Chapter 6
Herbs and Spices
Frodo remained in bed all the next day, sneezing and coughing continuously. Gandalf sat beside the sick hobbit as he'd promised, blotting the lad's face with a cool, damp cloth and administiring the medicine as directed by the doctor and numerous teas and other concoctions. Sam stopped over every day to check on his master but was often shooed out by the wizard with a threatening glare and the raising of his staff.
"Do you want me to fetch the healer again, Mr. Gandalf, sir? He doesn' seem to be recoverin' at all." Sam offered one particularly rainy morning. It was so cold and so wet that when Sam entered Bag-End, he left puddles on the hardwood floor on his way from the front door to Frodo's room.
"We'll give him another night. If he's not feeling a bit better by tomorrow then yes, you may fetch the healer."
"Sir-I was wonderin'-do you think that an herbal steam bath might help his breathin'? My Gaffer suggested it. Said it used to work when Frodo was a mite."
"A what?" Gandalf asked.
"A steam bath, sir. It's a bowl filled with scented, heated water and the steam that comes out of it is supposed to ease troubled breathing."
Frodo suddenly woke up, reached for his handkerchief and sneezed into it loudly. "Hullo Sam." He greeted after blowing his nose.
"Hullo, Mr. Frodo. Feelin' any better?"
"Not much."
"Well go and fetch that steam bath, Samwise. We'll see if it helps." Gandalf told the gardener who nodded and headed back to his house.
"A what?" Frodo asked sniffling noisily.
"Herbal steam bath."
"Oh." He lay back down on his pillows. "I could go for some soup and crackers, Gandalf, if you wouldn't mind cooking it."
The wizard grinned, pleased that the hobbit was showing a bit of appetite. "Soup and crackers, eh? Chicken noodle soup I'm guessing?"
Frodo nodded. "Not too strong. My stomach won't be able to handle a lot of spices. And those bland crackers Bilbo always gave me."
"All right. Just rest and I'll see what I can conjur up in the kitchen." The wizard grimaced as he stood up. He was very old and his limbs didn't work as they used to, and he headed for the kitchen. He knew his way around Bilbo's kitchen fairly well, as he'd been at Bag-End over a hundred times, many of those times uninvited.
Frodo meanwhile, shivered under the covers. The rain wasn't helping at all. How he longed for it to be bright, sunny and warm. He missed catching fireflies in the park with Bilbo on those long summer evenings and snuggling up to his Uncle in the parlor for cocoa and stories when the weather grew cold. He longed to see Bilbo again and would give up Bag-End and all of his possessions just to do so. Suddenly RAP RAP RAP! He jolted and peered out the window to see his best friend Fredegar Bolger peering in.
Grinning, Frodo sat up and waved. Glancing around to make sure the wizard wasn't anywhere in sight, Frodo slid out of bed and went to open the window.
"Good morning, Fatty. What are you doing here in the rain?"
"I wanted to see what's been keeping you! Then I met up with Merry and he said you were not feeling well, so I came to see how you were doing."
"I'm still ill, but I should be able to come out in a few days once the worst of this cold passes."
"I see."
At that moment Frodo heard Gandalf's voice and quickly hopped back into bed again, forgetting to shut the window. "Here you are." Gandalf told him as he entered the room. Then he noticed the open window and cocked his head to one side, setting the tray of food on Frodo's lap. He immediately went to shut it and when he did he heard "ARGH!" And jumped.
"What." He quickly opened the window and peered down, seeing Fredegar holding his forehead and looking up at the window with a glare. "Sorry about that! What were you doing at the window anyway? There is a door you know." Gandalf called.
Freddy frowned. "Well-the door was locked so I figured I'd try a window."
"I see. Well you may come around through the front if you'd like and I'll unlock the door. Frodo would enjoy a visitor."
Frodo nodded as he drank the soup and nibbled on the crackers. "I would," he agreed and Gandalf went to let Fredegar in.
"Thank you, sir."
"Would you like some ice for that bruise?" Gandalf asked, trying very hard not to laugh at the enormous dark spot forming on Fredegar's forehead where he had been whacked with the window.
"It's nothing." Fredegar insisted as he followed the wizard into Frodo's room.
"Hullo!" Frodo greeted grinning. "How are.are." He started to sneeze but covered his nose just in time.
"Fine. How are you feeling?" Fredegar asked, hesitating to come in any further than the doorway.
"He won't bite you, lad. Go on." Gandalf encouraged.
"I don't want to sneeze all over him," Frodo protested.
"I've been sneezed on plenty of times by you, Frodo. If it happens again I won't care." Fredegar made his way over to Frodo's bedside. "Myrtle Burrows has been asking about you. She said to give you something."
"What?" Frodo asked.
Fredegar sighed and kissed Frodo on the cheek. He grimaced. "She kissed me? Honestly-that girl is too persistant! When will she realize I haven't time for her nonsense anymore?"
Gandalf chortled from his position on the otherside of the room and Frodo glared at him.
"She really likes you, Frodo. And if you don't mind my saying so-you really OUGHT to find a lass. You're so alone these days."
"I don't WANT A LASS." Frodo snapped. "I'd rather be alone than deal with slobbery kisses all day."
"What's the fun in being a bachelor?" Fredegar asked. He'd been dating Flora Took for two years.
"There is plenty fun in being a bachelor. Please don't make me any more ill by talking about girls, Fatty."
Then Sam came in carrying a bowl and a small paper bag and stopped when he saw Frodo's guest.
"Oh-sorry, sir. I didn't realize you were expecting company."
"I wasn't. Come in, Sam."
"Well-I hope you feel better, Frodo. I need to get home for luncheon or my Dad'll box my ears." He said goodbye to Sam and Gandalf before leaving, and then Gandalf turned to Frodo.
"Myrtle sounds like a fine one, lad. Are you sure you don't even want to give her a try? If you don't mind my saying so, she wouldn't say no to a few moments behind the barn."
"Shut up," Frodo growled as Sam filled the bowl with water and began to light a fire in Frodo's fireplace. When the concotion was ready, Sam brought the bowl over to Frodo and removed the luncheon tray before replacing it with the medicine.
"This is rather strong, sir, but it'll clear your nose and your chest without a doubt."
Frodo nodded and took a deep breath but broke into a fit of coughing as a result. "What IS that?" he asked.
"Rosemary. I warned you that it was strong. Don't breath in so deep next time, sir. Jus' a few medium-sized breaths at a time."
Frodo got ready to do so when he felt a horrible prickling inside of his nose. He suddenly sneezed so hard that the water from the bowl flew out and sprayed all over Sam who happened to be in the line of fire. Sighing, Sam peered into the bowl and saw that only a few drops of the water remained.
"You're a hopeless case, sir. I'd hate to tell you." Sam growled before picking the bowl up and carrying it out to the kitchen.
Frodo remained in bed all the next day, sneezing and coughing continuously. Gandalf sat beside the sick hobbit as he'd promised, blotting the lad's face with a cool, damp cloth and administiring the medicine as directed by the doctor and numerous teas and other concoctions. Sam stopped over every day to check on his master but was often shooed out by the wizard with a threatening glare and the raising of his staff.
"Do you want me to fetch the healer again, Mr. Gandalf, sir? He doesn' seem to be recoverin' at all." Sam offered one particularly rainy morning. It was so cold and so wet that when Sam entered Bag-End, he left puddles on the hardwood floor on his way from the front door to Frodo's room.
"We'll give him another night. If he's not feeling a bit better by tomorrow then yes, you may fetch the healer."
"Sir-I was wonderin'-do you think that an herbal steam bath might help his breathin'? My Gaffer suggested it. Said it used to work when Frodo was a mite."
"A what?" Gandalf asked.
"A steam bath, sir. It's a bowl filled with scented, heated water and the steam that comes out of it is supposed to ease troubled breathing."
Frodo suddenly woke up, reached for his handkerchief and sneezed into it loudly. "Hullo Sam." He greeted after blowing his nose.
"Hullo, Mr. Frodo. Feelin' any better?"
"Not much."
"Well go and fetch that steam bath, Samwise. We'll see if it helps." Gandalf told the gardener who nodded and headed back to his house.
"A what?" Frodo asked sniffling noisily.
"Herbal steam bath."
"Oh." He lay back down on his pillows. "I could go for some soup and crackers, Gandalf, if you wouldn't mind cooking it."
The wizard grinned, pleased that the hobbit was showing a bit of appetite. "Soup and crackers, eh? Chicken noodle soup I'm guessing?"
Frodo nodded. "Not too strong. My stomach won't be able to handle a lot of spices. And those bland crackers Bilbo always gave me."
"All right. Just rest and I'll see what I can conjur up in the kitchen." The wizard grimaced as he stood up. He was very old and his limbs didn't work as they used to, and he headed for the kitchen. He knew his way around Bilbo's kitchen fairly well, as he'd been at Bag-End over a hundred times, many of those times uninvited.
Frodo meanwhile, shivered under the covers. The rain wasn't helping at all. How he longed for it to be bright, sunny and warm. He missed catching fireflies in the park with Bilbo on those long summer evenings and snuggling up to his Uncle in the parlor for cocoa and stories when the weather grew cold. He longed to see Bilbo again and would give up Bag-End and all of his possessions just to do so. Suddenly RAP RAP RAP! He jolted and peered out the window to see his best friend Fredegar Bolger peering in.
Grinning, Frodo sat up and waved. Glancing around to make sure the wizard wasn't anywhere in sight, Frodo slid out of bed and went to open the window.
"Good morning, Fatty. What are you doing here in the rain?"
"I wanted to see what's been keeping you! Then I met up with Merry and he said you were not feeling well, so I came to see how you were doing."
"I'm still ill, but I should be able to come out in a few days once the worst of this cold passes."
"I see."
At that moment Frodo heard Gandalf's voice and quickly hopped back into bed again, forgetting to shut the window. "Here you are." Gandalf told him as he entered the room. Then he noticed the open window and cocked his head to one side, setting the tray of food on Frodo's lap. He immediately went to shut it and when he did he heard "ARGH!" And jumped.
"What." He quickly opened the window and peered down, seeing Fredegar holding his forehead and looking up at the window with a glare. "Sorry about that! What were you doing at the window anyway? There is a door you know." Gandalf called.
Freddy frowned. "Well-the door was locked so I figured I'd try a window."
"I see. Well you may come around through the front if you'd like and I'll unlock the door. Frodo would enjoy a visitor."
Frodo nodded as he drank the soup and nibbled on the crackers. "I would," he agreed and Gandalf went to let Fredegar in.
"Thank you, sir."
"Would you like some ice for that bruise?" Gandalf asked, trying very hard not to laugh at the enormous dark spot forming on Fredegar's forehead where he had been whacked with the window.
"It's nothing." Fredegar insisted as he followed the wizard into Frodo's room.
"Hullo!" Frodo greeted grinning. "How are.are." He started to sneeze but covered his nose just in time.
"Fine. How are you feeling?" Fredegar asked, hesitating to come in any further than the doorway.
"He won't bite you, lad. Go on." Gandalf encouraged.
"I don't want to sneeze all over him," Frodo protested.
"I've been sneezed on plenty of times by you, Frodo. If it happens again I won't care." Fredegar made his way over to Frodo's bedside. "Myrtle Burrows has been asking about you. She said to give you something."
"What?" Frodo asked.
Fredegar sighed and kissed Frodo on the cheek. He grimaced. "She kissed me? Honestly-that girl is too persistant! When will she realize I haven't time for her nonsense anymore?"
Gandalf chortled from his position on the otherside of the room and Frodo glared at him.
"She really likes you, Frodo. And if you don't mind my saying so-you really OUGHT to find a lass. You're so alone these days."
"I don't WANT A LASS." Frodo snapped. "I'd rather be alone than deal with slobbery kisses all day."
"What's the fun in being a bachelor?" Fredegar asked. He'd been dating Flora Took for two years.
"There is plenty fun in being a bachelor. Please don't make me any more ill by talking about girls, Fatty."
Then Sam came in carrying a bowl and a small paper bag and stopped when he saw Frodo's guest.
"Oh-sorry, sir. I didn't realize you were expecting company."
"I wasn't. Come in, Sam."
"Well-I hope you feel better, Frodo. I need to get home for luncheon or my Dad'll box my ears." He said goodbye to Sam and Gandalf before leaving, and then Gandalf turned to Frodo.
"Myrtle sounds like a fine one, lad. Are you sure you don't even want to give her a try? If you don't mind my saying so, she wouldn't say no to a few moments behind the barn."
"Shut up," Frodo growled as Sam filled the bowl with water and began to light a fire in Frodo's fireplace. When the concotion was ready, Sam brought the bowl over to Frodo and removed the luncheon tray before replacing it with the medicine.
"This is rather strong, sir, but it'll clear your nose and your chest without a doubt."
Frodo nodded and took a deep breath but broke into a fit of coughing as a result. "What IS that?" he asked.
"Rosemary. I warned you that it was strong. Don't breath in so deep next time, sir. Jus' a few medium-sized breaths at a time."
Frodo got ready to do so when he felt a horrible prickling inside of his nose. He suddenly sneezed so hard that the water from the bowl flew out and sprayed all over Sam who happened to be in the line of fire. Sighing, Sam peered into the bowl and saw that only a few drops of the water remained.
"You're a hopeless case, sir. I'd hate to tell you." Sam growled before picking the bowl up and carrying it out to the kitchen.