As the cab slows outside of Andrea's flat Neil looks up at her window, he considers telling the driver to take him to Philippa's parents. Still feeling weak he pulls twice at the door handle to open it, stepping gingerly onto the path outside the flats. He looks up at the flat again but there are no signs of life, the curtains drawn but none of that is unusual.

"Hey mate." The driver calls, the winter cold chases its way up Neil's spine, the driver wants to be paid.

Neil sneezes as he digs for his wallet in his jacket; his leather gloves make things slippery and cumbersome when pulling out a note.

"Get well soon." The driver wishes with more formality than feeling. Neil can't shake the memory of the strange looks he got from the driver. A well dressed man who gets into a cab alone from a large expensive home whose destination is not a doctor despite him sneezing and spluttering everywhere, his answer about family ambiguous at least must be slightly odd and on Christmas Day.

It takes effort to move himself, limbs stiff and sore Neil feels himself getting worse, having felt almost human before he left home he never thought he'd feel as bad as he does.

Neil massages his fingers on his forehead, a dull headache forming on top of every other part of his body that screams, making itself known. He presses the buzzer that sounds in Andrea's apartment; ultimately it's up to her if he gets through the two doors to see her. When there's no reply after a moment he tries again, the only reply to his second request to be let inside is silence.

Stepping back he looks up at her window again nothing's changed, still he searches for his phone, removing his glove to dial Andrea's number with the tiny buttons. He sneezes again and Andrea's recorded voice kicks in. Neil drops his head knowing if she's there she's not going to answer now.

"Andrea…it's me, Neil." He begins listening to his hoarse voice that almost hurts. "If you're there…" It's seven words too many and he ends up coughing down the phone line. "I was hoping you'd let me in so I could see you, I know you're angry, I…" But he's out of time, the beep reaches Neil's ear, dejected he hangs up, his hand with the phone drops to his side and his head hangs.

For a second he has hope as he hears the security door open, his head snaps up to see a young family coming towards him. The young boy swings himself on his parent's arms and it isn't lost on Neil that this is how he, Philippa and Jake should look.

"Who are you after?" A sweet female voice asks, the young mother stops though her son continues to pull.

"Andrea Dunbar on the second floor," Neil says as casually as his voice will allow.

"We know Andrea, we live next door, she bought Ryan a present over this morning, and she said she was going to work then…poor thing on Christmas Day." Andrea's words about why she chose to work today burn Neil's ears; she had no one else to go to, least of all him.

"Thank you." Neil says politely and forces a smile, "Merry Christmas."

He watches as the happy unit heads to their car. He feels better knowing that Andrea hasn't been ignoring him just now.

Neil reaches for his phone again and calls another cab.


"Daddy's here, daddy's here." Neil hears the excited voice of his son as he approaches the stately home of Philippa's parents. The curtains next to the door rustle and a moment later his mother-in-law opens the door, looking out onto the street for Neil's car.

"Did you get a cab Neil?" She asks.

"I did, Merry Christmas." Neil says stepping inside his voice is still scratchy.

"Merry Christmas, you don't sound good." Martha Pearson puts her arms around Neil.

"Don't get too close." Neil warns as she kisses him on the cheek.

"Pippa told us, how are you feeling now?" She looks over her son-in-law with more concern than her daughter has.

"My little toe feels alright." Neil manages a smile and the small joke through every part of him that still aches.

"Do you want something to take?" One of the corners of his eye Neil sees Roy Pearson step into the tastefully decorated entry space.

"Thank I'm carrying my own pharmacy." Without gloved hands Neil pulls out the cold and flu tablets he's carrying.

Neil greets his father-in-law formally, though Neil doesn't have much of a handshake to offer. He's too sick to feel anything about Roy's indiscretions and why his wife and daughter continue to tolerate it, turning a blind eye, happy to remain ignorant.

"Neil." The sound of Philippa's sweet voice that so often masks her tough nature turns him around. "I didn't expect to see you so soon; it's only a quarter past twelve." She too presses a kiss to Neil's cheek, always keeping up appearances, putting on a show. Most of the time Neil tolerates it and accepts that's who his wife is and other times when he has other gripes…

"I couldn't get back to sleep but I didn't feel like driving." Neil's voice begins to fade even with the small amount of talking he's just done.

"How are you feeling?" The sincere concern that comes out now but never at home irritates him.

"Why Philippa do you care?" It doesn't really have force because of the way he sounds but Philippa still looks a little stunned and shocked; Neil's just glad he can't see the face of his in-laws. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, I don't mean it, I just don't feel well, my head is still aching, every passage behind my face is blocked, my eyes are watering, my nose is running, my throat's sore, mouth dry, my voice is gone, I'm coughing and sneezing, every part of my body aches, I'm cold but clammy and the only good thing is that the nausea is gone."

"This one is for you Grandma." Jake announces entering the room with precision timing effectively ending any discomfort the adults might be experiencing as a result of Neil's outbreak. Jake has an oversized box in his arms, clearly he'd been waiting with anticipation for presents and now that his father was here he knew he could open them.

"O.k. Jake," Philippa gently steers her son by his shoulders through to the formal room where the perfectly decorated Christmas tree stands. Roy and Martha step past Neil who shivers for the first time in the large old house. Although a fire crackles in the room as they un-wrap gifts from each other, Neil keeps his coat on.

Like a lot of other things in the family, Neil's snipe seems to have been put out of the minds of everyone there except for him.

Jake tears at his gifts with the same vigour he did this morning, when Philippa tries to reign him in, watching gift boxes and bags go flying, Roy insists it's o.k. Jake's a child and it's Christmas, for once Neil is on the same page as his father-in-law.

"The bed in the guestroom is made up." Martha offers as she sits gently down next to Neil who fights the dizzy feeling currently invading his head. "I'll wake you when the food's ready."

Neil smiles weakly and says thanks but refuses; he doesn't want to miss anymore of today. Just the sight of Jake on the floor surrounded by simple things that are bringing him so much joy makes Neil feel slightly better.

"Dad play with me, play with me." Jake jumps up and down in front Neil, the contents of the board game shaking in the box.

"O.k. set it up." There's no way he can turn his son down. Later Neil remembers his in-laws and Philippa gravitating to the kitchen, he remembers lying down on the carpet and getting a pillow off the sofa for his head, he remembers nothing after telling Jake to take his turn.

"Neil." He's not sure how long someone has been trying to wake him but he hears his name called. Before he even opens his eyes he notices one nostril is blocked, all the gunk filling his sinuses having drained to the right, the side on which he is lying, his headache is still there but the nausea is still on vacation. His whole body still aches.

Neil sits up slowly so as not to invite the dizzy feeling back, his eyes clearing to see Philippa in front of him. "How long have I been asleep?"

"About one and a half hours, you should go home Neil, there's no point you pushing yourself, you'll only prolong your recovery. Jake won't mind, he knows you're not well, he won't even remember this day when he's older." Somehow the sincerity and compassion only makes Neil more determined to see the day out, though he has nothing to prove as a parent.

"Is the food ready?" Neil asks getting to his feet like a newborn foal; he doesn't bother looking over his shoulder for any reaction from Philippa.

The meat on the plate in front of him looks tender and the vegetables fresh yet they hold all the appeal for Neil right now of an ice cold bath. He realises there's no way he's going to be able to eat a fraction of what's been placed in front of him, his appetite having been missing for days. At any other time he'd tuck into the meal as though it were his last, now he's just grateful the nausea is gone, it would make eating, that's become a chore, that much more difficult.

As his family around him starts eating and murmuring about how good the food is, Neil cuts a small section of the meat and takes a mouthful. It doesn't take long to realise he can't taste because he has no ability to smell anything.

"How's yours Neil?" Martha asks and he immediately decides to lie.

"It's delicious." On top of the fact it goes down like razor blades.

As the conversation around the table starts up, the family includes Neil but as his voice deteriorates their contact is reduced to eyes and some well-placed nods from Neil.

He holds off for as long as he can, till everyone else's plates are almost empty before excusing himself. "I'm sorry I don't have much of an appetite, it was delicious though." Neil repeats.

"You can't taste a thing can you?" Martha smiles.

"I'm sure it tastes wonderful." Neil manages a smile.

Philippa sends him a look that suggests he's just insulted the hostess not complimented. "If you'll excuse me I'm just going to take some more cold and flu tablets."

"Neil, go lie down in that guest room, don't come back to the table, it's ridiculous you propping yourself up like you are you should be resting, we're all just going to sit around and recover from what we've eaten anyway." Neil starts to protest.

"That's an order, you do take them a work right?" Martha says cheekily.

"Thank you," Neil smiles gratefully.

In the bathroom Neil looks at the tablets realising the last few have made precious little difference to how he feels and may be contributing to his nausea, in the least he doesn't feel as though they will stay down.

The bed is comfortable, although at this stage he could sleep on anything, with four layers of clothing and bedding Neil finally feels warm before dropping off to sleep.


The taste of stomach acid rising in the back of his throat is what greets Neil when he wakes later that evening. His stomach tumbles, the nausea is back only worse and it feels almost as if his digestive system is working in reverse.

He gets up too quickly, his head spins, crashing him into the walls of the hall. He makes it just in time to the bathroom where he gets a second viewing of the tiny meal he'd eaten that afternoon.

On the bathroom floor is where Philippa finds him, he dares not go back to bed in case his stomach isn't yet empty.

"Are you alright?" There's compassion in her voice but all Neil can muster is a shake of his head.

"Sitting on the cold tiles won't help you." It's true he has shivered more times than he'd counted but he couldn't or didn't dare get up.

"Dad was going to invite us to go to the country house for a few days but he's seen how sick you are." She's not angry, unimpressed or disappointed like before.

"You go, take Jake, you won't catch whatever it is I've got if you go now. I'll be o.k." Neil says hoarsely.

"You sure?" Philippa pulls the two lapels of Neil's coat together.

"I just need to sleep and if I feel better in a few days I'll come up." With the last estimation Neil's not sure if he's delusional or it's wishful thinking.

"We were going to go to church with mum tonight, dad wants to leave tomorrow so I thought I'd drop you at home, pack some things and spend the night here, as long as you'll be o.k." Neil nods and with Philippa's help gets himself up off the floor.


To be continued...In part 5 of 6 (Which I promise features Andrea as does six; I didn't really split the story into chapters too well.)