"Oh dear god!" Frodo put a hand up to Pippins forehead, and just like Merry, pulled it away seconds later. We've tried everything else, I didn't want to do this, I could make his breathing worse, but at the moment, he cant breath anyway, and we need to cool him down, so here goes! "Merry! I need you to go draw a very cold bath, almost ice cold ok?"
"Why would you…." Merry stopped suddenly when he realized what his cousin was going to try to do. "Frodo, you know that we cant do that! He will only get worse!"
"Merry, I don't have time to argue, it's the only thing that could help him at a now, the medicine isn't doing any good, cold compresses aren't cooling him down, we've tried everything the healer told us, it's the only thing left to do, don't argue with me anymore, just go draw that bath!"
Merry knew that Frodo was right, but he still didn't like the idea of dunking his cousin into an ice cod bathtub, it seemed horribly mean, especial since his cousin was so sick, and already felt like he was as cold as ice. He reached the bathroom door and flung it open, turned the tap until it stopped, and waited. Five minutes later and the bathtub was full, he sprinted back to Pippins room to find Frodo leaning over Pippin, soaking him with cold water.
"Ready? Here I ll carry him." Merry reached out to pick his cousin up, but Frodo beat him to it, and walking quickly down the hall, he kicked open the door to the bathtub and brought Pippin over to the ice cold tub.
"I am going to put him in here; you just stand over there ok? Even if he starts to cry, don't come over and help him, got it?"
"Yes" Merry watched helplessly as Frodo held Pippins body over the tub
"On three: one, two three!" Frodo plunged Pippin into the tub, only allowing his head to be above the water; not one-second later a piercing scream filled the room.
"AHHHHHHHH!!!" Pippins eyes flung open, and looking up he saw Frodo holding him in the tub, he immediately began to struggle, kicking and failing. "FRODO! lET ME OUT! Itsss sooooo cccoooldd!" Teeth chattering and eyes streaming he looked around the room for support, "MERRY!! Hhheelpp mee, plleeasse!! Itss sssooo cccolldd!" Merry felt his own tears start to come to his eyes; watching the person he loved above all screaming his name as though his life depended on it, and not being able to do anything about it tore him in two; on one hand he knew he had to stay strong because this was going to make Pippin better, but on the other, he couldn't let Frodo torture Pippin like this when he was so sick. He looked back up at Pippin, and that did it. He ran over, grabbed Pippin from Frodo's arms and yanked him out of the bathtub, drenching himself, Frodo and the entire bathtub in cold water in the quick motion.
"I'm so sorry Pip! I couldn't get you out, we had to cool you down, I am so sorry!" Pippin didn't respond, but snuggled in tighter to Merry's chest, breathing deeply, still shivering violently. Frodo came over with two towels and quickly wrapped both around Pippin. He didn't look at Merry, but instead held the door open for him as he carried Pippin out of the room.
As soon as Frodo opened the door, a tide wave of peope swept over Merry, amost knocking him over.
"Whats happened?"
"Is he okay?"
"We heard screaming and expected the worst!"
"Has he had any of his medicine? Why was there screaming?"
"Cousin Frodo, is Pippin going to be aright?" Pippins sister Pervinca tugged on Frodos arm, eyes ooking up at him sweety as the rest of the aduts, Egantine, Paadin, Mister Adams, the Heaer, Pear, Pimperne, and some other hobbits that ived in Great Smias, a crowded around to get a better ook, squashing Merry with a sti shivering Pippin in his arms.
"Stop, STOP!" Frodo yeed above the noise. A at once, the haway went quiet. Thank you. Now coud you a pease move out of Merrys way, he is trying to get through."
There was instant uproar, "What about Pippin?"
"What happened?"
"There was screaming, I heard Pippin screaming!"
"QUIET!! You aren't heping Pippin at a by shouting! Now, if you wi a head to the dinning ha, I wi be in shorty to expain. If you coud step aside pease, Merrys trying to get through."
Most of the hobbits went, except Egantine, she ooked ike she had seen a ghost.
"What happened to my baby? Hes…hes okay isn't he?"
"Aunt Tina, Pippin is doing fine I assure you, if you go onto the dinning ha I wi expain shorty." Paadin put an arm around his wife and heped her out o the ha.
"There now, you shoud be abe to get through, for a minute there I thought both you and Pippin were going to be tramped!" Frodo smied at his cousin.
"Your not mad?" Merry ooked timidy at Frodo
"Mad? Why woud I be mad?"
"Because I…we I grabbed Pippin and got him out of the bath."
"Actuay, I was surprised you asted that ong!" Merry stared at his cousin, "Yes, I was having a horrible time of it; if you hadn't grabbed him at that moment, I woud have taken him out mysef, I coudnt stand to have him crying ike that, it broke my heart! But it doesn't matter anyways, it did what we wanted it to do." Frodo ooked down at his youngest cousin and put a hand to his forehead. His eyebrows raised, then he ooked at Merry. "He doesn't have a fever at a!"
"Probaby because he to darn numb to fee any!" Merry muttered, earning him a hit over the head from Frodo.
"Hes fine, pus his breathing sounds a bit better too, and he is seeping peacfuy for once."
"Yeh." Merry sighed and ooked down at the Took in question. "Is it ok if I don't come with you to tak to the aduts? I want to stay with him for the night to make sure hes ok.
"That's fine, pus he might want something when he wakes up. Pus, we both know that the ony reason you are staying with him is to make sure you are we out of Aunt tinas way when she hears what we did!
"To much truth in that! But I do want to stay with him truy, I woud stay even if Aunt Tina wasn't going to make mince meat out of me for not going with you! They reached Pippins door. "We, if you need anything during the ight, I wi be in your room, or sti trying to cam everyone down in the dining ha. Seeptight, and if he wakes up, te him I am sorry for the cod water! Frodo smied. "But aso te him that it was the right thing to do, and he shoudnt compain! Merry grinned back
"Oh, I don't think that he care if it made him better or not, jus the fact that he was dunked into freezing cod water; your going to get a heck of a payback when he gets better if you ask me!
"Don't be getting ahead of yourself Meriadoc, if I remember correcty, when he first caed to you, you didn't come rescue him!
"I did though! I was the one who pued him out of that ice bucket! Pippin stirred. "We, I better get him to bed, night Frodo!
"Night! Frodo opened the door for Merry, et him inside, then cosed the door, sighing; it was going to be a ong night trying to tak sense into those hobbits!