Covers were frantically shoved off the bed by the very large giant inhabiting it as he heard a tiny cry from across the hall. His alarm clock flashed 5 AM as he quickly wrapped a robe around him and ran out the door. The Hallway was dark with only the glow of the faint sunrise seeping through the large windows to guide him through the creepy corridor. He quickly followed the sound of very miserable and raspy cries. Finally reaching a door that read ヌードル (Noodle), he gently knocked and before he knew it the door opened and the tiny girl stood before him with a messy mop of hair and wrapped in thick blankets with a stuffed monkey tucked tightly in her arms.

"Russel!" she cried out, her voice very hoarse and dry. Her sickly pale face lit up as she lifted her arms eagerly up to him.

"Shhh, baby girl, don't want to wake up the dead, do you?" He chuckled as he gently picked the girl up, his milky white eyes observing her. She was very shaky, as if she might be cold but all the blankets wrapped around her might've suggested otherwise.

Taking her over to her small, messy bed, Noodle held on to her best friend tightly and whimpered into his shoulder. He grabbed a chair nearby and sat next to the bed and attempted to pry the 10-year-old off himself,

"C'mon Noods, let's get you settled in first, then I'll take your temperature, a'ight?" Noodle's whimpers quickly turned into sobs as she held onto his robe for dear life, dropping her stuffed monkey in the process. She felt much better just being in the giant's arms, she hated being stuck in bed when she was sick. When Russel finally pried the girl off (thanks to his incredible strength), he tucked her in and got up to look for the thermometer. The heavy man suddenly froze in place as he felt heavy vibrations run up his spine and into the back of his head; his mind blanked out for a good minute as a light blue mist emerged from his ear and formed a figure familiar to both of them.

"Del Kon'nichiwa!" Noodle greeted, smiling as light tears still rolled down her cheeks. Del looked up and smiled back,"Hey, little sweet pea" he replied, trying to hide his growing headache. Turning to Russ, he moaned as he squeezed his head in agony. "Damn Russ, this is the fifth night you've been up and about, I don't know how long I can keep up with you, I haven't gotten a good night's rest in days!" Del protested quietly to Russel.

Russel sighed, "I know, I know I haven't gotten any sleep either man, but I just don't know what to do, the sista's been like this for weeks now and it doesn't look like she's getting any better, I-" Russel paused for a moment, biting his lip. "I'm worried, man. What if it gets worse, what if-?" Russel couldn't bear to speak, just the thought if anything happened to Noodle made his heart ache.

Del sighed and looked over at the girl in bed; she was lying down on her pillow with her eyes barley open, attempting to focus on her breathing. She looked incredibly exhausted as she, too, hasn't gotten any sleep for weeks, which is definitely not healthy for a growing 10-year-old girl. Every time the poor thing tried to shut her eyes just for a minute of rest, her tiny body would shake, she would have an uncontrollable cough fit with beads of sweat rolling down her face. Her tummy ached and her head throbbed with a terrible headache every minute, she just felt so uncomfortable whenever she tried to relax and breathe.

Del looked back at Russel and offered him a reassuring smile. "Man, that girl can kick the asses of ten-foot gorilla zombies, that girl knows karate like the back of her hand, hell she's the only one here that asshole Murdoc has any respect for. And you're telling me a little cold's gonna bring her down? C'mon." He chuckled, elbowing Russel in the shoulder.

"Heh, yeah I guess you're right," Russ hesitated a little, "but I have a bad feeling we're dealing with more than just a little cold."

The drummer then turned away to look for the thermometer, while Del grabbed a small bucket by Noodle's bed and a dry wash cloth, "I'm gonna go fill this up with cold water." He said before he left the room. Russel grunted as an answer as he picked up the thermometer and walked over to Noodle.

"Hey baby girl. How's your head feel?" he said soothingly, the little guitarist looked up at him and gave a faint smile, "Daijōbu Russel-san, better." She gargled, her voice was so weak it was barely audible, a minute before she was yelling at him in excitement, now she couldn't even speak.

"Shhh, best if you save your strength" He whispered as he put his hand over her forehead. It felt very warm, "can't be good." He mumbled as he let Noodle put the thermometer in her mouth. Russel sat by her side, his eyes heavy with exhaustion. He glanced at the Hello Kitty alarm clock by the girl's bed, it flashed 7:30. "Damn, has it already been two hours?" he grumbled to himself, wishing he could be in his own bed.

Del returned with the bucket full of water and the washcloth wet. "Hey there, Sweet pea" he cooed at her as he gently wiped her forehead. "Lemme see a smile." Noodle giggled and a big grin spread across her face. She seemed to have gained more color in her face, which was a good sign. After about five minutes, Russel took out the thermometer and squinted his white eyes to read it, as Del kept dabbing Noodles forehead with the cold washcloth, she suddenly began to whimper.

"Shhh, sweetie it'll be alright." Del insisted. He absolutely hated to see her upset and in pain. "Oh Jesus," Russel let out a sound of concern, "Del come look at this."

Del swooped over to Russel's side as he showed the phantom the thermometer. "Oh, god" It read 104°F, this was not good. Russel looked up at his ghostly friend with pain in his pupil less eyes.

"I'm gonna have to call the Doctor, later today."