AUTHOR'S NOTES -


CHAPTER 21: FACING LOSS
‘I wish... I wish the Ring had never been found; I wish the burden hadn’t fallen to you.’

‘Hush, love. I know. I have wished that so many times, but I cannot wish away all that we have shared. I think we must be thankful for the gift we have been given, and use the time we do have together well. Not ruin it in grief for what may come.’
The Fellowship of the Ring,The Shadow of the Past: “‘I wish it need not have happened in my time.’ said Frodo

‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to do is decide what to do with the time that is given us...’

...‘All the same,’ said Frodo, ‘even if Bilbo could not kill Gollum, I wish he had not kept the Ring. I wish he had never found it, and that I had not got it!’”

He came to a halt; not because he wanted to, but because he couldn’t summon the willpower to continue forward. Sam had reached the kitchen, and had still not noticed he had left Frodo behind. ‘Oh, this is stupid,’ thought Frodo. ‘How can I not walk?’
While not suggesting that Frodo is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease, this inability to initiate an action can be experienced by sufferers of that disease. Some time ago, I heard a sufferer from Parkinson’s Disease describe how he would stand in a doorway unable to walk through it; he found that if this happened, trying a different action , such as dancing, would sometimes work, earning him strange looks from bystanders.

‘If she don’t stay rested then she’s in danger of becoming very ill. I’ve tested her urine, and it’s not good news it’s telling me.’

‘Tested?’ asked Sam.

She rubbed her fingers beneath his nose. ‘Like that! It’s slightly sticky, not all watery like what it should be.’
Rosie is suffering from pre-eclampsia. Pre-eclampsia is an illness which occurs only during pregnancy or immediately after delivery and can affect both the mother and her baby. It is quite common, affecting about one in every 10 pregnancies. A first-time mother is most at risk. Pre-eclampsia develops in the second half of pregnancy, usually in the last few weeks. Sometimes it starts as late as during labour - or even just after the baby is born. Common signs are high blood pressure, protein in the urine and swelling. Very occasionally woman can go on to develop fits, known in pregnancy as eclampsia.

The protein in the urine gives it a thicker, syrupy consistency.