Ch. 15
Pippin lay on the floor between the beds currently occupied by Sam and Merry when he heard rustling. Sitting up sharply, he looked over the edge of the bed, hoping that the sleeping hobbit would be awake.
"Pip?" asked Merry, in a tired, but not pain-filled voice. "What happened?"
"Merry," Pippin choked, beginning to cry. He had not spoken to his friend in three days: the amount of time he'd lain between the beds, save for fetching snacks while no one was looking. "Merry---" he tried to continue, but he was gone, beyond control, sobbing onto the bed, holding Merry's hand. Merry could take it no longer either, and the two friends lay there crying.
Unknown to Pippin, Gandalf stood at the entrance to the hall, watching and listening to the interaction. Bilbo stood beside him, nearly in tears himself. Gandalf's eyes glistened. As he tried to smile, the dew on his eyelashes began to fall.
"Gandalf," said Bilbo, "I think it's time we had a talk with Pippin."
"So do I. But not now, let them have their moment."
Pippin finally stopped crying long enough to start to tell Merry of recent happenings. Merry did not remember anything after the battle began, meaning he did not remember falling, or the Uruk-hai that nearly killed him by dying. Nor did he remember that Gandalf was here, and he was unsure of whether he ever knew that everyone else was, or as close to 'everyone' as they came at the moment.
"Merry---you were hurt."
"Hurt?" Merry asked, astonished. "How bad?"
"Pretty bad, and Gandalf says it was near fatal, so I'm confu---"
"Gandalf?" Merry asked, bolting into a sitting position. "Pip, are you okay? Maybe I'm not the one having the problem with memory---"
"He's here, Merry, alright? Not that I'm talking to him, he told me you might die and then he invited Bilbo to go smoking, and---"
"Alright, Pip," said Merry, very slowly, soothingly. "Bilbo and Gandalf both sailed to the undying lands, remember?" His voice cracked a bit. "Now, let's get you to your bed and--- um, Pip?" he was looking around at their surroundings.
"Yes, Merry?" said Pippin, beginning to smirk. He had a pretty good idea of the questions to follow.
"Why are we at Sam's? And, er, shouldn't Sam be in his own bed, rather than here in the hall? And why do you not have a bed and I do? And---" he paused to adjust his position and yelped as he twisted his hurt leg wrong. "And why are you right?" Merry had admitted defeat
"Told you."
Pippin lay on the floor between the beds currently occupied by Sam and Merry when he heard rustling. Sitting up sharply, he looked over the edge of the bed, hoping that the sleeping hobbit would be awake.
"Pip?" asked Merry, in a tired, but not pain-filled voice. "What happened?"
"Merry," Pippin choked, beginning to cry. He had not spoken to his friend in three days: the amount of time he'd lain between the beds, save for fetching snacks while no one was looking. "Merry---" he tried to continue, but he was gone, beyond control, sobbing onto the bed, holding Merry's hand. Merry could take it no longer either, and the two friends lay there crying.
Unknown to Pippin, Gandalf stood at the entrance to the hall, watching and listening to the interaction. Bilbo stood beside him, nearly in tears himself. Gandalf's eyes glistened. As he tried to smile, the dew on his eyelashes began to fall.
"Gandalf," said Bilbo, "I think it's time we had a talk with Pippin."
"So do I. But not now, let them have their moment."
Pippin finally stopped crying long enough to start to tell Merry of recent happenings. Merry did not remember anything after the battle began, meaning he did not remember falling, or the Uruk-hai that nearly killed him by dying. Nor did he remember that Gandalf was here, and he was unsure of whether he ever knew that everyone else was, or as close to 'everyone' as they came at the moment.
"Merry---you were hurt."
"Hurt?" Merry asked, astonished. "How bad?"
"Pretty bad, and Gandalf says it was near fatal, so I'm confu---"
"Gandalf?" Merry asked, bolting into a sitting position. "Pip, are you okay? Maybe I'm not the one having the problem with memory---"
"He's here, Merry, alright? Not that I'm talking to him, he told me you might die and then he invited Bilbo to go smoking, and---"
"Alright, Pip," said Merry, very slowly, soothingly. "Bilbo and Gandalf both sailed to the undying lands, remember?" His voice cracked a bit. "Now, let's get you to your bed and--- um, Pip?" he was looking around at their surroundings.
"Yes, Merry?" said Pippin, beginning to smirk. He had a pretty good idea of the questions to follow.
"Why are we at Sam's? And, er, shouldn't Sam be in his own bed, rather than here in the hall? And why do you not have a bed and I do? And---" he paused to adjust his position and yelped as he twisted his hurt leg wrong. "And why are you right?" Merry had admitted defeat
"Told you."
