It had proved to be a very long day indeed. It was difficult for Merry to accept that he needed to be dependent on Pip for a while when he had grown used to being without him. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Pip's help; it was more the fact that he resented needing it in the first place. It was almost midmorning by the time he needed to go to the privy for the first time. Pippin had left the room momentarily to see if he could sort out elevenses for them both, "so that we can start building your strength up ready for tomorrow."
Merry had heard Strider when he had told him not to get up without Pippin at his side, but he didn't think it would do any real harm, and he would be back before Pip even knew he had been up. He swung his legs carefully over the edge of the bed, supporting his bad arm with his good one, and took his first tentative steps towards the privy door just metres away across the other side of the room. There were no problems; in his opinion his body was coping fine with the movement. His confidence growing, he relaxed. It was then that he crumpled to the floor, bringing down the empty tray that rested on his bedside table with a crash that echoed horribly throughout the room. He was for it now. He tried to pull himself back up on to the bed, momentarily forgetting the uselessness of his injured arm. As he put his weight through the wounded limb, it buckled, sending him sprawling straight across the floor again. He clutched it to his chest as agonising pain tore through his wrist; it took all his strength to resist crying out. It was too late now anyway; Pippin, having been alerted to his movement by the noise of the tray, came running back in to the ward, closely followed by Legolas. Pippin flung himself down on the floor beside his cousin, took hold of him gently under the arms and slowly eased him back up on to the bed.
"Merry, what do you think you were doing?"
Merry found he couldn't look in to those emerald eyes full of fury and fear. He regretted trying to move now; it may have seemed like a good idea at the time, but now the pain in his arm had worsened considerably and he was worried that he had jeopardised any chance of being able to start the rehabilitation process the following day.
Pippin saw the look of hurt on Merry's face; sighing, he put a comforting arm around his cousin's shaking shoulders. Aragorn had told him that Merry would need his support while he recovered, now was not the time for harsh words or unnecessary judgements.
"Aragorn told you that you weren't to get up by yourself today. Why didn't you wait for me to get back? I know this is hard for you Merry but you have to learn to depend on other people for a while, unless you want to make things worse for yourself."
Legolas had remained silent, clearing up the tray while Pip had dealt with Merry, but he could see both hobbits were becoming upset; now was the time to step in and take control.
"I think Merry knows his limits now, don't you Merry?"
A miserable nod was his only answer, and so Legolas carried on.
"Now Merry, is your arm alright? Would you like me to fetch Aragorn, get it checked over?"
"No Legolas," Merry replied in a hushed voice, "I don't think that will be necessary. I think I just need to lie still for a while."
Pip, who had been silent and still whilst Legolas had been speaking, suddenly snapped out of his reflective state. He smiled and began to talk again as though nothing had happened.
"They said they would only be a few minutes with that tray. I'll go down to the kitchens and see what the problem is. Honestly, it would have been quicker to see to elevenses myself; you would think they had to make it from scratch, the time it takes for them to organise a tray!"
They both saw the sadness behind his smile before he turned and walked swiftly away. It was clear to both Legolas and Merry that he was struggling to keep his emotions in check, for Merry's sake as well as for the sake of his own pride. Legolas decided to let it pass; Pippin needed a few moments to himself, and it would give him the chance to talk properly to Merry about the situation. He could deal with Pippin later.
Legolas helped Merry settle back against the pillows before sitting down on the chair next to Merry's bedside and fixing Merry with the same penetrating gaze he had used on Pippin the day before. Just as the silence between them was becoming too uncomfortable for Merry to bear, Legolas at last began to speak.
"You must understand Merry that as difficult as this is for you, it is just as hard for those you love to watch you suffer, especially when it is for the sake of your pride. Accepting help is not a sign of weakness, friend; if anything it shows just how strong you are. It may be hard to accept, but you are going to need to become a lot more dependent on those around you if you wish to get through this. Pippin is trying his best Merry, but it is hard for him to cope right now, what with Frodo and Sam not being here to look after things. He feels responsible for you, for your care. You would do well to remember that next time you want to ignore the orders of your healers."
He saw the look of shame on Merry's face and knew that the hobbit now fully understood the consequences of his actions. There was no need to dwell on the subject any longer.
"I am supposed to be meeting Gimli shortly so I will take my leave. Think about what I have said Merry."
He gently squeezed Merry's shoulder before leaving the ward, passing Pippin as he returned with a loaded tray. He offered the younger hobbit a reassuring smile before he departed in to the morning sunshine. Pippin walked over and carefully unloaded the tray, careful not to look at his cousin. Merry could see he had upset Pippin terribly; it was time for an apology.
"Pippin, I'm sorry. I know you have been trying to help, you've been doing a great job, it's just so hard to accept that perhaps I need more assistance than I would care to admit."
Pippin turned and looked at him carefully before he began to speak.
"I appreciate that Merry; I just hope you have learnt something from today. If you need my help, just ask me okay? There's no need to struggle on by yourself."
He wrapped Merry in a warm embrace. Merry began to speak, his words muffled against Pippin's chest.
"You know Pip, before we settle down to this delicious meal, there is one thing I need to ask you."
"What's that Merry?"
"Will you walk me to the privy please?"
A/N: So this chapter didn't cover what I originally intended it to, but I thought it was important to cover the issue of independence before Merry becomes embroiled in the trials of the healing process. This story has begun to take on a life of its own; there are so many things I could cover. As you are aware, I haven't read the books so I do not know exactly what was said about Merry's injuries by Tolkien. I do know, however, that they weren't covered to a great extent in the film, which I have seen many times, so although my account of this time may not be always accurate to the book in terms of his injuries and also of the time span, I hope that I at least manage to effectively show how each character is affected emotionally during this time.
Anyway, enough of that! As always I would like to thank my friends Chris and Liz for their encouragement and support. Also I would like to thank Amy for her continuingly supportive reviews; as always this is dedicated to you! I really hope it continues to live up to expectations.
Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave me a review if you think I deserve one!
Until next timeā¦..
SmileyHalo
