The unexpected guest

[EveP]

This is my first sneeze story ever, and the first time I write in English, so please be kind. 

***

 

Emily poured hot water in her favorite mug, the one with yellow roses, and added a tea bag. Rose hip. Some claimed it wasn’t real tea, but she liked it and it was packed with vitamin C. While it seeped, she went to the library to pick a new book to read. What should she pick today? Feelgood, adventure, a crime story? Reading a good book and having that first cup of tea was the best part of the day. She pulled out Five hundred miles from you. The story by Jenny Colgan was one of her favorites, but she had read it just a few of weeks ago. Poirot perhaps? Or Outlander?

A sound interrupted her thoughts, and it took a moment for her to register where it came from. She tiptoed over to the reading area and stopped dead in her tracks. There was a man sleeping on the couch! All the other guests from last night’s party had left hours ago, but this one had apparently stayed the night. Emily hesitantly walked closer and from the safety on the other side of the table she cleared her throat.

“Excuse me?”

The man stirred. Still half asleep he rubbed his nose and sneezed. A low moan escaped his lips and he squinted at the light. With a confused expression he looked around.

“Where …” The attempt to talk triggered a harsh cough.

Emily quietly observed him as he struggled to sit up. This man didn’t seem to be hung over as she had first thought. His eyes were glossy and feverish as he looked around the room.

“I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep.”

Embarrassed, and perfectly adorable, he blushed and looked down at his feet. Before Emily could think of anything to say, he buried his face in the crook of his arm.

“Eh-ehtshiew! Hih-tschh! Hihh…hih-tschiew! Ugh, excuse me. Hih… heh… Ht'kSshh!”

The poor guy both looked and sounded miserable. Emily took the box of tissues from the side table and put it in front of him.

“Bless you! Are you okay?”

“No. I should probably find my friend and go home. I’m her ride.”

When he stood up, he let out a short breath and closed his eyes. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and he held on to the armrest. For a moment Emily thought he was going to faint, so she rushed over and made him sit down again.

“You’re in no condition to drive. Besides, everyone else has left, so I’m sure your friend got a ride with someone else.”

“I…” he seemed to be searching for words. “I… I don’t know… I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be. Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

 As she left the room, she heard him succumb to another sneezing fit.

[EveP]

I'm working on the second part, but already noticed things I would like to change in the first. Is there any way to edit (perhaps remove a post and make a new one) when you're not a full member or part of the writing group?

[Kolen]

I like what you got so far, and I doubt I could help you out, seeing as I'm new too. But I hope you receive the help you need~

[starpollen]

This is an interesting idea. I’d love to see where it goes. 

[EveP]

12 hours ago, Kolen said:

I like what you got so far, and I doubt I could help you out, seeing as I'm new too. But I hope you receive the help you need~

Thank you! I guess I'll just have to keep writing and hopefully be accepted into the writer's group in the future. 🙂

11 hours ago, starpollen said:

This is an interesting idea. I’d love to see where it goes. 

Thank you! Here's the next part:

Oliver was lightheaded when he finally stopped sneezing. He leaned back against the backrest and closed his eyes. What was he going to do? The woman who had woken him up was right – he was in no condition to drive. Perhaps he could take an Uber. But where was his phone? And his coat? He rubbed his aching temples and tried to remember. Someone had taken his coat when he arrived, so there was probably a coat room somewhere. He was going to go look for it. Soon. He just needed to rest a little first.

 

He must have fallen asleep again because the sound of porcelain woke him up. The woman had returned with tea and sandwiches on a tray that she placed on the table in front of him. Without saying anything she filled a mug, added a spoonful of honey and handed it to him. He took a sip and then another. His thoughts became somewhat clearer and he looked at her over the rim of the mug. The eyes that met his were bluish grey with specs of silver and a hint of… Fear? He really had to leave.

“Thank you! I feel better now”, he lied. “I should find my coat and get going. If you just point me to… the… heh... Eeh-tschh! Ht'kSshh, h’nxgt.”

He managed to stifle the last sneeze, but immediately regretted it as it made his headache ten times worse.

“Bless you! I will fetch your coat.” Her voice was calm and steady, but her hand trembled ever so slightly when she put her mug down. As soon as she had left the room Oliver took a few tissues from the box and blew his nose. Then he drank a little more of the tea and ate one of the sandwiches. He needed all the strength he could get to make it home.

It was probably just a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity until she returned. He could feel himself grow weaker by the second, but the thought that she was afraid of him was motivation enough to get to his feet and take the coat she handed him.

“Thank you …”  

“Emily”, she filled in.

“Thank you, Emily. I’m Oliver, Oliver Bianchi. And again, I’m really sorry about this.” He made a sweeping gesture with his hand towards the table and couch. She smiled, a shy smile that went straight to his heart.

“I’m sure you couldn’t help it. Should I show you out?”

He nodded and followed her through a long corridor that led to the ballroom where the party had taken place last night. When they reached the doorway, he had to stop. Sweat trickled down his back and he was out of breath. The floor that lay before him seemed enormous and he had only taken a few steps into the room when the world around him faded away.

 

TBC

[Kolen]

Ahh! I loved the addition. Do continue, por favor~

😍🥰

[EveP]

On 8/8/2021 at 11:26 PM, Kolen said:

Ahh! I loved the addition. Do continue, por favor~

😍🥰

Thank you! Here's the third part:

 

Emily closed the door to the guest room and leaned against the wall. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it in her throat. Not only was there a man she didn’t know sleeping on the other side of that wall, but she had helped him get his shirt, pants and shoes off. Fortunately he was wearing a t-shirt and boxers. She closed her eyes and drew a few long breaths and, when she had calmed down, went to her office. As she waited for Doctor Johnson to pick up his phone she started her computer and looked at the guest lists from yesterday. Half unconscious Oliver had mumbled about driving Allie home, so now she searched for his name or hers.

“Emily, what can I do for you?” Doctor Johnson’s voice was warm and comforting as always. He had been the family physician all her life and was one of the few people she trusted. Briefly she explained what had happened and the doctor said he’d be there in an hour or two.

“If he wakes up, make sure he drinks as much as possible. If not, just let him rest”, he said when she asked what she should do until then. “He’ll probably just sleep.”

They hung up and Emily returned to the guest lists. There was no Oliver Bianchi, but she did find an Allison Charles plus one. It was worth a try.

“Hello?” The voice in the other end was sleepy.

“Is this Allison?”

“Yes.”

“Good morning Allison, this is Emily Green. You attended my party last night and I was wondering if you brought a plus one.”

“Yeah, I brought my friend Oliver. He was supposed to give me a ride home, but he dumped me. I had to take a taxi. If you see him, tell him to…” Allison made an irritated sound.

“Actually, he’s still here.”

Once again Emily explained what had happened and Allison’s anger turned to concern. She promised to come by later with some things Oliver might need. They ended the call and Emily let out a sigh of relief. She turned off the computer and returned to the library where she picked a book, put it on the tray and brought it all to the kitchen.

“Third time lucky”, she said to herself when she poured the cold tea in the kitchen-sink and put the kettle on again.

 

TBC

[EveP]

Here's part four:

 

Oliver groaned and curled up under the cover. How did this happen? Falling asleep on a stranger’s couch, passing out when trying to leave and then being undressed and put to bed like a small child. He had never fainted before in his life. It was embarrassing and humiliating. He shivered and rubbed his nose. Ever since he woke up it had felt full of tiny needles swirling around, prickling and teasing. Just thinking about it made the itch more intense. He grabbed a couple of tissues from the box on the nightstand, but no amount of blowing, wiping or rubbing seemed to help. After a couple of gasping breaths three wet sneezes escaped him, followed by three more. With each one the congestion got worse. He blew his nose, which immediately sent him over the edge again.  

“Eee-tsschh! Heh-tschh! Ht'kSshh!”

“Bless you!” The deep voice caught him by surprise. He hadn’t heard anyone enter the room. With the tissues still pressed against his nose he looked up and saw a grey-haired man standing next to the bed.

“I’m Doctor Johnson. Emily told me you passed out earlier and asked me to come over.”

Oliver watched as the older man opened his bag and took out a stethoscope and some other things.

“Can you sit up for me?” he asked, and Oliver reluctantly left the warmth under the cover.

“I’ll try to make it quick”, Doctor Johnson added. “Take a deep breath.”

It took a few attempts before Oliver managed to take a couple of deep breaths without coughing and as soon as the doctor was satisfied that the lungs were clear he swept the cover around his shivering patient. After lots more poking, prodding and way too many questions, at least it felt like that, Oliver got to lay down and close his eyes again.

 

  Soft voices woke him up. The bed wobbled a little when someone sat down next to him, and a hand touched his arm.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

He took inventory. His head pounded, his face hurt, his throat hurt, his ears hurt. Yeah, his whole body ached, and his nose was stuffed-up and itchy.

“Ah… heh…” He fumbled for the tissues, but couldn’t find them, and quickly pulled up comforter instead. “Eh-ehtshiew! Hih-tschh! Ht'kSshh! Oow.” That one word triggered a cough that left him breathless and exhausted.

“That bad, huh?”

The hand that was placed on his forehead felt wonderfully cool. He gave a tired smile and looked up at Allie. It was comforting to see a familiar face.

“I brought some things for you. Your charger, some clean clothes, and some Ibuprofene.”

He shook his head when she mentioned the fever reducing pain killer.

“Ollie, it will make you feel better. It will help you sleep.”

“No medication”, he whispered.

“At least drink some water”, Allie said and handed him a glass. He lifted his head and took a few sips before falling back against the pillow.

“No medication”, he mumbled again before he drifted off to sleep.

 

TBC

[Kolen]

Yay! Moar moar please!!🥺🥺🥺

I'm so sorry I haven't checked in sooner my wifi gave out because of storms but yay you did an extra update. Happy happy!!

[CheekyGuy]

Love this story, especially the way you find Oliver adorable when he is embarrassed and blushing. How do you imagine his blows would sound?

[EveP]

On 8/25/2021 at 4:31 PM, CheekyGuy said:

How do you imagine his blows would sound?

I haven't thought about that, but will now.

[EveP]

 

On 8/17/2021 at 1:02 AM, Kolen said:

Yay! Moar moar please!!🥺🥺🥺

I'm so sorry I haven't checked in sooner my wifi gave out because of storms but yay you did an extra update. Happy happy!!

Here's part five. No sneezing in this one.

 

“What was that all about? Why won’t he take medication?”

Emily had been waiting in the doorway as Allison took care of her friend, or was it boyfriend?

“it’s not my story to tell”, Allison replied and looked over at Oliver who was now snoring. They left the door ajar and went across the hall to the living room. There were several different seating areas and Emily invited Allison to sit in one of the two armchairs by the bay window. In good weather you could see all the way to the lake, but today the garden was covered by a grey autumn mist.

“Thank you so much for letting Ollie stay here until he’s better. I feel guilty for dragging him here when he wasn’t feeling well. He’s such a sweetheart. My date stood me up and he came to my rescue.”

Not her boyfriend, Emily concluded.

“Have you known Oliver long?” she asked as she served Allison coffee and cake. There were two more cakes in the fridge, still in their boxes, along with lots of left-over food from the party.

“Since first grade. He knows me better than I know myself.”

“And you him?”

Allison smiled and nodded.

“And I him.”

 

“Thank you again for taking care of Ollie”, Allison said when Emily walked her out. “I'll call and check on him later.”

Emily watched her drive off and went back inside. What was she going to do now? Doctor Johnson had said that Oliver needed to stay until his fever broke, but she had no idea how to take care of a sick person. She picked up her phone and googled. There was page after page about decongestants, fever reducers, pain killers and other things that Oliver would refuse, and she was about to give up when she finally found what she was looking for - a page of natural remedies against cold and flu symptoms. This was good! Most of these things grew in her garden.

[Kolen]

Ooh~! Google and natural remedies to the rescue! Will wait until you are ready with the next part, p Z patience in hand.😃

[RipleyToo]

Ooo I can’t wait for the next part! Loving this story! 

[EveP]

On 8/30/2021 at 11:43 PM, Kolen said:

Ooh~! Google and natural remedies to the rescue! Will wait until you are ready with the next part, p Z patience in hand.😃

Problem is that now I have to do a lot of research for the next part. I've got some of it down though.

1 hour ago, Puzzle said:

Ooo I can’t wait for the next part! Loving this story! 

Thank you! I'm working on the next part and just got an idea for a continuation.

[EveP]

Sorry it took so long, but here's part six. 

 

Emily only had to stick her head out in the hallway to know that Oliver was asleep. His congested snores came rumbling from the guest room. She put on her red rubber boots and a knitted sweater that was so old that it was almost see through on the elbows. Her grandmother would have sewn on leather patches, but Emily wasn’t practical like that. But she did get a good feeling in her stomach when she thought about the plants that could make her guest feel better. A cold gust of wind hit her when she opened the kitchen door. It had blown away the mist and made red, orange, and yellow leaves dance on the ground. She took a deep breath and couldn’t help smiling when the rich smell of autumn filled her entire being. Her steps felt light when she walked down the path to the lake. The library was her place to relax and unwind, and her garden was where she gathered energy.

When she reached the big white willow she put her free hand on the trunk, looked up at the whipping branches and asked for permission to take a little of its bark. The tree seemed to protest, but she promised to be gentle and scraped some off with her knife.

Next stop was the herb garden that had been green and lush just a few weeks ago but looked more like a collection of twigs now. There still was some thyme though and a few mint leaves that she put in her basket together with the willow bark.

Ten minutes later she was back in the kitchen pouring hot water over the plants. While they steeped she went to check on Oliver, because she couldn’t hear him snoring anymore, but he wasn’t there. The pillow was on the floor next to some of the clothes Allison had brought earlier. Could he really have left? Was he even able to?

A loud thump from the bathroom gave her the answer. She knocked on the door.

“Oliver? Are you okay?”

When he didn’t answer a lump of worry formed in her stomach. What if he had passed out again? But what if she went in and he was on the toilet or in the shower? She put her ear to the door. The shower wasn’t on, but she thought she heard a cell phone vibrating and a moan. Her heart raced and she hesitated before she opened the door.

Oliver sat on the floor, leaning against the bathtub. He had tried to get his sweat soaked t-shirt off, but it was still hanging from his left shoulder. On the floor next to him his phone went quiet, just to start vibrating again a few seconds later.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?”

He shook his head and pushed the phone towards her. She picked it up just as it stopped vibrating again. On the screen was a notification saying he had five missed calls from the same number and one text message.

 

Being hung over isn’t being sick. I saw the pictures from the party,

so get your lazy ass over here right now or you won’t have a job to come back to.

 

Emily didn’t often get angry, but now something started boiling inside her. When the phone started vibrating again she didn’t hesitate to answer. As calmly as she could she explained to Oliver’s boss that he really was unwell and couldn’t come to work. When he didn’t believe her and insinuated that she was the reason Oliver missed work she raised her voice.

“For heaven’s sake, what’s so hard to understand? He’s NOT hung over and he’s NOT pretending to be with me – he’s SICK!”

“Le me talk to him”, was all the boss said. Emily was so angry that her hand shook when she gave Oliver the phone.

“Hey boss…” was all Oliver managed to say before he started coughing so hard that he dropped the phone. Fuming, Emily picked it up, but her voice was cold as ice.

“Do you believe me now?”

“I need a medical certificate if he’s going to be gone more than three days.” The boss sounded regretful, but Emily didn’t care.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have the doctor send one today. He’s already been here.”

She heard the boss say something in the other end, but hung up in his ear.

[Kolen]

Aww 🥺 stewpid boss man being big meanie. Nice update tho😋😇💗❤😎

[starpollen]

❤️😊👍🏻 Poor sweet sick guys. 🥰 We lurves dem. 

[aggedy_ann]

This is wonderful.    I’m intrigued.

[EveP]

I'm sorry that the next part is taking so long, but it refuses to cooperate with me. I am working on it though, so please be patient.

[Kolen]

On 9/25/2021 at 2:09 PM, EveP said:

I'm sorry that the next part is taking so long, but it refuses to cooperate with me. I am working on it though, so please be patient.

Is okay. Am certain it will be epic!

[EveP]

Part seven. Not epic, but at least it's something.

 

”Can you make it back to bed?”

Oliver nodded even though he wasn’t sure he could. When Emily left the room, he grabbed the edge of the bathtub and stood up. Just as before the room started swaying, but the stayed on his feet and with help of the wash basin, doorframe, and nightstand he made it back. With a sigh of relief, he laid down and pulled up the covers. Old stone houses like this were cold. He closed his eyes and wished the headache would go away so he could sleep. For a moment he thought about taking one of the painkillers Allie had brought but immediately dismissed the idea.

”Are you asleep?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

”No.” Reluctantly he opened his eyes and saw a pair of legs and feet. They were petite feet dressed in blue knitted socks.

”I’ve made tea. Doctor Johnson said that you needed to stay hydrated. Wait, I’ll fetch some more pillows so you can sit comfortably.”

The blue socks disappeared, and Oliver sat up, thankful that she wasn’t there to see how he struggled to do it. He took the mug from the nightstand and took a sip. The honey-smooth drink soothed his throat. He took another couple of sips and sniffed when the steam found its way up his nose and made it run. Soon he had to exchange to mug for tissues. It was gross and wonderful at the same time to get all that had clogged up his nose out. He drew a deep breath and…

”Hee… eeeh… Eh-ehtshiew! Hih-tschh! hih-tschiew! Eeh-tschh! Eeh-tschh! Hih-tschh! Eee-tsschh! Heh-tschh! Ht'kSshh!”

“Bless you!”

Emily had returned with an armful of pillows. He grabbed new tissues and moved a little so she could put them down. When he started sneezing again, she seemed to decide that the sniveling mess in front of her couldn’t do any harm. She built a mountain of pillows behind him and when he had regained his composure and leaned back, she handed him the mug.

“Please try to drink the rest.”

The tea had cooled down now, so it didn’t give him any more trouble. On the contrary, after a few minutes his aches and pains seemed to lessen, and he drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

[Kolen]

Awh yeye!! So CUTE!! Tysm for the amazing update ^^

[EveP]

2 hours ago, Kolen said:

Awh yeye!! So CUTE!! Tysm for the amazing update ^^

Thank you! At the moment I'm on a three week visit in my homeland and I've learned something about mysel - I can't write when I'm on the road. I'll try to update as soon as possible when I get home. The next part is mostly finished in my head. 🙂

[Catsgotyourtounge]

I know this story is old, but part of me hopes it would continue after all this time!