Hey. I decided to write this story about Ryder having the flu when Mel and Joe are away and Lennox has to take care of him. This is set after series 1 but before series 2, so Ryder is about 14 or 15 and Lennox is 17. I think this will have around 5 chapters, maybe more.

Mel and Joe had been away for a few days and the kids were home alone. Lennox had a few of her friends round. All she could hear was coughing and sneezing from upstairs.

"I'm gonna go check if Ryder's okay." Lennox, although she didn't show it the majority of the time, cared deeply for Ryder. When her mum went to prison, she couldn't recognise how upset Ryder was. Even when his dad came back on Halloween and then handed himself in to the police, Lennox wasn't nearly as upset as he was. Ryder was a full on mummy's boy, so she wanted to try and fill in the hole their parent had left in his life. She knew this would be difficult, but she wanted to

"Ryder, are you okay?" She asked as she opened his door. He wasn't there. She heard some noises coming from the bathroom. Realising what was happening, she ran over to the bathroom. She saw Ryder being sick in the toilet. Lennox kneeled beside him, holding his head. When he stopped being sick, he looked at her. His eyes were all red and hos nose was pink from blowing it too much.

"Let's get you into bed." Lennox helped Ryder to his feet. She out her arms around him and walked him to his room. "I'll get you some paracetamol. Do you want anything to eat?" He shook his head, lying down. Lennox went downstairs.

"Is he okay?" One of her friends asked.

"He looks quite ill. He's just thrown up. Hopefully it's nothing serious."

"I think we should go home and let you stay with him."

"Thanks." The friends shared a group hug as they left. Lennox went into the kitchen and got some paracetamol, a thermometer and a bottle of water. She made Ryder a hot water bottle. Lennox went to his room. He was asleep by the looks of it.

"Ryder, take this." She put the tablets into his mouth and held his head to the water bottle. Gently, she out his head back on to the pillow. She then put the thermometer into his mouth.

"102.7" she read. Lennox decided to check it again in an hour or so. If it went higher, she was going to call a doctor. Luckily, Joe had gotten them all health insurance, so she didn't have to worry about money. An hour passed. Lennox stayed by his bedside. Ryder started moaning then.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"It hurts." He moaned.

"What hurts" she stroked his hair gently to calm him down.

"Everything. My whole body aches." Just then, he put his hand to his mouth. Lennox grabbed his bin and he began coughing into the bin. Lennox noticed something. Blood. He was coughing up blood.

"Ryder let me check your temperature." She felt his forehead. It was very warm. She out the thermometer into Ryder's mouth.

"103.4. Ryder, I'm calling an ambulance."

"Lennox, I'm fine. Please don't." Ryder pleaded. He hated going to the hospital. The smell made him sick and his biggest fear were needles. He hated them. Whenever they had vaccinations at school he would cry. Luckily, the injections were done one at a time, so nobody knew about his fear.

"Ryder, I have to. Your fever is over 103, which is serious. Do you want to talk to aunt Mel?" Ryder nodded. He got his phone off his bedside cabinet and called Mel.

"Hi Aunt Mel." Ryder started coughing very loudly. He was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Ryder, are you ok? What's wrong?" Mel asked, sounding worried. She was in Jersey with Joe because it was Joe's sister's birthday and she had invited Mel.

"I don't feel well." He said. He began coughing more.

"Honey, stay calm. I'm on my way home. Can you give it to Lennox please."

"Yeah. Lennox, aunt Mel wants to talk to you." Lennox got the phone off Ryder and sat next to him, dabbing a cold towel on his forehead.

"Lennox, what's his temperature?" She asked.

"It's 103.4." She looked at her baby brother. His cheeks were bright red, sweat was pouring down his face, yet he was shivering. He was breathing quickly and coughing a lot. "What should I do?" She asked, feeling helpless.

"Take him to hospital. Ask a friend to drive him. Keep him calm, I think the ambulance will frighten him a little. I'll try and get a flight home. Take care of him." Mel then hung up.

"I'm gonna see if Maddie can drive us to hospital." Lennox rung Maddie and asked her if she could drive them. "She will be here in five minutes. Let's get you downstairs." Lennox helped him sit up.

"I'm dizzy. I can't get up." He moaned.

"I'll help you." Lennox put her arm around him. She supported his body weight with her body. "Come on, I'll help you." He kept coughing and felt breathless. Just as they got downstairs, the door bell rang. "Maddie must be here. Sit here." Lennox opened the door.

"Hey. How ill is he?" Maddie asked.

"Pretty bad. Hopefully it's not too serious." Replied Lennox. "Come on, let's go."

"I'll help." Maddie put an arm around Ryder and helped him into the back seat of her car. Lennox sat next to him. She put her arm around his shoulder. He rested his head on her shoulder. Lennox held his cheek and stroked it, calming him down. She looked at him. His eyes were full of pain. She lifted his body off her shoulder and held his body in her arms. He began to moan in pain. She kissed his forehead, holding his head against her shoulder.

"We're here. Do you want me to come in with you?" Asked Maddie.

"Yes, if you can. I'll need help taking him around." Said Lennox. "Ryder, can you get up for me" he sat up. Maddie helped him out. He was feeling faint. His legs felt weak. His legs buckled below him. He fell on to Maddie, who helped him to his feet.

"Here. Lean on me." Lennox put her arms around him and the two girls walked him into the reception. The emergency room was almost empty.

"Ryder Scanlon. He's been having flu like symptoms and he's been throwing up and coughing up blood. His temperature was 103.4 about an hour ago." Lennox explained.

"Take him straight through the corridor and follow the green line on the floor to the next waiting room. I've put a note next to his name so he is seen first." The receptionist said.

"Thanks." Maddie said.

"I can't walk." He looked at Lennox, pain in his eyes.

"I'll carry you. Come here." Luckily, Maddie was very tall, so she could pick him up with no difficulty. She put an arm under his knees and the other around his back and lifted him up. He buried his head into her shoulder to try and block out the light. She felt the heat on her shoulder coming from him.

"Lennox, he's really warm." Maddie said to Lennox as they walked down the corridor. Lennox felt his forehead.

"He's warmer than before." She said as they sat down. He dug his head into Lennox's shoulder. She put her arms around him, kissing his head. Just then, she received a text from Mel.

"Aunt Mel's flight is at 10, so she will be at the hospital at one." Lennox explained.

"Ryder Scanlon" the doctor called. They got up and followed the doctor to a bed. The girls helped him on to the bed. He curled up in to a ball. Lennox stood by him, holding his hand.

"I'm Milly and I'm gonna be taking care of him. I'll check his temperature then do a blood test. At the moment his symptoms look like it might just be a severe case of the flu. We're gonna have to admit him if his temperature has increased." She checked his temperature. "It's 104.1. We're going to have to admit him urgently. I'll tell the ward nurse to do a blood test. The children's ward is on the top floor. Report to the reception, I'll tell them you're on your way." The doctor left.

"Ryder, come here. I'll carry you." Maddie picked him up.

"Lennox" Ryder said, making Maddie aw.

"I'm here. Keep your head down." Lennox kissed him through his hair. They walked up in silence, mainly because Lennox was really worried. His temperature was over 104, which was very serious. He'd never been this sick before and Lennox hadn't seen anyone this ill in her life. She kept thinking what could be wrong with him.

"Hi. We were sent here from the emergency room." Lennox explained.

"Ryder Scanlon?" The nurse asked. Lennox nodded. "Come this way" the nurse led them to a private room with a bed. "I'm going to get the things for a blood test." The nurse then left. Maddie put him down on to the bed. She eased him in to a lying down position. She covered him with a blanket. Lennox sat on the chair next to him and Maddie grabbed a plastic chair from the waiting area and sat next to Lennox.

"I'm here. Try and sleep, it's getting late." Lennox stroked his hair. "His foreheads burning up."

"He's gonna be fine." Maddie tried to calm them down. Maddie's phone went off. "My mum says I have to come home. I'll tell her I can't."

"It's fine. I'll take care of him. It's 12.30 so Aunt Me should be here in a while. Thanks for staying." Lennox said. Maddie left just as the nurse came in with the blood test equipment.

"Lennox. I'm...scared" Ryder said, looking at his sister in fear.

"Of needles?" Ryder nodded. "Look at me" she cupped his face with her hands as the nurse put the needle in to the back of his hand. ''You ok?'' He nodded.

"The results will be back in an hour. The doctors have told us to put him on an IV drip. I've put a cannula in so I'll just hook it up." The nurse hooked him up to an IV drip. She them left, leaving Lennox and Ryder on their own.

"Try and sleep, ok." Lennox put her arms around him. She was really tired, but couldn't sleep until Mel got here. She didn't want to sleep just incase Ryder needed anything. He began moaning.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"My chest hurts" he answered, his voice sounding scratchy.

"Sit up a little, that'll help" she helped him sit up, putting a cushion behind him. Just then, Mel came in with the nurse.

"Lennox the nurse wants to see you" Mel said, sitting next to Ryder. She held his hand.

"Aunt Mel" Ryder looked over to his right. He looked Mel in the eyes. His eyes were bloodshot red.

"I'm here honey. You'll be fine." She calmed him down. He gently shut his eyes. Mel eased him into sleep. She kissed his cheek gently, making sure not to wake him.

"Lennox have you had the pneumonia injection?" The nurse asked.

"Yeah I have. Why?"

"Your brother has pneumonia."

I will try and update tomorrow or the day after. Poor Ryder! You will see a trend that I love torturing him in my stories. Please review and check out my other Melissa and Joey stories. Xxx