24-Hour Cold - (24 Parts)

[Tarkus]

Wow, Jack snezzed soooo many times... lost thought process...

So wonderful!

[Tarkus]

Whoops ... I meant "sneezed"

I KIN SPELLL!

[W.I.N.]

Hiya catmuffinz! Yeah, I had a LOT of fun writing that last bit. I think it may be my favourite so far.

Part XI coming up!

Also, I am flattered that my story disrupted your cognitive functions so much that your spelling got mangled. Best compliment ever!

~W.I.N.

Mod Note: Merged posts ~Mute

[W.I.N.]

Part XI

16:00-17:00

The plane came to a stop, and Chloe once again thanked the gods of first class travel that they were among the first off the plane. Jack was still being difficult about taking another plane to Florida —the last leg of the journey— but as luck would have it there were no more flights until early the next morning. Chloe managed not to look too smug as she delivered the news, keeping an eye out to make sure no one was listening to them. Of course, no one was: they just looked like a pair of tired and disheveled travelers, no more, no less.

“Looks like we’re going to have to stay here. I’m going to book us into a hotel, and I don’t want to hear any objections or good reasons why I shouldn’t. I’m tired and I feel gross and we’ve been on the move for God knows how long, and all I want is a shower, some proper food, and a bed.”

Jack turned away as another racking cough shook him. “Okay,” he croaked.

“Okay?” Chloe felt her jaw drop. “Is that it? No arguing? No telling me that we don’t have time? That’s it. Who are you, and what have you done with Jack Bauer?”

He coughed again, then rubbed his hand over his face, which had turned a sickly grey. “Not so loud. That’s not my name, remember? Look, you’re right. I’m exhausted, and I could use a break. We’ve come far enough that I think we can take the risk, just for one night.” His voice was hoarse and fading quickly: if this kept up, soon he wouldn’t be able to talk at all.

She crossed her arms, disbelieving. “Well, I’m glad to see you’re seeing sense. There’s a bunch of hotels advertised not too far from here. I don’t know if it’s worth renting a car or just taking a cab...” She trailed off as she realized that he was no longer listening to her, a now-familiar faraway expression on his face.

“Sniff! Ha-hang on, Chloe... huh... heh... sniff! HEH-ESHOO! ISHOO! HAH-ESH! Sniff! HESHOO! HAH-ISH!”

“Gesundheit. Do you want to rent a car?”

He fumbled in his pockets and pulled out a tissue, turning aside to blow his nose, which was bright red from the abuse to which he’d been subjecting it all day. It looked kind of cute, although she would have died ten thousand deaths before ever telling him that. He shook his head, clearing his throat in a vain attempt to get his voice to cooperate.

“No. Not worth it. Better to ta... huh... take a c-cab... huh! HUESHOO!” he whipped his head to the side to sneeze into the crook of his elbow again. “Sorry.”

“Gesundheit. Cab it is. Remind me to get you some of those tissues with lotion before your nose falls off your face.”

“Huh! HAH-ITCHOO! Sniff... very funny,” he managed, swiping at his nose with another tissue and wincing. “ESH!”

“You know me, always about the comedy. Come on. Let’s go find a cab. The sooner we’re out of this airport, the happier I’ll be.”

[Aprilcot]

It may be my favourite part too!!!

This is annoyingly good!

I dragged myself out of bed because I had to find out what had happened!!!

I'm glad I did though!!

Keep it up!!!

[Tarkus]

Yeees... Bauer's still sneezy!

I loved the Jack and Chloe banter! And yea, Jack Bauer's red nose is *the* cuteset thing I can think of right now!

You're writing never fails to make me go !

[W.I.N.]

Hi folks!

Real Life is keeping me away from my home computer this weekend, but I'll post a new update ASAP! Sorry for the delay!

~W.I.N.

[W.I.N.]

Okay, I'm back! Sorry for the delay.

Aprilcot: Now that's devotion! I am very flattered that my humble (ahem) offering motivated you to get out of bed.

catmuffinz: Yes, Bauer is still sneezy. I think there won't be much chance of his *not* being sneezy for a while yet. There's going to be one installment with little to no sneezing (alas, I had to sacrifice it for plot purposes!), possibly two, but for the most part it's all about making Jack sneeze as much as I reasonably can.

Part XII in a moment!

~W.I.N.

[W.I.N.]

Part XII

17:00-18:00

It wasn’t hard to find a cab, although it was further to walk than Chloe had anticipated. Or maybe it just took longer because Jack kept stopping when the sneezes prevented him from seeing where he was going. Eventually she simply grabbed him by the elbow and steered him in the right direction. To his credit, he let her do it, although she wasn’t sure if he was too sick to care, or if he was playing it up so that anyone watching would be sure to think... well, at least NOT think that he was an undercover counter-terrorist agent in hiding from everyone and their cousin. Right now, anyone looking at them would likely see a worried wife taking care of a sick husband, or something like that.

“ESCHAH! Huh... huh! HUESHOO! ESHOO!”

They were running out of tissues, on top of it all. Chloe bit back a sigh of frustration, then felt her annoyance lift a bit as she finally caught sight of a line of waiting taxi cabs. She bundled Jack unceremoniously inside behind the driver, and settled herself in the seat beside him. Before she could open her mouth to say so much as a word, Jack’s head reared back, nostrils flaring, chest heaving, and he exploded with a volley of sneezes into a clean tissue he’d only just managed to pull out.

“Sniff! Heh... heeh! HAH-ISHOO! HASHOO! HAH-ISH! Sniff! Heh... HEH-TCHOO! HUH-ESHOO! HESHOO! HEH-ISH! Huh...” his breath hitched again in preparation for another sneeze, then he relaxed slightly, sighing with relief as the feeling receded. “’Scuse me.”

The driver, an Iranian man with very white teeth (it made Chloe wonder if everyone in the U.S. was using those whitening strips these days: no one had bad teeth anymore) and glittering brown eyes, flashed them a smile through the plexiglass partition.

“Bless you. That sounds like a terrible cold. Makes me glad of this, eh?” he rapped his knuckles against the partition.

“HEH-ESHOO!” Jack apparently didn’t feel the need to comment.

Chloe shrugged. “Yeah. We need a hotel for the night that’s not too far away and clean. Clean is very important. Any recommendations?” Cab drivers, in her experience, were the ones to ask about hotels: they all had deals with local hotels to bring travelers, but they usually had deals with reputable ones, and that’s all she wanted.

“Ah, your plane does not leave before tomorrow. I understand. I have the perfect hotel for you. Not very expensive, but still good. Clean beds, good water pressure in the showers, and excellent room service.”

Beside her, Jack was gearing up for what looked like another sneezing fit, groping in his satchel for more tissues, his finger held beneath his nose to stave off the sneezes until he could find one. She was about to reach over and help him when he found what he was looking for, and turned away toward the window, his whole body convulsing with the force of the sneezes.

“Huh... HUESHAAH! ESHOO! ESHOO! Huh... HESCHAH! ETCHOO! Sniff... heh... HEH-ISH! HEH-ISHOO! HETCHOO! Huh... uh... uh! HUH-ESHOO! Oh,” he groaned. “’Scuse me.”

“Bless you,” the cabby said again. “You know, my mother has a remedy for colds that has never failed me...”

Chloe sank down in her seat and tuned out the cheerful advice, watching the grey streets roll past the window of the car. Jack, too, appeared not to be listening, but that was mostly because he was too busy sneezing. Eventually the cabby ceased speaking, and they drove the rest of the way in silence.

[The Rescue]

Wow, this story is awesome! XD Very nicely written. I love the torture... I mean... poor, poor Jack.

[krazykat]

Am still loving this

[Tarkus]

Your story gets hotter every time!

I just love how you write Jack and Chloe!

[W.I.N.]

Wow, this thread is getting really long!

Kairi: Thank you! Poor Jack, indeed. Not that that's stopping me!

krazykat: Glad you're still around and enjoying it.

catmuffinz: Always nice to get your feedback. I was worried about the Jack/Chloe banter, so it's good to know I'm on the right track.

Part XIII is coming up!

~W.I.N.

[W.I.N.]

Part XIII

18:00-19:00

Jack was shivering a bit by the time they got to the hotel lobby, and sniffling wetly into yet another tissue. It was colder here than he was dressed for, and Chloe herself was feeling none too warm in her waterproof jacket. She didn’t even have to order him into a chair: he picked a comfortable-looking armchair in the lobby and sank into it with a look of gratitude, letting her take the lead on getting them a hotel room.

“I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry. I h-have no... huh... no inten... intention of g-go... huh... HUESHOO! Going anywhere.”

“Right.”

She went up to the desk, where a young woman with dark brown hair pulled back severely into a bun glanced up at her and gave her a very professional smile. “How can I help you?”

“I’d like a room for the night, please. Two people, non-smoking.”

The young woman reached for her computer mouse. “We’re pretty full: United just cancelled a big flight due to technical difficulties. I do have a suite available, if that suits you. It’s got a large bathroom.”

Chloe nodded. “Sure. We’ll take that.” She provided the woman with a fake name for Jack and gave her own credit card as security, hoping that, whoever was after Jack, they wouldn’t worry about her travel arrangements.

“Do you have luggage you’d like taken to your room?”

Okay, time for some more elaborate acting. “No,” she heaved a sigh. “Our luggage is probably on its way to Honolulu right now. That’s just how our trip’s been going so far.”

The girl looked at her sympathetically. “Oh, man, that sucks. Well, if you need a change of clothes or anything, there’s a mall just on the other side of the hotel. The airline isn’t even comping your hotel room?”

Chloe shrugged. “Not right now, but you wait until I get back home and get on the phone to customer service.” Apparently her acting was pretty good, because the girl giggled. “Right now I just want a shower and a change of clothes.” Behind her, she heard Jack succumb to another sneezing fit.

“Huh! HUH-ESHOO! HESHOO! HAH-ISHOO! Sniff! Huh... huh! Sniff! HETCHOO! HEH-ISHOO! HEH-ISCHAH! Uh! HUH-SHOO!”

The young woman looked over, startled by the force of the sneezes. “That your husband?”

“Boyfriend,” Chloe lied glibly.

“Man, he sounds terrible.”

“He’s been like that all day. Actually, that wasn’t so bad, compared to some of the fits he’s had. Did I mention our trip isn’t going they way I’d like?”

She earned a look of sympathy. “Double-suck. I bet he’s being a complete baby about it, too. I’ve never known a man with a cold who didn’t act as though he was dying. Let them try giving birth, and then they’ll know what suffering is.”

Chloe forced a smile. It wasn’t like the girl knew who Jack was or what he’d been through. “You know men,” she said lightly.

The young woman leaned forward over her counter with a conspiratorial grin. “I have good news for you: the suite does come with a fold-out couch.”

To her own surprise, Chloe threw back her head and laughed. “That is good news.”

The girl grinned, then gave her an apologetic look. “I’m afraid that housekeeping hasn’t been by yet. If you and your boyfriend don’t mind waiting a little while, we’ll make sure your room is really nice and fresh for you.”

“Sounds nice,” Chloe said feelingly, and went back to join Jack, just as another volley of sneezes exploded from him.

“HEH-ISHOO! ISHOO! HEH-ISH! Huh... HUH-ESHOO! Sniff! HISHOO!”

“Gesundheit. We’re going to have a bit of a wait before our room’s ready. Think you’ll make it?” she asked, only half-joking.

Jack coughed, then nodded. “What’s a few more minutes?” His head tilted back again, and he crooked his index finger under his nose, eyelashes fluttering as he struggled with another tickle. “Sniff! Huh... go-gonna s-snee... huh... sneeze!” His breath hitched wildly, and Chloe braced herself for the impending explosion. “HUESHOO! HUH-ISHOO! Huh-huh-huh HUESHOO! ISHOO!”

“Gesundheit.”

Jack turned watering, red-rimmed eyes in her direction, searching her expression for a hint of irony. Finding none, he nodded. “Thanks.”

[Aprilcot]

Yes your 'humble (ahem)' writing is very good!

And still it gets better!!!!

This is absolutely brilliant!!!

Yes it is getting long, and, devotion, could be my middle name...

But in reality, it's 'got-to-see-how-Jack-is-being-tortured!

[Tarkus]

Gah! I just can't leave this story alone! It's SO good!

No amount of emoticons can express how awesome your story is!

[W.I.N.]

Aprilcot: I have always longed for devoted fans! You are my dream come true.

catmuffinz: I am a huge fan of emoticons. Feel free to abuse them at will!

Part IV is coming up! I am also quickly running out of "buffer" chapters. I better get writing again soon, or else there won't be any updates left to post!

~W.I.N.

[W.I.N.]

Part XIV

19:00-20:00

After a twenty-minute wait that felt like twenty hours, they were finally given permission to check into their room. Jack clamped another tissue over his nose on the way to the elevator, barely in time to catch a sneeze. “ESHOO!”

Chloe held the doors for him, and was about to release them when she spotted an older couple hurrying toward them, dragging their suitcases awkwardly behind them. The woman reached her first.

“Thank you, dear!” she gasped, a little out of breath. “Come along, Richard! This nice young lady has held the doors for us!”

“Don’t mention it,” Chloe hated the little pleasantries of life. Maybe she ought to have let the doors close, she thought a little unkindly.

She moved closer to Jack, who was leaning in the back corner of the elevator. He looked even worse than before, if that was possible. His face was grey, the dark circles under his eyes looking like bruises. His eyes had turned red and watery from the constant sneezing, and his nose looked raw. She pushed the button for the 11th floor, and at the older lady’s request pushed the button for the 10th floor.

Beside her, Jack stifled a sneeze more or less successfully into his tissue. “Huh-Ngkshh!”

Chloe tapped her foot impatiently. The elevator was grindingly slow. The numbers on the display lit up one by one: 3, 4, 5... then stopped at eight. She bit back a sigh of frustration, reminding herself that other people had the right to use the elevator too. Then, nothing happened. She glanced up at the display, but the numbers weren’t changing, and the elevator most certainly wasn’t moving, nor were the doors showing any signs of opening.

The older woman glanced about nervously. “Oh, dear. Are we stuck?”

Jack turned away from them, stifling yet another sneeze, pinching his nostrils through the tissue. “Nngkshh!”

Chloe shrugged. “I hope not. Let’s give it a minute and see if it works itself out.”

“Nngksh!” Jack stifled another sneeze, holding the tissue to his face with both hands cupping his nose and mouth.

Chloe had to restrain herself from glancing at her watch every thirty seconds as they waited. As it was, the wait already seemed interminable. After a few minutes she reached for the emergency phone in the elevator, and was rewarded with a voice on on the other end.

“Uh, hello?” she said. “I think the elevator’s stuck.”

“Yes ma’am,” a male voice answered. “We’re real sorry for the inconvenience. It’s just a small technical glitch with the computer that controls some of the elevator functions. We’re going to get you up and running in no time.”

She hung up and relayed the message, and the older woman sighed. “Drat. That’s very inconvenient.”

“Tell me about it,” Chloe muttered.

By the time they’d been in there for twenty minutes, Jack’s shoulders were shaking with the effort he was making to contain his sneezes. It was yet another weird aspect of his personality she was discovering, and something that smacked to her of an overly-disciplinarian parent: one who forbade children to sneeze in enclosed spaces around other people. Or maybe he was just shy. She almost snorted out loud at that thought. Jack was anything but shy.

“Huh-Ngkshh! Ngkk! Nngsh! Huh...” He had his back to her now, looking for all the world as though he was hoping to disappear into the corner of the elevator, but she could see that his face was turning bright red, and that he was still desperately fighting to keep back a volley of sneezes. "Nngsh!"

“You’re going to burst a blood vessel in your brain if you keep that up,” she said in a low voice.

“Huh...” his chest was heaving, fingers clamped tightly on his nose. “Muh... my n-nose... huh... w-won’t sto... stop ti-tickling...,” he managed, between gasps.

The older woman turned toward them with a sympathetic smile. “Oh, don’t worry on our account, dear. We’re not so stiff-necked that a few healthy sneezes will upset us! Isn’t that right, Richard?”

Whatever Richard’s opinion on the subject was, he merely have a noncommittal shrug.

Jack hesitated, clearly conflicted, then released his tortured nostrils with a look of complete and almost blissful surrender on his face. “Huh... HUESHOO! HAH-ISHOO! HUH-ISHOO! HUH-ISH! HUH-ISH! HUH-ISH! Huh! HUESHOO! HUH-ESH! ESHOO! ESH! ESH! ESH!” He kept his back to them, standing as close to the elevator walls as was possible without actually walking right through them.

“Goodness!” the elderly woman exclaimed, still sounding sympathetic, much to Chloe’s amazement. Then again, she hadn’t been listening to Jack sneeze since that morning. Perhaps that explained it. “Bless you, dear!”

“Huh... g-gonna s-sneeze a-ag... huh... huh! HUH-ISHOO! ISHOO! HUESHOO! HAH-ISHOO!”

As Jack succumbed to fit after fit of nigh-uncontrollable sneezing, Chloe tried very hard to be as small and inconscpicuous as possible. She smiled awkwardly at the woman and her husband, praying with every fibre of her being that the elevator would start up again soon. Jack’s sneezing made polite conversation next to impossible, apart from the occasional “bless you,” and Chloe wasn’t really feeling up to it anyway.

“ESCHAH! ESHOO! ESHOO! HAH-ESHOO!”

It took another twenty minutes and one more exasperated phone call, but finally the elevator gave a lurch and began trundling once more toward the top floor.

“I hope you feel better soon, dear,” the older woman said to Jack as she bundled her husband off the elevator.

Chloe never thought she’d be so happy to get off an elevator. “Please tell me nothing else can go wrong today,” she prayed rhetorically, pulling out the key card to their suite. “I don’t think my nerves can handle it.”

[Tarkus]

Wow, this story makes my day better every day!

There is nothing hotter than a sniffly Jack Bauer, and you write him so well!

Love, love, love, this story!

[W.I.N.]

Thank you, catmuffinz!

I will be posting the next bit (Part XV already!) in a moment.

~W.I.N.

[W.I.N.]

Part VX

20:00-21:00

The suite on the eleventh floor was far more spacious than Chloe had anticipated. It was L-shaped, with a king-sized bed placed close to the door, and the sofa the receptionist had mentioned in the other half of the “L.” There were large bay windows on two of the walls, giving them a spectacular view of the city below. The bathroom was luxuriously large, and she was thrilled to see that the hotel had provided two fluffy terrycloth robes.

They had barely settled into the hotel room, when Chloe realized that there was no way she could stop and relax just yet. Biting back a discouraged groan, she turned to Jack.

“Okay. Why don’t you start getting cleaned up? I’m going to go out to that mall out back and pick up some clothes and stuff. We have to get you looking... well, less like yourself, among other things.”

Jack was only half-paying attention to her, the expression on his face telling her that another sneeze was quickly building in the back of his already-abused nose. “Huh... HUH-ISCHAH! HURESCHAAAH!” he folded over at the waist, burying his face in both hands. “HAH-ESHOOO!” He sniffled wetly, blew his nose gingerly, and then nodded. “A real shower sounds fantastic,” he said hoarsely.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she promised.

She was as good as her word. It took her a little under forty minutes to find a couple of changes of clothes for them both —more utilitarian than she was used to, but they would serve— as well as more decongestants and a small first aid kit. She also made a point of buying several boxes of tissues with lotion, remembering how raw Jack’s nose had become from the constant blowing.

When she got back she could hear Jack rummaging around in the bathroom, still sneezing periodically. “I’m back!” she called.

Almost immediately Jack came out of the bathroom, rubbing his hair dry with a white hotel towel. He was clean-shaven, his face red and glowing from the hot shower. He was wearing only the cargo pants that she’d bought for him earlier that day, his bare feet sinking into the luxurious carpet underfoot. He’d removed the makeshift bandage she’d made for the laceration on his ribs, and while she could see that it was no longer bleeding, it still looked quite nasty.

“I’m going to need to take care of that,” she said, nodding in the direction of the laceration. “Just let me wash my hands first.”

He pressed a knuckle to his nose in a futile attempt to stifle another sneeze. “HEH-ISHOO! It’s fine. Why don’t you take a shower? I don’t think I used up all the hot water, in spite of my best efforts.”

“You’re losing your voice.”

He shrugged, and sneezed. “ISHOO! It happens. Don’t try to cha-change the... huh... HUH-ESHOO! the subject. It can wait.”

She snorted. “Just sit.”

Jack gave her a dubious look, then decided it wasn’t worth arguing about, and sat gingerly on a chair, tossing his towel aside. She washed her hands carefully, then set about disinfecting the wound. He winced and made a visible effort not to flinch away from her touch. She tried not to look too closely at all the other scars on his lean torso, marring the skin in more places than she could count at a glance. She taped up the laceration with steri-strips, then delicately applied a gauze bandage on top of them.

“You know, you’re pretty good at this. Maybe you missed your vocation.”

She ignored the jest. “That should hold you for a while. Now, we’re going to be more drastic.”

“ISHOO! Huh... what?” he looked blearily at her, and she pulled a box of hair dye and some clippers out of her shopping bags with a smirk.

“I’m not exactly the makeover type, but I do know how to give a decent haircut, and we’re giving you a brand new colour. How do you feel about auburn? Actually, it doesn’t matter how you feel, ‘cause that’s the colour we’ve got.”

Whatever his feelings on the matter, he didn’t say anything, succumbing instead to another sneezing fit. “HUH-ISHOO! ISHOO! HUH-ESH! Huh... HUESHOO!”

“Gesundheit.”

“You must be getting tired of saying that.” He sniffled and reached for a tissue out of the new packets she’d bought. “Oh, those are nice,” he said with a sigh. “Those other ones were starting to feel like sandpaper.” He looked at her. “I think the makeover can wait until you’ve had a shower.”

She glared at him, folding her arms. “What are you saying?”

He surprised her by grinning, then rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, embarrassed. “Uh, well, you know. I’m not the only one who’s been traveling all day.”

“Oh!” Half-indignant and half-laughing, she threw a packet of tissues at his head. “Don’t think I won’t remember this, Jack Bauer!” she wagged her finger at him, and disappeared into the bathroom.

[Aprilcot]

Guess what guess what guess what!!!!!!

This is brilliant!!!!!!!!

Thank you again!!!!

I'm glad your dream has come true, and I'm as happy as can be because of TWO more posts!!!!

THANK YOU!!!!

Keep them coming!!!!

[Turtle]

Ooh! I loved this one! The banteq between Jack and Chloe is just fabulous!

[Tarkus]

I agree with Turtle, the banter is fabulous!

I just wish the writers of 24 gave Jack and Chloe more fun banter like you do!

Great sneezing as always!

[W.I.N.]

Aprilcot: Thank you for continuing to read! All this praise is going to make me bashful.

Turtle: I have always regretted that there's not more Jack/Chloe banter in 24. In fact, I lament that there's not more Chloe, period, but I understand she's not meant to be the focus of the show.

catmuffinz: I was just saying to Turtle that I wish for more banter, too. I figure, though, that the constant-emergency state of affairs in the show makes banter a little difficult.

Part XVI is coming up! I better get some writing done tonight. As of now, I have officially run out of buffer! Eek!

~W.I.N.