A/N: Will Cameron heal from her injuries? And what does this mean for her and Thorin?
Chapter TextWhen I wake up, all I feel is pain. It runs hotly through my veins, pulsating along with my heartbeat. What happened? There was the storm, the giants, the ugly goblins, the wargs, Azog…
Thorin!
I shoot upright, eyes wide as I begin to panic.
"Cameron! You can't move, lie back down." A familiar voice orders, pushing me back down as I look around wildly, searching for the dwarf. Was that… Oin?
"Oin, where is he? Is he alright? Where's Thorin?" I ask, noticing how my voice is hoarse and how my throat hurts.
"I'm right here, Cameron. Relax." A deep voice speaks from my left. Glancing over, I calm down when I find Thorin sitting next to my bed, alive and well. My heart floods with relief, lifting the pain slightly. I thought I had lost him, but he seemed to look a lot better than I was feeling. The memory of his blue eyes meeting mine as we laid before the Goblin King felt as fresh as the look he gave me now, when I had realized I… loved him. Shit, I would have to deal with that mess later.
"You're alright." I mutter, noticing his hand that's holding my left one, making me squeeze it softly.
"But you're not." He answers, a guilty look in his eyes.
"You were in danger." I argue, taking a deep breath.
"And you saved me." The look in Thorin's eyes is one of pure worry.
"You're okay, so it was worth it. Besides, I doubt it's that bad." I lie about the last part. I really thought I was going to die right there and then, by the hands of a filthy orc.
"I'm forever in your debt." He says, voice soft as those blue eyes capture mine.
"I can think of a few ways to make it up." I answer teasingly, before an awful coughing fit takes over. I wince in pain, my chest feeling like it's on fire.
"Easy there, love." Thorin whispers, a hand appearing on my back, patting gently.
"Man, that orc stabbed me better than expected." I mutter when I calm down, taking in some much needed air.
"Cam!" Before I know what's happening, a tiny body throws itself at me, the smell of home filling my nose.
"Bilbo." I sigh in relief, wrapping my arms around me as he squeezes me tightly. When I hear him sniff quietly against my chest, I tear up as well.
"I'm fine, Bilbo." I whisper as he lets go of me, all the worry he must've felt for the past days visible in his eyes.
"I was terribly worried." He whispers back, taking my free hand.
"You were incredibly brave, Bilbo. You were kicking that orc's ass back there!" I say proudly, giving him a smile.
"You were willing to give your life for Thorin, so he must be worth giving my own for as well. I was terrified, though." Bilbo admits.
"I'm so proud of you, but I'm more relieved that you're okay." I say, giving him a smile.
Suddenly, two more bodies collide on top of me. When I let out a yelp of pain, they quickly retreat, two worried, wide pairs of eyes soon turning to frightened when their uncle gives them a death glare.
"Fili, Kili!" I say, grinning widely at them. I was so glad all of them were alive and well.
"Cam! You're awake!" Fili exclaims, beaming happily at me, him and his brother sitting down on either side of my feet.
"You saved me. I cannot thank you enough for it." Kili says, very serious for his doing, making me smile.
"It was nothing." I brush it off casually.
"Yes, it was." Thorin argues, raising an eyebrow at me.
"I figured you wouldn't want me to drop your nephew." I say with a shrug. The line of Durin meant all of them, including the two princes.
"You're insane. Insanely brave and badass." Kili says, making Fili nod along.
"That she is." Thorin hums in agreement, making me blush.
"Now, now, the patient has to rest! Off you go, princes." Oin exclaims. I watch in amusement as he shoos Fili and Kili away, then gives Thorin and Bilbo a stern look that tells them they should leave soon too.
"Can you tell me more? About my injuries." I ask Oin then, watching as he pulls out a bunch of bandages from a closet that's beside my bed.
"Sure, lass, but it's a lot. It's a miracle that you're still amongst the living." He admits, moving to sit down.
"Your spine and ribs were already damaged from our time with the goblins, correct?" He asks first, making me nod in agreement.
"You were already hurt?" Thorin asks, surprised.
"I don't know about you dwarves, but I'm not made of steal. Falling all the time hurts." I answer, flashing him a smile.
"You also took some injuries because you were helping others. We all saw you." Oin adds, a knowing look in his eyes.
"…maybe." I admit, feeling my cheeks turn red. I knew he was referring to me using my powers, but that would have to be a conversation for a different time. Thorin gives me a look at that.
"The injury the orc inflicted upon you was the worst by far, however. He only barely missed your vital organs, and Beorn and Gandalf and even Bilbo had to help me to keep you from slipping to the other side. You're very strong, lass. It's abnormal for a human." Oin continues.
"Beorn?" I ask, confused. Who the hell was that?
"He's a shapeshifter. We're in his house right now, the orcs are still on our trail. He isn't too fond of dwarves, but when he saw you he was immediately willing to take us in."
"Oh." I bring out, a bit startled by the new information.
"He shifts into a bear!" Bilbo adds, a slightly frightened look in his eyes. Well, that was something new for me to hear of.
"I will heal in time to continue the journey, right?" I ask Oin then, worry filling me.
"I… I hope so. Beorn told us you were welcome to stay as long as needed for you to heal properly, but I don't know. Your magic prevents me from being able to tell, it's helping you heal faster but I don't know how much. Gandalf told me your magic is recharging, and that it isn't at its fullest capability yet. We're staying here for a week, so we can only pray." He admits, honesty and uncertainty filling his expression. I can feel my stomach turn at it.
"Can I at least walk?" I ask then, imagining how lying in bed all week would only slow me down further. Oin frowns at it, glancing over at Thorin for a moment.
"I think you can try. As long as you promise to take it easy. Listen to your body, it will know when you're overexerting yourself, which won't help your recovery at all." Oin decides, and I can tell Thorin isn't exactly happy with it, an annoyed noise escaping him. I simply nod at our doctor, ignoring Thorin for the moment. Oin leaves at that, leaving me alone with Thorin and Bilbo.
"Are you sure you should continue this journey, Cam? You were hurt very badly…" Bilbo asks, a worried frown on his face.
"I have to, Bilbo. I'm not leaving all of you behind." I answer, grabbing his hand to squeeze it softly.
It was my destiny to keep Thorin safe, after all. So far, it seemed I had succeeded pretty good, thanks to Bilbo's help.
"It would be best if you stayed here. Beorn would take care of you until you're healed properly." Thorin speaks up, giving me a guilty look.
"Impossible. I have to keep you safe. Besides, you seem fine, and you had a pretty bad run yourself." I argue, frowning at him.
"You're not a dwarf, Cameron. You don't heal as fast as we do." He argues, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"I don't care. I have my magic to help. I want to continue." I state, crossing my arms to mimic his stance. He merely sighs, clearly unhappy with the whole situation, but I take it as a sign that he wouldn't order me not to continue.
"Speaking of magic… How did you do that back there?" He asks, raising a whole lot of questions I didn't want to answer just yet.
"Could you help me get out of this bed? I'm hungry." I ask quickly, tyring my best pair of puppy eyes on him. It was a long shot, but maybe, just maybe… if I made him worry more about other things, like my wellbeing, he would drop the discussion… for now. He sighs at it, clearly knowing what I'm trying to do, but stands up from his chair nonetheless. He lifts me out of bed, carefully, with Bilbo next to him, observing me attentively. Thorin pulls my arm over his shoulders, allowing me to lean on him. He ends up carrying most of my weight, since I was in fact in a lot of pain, especially now that I was moving, Bilbo hovering over me as I slowly begin to walk, legs wobbly.
"Careful." Thorin hums softly, making my heart skip a beat. Like that, Thorin carrying much of my weight for me, Bilbo ready to catch me if I fall, we walk out of the bedroom. The house is clearly made for someone who's even taller than Gandalf, making Bilbo and even Thorin look small. Finally, we make our way into what seems to be the living room, the noise that naturally came with the dwarves' presence falling silent upon seeing me enter the room.
"Hi, guys." I speak up, forcing a smile. Thorin helps me sit down onto one of the chairs that are positioned around the table, the others watching closely.
"How're ya feeling, lass?" Dwalin asks, a worried look on his face.
"I'm okay." They all seem to relax a little at that, the conversation slowly continuing. Bilbo hands me my own plate to eat, consisting of fruits and vegetables and bread, and I dig in, although my stomach doesn't feel like it can take much. It would help me regain my strength.
"The tiny human is awake!" Someone exclaims loudly, entering the room. When I look up, I see the biggest man I'd ever seen in my life. He's covered in hair almost entirely, two bushy eyebrows raised at the sight of me.
"You must be Beorn." I say, smiling up at him. It wasn't difficult to gather that much.
"That, I am. I'm glad you're out of bed. You looked awful when they brought you here." I can feel my cheeks turn slightly red at that, having an idea of how awful exactly it must have been judging by how awful Thorin had looked when Azog attacked him. As dinner continues, I feel myself growing tired rapidly, my eyes closing on their own accord. Thorin notices, and I don't protest when he lies my head on his shoulder, surprisingly gentle. When I'm too tired to open my eyes again, practically dozing off against him at the table, I feel him lift me up, carrying me to my room. I'm carefully placed in a soft bed, and I'm barely able to mutter a 'thank you' before I'm asleep again.