Like Brothers
Chapter 5
Pneumonia
Pippin awoke sometime in the middle of the night. He was relieved to find that the storm had past, and all he could hear were the silent chirps of crickets outside. He saw his cousin Merry asleep, sitting up in the chair next to the bed. Pippin swallowed; his throat felt soar and he predicted that his mother would have him stay in bed for a few days. "I don't want to," he said to himself, "I need to practice." Pippin sat up and silently got out of bed. He walked over to the writing desk and sat down at his chair. He dipped his quill in ink and wrote:
'Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck...' over and over again. He did it for half an hour.
After a while he stopped and starred at the letters. He thought long and hard for a while, "Fffffffffffrrrrrr-eeeeeeeee-nnnnnnnd," he sounded out. Then he wrote:
'Merry... Pippin.... friends.... Merry... Pippin.... friends.... Merry... Pippin.... friends...." Again he did this for half an hour.
Pippin looked over at Merry who stirred a little in his sleep. Pippin held his breath; he didn't want Merry to wake up. Pippin looked nervously down at his parchment. If Merry wakes up, then he might be mad that he is out of bed, when he was supposed to be asleep. Pippin set down his quill and folded up the piece of parchment. He slipped back into bed. He looked down at the parchment, "I need to hide this," he looked around. He took it and slipped it under the mattress. Merry would never find it there, and Pippin would never get into any trouble.
Pippin laid back down in bed. He coughed. Again he felt his throat, it was rough and he longed for a glass of water. He sat up and began to get up from bed.
"Pippin?" Merry said sleepily, "Where are you going."
"O... I just wanted some water, Merry," he said.
"I'll get it for you. Lay back down... you shouldn't be getting out of bed."
Pippin obeyed.
Merry left and returned with Pippin's glass of water. He handed it to him, "Here you go."
"Thank you."
Merry watched his cousin take a few sips of water, "How are you feeling?"
Pippin cleared his throat, "I'm alright, Merry."
"Your voice sounds kind of rough," Merry said. He leaned closer to Pippin and felt his forehead, "Are you sure you feel alright?"
Pippin nodded. He drank the last bit of water in his glass. He handed the empty glass to Merry and Merry sat it down on the table next to him. Pippin slipped back under the blankets, "Good night, Merry."
"Good night."
Pippin was tired and he fell asleep fast. It didn't take Merry much longer to allow sleep to defeat him as well. When he awoke he found Pippin still asleep. It was maybe eight in the morning. Merry stretched. His back hurt from sleeping sitting up all night. He starred at his sleeping cousin. He noticed that there was some sweat on his forehead. He felt his forehead; it was a lot warmer than it felt last night. The small hobbit moved restlessly and moaned quietly. Merry stood and walked down the hall to his parents' room. Brandy Hall was very quiet and he suspected that everyone was still asleep. He went to his mother's bed side, "Mama?" he whispered.
Esmeralda Brandybuck woke up. She sat up and looked at her son, "What is it, Merry?"
"I'm worried about Pippin... I felt his forehead and it felt hot..."
"Did it?" she got out of bed and followed Merry to his room. She felt Pippin's forehead, "O my..." she looked at Merry, "He has quite a fever... I'm going to go and wake Saradoc. I'll tell him to go and fetch the healer. Pippin may need some treatment." She left the room.
Merry sat down next to Pippin. He felt the worse sense of guilt ever. He grasped Pippin's hand, "I'm so sorry," he whispered to his cousin.
**
"Pneumonia?" Merry repeated after hearing the news.
"O, no!" Pearl gasped, "Mother, what do we do?"
Merry didn't hear the rest of the conversation. His mind seemed to block out what was happening in the world. Pneumonia? He walked down the hall to his room, but his father blocked his way, "No, lad."
"But, Papa... I need to see Pippin!"
Saradoc shook his head, "I'm sorry, but you can't."
"But... but Papa, I can't leave him... I need to be with him, Papa!"
"Merry!" cried a small, strained voice from inside the room.
"See? He needs me!"
Saradoc starred at his son, then nodded, "Fine."
Merry rushed to Pippin's bed side. He looked at his cousin who seemed to have grown worse over the single hour they were apart. His small chest seemed to move up and down very fast, "Merry!" he said, "Merry, you're not going to leave me are you? Don't leave me, Merry. Please."
"I won't Pippin. I promise."
"I'm afraid you will have to, Merry. We can't risk anything," said Saradoc.
"But... but Papa!"
"I'm sorry. Do you want to catch it, Merry?"
"I don't care! I need to be with him! Papa--"
"Please, uncle Saradoc! Please, let Merry stay!"
"Shhhh," he said to Pippin, "Get some rest, lad." He turned to Merry, "Come, let's get some second breakfast," he turned and began to leave, but stopped when he noticed his son did not follow, "Merry, did you hear me? Let's go."
"I'm sorry, Papa, but I'm not leaving Pippin."
"Lad, I won't let you. I don't want you getting sick."
"I'm sorry..." Merry said. He looked down at his cousin, "I'm not leaving his side."
Saradoc starred, "Meriadoc, this is serious... you can't stay here, do you understand?"
Merry said nothing, but grasped Pippin's hand, showing his father that he didn't plan to leave. Saradoc left and walked to the room where everyone else was. Pearl and her sisters sat in the corner of the room. Both Pimpernel and Pervinca seemed to be in tears, but Pearl had managed not to cry. "What's going to happen to Pippy, Pearl? Is he going to die?" Sardoc heard her question her older sister. Pearl was the first to notice Saradoc, "Where's Merry?"
They all starred at him. His wife approached him, "Where is Merry?"
"He refuses to leave Peregrin."
Everyone was silent. Paladin cleared his throat, "He'll come out eventually, I'm sure."
"Yes," Esmeralda agreed.
Eglantine nodded, "Yes. When I go in to give Pippin his herbal treatment I'll try to coax him out. I'm sure he will."
**
Merry sat on the chair next to Pippin's bedside. The two hobbits were quite, Merry thought about his father and how he reacted to Merry's statement about him not leaving Pippin. Never before had he seen such a look on his father's face. Merry thought about what his mother might have been thinking right now… and his aunt and uncle and Pearl. They were probably upset. But they didn't get it. It was his fault. And if it meant that Merry would have to catch pneumonia as well, in order to make sure that Pippin was alright, then so be it.
"Merry?"
"Yes, Pippin?"
"You aren't going to leave me, are you Merry?"
"I won't leave you. I promise," he said, "Go to sleep, Pippin. You need plenty of rest so that you can get better."
"When I get better, can you teach me about sentences, Merry."
Merry looked at him. He didn't want to think about the fact that Pippin might not even get better... might not even survive. "Sure, Pippin. Of course."
Chapter 5
Pneumonia
Pippin awoke sometime in the middle of the night. He was relieved to find that the storm had past, and all he could hear were the silent chirps of crickets outside. He saw his cousin Merry asleep, sitting up in the chair next to the bed. Pippin swallowed; his throat felt soar and he predicted that his mother would have him stay in bed for a few days. "I don't want to," he said to himself, "I need to practice." Pippin sat up and silently got out of bed. He walked over to the writing desk and sat down at his chair. He dipped his quill in ink and wrote:
'Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck... Merry Brandybuck...' over and over again. He did it for half an hour.
After a while he stopped and starred at the letters. He thought long and hard for a while, "Fffffffffffrrrrrr-eeeeeeeee-nnnnnnnd," he sounded out. Then he wrote:
'Merry... Pippin.... friends.... Merry... Pippin.... friends.... Merry... Pippin.... friends...." Again he did this for half an hour.
Pippin looked over at Merry who stirred a little in his sleep. Pippin held his breath; he didn't want Merry to wake up. Pippin looked nervously down at his parchment. If Merry wakes up, then he might be mad that he is out of bed, when he was supposed to be asleep. Pippin set down his quill and folded up the piece of parchment. He slipped back into bed. He looked down at the parchment, "I need to hide this," he looked around. He took it and slipped it under the mattress. Merry would never find it there, and Pippin would never get into any trouble.
Pippin laid back down in bed. He coughed. Again he felt his throat, it was rough and he longed for a glass of water. He sat up and began to get up from bed.
"Pippin?" Merry said sleepily, "Where are you going."
"O... I just wanted some water, Merry," he said.
"I'll get it for you. Lay back down... you shouldn't be getting out of bed."
Pippin obeyed.
Merry left and returned with Pippin's glass of water. He handed it to him, "Here you go."
"Thank you."
Merry watched his cousin take a few sips of water, "How are you feeling?"
Pippin cleared his throat, "I'm alright, Merry."
"Your voice sounds kind of rough," Merry said. He leaned closer to Pippin and felt his forehead, "Are you sure you feel alright?"
Pippin nodded. He drank the last bit of water in his glass. He handed the empty glass to Merry and Merry sat it down on the table next to him. Pippin slipped back under the blankets, "Good night, Merry."
"Good night."
Pippin was tired and he fell asleep fast. It didn't take Merry much longer to allow sleep to defeat him as well. When he awoke he found Pippin still asleep. It was maybe eight in the morning. Merry stretched. His back hurt from sleeping sitting up all night. He starred at his sleeping cousin. He noticed that there was some sweat on his forehead. He felt his forehead; it was a lot warmer than it felt last night. The small hobbit moved restlessly and moaned quietly. Merry stood and walked down the hall to his parents' room. Brandy Hall was very quiet and he suspected that everyone was still asleep. He went to his mother's bed side, "Mama?" he whispered.
Esmeralda Brandybuck woke up. She sat up and looked at her son, "What is it, Merry?"
"I'm worried about Pippin... I felt his forehead and it felt hot..."
"Did it?" she got out of bed and followed Merry to his room. She felt Pippin's forehead, "O my..." she looked at Merry, "He has quite a fever... I'm going to go and wake Saradoc. I'll tell him to go and fetch the healer. Pippin may need some treatment." She left the room.
Merry sat down next to Pippin. He felt the worse sense of guilt ever. He grasped Pippin's hand, "I'm so sorry," he whispered to his cousin.
**
"Pneumonia?" Merry repeated after hearing the news.
"O, no!" Pearl gasped, "Mother, what do we do?"
Merry didn't hear the rest of the conversation. His mind seemed to block out what was happening in the world. Pneumonia? He walked down the hall to his room, but his father blocked his way, "No, lad."
"But, Papa... I need to see Pippin!"
Saradoc shook his head, "I'm sorry, but you can't."
"But... but Papa, I can't leave him... I need to be with him, Papa!"
"Merry!" cried a small, strained voice from inside the room.
"See? He needs me!"
Saradoc starred at his son, then nodded, "Fine."
Merry rushed to Pippin's bed side. He looked at his cousin who seemed to have grown worse over the single hour they were apart. His small chest seemed to move up and down very fast, "Merry!" he said, "Merry, you're not going to leave me are you? Don't leave me, Merry. Please."
"I won't Pippin. I promise."
"I'm afraid you will have to, Merry. We can't risk anything," said Saradoc.
"But... but Papa!"
"I'm sorry. Do you want to catch it, Merry?"
"I don't care! I need to be with him! Papa--"
"Please, uncle Saradoc! Please, let Merry stay!"
"Shhhh," he said to Pippin, "Get some rest, lad." He turned to Merry, "Come, let's get some second breakfast," he turned and began to leave, but stopped when he noticed his son did not follow, "Merry, did you hear me? Let's go."
"I'm sorry, Papa, but I'm not leaving Pippin."
"Lad, I won't let you. I don't want you getting sick."
"I'm sorry..." Merry said. He looked down at his cousin, "I'm not leaving his side."
Saradoc starred, "Meriadoc, this is serious... you can't stay here, do you understand?"
Merry said nothing, but grasped Pippin's hand, showing his father that he didn't plan to leave. Saradoc left and walked to the room where everyone else was. Pearl and her sisters sat in the corner of the room. Both Pimpernel and Pervinca seemed to be in tears, but Pearl had managed not to cry. "What's going to happen to Pippy, Pearl? Is he going to die?" Sardoc heard her question her older sister. Pearl was the first to notice Saradoc, "Where's Merry?"
They all starred at him. His wife approached him, "Where is Merry?"
"He refuses to leave Peregrin."
Everyone was silent. Paladin cleared his throat, "He'll come out eventually, I'm sure."
"Yes," Esmeralda agreed.
Eglantine nodded, "Yes. When I go in to give Pippin his herbal treatment I'll try to coax him out. I'm sure he will."
**
Merry sat on the chair next to Pippin's bedside. The two hobbits were quite, Merry thought about his father and how he reacted to Merry's statement about him not leaving Pippin. Never before had he seen such a look on his father's face. Merry thought about what his mother might have been thinking right now… and his aunt and uncle and Pearl. They were probably upset. But they didn't get it. It was his fault. And if it meant that Merry would have to catch pneumonia as well, in order to make sure that Pippin was alright, then so be it.
"Merry?"
"Yes, Pippin?"
"You aren't going to leave me, are you Merry?"
"I won't leave you. I promise," he said, "Go to sleep, Pippin. You need plenty of rest so that you can get better."
"When I get better, can you teach me about sentences, Merry."
Merry looked at him. He didn't want to think about the fact that Pippin might not even get better... might not even survive. "Sure, Pippin. Of course."