Chapter 28. Postponement

Pippin opened his eyes to find Sam sitting beside him. 'What are you doing here?' he asked. 'I thought you were off to Gondor.'

'I'm not leaving for a week yet,' Sam answered placidly.

'Don't you have some packing to do?'

'I travel light,' Sam said.

'So I've heard.' Pippin plucked ineffectually at the covers. Samwise pulled them up and smoothed them.

'Better?'

'Thanks. So what are you doing here?' Pippin repeated.

'I'll say this for you, you're persistent,' Sam said.

'It's a necessary quality for a Thain,' Pippin answered. 'Well? Do I have to ask again?'

'I spent hours slaving in the kitchen, you know,' Sam said half-seriously, 'and then I find you hadn't the courtesy to even taste my cookery.' When Pippin didn't answer, he went on, 'Don't worry, it didn't go to waste, I made Diamond eat it. She's looking a bit puny. Worried about her husband, I suspect.' He leaned forward. 'What happened?'

'O, I got sick, couldn't keep anything down, they stuck me in the bed and took my Stick away, so here I am, helpless, can't even wave the Stick around and threaten them anymore.'

'I want you to try some of this,' and Sam reached for a covered mug on the table. 'I promise, there's no honey in it.'

'That's a mercy.' Pippin sipped, nodded. 'That's good,' he said, surprised.

'Hungry?'

'Don't push your luck,' the Thain warned. 'Why are you here, Sam?'

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. 'Same old Pippin,' he said. 'Full of questions.'

'No, just one question,' the Thain snapped. 'And I'm starting to get annoyed.'

'Good,' Sam said calmly. 'Get your blood moving.'

'Sam!' Pippin said in exasperation.

'I'm here because I came to tell you I'm off to Gondor,' Samwise said.

'Fine. You told me already. You're not one for repeating yourself, Sam. So go, already, and say hullo to Strider for me.'

'I'm not going,' Sam said quietly.

'Will you make up your mind? Going... not going...'

'Not with you like this. Likely to find you covered with turf when I come back, and how could I face Merry?'

Instead of fighting him as he'd hoped, Pippin looked away.

'Here,' Sam said, 'take some more tea.' The Thain sipped obediently. 'Should be settling your stomach some.' Pippin nodded. 'Good.'

'You said the King's escort would meet you at Brandywine Bridge in a week.'

'Yes. They may have to wait a bit longer than that. I'm not leaving here until I see you better,' Sam answered.

'What if...' Pippin didn't finish the question.

'What if you don't get better?' Sam asked bluntly. 'What if you die?'

'You were never one to mince words,' Pippin said.

'Well, I just couldn't go at all, then,' Sam answered the question. 'How could I show my face in Gondor, bearing news that their Ernil i Pheriannath had died? They'd probably put me to the sword like your friend Beregond.'

'They didn't--Beregond's still alive,' Pippin corrected.

'And so are you,' Sam said stubbornly. 'And I'm not leaving until I see you back on your feet again.' He blushed as Pippin started to chuckle. 'O, er, back on *one* foot again, anyhow.'

'O Sam,' Pippin said, 'I'm glad you're here.' Sam was silent a moment, thinking of a cousin of Pippin's who'd said much the same thing to him a lifetime ago.

'Sam?' Pippin's voice broke him out of his thoughts.

He met the Thain's eyes, took the empty mug away and set it on the table, took Pippin's hand in his own. 'I'm here,' he said. 'We'll see this thing through together.'

There was a tap on the door, and Diamond came in with a tray, face hopeful. Sam turned back to Pippin with a grin. 'Now that your stomach's settled, shall we try again?' He lifted the mug from the tray, settling it securely between Pippin's hands.

'It smells good,' the Thain said in surprise.

'It ought to,' Sam said, 'It's Mayor Gamgee's Famous Mushroom Soup.' Pippin sipped, nodded, raising his eyebrows appreciatively.

To distract him enough to keep him eating, Sam settled back in his chair and began to chuckle. 'Do you remember the day I introduced Boromir to mushroom soup?'

'Do I?' Pippin laughed. 'He thought you were trying to poison us all!'

'He changed his tune... though it wasn't proper soup at all. Mushrooms gathered as we walked, a little dried meat, some wild onions, fresh water from that spring we camped by... I think the secret must have been that water, I've never tasted anything like it.'

'Frodo swore you could take tree bark and moss and boil it up and come up with delicious soup.'

Sam nodded. 'Mr Frodo never had a word of complaint about my soup.'

'And I don't, either,' Pippin said, finishing the mug. 'That was good.'

'Good,' Sam said. 'We'll let your stomach think on it for a bit, then I want you to try something more, Mr Pippin.'

'What's with the "Mr Pippin" all of a sudden?' the Thain asked sharply.

'Well, I'm not Mayor anymore, at the moment, I've given it up for the trip. You'll see Tolman Cotton coming around on Mayor's business whilst I'm gone.'

'Call me "Mr" again and I'll take my Stick to you...' the Thain threatened, '...that is, if they ever give it back to me.'

'O, well, we cannot have that now,' Sam said. 'Rose would come after you, and you know what a temper she's got.'

'Yes, I can see you've bruises all over you,' Pippin replied. 'Has she not stopped beating you yet?'

'No,' Sam said. 'I wish you hadn't taught her so many tricks at Kings*,' he added. 'She beats the stuffing out of me every time we play.'

***

Author's Note: "Kings" is a hobbit form of checkers.