Tom woke up the next morning to find a pair of bare feet stuck in his face. He moved his head to see who the feet belonged to and found Colm sprawled across the middle of the bed, next to Lexie. Anne was sitting on the far side, pulling on her shoes. Most of the kids were gone; besides Colm and Lexie, only Mariah and Amanda were still asleep.

'Morning,' Anne smiled tiredly at Tom. 'I was just about to go check on Ben and Abby.'

'I'll come with,' Tom said, slipping out of bed.

'Okay,' Anne nodded. She waited while Tom slipped on his shoes and grabbed his coat and gun belt, and the two left together.

'Hey!' Hal grinned at them from the sputtering flame he had coaxed from wet wood. 'Breakfast is ready. You guys want some oatmeal?'

'In a minute,' Anne replied. 'We're going to check on Abby and Ben.'

'How are they?' Maggie asked.

'Okay,' Anne sighed. 'I think they escaped organ failure, which is fantastic. They have some minor injuries from crashing the dirtbike, but I'm not worried about those. I am worried about Abby, though. I think she's developing bronchitis, and I don't have anything to treat it with or make it easier for her to breathe.'

'How is that possible?' Maggie asked. 'Don't the spikes keep them from getting sick?'

'Abby's spikes are damaged,' Jimmy replied. 'She got sick last winter too.'

'That's probably it,' Anne agreed. 'We'll be back in a few minutes.'

She and Tom turned and continued to the med-bus. When they boarded, they found the two teenagers still sound asleep; Abby was lying on her stomach, her head turned towards the curtained window of the bus and her feet hanging off the bed, while Ben was curled up on his side, facing the aisle, with his blankets pushed down around his waist.

Anne checked both teen's pulses and breathing, and was clearly satisfied. 'Abby's lungs aren't clear, but they're not too bad. Hopefully the spikes are helping her fight off the bronchitis.'

'Hopefully,' Tom nodded. 'I'm guessing you didn't find what you were looking for? For her lungs?' he asked as he pulled Ben's blankets back up.

'The albuterol?' Anne said. 'No. I thought I had some, but I guess not.'

'That's an inhaler, right?' Tom turned to Anne. 'Like, for asthma?'

'Yes,' Anne nodded. 'If you find any while you're scouting, grab them. Abby will need them if this gets worse.'

Tom nodded, glancing back down at Ben as the boy started to stir. He watched his eyes flutter open and focus on his father's face. 'Dad?' Ben murmured sleepily. 'What's going on?'

'How are you feeling?' Tom asked.

'Pretty good,' Ben replied. 'My shoulder and wrist are killing me.'

'Here,' said Anne, bustling over. 'Advil. And water.' She said, handing him two small pills and a cup of water. 'Take them.'

Ben obeyed, sitting up and taking the pills. 'How's Abby?'

'She's still asleep,' Anne replied. 'I'll know more when she wakes up.'

'Okay,' Ben nodded. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. 'Can I eat something? I'm starving.'

Anne laughed. 'Tom, would you mind going and getting Ben some oatmeal from outside?'

'Can't I go?' Ben sighed. 'I don't want to just lie around.'

'I don't know…" Anne started.

'Please?' Ben asked. 'I'll come right back in after I eat.'

'Okay,' Anne agreed. 'But I don't know where your shoes ended up. You can't go out barefoot.'

'What if I wear socks?' Ben asked.

'The ground is wet,' Anne replied. 'Your feet would get wet anyways.'

'I could carry him,' Tom suggested mischievously.

Ben laughed. 'I think I'm a little too big for that, Dad.'

'It's only a few feet,' Tom joked. 'I'll manage.'

'I don't want you throwing your back out,' Anne said sternly. 'How about just finding Ben's shoes?'

'I've carried Pope further than the distance between the bus and the fire,' Tom replied. 'It'll be fine.'

'Fine,' Anne sighed. 'I can tell I'm not going to win this one.'

'Okay,' Tom grinned. He turned so that his back was to Ben and, hesitantly, Ben scooted forward to wrap his arms around his dad's shoulders and his leg's around his waist. 'Here we go,' Tom grunted, lifting Ben off of the stretcher. He moved easily to the door, which Ben opened for him, and stepped out of the bus.

'Hey!' Hal called, laughing, when he caught sight of his father and brother making their way to the fire. 'What's this?'

'Anne doesn't want him getting his feet wet,' Tom replied.

'Where are your shoes?' Maggie asked as Tom let Ben down near the fire and he sat down between Maggie and Matt.

'I have no idea,' Ben shrugged his left shoulder. 'I was kind of unconscious when I got here.'

'How are you feeling?' Jimmy asked, grinning at Ben from across the sputtering fire. 'You don't look too bad.'

'I feel pretty good,' Ben replied, accepting a cup of oatmeal from Hal.

'I heard you crashed my bike?' Jon said teasingly.

'Yes,' Ben replied, staring at his brother without blinking. 'Well, it got shot out from under us and exploded. Basically, you don't have a bike anymore.'

Jon shrugged. 'It was a crappy bike anyways.'

Ben paused. 'Yeah, it was,' he said, smiling slightly.

'Who shot it?' Matt asked. 'A mech?'

'A Volm,' Ben replied grimly. 'We ditched the skitters and mechs just to run into a patrol of Volm. I guess they're still trying to ship all humans off to Brazil, cos they chased us for a while.'

'Yeah, and I bet you gave them a hell of a chase,' Maggie grinned, poking at Ben's ribs with her elbow.

'Course they did!' Hal joked. 'I'm the one who taught him how to ride.'

'We did,' Ben grinned. 'We almost dodged the shot completely. It barely clipped us.'

'Still, you're lucky the explosion didn't kill you,' Tom said. 'Volm guns are powerful.'

'The first shot took out the bike,' Ben explained. 'We got out from under it and a few feet away before the next shot blew it up.'

'Did it hurt?' Matt asked, looking up at Ben.

'Oh yeah, lots,' Ben teased. 'Just kidding. We had too much adrenaline going through us for it to hurt much.'

'Did you get hurt?' Harlem piped up from next to Jimmy.

'Not too bad,' Ben nodded. 'I dislocated my shoulder and sprained my wrist.'

'That sounds like it would hurt,' Summer said, her eyes wide.

'It's fine,' Ben smiled at her. 'Anne fixed me up.'

'Did Abby get hurt?' Summer asked.

'A little,' Ben replied. 'She sprained her wrist and ankle, and Anne thinks she cracked her elbow.'

'Ouch,' Harlem winced. 'That sounds painful.'

Ben shrugged with his good shoulder as he finished his breakfast. 'I should probably get you back inside,' Tom sighed, standing up. 'Come on.'

'Do I have to go now?' Ben sighed, glancing back over his shoulder at the bus. 'It's so boring in there.'

'Yes, you do,' Tom laughed. 'At least until Anne says otherwise. And we find your shoes.'

'How are you going to pick him up?' Hal challenged. 'No way can you stand up with him on your back.'

'I can jump,' Ben said. 'Although…'

'That would probably knock me over,' Tom laughed. 'Come on, stand up.' Ben complied, setting his cup on the ground. Tom looked at his son, realizing how tall Ben was—almost as tall as him. Before Ben could react, Tom doubled over and shoved his shoulder into Ben's stomach, flinging the boy over his shoulder and eliciting a yelp from Ben.

'Ow,' Ben groaned as his dad started back towards the bus. 'You couldn't think of anything better?'

'Nope,' Tom laughed. When he reached the bus, he opened the door and set Ben on his feet on the step. 'There you go.'

'Don't do that again,' Ben mock-threatened, rubbing his stomach.

'Come on in,' Anne called, leaning towards Ben. 'I want to keep you under observation for another twenty-four hours, at least.'

Ben groaned but obeyed, trudging back to his cot and clambering onto it. 'Another day?'

'Yes,' Anne nodded. 'Longer if I feel you need it.'

Ben sighed and rested his head against the wall.

'Ow,' Abby said suddenly, accompanied by a crash from her cot.

'Are you okay?' Anne said, concerned, bending over the girl.

'I forgot about my arms,' Abby said sheepishly. 'I'm fine.'

'How is your breathing?' Anne asked as Abby squirmed around onto her back and sat up.

'Okay, I guess,' Abby shrugged. 'It feels kind of tickly and raspy, and all I want to do is cough.'

'Okay,' Anne nodded. She put on her stethoscope and stuck the end up the back of Abby's shirt, earning a squeak from Abby as the cold circle of metal came to rest on her back. 'Take a deep breath,' Anne instructed. Abby complied, and Anne moved her stethoscope. 'Again,' she said. Abby obeyed again, but dissolved into a triad of wet, gooey coughs. Anne sighed and removed her stethoscope. 'That doesn't sound good. There are a few things we can do without albuterol.' She sighed again and stepped back. 'I wish we had some hot water bottles.'

'Do you want me to ask around, see if I can find one?' Tom asked.

'No, I think it'll be okay,' Anne replied. 'I can substitute cloths soaked in hot water. That will help you breathe.'

Abby nodded. 'Okay. And sitting up will help, right?'

'Yes,' Anne nodded. 'Stay sitting up as much as possible, and drink lots of fluids. I want you to stay in here, and if you have to go outside, I want your mouth and nose covered with something.'

'Okay,' Abby nodded.

'Are you hungry?' Anne asked. 'You might not be if you're congested.'

'A little,' Abby shrugged. 'But you're right, not really.'

'Well, you should eat something anyways,' Anne replied. 'Tom, can you get Abby some oatmeal?'

'Sure,' Tom nodded. He disembarked from the bus and returned to the campfire. 'Can I have some oatmeal for Abby?' he asked Hal.

'Sure,' Hal nodded. He took one of the metal cups and filled it up. 'She can't come out?'

'Anne thinks she's developing bronchitis,' Tom replied. 'The cold air is bad for her lungs.'

Hal nodded as he handed the cup to his dad. 'Here. Tell Anne she better hurry up and get some or there won't be any left for her!'

'I will!' Tom laughed as he returned to the bus. He handed the oatmeal to Abby once he had boarded. 'Anne, Hal suggests that you hurry up if you want some oatmeal.'

Anne laughed. 'Will do.' She looked at Ben and Abby. 'I'll be back to check on you guys later. Just hang tight in here. Lourdes should be by in a little while, so if you need anything, talk to her.'

'If you get bored, play "I spy",' Tom joked as he followed Anne off of the bus.

A/N: Okay, so this chapter is kind of dull and a little weird. My knowledge of bronchitis is limited to my own experiences with it and from what I found on Wikipedia, so it might not be super accurate... Oh well ^^

Anyways, as usual, please review if you liked it/have suggestions/etc. :3