It had been nearly a whole week since Merry had last seen Kim at the celebration. He had left her wrapped in her cloak and his jacket on top of Bag End close to sunrise, thinking she'd been fine and he'd see her in Buckland a few days later. But she was found the next morning once Sam had got up to tend to his garden, and she was frightfully ill with the cold. He had heard that once she was slightly better, Pippin had gone in a small pony drawn wagon to take her back to Cirkhollow were she could fully recover. He was making his way there now with some of his mothers home made medicine. He thought that she would like it, as it tasted a lot better than the stuff the Healers were bound to concoct for her. And actually worked as well!
He finally came to Crickhollow. The path that lead from the gate to the door was almost hidden by an entanglement of weeds and over grown or dead plants and he tiptoed through them, so that he wouldn't get stung. Before he knocked on the door he looked through the window to see if anyone was about. All he could see was a muddle of odd furniture that some people had given to fill up Crickhollow and make it a home, the remains of a fire and his cousin Pippin sitting slouched in an armchair by the fireplace, biting on his lip. Merry felt the cold stab of worry in his mind and rushed though the door. Pippin stood up as soon as he saw Merry. His expression was not one of joy or welcoming, but of great sorrow and despair.
Merry felt his heart pound. She couldn't be that ill, he thought, could she?
"How is she?" Merry said. His voice was low and carried the sound of impatientness.
It took a while for Pippin to answer. His voice was a hoarse whisper. It made him sound as if he had not talked in hours, "She is feverish. She can hardly breath. Her fingers were turning blue this morning," Pippin paused as he tried to hold back tears that threatened to fall, "The healers sat her up and pounded her on the back with such force, I feared they would break her. She started coughing like you wouldn't believe, and she coughed up all this blackish-green bile from her lungs." Pippin sat down again and put his face in his hands. She was like a sister to him, as he was like a brother to her. He had not known her long but felt like he hand been there when she was born.
Merry crouched down beside his bestest friend in the world. He hated to see him suffer, "How do they think she caught it? This illness she has and do they even know what it is?" Merry spoke calmly even though his eyes saw red flashing lights of danger ahead. When Pippin spoke again it was a hoarse whisper, "They think it was just the chills she'd caught when she spent the night on top of Bag End. But now they think that she shouldn't have left there, that she should have been put into Frodo's old bedroom and stayed there until she was well again! It was the ride back here that made things worse. It was early morning when I drove her back here, and there was frost on the ground. They think that she has the Winter Sickness Merry. A really bad case off it." A single tear fell down Pippins cheek. Merry rubbed his cousins back as a means of comfort for the distressed hobbit, but he wondered who was coming to comfort him?
Right then Diamond and her mother stepped out from Kim's room across the hall. Diamonds mother was the local Healer for Buckland and had saved many lives, unlike the previous Healer who had killed many a hobbit child with his carelessness. Diamond took one look at Pippin, went over to him and embraced him tightly. Hoping to give him some comfort and caring to ease his troubled mind. He blamed himself for Kim being so sick for he had been the one who protested strongly to moving Kim until she had fully recovered and was able to walk, but the Healer in Hobbiton was a stubborn old man who used his position to order people about. Diamonds mothers face was grave, she wiped her hands on the piny she had on and took Merry aside to talk to him.
"How is she?" Merry's voice was more urgent this time.
"She is a strong lass. Hopefully, with the right care and treatment, she'll get better. But I fear that the sickness will have weakened her heart forever." Merry was near to tears himself at the news. He suddenly needed to see her. He wanted to be with her all through her illness. "Can I go and see her?"
"I don-"
"Please!? I need to see her for myself." The tears were burning in his eyes. But they never fell. He would never allow that to happen. She nodded and led him to Kim's room.
Merry stepped in as quietly as he could, so not to wake Kim, but what he saw did not look like Kim. In the bed there was a small figure under the masses of covers that were placed over it, it was curled up into a ball and made sharp rasping noises. When he got closer he saw that Kim looked like she had been dunked in the river, as her skin glistened with the fever that had a hold on her. Her hair was plastered to her head and around her face. She looked so pale and weak. Merry just wanted to hold her and tell her she would be all right. He wanted some one to do that to him as well.
Merry walked up to the head of her bed and pulled a stool from the corner of the room, sat on it and tried to get as close to the bed as he could get it. He took her hands in his and squeezed it. He pressed his chin into his chest, trying desperately to stop the tears flowing. He was brought out of his thoughts by a small, but very real squeeze from Kim. She knew he was there but just couldn't open her eyes or do anything. The Winter Sickness had taken nearly all her strength, but even then she forced herself to speak. No matter how much it hurt.
"Merry?" Kim whispered in a crackled voice that didn't sound like her own. Merry smiled at the fact that she knew he was there, holding her hand.
"I'm here Kim. Please don't leave. Don't know what I'd do if you did. It would be the same as if I lost Pippin, don't think I could go on." He held her hand tightly to let her know he was still real, as Winter Sickness plays tricks on the mind. He spoke from personal experience.
"I have no intention on leaving Merry." Kim croaked. Kim's throat was red raw and felt like it had been ripped in half. It was torture to talk even the smallest of words. Merry saw that she was in pain as silver tears started to stream down her face.
"Do you want some water? Nod if you do." Merry filled a glass with water from the jug beside her bed and held it near her face waiting for an answer. Kim nodded, tears still falling from her closed eyes.
"Don't try and swallow. Just let it fall down your throat." Merry put his free hand behind her head and lifted it up a fraction while his other guided the glass to Kim's lips so she could drink. He'd take the glass away now and then to let her breath. Then he would ask her if she wanted more. She drank three full glasses of water.
Her fever still burned inside her, never letting up. Merry told Kim about the time he had Winter Sickness, in a bid to tell her that he knew how she felt.
"I was 13 when I caught it. I had been playing out in the pouring rain. I didn't think anything of the running nose I had because it wasn't that big a deal. But that's the thing with the Winter Sickness. At the start it acts like a harmless cold. But then after a night of sleep, it rears its ugly head to plague you.
The next day I couldn't talk or even move. I drifted in and out of dreams and nightmares. I do remember Pippin was with me a lot. I also remember the vile so called cures the Healers gave me. They tasted sometimes of bog water." Merry chuckled when he was a faint smile tug at Kim's cracked lips.
Merry sat there for hours talking in a whisper. Mrs Long Cleave had left ages ago. She knew that Merry would come for her if anything went wrong.
He was now sitting on the bed beside her, still holding her hand. Kim opened her eyes once. To her Merry had been a greyish haze. Merry had looked into her eyes. They were still the deep green seas with their little golden speckles. He felt like he could just look into her eyes for hours on end and not get bored. He was very sad when she closed her eyes again.
At one point Merry felt that she had gone to sleep because she hadn't said anything or done anything in some time. Also her breathing had become deeper than it had been.
He leaned over her and kissed her gently on the lips. She didn't stir she just went on sleeping. Her fever had gone down and she breathed more easily.
He tucked the covers over her and left quietly.
He closed her door behind him. Merry leaned against it sighed. He felt so relieved that her fever had broken and she breathed more easily. It was a clear sign that she was getting better. He looked over near the front door and he saw a small hobbit girls cheeky little smile peeking round the corner. It was Eleanor Gamgee. Merry crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. She giggled and ran towards Merry then flung her small arms around his waist.
"Hello Uncle Merry!" said the little voice.
"Hello Ellie. Your Ma and Da here?" Merry picked her up and gave her a little hug.
"They're sitting with Uncle Pippin beside the fire. Is the pretty lady going to get better?" Merry laughed as he headed towards the sitting room.
"The Pretty Lady? Is that what you call her?" Eleanor with her child sincerity could always see right through Merry. Eleanor waited patiently for the answer to her original question.
"Yes she is getting better."
Eleanor clapped her hands in delight, "Yey!"
Merry carried her through the dusty hall of Cirkhollow and into the sitting room. Where he was, not exactly greeted, but was acknowledged by five pairs of anxious eyes, desperate for any news of Kim.
Pippin looked at Merry with bloodshot eyes. He had obviously been crying a lot since Merry had left him, "How is she?" Pippin voice was once again iced with worry.
Merry smiled, "She's asleep. Her fevers broken and she's breathing a lot easier now."
Everyone took a deep sign of relief while Mrs Long Cleave went to find out if what Merry said was indeed true.
"That is wonderful news!" Merry heard a voice say behind him. When he turned round he saw that it was his mother, "I doubted that she would living in this dusty old hollow hole." Esmi smiled at everyone. Behind her stood other Brandybucks also some Tooks. And to Merry's (and everyone else's) surprise, there stood Loblidea Sackville-Baggins.
"What are you all doing here?" asked Sam. Rosie took his hand.
"Their here to clean up Kim's room a bit and give her a bath. She's been stuck in that bed with only over sized night-gowns to wear."
Sam thought for a moment, "So that's why you insisted on bringing some of your dresses along." Rosie nodded.
"Well ladies. Shall we?" said Esmi as she lead the others to Kim's room. Rosie followed. Leaving the Men in the sitting room.