"A--ah---ah chu!" Geordi sneezed.

"Bless you." Data said.

"Thank you, Data." Geordi said.

"You are welcome--" SNEEZE! "Bless you."

Geordi stood up from the chair feeling not the slightest of all good. He used the back rest of the chair to steady himself. Data followed promptly. It was typical to see these two men joined together by the hip wherever they were. It was uncommon to find them without the others presence. Geordi felt hot. He stepped forward only to nearly fall. Data caught Geordi putting one hand on the side of his waist. The young man rubbed the side of his head.

"Thanks, Data." Geordi said.

"You are very welcome, Geordi." Data said. "Would you prefer I go with you to Sick Bay to ensure you do not fall?"

"That would be swell!" Geordi said. "I mean, acceptable."

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The scenery transitioned to Sick Bay. Geordi sat on the edge of the bed with a stuffy nose. Data stood alongside the biobed with his hands clasped behind his back together in a military pose. Geordi saw familiar faces in sick bay, some of which being Ensigns and Nurses. There was a nurse tending to a broken ankle. Crusher arrived into the room then took one look at Geordi. She had that look on her face, like she knew what he had without needing to take scans. The slouched posture, the sniffling, and the sneezing. Then again Geordi just came back from Shore Leave.

Crusher took a medical tricorder out just to be sure.

Ever since the previous misdiagnoses on Geordi last time, Crusher had to be sure. That incident nearly made a virus come into being. And to think it was all because Wesley saw something off in the virus. Geordi was not under any hypos in the time that he was suffering under the virus. Data was with Geordi when his Alpha Shift was not up. Geordi wasn't the only one infected by the virus. There was a ensign who fell ill, lost hearing, became severely dehydrated, and had blisters all over her body. Ensign Richard Tallet died of unknown causes in Sick Bay as Crusher attempted to bring him back to life. And she failed.

"What brings you here this time,La Forge?" Crusher asked.

"I started feeling ill last night but it did not affect my work," Geordi said. "And I started coughing and sneezing this morning." Data handed Geordi a tissue. Geordi sneezed into the tissue. "Data brought me here to be sure I have the cold."

Crusher looked up from the medical tricorder.

"It appears so." Crusher said. She put away the medical tricorder, took out a hypospray, then applied it to the side of Geordi's neck. "This should help your cold. For the rest of the day I am ordering you to remain in your quarters and in bed for the rest of the day."

Geordi nodded.

"I will ensure he stays in his bed." Data said.

Crusher had a small nod and a smile on her face.

"I am sure you will." Crusher said.

Geordi slid off the biobed but Data caught him preventing the man from falling, again, allowing Geordi to steady himself. Geordi felt tired. His body needed to fight off the cold with sleep. Geordi's eyes closed as he felt his arm out over the shoulder of Data. His eye lids felt heavy. He could feel his legs were moving. So this was the mediate effects of the hypospray. Geordi was lucky to have a friend like Data. At least he was not holding Geordi in his arms bridal style.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////

When Geordi's eyes reopened, he could see the ceiling. He turned his head to see a familiar golden tinted android sitting down in a chair with his hands on his lap. Geordi realized he was in bed while Data sitting right by his side, watching him. At first Geordi felt confused why Data was here in the first place. The stuffy nose reminded Geordi shortly why Data was here. Alongside the bed was a game of cards. Geordi propped himself up against the bed. He didn't remember entering his quarters. Nor walking down the hall. Nor being put to bed by Data, the android, himself. Of all the holodeck adventures they had Geordi had never been put to bed by Data.

"Geordi, I have programmed chicken noodle soup for you," Data said, exiting the room then shortly returning with a tray that had a bowl of steaming soup on it. "You have been asleep for the past four hours."

Geordi felt his heart beat against his chest.

"So how did you bring me into my room?" Geordi asked.

"You walked." Data said.

"I don't remember walking." Geordi said.

"Halfway you walked. Your feet were dragging so I had to pick you up." Data said, placing the tray on Geordi's lap. "I did get some whistles." Geordi could feel his cheeks redden. "I do not understand why someone whistled, I can only assume they were whistling due to my rear which would be logical given the ratio of homosexuals to heterosexuals."

"I can't tell you what I am possibly imaging." Geordi said.

"I thought you would say that," Data said, as Geord sipped the contents of the spoon. "We have recently come across a unique entity. It is like a . . ." Data lowered his eyes onto the bowl contemplating the words to come out. "A combination of a horse and a human being covered by armor."

"So a centaur." Geordi said.

"Indeed." Data said.

"Human or android?" Geordi asked.

"Very organic." Data said.

Data handed Geordi a tissue.

"A--ACHU!" Geordi sneezed into the tissue. "Thank you, Data."

"I have brought a box of kleanex," Data said, putting the box on the counter. Geordi continued to drink the soup with each dip into the liquid using his spoon. "And a game of cards if you feel able to move." Geordi looked over in the direction of Data. "The weekly Sunday game is not the same without you."

Geordi could feel his cheeks redden.

"I will be on night duty and you will be sleeping." Data said.

"Of course I will." Geordi said.

"Geordi, I vividly recall that you normally stay up to odd hours of the night when you are very determined on accomplishing a goal and the current one you have is being handled by Lieutenant John Wilkens," Data explained. "I did not feel it was in your interest that it went unresolved."

Data knew Geordi too well.

"So you asked the captain to give my workload to a lieutenant." Geordi said.

"Affirmative." Data said.

"I can't take your kindness when I am sick." Geordi muttered, taking a sip of the soup

Data stood up, walked out of the room, leaving Geordi alone.

"Uh, Data?" Geordi called.

No reply.

"Data, I was not being serious." Geordi said.

No reply, again.

"Oh well, I do have to finish this. . ." Geordi said, looking down upon the soup.

And Geordi resumed drinking his soup.

///////////////////////////////////

Geordi awoke in the middle of the night feeling his bladder was full. The tray was set on the counter alongside the bed. Geordi felt along for his visor on counter until his hand landed on it. He applied the visor. Geordi got up with a runny nose. He took out a tissue then sneezed into it. God, did he hate being sick. Sick of being sick. Then he coughed. He fell out of bed landing on the floor. With a moan, Geordi got himself up on both feet. He had been sick numerous times in his life. And he hated every one of them.

Geordi was frankly glad, after getting healthy after every illness, that he was not sick anymore.

Geordi darted in the direction of the bathroom.

Five minutes later, Geordi came back out in his off duty tunic and attire. Geordi took his visor off placing it on the table with his combadge. He fell on to the bed face first then scooted himself completely onto the bed. He felt tired but he could not sleep. He tossed and turned on the bed. He grabbed a tissue out of the box then sneezed into the tissue. He slipped himself completely back into bed with the covers over his chest. Geordi turned onto his side. Headache. He turned back facing the direction of the ceiling. Geordi felt along for his combadge then tapped on it.

"La Forge to Data." Geordi said.

"Data here." Data said. "Do you need more pillows?"

"Urgh, no." Geordi said.

"Your teddy bear is on the top shelf in the closet...if you desire company while I am away." Data said. "How are you feeling?" Geordi replied with, "Sick." As Data went on. "You are still in bed, correct?" Geordi replied with "Affirmative." It made his heart strings be tugged knowing Data cared about him. "Do you require anything? An extra blanket? A cup of tea?"

"Thank you for the thought, Data," Geordi said. "But I can't sleep."

"You cannot sleep?" Data asked.

"I cannot." Geordi said.

"I know a lullaby that can cure lack of sleep." Data said.

"Give me your best shot." Geordi said.

"Warm kitty,little ball of fur, happy kitty, sleepy kitty, purr purr purr," Data lowly sang. "Sleepy kitty. . . purrr purr purr." Data overheard a small snore from over the communicator. "Data out."

He tapped the comm badge returning his attention to the screen. He knew Geordi would be back on his feet within the next several hours. As it was the case with Geordi usually. He would return to Engineering. Engineering was like Geordi's den. Then again Data and Geordi spent a lot of time considerably in engineering working together on a shared subject. Night watch was one of Data's favorite activites asides to being with Geordi, holodeck adventures,and working. And tomorrow Geordi will not be sick.

The End.