OOOOOO, I still don't have to return to my backbreaking work quite as soon as I thought, so that leaves room for another story, and my second "Treasure Planet" one, at that!

As with "How Green Were My Sad Eyes", this fanfic is centered around Captain Amelia.

After all, she is my favorite character in the film, bar none.

Now, even though I love the Captain, I am going to absolutely torture her in this eight chapter story.

Specifically, I'm having it so that she catches a serious case of the flu upon waking up one Saturday morning, and although it's one of those simple debilitating and annoying flus which usually isn't anything serious(this is no exception, so she obviously isn't a goner), you can imagine what kind of complaining and groaning and such we're going to hear out of her, especially since you I think you can also guess how much pain and irritation she's going to be feeling, made all the worse for the cat lady in that this is going to last for a week, and each day of how things go, for her or otherwise, is going to be specifically shown by the name of that day in the form of a chapter and that chapter's title being that day's name(although that starts with the second chapter after this one).

So, how much will her frustration and physical awfulness test the patience of her husband and even her kids?

The fact that Jim, Sarah and all of her other friends who will also do what they can for her the instant they get the opportunity to do so notwithstanding, this is going to be nothing short of plenty arduous a week for her and one that anyone who's undergone such a week before would just as soon forget in full.

Let's find out all that we need to know and enjoy ourselves in so doing, shall we?

THINGS TO NOTE:

This fanfic takes place five years after the events of "Treasure Planet".

This story was inspired both by Kitty Petro's story that was one about this very franchise and written on this very site, which was titled: "Amelias Cold", and it was a splendid story, I might add, very hilarious and cute, indeed, so my congrats to KP, and by how it is flu season right now.

I own none of the characters, given that they all belong to "Treasure Planet", and I don't own "Amelias Cold", the story that was part of what inspired this one, either, since that was written by Kitty Petro(again, nice job, KP), not me.

The whole flu season inspiration thing?

Well, you might already be able to tell this, but this is meant, along with being enjoyable to read, as a means to point out that, if you haven't gotten your flu shot yet, then you really should the first chance you get.

Maybe it wasn't necessary to say that, but either way, I felt it was a good idea, and as for the title, you probably think I'm distorting the phrase "Sick As A Dog", and I am.

Sick As A Cat

Chapter 1-Virus Finds A Victim

I tell you, neither Captain Amelia Smollett Doppler nor any of her family could complain.

Besides how their lives, and that of their friends and associates, were going just lovely in ways one could not believe imaginable, due in no small part to how she was being just as good a mother as she was a captain, something that she was openly lauded for by everyone who knew her, the place in which she and her family resided when she and/or her husband, Doctor Delbert Doppler weren't doing their respective jobs and/or one, more or all of their children were at school, was easily what one could and would call "the home from heaven".

Yeah, there were some instances in which she and Delbert fought, though thankfully few and far between, and there were, from time to time, moments when she and/or Delbert got angry at one or more of their kids, or even all of them, in one or two, and vice versa, but these things were pretty much invariably short-lived and they were indeed one big, happy and loving family.

The offspring ad nauseum, the three feline daughters Matey, Jib and Tillie, and their one canine son, Sunny, were surprisingly smart and capable of dealing with things(within the range of their very young age, that is)for the five year old younglings that they were, and indeed were quick learners, which felt great to them and made their parents proud, very unsurprisingly and just as understandably.

However, let's face it…even the closest thing to a perfect life is definitely the next best thing but not quite that.

After all, no one has a perfect life, and the Doppler family was not exempt at all.

Amelia would serve as living proof of that in one of the worst ways you can imagine, though thankfully not one that would make you have to be frightened, tense, worried, what have you for her.

Because upon waking up on a Saturday morning, she was not herself at all, at least not physically, anyway.

Here, I'll be specific…she was far from being "right as rain" as she often labeled herself, because not only was, to her surprise, she far too weak to even begin to move, let alone get out of bed, but when her husband, who had woken up at the same time that she did, saw this after he started to say: "Good morning, hon…" he gasped upon seeing that his wife was starting to cough a lot and, just after he quickly got out of bed to try and see what was going on in case he needed to call a doctor and/or nurse, she began sneezing even more.

"Oh, my God! Dear, what's wrong? You sound like you've really come down with something!" he told her, ready to do the aforementioned calling of a doctor and/or nurse the instant he believed that it was necessary.

"Wrong? What do you mean, wrong?" Amelia replied. "I'll have you know that I'm just as right as rain as ev-ACHOOO!"

"No, you aren't. That coughing and sneezing, especially that last one, is evidence that you are, and of a sudden and somehow, very ill, indeed. Stay where you are. I am going to call the first doctor and/or nurse available to check you out. I will also inform our daughters and son about this so that they'll know what to do after it's been discovered what this obvious problem is. Please don't be stubborn and insist that you're okay. It'll only make whatever this sickness is worse." Delbert informed her.

"Really, Delbert, you're making far too big a deal out of this. It can't be anything that won't…" Amelia began, but then she felt a splitting headache show itself along with a really sore throat and a lot of sweat all over her body. "UUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN…" she groaned. "Why…why does my head hurt so much all of a sudden? My…my throat's so sore…and what's with all this sweat in my fur, anyway? OOOOOOOOOGGGHHH…I feel awful…and so tired, even though I had more than enough sleep last night…"

"All the more reason for you to just lie still, just like you needed to when you were injured back during our journey and had me to tend to your needs, which I will do now." said Delbert. "I am sorry to say that it is now clearer than ever that you have no choice but to accept the fact that some sort of disease is afflicting you, and not trying to move is a very good idea, indeed, in your current state. So please, for my sake, that of the children and your own, please stop denying that you're sick and keep as still and relaxed as possible. I'll make sure that what doctor and/or nurse you'll be needing will be here in as little time as they can be."

"Oh, all right." Amelia said, now having no choice but to face the truth. "Still, I hate this. And this would be so even if I weren't a captain. Who's going to run things while I'm this way?"

"There'll be a substitute, believe me, love. This is for your own good. Keep that well in mind." Delbert stated, and he then got to where their phone was and dialed 911, able to find the best doctor and nurse that Amelia could get in less than a minute after his call was answered and he told the one he was talking to what was currently happening with his wife.

After he hung up, he informed Amelia: "What luck! The best possible doctor, and also the best possible nurse, were found for me to come over here and check you out to see what the problem is! They will be here in five minutes, at most. Just stay nice and calm and know that there won't be any problems concerning your crew or any of what else you're needed for. I'll make sure they know, as well, so that your place can be taken until you're truly 'right as rain' again."

"Gud id." Amelia said, but then she and her husband realized that, as evidenced by how she sounded when giving her response, that her less-than-desirable condition had just gotten worse, part of which consisted of a runny nose and bad nausea.

"Thith iddnt habenig." she said, shocked as the dickens, but her husband said: "I'm afraid so, and it's being extremely blatant about that, too. I am going to go and inform our little lovelies. They are fully awake now, without a doubt, and might be confused as to why they aren't seeing either of us yet. Please don't worry. I'll make sure they can be as much help as possible and that neither they nor I catch this flu, in order to make it so that, when it's stopped being a blight on your body, it will not be showing itself any further."

"Ogab, fangs." Amelia groaned. "Wow, I cad bleef eddy ob zis. Air wathn eben evy sorez ob side dad I hab caud whadebber id wath I dib."

"True enough, but this doctor and nurse are the cream of the crop in their respective positions. They'll find out what's wrong and what we need to do about the problem in virtually no time at all." Delbert assured her.

As if on cue, they heard a knock at the door, Delbert having obviously let the ones he needed to see what the problem was with Amelia where they lived and where he and his wife currently were, and the former immediately went over to and opened the door, saying: "Hello there! It is good that you are both here as quickly as I was told you would be!"

"Of course it is." the doctor, was a canid that looked almost identical to Delbert and was wearing the clothes you would often expect a doctor to wear, white coat or otherwise, while the nurse, who was a felid who looked virtually the same as Amelia and was wearing the sort of clothes that nurses often wore, such as a white shirt and special white hat, nodded. "I'm Dr. Matthew Steven."

The nurse then added: "My name is Alice Greene. So, your wife is pretty under the weather, huh?"

"Without any indications that it would happen before, as well, I'm afraid." Delbert let her and the doctor know.

"I see." said Steven. "Well, let's have a look at her, shall we, Mr. Doppler?" Delbert nodded and then, while Steven and Alice went over to the bed he and Amelia slept in, the latter said: "Mrs. Doppler? Are you awake? Can you hear us?"

"UUUUUUUNNNNNNNN…yeth, bub bardey…I dof fink I cad keeb by eyeth oben morv dan a berry nawwow bargin…OOOOOOOOOOOOOOGGGGGHHHH…" Amelia replied as she felt considerable dehydration and loss of appetite arrive, thinking to herself: "Wow. Talk about ironic. Right now, I couldn't bring myself to drink so much as a drop of tea or take a small nibble of my favorite kinds of cakes. This illness of mine sure isn't getting any better."

"Well, open your mouth as much as you are able to. We need to take your temperature." said Steven, so Amelia nodded to the extent that she could while opening her mouth just enough so that the thermometer could be put under her tongue.

It wasn't long before it could be taken out, and when it was, both Steven and Alice were alarmed, with Delbert saying: "I'm guessing that this is nothing good?"

"Absolutely nothing good." Alice informed him, and then Steven let him know: "Her body temperature is 103. And she's suddenly coughing, sneezing and barely breathing, albeit not in a life-threatening way on any counts."

Indeed, Amelia was once more doing these things, and her nose was runny all of a sudden, something she felt all at the same time on all counts, and then Steven and Alice shook their heads, the former saying: "No question now. She's got the flu. The sort of fever she has makes such a fact well clear."

"Oh, good heavens! Surely there's a way we can help her?" Delbert exclaimed.

"She'll get better." Alice said. "Didn't Steven here just say that it wasn't a life-threatening flu?"

"Okay, true, but what can I, my children or anyone else do?" asked Delbert, and then Steven said: "Since I have seen this level of the flu before and this specific category of it, I am sorry to say that, while she certainly can, and should, be given as many fluids, throat lozenges and foods laden with protein, vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 as you can provide her with, though it has to be every few hours, mind you, and get as much sleep as possible, which I don't think she'll have any trouble doing after she hears the rest of what she needs to…"

He sighed and Alice finished: "…it must be done in a way so that no one giving her what she needs is within six feet of her. You see, she is very contagious, and although we drank special fluids to make sure that we could approach her without catching her illness ourselves before coming here, it isn't just that the effects will be wearing off soon."

"It's also the fact that you are lucky that you got out of bed when you told us you did, because otherwise you might very well have caught the illness which currently has the poor feline incapacitated." Steven let Doppler know. "Along with how there are medicines specifically designed to combat the flu, which I will leave you plenty of, since we brought them in our bags just in case it was the flu, the way that there's been a notable amount of cases lately, and they consist of cough medicine, decongestant, Tamiflu and Relenza. It is also worth pointing out that one of the best things for her to drink while laid up like this is some forms of tea, such as herbal, honey and lemon, the latter two mixed together being what gives the most help."

"I'm glad you told me the last part! Amelia loves tea! So that remedy should be no problem." Delbert smiled, then put in: "Although, there have been other cases of the flu lately? Do you think that the same thing that caused those other cases might have struck Amelia?"

"It's very possible, believe me." Steven nodded.

Amelia thought to herself: "Tea as one of my remedies? I think I actually might feel a speck better just from hearing that!" as her face lit up as much as it could in her current condition. "But wait…there have been multiple flu cases before now as of late? That must mean I'm just the latest victim of what must be causing them! Couldn't they just stop already? And I'd be wishing this even if I wasn't now being victimized by it. Sigh…"

As you might have guessed, her face subsequently fell.

"Why me?" she thought to herself further as she did a big sniffle that made a lot of mucus go down her throat.

"That's good to hear! We will, however, give her something that should speed up the process of getting rid of her flu as much as it can speed it up, though how much it does is something even the likes of us don't know for sure, since it varies from patient to patient." Alice put in, taking out a needle and saying to Doppler: "This is a medicinal liquid that is specifically designed to attack influenza viruses. Created by doctors who are specialized experts on the flu, whether they are the ones injecting it or not. Hopefully Amelia will be one of the luckier ones here."

Delbert nodded and said: "Amelia, the nurse is about to…"

"I dow, gib me a jot." Amelia said. "It'll hurd furra seggon, bud six jots conn gubare to whabbain thith flu is gidding me. Bethides, tha way iddl peel bight make be bass ouf, and ripe dow, I'd really lipe that."

"All right, then. Here it comes." Alice told her, and after injecting Amelia in the arm, she heard the latter go: "AAAAAAA…UUUNNNNNNNNNNN…"

Amelia was sound asleep, and Delbert said: "Thank you. Thank you very much, both of you. I'll make sure everyone who will be able to aid her knows, and you both did an excellent job."

"Thank you, Delbert, and you now know how to handle things with this fully, which you will be doing from here on out, unless, of course, there's something else you need us for." Alice said, and then Steven put in: "In which case we'll be here as fast as we can be, although we must point out that, since this is the flu, she'll most likely take a week to get over it, so there is going to be quite a bit of time spent in taking care of her for the next seven days, especially the first few."

"Understood. And thanks again!" Delbert smiled, but then he heard footsteps and said: "Ah! My children. I need to tell them what's happened and why you're here, even if you are about to go, so I have to switch my focus to that. I'll keep everything you said well in mind."

"No problem." Steven said. "Come on, Alice, we don't want to confuse the little ones."

Both him and Alice chuckled at his joke, and while they were moving forward, Delbert came out and said: "Matey, Tillie, Sunny, Jib, there is something you need to know which is very important."

"What's that, daddy?" asked Jib, who then noticed Steven and Alice as they were leaving and said: "Wait…aren't those doctors? What are they doing here?"

"That's what I need to tell you about." Delbert replied. "There's no light way to put this. Your mother has a horrendous case of the flu, and although she will recover, it will easily be a week that she is ill. Furthermore, while we will all do everything we can to make her feel the least bit better, as will any and every other one who will lend a helping hand if given the chance, every time she is given aid will need to be six feet away from her, as she is quite contagious. I cannot sleep in the same bed as her for the next week, and thus must opt for the couch, instead. This is going to be one long, hard, painful, unhappy week for her, so let's lessen such awful things as much as possible, all while making sure they don't befall us, as well."

"Understood, daddy." Jib nodded, and then Sunny said: "We hear you." while Tillie added: "Poor mommy. How did she get this, anyway?"

"Yeah, she was perfectly okay yesterday and last night!" put across Matey, and Delbert said: "Believe me, my dears, she and I are both as surprised and confused as you are, though it is possible that the way there have recently been a number of flu cases is the reason for it and, if so, she's the newest victim just now. But whether I am right or not, we must remember those who could and would be perfectly willing to assist us in coming to her aid, such as Jim Hawkins and his mother, Sarah. She is currently sleeping like a log, so do what you can to ensure you make as little noise as possible, as I will be doing myself."

"Got it." all four of the Doppler children said in unison,

CHAPTER 1 HAS ENDED

Was this enjoyable?

I do hope so.

And, although I know full well that I've said this before, I need to, for emphasis, once more give a message to anyone and everyone who has not yet gotten their flu shot…

GET IT NOW!

You do not want the consequences of what will happen if you don't, to you or anyone else!

So avoid said problems by receiving your flu vaccination as soon as possible!

HURRY!

But in any case, please rate and review, everybody, and believe me when I say that the chapters that follow will be nothing short of only too great a read, though it's a shame that it'll have to be at Amelia's expense via flu and the horrific effects thereof, but you know what?

Sometimes I'm just that mean, and this is one such instance.