Neil only looked like a complete meathead. Once you got past the muscles and sarcasm there were... more muscles, and more sarcasm, but under that was a mind that was a lot sharper than most people thought. "Your hangovers usually come with a rash like this? Mine bloody well don't."

And that rash was worrying. There weren't kids around here, but if they got an epidemic of the measles or something like it- that wasn't anything to toy with. In a closed population, those could wreak havoc. Christ. "You have a fever? Let me check your forehead."

He lifted a hand to do so, but waited for her to give the okay.