Like Brothers
Chapter 4
Guilt
Merry awoke expecting to see Pippin at his bed side, but he wasn't. Nor was he at the writing desk where they practiced. Merry looked out the window and saw that it was raining again. He wondered if the Tooks had already left for home, or if they were still here. He wondered what time it was.
"Meriadoc! Peregrin! It's time for dinner!"
It was already time for dinner? That means Merry was asleep for more than five hours. He got up and walked to the dinning room. He saw Pearl setting the table. She looked up at him, "Where's Pippin?"
Merry shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."
She set down the plates that she held in her hands and walked over to Merry. She wore a worried expression that made Merry feel uncomfortable. She spoke softly so that her mother and aunt would not hear, "What do you mean, 'I don't know,'? Merry, you were supposed to be looking after him. I thought you two were reading...," she drew a deep breathe, "Do you have any idea where he is?"
"The last I saw him he was outside..."
"Outside? Merry how long ago was this? It's been raining for hours!"
"About noon... ish."
"What? Merry, where have you been? Why did you leave Pippin by himself, outside? Are you mad? He's only six years old!"
"I... I'm sorry," Merry said and he truly was. He and Pearl ran down the hall, to the front door.
"Pippin!" Merry called.
"Pippin!" Pearl called.
The two continued to call for the hobbit for several minutes, standing under the shelter of the front porch.
Merry ran out into the rain. The rain drops were extremely big, and they pelted Merry hard. He ran down to where he had told Pippin to look for more worms. Lightning struck and thunder sounded. "Pippin!" Merry called desperately.
"Over here!" cried a small voice.
Merry ran over to him. There he sat with his knees drawn upward against his chest, shivering, "Merry, I'm scared. I don't like the thunder! I'm scared, Merry!"
Pippin was shaking not only because he was cold, but also because he was terrified. Merry took his hand, "Come on, Pippin."
Pippin didn't move. He was too afraid. "I'm scared," he repeated, "Merry, I'm scared!" his voice quivered. The hobbit coughed; he was obviously sick from being out in the rain all day. Thunder sounded again and Pippin started to cry, "I'm scared! I don't like the thunder! I'm scared, Merry!"
"It's alright! It's alright! Don't worry, Pippin! I got you!" Merry picked his cousin up in his arms. It was easy. The hobbit was only a third of his size, "It's alright," Merry said reassuringly. Pippin continued to cry.
Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Merry felt his cousin jump a little, and he grasped Merry more tightly, "I'm sssscaaared!" he cried loudly.
"It's alright, we're almost inside..."
Merry reached Pearl, and she took her brother from him, "O, Pippy! My poor, little brother!" she said as she and Merry took Pippin to Merry's room.
They sat Pippin on Merry's bed. Pearl continued to fuss, "O sweetie, are you alright?"
Pippin didn't answer he still cried and was shaking. Pervinca and Pimpernel came into the room, but before the two could react Pearl snapped at them, "Bring towels!" she ordered and the two ran off and quickly returned with several towels each.
Pearl wrapped her crying brother up tightly with many towels, "Is that better are you warm?" Pippin sneezed and Pearl helped him blow his nose, "Pimpernel, go get mother!"
But before Pimpernel could leave Eglantine Took rushed into the room, "My Pippin! My son! What happened?"
"Mother!" Pippin cried, "Mother...my...head...hearts..." he said between loud sniffles, "And...my...nose...is...stu...ffffffyy!"
"Come, let's get you out of these wet clothes," she turned to Merry, "Do you have a shirt that Pippin could borrow, dear?"
Merry nodded and retrieved a shirt, the warmest he could find, "Here, Auntie."
"Thank you, Merry."
She removed Pippin's wet clothes and put on the shirt. It was several sizes too big and it fitted Pippin like a dress. She laid him down in Merry's bed, and tucked him in tightly, "You be sure and get plenty of rest, Pippin. Do you hear me?"
Pippin nodded. Everyone began to leave so that Pippin would be able to fall asleep.
"Merry?" Pippin squeaked.
Merry turned around and looked at his cousin.
"Don't leave, Merry. Please... stay with me. I'm scared of the thunder. I can't fall asleep here, by myself, and in the dark. Please, Merry..." he pleaded weakly.
Merry pulled a chair up to Pippin's bed side. He looked at him, "I'm so sorry, Pippin."
"Why? What did you do, Merry?" Pippin asked, "Merry, you saved me. You saved me, Merry..."
Merry shook his head, "No. I didn't save you... all this..." Merry couldn't help but tear up a little, "All this was my fault, Pippin. It was my fault. I'm so sorry."
"No. You listen to me, Merry Brandybuck," Pippin said in an adult like manner, "You saved me... saved me from the rain. Saved me from the thunder. Saved me from the lightning." Pippin coughed again, "I don't know what I would do without you, Merry..." his voice drifted a little as sleep slowly began to conquer the young hobbit, "I don't know what I would do..."
Merry watched his cousin sleep peacefully. Every now and then Pippin would stir in his sleep and cough a bit.
"Look what you've done, Meriadoc..." he said angrily to himself, "Look what you've done... You did this. Got your cousin sick. Left him outside... by himself... in a storm... What kind of heartless beast are you? What has he done to you, Meriadoc? What has Pippin done to you? He loved you. Admired you. And you leave him outside, huddled in the bushes being pelted by rain drops as big as his fist... scared to death... could have been struck by lightning... could have died... and it would have been your fault. You could have lost the Took's their only son..." Merry began to cry. Ashamed of the way he acted, "I'm so sorry," he whispered to his sleeping cousin, "I swear... I'll make it up to you, Pippin..."
Chapter 4
Guilt
Merry awoke expecting to see Pippin at his bed side, but he wasn't. Nor was he at the writing desk where they practiced. Merry looked out the window and saw that it was raining again. He wondered if the Tooks had already left for home, or if they were still here. He wondered what time it was.
"Meriadoc! Peregrin! It's time for dinner!"
It was already time for dinner? That means Merry was asleep for more than five hours. He got up and walked to the dinning room. He saw Pearl setting the table. She looked up at him, "Where's Pippin?"
Merry shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know."
She set down the plates that she held in her hands and walked over to Merry. She wore a worried expression that made Merry feel uncomfortable. She spoke softly so that her mother and aunt would not hear, "What do you mean, 'I don't know,'? Merry, you were supposed to be looking after him. I thought you two were reading...," she drew a deep breathe, "Do you have any idea where he is?"
"The last I saw him he was outside..."
"Outside? Merry how long ago was this? It's been raining for hours!"
"About noon... ish."
"What? Merry, where have you been? Why did you leave Pippin by himself, outside? Are you mad? He's only six years old!"
"I... I'm sorry," Merry said and he truly was. He and Pearl ran down the hall, to the front door.
"Pippin!" Merry called.
"Pippin!" Pearl called.
The two continued to call for the hobbit for several minutes, standing under the shelter of the front porch.
Merry ran out into the rain. The rain drops were extremely big, and they pelted Merry hard. He ran down to where he had told Pippin to look for more worms. Lightning struck and thunder sounded. "Pippin!" Merry called desperately.
"Over here!" cried a small voice.
Merry ran over to him. There he sat with his knees drawn upward against his chest, shivering, "Merry, I'm scared. I don't like the thunder! I'm scared, Merry!"
Pippin was shaking not only because he was cold, but also because he was terrified. Merry took his hand, "Come on, Pippin."
Pippin didn't move. He was too afraid. "I'm scared," he repeated, "Merry, I'm scared!" his voice quivered. The hobbit coughed; he was obviously sick from being out in the rain all day. Thunder sounded again and Pippin started to cry, "I'm scared! I don't like the thunder! I'm scared, Merry!"
"It's alright! It's alright! Don't worry, Pippin! I got you!" Merry picked his cousin up in his arms. It was easy. The hobbit was only a third of his size, "It's alright," Merry said reassuringly. Pippin continued to cry.
Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Merry felt his cousin jump a little, and he grasped Merry more tightly, "I'm sssscaaared!" he cried loudly.
"It's alright, we're almost inside..."
Merry reached Pearl, and she took her brother from him, "O, Pippy! My poor, little brother!" she said as she and Merry took Pippin to Merry's room.
They sat Pippin on Merry's bed. Pearl continued to fuss, "O sweetie, are you alright?"
Pippin didn't answer he still cried and was shaking. Pervinca and Pimpernel came into the room, but before the two could react Pearl snapped at them, "Bring towels!" she ordered and the two ran off and quickly returned with several towels each.
Pearl wrapped her crying brother up tightly with many towels, "Is that better are you warm?" Pippin sneezed and Pearl helped him blow his nose, "Pimpernel, go get mother!"
But before Pimpernel could leave Eglantine Took rushed into the room, "My Pippin! My son! What happened?"
"Mother!" Pippin cried, "Mother...my...head...hearts..." he said between loud sniffles, "And...my...nose...is...stu...ffffffyy!"
"Come, let's get you out of these wet clothes," she turned to Merry, "Do you have a shirt that Pippin could borrow, dear?"
Merry nodded and retrieved a shirt, the warmest he could find, "Here, Auntie."
"Thank you, Merry."
She removed Pippin's wet clothes and put on the shirt. It was several sizes too big and it fitted Pippin like a dress. She laid him down in Merry's bed, and tucked him in tightly, "You be sure and get plenty of rest, Pippin. Do you hear me?"
Pippin nodded. Everyone began to leave so that Pippin would be able to fall asleep.
"Merry?" Pippin squeaked.
Merry turned around and looked at his cousin.
"Don't leave, Merry. Please... stay with me. I'm scared of the thunder. I can't fall asleep here, by myself, and in the dark. Please, Merry..." he pleaded weakly.
Merry pulled a chair up to Pippin's bed side. He looked at him, "I'm so sorry, Pippin."
"Why? What did you do, Merry?" Pippin asked, "Merry, you saved me. You saved me, Merry..."
Merry shook his head, "No. I didn't save you... all this..." Merry couldn't help but tear up a little, "All this was my fault, Pippin. It was my fault. I'm so sorry."
"No. You listen to me, Merry Brandybuck," Pippin said in an adult like manner, "You saved me... saved me from the rain. Saved me from the thunder. Saved me from the lightning." Pippin coughed again, "I don't know what I would do without you, Merry..." his voice drifted a little as sleep slowly began to conquer the young hobbit, "I don't know what I would do..."
Merry watched his cousin sleep peacefully. Every now and then Pippin would stir in his sleep and cough a bit.
"Look what you've done, Meriadoc..." he said angrily to himself, "Look what you've done... You did this. Got your cousin sick. Left him outside... by himself... in a storm... What kind of heartless beast are you? What has he done to you, Meriadoc? What has Pippin done to you? He loved you. Admired you. And you leave him outside, huddled in the bushes being pelted by rain drops as big as his fist... scared to death... could have been struck by lightning... could have died... and it would have been your fault. You could have lost the Took's their only son..." Merry began to cry. Ashamed of the way he acted, "I'm so sorry," he whispered to his sleeping cousin, "I swear... I'll make it up to you, Pippin..."