It’s Called “Helping Others” (Community, Frankie, F)

[90percenthoneydew]

Community is one of my favorite shows (I am so excited for the movie), and Frankie is my favorite character despite the fact she was only in the final season.  I wrote this awhile ago, and I figured I might as well post it. The title comes from the dragon conversation from Garrett’s wedding episode because I admittedly could not think of anything better. I have a lot more Frankie content in my drafts if anyone is interested. 

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Frankie opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. She had felt run down yesterday and slowly developed a scratchy throat and light cough throughout the day. Annie, ever the worrier, was the only person that seemed to notice, but Frankie reassured her that she was just tired and would rest later that night. 

Unfortunately, the extra few hours of sleep didn’t help at all. Her entire body felt heavy, her mind was clouded, and she was so congested that she could feel the pressure throughout her sinuses. The workaholic in her wanted to suck it up and go to work, but, realistically, she knew that would be completely irresponsible and unproductive. 

She coughed as she pulled out her phone to find the Dean’s contact. The annoying tickle in the back of her throat from the previous day had settled deeper in her lungs. She sighed as she dialed his number, not happy that she needed to have this conversation. 

“Frankie! What can I do for you on this deanlightful morning?” 

“Craig,” the use of her voice sent her into another harsh coughing fit. 

“Oh my goodness, you sound horrible!”

She hummed in acknowledgment. “I’m sorry, this is so unlike me, but I don’t think I can come in today. Frankly, I can’t work like this, and I don’t want to spread this around.” 

“Of course, take all the time you need,” he said in the most genuine tone she had ever heard from the eccentric man. 

“Tha-an- huh-huh’tschu! Huh-ei’shiew!” she sniffed. “Thank you.” 

“Bless you, and feel better,” he said before hanging up. 

“Ehhh…huhh-k'tshIEW! Hehh'kSHEW! Huhh…hehh'kshHEWW!”

She reached for a tissue on her nightstand and blew her nose, but it didn’t do much to help with the heavy congestion. 

Frankie knew she had to call Annie. She didn’t want to worry the girl, but she had to let her know that she wouldn’t be able to run the committee meeting today. She dialed her number and was greeted with a response almost instantly. 

“Hello?” 

“Annie, I’m sorry to bother you, but I need a favor,” she coughed lightly afterwards. 

“Aw, Frankie,” Annie sighed at the sound of her sick, congested voice. “I had a feeling you were coming down with something yesterday. How can I help?” 

Help, of course. Frankie felt guilty calling someone with such an obvious addiction to helping others. 

“I’m fine, really. I’m taking the day off. I just need you to run the committee meeting today.”

“Sure, I think I have everything but forward me your notes just in case.” 

“Will do. Huh'kchoo! Huh-tschh!” 

“Bless you…. are you sure there’s nothing else I can do for you? I want to help.” 

“Annie, sweetie, I’m fine. It’s not your job to help me. You already help too much.” 

“Frankie,” she paused for a moment, contemplating if she should continue. “I know I’m addicted to helping others, but you said it yourself, we have the same dragon. You’re always helping without expecting anything in return. Have you ever thought that maybe you don’t accept help enough?” 

That made Frankie freeze. She wasn’t particularly good at showing vulnerability, and the years of taking care of her family members had caused her to grow rigidly independent. She was a helper. That was her purpose in life. She wasn’t supposed to be the one being helped. 

“Annie, I- Hehh-Heh'schh! Huh'tschh!H’uhtsHH!” She was sounding more congested by the minute. “I don’t accept help very often, you’re right, but that’s because I don’t need it. I’m a lot older than you, and I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time.” 

“Everybody needs help sometimes, Frankie. Even someone as organized and independent as you. Please, let me help.” 

“Annie,” she signed. “Okay, how about this. You go to- to- Huh’etshh! Huh-Huh’ktshh! Ugh, I’m sorry. You go to class, and maybe you can stop by afterwards.” She could practically hear Annie’s grin. 

“Sounds like a plan. But really, if you need anything before that, don’t be afraid to call. If you don’t want to call me in class, at least call Jeff. It’s not like he’s teaching anyway,” she laughed. 

Frankie also chuckled, which she regretted instantly as she began coughing. 

“That sounds like it hurts,” Annie frowned. “Be careful with that cough, okay?” 

“I will,” she paused for a moment before adding, “Thank you, Annie, for caring.”

“Anytime.” 

[sneezemeister]

This was great! Curious if you are planning to add more?

[90percenthoneydew]

Part 2! I didn’t proof read this, so I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes. Let me know if you are interested in another part. 

 

Frankie had fallen back asleep immediately after she ended her call with Annie. She was woken several hours later by a coughing fit, and she desperately reached towards her nightstand for a bottle of water. She didn’t think it was possible, but she somehow felt worse than before. 

She pulled out her phone and saw that she had a text from Annie. 

“I got out of class early. Should be over around 2.” 

Great, it was already 1, so she would have to get up if she wanted to be ready by the time the girl arrived. Even though Annie already knew she was sick, Frankie was not planning on revealing how truly terrible she felt. 

She forced herself out of bed and into the shower. The steam tickled her sinuses, and she felt her breath hitch. 

“Huh-huh-huh’ktschoo! Hah’tschh! Ei’shiEW! Huh-huh-tschuu!” She coughed heavily afterwards and struggled to catch her breath. 

Despite the abundant steam, the water didn’t feel warm. No matter how high she turned up the heat, it still felt freezing cold against her skin. She instantly knew what that meant and groaned at the thought of the fever she was definitely running. 

She quickly finished in the shower and got dressed. She skipped her usual business attire and went for leggings and a hoodie. It was the perfect outfit to come off as “sick but not too sick”. 

Frankie walked over to her nightstand and pulled a thermometer out from one of the drawers. She turned it on and placed it in her mouth. She pulled it out when it beeped and glanced at the digital numbers. 101.2, not terrible, but certainly not ideal.  

She put the thermometer back in its place and left her room. She headed towards the kitchen and opened the cabinet where she kept her medicine. It was surprisingly well stocked considering how rarely she used it. She swallowed a few DayQuil, hoping that it would actually do something. 

Suddenly, Frankie heard a knock at the door. She lethargically walked across the room to answer it, and was met with a clearly concerned Annie. 

“Frankie, how are you feeling?” she asked sympathetically. 

“I’ve been better,” the older woman joked, although her tone was painfully flat. 

“I brought soup and tea,” Annie said, holding up the bag and cup in her hands. 

“Annie, you didn’t have to do that.” 

“I know, but I wanted to. Can I come in?” she asked. 

“Yes, of course,” Frankie replied absentmindedly. She stepped aside to allow the girl to enter and closed the door behind them. 

“Your place is nice,” Annie said casually. “I’ve never gotten a good look at it before.” 

Frankie blushed, slightly embarrassed. While most members of the committee knew where she lived, she had never invited any of them inside. 

“Right. I’m sorry I didn’t invite you over under better circumstances,” she said. 

“That’s okay. I know you like to keep your personal life private.” 

Frankie nodded and headed towards the couch. She sat down, trying her best to maintain her usual posture. Annie followed suit. She set the soup down on the table and offered Frankie the tea she was holding. 

“Thank you,” Frankie said. She coughed a few times before taking a sip of the beverage. She sighed in relief as the warm liquid slid down her throat. She was a tea person in general, but she had forgotten how good hot tea could feel when she was sick. 

She took another sip and placed the cup on the table in front of her. She shivered involuntary as the warmth left her hand. Annie frowned and placed a cool hand on her forehead. 

“You feel warm,” she said. “Have you checked your temperature?” 

“Yeah,” Frankie sighed. “Low grade fever. Nothing to be concerned about,” she lied. Annie looked suspicious but didn’t question it. 

“Have you taken anything?” she asked. 

“I took a couple DayQuil before you arrived. It probably hasn’t taken effect yet.” 

Annie merely hummed in response. 

Frankie opened her mouth again to speak, but was immediately overcome by another coughing fit. She turned away from the younger woman as she coughed, the sound coming from deep in her lungs. 

“That doesn’t sound good,” Annie remarked once the coughing subsided. 

"It’s not a big deal. My colds always go to my chest,” Frankie explained. Of course, she didn’t think this was just a cold, but Annie didn’t need to know that. 

“Let me check one more thing,” Annie said. 

She reached out and gently pressed against the side of Frankie’s neck. The area was tender and sore, but the touch didn’t hurt terribly. She then moved her hands lower and pressed under her chin. Frankie winced and pulled back slightly at the pain. Annie’s face contorted in sympathy. 

“Your lymph nodes are pretty swollen,” she said. 

“I figured,” Frankie replied. “I didn’t know you knew so much about illness. Where did you learn all of this?” 

“I’m… kinda the group mom,” Annie blushed. “Plus, I picked up a few things back when I was majoring in hospital administration.” 

“You studied administration?” Frankie asked, surprised. 

“Yeah. I was pretty good at it, too, but…. I don’t know. It just didn’t feel right. That’s why I switched to criminology.” 

“You’d be good at administration,” Frankie commented. “You’ll be good at law, too, though. You’re the type of person that could succeed in any field.” 

“Well, thank you,” Annie said proudly. “What about you? Why’d you go into administration?” she asked. 

“It just came naturally to me,” Frankie shrugged. “It’s what I always wanted to do. I got my MBA and never looked back.” 

Annie nodded and folded her arms over her lap. Frankie stared at her for a second in admiration. Annie reminded her so much of herself when she was younger. Her thoughts were interrupted by a pair of sudden sneezes. 

“Huh’ktschh! Ei’tschiew!” 

“Bless you,” Annie said softly. “Can I get you anything?” 

“I should be asking you that,” Frankie said, realizing she was being a terrible host. “You can help yourself to anything in the kitchen.” 

“Oh, I’m fine,” Annie assured her. “I just want to make sure you are okay.” 

“I’m okay. I promise,” Frankie replied. She completely failed to suppress the shiver that came with it. 

“Okay, symptoms,” Annie demanded. 

“What?” 

“I can tell you’re downplaying this. Symptoms. Now.” 

Frankie sighed in defeat. Of course the younger girl would be able to see right through her. 

“Sneezing, coughing, congestion, sore throat, fever, chills, headache,” she rattled off. “Basically, my whole body hurts.” 

“Definitely the flu then,” Annie frowned. 

“Yeah,” Frankie admitted. They sat in silence for a few seconds before Annie’s phone buzzed. 

“Ugh,” she groaned after checking it. “That was Britta. Apparently Abed got into an argument with that cats again.” 

“What? How does he even-“ 

“It’s better not to question it,” Annie said seriously. “I’ll just tell them I’m busy.” 

“No, no, go,” Frankie insisted. “I appreciate you stopping by, but I’m fine. I’m sure the two of them need you more.” 

“Are you sure?” Annie asked hesitantly. 

“Positive. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“What? Are you kidding me? You are not going to work tomorrow. It’s only been a day!” Annie exclaimed. 

“That’s way more than I usually take off,” Frankie shrugged. 

“The Dean wouldn’t mind if you take more. I seriously don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go in tomorrow.” 

“I’ll be fine. Even if the Dean would be okay with it, I don’t trust leaving him alone with the school for more than a day.” 

“I think it’s a mistake,” Annie shook her head. “But it’s your decision.” 

She walked towards the door, and Frankie followed. 

“Thank you again for coming over,” she said. 

“It’s no problem,” Annie replied. 

“Have a good night, Annie. Good luck with Abed and Britta.” 

“Ha, thanks. I’ll need it,” she rolled her eyes. 

She began to walk away but paused as Frankie started coughing again. She looked back momentarily with a frown, but eventually continued off to her car. 

Frankie shut the door and let out a sigh of relief. As nice as it was for Annie to offer her help, she was happy to be alone again. She walked over to the coffee table and picked up the soup the girl had left. She didn’t particularly feel like eating, but she knew she should since she hadn’t eaten all day. 

She placed the container in the microwave and waited for it to finish heating up. She felt a tickle in her nose and quickly reached towards the tissue box on the counter. 

“Ei’tschh! Hh’eischh! Huh’tXGhh!” She blew her nose wetly and discarded the tissue into the trash can. 

The microwave beeped, and she pulled the soup out. She grabbed a spoon and headed towards the table. After settling down, Frankie pulled out her phone to text the Dean. She wanted to make sure he didn’t cause any irreparable damage without her supervision. 

“Hey, how did today go?” she sent. She only had to wait a few seconds for a reply. 

“Great! I’m going to order new desks. I found ones online that have built-in robots!” 

Frankie groaned loudly. She had no idea how this man managed to run the school before she arrived without completely draining its funds. 

“Please wait until I check it to buy anything. I’ll take a look tomorrow.” she sent. She put her phone down with no interest in reading his reply. 

So, it was settled. She was definitely going into work tomorrow. She’d much rather suffer through a miserable school day than have the Dean burn Greendale to the ground. Besides, that was still 16 hours away. She would have plenty of time to rest before then.  

[90percenthoneydew]

So… funny story. I have had part 3 of this written for a very long time, and I genuinely thought I had posted it. Turns out I didn’t. 

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Frankie would love to say she was able to sleep off the illness, but that was far from the truth. She barely slept at all, kept up by the constant coughing, sneezing, and nose blowing. She couldn’t breathe through her nose, and she felt a sinus headache building. The fever certainly hadn’t gone away, and she had been switching from burning hot to freezing cold all night. Needless to say, by the time her alarm went off in the morning, Frankie was not in a good mood. 

She quickly grabbed her phone and turned off the alarm. She checked her notifications and saw that she had a text from Annie. 

“Hey, feeling any better?” 

“A bit. I’ll see you at Greendale.” She pressed send without caring that it was a blatant lie. 

Frankie stood up slowly with a groan. Her vision was hazy, and she wobbled slightly. She pulled out the thermometer from where she had left it the day before to check her temperature again. She had an unfortunate feeling that it would be higher. 

Just as she suspected, it was 101.9. She put the thermometer away and made a mental note to take some fever reducers along with the cold medicine. 

She headed towards the bathroom and was about to turn on the shower when she felt a deep burning in her sinuses. 

“Huh-huhhh-huh’ktschoo! Ei’ktschh! Hhn-ktXGhh!” 

The sneezes were more intense than before and sounded sickly. Frankie was going to have a hell of a time convincing everyone she was fine. 

After a quick shower, she headed to her closet to pick out something to wear. Unfortunately, going to work meant she would have to put up with her usual attire. She struggled to focus as she sifted through her wardrobe. The steam from the shower had irritated her lungs, and she couldn’t stop coughing. The way her chest ached was a bit concerning, but she brushed it off and focused on getting ready. 

She settled on a sweater dress, figuring it was the closest she could get to sick day clothes while still remaining professional. She glanced at her watch and was grateful that she still had enough time for makeup. She was definitely going to need it. 

Frankie struggled to keep her nose under control as she applied her foundation. Her sinuses were tender, and she had to breathe slowly to keep herself from sneezing as she dabbed over them. Unfortunately, when she got to powdering her nose, she couldn’t hold back anymore. 

“Hihhh-hih’schu! Kt’eischiew! Ei-ih’kgXhh! Huh-ktXghh! Hhn’tNngghh!” 

The sneezes triggered a coughing fit that left her gasping for breath. She reached for a tissue and blew her nose thickly, but it didn’t do much to help with the congestion. She reapplied the makeup on her nose and took a look at the finished product. 

The face she saw in the mirror didn’t even come close to looking healthy. Her eyes were still visibly red-rimmed, and her nose was tinted pink. She frowned at the sight but accepted that it was the best she could do. 

She headed to the kitchen and took several different pills in hopes that at least one of them would help her feel a little less miserable. She considered eating, but the thought made her nauseous. She would have something later. 

Frankie grabbed her purse and keys and was about to walk out the door when she remembered what was going to be the most uncomfortable part of her day: heels. She contemplated going with a different type of shoe, but she didn’t want to draw any extra attention to the fact she wasn’t feeling well. She would just have to deal with it until the end of the day. 

She stepped into her heels with a grimace and headed out to her car. She paused for a moment, wondering if it was safe to drive with a fever. Yeah, it was probably fine. 

She made it to Greendale unscathed, although there were several times she found herself drifting off during the drive. She parked her car and sat there for a few seconds, contemplating if it was really a good idea to go in. On one hand, she knew it was incredibly irresponsible and potentially dangerous to her health. On the other hand, it was possible that the school would quite literally burn to the ground if she took more time off. Frankie decided pushing through the day was a much better option than the latter. 

She got out of her car and approached the building, trying to ignore the mild ache that ran through her whole body. She walked towards her office as quickly as she could considering her current state, doing her best to avoid having to acknowledge anyone she passed. 

When she arrived at her office, Frankie shut the door behind her and sank into the chair. She closed her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, trying to work up the motivation to do something. She forced herself to sit up and check her to do list for the day. Thank God, there were no meetings. Her only responsibilities were paperwork and quelling any hijinks that might ensue. She could do that. 

“Huh-huh’ktschiew! Ei’tXghhh!”

Well, she could do that if she could stop sneezing every two seconds. 

Frankie pulled up a spreadsheet she had left open and squinted at it, trying to remember what she had been doing. It‘s amazing how confusing bookkeeping can be when you can barely process your own thoughts. 

She finally figured out where she had left off and found the corresponding paper document. Frankie got to work, but she was having trouble focusing. Her throat was raw, and she was constantly fighting the urge to cough. 

After a particularly rough coughing fit, she decided enough was enough. She grabbed a mug from under her desk and headed towards the teacher’s lounge. Usually, she would avoid that room at all costs considering the type of professors that were employed at Greendale, but she was beyond desperate. 

She heard bustling noise coming from inside before she even reached the door. As she stepped through the doorway, she cringed slightly. While she couldn’t smell the alcohol through the congestion, she knew the stench was there. Frankie beelined towards the kitchen area, actively avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. She was filling up her mug with hot water when she heard a sarcastic voice behind her. 

“What, no lecture that sounds like it was taken directly from FDR’s prohibition speech?” 

“I’m not in the mood, Jeff,” she rasped, voice half gone. 

“Damn,” he said, leaning on the counter next to her. “I owe Britta five dollars.” 

“What?” Frankie asked, although she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know the answer. 

“We made a bet on whether or not Annie was being dramatic,” he explained. “Unfortunately, it seems like she wasn’t considering you look and sound like you’re dying.” 

Frankie rolled her eyes at his dramatic comment. 

“I am not dying,” she said as she walked past him. Unfortunately, the sudden bout of chills that ran through her body contradicted that statement. 

“Could’ve fooled me,” he smirked, noticing her shiver. “What is this anyway? Flu, strep….. mono?” he raised an eyebrow suggestively. 

“Goodbye, Jeff,” Frankie ignored the comment, rolling her eyes out of annoyance. 

“Oh, by the way,” he said as she was about to leave. “You might want to check on the Dean. He was gushing over some sort of robo-desk yesterday.” 

“Ugh,” Frankie groaned. She had completely forgotten about the Dean’s new desk antics. “Okay, I’ll tal-tahh-heh-eschh! huh-huh’etXGgh!” 

“Yeah, you are the pinnacle of health,” Jeff quipped. It took everything in Frankie’s power not to flip him off. 

“I’ll talk to him,” she said sharply before leaving the room. 

Frankie was barely able to hold back the sneezes as she swiftly exited the lounge. She immediately doubled over as the itch in her sinuses became too intense to ignore. 

“Hhh-Hih’eitcCcHHh! Huh’ktScChh! Ei-eitschh! Hn-NgggHhh!” 

She had to lean against the wall as she was overcome by a coughing fit. The coughs were deep and heavy, rattling in her lungs and making her chest ache. She would give anything to go home, but she knew it was better to push through the day than deal with damage control later. 

Frankie stopped by her office quickly on the way to the Dean’s to grab a tea bag. She typically didn’t drink tea at work, but she still kept some chamomile in her office for particularly stressful days. She removed the bag from its package and placed it in her steaming mug before heading towards the Dean’s office. While carrying around a cup of tea wouldn’t help her “I’m not that sick argument”, she would rather bring it than risk another violent coughing fit. 

As Frankie walked down the hallway, she felt as though she was floating. She was having trouble feeling grounded in her own body, and the heels certainly didn’t help. She just needed to make it to the Dean’s office and back without falling over, and then she could sit for the rest of the day. 

The door was wide open when she arrived at the Dean’s office. She carefully entered and cleared her throat to announce her presence. 

“Dean,” she greeted. Her voice cracked when she spoke, leading to a painful tickle in her throat. She coughed lightly before sipping her tea.  She was too wrapped up in trying to ease her symptoms to notice the Dean’s pitying gaze. 

“Frankie, you look terrible!” he exclaimed. “I told you to take as long as you need. Why didn’t you stay home for a few more days?” 

“I’m alright,” she assured weakly. “It’s just a col- hhh-hih’XgHh! Ehhh-Ei’ktsChhhoo! Huh-hhh-Hih’eischiEew!” 

“That’s a pretty bad cold,” he remarked absentmindedly. “I am very busy perusing the internet, but what can I do for you?” 

Frankie was forced to suppress a groan. “Perusing” was never a word she wanted to hear coming from the Dean. Still, she brushed it off and addressed the topic at hand. 

“i know you’re interested in new desks, and that could be a beneficial investment for the school,” she started, trying to ease her way into the topic. 

“Oh, yes!” the Dean exclaimed, visibly excited. “We’re always talking about improving Greendale, so I thought: robots. Robots would be a perfect addition!” 

“Right,” Frankie said cautiously. She cringed at how stuffed up her voice sounded. “But have you considered our budget?” 

“Ugh,” the Dean leaned back in his chair dramatically. “It’s always the budget with you! Always worrying about the budget!”

“That is….. quite literally my job,” Frankie said apprehensively. She felt a familiar prickle in her sinuses return, and she quickly turned away from the Dean. 

“Huhh’eishoo! Ei’Xgghh! Huh’Ghh!” 

She dug around for a tissue and pressed it to her nose. Thank God this dress had pockets. 

“Okay… I have a… proposition,” the Dean said slowly. Oh God. 

“What’s that?” Frankie asked, mildly concerned. 

“I will forget about the desk thing… for now….. IF you go home,” he folded his hands on his desk, looking very pleased with himself. 

“No,” Frankie shook her head immediately. 

“Oh come on, Frankie,” the Dean rolled his eyes flamboyantly. “I know you feel awful. Just go home. So what if you’re not here for a day? How much harm can really be done in one day?” 

Frankie raised her eyebrows with a tired expression. 

“What, do you not trust me?” the Dean asked with hurt in his voice. Frankie couldn’t tell if it was feigned or not. 

“I didn’t say that,” Frankie said neutrally. 

“HA! You just did!” the Dean shouted. “Nobody responds with “I didn’t say that” unless they fully meant to say that!”

“Okay,” Frankie sighed, wanting to end this discussion. “I respect that you are my boss, so let’s compromise. You drop the desks. I won’t go home, but I will stay in my office. No patrolling the halls or going to meetings. Just good old paperwork.” She purposely left out the fact that she was already planning on doing that anyway. 

“Hmm,” he hummed, although it was clear he had already made up his mind. “If that’s the best I’m going to get out of you, then deal.”

“Great. I’m assuming we are done here?” Her voice tapered off at the end of the question, and she buried her face in her sleeve to cough. 

“For now… but you need to tell me if you start feeling worse. I am your boss, after all,” he said proudly. 

“Of course,” Frankie responded nonchalantly. She knew full well that she was in charge despite what the official paperwork said.