Tim was gone when Ethan woke up for his snack. The note on the table reminded Ethan that he had run out for groceries and would be back soon. Ethan was quickly back asleep. When he awoke again, he was vaguely aware of the aroma of chicken floating around his apartment.
“Hachoo!” He buried a loud sneeze into his elbow and sniffled. Well, he had been vaguely aware.
“Bless you,” called Tim from the kitchen. “You woke up just in time for lunch.”
Ethan made his way into the kitchen to find Tim spooning soup into a plastic container. A crock pot sat on the counter.
“Hey,” Tim said brightly. “Hungry?”
Ethan nodded. “Yeah. What is all this?” He gestured to the counter.
Tim blushed. “I probably went overboard, but I love to cook. Especially if I have someone to cook for. You have chicken dumpling soup, lemon pepper chicken with rice, and in the crockpot is beef stew. Hopefully, you won’t have to cook anything until you feel better.”
“Except for breakfast.”
Tim shook his head as the oven timer dinged. “Bacon, egg and cheese breakfast muffins.” He said, setting them on the counter. “I made a few of those recipes we found this morning, too. For snacks.”
Ethan coughed. And stared. “You didn’t have to do all this.”
Tim shrugged. “I like to cook.”
“At least let me pay you back for everything.”
“We’ll figure that out later.” Tim reassured him. “The beef stew won’t be ready until dinner, but do you want the soup or the chicken?”
“Soup.” Was Ethan’s hoarse response.
“Thought so. You were coughing in your sleep, so I imagine your throat is sore.”
Ethan nodded. “I’ll be right back.” He returned a few minutes later and sat down to the bowl of soup Tim had waiting for him. “Looks good.” He sniffled.
“I stayed away from spicy. I figured you probably don’t enjoy that.”
Ethan shook his head. “Not really. I guess I’m just sensitive to that stuff. I know it clears your sinuses out, but…”
“There’s the leftover chicken noodle if you decide you want to go that route.”
Ethan chuckled. “We’ll see.” He took a few bites of soup. “This is good.”
“Thanks.” Tim said, shyly.
Ethan ducked into his arm to sneeze. “Hatchoo! How’d you get so good at this?”
“Bless you. I told you, I had bad allergies when I was a kid. Since I couldn’t hang out outside with my brothers, my mom taught me. Then I dated a chef for awhile who fine tuned everything.”
Ethan nodded. “They did a good job.” He rubbed his nose.
“Anyway, it’s another way for me to be creative. And I love being in the kitchen. You can ask my friends. I’m always having them over for dinner. And showing up with soup when they get sick.”
“I can barely handle the basics.”
“I noticed your kitchen was rather sparse.” Tim admitted. “I stocked it for you.”
Ethan laughed. “I probably won’t know what to do with half of it,”
“You’ll learn.” Tim reassured him.
Tim watched as Ethan finished his soup and toast. “Get enough to eat?”
“Yeah. Not real hungry yet.”
“Ok. Go rest while I clean up.”
Ethan shook his head. “You cooked. I can at least do the dishes.”
Tim shook his head.
“I’m helping with the dishes.”
“You’re sick. You’re not getting your germy hands all over the dishes.” Tim said, teasingly.
Ethan laughed. “Fair point.” He refilled his water bottle and headed for the couch, sneezing loudly.
Tim joined him a short bit later. “I think that show we were watching last night is on Netflix. Want to start binge watching?”
Ethan laughed. “There’s 10 seasons. Is that an indication you’ll be around for a awhile?”
“That’s up to you.” Tim was serious.
Ethan nodded. “Ahshoo!” He cupped his hands over his nose to block the sneeze. “That’s not my answer.” He said, nodding at Tim’s blessing and taking the tissues he offered. “Thanks.” He blew his nose and went for the hand sanitizer. “I think I’d like it if you were.”
Tim wrapped an arm around Ethan pulling him in next to him, wrapping the blanket around him. They spent the evening together, talking and laughing at their sitcom with Tim blessing Ethan’s increasingly more frequent sneezes.
Dustin called around 8, leaving Ethan concerned after the call. “The cold’s messing with his asthma. Hatchoo!” He told Tim, punctuating his statement with a loud sneeze.
“Bless you.” Tim told him, understanding that Dustin was in for a rough road. “He ok alone?”
“He says he is. Inhaler’s managing everything.”
Tim nodded. “I’m sure he’ll let you know if he need anything.” He said as Ethan launched into his fourth harsh coughing fit of the last hour.
“I think it’s cough syrup and bed for you.” Tim said firmly when Ethan was done and had caught his breath.
“I’m…Ahshoo! I’m fine.” Ethan protested.
“How about you at least lay down?” A Ethan’s expression, he continued. “We can keep watching tv in there. I won’t push the cough syrup just yet. But take your pills first, ok.”
Ethan’s expression hardened. “Don’t tell me what to do.” He snapped
“I just don’t want you to fall asleep before you take them, and then have to wake up for them.”
Ethan relaxed. “Sorry. I just…”
“I know. It’s a learning curve. We’ll figure it out.”
Ethan nodded, coughing into his sleeve.
“At least use the inhaler, please.”
Ethan nodded. “Probably not a bad idea. But if I’m going to lay down, I need my snack first.” He plucked a tissue from the box and blew his nose.
“Sorry. I forgot. I’ll get the snack ready. You go do your thing. Meet you in the kitchen.”
Tim sat there as Ethan coughed and sneezed his way through a peanut butter protein ball and a glass of milk. After finishing, Ethan made a detour in the way to the bedroom, grabbing the cough syrup from the living room.
Ethan swallowed the cough syrup and lay down, switching on Netflix, picking up where they left off. Ethan piled the blankets over him, propping himself up in the pillows.
“Still cold?” At Ethan’s nod, “how’s your fever?” Ethan shrugged and Tim left to grasp the thermometer.
“100.5. NyQuil on board?”
Ethan nodded, grabbing a tissue. “Atshoo!”
“Bless you. You’ve got one stubborn fever.”
“Yeah.” Ethan yawned. “I think I good for maybe just two more episodes at most.”
Tim chuckled. “I think so, too. You look pretty tired.”
Ethan nodded, eyelids drooping. True to his word, he was dozing before the end of the second episode.
“I’m gonna let you sleep.” Tim told him, exiting out of the app. “I’ll see you in the morning unless you need me, ok.”
Ethan nodded, hastily burying a sneeze in his right elbow. “Goodnight.” He sniffled.
Tim was awake and fixing breakfast when Ethan got up.
“Hey,” he grinned. “I can almost smell that.”
He took the pancake and bacon from Tim and sat down. “Don’t make too many,” he warned. “I can only have one.” He took the sugar free syrup from Tim. “I haven’t had pancakes in forever. Sometimes I buy toaster waffles.” He said.
“They’re hard to make for one. And they get all rubbery when you reheat them.”
“Yeah. Hahshoo!”
“Starting up with the sneezes again?”
Ethan laughed. “You missed the first two.”
Tim sat down with his own pile of pancakes and took the syrup. “Well, bless you then.”
“Thanks.” Ethan sniffled, taking a bite. “Again, these are really good.”
“Thanks.” Tim paused as Ethan started coughing. “Cough’s started up again too?”
Ethan nodded, taking a sip of his milk. “I took the inhaler and cough syrup. I’ve been coughing off and on since six. Surprised you didn’t hear me.”
“So you’ll be sleeping.”
“Yeah. Hope thahhAhhshoo! That’s ok.”
“I think you still need it. Still cold?”
Ethan shook his head. “Hot today.”
They jumped into conversation as Ethan sneezed his way through breakfast and the next hour, Tim noticing how Ethan was totally unbothered by the sneezes.
“Hahshoo!”
“17. This doesn’t bother you?”
“It gets annoying when it’s this many, but I’m used to. Can’t remember not doing it.” He shrugged, blowing his nose. “I should call Dustin.”
“Is he up? Do you want to wake him?”
“He’s up early. And I think I’m done sneezing.” Ethan picked up the phone and dialed.
Aggedy Ann 