Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Standing by in Sickness and in Health A Weds Brief story


It's that time of the week again.    This week my story reflects on some real life issues,  I suffer from allergies. And my housemates are doing some de cluttering,  the basement is filled with a colony of dust.   So there was dust in the air and my allergies just kicked in.   I think for those who do suffer like I do you'll be able to relate.    For those lucky souls who don't.  I hate you  :P

Anyway here is my brief

Prompts:
 "Swear on our friendship.or "My mama always said some things are better left unsaid.or "Stop beating around the bush.or "What's good for the goose is good for the gander.or "The nice thing about standards is, there are so many to choose from.or use: pillow, wood, dishcloth or feature a tornado in your story or use: straw, knife, candle or have a character sneeze repeatedly or "How do you mend a broken heart" or "Can things get any worse?"

Standing by In Sickness and in Health


Achoo, achoo.  The sound of repetitive sneezing could be heard coming from the living room.

“Tom, are you okay?” Ben put the groceries he’d been carrying onto the kitchen counter and made his way into the living room where his husband, Tom, was lying on the couch.   He was covered in a green throw. A box of tissues sat next to him on the coffee table and a pile of used tissues was growing taller as he threw another one on top.   There was a roaring fire in the fireplace. Ben loved how he and Tom would start off many a romantic evening by lighting a fire.  But that wasn’t going to happen tonight, not with Tom under the weather.

Cough, cough. Sniff….achoo!   “Oh hi, Ben.”  Cough cough. 

“Honey, it sounds like you’re coming down with a cold.”  Ben sat next to him and put his hand to Tom’s forehead. It felt cool to the touch.  “No fever,”  Ben mumbled to himself. 

“It’s not a cold, it’s my allergies acting up.  I was going through some boxes in the attic and it was very dusty and…”

“And you weren’t wearing your mask like I’ve told you a million times to do,”  Ben admonished him.

“And I wasn’t wearing that mask you keep harping on me to wear,”  Tom reluctantly admitted.  “And I started to have a sneeze fest.  It went downhill from there.  I’ve got a headache and I’ve been wheezing.”

“Should I take you to the doctor?” Ben remembered they had the doctor’s phone number on their cell.  “Did you take your meds?”

“No, I’ll be okay ,and yes I took my meds, Mom.”   Tom was getting mildly annoyed at Ben’s hovering.

“I’m only looking out for my man.  How about I make us some of the green tea we both like?”

“I’ll probably pass out soon. You know how those pills make me sleepy,”  Tom said between yawns.

“Then I’d better hurry before you go sleepy bye.”   Ben put the kettle on the stove to heat and put the groceries away.  By the time he’d taken out two mugs and two tea bags, the kettle was whistling. 

He’d selected Tazo Zen green tea. They’d discovered it at a local tea-tasting event and decided to add it to their growing collection.  No one would suspect that he and Tom were big tea drinkers.

“Here you go, Tom.” Ben put the tea on the coffee table.  “Come on, Tom, drink up. It’ll help your throat.”   Ben had added a teaspoon of honey to their tea; it was their preferred sweetener.

He helped Tom into a seated position and watched him pick up his mug and blow on it to cool it then take a sip.  

“Ah, thanks, Ben.  I’m sorry to be such a pain in the neck.” Tom put his mug down and blew his nose.

“Nonsense. In sickness and in health, remember?  I’m here for the long haul, no matter what.”  Ben grabbed a wastebasket from their office and put Tom’s used tissues into it and left it where Tom could reach it. 

“Mm, this tea is good,”  Tom whispered hoarsely as he took another sip of hot tea.   “You’re like a regular Florence Nightingale.”  

“I love you. I hate seeing you sick, baby. I want to take care of you, just like you’ve taken care of me when I’ve been sick.”

“I know, and I love you for doing it.  I know I’m not an easy patient.”

“Well, neither am I.   I just want to make you feel better.” Ben sat next to Tom and then encouraged him to rest his head on his lap.  He leaned down and kissed Tom on the lips.

“Mmmm, nice.  But the ‘fun’ stuff is going to have to wait until you’re feeling better.”

“I know, it’s a bummer.”  Yawn.  “I’m sorry, I’ll just rest my eyes and then we can have some ‘fun’.”   

Ben laughed quietly when Tom started to snore.  He wasn’t one of those loud snorers, the kind that start arguments between couples.  Ben thought his snore was sexy.   And he couldn’t wait till Tom was feeling up to it for him to show him just how sexy he thought he was.

TBC

 My fellow flashers



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