Ruby's cold

[Trynasneeze]

Ruby woke up and sniffled. Her nose was getting stuffy. Not that she was surprised. 

She'd gone to bed with a sore throat, and a sore throat was always the telltale sign that a sniffly nose was coming. 

Ruby, an attractive 23 year old, fairly short at 5'2", with shoulder length dark red hair (the kind of deep red that is definitely not natural), could have caught that sore throat from a variety of sources. 

There was Michael, her boyfriend, a 6'2" strongly built policeman, 25 years old with close cut dark hair. He had been battling a cold the last few days. 

Then there was Helen. Ruby was one of two receptionists at a dentist's office, Helen was the other, they spent 8 hours a day two feet from each other and Helen had just come down with a cold. A cold she'd caught from one of the dentists. 

On top of that, it was cold and flu season and a variety of patients coming in had been sneezing and sniffing and coughing and blowing their noses.

Regardless of where it came from, Ruby had it, and that was the part she was concerned about. 

[NotWho]

Can’t wait to see where this is going

[Trynasneeze]

Ruby rolled over in bed and sniffled again. It was 7am on Tuesday morning, and that meant she had to get up for work. For another four days of work. Which were not going to be fun with a head cold. Why could it not be the weekend?

Michael returned from the shower, snuffling at his own blocked nose, and wearing only a pair of grey boxer briefs. He began to pull on his police uniform. 

Ruby got out of bed and pulled on an oversized t-shirt, then headed for the shower herself. 

The steam loosened any stuffiness that was starting to build in her sinuses, she sniffed, snrrf, that felt better. But her throat was still painful. It felt as though it was filled with shards of broken glass. 

Ruby got out and dried herself. She got dressed in the short sleeved white blouse and black pencil skirt that made up her unofficial uniform, tied her back into a ponytail and went to apply her make up. Fifteen minutes later, after pulling on a pair of heels and her coat, she was on the way to work. 

Ruby walked into work sipping at her takeaway coffee and sniffling lightly at her nose, which had started running from the cold air. 

"Mborning", she said to Helen, the other receptionist. 

"Bordig", replied Helen. Helen was a fairly attractive forty year old lady, built slightly heavily, with dark blonde hair. She looked worse than yesterday, her nose was red and chapped as was her upper lip, she was breathing through her mouth and looked very tired. A few used tissues were littered beside her. 

As Ruby took off her coat Helen hastily yanked a tissue from the box beside her, "YAASHOO!!" she sneezed, deeply but wetly. "SHOO!!" 

Helen added a second tissue behind the first one and blew her congested nose forcefully and wetly. 

"Bless you", Ruby offered, sniffling lightly and wiping her own nose slightly on the back of her wrist. Helen was too under the weather to even notice Ruby was coming down with it. 

Ruby took a sip of coffee to sooth her throat. "This cold doesn't look like it's going to be a good time", she said to herself as slipped into her seat beside Helen. 

[NickG1998]

I really enjoy this amazing story I can't wait for the next update keep up the good work

[Jettous]

Great start. Can’t wait for ruby to start sneezing too. 

[Nspringthorpe321]

This is good so far. Can't wait to see how far this lovely cold goes and how bad it gets.

[NotWho]

Ooo I’m loving this already!

[chronic reader]

Definitely looking forward to some double caretaking with Michael and Ruby!!

[Trynasneeze]

A couple of hours passed by, work ticked on slowly, and all the while Ruby sniffled frequently at her developing runny nose. Fortunately it wasn't too busy in terms of patients as Helen was not coping well with her symptoms. 

"Hi, I've got an appointment at 12", a lady who had just come in announced. 

"Okay, snff, what was the nambe?" Ruby asked, noticing the congestion creep slowly into her stuffy nose. 

She looked the lady up in the computer system. "Just grab a seat and Dr Kennedy will be with you shortly". 

"HAHHHH-" Helen, beside Ruby, currently on the phone took a sharp inhale. She lurched over desperately to grab a tissue. She pulled one, but not quite in time. "SHOOO!!!" The sneeze was big and wet. Not only did it sound wet, but Helen's tissue hadn't covered her nose until seconds too late, so Ruby and the patient she was speaking to were both able to feel how wet Helens sneeze was as they were sprayed with droplets. 

"Disgusting", mumbled the woman as she walked to grab a seat, pulling a tissue from her bag and wiping her face, then sanitising her hands. 

Helen grabbed another tissue and gave her nose a long blow. Again, very wet. 

Snrff, sniffled Ruby, running her index finger under her own damp nose. She wasn't super pleased with having a runny nose, but at least she wasn't sneezing. Ruby hated to sneeze. Particularly when she had a cold. 

The sore throat, she could tolerate. The blocked nose, annoying but she could still breathe through one nostril. The runny nose, more annoying but she could control it by sniffing. But a sneeze? Loud, embarrassing, sometimes painful, uncontrollable, and always made such a mess of a runny nose. 

The longer she could go without sneezing the better, because once she started sneezing from a cold, she couldn't stop sneezing from a cold. 

Helen coughed loudly as she hung up the phone. She took some more tissues and blew her nose again. 

Snrff, Ruby sniffled again, wiping her nose with her finger. 

"Soudds like you're gettig the flu too", Helen mentioned. SNRRFF. She wiped her own nose on a crumpled tissue. 

[CheekyGuy]

I can exactly picture Helen blowing - she reminds me of someone I know! The forcefulness combined with the wetness and doubtless productivity - nice!

[Trynasneeze]

15 minutes ago, CheekyGuy said:

I can exactly picture Helen blowing - she reminds me of someone I know! The forcefulness combined with the wetness and doubtless productivity - nice!

Yep, Helen is loosely based on about a dozen similar middle aged women I've encountered during cold and flu seasons working on reception jobs

[Kolen]

Ahh! This is nice, very nice. Do continue when you feel ready- Will be waiting.🥰😍♥️

[Trynasneeze]

Snrrff, Ruby sniffled. She dabbed at her damp nose with the back of her wrist. 

It was 3pm, the day was dragging on. 

"Combidg down with a cold is almbost worse than just having onde", Ruby said to Helen. "Every hour that passes I just feel sicker".

Helen buried her face in a wad of tissues. "HAYAAHSHOO!! SHOO!! SHOO!!" A triple volley of sneezes shot from her nose into the crumpled paper. She blew her nose, it was long and gurgling. 

"Yeah, you won't be thidkigg that way whed you are sicker - SNRRKK", Helen ended with a thick congested snort. 

Snrrff, Ruby sniffled again. "I guess it is just the sdniffles, but mby ndose keeps gettingg runndier, and it's hard to look professiondal whend I soudd so stuffy". 

A tickle suddenly appeared at the back of Ruby's stuffy sinuses. 

Oh god, no way am I gonna sneeze, she thought. Not if I can help it.

She pushed the tip of her nose with a finger and pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth. Within a minute the tickle was gone. 

Snrrff, sniffled Ruby again. 

"HAAASHOO!!" exploded Helen, saturating more tissues. 

"Well colds suck", said Ruby. "But I guess at least I'mb dnot sdeezingg. A runndy ndose I can handle". 

She sniffled again wetly as Helen pulled more tissues from the box to empty her cold filled nose. 

[NickG1998]

Another wonderful chapter I can’t wait for the next update keep up the amazing work 

[Kolen]

Nuuu she scared it off. Let it be brave and come baCK an aTtACk 🤧😁

[Trynasneeze]

1 hour ago, Kolen said:

Nuuu she scared it off. Let it be brave and come baCK an aTtACk 🤧😁

Don't worry, that sneeze will be back to haunt her before long

 

1 hour ago, NickG1998 said:

Another wonderful chapter I can’t wait for the next update keep up the amazing work 

Next update shouldn't be too far away

[Trynasneeze]

As the end of the day rolled around, Ruby's runny nose was getting very runny, her frequent snrrff's were increasing in frequency and feeling a lot wetter. 

She eyed the empty box of tissues on the desk that Helen had cleaned out today. Just at that moment Helen came back with a fresh box.

"Apparedtly do ode bothered to order ady bore this week so this is the last box of tissues id the place, SNRRKK", Helen said congestedly. "I've ordered some bore dow but who kdows whed they'll get here". 

"Snrrff, that's do good", Ruby sniffled as Helen pulled out about twenty tissues to stuff into her coat pocket. 

Helen headed out. Ruby pulled on her on coat and switched off her computer. 

Snrrff, she sniffled at her wet nose. She eyed the tissues on the desk. Should she blow her nose before she went?

I'll be fine, Ruby thought. She headed out into the evening chill to walk to the subway station.

If she had quite fathomed how runny her nose was already, she had severely underestimated how drippy it would become in the chilly evening air. 

She sniffled a lot as she walked to the station. A threatening drip hung tentatively on the tip of one of her nostrils. Her sniffling was just enough to keep it from leaking onto her upper lip. 

As Ruby went down the stairs into the station she pressed a finger against her nose to wipe the drip. Watery snot came away onto her finger but did little to stop the nostril leakage. 

Eww gross, she thought as she wiped her finger on her coat. No way was Ruby the type to wipe her nose on her blouse though, she needed a tissue. 

She rummaged through her small handbag, there was a single serviette that she'd stuffed in there. That was all she needed. She pulled out the serviette and dabbed her nose with it. 

Snrrfff, the inside of her nose was full and very runny. She turned to face a wall, unfolded the serviette and blew her nose. The blow was long and wet but it did the job. 

Satisfied, Ruby threw the crumpled damp tissue into a nearby bin and went to board her train. 

Before she'd even gotten on board her nose started to become runny again. Snrrff, she sniffled. As the train left the station that drippy feeling came back again. Ruby couldn't believe she could feel so stuffy and yet have a nose that felt like it was leaking all the fluid in her body. 

People sat either side of her. Ruby was not fond of embarrassment and didn't want to sound gross sniffing loudly, but she was going to have to do something. 

As the seconds passed, her light sniffling did little to prevent a drip forming on the tip of her nostril. SNRRFFF, she sniffed sharply, drawing the embarrassing evidence of her drippy head cold back inside her nose. Her nose that felt full of runny cold germs. 

And then she felt it, the tickle. It was building, at the back of her sinuses.. She pushed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, but that didn't last long as she needed to sniff to prevent her runny nostrils from dripping. And the sniff just exacerbated the tickle. 

She couldn't sneeze, preferably not ever, but definitely not now. Her nose was full of runny liquid and a sneeze would ruin everything. The tickle was building. And she knew she had used her only tissue.

Ruby had three choices. Either she could sneeze in her hands and cover them in mess from her nose, she could sneeze into her coat and make a mess of that, or she could sneeze uncovered and spray the passengers around her. Either way the runny nose she was only just in control of would create an embarrassing mess. And she had nothing to clean it up with. 

The tickle built. Ruby raised her cupped hands to her face, that seemed to be the lesser of the three evils. 

"Hehhhhhh...."

                        TBC

[NickG1998]

I love this story I can’t wait until she starts sneezing really good job keep up the amazing work I’m so excited for the next update great job with this part 

[Jettous]

What a cliffhanger. I can’t wait for Ruby to be all sneezy and snotty and sick.

[Macaroni]

This is wonderful! And you’ve been updating so frequently; I love it! Please continue! 

[Trynasneeze]

The tickle had built, and Ruby's sinuses filled with tension as she breathed in sharply, "Haaahhh"...

The train pulled into a station.

"HURRASHOOO!!!" 

Ruby almost jumped out of her skin. The forty year old businessman she sat beside - who looked sicker than she was - had sneezed suddenly, scaring the life out of her. 

Snrrfff, Ruby sniffled at her dripping nose. SNRRKK. It wasn't so runny anymore and the sneezy feeling was gone, that man had scared it away. 

SNRRKKKK, he snorted congestedly at his nose, which was horribly red and chapped, glistening from the wet mess that was leaking out of his nostrils. He pulled up the sweater vest he wore and wiped his nose wetly on it. 

Five minutes later, the train pulled into Ruby's station. 

She started the ten minute to her house through the cold evening wind. 

Snrrff snrrff, she sniffed wetly as she walked. Her nose was horribly runny tonight and the cold air was making it drip. Two or three times she had to dab it with her finger to catch the drip building on the end of her nose. 

She rounded her street corner and practically ran to her front door, sniffling heavily, one hand over her nose, which had begun to drip onto her upper lip. 

As soon as she was inside Ruby headed straight to the bathroom, tore off some toilet paper and blew her nose wetly. 

[NickG1998]

I absolutely love this part I can’t wait until Ruby starts sneezing please update soon take your time and keep up the amazing work 

[Kolen]

Awh I got excited. But I shall wait for when the moment truly comes! 🤧😁

[SneezeAbbie]

I’m loving the ‘build-up’ of this story! (See what I did there? 😏) Can’t wait to read when Ruby becomes a full mess 

[Trynasneeze]

Ruby woke up the following morning more stuffed up than the previous day. She'd been sniffling all evening and had to blow her nose two or three times the previous night, and this morning didn't feel any less runny. 

Snrrfff, Ruby sniffled wetly and wiped her nose on the bedsheet lightly. 

She got up, showered, and got dressed. The steam of the shower had helped clear out her sinuses a little but her nose was getting very runny. The mess that her cold was producing wasn't very thick yet and kept running out of her sinuses like water. 

She quickly ducked to the bathroom and blew her nose thoroughly on some toilet paper before heading out the door - she had learnt from yesterday that the cold wind and a quickly developing head cold did not mix well. 

She boarded the subway shortly afterwards and was at work in no time, sniffling the whole way and using her fingers to dab the tiny drips that formed on the edges of her nostrils. 

Snrrffff, Ruby sniffled thickly at her nose, which had filled right back up, as she got into the clinic and took her coat off. 

Helen looked worse than she had yesterday. Her nose was red and raw and chapped all the way down her upper lip. She raised her fist to her mouth and erupted into a raspy coughing fit. She sniffled thickly as she coughed, glistening moisture dribbling out of her raw nostrils. 

She finished coughing. SNRRKKK, Helen sniffed congestedly to clear her sinuses. She suddenly threw her hands over her nose and mouth. 

"HAAKHSHOO!! YAKHSHOO!!" she sneezed violently. 

"Bless you", Ruby offered. 

Helen lowered her hands which were covered in sticky mess, her cold-filled sinuses were overflowing onto her upper lip. She was too tired to care, she looked as though she hadn't slept a wink last night. 

Helen yanked about five tissues from the box and blew her nose, violently and wetly, soaking powerfully through the thick wad of paper. 

Meanwhile, Ruby sniffled wetly at her own runny nose as she talked on the phone to someone booking an appointment. A tickle started to blossom in the back of her nose.