I'd like to thank all my readers for being interested in this story and especially pallysdeeks for the review on the last chapter:)
Around midnight a doctor and a nurse came into the hospital room, checking on the machines, checking on the baby, then calling Sigrid and Fíli aside; the young couple was holding hands, their fingers entwined so tightly that their knuckles had turned white.
"I'm sorry, but your daughter is not getting any better. We should turn the machines off," he declared.
Sigrid shook her head vehemently. "No! No, we shouldn't! What if she'll get better tomorrow? You cannot do that!" she screamed.
"If it's about money... My uncle and my mother will gladly pay the bills..." Fíli choked out.
The doctor smiled sadly at them. "It's not about money. We just don't want to make her suffer any longer. It's time to let her go," the doctor explained.
That was too much for Sigrid; she had an emotional breakdown. Fíli wanted to console his girlfriend, he really did, but he couldn't. So he just let her crumble to the ground, screaming and sobbing until Dís and Tauriel came over to them, helping Sigrid to get up, trying to comfort her while Kíli and Thorin rushed to Fíli's side.
"What's wrong, Fee? Why is Sigrid so sad?" Kíli kept asking and Fíli just wanted his little brother to shut up but didn't have the heart to tell him. It was his uncle who shushed Kíli, taking both of his nephews into his arms, pressing a kiss to each of their foreheads.
"It's alright, everything will be alright," he whispered, which made Fíli angry.
"How can you say that, Uncle, they want to turn the machines off, they want to kill my baby girl!" he exclaimed while trying to free himself from his uncle's embrace, but failing. The older male was still so much stronger than him.
"Shh, lad, I won't let that happen. Remember when it was Kíli being dependent on those machines? We fought for him and look how well he is now, being engaged and all! Before anyone can take off the machines, they will have to kill me first!" he reassured his desperate nephew and Fíli just buried his face in his uncle's chest, inhaling the familiar scent of coffee and leather and tobacco. One of his first memories was related to that scent, being held by his uncle while crying because he had skinned his knees while playing outside.
Fíli wished that his life was still as simple as it had been then.
"Maybe... maybe you should tell that to the doctors!" Fíli hoarsely declared.
"Aye, I will," Thorin responded, his face grim.
