Sections in italics are taken directly from The Return of the King, Book VI, Chapter IX, “The Grey Havens”

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CHAPTER 12

Mistress Lavender was not in the room they were using. She must have gone to see to some of their other patients. Since they had so few right now, Diamond soon located the healer as she was leaving the servant’s quarters. Her mistress was in a mood of amused irritation.

“Why are males so loathe to take good medical advice? After all these years, I should be used to it by now!” It seemed that the undergardener had taken himself out of bed and attempted to return to work without saying anything to anyone, including the head gardener. Of course his back had locked up on him, and the other servants had needed to carry him back to his bed. Now he was right back where he had started from, and looking at another week in bed.

Diamond nodded. She’d seen some of that male stubbornness herself, though her experience was not as wide as that of her mistress. She drew herself up to speak. She was not looking forward to giving her mistress this particular piece of information.

“Mistress Lavender?”

“Yes, child?”

“I need to talk to you about Pippin.”

The healer looked at her apprentice apprehensively. Perhaps she had made the wrong decision to throw them together in the hopes that Diamond would come to her senses. Was she about to lose her most promising apprentice? “What about him?”

“I am afraid that he is angry with you.”

Lavender’s eyes widened. That was the last thing she expected Diamond to say. “Angry with me?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Diamond hesitated, and then continued. “I am afraid I let it slip that you had spoken to Frodo and Samwise yesterday. He was very upset about that--he thought that it would distress his cousin and his friend to have to speak of their time away, and that you should have spoken to him directly. He seems very protective of them. I am afraid he thought your questioning was due more to curiosity than the need for medical information.”

The healer sighed. It was quite possible he was correct. At the time she had not thought so, but she had to admit to herself that she was mightily curious about Frodo Baggins. Perhaps her own motives had not been so benign as she thought them. “I will speak to him, then, and apologize if necessary.”

Diamond nodded. “Mistress, do you recall telling me about bonds of friendship? You explained them to me when we were treating Fredegar Bolger.”

“Yes, dear, I remember.”

“These four, the Travellers, they seem to have such bonds; yet it seems more complex than that.”

“Yes, you are correct about that. But Mr. Peregrin was right to be angered, and I will doubtless be rebuked. His friends are not our concern except as they affect his recovery. So we will simply have to restrain our curiosity. Thank you for warning me.”

Diamond nodded, relieved. She had worried that her mistress would blame her for letting it slip that they had questioned Frodo and Sam. But she should have known better. Mistress Lavender was nothing if not fair.

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Eglantine and Paladin came to take tea with their son and their nephew.

Later on, after they left, Merry noticed Pippin scratching his arms, and moving restlessly.

“Would you like me to give you a bed bath, Pip?”

Pippin’s face lit up, but then he shook his head as he said “I don’t want to be any trouble to you Merry. You had enough of that kind of thing to do for me in the past.” For Pippin remembered how dutifully Merry had attended him when he had been injured after the Last Battle.

“If it were that much trouble I wouldn’t have suggested it, you silly goose! But I suppose I had better check and make sure that it’s all right with your healer.”

Lavender thought that it was an excellent idea and said so. “You seem to know your way around a sickroom, Mr. Meriadoc. I trust that you will be careful of his leg, and keep him warm.”

Merry nodded and returned to Pippin’s room. He heated some water in the kettle on the hearth and moved the washbasin from its place on the washstand to Pippin’s bedside table. He also brought over the soap, the flannel for washing and some clean towels. When the water was heated, he poured some into the basin, adding just enough cold water from the ewer to make sure it was not scalding. He drew down the covers and assisted his cousin to remove his nightshirt. Then he wet and soaped the flannel, and began by washing Pippin’s back.

“That feels wonderful, Merry, thank you!”

“I’ve given you enough baths in your lifetime! Some are more memorable than others. Do you remember the day the Dwarves came to visit Bilbo? You were coated head to toe in flour and honey, because Bilbo had allowed you to help him make honeycakes!”

Pippin smiled at the fond remembrance. “They were lovely honeycakes, too!”

“That they were!” Merry rinsed out the flannel, and then got the soap off his cousin’s back. Next, he turned his attention to the arms. “Bilbo made Frodo and I give you a bath and you nearly drowned us.”

Pippin chuckled. “I don’t know about ‘drowned’, cousin, but I do remember that lovely tea we had. But Bilbo always had a nice spread. He was a very good cook.”

“Yes, he was. Very nearly as good a cook as Sam.” Merry sighed. Sometimes he wished he could turn back time, to those days when Bilbo was still at Bag End, and he and Pippin would come to visit Frodo. Life was a lot simpler then.

Merry continued his gentle ministrations, and then toweled the younger hobbit dry and assisted him into his nightshirt.

“I feel ever so much better, Merry,” Pippin said. It was nice to be clean. They had of course cleaned him up when they brought him in, but it had been very superficial.

About that time, the supper tray arrived, along with Pervinca and Tanto. When they had finished eating, Merry left Pippin with his sister and brother-in-law long enough to take himself to the bathing room. He was feeling anxious again, and thought perhaps a bath might help him to relax.

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Sam and Rosie had spent a pleasant day in the company of the Gaffer, and his sister May and Sam’s little nieces and nephews. May had been thrilled at the news that not only were Sam and Rose expecting, but that Tom and Marigold were as well. They talked about the idea of double cousins. It was not a very common thing.

Yet at the back of his mind, Sam felt unsettled. He was not sure what was wrong, but something was.

While Rose and May cleaned up the dishes, Sam and the Gaffer went outside for a sniff of air and a pipe or two.

“Something’s worriting you, Sammy. I can tell.” The Gaffer looked at his son shrewdly.

“Not to say worriting, so much, like--as I don’t know what it is. It’s more a prickle at the back of my mind, like I’ve forgotten somewhat as is important.”

“Whatever ‘tis, it will come to you in time. If it don’t then it’s not important after all. Let it go.”

“I suppose.”

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The shout came from Pippin’s room and awakened the two healers immediately. They grabbed their dressing gowns and rushed across the hall.

Merry was weeping, and moaning “Frodo”, as Pippin clutched him, trying to soothe him.

“Merry, Merry, I’m here! I’m with you Merry!”

Pippin looked at the door as it opened. “Athelas! Quickly! His right arm is like ice!”

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Sam and Rosie headed back up the hill, hand in hand. As they neared Bag End, they noticed that the smial was totally dark.

Sam looked puzzled. There should have been a light from the study window at least. Mr. Frodo never went to bed this early. And even if he had, he would have lit the lantern by the front door, seeing as how they were out.

He entered the smial with Rosie behind, and then used his striker to light one of the candles they kept on the table by the front door. “Mr. Frodo?” he called softly.

He went into the study where Frodo was sitting in the dark, and found his master looking very strange. He was very pale, and his eyes seemed to see things far away. There was no reaction to Sam’s entering the room. Sam waved his hand in front of Frodo’s face and there was still no response.

Sam took his face in his hands. “What’s the matter, Mr. Frodo?” said Sam.

“I am wounded,” he answered. Frodo's voice was a croak, as though he could barely remember how to speak. “wounded. It will never really heal.”

Horrified, Sam touched his master’s left shoulder. Frodo flinched. Sam drew back his shirt to look at it. The skin was cold, the scar was livid.

“Rose!” called Sam, “I need you to make up some of that special athelas tea, right now!”

With a groan, he embraced his master. “Oh, Sam, you ninnyhammer! You knew as something was wrong! Why didn’t you listen to your heart?”

He rocked the unresponsive Frodo back and forth like a babe. “Oh Mr. Frodo, it’s going to be all right. I’m here now.”

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Diamond quickly lit the bedside lamp, and handed her mistress one of the precious leaves from the drawer. Lavender came over and examined Merry critically. “What is the matter with him?”

“I don’t know! This shouldn’t be happening now! He was injured in the spring--”

Merry was still moaning Frodo’s name. “Frodo, please be all right,” he whimpered. “Strider, is he going to be all right?”

Suddenly, Pippin looked even more alarmed. “What is the date?”

“The date? What has that to do with anything?” asked Lavender.

“It is the sixth, Pippin, the sixth of Winterfilth.” replied Diamond.

Pippin paled, and breathed out “Oh, no, Frodo--” he whispered, “Weathertop!”

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