Sam stared at the fallen elf lords in consternation. It didn't take
long for the smoke to clear and Sam only had to wave the strange smelling
air a little bit before it was cleared by the ships ventilation system.
He looked about himself wildly. Was there no one else here to help out? What could he do? And where did this leave poor Mr. Frodo?
"Oh Elbereth!" The hobbit muttered under his breath an oath he had heard Frodo use on occasion as he went to the closest elf on the floor, Lord Elrond. He was bleeding from cuts on his face.
"Yes, what can I do Samwise?'
Sam sat back on the floor and glanced around terrified. Who had spoken? Was this place haunted?
"Who is there?"
"I am Elbereth."
"The Elbereth?"
"Yes. What may I do for you?"
"You must help them!" Sam decided that perhaps it was the Elbereth that Frodo had mentioned and surely she could help? "The two elves they are laying on the floor here because something they was looking at exploded and- --"
"I am aware of the explosion and am assessing the damage to the captain and his second." Sam stared looking all around the room. There was no one he could see doing any "assessing." Perhaps Elebereth was a ghost.
"Samwise Gamgee," the disembodied voice said. "I have prepared a hypo for the captain and his second."
Sam heard a click nearby, but did not see anything.
"I don't know about them.hypos..Misteress Elbereth.I don't see anything"
"Behind you a small drawer has opened and you will find them there. The captain first."
Sam got up and went to the small open drawer protruding from a long white counter along the opposite wall from the explosion.
Now there was some kind of magic going on. The cylinders had just appeared!
Tentatively picking up the small slender tubes, he looked at them frowning.
"Mistress Elbereth.I have them, but I have no idea how these work."
"There is a small button on one side which is attached to the ampoule. Place the hypo to the captain's neck where you find his pulse and push the button slowly."
Sam got up and staring unhappily at the unconscious elf lord, he knelt and did as the Elbereth requested, quickly finding the elf lord's pulse point. Giving him the injection, he almost jerked his hand away when he heard the low snakelike hiss.
Swallowing, he got up and did the same to Glorfindel, who was also bleeding from several wounds on his face. But thankfully, both elves were very much alive.
"Elbereth. They do not move. Do I need to do something else? Should I wash their wounds? They have some terrible cuts on their faces."
"You may. I shall prepare cleansing solution, wipes and a salve you may put on them. They are not serious injuries. What is serious is the head wound to Lord Glorfindel and Lord Elrond has a deep cut in his forearm and one in his shoulder."
"His head is hurt worse than them cuts? And what of Lord Elrond? His head is all right?"
"Samwise Gamgee, if you can move the captain to the area next to where Frodo Baggins lays, I can release a table from the floor so you may put him on it. I can then do what is required. Glorfindel also needs to be placed on a table as soon as you get the captain settled."
Sam heard a slight whine and looked beyond the still slumbering Frodo and saw a table like protrusion lifted a few centimeters off the floor nearby.
Taking a deep breath, he reached down, got a grip under the elf lord's arms and pulled the unconscious Elrond to the slightly raised platform. Running around panting to the other side of the elf, he got him centered. In seconds, the elf lord and the table were lit by the glow of a sterilizing field.
The platform rose a bit off the floor and then there were a few snicks and clicks and long dangling things descended from the ceiling and began to tend to the unconscious elf.
Sam then went and did the same for Glorfindel as he saw a table release itself from the floor next to Elrond.
Stepping back as the sterilizing field activated, he took a shuddering breath and went back to Lord Elrond.
A slender beam of light neatly sliced off the tunic that clothed Elrond. Sam watched avidly as the cloth fell away and more slender metal rods came down from the ceiling. They looked like very delicate long- fingered hands.
They made him quite nervous. Were they indeed helping or harming the healer?
"Elbereth! Those things look like spider's arms! You aren't hurting Lord Elrond now?"
"I am cleaning and sealing the wound in his shoulder and shortly I shall take care of the one in his forearm. If you wish, you may clean the wounds on his face. What you need is in the drawer---here."
Sam jumped back as another little drawer slipped open from the table on which the elven healer lay.
He saw the wipes and two strange bottles which must have the salve and cleansing fluids in them.
Swallowing audibly, the hobbit began to clean the wounds on Elrond's face, going carefully, to make sure there was nothing imbedded in the cuts. He found a few shards and gently removed them, conveniently finding a fine pair of delicate tweezers in the same drawer. Used to dealing with tiny seedlings, Sam's touch was tender indeed.
As he worked, he thought to himself: "Sam Gamgee you have gotten yourself in a strange pickle, make no mistake! Here you are taking care of this elf lord as if you were a healer and all! And then there is Lord Glorfindel! And poor Mr. Frodo!"
Pausing a moment, the little hobbit said aloud, "Mistress Elbereth, what about Mr. Frodo? If these two elf lords are down for the count as it were, what happens to Mr. Frodo! He's the reason we are here! He's got to get better!! And I don't know if I can take care of him and these elves too." He wiped the sudden tears that sprang to his eyes. "Mistress Elbereth, I am only a gardener.I ain't much of a healer."
The ship remained silent as it finished caring for Elrond and then gave the elf an injection to wake him.
"Samwise, your actions are proving very efficacious. Do not despair, Lord Elrond will be awakening soon."
The spider arms then moved to Glorfindel.
"As for Frodo Baggins, he remains stable Samwise. He is in no distress, I am monitoring him closely."
Sam, wiping his eyes, went around to the other side of Elrond and finished cleaning the elf's cuts.
A deep shuddering breath and Lord Elrond opened his eyes startling Sam so he dropped the wipe he was using.
The Elbereth spoke out calmly, "Captain, you have a four centimeter wound in your left shoulder which I have tended to as well as a three centimeter injury in your right forearm. Both you and Lord Glorfindel have superficial cuts to your faces. Lord Glorfindel however, has a serious trauma wound to the occipital lobe. He will be requiring your assistance."
Elrond sat up slowly and touched his face. "And the damage to you?"
"Superficial as well captain. Repairs will take less than an hour."
"Do you require Erestor's help?"
"I shall manage captain."
"Good. And the Ringbearer?"
"The transfusion is nearing completion. I have adjusted the balance of chemicals in the IV. The catheter is functioning normally."
"Excellent. Thank you Elbereth. I shall see to Glorfindel."
"Yes captain."
Elrond's dark grey eyes fell on the anxious hobbit gardener, still clutching the wipe he had dropped on the floor.
"And you Samwise? Are you all right?"
"I-I, as well as can be expected my lord. I-I have been, begging your pardon but as Mistress Elbereth said I could help, cleaning up your face. There were some bits I pulled out with them tweezers." his voice trailed off. Sam, feeling embarrassed, dropped his eyes to the floor. He was babbling now!
The tall elf lord stood and looked down at the hobbit. Crouching down to his level, he tipped his head up gently. "You have shown the most admirable qualities any one could manage in such.unusual circumstances Samwise." Elrond stood and putting a hand to Sam's shoulder, added, "Frodo is very, very lucky to have you as a friend."
Wincing slightly as he brought a hand to his forehead, the elf lord turned to the prone form of his Second. "Samwise, why don't you rest a bit on that lounge by the stasis chamber. I shall be busy for a while with Lord Glorfindel."
Nodding, suddenly feeling tired, Sam did as the elf lord requested, leaving the used wipe on the table Elrond had risen from. As he walked past, the table silently descended back into the floor and in moments, it was as if it had never been there.
Sam shook his head. Well, it was as tidy a way of putting away furniture as he had seen.
Reaching the lounge, Sam hopped up onto its body conforming surface and lay back with a yawn. Startled that the elf lord had followed him he blinked twice, about to say something, when Elrond gently laid his hand over the hobbits eyes with a tired smile.
Sam fell immediately asleep.
Stretching, with a slight wince, the elf lord turned and prepared himself for surgery.
Checking on Frodo first, he was pleased to see the hobbit was quite on the mend and that his vitals had improved even further.
Surgery on Glorfindel took the elf lord a good hour, even with help from the Elbereth. And though Elrond preferred non mechanical help, he decided that calling Mithrandir back to the ship would not be necessary.
Wrapping his friends head with a bit of linen, Elrond finished his work with a satisfied sigh.
Glorfindel would mend. And Elrond would make sure he got the rest he needed to do so. He smiled as he adjusted the IV feed and then returned to Frodo.
Looking at a nearby chronometer, the elf lord shook his head. It was only just past midnight in Rivendell!
It had seemed like much later!
It was probably time to return to the planet however and catch up with what was occurring in the Last Homely House.
Frodo's transfusion was almost complete. The Elbereth would see to the disconnect. The IV was doing its job as was the catheter. And looking at the small hobbit's chemical levels, the catheter would probably not be necessary in another day.
Turning to the little gardener, Elrond smiled fondly. He was a brave and courageous soul, to handle all the strange things he had this day!
Gathering him up, Lord Elrond left sickbay and returned to Rivendell.
Once out of Frodo's suite, the elf lord, once again in his shimmering elven robes, carried the slumbering Sam to his room. Laying him down, he sat a moment at his bedside and then put a hand on his forehead and spoke in an ancient tongue not used in Middle Earth except among the travelers.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on clearing Sam's mind of the day's events and replacing them with a long, innocuous nap.
The elf lord glowed slightly in the dark room until, with a sigh, he lifted his hand and gently brushed aside the hobbits curls.
The radiance about him faded slowly until only one lone candle shed light over the sleeping Sam and the sharp-eyed elf lord.
Touching his face and its myriad of rapidly healing cuts, the Lord of Imladris waved a hand and the candle went out. Covering the hobbit, Elrond left for his own chambers and some well-earned sleep.
He looked about himself wildly. Was there no one else here to help out? What could he do? And where did this leave poor Mr. Frodo?
"Oh Elbereth!" The hobbit muttered under his breath an oath he had heard Frodo use on occasion as he went to the closest elf on the floor, Lord Elrond. He was bleeding from cuts on his face.
"Yes, what can I do Samwise?'
Sam sat back on the floor and glanced around terrified. Who had spoken? Was this place haunted?
"Who is there?"
"I am Elbereth."
"The Elbereth?"
"Yes. What may I do for you?"
"You must help them!" Sam decided that perhaps it was the Elbereth that Frodo had mentioned and surely she could help? "The two elves they are laying on the floor here because something they was looking at exploded and- --"
"I am aware of the explosion and am assessing the damage to the captain and his second." Sam stared looking all around the room. There was no one he could see doing any "assessing." Perhaps Elebereth was a ghost.
"Samwise Gamgee," the disembodied voice said. "I have prepared a hypo for the captain and his second."
Sam heard a click nearby, but did not see anything.
"I don't know about them.hypos..Misteress Elbereth.I don't see anything"
"Behind you a small drawer has opened and you will find them there. The captain first."
Sam got up and went to the small open drawer protruding from a long white counter along the opposite wall from the explosion.
Now there was some kind of magic going on. The cylinders had just appeared!
Tentatively picking up the small slender tubes, he looked at them frowning.
"Mistress Elbereth.I have them, but I have no idea how these work."
"There is a small button on one side which is attached to the ampoule. Place the hypo to the captain's neck where you find his pulse and push the button slowly."
Sam got up and staring unhappily at the unconscious elf lord, he knelt and did as the Elbereth requested, quickly finding the elf lord's pulse point. Giving him the injection, he almost jerked his hand away when he heard the low snakelike hiss.
Swallowing, he got up and did the same to Glorfindel, who was also bleeding from several wounds on his face. But thankfully, both elves were very much alive.
"Elbereth. They do not move. Do I need to do something else? Should I wash their wounds? They have some terrible cuts on their faces."
"You may. I shall prepare cleansing solution, wipes and a salve you may put on them. They are not serious injuries. What is serious is the head wound to Lord Glorfindel and Lord Elrond has a deep cut in his forearm and one in his shoulder."
"His head is hurt worse than them cuts? And what of Lord Elrond? His head is all right?"
"Samwise Gamgee, if you can move the captain to the area next to where Frodo Baggins lays, I can release a table from the floor so you may put him on it. I can then do what is required. Glorfindel also needs to be placed on a table as soon as you get the captain settled."
Sam heard a slight whine and looked beyond the still slumbering Frodo and saw a table like protrusion lifted a few centimeters off the floor nearby.
Taking a deep breath, he reached down, got a grip under the elf lord's arms and pulled the unconscious Elrond to the slightly raised platform. Running around panting to the other side of the elf, he got him centered. In seconds, the elf lord and the table were lit by the glow of a sterilizing field.
The platform rose a bit off the floor and then there were a few snicks and clicks and long dangling things descended from the ceiling and began to tend to the unconscious elf.
Sam then went and did the same for Glorfindel as he saw a table release itself from the floor next to Elrond.
Stepping back as the sterilizing field activated, he took a shuddering breath and went back to Lord Elrond.
A slender beam of light neatly sliced off the tunic that clothed Elrond. Sam watched avidly as the cloth fell away and more slender metal rods came down from the ceiling. They looked like very delicate long- fingered hands.
They made him quite nervous. Were they indeed helping or harming the healer?
"Elbereth! Those things look like spider's arms! You aren't hurting Lord Elrond now?"
"I am cleaning and sealing the wound in his shoulder and shortly I shall take care of the one in his forearm. If you wish, you may clean the wounds on his face. What you need is in the drawer---here."
Sam jumped back as another little drawer slipped open from the table on which the elven healer lay.
He saw the wipes and two strange bottles which must have the salve and cleansing fluids in them.
Swallowing audibly, the hobbit began to clean the wounds on Elrond's face, going carefully, to make sure there was nothing imbedded in the cuts. He found a few shards and gently removed them, conveniently finding a fine pair of delicate tweezers in the same drawer. Used to dealing with tiny seedlings, Sam's touch was tender indeed.
As he worked, he thought to himself: "Sam Gamgee you have gotten yourself in a strange pickle, make no mistake! Here you are taking care of this elf lord as if you were a healer and all! And then there is Lord Glorfindel! And poor Mr. Frodo!"
Pausing a moment, the little hobbit said aloud, "Mistress Elbereth, what about Mr. Frodo? If these two elf lords are down for the count as it were, what happens to Mr. Frodo! He's the reason we are here! He's got to get better!! And I don't know if I can take care of him and these elves too." He wiped the sudden tears that sprang to his eyes. "Mistress Elbereth, I am only a gardener.I ain't much of a healer."
The ship remained silent as it finished caring for Elrond and then gave the elf an injection to wake him.
"Samwise, your actions are proving very efficacious. Do not despair, Lord Elrond will be awakening soon."
The spider arms then moved to Glorfindel.
"As for Frodo Baggins, he remains stable Samwise. He is in no distress, I am monitoring him closely."
Sam, wiping his eyes, went around to the other side of Elrond and finished cleaning the elf's cuts.
A deep shuddering breath and Lord Elrond opened his eyes startling Sam so he dropped the wipe he was using.
The Elbereth spoke out calmly, "Captain, you have a four centimeter wound in your left shoulder which I have tended to as well as a three centimeter injury in your right forearm. Both you and Lord Glorfindel have superficial cuts to your faces. Lord Glorfindel however, has a serious trauma wound to the occipital lobe. He will be requiring your assistance."
Elrond sat up slowly and touched his face. "And the damage to you?"
"Superficial as well captain. Repairs will take less than an hour."
"Do you require Erestor's help?"
"I shall manage captain."
"Good. And the Ringbearer?"
"The transfusion is nearing completion. I have adjusted the balance of chemicals in the IV. The catheter is functioning normally."
"Excellent. Thank you Elbereth. I shall see to Glorfindel."
"Yes captain."
Elrond's dark grey eyes fell on the anxious hobbit gardener, still clutching the wipe he had dropped on the floor.
"And you Samwise? Are you all right?"
"I-I, as well as can be expected my lord. I-I have been, begging your pardon but as Mistress Elbereth said I could help, cleaning up your face. There were some bits I pulled out with them tweezers." his voice trailed off. Sam, feeling embarrassed, dropped his eyes to the floor. He was babbling now!
The tall elf lord stood and looked down at the hobbit. Crouching down to his level, he tipped his head up gently. "You have shown the most admirable qualities any one could manage in such.unusual circumstances Samwise." Elrond stood and putting a hand to Sam's shoulder, added, "Frodo is very, very lucky to have you as a friend."
Wincing slightly as he brought a hand to his forehead, the elf lord turned to the prone form of his Second. "Samwise, why don't you rest a bit on that lounge by the stasis chamber. I shall be busy for a while with Lord Glorfindel."
Nodding, suddenly feeling tired, Sam did as the elf lord requested, leaving the used wipe on the table Elrond had risen from. As he walked past, the table silently descended back into the floor and in moments, it was as if it had never been there.
Sam shook his head. Well, it was as tidy a way of putting away furniture as he had seen.
Reaching the lounge, Sam hopped up onto its body conforming surface and lay back with a yawn. Startled that the elf lord had followed him he blinked twice, about to say something, when Elrond gently laid his hand over the hobbits eyes with a tired smile.
Sam fell immediately asleep.
Stretching, with a slight wince, the elf lord turned and prepared himself for surgery.
Checking on Frodo first, he was pleased to see the hobbit was quite on the mend and that his vitals had improved even further.
Surgery on Glorfindel took the elf lord a good hour, even with help from the Elbereth. And though Elrond preferred non mechanical help, he decided that calling Mithrandir back to the ship would not be necessary.
Wrapping his friends head with a bit of linen, Elrond finished his work with a satisfied sigh.
Glorfindel would mend. And Elrond would make sure he got the rest he needed to do so. He smiled as he adjusted the IV feed and then returned to Frodo.
Looking at a nearby chronometer, the elf lord shook his head. It was only just past midnight in Rivendell!
It had seemed like much later!
It was probably time to return to the planet however and catch up with what was occurring in the Last Homely House.
Frodo's transfusion was almost complete. The Elbereth would see to the disconnect. The IV was doing its job as was the catheter. And looking at the small hobbit's chemical levels, the catheter would probably not be necessary in another day.
Turning to the little gardener, Elrond smiled fondly. He was a brave and courageous soul, to handle all the strange things he had this day!
Gathering him up, Lord Elrond left sickbay and returned to Rivendell.
Once out of Frodo's suite, the elf lord, once again in his shimmering elven robes, carried the slumbering Sam to his room. Laying him down, he sat a moment at his bedside and then put a hand on his forehead and spoke in an ancient tongue not used in Middle Earth except among the travelers.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated on clearing Sam's mind of the day's events and replacing them with a long, innocuous nap.
The elf lord glowed slightly in the dark room until, with a sigh, he lifted his hand and gently brushed aside the hobbits curls.
The radiance about him faded slowly until only one lone candle shed light over the sleeping Sam and the sharp-eyed elf lord.
Touching his face and its myriad of rapidly healing cuts, the Lord of Imladris waved a hand and the candle went out. Covering the hobbit, Elrond left for his own chambers and some well-earned sleep.