Still Here
Sam fell into the darkness, heading towards an unending, lingering fire that just wouldn't go away.
He could feel his body slip away from him. This was disastrous! Mr. Frodo hadn't apologized! Out of all things, why didn't Mr. Frodo apologize, after what he did? How could anyone forgive somebody so easily after being slashed across the side of his stomach?
If Mr. Frodo was his friend, he would admit it. He would be blunt about it. Now, Sam didn't know if he would escape this void. What was that? Mr. Frodo apologizing to him? Yes, he was! Sam chirped in delight as he returned to his body, his vision returning to normal.
He didn't know what was happening. What went on in those endless seconds that he was unconscious?
.
Minutes Ago…
Frodo shook himself off, observing the scene before them. There was Pippin returning to Merry, attempting to find them something to eat. But no! There was Sam, lying on the carpeted floor, unmoving and unconscious.
"Sam!" Frodo crawled towards his best friend, attempting to wake him up. Nothing worked! Sam wouldn't wake! What was he supposed to do?
He was missing something. Now, he remembered. Sam expected an apology and was sure stubborn about it, too. Everyone else was forgiven, except for him, except for Frodo. Frodo sighed. It had to be him, right?
"Sam," Frodo started, staring at Sam, hoping he would wake up from his deep sleep, "Sam, you are my best friend. I made the mistake of slashing you on the side, next to your stomach. That was wrong, but then so was my behavior." He continued, getting to the heart of the problem, "I shouldn't have behaved in such a manner. I need to trust you more often."
He rolled his eyes, wondering if that last statement was too obvious. He tried again, speaking more truthful, "Well, anyway, we need you here. We need you to help us figure this out. Shirina took Rosie, but to who knows where. We'll find her, but more importantly, we need you to help us out, when we need you the most. You're the friend that no one can replace. I've been behaving badly towards you."
He paused. "I need you to come back. Without you, I don't know where I'd be right now. The quest to destroy the One Ring wouldn't have succeeded without you. You're part of this quest now, too. You deserve to find happiness, and I need to trust you from now on, instead of acting foolishly." He said last, hoping Sam heard him, "Please come back, Sam. Please. We need you, Sam. We need you now."
For a moment, Frodo wondered if Sam heard him. Frodo sighed, wrapping his arms around his knees. There was nothing he could do for him. Oh, they were never going to find their lasses now!
"What did you say?" Sam asked, waking up.
"Welcome back, Sam!" Frodo smiled, delighted to see his best friend awake. He admitted as he helped Sam up, "I just wanted to say that you're needed and I'm terribly sorry for slashing you on the side of your stomach. I wasn't in my right mind. I do apologize for it."
"You know, that really hurt!" Sam said, feeling his side where the cut had been. He smiled, glad to see that Mr. Frodo was back. "Well, I forgive you. I do hope you can forgive me for my rash actions. I shouldn't have called you insane before."
"You called me what?" Frodo asked, teasingly. He admitted, truthfully, "Maybe I was acting insane, that day, in the library. I'm terribly sorry for that, too."
"No, I'm sorry I called you out!" Sam apologized, waving his hands in the air. "You're not mad! You've shown compassion to others, when they least expected it. You can lead us to Shirina's lair!"
"Let me help you find something to eat. Maybe a rabbit," Frodo said, darting out the window and returning moments later with two fresh rabbits. He passed one over to Sam. "Here. To keep our strength going. We need to heal somehow."
"Oh, you're wounded!" Sam said, noticing Mr. Frodo's wounds.
"I'll be all right after I munch on this rabbit," Frodo said, biting the rabbit's neck and sucking its blood.
"Right," Sam said, joining the feast with his own rabbit. As soon as the rabbits were drained, he looked up as Merry and Pippin returned with eight more rabbits. Sam laughed, grateful to have good friends, by his side, for breakfast. "Yes. Well, we'll need our strength when we're facing Shirina." He said, draining another rabbit of its blood.
"I wonder where Vampiress took the girls. Our women!" Pippin sniffed, teary-eyed as he drank another rabbit's blood.
"We'll get them back!" Merry said, delighted.
Frodo laughed. "For sure, we will. And we'll defeat Shirina once and for all!"
"I wonder where she took them," Pippin repeated, curious.