Rating: K+

Author's note: So, here's my second Cold Case story, again a one shot. I'm still nervous every time I'm uploading a new story but I'm trying to do my best. Being ill can be a good inspiration. I thought I would be okay now but somehow the sniffles came back today. I'm not watching the show in English so maybe it's OOC. Many thanks to BananaXPancakes who beta-read this story and corrected my crappy English, so Lilly and the squad don't have to deal with grammar mistakes, only with viruses, yeah. Here it goes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and the show. But I own the viruses.

"Flu epidemic heading for Philly"

"The best remedies against cold"

"Winter time is viruses time"

Reading the headlines of the local newspaper, Jeffries raised one eyebrow. Some things never change, he thought. Flu vaccinations were recommended for all employees in public sector, and he'd already got one so he didn't worry about that. Unfortunately there was no vaccination against the common cold and every winter it happened that a heavy amount of work came up because colleagues fell ill. Just as a confirmation of his thoughts he heard someone coughing. When Jeffries looked up he discovered it was Vera.

"Damnit!" Vera grumbled and took a sip of his coffee before he coughed again.

"Have a look at this," Jeffries suggested and tossed him the newspaper. "There are remedy tips on page 29."

Vera looked warily at the newspaper. "Y'know, all the crap isn't really helpful. Getting enough sleep's still the best."

"Why don't you stay at home then?"

"I don't feel half dead yet. Those damn viruses won't take it out of me." Vera took something out of the pocket of his jacket and hold it out to Jeffries. It was a cough drop. "Want one?" Vera offered.

Jeffries shook his head. "You need'em more than me."

When Lilly arrived she found Scotty already sitting in the office. "Hey!" Scotty greeted her cheerfully. "Coffee?" he offered.

Lilly smiled. "Every time!" While Scotty was getting coffee, Lilly heard someone coughing behind her. She turned around to see Vera with a hand at his mouth.

"Hi! Sorry," he said. "Got a cold."

Lilly gave him a reassuring smile. "Nothing rare these days. Get well soon."

"Thanks. Hey, we got a new case."

"What is it about?" Lilly asked.

"A doctor who was murdered three years ago. His wife recently discovered a letter whose content shed a new light on the case." While he was telling her about it Scotty came back with a cup of coffee.

"Well, I hope we can finish this case before everyone's contaminated," he teased. Lilly giggled and Vera rolled his eyes. "Of course some co-workers can be worse than a cold." Scotty smirked. "Don't be mad at me, but for the moment shaking hands is off the cards."

---

The rest of the day was stressful thanks to the new case and the next day wasn't a lot better. Lilly and Scotty had to interview relatives and acquaintances of the victim, and in the warehouse they had to go through file after file. At the end of the day Lilly was relieved to lie in the bed and cuddle with the cats. Somehow she felt more tired than usual so she wished the cats a good night and switched off the bedside lamp. Within a few minutes she fell asleep.

When the blonde detective woke up the next morning she knew something wasn't right. Her throat was aching with every gulp. Lilly sighed; viruses had indeed a bad timing. She considered calling boss and staying at home, but rejected the thought. Lilly wasn't feeling that bad and so she took ibuprofen and wrapped a warm scarf around her neck. That would do. Since she was working for the police she'd rarely missed a day and as long as she wasn't too ill it wasn't necessary to call in sick. I hope it's not getting worse, she thought while climbing into the car.

It was getting worse. In the morning Lilly had felt quite okay, but around lunchtime the detective sat at her desk, her head propped up on one hand and her eyes closed. From a distance the muffled noise of co-workers and machines reached her ears. Luckily no one was around so she allowed herself this short moment of weakness. She knew she should go home but she couldn't, not when they had a case to solve. Lilly opened her eyes again and looked at her watch. If she endured the next few hours then she could drive home and snuggle up in the bed.

"Everything alright?" Crap. She hadn't noticed Scotty coming into the room.

"Yeah…I'm okay," she answered weakly. Scotty studied her. The tired and exhausted look in her face…she didn't seem to be fine.

"Well you could leave earlier if you don't feel well," he suggested.

"I'm fine, Scotty!" she replied. "Just the work." She gave Scotty a reassuring smile although her voice hadn't sound very confident. Scotty knew it was useless to push her further.

"You wanna eat something?"

Lilly shook her head. "Thanks, I've already eaten."

"Okay, then I'll go and get some hot dogs. See you later." When he had disappeared Lilly sighed. The truth was although she barely had eaten anything she had lost all her appetite. This was really going downhill.

Later in the warehouse Lilly sat on the floor, beside her an open box and files. Her head was spinning and she couldn't concentrate anymore. She even didn't notice Stillman approach her, looking worried.

"Lilly, are you okay?"

The blonde looked up at him. "Yes, I was just…"

"Lilly, go home and catch some sleep," he ordered.

"But…"

"Lilly, you can't help the squad with the case when you're ill. Go home and when you feel better come back. But only if you really feel better. That's an order." Lilly nodded. She understood. Although she was reluctant to go home and leave the case she was also grateful for his order. She left her car parked at the department and took a bus, not feeling up to driving home. When Lilly arrived at home she threw her bag into a corner, pulled off her coat and made a beeline to the bedroom. She even didn't reply her cats' greetings. She climbed into the bed, snuggled up, and after a few minutes Lilly had fallen asleep.

---

When Scotty entered the office Lilly was nowhere to seen. Only Kat was sitting at her desk and looked up when he appeared. "Where's Lilly?" he asked.

"Boss sent her home. She's too ill", Kat replied. Scotty was slightly surprised but nodded. She's gone home. He was relieved to hear that although it had needed Boss to make it clear to her. "Think Vera owns Lilly a donut, doesn't he?" Scotty considered.

Kat tossed him a smirk. "A big one."

---

At around 2 am Lilly woke up. The first thing she realized was that her nose was blocked and her head was aching. She still felt miserable and weak and she was sweating. The blonde detective climbed out of the bed and changed her clothes. Then she took some more ibuprofen and searched for nose drops. "Dammit," she swore when the nose drops couldn't be found. Lilly shivered and climbed back into the bed. This was going to be a hard night.

Somehow she found sleep later, but when she woke up in the morning the situation hadn't changed. Lilly stayed in bed and kept her eyes closed. There was no need to go to work today. She even wasn't hungry. After a while she felt a bump on the bed and heard a meow. Lilly moaned, stretched and opened her eyes. Olivia was glaring at her. Lilly knew what that meant. Hunger. Food. Serve'em immediately. It seemed as if the cat wanted to say something like, "we can't open the cans, stupid." Lilly whimpered when she stood up and her headache returned. She was still not feeling right and slightly hazy, but the sore throat had bettered. In the kitchen she opened a can and gave the cats their food, then looked into the fridge. To her chagrin there was only one packet of orange juice left. Some fresh fruit? Nope. She examined her medicine cabinet to discover that she got enough ibuprofen but no fennel honey. Lilly had planned to shop, but that was before she had become ill. Sighing, she made herself some camomile tea and returned to her bed. Lilly was too exhausted to go shopping but knew she needed food and medicine. Should she call someone? She knew that was best, but Lilly always felt too embarrassed to ask someone for help. The blonde detective was used to handling things on her own. She looked at the clock. 10 am. Maybe if she got a few hours of sleep she would be able to go shopping in the afternoon. Lilly drank out her tea and lay down.

---

Scotty was still in the office when he decided to call Lilly and make sure she was okay. There wasn't much to do in the office now and he hadn't heard from her since yesterday. He grabbed his phone and dialled her number.

Lilly had been awake for half an hour when her phone rang. She recognized Scotty's number and picked up the receiver. "Hi Scotty!"

"Hi Lil, just wanted to see how you're doing."

Lilly smiled. "I'm lying on the couch and resting. My headache has bettered, fortunately, but I've got the sniffles now."

"Oh," Scotty let out.

"Never mind. I'll manage. How's the case?"

"Well, we're getting there. Found a witness who claims the victim had sold medicine to drug addicts."

"Seems this case is an easy one. Maybe it'll be closed before I come back to work."

"Well, at least you can stay at home while we have to do all the work."

She grumbled. "Don't forget that I have to keep to my bed."

Scotty paused. "Lil?"

"Yes?"

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Lilly hesitated. Although she had slept for a few hours, she still wasn't feeling well, and knew she needed things from the shop.

"Yeah…there's one thing…maybe you could do this…for me."

"Whatever it is, tell me, Lil."

"I need some medicine and food but I can't go shopping. Could you...maybe..."

Scotty interrupted. "Of course."

---

Right after finishing work Scotty drove to the nearest supermarket, then to a pharmacy. After little more than one hour he arrived at Lilly's, carrying two bags.

"Hi, here's the nursing service," he said cheerfully when she opened the door. Lilly giggled.

"Did you get everything?" She had put on a bath gown and stepped nearer.

"The nose drops, fennel honey, something to eat, hankies, cat food, juice and fruits. And fresh oranges, chillies and beer."

"Chillies and beer?" she questioned.

"Yeah, chillies clear the nose and warm beer is good against cold."

Lilly was stunned. "Oh! Didn't know."

"The bags into the kitchen?" The blonde detective nodded. They went into the kitchen and unpacked the things. Then Scotty grabbed the oranges.

"Do you have a squeezer?" Lilly looked at him.

"You want to make fresh juice?"

"Yeah. Lie down and rest, I'll do it for you." Lilly wanted to say that it wasn't necessary but instead she told him where to find a squeezer and other things he needed. On the way to the couch she picked up Tripod who was meowing at her. While lying on the couch and caressing the cat Lilly listened to the sounds in the kitchen. She remembered one time in her childhood when she had fallen seriously ill. First her mother hadn't cared, but a teacher had called a doctor and Lilly had to stay at home and couldn't leave the bed. Most of the time she had been the one who had care for her mother, not the other way round. That was why she didn't like staying in bed and doing nothing because she always had the feeling that she was needed and had to do something. But now…now she found that it had been a good idea to call Scotty. Maybe she should ask for help more often.

After a while Scotty came back with a huge glass of fresh orange juice. "Hey Lady!" he greeted the cat then sat down beside them and handed Lilly the glass.

The blonde smiled. "Thanks!" She was slightly taken aback about how Scotty cared for her but she also appreciated it. Suddenly Tripod left her lap and climbed into Scotty's.

"What-"

Lilly giggled. "She wants to cuddle with you. Seems she likes you."

Scotty grinned then tried to talk to the cat. "Hey cat," He ruffled her neck and received a loud purring. It was adorable how Scotty caressed her, and Lilly couldn't help but smile. She took a sip of the juice; it was delicious.

"Is it okay?" Scotty asked.

"It's perfect, thank you!"

They sat in silence for a moment before Scotty had an idea. "Lil, did you take a bath?"

She shook her head. "Most of the time I was sleeping."

"Then you should do it. A warm bath with lots of foam, music, a good book…it can do wonders."

"I don't remember the last time I took a bath," she said thoughtfully.

"Then it's time. With candles!"

"Candles? I'm not into that romantic stuff."

"Then at least one. For me." He grinned.

Lilly giggled. "Okay, one. For you."

They had been talking for a while when Lilly felt her headache returning. Somehow Scotty must had realized. "Well, I think, I'll leave now...if it's possible." Scotty looked puzzled at Tripod, who had cuddled up in his lap and hadn't moved away yet.

"Let me do this." Lilly picked up the white cat, who protested with a meow, and placed her into her own lap. Scotty stood up. When he reached the door he turned around.

"Y'know…if you need something…"

"…just say hey." Lilly finished while she smiled at him. She hadn't forgotten. "And, Scotty?"

"Yeah?"

Lilly smirked. "Your pants are full of white hairs."

---

In the evening Lilly followed Scotty's advices. She drank warm beer and tried to eat chilli. She ended up with tears in her eyes, more sweating and a numb tongue, but her nose was better than before. A single lighted candle was standing in the corner. The radio was on and the hot water surrounding her made her feel safe and comfortable. She leaned back and closed her eyes. Calling Scotty had indeed been a good idea. Maybe sometimes it wasn't bad to ask for help. "Hey," she whispered to herself. Maybe from now on she would use that little word more often.

---

A week later Vera and Jeffries sat together in the office. Jeffries was reading the newspaper. Vera glanced over to Scotty's empty desk.

"Never thought Valens would get ill."

Jeffries looked up. "Didn't he visit Rush when she was ill?"

"Yep. Don't underestimate those viruses."

Jeffries looked at the newspaper. "By the way, they say noro's coming to Philly."

---

Lilly was standing outside the building in which Scotty lived. She'd never been to his apartment and was curious how it would look. In her left hand she was carrying a bag with things he needed. Now it was her turn to help. Thinking back to their earlier phone conversation, she smiled.

"Hi Lil!" His voice was rough.

"Hi Scotty! How are you doing?"

He sighed. "Like you last week. I think you have to help me."

"Never mind. Shall I do shopping?" He coughed.

"Just a few things. I need tea, cough syrup and honey."

"Okay, I'll come over."

"Thanks Lil. And…"

"Yeah?"

"Maybe…" His voice sounded teasing now. "…if you could put on some of those sexy nurse dresses…"

"Shut up Valens!"

Sigh. Lilly can call Scotty when she's ill. I'm on my own. That's not fair. Anyway, I don't want to beg for reviews but if you like this story then let me know :)