"Aaaahhhchooooo!!!!!!"

Lucas groaned as he dropped his head miserably back down into his pillow. With one hand he blindly reached for a tissue. "Damn," he muttered as he came up with an empty box. Lucas groaned again as he swung his legs out over the side of the bed and sat up. His head hurt, his back hurt, his throat hurt... geez... everything hurt.

Lucas pulled his shirt down as he stood and shuffled into the hallway to grab another box of tissues from the linen closet. He opened the small door and leaned down to grab the last box from the bottom shelf. Straightening back up, Lucas leaned back against the door frame as the room took a little spin on him. He shook his head and closed the door.

The clink of a coffee cup sounded from the dining room and Lucas wandered down the hallway, opening the tissue box as he walked.

"Aaahhchoo!"

"Bless you," mumbled Lucas to Nathan Bridger, who was sitting at the table bent over from the sneeze.

"Thank you," Bridger muttered stuffily. Lucas held out the box of tissues and Bridger took one, blowing his nose forcibly.

Lucas dropped into a chair and looked over at Nathan's khaki uniform. He'd heard him coughing and sneezing all night too. "You're not really planning on going in to work today, are you?"

Bridger shook his head wearily. "No... sick call."

Lucas chuckled as Bridger glared at him. "Oh, that makes sense... they trust you to take a billion dollar boat down below the ocean but they won't let you call in sick."

"Yeah, that's the military for you," Nathan said as he rubbed his forehead.

"You gonna be alright for driving all the way into Fort Gore?"

"I'll be alright... and it shouldn't take too long and I'll be back here and in bed."

"So what do they make you do? Come back every day?"

"No," Nathan said shaking his head. "With any amount of luck I'll get a doctor that'll put me on bedrest for at least a couple of days and then I'll have to go back to sick call if I'm still not feeling good after that."

"Oh, I see... what about me?"

"You're a civilian contractor. You just gotta call in sick." He looked across at the smug smile that Lucas was flashing his way. "What's so funny?"

"Doesn't it seem a bit silly that the 16 year old kid geek is trusted to call in sick and the famous Navy Captain has to ask permission to stay home in bed?"

Nathan leaned back in his chair stretching his sore back. His bed was normally wonderfully comfortable but for some reason last night there just hadn't been a restful way to lay down. No matter which way he turned or how he moved the pillows it hurt to sit still and it hurt to move. He figured that he probably didn't get more than an hour's sleep all night and he really felt it. "Yup, it seems silly. It just falls into the ‘way things are' category."

"So, I've never done this before. How do I call in sick?"

"I'm calling in now... I'll take care of it." Nathan slid his chair back and keyed a number into the vid-screen behind him. A short time later the UEO symbol appeared and was quickly replaced by the face of a young and cheerful looking petty officer. "Good morning, Petty Officer Kane," Bridger said to the smart looking man who answered the call.

"Good morning , sir." Petty Officer Kane took a quick look at Bridger's face on his screen. "Captain, please tell me that you're not planning on coming in to work today."

"No... I'm not planning on coming in to work."

"That's good, sir. Because if you feel half as bad as you look we don't want you around here."

Bridger smiled at the screen. "I'll be heading over to Fort Gore Hospital for sick call."

"Okay, sir."

"And Petty Officer Kane, while you're at it could you mark Mr. Wolenczak down as sick today also?"

"Will do, sir. You know you can carry this sharing thing a little too far."

"He gave it to me."

"No, I didn't," Lucas piped in from the other side of the table.

Bridger ignored him. "Yes, he did."

Kane smiled back at the banter. "Try to feel better, sir. Any one special I should notify?"

"No, just let Commander Ford know when he comes in. He'll handle anything needed."

"Alrighty, sir. Take care of yourselves and don't forget to hydrate."

"Yes, mother," Nathan smiled as he cut the connection. He stood and stretched his back again and started moving towards the door. "Anything you need me to pick up while I'm out there?"

Lucas waved the tissue box in the air. "Tissues... this is the last box."

"Oh, and we're gonna need more of those for sure."

Nathan pulled his car into a spot in the lot of the Fort Gore Hospital and sat for a moment rubbing his eyes. The drive had seemed to take one heck of a lot longer than it usually did. Well, he supposed it had taken longer.

Usually, he wasn't too much of a stickler for keeping to the speed limit. Ah, hell, normally he sped like there was no tomorrow but this morning he was just too tired to speed. It was way too hard to concentrate on the traffic when he felt as bad as he did.

Finally getting the strength and initiative to open the car door, Nathan pulled his cap from his belt and set it on his head. He tiredly walked into the front door of the hospital returning the occasional salute that came his way.

Taking his cap off again he glanced around and spotted the sign indicating the way to sick call check-in. Only three people in front of him. Well, at least the rest of the world wasn't sick too. The worst was when you were feeling terrible and had to wait around with a bunch of sick people... but he did have to admit, whoever was checking people in was certainly taking his/her time. Fifteen minutes later Nathan was still standing with his head leaning against the wall with one person still talking to this incredibly slow person. Finally, the lieutenant who had been suffering through ahead of him flashed back an apologetic look as he headed down the hallway into another room.

"Next."

Nathan moved to stand in front of the short counter with a Private First Class sitting behind it. Bridger looked at the back of the private's head. Mostly because that was the only part visible since she had her head turned to her computer screen. She stuck out one hand towards Bridger. "ID card," she said shortly.

Nathan removed his ID card from his pocket and held it out. The private grabbed onto the card but Bridger didn't release it. The tug of war continued for only a moment before the private finally looked up at Nathan. As her eyes met his Bridger smiled slightly.

"Good morning," he said without much humor as he released his side of the ID card.

"Good morning, sir," she said and then just turned back to her computer. "What's your complaint this morning?"

"I have a cold."

"Fever?"

"Yes."

"Sore throat?"

"Yes."

"Cough?"

"Yes."

"Any difficulty breathing, sir?"

"Only when I try to sleep on my back."

"How long?"

"Since yesterday."

"You've had the cold since yesterday?"

"Um hmm."

Nathan thought that if he felt better he might have found more humor in this... but as it was this woman was beginning to irritate him. She definitely had the personality of a rock. She still hadn't looked at him at all since that first time. She just sat there typing away at her computer keys.

"Captain, I'm showing that you're due for a full physical." She finally turned towards him.

"No."

"I'm afraid so, Captain."

"No," Bridger said with a small shake of his head. "In the first place, I had a full physical two months ago... and as to the second, I'm rather sure that in the condition I'm in right now, you really don't want to do a  complete physical on me... that and I have no intention of spending my entire day sitting here. I just want to go home and put this cold to bed."

"Well, you'll have to see a doctor for that, Captain."

Bridger leaned a little closer to her. "I thought that was the general idea."

The private looked over quickly at her screen and pressed a key. Then she looked at Bridger again. "You'll need to take a seat if you need to see a doctor, sir."

"Fine," Nathan said with a touch of irritation in his voice. "Where?"

She pointed down the hallway to his left. "First door on the right," and she held out his ID card for him to take back.

"Thanks," said Nathan, shaking his head as he turned down the hallway. The first door on the right was open and Nathan shook his head again as he glanced around the waiting room and saw that there had to be at least twenty-five people sitting in the rows of chairs. He found an empty seat against a wall at the end of the room and gladly sat on it and rested his head against the wall. When he closed his eyes to rest his ears were assailed on all sides by the various sniffs, coughs, moans, scratchings and sighs of the other people in the room. This couldn't be healthy... sticking all these sick people in one little room to share their germs. He tried to relax and not fall asleep while waiting for his name to be called. He wasn't successful. He didn't know how much later it was that the soldier sitting next to him shook his shoulder.

"Captain, I think they called your name."

Nathan looked blearily at the soldier who was pointing to a nurse at the doorway. "Bridger?" she called.

"Bridger," Nathan said raising his hand and starting to rise from the chair. "Thanks," he added to the guy next to him.

The nurse was at least more pleasant than the receptionist private had been. "Looks like you've got a cold today, sir."

"No, Lieutenant, the cold has me." Nathan glanced down at his watch and wasn't really surprised to discover that he'd been waiting to be seen for over an hour and fifteen minutes. The nurse led him to an examining room where she told him to sit up on a table and requested his ID card again. Receiving that, she slipped it into the computer terminal in the room which brought up his medical records. She quickly took his temperature and his blood pressure and turned to enter them in his records.

"Sir, I'm showing that you're due for a full physical."

Nathan sighed. "No, I just had a full physical two months ago."

The nurse glanced up at him sharply. "You sure?" she asked.

"Oh yeah... you remember that kind of thing."

"It's not in your record, sir."

"Terrific," Bridger said with a frown.

"I'm showing that your medical records came on board two and a half months ago and at that time you were here for some respiratory problems... but I'm not showing anything since then." She glanced up at him and he shrugged. "How're the respiratory problems?"

"That was some burns I received from swallowing some hot air... that's all healed."

The nurse turned towards him with a smile on her face. "Well, I have a feeling that today wouldn't be a particularly good day to repeat that full physical."

"No," was Bridger's heartfelt response.

She turned towards the door. "I'll let the doctor know that you're ready. You'll need to remove your shirt."

Nathan nodded as she left and set to unbuttoning his shirt and removing it and his t-shirt. Fifteen minutes later he was reflecting that if they were going to have people undress in these rooms they could at least knock the temperature up a few degrees when the doctor finally knocked on the door and came in.

She was a pleasant looking woman who was probably a good 25 years younger than him. Now he not only felt rotten he also felt old. She smiled at him and glanced quickly at the computer screen before coming to stand next to him.

She put her hand out. "Good morning, Captain, Doctor Wells. Did you know you need a full physical?"

Nathan sighed again... this was one part about the military that really drove him crazy. "No... I actually had one two months ago."

"It's not in your record."

Nathan frowned. "So I've heard." The doctor paused as if she was waiting for something. "Doctor," Nathan started in a tired voice, "you're not planning on trying to do a full physical on me today, are you?"

"Well, sir... by the rules..." she started.

"Two things," Nathan stopped her. "I can guarantee that I can find you the records and I'm in no shape right now to be having a full physical done on me." He paused while the doctor considered that and then continued when she seemed to not be convinced. "Doctor, what I really need right now is a bed chit... I need about 24 to 36 hours where I can just lie in bed and be miserable... then after that, I promise, I'll get the medical records straightened out and if you end up having to repeat the physical I had two months ago at least I'll be strong enough to survive it."

Wells liked this guy. For someone who was obviously feeling as bad as he did, he still maintained his sense of humor. She decided to give in. "Oh, alright. As long as you promise to get the records straightened up as soon as you feel better."

"Doc, you've got my word."

Doctor Wells proceeded to give Bridger the normal doctor check-up that he would have expected for a person with a cold. Looking into his ears, nose and throat, having him breathe while she listened through a stethoscope and having him lie down to check his abdomen.

"You can sit up, sir," she said as she completed the exam.

Nathan lay there still for a moment. "Do I have to?" he said as he rolled over and sat up.

The doctor smiled at him again and took the seat next to the computer terminal. "You can put your shirt on, sir, if you'd like to."

"With the temperature in this room, Lieutenant... trust me, I'd like to." He started getting dressed as the doctor entered his information into the computer.

"Well, Captain... you've got a cold." Bridger chuckled. "You've got a really good cold and you're going to get 48 hours bed rest out of it."

"48 hours? ...that seems like a long time."

The doctor looked back at him. "Well, you're also developing some sounds in your lungs. Possibly the beginning of a respiratory infection or pneumonia. Probably a result of your lungs being weakened by the burns you had a couple of months ago. I'm going to give you some antibiotics and they're going to knock you off your feet a bit... trust me, sir, you're going to be off work for the rest of the week."

"Aye, aye, Lieutenant, whatever you say."

She handed him his ID back and directed him to the pharmacy for his prescription. Turning from the pharmacy window with his prescription in hand, Nathan was surprised to find Kristin Westphalen at his side. He leaned against the wall tiredly.

"Where did you come from?"

"I went over to see if you wanted to go to lunch and Jonathan said that you'd gone to sick call. Then I checked with the house to see how you were... figuring that sick call had been a long time ago... and Lucas said you hadn't come home yet so I thought that I'd check here." She glanced over him... oh, Lord, he looked terrible.

Besides the obvious bad cold he just looked exhausted. "I think that maybe it was a good thing I checked over here... how would you like a ride home, sailor?"

Nathan closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, please," he said quietly.

They walked out to Kristin's car, which was parked much closer than his since she was able to use the physician's parking lot, and Kristin got him safely ensconced in the passenger seat. They didn't even make it out of the parking lot before Nathan was sound asleep. While he'd been picking up his prescription she'd talked to Donna Wells about her exam of him. Looking over at him now she could even hear the raspy sound of his breathing that indicated the possible infection but was comforted that his respirations seemed to be even and strong. He slept all the way to the house and she had to shake him to wake him when they got there.

Lucas was sitting on the sofa with a bowl of soup in front of him and a blanket wrapped around him watching the large vid-screen when they came in.

"Where the hell have you been?" he asked hoarsely.

"Sick call has reached new heights of stupidity," Nathan grumbled as he headed towards the back to use the head and change out of his uniform.

"Is he alright?" Lucas asked Kristin concerned.

"Yes, he's alright... he just picked up a little respiratory infection to go along with that rather nasty cold that you gave him."

"I didn't give it to him," Lucas groused. Then he caught the first part. "That's not good. His lungs still aren't too great since he got those burns... you should hear him wheeze when he runs." Kristin looked over at the boy with alarm on her face. "He's getting better," Lucas said quickly, "but he still wheezes a bit."

"Who's a geezer?" Nathan asked as he came out from the back now dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts.

"You're a geezer," Lucas grinned at him.

"Oh, okay... as long as we've established that." Nathan wandered towards the kitchen with Kristin following him. He stood in the doorway and looked confused around the room. Kristin gave him a little pat as she slid by him.

"Did you eat lunch?"

Nathan looked at her with that still-present confused look and then glanced at his watch. It was after two in the afternoon. "Hell, I didn't even eat breakfast."

Kristin shook her head. "What do you feel like eating?"

Nathan glanced over to the sofa and then back to Kristin. "Soup?"

"Soup I can do," Kristin nodded and then patted him on the shoulder. "Why don't you go sit down and watch whatever nonsense he's got up on the screen and I'll take care of it for you."

Nathan nodded and then wandered into the living room where he plopped himself into one of the large reclining chairs. A short time later Kristin was at his side with a tray containing a bowl of soup, crackers, toast and some tea. Kristin took the other recliner and carefully coached Nathan through finishing the whole tray. By the end of the meal it was obvious that he was beginning to fall asleep again. Kristin stood and took the tray into the kitchen  and then returned to convince a totally unresistant Nathan into going back to bed.

As they turned towards the back of the house Kristin looked back over her shoulder to where Lucas was still glued to the vid-screen. "And it wouldn't do you any damage to turn that damned thing off and get a nap either, young man," she said sternly.

Lucas immediately reached for the remote and the screen darkened to his quiet, "Yes, ma'am."

Entering the bedroom, Kristin got Nathan somewhat settled in bed before heading to the bathroom. She returned with his prescription bottle and a glass of water. "Did you take your pill?"

"No," he mumbled tiredly. "I thought I should have something in my stomach."

Kristin nodded, "You were right." She sat on the side of the bed and held the pill and water out to him. "Now take your pill." Nathan slid up in the bed some and obediently swallowed the pill with a water chaser. "Great, now lie down." Nathan snuggled back down in the blankets and turned over onto his side. "Can you breathe alright that way?"

"Yeah, it's only when I'm lying flat on my back that I have trouble breathing."

Kristin tucked the blankets in around him and then started to slowly rub his back.

"Tissues," Nathan mumbled.

"Huh?"

"I forgot, I was supposed to pick up some tissues... we're out."

"I'll take care of it," Kristin reassured him.

Nathan was quiet for a little while as Kristin continued rubbing his back. "Kris?" he said softly.

"Hmmm?"

"I hate getting summer colds," he winced as he coughed a couple of times.

Kristin kissed him on the temple, feeling the slight fever in his brow as she did so and then whispered into his ear, "Bridger, this is Florida... summer colds and winter colds are pretty much the same."

She felt the smile on Nathan's face as he answered just before falling asleep. "Yeah, but the winter colds have more tourists."