Sweet Misery

Angel smiled as she awoke that morning. Life couldn't have been better. Her legs were actually cooperating with her and she wasn't too sore that morning. She smiled widly when she rolled to the side to see Cody sleeping peacefully. She'd never been happier than she was when she was with him. Sure he was, stubborn, sarcastic, and had a few brief lapses in judgement almost daily, but all he had to do was smile at her and she was putty in his hands.

Smiling still she bent down to place a gentle kiss on Cody's forehead, alarmed when she found a subsantial amount of warmth there. Shrugging it off until she had more concrete evidence that something was wrong, she slipped out of bed and hobbled downstairs to start making breakfast.

Cody groaned when he woke up and realized that Angel was already downstairs. He felt...cold...without her beside him, which was odd because his head felt HOT. Sitting up in bed he paused when he got a rush of dizziness "Probably sat up too fast" he muttered, pulling the covers off and gingerly standing up. He went for the bathroom but halfway there he stumbled and fell to his knees, gasping at the chills that raced over his skin.

Hearing the thud upstairs Angel moved the skillet of bacon off the burner and sat it to the side before she headed back upstairs to check on Cody.

"Cody, you alright baby?" Angel called down the hall as she made her way to the bedroom.

"I'm fine baby!" Cody quickly got to his feet before Angel came in "Just tripped getting out of bed."

Angel chuckled.

"You clumsy goofball," Angel said. "Breakfast is on the table if you're hungry.

"Starving" Cody grinned "Be down in a minute I just want to get dressed."

"Alright, but don't be too long, or else the food'll get cold." Angel said.

"I'm coming, I'm coming" Cody quickly dressed and headed for the stairs, pausing at the top as his vision momentarily blurred. When it cleared, he slowly headed down the steps, but four steps from the bottom he had a dizzy spell and tumbled to the floor!

"Cody!" Angel shouted, rushing quickly to his side. "Are you arlight sweetheart?"

"I'm fine" Cody mumbled, gingerly getting to his feet "I just seem to be having a clumsy morning."

"Are you sure that's all?" Angel asked. "You were running a fever when I got up this moring."

"No I wasn't!" Cody did his best to look offended "I'm fine, never felt better!"

"Cody, whether you beileve it or not, you were running a fever," Angel said. "And if you keep falling like that, I'm taking you to the hospital."

"Well I'm not sick and I don't need to go to a hospital just because I tripped!" Cody shook his head and headed to the kitchen "Could we just eat breakfast?"

Angel nodded, her head hung low. She'd upset him, made him angry, and she hated it.

Cody turned and mentally slapped himself when he saw Angel hanging her head "Sweetheart," he came back and gave her a gentle kiss "I'm sorry. I know you're concerned, but I'm fine, I promise."

Angel nodded.

"I just....I worry about you," Angel said.

"I know you do" Cody murmured, leading her over to the table where the food was waiting "But today there's nothing to be worried about."

"Sure, you're running a fever you won't admit to and you've already fallen on your face twice, but there's nothing to be worried about," Angel said.

"I tripped" Cody rolled his eyes and helped himself to some bacon "Honestly Angel, you're worrying over nothing."

"Whatever Cody Garrett," Angel said. "If you keep 'tripping' I'm confining you to my wheelchair for the day."

"Nice try" Cody whispered "Except that wheelchair is sized for you, not me." He grinned and took another bite of bacon and suddenly froze, his face going white as snow. Gagging in pain, he turned and ran for the bathroom, retching violently as soon as he reached the toilet.

Angel followed close behind, getting down on the floor beside Cody and rubbing his back.

Cody was shaking by the time his body was through with him, the fever he'd tried to deny raging out of control.

"Now will you stop arguing with me and admit there's something wrong?" Angel asked.