Ranma's Flu
5
"Who is it...?" Genma got up and started walking towards the door, when Soun ran to him, waving his hands like a lunatic, whispering:
"Your wife! It's your wife, Nodoka!"
"Hhnn!" Genma flinched, but it was too late. The beautiful woman walked in, and saw Genma. They stared at each-other, Genma starting to sweat.
"Uhh, hello, darling!" he greeted. Nodoka was just as surprised as him.
"Well hello, my dear!" she smiled after a while. "I just wanted to come by, hoping to see you and Ranma. But I was almost positive I wouldn't find you. It's been years since we met!"
"Y-yes, actually..." Genma smiled, rubbing his neck.
"Auntie Saotome!" they heard Kasumi call out from the living room.
"Oh, miss Kasumi!" the lady smiled and stepped in. "But now, is my honey Ranma home, too? Or is he training hard all day?"
"Well, I'm very sorry but... he can't join us at the moment", Genma said.
"Hm? How come?" Nodoka wondered and sat down.
"Eh... You see, he got very sick and, uh... He's in the hospital."
"My dear Ranma, in hospital?!" Nodoka gasped.
"We were there just a few hours ago, but were, eh, kicked out by the nurses. They wanted us to let him rest", Genma said. "But we'll go there tomorrow."
"But you can stay here for the night and come with us tomorrow morning!" Akane smiled, and everyone nodded.
Nodoka joined everyone for tea, and just when everything seemed to calm down, the doorbell rang again.
"I'm getting sick of this..." Soun cursed as he marched to the door, opened it and saw a boy, Ranma's age, or maybe a year or two older, with quite short, black hair and a yellow bandana, heavy packings on his back, carrying a red umbrella, protecting him from the rain.
"Hello", this boy greeted.
"Hi", Soun nodded. "Do I remember correctly, you are Ryoga?"
"Yeah", he said. "I was wandering around and thought if I could stay for the night. The weather being, eh, what it is..."
"Of course you're staying!" said Akane's voice as she walked to them. "You can't get sick in the rain like Ranma!"
"Huh? What do you mean like Ranma?"
Ryoga took his shoes off, shook his umbrella dry and put his backpack down.
"Come, have some tea", Kasumi smiled and pet the floor next to her. Ryoga sat down and started drinking with a smile. Then he remembered what Akane had just said.
"Say, Akane, what do you mean 'sick like Ranma'?" he asked.
"Well, yes, the thing is that he is in hospital..." Akane sighed. Ryoga swallowed his tea the wrong pipe and started coughing.
"H-huh? Ranma, in hospital?!" he gasped after stopping coughing. "What's with him? Broken bones?"
"Influenza, big time", Akane said. "We'll go back there tomorrow, maybe we can take him home."
"Well I'm coming too!" Ryoga shouted out.
"It's so great to see my son has friends!" Nodoka smiled, holding her heart.
The men made beds for the guests, and now when Ranma wasn't here to keep them awake by sneezing and coughing, everyone slept sound.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Be-!
Akane's alarm clock rang at 8 AM. The girl felt like she didn't get up, but right after remebering that they should be on their way to the hospital in one hour, she jumped off her bed and quickly started dressing up. And she was fast. She ran to the kitchen and saw Kasumi up, cooking something.
"Good morning, Akane!" she greeted with a smile. Akane nodded, and saw Nodoka step in, bowing.
"Good morning, everyone!" she smiled like an angel. "We will be leaving soon."
"Yes", Akane nodded.
"I am so excited to see him, after all these years!" the lady clapped her hands.
"But believe me, he is very sick. You will maybe not like what you'll see..." Akane notified.
After all the women in the house were up, it was the men's turn. Finally everyone were sitting in the living room, eating. The clock was just about to strike 9 AM.
"Hurry! We were supposed to be on our way already!" Akane rushed. Everyone hurried eating, and finally packed their stuff, and got into car. It was stuffed full, Akane, Ryoga and Nodoka sitting at the back seats, the men at the front seats.
Akane was sitting in the middle. She looked at Nodoka. She looked nervous.
"Are you alright, Auntie Nodoka?" the girl asked, worried.
"Now to think about it... I AM scared... to see my dear son in hospital..."
"Don't worry, darling", Genma said from the front seat. "We are with you."
This time Soun didn't park the car and leave everyone in front the main doors. They parked the car in the parking carage and all walked in together as a group.
"Follow us", Genma told Nodoka and Ryoga, and took the lead.
As they walked on, Nodoka got closer and closer, until finally grabbed her husband's hand. He flinched and blushed. It had been so long since this happened.
And finally, they got at the room four's door. And then they heard a loud sneeze:
"HAHH-DSHOHH!"
Not used to this, Nodoka and Ryoga flinched.
"Whoa!" Ryoga shouted out. Nodoka covered her mouth with her delicate hands and gasped. Genma opened the door...
Ranma was laying on his side, curled up. Nodoka got closer to him, slow, step by step. She grabbed one of the chairs and sat down right next to his face.
"Ranma... My dear Ranma..."
Everyone looked at each-other, sad.
"Ranma, honey..." Nodoka reached out to him and stroke his hair. "Ranma, I'm here..."
Ranma opened his eyes.
"M-mama...!" he finched and sat up, shaking. Both mother and son hugged each-other tight.
"Mama..." Ranma whispered, tightening his hug.
"My honey... My little Ranma..." Nodoka said, with a tear of happiness rolling down her cheek.
Suddenly Ranma pushed her away.
"R-Ran...?"
"Hhhh... CHOO!" he tried his best avoiding his mother. Everyone stared at him, and as Ryoga was standing on the other side of the bed next to the nightstand, he grabbed the tissue box on it and handed over to Ranma. He looked at it, and then turned at Ryoga.
"Uhh... Thanks..." he mumbled and blew his nose. "But what are YOU doing in here?" he rubbed the tissue against his nose and tossed it away.
"Just payin' you a visit, buddy", Ryoga nodded and crossed his arms.
"Well, uh, than' - CHOOO!" and he blew his nose again. He tried to throw the tissues away into a rubbish bin by his bed, right at Ryoga's feet. But he missed both, like almost every single of them – the floor was a complete mess. Ryoga sighed and collected the tissues into the bin.
"So, has the doctor been here yet?" Genma asked, impatient.
"Nope", Ranma shook his head and curled up. His mom covered him with the blanket and put a wet towel on his head.
Soun had brought everyone a chair, and now Ranma was surrounded. He WAS coughing and sneezing alright, but he was clearly better compared to yesterday.
Finally someone knocked the door. It was the doctor. He walked to them, holding a few sheets of paper in his hands.
"So, Ranma Saotome and his family?" he wondered.
"This is my wife, Nodoka Saotome, his mother", Genma said and pointed at Nodoka, who smiled and waved her hand as a greeting.
"Okay now. He woke up just about an hour ago, and had mostly slept since your last visit yesterday, which has clearly improved his condition", he nodded. "Even though the fact is that he is not all well yet, we don't think he needs inpatient care. We will be letting you go home today. But first, let's check your fever one more time. Last time we checked it was late at night, which was getting a little bit better: 102.9"
He took the ear thermometer from his pocket and took pressed the button.
"102. Better, better, but still quite high. If it rises back above 104, come back instantly."
"Thank you so much!" Nodoka said and shook the doctors hand, Genma right after her.
Ranma changed from his hospital pajamas to is own clothes, and they were ready to go. But there was this one thing they hadn't thought about – now that there were six of them, they wouldn't fit in the car!
But Nodoka had an idea! They would spend some family time, the Saotomes, by taking a taxi to the dojo!
Soun, Akane and Ryoga drew away, leaving the Saotomes behind to wait for the taxi. It took a while, and Ranma was feeling tired standing up and waiting.
"Come, honey", his mom said, sat down on a bench and pet it beside her. "Have a seat."
Ranma sat down, and his mom placed her hand on his shoulders, starting to rock him gently. He wasn't embarrassed at all. Genma sat down next to them and sighed.
"You know, even though it's like this..." Nodoka mumbled. "...I love how we are together. Since so long..."
Finally the taxi came. They all sat in the backseats; Ranma in the middle.
"Ahh, I have always loved the scent of a new, clean taxi!" Nodoka smiled.
"ACHOOO!" Ranma sneezed. Too bad they hadn't taken tissues with them from the hospital. Well, he sniffled and wiped his nose in his wrist. "I can't smell a thing", Ranma mumbled with his stuffed voice.
The trip went on. Ranma was feeling tired. Every slighest bump by bump, he leaned closer to his mom, when he finally crashed on her lap. She just smiled, took his head in her arms and stroke his cheek with her thumb. She was so happy to be able to see her son, to hold and stroke him. She couldn't see a teen boy, but a little toddler, how she had seen Ranma last time. She would love to cradle him, but he WAS a bit too big for that. Even she could figure that out.
They arrived at the Tendo dojo. As Genma was paying the taxi river, Nodoka helped her son out of the car. They walked inside hand-in-hand, Genma coming right after them.
"They're back!" they could hear Ryoga shout out. He walked to the Saotomes, who were taking their shoes off in the hallway.
"Nice to see you up, Ranma", Ryoga nodded.
"Not for long", Nodoka said, starting to lead her son towards the living room. Somebody had put Ranma's clean pajamas folded beside the bed. Ranma changed to them. He crashed down on the mattress, and Nodoka covered him. Then she remembered:
"Oh! Now before you sneeze again..." she got up and rushed out of the room, coming back soon with a tissue box. Soun had been to the nearest store and bought a huge pile of tissue boxes.
"What do you think if I made you some pancakes?" Nodoka smiled.
"...Sorry, no..." Ranma mumbled. "B-but...It's not your fault...! Don't be angry... or sad..."
"Oh honey, of course I am not!" she said, stroking his hair, but still being a bit sad. One must be feeling really sick not wanting Mrs. Saotome's pancakes!
"But would you make mommy happy by having some hot juice with medical herbs?" she said, quiet. "You see, sick people have to drink a lot. And it will also help with your sore throat."
"Well, okay..." Ranma mumbled.
"I'll be right back", Nodoka winked, got up and walked away. Ranma bit his lip, puffed and stretched a bit.
"Here we have the flour, eggs, milk, sugar..." Akane listed as she had gathered the pancake supplies on the kitchen table, so that Nodoka could mix the ingredients right and do the frying. Then Akane saw Nodoka walk in... "Oh Auntie Saotome! How many pancakes will he have? Tw0? Five? Six?"
"He doesn't want any", Nodoka sighed. "But I'm boiling him some hot herbal juice."
"Well, Ryoga, would you like some pancakes?" Akane asked.
"Oh sure!", Ryoga winked. Then they heard:
"Hhhha-CHOO!"
"Hmm... What if I'll go see him..." Ryoga nodded and walked to the living room. He stood a few meters from Ranma, who was laying on the floor on his mattress. Ryoga sat down.
"Hi, bud. How are you feeling?"
"Uhh..." Ranma turned towards Ryoga and opened his eyes. "Why are you suddenly so friendly to me?"
"Well we Are friends after all, right, you little idiot?" he grinned, pushing Ranma's shoulder with his fist, gently. Ranma gave a weak chuckle.
Soon Nodoka arrived with a mug full of hot, red juice. Ryoga watched as she sat down next to him, help Ranma sit up and handed over the mug.
Suddenly Ranma started to inhale.
"Hhhh..."
"Look ou-!" his mom tried to grab the mug, but too late.
"CHSHOO!" Ranma sneezed – and the juice spilled everywhere on the blanket.
"Ah..." Nodoka sighed. "Darling! Can you bring Ranma a new blanket?" she called her husband. "Oh, are your pajamas wet too?" Nodoka asked Ranma, worried.
"No. Don't worry, mama..." Ranma said, quiet. As Genma brought them two new blankets and took away the wet one, Ryoga sighed. As he looked outside, he could see the good weather – no rain. So he decided it was his time to leave. But not right away. First, some pancakes!
"Man these are good!" Ryoga complimented after having five pancakes. They were made by Nodoka's recipe, so they were delicious. Akane gave him a few more to go in a lunch box. Before leaving, Ryoga peeked in to the living room, first making sure Ranma wasn't asleep. He wasn't. He turned his side towards Ryoga.
"Huh?" the patient mumbled.
"Get well soon", Ryoga said with a small grin.
"Thanks", Ranma sniffled. "...P-Chan", he winked.
"Argh! Believe me, if you weren't ill, I would challenge you to a fight! I would totally kick your ass!"
"Yea right..." Ranma giggled, weak.
"Well then. Farewell, Akane", said Ryoga in the hallway, putting on his shoes with Akane standing in front of him. "But I will be back!"
"It was nice to see you", the Tendo girl smiled. "And thank you for being so nice to Ranma. He needs support from everyone now."
"Hm", Ryoga nodded once. "Well, see ya!" he turned around and jogged out from the dojo.
'I wonder where he's going now...' Akane thought as the boy disappeared from sight.
She closed the door and got on her way to the living room. Ranma was laying on his bed with no blanket or shirt on. His father had yet to bring the new blanket. Ranma held a tissue box against his chest, and haf a wet cloth on his forehead.
"Hi Ranma..." she mumbled and knelt down behind his back. "How are you feeling?"
"I dunno..." he moaned. Akane looked at him and placed her hand on his chest. "Where is mama...?" Ranma asked, quiet. She had been gone for a while, making the pancakes.
"Hm? Want me to get her here?"
Ranma nodded. So did Akane. She got up from the floor and walked away. Soon they both came – his mother and Akane. The lady was carrying a steaming porcelain bowl.
"Hello honey", she smiled and knelt down. "Here, some gruel with honey for you."
Ranma sat up and took the bowl and the spoon. Slowly, he started eating. Both women clapped their hands, smiling.
"So great to see you eat!" Nodoka pet his arm.
He ate slowly. Akane had left, leaving Ranma and his mother between the two.
"Do you like it?" she asked with a smile. Ranma nodded, mouth filled with gruel. Now he was finished. He handed over the cup to his mother, who took it, but put it down on floor next to her. Then she moved a bit to the mattress' end and grabbed his foot, starting to massage it. He didn't feel uneasy, not at all. He had always dreamed of this – being nursed by his mother.
"Hhh...h... HATHSHOOO!" he sneezed. His mother ripped out a tissue sheet from the tissue box and reached out to give it to him.
"Is there anything I could do for you, honey?" Nodoka asked while stroking boy's sweaty, warm chest.
"I wanna sleep..." the boy mumbled. Nodoka turned at the clock on the wall. It was about 3 PM.
"Well, then..." she nodded, started getting closer to his face, and... kissed him on the forehead. Ranma flinched. He couldn't even remember that happening. He went all quiet, rubbing his forehead. His mother giggled quietly.
"Now we will let you alone for a while", she smiled and left the room, turning the lights off and sliding the door shut.
At first it was just as expected – non-stop sneezing and coughing, but finally they could tell Ranma was asleep. It was all quiet. He had fallen asleep a bit before 4 PM. Almost the whole day had gone by in silence – Ranma slept, others kept it down as much a possible. They were so sick of the sneezing and coughing.
But nothing lasts forever. It was about 9 PM, and now he was starting to wake up. The Tendo girls were having supper, some fresh buns that Nodoka had just baked. The whole dojo smelled of them. Soun and Genma were playing Shogi at the far end of the living room. They had been all quiet and succeeded at letting the boy sleep, when suddenly...
"Hhh-DSHSS!" they heard Ranma sneeze.
"Here we go again..." Genma sighed.
One more chapter to go... How will this end?