Elrond stepped off the receiving platform and went towards the Elbereth's sickbay.

It had been quite sometime since he had been aboard the ship. He sighed happily. It was good to be walking the clean discreetly lit gangways of his command.

He smiled down at the little one in his arms. He did not use the facilities aboard the Elbereth often. There were enough strange tales about the elves without throwing in miraculous healings. His medical skills were usually more than enough to handle the ills of a pre industrial society with inadequate hygiene.

But Frodo Baggins was a special case. This Quest to destroy Sauron's insidious little bauble must succeed. The long chain of events leading up to this small one taking on the carrying of the Ring, a euphemism for a planet destroying catalyst, must continue on course. By succeeding it would free Elrond and his people from their guardianship of this world so they could move on. And free the peoples of Middle Earth to carry on their own.

What they had not counted on was the swiftness of Sauron's response. Hence the grave condition of the little hobbit.

"Elbereth, where is Mithrandir?"

"The Admiral is in sickbay activating the systems."

"I am on my way."

Entering the commodious sickbay, he went through two sterilizing fields as he entered the main examining room.

Laying his patient on the main examining table, he turned to find Mithrandir perusing a screen that had come up the minute the hobbit was laid down.

Elrond came and looked over the wizard's shoulder and watched the screen a moment, his face serious and considering.

"Ah, there's the shard. Damn. Its some kind of nanotechnology."

"Much like what got used in the Silmarils my dear Elrond."

Elrond shook his head and went over to a tall narrow cabinet. He slipped out of his elven robes and tunic and slipped on a white, tight fitting tunic.

Moving back to Frodo, he pulled several items out of the base of the table the hobbit lay on and got to work. Mithrandir, though no physician was familiar enough with the equipment in the sickbay to assist if need be.

Pulling down a screen from overhead Elrond made note of the hobbits declining vital signs. With a sigh he activated a simple glucose IV and carefully slipped it into a vein in Frodo's hand. Perhaps later he might need a transfusion to aid in cleaning his blood thoroughly of Sauron's poisons. He would definitely need a catheter.

Unhappy with the labored breathing sounds, Elrond slipped an oxygenator gently up Frodo nose. Noting that the air around the still form was body temperature, the healer pulled up a light cover, leaving the hobbit's chest bare. He slightly raised the table so Frodo reclined on an angle. This would also give the healer a better position to start his surgery.

Then glancing at the screen again he prepared several injections to help with the hobbits secondary problems, infection and low grade fever, bowel irritation and nascent kidney problems.

As he finished with the second hypo, the hobbit sighed and blinked. Elrond, who had his back to Frodo for a moment as he disposed of the injector, turned and covered his surprise with a smile.

Brushing the tangled hair off the small one's face he said quietly "Hullo Frodo Baggins. I am Elrond."

Leaning over, he gave him the last injection in the neck and the small hobbit winced. Bringing up his hand as the healer disposed of the injector, he frowned.

"Wha-what was that? It stung like a bee!"

""It is just an efficient way of delivering medicine to you body Frodo." He touched the spot, sending a quick burst of energy to cover the momentary pain.

Frodo moaned and stirred fretfully on the examining table trying very hard to place himself. He had never seen anything like this place. He brought a hand up to the oxygenator in his nose and then looked at the IV in his hand, touching that fearfully too.

"Wher-where am I? Is this Rivendell?" His voice was very hoarse and Elrond could hear the fear in it. Glancing at the hobbits stats, his dark grey eyes fell on the Ringbearer.

"This is...... associated with my House. You are gravely ill, Frodo."

Frodo looked about at the gleaming sterile surfaces and the blinking lights and the unfamiliar dress of the Elven healer. He had had no idea elves lived and dressed so differently from other Big Folk. Swallowing dryly he looked up into the compassionate eyes of the tall elf. "May I have some water please?"

"Of course." Elrond stepped away and went and got some water to which he spent a few moments adding to. Frodo took a deep breath and coughed some. The sticks up his nose felt funny. But he was afraid to touch them. And the straw in his arm! What was that for? Something seemed to be going into him. But not coming out. But what?

Elrond gently held up the Frodo's head and carefully gave him measured sips of water. Water that also held vitamins and other needed chemicals.

Frodo made a sour face and tried to pull away.

Elrond laughed softly, "No, you must drink it all Frodo. Your body needs this."

Grimacing, Frodo did as the healer asked.

"Can you help me?" Frodo looked at the slender tubing on his hand.

"Will this get rid of the cold in my shoulder?"

"No, this is helping your body maintain itself. You will probably need a catheter and a transfusion before all is done. Surgery is going to be necessary to rid you of the cold. A shard of that Morgul blade is still deep within you and needs to be removed."

Frodo confused by the healer's words, nodded dazedly. As long as he thought he could stop this terrible cold and the dark ugly dreams.

"Wait, where are the others? Strider and Merry and Pip and Sam! Are they all right?"

The healer looked to his admiral. "Mithrandir, can you call up the monitors in the guest rooms?"

In a few moments Mithrandir replied, "Strider is not in the House at the moment. The three hobbits, well let us see. Two are asleep and one is wandering the halls. I think that must be your Sam." Mithrandir chuckled. "He did not want to leave your side!"

Frodo smiled. "I do not know what I would have done without Sam. He has helped and cared for me so much."

Elrond lay a soft hand on Frodo's uninjured shoulder. "A friend like Sam is invaluable. But you need to rest now little Frodo. I must take care of that shoulder."

The healer placed a hand on the small one's forehead, silenced his anxiety and sent him into deep sleep.

Elrond came up to Mithrandir. "Is Sam still in the halls? Is he anywhere near the recovery room?"

Mithrandir smiled at the physician. "He is in the neighborhood, though by the tracking, it appears as if he is not certain of his path. Should I go pay the inquisitive hobbit a visit?"

"Would you please? If he proves too insistent, you know what to do."

Mithrandir chuckled. "Of course. Much like we did for Estel when he became too curious!"

Elrond paused, and then shook his head. "Sam is an adult though remember so his dreams need to be a bit more complicated. And as for Estel! Ai! That reminds me of the one time when he needed the facilities here. I do not wish to go through that again!"

"Well, all ended well. He is a fine young man Elrond. He will be a worthy king."

Elrond's eyes clouded over some as he looked at his Admiral. "Ah, but he and my Arwen..."

"Let us not worry about that now." Mithrandir rose with an ache. "Ah, this old carcass! I shall go divert the curious Sam. And you will be...?"

"I shall begin my exploratory surgery. If I have any need for assistance I shall call you or Glorfindel."

"As you will."

In moments, the elven healer was alone with his patient.

Adjusting the oxygen feed and adding a little anesthetizing gas to the mix to ensure the hobbits deep slumbers, Elrond prepared himself for surgery.

Pulling a nearby small table to his side, he lay out carefully the instruments he felt he would need and set a sterile field glowing over them. He activated the sterile field around the unconscious hobbit, as well as raising the light level.

Placing small cuffs around his wrists that acted as sterilizers for his hands and made them glow slightly, Elrond began.

Watching an X-ray out of the corner of his eye, he bent and made the first exploratory incision to reach an artery in hopes of stopping the progress of the nanobot as it appeared to be making its way towards Frodo's heart. He placed a thin filament into the artery and released a nanobot of his own to seek out the invader. He did this in three other places, deep in Frodo's chest protecting his heart and lungs.

Finished, he watched the screen to see the response of Sauron's technology. While he waited, he set up a catheter for the small one and prepared a cleansing transfusion for the hobbit to be used once the Morgul shard had been destroyed.

Looking at the unconscious Frodo he realized he might need to stay several days aboard the Elbereth depending on how well the hunt for Sauron's evil took.

Glancing at the screen, Elrond noted that the Morgul shard was in a holding pattern.

He spent a few moments at the medical computer setting up a very delicate alarm sytem to let him now if there was any changes in the hobbits status.

Checking Frodo's vital signs one more time, Elrond stretched and went to a food dispenser and called up a good strong cup of dark tea. Might as well take a brief rest while the nanobots got oriented. The Elbereth would alert him to any changes.

Leaning back in his chair, the healer slipped into elven half-sleep.