Chapter 8
Comfort
Frodo knocked on the door three times and stepped back, taking a deep, shaky breath. He heard the sound of footseps and then the door being unlocked and the large, round wooden structure opened. A female hobbit stood in the doorway with golden hair and blue eyes, and she had on a nightgown.
"May I help you?" she asked kindly.
"Yes-I'm so sorry to have woken you up or anything, but my Uncle and I were on a hike and he fell down a hill and I think he broke his leg." Frodo spoke so quickly that the girl smiled.
"Calm down, honey. Take a deep breath and start over-slowly this time."
Frodo felt his cheeks burning with embarassment. "My Uncle's hurt," he repeated. "We were hiking and he fell down a hill and I think his leg's broken."
"All right-let me get my father and we'll see what we can do."
Frodo watched as the girl hurried into the smial calling "Papa! Papa!"
"Yes Estella?"
"There is a lad outside who is in a fix, and he's asking for help."
"I'll be right there in a minute."
Frodo stepped back as a male hobbit appeared. He was very large and had on a pair of brown breeches and a white cotton shirt. His thick, curly blonde hair was plastered against his head as a result of the humidity.
"Hullo." He greeted. "What is your name?"
"Frodo Baggins."
"Baggins, eh? Not Bilbo Baggins' nephew?"
"Yes. He's hurt and we need your help."
"Let me fetch my medical kit and then you can lead me to where he is, all right lad? I am Milow Chubb by the way. Pleasure to meet you, young Master." He hurried back into the smial again and returned with his medical kit. "Lead me to your Uncle, lad. We'll see what we can do."
Frodo felt so proud of himself at the moment as he led Mr. Chubb to where Bilbo lay, and when they reached the area, Bilbo lifted his head, relieved.
"Oh thank goodness." He gasped.
"Just try to relax, sir. Can you move your right leg at all?"
Bilbo attempted to, but cried out. "No-it hurts when I try."
Frodo stroked Bilbo's forehead, which was covered in beads of sweat, and watched as Mr. Chubb turned the old hobbit onto his back. "I know it hurts, but I'll have to bandage it up. Frodo-could you run back to my smial and ask Estella-the girl whom you met-to drive my carriage here so I can bring you both home?"
Frodo nodded. "I'll be right back." He quickly scrambled up the hill again, bolting for the smial, practically falling at the door when he reached it. Estella opened the door again and saw the tweenger on all fours, gasping for air.
"Frodo? Are you all right?" She asked with alarm.
"Fine-I can manage. Need-need the carriage."
"Here-let me help you." Estella supported Frodo by putting one of his arms around her shoulders. "Walk slowly now-one step at a time. The carriage is just over there-see? The pretty white pony?"
"Very pretty," Frodo choked.
"There we go." Estella helped Frodo climb into the front passanger seat of the carriage and climbed into the driver's section, taking hold of the reins. "Ya!" She shouted and the horse immediately started trotting away.
"This is awful-we were supposed to have a good time camping tonight," Frodo sobbed. "But my Uncle's hurt-and I'm not feeling too well myself. Nothing is going our way at all this week."
Estella smiled. "Oh-we all have our bad times. But we can get through them. We're hobbits after all, aren't we?" She winked at him and he had to grin at that comment.
"What's the pony's name?" Frodo asked curiously, trying to start a more pleasant conversation.
"Snowbell." Estella replied. "She's one of our best. We have two-the other is Tuck."
"Tuck-unusual name for a pony." Frodo chuckled. When they reached the hill, Estella stopped the carriage right at the edge of it and peered down. Her father was quickly bandaging Bilbo's leg and soon had the old hobbit to his feet.
"There we are. Lean on me-Not too quickly, now."
Frodo watched anxiously as his Uncle struggled to limp up the hill and was finally relieved when he was in the carriage.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Chubb. I do appreciate this." Bilbo told Milow.
"You're welcome. Not every day we get to rescue such a famous gentlehobbit as yourself."
Bilbo blushed but gritted his teeth as the carriage began moving again. Estella drove it all the way to Bag-End, and though Frodo was disappointed to be back home so soon, he knew it was the best place for both himself and his Uncle at the moment.
"We'll fetch the healer in the morning, when Hamfast comes to work on the garden," Bilbo grunted as Mr. Chubb helped him into bed. "All right, Frodo?"
"Shouldn't we fetch him now, Uncle? You're going to be in a lot of pain tonight."
"The lad's right, sir. A broken ankle is no laughing matter."
"Just a bit of ice on it and I should be fine. I've been through quite a bit in my lifetime," Bilbo chortled. "Again-thank you-both."
"You're welcome again. I'll see you again sometime, Mr. Bilbo." Milow Chubb tipped his hat and his daughter Estella curtsied, waving to Frodo who was blushing so badly that he looked like a cherry. When the Chubbs left, Frodo let out a long sigh as he sunk into the chair of his Uncle's desk.
"Lad-you were so very brave tonight. I am very very proud of you." Bilbo told Frodo weakly.
"I only did what any other hobbit would have done." Frodo replied. "Bilbo-do you want me to sit up with you? You've always done so for me when I've been unwell."
Bilbo shook his head. "No, lad. Go on to bed and rest-seems you had a bit of an asthma attack in the carriage on the way to fetch me, and I'm a bit concerned for you."
Frodo quickly enveloped Bilbo in a tight hug. "I love you, Uncle Bilbo. I'm so glad you're all right."
Bilbo kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too. Now off with you." Bilbo shooed him off to his bedroom.
Frodo knocked on the door three times and stepped back, taking a deep, shaky breath. He heard the sound of footseps and then the door being unlocked and the large, round wooden structure opened. A female hobbit stood in the doorway with golden hair and blue eyes, and she had on a nightgown.
"May I help you?" she asked kindly.
"Yes-I'm so sorry to have woken you up or anything, but my Uncle and I were on a hike and he fell down a hill and I think he broke his leg." Frodo spoke so quickly that the girl smiled.
"Calm down, honey. Take a deep breath and start over-slowly this time."
Frodo felt his cheeks burning with embarassment. "My Uncle's hurt," he repeated. "We were hiking and he fell down a hill and I think his leg's broken."
"All right-let me get my father and we'll see what we can do."
Frodo watched as the girl hurried into the smial calling "Papa! Papa!"
"Yes Estella?"
"There is a lad outside who is in a fix, and he's asking for help."
"I'll be right there in a minute."
Frodo stepped back as a male hobbit appeared. He was very large and had on a pair of brown breeches and a white cotton shirt. His thick, curly blonde hair was plastered against his head as a result of the humidity.
"Hullo." He greeted. "What is your name?"
"Frodo Baggins."
"Baggins, eh? Not Bilbo Baggins' nephew?"
"Yes. He's hurt and we need your help."
"Let me fetch my medical kit and then you can lead me to where he is, all right lad? I am Milow Chubb by the way. Pleasure to meet you, young Master." He hurried back into the smial again and returned with his medical kit. "Lead me to your Uncle, lad. We'll see what we can do."
Frodo felt so proud of himself at the moment as he led Mr. Chubb to where Bilbo lay, and when they reached the area, Bilbo lifted his head, relieved.
"Oh thank goodness." He gasped.
"Just try to relax, sir. Can you move your right leg at all?"
Bilbo attempted to, but cried out. "No-it hurts when I try."
Frodo stroked Bilbo's forehead, which was covered in beads of sweat, and watched as Mr. Chubb turned the old hobbit onto his back. "I know it hurts, but I'll have to bandage it up. Frodo-could you run back to my smial and ask Estella-the girl whom you met-to drive my carriage here so I can bring you both home?"
Frodo nodded. "I'll be right back." He quickly scrambled up the hill again, bolting for the smial, practically falling at the door when he reached it. Estella opened the door again and saw the tweenger on all fours, gasping for air.
"Frodo? Are you all right?" She asked with alarm.
"Fine-I can manage. Need-need the carriage."
"Here-let me help you." Estella supported Frodo by putting one of his arms around her shoulders. "Walk slowly now-one step at a time. The carriage is just over there-see? The pretty white pony?"
"Very pretty," Frodo choked.
"There we go." Estella helped Frodo climb into the front passanger seat of the carriage and climbed into the driver's section, taking hold of the reins. "Ya!" She shouted and the horse immediately started trotting away.
"This is awful-we were supposed to have a good time camping tonight," Frodo sobbed. "But my Uncle's hurt-and I'm not feeling too well myself. Nothing is going our way at all this week."
Estella smiled. "Oh-we all have our bad times. But we can get through them. We're hobbits after all, aren't we?" She winked at him and he had to grin at that comment.
"What's the pony's name?" Frodo asked curiously, trying to start a more pleasant conversation.
"Snowbell." Estella replied. "She's one of our best. We have two-the other is Tuck."
"Tuck-unusual name for a pony." Frodo chuckled. When they reached the hill, Estella stopped the carriage right at the edge of it and peered down. Her father was quickly bandaging Bilbo's leg and soon had the old hobbit to his feet.
"There we are. Lean on me-Not too quickly, now."
Frodo watched anxiously as his Uncle struggled to limp up the hill and was finally relieved when he was in the carriage.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Chubb. I do appreciate this." Bilbo told Milow.
"You're welcome. Not every day we get to rescue such a famous gentlehobbit as yourself."
Bilbo blushed but gritted his teeth as the carriage began moving again. Estella drove it all the way to Bag-End, and though Frodo was disappointed to be back home so soon, he knew it was the best place for both himself and his Uncle at the moment.
"We'll fetch the healer in the morning, when Hamfast comes to work on the garden," Bilbo grunted as Mr. Chubb helped him into bed. "All right, Frodo?"
"Shouldn't we fetch him now, Uncle? You're going to be in a lot of pain tonight."
"The lad's right, sir. A broken ankle is no laughing matter."
"Just a bit of ice on it and I should be fine. I've been through quite a bit in my lifetime," Bilbo chortled. "Again-thank you-both."
"You're welcome again. I'll see you again sometime, Mr. Bilbo." Milow Chubb tipped his hat and his daughter Estella curtsied, waving to Frodo who was blushing so badly that he looked like a cherry. When the Chubbs left, Frodo let out a long sigh as he sunk into the chair of his Uncle's desk.
"Lad-you were so very brave tonight. I am very very proud of you." Bilbo told Frodo weakly.
"I only did what any other hobbit would have done." Frodo replied. "Bilbo-do you want me to sit up with you? You've always done so for me when I've been unwell."
Bilbo shook his head. "No, lad. Go on to bed and rest-seems you had a bit of an asthma attack in the carriage on the way to fetch me, and I'm a bit concerned for you."
Frodo quickly enveloped Bilbo in a tight hug. "I love you, Uncle Bilbo. I'm so glad you're all right."
Bilbo kissed him on the cheek. "I love you too. Now off with you." Bilbo shooed him off to his bedroom.