Ben sat, curled up in the corner of the sofa and watched as Conrad Beuner unpacked the new medical equipment.

Greta had put his foot down when Ben had insisted that he was fit enough to go into work the next morning. They'd had quite an exchange of words over the matter but Ben had been forced to concede defeat when he nearly passed out after he was hit by a dizzy spell. Greta had taken pity on him in the end and had transported Conrad and Anton over to the farmhouse so the young Platon could proceed with the training on the new monitoring equipment. Lilly had ended up sleeping the whole night on the sofa, while Greta had bunked down with Ben in the younger couples' bedroom so he could keep a close eye on the recovering man. Lilly had woken up much refreshed and had jumped at the chance to cover Conrad's shift as she found she missed working and figured that Ben needed a change of personnel for a while.

"Pass me the note, please," Ben held out his hand for the envelope that was stuck to the outside of the box.

Conrad ripped it off and handed it over before returning to help Anton lift the monitor pack out of the box.

Ben rubbed his eyes when his sight blurred as he started to read Janet's handwriting and shook his head to chase away the greying edges of his vision. He had woken up this morning still feeling under the weather, his head pounded and his joints ached. After managing to sneak a couple of Tylenol for what he knew was a touch of fever, he'd put his best face on to hide how unwell he was beginning to feel. He had a lot to get through today.

"What does it say?" Conrad asked as he pushed a few switches on the white box.

Ben wiped away the sweat that slowly dripped into his eyes and cleared the frog that was forming in his throat. "Well," he sat up straighter and shook his head again when the room continued to blur around him. "It's been fitted with a solar pack," he read out when the words finally came into focus.

"What does that mean?" Conrad pulled of the digital thermometer that was attached to the unit.

Ben rubbed his eyes again and then reached for his glass of water. His throat was so dry and slightly sore. "It means we won't have to plug it into a generator," he said and drained the glass, enjoying the coolness of the water as it flowed down his scratchy throat. "We leave it in the sun and the rays will provide the power," he smiled at his friends as he placed his now empty glass back onto the table.

"That is amazing," Anton gushed crossing to his father's side. "So, all these buttons control monitoring devices then?" He ran his fingers over the digital readout screens.

"Yes," Ben nodded, shifting in position slightly to try to alleviate his aching hips. "There are sensor pads that will pick up the patient's heart rate, temperature and blood pressure" he rubbed at his temples when his returning headache joined in with his discomfort.

"This will be invaluable!" Conrad grinned.

"And we have two," Ben returned the grin as best he could, considering how increasingly unwell he was feeling. "We can have one on charge at all times." The urgency to lie down was growing now so he feigned a yawn when he noticed the two men watching him, hoping that they might get the message that he needed to rest so he could seek out some more medication without drawing attention to his growing fever. He didn't want any fuss and he ascribed his feeling of illness to the fact that he'd over done things yesterday. He just needed to get some more sleep and he was sure he'd be fine.

When Conrad and Anton then exchanged concerned glances, Ben yawned again.

"Forgive us, Platon Ashton," Conrad bowed. "You are fatigued. We will leave you to rest," he smiled kindly.

"Yes, indeed," Anton agreed and started to pack away the equipment.

"I'm sorry," Ben apologised sincerely. He hated to deceive his friends but he really needed some medication and his bed.

"Shall we take these back with us?" Conrad queried, taping up one of the boxes.

"Yes," Ben nodded. "Set them up in the sun room and switch on the big button on the back. They'll charge well today," he stated, knowing that the sun was glaring through the window as was adding to his near unbearable headache. He handed the instructions back and began to pull himself upright. "I'll show you out," he smiled through his misery, his body shaking with weakness and pain.

"No, please do not disturb yourself," Conrad then urged. "We know our way, Platon," he bowed slightly.

"Please call me Ben," Ben corrected as he gratefully slumped back into the sofa and rubbed his eyes.

"Ben," Conrad smiled and bowed again. "I hope you rest enough so you are able to join our celebrations tonight," he added as he picked up one of the boxes.

"Indeed," Anton agreed. "It would not be the same without you and Lilly, the help you have both given me has been invaluable," he stated, picking up the other box.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Ben smiled and swallowed apprehensively at the thought of pulling himself together enough to join in Anton's Platon party.

"Eight o'clock at our abode," Conrad reminded as they left the room. "We live right next to Lilly's parents," he reminded with a smile. "I hope you rest well, Ben," he added and the Platon's then took their leave.

Ben sighed with relief when the door clicked shut behind Anton and ran a shaking hand over his sweat soaked face. He needed to get horizontal and fast so he waited a few minutes as he listened to the Beuner's saying their goodbyes to the Quinn's and then pushed up from the sofa, pausing for a moment when the room spun around him.

Finally, after taking a couple of deep breaths, he staggered out of the room and managed to pull himself together before opening the kitchen door.

He poked his head round the door and smiled at Mari and Greta, who were sitting around the table preparing lunch.

"I'm just going to put my head down for a few hours," he informed them.

"Are you feeling all right?" Greta glanced up and asked.

"I'm fine," Ben nodded. "But I'm going to need my strength if I'm going to take my wife dancing tonight," he managed to grin and breathed a sigh of relief when his hosts returned the grin.

"Off you go then, my boy. Your wife is a demon on the dance floor," Greta chuckled before returning to his peeling.

"Don't I know it," Ben shrugged as he remembered his wedding night when everyone danced until the dawning of the next day. "See you later," he said as closed the door.

"Rest well, Benjamin," Mari called after him and continued with the lunch preparation, totally oblivious to the young Platon's deteriorating condition.

Xxx

Lilly's exciting chatter pulled Ben out of his restless doze. By the time he managed to climb the stairs to the bedroom he'd been soaked in sweat and breathless. His growing fever had made him feel very woozy and he'd gratefully swallowed a couple of Tylenol before gingerly climbing into bed.

Unfortunately, his fever had meant that he'd not achieved the rest he really needed, his head had pounded and his joints ached, no matter what position he was in. The nagging cough had sent ribbons of pain through his chest and he had woken feeling just as awful as he had before he slept.

He lay and listened to his wife discussing how she was going to wear her hair and his heart sank at the thought of attending the evenings outing but he knew he'd disappoint his wife if he didn't go so he flung his oppressive quilt to one side and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He began to shiver when the late afternoon breeze sliding through the opened window caused his overheated body to cool and he reached out his good hand for the Tylenol he'd left on the bedside cabinet, quickly dry swallowed them and pushing up from the bed on very shaky legs. When he heard Lilly call his name as she rushed up the stairs, he staggered to the bathroom, hoping to swill his face with some cold water in an effort to reduce his temperature before his wife discovered it and ordered him straight back to bed. He so wanted to take his wife to the party.

"Are you ready?" Lilly was chatting animatedly before she even entered the bedroom. "Mari has pressed your black pants and shirt," she stated, laying the garments on the end of the day. "Ben?" She called again as she crossed to her closet.

"In the bathroom," Ben called back as he splashed water on his face.

"How are you feeling?" Lilly turned and rifled through her clothes.

"I'm fine," Ben replied, placing a folded wet cloth on the back of his neck and sighed in relief at the coolness of it. "I'm just washing up," he added and ran the tap again to prove the point.

"I'm glad, you're feeling better," Lilly pulled out two knee length dresses she'd bought during her stay on Earth. "Blue or yellow dress," she asked as she held each one up and looked at her reflection in the wall mirror.

"Um," Ben held onto the sink when he was hit by a wave of dizziness again. "Yellow," he called when he controlled the feeling of vertigo.

"Yellow it is," Lilly smiled and returned the blue on to her closet. She then sat on the edge of the bed and proceeded to change. She had managed to shower at the hospital as she knew she would be pressed for time. "Are you going to be much longer?" She asked as she pulled on her stockings.

"Just need to shave and change," Ben replied. "Then I'll be ready," he reached for his toothbrush, rested his weight on the sink and, with the same hand, he managed to squeeze a small amount of toothpaste onto his brush. He had an awful taste in his mouth and could not wait to rid himself of it.

"You need to hurry, Ben," Lilly sprang up from the bed, reached and zipped her lemon-coloured dress up and grabbed her matching shoes. "I'll meet you downstairs," she called. "Mari is going to do my hair," she was really looking forward to tonight and had been so pleased when Greta had informed her that Ben had been sensible enough to take a nap this afternoon.

"Okay, sweetheart," Ben called back and then sank gratefully onto the toilet when he heard her hurried footsteps racing down the stairs. He rested his aching head on the rim of the sink and groaned. How the hell was he going to pull this off?

Xxx

"You look beautiful," Ben, gasped when he saw how stunning wife looked as he made his way into the kitchen. Her yellow dress clung to all the right places to show off her perfect figure. Mari had tamed her curls so her hair was swept up into a neat bun and intertwined with fresh daisies. She had a glow about her as she twirled in round, showing off her exquisite shift dress.

"Do you like it?" She grinned in excitement.

"It's stunning. You look amazing," Ben smiled before then turning his attention to the buttons on his shirt with shaking hands. Lilly soon noticed that he was struggling and crossed the room to help.

"Where is your sling?" She asked, smoothing down his shirt.

"Thought I'd go without it tonight," Ben shrugged and pulled away slightly when Lilly's hand nearly brushed, what he knew was burning skin.

"Keep still," Lilly tugged on his shirt and continued to button up it up for him. "Are you sure you'll be all right without it?" She asked as she picked a few hairs off the shirt. She then looked him in the eye. "And how is your pain?"

"Not too bad," Ben smiled. "I've taken a couple of Janet's muscle relaxants and I'll take the new sling just in case I need some relief," he promised.

"Okay," Lilly nodded and then pulled away to inspect her husband. "You look very handsome," she smiled sincerely and then leaned in for a kiss but Ben quickly dodged her advances, knowing full well that his Tylenol had touched the fever yet and his temperature was high, something she'd detect immediately if their lips touched.

"Come on," he ducked past her. "We'd best get going," he smiled and opened the door for his beautiful wife. "We don't want to be the last ones there," he bowed slightly as Lilly giggled and curtsied on her way out.

Closing the door behind her, Ben took a few breaths of the cool evening air, patted down his pockets to make sure he had a trusty supply of Tylenol and followed his wife to the buggy.

He only had to hide his illness for a few hours. Tomorrow he would admit all. Tomorrow he would tell Lilly just how sick he was feeling. Tomorrow he would let Lilly take over his care; tonight he would dance with his wife.