Chapter 54. Sleeping Tight

Robin poked his head in the door. Seeing the Master awake and sitting up, the healer frowned and disappeared again. Berilac said, 'Too late, we're discovered. The party's over, I'm afraid.'

'Quick, pour me a brandy before he comes back,' Merry jested.

Pippin gave him a stern look. 'You're supposed to be sleeping, you know.'

'I'm not sleepy,' Merry countered. At his cousin's raised eyebrow, he insisted. 'I'm not! A little tired, perhaps, but I don't think I could close my eyes.'

'Try,' Pippin said dryly. 'You might surprise yourself.'

Merry looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. 'This isn't even my bed,' he argued, and started to swing his legs out from under the covers.

Pippin intercepted him. 'Stop,' he ordered. 'This is where we put you, and this is where you'll stay for the nonce. Estella's already asleep, and you don't need to wake her.' As Merry opened his mouth to protest, Pippin held up a quelling hand. 'And Jewel's asleep as well, in all likelihood, so you might as well not disturb the old pony, either.'

'I--' Merry began.

'Stay in the bed!' Pippin said, his tone brooking no contradiction.

'That's a fine thing, coming from you,' Merry answered in exasperation.

'Hah!' Pippin said. 'Have a little respect for your Thain.' Merry snorted.

'Stay still,' Berilac put in unexpectedly. 'All that moving around you're doing is jarring my legs.' The Master shot him a questioning look. Berilac held out his glass to Elberic. 'A bit more, lad. It dulls the pain nicely.' Elberic complied, then freshened the Thain's and Mayor's glasses for good measure. The decanter was getting low, perhaps a glassful remained.

'All right,' Merry said, 'I'll stay in the bed, long enough to drink a glass of brandy, anyhow.' Pippin nodded to Elberic, who did the honours, emptying the decanter, the others saw to their regret. Merry sipped, and Pippin and Sam resumed their seats.

'You don't have to dance attendance on me,' Merry said.

'O yes,' the Mayor said. 'The healer told us to sit on you if you tried to get up, and you know how well Mr Frodo trained me to follow orders.' Merry muttered something under his breath and Samwise smiled.

Berilac yawned, which of course was contagious; everyone else in the room followed suit, except for the Master who determinedly stifled his yawn, covering it by taking another sip from his glass. 'You're all tired,' he said. 'Why don't you go to bed yourselves? I'm fine.'

'Of course you're fine,' Pippin said acidly. 'That's why we had to carry you here in the first place.' Merry had no answer to that, so he kept sipping his brandy in silence. About halfway through the glass, his hand began to tremble. Sam quietly took the glass from him, rearranged the pillows so that he was again lying down on the bed, and within a few breaths Merry was snoring softly.

Faramir came in just then, stopping short to see the Master in his father's bed and the Mayor and Thain sitting bedside watch. Pippin put a finger to his lips, then pointed towards the other room. Faramir nodded and took himself off to his own bed, figuring there would be time for explanations in the morning.

The healer returned with a covered cup in hand. He nodded in satisfaction to see the Master asleep. 'Here,' he whispered, holding up the cup, then setting it on the table by the bed. 'If he wakens again, make him drink it all. It'll help him to sleep the rest of the night.'

'How is Estella?' Pippin whispered back.

'She's fine,' Robin said softly. 'When she heard her husband was sleeping, that was all the news she needed to hear to rest well herself.' He looked at them. 'Meeting over?'

'For the nonce,' Pippin answered.

'Then get some rest yourselves,' Robin said. 'No use everybody getting tired all at once. Who'll sit on the Master on the morrow if all of you are worn out?'

'Don't you worry about us,' the Mayor said. 'We're just finishing our brandy; wouldn't want it to go to waste. Then we'll take turns watching.'

'You do that,' the healer nodded. Tapping the covered cup, he said, 'Remember to give him this if he wakes.'

Pippin smiled, having drunk enough herbal concoctions himself to last him a lifetime. It would be nice to see someone else choking the stuff down instead. 'It'll be my pleasure,' he said. 'Good night.'