A/N: I bet you guys are ready for this chapter. :) I'm watching it snow right now had the sudden urge to make it snow on Aragorn and Legolas. But I didn't because that would just be mean. Oh, and disclaimer, I am no doctor. I have no clue if any of this is true, though I did a little bit of research. Do not try this at home ;)

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter Twelve

"Legolas, I need you to listen to me." Aragorn commanded, placing a hand against the elf's clammy check and forcing him to look up at him. "You need to tell exactly how you feel. No lying, no excuses or diminishing the truth." When the prince nodded wearily, his gaze meeting the human's with fearful, glazed eyes, Aragorn went back to cutting the tunics, listening carefully to the elven words as he worked.

"I —the pain —much worse…" Legolas mumbled, every word punctuate by a small, sharp, intake of breath. Aragorn frowned, opening to his mouth to ask for a clarification when he froze, a look of horror and utter panic flashing across his face before he could stop it.

After finishing ripping away Legolas' tunics, he had bared the elf's chest only to find that the left side was molted with one large, dark, bruise that stretched its dark tendrils down his side and around his back. This was only part of what shocked the ranger, though. What did was the fact that this was not a normal bruise, oh no, these where the bruises that appeared when someone's blood flowed freely on the inside instead of the outside…Legolas was bleeding internally.

Legolas caught sight of the look Aragorn was giving him through foggy vision and blanched

"What —what is it?" he asked, working up the effort to push himself into a more upright position against the rough bark of the tree. Aragorn pressed him firmly back down.

"Stay where you are at." He ordered, his own face quite pale in the early morning light. Legolas had no strength to resist and lay limply where he was, eyes now closed.

Aragorn stared at the elf's chest, visually evaluating the problem as he bit his lower lip hard to stop the light trembling. Never before had it been required of him to heal such a wound, though he knew the theory. It was not at all a comforting thought, not when the life of his best friend was hanging on the line. If he couldn't stop the bleeding then it would be the same as if Legolas had his throat slit.

Plucking up his courage, Aragorn let his true nature as a healer come forth and take control.

"Can you feel the wind on your face? The earth against your flesh?" Aragorn asked in a soothing tone, trying to distract the woodland being form his actions while slowly lowering his hands towards the elf's rib cage, needing to know where the damage lay.

Pressing his hands against the ribs, he swore as a muted scream was torn from Legolas' lungs, though the elf stifled it by cramming his shaking fist into his mouth. The human persisted, his hands carefully feeling along each of Legolas' ribs, waiting for find something out of order, something wrong.

Finally he found it. Legolas' last rib on the left side was twisted funny, not lying correctly with the layout of the rig cage as it abruptly vanished. This was not good all around because either the rib had broken off completely or was barely attached.

Sitting back, the man rubbed his eyes tiredly with the palms of his hands. What was he going to do? This was serious, very serious, and he just didn't have the correct herbs or tools to fix this here in the wilderness. Swallowing ragged he pushed his palms in harder so that bright spots appeared in front of his closed lids and pulled in a deep breath.

Reopening his eyes, he gave Legolas a faint smile. The elf looked dully up at him, his eyes watering from the pain as he pulled his bloody fist form his mouth. He had bitten down hard enough in his agony to draw blood.

"What is wrong with me?" Legolas asked, coughing as his sentences ended. Aragorn's frown deepened as another danger was reminded to him. Legolas could have easily had his lung pierced which would most assuredly cause death by suffocation

"Shock. You're in shock." He whispered, half-telling the truth. Legolas had indeed entered into shock from blood loss. Bending down he placed his ear against the prince's chest and tried to drown out the frantic pounding of his own heart. After several seconds had past he raised his head, a soft smile on his lips that Legolas' didn't have the energy to interrupt.

Aragorn could hear nothing wrong with his friend's lungs and that in of itself was such a testament that Legolas odds had been shifted towards life that Aragorn felt renewed and assured.

"'Why I'm in shock?" Legolas slurred suddenly, breaking the man's concentration.

"Because…" Aragorn answered gently, unclasping his own cloak and wrapping it around Legolas' trembling form, tucking the edges in firmly around the lithe being. "I'm going to carry you, alright, and we are going to make it back to camp, where I have more supplies." He explained as he worked.

Tenderly he lifted the prince into his arms, with the prince's head on his shoulder, and began to walk hurriedly uphill and through the trees, his movements brisk and rushed. Glancing down and away from the path for a moment, the man was horrified to see the efl's eyes slipping close.

"Talk to me." He ordered the elf, jostling Legolas rough enough that the prince gave a low cry, his pale, slim, hand coming to clutch at the man's tunic so that the material bunched up in his hand.

"What about…" he breathed out, forcing Aragorn to inclined his head somewhat to catch his words.

"Anything."

"Anything?" the elf murmured back, a feeble smile flitting across his face. Aragorn smiled back, his breathing become more ragged as the path grew more difficult.

"You can talk about nature, your horse, Mirkwood. You can talk about anything you so wish as long as it keeps you awake. For crying out loud, you can insult me!" He replied, vaguely thinking that he was never going to live down the mocking that would come if —when— the prince recovered.

Gently he nudged the elf with his shoulder, indicating that he better start talking. Legolas heaved a sigh, which he instantly regretted as pain spike through his chest, but began to talk. His words where halting and slow, escaping his lips between sharp, labored intakes of air.

In fact, the amount of air he was taking in equaled or excelled that of Aragorn's, who was the one doing all the work. Sweat beaded both of their brows, but neither took notice. All that mattered to Aragorn was that his friend's soft words continued to drift to his ears, assuring him that he was both awake and alive.

It wasn't long; however, before the ever weakening voice faded rapidly with long pauses in-between words until at last, it faded all together. Legolas' head tipped sideways at an awkward angle, lolling sickening with ever leap and bout that the ranger took, and Aragorn felt fear squeeze his heart so forcefully that it physically hurt. They had run out of time. Death was on the horizon unless Aragorn was able to do something, and do it soon.

Crashing through the trees, Aragorn briefly paused, gaining his bearings , before taking off again. Legolas felt like dead weight in his arms….

At last, after what seemed to be ages, the human stumbled into their old camp. Most of their belongings remained scattered about where they had been left and a black circle in the middle of the clearing indicated where their fire had been. Aragorn's bed roll remained out not far from the long dead fire and that was where the human laid an ashen faced Legolas.

"Don't you dare leave me, Legolas Greenleaf." He implored as he got to his feet, rushing around lighting the fire and gathering his herbs.

When all ready, Aragorn knelt next to his friend, his heart pounding against his ribs hard enough that he thought it might burst. This was a tricky operation and one he only knew the theory of; he hadn't even seen his father perform it. He had to get his right and he only had one chance.

Baring Legolas' chest, Aragorn lowered his thankfully steady hand to the skin, a razor sharp knife in his fist. Locating the lowest left rib, he made the first incision.

THEWORTHOFAFRIEND

Aragorn slowly took a deep drought of smoke, allowing it to pass through his teeth absent mindedly. His gaze was unfocused, but directed at the beautiful, baby blue sky that was free of any clouds. The man's mind attention was obviously fixated on the hand not holding his pipe, the one resting protectively on a still unconscious Legolas' shoulder.

The ranger had worked on the elf for over two hours. Pain-staking he had had pulled the broken rib out of the organ it had punctured, luckily not a vital one, and placed it back where it belonged before stitching the organ back together as best as he could. He had left the several incisions he had made open, just in case he was forced to go back in. But it had all been worth it.

Legolas still breathed and his heart continued to pump blood though his body, even if both actions where labored and too fast. His skin had yet to return to a even relatively normal color, either a ashen gray or the dark purples and blacks of bruises.

A flock of birds suddenly erupted from a nearby tree and startled Aragorn, causing him to drop and pipe. Jumping to his feet the man swore softly, brushing the soot of his pants and truly gazing around for the first time since he had sat down.

Legolas didn't stir and Aragorn sighed, sitting himself down once more after feeding the fire with a few more sticks. Rubbing his eyes tiredly he yawned. It had been hours since he had slept and the effects where beginning to hit him.

Laying a hand on Legolas' shoulder once more he laid down, finally allowing himself some much earned rest. He would know if the elf's condition changed.

TBC...

Well, that wasn't a cliffe, arn't you proud of me! I swear that if I had a dollor for every time I left you guys with a cliffe that I would have enough money to go to New Zealand. :)

Review Replies:

Nameless: Haha, I think I managed to wind you up enough so that you don't reallly know what really is happening. :) I am kind of evil to do that to you...at leat this time it didn't end in a cliffie! Thanks!

Something: Thanks! haha, that sounds exactly like what I would be doing at a game, reading ff or a book. II'm glad that you are enjoying the story and hope that you will contuine to do so! (It looks like Legolas will survive, but with fanfictions, you sometimes just never know..:) Thanks again!