"ACHOOOOOOO!" Nick let out a loud sneeze that caused Joe to wince from her he say by Nick's bed.

"You really are sick, aren't you kiddo?" Joe asked, handing his younger brother yet another tissue. The younger boy nodded.

"Uh huh…you shouldn't be in here…you'll catch it." His congestion made his "n's" sound like "d's" and he sniffled after he spoke.

"Nick, don't be stupid, I wouldn't leave you alone with this cold…you're miserable." Joe put his hand on Nick's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Pretty much…" Nick nodded. He was about to say something else, but he began to cough violently before he get the words out. Joe watched as Nick hacked, tears forming in his eyes. Nick hated coughing because it made his throat hurt.

"Oh hon…" Joe rubbed Nick's back and climbed on to the bed. "Don't cry! It kills me when you cry." He kissed Nick's forehead, attempting to comfort the boy.

"I hate being sick!" Nick looked at Joe, tears still in his eyes. He was pale from being sick and he looked completely pathetic.

"I know, but you'll be better soon." Joe kissed Nick softly. "I love you ok? Sick or not."

"Stop touching me and kissing me!" Nick whined. "You'll get sick too and I REALLY don't want that because then you'll be miserable and I don't want you to be!"'

"You're so caring…" Joe smiled at Nick. "But I'm not going anywhere, I don't care if I get sick, I love kissing you too much to give it up."

"I love you…" Nick sighed and rested his head on Joe's shoulder.

"I love you too baby," Joe smiled and pulled Nick closer. "I want you to get better, ok? I know how much we all don't like being sick, but I miss your smile."

"I can still smile!" Nick protested. He forced his lips in to a weak smile and Joe kissed the tip of his nose.

"Don't force it kiddo." Joe looked at the pale boy and bit his bottom lip. "Here, why don't you try and sleep? You look really, really tired." He used a little bit of force to get Nick to lie down beside him and he tightened his arms around the smaller boy's slender frame. "I'll be right here holding you, ok? The whole time." His lips gently grazed Nick's cheek and he noticed the younger boy's eye lids flutter closed.

"Oh god! No…" Nick began to cry in his sleep and Joe, who had dozed off himself, woke with a start and immediately began to shake the younger boy. "Please don't…" the tears fell slowly and Joe knew that if he didn't wake Nick up the nightmare would soon pass, but he didn't like seeing the boy cry.

"Nick, baby wake up, please. I don't like it when you cry…" he gently shook Nick's shoulder again. He was rewarded when the younger boy rolled over and opened his weepy eyes, looking at Joe.

"You saved me," he whispered, a small smile curling on to his lips.

"What are you talking about you goof?" Joe ruffled Nick's hair.

"I was dying and you saved me! The evil man was trying to push me down a dark tunnel, but you saved me."

"You have really vivid dreams babe," Joe smiled and brushed his lips against Nick's. "I didn't save you from anything."

"Yes you did," Nick insisted.

"Go back to sleep," Joe chuckled.

"Not until you understand that you're my hero." Nick tugged at Joe's shirtsleeve.

"Nicky, why am I your hero?" Joe propped himself up on his elbow, his chin resting in his palm and looked down at Nick.

"Because you're here right now." Nick sighed. "You don't care that I have sick germs, you're risking your own health to be here with me, and that makes you my hero."

"That's silly Nick, you know that all I care about is you, I don't care if I get sick, I just care that I get to hold you." Joe planted a kiss on Nick's forehead.

"I still need you to understand!" He looked at Joe, almost impatiently.

"I understand Nick, I do, because I feel the same way for you." Joe smiled at Nick.

"But I never did anything like this for you."

"You haven't yet, but I know that when the time arises, you will and that's really what I care about, you know?"

"I love you."

"Hell, you'd better." Joe put his arms around Nick and pulled him down in the bed. "Now it's back to sleep fro you germ boy, I want you better."