Title: Autumn Daze
Author: Robin Girl
Part: 5
Universe: Movie
Slash: None
Beta-ed: October 2008
Story notes: This takes place three or four days before Bilbo's birthday party.
Disclaimer: I own no one!
That night was the longest Merry had slept since the whole fiasco started. He was awoken by a weak hoarse cough. Opening his eyes he saw through his blurry vision Pippin's head of curls and that was all he could see. "Oi, Goose!" He climbed out of the chair a bit slowly than he had the past few mornings. After four nights in a chair your back starts complaining no matter how old you are. He padded over beside the bed and studied the mound of Pippin. For a second he didn't know what to say or if he should wake his cousin or let him sleep.
Pippin answered his question for him when the youngest sat up on his own rubbing his eyes. His unruly curls made Merry laugh a little. "Mer- did we miss breakfast or did you eat mine?"
"I should think I'd let you have mine as well if you could keep it down." Merry sat beside his cousin checking for the fever that had lasted through for nearly a week.
"I think the fever is gone, Mer. I don't feel hot anymore. Can we see Frodo today?"
Pippin's question made Merry turn sharply towards the young Took. "But Pip, you've been ill for nearly a week. You should stay in bed until we are sure you're well enough to be out. Why if I let you set one foot on the ground half the Shire would have my head for dinner."
"But Merrrryyy-" Pippin whined. "I've been cooped up for so long and it's my first morning that I haven't woken up and had to use the privy so I could throw it all up." He tried his best puppy dog eyes this time Merry crossed his arms and shook his head. He was losing this fight. Badly. "It's not fair to keep me in bed this long."
"It is fair." Merry didn't want to mention the other fact that this was just as Sam had told him. Pippin was having an up spell then the worst would hit. He didn't want to be away when it hit. He was scared of what the worst looked like. His mother always kept Pippin's sisters and he away from Pippin during this time. And now it was his turn whether he wished or not to see it.
Of course in reason, if Merry wasn't going to tell Pippin then he couldn't logically keep the young Took in his bed. Maybe they could go to the outer most room of Bag End and sit and chat with Frodo. Surely Frodo would be able to help him if the worst hit today or this afternoon.
So it was decided. Merry would help Pippin walk into the reading room and sit with Frodo all day if Frodo would have them. Which of course he would. Frodo Baggins never turned any of his cousin's away. When the two hobbits finally got into the room Frodo was sitting cross legged in one of Bilbo's chairs reading a book in that weird language that Gandalf had brought back from his journey out into the unknown.
"Frodo!"
Frodo lifted his head nearly throwing his book in the air. He looked startled but smiled when he saw who the intruders were. "Ah, morning to you both. How was your sleep last night?" The look Frodo was giving Merry was enough to send Merry back to the room.
Merry just shrugged back steadying Pippin as he started to wobble. "Sit down, Pip. You've stood to long." Pippin replied with a weak nod and was helped to lay on the over sized chair that usually belonged to Gandalf when he visited.
"Pip, could you stand for Samwise to watch over you while I talk with Merry alone?" It wasn't really a question. It was more of a command. Before Pippin could answer Frodo was at the window. "Sam! Could you come inside. Merry and I need to talk and I would feel much better if someone were keeping an eye on Pippy for us. It won't be long I assure you." He smiled sweetly at the kind hearted gardener who was trying his best to protest but in the end gave up and was at the door in seconds dusting his hands off.
"Mr. Frodo, I have lots of work to be done. Please don't take long."
"Don't worry, Sam. I am just going to knock some sense into Merry."
"Right, and that won't take long at all." Sam grumbled sitting in the chair next to Pippin who looked half asleep anyway. "Well get on with your business Mr. Frodo. The garden won't wait much longer."
"Don't worry Sam..." Frodo's voice drifted off as he wrapped an arm around Merry's shoulders and dragged him down the winding hallways of Bag End.
"Frodo, stop! What do you want?"
"You fool of a Brandybuck. What do you think you are doing letting Pippin out of bed so soon?" Frodo's blue eyes were dark as he hissed. "Have you lost all of those Brandybuck Brains you earned from your father?"
"It was either that or Pippin moaning and being a pain all day, Frodo." Merry defended trying to pull away.
"He's not well, Merry. You do know that right? He's not alright. Not yet. He's-"
"Frodo- STOP IT!" Tears streamed down Merry's cheeks. "I know he's not alright, I know that. Trust me, I know it. But I'm not going to let that get me down. I'm going to let him be apart of the world until it hits again. It's not fair on him."
"You could be hurting him worse- you know that?"
Merry didn't lift his head and only stared at the floor. His anger was near boiling point. "If you can't have him up then I'll travel with him on your horse to one of our houses."
"And what? Get all of Pippin's sisters sick? Or all of your cousins? Merry you've got to stay here."
"You just can't stand to think that Pippin is getting better." Merry shot back accusingly. "Well I'm not going to let this Autumn Daze win. He is going to get better.We will show you."
"Don't accuse me of not wanting him well." Frodo suddenly shouted pushing Merry up agaisnt the wall. His blue eyes were glowing with an anger Merry had never experienced before first hand. "You were too young to remember the past three times this happened to Pippin. All of those times you weren't allowed to go near- I was. I had to sit with him. I had to feed him. Merry I was you."
"Frodo...I..." Merry just stammered embarrassed as more tears fell. "I...I'm sorry...I never knew..."
"You're right, we can't give up on him, but bringing him out of the room that was made specifically for this situation is only making it worse. And you're allowing the disease to spread through Bag End."
"Then what do we do?"
"We let him out of bed around that room and that room only. I will come in there and sit with you and he if he wishes for that. But exposing the rest of Hobbiton to this plague is not smart at all."
"Beggin' your pardon, Mr. Frodo, but Mr. Took isn't fairing well. He's started to vomit again and made quite a mess of it if I may be so brave as to say." Sam looked embarrassed to be caught eves dropping. Merry pushed past Frodo and Sam running down the halls calling for his cousin.
"FRODO! He's not responding!" Merry's voice went up an octave and Frodo could nearly taste the fear in his voice. He looked at Sam and both of them started to run.
End Chapter 5
(xD yeh about two more chapters and we'll be done with this one :D)
