standard disclaimer, beileve me i wish they were mine.	Please send
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compliments, and questions to sdelcul@mail.com Thank you kindly, silvina

	Constable Benton Fraser, Royal Canadian Mounted Police found
himself
rudely awakened by a loud violent sneeze, his own.  Blinking his eyes
in astonishment, he quickly glanced at the figure in bed with him. 
Holding
his breath, he waited for any signs of awakening.  Ah, good, he hadn't
woken Ray up.  If the Chicago police detective had been sleeping in his
customary position, with one arm flung over Fraser's chest and the rest
of his body curled up against Fraser's side, he would most definitely
have been awakened from his much needed sleep.	

	Achoo!!  Not another one.  How could this be happening to him?	He
never
got sick, but now he could tell he didn't feel right.  His chest felt
tight and he felt feverish and just generally achy.  He checked on Ray
again and fitfully tried to return to sleep.  

	Ray woke up at seven thirty, still exhausted but feeling
remarkably
better than he had before.  At first he thought that Benny had let him
sleep later but then he realized that Benny hadn't gotten up yet even
though he had this annoying and endearing habit of being awake in the
wee hours of the morning.  Observing the pale color of Benny's face his
stroked his hand over Benny's forehead and was surprised to feel the
clammy skin was feverish.  Taking this opportunity while the stubborn
Mountie was asleep, Ray went to the medicine cabinet and pulled out the
thermometer. 

	The thermometer beeped and Fraser woke as Ray reached for it.  The
annoyed
Mountie was not placated by a gentle kiss, but Ray would not be deterred
from reading the offending device. 

	"Benny, you have a fever!  Do you feel okay?"

	"I. feel. fine.  I. am. NOT. sick. I --ACHOO!"	This time there
was
no hiding it from Ray. 

	"Benny, you are not fine.  You're sick.  No," he said, stopping
Benny
from getting up,  "there is no way I am letting you go to work today.
Not like that you're not."  Forcing the Mountie to stay in the bed was
easier than he expected, increasing his anxiety. 

	He could hear the roughness in his breathing as Ray reached for
his
cell phone on the night table.	He stared disbelievingly as Ray called
his mother and detailed his symptoms to her, asking for her opinion.
The more he thought about it the madder Fraser became.	What right did
Ray have to share his problems with his mother of all people.  He was
a grown man and could take care of himself.

	Ray knew how to deal with a sick, cranky Fraser.  He had seen his
mother
deal with three sick children at the same time, with never an angry or
cross word.   He rose quickly and went to the kitchen to see what would
suit his purpose.  With a tender caress he laid a cool washcloth across
the fevered forehead saying, "Fraser, I'll be right back.  Don't you
dare get up while I'm gone.  You need to rest.	I'm gonna call the
consulate,
tell them you won't be in and then go to the drugstore.  Don't argue
with me, you need to rest."  It didn't take as much arguing as Ray had
thought it would to convince Fraser that he didn't have any choice but
to stay in bed.

	Thankfully the Dragon Lady accepted Ray's explanation without
question
and Ray managed to get to the drugstore just as it opened at eight. 
He went in and was out with his purchases in no time at all.  He rushed
back to the apartment and was gratified to find that Fraser had obeyed
his order/suggestion and stayed in bed.  Laying the bag down on the table
he rushed to the bed as Benny began coughing.

	"Fraser, how long have you been feeling like this?"  The circles
under
his eyes made Ray suspicious, "Did you get any sleep last night?"

	"Since last night, and a couple of hours.  Why?  Does it matter to
you?"
he asked with a frown. 

	Ray knew that Benny didn't mean it, he just wasn't used to not
being
in control of his body.  "Of course it matters to me, I love you."

	With a sigh Benny felt his anger evaporate.  "I know you do, Ray,
I
just . . . " 

	"I know, Benny, I know.  Here now," he said, undoing the buttons
on
Benny's long johns and pulling it down until Benny was bare from the
waist up, "you just close your eyes and rest.  I have something that
will make you fell better." 

	Drawing the little plastic tub out of the store bag, he opened it
with
one hand and reached inside.  Slowly and gently he spread the Vapo-rub
on Benny's chest and worked it onto his skin.  As tired as he was from
the stakeout the day before, he was quite happy to do whatever he could
to make Benny feel better.  If stroking and kneading the warm skin under
his fingers made Benny fell better, well, who was he to stop.  Soon the
air was filled with the slightly medicinal odor and small contented noises
from Benny.  Ray went to the kitchen and washed his hands.  Walking back
into the bedroom he noticed with a grin that Benny had fallen asleep.
With a contented sigh of his own he lay down on the bed and gently drew
Benny into his arms, careful not to smear Vapo-rub all over the place,
and fell asleep.