Title: The Flu

Summary: Shell.... I'm borrowing your idea from the Chicken Pox, so everyone.... This was partly from SHELL!

Rating: PG

Author: guess who. Jean O'Connell

"Evie?" Rick questioned as he woke up in the middle of the night to coughing noises from his wife.

"Rick...I don't feel well." She mumbled and he reached over settling the back of his hand over her forehead.

"You have a fever." He sighed and kissed her warm face. "I'll phone the doctor."

"No, not right now. It's too early, we'll call him at around eight." She pulled him back as she talked with a stuffy voice.

He looked over at her and grinned. "What do you need?"

"Can I have a glass of orange juice?" She sniffed and grabbed a Kleenex from the nightstand.

He nodded and pulled his trousers up. He walked into the hall, and heard a commotion from Alex's room. He looked in and saw his son with his army men, and he smiled, leaning in the doorway.

"You must talk general, or we will be forced to torture you! No...no please not that, I'll tell!" Alex made his men talk, and Rick laughed, catching his son's attention. "Dad, I didn't see you there." The ten-year-old hopped up, and jumped back into bed.

"Don't worry son, you're safe. You don't have school tomorrow. Your mum's sick though, she has the flu I think." He reminded himself of his duty, and carefully shut the door to Alex's room as the young boy jumped back down to his toys.

After pouring a small glass of juice, he walked back into his bedroom. Not finding Evie there, he heard retching from the bathroom and almost dropped the glass. He found her on her knees and gently held back her hair as she emptied out her stomach.

"Shhh, it's okay. You're okay." He reassured and kissed her bare shoulder.

"I hate being sick Rick." She moaned as he lifted her into his arms, sitting on the edge of the bed, her on his lap.

"I hate it when you're sick baby." He crooned, and kissed her burning head. "I think that I'm going to call the doctor."

She merely nodded, and he laid her down reaching for the phone. She was sound asleep by the time the doctor got there, and he checked her in slumber.

"Well, she's got the flu. I'd recommend that you put her on a lot of fluids and get a ton of sleep." He smiled and with a yawn shook Rick's hand.

"Doctor, should I keep Alex away from her? I don't really want him to get sick."

"It's been around Mr. O'Connell. No matter what you do he'll probably catch it himself. Not to worry, we've got the medicine. You can pick up the prescription tomorrow, I'll have it in my office."

The next morning Evie woke up with a resounding headache, and asked Rick to close the blinds.

A soft knock at the door brought Evie out of her thoughts as Alex poked his head into her room. "Mum, can I come in?" At her nod he slipped through the door and climbed up on her bed. "I was wondering what you wanted for your birthday. It's tomorrow, and with you sick and all I'd like to make it special." He smiled and leaned over her to wrap his arms around her neck for a hug.

"Well, thank you Alex, but all I want is to get over this cold." She smiled and sniffed, nothing really happening.

"Hey you, get out of here. She's supposed to be resting." Rick growled at Alex, making the boy laugh. He helped Rick lay the tray down over Evie's lap, and she looked disdainfully at the food set in front of her. "Eat it." He ordered and led Alex from the room.

"It's like I have the plague." She mumbled and poked at the scrambled eggs with her fork.

"Oh mum, be careful. I accidentally dropped a piece of eggshell into the mix. Chew carefully." Alex popped in and was gone just as quickly.

Evie shook her head and decided to just eat the toast.

"Rick....." Evie moaned and he walked through the door for the fifteenth time that day.

"Yes master?" he joked and she glared at him.

"I don't feel good." She mumbled, and he laughed, sitting next to her on the bed.

"We all know that love, you just need some time to get better, that's all." He smiled and kissed her forehead, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm all stuffy, I can't breath, and when I do my lips crack and bleed. I hat being sick." She growled and crossed her arms over her chest with a frown.

"You look like a little defiant angel. A sick angel, but cute none-the-less." He cracked, and she rolled away from him.

"Just for that I want a bell to ring every time I need you."

"Oh Evie, that's every five minutes."

"Then you should get used to it, because it'll be chimey."

"Chimey? Is that even a word little Miss. Scholar?"

"Go away!" she yelled, and he laughed, laying on his back next to her.

"Nope. You said you needed me, so what do you want?"

"I wanted your moral support, but seeing that I'm not going to get it, I'll ask for Alex. He's more friendly than you'll ever be." She snarled, hiding under the blankets.

"Awww, you've gone and hurt my feelings. I'm never getting you any orange juice again." He said in a choked voice, sniffling into thin air.

"Oooh." She breathed and kicked him in the knee.

"Ow! For being sick you're way to feisty!" he stood and walked out with his hand on his knee, chuckling.

"Jerk!" she called and Alex looked up at his dad.

"Geeze, what did you do? Don't you remember? Never make mom mad when you within three feet of her."

"I heard that Alex O'Connell. I may be sick, but I can still ground you."

"Dad, I got mom something for her birthday, but I don't know if she'll like it. Can you take a look at it?" he asked as the two walked into Alex's room.

"Sure son." He smiled, sitting in the large dusty rocking chair in the corner of Alex's room.

Alex pulled out a small box from his drawer, and handed it to his father. Rick opened it lightly, and saw a silver chain wrapped around four small, golden amulets. "That ones Horus, the falcon headed god and that's Anubis, the jackal headed god, and there is Isis. She reminds me of mom because she's beautiful. And then this one is Osiris, god of the underworld. I put him on there because I thought he looked neat. I made them in metal shop at school." He smiled, proud of himself as he sat on Rick's lap.

"Son, I think that she'll love it more than any other gift that she's ever gotten. I'm really proud of you for making these Alex." He smiled and placed the chain back into the small case. "I've got a better case for you to put it in though." He smiled and Alex followed him down into the parlor.

They stepped over to the brandy case, and pulled out a small velvet case. Rick opened it, and pulled out the present he'd gotten Evie, handing the box to Alex.

"But dad, you got mum this. I couldn't take the box from you. It's too pretty."

"Nonsense. She'll like your present more than mine anyway, so might as well give you the better black box." He smiled and the two switched.

"Hey, what are you doing in my liquer cabinet?" Jonathan asked from behind, making them both jump.

"Damn-it Jonathan, don't do that!" Rick growled as Alex laid his hand over his chest.

"You scared us uncle Jon." He breathed and placed the necklace into the new box, slipping it into his pocket.

"Evie's calling for you Rick, she told me to come down and get you." he grinned and grabbed a bottle from the cabinet, filling a glass as he grabbed a book from the bookshelf.

"SURPRISE! Happy birthday!" all three of the men jumped into Evie's room the next morning, a small cake in their hangs with scribbled writing of 'Hapy Burthday!' on the top.

"What a surprise." Evie grinned, accepting a kiss on the cheek by Alex, and kiss from Rick. Jonathan smiled and held the cake for her.

"Come on Evie, make a wish." He laughed, and she blew out the one pink candle.

"I decorated it myself." Alex grinned climbing up next to her as she wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"You did a wonderful job Alex, it's beautiful." She took a bite of frosting and licked her finger.

"Here's your present Mum." He smiled and handed her the wrapped velvet box.

She gingerly opened it, and lifted the latch. Inside laid the necklace he'd made for her, laid out beautifully.

"Oh Alex, this is wonderful. You have Horus, Anubis, Isis, and Osiris." She smiled and hugged him close.

"I chose Horus because he was your favorite God when you were a kid, Anubic because he reminds me of everything that we went through together as a family, and Isis because she reminds me of you 'cause you're beautiful like she was. Oh, and I thought Osiris looked neat, so I added him on." Tears leaked down her cheeks and she kissed him lightly.

"Oh Alex, it's the best present I've ever gotten in my entire life."

He blushed and hopped off the bed as Rick shooed them out of the room.

"Well, I doubt my present is as wonderful as Alex's, but I'm sure that you'll like it. You've been wanting these for quite some time, so I splurged and bought it." He grinned and handed her the torn up case he had traded Alex for.

She frowned up at him, one eyebrow lifted up.

"Oh. I traded Alex boxes because the present was too good to be in this ragged thing." He explained as she opened it lightly.

A set of diamond earrings sparkled in the light of the early day, and underneath was a beautiful diamond necklace, a small ruby in the middle.

"Oh Rick, this is lovely." She sighed and hugged him, and he helped her put on both necklaces.

"Both my guys got me something wonderful." She grinned and kissed him lightly. "I'm feeling a bit better, but I'm sure that if I tried to do something I'd collapse."

"Well, if you want to eat breakfast with us, I'm sure that you're welcome to my service as a taxi to the dinner table." He laughed and lifted her into his arms.

"Rick, I can't go down like this. I haven't showered in two days." She pushed at him, so he carried her to the bathroom.

"We're both a little dirty, might as well get cleaned up before breakfast." He laughed and the two spent a romantic morning together.

"Maybe the Flu isn't so bad." She smiled and leaned back into Rick's chest.

The End

Authors note: I know, it kind of went on, but I just decided to make a cute story where Evie get's the flu.

Jean