A Simple Cold

BY: karushna5

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING AND NO ONE

Summary: Aragorn comes home sick, enough said.

A/N: I wrote this this morning, b/c this was how I felt and writing helped me to keep my mind off being sick.

A man of only twenty years curled in on himself near a fire. He laid his tired body on the dry ground. Allowing the coolness of it to cool his feverish face, a thin sheet of sweat covered his forehead, his eyes were glazed in fever, his stomach hurt, his joints were achy and stiff, his throat was raw and sore that no amount of water could quench. All in all Aragorn was sick.

He had been traveling with the rangers, nothing serious just standard procedures. He was on his way home when a fierce cold rain storm had hit. He had tried to find shelter in the surrounding woods. He was close to home and in a few hours would have been snuggled in a warm goose feather comforter and thin cotton sheets, the mattress molding to his form as he lay down. But on the other hand he didn't want to be there if was sick. So he decided to find shelter along the way.

What luck, a nearby cave. After several minutes of trying he finally had a fire going and now he laid stretched out on cold hard ground letting the coolness of the stone cool him down. The storm outside raged in a fury of chilling rain and cool winds. He watched it in dulled fascination, he felt like he was hearing it from a distance, drainage was clogging his ears making every noise he heard sound far off, the storm promised to be long maybe a few hours or so.

There he waited, wanting nothing more then to fall asleep and let the storm run its course, now if only he could find a decent sleeping position, that didn't bother his stomach and allowed him easy breathing. Eventually his body gave into its need for sleep. Wrapping his cloak and blanket tighter around himself he put his body closer to the fire though it did not do much to warm his shivering body.

Aragorn woke a few hours later, feeling a little better, but not much, to find the storm had passed and night was beginning to fall across the land, chasing away the sun and light, smothering everything in a blanket of darkened moon and starlight. His mind slowly did some quick calculating and decision making, he decided that if he headed out now then he would make it home in time for the moon to finally reach the sky and the sun would completely disappear.

'And a little dinner.' he thought happily, unfortunately his stomach didn't quite agree. It let out a loud low growl and did a summersault at the same time, making him feel a little queasy. 'Or maybe no dinner and I'll just crawl into bed and sleep for the rest of my life.'

The ranger quickly put his stuff away and began walking to Rivendell, where a warm bed and fire sat in his room and a loving family with open arms awaited him.

Elrond sat by a window looking out to the upcoming night, watching, waiting for his youngest adopted son to come home. He had been a little worried when the rain came. He kept thinking that his son was out in it wandering about slowly working his way home and gathering a sever cold along the way. It never failed it would rain and his son would become sick, it was as if it were an unwritten rule of life. The mighty elf lord often wondered how the race of men survived such hardships.

As night began to fall he saw his son stagger through the open gates. Elrond left to greet him, his other twin boys not far behind. They had been anxious to see their brother and though they would probably see him in the morning, they couldn't wait that long for him to return. They too had watched as the rain came down in sheets, unknowingly thinking the same thoughts as their father.

Aragorn smiled as he spotted his father and brothers coming out to greet him.

Elrond after looking his son over for hidden injuries, as was tradition when any of his children came home; he pulled his son into a loving embrace.

"Welcome home ion nin."

''It's good to be home." Aragorn shuttered at the hoarseness of his voice. He should have known.

Elrond quickly pulled away as the twins looked on worriedly. Their brother sounded awful. Elrond dragged his son into the house to see what he couldn't see in the dark. He saw all he needed to see in the torchlight offered in the halls. Aragorns face was pale save for his cheeks, which were rosy from fever, his eyes held a glazed and tired look to them, his chest heaved from not getting enough air through all the congestion, he looked well … sick.

As if to prove his case Aragorn sniffled when he felt his nose running. It wasn't an easy task with a stuffed nose, so it sounded more like a wet pig snort, and it didn't seem to do him any good, almost imeditly after it would start to run again. And again he sniffed, the process was unending.

The twins looked worried; the last time their little brothr had a cold it had gone away only to later turn up in his ears causing him to have an ear infection, and massive amounts of pain, and almost deafened him. Hearing their brother had a cold only added to the fear of those days. They clearly remembered the look of pain every time his ears popped. He was miserable for two weeks.

"Come Estel; let's get you to bed and some medicine in your system."

Aragorn was about to protest when Elladan interrupted, "Estel, don't try and lie. We know you're sick."

"And the sooner you get medicated and bed rested, the sooner you can be up and about." said Elrohir.

"They are right ion nin."

Aragorn seeing no way out of the situation he found himself in he allowed himself to be steered to his room.

After seeing his son to bed Elrond left to get some supplies from the healing wing. When he returned he found his son sleeping, but it was none to comfortable. His breathing was irregular and sounded to Aragorn like he had a pillow over his face. The twins sat near his bed, looking worriedly at their younger brother, as if their stares and prayers alone would cure him.

Turning to his oldest, "Elladan go to the kitchens and pour him some warm mint tea, it will allow him to breath easier." nodding at his father's orders Elladan left. "Elrohir, I want you to get the fire going a little higher and fetch some blankets for him." Elrohir gave his twenty year old brother a quick kiss on the forehead before leaving to follow his orders. Elrond smiled at the simple show of love and affection.

Looking back at the sleeping form on the bed Elrond hated having to wake him, but it was necessary. Reaching over he gently shook the ranger from his dream world, "Estel, ion nin, I need you to awaken."

Aragorn opened his bleary eyes; he still felt awful and wanted to get back to sleep, where the illness could not reach.

Elrond spoke slowly knowing the ranger's thinking power was no where near where it should be. "Estel I'm going to give you your medicine when Elladan comes back with the tea. But first I need you to tell me your symptoms."

Elrond allowed the information to sink in and for the ranger to gather his thoughts.

By the time Elladan came back with a warm clay mug of tea Estel started his list, "My head feels stuffy, my chest is tight, joints hurt, and my nose wont stop running…"

Elrond nodded his head in thought, as he prepared the necessary powders he had available, each one combating a different symptom. He had to strain to understand what the man was saying, as his voice kept coming and going, from being hoarse and rough to mere whisper he could barely hear. He took the mug from Elladan letting the older twin to his brother's side. Elrohir also walked through the door bundles of blankets and fire wood in his arms. Aragorn laughed at the sight, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit.

After it subsided his clutched his chest willing the burning feeling to pass. When he opened his eyes he saw three pairs of silver elf eyes filled with worry.

"Sorry, it has passed."

Elrohir looked down ashamed at causing his brother pain. He had wanted to amuse him not send him into a coughing fit that blocked his airways from getting the very air he much needed.

Seeing the look in his middle son's eyes, Elrond gently squeezed his shoulder showing he had nothing to be ashamed of. He hadn't met to cause his brother harm. It had just happened.

He handed the mint tea and powder mixture to Aragorn giving one simple order that allowed no room for argument. "Drink it all."

Estel gulped it down as fast as he could with a sore throat. The felt good as it flowed down his throat and into his stomach. He paused briefly as his stomach tried to decide of it would allow the mint flavored drink to settle or if it didn't want it at all. Finally his stomach calmed down and accepted the rest of the drink.

After a while he finally fell asleep. Only to awaken later in the night unable to properly breathe through his stuffy nose and his throat was raw from being open allowing dry warm air to constantly flow through it. A harsh sounding coughs came from deep within his throat and chest. He looked around the room to find it empty. Deciding he needed to do something about his throat he reached for a cup of water on his nightstand. He winced as it burned the back of his throat, but soothed it some none the less. He could only take a few sips before is body needed the air outside the cup and water. No sooner had his lips released their hold on the cup had the dry rawness of his throat returned with each breath of air. Each deep breath brought pain to his constricted chest. He didn't hurt much, but he knew the coughs would should he get too much air too deep.

It was painfully obvious to him that the medicine his father had given him, though it worked, had clearly worn out. He needed more if were going to sleep any at all tonight. After sitting up for a few minutes, allowing the slight dizziness to pass, he finally decided now was a good time to get his father.

He listened as his feet softly padded down the hall to his fathers room. Opening the door quietly he peaked inside.

"I wondered how long it would take you to get here." The sound of Elrond's voice startled him. He had thought his father would be asleep by now.

"I'm sorry ada, did I wake you."

"No, have been waiting for you for quite some time now and was about to go wake you to take your medicine."

Elrond walked over to pot he had steeping on a pole in his fireplace and added some of the mint herbs that helped his son's breathing.

Aragorn breathed in the mint scented air. It helped his breathing immensely and cleared his airways some. Now if only it would help his throat. But sore throats were always the last to leave after an illness. Seeing the man's breathing becoming easier that was Elrond began to steer him towards his bed before going back to making the tea.

"Why didn't I think of this sooner?" he thought. It would have been easier for him if he just left everything in the rangers room, instead of Estel seeking him out for medication in the middle of the night.

Not long after giving the drug induced tea to the ill man had the twins come running into the room.

Upon seeing their brother sitting comfortable in their father's bed both twins let out a sigh. They had gone to check on their little brother after Elladan had been woken by his brothers coughing fits. Only to find the adan's room empty, they had panicked thinking he had foolishly gone out somewhere while he was ill.

They were instantly at his side. The last thing Aragorn remembered seeing were the look of his family as his eyes closed for a healing sleep. He didn't notice when the twins crawled into bed with him in the middle.

He snuggled between his brothers and fell into a peaceful sleep. Well as peaceful one could have when their nose is clogged. The twins covered their ears in hope of escaping their brother's snores.

Elrond pulled up a chair for him to sit beside his sons. It wasn't everyday he got a chance to watch them all sleep, it was a privilege he had greatly missed. He stayed there all night and some of the next day. Aragorn slept most of the time, Elrond would only wake him to eat and to drink his tea. In a few days time everything was back to normal in the Peredhil house.

The End

A/N: Sorry for any and all random, repeated, incomplete, and thoughts that might have anything else wrong. I promise to come back and fix it when my mind is less fuzzy. Now review me please.