One Geek to Rule Them All

Rivendell

"I see," he said.

"No you don't," said Merry.

"It's basically the opposite of hyperthermia—you know, heat exhaustion or heat stroke?" Kitty said.

"Oh," said Pippin. That made a bit more sense.

"I doubt I'll get more than a mild case, though," Devin said. "It's not winter yet. I'm actually more concerned I might get trench foot since my shoes and socks are soaking wet."

"Ugh. Can't you get gangrene from that?" Kitty asked, remembering the documentary their high school history teacher had made them watch on WWI.

"Yeah, that's why as soon as we stop for a break, I'm drying off my feet, wrapping them in a warm blanket, and wiggling my toes like crazy to make sure they're getting proper blood circulation before it starts to set in," said Devin. Doing this much walking in wet shoes would probably increase her chances of getting the condition if she didn't.

Aragorn stopped abruptly and glanced back at them. "What will happen if you are stricken with this 'gangrene'?" he asked. Apparently he had been listening to them after all.

"Basically, her feet will start to rot and end up needing to be amputated," Kitty said bluntly earning some horrified looks from the hobbits.

"Way to sugar-coat it, Kitty," Devin deadpanned. "That's just a worse-case scenario. I'm sure I'll be fine." But Aragorn wasn't taking any chances. He cut strips from one of the blankets, and wrapped her feet in them once they had been stripped of their wet socks and shoes; and Devin soon found herself sitting atop the pony, which was being led by Sam, while the others shouldered what was left of the supplies.

"You should say something sooner next time," Aragorn scolded them as he took the lead again.

"Um, sorry?" said Devin, blinking. "I guess we're just too used to the advanced medicine of our... land. Amputations aren't that common where we're from. They can usually fix severe infections before it comes to that."

"Your medicine must rival the Elves'," Sam said, amazed. "Can everyone use magic in your world, like the kind you used to save Mr. Frodo?"

"Well, like we keep saying, we can't actually use magic, Sam," Devin replied calmly. "In fact, no one can where we come from. All I did was blow air into Frodo's lungs to remind them how they were supposed to work. His body did the rest. Think of the body as a machine, like a clock, only more complex. Once you know how the different parts work, it can become easier to fix."

"But you said you were a 'life guard'," he persisted. "That don't sound like no ordinary doctor to me."

"Because it isn't," she replied. "Lifeguards aren't as schooled in healing as doctors. Anyone can do it. We're just called that because it's our job to sit on guard and watch over people while they're swimming in pools or at the beach. We get training to keep people safe and do our best to prevent them from getting hurt or drowning while we're on duty. And, while it's true I know a way to help someone who's stopped breathing, and even restart their heart if necessary, it's not perfect. How well it works depends on the strength of the person you're trying to help and what kind of shape they're in." Devin bowed her head sadly, remembering the heart attack victim she hadn't been able to save and the look on his kid's face. "No matter how much you want to, you can't save everyone."

"But you saved Mr. Frodo," Sam reminded her.

"Yeah..." she said softly with a small smile. "Yeah, I guess I did." Who would have thought it?

On their second day of walking the path to Rivendell they were met by a group of elves on horseback that had been sent to intercept and welcome them. And, to the hobbits' and the girls' immense delight, the Elves had also been thoughtful enough to bring more food with them; and a change of dry clothes for Devin. This, along with some good news about Frodo's condition (Elrond was still working on him, but they had managed to get the injured hobbit there just in time.) served to lighten their spirits considerably; and once they had eaten their fill and regained some of their strength and energy, they joined the Elves on a swift ride to Rivendell that surely would have taken the girls and the hobbits at least five or six days on foot, but only took the elf-horses a day and a half to cover.