Pippin couldn't sleep.
He felt miserable, alone and terrified. Being without Merry was incredibly hard for him. His older cousin had always been there to protect him, to whisper words of comfort and hold him tightly in difficult times, but now Pippin was on his own. He only realised now just how much he needed Merry.
They had always been the closest of friends. Their bond was unusually strong, many people had noted, and Merry was the one person Pippin loved most. Now he would probably never see him again.
Pippin found himself weeping into the pillow, wishing desperately that they would be reunited, even if it was only for a brief time. He needed to see Merry more than anything. He didn't care what happened to him as long as he could see his cousin one last time.
He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Merry since he left Edoras with Gandalf, but now that he was alone in bed, the darkness engulfing him, he felt more hopeless and depressed than ever.
"I w-wish you were here, Merry," he sobbed, his hands trembling as he tightly clutched the bed sheets.
I'm here, Pip, it's okay.
The soft voice inside his head made him cry even harder. He imagined Merry gently stroking his back and kissing his forehead, making all the hurt and fear go away. He calmed a little, his breathing returning to normal as he sat up and wiped his eyes, which were sore and red from crying.
He thought about Merry's reassuring smile and felt a weight lift from his chest. He pictured Merry looking at him with those amazing sapphire blue eyes of his that Pippin had often found himself gazing into and getting lost in his thoughts.
He didn't understand why such a small detail made him feel so much better.
Pippin was still shaking a little as he thought about Merry holding him close and stroking his hair, thoughts which made him sigh and fall back onto the mattress beneath him. He continued to think about Merry, and gulped when he noticed that he had spent a considerable amount of time daydreaming about his cousin.
What's wrong with you, Peregrin Took? he thought to himself, genuinely wondering why the thoughts of Merry wouldn't go away. He didn't understand why thinking about his dear cousin made him so happy. But he wasn't going to complain. The images in his mind were comforting, much better than the terrifying nightmares he would surely have if he drifted off to sleep.