Richie Cunningham was at home today. His children, Richie Jr. and Sara were staying home also since they were sick, and that isn't fun at all. It was 10:17 that Wednesday morning. His wife Lori Beth was out of town for the weekend, so he was on his own. He was looking back at all of the stuff he had written several years ago when he was in high school and college, but is mostly newspaper stuff.

It isn't often he looks back, but somehow he was doing so today. While Richie finished going through it, he shut the desk drawers. That's when he heard his daughter call him.

"Daddy!"

He got up and walked as fast as he could to see what was wrong with her.

"Yes, Sara? What do you need?"

"Can I have something to drink? My throat hurts."

Even though she only had a sore throat, she was to stay in bed until she felt better enough to get back to school. Even Richie Jr. was still in bed himself. He only had a cold, but was getting better. She still has a long ways to get better.

While he was still in Sara's room, he also heard his son.

"Be there in a bit, Rich! I am with your sister now."

He could hear his son coughing. He sounded like he needed a cough drop. So he left a few of cough drops in her room when she needed them.

"I will be back, honey. I will see what your brother wants. I will give you the full glass of water and then I will give your brother what he needs."

She didn't say anything, and couldn't because her throat was still bothering her. Richie didn't blame his son and daughter for being sick.

He told himself if might happen to him after the kids are back on their feet and school. He wished Lori Beth was here to help him do this job. It is tiring him out already. He told himself, "Lori Beth should have stayed here with me and not help a friend settle in her apartment in Washington. It would be faster if she was here. Maybe next time."

When he finished saying that, he headed to his son's bedroom.

"Would you mind waiting a bit longer, Rich? I am taking care of your sister. I shouldn't be long."

His son didn't say anything, so all he could do was nod his head.

"For now, I will give you a new box of Kleenex. Is that all you want?"

He shook his head. Richie understood and went to the kitchen and poured Sara a full glass of water. He didn't want to get on the telephone and ask his mother, whose name was Marion to come and help. He wanted to do this on his own.

When he returned to his daughter's bedroom, the clock begin to chime, telling him it was 10:30. Then he walked out of her room and entered his son's room. He'd been stretching a lot today because his kids wanted him to do this, do that. It was good exercise, he told himself as he went to get more cough drops for his son. Then he went downstairs to watch television, so that was exactly what he did.