The Road to Middle-Earth
A fanfiction by MushrooomsPTook
Disclaimer: I own nothing. You might as well say it owns me!
Chapter Twelve: Questions
I opened my eyes and quickly shut them again, clapping my hands over them in an effort to block out the stream of light that entered the window, and to also keep my head from spinning. I groaned agonizingly, for my head was swimming with a tremendous headache and I felt that if I moved, I would be nauseous. I felt the sharp stabbing pain in my neck and could feel the soreness in my shoulders, and I wondered what I was doing on the floor. I had a horrible feeling that I made a mistake last night, and that I behaved very foolishly. I rolled onto my side, wishing more and more to go back to sleep and kill the pain. I very slowly and cautiously forced myself to my feet, and a wave of nausea nearly winded me. I would have to make a run for it if I wanted to spare myself a horrid mess. I didn't wait to say "good morning" to anyone (there wasn't anything good about it anyway), and I rushed out the door, down the hall and to the washroom. I allowed myself to spill out the contents of my stomach as soon as I was standing over a washbasin. Thankfully, the nausea seemed to have passed, but the headache was still there and had gotten worse after vomiting.
I walked slowly back to my room and sank to the floor after closing the door. I felt awful, but not from the headache. I had a feeling I needed to apologize to so many people for something I did. Just then I heard a knock and made myself get up to answer it. It was Bert. He had a tray of food in his hands and he looked at me grimly. I blushed immensely as my mind filled in all the blanks. He set the tray of food on the table in the corner of the room and from it, picked up a cup of coffee and handed it to me without a word. I accepted it with a sheepish smile.
"Um, Bert," I started quietly. "Look. I really screwed up last night. I don't know what I was thinking, and if you'd like us to leave, well, I can't say I would really blame you."
Bert's frown faded away quickly and he waved his hand at my apology. "Oh, well, things happ'n, I suppose. Like I said last night, I don't pretend ta know anything, not that I want to, but ya really should be a bit more careful. I can't afford ta have such reckless behavior—and, well—neither can you." He glanced at Alice, whose back was turned to us in sleep.
I nodded. "I understand. But I really am sorry, and I felt I had to get it off my chest."
"Well, I appr'ciate ya doin' that, Miss Alayna." Bert smiled before directing my attention to the tray. "I brought ya some pancakes 'n bacon this mornin'. I reckon they do good after nights like the one ye had last night."
I smiled at the gesture. "Thank you, Bert. And thank you for the coffee." Bert nodded before taking his leave. I shook Tom and Charming awake and put a little food on a small plate for Tom. He scooted over to the edge of the bed and let his feet dangle before I handed it to him. I went over to Alice next and shook her awake. It was a moment or two before she unraveled from her bed. When I saw her face, my mouth gaped. First, because I remembered what had happened last night, and I felt terrible about the situation. And second, because there was no color in her cheeks and her eyes looked foggy.
"Alice, dear, what's going on?"
Alice sniffled. "I don't feel good, Alayna."
"I can see that." I stretched out my hand to feel her forehead and frowned. She was burning up. "Looks like you're getting sick. Or you might just say you are sick. Do you want something to eat?"
"Not hungry."
"Well, we'll get you taken care of quickly. Let me take care of Tom's feet first and then I'll give you a bath and tuck you into bed." Alice nodded, closing her eyes, and laid back down and moaned. I would have to hold off eating until I saw to Alice. I took away Tom's plate without a word and forced him to put his feet up so that I could nurse them.
"Hey, I was eatin'!"
"I'll let you get back to your food soon, but Alice is sick and needs my attention. So please, Tom, don't fuss. Not now." Tom relented, but his eyes stayed focused on his plate.
"What's wrong, Alice?" asked Charming. He gobbled up a bit of bread specifically for him, and waddled over to Alice's bed. He momentarily got himself up and snuggled close to her side, gazing at her with ugly but concerned eyes.
"Sick," was all she managed to say, and started whimpering. My heart broke for her as I wrapped Tom's feet rather badly; her cries had heightened my level of anxiety and I felt a type of motherly instinct overpower me. As soon as I finished replacing Tom's bandages, I didn't bother handing him back his plate. I sped over to Alice and scooped her up, holding her close to me. I kissed her head and whispered comforting nonsense into her ear before I announced to the others that we would be back shortly. I bent down to get some fresh clothes in between my fingers, and we were out the door.
Alice's whimpers did not cease. If anything they got worse, and I felt the child tremble in my arms. I was no longer concerned, but worried. I filled up a large washbasin with luke-warm water and let it fill most of the way before stripping Alice of her clothes and setting her gently in. Fortunately, her cries were dying down to occasional sniffs, but she was still trembling, although not as badly. I cupped my hands full of the basin's water and gently poured it over the parts of Alice that weren't submerged. I rubbed her back and her shoulders and massaged her head, doing all the things my mother had done for me whenever I had gotten sick.
After the trembling had subsided and things were, what I felt, under control, I lifted Alice gently out of the tub and gave her a good rub down until she was dry. I dressed her in fresh clothes and whispered for her to wait until I had dumped the water out. Alice nodded and stood, though her eyes were closed and her posture was wavering a bit, so I hurried to empty out the basin. I heard a small thump from behind me and turned around, expecting to see a spare towel fall from the sink. But what I saw made my heart leap into panic. Alice had slumped to the floor and she was shaking uncontrollably. I abandoned the basin and held her in my arms, crying out to her.
"Help!" I screamed. "Help, someone! We need a doctor!"
By the time the doctor arrived, I was terrified and seemed to have no idea what to do. I had gotten Alice into bed and pushed Tom off his own so that I could throw his comforter on top of Alice. I didn't care that Tom was standing on his feet, leaning over to see the sight that had raised the hairs on my neck. He seemed as worried as I was and Charming was trying to keep her warm by cuddling her with his feathers.
When the doctor came in through the door, accompanied by a concerned Bert, he first ordered Tom to get off his feet and next, pried my fingers from Alice's hand, ushering me to step aside. He shooed Charming away and I found that I could not help but hug the surprised duck tightly to my chest. I waited in anticipation as the doctor went to work, opening her eyes and shining a flashlight into them. He listened to her heartbeat, her breathing, and asked me several questions, which I seemed to have only stupid answers for.
"How are you doing, sweetheart?" William asked Alice.
"B-Bad."
"I'm 'fraid yer right, little one. Can ya tell me how ya feel? Does yer tummy hurt?"
Alice nodded. "I feel c-cold and my head hurts and my throat hurts. A-And I'm really cold—" Alice paused to lean over the side of the bed and she vomited. Bert rushed out the door, I guessed to get some cleaning supplies. "Am I g-going to die?" I felt my heart catch in my throat and I stiffened.
"No sweetheart!" William replied hastily. "But I want ya ta drink this stuff for me. It'll make ya feel better. Can ya do that?" Alice nodded and William helped her to drink a glass of a sort of pink liquid. "That's a good girl." William looked at me. "It looks like the flu, but I can't tell for sure. She has too many symptoms that ya don't see very often when treatin' the common flu."
"What kind of symptoms?" I asked warily.
"Her eyes are hazy and her tongue is swollen and has colorless patches on it." The doctor pointed his flashlight in these areas and I felt my eyes water at the sight. "Has she had diarrhea or wet the bed recently?"
"Um, I—yes, well, last night."
"She had some diarrhea," Bert interrupted, as he walked back in the room, carrying a small basin and some towels. He set the empty basin by Alice's bed.
The doctor nodded and fixed his gaze upon Alice again. "Well, even if it isn't the flu, I want you and the boy to move to a separate room, just in case."
"And leave Alice all by herself?"
"I'll have a nurse come by every hour. You can visit her durin' the day, but yer both vulnerable most at sleep."
"I-I'll be happy to check up on her too," Bert interjected.
"I can stay with her," offered Charming. The doctor looked at him with uncertainty, so the duck hastily went on. "You said 'both', Doctor. That didn't include me."
William scratched his neck thoughtfully. "All right, I suppose it wouldn't hurt." I found myself hugging Charming tighter. "But yer to be washed ev'ry day. This child don't need to be catchin' anything...unnatural. In the meantime, I'll give ya the rest of this medicine. See to it that she gets a dose every other hour and her sheets are changed regularly. Ya might take a cool towel and run it over her body to help the fever lessen, and giving her a bath ev'ry few hours will also help. I'll be back in the mornin' to check up on ya and see how things are comin'. But you can reach me anytime, ya know." William picked up his bag and headed to the door. Just before he stepped out though, he looked at Tom warningly. "Stay off of them feet, 'r I'll have ya shackled to yer bed."
After he'd gone, Bert helped me to get Alice into some fresh sheets. I ran a warm, damp towel first over her belly, then turning her slightly so I could get her back. I rubbed it in small, soothing circles and ran my hand through her brown hair. She was sleeping now, and I felt more at ease.
Bert, in the meantime, made himself busy and was moving our things to another room—one right across the hall—and brought in extra sheets and clothes small enough for Alice. I stayed by her side the whole day, making sure to follow the doctor's orders to a tea, and a female nurse came by to assist me when the time for baths came. Tom stayed with me until after dinner, when evening came, and I carried him across the hall into a wonderfully prepared room. I applied the evening dose of salve to his feet and changed his bandages. Neither of us said a word. I went back to Alice's room, finding Charming nuzzled into her neck. She was breathing deeply now and in a relaxed state of sleep. I sat down in a chair next to her and laid my head on her hot hand.
1The room was quiet, except for the occasional and short passing statement from one person to the other. There was an exciting but nervous energy that had filled the corners of the bright-lit room, and the anticipation of what was to come was altogether chilling. We'd been sitting there for four hours now, my aunt, uncle, and me. Also there were other people who I did not recognize, sitting across from me, a couple of them glanced at their watches nervously, while others twiddled their thumbs in silence.
Finally, the door opened and a woman came out, dressed in blue scrubs and a white mask. My aunt and uncle grasped each others hands in excitement as the woman made eye contact with them and another couple sitting close by.
"Everything's fine. You may come in now," she said, and I could tell she was smiling. My aunt clasped my shoulder as they passed to enter the room that contained what we were all here for. Minutes went by, but I felt like it had been hours. For immediate family members were only allowed at the time, so it was nearly an hour later when I went in.
My cousin, James, was waiting with a wide smile as I entered and I hugged him tightly in a silent congratulation. I could hear the beeping of the heart monitor and saw all the various medical equipment. I was tickled with excitement as I caught sight of Rachel, who bore the same facial expression as James, for in her arms she held a little bundle of pink blankets. She beckoned me over with an eager nod and James gave me a light push, so that I was staring down into the face of a gorgeous baby girl. Her cheeks were rosy as she slept and I felt sudden tears swell up as I realized how tiny she really was. Her tongue was sticking out just the slightest.
"Would you like to hold her?" Rachel asked me.
"Uh—hold her?" I hadn't held many babies in my short lifetime, but whenever I did, they would go into a fit and squirm uncomfortably. This parcel was especially precious and I was afraid this would go badly.
"Don't be afraid," said James behind me, as if having read my thoughts. I opened my arms nervously as Rachel gently handed over the burden. My heart was beating out of my chest frantically as I adjusted to the added weight on my arms, and I suddenly felt a new sensation enter me, one of joy and pride. This was my new baby cousin. Mine. The corners of the baby's mouth turned upward and I mimicked her own, grinning ear to ear.
"She likes you," Rachel whispered.
"What's her name?" I asked quietly, still looking deeply into my cousin's round face.
"Alison Jane Porter. But we'll call her Alice for short."
"Alice..." I whispered. "She's so beautiful."
I caressed the baby's soft face with the back of my forefinger. Her nose was so tiny in comparison, and I froze when a little, chubby hand instinctively rose to clasp my finger. I giggled at the sudden contact, but allowed the baby to grope her new discovery. After a few minutes, as expected, the baby let go and began to whimper for her mommy. I kissed the head briefly before handing the precious package back to her mother.
"She's too perfect," I said, still gazing into the face of my cousin.
"Oh no," retorted Rachel. "She already takes after her father. Listen."
I heard a soft little buzzing noise coming from the baby and James let out a giggle. Alice was snoring.
"Well, that can be corrected," I replied with a wink.
"Alayna." I felt a hand shake my shoulder as if someone was telling me it was time to let the couple be. "Alayna, wake up." I looked back in annoyance, wondering who was calling my name.
"Alayna...Alayna, wake up." I opened my eyes sleepily. The room had gone quite dark. "Ye'd best be gettin' off to bed. It's late."
"No..." I forced myself to sit up. "No, Bert. I'm staying here."
"But the doctor—William said—"
"I don't give a damn what he said," I replied firmly. "I'm staying here, Bert, and if you know what's good for you, you won't harp on it."
Bert removed his hand from my shoulder after a hesitation. "All right, Alayna. I'll let ya be." He snuck out the door quietly, and I turned back to my burden. The moon was coming into the window so that it shone on her sleeping form. As I gazed at her, I caught a momentary sight of a vulnerable little baby, bundled in pink blankets, my baby cousin.
Next chapter – Flu or something worse? More comfort/hurt/healy stuff ahead! I have most of the chapter mapped out, so it shouldn't take but a day or so to update. In the meantime, R&R!
CabtinAdaHook – I'm afraid not. :( I like the idea of making my readers go crazy with anticipation before we (if we do at all) reach Middle-Earth. ;)
mwang – will do!
Seafarer – As per your first question, no, there is no other Tom in town. The three names refer to the trolls of Roast Mutton, chapter 2 of The Hobbit. I only decided to come up with their names as just a special treat. I try to give you little snippets of The Hobbit and LotR whenever I can. I figure I might as well do something nice while we're all waiting patiently for the journey to end. And as far as Pecos Bill is concerned, you know about as much as I know. Therefore, we can all give thanks to improvisation...well, and Wikipedia. Oh, and you can find the little snippet of Frodo and Gandalf in Chapter 9.
Calemireth – Yes, I think we are all pitying Alice right now. ;) But we shouldn't be too hard on Alayna. You can imagine how she must feel right now.
1Soundtrack Far and Away (John Williams), "The Reunion"