Like Brothers
Chapter 6
Meriadoc's Job
Merry looked out the window. The sun shined like never before and normally on a day like this he would be outside, but he had to look after his cousin. He had to. Pippin had fallen asleep, but though he slept, Merry could tell that the hobbit was in much pain. His chest moved up and down as the lad breathed heavily. Merry wiped the sweat from Pippin's forehead with a wet cloth every few minutes. And every now and then, the small hobbit would gasp as if struggling for air, and it scared Merry. He thought about calling his mama every time this happened, but he didn't want Pippin to wake up and not find him there.
Pippin stirred in his sleep and moaned, followed by a short gasp, and a series of coughing. Merry rubbed Pippin's back as Pippin coughed violently. After the fit, Pippin laid down, but did not fall asleep like he did so many times before. Instead he stared up at the ceiling, "Merry?"
"Yes, Pippin?"
"I don't want to forget the alphabet..."
"What? Why would you forget, Pippin?"
"I'm trying to remember it, but my head hurts, Merry. It hurts really bad... I can't think about some things... It hurts too much, Merry. But... but I don't want to forget it, Merry. Merry, I worked really hard to remember it! And I can't forget it!"
"It's alright, Pippin," Merry paused, "I'll say it every now and then, so you don't forget, alright?"
Pippin looked at Merry, "You would do that for me, Merry?"
Merry nodded, "A... B... C... D... E... F... G... H... I... J... K... L... M... N... O... P... Q... R... S... T... U... V... W... X... Y... and--"
"Z."
"That's right."
"Thank you, Merry."
Merry smiled and Pippin smiled back, but their smiles didn't last very long, for Pippin began to cough again. Soon, Pippin's mother came in and gave Pippin his treatment that the healer had prescribed for him. After she did so she turned to Merry, "You don't have to do this..."
"I know."
"Will you be joining us for lunch?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
Merry nodded, "I'll eat when Pippin eats."
Eglantine stared at Merry for some time at he nephew, "Thank you," she said finally, "You're a good lad." And with that she left.
Merry wasn't very sure what she had meant by that. He took his seat next to Pippin again. Pippin's eyes were fixed on the window. Merry looked at it too.
"It's very sunny outside," said Pippin after a while.
"It is."
"I wish I could go outside. Don't you, Merry?"
"Aye, that would be fine."
"We could've went fishing... could've read... could've practiced our spelling... I'm sorry, Merry. I ruined it. But you can go out and have fun, Merry. You're not sick. You can leave, Merry... of you want to.. It's my fault we can't have any fun, but you don't have to stay--"
"No, Pippin... it's not your fault. It's mine."
Pippin shook his head, "No. It's my fault. Yesterday when you told me to go and look for some more worms... I didn't. I thought I'd be clever and hide, so that you couldn't find me. Hide and seek, remember? Remember, Merry? I hid and I guess you couldn't find me, because then it started to rain. I started to get up to go inside, but then I heard it... I heard the thunder. I heard the thunder and I saw the lightning. And I was scared. I was too scared to move... but you came and saved me, Merry. You saved me," Pippin spoke sleepily. The medicine had made him drowsy.
"Pippin, it's still my fault... you see I--"
"And then last night, Merry..." Pippin continued, "Last night I didn't rest like my mother told me to... I got up because I wanted to practice reading and writing. I got up and practiced for a whole hour... I'm sorry, Merry... I just wanted to practice so bad... If I didn't do it, I might've been better so that we could read... you could teach me sentences..." his voice trailed as sleep overcame him.
Merry noticed the piece of parchment that stuck out from underneath the mattress. He pulled it out and read it:
'Merry... Pippin... friends... Merry... Pippin... friends... "
He looked down at his cousin, "We sure are, Pippin," he said, "We sure are."
**
About an hour later Eglantine returned with Pippin's treatment and two large bowls of mushroom soup, "Here you go, boys."
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Thank you, Mother."
She sat on the bed next to her son, "How are you feeling? Better?"
"I suppose..." the hobbit stared at his food blankly.
"Aren't you hungry?" asked his mother.
"Not very much..."
"My poor Pippin," she kissed his forehead, "You really must try to eat, dear."
Pippin took his spoon. He ate just a spoonful then put the spoon aside, "I'm finished."
"No you aren't," said Eglantine, "Eat it ALL. You must be famished, you haven't eaten a thing all day! Look at your cousin, he's already half way finished."
And Merry was. The soup was very delicious, "Come on, Pippin... eat."
Pippin slowly, but surely ate all of his soup. His mother collected their empty bowls, ordered Pippin to get some sleep, and left.
Before Pippin fell asleep he looked to Merry, "Can you say the alphabet again, Merry?"
Merry nodded, "A... B... C... D... E... F... G... H... I... J... K... L... M... N... O... P... Q... R... S... T... U... V... W... X... Y... and--"
"Z."
"That's right."
"Thank you, Merry."
Pippin was asleep again.
"How is he?"
Merry looked up, "O... hullo, Pearl."
"How is he?" she repeated.
"Well..." Merry sighed, "He still has a very high fever, and he's coughing... a lot. He also told me that he has a headache and that it hurts. He's breathing very heavily, and I think it's tough for him to--" Merry stopped. He noticed that Pearl was crying, "Pearl? Pearl, are you alright?"
"I'm sorry," she sniffed, "It's just... I love him... he's my brother..."
Merry stared, "Well, of course... but... but don't cry. Please... if he wakes up and sees you crying he will think that it is his fault... Pearl... please..."
Pearl had her face buried in her hands, and it muffled her small sobs.
"Pearl," began Merry, "You can't cry. I'm not. I'm not crying and I care as much about him as you. I've been with him all night and all morning and I haven't cried. I made myself not cry... for him. Because I know it wouldn't do any good. Crying won't make Pippin better. Crying doesn't solve a thing."
Pearl stopped. She nodded, "You're right," she wiped the tears from her eyes, "You're absolutely right," she paused, "Thank you."
Merry said nothing. Why was everyone thanking him? What did he do? He was just doing what he was supposed to do... he had to look after Pippin... it was his job. As a cousin and friend... it was his job.
-------
Meriadoc sure has matured, huh? Um, well I was just going to mention that I'm taking a few days off for vacation, so you might not see anything up for this fic until Thursday... possibly sooner, but I doubt it. I'll try hard to find some time for this... but... yea... well, like I said... I'll try.
Chapter 6
Meriadoc's Job
Merry looked out the window. The sun shined like never before and normally on a day like this he would be outside, but he had to look after his cousin. He had to. Pippin had fallen asleep, but though he slept, Merry could tell that the hobbit was in much pain. His chest moved up and down as the lad breathed heavily. Merry wiped the sweat from Pippin's forehead with a wet cloth every few minutes. And every now and then, the small hobbit would gasp as if struggling for air, and it scared Merry. He thought about calling his mama every time this happened, but he didn't want Pippin to wake up and not find him there.
Pippin stirred in his sleep and moaned, followed by a short gasp, and a series of coughing. Merry rubbed Pippin's back as Pippin coughed violently. After the fit, Pippin laid down, but did not fall asleep like he did so many times before. Instead he stared up at the ceiling, "Merry?"
"Yes, Pippin?"
"I don't want to forget the alphabet..."
"What? Why would you forget, Pippin?"
"I'm trying to remember it, but my head hurts, Merry. It hurts really bad... I can't think about some things... It hurts too much, Merry. But... but I don't want to forget it, Merry. Merry, I worked really hard to remember it! And I can't forget it!"
"It's alright, Pippin," Merry paused, "I'll say it every now and then, so you don't forget, alright?"
Pippin looked at Merry, "You would do that for me, Merry?"
Merry nodded, "A... B... C... D... E... F... G... H... I... J... K... L... M... N... O... P... Q... R... S... T... U... V... W... X... Y... and--"
"Z."
"That's right."
"Thank you, Merry."
Merry smiled and Pippin smiled back, but their smiles didn't last very long, for Pippin began to cough again. Soon, Pippin's mother came in and gave Pippin his treatment that the healer had prescribed for him. After she did so she turned to Merry, "You don't have to do this..."
"I know."
"Will you be joining us for lunch?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
Merry nodded, "I'll eat when Pippin eats."
Eglantine stared at Merry for some time at he nephew, "Thank you," she said finally, "You're a good lad." And with that she left.
Merry wasn't very sure what she had meant by that. He took his seat next to Pippin again. Pippin's eyes were fixed on the window. Merry looked at it too.
"It's very sunny outside," said Pippin after a while.
"It is."
"I wish I could go outside. Don't you, Merry?"
"Aye, that would be fine."
"We could've went fishing... could've read... could've practiced our spelling... I'm sorry, Merry. I ruined it. But you can go out and have fun, Merry. You're not sick. You can leave, Merry... of you want to.. It's my fault we can't have any fun, but you don't have to stay--"
"No, Pippin... it's not your fault. It's mine."
Pippin shook his head, "No. It's my fault. Yesterday when you told me to go and look for some more worms... I didn't. I thought I'd be clever and hide, so that you couldn't find me. Hide and seek, remember? Remember, Merry? I hid and I guess you couldn't find me, because then it started to rain. I started to get up to go inside, but then I heard it... I heard the thunder. I heard the thunder and I saw the lightning. And I was scared. I was too scared to move... but you came and saved me, Merry. You saved me," Pippin spoke sleepily. The medicine had made him drowsy.
"Pippin, it's still my fault... you see I--"
"And then last night, Merry..." Pippin continued, "Last night I didn't rest like my mother told me to... I got up because I wanted to practice reading and writing. I got up and practiced for a whole hour... I'm sorry, Merry... I just wanted to practice so bad... If I didn't do it, I might've been better so that we could read... you could teach me sentences..." his voice trailed as sleep overcame him.
Merry noticed the piece of parchment that stuck out from underneath the mattress. He pulled it out and read it:
'Merry... Pippin... friends... Merry... Pippin... friends... "
He looked down at his cousin, "We sure are, Pippin," he said, "We sure are."
**
About an hour later Eglantine returned with Pippin's treatment and two large bowls of mushroom soup, "Here you go, boys."
"Thank you, Auntie."
"Thank you, Mother."
She sat on the bed next to her son, "How are you feeling? Better?"
"I suppose..." the hobbit stared at his food blankly.
"Aren't you hungry?" asked his mother.
"Not very much..."
"My poor Pippin," she kissed his forehead, "You really must try to eat, dear."
Pippin took his spoon. He ate just a spoonful then put the spoon aside, "I'm finished."
"No you aren't," said Eglantine, "Eat it ALL. You must be famished, you haven't eaten a thing all day! Look at your cousin, he's already half way finished."
And Merry was. The soup was very delicious, "Come on, Pippin... eat."
Pippin slowly, but surely ate all of his soup. His mother collected their empty bowls, ordered Pippin to get some sleep, and left.
Before Pippin fell asleep he looked to Merry, "Can you say the alphabet again, Merry?"
Merry nodded, "A... B... C... D... E... F... G... H... I... J... K... L... M... N... O... P... Q... R... S... T... U... V... W... X... Y... and--"
"Z."
"That's right."
"Thank you, Merry."
Pippin was asleep again.
"How is he?"
Merry looked up, "O... hullo, Pearl."
"How is he?" she repeated.
"Well..." Merry sighed, "He still has a very high fever, and he's coughing... a lot. He also told me that he has a headache and that it hurts. He's breathing very heavily, and I think it's tough for him to--" Merry stopped. He noticed that Pearl was crying, "Pearl? Pearl, are you alright?"
"I'm sorry," she sniffed, "It's just... I love him... he's my brother..."
Merry stared, "Well, of course... but... but don't cry. Please... if he wakes up and sees you crying he will think that it is his fault... Pearl... please..."
Pearl had her face buried in her hands, and it muffled her small sobs.
"Pearl," began Merry, "You can't cry. I'm not. I'm not crying and I care as much about him as you. I've been with him all night and all morning and I haven't cried. I made myself not cry... for him. Because I know it wouldn't do any good. Crying won't make Pippin better. Crying doesn't solve a thing."
Pearl stopped. She nodded, "You're right," she wiped the tears from her eyes, "You're absolutely right," she paused, "Thank you."
Merry said nothing. Why was everyone thanking him? What did he do? He was just doing what he was supposed to do... he had to look after Pippin... it was his job. As a cousin and friend... it was his job.
-------
Meriadoc sure has matured, huh? Um, well I was just going to mention that I'm taking a few days off for vacation, so you might not see anything up for this fic until Thursday... possibly sooner, but I doubt it. I'll try hard to find some time for this... but... yea... well, like I said... I'll try.