Chapter Eight - Between Friends

Merry’s eyes snapped open. Something woke him--perhaps a noise? He knew he couldn’t have been sleeping for too long. He rubbed his eyes; they were just as tired and heavy as before he fell asleep. He looked over to where his aunt was sitting. Only a single candle lighted the room, but he could see she sat in her own chair asleep with a blanket covering her. Her knitting bag sat on the floor next to her feet.

“Merry!” A hoarse whisper came from the direction of the bed. Merry knew Pippin’s whisper.

In two heartbeats Merry quietly rose to his feet and was beside his cousin, “What is it? Are you feeling any better?” He felt Pippin’s forehead.

“I’m thirsty,” Pippin rubbed his throat with his hand.

“Half a moment,” Merry whispered back, then leaned over towards the bedside table where the pitcher of water sat. He filled the empty glass almost to the brim and then held it to Pippin’s lips as he drank nearly the whole glass. “More?”

Pippin shook his head as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, “Why are you here?”

“What do you mean?”

Pippin answered, “I thought you had important responsibilities to tend to.”

Events of the past day ran through Merry’s mind. He replied, “You are my important responsibility.” He lay on the bed next to Pippin so they could hear each other’s whispers better. He didn’t want to wake his aunt unnecessarily. “How did you know that I had responsibilities to attend to?”

“I heard you and Frodo talking about it.” Then realizing he gave himself away at feigning sleep again he quickly added, “It was the night I got awfully sick.”

Merry’s eyes narrowed and he smirked at his best friend’s constant cunning, “You mean you were eavesdropping again--weren’t you?”

Pippin felt too weak to dance around the issue, “Yes. I’m sorry, Merry. I can’t help myself sometimes! Everyone talks as if I don’t understand--but I do, Merry. I‘ve always understood things.”

“Well, then I’m sorry, too.”

Pippin’s brow crinkled. “Why?”

“First, I shall do better at including you in mine and Frodo’s conversations. But the night before last, your dad sent you to bed early, so I didn’t know to include you then anyway. Did that make sense?”

“Perfect sense, Mer. I shall try to avoid eavesdropping on your conversations--as long as I’m included.” He smiled, “But you said first; what’s the second?”

Merry’s smile went away. He let out a deep breath, “I failed in my duties today, Pip.”

Pippin saw the earnestness his friend’s face. He put his arm around Merry, “I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Was it bad?”

Merry nodded, “I failed you....and my dad.”

Pippin blinked in surprise at his cousin’s words. “You’re my best friend, Merry,” Pippin shook his head, “you could never fail me.”

“But I did, Pippin, and you nearly died because if it.” Merry fought back his tears, “Some best friend I turned out to be.” He looked on his cousin with sorrowful eyes, “I didn’t look in on you and Auntie like I was supposed to, so she left for a bit and that’s when your fever climbed. If I were here sitting with you like I was supposed to, none of that would have happened. And then little Salvia was just as sick....but she...she...” Merry was losing the battle with his tears.

Pippin watched the terrible anguish pouring from Merry’s heart, “What happened?”

Merry swallowed the rising lump in his throat, “She died.”

“That’s terrible,” Pippin was sorrowful, then added, “but sad as it is, her death wasn’t your fault. No more your fault than my being sick was. You can’t stop death, Merry, and my illness you couldn’t control any more than my mother could. I hate to admit it, but I should have listened to my father and stayed home.”

But it was my responsibility to be here, and I wasn’t, Merry thought. He placed his hand on Pippin’s forehead again, “You’re still a bit warm and here I am talking your head off.” He got up and tucked the covers around Pippin and said softly, “Go to sleep.”

“All right, but did you hear what I said?”

“Yes, I heard,” Merry replied. “Go to sleep. I need to go out for a bit.”

“Merry?”

“What?”

“Thanks.”