Nightmares Revisited
Chapter 3
The cool evening air enveloped them and sent shivers to the hobbits that stood side by side. All but one, Merry Brandybuck lay motionless on the ground burning in a raging fever. Pippin's arms encircled Merry while he lay in his lap unconscious. Even through his waistcoat, shirt and thick vest, Pippin could feel how hot Merry's face was that was leaned up against him.
Pippin's eyes darted up at Merry's coach driver and Old Hob could clearly see the panic growing in his face. "Hurry Hob, and get the healer!"
Pippin placed his arms under Merry's knees and behind his back and lifted him up into his arms. Looking at Estella who now stood beside them, Pippin instructed her. "Come on let's get him back in the house!"
Estella raced to the front door and widely opened it for Pippin to carry Merry into the Great Smial. Merry's head rested weakly upon Pippin's shoulder and Pippin whispered gently to his dearest cousin. "Hold on Merry, I'll not let you go!"
Diamond gasped in horror when she saw Merry being carried in her husband's arms and seeing the panic on her husband's face. "Get buckets of cold water and all the towels you can bring me!" shouted Pippin at his wife and Estella. Pippin rushed Merry into his bedroom, laying him down upon his bed and began taking his clothes off.
Diamond pulled the lid from the first large barrel of water that was filled to the rim and began to fill the buckets that was along side of it. Estella fumbled through the cupboards trying to find the stack of towels. Once two buckets of water were filled and Estella had a stack of towels in her arms, they both raced back into the bedroom where Merry was laid out upon his cousin's bed.
Seeing his wife and Estella entering the bedroom, Pippin's tears filled in his eyes when he looked up at his wife. "Diamond he is burning up with fever, we got to cool him down!"
Pippin grabbed the towels and dumped them into the cold water and laid them on his chest soaking him in cold water. He yelled for Estella to get more towels. She ran from the room and began opening drawers in a panic trying to find them. Her hands shook as she found another stack of towels and gathered them all up into her arms. She ran back into the bedroom, placing them into the cold water.
Estella's eyes widened in shock when she overheard Pippin talking with his wife and heard the fear in his voice.
"Diamond, I had this towel on him for only a couple of minutes and already this towel is hot!" Pippin's voice quivered in fear and frustration knowing that Merry could die at any moment. Again he yelled out to his wife. "Tell the servants to get some carts ready! Send them to the icehouses and start breaking the ice blocks! Tell them to gather as much ice as they can carry in their carts, Hurry!"
Diamond flew from the room in search of their servants.
Pippin seeing Estella screamed out at her to get more cold water into the buckets. The tears began running down her face while she filled each one up. She knew Merry was in very grave danger and she could see it written all over Pippin's face.
"Estella! Where is the cold water! I need it now, Hurry!" Pippin screamed out and pleaded from the bedroom. Estella ran as fast as her legs could carry her to bring them to him.
Estella's hand trembled while she began wrapping the cold towels all over his feet and legs. She too felt how hot Merry was and knew he was burning up. Estella's eyes slowly lifted to look up at Pippin, but almost too fearful to see in his eyes that Merry would not live through the night. Estella could see Pippin's hand shaking violently while he worked as fast as he could to exchange the towels that were becoming heated. Pippin replaced them from the buckets of cold water. Even though Merry was covered from head to toe in cold wet towels, but his fever raged on.
The healers raced into the bedroom and immediately started mixing the powder to give to Merry. They would pour very small amounts of their potion at a time into his mouth, only for it to be vomited out again. The healer mixed another powder, but this time they made a paste and packed it under his armpits and rubbed it onto his chest.
Pippin stood just behind the healer and step aside when he stood to face him. "I am sorry Master Peregrin. Your cousin is too far-gone and there is little that we can do for him!
"No! You do not know Merry! He's a fighter and he'll hold on I tell you! Don't you give up on him!" Pippin shouted while he poked his index finger into the chest of the healers trying to convince him.
Seeing Pippin's determination he knew that Pippin would never give up on Merry nor would he listen to any logical reasoning he had to offer. Turning back to his patient he thought quickly of what else they could try to help him. When an idea came to his mind, he turned back to Pippin and ordered him.
"Then we need ice! A lot of ice to pack him in. If we can keep his fever down, he could have a slim chance." The healer told him.
"I have sent for a cart of ice, it will be here shortly. I will personally get some more ice as well," said Pippin in his most determine voice. Walking over to Estella he took her hands gently in his.
"Estella, please stay with him. Don't leave him for a second. Promise me!" Pippin pleaded with her.
"Yes, Pippin! How could I leave him? I promise!" she told him.
Pippin glanced at the healer and then back into Estella's eyes. "Do everything the healers tell you. I'll be back as fast as I can." Just as soon as Estella nodded, Pippin turned and ran from the room.
It wasn't long before the carts had begun to arrive that were now full of broken chunks of ice from the icehouses. The healers placed blankets on the floor and put wood planks on each side of the blankets to make a tub. They laid Merry on the blankets and placed cold wet towels all over him. The healers emptied buckets of ice all around Merry and then covered him completely in the ice. Estella stood over them and looked upon Merry with horror seeing him encased in ice. She gasped while her eyes shifted from Merry to watching the healers counting out the minutes until they would bring Merry out of the ice tub. She was only momentarily relieved when they placed him back onto the bed and covered him with the wet towels. They checked him again and he was still raging with a high fever. Estella sat beside Merry while they waited another twenty more minutes. Estella almost screamed when the healer took Merry away from her and placed him back into the ice tub and emptied more buckets of ice onto him. Estella's heart began to break from sorrow as she felt that Merry was losing his battle. Hot tears poured from her eyes while she stared at Merry encased in ice. Again they counted out the twenty minutes and took him out again. The healer rubbed another herbal paste on his chest and added more wet towels. Estella sitting next to Merry and giving in to her grief began sobbing hysterically.
She saw Merry's lips turning blue and beginning to quiver. When the healer stood next to Estella to get her to back away from Merry so they could return him back into the ice, Estella pushed their hands away. "Get away from him!" she shouted. "Can't you see he is suffering! Have you no heart at all? He is freezing to death!"
Estella froze in shock staring at them as if the healer's had suddenly gone mad seeing their happy faces. "His fever has broken for now! Hurry! Dry him off and get him into warm blankets!" the healers told her.
Estella grabbed a stack of fresh towels and began rubbing his skin dry. Sweat was pouring from her brow as she worked with great haste. It was horrifying seeing Merry incased in all that ice. Merry was shaking uncontrollably as she dried him. Some of the servants that had brought the carts of ice brought in a dry mattress and laid it on the floor. They rushed to get the blankets spread out to cover him and they laid him on this dry bed. Estella wrapped him up tightly in blankets to keep him warm. She stroked his face. She noticed his skin was much cooler and he began sweating.
The servants filled the bedroom as they removed the wet mattress and repacked the ice back into the buckets. They all went to work mopping the floor. They put Merry back in the clean bed and piled more blankets on him.
They kept the tub next to his bed just in case the fever would rage again. They brought in fresh towels and stacked them on the table.
Finally Estella was alone with Merry as she sat in the rocking chair and watched him closely. Pippin came in with both his hands wrapped in bandages and Diamond soon followed behind him. Pippin had chopped the ice until his hands were almost frozen. He did not stop until his servants told him that Merry's fever had broken.
"How is he doing Estella?" Pippin asked.
"He seems to be doing well! His breathing is less labored and he is cool to the touch." Estella told them.
Diamond placed her arms around Estella and she began crying. "I was so afraid seeing Merry suffering so much."
"It is all right now, wait and see. He will recover quickly. Try not to worry too much." Diamond tried to comfort her and stroked the curls of Estella's hair.
"I want to stay with him until he awakens." Estella told them.
"That might not be for a long time, Estella." Pippin told her, "The healers have put him in a healing sleep. It could be days before he awakens."
"I still want to stay with him anyway, no matter how long it takes." She told them.
"Then let us know when he awakens," said Pippin with a beaming grin on his face. Turning to his wife he placed his arms around her slender waist and hugged her. Feeling so relieved and knowing that Merry will be all right. Telling Estella good night, they both turned and left the bedroom.
Merry began tossing about and talking in his sleep when Estella sat next to him upon his bed. She gently stroked his brow to comfort him an check whether his fever had returned.
Startling Estella, she suddenly jumped when Merry shouted out.
"No! Gandalf, No!" Merry screamed out while tears ran from each corner of his eyes. "Stay away from the Bolrog, Gandalf!"
"It's alright Merry, you are safe with me!" said Estella trying to comfort him as she watched him fighting through his feverish dreams.
"Orc's with orange eyes! Pippin run!" Merry suddenly shouted out loud.
The door of the bedroom suddenly opened widely and Estella screamed out with fright. Seeing Pippin standing in the doorway, he rushed to her side.
"Estella, I heard Merry shouting! What is happening?" asked Pippin.
"Pippin, he is having feverish nightmares and is talking in his sleep. He is saying something about orcs and screaming your name." Estella told him.
Pippin stared at Merry, "He is reliving what we have been through during our mission to destroy the ring."
"Boromir, No! Don't die!" Merry shouted. Pippin closed his eyes as his memories flooded back to the day Boromir was kills by the arrows from the Uruk-hai. Pippin could almost hear the arrows hissing in the air and the sound they made as they hit Boromir. Then he remembered the look on Boromir's face as he fell to his knees and looked up at them. Pippin shook his head trying to bury those images once more deep into his mind because they were too painful to recall. Pippin began trembling as if he were there for that moment in time.
Estella place her hand on Pippin's shoulder to comfort him from those painful memories. "I am sorry for all that you and Merry had to suffer."
"Yes, we had been through a lot together." Pippin patted Estella's hand. He turned and walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door.
Pippin tossed and turned as he tried to fall asleep. He could not get the thoughts out of his mind of Boromir. For a short time, Pippin drifted off to sleep as the images of the orcs appeared in his dreams and began haunting his memories. He could feel the ropes burning into his wrist while he was draped over the shoulders of an orc. He remembered the greasy, filthy smell of those beasts as they ran endlessly through the wilds of middle earth, heading toward Isenguard. In his dreams, he could see Merry passed out with an open gash on his brow, also draped over an orc's back, running. "Merry! Please wake-up, Merry!" Pippin sat up in bed sweating and trembling in fear.
"Pippin, are you all right?" Diamond woke up startled by Pippin's screams.
"I just had a nightmare. I am all right now, go back to sleep. I am going to check in on Merry to see that he is doing okay." Pippin kissed his wife's forehead and got out of bed.
Pippin opened the door quietly and he saw Estella almost asleep in the rocking chair.
Pippin knelt down before her and gently woke her up. "Estella, why don't you go to sleep in the bedroom next door, I promise I will wake you if there is any changes with Merry."
Estella agreed and closed the door behind her.
"Pippin, please don't leave me, Pip. I'm so alone. Éowyn, watch out! The Nazgûl has wings!" Merry tossed his head back and forth fighting in his dreams.
"Easy Merry, I am here with you! Hold on Merry, I will not leave you!" Pippin stroked his blonde curls and check to see if he was having another fever, but Merry was still cool to the touch. "Oh Merry, how did we ever get through all of that? Will these nightmares ever go away from us."
Chapter 3
The cool evening air enveloped them and sent shivers to the hobbits that stood side by side. All but one, Merry Brandybuck lay motionless on the ground burning in a raging fever. Pippin's arms encircled Merry while he lay in his lap unconscious. Even through his waistcoat, shirt and thick vest, Pippin could feel how hot Merry's face was that was leaned up against him.
Pippin's eyes darted up at Merry's coach driver and Old Hob could clearly see the panic growing in his face. "Hurry Hob, and get the healer!"
Pippin placed his arms under Merry's knees and behind his back and lifted him up into his arms. Looking at Estella who now stood beside them, Pippin instructed her. "Come on let's get him back in the house!"
Estella raced to the front door and widely opened it for Pippin to carry Merry into the Great Smial. Merry's head rested weakly upon Pippin's shoulder and Pippin whispered gently to his dearest cousin. "Hold on Merry, I'll not let you go!"
Diamond gasped in horror when she saw Merry being carried in her husband's arms and seeing the panic on her husband's face. "Get buckets of cold water and all the towels you can bring me!" shouted Pippin at his wife and Estella. Pippin rushed Merry into his bedroom, laying him down upon his bed and began taking his clothes off.
Diamond pulled the lid from the first large barrel of water that was filled to the rim and began to fill the buckets that was along side of it. Estella fumbled through the cupboards trying to find the stack of towels. Once two buckets of water were filled and Estella had a stack of towels in her arms, they both raced back into the bedroom where Merry was laid out upon his cousin's bed.
Seeing his wife and Estella entering the bedroom, Pippin's tears filled in his eyes when he looked up at his wife. "Diamond he is burning up with fever, we got to cool him down!"
Pippin grabbed the towels and dumped them into the cold water and laid them on his chest soaking him in cold water. He yelled for Estella to get more towels. She ran from the room and began opening drawers in a panic trying to find them. Her hands shook as she found another stack of towels and gathered them all up into her arms. She ran back into the bedroom, placing them into the cold water.
Estella's eyes widened in shock when she overheard Pippin talking with his wife and heard the fear in his voice.
"Diamond, I had this towel on him for only a couple of minutes and already this towel is hot!" Pippin's voice quivered in fear and frustration knowing that Merry could die at any moment. Again he yelled out to his wife. "Tell the servants to get some carts ready! Send them to the icehouses and start breaking the ice blocks! Tell them to gather as much ice as they can carry in their carts, Hurry!"
Diamond flew from the room in search of their servants.
Pippin seeing Estella screamed out at her to get more cold water into the buckets. The tears began running down her face while she filled each one up. She knew Merry was in very grave danger and she could see it written all over Pippin's face.
"Estella! Where is the cold water! I need it now, Hurry!" Pippin screamed out and pleaded from the bedroom. Estella ran as fast as her legs could carry her to bring them to him.
Estella's hand trembled while she began wrapping the cold towels all over his feet and legs. She too felt how hot Merry was and knew he was burning up. Estella's eyes slowly lifted to look up at Pippin, but almost too fearful to see in his eyes that Merry would not live through the night. Estella could see Pippin's hand shaking violently while he worked as fast as he could to exchange the towels that were becoming heated. Pippin replaced them from the buckets of cold water. Even though Merry was covered from head to toe in cold wet towels, but his fever raged on.
The healers raced into the bedroom and immediately started mixing the powder to give to Merry. They would pour very small amounts of their potion at a time into his mouth, only for it to be vomited out again. The healer mixed another powder, but this time they made a paste and packed it under his armpits and rubbed it onto his chest.
Pippin stood just behind the healer and step aside when he stood to face him. "I am sorry Master Peregrin. Your cousin is too far-gone and there is little that we can do for him!
"No! You do not know Merry! He's a fighter and he'll hold on I tell you! Don't you give up on him!" Pippin shouted while he poked his index finger into the chest of the healers trying to convince him.
Seeing Pippin's determination he knew that Pippin would never give up on Merry nor would he listen to any logical reasoning he had to offer. Turning back to his patient he thought quickly of what else they could try to help him. When an idea came to his mind, he turned back to Pippin and ordered him.
"Then we need ice! A lot of ice to pack him in. If we can keep his fever down, he could have a slim chance." The healer told him.
"I have sent for a cart of ice, it will be here shortly. I will personally get some more ice as well," said Pippin in his most determine voice. Walking over to Estella he took her hands gently in his.
"Estella, please stay with him. Don't leave him for a second. Promise me!" Pippin pleaded with her.
"Yes, Pippin! How could I leave him? I promise!" she told him.
Pippin glanced at the healer and then back into Estella's eyes. "Do everything the healers tell you. I'll be back as fast as I can." Just as soon as Estella nodded, Pippin turned and ran from the room.
It wasn't long before the carts had begun to arrive that were now full of broken chunks of ice from the icehouses. The healers placed blankets on the floor and put wood planks on each side of the blankets to make a tub. They laid Merry on the blankets and placed cold wet towels all over him. The healers emptied buckets of ice all around Merry and then covered him completely in the ice. Estella stood over them and looked upon Merry with horror seeing him encased in ice. She gasped while her eyes shifted from Merry to watching the healers counting out the minutes until they would bring Merry out of the ice tub. She was only momentarily relieved when they placed him back onto the bed and covered him with the wet towels. They checked him again and he was still raging with a high fever. Estella sat beside Merry while they waited another twenty more minutes. Estella almost screamed when the healer took Merry away from her and placed him back into the ice tub and emptied more buckets of ice onto him. Estella's heart began to break from sorrow as she felt that Merry was losing his battle. Hot tears poured from her eyes while she stared at Merry encased in ice. Again they counted out the twenty minutes and took him out again. The healer rubbed another herbal paste on his chest and added more wet towels. Estella sitting next to Merry and giving in to her grief began sobbing hysterically.
She saw Merry's lips turning blue and beginning to quiver. When the healer stood next to Estella to get her to back away from Merry so they could return him back into the ice, Estella pushed their hands away. "Get away from him!" she shouted. "Can't you see he is suffering! Have you no heart at all? He is freezing to death!"
Estella froze in shock staring at them as if the healer's had suddenly gone mad seeing their happy faces. "His fever has broken for now! Hurry! Dry him off and get him into warm blankets!" the healers told her.
Estella grabbed a stack of fresh towels and began rubbing his skin dry. Sweat was pouring from her brow as she worked with great haste. It was horrifying seeing Merry incased in all that ice. Merry was shaking uncontrollably as she dried him. Some of the servants that had brought the carts of ice brought in a dry mattress and laid it on the floor. They rushed to get the blankets spread out to cover him and they laid him on this dry bed. Estella wrapped him up tightly in blankets to keep him warm. She stroked his face. She noticed his skin was much cooler and he began sweating.
The servants filled the bedroom as they removed the wet mattress and repacked the ice back into the buckets. They all went to work mopping the floor. They put Merry back in the clean bed and piled more blankets on him.
They kept the tub next to his bed just in case the fever would rage again. They brought in fresh towels and stacked them on the table.
Finally Estella was alone with Merry as she sat in the rocking chair and watched him closely. Pippin came in with both his hands wrapped in bandages and Diamond soon followed behind him. Pippin had chopped the ice until his hands were almost frozen. He did not stop until his servants told him that Merry's fever had broken.
"How is he doing Estella?" Pippin asked.
"He seems to be doing well! His breathing is less labored and he is cool to the touch." Estella told them.
Diamond placed her arms around Estella and she began crying. "I was so afraid seeing Merry suffering so much."
"It is all right now, wait and see. He will recover quickly. Try not to worry too much." Diamond tried to comfort her and stroked the curls of Estella's hair.
"I want to stay with him until he awakens." Estella told them.
"That might not be for a long time, Estella." Pippin told her, "The healers have put him in a healing sleep. It could be days before he awakens."
"I still want to stay with him anyway, no matter how long it takes." She told them.
"Then let us know when he awakens," said Pippin with a beaming grin on his face. Turning to his wife he placed his arms around her slender waist and hugged her. Feeling so relieved and knowing that Merry will be all right. Telling Estella good night, they both turned and left the bedroom.
Merry began tossing about and talking in his sleep when Estella sat next to him upon his bed. She gently stroked his brow to comfort him an check whether his fever had returned.
Startling Estella, she suddenly jumped when Merry shouted out.
"No! Gandalf, No!" Merry screamed out while tears ran from each corner of his eyes. "Stay away from the Bolrog, Gandalf!"
"It's alright Merry, you are safe with me!" said Estella trying to comfort him as she watched him fighting through his feverish dreams.
"Orc's with orange eyes! Pippin run!" Merry suddenly shouted out loud.
The door of the bedroom suddenly opened widely and Estella screamed out with fright. Seeing Pippin standing in the doorway, he rushed to her side.
"Estella, I heard Merry shouting! What is happening?" asked Pippin.
"Pippin, he is having feverish nightmares and is talking in his sleep. He is saying something about orcs and screaming your name." Estella told him.
Pippin stared at Merry, "He is reliving what we have been through during our mission to destroy the ring."
"Boromir, No! Don't die!" Merry shouted. Pippin closed his eyes as his memories flooded back to the day Boromir was kills by the arrows from the Uruk-hai. Pippin could almost hear the arrows hissing in the air and the sound they made as they hit Boromir. Then he remembered the look on Boromir's face as he fell to his knees and looked up at them. Pippin shook his head trying to bury those images once more deep into his mind because they were too painful to recall. Pippin began trembling as if he were there for that moment in time.
Estella place her hand on Pippin's shoulder to comfort him from those painful memories. "I am sorry for all that you and Merry had to suffer."
"Yes, we had been through a lot together." Pippin patted Estella's hand. He turned and walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door.
Pippin tossed and turned as he tried to fall asleep. He could not get the thoughts out of his mind of Boromir. For a short time, Pippin drifted off to sleep as the images of the orcs appeared in his dreams and began haunting his memories. He could feel the ropes burning into his wrist while he was draped over the shoulders of an orc. He remembered the greasy, filthy smell of those beasts as they ran endlessly through the wilds of middle earth, heading toward Isenguard. In his dreams, he could see Merry passed out with an open gash on his brow, also draped over an orc's back, running. "Merry! Please wake-up, Merry!" Pippin sat up in bed sweating and trembling in fear.
"Pippin, are you all right?" Diamond woke up startled by Pippin's screams.
"I just had a nightmare. I am all right now, go back to sleep. I am going to check in on Merry to see that he is doing okay." Pippin kissed his wife's forehead and got out of bed.
Pippin opened the door quietly and he saw Estella almost asleep in the rocking chair.
Pippin knelt down before her and gently woke her up. "Estella, why don't you go to sleep in the bedroom next door, I promise I will wake you if there is any changes with Merry."
Estella agreed and closed the door behind her.
"Pippin, please don't leave me, Pip. I'm so alone. Éowyn, watch out! The Nazgûl has wings!" Merry tossed his head back and forth fighting in his dreams.
"Easy Merry, I am here with you! Hold on Merry, I will not leave you!" Pippin stroked his blonde curls and check to see if he was having another fever, but Merry was still cool to the touch. "Oh Merry, how did we ever get through all of that? Will these nightmares ever go away from us."
