His head pounded in perfect rhythm with his pulse while his ears rang and his sinuses throbbed. He groaned and pulled his pillow over his head, trying to drown out the screeching of the alarm clock, but not thinking about turning it off. He pulled the blanket more tightly around him and felt a short tug back.

"Would you turn that thing off?"

Her voice was muffled, but he could tell that his sore throat seemed to have a companion. He reached out and hit the alarm, feeling her move closer to him and try to steal the blankets back.

"Hey, those were mine."

"You sound like crap."

"So do you."

She snuggled in behind him, wrapping her arms around him and placing a kiss on his shoulder blade.

"Late spring colds," she muttered, running her hand up and down his chest. "Do your ears hurt? Mine hurt."

"A little. Headache?"

"Yeah. Sinuses?"

"Not so good. Achy?"

"Yep. We should stop kissin'."

"Swappin' germs. You really gotta trust someone for that."

He felt her smile spread across his skin.

"I think you've got a fever," she noted, sitting up and sniffling. He sighed and coughed, then rubbed his eyes and rolled over.

"Babe, you don't look so good."

"Neither do you. I love you but you're looking a little puffy."

"Gotta go to work," he sighed, struggling to sit up but having a coughing fit halfway there.

"No you don't," she said, pulling him back against her. "Not like that."

"It's not that bad."

"I beg to differ. You're sick."

"So are you. You sound like Louis Armstrong."

"Hello Dolly."

He snickered and reached his hand up to play with her hair.

"I think you should call in to work," she said around a cough.

"Nah, I'll be fine once I get up and get showered."

"If you're not then will you please stay home? I don't want you to get worse or give it to someone else or sneeze on some evidence."

"Okay, if I call in then you have to call in too."

"I might feel better by the time I have to go."

"Yes but if we're both sick then the chance of passing it on is greater."

"Hawkes?"

"Dr. Oz."

She nodded and rolled her eyes.

"Besides," he continued. "You're worse than me. I can hear your lungs crackle every time you take a breath."

"What's it sound like?"

"Cellophane. Or snow chains on a road with no snow on it."

"That's… oddly specific."

"No one ever accused me of being vague."

"I'm sure not."

"Hey babe I just realized that we might have a problem."

"And that would be?"

"What if Colton's not sick and we are? How are we going to keep him from catching this?"

"Umm…"

"Should we even check on him and see if he's alright? Should we go in there?"

"I don't know. I guess we should see how he's feeling before we work ourselves into a tizzy."

"Tizzy," he chuckled before succumbing to another round of coughing. "Do we have any Day-Quil?"

"Somewhere."

"You've been most helpful."

"Well at least we know that's it's in the specific earthly confines of this apartment."

"Unless it's in the car."

"What?"

"Have you been hitting the cold medicine while driving?"

"You are sick," she chuckled as he stood up from the bed.

"I'm going to take a shower. You can hunt down the drugs."

"I don't know what comeback to use for that one, so I'm just going to nod and smile like you say that every day."

"That's a good wife."

"Don't pat my head, it's creepy."

He grinned and headed off into the bathroom while she tucked herself back into the warmth of the bed.

"Pretty sure that made things worse," Adam reported a while later, his congestion even more evident than it had been. "I feel like… something bad. Fix it babe."

"I would if I could," she muttered from underneath the pile of blankets. "But I am not Dr. Quinn or um… that one… from that show…what am I talking about?"

"I lost you before you started talking," he said, climbing back into bed and spooning up behind her. She coughed and rubbed at her already red eyes before turning over and burying herself in him.

"I would say you smell good, but I can't smell a thing."

"I might not smell great. I just stood there and rinsed for fifteen minutes. I don't think I used soap."

"I don't seem to mind."

"I like a woman with low standards."

"Or olfactory sensors that are out of commission."

"That was a lot of big words and when I'm feeling better, I am sure I will know what you just said."

"My head hurts. Did you call work?"

"Yeah, I talked to Mac. He said it's going around. He sounded like he was in the thick of it too, but he'll never take a sick day."

"He'd rather be bled by leeches for a cure than take a day off."

"Baby, that's gross."

"He would!"

"We have really weird pillow talk."

"Adam, we're really weird."

"We are?"

"I don't think anyone else counts Mario Kart as foreplay."

"If I didn't feel like crap I'd take you right now."

She chuckled roughly and closed her eyes against the sunlight, sure it was making the headache worse.

"Did Colton wake up yet?"

"No. He's probably sick too if he's sleeping this late."

"Late? What time is it?"

"I dunno, like a quarter to seven."

"He's usually up an hour ago."

"Why do we even have an alarm?"

"I don't know. I'm going to go and check on him."

He got out of bed and she shivered at the loss of warmth, then pulled the blankets around her as tight as they would go. She hated being sick, but would take this cold over the flu any day. Coughing lightly, she reached up and felt her own forehead, knowing she couldn't accurately gauge her temperature that way.

There were very few times in her life when she really felt as if curling in a ball and whimpering would make her feel better, but this was one of those times. It wasn't so much that she was in horrible pain and suffering as it was that she just felt pitiful.

"Hey mama, we've got another infestation."

She looked up to see Adam bringing a very sad Colton into the room.

"Mama," he croaked, reaching his hands out for her.

"Would snuggles make you feel better too?"

They climbed back into bed and Colton gave a half smile as he snuggled down between them, yawning before closing his eyes.

"He's starting to look more like you," Adam said, brushing Colton's hair back from his forehead.

"No he's not."

"Yes he is. He has your smile."

"Nu-uh, he has yours."

"He used to, but now when he smiles all I see is you."

"Either way he's pretty perfect. Snotty nose and all."

"I could say the same thing about you. Stuffy nose and all."

She grinned and reached over to tame his curls before sliding her hand down his face and tracing her thumb over his lips.

"I really love you, Adam."

"I really love you too. Let's get some sleep."

He held his hand up, fingers fanned out, and she pressed her palm to his, lacing their fingers together. They sighed in chorus and slid gently into sleep.

The phone rang a few hours later and Adam cracked his eye open just a little to make sure Lindsay was getting it and he was effective in fake sleeping through the noise.

"H'llo? Hey Stell… Oh, we're alive… Yeah, all of us… No, I think we're okay. I know there's some tissues around here somewhere… Okay, I will, thanks."

She hung up the phone and sniffled before pulling the blankets back nearly over her head.

"Mama?"

"What's up buddy?"

"Nummy?"

"Could you pretend you're not hungry for a little while?" she asked as he sat up and looked down at her with wide eyes. "Mama's tired dude."

"Nummy," he repeated, pointing out the door.

"Alright. I suppose we can eat something while daddy lays in here and pretends to sleep."

"How'd you know?"

"Because I'm not a moron."

"Oh."

"You sound so shocked."

He chuckled and sat up, throwing the blankets off and following them out to the kitchen.

"So what'll it be boys?"

"What do we have?"

"I forgot to go shopping yesterday," she sighed, opening the fridge and looking it over.

"Meaning?"

"We're down to oatmeal and spaghetti."

"I'm failing to see the problem here."

"Oatmeal it is."

She set to work making breakfast while the boys played on the floor with some trucks, amid lots of sniffling and sneezing.

"Oh no, there's a fire!" Adam shouted.

"No no!" Colton exclaimed. "Fi!"

"We have to go put the fire out. It's under mama's feet!"

They raced their fire trucks across the floor and drove them over her feet, making siren and fire hose noises as they went. She giggled at the feeling of the plastic tires running over her skin, and the sound of her husband abandoning every ounce of adult he had left.

"Oh no, the fire made mama's toenails red!"

"Mama?" Colton asked, looking up at her worriedly.

"It's okay honey. Your daddy is just crazy."

"Daddy?"

"Your mama's right."

"Okay," he sighed, driving the truck up Lindsay's leg.

"You're going to make her squirm, she's ticklish."

Colton sighed and dropped the truck onto her foot before getting up and scampering off to find another toy.

"Are you just going to stay on the floor?"

"All my energy is gone."

"Wanna mop while you're down there?"

"Slave driver."

"I'm pretty sure my nose is going to fall off soon," Lindsay complained, tossing the tissue towards the overflowing garbage can.

"I shall call you she who shall not be named."

She let out a sinister laugh and he playfully pushed her away, smiling when she overcorrected and ended up in his arms.

"Fancy meeting you here."

"I know, who'da thunk?"

He smiled and brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Merlin's beard woman, you're beautiful."

She half chuckled and half blushed, knowing she had red rimmed eyes and puffy cheeks and a chapped nose and he would still never think she was anything less than beautiful. Her hand reached up and pulled him closer, kissing him with as much gusto as she could manage.

"You taste like menthol," he noted.

"Is that bad?"

"I feel like I'm sucking on a Ricola."

"Gee thanks," she whined, stealing the fleece blanket from him and letting out a pathetic cough.

"Oh brother. Get back here."

"No way, I taste like Ricola."

"Lindsay, get over here."

"Nu-uh."

"C'mon, don't pout."

"I'm not pouting, I'm just making a face."

"I'm going to kiss that face right off of you."

She giggled as he slowly tackled her onto the couch and kissed her as senseless as he could manage with barely being able to breathe.

"Reason number four hundred eighty-seven why I hate having a cold," she remarked with a sigh.

"Me too. Want some more chicken soup?"

"I feel like I'm going to sprout feathers and start clucking."

"So the answer is…"

"Do we have something else? Vegetable beef?"

"So you want to start mooing?"

"I thought beef would balance out the chicken."

"How?"

"I don't make the rules dear."

"Very well then. I shall raid our end-of-the-world supplies and see what's up."

"You're such a good provider."

He smiled and stood up from the couch, tucking the blanket tightly around her and kissing her forehead before he went into the kitchen. She sat up a little and peeked down at Colton who had been sacked out on the floor for the better part of the evening. He was still asleep, his cheeks rosy and his breathing slightly ragged. She wondered if she should move him off of the floor but he looked comfortable enough and would probably wake up at the first smell of food, so she decided to just leave him there for now.

A cough shuddered through her and she rubbed at her eyes wishing this would go away. Being sick wasn't so bad. Not being able to take care of her boys when they were sick was horrible. She really was trying, but her body hurt and she had no energy and the thought of getting off the couch made her head spin. Adam seemed to be doing a little better though, and she could handle him being the caretaker for just one day. She craned her neck and peeked into the kitchen, smirking as he sock-skated across the floor to whatever music was going on in his head.

"Are you David Arquette or Tom Cruise?"

"Are you kidding? I'm the older sister in Honey I Shrunk The Kids."

She snickered as he returned to the couch, handing her a mug of soup with a spoon stuck in it. She took it gratefully, warming her hands up on it before taking a sip.

"Is it okay?"

"I wish I could taste it."

"Might be better this way hon."

"Nah, I trust you. Unless you put a Slim Jim in it again."

"That was only that one time! And it was years ago!"

"I won't let you forget it."

"You liked it until I told you what I put it."

"You told me about the same time my stomach started churning."

"I'm glad you gave me another shot or this whole thing may never have happened."

"I dunno, I was pretty happy about the situation, Slim Jims or not."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Good to know."

They sat quietly and half ate their soup, putting it down after a while and settling in to flip through the channels.

"Hey sweetie?"

"Hmm?"

"We haven't really talked about it in a while, but I was thinkin'…"

"Hmm?"

"Linds… I want another one."

She sighed and smiled, running her hand over his.

"I know you do."

"I know you're not really ready yet."

"I'm ready. I am, I really am. I just feel like we need to wait a little longer."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess maybe it's just that I worry about Colton, that he's gong to be jealous or left out or something."

"He won't honey."

"I know that," she sighed. "But I don't feel that."

"I think you're making excuses."

"I guess I am a little scared. I just don't know if I have enough for two. I'm tired and busy and I feel like I'm spread too thin sometimes."

"I think everyone feels that way."

"Austin can do it. She's going to be just fine. Me? With two? No."

"Lindsay," he chuckled, turning her to face him. "You're amazing. If you want to do it, you can. If you had to do it you would. And it's not just you, remember? I know you do the majority of the work, but I can pick up some slack sometimes."

"I know. I don't want you to misunderstand me. I really do want another one. I think about it a lot. I feel like we're meant to have more. But we've always just said we'll talk about it later."

"Do you need this to be a definite yes or no?"

"I think so."

"Okay, so we are going to at some point in the future but not too distant future have a second child. Right?"

"Right."

They smiled at each other for a minute.

"We really just decided that, didn't we?"

"Yes we did."

"It's scary."

"A little. But now we know the ropes a little bit better."

"Yeah. Can we maybe, possibly wait just a little while?"

"How long?"

"Maybe… can we wait to start trying until after Colton's birthday? I know it's months away, but I think I still have a lot running around in my head and I just need a little while to get everything in order."

"Okay."

"That's fine with you?"

"Linds, we're going to have another baby. Whether you got pregnant tonight or a year from now, it doesn't matter that much to me. I just want us all to be happy and healthy. That's it."

"Thank you for knowing me so well."

"No problem. Want to find something better to watch than infomercials?"

"What could be better than infomercials?"

"I dunno. Let's find out."

She grinned and wrapped her arms around him, suddenly very thankful for a sick day.