Lectures were the worst. Abby was positive that professors just wanted an excuse to torture students. She shivered as the class went onstage Wish I would have worn a hoody... She'd woken up feeling like she'd been knocked in the head. The young Dinoco refused to admit she'd caught a cold.

"The basis of Physics is this..." Her professor droned on and on.

She let the mundane words flow over her. Science was irrelevant, the way she was feeling. All she wanted was to go home and binge watch her favorite shows. Maybe snuggle down into a pile of fuzzy blankets and hibernate for a week. Unfortunately, college came first. The clock ticked by at a maddeningly slow pace. Her head throbbed from her cold. As soon as her class ended she shot to her feet and collected her bag. Time to go home.

It would have to rain. She scowled at the sky. The heavens opened and started pouring buckets. By the time she made it to her car she was drenched. The wind blew in causing her to shiver as she clambered into the car. She thought the day couldn't get any worse... she was wrong. She drove below the speed limit; her lights were on bright and the windshield wipers were going full blast. It was a snail's pace.

All at once her car swerved violently and Abby felt her front right tire go over the shoulder of the road. Quickly she eased the car the rest of the way off the road. She put it in park and slammed a hand against the steering wheel.

It was pouring, she had a cold, and now she was sure she had a flat tire. She shivered and slipped out of the car, she checked her tires.

"Really!?" She glared at the sky as more rain fell. She could barely see in front of her, but she knew her right front tire was flat. There was no way she could change a tire in the pouring rain. Not with the way she felt. "I can try though." She moved to get the jack.

An hour. She struggled with the stupid car jack an hour. Every time she had a good grip the water dropped over her hands and made the jack slip. The rain refused to let up and the ever stubborn Dinoco was shivering and sniffling. Finally, she threw the jack back in the trunk and slipped into the car. With numb fingers She tugged her phone from her front pocket. Quickly she dialed a familiar number and waited.

"Abby?" Tex's voice rolled over Abby like a soothing balm.

"Tex!"

"What's wrong?"

"Umm... nothing much."

"Sure..."

"Ok... so I may have a flat tire. And it may be raining buckets."

"Where are you?"

Abby mumbled the address knowing he wouldn't be happy to find out how long she'd waited to call him.

"Ok, I'm on my way. How long have you been waiting?"

"Mmh an hour." She mumbled again.

"You didn't just say an hour?"

"Yeah."

"Abby." Tex sighed.

"I didn't want to be a..."

"If you say bother I'm going to make you move in with me again."

"Ok... a problem."

"You're pushing it kid. Just hold tight."

Abby hung up the phone and leaned back to wait on Tex. She wasn't sure how she found herself in such crazy situations. A shiver caused her to tremble, she was a lot colder than she first thought. Yawning she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Tex would show up soon, but for now her head was pounding.

Tex was not happy with Abby, he sighed to himself as he drove. His little sister had to be one of the most stubborn people he knew. She could have been in serious trouble, but she would have waited to the last possible second to call for help. He didn't mind rescuing her, but as her older brother he couldn't help but constantly worry about her.

It took him thirty minutes to find the place Abby had said she would be. The rain made it hard to see where her car was, but he managed to pull over even in the deluge. He parked and grabbed the umbrella, there was no way he was going to be able to change that tire in the wet menace that was the weather.

"Abby." He tapped on the driver's window.

"Huh?" She jerked from her sleep and opened the door. "Tex?" She sniffled and her teeth chattered.

"Come on. Lock your car, I'm taking you home. I'll get someone to come tow it."

"Tex…" She started to protest.

"None of that." He grabbed her hand. "Abs! You're freezing! How long have you stood out in the rain?"

"No…t-"

"Abilene," His voice warned that she better not lie.

"An hour. It's no big dea-! ACHOOO!"

"Sure it isn't. Were you sick when you went to college?" He guided her from the car and locked her doors.

"No…just an achy head. Nothing major."

"Abilene. Dinoco." He frowned at her and settled her into the passenger seat of the Cadillac.

"Tex."

"Stubborn." He slipped behind the wheel. "You're staying with me. You've got the start of a nasty cold."

"Tex!"

"Don't protest. Come on, I'm not that bad to stay with."

"Do we get to make a blanket fort?" Abby sounded hopeful. Her statement let Tex know just how lousy she felt. She only ever asked for that when she felt sick.

"So, you are sick!"

"Just the sniffles." She stated stubbornly.

"I'll watch anything you want. And I don't have anything to do tomorrow."

"You don't have to take off for me."

"I do. You're my sister." He gripped the wheel tightly. "Abby. I'd do anything for you, its time you realize that."

"I know." Another sneeze overcame her.

"That includes making sure you don't get sick." He finally parked the Cadillac and came over to collect Abby. She was shivering by then. His big brother heart melted, and he scooped her up and made her hold the umbrella over them both. "Let's get you inside."

The evening was spent with Abby and Tex under a blanket fort. They burrowed under a stack of fuzzy blankets, Tex made some homemade chicken soup for them both. He made her take some cold medicine, even though she protested the taste. She fell asleep watching some animated movie, her head lying in her brother's lap.

"Thanks Tex. For everything." She sniffled before she drifted off for the evening.

"You're always welcome half-pint."