Author's Notes: Thank you all for the WONDERFUL reviews and for your
patience! :) I DID love the preview, though of course I could've done with
a bit more Frodo and Sam footage. ;) No surprise there, though. Lovely. .
.I hate waiting till Christmas!
Some quick notes: I've included a therapeutics note at the end for the curious. :) Also, while this chapter is purely Bilbo, Frodo, and Dr. Boffin, don't worry. . .in Chapter Ten, you'll find out just where Gandalf has been, and soon you'll be meeting a little neighbour lad (yes, dear readers, I am reading the requests closely!). . . . :)
For permission to reproduce, please contact frodobaggins@frodo.com
DISCLAIMER: The characters, places, and story of The Lord of the Rings are the property of J.R.R. Tolkien and consequently of the Tolkien Estate, with select rights by Tolkien Enterprises. This piece appears purely as fanfiction and is not intended to claim ownership of Tolkien's work in any way. Please e-mail me if you have concerns.
SHADOWS IN THE DARKNESS
Chapter Nine: Complications and Concoctions
Much to Bilbo's dismay, Frodo remained inconsolable all morning. Worse still, he continued to have episodes of vomiting, throwing up every bit of liquid his caregivers had managed to get down his throat in the preceding hours, trembling with shaking chills. Still waiting for the doctor to arrive, the elder hobbit continued nursing his little charge, trying to calm him enough to get him back to sleep - or at least quiet rest - with little success.
"There now, my boy. . .sssshhh. . . . Feeling about the same?"
A tiny nod. "My stomach hurts. . . ."
Bilbo sighed anxiously. The same response, unchanged for more than four hours now; nothing seemed to help the child. Rising, he retrieved a fresh hot-water bottle, bringing it back and lifting the covers just sufficiently to replace the one resting against Frodo's small belly, quickly tucking him back in to avoid exacerbating the chills. Carefully he laid one hand against the boy's face: the fever wasn't burning the child up any longer, but it most certainly had not disappeared. . .Frodo felt too warm to the touch.
Gandalf, meanwhile, had all but disappeared, saying that he had to attend to an urgent matter and would return shortly. He was not yet back when Dr. Boffin arrived, clucking his tongue anxiously when he saw the sick child. Bending tensely over the bed, he repeated his examination, not without some reluctance from Frodo, who whimpered as the doctor pressed lightly on his stomach.
"Had you started him back on anything other than the herbal tea and some water or light juice?"
Bilbo shook his head, holding Frodo's hand in an effort to calm him. "No. . .he'd not been sick in more than a day now, so we were planning to start with a few spoonfuls of plain broth today."
Dr. Boffin nodded, studying Frodo with curious appraisal. He took the boy's hands, pressing slightly, and frowned as he looked down at them, nodding to Bilbo. "See here, how a bit of pressure dents the skin just a bit. . .it shouldn't do that. He must have more fluids. I'd hoped he might bounce back quickly enough, that by now he'd be feeling much better and giving you fits trying to keep him on a simple diet while his stomach recovers. . .but with the persistent fever and a return of the vomiting, I'm very concerned. He isn't getting enough liquids and he's losing them constantly."
Nervously Bilbo nodded. "What should we do, then? I - I mean, we've tried giving him water and the tea mixtures, and - "
"Oh, you did nothing wrong, Mr. Baggins, I assure you. . .that was the right thing to do, and nothing more than what I instructed!" The doctor turned back to study Frodo, who lay curled in a little ball, blue eyes tightly shut, still shivering. "Has the boy had any upset. . .anything to frighten him, or make him feel uncomfortable?"
At once Bilbo winced, nodding. "Yes - I'm afraid a relative stopped by and created a bit of a ruckus before I could stop her. She. . ." He lowered his voice, leaning closer. "She's particularly sour towards the lad, simply because the child will inherit all I have rather than it going to her, but the way she addresses that is particularly poisonous. I'm afraid it had rather a bad effect for him to hear her shouting about him being a Brandybuck and such."
"Absolutely." Dr. Boffin's expression grew grim. "It is imperative that we try to avoid further incidents of that nature, Mr. Baggins. . .put a sign on the door, whatever you must." His voice dropped another level. "You may have realised by now how sensitive he is. It's not uncommon among orphans taken in or adopted, but he does seem to be extremely so. What he needs more than anything else to help him get well is your affection and attention. . .it is imperative he feel safe and loved here. Getting over stomach flu's bad enough, but when one has a nervous stomach on top of that, it's a bit of a slow process. . .and I'm concerned that his temperature won't come down until we can get him to take a bit more to drink. It is most important that he feel comfortable here. . .and on that basis, I actually think that we may need to go ahead and try feeding him a little, even though he's still been throwing up. Nothing much at first, mind you, not until he's asking for food: we have to trust his stomach to know what's best here, but he needs to be getting something down. I think if you can get him comfortable and secure, then he might have a fair chance at keeping something on his stomach now that the flu's passing."
Anxiously Bilbo nodded. "I'll do my best, of course. . .whatever you say."
The doctor sighed, studying the shivering patient for a moment. "Has he any friends you might have stop by to visit? At this point, he's no longer contagious; it would be safe for him to have guests for short periods, so long as he is kept quietly resting in bed."
The elder Baggins pondered this. "I'm afraid most of his friends are his cousins in Bucklebury. . .especially young Merry. . .but that's a bit of a journey. He's not had time enough to make many friends here yet, and the lad always has been fairly solitary. . . ."
"In that case, do what you can yourself. . .anything will help. Talking to him, rubbing his back, reading to him, trying to coax him into favourite food or drinks. . .anything that makes him feel safe and wanted." Dr. Boffin pauses for a moment, keeping his voice very low as he resumes. "Bilbo. . .I must tell you that I saw Dr. Headstrong two days ago, while I was up to Frogmorton to get some herbs from the healer there, and he had come to speak with their young apprentice, Carnation, about doing some training in Buckland while caring for one of his patients. . .and I spoke to him about Frodo. He tells me the boy seemed to have little of that after a time. . .within months after it happened, there was a new baby in the family, and with one thing after another, he was set with his tutor and expected to continue growing up. He was ill more than a few times during the following years, and Dr. Headstrong says he's never seen a more serious little boy. . .such a sombre little creature, and a bit frail at that." The physician pauses to pat Frodo's head with a cool cloth. "He also said the boy had an aunt who seemed to care a great deal for him, who acted as something of an adoptive mother, but otherwise had few who gave him much attention, though she did seem to care for him as Primula might have. That's what he holds as the cause of the youngster's wildness for a bit there: the child went from having loving parents to having. . .well, a loving family, but a family too big to pay attention to him save for one very kind aunt, who still did not understand his interest in things such as. . .well, to be frank, your tales. Kind, but not able to understand the child at all. Some of his relations considered him a bit too spoiled, but Dr. Headstrong thought the problem quite the opposite. In any case. . .when I told him of the lad's illness, he thought it might take a bit of extra reassurance from you to help things along. Always has been a sensitive child."
Listening attentively, Bilbo nodded, his brown eyes tense with sorrow as he gazed at Frodo, who seemed to have fallen asleep at last, still trembling. "Poor little one. . .I had some idea, of course, but I thought perhaps it was simply my perception of things. He always seemed so happy here. . . ."
"Yes, he's a resilient little fellow. Very tough at the core. Dr. Headstrong says he'd never have believed anyone could pull through the bout with pneumonia the child had the winter after losing his parents. But next thing anyone knew, there he was, back up and about and underfoot all the time." Dr. Boffin smiled, ruffling the lad's curls. "Well now! Enough talk; I'd best give you the instructions and leave so young Frodo can rest. Keep giving him liquids as I recommended before and press him to drink as much as possible, in small amounts at a time. . .but go ahead and try giving him some broth today, and see if he can keep that down; make certain there's a good bit of salt in it. You also can try a little porridge made from crushed linseed in warm milk with a spoonful of honey. . .very soothing for the stomach. Once he wishes to eat a bit, you can start adding in soups, then light things, easy on the stomach. . .oatmeal porridge, lightly cooked eggs, applesauce, toast. . .then stewed fruit, mashed vegetables and such. A good serving of potato soup and of mushroom soup daily would be healthy for him once he's eating a bit. But first things first: I'll come back to see him tomorrow, to make certain he's taking fluids well enough." He took a bottle of dark brown syrup from his bag. "Young Carnation put this together. . .I understand they've had wonderful results with it. Peppermint and raspberry syrup; it's really quite delicious, and it should help the nausea. Give him a tablespoonful; if he doesn't feel better after an hour, give him another. . .after that, a tablespoonful as needed, though I think two will control an episode for at least a few hours. You may want to give it before meals if he's still feeling very ill much of the time, to help him take at least a few sips of something. Keep up the chamomile-mint syrup as I've instructed, and use the ginger syrup every eight hours, just three times a day, in addition to any episodes of vomiting. He still needs to be kept warm and comfortable in bed. Hot-water bottles to ease the tummyache, quilts, cool cloths for his head so long as he's well tucked in. . .sponge baths to keep the fever down a bit and make him feel a little better. . .in bed until the fever's been down at least three days, as I said before. Is that all clear?"
Bilbo nodded, scrawling notes out on a small tablet from his pocket. "Yes. . .yes, I think so. . .all right, I've got it. . . ."
"Excellent." Rising, the doctor reached down, tucking the covers around Frodo's small shoulders and setting the bottle of medicine on the bedside table. "Call for me sooner if he grows worse. Hopefully with plenty of calm and good care he'll be on the path to recovery soon."
But Bilbo noticed that the doctor did not smile. . .in fact, his expression as he turned to close the door was a grim one indeed, and the look he cast toward the resting Frodo was eerily tense.
~To Be Continued~
Author's Notes on Therapeutics: Dr. Boffin's concern that Frodo is becoming dehydrated is certainly understandable, hence his insistence that the boy needs plenty of fluids. The rapid restarting is something he chances on the hope that today's relapse, being due largely to nerves and stress, will be responsive to reassurance and attentive nursing.
Why potato soup and mushroom soup? Potatoes are rich in potassium, while mushrooms (which are also rich in potassium according to some sources) are a favourite food of hobbits, and especially of young Frodo. In human medicine, mushrooms would likely be frowned up as too likely to be hard on the stomach, but I suspect that in this respect hobbits are different from their larger counterparts, and a young hobbit fond of mushrooms might likely find a smooth mushroom soup comforting rather than tummyache- inducing. :) Since potassium is lost in vomiting due to the production of a metabolic acidosis, with renal excretion of bicarbonate (in short, people who are vomiting a great deal lose lots of potassium in their urine), replacement of this mineral would be very important. Obviously, Dr. Boffin doesn't have a lab to run these tests, but he might well know through observation that patients given certain types of food after bouts of vomiting seemed to recover better than those who did not. . . .
Some of the dishes the doctor has in mind are traditional invalid-cookery, which is a whole class of cooking in and of its own right: arrowroot gruel, shirred eggs, delicate puddings and custards, and light, nourishing soups all belong to this category. (For further reading, I recommend Fannie Farmer's Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent, Boland's Handbook of Invalid Cookery, and the modern Pat Willard's A Soothing Broth as starting-places.) This would likely be a familiar matter in many Shire households given that the sick would usually be cared for at home, with the importance hobbits place on food; Bilbo shouldn't have any difficulty in piecing such things together. :)
Needless to say, there's some element of creative measure in mind here. I'm not saying these remedies are direct human equivalents; they aren't, and what is good for a hobbit isn't always good for Big Folk! ;) But the herbs cited are indeed used for the purposes described here in human herbal medicine, for those curious to know. :)
Some quick notes: I've included a therapeutics note at the end for the curious. :) Also, while this chapter is purely Bilbo, Frodo, and Dr. Boffin, don't worry. . .in Chapter Ten, you'll find out just where Gandalf has been, and soon you'll be meeting a little neighbour lad (yes, dear readers, I am reading the requests closely!). . . . :)
For permission to reproduce, please contact frodobaggins@frodo.com
DISCLAIMER: The characters, places, and story of The Lord of the Rings are the property of J.R.R. Tolkien and consequently of the Tolkien Estate, with select rights by Tolkien Enterprises. This piece appears purely as fanfiction and is not intended to claim ownership of Tolkien's work in any way. Please e-mail me if you have concerns.
SHADOWS IN THE DARKNESS
Chapter Nine: Complications and Concoctions
Much to Bilbo's dismay, Frodo remained inconsolable all morning. Worse still, he continued to have episodes of vomiting, throwing up every bit of liquid his caregivers had managed to get down his throat in the preceding hours, trembling with shaking chills. Still waiting for the doctor to arrive, the elder hobbit continued nursing his little charge, trying to calm him enough to get him back to sleep - or at least quiet rest - with little success.
"There now, my boy. . .sssshhh. . . . Feeling about the same?"
A tiny nod. "My stomach hurts. . . ."
Bilbo sighed anxiously. The same response, unchanged for more than four hours now; nothing seemed to help the child. Rising, he retrieved a fresh hot-water bottle, bringing it back and lifting the covers just sufficiently to replace the one resting against Frodo's small belly, quickly tucking him back in to avoid exacerbating the chills. Carefully he laid one hand against the boy's face: the fever wasn't burning the child up any longer, but it most certainly had not disappeared. . .Frodo felt too warm to the touch.
Gandalf, meanwhile, had all but disappeared, saying that he had to attend to an urgent matter and would return shortly. He was not yet back when Dr. Boffin arrived, clucking his tongue anxiously when he saw the sick child. Bending tensely over the bed, he repeated his examination, not without some reluctance from Frodo, who whimpered as the doctor pressed lightly on his stomach.
"Had you started him back on anything other than the herbal tea and some water or light juice?"
Bilbo shook his head, holding Frodo's hand in an effort to calm him. "No. . .he'd not been sick in more than a day now, so we were planning to start with a few spoonfuls of plain broth today."
Dr. Boffin nodded, studying Frodo with curious appraisal. He took the boy's hands, pressing slightly, and frowned as he looked down at them, nodding to Bilbo. "See here, how a bit of pressure dents the skin just a bit. . .it shouldn't do that. He must have more fluids. I'd hoped he might bounce back quickly enough, that by now he'd be feeling much better and giving you fits trying to keep him on a simple diet while his stomach recovers. . .but with the persistent fever and a return of the vomiting, I'm very concerned. He isn't getting enough liquids and he's losing them constantly."
Nervously Bilbo nodded. "What should we do, then? I - I mean, we've tried giving him water and the tea mixtures, and - "
"Oh, you did nothing wrong, Mr. Baggins, I assure you. . .that was the right thing to do, and nothing more than what I instructed!" The doctor turned back to study Frodo, who lay curled in a little ball, blue eyes tightly shut, still shivering. "Has the boy had any upset. . .anything to frighten him, or make him feel uncomfortable?"
At once Bilbo winced, nodding. "Yes - I'm afraid a relative stopped by and created a bit of a ruckus before I could stop her. She. . ." He lowered his voice, leaning closer. "She's particularly sour towards the lad, simply because the child will inherit all I have rather than it going to her, but the way she addresses that is particularly poisonous. I'm afraid it had rather a bad effect for him to hear her shouting about him being a Brandybuck and such."
"Absolutely." Dr. Boffin's expression grew grim. "It is imperative that we try to avoid further incidents of that nature, Mr. Baggins. . .put a sign on the door, whatever you must." His voice dropped another level. "You may have realised by now how sensitive he is. It's not uncommon among orphans taken in or adopted, but he does seem to be extremely so. What he needs more than anything else to help him get well is your affection and attention. . .it is imperative he feel safe and loved here. Getting over stomach flu's bad enough, but when one has a nervous stomach on top of that, it's a bit of a slow process. . .and I'm concerned that his temperature won't come down until we can get him to take a bit more to drink. It is most important that he feel comfortable here. . .and on that basis, I actually think that we may need to go ahead and try feeding him a little, even though he's still been throwing up. Nothing much at first, mind you, not until he's asking for food: we have to trust his stomach to know what's best here, but he needs to be getting something down. I think if you can get him comfortable and secure, then he might have a fair chance at keeping something on his stomach now that the flu's passing."
Anxiously Bilbo nodded. "I'll do my best, of course. . .whatever you say."
The doctor sighed, studying the shivering patient for a moment. "Has he any friends you might have stop by to visit? At this point, he's no longer contagious; it would be safe for him to have guests for short periods, so long as he is kept quietly resting in bed."
The elder Baggins pondered this. "I'm afraid most of his friends are his cousins in Bucklebury. . .especially young Merry. . .but that's a bit of a journey. He's not had time enough to make many friends here yet, and the lad always has been fairly solitary. . . ."
"In that case, do what you can yourself. . .anything will help. Talking to him, rubbing his back, reading to him, trying to coax him into favourite food or drinks. . .anything that makes him feel safe and wanted." Dr. Boffin pauses for a moment, keeping his voice very low as he resumes. "Bilbo. . .I must tell you that I saw Dr. Headstrong two days ago, while I was up to Frogmorton to get some herbs from the healer there, and he had come to speak with their young apprentice, Carnation, about doing some training in Buckland while caring for one of his patients. . .and I spoke to him about Frodo. He tells me the boy seemed to have little of that after a time. . .within months after it happened, there was a new baby in the family, and with one thing after another, he was set with his tutor and expected to continue growing up. He was ill more than a few times during the following years, and Dr. Headstrong says he's never seen a more serious little boy. . .such a sombre little creature, and a bit frail at that." The physician pauses to pat Frodo's head with a cool cloth. "He also said the boy had an aunt who seemed to care a great deal for him, who acted as something of an adoptive mother, but otherwise had few who gave him much attention, though she did seem to care for him as Primula might have. That's what he holds as the cause of the youngster's wildness for a bit there: the child went from having loving parents to having. . .well, a loving family, but a family too big to pay attention to him save for one very kind aunt, who still did not understand his interest in things such as. . .well, to be frank, your tales. Kind, but not able to understand the child at all. Some of his relations considered him a bit too spoiled, but Dr. Headstrong thought the problem quite the opposite. In any case. . .when I told him of the lad's illness, he thought it might take a bit of extra reassurance from you to help things along. Always has been a sensitive child."
Listening attentively, Bilbo nodded, his brown eyes tense with sorrow as he gazed at Frodo, who seemed to have fallen asleep at last, still trembling. "Poor little one. . .I had some idea, of course, but I thought perhaps it was simply my perception of things. He always seemed so happy here. . . ."
"Yes, he's a resilient little fellow. Very tough at the core. Dr. Headstrong says he'd never have believed anyone could pull through the bout with pneumonia the child had the winter after losing his parents. But next thing anyone knew, there he was, back up and about and underfoot all the time." Dr. Boffin smiled, ruffling the lad's curls. "Well now! Enough talk; I'd best give you the instructions and leave so young Frodo can rest. Keep giving him liquids as I recommended before and press him to drink as much as possible, in small amounts at a time. . .but go ahead and try giving him some broth today, and see if he can keep that down; make certain there's a good bit of salt in it. You also can try a little porridge made from crushed linseed in warm milk with a spoonful of honey. . .very soothing for the stomach. Once he wishes to eat a bit, you can start adding in soups, then light things, easy on the stomach. . .oatmeal porridge, lightly cooked eggs, applesauce, toast. . .then stewed fruit, mashed vegetables and such. A good serving of potato soup and of mushroom soup daily would be healthy for him once he's eating a bit. But first things first: I'll come back to see him tomorrow, to make certain he's taking fluids well enough." He took a bottle of dark brown syrup from his bag. "Young Carnation put this together. . .I understand they've had wonderful results with it. Peppermint and raspberry syrup; it's really quite delicious, and it should help the nausea. Give him a tablespoonful; if he doesn't feel better after an hour, give him another. . .after that, a tablespoonful as needed, though I think two will control an episode for at least a few hours. You may want to give it before meals if he's still feeling very ill much of the time, to help him take at least a few sips of something. Keep up the chamomile-mint syrup as I've instructed, and use the ginger syrup every eight hours, just three times a day, in addition to any episodes of vomiting. He still needs to be kept warm and comfortable in bed. Hot-water bottles to ease the tummyache, quilts, cool cloths for his head so long as he's well tucked in. . .sponge baths to keep the fever down a bit and make him feel a little better. . .in bed until the fever's been down at least three days, as I said before. Is that all clear?"
Bilbo nodded, scrawling notes out on a small tablet from his pocket. "Yes. . .yes, I think so. . .all right, I've got it. . . ."
"Excellent." Rising, the doctor reached down, tucking the covers around Frodo's small shoulders and setting the bottle of medicine on the bedside table. "Call for me sooner if he grows worse. Hopefully with plenty of calm and good care he'll be on the path to recovery soon."
But Bilbo noticed that the doctor did not smile. . .in fact, his expression as he turned to close the door was a grim one indeed, and the look he cast toward the resting Frodo was eerily tense.
~To Be Continued~
Author's Notes on Therapeutics: Dr. Boffin's concern that Frodo is becoming dehydrated is certainly understandable, hence his insistence that the boy needs plenty of fluids. The rapid restarting is something he chances on the hope that today's relapse, being due largely to nerves and stress, will be responsive to reassurance and attentive nursing.
Why potato soup and mushroom soup? Potatoes are rich in potassium, while mushrooms (which are also rich in potassium according to some sources) are a favourite food of hobbits, and especially of young Frodo. In human medicine, mushrooms would likely be frowned up as too likely to be hard on the stomach, but I suspect that in this respect hobbits are different from their larger counterparts, and a young hobbit fond of mushrooms might likely find a smooth mushroom soup comforting rather than tummyache- inducing. :) Since potassium is lost in vomiting due to the production of a metabolic acidosis, with renal excretion of bicarbonate (in short, people who are vomiting a great deal lose lots of potassium in their urine), replacement of this mineral would be very important. Obviously, Dr. Boffin doesn't have a lab to run these tests, but he might well know through observation that patients given certain types of food after bouts of vomiting seemed to recover better than those who did not. . . .
Some of the dishes the doctor has in mind are traditional invalid-cookery, which is a whole class of cooking in and of its own right: arrowroot gruel, shirred eggs, delicate puddings and custards, and light, nourishing soups all belong to this category. (For further reading, I recommend Fannie Farmer's Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent, Boland's Handbook of Invalid Cookery, and the modern Pat Willard's A Soothing Broth as starting-places.) This would likely be a familiar matter in many Shire households given that the sick would usually be cared for at home, with the importance hobbits place on food; Bilbo shouldn't have any difficulty in piecing such things together. :)
Needless to say, there's some element of creative measure in mind here. I'm not saying these remedies are direct human equivalents; they aren't, and what is good for a hobbit isn't always good for Big Folk! ;) But the herbs cited are indeed used for the purposes described here in human herbal medicine, for those curious to know. :)