Ranma's Flu

6

Genma had just got off the Shogi and crawled to his son's bedside, touching his forehead. Now his eyes widened.

"What is it? Has the fever got worse?" Soun wondered after crawling to his side.

"No, this is actually feeling good... Now where's the thermometer?" Genma asked, looking around. And there it was, right on the floor, against the mattress. He put it in Ranma's mouth. "Don't sneeze, don't sneeze..."

Ranma seemed a bit pissed, giving his father an annoyed look.

The thermometer beeped, Genma took it. He started smiling.

"What does it say?" Soun asked.

"101", Genma answered and pet Ranma's shoulder.

"Really?" They heard a happy woman's voice from the room's door. It was Nodoka with Akane by her side. Both fathers smiled and nodded. Nodoka hurried to them and knelt down next to Ranma, Akane right after her.

"How are you fee-?" Nodoka was about to ask, but...

"Hhhhh...h...HADSHOO!" he sneezed and wiped his nose in his wrist.

"We would have had these..."Genma sighed and handed over the tissue box at Ranma, too late though. "But how are you feeling?"

"It goes..." Ranma sat up, stretched and sniffled. "What's the time?" His voice was still all congested.

"Hmm..." Akane mumbled and turned at the clock. "A bit over 9 PM. You chose quite a bit bad time to sleep..."

"That's true. How on earth are you going to sleep for the night?" Genma sighed.

"No prob", Ranma fell back on his back and yawned. "I think I'm gonna fall back asleep again any minute..."

Nobody said anything, just stared at Ranma. He started holding his head and grimaced.

"What is it, my boy?"

"My head aches... Can I have something for it?"

"Of course, honey. How about some Tylenol?", Nodoka nodded and pet his stomach. "Oh and also; I'll get your Tamiflu." She stood up and walked away. Genma, Soun and Akane sat around Ranma's bed on the floor, watching the woman go. As Ranma kept sniffling, Genma smiled a bit and pat his belly once.

"You're clearly getting better. You were very sick back yesterday", he said.

"Yeah, I was getting worried..." Akane nodded. "Thank God we took you to the hospital. Who knows what would have happened if we hadn't?"

"You kept telling us not to take you there, remember?", Soun asked.

"So, admit it – it was the best solution", Genma poked Ranma's forehead with his finger.

"Okay, okay, I was maybe just too proud or sumthin'", Ranma mumbled, slowly laying down on his mattress.

"What's taking her so long with just two funny medicine pills?" Genma wondered as his wife was nowhere to be seen after a while. Finally she walked in with a small, wooden tray with her. On it there was a steaming mug and two different pills. She knelt down next to Ranma and helped him sit up.

"So, here we have some hot juice, Tylenol and Tamiflu", she smilled. "Say AAH!", she held the pills in from Ranma's mouth. Ranma couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Being treated like a little child... Niiice.

"Aah!" he opened his mouth, and his mother put the pills in one by one. Ranma grabbed the mug and swallowed the medicine with the juice. After finishing the juice he gave the mug back to his mother, who returned to the kitchen with her tray and the mug. Ranma laid down, and his father covered him.

"Let's pray that you were right about getting sleep this night", he said. Ranma sniffled.

"Believe me, I'm positive."

And he knew it. It took almost an hour of sneezing and coughing, when it became all silent in the Tendo dojo. Everyone got their deserved, good night's sleep. And unlike everyone had thought, Ranma was the last up.

He was laying in his bed, in the living room. He was tossing and turning, starting to blink.

"Uhh..." he mumbled. His eyes widened – but man he was feeling good! His head didn't ache, his throat wasn't sore, he didn't feel tired or sick. He turned at the clock – wow! It was 11:40 AM! He smiled and inhaled with his nose... Okay, maybe his nose was still a bit stuffed, but nah, it's okay.

Ranma walked out of the room, all the way to his and his father's room. Ranma hadn't slept there for a few days now. His clothes were there, folded on floor on his empty, long time unused bed. He started to put then on...

Then his father opened the door and peeked in.

"Oh, my boy! You're up!"

"Hehe, yea", he grinned, pulling his pants up, finishing dressing up.

"This is wonderful! A miracle!" the man cheered and shook his son's hand. "Let's go tell everyone!"

The male Saotomes walked through the dojo, all the way to the living room. They stopped at the closed door.. They could hear speech from behind it. Genma shushed Ranma. He peeked in...

Everyone was there. All Tendos and Nodoka.

"There you are!" shouted out Nodoka. "Have you seen Ranma? As you can see, his bed is empty. Did he come to you in the night or...?"

Ranma stepped in from behind his father's back. Everyone in the room gasped, and started clapping.

"Whoo! Go, Ranma!" Nabiki shouted, thumbs up.

"So nice to see you up!" Kasumi smiled.

"Genma was right – you are a strong boy, just like him!" Soun nodded. Akane and Nodoka rushed to the boy, hugging him tight.

"My dream came true!" Akane smiled, rubbing her cheek against Ranma's cheek. Nodoka stroke his hair, rocking him gently.

"Ehh..." Ranma mumbled, blushing a bit. But then... "HATSHOO!"

"Oh..." Nodoka sighed. "We must take your fever, one more time. She reached out to the thermometer, and put it in Ranma's mouth.

Beep!

Nodoka took the thermometer and looked at it. She smiled and per her son's head.

"Very good, 99. But you seem still a bit sneezy..."

"Nah, who cares", Ranma shook his head with a grin. "I'm feeling better than ever!"

"That means it is the time for my pancakes, right?" Nodoka suggested, smiling, holding Ranma's hands. He smiled too, nodding.

"Yea!"

Nodoka had started making the pancakes. She had taken Akane with her, trying to teach her her way of making them. Ranma and Genma had taken away Ranma's bed from the living room. From now on, Ranma would be sleeping with his father in their shared room, like always.

"By the way..." Ranma mumbled while handing over his futon to his father, who put it in the wardrobe. "...Thanks... for being there for me. You made me feel better."

"Don't mind it", Genma nodded. "I think this all made our relationship stronger."

Ranma nodded and handed the man the pillow.

"Have some pancakes!" the Saotomes heard Nodoka call from the living room. They walked through the dojo and peeked in to the living room. Everyone was there, and in the middle of the table was a huge stack of pancakes, and a jar of strawberry jam and some whipped cream.

"Here, help yourself", Nodoka smiled. "Come, Ranma. You sit next to me", she pet the floor next to her. Genma got a bit indignant. Ranma, Ranma and Ranma... What about him? Then... "And you, darling, come here", she pet her other side. This made Genma smile. Now the Saotomes sat side to side.

"Bon appétit!"

Everyone had their share of the pancakes. They let Ranma have a few extra pancakes, and he ate them with a huge appetite. It was a sign of him being better. But suddenly he stopped eating, though he had half of a pancake left on his plate. He went all silent and stared at his mother.

"Hm? What is it, honey? she asked.

"I was just wondering... when are you leaving?"

"Me? Leaving?" she wondered. Everyone stared at her. "I... I thought it was... that I could stay... Now that you have returned from your journey..."

"Really? You would stay?!" Ranma shouted out, excited. If he was a dog, his tail would be wagging.

"If it is only okay...?" Nodoka looked at her husband.

"Absolutely!" everyone in the room shouted.

All the pancakes had been eaten. They were still sitting around the living room's table, Nodoka starting to gather up the plates.

"You know, me getting sick is the best thing that ever happened to us!" Ranma laughed, but then... "HADSHOO!"

"By tomorrow you will be 100% fine", his mother smiled like an angel, stroking Ranma's hair. Genma grinned, too, and reached out to him, pushing his shoulder with his fist.

Ranma was so happy. His mother was here. His dream had come true.

Ta-dah! It's the end! A happy ending! Clap your hands! ^^

EDIT: I will continue with this for a few more chapters. Why? I just enjoy writing this so much. I'll be posting chapter 7 lately.