Early one morning found Delbert Doppler, Astrophysicist, headed down the stairs of his home on his way to the kitchen. It was going to be a rather overcast day on the sleepy mining planet of Montressor, which he called home. Once inside his kitchen, he intended to get some breakfast, as well as to spend some quality time with his lovely wife, Amelia. He was in no way surprised that by his even thinking her name, he found himself smiling.
He pushed quietly through the swinging door into the kitchen, and-much as he expected, and hoped for-found Amelia diligently (as she did everything) preparing breakfast for both himself and their four children.
"Good morning, Amelia, my love," he greeted his wife, quickly kissing her cheek, causing her to smile at him indulgently.
"Good morning, dear," she replied, pleased to see him. "Breakfast will be just a moment longer. Oh, do you think I could impose upon you to see what's keeping the children?"
"Of course, Amelia," returned Delbert, giving her a smile. "It's no imposition at all. I'll be back with our pride and joy in just a few-"
Delbert never finished that sentence, as -much to his surprise-Amelia sneezed, and rather loudly at that.
"God bless you!" he said to her. That had to of been the first time he'd ever heard her sneeze.
"Must of inhaled an errant whiff of pepper, or something, I suppose," Amelia reasoned, blinking and shaking her head. She then sneezed explosively again. And, then yet again a third time.
Delbert withdrew his monogramed handkerchief and passed it over to his suddenly sneeze-beset wife. Amelia, whose eyes were now watering, smiled miserably and wiped her green eyes and blew her nose.
"Thank you, darling," Amelia said, rather apologetically. "This is most odd… felinids simply are not prone to fits of sneezing like this."
Delbert, as was his wont, worried about her-most likely more than was probably warranted. "Amelia? I say, are you feeling all right, dear?" Delbert asked, his brown eyes filled with concern.
"Oh, don't be such a worry-wart, Delbert. I´m fine!" Amelia assured him, waving away his worries with a flippant wave of the hand. Her eyes then went wide a moment later, as she tried-most unsuccessfully-to stifle a fit of soft coughing. "Really…I'm fine, dear." Amelia poured herself a glass of water, and drank.
"You're certain?" Delbert asked, worried despite her assurances. Of course, he knew that Amelia would say she was-oh, how did she put it again-oh, yes, 'right as rain' even if she'd just been struck by lightning! "Are you sure you're not coming down with anything? It is the cold season, you know," he informed her.
Amelia looked over at Delbert with a stern expression. He was such a worrier! If something were wrong, wouldn't she be the first to know? "Tish tosh, Delbert Doppler. I quite insist that I- I'm- Achoo!" she said, before she sneezed yet again. "Blast it! Felinids simply do not sneeze!" She wiped her nose with Delbert's handkerchief again, glaring at him…even though she knew that her sneezing was in no way his fault.
"Hmm, much as I suspected," Delbert then informed her, coming to her side to gently guide her to sit at the table.
"Delbert, how many times must I tell you that I am not sick?" Amelia demanded most stubbornly. She wasn't, she informed herself adamantly…she had no time to be sick. Why, her to-do list was as long as her arm!
"Amelia," Delbert said firmly, yet most reasonably. "Do be reasonable, dear heart. You are exhibiting classic symptoms of a common cold. Sneezing-and yes, I am aware that felinids don't sneeze," Delbert continued, looking at Amelia, who had opened her mouth to protest, when he added the bit about felinids and their apparent sneeze-phobia. "Your cheeks seem a bit flush, but I'll grant you that may be from your sneezing. As well as the fact that your poor lovely eyes are watering like mad."
"It's the pepper, Delbert. Haven't you been listening to me?" Amelia countered, sipping daintily at the tea Delbert had set before her.
"Yes. As you say, Amelia," Delbert repiled, unconvinced. "Oh yes, please do remind me, my darling wife, exactly how much pepper does one usually add to oatmeal? I seem to of quite forgotten." His brown eyes twinkled, yet they still managed to appear worried still.
Amelia scowled, wiping her nose repeatedly. "Very amusing, Doctor," she growled softly, her green eyes becoming just a bit flinty.
Delbert sighed softly in exasperation. "Amelia, please," he remonstrated with her. "I am concerned about you."
"Worried, you mean," Amelia countered, challenging him to correct her.
"Oh, very well, if you insist…worried, then," Delbert corrected himself. "Would you prefer it if I didn't worry?"
Amelia softened at that. "Of course not," she said quietly, not looking at him just then.
"Well, I'm pleased to hear that, at least," Delbert grumped, holding his head high.
Amelia relented, well, after she blew her nose once more. "I'm sorry, dear. I do love you, you know," she told him, smiling.
Delbert couldn't help but smile. "And, I love you too, Amelia. Which is precisely why-"
Amelia rolled her eyes, then slumped slightly in defeat. She'd walked right into that one now, hadn't she?
"-I'm worried about you," Delbert finished, placing one of his big hands upon her shoulder, and gazed down into her green eyes.
Amelia knew she couldn't resist long when Delbert looked at her that way. Somehow, some way, those soulful brown eyes of his could slip through her usually most capable defenses with ease. She coughed again softly, following that with another sip of tea. "But, Delbert…I've so much I'm supposed to do today…" she protested weakly.
"Well, I'm rather certain that the Etherium will somehow struggle by without the most capable assistance of even the famous Captain Amelia for one day, don't you think?" Delbert again reasoned, softening his argument with warm affection.
Amelia, to herself alone, admitted that she had been feeling rather run-down of late, and had not been sleeping all that well either. "I, well, I suppose you're probably right, dear," Amelia said, though with difficulty. She blew her nose again, though only briefly this time.
"Well, there we are then," Delbert replied briskly, clasping his hands together. "I knew you'd see reason, love. Why, a day's bed rest and-"
Amelia blinked. "What? Bed rest? Delbert Doppler, if you think for one moment, that I'm-" she bristled.
"Amelia Doppler!" Delbert barked sharply, which surprised Amelia enough to have her lose track of her argument. "You are my wife, and I love you. That being the case, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist. You are going straight to bed, right this minute, my dear girl," Delbert folded his arms, and gave her his most stubborn expression, his brown eyes resolute.
"There's no need to get testy about this, Delbert," Amelia replied, feeling a bit put upon just then.
Delbert sighed…again. "I'm not being testy, Amelia. I only want you to feel better. Is that such a terrible thing for a husband to want for his wife?"
"No, of course it's not," Amelia said, pouting ever so slightly. This was a side she showed only to her husband. Alone with him, she could do such things. In public, she never would have dreamed of acting that way. Heavens no! She would have been mortified…
"Very well, then," Delbert then told her, helping her to her feet, and putting a comforting arm about her shoulders. He led her out of the kitchen and then up the steps to their bedroom.
Along the way, Amelia did her best to try to convince her husband to relent. "Delbert, come now…this might be nothing more than simple allergy symptoms," she wheedled.
"Amelia, dearest…aren't you the one that's forever telling me that you have no allergies?" Delbert replied, not buying her reasoning for a moment.
"Yes, very well, that's true," she continued, though, she had to admit it felt rather nice to have someone coddling her a bit. Even Captains needed coddling now and again, she reasoned. She then sneezed again violently several times, and lapsed into a fit of nasty sounding coughing, which had Delbert frankly worried all the more.
"All right, all right," Amelia relented, and sighed. "I most likely do have a cold. However, I will not stand by and be held captive in my own bed all day long," she told him emphatically.
"As a matter of fact, dear heart…you can, and you will," Delbert assured her, firmly and strangely forceful for him.
Amelia felt like much like a rug someone had beaten clean. "Very well, Delbert. If you are going to insist," Amelia then told him, sounding a bit nasally. "But, I want you to know that I am only doing this under protest."
"Yes, dear, if it makes you feel better," Delbert soothed and smiled. She frowned, as she never did like being treated like a child…even by her husband.
Delbert then briskly whisked her into their bedroom, and waited patiently while Amelia changed into her night clothes. He then helped her to bed-to the accompaniment of her grumbling-and allowed her to lie down. "There. All comfy now, my love?" he asked.
"Just lovely," she replied back sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at him. Delbert had to struggle not to laugh.
She laid her head down upon her pillow, allowing Delbert to pull her covers up and smooth them out. Still frowning, Amelia closed her eyes, and Delbert kissed her cheek softly. "Now, I'm off for awhile, Amelia. If you should need anything, the children will attend you in my absense. Get some rest, my love…"
As the door closed behind him, Amelia groused, "Get some rest, eh? I'll give you rest, Delbert Doppler…" She coughed a few times, but eventually fell sound asleep.
Delbert moved down the hallway to his childrens' bedrooms. He listened and could hear the sound of the four of them in Amanda's room, most likely playing. He knocked politely, waited a moment, then opened the door. "Children? Might I interrupt you a moment?"
Amanda, the redheaded girl, seemed to be in charge today. "Of course, Daddy. Do come inside…"
Delbert smiled proudly, and stepped within. "Good morning, children. I'm afraid that your mother isn't feeling herself today. She's gotten herself a cold, it seems."
"Momma's gotten a cold? Is she going to die, Poppa?" Angelina, the little blond girl asked, obviously scared.
"No, no, Angelina dear, she´ll be just fine," Delbert reassured her, and the little girl sighed in relief. "However, I do need the four of you to do something for me. Could you do that?"
"Ooh! What?" Benjamin, his only son, piped up eagerly.
"Hush, Bennie," Amanda commanded quietly. "Yes, Daddy? What do you need us to do?" she asked, oddly serious for a girl her age.
"Thank you, Amanda," Delbert replied, nodding to his solemn daughter. "All or you," he added a moment later, which brought smiles to three sulky faces. "Your mother is sleeping right this moment. I just need you to watch her for me, while I head into town and fetch a doctor for her. You know, in case she should need something. That sort of thing."
"Of course, Daddy," Amanda replied confidently. "She'll be fine with us while you're gone."
"Oh, if you should decide to pay her a visit later on, do bring a thermometer, and try to take her temperature, would you please?" Delbert asked, turning toward the door to the hallway.
"You can count on us, Poppa," Alice, the raven-haired girl assured her father. Amanda scowled at her presumption of her command.
"I'm sure I can at that. Well, then, I shall be back soon, my dears," Delbert told them all, and whisked out the door, down the stairs to get his coat, and then headed out into that Spring morning to visit an old friend to see his wife.