Vacation

Alex coughed lightly as he threw bags into his SUV.  It was time for the annual summer cabin trip, and he had managed to come down with a cold the day of departure.   “Who catches colds in the summer?”  He muttered to himself, heaving the last bag in.   

Yawning, he hopped into the drivers seat, checked to make sure he had Alyssa, Freddie and Jamie with him, and drove out.   Tim and Ethan would drive separately as Alex only had room for 5.  He wasn’t sure how much of it was his cold, and how much of it was that he notoriously didn’t sleep well, but he was really tired tonight. 

He’d made it about an hour when Alyssa noticed how frequently he was yawning; of course a few of them had been repressed sneezes, and offered to take over behind the wheel.    He was more than happy to let her, and Freddie had hopped in the passenger seat to take over navigation so he could try to sleep in the back.    

He crawled in next to Jamie who was blowing her nose.   “Hey,” she grinned, handing over her pillow.    He was reluctant to take it, not wanting to pass on his cold, but Jamie rarely picked up anything, so after a moment’s hesitation, he took it.   He leaned against the window, stifling a sneeze a few minutes later.  “Ehh…mmmp…chhh.”  He sneezed in a low voice.  Alyssa and Freddie, chattering away in the front seat didn’t hear him, but Jamie did. 

Sensing he didn’t want attention called to it, she didn’t bless him as he ducked his head down and wiped his nose on a crumpled tissue.  Instead, she pulled a tissue out of the box next to hear and tapped the hand he had resting on his leg to hand it to him.  Then she slid closer to him.   “That’s not allergies?” She asked in a whisper.    

He shook his head.  “I’ve got a cold.” He whispered back.  “Perfect timing.  Been trying to figure out how to keep everyone from catching it.” 

She nodded.  “Anyone know?” 

“Just you.” 

“Should probably tell them.  Should probably stock up on tissues and cold medicine.   I have enough tissues for me, not for a lot of sharing.” She admitted. 

“I packed a couple boxes and some cold medicine.  Don’t know if I have more than enough for me.” 

“We should stop.”  She nodded towards the seat in front of here.  “You know he’ll get it.  Lyss probably too.” 

“I’ll tell them when we stop for dinner.”   He paused as she sneezed. 

“Ihhhtschoo!” 

“Bless you.  At least I’ll have someone to stay in with.” 

She nodded.  “Did you bring allergy meds?  Remember last summer?” 

He groaned, remembering.  “No.  EhChh.” Another quiet stifle.   “Add a bottle of Claritin,” he sighed. 

Alyssa exited the freeway.  “Thoughts on dinner?” She called to the backseat? 

“You two pick,” Alex told her.  Alyssa swing into the first restaurant she saw and the four of them headed in. 

Alex, Alyssa and Freddie ordered food and Jamie, a sprite.  As a kid, she had gotten sick on long car trips.  Even though she’d outgrown it as a teenager, she still didn’t tempt fate and eat on road trips.     

“Hehchuh!”  Alex sneezed; it had snuck up on him too suddenly for him to hold it back and was followed by a second one.  “EhhChuhh.” 

“Bless you.”  Alyssa told him as he pulled a tissue out of his pocket and blew his nose.  “Allergies?”   

He looked over at Jamie.  Allergies would be the nice excuse, but she shook her head almost imperceptibly.   He shook his head and cleared his throat.  “Um, no.” He admitted.  “I’m getting a cold.” 

“Oh, no!” Alyssa’s face fell.  “What awful timing.” 

“Hopefully, it won’t be too bad.” Alex shrugged.  “The trick is to keep from spreading it around.” He coughed. 

“We thought we’d stop and pick up some supplies.”  Jamie interjected.  “Hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, more tissues and cold medicine in case others get it…” 

Alyssa nodded.  “We passed a pharmacy on the way here.  We’ll pass it again on the way back to the freeway.”   She said as Alex coughed.   “Do you have everything you need?” 

He cleared his throat.  “Could probably use cough drops.”  A brief pause.  “Hehchuh!  HehhtChuhh!” 

Alex sniffled his way through dinner and through the pharmacy, managing to fall asleep after a half an hour in the car and sleep the rest of the way to the cabin.    Tim and Ethan were inside waiting for them and helped carry everything inside.   Ethan’s eyebrows raised as he saw the pharmacy bags. 

Alex caught his look.  “I’ve got a cold.” He admitted.  “Trying to keep you guys from getting it and be prepared if you do with out raiding Jamie’s stash of tissues.” 

Ethan nodded, blocking his nose with his elbow.   “Hatshoo.  Excuse me.  I’m allergic to something up here.”  He said rubbing his eyes, then blowing his nose. 

Alex laughed.  “Glad we stopped for Claritin and extra tissues then.” 

“Me too, man.” Ethan said as Tim handed him the bottle from the bag he had just unpacked.    

He handed Alex the NyQuil.   I’m supposed to send you to bed.” He explained. 

Alex headed upstairs with his bag, NyQuil and box of tissues.   He chose took the room he and Alyssa usually took and changed into sweats.   He drank the cup of NyQuil, then sat on the bed to wait for Alyssa. 

She found him, still up, sitting cross legged on the the bed.   “You’re still up?” She asked, leaning in and kissing his forehead. 

“Thought I’d wait to find out where you wanted me to sleep.”  He sniffled. She looked at him blankly.  “If you wanted me downstairs…” He trailed off and paused, then resumed.  “Thought I had t…EhhChuhh!  To sneeze.” He explained through his elbow, sniffling.   “Anyway, downstairs on the couch or not?” 

“You’re contagious a day or two before you start showing symptoms.  This is day three of exposure fir me.  So, if I’m gonna get it, I’m gonna get it.”  She started changing into pajamas.   “Lay down and get some rest.” 

He nodded, snatching up a tissue.  “Ehhchummphhh…chummpphh…ehhchhh…..ehhhchhmpph.”    

“Bless you.”  Alyssa raised her eyes as he sneezed twice more.  “And bless you again.” 

Alex rubbed at his eyes and sighed.   “I think some of those were allergies.” He admitted. 

Alyssa gave him a sympathetic look.  “Go to sleep, babe.” 

Down the hall, Freddie was fussing over Jamie as she set up her nightstand.  “Do you have everything?   Need me to run back downstairs for anything?” 

“Ihhtschoo, ihtschoo!”  Jamie shook her head.  “Sweety, it’s 4 things.  Water, tissues, inhaler, garbage.  I think I got it.  How are you?” 

“I’m ok.  Why?”   

She yawned.  “Just checking.  I’m gonna go see if Ethan wants Benadryl.”  She said as they her a muffled “Hachoo!” From across the hall.    

Freddie nodded, leaning over and kissing the tip of her nose. 

“D-don’t-“ she pulled her head away.  “Ihhtschuhh.  Don’t do that.  You know it makes me sneeze.” She reminded him, blowing her nose and sliding out of bed, grabbing the Benadryl and venturing across the hall. 

Meanwhile across the hall, Tim was fretting over Ethan. 

“Hatshoo!” 

Bless you.  The Claritin isn’t helping, is it?   I think Jamie has zyrtec; I can go check.” 

“Thank you.  The Claritin is helping.  It’s really just sneezing now, which, even though I know you don’t believe me is less frequent and less intense.   And I wouldn’t be able to take Zyrtec until tomorrow night.”  Ethan blew his nose.  “Stop worrying.  I’m fine; you’ve seen me worse.  Now, which side of the bed do you want?” 

“I’ll take the side by the window.  You take the side by the door.” 

Ethan bit back a laugh.  “You know being by the window will only bother me if we open it, right?” He commented. 

Tim shot him a look as Ethan sneezed again.  “Hachoo!”  He scrubbed at his eyes.   “Might have to go into town and scrounge up some eye drops tomorrow” he commented, slipping his glasses back on.    

They were interrupted by a knock at the door.  Tim opened it to reveal Jamie with a bottle of pills.  “I thought I’d see if Ethan wanted some Benadryl for the night.”  She offered.    

Ethan gave her a grateful look.  “Yes, please!”   She shook two into his palm which he swallowed with a sip of water.   “Thank you.  Now I won’t keep him awake all night.” 

“Yeah…had a feeling there’d be competition for the couch.”   

Ethan laughed.  “I kinda get the feeling Alex wanted it.” 

“Yup.  Good night boys.” 

“Good night.” They told her. 

Thanks to the NyQuil, Alex slept well.   Thanks to their respective doses of Benadryl, Jamie and Ethan slept well, as did Tim.  Freddie snored and slept like the dead…a typical harbinger of illness.   Alyssa struggled to sleep, noticing increasing congestion and a cough growing as the night went on. 

Tim was the first one up the next morning; he usually was.   Ethan had been asleep next to him, but opened his eyes when he felt Tim get out of bed.  “Morning.”  He said in a slightly stuffy tone.    

“Morning.”  Tim noticed Ethans eyes were red as Ethan scrubbed at them.   “Yeah, we need to get you eye drops.   Let me get you a warm washcloth to put over your eyes for a bit.”   Ethan blinked at him, blankly.  “They’re really red and irritated.” Tim explained.  “You’ve been rubbing them in your sleep again.”  He ducked out of the room and came back with the cloth, handing it to Ethan.   “Rest a bit longer with this.” 

Ethan nodded, rubbing his nose and placing the cloth over his eyes.  “Thanks.”  He mumbled, drowsily. 

Tim headed downstairs to start coffee.  He had just poured himself a cup when he heard Jamie sneezing her way down the stairs.   He poured a second cup and had that waiting for her as she walked in the room, blowing her nose.   “Bless you, good morning.” 

“Thanks.” She sniffled, taking the cup.    

“Not getting sick?” 

She shook her head.  “Waiting for the…ehhtschoo! Meds to kick in.   You remember, I sneeze for a good hour in the morning.” 

He nodded; he did remember.   “Never understood why you don’t just take your pills at night.” 

“Hihhtschoo!”  She buried the sneeze into her shoulder.  “Because the sneezing keeps me awake.” She said, matter of factly.  “Ihhtchummph.”  She muffled the second sneeze into her pile of tissues, then took a sip of coffee. 

“Hachoo.”  They heard Ethan before the saw him appear in the large main room.   Tim moved to get him a cup of coffee.   “Put about 3 spoonfuls of sugar in there, please.” Ethan instructed as Tim poured milk in.   Tim did as told as Jamie took a look at Ethan walking past her, pale and shaking.   She crossed over to the toaster, throwing bread in and grabbing peanut butter.   When the toast popped up, she coated it with peanut butter, slapped it on a paper towel and brought it over to Ethan…now sitting on the couch with Tim fussing over him. 

“We forgot a snack last night.” Tim admitted.   “Being on the road, then getting here late, unpacking everything, his allergies kicking in…” 

“I’m just a little low.”  Ethan told her.  “How’d you know?” 

“Take the nurse out of the….well you know.” 

Ethan chuckled, finishing his toast.   “Thanks for the toast.” 

She nodded, turning away and sneezing.  “Hihtschoo, ihhtschoo! Hihhihhschoo, ihhihhtschoo!  Tschoo!  Ugh.  Sorry.” 

“Bless you.” Ethan told her as Tim grabbed her a couple tissues.   

“Thanks.”  She gently blew her nose.  “My allergies are awful in the mornings, doubly worse since I got pregnant, even worse up here.” She explained to Ethan.  “I tend to hang out in here the whole time.” 

“I have a feeling you’ll have company this time.” Tim laughed.  “At least for a few days.” 

“I’m not that bad.”  Ethan protested. 

“I meant Alex.”  Tim said.   

“What about me?”  They turned to see Alex coming down the stairs in blue flannel pajama pants and a white tshirt.  “Ehhchuhh…HehChuhh…HuhCHUH!” 

“Just saying you’ll be hanging out with Jamie today.”  Tim grinned.  

Alex coughed, heading to the counter where they’d left the cold medicine and popping some DayQuil.   “Not just me.  I think Lyss has this now.” He sighed.   

“Possibly Freddie.”  Jamie chimed in.  “He’s completely out and snoring.    Looks like you two get at least a day or two out by yourselves, if your allergies aren’t too bad, Ethan.” 

“Hahshoo.”  Ethan sneezed, as if on cue.   “Once I get some eye drops, I’ll be fine.” 

“Bless you.  Is your blood sugar ok?” Tim asked, as Ethan poked his finger.   Ethan nodded when the meter read the results.  “It’s fine.  I’ll eat a good breakfast in a bit.”   

“Speaking of breakfast, mind if I go run first, then come back and make it?”  Tim asked. 

Alex shook his head.  “Lyss and Freddie aren’t even up yet.  Otherwise I can make it.” He said, coughing. 

“Leave breakfast to me today.”  Tim insisted, looking at Ethan.  

“I’m ok to wait.” Ethan reassured him.   “Go.  I know how you get if you don’t run in the morning.”    

Tim slipped out as Alyssa, coughing, made her way down the stairs.   Alex crossed over to her, “I’m sorry.”  He told her.   

“Just get me some orange juice.” She grumbled, flopping down on one of the couches and sniffling.  Alex was back at her side in minutes with tissues and orange juice.  “Thank you.” She told him, setting the orange juice on the end table and fumbling to open the tissue box.  “Hihshoo, Ihshoo, ihhshoo, ihhhihhshoo.”  She covered four breathy sneezes with the back of her hand as Alex opened the tissues. 

“Bless you.”  He handed them to her, waiting as she blew her nose before handing over the DayQuil.  “Tim went to run quick, then he’ll make breakfast.”   

She nodded, blowing her nose again.  “Not hungry.”  She grabbed a throw off the back of the couch and wrapped herself in it. 

Jamie stood up, crossing over to the kitchen counter and popping a DayQuil packet off the sheet.  “I better go check on Freddie.  Get him out of bed.”  She said, heading upstairs. 

Freddie had been up for awhile, enjoying the quiet of the cabin.   He’d slept well; must have been the altitude, he mused.  He noticed he was a little stuffed up, but if he remembered correctly to last time, that had happened initially then to.   He started slightly at the knock on the door and Jamie entering.  “Hey Sweety.”  

“Hey, just checking on you.”  She paused, pressing her tissues to her nose.  “Tschoo, ihhtschoo, hihtschoo.”  She blew her nose.  “I brought you some cold medicine.  Uhhhitschoo!” 

“Bless you.  Um, I don’t need any cold medicine.” 

“But you snored all night…” she sniffled. 

“Altitude, I think.  I’m a tad bit sniffly.  But not coughing, not sneezing.  Not sick.  At least not yet.” 

She scrutinized him, determining he was telling the truth.   “Tim will be back from his run soon.  You wanna join us for breakfast?” 

He laughed.  “Yeah.  I was just enjoying the quiet.”   He got up and started getting dressed.  “Be down in a few.” 

True to his word, Freddie was downstairs as Tim returned and started making breakfast.   Tim made plans to show Ethan the town as they were venturing that way for eye drops while Freddie decided he was going to go hike by himself.   Alex and Alyssa would stay in with Jamie with Freddie joining back up with them for lunch.    

Alyssa and Alex wrapped up in blankets, Alyssa on a couch and Alex in the recliner.   Jamie took over the second couch, knitting a baby blanket.  Alyssa, having not slept well, quickly fell back to sleep. 

Sleep did not come as easily for Alex who was stuffed up and sneezing, despite the DayQuil.   “HehChuhh, HhChuhh, ihhChhh, hhhChhmpt, Chhmptt, hhehChxxt, HuhhChuh.” 

“Bless you.” Jamie shot him a concerned look after his latest fit.  “Are you ok?” 

Alex blew his nose loudly twice, then scrubbed at his nose and rubbed his eyes, shrugging.  “I just keep sneezing.” He whimpered in a stuffy voice.   

Jamie caught the nose scrubbing and eye rubbing.  “Did you take Claritin with the DayQuil this morning?” 

“EhhChuhh.”  Alex caught another sneeze into his tissues and shook his head.  “Forgot.” 

She laughed.  “You always forget on vacation.  Go take it.” 

Alex extricated himself from the blankets and got the pill from the kitchen, swallowing it with his coffee, then stretching back out on the chair and falling asleep. 

Freddie wandered through the trails for about an hour before he noticed his sniffling, that his nose was running; he was much more stuffed up than he had been this morning.  He wished he’d thought to bring some tissues with him, he mused, rubbing his nose against his sleeve.   “HhhCshh.”  He stifled a sneeze against his arm.  He sighed, noting that his throat and ears were sore.   He recalled Jamie complaining about itchy ears and throat with allergies, but this was just plain achy…like when he had a cold.   “UhhChushh.”   A second sneeze snuck up on him, and he sniffled wetly, making the decision to turn around and head back in favor of tissues and cold medicine. 

He was back at the cabin 45 minutes later, sniffling constantly.  His sleeves were damp, and he desperately needed the tissues.   Jamie looked up when he opened the door and walked over to her.  “Hi, honey, thought you’d be out for awhile.” 

Freddie didn’t answer, just grabbed a handful of tissues from the box next to her and tended to his nose.  4 blows later, his nose was finally clear enough to answer her.  He jerked his head over towards Alex   “I’m getting his cold.  The congestion this morning just kept getting worse.  Now I’m sneezing, my throat and ears hurt…I’m sure the coughing will start soon.” 

Jamie stood up and rested a hand on his forehead before going to the kitchen to get him DayQuil and juice.   “You are a bit warm.”  She murmured.  “Get comfortable on the couch.”  She draped a blanket over him as he got comfortable, then returned with pills, juice and more tissues. 

“HahChushh, TChushh, UhChushoo!”  Freddie was sneezing into his wad of tissues when she came back. 

“Bless you.”  She waited for him to blow his nose before handing him the pills and juice.  She tucked the tissues in next to him, then picked up her knitting and encouraged him to rest. 

She woke the three around noon for lunch, then put movies on until Tim and Ethan returned just before supper time.    

“I talked him into a short walk in the woods.”  Tim explained as Ethan walked in and headed straight for the nearest tissue box to blow his nose. 

“It wasn’t that bad.”  Ethan sniffled, blowing his nose again.  “Just wish I knew what was setting me off.” He scrubbed at his nose.    

“I don’t know what it is up here either for me.” Alex commiserated. 

“Probably everything for me.” Jamie laughed. 

“Hatshoo!” Ethan sneezed into his tissue and reached for a few new ones, sitting down next to Freddie. 

“Bless-“ Freddie started. 

Ethan shook his head.  “There’s more coming.  Slowly, but coming.” 

Tim laughed.  “I’ve never seen anyone have sneezing fits as slow as you.” He commented. 

“Trust me.  I wish I…hii..I could sneeze like y-you guys.”  Ethan commented, hand pressed against his nose as he struggled to finish his sentence.  “Hachoo!” 

“15 times in a row without barely a chance to breathe?” Jamie joked. 

“1 or 2 minutes.” Tim looked at Jamie “versus 10 or 20.”  He turned his glance back to Ethan, looking at his watch.  “What’s our plan for supper?” 

“Most of what we brought was for grilling.  Not sure if you want Alex or Freddie to do it though.” 

“Hahchoo!”  Ethan interjected. 

“And really not sure if we want burned on the outside, raw on the inside.” Jamie teased Tim.  “How did a Wisconsin boy never learn to grill?” 

“3 brothers.  I never got to.”  Tim defended himself.  “You can’t grill either.” He pointed out.   

“No one’s ever let me stay out there long enough to try.   And last time I tried to help, I got dragged back in when I started sneezing.”  She looked pointedly at Tim, who looked at his watch.  . 

“Speaking of sneezing, someone’s about due for another one.” He teased, looking at Ethan. 

“Shut up.”  Ethan muttered, seconds later pressing his wad of Kleenex to his nose.  “Hahtchoo!” 

“Told you.”  Tim teased, receiving a red eyed glare.  “Ethan can grill,” Tim volunteered him, ignoring the previous glare.   

“Ethan?” Alex asked, hoping not to lose his position as the grill master.  With similar hopes, Freddie also looked on with interest.   Ethan nodded.  “I can grill.”  He assured them.  “Once I’m done with the allergy fit.  I’ll still sneeze outside, but at least I’m n-not con-hhh-contagious.  HahChoo!” 

Tim and Jamie nodded as Alyssa sneezed breathily in the corner.   

“Is that your opinion, Lyss?”  Alex teased as she glared at him for the 20^th time that day. 

Jamie laughed.  “I think she’s still pissed, Alex.  Better give her some space or you’re sleeping down here tonight.” 

Tim looked at Ethan.  “I think I’d rather have the allergic guy cooking over the sick guys if someone’s gonna be sneezing around the food.” 

“Part of this is allergies.” Alex protested. “HehChuhh.”  He punctuated his statement with a sneeze, quickly followed by two more.  “HuhhChuhh, uhChhh.” 

“Bless you.  Still contagious.” Ethan pointed out, rubbing at his nose.   “Ughh.   Hatchoo!” 

Freddie ducked his head down into his arm, apparently not wanting to feel left out.  “UhChushh,Chushhh.”    

“Bless you.” Jamie told him softly, passing him a tissue and keeping one for herself.  “Ihhtschoo, hihhtschoo!  Alex, your sneezing is even contagious.   Tim, your turn.” 

Tim laughed.  “I don’t see that happening.” 

Ethan chuckled.  “I’ve probably sneezed more today than he does in a month.” 

“He’s probably right.” Tim admitted.   

“HahhChoo!”  Ethan confirmed. 

“See…” Tim pointed out.  “He’s sneezed over half a dozen times in a little more than 5 minutes.   I *might* sneeze that much in a week.” 

“We get it, Tim; you never sneeze…unless you’re sick. Wait until you get Alex’s cold.  You can make up for it then.”  Jamie told him.   

“I’m not getting his cold.”  Tim insisted.   

“HahAhtchoo!”  Ethan waited a few seconds, then blew his nose.    

“Done?” Tim asked.  Ethan nodded.  “Bless you.  Now supper.” 

“Come on.” Alex said, “the grill can be a bit tricky to start.  I’ll show you.”   

Ethan got up and Alex led him to the patio where the grill was, showed him how to start it and sat down on the low brick wall to watch him.  Tim and Freddie came out a few minutes later, Tim carrying the food and Freddie with tissues.   He sat down next to Alex, placing the tissues between them.    

Tim helped Ethan placed the meat on the grill.  “You seriously don’t know how to grill?” Ethan asked.  

Tim shook his head sheepishly.   “I always had a brother who insisted on doing it.” 

“You’re gonna learn.”  Ethan laughed, closing the cover to the grill and explaining the basics.    

After a few minutes, Alex caught on to what he was doing, sneezed and chimed in.  “EhhChuhh, Chuhhuhh.  Your problem is you just put it on the grill and leave it.”   He informed Tim, blowing his nose.     

“He’s right.”  Freddie said, through his stuffed up nose, then blowing his nose firmly. 

Ethan crossed back over to the grill, again explaining to Tim what he was doing, spinning away from the grill once to interrupt himself with a loud “Hatshoo!” 

“Bless you.” Tim said, gently.  “Are you sure you’re ok to do this?” 

Ethan nodded, sniffling, back at the grill.  “I’m fine.  I’ll just be a bit sneezy out here.”   He closed the grill again and took a tissue from the box Freddie offered. “Thanks.” 

He went on instructing Tim on how to grill, occasionally breaking off with a sneeze while Alex and Freddie provided a backup chorus of sneezing behind him.   Tim was helping Ethan load the meat and vegetables back on the platter, when he stepped away and and turned away, thrusting the platter at Ethan, managing out a directive for him to take it, pressing his elbow against his face and doubling over with two powerful sneezes.    

“Hehhsshoo, heyyessshoo!” 

“Bl-“ Ethan stopped when Tim shook his head and shot a desperate look at Freddie and Alex and the tissues.    

Freddie picked up on the look, pulling tissues from the box and pressing them into Tim’s outstretched hand. 

Tim clamped the tissues over his mouth and nose.  “Heyehhshoo, ehshoo, ehhchoo, hahehchoo, hehehshoo, ehhshehh.”   

The three watched with a sinking feeling as 12 more sneezes followed before Tim straightened up, sniffling, taking more tissues from Freddie.   Tim was the latest victim of Alex’s cold.   Tim blew his nose and sighed, looking at their sympathetic expressions.    “Sorry guys.”  He sniffled, blowing his nose again.   “Guess I’m in for a treat in the morning.” 

Following dinner, they sat around the fire pit for awhile.   Jamie and Freddie were the first to head in, Jamie completely miserable after an hour, Freddie practically dragging her in.   Alex and Alyssa were the next to follow.  Alyssa claiming fatigue, and Alex’s allergies combined with his cold clearly getting the better of him.  Tim and Ethan sat together another 45 minutes looking at the stars. 

“Hahhshoo!”  Ethan sighed. “I better go in.” He said looking at the dwindling fire.  “I’m gonna pay for this.” 

Tim nodded.  “And I should get a good nights sleep before the cold kicks in.”   He got up and put the fire out, then walked back with Ethan.   

Both got ready for bed, but Ethan was right; he was going to pay for the evening spent primarily outside.   And with Jamie already asleep, he was cut off from his Benadryl source.     

He had gotten comfortable in bed, Tim snuggled beside him when he pulled away.   “Hahchoo!”  He just managed to get a tissue in time and barely cover the lower half of his face. 

“Bless you.”  Tim mumbled, face half in his pillow.   

“Sorry.” He apologized.  “They don’t normally sneak up on me like that.  I’ll try not to keep you awake.” 

“Never works.”  Tim mumbled to his pillow.  They’d been through this when Ethan’s hay fever was at its worst; he’d lay in bed and sneeze half the night.  But with as tired as Tim had become since crawling into bed, he might sleep. 

Ethan pulled his tablet out of the nightstand, opened his book and began reading.  Tim buried his face in his pillow and tried to sleep. 

“Hatchoo!”  Ethan sneezed into his tissue less than 5 minutes later.  Tim sighed, blessing him again.  Ethan gave him an apologetic look and went back to reading.   Tim once again attempted sleep. 

10 more sneezes from Ethan, all roughly 5 minutes apart.   Tim looked at him and sighed after the tenth.  “Bless you.  You’re nowhere near done, are you?” 

Ethan shook his head.  “Not nearly, I think.”  He apologized.  “Want me to take a couch downstairs?” 

“I hate to ask, but do you mind?  I’m always almost asleep when you sneeze again.” 

Ethan leaned over and kissed his forehead.   “I don’t mind.”   He grabbed his pillow and tissues and headed down to the main room. 

The first thing he noticed was a lamp on in the corner. 

The second thing he heard was Jamie.  “Ihhtschoo, hihtschoo, ihtschoo!” 

“Bless you” he said, in unison with Alex.   “You both are down here too?” 

“Gonna guess you couldn’t stop sneezing either.” Alex surmised.   

Ethan nodded.  “Keeping Tim awake.  And if he’s got your cold, he’s gonna want sleep tonight.” 

Alex got up and grabbed Ethan a water as Ethan took the third couch.  Jamie handed him the Benadryl.  “Tim’s got a cold?” She asked, having missed his sneezing fit out by the grill.    

Alex opened his mouth to answer and sneezed instead.  “EhhChuhh.”  He grabbed a tissue and blew his nose, leaving Ethan to answer. 

“Yeah.  He had his tell tale sneezing fit while we were making dinner….AhhChoo!” 

Ethan punched his pillow until it was comfortable on the couch and took the afgahn off the back of the couch.   He leaned back and curled up with his book again, noticing Jamie resuming her knitting. 

Alex curled back up on his couch.  “I apologize in advance for my snoring.” He announced to Ethan.    

“Oh, I’m just staying down here until this stops.  Then I’m going back up to Tim.” 

“I usually stay down here.  For Jamie, it depends on whether she falls asleep down here or not.” 

“We usually have a couple nights like this.” Jamie explained, pausing to sneeze.  “Hihihtschoo!  More so for me and usually on bonfire nights.  So welcome, join us.”  She teased. 

“HehhChuhh, EhhChuhh, hetchuhh.”  Alex blew his nose as Jamie took her turn blessing him.   He leaned back against his pillows and sighed. 

“Ahchoo!  I really hope I don’t keep you guys awake.  This’ll last for another hour or so.” 

Jamie laughed.  “Alex is an insomniac until he mixes NyQuil and Benadryl.   Nothing’s keeping him awake, but you’ve…ihtschoo, hitschoo…got the right idea in going back upstairs; his snoring will keep you awake.” 

“And your plan?” Ethan inquired. 

“I’ll stay down here.  Freddie’s awful restless when he first gets sick.  Even if I weren’t sneezing, I’d have still come down here.” 

Ethan yawned against the Benadryl and turned to his book.   True to his word, Alex could definitely keep the room awake with his snoring.    

Jamie shot him an amused look,   “Trust me, you, uhhtschoo…you won’t keep him awake.” 

Ethan nodded, muffling a powerful “AhHatchoo!” into a handful of tissues.    

“Bless you. Don’t worry about trying to quiet them.  I..ihtschoo…I won’t sleep for awhile.  Ihhhtschoo, huhihtschoo.” 

“Bless you.” He said as she picked up her knitting again. 

An hour and a half later, Jamie lay dozing on the couch and he hadn’t sneezed in close to 20 minutes.   Figuring he was done, he slipped upstairs and back into bed next to Tim.   

Ethan woke the next morning upon hearing two sharp inhales from Tim.   He looked over at him.  His boyfriend was lying there, nose pinched shut with tissues. 

“What are you doing, babe?” He asked. 

“Trying not to wake you.” Tim kept his nose pinched shut. 

“Tim, if you need to sneeze, you don’t need to worry about waking me.” 

Tim relaxed the grip on his nostrils.  “Don’t need to sneeze…yesido.”  He clamped the tissues back over his nose and rolled away from Ethan. “Hayashoo, ahshoo, ayashoo, yahshoo, hayehshoo, EhShoo!” He blew his nose and rolled back on his back.   “Sorry.  I’ve been fighting those back for awhile.” 

“Bless you.”  Ethan chuckled.   “How long is ‘awhile?’” 

“15 minutes or so.” 

“Impressed.  Usually you can’t hold back 2 minutes.” 

“I really, really, really didn’t want to wake you.   You were up half the night with your allergies.”  He pressed the tissues to his nose again.  “Ehshoo, Heyehhshoo, HehtShoo, huhehshoo.” 

Ethan handed him a fresh pile of tissues.  “Bless you.  And now you can’t stop.” 

Tim smothered two more sneezes in the tissues and blew his nose loudly.  “Apparently not.” He answered in a stuffed up voice. 

Ethan got out of bed.   “I’ll go down and get you some cold medicine and juice.   You want anything else?” 

Coughing, Tim shook his head. 

Ethan headed downstairs to hear Alex in the midst of a sneezing fit.  

“EhChuhh, EhhChuhh, Chuhh, Chuhh, HChuhh, Chuhhoo, huhChuhh.” 

He looked at Jamie as Alex kept sneezing.  “He ok?” 

She nodded, as if this were a typical event.  “Allergies.  He gets this way sometimes.” She said, simply as Alex blew his nose, signaling the end of the sneezing. 

“Ughh.” He groaned.  “I hate it when that happens.”  He looked at Ethan.  “I start, and I can’t stop.” He explained/complained. 

Ethan laughed.  “Tim’s that way this morning.” 

“Itschuhh!” A sneeze from Jamie attracted their attention.  Ethan noticed Alex shoot her a concerned look, and he noticed that her sneeze sounded much harsher than usual.    

“Hihtschuhh…schuhh!” 

“Someone has Alex’s cold.”  They heard Freddie say as he came down the stairs.    

“Do not!” Jamie protested, punctuating her denial with a sniffle. 

“Your sneeze changes when you have a cold.” Alex pointed out. 

“It does sound different than the past few days.” Ethan commented. 

“I’ll get you some DayQuil.”  Freddie said, heading towards the kitchen to get some for himself. 

“Can’t.  Already called OB.  They don’t want me taking anything except…ihhtschuhh…Tylenol and saline spray.  We need some Tylenol by the way.” 

Freddie gave her a sympathetic look, broken by a sneeze.  “HuhhChushh.  Juice?” He offered. 

“Sure.” 

Ethan crossed over to the kitchen, grabbing DayQuil and juice, having been distracted away from his miserable boyfriend upstairs. 

“Not you too!”  They heard Alyssa’s hoarse voice exclaim from the stairs. 

Ethan shook his head.  “It’s for Tim. “ he explained. 

“Who got tired of waiting.” A rough voice came from behind Alyssa, followed by several strong coughs. 

“Sorry hon,”. Ethan escorted Tim to a vacant couch and handed over the medication.   Tim clutched his tissues as he sat down and allowed Ethan to wrap him in a blanket.   He buried his nose in a tissue for several strong blows, then leaned against Ethan who had sat next to him. 

The group stared at Tim; the cold had set in gradually for each of them, slowly worsening, but it seemed to have hit Tim all at once.   

“Dude, you are sick.”  Alex commented, as Ethan brushed his hand across Tim’s forehead. 

“You’re warm.”  He commented. 

“’M cold.” Tim complained.   Ethan looked concerned.   No one else had complained of chills; he hadn’t checked anyone else for fever, but then, no one else looked as rough as Tim. 

“Why are you sicker?” He mused out loud.  “Everyone else who caught Alex’s cold isn’t as bad as you.” 

“Heyeshoo, ahshoo…hahshoo, huhyehshoo!  Umm, he’s not the only cold I’ve been exposed to.” Tim admitted. 

Ethan looked at him curiously, as did everyone else. 

“Pete and Amy.” He explained.  His neighbors down the hall.  “They’ve been sick for about a week, and I took them some groceries.  Stella wouldn’t go to bed, so I watched her until she fell asleep so they could sleep.  This was the night before we left.” 

“Was Stella sick?”  Ethan asked, dreading the thought of Tim with a sick toddler. 

Tim nodded.  “Hahrahshoo…ahrshoo.” 

Ethan groaned.  Tim and kids.   “Now,” he started.  “Hatchoo!  Now we know where you got what you have.” 

Alex looked at Ethan.  “I’ll make breakfast.”  He announced.  “Despite the sneezing you witnessed earlier, I am feeling a lot better.” 

Ethan nodded.  “Sounds good to me.   After breakfast, could you run into town with me?  I want to get a thermometer.  Besides Tylenol, Is there anything else we need to restock on?” 

“Tissues.”  Tim said stuffily.   “There’s only two boxes left.” 

Alyssa sneezed twice and then responded.  “Ihshoo, hihshoo.   Cough drops.”  Her voice was hoarse.    

“Any particular flavor?” 

“Lemon.” She requested. 

“Cherry.” Came Tim’s response. 

 “Hatchoo!”  Ethan turned his head away from Tim to sneeze.  “I know what kind you want.” He teased. 

“Probably could use some more cold medicine too.  Or at least it wouldn’t hurt to have it.”  Freddie chimed in.   “We don’t know if you’re gonna get this.” 

Ethan laughed.  “I think it’s just a matter of time at this point.” 

Alex nodded.  “Yeah.  I’ll go with you.”  He headed into the kitchen.    

Following breakfast, Alex drove Ethan into town.  “Tim looks rough.”  Alex commented. 

Ethan nodded, lips pressed into a thin line.   “This is going to go straight to his chest.” 

“His cough already sounds awful.” 

Ethan nodded.  “Better add honey to the list.” He rubbed at his nose. 

“You haven’t caught this yet?” Alex asked.  “Or have you just managed to hide it since we don’t know you that well?” 

“Tim would know.”  Ethan stated.   “He’s seen me with a cold before.  But, like I said, it’s only a matter of time at this point.”   He paused.  “Although, if I have to catch a cold, I hope it’s yours.” 

Alex laughed.  “Yeah.  It’s funny.  I feel guilty for giving it to everybody, but I kinda wish I had given it to Tim.”     

Ethan turned towards the window.  “Hahshoo!  I think he does too.  From what I know, Amy was pretty sick.  I ran into her the other afternoon, getting the mail.” 

Alex pulled into the local grocery store.   “And Tim will never turn down the chance to help someone out.” 

“Or play with a kid.” 

Alex chuckled, stifling a sneeze against his wrist.  “Ehhchxxt.  That’s Tim.”  He shook his head and led Ethan into the grocery store.   15 minutes later, they had what they needed and were on their way back to the cabin.    

Ethan cleared his throat a few minutes in.  “I’ve been thinking…depending on how Tim is tomorrow, I might take him back a few days early.” 

Alex nodded.   “This sounds it’s one that’ll set off his asthma, so having urgent care nearby might not be a bad idea.”  He admitted.   “The nearest one is a little over a half hour away here.    We had to take Freddie there for stitches once.  There’s a doctor in town, but I doubt they’re equipped for what Tim might need.”  Alex had been through this with Tim before. 

He paused.  “Chuhh.   Honestly, if you wake up with this tomorrow, I’m almost wondering if we shouldn’t just call the trip and go home.   Especially if you get what Tim has.” 

Ethan agreed.    

“And even if you don’t, what kind of vacation is it for you to be taking care of all of us?” 

Ethan shrugged.   “It is what it is.” He said as they pulled back into the cabin drive. 

Once inside, Alex unpacked tissues and cold medicine and passed out cough drops while Ethan gave Jamie her Tylenol and slid the thermometer under Tim’s tongue.   When it beeped, he pulled it out and took a look. 

“Congratulations, babe.  You’ve picked up something good.  100.2.” 

“Still cold.”  Tim mumbled, blowing his nose. 

“I’ll run up and get you a blanket.”  Ethan went upstairs and returned with the blanket from their bed, tucking it around Tim.    

“So, what do we do today?” Freddie asked. 

“There’s games and puzzles in the closet.” Alex offered. 

“I have movies on my laptop.” Jamie chimed in. 

“Let’s start with movies.”  Alyssa suggested.  “I know we won’t all be able too see…ehshoo…see it, but…” 

Jamie ran through the list of titles on her iTunes account, and one was selected.  They all curled up on their respective couches and listened to the movie. 

They passed the day and evening watching movies and for those who felt up to it, playing games. 

 About an hour after dinner, Tim headed upstairs to bed, followed shortly by Jamie.   Ethan was the last to bed, enjoying the quiet, but worrying about Tim and trying to figure out the best course of action. 

He headed upstairs to Tim with the thermometer, deciding the best course of action was to take him home tomorrow if his temperature kept rising or if he seemed worse.   He just hoped Tim was agreeable. 

“Hatshoo.”  A sneeze burst from him as he stepped into the bedroom. 

“Bless you.” Tim mumbled sleepily, having been woken at the noise. 

“Sorry to wake you like that.”  Ethan apologized. 

“Used to it by now.” Tim casually informed him.  “I survived spring with you.”  He rubbed his nose and reached for a tissue.  “Have to sneeehhh…ehhshoo, Heyehhshoo.”  He blew his nose and spotted the thermometer in Ethan’s hand.  “Hand it over.” He sighed. 

Ethan gave him the thermometer, and Tim slipped it under his tongue.  “100.5.” Tim reported at the beep. 

Ethan frowned, sitting down on the bed.   “How are you feeling?” 

Tim sniffled.  “Tired, a little achy, really stuffed up, the sneezing won’t quit, sore throat, and a cough is starting.” He reported. 

Ethan sighed.  The cough was always a bad sign with Tim.  That’s what he had learned, And Alex had confirmed.  “I’ll see how you are in the morning, but part of me thinks we should go home tomorrow. I’d like to be near a doctor in case you get worse.” 

Tim nodded.  “Ok.” He said without argument, pausing and pressing his tissue to his nose again.  “Huhrahshoo, rahhshoo, ahhrshoo, hahharhhshoo.”   

Ethan winced at the harsh sneezes as he save Tim swallow gingerly.   

“That hurt my throat.” Tim admitted.  “What time is it?” 

“10:30.  Time for NyQuil?  I brought some up for you.” 

Tim nodded, coughing.  Ethan handed it over, and Tim took it with a sip of water, then watched as Ethan got ready for bed, kissed him good night and with another loud “Hatchoo!”, got comfortable in bed. 

Earlier in the Evening 

Jamie and Freddie were the first couple in bed.  Jamie first, the Freddie an hour and a half later.  Alyssa and Alex retired the same time as Freddie.   

When Freddie got to the room, Jamie was sitting up in bed, sneezing.  “Ihhtschuhh, Schuhh, Hihhtschuhh,  Huhhihhtschuhh.” 

“Bless you, hon,” Freddie told her as she blew her nose. 

“Thanks.”  She gave a congested sniffle.  “This is awful.  I miss air purifiers.” 

Freddie gave her a sympathetic smile.  “Do you want to go home?   Ethan is thinking of taking Tim home tomorrow; if he does, you could go with them.” 

She looked at him.  “Do you mind? 

He shook his head.  “No.  You look miserable.  Going home will help.” 

She looked at him, relieved.  “If they go, and it’s ok with them, I’ll probably go with them.” 

“Do you want me to come?”  He held up his hand indicating she should wait before responding.  “Uhhchushh, Chushh.” 

“I don’t want to ruin your vacation.” 

“Ehh, it’ll give Alex and Lyss some time together.” 

She nodded.  “I’d like it.” She admitted.     “Hiitschuhh!” 

Alex and Alyssa 

“Hihhshoo.”  Alyssa sneezed softly as she got ready for bed. 

“Bless you.” 

She shook her head.  “There’s mo- ihhshoo, shoo, ihhshoo.” 

“More bless yours then.” Alex teased, glad she had finally gotten over being mad at him for getting her sick. 

She coughed.  “Thanks.  How are you feeling?” 

“Starting to feel better.  I think a good chunk of the sneezing is mhhy” he paused and sneezed.  “EhhChuhh. Allergies.” He finished. 

“They always are bad up here.” She said, crawling into bed next to him.   “Having a cold never helps you.” 

He shook his head.  “How are you doing?” 

She shrugged.  “It’s mostly a cough and sore throat.  Sneezing isn’t too bad.   And then there’s my voice.”  She responded hoarsely.  “I’ll be ok.” 

He cleared his throat.  “Ethan is thinking of taking Tim home tomorrow, which probably isn’t a bad ideahhh…AhhhChuhhh.   I don’t know Jamie and Freddie’s thoughts, but would you want to go home or stahhh-stay…hahhhChuhhh.  God, I hate that I sneeze more at night.” 

“It’s cute.” She told him, handing him a tissue.   “And I could go either way.  I’ll go with the group.  What do you want to do?”    

“I’d like to stay, but if everyone wants to leave, I’ll go.” 

“Or”. Alyssa whispered hoarsely, “we could stay up here, the two of us.” 

Alex grinned.  “I like that ideahhh…AhhhhChuhhh.  Ughhh.” 

The Next Morning 

Ethan woke up early the next morning when Tim’s NyQuil wore off.   Tim woke up with a sneeze.  “Huhehchoo, ehhhchoo.” 

“Bless you.” Ethan told him, noticing that his voice was croaky.  Probably post nasal drip from his allergies, he thought, getting up to grab the thermometer.  “Hatchoo!” He sneezed on his way to grab it from the dresser, noticing his nose wasn’t runny like it typically was with allergies, but that he was somewhat stuffed up.   Swallowing, he noted his throat was sore.   He groaned, he had a cold; he just hoped it was Alex’s. 

He handed the thermometer to Tim who reported a temp of 100.9.” 

Ethan sighed, looking at him. “We’re going home.” 

Tim nodded.  “No arguments from me.” 

Ethan looked at him surprised. 

“I feel awful.” 

Ethan nodded.  “You want your own bed.” 

Tim nodded, coughing harshly, then rolling to the side and sneezing.  “Hayyahhshoo, hahshoo.” 

“I’ll bring you up some DayQuil.”  Ethan headed downstairs.   He was back a few minutes later with DayQuil and orange juice.   Tim sat up to take the pills and drink the juice.     “Wanna go back to sleep?”  Ethan asked, scrubbing at his nose.  “Sec- HatChoo!” 

“Bless you.  And yes.”    

“Me too.”  Ethan crawled back in bed next to Tim, noticing he was slightly achy.  ‘Yup.  Definitely a cold,’ he thought as he reached for a tissue and blew his nose.  Both quickly fell back asleep.    

Ethan awoke a few hours later to find Tim staring at him.   “You’re snoring.”  He informed him bluntly.   “You have a cold.  Is it mine?” 

Ethan sat up, clearing his throat.  “I don’t think so.  I don’t feel that bad, so it’s probably from Alex.” 

Tim nodded.  “Good.”  He coughed.  “You don’t want this.” 

Ethan nodded his agreement and looked at his watch.   “I need to eat.” He reached for his test kit.   “You coming down for breakfast.” 

Tim shook his head.  “Not hungry.”  He swiped at his nose with a tissue. 

Ethan looked at him and nodded.  “Want me to bring you more juice or anything?”   

“No.  I’ll come down in a bit.   I want to see how a nice hot shower feels.” 

“I think that sounds like a very good idea.”  Ethan finished dressing and headed downstairs while Tim gathered his clothes and headed for the shower. 

Everyone else was up and in the kitchen when Ethan got downstairs.    Alex dished him up pancakes and bacon, offering the syrup which was declined and handing him the peanut butter which was requested. 

“How’s Tim?” Jamie asked. 

“Not good.  His temp’s almost 101.   I brought up going home, and he wants to go.  He’d like to be this sick in his own bed.” 

Everyone nodded, certainly understanding the feeling. 

Jamie opened her mouth to say something, paused, turned away and sneezed.  “Ihhtschuhh, hihhtschuhh….uhhhihtschuhh.”  4 more sneezes followed.    

As she was blowing her nose, Freddie spoke up.  “Do you mind if Jamie and I come with you?  She’s pretty miserable and would like to be where her allergies are better controlled.” 

Ethan nodded.  “It’s fine with me.”  He looked over at Alyssa and Alex.  “If we’re all leaving, what are you two planning to do?” 

“We’re going to stay.”  Alyssa said softly.  “As much as it sucks that this didn’t work out, it’ll be nice for us to have some time together.” 

A honking noseblow from the steps attracted their attention, and they saw Tim coming down the steps, hair still damp from the shower.   He flopped down on the couch with his tissues, coughing.    Freddie got up and got him a glass of orange juice, offering him breakfast which was again declined.    

Freddie buried his face in his arm. “UhhChushh.  When were you thinking of leaving?” 

“After breakfast?  I thought I’d pack up then and be out of here by 10, if that works for you.” 

“Sounds good to me.”  Jamie nodded her agreement.  Freddie gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.  “I’ll go pack us up, ok.  You go rest.” 

Jamie nodded and went to join Tim on a couch. 

Ethan looked over at Tim who was hastily grabbing a tissue out of the box.   

“Huhyushoo, yuhshoo.” 

“Bless you.  I’m gonna go pack us up.” 

Tim nodded with another loud blow and a series of coughs. 

By 10, Freddie and Ethan had both packed up and Alex had prepared a bag with snacks, tissues, cough drops, water, and cold medicine.   They piled into Tim’s car with Freddie driving so Ethan could keep an eye on Tim. 

Alex and Alyssa watched them leave, then looked at each other. 

“HuhCuhh.” Alex sneezed.  “What would you like to do today?” He asked her. 

“Let’s just sit out here in the sun for awhile.” 

“Sure.” Alex agreed, going and fetching the tissue box he was sure to need. 

Car Ride Home 

Jamie fell asleep easily once in the air conditioned car.  Freddie explained she hadn’t slept well the night before.    

Tim struggled a bit more, the sneezing just not wanting to settle down.  He had drifted off twice when Ethan woke him with loud “Hatchoo’s.”   About an hour and a half in, he was finally soundly asleep. 

Freddie looked over at Ethan around noon, shortly after Tim had fallen asleep.  “What time do you need to eat?” 

“Umm…”. Ethan looked in the bag Alex had packed.   “It looked like Alex packed lunch.”  He said, pulling out peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  “You want one?”  He offered a sandwich to Freddie. 

“Still full from breakfast.”  

Ethan checked his blood sugar, took his insulin, and peeled back the plastic wrap from the sandwich, also grabbing an apple from the bag.   “I’ll try to get something into Tim when he wakes up.  Jamie want anything,” 

“No, she won’t eat in the car,  she got carsick as a kid, and she still doesn’t eat on the road.”  Freddie explained.    

Ethan looked over at Tim who was leaning against the car door, sound asleep, pale and red nosed.   “Hopefully he sleeps until we stop for gas.” 

Freddie brought his arm to his face to block a quick “Huhchushh,” and agreed. 

Ethan read and looked after Tim, and fussed over Jamie when she was awake.   The time passed both quickly and slowly, and finally, Freddie was pulling into his driveway.   He and Jamie grabbed their things from the back and headed in.  Ethan took the wheel and drove Tim the 30 minutes to his apartment. 

“Honey, you’re home.” He said, as Tim looked at him groggily.    

“We forgot Cashew.” 

“I’ll pick him up from Sam and Ella’s tomorrow.” 

Tim nodded, plucking a tissue from his box. “Ehhshoo, Heyehhshoo.”  Gingerly wiping his nose, he got out of the car and headed into the apartment.    

Once inside, he looked at Tim.  “Temperature check, then bed or couch.”   

“Couch.”  Tim pulled his tissue from his pocket.  “Huhhshoo, huhuhshoo.” 

“Bless you.  Go change into sweats.”    

Ethan ducked into the bathroom to grab the thermometer, doubling over with a loud “Hatchoo!” as he did so.  He could hear Tim sneezing repeatedly from the bedroom, and sighed.   

Tim joined him in the living room a few minutes later, announcing his presence with a harsh “ahhrshoo, hahhrahshoo!” 

“Bless you.  You ok?” 

“Heard me in the bedroom, too, huh?” 

“It’s not that big of an apartment.” 

“Maybe I’m making up for ahhhlll…ayyahshoo, yahshoo…the sneezing I didn’t do while I was asleep.”  He flopped down on the couch, laying his pillow down before laying down himself.  Ethan draped a blanket over him and tucked the tissues in next to him.  Slipping the thermometer under Tim’s tongue revealed that this temperature had not changed since that morning. 

Ethan picked up his tablet and started reading again, keeping a close watch on Tim. 

It took Tim about 15 minutes to settle down, sneezing 8 more times before his nose finally calmed down. 

Jamie and Freddie’s  

The first thing Freddie did when they entered the house was send Jamie upstairs to rest.   With her allergies, the cold, and the baby on the way, he didn’t want her too worn down.  She went upstairs, switched on the air purifier in the bedroom and laid down on the bed with water and tissues.   Freddie switched on the downstairs air purifiers and headed up.    

“Huhchush.”  He sneezed coming into the room.  “Chushoo.”    

“Bless you.”  She said, looking up.  “How are you feeling?” 

“Just a little sneezy, mostly.  I don’t mind it.  More worried about you.” 

“I’ll be ok in a week or so. Ihtschuh, schuhh, hihhtschuh, ihhtschuhh.  Like you said, it’s mostly just the sneezing.  It’s annoying, but I’m used to it.  I’m tired, and I have a headache from sneezing so much, but that’s the worst of it.  Alex caught a pretty mild cold, fortunately.”  She stretched out on the bed.   “I’m gonna try to sleep some more.  Join me?  You must be tired after the drive home?” 

Freddie nodded.  “I should have taken Ethan up on his offer to split the driving, but I know he wanted to keep an eye on Tim.”  He lay next to Jamie, wrapping his arms around her, resting the tissue box on his stomach.    “Get some rest, love.” 

Fin