Chapter 7
Snowed in
"Oh bother." Saradoc Brandybuck awoke the next morning to find that it had snowed a great deal the night before. In fact it had snowed so much that the entire window was covered in white. "Papa!" Merry ran into their room and leapt onto the bed waking Esmerelda who looked quite startled. "Merry! What is it?"
"It snowed last night! Pippin and I went to open the door and it's stuck."
"STUCK?" Esmerelda and Saradoc cried immediately hopping out of bed. They followed their son out into the parlor where Pippin sat leaning his elbows on the windowsill.
Saradoc turned the doorknob and tried to pull it open but his son was correct--it wouldn't budge. "Oh dear." He muttered. "Esmerelda.give me a hand please."
The two hobbits tugged as hard as they could when POP the door flew open and a pile of snow fell on them as a result.
"WOW!" Pippin cried. "That's more snow than I've ever seen in my whole life!"
"Which hasn't been that long," sniggered Merry. "OUCH!" he received a kick in the shin from Pippin.
Esmerelda popped out of the snow, spitting some out of her mouth. When she saw where it had come from she gasped. "I think we're snowed in, Saradoc.did you ever see such a sight?"
Saradoc popped out next and looked up. The snow reached the top of the doorframe of Bag-End, which could only mean that the entire Shire was burried. "This can't be good." Sighed Saradoc as they tried their best to shovel the excess snow back outside.
"We're snowed in! Yippee!" Pippin jumped up and down. "That means we'll get to stay here for a while!"
Esmerelda wiped the snow off of her nightgown and out of her hair grumbling in disgust. Paladin and Eglatine woke next and cried out when they saw the door open. "What are you doing with that door wide open in this weather? Dear Frodo will catch pneumonia with that draft!"
Saradoc immediately shut the door but it took a bit of force.
Bilbo heard the commotion and came out into the parlor only to see everyone standing by the doorway. "What on Earth is going on around here?" he asked.
Saradoc turned and the old hobbit was shocked to see that he was soaked. "We're snowed in, Bilbo."
"Oh dear."
"How is our Frodo?" asked Eglatine.
"He is still sleeping like log. You can hear the conjestion in his breathing, though. It seems he can just breathe through his mouth."
They all heard a few sneezes from the tweenager's room and Bilbo sighed. "Sounds like he just woke up."
"Can I see him, Mama?" asked Merry.
"Not now, dear. Let Frodo rest. I don't want you to catch a cold from him."
Bilbo went back into Frodo's bedroom and sure enough, the lad was awake, holding a handkerchief. "Good morning my boy. I take it you're not feeling any better?"
Frodo shook his head. "Umm umm."
"Some good news and some bad news, lad. Your Aunts, Uncles and cousins are staying for a while.we're snowed in."
"Snowed in?" Frodo asked sniffling. "How bad is it?"
Bilbo went over to the window and pulled open the curtain causing the tweenager to gasp. The entire window was covered with snow! The sight of it made Frodo shiver and Bilbo went to fetch another blanket. "There you are." He said as he tucked the second quilt around his nephew's small body. "Just try and rest.I'll make you some ginger tea. Would you like toast or anything to eat?"
Frodo shook his head again. "I'm not that hungry."
"All right." Bilbo kissed Frodo before heading out again only to hear his nephew sneeze. When he reached the kitchen he saw Merry who was standing and gazing around in wonder. Bilbo laughed startling the young hobbit before him. "Hungry, are you?" he asked. Merry nodded.
"Starving."
"Good.I think I will make a big batch of pancakes and bacon."
"Can I watch?"
Bilbo felt a small lump form in his throat. When Frodo was well he liked to stand and watch his Uncle cook breakfast, lunch and dinner and often would lend a hand. "Of course."
Merry crawled up onto a wooden chair and watched as Bilbo began to mix the batter for the pancakes. "Can I stir it?"
"Merry! Quit bothering your Uncle Bilbo." Esmerelda stood in the kitchen doorway watching her son who had accepted the whisk. Bilbo smiled.
"He is not being any trouble at all. I like having an extra hand in the kitchen."
"Oh. Well."
"Pancakes are all right, aren't they?" Bilbo wanted to know as he got the bacon ready. She smiled.
"They always are. Saradoc and Paladin are trying to dig their way through the snow to find some way out."
"Is it that bad?" asked Bilbo. "If it is then Old Hamfast will have a dreadful time going to the market.they always go on Thursdays." He also thought of Bell who was away in West Farthing. If the snow was just as bad there then she might not get home for over a week!"
"Ewwww!" Merry took his hands out of the bowl and they were covered with batter. "It's cold!"
They all heard moans from down the corridor and Bilbo nearly dropped the frying pan before he dashed off. He entered the tweenagers' room to find that the lad had thrown up and was shaking and sobbing, clutching the edge of the bed. "Oh my dear boy."
"I-I got sick Uncle." Frodo choked.
"Yes I can see that. Let me get you cleaned up now." Bilbo got rid of the mess on the floor and then let Frodo rinse his mouth out with the ginger tea before removing the lad's nightshirt and replacing it with a fresh one. "Shhhh. It wasn't your fault." Bilbo soothed, hugging the sick hobbit to him, rubbing his back in a circular motion. "Oh Frodo.you're burning up." Bilbo felt the boy's forehead with alarm. "Of course we're snowed in and will have a hard time getting a healer!"
Frodo hiccoughed "I-I'm ruining e-everything."
"Of course you aren't, lad. We still got to have the celebration, didn't we? And even if we didn't, you are never a nuisance to me. I love you very much." Bilbo gave Frodo's cheek a small kiss. "Now.try and lay down and wait while I fetch your Auntie's."
"No." Frodo begged causing Bilbo to stop in the doorway of the room. "I.I want you to stay with me."
Bilbo smiled softly. "I know, Frodo. But I have to get breakfast on the table for the rest of your family. Then I'll be up to sit with you. I promise, lad."
"I d-don't want to be in here by m-myself," Frodo sobbed, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. Bilbo sighed feeling an ache in his heart for the tweenager and he sat down beside him on the bed.
"I know my boy. But I need to leave for just a few moments. I'll ask your Uncle Saradoc if he will help serve breakfast so I can be with you." Bilbo kissed Frodo who smiled weakly before wrapping his small arms around Bilbo's neck.
"I always feel better when you're around." Frodo whispered.
"Oh Frodo." Bilbo hastily wiped tears from his eyes that threatened to fall down his cheeks. "I'll be right back."
Frodo lay back down on his pillows with a soft sigh.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: So how did you like that chapter? I am sorry if this is in the least bit rushed.I am going to try and make it at least fifteen to twenty chapters if I can manage it. I love writing Frodo/angst fics! Thank you all for the reviews so far! They ALWAYS help me write faster. ;) So continue to read & review.constructive criticism is always allowed but flames are not.I'm sorry, but I feel that if you do not like the summary of the story then you shouldn't even bother reading it.
"Oh bother." Saradoc Brandybuck awoke the next morning to find that it had snowed a great deal the night before. In fact it had snowed so much that the entire window was covered in white. "Papa!" Merry ran into their room and leapt onto the bed waking Esmerelda who looked quite startled. "Merry! What is it?"
"It snowed last night! Pippin and I went to open the door and it's stuck."
"STUCK?" Esmerelda and Saradoc cried immediately hopping out of bed. They followed their son out into the parlor where Pippin sat leaning his elbows on the windowsill.
Saradoc turned the doorknob and tried to pull it open but his son was correct--it wouldn't budge. "Oh dear." He muttered. "Esmerelda.give me a hand please."
The two hobbits tugged as hard as they could when POP the door flew open and a pile of snow fell on them as a result.
"WOW!" Pippin cried. "That's more snow than I've ever seen in my whole life!"
"Which hasn't been that long," sniggered Merry. "OUCH!" he received a kick in the shin from Pippin.
Esmerelda popped out of the snow, spitting some out of her mouth. When she saw where it had come from she gasped. "I think we're snowed in, Saradoc.did you ever see such a sight?"
Saradoc popped out next and looked up. The snow reached the top of the doorframe of Bag-End, which could only mean that the entire Shire was burried. "This can't be good." Sighed Saradoc as they tried their best to shovel the excess snow back outside.
"We're snowed in! Yippee!" Pippin jumped up and down. "That means we'll get to stay here for a while!"
Esmerelda wiped the snow off of her nightgown and out of her hair grumbling in disgust. Paladin and Eglatine woke next and cried out when they saw the door open. "What are you doing with that door wide open in this weather? Dear Frodo will catch pneumonia with that draft!"
Saradoc immediately shut the door but it took a bit of force.
Bilbo heard the commotion and came out into the parlor only to see everyone standing by the doorway. "What on Earth is going on around here?" he asked.
Saradoc turned and the old hobbit was shocked to see that he was soaked. "We're snowed in, Bilbo."
"Oh dear."
"How is our Frodo?" asked Eglatine.
"He is still sleeping like log. You can hear the conjestion in his breathing, though. It seems he can just breathe through his mouth."
They all heard a few sneezes from the tweenager's room and Bilbo sighed. "Sounds like he just woke up."
"Can I see him, Mama?" asked Merry.
"Not now, dear. Let Frodo rest. I don't want you to catch a cold from him."
Bilbo went back into Frodo's bedroom and sure enough, the lad was awake, holding a handkerchief. "Good morning my boy. I take it you're not feeling any better?"
Frodo shook his head. "Umm umm."
"Some good news and some bad news, lad. Your Aunts, Uncles and cousins are staying for a while.we're snowed in."
"Snowed in?" Frodo asked sniffling. "How bad is it?"
Bilbo went over to the window and pulled open the curtain causing the tweenager to gasp. The entire window was covered with snow! The sight of it made Frodo shiver and Bilbo went to fetch another blanket. "There you are." He said as he tucked the second quilt around his nephew's small body. "Just try and rest.I'll make you some ginger tea. Would you like toast or anything to eat?"
Frodo shook his head again. "I'm not that hungry."
"All right." Bilbo kissed Frodo before heading out again only to hear his nephew sneeze. When he reached the kitchen he saw Merry who was standing and gazing around in wonder. Bilbo laughed startling the young hobbit before him. "Hungry, are you?" he asked. Merry nodded.
"Starving."
"Good.I think I will make a big batch of pancakes and bacon."
"Can I watch?"
Bilbo felt a small lump form in his throat. When Frodo was well he liked to stand and watch his Uncle cook breakfast, lunch and dinner and often would lend a hand. "Of course."
Merry crawled up onto a wooden chair and watched as Bilbo began to mix the batter for the pancakes. "Can I stir it?"
"Merry! Quit bothering your Uncle Bilbo." Esmerelda stood in the kitchen doorway watching her son who had accepted the whisk. Bilbo smiled.
"He is not being any trouble at all. I like having an extra hand in the kitchen."
"Oh. Well."
"Pancakes are all right, aren't they?" Bilbo wanted to know as he got the bacon ready. She smiled.
"They always are. Saradoc and Paladin are trying to dig their way through the snow to find some way out."
"Is it that bad?" asked Bilbo. "If it is then Old Hamfast will have a dreadful time going to the market.they always go on Thursdays." He also thought of Bell who was away in West Farthing. If the snow was just as bad there then she might not get home for over a week!"
"Ewwww!" Merry took his hands out of the bowl and they were covered with batter. "It's cold!"
They all heard moans from down the corridor and Bilbo nearly dropped the frying pan before he dashed off. He entered the tweenagers' room to find that the lad had thrown up and was shaking and sobbing, clutching the edge of the bed. "Oh my dear boy."
"I-I got sick Uncle." Frodo choked.
"Yes I can see that. Let me get you cleaned up now." Bilbo got rid of the mess on the floor and then let Frodo rinse his mouth out with the ginger tea before removing the lad's nightshirt and replacing it with a fresh one. "Shhhh. It wasn't your fault." Bilbo soothed, hugging the sick hobbit to him, rubbing his back in a circular motion. "Oh Frodo.you're burning up." Bilbo felt the boy's forehead with alarm. "Of course we're snowed in and will have a hard time getting a healer!"
Frodo hiccoughed "I-I'm ruining e-everything."
"Of course you aren't, lad. We still got to have the celebration, didn't we? And even if we didn't, you are never a nuisance to me. I love you very much." Bilbo gave Frodo's cheek a small kiss. "Now.try and lay down and wait while I fetch your Auntie's."
"No." Frodo begged causing Bilbo to stop in the doorway of the room. "I.I want you to stay with me."
Bilbo smiled softly. "I know, Frodo. But I have to get breakfast on the table for the rest of your family. Then I'll be up to sit with you. I promise, lad."
"I d-don't want to be in here by m-myself," Frodo sobbed, tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. Bilbo sighed feeling an ache in his heart for the tweenager and he sat down beside him on the bed.
"I know my boy. But I need to leave for just a few moments. I'll ask your Uncle Saradoc if he will help serve breakfast so I can be with you." Bilbo kissed Frodo who smiled weakly before wrapping his small arms around Bilbo's neck.
"I always feel better when you're around." Frodo whispered.
"Oh Frodo." Bilbo hastily wiped tears from his eyes that threatened to fall down his cheeks. "I'll be right back."
Frodo lay back down on his pillows with a soft sigh.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: So how did you like that chapter? I am sorry if this is in the least bit rushed.I am going to try and make it at least fifteen to twenty chapters if I can manage it. I love writing Frodo/angst fics! Thank you all for the reviews so far! They ALWAYS help me write faster. ;) So continue to read & review.constructive criticism is always allowed but flames are not.I'm sorry, but I feel that if you do not like the summary of the story then you shouldn't even bother reading it.