I know, I've been slacking off on A Cowboy's Wife and Son series, but this idea came to mind because in the winter, people get colds.
Chapter 1
One morning, Striker woke from bed as usual, but today he wasn't as energetic as he was. His throat was so sore and scratchy that he felt knives stabbing inside of his throat. So he slid out of bed to pour himself a glass of water.
His wife, Kaitlin slowly opened her eyes and turned around, hoping to wish Striker a good morning. But to her surprise, she noticed that her husband was no longer in the same bed as her.
Worried, she removed her blankets and climbed out of bed to find Striker.
In the kitchen, Striker drank at least three cups of water, but it didn't help with his dry throat. So he went to the bathroom with the same cup in hand and a salt shaker.
In the bathroom, Striker closed the door behind him and dumped the cold water in the sink. He turned on the faucet, turning it to warm water and turned it off. He then shook salt into the warm water with a spoon. He sipped the water, but avoided swallowing the salted water and gurgled it to ease his dry throat. Finally, he spat out the water into the sink. He turned the faucet back on to rinse out the saliva and washed his hands with soap and water.
Once his hands were washed, he dried them with a towel.
Out of the bathroom, he saw his son, standing by the bathroom door in anticipation.
"The bathroom's all yours, kiddo," Striker said, ruffling the boy's hair and Jake finally went inside the bathroom and closed the door behind him.
"Morning, Striker," said Kaitlin. "I was looking all over for you. Are you okay?"
"Good morning, Kaitlin," replied Striker, who then coughed a loud hacking cough.
Kaitlin bit her lip in concern.
She handed him a tissue for him to spit in. When Striker looked into the tissue, he saw that what he coughed up was yellow phlegm. He shivered before he looked around and tossed it in a nearby garbage.
"Dad, are you okay?" Jake asked in concern.
"Yeah, I just got a cough, that's all."
"Are we riding Bombproof?"
Striker shook his head. "Not today because I can't risk getting him sick."
Jake nodded in acknowledgment. "Oh, makes sense." Then he offered, "How about I feed Bombproof?"
"I appreciate it."
Jake made his way to the barn to feed Bombproof.
Kaitlin offered Striker the bowl of oatmeal and a mug of coffee and Striker sat down, eating his breakfast.
While Striker ate his breakfast, Jake returned to the house after feeding the hellhorse and Kaitlin went to her bedroom to get dressed. Jake also headed to his room to get dressed. After they dressed in their attire, they each helped themselves to a bowl of cold cereal.
Jake opened the refrigerator door to grab the milk and set it on the table, but not before closing the fridge door. The boy and his stepmom each poured milk into their cereal bowls.
Kaitlin closed the cap of milk and put it back in the fridge and closed the door to avoid letting in cold air. Then, she finally joined Jake in eating breakfast.
"Thanks for the oatmeal, Kaitlin," said Striker, "You did a good job making it."
"You're welcome, Strikey," replied Kaitlin.
After breakfast, Jake asked, "What are we going to do without Bombproof or transportation?"
"Well, we could use this," Kaitlin suggested, showing him her magic necklace, wrapped around her neck.
"Ooooh." He stared at her necklace in awe.
The three imps slid off the table and stood on the floor.
Kaitlin typed in I.M.P. headquarters and with a touch of a button, magic swirled around them. She snapped her fingers and the trio disappeared.
Jake belongs to LadyAnaconda
Striker belongs to VivziePop
Kaitlin (Me) belongs to me
