Jo went straight to Zane's lab when she got to GD. But he wasn't there. She asked Parrish about him, and ignored his sarcasm when he replied, "No, your precious asterisk has not reported for work yet." But looking at Jo and the concern on her face, he grumbled "But I'll let him know you're looking for him when he gets here."

"Thanks" was Jo's grateful reply.

By lunchtime and still no Zane sighting in GD, Jo was beginning to worry. She scanned her calendar for any Astraeous-related activities scheduled for the crew today, but there was none.

Swallowing her pride, she dialed Zane's number but it just kept ringing.

"Strange" she thought. She was also a little afraid that Zane might have left Eureka, but shook her head as if to let go of that thought. "He is not about to turn his back on Titan" she thought…and guiltily added "and on me."

Resolving to get to the bottom of this, she decided to head out to his house.

When she got there, everything seemed to be normal. His bike was out front where it usually is. The blinds on the windows were closed as they usually are. When she reached the front door, she hesitated only for a second before knocking. When she didn't get an answer, she reached for the doorknob and wondered what booby trap he might have set up for any intruder. "I guess I'll find out," she thought as she closed her eyes and turned the knob.

She was surprised it wasn't locked, and no booby trap greeted her. "Now that's highly unusual" she thought and drew out her gun, softly making her way into the living room.

"Achoo!" A giant sneeze echoed from the bedroom.

Jo turned sharply to the direction of the sound. "Achoo!" she heard it again. She put her gun back in its holster as she crossed the living room and gently pushed open the bedroom door.

"Achoo! Achoo!" She could see Zane's head bob up from the sheets with every violent sneeze.

She went to his bedside and felt his forehead. He was burning with fever. Remembering S.A.R.A.H.'s words earlier that Zane had let himself get caught in last night's rain, Jo wasn't surprised to find him this sick. What surprised her was that Zane didn't even flinch or react to her hand on his forehead, or her mere presence in his home. He just kept his eyes closed. He must really be sick.

She went to the bathroom and looked through his medicine cabinet. Finding what she was looking for, she went back to Zane with a glass of water.

"Zane" she said softly. She held out the tablets in the palm of her hand. "Here, take these. It'll make you feel better"

He opened his eyes, but didn't look at her. He just looked at the medicine in her hands and took them with the glass of water she gave. He handed her back the glass and closed his eyes once again as he sank down on the pillows.

Jo noticed that he was also slightly shivering under the sheets. Jo took off her suit jacket and rolled up her sleeves. She went into the bathroom again and came out with a small towel and a small basin of water.

She knelt beside his bed and started wiping his face. She worked her way down to his neck then wordlessly pulled up his perspiration-soaked shirt over his head and continued to rub the cloth gently across his chest and on his arms. She just as gently but strongly pushed him to his side so she could give the same care to his back. As she pulled him back, she hesitated slightly at his boxers. Seeing they were just as soaked with perspiration as his shirt, she decided to deal with it last. She rubbed both legs down to his feet with the cloth. And when she was done, she crossed over to his closet and pulled out a new shirt and a new pair of boxers. She changed him quickly, then bundled up the damp blanket and replaced it with a new one. She rearranged the pillows on his head to make him more comfortable. Neither of them had said a word all this time, but they both knew that each one was highly aware of the other.

She went to the kitchen to make some tea, both for him and herself. She realized it was past lunch already and she hasn't had anything to eat since breakfast.

When she got back to Zane's room with the tea, he was fast asleep, and snoring.

She went back to the kitchen and set aside the tea for later. After rummaging through Zane's kitchen, she decided to make a quick run to Café Diem for food and supplies. She had wanted to make Zane some of her mom's chicken soup, her staple food for sick days.

On her way back, she also managed to call her second-in-command and told him she's talking the rest of the day, and probably the next few days off. Only in a catastrophic emergency was he allowed to call her, and he knew better than to ask why.

Her last call was to Carter to let him know where she will be for the next day or so. He seemed glad to hear that she was taking care of a sick Zane.

When she got back to Zane's, he was still fast asleep, except for the occasional sneezing and sniffling. She checked on his temperature and although he still had a fever, at least it wasn't as high as it was earlier.

She had a quick bite in the kitchen, then started cooking her mother's recipe for chicken soup. She remembered how she always felt better when her mom made this on days when she wasn't feeling well. She missed her mom and vowed to herself that someday she will tell Zane about her. Although she will never have the opportunity to meet him, she knew that her mom would have loved Zane.

When she was done, she felt the need to shower. Zane was still asleep but would she still have time to run over to S.A.R.A.H for a change of clothes? She considered this as she grabbed her keys from the counter, then decided otherwise when she heard a low groan from the bedroom.

She entered and sat on one side of the bed and put her hand over his. "Zane?"

No answer, but she knew he was awake.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

He nodded his head then groaned again and started shaking his head instead.

"That's to be expected. You still have a fever. Are you hungry? Would you like some soup?"

With a soft nod as his reply, Jo went back to the kitchen to get some of her freshly made soup. She added a few crackers to it on the side and put in on tray and carried it to Zane's bedside. Again taking her spot on one side of the bed, she helped him prop himself up with the pillows, and fed him some soup.

This time, he had his eyes open and other than looking glazed, he was looking at her with an expression she couldn't quite decipher. Jo found herself unable to look him straight in the eyes, and just concentrated on feeding him soup.

When he'd had enough, she took a napkin to wipe his mouth. He reached out and held her hand, poised over his mouth. He didn't say anything but almost willed her to look at him. When she finally did, he looked as if he was searching her face for something, then closed his eyes again and let go of her hand.

Jo was not sure what had just happened, but felt the need to comfort and reassure him. She leaned over and kissed his forehead tenderly. "Just rest some more Zane. I'll be here when you wake up."

She picked up the tray and went out of the room. Had she looked back, she would have seen the smile of satisfaction on his face.