She paused this was no time to bring up past hurts. " Look Minx" She softened. " Riot loves you as much as I do. I'm sure if he knew you were sick......"
"I'm not telling him!!!!" Minx shook her head stubbornly " And you're not either! Promise me you wont."
" But what if he asks?" Rapture enquired
"What? Why would he ask? There is no reason he would. There is no way he would know I was sick " Minx reasoned. Rapture promised she would not tell Riot of her illness. Minx said goodbye and wished her a safe trip. She got of the phone and sighed heavily. She went back to the bathroom and got out a roll of toilet paper. She felt sneezy again and unravelled a bunch before sneezing heavily into them. " Heh- hehhhh-heh -ehhHEECHISHOoo.....Ugghh!" She moaned to herself. She rubbed at her eyes , probing her closed lids as if to knead away the dreadful congestion. She headed back to her room, spool of tissue in tow she crawled into bed. She cocooned herself in her comforter and tried to go to sleep. Her head was heavy against the pillow and seemed as if it was made of lead. Soon the constriction of the sheets around her seemed sufficating and she threw back the covers and gasped at the open air. She began coughing then and felt a tighting in her chest. It hurt. And Minx found it difficult to breathe. She finally caught her breath but it came out in a sickly sounding wheeze. Collapsing against her pillows she lay there in utter misery. She looked at the clock: 5:35pm. It felt more like the middle of the evening. Using her elbows She raised herself from her bed and was taken aback by how weak she actually was. It had all gotten so bad so quick. Minx knew that was not a good sign. She was willing to bet she had a fever. She put her hand to her head and sure enough it felt warm.

She ached all over as she noticed now that a dull throb has spread its way to her legs back and sat in silence dont really knowing what to do. It seemed the more she focused on she felt the worse she began to feel. She slowly laid back down again and tried to go to sleep but her thoughts would not let her. Maybe it was a mistake not telling Riot she was sick. she was hoping she wouldn't have to. Maybe after a good nights sleep she would feel better. In her heart of hearts she knew that was not likely to happen. At first she had thought she just had a cold but her muscle aches and fever told her otherwise. She hadn't been really sick in a long time and she knew she was due. Slowly she began to relax. She snuggled under the covers once more her eye lids begin to get heavy and felt them closing All the tension of the day started to melt away and she began to breathe deep and felt herself almost falling asleep.
"HEHehHHktshew!!!" The abrupt sneeze jerked her awake from her serene state. She grabbed the toilet paper on her night stand. She knew there were more more. After sneezing 3 more times she was fully awake. Frustrated beyond belief she buried her head into the pillow and screamed. How was she supposed to get to sleep now?

Minx spent the better half of the evening tossing and turning. She had tried counting sheep but after reaching 575 and getting no where she gave up on that idea. She shifted around on the bed and tried to make herself comfortable. She flipped the pillow and turned it around to the cool side. When she lay her head back down instead it seemed lumpy so she fluffed it up and stuck it back under her head. She stared up at the ceiling awake as ever. She had almost given up any hope of getting any rest but by some divine miracle she did eventually fall asleep. She wasn't sure how or when it happened all she knew was one minute the clock said 7:00pm and when she woke up next it was morning.

She had been dreaming some lovely dream and when she first rose, Minx stretched luxuriously and sighed. She lay in her bed in sleepy bliss, momentarily forgetting that she was actually sick. She could not ignore this fact for long as she began to cough terribly and she was exiled from the temporary symptom free paradise. She was now starting to wish she had just stayed asleep. Her head felt like it was filled with mucus and it was slowly seeping through her nose. She grabbed the the roll of toilet tissue by her bed and unravelled a strip. She carefully folded it up and held it to her nose. She blew hard but when she was finished she seemed as stuffed up as before. And now her ears felt plugged as well. Which is why it took her a second to realize the phone was ringing

RRRIIINNGGGG

Minx cleared her throat and picked up the phone
" H - hello?" She said weakly into the phone. It was an effort just to talk.
"Good morning."
"Riot?" Minx croaked " Hi, how are you?
"Wouldn't it be more appropriate if I asked you that question?"
Minx was instantly taken aback. Rapture must have called Riot and told him she wasn't well. Her first instinct was to deny everything.
" Darling I haven't the foggiest idea of what you mean" Minx said trying to sound confused
" Hmmm....don't you? Riot was amused. The truth was knowing Minx as he did he knew for certain that it was not going to be easy to get her to admit she was sick. He saw it as a challenge. A game. The trick was to get an admission without having to point out the obvious facts.
" I was watching the Harriet Horn show and there was a clip of you."
" Was there?" Minx feigned disinterest.
"Yes, there was." Riot spoke with a casual air of authority. "You were in a drug store......" He let his voice trail leaving the implication hanging in the air. 'So it wasn't Rapture that told him!' Minx realized and inside she was an instant mess. A thousand thoughts filtered through her mind. She didn't think it would go to air that fast. She had hoped it wouldn't at all. How in the world was she going to live this down? She didn't even know what to say. It was at this time her nose found an opportunity to make its inevitable presence known.
"HaAtchEEoohh!!"
She gasped in surprise and cupped her hand over the receive praying that Riot didn't hear.
"Bless you" Minx could hear the smile on his lips. At that moment she knew he knew, and she knew that he knew she knew. Her resolve instantly melted away. She was curious to ask him about the segment he had seen on T.V. but she was far too embarrassed. It was probably best if she didn't know.
"Thangs." Minx responded to his blessing. Riot could tell he had her where he wanted her.
" Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Riot asked gently
"Doh!" She spat bitterly. She heard herself and sniffled a couple of times. "I've come down with the flu or something. I feel like death. And the worst part is I don't have any medicine. I tried getting some at the drug store and ,,,,,, well, you saw what happened" She paused feeling a little light headed. "I'm really sick Riot." She said quietly.
Riot was silent for a moment and then spoke confidently."I will cancel today's meetings at stinger Sound you are in no shape to be seen today. If you wish I can go to the pharmacy and pick up whatever you may need.
"Riot, thank you." Minx said gratefully
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Until I arrive, go to bed Minx and keep warm"
Minx was relived. Riot wasn't mad at all. He wanted to help silly she felt. Rapture was right all along. If only she hadn't been so stubborn. Her body relaxed a little. She told Riot she would do as he asked.

She hung up the phone and sighed happily while snuggling under the blankets. She noticed something pinching at her sides and realized her bustier was the culprit. Still wearing her clothes from yesterday she had been so tired from the day before she forgot to take them off. No wonder she found it so hard to get to sleep. She got up slowly and went to look for something cozy. Most of what Minx wore to bed would make even the most discerning collectors of lingerie blush. The words "cozy" and "warm" were not the terms one would use to describe her choice of bedtime attire. While searching through her closet she found something she had almost forgotten: A pair of pink flannel pyjamas! It was a gift her mother had sent her from Germany a few years back. Minx vowed she wouldn't wear them if her life depended on it but now they were looking like a god sent. She disrobed slowly still feeling a bit wobbly on her feet and slipped into the soft garments. She felt warmer immediately and plodded back to bed. She huddled there clenching a strip of toilet paper and pressing it ever so often to her nose. The she curled into a ball and went back to sleep.

She was awoken by a knock at the door. In her drowsy state Minx almost forgot that she was expecting Riot. Rising from the bed she was forced to leave the protected warmth causing her to shiver slightly. She pulled the top blanket with her and wrapped it around her shoulders as she went to answer the door. She opened the door and was about to greet Riot but sneezed instead. Riot stepped inside and frowned. Minx was completely dishevelled. Her hair was a tangled mess. Her face ashen with but a hint of flush to her cheeks. There were dark circles under her eyes. She stood there clutching the blanket to her and shacking. All in all she was a wreck. " Thanks for coming Riot" She said looking up at him. The contrast was shocking. Riot stood in all his glory. With his perfectly manicured mane and tailored clothes he was the epitome of a dandy! But that was just the beginning his spirit itself just seemed to glow. It was like a light from heaven was shining down on him creating an omnipresent radiance almost like a halo. But of course Riot was no angel. "Minx!" He cried astonished. "You look absolutely awful! Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?"
"Well, I tired to on the phone." She protested
" I just thought you were exaggerating."
" Imagine what you would have thought if I ...if I...I..." And she stopped and groaned in preparation for yet another sneeze. " Eyeeeichisshh!!" She rocked forward with the force of it ,dropping the blanket and almost losing her footing. Riot bent down to pick it up and draped it around her once more."gesundheit!" Riot blessed her. "Now its off to bed with you fraulein!"He mock scolded. He then gingerly put his hands on her shoulders and from behind gently marched her off in the direction of her bed. He threw back the covers and gestured for her to lie down. Riot took the blanket from her and she hosted herself on the bed. With an almost paternal care, he tucked her in.