Hey guys! sorry for the long wait but like always, life got in the way. I'm sorry for the wait but hopefully the chapter makes up for it! Also I fixed some inconsistencies between the first couple of chapters so I hope everything makes sense now. As always feel free to comment with critiques, suggestions, or just overall comments! I appreciate any and all feedback I get!

Also as a side note, I'm using NaNoWriMo as inspiration to try and complete most, If not all, of my fics I currently have started here and on . So hopefully updates will be coming far more regularly. I'm mostly telling you this so you will hold me accountable for updates! XD Here's to hoping life doesn't get in the way!

Best wishes and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

CHAPTER 4

Bilbo was startled awake by the sound of voices right over his head intermixed with a low groan from the body he was currently curled up against. Jerking into a seated position, he struggled to straighten his muddled thoughts.

Overhead he could hear whispers and shouts of what he eventually placed as the black speech of the orcs. They seemed to be setting up camp on the roof of the cave directly above where Bilbo and Thorin currently lay.

Thoughts racing, Bilbo looked to Thorin, who was thrashing to and fro, caught in the grip of a feverish night terror. Bilbo brushed a light hand along the uninjured side of Thorin's face in comfort, only to pull back in shock at the heat radiating off the injured king.

The hobbits soft touch obviously startled the panicked king, because as soon as Bilbo had pulled back, Thorin cried out "BILBO! NO!"

Not knowing how to calm the Dwarf down and with the knowledge that an orc party was currently setting up camp right above their heads, Bilbo immediately slapped both of his hands over Thorin's mouth in an effort to stifle the noise. Leaning close Bilbo whispered frantically in Thorin's ear. "I'm here! I'm right here Thorin! We are safe. But you must be quiet!"

It was as if his voice was laced with magic because as soon as Thorin heard him, the thrashing and cries stopped. Cautiously Bilbo lifted one of his hands from Thorin's Lips and used it to brush a few sweat soaked strands away from Thorin's eyes. His hand then came to rest on Thorin's cheek, thumb slowly caressing the skin there in a motion meant to sooth. He could feel Thorin calming beneath his touch, as he continued to whisper nonsense in his ear.

Not stopping his whispers, Bilbo spared a glance towards the dark shadows that blanketed the roof of their cave. He could still hear some noise from above but it had died down as the orcs settled for the night. Only some shuffles and a few growled words filtered down to Bilbo's ears and he breathed a soft sigh of relief.

Feeling slightly safer Bilbo risked removing his other hand from Thorin's lips and moved it to cup the other side of Thorin's face. Thorin's fever remained alarmingly high but it seemed to be holding steady instead of continuing to rise which was a good sign. It still remained too high for Bilbo's liking and he had to lower it somehow.

Bilbo glanced down at Thorin's unconscious form before pulling his hands away to wet a rag for the fever. Just as his hands left Thorin's face, the dwarf King's eyes flew open and one of his hands flew up to lightly grasp Bilbo's wrist and keep his hand in place.

Bilbo stilled, stifling a gasp at the suddenness of the action, and he placed his free hand once again against Thorin's cheek. Thorin's eyes were wide but unseeing, the fever still holding him in its grasp.

"Thorin, it's me. I'm here." Soothed Bilbo, his thumb stroking half circled along Thorin's cheek. "You're burning up, love" Continued Bilbo, using the same endearment his mother used to use when Bilbo himself was bed ridden with fever "I need to get some water to cool you down."

Gazing down at his charge, Bilbo knew that Thorin was struggling to stay semi-conscious, as if he was afraid Bilbo would disappear if he closed his eyes.

"Rest, love." Whispered Bilbo, Thumbs still stroking calming patterns against his cheek "I'll be right here. I just need to get a rag. I'm worried about your fever." It took a few more seconds of coaxing before Bilbo was able to gently pull away and retrieve what was left of Thorin's shirt to use as a rag.

Dipping his makeshift rag in the trickle of water at the back of the cave, Bilbo hurried on quiet feet back to Thorin's side. He carefully laid the damp rag against the King's clammy forehead.

Thorin gave a soft sigh of relief at the contact of the cloth but it was apparent that he was still fighting to keep Bilbo in his sight. His eyes followed the Hobbit blearily as Bilbo tried to find any clean areas of Thorin's shirt to use as rags.

Finally Bilbo noticed this and he sighed at the stubbornness of Dwarves. He seated himself just above Thorin's head and managed to pull the dwarf king's head gently unto his lap. "Thorin, you need to rest. I'm not going anywhere, see? You're lying on top of me so you'll know if I move. Just let me protect you this once, love. Please?"

Thorin strained to try and meet Bilbo's eyes, and Bilbo leaned forward over his head to meet Thorin's bleary gaze. Thorin's brow was furrowed as if trying to decipher what had been said. Finally Thorin nodded his understanding and his eyes fell closed heavily as the fight to stay awake left him. Bilbo felt Thorin's body relax in sleep and the worry lines on his face smoothed as his breathe evened out.

Bilbo released a sigh of relief he hadn't known he was holding, as he continued to stroke and untangle the dwarf's hair gently as he slept.

They remained that way for the rest of the night. Bilbo continued to change the cool rags on Thorin's forehead and a couple he had managed to place on the Dwarf kings chest from his seated position. He also listened closely for any sound or movement from above, but besides the occasional shuffling change of the guard, it had remained blessedly silent.

As soon as dawn broke, that all changed. Shrieks and growls erupted with the rising of the sun as the orcs awoke to begin the hunt again. The sudden noise startled Thorin awake, but Bilbo was able to calm him back down with a softly placed hand and a few whispered words of comfort.

The next day passed uneventfully, with Bilbo continuing to care for the wounded Dwarf. He had managed to move Thorin's head from his lap to a pillow made of Bilbo's bundled up coat without alerting the King to the switch.

Thorin's fever broke by the end of the second day in their hidden cave, an event that made Bilbo infinitely grateful. He cleaned and changed Thorin's bandages twice in that time and with each passing hour Thorin began to regain some color and rest easier than he had done before. Bilbo was starting to grow anxious that the King had yet to awake, though.

Bilbo passed the time he wasn't worrying by gathering more edible plants near the mouth of the cave, ever wary of passing orc parties that still searched for the escaped prisoner. There hadn't been any other close calls like the previous night but there had been a few orc parties that passed close enough for Bilbo to worry. But each time they passed the mouth of their hiding place without so much as sparing a glance, for which Bilbo was grateful.

Bilbo spent that night and the night after sleeping curled up at Thorin's side in order to check his progress and keep an eye on his wounds in case his health took a turn for the worst.

Finally on the eve of the fourth night, while Bilbo was checking his bandages, Thorin stirred.

At first it just looked like he was shifting in his sleep, but as Bilbo watched the dwarf king cracked open first one eye and then after a minute the other. Thorin blinked once, twice, before letting out a low groan before opening his eyes fully to survey his surroundings, eyes clear and alert for the first time in 3 days.

Finally Thorin's eyes landed on the still form of the hobbit who had taken care of him.

"Bilbo."