It was an afternoon of movies, naps, and watching Dustin fight with his itchy, yet stubbornly unsneezy nose.
They had sat down to dinner when a frustrated Dustin finally found release. He had just taken a few bites of his soup when he suddenly wrenched to the side, doubling over. “HahKishoo-kishoo-kishoo-kshoo-kshoo-Kshoo-shoo-shoo-shoo…HahKishoo!” He paused for a deep breath, fumbling for his napkin. “HahKishoo-kishoo-kishoo-kshoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo…HahKishoo!” Straightening up, he picked his napkin up off the table and blew his nose as Tim slid the tissue box closer to him.
“Bless you.” Ethan grinned. “Feel better?”
Dustin nodded. “Helped.” He sniffled, turning back to the table. “Nose still tickles though.”
“Well, hopefully you got it started.” Ethan chuckled.
“I hope so. Although I hope I’m not sneezing all night now.”
“I think you can save that for me. I haven’t let up all day.” Tim commented.
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” Ethan commented.
Tim sighed and glanced over at Dustin. “Does nothing get by him?”
“Hasn’t gotten past me either. You’ve got two nurses here with you.”
Tim groaned, resting his face in his hands. “Not catching a break here.”
“Nope.” Ethan laughed. “Finish your soup.”
Tim swirled his spoon in his bowl. “I’m sick of soup.” He grumbled, ducking down. “Huhhh’Rrruuusshehhh, yyuuhhshehhh!”
Dustin slid the tissues back, blessing him. “I’m getting tired of soup, too.” He admitted.
“I’ll make sandwiches?” Was Ethan’s offer. “I’ll work on something more for tomorrow.”
Tim and Dustin were agreeable, and Ethan’s watchful eye observed Tim eat half a sandwich before pronouncing himself done.
“I should send you to bed.”
“Because I didn’t finish my dinner?” Tim teased.
“Because you’ve barely slept all day.”
“Have too. I slept during the movie.”
“For like half an hour.”
“It was more-“
Their disagreement was interrupted by Dustin, or rather his nose.
“HahKishoo-kishoo-kishoo-kishoo-kshoo-kshoo-Kshoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-shoo-sho…HahKishoo!” Dustin looked dazed for a second, then coughed several times before catching his breath.
“Bless you! That was a long one.” Ethan forget about forcing Tim to bed.
Dustin nodded. “This thing sucks.”
Tim offered a sympathetic smile. “I’m sure having your allergies kick in doesn’t help.”
Dustin shook his head. “Not really.” He blew his nose loudly. “I think I’m only good for another hour or so.” He admitted.
Ethan shot him a concerned look.
“Just tired and achy. Head is killing me, and if I’m going to keep sneezing…”
Tim nodded in commiseration. “To be honest, I’ve probably only got a couple hours in me.”
Dustin smiled. “Gives you two some time alone after I go to bed.” He pointed out.
Ethan smiled, then briefly buried his face in his elbow. “Ahshoo!”
Tim laughed at this. “So we can sit there and sneeze?”
“Probably.” Ethan said through his tissue as he carefully wiped his nose. “Allergies have been wearing me down today.”
“Nights are always worse with his allergies. Pretty sure it just builds on him throughout the day.” Dustin informed Tim.
Tim nodded, filing away that tidbit of information. Coughing harshly, he stood up. “I’ll be right back.” He slipped off to the bathroom, noticing once again that he was somewhat jelly legged and wobbly on his feet. He used his inhaler, then slowly returned to the table, gripping the wall as he stopped to sneeze. “Yyuurrshoo, huuhhyyyyushhooo!”
“Bless you.” Both men looked concerned to see him holding onto the wall.
“You ok?”
“A little wobbly. Maybe I’ve been sitting too…”. His face scrunched and he grabbed for the wall again. “Heyyyahhtchoo, ahhhtcheshh!” “Sitting too long.” He finished stuffily, making his way to the table and the tissues.
Ethan got up from the table as Tim slipped back into his seat and blew his nose.
“Bless you again.” Dustin looked concerned. “You’re a little pale.”
Ethan returned with the thermometer. “Should’ve done this before dinner. On both of you.” He swiped Dustin’s forehead. “100, even.” Then, turned to Tim. “101.7.” He frowned. “You ok, other than wobbly?”
Tim nodded.
“We’ll watch it. But if it goes up, then I’ll get more aggressive with it.”
Tim nodded again. “I wish you could get more aggressive with stopping the sneezing.” He complained.
“Don’t we ahh…HahKishoo-kishoo-kishoo-kshoo-kshoo-kshoo-shoo-shoo…HahKishoo! Don’t we all?”
“Sorry. Trust me. If I could stop it, I would.” Dustin’s rapid fire fits always left him gasping for air at the end, and Tim’s sneezes just sounded rough, occasionally painful. By this point in the illness, both were hard to watch or listen to. As much as he tired of his own sneezing, right now, theirs was worse.
Ethan allowed TV again after dinner, and true to his word, Dustin was done for the night after an hour, leaving Tim and Ethan to have some time together.
Ethan flipped to a streaming service and found the show they had been watching. “Ready to pickup…Hatchoo!…start where we left off?”
Tim grinned. “You know it.” He picked up the tissues and placed them on his lap, snuggling closer to Ethan. “I think this show may not have held up the best in all areas.”
Ethan laughed. “Definitely not. But where it did…”
Tim nodded, fumbling with the tissues. “Hhhh’rrrhhhiishhahhh…rhhisshahhh. Ugh.” He shook his head and quickly blew his nose.
“Bless you.” Ethan said, gently.
“Thanks.” Tim scrubbed at his nose again. “Ugh. I’ve been at it all day. You’d think it’d wear down by now.”
Ethan chuckled, rubbing Tim’s back. “I’m afraid sneezes don’t work that way.”
A grin from Tim. “They teach you that in nursing school?” He leaned against Ethan.
Ethan pulled away, coiling forward with a forceful sneeze of his own. “Ah-Hatchoo! Sorry. Bless me.” He apologized.
Tim fought back a laugh. “It seems our noses have their own ideas about our time together. Mine won’t give me a break…”
“And mine is starting to ramp things up, if that sneeze was any indication.” He flopped back on the couch. “We can try cuddling, but I think any sustained length is a lost cause.”
Tim laughed again, his laughter quickly turning into harsh, barky coughs. Ethan sat there, ready with the water until he regained control of his breathing. “You sure you’re ok?”
Tim sipped the water. “It’s just sneezing and a nasty cough. I’m ok, Ethan.”
“Why do I get the feeling ‘I’m ok’ is going to be etched on your tombstone?”
“Because it’s also going to be etched on yours.” Came Dustin’s voice from behind them. “Sorry to interrupt; just happened to overhear. Passing through for more water.” He paused to cough. “Are you sure you’re ok Tim? Or was I interrupting…something?”
Quizzical looks from both.
“You’re awfully sweaty for a guy ‘just watching tv.’” Dustin pointed out.
“You are sweating.” Ethan noted.
“I’m actually kinda chilly.” Tim pointed out.
Dustin grabbed the thermometer from the kitchen. “102.1.”
Ethan sighed. “Getting higher.” He sighed.
“Mine hung out there for a few days,” Dustin pointed out.
Ethan frowned but nodded. “I know.” He turned to Tim. “How do you feel?”
“Chilly.” He paused as Ethan indicated for him to wait.
“HahShoo! Sorry.”
“Bless you. Still a bit wobbly. That’s it. I’m ok.”
Ethan scrutinized him as Dustin slipped out to get his water and head back to bed.
“Let’s just try to finish this episode. We’ve had so little time together.”
Ethan nodded. “This episode. Then you’re going to bed.”
It was Tim’s turn to nod, as he reached for a tissue. “Hahhrayyshoo…rayysheshhh. I mean, depending on what our noses decide to let us do.”
Ethan sat back down, looking less relaxed than he had five minutes ago. Tim sighed and slid closer to him, wrapping an arm around him. Ethan smiled and leaned into him. “We can try it. Which on of us do you think sneezes first?”
Tim chuckled. “I would say you, since I just sneezed, but yours space out, and I’m so unpredictable. Let’s just enjoy the moment while we have it.”
It was Tim who sneezed first, followed in quick succession by Ethan, just as the program was ending. Ethan made the executive decision of bed over a second episode, sending them both to get ready.
“Atchoo!” Ethan returned to the living room with a sneeze and a sniffle.
“Bless you.” Tim told him. “Going to bed now…while my nose is quiet.” He headed into the bedroom, followed by Ethan. “Coming to make sure I get in bed ok?”
Ethan blushed, caught. “Just making sure you have everything.” He shrugged as Tim crawled under the covers. “Tissues? Water?”
“I’m alright. You go to bed.”
“As long as you have everything…inhaler?”
“Right on the nightstand.”
“Ahshoo!”
Tim passed Ethan a tissue. “Bless. Got enough of those.” He grinned, tapping his own nose.
Ethan laughed. “Goodnight.” He made his way back to the couch. 20 minutes…and another 3 sneezes (god, he hated his allergies)…he was asleep.
The next time he woke, it was just past 11 pm, and there was moaning coming from Tim in the bedroom.
He was quickly at Tim’s bedside, noticing him sweaty and restless. He managed to rest the back of a hand on Tim’s face and nodded. Tim’s fever had spiked. A harsh, wheezy, prolonged bout of coughing caught his attention. Tim needed two things first, his temperature and to see if he could use his inhaler. He headed back out to the kitchen room where he thought Dustin had left the thermometer. It wasn’t there. He grabbed his stethoscope out of his work bag. He didn’t use it, but habit…and went to wake Dustin.
“Do you have the thermometer?” He demanded, starting to get rattled.
Dustin looked at him blearily. “I put it in the bathroom. Why do you…”
As Ethan ran off, he got out of bed and followed him. “What’s going on, E? Is it Tim?”
Ethan nodded, grabbing the thermometer and dashing to the bedroom to scan Tim’s forehead. “103.9.” He muttered, looking at Dustin as Tim coughed again.
“Help him sit up, and ask him if he can use his inhaler.” Dustin instructed, reaching for Ethan’s stethoscope. “No offense, but my assessment skills are a more in practice than yours.”
Fixing Dustin with a Look, Ethan assisted Tim to a sitting position as Tim wrenched away.
“Heh’jihhhszhoo! Hiittszzhoo!” He sneezed in the direction of the blankets.
“Bless you.”
“Tryn not get you.” Tim mumbled, sniffling.
“Appreciate that. When did you use your inhaler?”
“Bed.”
“Before you went to bed?”
Tim nodded, coughing again.
“Dustin’s going to listen to your lungs. You’re wheezing pretty bad, and your temp spiked.” He helped Tim sit up further so Dustin could listen.
Dustin cued Tim to breathe, then had Ethan help him lay him back down.
“ER?” Ethan asked anxiously.
“Honestly, his lungs aren’t horrible. They can wait until morning. It’s his temp we need to deal with.”
Ethan nodded, rubbing his nose.
“Sleepy sneezes are starting in.” Dustin chuckled. “And it’s gonna be a long night. Get him stripped down while I get the compresses, ok. You didn’t move your washcloths ,did you?”
Ethan shook his head quickly, wrapping his arm up over his face. “Hatchoo!” He assumed the task of getting the feverish Tim down to his boxers and t-shirt until Dustin came in to drape Tim is lukewarm washcloths.
“If he doesn’t start coming down in the next hour or so, you’re gonna have to take him in.” Dustin explained. “His temp needs to be rechecked within an hour. You can check it sooner, and knowing you, you will. But don’t track progress until an hour.” He placed his hand on Tim’s arm. “Tim?”
At Tim’s response he continued, “think you can take some ibuprofen for me?”
At Tim’s nod, Ethan helped Tim sit up as Dustin gave the pills, then got Tim comfortable again.
“You can go back to sleep…just set an alarm to recheck.”
“I won’t sleep.” Ethan grabbed a tissue.
“Ok. Want-
“AhShoo!”
“Bless you. Want me to stay with you, keep you company?”
Ethan rubbed at his nose with the tissue. “Go sleep. You need it.”
“Get me if his temp gets higher or he has an asthma attack, ok.”
Ethan nodded, following Dustin out of the bedroom to grab a chair from the kitchen. He set up camp next to the bed and watched Tim.
It was slow, but around 4, Tim’s temperature finally dropped to 102. Sneezing wearily, Ethan made his way back to the couch and slept until 7.
Aggedy Ann 