Drogo and Bilbo returned to the smial shortly after they left. Both
tried to put on a brave face so that Frodo wouldn't wonder what was wrong
until after dinner. However as they all sat down to eat, all three of the
older hobbits hadn't much of an appetite, and all three were too quiet
at the table.

Finally after fifteen minutes of quiet tension, Frodo excused himself
from the table, asking permission to go outside a little while. However
before permission was given, Drogo knew that it was time to tell his son
what the healer had said.

At first it seemed as though Frodo didn't understand what his father
was saying and then Drogo saw the words clearly sink into his son's mind.

"No, he's lying! The healer's lying!" Frodo cried.

Drogo laid a hand on the hobbit lad's shoulder, tears in his eyes. "No,
Frodo, he wasn't lying. He was telling the truth. I...am dying." Drogo
tried to pull Frodo into his arms as the boy wept angry tears but Frodo
pulled out of his grasp.

"He's lying! I hate him for lying!" he said, his voice a high-pitched
shrill. "I hate him!"

Before any of the adults could stop him, Frodo ran out of the door,
and he ran through the hallways of Brandy Hall. By the time he had reached
the outside he had nearly knocked over several adults and he caused Pansy
Brandybuck to fall over into a mud puddle at the front door.

Once he was outside, Frodo didn't stop running until he had ran all
the way to the banks of the Brandywine River. Collapsing to the ground,
he cried angry tears with sobs of anguish escaping every now and again
as he looked at the river's swiftly flowing waters.

Gazing up at the summer storm clouds that gathered there, Frodo wanted
to yell and to shake his fists at Eru for allowing his father to get sick...

~~*~~

I would like to take a moment and thank everyone who is reading this
story for their comments. I am enjoying writing this and I can't wait to
see how it turns out, not to mention I can't wait to see HOW long it's
going to be!

Again, thanks for taking the time to comment on my story and please
enjoy following chapter!

~~*~~

Twenty minutes later, as the summer storm drew closer Frodo. His tears
and anger had been spent for some minutes; numbness setting in as he sat
threw rocks into the river.

Suddenly a streak of lightening flashed across the sky and with it came
Longo Brandybuck from over the hill. He was running, fishing gear bouncing
in his arms as he hurried towards the safety of Brandy Hall. Longo came
to a halt when he saw Frodo sitting calmly by the river making no movements
to go home.

‘Frodo,’ Longo called as the wind began to blow hard, ‘Frodo, are you
just going to sit there like a lump on a log while the storm comes?’

Frodo only shrugged, not really caring what was going on around him.
Longo waited for Frodo to make some other kind of movement for a few seconds
and was rewarded with a loud clap of thunder for his concern for his cousin.

Finally shrugging himself, Longo said, ‘I’ll see you later, cousin.’
before he hurried inside the smial.

Frodo only continued to stare into the waters of the Brandywine as cold
summer rain began pouring down…

~~*~~

Primula stared worriedly at the door as they heard a clap of thunder
rumble above them. Frodo had been gone for sometime and all three hobbits
were worried about him, especially with the storm brewing. Finally after
the umpteenth clap of thunder, Drogo rose from where he sat, startling
Primula.

'I'm going to look for him,' Drogo said as he put on his coat.

Bilbo stood. 'I'm going with you.'

'No, uncle, you stay here. It's getting rather nasty outside,' Drogo
replied.

'Which is why I should go with you, my boy. If two of us search for
Frodo then we're more likely to-'

At that moment, the door to the smial opened and the three hobbits looked
expectantly at it. However a split second later, their hopes were dashed
as they saw that it wasn't Frodo but Longo who stood on the other side.

'Longo Brandybuck,' Primula began, 'What are you doing here? Have you
seen Frodo?'

The hobbit-lad nodded, 'Aye, I have. He's out by the river, ma'am. He
was sitting out there when I ran home to avoid the storm. I stopped to
ask him if he was gonna come inside because of how the storm was brewing
and he just shrugged. He never spoke a word to me. Miss Primula, is something
wrong?'

Drogo walked out of the door without another word, and Bilbo only looked
at Primula briefly to say; "We'll find him. I promise you, my dear, we
will.'

~~*~~

The bolt of lightening that seemed to get Frodo's attention finally
was the bolt that struck a tree nearby where he was sitting still by the
Brandywine. With a startled cry, Frodo got to his feet and started to run
as the rain continued to pelt stingingly against his face. He ran towards
Brady Hall or so he thought but wasn't 100% sure as the rain kept getting
into his eyes and it was menacingly dark outside.

A cry of pain escape Frodo's lips as he tripped over a fallen tree branch,
a huge mud puddle breaking his fall...

***

'FRODO!' Drogo yelled, his hands around his mouth.

Bilbo did the same, only he yelled, 'FRODO, WHERE ARE YOU LAD?'

Drogo jumped as when he heard the sound of a lightening striking a nearby
tree. Oh, Eru, help us to find my son, he thought
to himself. Please...

'FRODO!' Bilbo yelled again.

'Uncle?' a small, frightened voice replied above the howling wind.

Drogo joined in, 'KEEP TALKING, FRODO, SO WE CAN FIND YOU!'

'Daddy, I'm over here! I hurt my leg!' Frodo said, trying to keep from
crying.

Within seconds, Drogo and Bilbo appeared and Drogo knelt beside the
hobbit-lad, trying a look at Frodo's leg. He had torn his pants and there
was a fairly large cut on his leg but at the moment Drogo was more concerned
with getting them out of the storm. Frodo wrapped his arms around Drogo's
neck as he picked up his son.

'Let's get back inside!' Drogo said to Bilbo.

~~*~~

After he was comforted, bathed, fed - which all took a little over an
hour - Frodo was asleep in bed after he was promised a long talk with his
parents in the mornings about the news from earlier. At first the young
hobbit had trouble getting to sleep, as he was worried with things hobbit-lads
his age are not usually worried about and so Primula sat with him awhile,
holding him as she had when he was a baby, singing a soft lullaby in his
ear.

Slumber my darling, thy mother is near

Guarding thy dreams from all terror and fear.

Sunlight has past and the twilight has gone,

Slumber my darling, the night's coming on...

As she sang, Primula stroked his hair, silently thanking Eru that her
precious son had been found before something more serious than a scratch
could have happened to him.

Sweet visions attend thy sleep

Fondest, dearest to me,

While others their revels keep,

I will watch over thee.

Slumber my darling, the bards are at rest,

The wandering dews by the flowers are caressed,

Slumber my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,

And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.

Frodo slept peacefully by now in her arms, but Primula decided to finish
the last part of the song as she had always done since she began to sing
this lullaby to him...

Slumber my darling till morn's blushing ray

Brings to the world the glad tidings of day:

Fill the dark void with thy dreamy delight

Slumber, thy mother will guard thee tonight.

Thy pillow shall sacred be

From all outward alarms;

Thou, thou art the world to me

In thine innocent charms.

Slumber, my darling, the birds are at rest,

The wandering dews by the flowers are caressed;

Slumber, my darling, I'll wrap thee up warm,

And pray that the angels will shield thee from harm.

After she had laid him in bed, Primula pulled the blankets over Frodo,
kissing his brow as his father appeared to do the same. Quietly they left
the room, and after they had pulled the door closed, Primula collapsed
in her husband's arms.

'Oh, Drogo, we could have lost him today,' she whispered, tears falling
from her eyes.

'I know, I know.'

'I couldn't go on living if we'd lost him out there today.'

Tears were Drogo's eyes as he whispered in reply, 'I know, Prim. Neither
could I.'

***

They returned to the front part of the smial to find Bilbo seated by
the hearth, his pipe in his mouth. At Primula's insistence, he had gone
to his own rooms to take a hot bath and change clothes while they tended
to Frodo.

'Is he asleep?' the older hobbit asked they both sat down.

Drogo nodded, 'Yes.'

'Poor boy, so young to have to go through this,' Bilbo said.

'But it can't be helped now,' Drogo said.

'Have you told him about your decision to move to Bag End?'

'No, uncle, we decided to save that for the morning. Frodo's had too
many upsets for one day,' Primula said.

'Indeed, he has,' Bilbo agree standing, 'I am going to bed. Goodnight
to you both.' He gave Primula a kiss on her cheek even as Drogo stood to
hug him.

'Goodnight, Bilbo. Sleep well.'

***

Frodo awoke the next morning before first breakfast and he just laid
in bed, remembering what had happened the day before. During that time
he laid there, he decided that everything that had happened and everything
he had been told was just a horrible dream.

His father WAS NOT dying!

Yes, that was it! His father was fine and everything had happened in
a nightmare!

Smiling he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes just as his mother
opened the door to his room. 'Time to get up, sleepyhead! First breakfast
is almost ready and your father wants to talk to you.'

'All right, Mama.'

'Get dressed and come to the table.'

She closed the door and Frodo pushed back the quilt, halting when he
saw the bandage on his left leg. Touching the cloth, Frodo was puzzled
because he remembered hurting his leg in the dream. So what was this bandage
doing on his leg here, outside of his nightmare?

It shouldn't be here unless...

Unless it really wasn't a dream!

No!

Please no!

It had to be a dream!

Frodo sat there staring at the bandage until his room's door opened
again, and Primula popped her head in again.

'Frodo Baggins, I thought I told you to get dressed!' she said stepping
into the room. When he didn't respond she moved closer to the bed. 'Frodo?'

Tears pooled in his sea blue eyes as he looked up at his mother, 'It
wasn't a dream!' He hugged Primula's mid-section as the tears overflowed.
'It wasn't a dream!'

***

The Baggins spent the morning talking over the decision to leave Brandy
Hall and move to Bag End so that Drogo could spend his last days in the
peace and quiet. Frodo wasn't crazy about the idea of leaving the only
home he had ever known since he was a wee baby but he also didn't want
to cause his parents any distress over leaving either.

After much talking, the adults began to pack the pony-trap that would
take the belongings that Primula and Drogo wanted with them at Bag End
while Frodo was given permission to go say goodbye to his friends.

The Baggins would depart for Bag End in the morning...

***

Author's Note: The lullaby Primula sings above is called "Slumber
My Darling" by Foster as sung by Allison Krauss...