Chapter 22
So Lonely
After Angelica left Bag-End, Bilbo remained by Frodo's bedside as often as he could. Bilbo worried about Frodo, who seemed very withdrawn since her departure and tried his best to entertain the boy with old tales. Frodo especially enjoyed it when Bilbo sang to him, for it was very relaxing. As Bilbo sang he would stroke Frodo's thick, dark curles and that was something the tweenager enjoyed when he was ill.
"Are you very lonely, my lad?" Bilbo asked one morning as Frodo sat up a bit and took down some porridge with strawberry jam swirled around in it and a tint of honey.
"I think I must be," Frodo replied. "I didn't think I needed anyone but you before Angelica came but I find myself missing Brandy Hall more now than before."
Bilbo nodded. "I understand, Frodo. You aren't used to such a quiet setting. I know I'm not the most exciting hobbit to be with as I am getting old, but I try Frodo."
Frodo smiled. "I know you do. I just love living with you. It was something I'd always dreamed of doing when I was younger and now that I am actually here, I still-even two years later-find it hard to believe that my dream came true."
Bilbo nearly choked on tears as he reached for Frodo's hand and gave it a squeeze. For a few moments neither of them spoke.
"Uncle?" Frodo asked finally breaking the awkward silence.
"Yes?"
"Were you very worried? Angelica said that she would have hated to see you grieve if I had ."
Bilbo nodded again and kissed his nephew gently on the forehead. "If I had lost you, lad, I would have wanted to die myself. You mean so much to me. Now try and rest-I am going to bring these dirty dishes into the kitchen and wash them. Do you need anything while I'm up?"
Frodo thought for a minute as he looked towards the window, where rain splattered against the pane. Whenever the weather was bad, his wound acted up and hurt quite a bit.
"Could I have a painkiller? My cut is starting to hurt again."
"Of course. I'll be right back." Bilbo took the tray with the empty bowl, spoon and teacup and carried them to the kitchen where he was very surprised to see that someone was already there. It took a lot of will not to cry out and drop everything, but that was a close thing.
"G-Gandalf?" Bilbo squeaked. In deed it was he. The old wizard sat in one of the chairs at the table, completely relaxed with his hat off and smoking his old wooden pipe.
"No other." The wizard told the hobbit with a smirk. Bilbo was not too happy.
"Why is it you always show up when I have an armful of dishes that could break?" he set the things on the counter and turned. "What brings you here? And where have you been? You have no idea what a trial I've been through the past week! You're never here when I." he paused, unsure if he should go on.
"Need you?" Gandalf asked. "I never know when I will show up, Bilbo. I would have trusted that you knew that by now. But what trial has you in such a foul mood?"
Bilbo turned away from Gandalf and gazed out the window. "Frodo was stabbed, Gandalf. He was stabbed by a hobbit from Bree last week."
The wizard set his pipe down and raised his bushy gray eyebrows. "My dear Bilbo-I am sorry. Is he all right?"
"Yes, thank goodness. The healer stitched him up but Frodo is still in a lot of pain and he's come down with a fever."
The wizard nodded. "You have been through quite a trauma."
Bilbo turned around again and Gandalf was startled to see that tears were spilling down the old hobbit's cheeks. "I hit him." He sobbed. "I'll never forgive myself for that."
"What? You struck Frodo? When?"
"When he-when he went to inspect my Ring. A monster came out of me and I struck him. Then he was stabbed and oh sweet Elbreth I thought I was going to loose my boy and that that was going to be my punishment for what I had done." Bilbo sat down and lay his head in his arms, sobbing quietly. The wizard sat watching Bilbo with a frown. The only time he had seen the old hobbit cry was when Frodo had come down with pneumonia his first winter staying at Bag-End and had nearly died.
"Bilbo. I am here now. Everything is all right-everything is going to be all right. Let me see Frodo and we'll see what I can do."
Bilbo lifted his head and pushed his chair back, standing up. "I must do the dishes." He sniffed, wiping his eyes. Gandalf laughed.
"Nonsense. Dirty dishes can wait."
Bilbo led Gandalf into Frodo's room where the tweenager lay in bed staring blankly at the wall in front of him. "Good morning, young Baggins." Gandalf greeted, startling Frodo.
"Gandalf?" Frodo gasped. "When did you arrive?"
"Just today. How are you feeling, lad? Bilbo told me what happened and I am sorry to hear it."
Frodo nodded and he pulled his blankets down and pulled up his nightshirt to show the wizard the wound, which was about an inch long. Gandalf gaped at it and wondered what on earth caused someone to do such a thing to the boy. "There is where they stabbed me," Frodo told him. "It hurts something awful. And I've been feeling rather ill lately, but Bilbo's been taking good care of me." Frodo smiled at his Uncle who smiled back, rather weakly.
"Good, good. Well.he tells me you've a temperature?" The wizard felt the tweenager's forehead, surprised by the amount of heat radiating from Frodo's skin.
"Bilbo-quickly-get a basin of water and some rags-we must draw the fever down from his head."
Bilbo hurried off as fast as he short legs could carry him and Gandalf pulled up a chair beside the bed and waited.
"Am I getting ill?" Frodo asked.
"I'm not sure, Frodo. But you have a very high fever at this moment."
Bilbo returned with the bowl and the rag and handed both items to Gandalf before taking a seat on the otherside of Frodo's bed. Slowly and carefully the wizard dipped the rag into the water, squeezed out the excess droplets and began to blott Frodo's face and forehead with it. Frodo closed his eyes, for the coolness was a great relief. "Feel better, lad?" Bilbo asked hopefully.
"Mmm hmm-a bit."
"Good." Bilbo glanced at Gandalf. "Since you're going to be here-do you mind if I head off to bed for a little bit? I am exhausted."
The wizard smiled. "Of course I don't mind. Go on and rest a while- I'll stay here as long as you wish me to."
Bilbo gave him a grateful smile before kissing Frodo and standing up to leave the room. When the old hobbit was gone, Frodo opened his eyes again.
"I'm glad you're here, Gandalf. We've missed you."
The wizard patted Frodo's arm. "I'm glad to be here too, Frodo lad. Just rest easy now."
With one loud yawn Frodo fell back to sleep.
After Angelica left Bag-End, Bilbo remained by Frodo's bedside as often as he could. Bilbo worried about Frodo, who seemed very withdrawn since her departure and tried his best to entertain the boy with old tales. Frodo especially enjoyed it when Bilbo sang to him, for it was very relaxing. As Bilbo sang he would stroke Frodo's thick, dark curles and that was something the tweenager enjoyed when he was ill.
"Are you very lonely, my lad?" Bilbo asked one morning as Frodo sat up a bit and took down some porridge with strawberry jam swirled around in it and a tint of honey.
"I think I must be," Frodo replied. "I didn't think I needed anyone but you before Angelica came but I find myself missing Brandy Hall more now than before."
Bilbo nodded. "I understand, Frodo. You aren't used to such a quiet setting. I know I'm not the most exciting hobbit to be with as I am getting old, but I try Frodo."
Frodo smiled. "I know you do. I just love living with you. It was something I'd always dreamed of doing when I was younger and now that I am actually here, I still-even two years later-find it hard to believe that my dream came true."
Bilbo nearly choked on tears as he reached for Frodo's hand and gave it a squeeze. For a few moments neither of them spoke.
"Uncle?" Frodo asked finally breaking the awkward silence.
"Yes?"
"Were you very worried? Angelica said that she would have hated to see you grieve if I had ."
Bilbo nodded again and kissed his nephew gently on the forehead. "If I had lost you, lad, I would have wanted to die myself. You mean so much to me. Now try and rest-I am going to bring these dirty dishes into the kitchen and wash them. Do you need anything while I'm up?"
Frodo thought for a minute as he looked towards the window, where rain splattered against the pane. Whenever the weather was bad, his wound acted up and hurt quite a bit.
"Could I have a painkiller? My cut is starting to hurt again."
"Of course. I'll be right back." Bilbo took the tray with the empty bowl, spoon and teacup and carried them to the kitchen where he was very surprised to see that someone was already there. It took a lot of will not to cry out and drop everything, but that was a close thing.
"G-Gandalf?" Bilbo squeaked. In deed it was he. The old wizard sat in one of the chairs at the table, completely relaxed with his hat off and smoking his old wooden pipe.
"No other." The wizard told the hobbit with a smirk. Bilbo was not too happy.
"Why is it you always show up when I have an armful of dishes that could break?" he set the things on the counter and turned. "What brings you here? And where have you been? You have no idea what a trial I've been through the past week! You're never here when I." he paused, unsure if he should go on.
"Need you?" Gandalf asked. "I never know when I will show up, Bilbo. I would have trusted that you knew that by now. But what trial has you in such a foul mood?"
Bilbo turned away from Gandalf and gazed out the window. "Frodo was stabbed, Gandalf. He was stabbed by a hobbit from Bree last week."
The wizard set his pipe down and raised his bushy gray eyebrows. "My dear Bilbo-I am sorry. Is he all right?"
"Yes, thank goodness. The healer stitched him up but Frodo is still in a lot of pain and he's come down with a fever."
The wizard nodded. "You have been through quite a trauma."
Bilbo turned around again and Gandalf was startled to see that tears were spilling down the old hobbit's cheeks. "I hit him." He sobbed. "I'll never forgive myself for that."
"What? You struck Frodo? When?"
"When he-when he went to inspect my Ring. A monster came out of me and I struck him. Then he was stabbed and oh sweet Elbreth I thought I was going to loose my boy and that that was going to be my punishment for what I had done." Bilbo sat down and lay his head in his arms, sobbing quietly. The wizard sat watching Bilbo with a frown. The only time he had seen the old hobbit cry was when Frodo had come down with pneumonia his first winter staying at Bag-End and had nearly died.
"Bilbo. I am here now. Everything is all right-everything is going to be all right. Let me see Frodo and we'll see what I can do."
Bilbo lifted his head and pushed his chair back, standing up. "I must do the dishes." He sniffed, wiping his eyes. Gandalf laughed.
"Nonsense. Dirty dishes can wait."
Bilbo led Gandalf into Frodo's room where the tweenager lay in bed staring blankly at the wall in front of him. "Good morning, young Baggins." Gandalf greeted, startling Frodo.
"Gandalf?" Frodo gasped. "When did you arrive?"
"Just today. How are you feeling, lad? Bilbo told me what happened and I am sorry to hear it."
Frodo nodded and he pulled his blankets down and pulled up his nightshirt to show the wizard the wound, which was about an inch long. Gandalf gaped at it and wondered what on earth caused someone to do such a thing to the boy. "There is where they stabbed me," Frodo told him. "It hurts something awful. And I've been feeling rather ill lately, but Bilbo's been taking good care of me." Frodo smiled at his Uncle who smiled back, rather weakly.
"Good, good. Well.he tells me you've a temperature?" The wizard felt the tweenager's forehead, surprised by the amount of heat radiating from Frodo's skin.
"Bilbo-quickly-get a basin of water and some rags-we must draw the fever down from his head."
Bilbo hurried off as fast as he short legs could carry him and Gandalf pulled up a chair beside the bed and waited.
"Am I getting ill?" Frodo asked.
"I'm not sure, Frodo. But you have a very high fever at this moment."
Bilbo returned with the bowl and the rag and handed both items to Gandalf before taking a seat on the otherside of Frodo's bed. Slowly and carefully the wizard dipped the rag into the water, squeezed out the excess droplets and began to blott Frodo's face and forehead with it. Frodo closed his eyes, for the coolness was a great relief. "Feel better, lad?" Bilbo asked hopefully.
"Mmm hmm-a bit."
"Good." Bilbo glanced at Gandalf. "Since you're going to be here-do you mind if I head off to bed for a little bit? I am exhausted."
The wizard smiled. "Of course I don't mind. Go on and rest a while- I'll stay here as long as you wish me to."
Bilbo gave him a grateful smile before kissing Frodo and standing up to leave the room. When the old hobbit was gone, Frodo opened his eyes again.
"I'm glad you're here, Gandalf. We've missed you."
The wizard patted Frodo's arm. "I'm glad to be here too, Frodo lad. Just rest easy now."
With one loud yawn Frodo fell back to sleep.