Eric and Pauline

June 10, 2012

Hi guys, well this is my first try at this kind of writing. Sorry, not too much sneezing yet, should be more if I continue it.

Eric and Pauline - Part 1

"Obla-di, obla-da, life goes oooon", Eric merrily sang along with the radio ("today's hits mixed with yesterday's favorites") as he pulled the car into his driveway. His client meeting had ended at 3, it was too late to make the one-hour drive to his office, so why not call it an early workday? Maybe he'd even have some time for a gym workout before his wife Pauline got back from work. Pauline, like him, worked as an attorney, and was always in the office 'til at least 6, conscienciously plugging away. But wait a minute, that was odd - Pauline's car was already in the driveway besides his - she was NEVER home early, but then again she would have called if there were some emergency . . .

"HuuuhhhaaaCHAAOOWW!" Eric was just opening the door when he froze at the sound. "HAAAACHHAAWW!!" What the heck?? Was that Pauline??? He heard what sounded like the fridge door closing, some steps, and soft, amused feminine voice murmer "Man", followed by a congested-sounding nose-blow and ending with a light cough. Yep, that was definitely Pauline. Eric realized his heart was pounding, he was both sweaty and aroused, and in an instant he'd softly closed the door again and leaped back in his car. He breathed deep a couple times, turned on the ignition and drove away, without even thinking where he was headed. A few blocks later he stopped the car.

What had just come just come over him? Who flees from the sound of their wife sneezing? He felt like a freek. But knowing Pauline as he did, he'd just instinctively felt he would have embarrassed her if he's walked on in. She'd obviously assumed she was alone, and wasn't expecting him home at that time. And the thing was, he'd never heard Pauline sneeze like that before. Come to think of it, although they'd been married for a year now and been a couple for two, he'd never really heard Pauline sneeze at all. Maybe once or twice she'd kinda turned away and made a bit of a jerky movement like she was perhaps stifling but that was about it. The thing was, Pauline was such a healthy woman, no allergies, and if she felt a cold coming on she'd nip it in the bud with pills to the point you'd barely even notice the symptoms. Pauline was a bit of a fanatic about this, she carried some kind of nasal decongestant pills in her purse at all times, even if she was switching to some tiny bejewelled little thing for a formal evening. As she put it, why risk some untimely outbreak of the sniffles when you don't have to? They'd even had a fight once when he'd whined a bit about a stuffy nose and she'd rolled her eyes, saying "why don't you take anything?"

Pauline hated whining, that was for sure. And she rarely did it herself. He'd always found her self-assurance sexy, but he had to admit there were times when, as the man, he thought it would be nice to see her just a little more vulnerable, so that she could lean on him a bit. I mean, isn't that part of what husbands should be for?

He guessed that was why catching her sneezing like that had affected him so much; it was a sudden unexpected vulnerability. And goodness, it was hot. Even just thinking about it made him excited all over again.

Well, she must have caught a doozy of a cold this time. Although probably when she realized he was there, the symptoms would be mostly suppressed as usual. Maybe she'd just delayed taking the cold pills or something. In any event, he decided what he was going to do. Time to let out his caretaking side whether she liked it or not; he could at least go and buy her some things that might make her feel better. Although he shouldn't be too obvious or she'd realize he heard her; just do some regular grocery shopping, making sure in include plenty of soup and fruit He turned the radio back on and started to hum again, this could turn out to be a really fun evening . . .

---

Pauline shut the fridge door and laughed a bit. "Guess that was a bad idea", she thought. It seemed like any tiny change of temperature made her nose just go nuts. She tottered into the living room, which seemed just a tiny bit cooler that the hall. "Huuuheschuuu," she reacted immediately. Goodness, this is crazy, she thought. It had been years since she'd been this congested, she'd totally forgotten what if felt like. He whole head felt swollen, from behind her eyes to just awful pain and pressure in her gums. Trying to breath at all thru' her nose was a none-starter, while her throat felt like dry tarpaper. Yikes, colds without drugs, what a nightmare, huh.

She'd almost taken her normal drugs too, earlier that day. It had all started with her co-worker Georgina, who'd been sniffling and sneezing away the past few days as they worked through a project together. Georgina was one of those free spirit types who lacked a bit of common sense; she'd related with great glee how she'd gone skinny-dipping in the lake with some local guys, they'd stayed out later than they meant too, got a bit chilled, well you knew how that head cold came about at any rate. So it wasn't a huge surprise when she'd felt her own throat start aching the previous afternoon. It was pretty painful by evening, but she hadn't mentioned it to Eric. I mean, what was there to say, "honey, my throat hurts, boo," I mean what could he do about it. And there was a bit of another reason as well . . .

Well, by the time she was driving to work she could feel her nose start to get prickly, and as she sat down at her computer she quickly pulled at some tissues from the box, stifled a few sneezes (silent as usual), blew her nose and instinctively reached in her purse for her trusty white round friends. She took one of the packet, and then immediately had to stifle yet another sneeze with a quick pinch of her nose. She immediately pulled a second pill out as well (this cold seemed quite strong) and looked for her water bottle. But then instead of swallowing the pills, she threw them in the trash. There was something she'd been thinking since the previous day tho' she'd barely even admitted to herself that she was thinking it. But it played into why she really didn't want to mention anything about the cold to Eric.

She wasn't quite sure when her last period had been.

---

June 10, 2012

oooooooohhhhhhh. I LOVE where this plot is going!!!! PLEASE continue!!

June 10, 2012

This was so entertaining to read! You can't say that about all sneezefics, and while I've always been a fan of having some light plotline behind the sneeze fluff 'n stuff, this really just mixed everything together perfectly, plot, sneezing, different points of view, and with cute dashes of humor here and there to boot! Loved the cliffhanger! Can't wait to see where you go with this

June 10, 2012

Ooooooh what a great idea for a topic, and brilliantly executed! Thanks for sharing! :wub:

June 11, 2012

Hey I like this! You have really captured the whole 'embarassed yet aroused' feeling that sneezing can do to you I look forwards to reading more.

Oh, and welcome to the forum by the way

June 11, 2012

i love this! both of them hiding how they feel, the reason for no drugs... super good!

June 13, 2012

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846869" style="right: auto">Hi there - thanks so much for your supportive comments; I really appreciate it </div>

<div style="right: auto">It's alot of fun to do writing like this!</div>

<div style="right: auto">So here's part 2; I did alot of cut/paste here and it's a bit all over the place, but things will be escalating in part 3 as you can see -</div>

<div style="right: auto">Eric and Pauline - Part 2</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846827444" style="right: auto">"Hmmkkkxxxitft", Pauline squeaked heavily into an office kleenex, this sneeze getting too strong for one of her silent stiffles. Just then Georgina appeared at her office entrance "Was that a little sneeze I heard?" "Ooohhh yeah", Pauline confirmed with a wry smile, "you gave me your cold - you bad co-worker you." "I"m so sorry sweetie," was the reply,"it's a killer one isn't it?" "I guess I'll let you know, huh", she replied with a slight edge, suddenly resenting the cavalier tone, and hoping Georgina would leave soon so she could blow her nose in privacy. Thankfully her co-worker was soon summoned away, and quickly pulled out a bunch of tissues and did her best to clear her head. And order her racing thoughts . . .</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_13395461684684333" style="right: auto">Eric had done lots of travelling before their marriage; Pauline knew he was ready "settle down" and begin to grow a family of his own. She wasn't as sure; she prized comfort and independance and worried about the demands of a young child. But she also knew parenthood was one of the biggest adventures out there and certainly wanted to explore it at some point, if not quite now. Also, so many of her friends were going thru' what she called the "fertility olympics" desperately visiting doctors and consulting charts, draining the fun and ease from their relationships. So she'd explained to Eric how much she dreaded ending up like that, and he'd agreed to postpone any thought of children until at least a year or two after their marriage. They needed to time to just enjoy life and each other without stress and the rollercoaster of rising and plummeting expectations.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_13395461684686829" style="right: auto">And so they left it. But a strange thing happened to Pauline; by that September day as she returned from the supply room with a full new tissue box, she faced the truth: she was no longer on the pill. It almost hadn't been a conscious decision; a missed day here or there, longer periods of strange forgetfulness, morphing into some kind of internal aversion to what had always seemed so simple and obvious before. The more deeply in love she fell with her husband, the stranger it seemed to do anything that would prevent that ulimate consummation, somehow.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846845117" style="right: auto">Well, as for what she wanted to know and when she wanted to know it, well it seemed like fate was forcing her hand a bit. Maybe today was meant to be the day. Her heart began to race with anticipation, but after several long breaths and an almost physical effort, she she steared her attention back to her work.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846812083" style="right: auto">But by the afternoon she was fighting a losing battle and began to feel that "sniffling and blowing" should be the dominant entry on that day's timesheet, not to mention the embarrassing coughing fit that had interrupted her attempted negotiation with opposing counsel. She'd dealt with all pressing matters, moved around the later appointments, and was ready to split.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846814250" style="right: auto">The autumn breeze hit her as soon as she stepped outside, and she allowed herself to do what she would never do in the office - sneeze full out - so she quickly raised her arm in a v-shape: "Huuhhhacchhooo!, Huuhhhacchhooo! . . . Haaauuuuachhow!" Ahh, that felt good. Her nose streaming as she fumbled for her keys, it was onward towards to next destination, the pharmacy . . . to buy something she'd never bought before . . ."</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846815658" style="right: auto">When Eric opened his door for the second time that day, he was greated with the more familiar sound of the theme song of the old Mary Tyler Moore show. "You're gonna make it aafterr aall!," he hummed and chuckled, knowing that Pauline was at least surely enjoying herself now on her sick day, snuggling up to her favorite comfort viewing. "Hellooo!", he called out cheerily as he brought his first load of shopping into the kitchen. There was no immediate response, so he followed the sound of the t.v to investigate. And here was his second surprise of the day: Pauline was there alright, in her usual spot with her favorite blanket over her legs, what looked like a tea mug, a tissue box and a bag of pretzels around her, but her head leaning against the sofa, fast asleep. He could see even in the fairly dim light that her face was paler than usual, and her breathing, usually silent, much noiser. He tiptoed away so as not to disturb, but then thought he should be able to quickly shut off the t.v without rousing her . . .</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846832198" style="right: auto">Whoops. As soon as the sound went out, Pauline started and opened her eyes. She looked at him in shock and confusion and then mumbled something in a hoarse voice he couldn't quite make out, putting her hand to her throat and then launching into a sudden fit of coughing that brought tears to her eyes.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846820408" style="right: auto">"Hey, Princess, you OK?" was a genuine question, but it seemed to rouse her somewhat from her fog. She caught her breath and cleared her throat. "Yeah I juss habve the plague", she rejoined, forcing a smile and giving a sniffle so congested it seemed to accomplish nothing. "Oh my g-d I can't believe I fell asleep" she shook her head, looking around for a tissue which she quickly dabbed at her nose. "So what time is it- you're home early?" "Yeah, I'm a slacker, what can I say", laughed Eric, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Oooh, you're hot, Princess, that's not good", he reacted, leaning towards her on the couch, but Pauline quickly pulled away with a sudden jerky movement. "I'm fine, I'll survive, you should stay away from me though, I'll infect you in like two seconds." Standing up as she said this, her nostrils immediately flared and she just had time to bring her hand to her nose: "Hhhhkktshxxtpmpff! Hhhhhkkshxxtmmph! Huuhhhhkkshxxtmmph! Huuauuuhhhhkkshxxtmmphffpxxxtttttt! "Bless you!," Eric quickly lifted the tissue box over to her and she grabbed a bunch with her free hand and held them to her streaming nose. "Aau'hm luike ah duusaster" she laughed from behind the tissues, "huuhhng ohn a seg . . . " and quickly disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846824765" style="right: auto">Eric's initial excitement at the thought of giving his sniffly wife some rare TLC was starting to turn to worry - it just wasn't like Pauline to fall asleep during the day, to seem this run down. Could a cold have really knocked her out like this or was it a flu or something more serious? He wasn't used to having to worry about her and told himself not to be silly, Pauline could be trusted to take care of herself effectively, whatever it was. He wished she wasn't so proud sometimes and would let herself lean on him more. But that was just Pauline. He should just contribute what he could to help her feel better. With that determination, he began assembling ingredients for a homemade soup. One thing he could do better than Pauline was cook, that was for sure anyway . . .</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846833355" style="right: auto">Pauline ears were ringing so hard she could hear a continuous high-pitched hum. She splashed cold water on her face and cursed. How had this happened? How could she have fallen asleep? Thanks goodness she'd been able to get up quickly and distract him from that darn couch . . . She did what she could to clear her nose with the water, blew again and gave a small shudder. She was clearly running a bit of a temperature now. Eeek. Was tylenol safe? Ibuprofin? She couldn't remember - oh well, too bad. Slowly the humming started to fade. Leaving the faucet running and cautiously peering out the door, she made a mad dash for the couch she'd been sitting on, pulled a bag from underneath the blanket that remained there, and quickly stuffed it behind mounds of other toiletries. Success there at least. Feeling calmer, found a comb and a scrunchy and began to pull her frazzled hair into a cute ponytail. Makeup too? Heck why not?</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846836555" style="right: auto">With her red nose now safely powdered and shiny hair and blush on her cheeks, Pauline felt more herself and ready to emerge. She was just starting to gather some tissues to carry out when her nose began a sudden fierce tickle . . . Here we go again: Hmmpchkkxx!! Mmmpschkxxsheh! Hmmmppkchmmmxxhhuhh!" And just as she began to blow, a last "Hmmpkkchxxkt!!" Shoot. Since her husband was in earshot she found herself stifling by habit, and the ear-splitting squeaks left her head pounding, ears ringing yet again, nose and head swollen with pressure and a torturous burning in her throat leading to desperate fit of shallow coughing.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846838014" style="right: auto">When she'd finally quieted her throat with a few sucks on a cough drop she'd found (she was afraid to even finish that - what was in it again?) and wiped the tears from her eyes she felt like all the good work of the past 15 minutes had been undone. Finally the ringing stopped and she wiped and blew and retouched her makeup, but also making a resolution: This whole stifling thing she was used to was just not gonna happen with this cold - it was way too painful. And if she was not going to resent her husband's presense, she had to lower her guard; it was that simple.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846840549" style="right: auto">Sneezing had always felt intensly private to Pauline and was something she rarely did within earshot of anyone she knew. This was not a barrier she had broken with Eric yet - strange how he had seen her naked yet it still made her blush to think of him hearing her sneeze. It's not that she was worried about him being repulsed; she knew him well enough to know that he would probably like it; he enjoyed anything that made him feel more intimate with her, most men did due to her habit of distancing.</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846841964" style="right: auto">But shouldn't a woman keep some mystery, she wondered? Isn't the keeping up of some barriers part of sex appeal too?</div>

<div id="yui_3_2_0_18_133954616846842491" style="right: auto">Perhaps. But intimacy has its own reward. She was suddenly excited. She was going to turn over a new leaf today at least in one way, if not another.</div>

</div>

June 13, 2012

So sorry; don't know what happened there and I couldn't figure out how to edit/delete.

Will try to untangle the mess!

June 13, 2012

Ok - second try (and last for today:))

Eric and Pauline - Part 2

"Hmmkkkxxxitft", Pauline squeaked heavily into an office kleenex, this sneeze getting too strong for one of her silent stiffles. Just then Georgina appeared at her office entrance "Was that a little sneeze I heard?" "Ooohhh yeah", Pauline confirmed with a wry smile, "you gave me your cold - you bad co-worker you." "I"m so sorry sweetie," was the reply,"it's a killer one isn't it?" "I guess I'll let you know, huh", she replied with a slight edge, suddenly resenting the cavalier tone, and hoping Georgina would leave soon so she could blow her nose in privacy. Thankfully her co-worker was soon summoned away, and quickly pulled out a bunch of tissues and did her best to clear her head. And order her racing thoughts . . .

Eric had done lots of travelling before their marriage; Pauline knew he was ready "settle down" and begin to grow a family of his own. She wasn't as sure; she prized comfort and independance and worried about the demands of a young child. But she also knew parenthood was one of the biggest adventures out there and certainly wanted to explore it at some point, if not quite now. Also, so many of her friends were going thru' what she called the "fertility olympics" desperately visiting doctors and consulting charts, draining the fun and ease from their relationships. So she'd explained to Eric how much she dreaded ending up like that, and he'd agreed to postpone any thought of children until at least a year or two after their marriage. They needed to time to just enjoy life and each other without stress and the rollercoaster of rising and plummeting expectations. And so they left it.

But a strange thing happened to Pauline; by that September day as she returned from the supply room with a full new tissue box, she faced the truth: she was no longer on the pill. It almost hadn't been a conscious decision; a missed day here or there, longer periods of strange forgetfulness, morphing into some kind of internal aversion to what had always seemed so simple and obvious before. The more deeply in love she fell with her husband, the stranger it seemed to do anything that would prevent that ulimate consummation, somehow. Well, as for what she wanted to know and when she wanted to know it, well it seemed like fate was forcing her hand a bit. Maybe today was meant to be the day. Her heart began to race with anticipation, but after several long breaths and an almost physical effort, she she steared her attention back to her work.

But by the afternoon she was fighting a losing battle and began to feel that "sniffling and blowing" should be the dominant entry on that day's timesheet, not to mention the embarrassing coughing fit that had interrupted her attempted negotiation with opposing counsel. She'd dealt with all pressing matters, moved around the later appointments, and was ready to split.

The autumn breeze hit her as soon as she stepped outside, and she allowed herself to do what she would never do in the office - sneeze full out - so she quickly raised her arm in a v-shape: "Huuhhhacchhooo!, Huuhhhacchhooo! . . . Haaauuuuachhow!" Ahh, that felt good. Her nose streaming as she fumbled for her keys, it was onward towards to next destination, the pharmacy . . . to buy something she'd never bought before . . ."

---

When Eric opened his door for the second time that day, he was greated with the more familiar sound of the theme song of the old Mary Tyler Moore show. "You're gonna make it aafterr aall!," he hummed and chuckled, knowing that Pauline was at least surely enjoying herself now on her sick day, snuggling up to her favorite comfort viewing. "Hellooo!", he called out cheerily as he brought his first load of shopping into the kitchen. There was no immediate response, so he followed the sound of the t.v to investigate. And here was his second surprise of the day: Pauline was there alright, in her usual spot with her favorite blanket over her legs, what looked like a tea mug, a tissue box and a bag of pretzels around her, but her head leaning against the sofa, fast asleep. He could see even in the fairly dim light that her face was paler than usual, and her breathing, usually silent, much noiser. He tiptoed away so as not to disturb, but then thought he should be able to quickly shut off the t.v without rousing her . . .

Whoops. As soon as the sound went out, Pauline started and opened her eyes. She looked at him in shock and confusion and then mumbled something in a hoarse voice he couldn't quite make out, putting her hand to her throat and then launching into a sudden fit of coughing that brought tears to her eyes.

"Hey, Princess, you OK?" was a genuine question, but it seemed to rouse her somewhat from her fog. She caught her breath and cleared her throat. "Yeah I juss habve the plague", she rejoined, forcing a smile and giving a sniffle so congested it seemed to accomplish nothing. "Oh my g-d I can't believe I fell asleep" she shook her head, looking around for a tissue which she quickly dabbed at her nose. "So what time is it- you're home early?" "Yeah, I'm a slacker, what can I say", laughed Eric, leaning over to kiss her forehead. "Oooh, you're hot, Princess, that's not good", he reacted, leaning towards her on the couch, but Pauline quickly pulled away with a sudden jerky movement. "I'm fine, I'll survive, you should stay away from me though, I'll infect you in like two seconds." Standing up as she said this, her nostrils immediately flared and she just had time to bring her hand to her nose: "Hhhhkktshxxtpmpff! Hhhhhkkshxxtmmph! Huuhhhhkkshxxtmmph! Huuauuuhhhhkkshxxtmmphffpxxxtttttt! "Bless you!," Eric quickly lifted the tissue box over to her and she grabbed a bunch with her free hand and held them to her streaming nose. "Aau'hm luike ah duusaster" she laughed from behind the tissues, "huuhhng ohn a seg . . . " and quickly disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door.

Eric's initial excitement at the thought of giving his sniffly wife some rare TLC was starting to turn to worry - it just wasn't like Pauline to fall asleep during the day, to seem this run down. Could a cold have really knocked her out like this or was it a flu or something more serious? He wasn't used to having to worry about her and told himself not to be silly, Pauline could be trusted to take care of herself effectively, whatever it was. He wished she wasn't so proud sometimes and would let herself lean on him more. But that was just Pauline. He should just contribute what he could to help her feel better. With that determination, he began assembling ingredients for a homemade soup. One thing he could do better than Pauline was cook, that was for sure anyway . . .

---

Pauline ears were ringing so hard she could hear a continuous high-pitched hum. She splashed cold water on her face and cursed. How had this happened? How could she have fallen asleep? Thanks goodness she'd been able to get up quickly and distract him from that darn couch . . . She did what she could to clear her nose with the water blew again and gave a small shudder. She was clearly running a bit of a temperature now. Eeek. Was tylenol safe? Ibuprofin? She couldn't remember - oh well, too bad. Slowly the humming started to fade. Leaving the faucet running and cautiously peering out the door, she made a mad dash for the couch she'd been sitting on, pulled a bag from underneath the blanket that remained there, and quickly stuffed it behind mounds of other toiletries. Success there at least.

Feeling calmer, found a comb and a scrunchy and began to pull her frazzled hair into a cute ponytail. Makeup too? Heck why not? With her red nose now safely powdered and shiny hair and blush on her cheeks, Pauline felt more herself and ready to emerge. She was just starting to gather some tissues to carry out when her nose began a sudden fierce tickle . . . Here we go again: Hmmpchkkxx!! Mmmpschkxxsheh! Hmmmppkchmmmxxhhuhh!" And just as she began to blow, a last "Hmmpkkchxxkt!!" Shoot. Since her husband was in earshot she found herself stifling by habit, and the ear-splitting squeaks left her head pounding, ears ringing yet again, nose and head swollen with pressure and a torturous burning in her throat leading to desperate fit of shallow coughing.

When she'd finally quieted her throat with a few sucks on a cough drop she'd found (she was afraid to even finish that - what was in it again?) and wiped the tears from her eyes she felt like all the good work of the past 15 minutes had been undone. Finally the ringing stopped and she wiped and blew and retouched her makeup, but also making a resolution: This whole stifling thing she was used to was just not gonna happen with this cold - it was way too painful. And if she was not going to resent her husband's presense, she had to lower her guard; it was that simple. Sneezing had always felt intensly private to Pauline and was something she rarely did within earshot of anyone she knew. This was not a barrier she had broken with Eric yet - strange how he had seen her naked yet it still made her blush to think of him hearing her sneeze. It's not that she was worried about him being repulsed; she knew him well enough to know that he would probably like it; he enjoyed anything that made him feel more intimate with her, most men did due to her habit of distancing.

But shouldn't a woman keep some mystery, she wondered? Isn't the keeping up of some barriers part of sex appeal too? Perhaps.

But intimacy has its own reward. She was suddenly excited. She was going to turn over a new leaf today at least in one way, if not another.

June 13, 2012

Ok, success!

Btw in the messed-up part I had written thanks so much for your nice comments; I really appreciate it.

This is a fun way to write

June 14, 2012

So cute, can't wait for the next installment!

June 14, 2012

I love this! can't wait for the next part!

August 6, 2012

Hope you write another part soon, I really enjoy this!

August 7, 2012

Very cute!

December 5, 2012

Hello, sorry it's taken me so long to finish this - life interfered. Here's the last two parts, together:

Eric and Pauline - Part 3:

By the time Pauline had made her way into the kitchen, Eric's soup was in the saucepan - matzah ball rather than just plain chicken soup to score some creativity points - and he was just about to slice up some fresh oranges to start. He was enjoying himself but still a bit uneasy as he was not used to worrying about his wife. Her presence reassured him though as she approached with an energetic walk, attractive makeup and a cute ponytail; she seemed back to herself and he figured it was just a silly headcold after all. "Hey, sicko," he called out in cheerful voice, and playfully threw her an orange to catch.

Whoops, he realized too late he'd just presented her with a logistical nightmare: With a tissue box in one hand, she gamely reached out the other to catch the orange - and impressively succeeded! - but in the same instant her nose flared wildly, outraged in its sensitive state by the steam and soup smells. With both hands full there was nothing she could do but sneeze wildly, helplessly: "HEAAACCHHHIIEEWWW!!" She immediately blushed bright red, quickly laid the orange one the table and clutched a bunch of tissues to her face to cover a second sneeze, a more muffled, "HUUHCHUUHHUH!" "I'm nod up for sborts right now, you idiot!", she stuffily teased as soon as she could speak, her flushed cheeks betraying embarrassment despite the playful tone. After pretty hopeless-sounding attempt to clear her nose with the tissues following by a loud, congested sniffle she looked up again and began walking towards him to investigate the soup.

Meanwhile, Eric had barely moved, in fact had barely breathed. Certainly he hadn't had the presence of mind to even say "bless you" or anything else semi-appropriate. His heart was pounding and he realized that he had found this little incident so surprisingly sexy he'd become paralyzed with shock. He quickly took a breath and smiled: "Come here and kiss me you poor plague-ridden thing!" She came closer and he held her too him and then averted her lips when he went for the kiss, "No, cobe on, that's disgusting, I'b sick." "No, it's fine, I don't care," he breathed, barely knowing what he was saying, as he dropped the stirring spoon to put both arms around her, overwhelmed with desire. She caressed him, but "Nod on thuh lips!", she insisted, and wriggled out of his grasp . . .

---

Pauline was having fun. The whole crazy wild sneezing in front of her husband had excited her, and the combination of this new intimacy with a rising low fever was starting to make her giddy. With a sudden devlish urge she picked up the orange and began to lick it suggestively, "You ca-an't kiss me . . ." she sing-songed, and immediately the chase was on, as she fled from room to room, Eric in hot pursuit. Both breathless and laughing, he seemed to have cornered her at the front door, when with sudden reckless energy she turned the handle and was outside, running, her hair blowing in the wind. "Come back, Pauline, you're crazy, it's freezing out there!", she heard her poor husband cry but she just couldn't make herself stop. For the first time all day, she actually felt great - the fresh wind against her face cooled the sensation of fever, the motion of running was actually clearing her congestion, wow she felt free, healthy, wonderful. Did people realize that running in fresh air could cure the common cold?? Maybe she'd made a scientific discovery here???

She took a quick lookback and saw Eric, holding a duffle coat in his arms, now in hot pursuit. Eric was a good athlete and strong runner, and it wasn't too long before he'd made up the lost ground and flung his arms around her, and they both sank down to the grass in a heap, panting and laughing. And then his lips were on hers, she had no power to resist anymore, and for a few moments there was nothing but the warmth of their bodies as they tumbled in the grass, together, oblivious to anything or anyone. Then, "ouch!" she muttered as she felt a sharp sudden slap against her shoulder. She pulled away and realized there was a plastic ball beside her, obviously thrown by giggling little boy a few feet away. "Sorry!", called out the kid, and she heard more general giggling and laughter she realized that they were in a public park and a group of local children had apparantly gathered to enjoy the show.

"Uhh, what brats," she thought, before groggily realizing that she after all was hoping to . . . well . . . have some closer connection with childhood brattiness sometime in the not-to-distant future. "You should be sorry!", called out Eric with a tolerant smile, as he then picked up the duffle coat the held it out to her: "Let's get you out of here, you crazy girl." She nodded and started to sit up, suddenly realizing that she was sweating badly, there was a cold wind blowing against her, and with the endorphin rush caused by her wild running now dissipated, the congestion and cold symptoms were suddently back - with a vengeance. She shivered, and immediately sneezed a loud " HEH . . . . AAATTTCHIEW!!!" into her palms. " HEH . . .HUH . . . AATTCHIW!!!" Oh goodness, she couldn't stop: " AACHHOWW! AACHHOWW!" Her body was starting to shake with chills now: "HUUHAACHOWW!!! HUH . . . HUH . . . . .AATTCHPCHOWWW!!!!!" "Oh my goodness!" she laughed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd sneezed that much, but there was something kind of fun about it. "Oh lord, bless you!", Eric smiled and touseled her hair. "Let's get you home", he added, as he helped her to her feet and wrapped the coat around her.

While the coat felt good, she was totally chilled at this point and the tickle in her nose seemed like it would never calm down again: "HUHAACHHCHIEW!," she started up again as soon as they began walking. She sneezed helplessly and continuously the whole way home, hiding her face in the duffle coat and laughing. It got to the point where she would have been dissapointed had one sneeze not reliably followed the next. This whole crazy-cold thing was kinda fun, she decided. Maybe her ability to let loose with these cold symptoms was some kind of emotional progress, or the begining of the next stage of her marriage, one that, if it were to include a baby, would entail fewer things that were in her control???

By the time they reached the house, Eric was pretty chilled himself (he'd been jacketless of course) and Pauline insisted he be the first into the hot shower as he was quick and she'd need a longer time. Within him safely out of the way, she quickly retrieved that pharmacy package she'd hidden in the downstairs bathroom and brought it up.

After she was showered,toasty and warm (and her nose had finally calmed down!) it was time. Her heart pounding with anticipation, but feeling sure within herself of what the news would be, she finally peaked . . . . and was greeted by a "minus" sign.

December 5, 2012

Eric and Pauline - Part IV

Eric stared up at his bedroom ceiling, wide awake and eyes adjusted to the dark. Pauline was asleep beside him, snoring heavily. He knew if he wanted any actual sleep that night he'd better hit the couch, but some instinct made him opt to stay beside his wife. What a strange evening it had been. He'd had a blast chasing Pauline around and the way she'd combined sexy and sick was so, so typically Pauline - somehow charming and in control of the situation even when she had no right to be. Laughing at her symptoms, titillating him . . . No wonder he'd been so crazy for so long about this woman.

And yet . . . she'd been rather subdued in the latter parts of the evening, once they finally settled in for some dinner and t.v. Understandable, of course - she must have been exhausted and feeling pretty lousy by then. The sneezing had subsided, but she'd seemed extremely congested and there had been a few pretty scary coughing fits. She'd brushed off his concern, as was her way, and made her way to bed early, where he'd later found her, sleeping like a log. Still, he had a vague feeling that something was bothering her, something more than the head cold. Not that she'd ever tell him though. While he adored Pauline's independance and positivity, it also frustrated him at times. How was it that he'd spent part of this evening rolling around the grass with her in a public park, and then walking arm in arm with her sneezing her head off, and yet still he somehow felt that whatever distance Pauline put up between them had no more been breached this evening than it had on any other?

He sighed. This certainly wasn't a question he was going to resolve tonight. His eyes feeling suddenly heavier, he began after all to drift off to sleep . . .

--

Pauline woke up with a start. Had she had a nightmare? One the recurring ones about accidentally harming a child that had begun with puberty and haunted her dreams ever since? She couldn't even remember; her mind was a blank. She felt like she was drowning, both emotionally from the evening's dissappointment, and physically as well. The swelling in her head seemed to have invaded every part of her: her whole body ached, her throat felt like sandpaper, there was pain behind her eyes, into her gums, teath, jaws . . . She moaned softly and turned a bit, immediately a chill went through her and she stifled four successive sneezes, each seemingly more intense and ear-splitting than the last, the bed shaking as her body spasmed. Her ears ringing and the congestion just unbearable now, she stumbed out of bed, grabbed a sweater and tottled downstairs.

"Hhhhkktshxxtpmpff!" "Heh . . . huhshxxtmmphffpxxxtttttt!", she groggily stifled as she made her way down the steps. No way in heck she was going to wake Eric up with loud crazy sneezing, not the mention the whole wild abandon of their outdoor adventure felt like something that had happened to some other Pauline, or a Pauline who'd temporarily taken leave of her senses. What had come over her anyway? After she'd taken the test and seen the minus sign, why not immediately hit the medicine cabinet and at least do something to quiet these cold symtoms, instead of allowing herself to wander around in the middle of the night feeling like death warmed over?

There was no rational way to explain it. She must have become so attached to her silly fantasy pregnancy that couldn't emotionally let it go, at least not so fast. Well, OK, enough was enough. She located some extra-strong anti-histamines and some tylenol for the fever, poured a glass of water . . . and . . . instead of drinking it, flung herself on the living room couch and cried and cried.

--

Eric had woken up when the bed started shaking with Pauline's stifled sneezing. He saw her leave the room and figured she'd gone for a glass of water or some pills. He closed his eyes again, but still kept half-awake, waiting for his wife's return. She seemed to be taking a while - maybe she'd decided to watch some t.v. or read a book instead of sleep, something he sometimes did when not feeling well? But she'd seemed disturbingly warm before - what if her fever had mounted and she'd passed out somewhere downstairs and was in trouble and needed his help? Better safe than sorry he thought, so he rose, threw on a robe, and went down to investigate.

The first thing that was strange was that there were no lights on anywhere. Had she decided to just sleep down here on the couch? He didn't want to wake her. He cautiously approached the living room - and there he saw her, lying on her face, wearing a sweater but without a blanket. She was so quiet for a moment he wondered if could have just fallen asleep like that, then he heard what sounded like a small whimper. He noticed her body seemed to be shaking. He tiptoed close and cautiously put a hand on her hair. To his surprise she immediately lifted her face and stared blankly at him, dripping with snot and tears. He automatically turned on a light, then quickly shut it off as she winced. She looked ghastly - her face horribly pale with streaming pink eyes and nose and two bright red spots on her cheeks. Was this his Pauline whom he'd never before seen cry? Oh she'd teared up a few times over the years, as when she'd spoken about her grandfather's death, but heaving chest, streaming eyes, hysterical sobs? Never.

As if on autopilot, he knew what to do. No questions, no confrontation. First, he gently covered her legs with the throw blanket lying close, then he slid beside her on the couch, lifted her face to his chest, and held her in his arms. "It's OK, shhhh," he murmured. "It's going to be OK." He stroked her hair lovingly and rythmically and slowly her breathing began to be more regular, the sobs further apart. Eventually her chest stopped heaving though she was still breathing harshly from her mouth. She gave a short, congested sniffle, and immediately sneezed wetly against his chest: "Hhhpshchieww! Hhhpshchieww! Heh . . . heh . . . hehhhptshchieww!!!" "Sahrry . . ." she mumbled and began attempting to sit up. "Shhhh," he rejoined, "it's OK," and reached for her hair again and held her close. She pulled away again and tried to sniffle, obviously uncomfortable by now, so he looked around the room, located the tissue box, and quickly stood up and brought it over, took a bunch and began to clean up her dripping face, lightly kissing her eyelids and forehead as he did so. She took another batch and tried gamely to blow her nose, though the congestion was way too fierce for this to bring much relief.

"Feeling a little better, Princess?", he inquired. She seemed to try to mumble "mmmhmm" but was immediately overtaken by a coughing fit. She coughed for a while into the blanket, gave a dispairing look and seemed on the verge of breaking into new tears. "Shhh, it's OK," repeated Eric, as he lifted Pauline in his arms, carried her to the kitchen and turned on the lights. "Tea? Honey? Cake?," she nodded and gave half a smile. Once she'd finished off a pretty large chunk of leftover apple pie and gotten halfway through her tea at least a little color had returned to her face and she seemed more herself. "I'm so sorry," she repeated, "you're going to be useless at work tomorrow." "I'll call out, who cares," Eric responded. "Don't be sorry, you're really sick. It's gotta be the flu to make you feel this lousy. Once you're done with your tea I'm gonna take your temperature and see where we're at." She winced, he'd obviously said something wrong. "No, I really don't think so, I doubt my temp is all that high." She took a deep breath. "That's not why I was crying."

---

Pauline's heart was beating like a drum. "This is it," she told herself. Enough of these games with your own husband. More important than being able to sneeze in front of him is being able to be honest with him.

"I took a home pregnancy test." His eyes widened. "It was negative." Eric looked confused, "I thought we weren't trying yet." She lowered her eyes, "I was."

Bit by bit the story came out, how she'd wanted to give him a lovely surprise and spare him the burden of the fears and doubts friends had gone through. Her confusion earlier today, how it had affected and exacerbated this stupid cold. How bereft she now felt, and somehow her emotions had gotten wrapped up in her illness and she still couldn't bare the thought of taking her normal meds, it would feel like some kind of death knell of her dream.

He listened, mostly. And then it was his turn to speak she saw that there were tears swimming in his eyes this time. "Do you know how much I love you? Do you know amazing you are, always trying to spare me stress and worry? Taking everything upon yourself, always? You blow me away; you've been blowing me away every day since we met. I have no idea what I've done to be lucky enough to deserve you. But let me tell you something - I'm stronger than you think." At that moment his breath suddenly hitched and he quickly turned his head away and gave a forceful "HAAACHOOO!" She giggled and blessed him and he broke into a smile. "OK, I'll probably wind up catching that darn cold you've brought in, but that's fine. We're a couple and we can deal with things together. Everything, OK?" "OK," she responded, with a feeling of peace.

"Now I'm gonna take some control here," continued Eric, "and say you should at least do something to bring your fever down." "OK," said Pauline, swallowing a few aspirin with some juice. "But that's it, no other meds." "Deal," responded Eric. "Now can I carry you upstairs?"

---

Exactly nine months later their daughter was born. They named her Una, meaning "together."

- The End -

December 7, 2012

:-)

Eric and Pauline

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