palm of his younger cousin, whose face was now ghost white, eyes wide as saucers with freight. "We've got to get you home," Merry glanced down to Pippin's maimed leg, wondering how they would manage to stand, let alone make the journey back.
But they would have to take the trip; no one knew where they'd chosen to play, and Merry would not be torn from Pippin's side to fetch help.
"Let me see your arm, sweetheart," He bent down, tenderly took Pippin's arm around his neck and reached around Pippin's back. "We've got to stand up, Pip,"
Pippin nodded. Tears sprang to his eyes as he bent his good leg to support his weight. Arm straining around Merry's neck, he tried to lift the crushed leg from the ground as not to catch himself with it, should he fall. It dropped back down, eliciting a scream.
Merry braced himself with his back leg, quickly taking Pippin's crumpled weight and lifting him the rest of the way. "Dear Pip, shh," was all he could manage to say. A knot pounded in his throat, balling tighter as he felt Pippin tense.
They were standing. "Home," Pippin whimpered, "Merry, please help me home."
To Be Continued