Another soiled tissue joins its spent comrades on the floor by the bed. Jackson glances at the wall clock, growing increasingly impatient by the minute. "God damn it, where the is Mark? He said he would be back in ten minutes but it's already past twenty!"

Jackson shifts and feels the soreness set in all over his body. He is so stiff and every slight movement rubs at him the wrong way. "Ugh, he's supposed to be helping me with this!" He can't wait any longer. "I'm going to die by the time Mark gets home. I'll deal with this myself."

He snakes a hand under the covers and begins rubbing furiously. He can feel it building up, approaching at a rapid speed, and only manages to be quick enough to grab another tissue before blowing his load again. "Ahh-ahchoo!" Jackson sneezes loudly, pressing the tissue over his nose and mouth to catch most of the saliva and germs.

He turns it over to the other side before holding it against his nose and blowing hard, sighing in temporary relief when his airways clear just slightly. The front door slams shut and Mark's voice calls out a bright "I'm home!" from the distance.

"Get your in here!" Jackson hollers, stuffed nose causing his voice to come out two times more nasally and whiny. "You'd better have bought the correct brand of flu medicine with how long you took!"