"Hey Johnny, did you see where the kids went?" Roy was standing in the corral surrounded by horses. He had been trying his hand at training colts with Johnny's help. Chris and Jenn had been sitting on the fence watching and laughing.

"No Roy, I haven't seen or heard them for about twenty minutes. Where do you think they've gotten off to?" Johnny put down the rope he'd been wrapping up.

Roy stood in the middle of the yard and gave his special whistle that the kids knew to come home when they heard it. No answering whistle came from Chris and no sound of running feet.

"Damn those kids. I have told them several times not to run off without telling one of us where they're going." Roy headed into the house and Johnny headed down the back lane that ran next to the lake on the property.

Johnny found the kids thirty minutes later. They had been on the other side of the lake playing in an old damp cave. They all trudged back home wet and chilled to the bone. Johnny lectured the children the whole way home.

Roy greeted them at the back door not looking too happy. "Christopher Michael and Jennifer Lynn! Get in the house this instant. Go change and take a bath. Both of you." Roy's greeting was worse for the children then Johnny's lecture.

Johnny climbed the stairs and headed to the bedroom he shared with Roy, just as he got to the door, he sneezed. Now, Johnny didn't sneeze just once, no, he had to sneeze ten times in a row.

He felt cold and achy as he stripped out of his wet clothes and headed for the shower. He thought better of it and went over to the hot tub and started filling it with extra hot water. He then went into the bedroom to get a fresh box of tissues and his book.

Roy went into the bedroom and saw Johnny sitting on the bed in his robe blowing the heck out of his nose. Roy heard the water running and went into the bathroom. Spotting the tub filling he added some eucalyptus oil and menthol oil to the water. He knew that Johnny's nose was going to give him problems and he didn't want his chest to get congested

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Roy went back into the bedroom and saw Johnny now laying on the bed moaning. Roy walked over to him and pulled him back into a sitting position.

"Come on Babe, the hot tub is filled and bubbling away. You need to get into it to get warm." Roy then pulled Johnny into a standing

position and pushed him gently to the bathroom. Once inside Roy closed and locked the door, (yes Roy has finally learned how to lock a door.) He then helped Johnny out of his robe and poured him into the steaming tub of aromatic water. Johnny slid down til just his face was above the water. Roy then stripped and joined Johnny in the tub.

They laid there side by side until Johnny started sliding further into the water. Roy then pushed Johnny forward and slid in behind him, pulling Johnny back against his chest. Roy ran his hand up and down Johnny's side. He laid little kisses on his throat and neck nipping and soothing as he worked his way down the long neck.

Johnny started responding by moaning and groaning. He reached back and grabbed Roy around the neck, he pulled Roy down and turned his own head and captured the lips of his lover. They kissed hotly for several minutes. They were brought back to the here and now by a knock on the bathroom door and the soft voice of Jenny.

"Daddy, is everything okay in there?" Young Jennifer asked.

"Yes Sweety, everything's all right. I'm just keeping Uncle Johnny company while he sits in the tub warming up. Did you get your bath yet?"

"That's why I knocked. Chris is in the bathroom throwing up. He won't let me in to see if he's okay and he told me to get you. I think he's sick Daddy." Jenny was sitting on the bed when Roy opened the door. He had on his robe and a towel around his neck.

"It's okay Jenn, I'll check on Chris. You sit out here and listen for Johnny. If he makes any noise or calls for me, tell him I'll be right there. Okay, Sweety?" Roy then left the bedroom and went down the hall to the kids' bathroom. The door was opened slightly, Roy pushed it open and found Chris sitting on the edge of the tub rocking back and forth while holding his stomach. He had tears running down his face. He felt so much younger than his twelve years.

"Shh, son. I'm here. When did you start to throw up?" Roy grabbed a washcloth and dampened it with cool water. He then placed on the back of Chris' neck.

"I had just finished washing my hair when my stomach started hurting. I almost didn't make it out of the tub and to the toilet. Oh, my stomach hurts so much, Dad. Make it go away." Chris was crying hard now.

Roy helped Chris into his robe and got him to go to bed. Roy called for Jenny and asked her to get her brother a glass of ginger ale and some Tylenol. Roy then went and checked on Johnny wanting to make sure he didn't fall asleep in the tub.

While Jenny gave Chris the pill and soda, Roy got Johnny out of the tub and dried him off. He then put Johnny into his flannel pajamas, without a fight from him, and got him tucked into bed.

Roy medicated Johnny then met up with Jenny in the kitchen. They made some Chicken noodle soup and sandwiches for dinner. Between the two of them, they got two trays loaded up with big mugs of soup and a peanut butter and apple jelly sandwich for Chris and a ham sandwich for Johnny.

They took the trays up to the bedrooms. They delivered Chris his first. "Come on Chris. Sit up. You need to at least eat the broth of the soup and drink the ginger ale. If you feel like it eat the rest of the soup and the sandwich okay?" Roy instructed his son.

"I'll try Dad. Thanks for your help Jenny, I didn't mean to get mad at you earlier." Chris was looking less pale and seemed to be feeling better.

"That's okay Chris, I understand. I would have done the same thing if I felt as bad as you. Just get better okay?" Jenny walked up to her brother and gave him a kiss on his cheek. This caused the boy to blush, even if it was only his sister. Chris had come a long way since the past summer when he had a run in with Johnny. In fact Chris seemed to have matured quite a bit.

Roy and Jenny then went into her Dad's and Johnny's bedroom. Roy found Johnny thrashing back and forth in the bed. He was mumbling something totally unintelligible. Roy set the tray down on the bedside table. He then placed his hand on Johnny's forehead feeling for fever. He found it. Roy shook Johnny awake and got him to sit up.

"Come on Babe, here's some soup. You need to at least sip on the broth. I don't want you to get dehydrated. You seem to be running a temp. I'll take your temperature in a little while. Do you hurt anywhere?"

Johnny took a couple of sips of the hot soup before he answered Roy. "I just feel all achy and my chest feels heavy. I can't seem to stop sniffling. I think I'm coming down with a cold. I hope it's not a bad one." Johnny punctuated his sentence with several sneezes.

Roy handed him a tissue and Jenny crawled up on the bed. She ran her hand up and down Johnny's arm. "Uncle Johnny, are you sick like Chris is?"

Johnny looked at Roy then at Jenny, "Chris is sick? What's wrong with him?"

Roy took Johnny's hand in his and answered quietly, "He just has the stomach flu. You don't need to worry about him. I can take care of both of you with the help of Jennifer here. Right Sweetie?"

"Right Daddy, I'll go check on Chris now and make sure he ate some of his dinner. You stay here with Uncle Johnny and make sure he eats too." Little Jenny jumped off the bed after she gave her uncle a kiss and went down the hall to Chris's room. She was determined to help her Daddy out as much as possible. She knew that when Uncle Johnny got sick he could end up in the hospital if he and her Daddy weren't careful.

Three days later:

"Hey Chris, I was watching that!" Jenny yelled at her brother. She ran into the kitchen and hugged her Dad.

"Hey there Jennybabe," He used Johnny's nickname for her, "What's up?"

"Chris changed the channel. I was watching Scooby Doo and he just had to watch an old rerun of Star Trek. YUK! That is such a stupid show." Jenny then ran out of the room and headed upstairs.

She stopped outside of Johnny and Roy's bedroom. She knocked before she entered. Johnny was still sick and she was really worried. In fact all lot of people were worried.

Jenny entered the room quietly. She approached the bed and watched as Johnny slept. She gently climbed onto the bed on her father's side. She liked to lay by him and be with him so he wouldn't feel lost and alone. Jenny had witnessed a nightmare Johnny had had the night before and she was really worried.

Johnny stirred a little. He opened his eyes and looked right into Jenny's blue ones. He smiled weakly and lifted his hand to stroke her face. "Hi Jennybabe, how is Chris feeling?"

"Oh, Uncle Johnny, he's fine. You though have every one worried. You need to rest and get all better." Jenny pushed the damp hair off Johnny's brow, she frowned at the heat she felt. Her father was going to be upset. He said that if his temperature didn't go down soon then he would have to take him to the hospital. Jenny knew that Johnny would not want that.

Johnny finally got well. It took two weeks and several doses of antibiotics to beat back the bronchitis that had set in. Johnny was left with a nasty cough though. It was hard for him to sleep laying flat so Roy kept plenty of pillows on John's side of the bed.

Johnny had to endure one more week off from work, but then again, that meant that he'd be off Christmas. They had already bought the tree and had it and the house totally decorated. In fact neighbors came from all over to see the house. They would drive down the lane and look at the lights that were strung along the house and in the windows and the trees on the property. Even the barn was decorated with lights.

Jenny had helped Johnny wrap presents one afternoon when Roy was at work. They were the presents that the kids and Johnny had picked out for Roy. He loved watching Jenny as she concentrated on the task at hand.

There was a rustle of paper and Johnny found Mouse pawing through the wrapping supplies. Johnny reached down and picked her up. He rarely handled the cat but there were times when he just had to cuddle with the beautiful Siamese. Jenny laughed as Mouse squirmed in her masters arms. Johnny let her down with a laugh of his own.

Johnny heard the phone ring and ran to answer it, "Jello, Casa de Gage y DeSoto, Juan de house boy speakink," Johnny answered with a funny accent causing Jenny to giggle in the background.

"Hi babe, you sound winded. What were you doing?" Roy called at the same time every shift he worked without Johnny. If time warranted that is.

"I just ran in from the dining room. Come to think of it, I do feel a little tightness in my chest today. It's been hard to catch my breath. I sure hope I'm not relapsing." Johnny dropped down on the couch and sprawled out. Jenny came over and laid down on top of her favorite Uncle.

"Well just take it slow. You know Dr. Brackett said that it's going to take awhile for you to get back all of your stamina. Put Jenn on for me. Love you." Roy then waited for his daughter.

"Hi Daddy. How are you?" Jenny loved the two men in her life more than anything. She missed her father when he had to work.

"Are you being good? You know Santa is watching you." Roy heard Jenn giggle.

"Yes Daddy. Now what can I do for you?" She sounded so much older than her ten years, "I still have a lot of wrapping to do and Uncle Johnny needs his lunch and nap."

Roy laughed at that and was hard pressed to continue the conversation. "I just wanted to say I love you. Now put Johnny back on please and have a good night. See you in the morning sweetie."

"Yes my love?" Johnny and Roy tried not to hide their feelings from the kids and that included the pet names they had for each other.

"You keep those kids of mine out of trouble now, you hear? And have a good night. I love and miss you. Remind the kids that Santa is watching. Have they received any thing from Jo or her family?" Roy really wasn't expecting anything. Their maternal grandparents had pretty much broken ties with them when the judge gave Roy and Johnny custody almost a year ago.

"No, but a package from your mother arrived this morning via UPS. I opened it and put the presents under the tree. I'm telling you babe, those kids are spoiled rotten, there's more there for them then for us." Johnny started laughing and that turned into one of the coughing fits he'd been stuck with since being sick. Jenny took the phone from Johnny.

"I gotta go Daddy, Johnny needs me. Bye." She hung up the phone and ran into the kitchen. She brought out a glass of ice water and a bottle of pills. She then handed Johnny the tissue and helped him steady the glass while he slowly sipped it. He got the cough under some control and leaned back on the couch. He rubbed his chest where it hurt from the coughing. He was still feeling like someone was sitting on his chest, but he knew that feeling would pass with time. He took the pill that the doctor had prescribed for the cough and laid out on the couch. Jenny pulled the afghan over him and kissed his cheek.

"You rest Uncle Johnny. I'll go get lunch and then you can take a nap." Jenny then went into the kitchen and heated a pot of tomato soup. She put Johnny's in a big mug just the way he liked it. She then added a big pile of saltines and a glass of milk. She put it all on a tray and carried it out to the living room. She set it on the coffee table and looked at Johnny. He was lying there with his eyes closed. Jenny listened real close and heard the light wheezing that Johnny was doing with each breath he took.

"Here's your soup Uncle Johnny. Please eat it. Daddy will get mad at me if he finds out that you didn't eat anything today." Jenny sat down on the floor and watched as Johnny slowly opened his eyes. He looked at the little girl and had to smile.

"Hey Jennybabe, don't look so worried. Hey that's my favorite isn't it? Yup. Thank you Sweetheart." Johnny crumbled the crackers into his soup and ate heartily.

The rest of the day and night went by uneventful for both Johnny and the kids at home and Roy at the station.

Johnny had just came in from letting the horses out when Roy got home that morning. Johnny was so glad to see his lover that he ran into the house. No sooner did he stop running then he started coughing. Roy came up to him and laid his hand on John's back.

He didn't like what he was feeling.

Johnny just couldn't stop coughing. No matter what he or Roy did. After about twenty minutes Johnny was finally able to stop coughing, but he was wheezing real bad. Roy sent Jenny up to their bathroom for the first aid kit in the cupboard. He then took the stethoscope and listened to Johnny's lungs. He got a worried look on his face.

Chris ran downstairs to greet his father when he saw Johnny laying on the floor of the living room and his father leaning over him. "Jenny bring Daddy the phone okay sweetie?" Roy's voice was tight.

Jenny handed him the phone then went to stand next to Chris. Johnny's breathing was sounding more and more congested. He started coughing again and Roy sat him up.

Roy dialed the station and asked for the squad to be sent. He knew that Johnny was having an asthma attack and he needed some things that he just didn't have on hand. He knew it would take about ten to fifteen minutes for the squad to get there. He then dialed Rampart's number and informed Dixie as to what was going on.

"Rampart Emergency." Nurse Dixie McCall answered the phone at the base station.

"Hi Dix. It's Roy, Johnny's having a bad asthma attack. I already called for the squad but I thought that I'd let you know what was happening. I have him semi reclined. He won't sit straight up for me. He's coughing real bad, a hard non-productive cough." Roy was starting to sound worried.

"Okay Roy, let me know when the squad gets there." Dixie knocked on the window of the base station and got Dr. Early's attention. He opened the door, "It's Johnny Gage, Roy says he's having an acute asthma attack."

Dr. Early's eyebrow raised at the words 'acute asthma attack'. "Since when is Johnny asthmatic?"

"He's not. He's still getting over a sever case of Bronchitis and this seems to be what triggered it. Roy says that John has a hard non-productive cough, I could hear him wheezing in the background. It didn't sound good, Joe."

Just as Dixie finished Squad 51 called in.

Roy watched as Dwyer and Bellingham loaded Johnny into the ambulance. He then loaded the kids in the Rover and headed to Rampart. He prayed the whole way knowing that this kind of attack is serious and has serious repercussions.

"Dad, is Uncle Johnny gonna be okay?" Chris asked quietly.

"Yes son. Johnny's just having a hard time breathing that's all. Dr Early will take good care of him." Roy told the children gently. He wasn't so sure himself. He'd seen attacks like this in his line of work, but never in an adult who's never had one before. He cursed himself for not seeing the signs yesterday when Johnny said that he felt a tightness in his chest and had a hard time catching his breath.

"It's not your fault Daddy." Jenny said from the back seat. "We didn't know this would happen."

"I know sweetheart, it's just that Daddy should have figured out what was happening when he talked to you two yesterday." Roy turned his full attention back to driving to the hospital.

Johnny was in treatment room four when Roy pulled in ten minutes later. Roy left the kids in the Lounge with the TV on. He then went in to talk to Johnny and the doctors.

Johnny was sitting at a 90 degree angle with a mask on his face. His breathing was less wheezy and the nebulizer seemed to be doing the trick.

"He babe, is that helping you any?" Roy stroked his hand through his lovers hair.

Johnny was still having a hard time talking so he just shook his head up and down. He reached up to remove the mask, but Roy stopped him. "You need to leave that on until you're through with the treatment. Then and only then the doctor will listen to your lungs and determine whether or not you need a second treatment. Are they going to take a chest x-ray?"

Johnny shook his head this time. He attempted talking this time, "No...I go..there after the.......treat..ment." Johnny had a bead of sweat on his brow just getting out that sentence. Roy was really worried now.

Dr Early and Dr Bates, a respiratory specialist, came in just then.

"Hello Roy." Dr. Early nodded at Roy. "Johnny, this is Dr. Julie Bates, she's a respiratory specialist. She's here to find out why you had the attack and if you're going to have any more of them. Now you were not given Epinephrine for a reason. On adults both asthmatics and non-asthmatics having attacks, it has proven to do significant damage to the heart muscle. We have to give it in high dosages and at close intervals, so we don't use it for Acute attacks like you had. We rely more on the Nebulizers and finding the cause of the attack"

"What did cause the attack, Doc?" Roy asked for both men.

Dr. Bates looked at both men. "We're not sure yet. It might have been caused by scar tissue on the lungs from the numerous upper respiratory illnesses you have had since adult hood. I gather you had a lot of colds as a child as well?" She posed this question directly at John.

Johnny mumbled through the mask he still had on his face. "Not to my knowledge. I mean no more than any of the other kids on the Reservation."

The Dr's ears perked up at this tidbit of information. "Where did you grow up Mr. Gage?"

"In Montana most of my life then down here in the LA area." He was finding it easier to talk as the Albuterol did it's job.

"I see, how old were you when you moved to LA?" The doctor seemed to have figured something out.

"I was about fifteen, almost sixteen. My family had pretty much died off by then and I had no where else to go except to live with my Aunt here just outside of LA. Why?"

"Well, I won't know until we get the chest x-rays, but my thought is that you have scar tissue on your lungs that have been there since you were young. Do you smoke? Or have you ever smoked?"

Johnny looked at Roy then back at the doctor, "I smoked from the time I was twelve until I was twenty. I quit before I joined the department. I didn't think that I should be smoking and be a fire fighter at the same time."

Roy looked at his lover with a slightly taken aback look. He thought to himself why Johnny never told anyone that bit of info. It was important information. "You never told us that before Johnny." Roy voiced his thoughts.

"Well, I was never asked. Not even when I went in for the Department physical." Johnny reached out for Roy's hand. He was starting to get just a bit more than worried.

An orderly came in at that moment to take Johnny up to x-ray. The doctors excused themselves and left Roy in the room with Johnny. "I'll see you in a few minutes, okay? I'll just go check on the kids." Roy left the room and headed for the lounge and his children.

Forty minutes later Johnny was back from x-ray and settled back in the treatment room. A second treatment was underway when Roy entered the room. He started giggling at the sight of Johnny sitting on the edge of the gurney with his long legs hanging over. He was swinging them back and forth. He had the mask on his face and looked totally bored.

"Hi babe. You feeling better?" Roy took one of Johnny's hands in his and used his other hand to still the swaying limbs. "Have they told you the results of the x-rays yet?"

"No Roy, I was told it would be another twenty minutes. By then I should be done with this treatment. I tell ya Roy, this asthma shit takes a lot outta ya. My back hurts between my shoulders and I feel like every rib is bruised my chest hurts so much." Johnny swung his legs back up and laid back. His eyes started drooping from both boredom and the fatigue that washes over a person after suffering a severe attack. The good thing about this attack was that he didn't have to be entubated. Roy knew that Johnny hated that and would've fought it tooth and nail.

"You just lie back and rest. I'll bring the kids in in a minute to talk to you. You scared Chris real bad. Jenny seemed to be okay though." Roy leaned over and placed a kiss on his lovers head.

"Yea, Jenny's a real trooper. She doesn't rattle real easy." Johnny let out a huge yawn and closed his eyes.

Roy left the room quietly and went to get the kids. He ushered them in with the instructions to be quiet. "Now remember guys, Johnny is tired. The attack wore him out. He might be asleep so do not wake him up."

They looked at Johnny lying on the gurney with the mask still over his face. He was breathing a lot better now as he slept. Roy went up to Johnny and ran his hand over his lover's hair. Johnny's eyes slowly opened. "Hi Baby. Did you have a good nap?"

"Not really, I'd rather be at home in bed with you." Johnny flashed his famous grin from behind the mask. Roy noticed that he was getting plain oxygen. That was a good sign. Johnny coughed at just that moment. It wasn't the harsh coughing of earlier that day. Roy sighed in relief.

Dr. Bates came in ten minutes later. "Well Mr. Gage, it would appear that you do not have asthma that most people have, yours was triggered by the bout of bronchitis. I'm going to send you home with a prescription for Benzonatate for the cough, this should help prevent further acute attacks and Albuterol. This is an inhaler. You use this only when you're coughing real hard or you are having a hard time breathing or are short of breath. Now I know you ride, so I am going to recommend no hard exercise at all. That includes working the horses. No running or riding. If you get short of breath just walking come in quickly, otherwise give it another two weeks and we should have a handle on your problem and have you back up to working. Now, any questions?"

"Yeah, you said no hard exercise, when can I work the horses and go riding again?" Johnny looked worried.

"In about two to three weeks. Don't get me wrong here. You will be doing a lot more exercising when we're through. You will see a respiratory therapist twice a week for the next two months. He will recommend a good personal trainer. You need to strengthen your cardio vascular and respiratory system as quickly as possible."

Johnny was released an hour later with his prescriptions and promises of butt kicking if he disobeys the doctors orders.

Johnny lasted three days before he got so bored he just had to go outside and play with the horses.

December 23rd found Chris and Jenny over at the Hagele's and Roy at work. And Johnny? Well, Johnny was bored. He was so bored that he broke doctors orders and went out to the barn and got out his favorite horse, Mama's Boy. He rode him as fast and hard as he could for thirty minutes. He then came back and brushed him down.

Bill Hagele walked into the barn at four-thirty that afternoon, he did not like what he was seeing. Johnny was brushing down one of the newer colts. "Johnny! What the hell are you doing? Roy will have your ass as well as mine if he finds out you're out here even touching the horses."

Johnny jumped when he heard the first yell out of Bill's mouth. He turned and looked at him with a sheepish grin. "AH, shit. Bill you don't know how hard it is to stay inside when you know the horses need to run and need to be worked. Dammit I have three that are suppossed to be sold after the first of the year and they're no where near ready." Johnny was practically whining. He really did hate being cooped up.

"Relax Johnny. Bear, Bright and Star are being trained by me and my ranch hand. We'll be in tomorrow and then every day after Christmas. They will be ready. Now get out of the barn and get back inside. I can't believe you're out here with out a coat on either. Did you know that the temperature has dropped nearly twenty degrees since noon. It's fifty degrees out here and it's only going to keep dropping. Now go. Take a shower. You don't want the kids to know you've been out there. Jenny would be the first to squeal on you and you know it. Now git."

Johnny walked dejectedly into the house. He stopped and ran his hand over the cat's back then went upstairs and took a hot shower. He was starting to feel the chill.

The children arrived home a little before seven fed and ready to settle down for the night. They found Johnny laying on the couch dozing with the TV on. Jenny turned the channel to watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and Chris went over to the fireplace and add more logs to the fire. Johnny didn't stir the whole time.

After their program was over Jenny went into the kitchen and noticed that Johnny hadn't eaten dinner. He hadn't done the lunch or breakfast dishes either. She called Chris into the kitchen and between the two of them, they got the kitchen cleaned up and some dinner for Johnny.

Jenny heard the coughing coming from the couch. She took the pills and inhaler into Johnny and made him take a pill and use the inhaler. Johnny for his part did not complain. He then accepted the dinner that Jenny had made. He really liked it when Jenny made macaroni and cheese and hamburgers. He ate two hamburgers and asked for more mac and cheese.

Both kids sat with John and played monopoly until eleven p.m. Johnny won of course and Chris grumbled all the way upstairs. The kids went to bed with out arguing over who gets first use of the bathroom. Johnny found this very disconcerting. He was sure that the kids were just behaving for Santa but he wasn't too sure. Shrugging his shoulders Johnny went into his room and crawled into bed.

Now when Roy wasn't there Johnny did not lock the bedroom door. He figured since he'd been sick, the kids would feel better if they knew that they could always reach him if necessary. Johnny soon drifted off to sleep.

Roy had been busy with back to back runs all afternoon and evening. By the time he had the time to call home it was after 11 and he was sure the kids would be asleep. He dialed home anyway. He wanted to tell his lover good night.

"Hello" Johnny answered sounding somewhat congested. He had been coughing and had just taken some cough syrup.

"Hi Babe. How are you today?" Roy tried to ignore the wheezy sound that Johnny was producing every time he drew a breath.

"I'm fine Roy. So are the kids. They're real excited and to tell you the truth so am I. Are you coming straight home in the morning?" Johnny was like a big kid around the holidays and the closer it got to Christmas the more he acted like he was ten years old. Jenny couldn't hold a candle to him and she was ten.

"Yes Babe, everything's ready for the party tomorrow night. Now, you stay well and all will be perfect." Roy knew in his heart that Johnny was not going to comply. He had had a feeling all day that something was going to happen to his lover.

"I will. Damn, can't you trust me to keep out of trouble? I love you Roy." Johnny was drifting off to sleep.

"I love you too lover. Now tuck in and go to sleep and remember Santa Claus is watching, especially you Johnny." Roy hung up giggling to himself.

"What's so funny Roy?" Chet Kelly asked from his seat at the table.

"Johnny. I bet you he got bored and went out to the barn and helped Bill with the horses. I just know that he's hiding that from me." Roy grabbed an apple from the fridge and joined the rest of the crew watching "It's a Wonderful Life" on the late show.

Meanwhile back at the Ranch:

Jenny was lying in bed listening to Johnny cough and cough. She decided to go see if she could help him.

"Uncle Johnny?" Jenny asked as she knocked on the door. When she didn't get an answer, she opened the door. She saw Johnny bent over on the bed coughing real hard. His face was real red.

Johnny looked up and saw Jenny standing in front of him with tears rolling down her eyes. "Hey Jenny babe. Why are you crying?"

"You're coughing so hard. I'm afraid you'll have another attack." Jenny scrambled up on the bed and threw her tiny arms around Johnny.

It took Johnny thirty minutes to get settled down. He then went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He filled the tub with hot water and Menthol oil. While the tub was filling he went out to the bedroom and got a clean towel. He found Jenny laying on Roy's side of the bed watching Carson on TV. She was laughing at the comedian who was doing his routine. "You want to stay with me tonight sweetie?"

"Yes Uncle Johnny. I promise I won't snore or kick or drool or anything. I just don't want you to be alone when you cough so hard." Jenny's tears renewed themselves running down her pretty, rosy cheeks.

"It's okay honey. You can stay. I'm gonna be in the bathroom for a while. If I'm in there for more than a half hour, go get your brother and have him come in to check on me, okay?" Johnny hung the towel around his neck then picked up the paper back book he'd been reading.

Johnny then went into the bathroom and shut the door. He turned off the water and stepped into the steaming tub. He made sure that he had his inhaler and a box of tissue right beside him. He laid back and read his book. He listened to the TV in the bedroom smiling every time Jenny laughed or he heard that silly used car commercial that had a shag man hawking the low priced high quality used cars.

Johnny lost track of time and started drifting off. He was brought back when he heard the door open and saw Chris enter. He sat up in the tub and rubbed his hand over his face. "How long have I been in here?"

"Over a half hour. I knocked for almost ten minutes but you wouldn't answer." Chris was sounding a little frantic.

"I'm okay buddy. Close the door and help me out will ya?" Johnny was feeling a little groggy from the pill he took.

Chris went over and closed the door, he then grabbed the big bath sheet that was hung over the towel warmer. He held it out so Johnny wouldn't have to be exposed to the cold air in the room. The hot water had run out some time ago and the shower was putting out cold water now. Once Johnny was wrapped in his towel, Chris shut off the shower and emptied the tub.

"Do you need anything else?" Chris was still upset seeing Johnny so tired and weak looking.

"No son, Jenny's going to stay with me tonight so you can go back to bed. I'm sorry I woke you. Sleep well." Johnny gave Chris a hug and sent him back to bed.

Johnny came out of the bathroom ten minutes later dressed in his flannel pajamas and his blue fluffy terry cloth robe. Johnny had even put socks on his feet, which in itself was unusual. He climbed in to bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. He had already placed the extra pillows he had used when he was sick.

Jenny was sitting up watching Johnny as he made himself comfortable. "Do you want some juice or hot tea before you go to sleep?"

"You know what? I think I'd like a cup of hot cider, can you bring me some, without spilling?" Johnny looked like he was feeling better.

Johnny and Jennifer shared some hot cider and some conversation before they snuggled under the blankets and drifted off to sleep. The TV stayed on in the background.

Roy walked into the quiet house at eight thirty the next morning. He couldn't believe that no one was up. He walked upstairs quietly and looked in Chris' room. The boy was laying huddled under the covers sound asleep. Roy then went to Jenny's room.

He looked in and saw that Jenny's bed was empty. He bypassed the bathroom since the door was open. He then opened up his door after damn near tripping over the cat. He smiled when he saw his lover sleeping sitting up and his daughter sleeping right beside him with her hand on his stomach.

Roy walked over to the bed and gently shook Jenny awake. "Come on sweetheart. You need to get up now."

Jenny sat up and looked at Johnny. "Good. He slept all night long without coughing once."

Johnny started waking just then as well. He spied his lover standing on the other side of the bed. "Hey there lover. Come over here and give me a good morning kiss."

Roy went over to the other side of the bed and sat down next to Johnny. "Hi there babe. Jenny says you slept the whole night without waking up coughing once. I am so proud of you." He then leaned in and captured his lovers lips in a searing kiss.

Jenny cleared her throat and when that didn't faze the two lovers, she quietly left the room and headed downstairs. She wanted to have some breakfast before her brother came in and took over the kitchen and the TV.

Part Two