Chapter 10
Out for a walk
Bilbo, Drogo and Primula, meanwhile, took a walk outside into the fresh air as Gandalf had instructed. They had no plans on where they wanted to go, so they just figured they'd let their feet lead them somewhere. For quite some time neither of the Baggins's spoke until Bilbo pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his misty eyes. "Frodo is going to be just fine, Bilbo." Primula comforted, placing a hand on the old hobbit's shoulder. "You needn't weep."
Bilbo smiled weakly. "I know I shouldn't. It is just.I can not bear the idea of perhaps loosing my dear nephew."
"You mean cousin." Drogo teased glancing up at the sky as a bird squawked. The sky was overcast but there were no hints of rain. Primula laughed.
"In all honesty, Drogo.Bilbo is old enough to be Frodo's Uncle."
Now it was Bilbo's turn to laugh. "Thank you!" he teased right back. They reached the bridge that crossed the Brandywine River and decided to just sit on the banks. Since it was early spring in the Shire, the River was flowing rather quickly-due to the amounts of snow that had melted from the grass and the trees. At the sight of the rushing water, Primula shuddered, drawing her shawl tightly around her shoulders.
"Imagine how terrible drowning must be." She told Drogo.
"Yes. Though.I did learn to swim at a young age, but unforunately I have not had the chance to apply my skills." He kissed her. "However.I do not mind a romantic boat ride on the river under the moonlight."
Primula giggled girlishly and swiped her hand at him. "Oh stop that." The two of them kissed. In all honesty, Bilbo had never felt an extreme attraction to the opposite sex. Oh sure he'd had his share of flings in his youth but nothing had ever been geared towards marriage. It was a sight, too, when he came to visit Frodo at Brandy Hall every now and then and he would see the lad running away from the girls as though they were monsters. After a few moments of awkward silence, Primula stood.
"I know Gandalf told us to take a walk but I really think we should get back to Frodo." She announced, placing her hat back onto her head.
Drogo nodded. "I agree. You don't mind, do you Bilbo? I know how much you enjoy being outdoors."
Bilbo shook his head. "I don't mind. Lead the way, Primula." They made their way back to Bag-End.
Gandalf meanwhile, continued to sit by Frodo's side. The lad's fever had worsened since the others had gone out, and the cough rattled in his small chest. The healer most certainly would have to be sent for right away. "Mama." Frodo whimpered, his bright blue eyes suddenly opening. Gandalf, knowing the effects of fever, took hold of the younger hobbit's hand. "Right here, lad."
"I.I want B.Bilbo." Frodo shivered, wrapping the quilts tighter around his body.
"Your Uncle had to go out for a little bit, Frodo. He'll be back any moment."
"Why is it so cold, Mama?" Frodo whimpered. "I'm so very cold."
Gandalf was one of those people who rarely cried but at the sight of the dear hobbit's delerium he felt his throat begin to choke up with tears. 'I must be strong for Frodo's sake,' Gandalf promised. 'Just follow along.'
"Do you need another blanket?" Gandalf asked. He also knew that bundling the child up too much would cause the fever to rise even further, so he had to be careful with how many blankets he administered. Frodo nodded, teeth chattering, and the wizard stood to go into the linen closet in the hallway. It was perfectly clear that the lad had something worse than the Flu at this point, from the sound of the coughing and the complaints of a sore throat. Just as he was taking the blanket down from the top shelf he heard the front door open and close to Bag-End and then heard the small thud of hobbit feet coming from Frodo's room. "Frodo." Gandalf shouted and watched the little one scurry towards the parlor.
"I'm ready, Uncle.I forgot my scarf."
"Frodo, lad.what are you doing out of bed?" Gandalf heard Bilbo's voice clear as day from the front hall. "Where is Gandalf?"
"Who is Gandalf?" Frodo asked.
"That old fellow who has been sitting with you for the past two hours, my boy. Now come with Bilbo.we'll get you back into bed." Bilbo proceeded to lift the child into his arms but Frodo suddenly let out a blood curtling yell, very similar to the one from his earlier fever fit.
"Frodo!" Drogo shouted as the lad struggled to get down from Bilbo's arms. He reached his arms towards the still open doorway and his mother took hold of them.
"No, no, no, no!" Frodo sobbed. "I want Bilbo!"
"I am Bilbo sweetheart." Bilbo promised, brushing Frodo's sweaty bangs from his eyes. Gandalf stepped into the front hall and receieved rather disgusted looks from Drogo and Primula.
"I apologize.he scampered away without my knowing."
"You were not to leave him alone." Primula snapped.
"He wanted an extra blanket so I went to fetch one for him. It was my own fault and I."
"Never mind, Gandalf.it was an accident surely. Shhh." Bilbo whispered, patting Frodo's back as he whimpered into his shoulder. Very gently and quietly the old hobbit carried his nephew back to bed, tucking the new blanket around his trembling form. "I think we should fetch Narmadoc again." Bilbo told Primula. "He seems to have worsened from the night before and you know what the doctor said."
Primula glanced at Drogo, who sighed. "Yes.I'll go." He replied, immediately getting the point. Gandalf watched as Drogo hurried to grab his cloak and walking stick and then turned back to Bilbo.
"This is worse than I thought. Frodo may be coming down with a touch of mononucleosis."
"What?" Primula cried. She had never even heard of that disease before and the name frightened her.
"Mononucleosis. Actually it is a rather newfound disease I think. A few cases I saw were present in the children of Gondor."
Primula gasped and turned to look at her son who had fallen back to sleep. "We'll see what Dr. Narmadoc has to say."
Gandalf nodded. "Aye.I am not a doctor for certain. It is just a guess."
Frodo coughed and let out a soft groan, burrying underneath the covers.
Narmadoc and Drogo arrived at Bag-End nearly an hour later to find Bilbo, Gandalf and Primula all asleep in their chairs, snoring softly. "Oh no," said Drogo when he he looked towards the bed and saw it empty. "Frodo's gone!" He cried in alarm.
A/N: Mwahahahahahahahaha. How EVIL I am to have left you at a cliffhanger! The better to TORTURE you w/ my dears! ;) Just kidding! Anyway.uh-oh.what's going to happen next, I wonder?
Bilbo, Drogo and Primula, meanwhile, took a walk outside into the fresh air as Gandalf had instructed. They had no plans on where they wanted to go, so they just figured they'd let their feet lead them somewhere. For quite some time neither of the Baggins's spoke until Bilbo pulled his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed at his misty eyes. "Frodo is going to be just fine, Bilbo." Primula comforted, placing a hand on the old hobbit's shoulder. "You needn't weep."
Bilbo smiled weakly. "I know I shouldn't. It is just.I can not bear the idea of perhaps loosing my dear nephew."
"You mean cousin." Drogo teased glancing up at the sky as a bird squawked. The sky was overcast but there were no hints of rain. Primula laughed.
"In all honesty, Drogo.Bilbo is old enough to be Frodo's Uncle."
Now it was Bilbo's turn to laugh. "Thank you!" he teased right back. They reached the bridge that crossed the Brandywine River and decided to just sit on the banks. Since it was early spring in the Shire, the River was flowing rather quickly-due to the amounts of snow that had melted from the grass and the trees. At the sight of the rushing water, Primula shuddered, drawing her shawl tightly around her shoulders.
"Imagine how terrible drowning must be." She told Drogo.
"Yes. Though.I did learn to swim at a young age, but unforunately I have not had the chance to apply my skills." He kissed her. "However.I do not mind a romantic boat ride on the river under the moonlight."
Primula giggled girlishly and swiped her hand at him. "Oh stop that." The two of them kissed. In all honesty, Bilbo had never felt an extreme attraction to the opposite sex. Oh sure he'd had his share of flings in his youth but nothing had ever been geared towards marriage. It was a sight, too, when he came to visit Frodo at Brandy Hall every now and then and he would see the lad running away from the girls as though they were monsters. After a few moments of awkward silence, Primula stood.
"I know Gandalf told us to take a walk but I really think we should get back to Frodo." She announced, placing her hat back onto her head.
Drogo nodded. "I agree. You don't mind, do you Bilbo? I know how much you enjoy being outdoors."
Bilbo shook his head. "I don't mind. Lead the way, Primula." They made their way back to Bag-End.
Gandalf meanwhile, continued to sit by Frodo's side. The lad's fever had worsened since the others had gone out, and the cough rattled in his small chest. The healer most certainly would have to be sent for right away. "Mama." Frodo whimpered, his bright blue eyes suddenly opening. Gandalf, knowing the effects of fever, took hold of the younger hobbit's hand. "Right here, lad."
"I.I want B.Bilbo." Frodo shivered, wrapping the quilts tighter around his body.
"Your Uncle had to go out for a little bit, Frodo. He'll be back any moment."
"Why is it so cold, Mama?" Frodo whimpered. "I'm so very cold."
Gandalf was one of those people who rarely cried but at the sight of the dear hobbit's delerium he felt his throat begin to choke up with tears. 'I must be strong for Frodo's sake,' Gandalf promised. 'Just follow along.'
"Do you need another blanket?" Gandalf asked. He also knew that bundling the child up too much would cause the fever to rise even further, so he had to be careful with how many blankets he administered. Frodo nodded, teeth chattering, and the wizard stood to go into the linen closet in the hallway. It was perfectly clear that the lad had something worse than the Flu at this point, from the sound of the coughing and the complaints of a sore throat. Just as he was taking the blanket down from the top shelf he heard the front door open and close to Bag-End and then heard the small thud of hobbit feet coming from Frodo's room. "Frodo." Gandalf shouted and watched the little one scurry towards the parlor.
"I'm ready, Uncle.I forgot my scarf."
"Frodo, lad.what are you doing out of bed?" Gandalf heard Bilbo's voice clear as day from the front hall. "Where is Gandalf?"
"Who is Gandalf?" Frodo asked.
"That old fellow who has been sitting with you for the past two hours, my boy. Now come with Bilbo.we'll get you back into bed." Bilbo proceeded to lift the child into his arms but Frodo suddenly let out a blood curtling yell, very similar to the one from his earlier fever fit.
"Frodo!" Drogo shouted as the lad struggled to get down from Bilbo's arms. He reached his arms towards the still open doorway and his mother took hold of them.
"No, no, no, no!" Frodo sobbed. "I want Bilbo!"
"I am Bilbo sweetheart." Bilbo promised, brushing Frodo's sweaty bangs from his eyes. Gandalf stepped into the front hall and receieved rather disgusted looks from Drogo and Primula.
"I apologize.he scampered away without my knowing."
"You were not to leave him alone." Primula snapped.
"He wanted an extra blanket so I went to fetch one for him. It was my own fault and I."
"Never mind, Gandalf.it was an accident surely. Shhh." Bilbo whispered, patting Frodo's back as he whimpered into his shoulder. Very gently and quietly the old hobbit carried his nephew back to bed, tucking the new blanket around his trembling form. "I think we should fetch Narmadoc again." Bilbo told Primula. "He seems to have worsened from the night before and you know what the doctor said."
Primula glanced at Drogo, who sighed. "Yes.I'll go." He replied, immediately getting the point. Gandalf watched as Drogo hurried to grab his cloak and walking stick and then turned back to Bilbo.
"This is worse than I thought. Frodo may be coming down with a touch of mononucleosis."
"What?" Primula cried. She had never even heard of that disease before and the name frightened her.
"Mononucleosis. Actually it is a rather newfound disease I think. A few cases I saw were present in the children of Gondor."
Primula gasped and turned to look at her son who had fallen back to sleep. "We'll see what Dr. Narmadoc has to say."
Gandalf nodded. "Aye.I am not a doctor for certain. It is just a guess."
Frodo coughed and let out a soft groan, burrying underneath the covers.
Narmadoc and Drogo arrived at Bag-End nearly an hour later to find Bilbo, Gandalf and Primula all asleep in their chairs, snoring softly. "Oh no," said Drogo when he he looked towards the bed and saw it empty. "Frodo's gone!" He cried in alarm.
A/N: Mwahahahahahahahaha. How EVIL I am to have left you at a cliffhanger! The better to TORTURE you w/ my dears! ;) Just kidding! Anyway.uh-oh.what's going to happen next, I wonder?