Caring for her sniffles (Female, cold)

[Italiangirl]

Hey there!
I'm back with a brand new story!
I got the idea on Tumblr, where I read a really good sickfic about a 1950s housewife with a cold.
I'd never written a story set in the USA in 1950s,  but I like that idea so I'm gonna give it a try.
Let me introduce you to my new characters: the protagonist is Charlotte, an American 30-year-old brunette, our 1950s housewife.
But she's not the typical tame, devoted woman you might imagine...
She's actually a tough, strong woman who wants to be financially independent, who's looking for a job.
Her husband, Jack, who's also 30 years old, is quite a "modern" man for his time: he supports his wife and wants her to be independent, plus he takes care of housework, especially when his wife is tired, busy or sick.
He always asks if she needs help and he's a very good cook.
In short, he's a very caring husband and he would do anything for his wife.
P.S.: I initially planned to write more parts, but then I got writer's block and didn't manage to come up with a part 2.
So for now I'll publish the 1st part and then if inspiration strikes I'll publish more parts, but I don't guarantee I will come up with a continuation. 
But let's dive into the story now, shall we?

"Caring for her sniffles" (Oneshot):
That cold and rainy winter day, a Sunday, Charlotte woke up feeling really under the weather: her head was pounding, her sinuses were completely filled with congestion and her nose was tickling nonstop.
She also felt very tired and she was quite sure she was running a fever as well.
She had been battling a cold for a few days, but she didn't think it was going to be this bad.
Two days before, she had woken up with a bit of a scratchy throat and a slight headache, which were undeniable first signs of a budding cold for her, but she had shrugged those mild symptoms off.
Charlotte was a strong woman: she never let a small cold get in the way, she always tried to push through it.
The day after, she had woken up with a stuffy nose and a sore throat, which got worse and worse as the day went on.
But still, Charlotte continued to ignore those symptoms and go about her day as if nothing had happened.
But back to that dreary, rainy Sunday morning: her cold had really settled in now, making itself comfortable in her increasingly swollen, inflamed nasal passages and making her feel utterly miserable.
And it was starting to get sneezy too!
Charlotte sat up in her bed, grabbed her trusted handkerchief and put it up to her face, as she could feel her nose was burning with an incredibly strong, unpostponable need to sneeze.
"Haaah... haaah... haaaappsshoo!! Haah... haaakksshoo!! Haaakkssshoo!! Haaappsshoo!! Haaakksssh!! Haah... haah... haaaakkssh!! Haaappsshoooo!! Uugh, sssnff!!"
After she let out those harsh, desperate sneezes, Charlotte felt almost light-headed.
She looked over at her husband's side of the bed, only to find out it was already empty.
Usually she was the first one to get up in the morning, but this time she had slept in...
She always asked her husband to wake her if he woke up and found she was still asleep, even on a Sunday, but he knew she was sick with a cold and that she needed rest, so he had preferred not to bother her.
She smiled at the thought and buried her nose into the hankie to give it a good blow.
It was actually one of Jack's handkerchiefs.
Not that she didn't have any, in fact she had plenty, but Jack always insisted that she used his hankies whenever she had a cold, as they were man's hankies and therefore much bigger than hers.
"You need them more than me, honey! Please take as many as you need to take care of that poor snotty nose!"
He always said.
Charlotte smiled at the thought, when another forceful sneeze made her snap back to reality.
"Haah... haaakkssshoo!! Ugh, sssnff!!"
She groaned at how congested she felt and blew her nose again, trying to clear some of the thick mess occupying her cold-filled nose, but to no avail.
"Uugh, I hate this..." she muttered in a raspy voice, when another sneezing fit suddenly shook her whole body.
Her breath started hitching, her head tilted back and one by one, she hurled out several wet, loud sneezes into the hankie.
"Haaah... haaakksshoo!! Haappsssshoo!! Haaassshoo!! Haaakksshoo!! Haaaakkssh!! Haaah... haaakkssh!! Oh do! Oh by God!"
She sighed as she dabbed at her reddened, damp nostrils with the hankie.
She felt exhausted and really didn't want to get out of bed, but she had to.
She slowly got up and washed her face, then she put a dress and an apron on.
She slipped two clean hankies into the pockets of her apron, sniffling wetly.
In the meantime, her husband Jack was downstairs, making coffee.
He could hear her wife's strong sneezes loud and clear from the kitchen.
"Oh, Charlotte's cold entered its sneezy stage, it seems!" He thought.
They had been together for 5 years now and he knew how her colds progressed by now.
They were very predictable: on the third or fourth day of the cold, she always got really sneezy for at least two or three days and then the sneeziness started tapering off until she was well again.
She wasn't a particularly sneezy person and she never sneezed in doubles or fits unless she had a bad cold.
And that day she definitely had one.
"Good bordig, hodey... sssnnrrff!! *sighs*" She exclaimed in a stuffy voice, sniffling thickly, sighing congestedly and then wiping her nose with her husband's hankie.
"Good morning, dear! How are you feeling today?"
He asked, looking concerned.
"I feel okay, it's just a bit of a cold after all... sssnfff!!"
She lied, forcing a smile which was partially covered by the hankie she was still pressing to her abused nose.
Jack wasn't fooled: her pale complexion, flushed cheeks and cherry red nose told him she wasn't feeling well at all.
Not to mention her unusually dishevelled appearance and messy hair!
Not that he minded of course, she was always beautiful to him, but it wasn't like her!
"Are you sure you feel fine? I think your cold got worse, you were sneezing up a storm earlier!"
Said Jack, sounding genuinely worried about his cold-ridden wife.
"Haaaakkssshoo!! Haaah... haaappssshoo!! Haaakkssh!!"
She proved his words sneezing again into a fresh hankie.
"Bless you! See? You sneezed again!
Awwww honey, you should be in bed!"
"Do, dod't worry! I'b fide, I swear!
Why do you always have to worry so buch?
It's just a... haaah... haaakksshoo!! Haaah... haaappssshoo!! Haaaakkssshoo!! Haah... haaakkssh!! It's just a cold... sssnff!!"
She said, then wrapped a hankie around her nose and gave it a wet, snotty blow.
"Bless you again! I know it's nothing serious, but it sounds like a really nasty cold!
You should rest or it will get even worse!"
He protested, his voice sounding firm and sweet at the same time.
"Do, hodey... I'b fide! Sssnfff!! I'b just a little sdiffly and sdeezy, that's all... ssnff!
Dow I deed to bake breakfast..."
She said, sounding tired yet resolute.
She got to the kitchen counter and started cracking eggs.
"Oh honey, I'll make breakfast today! You shouldn't be cooking when you're feeling this bad!
You should go back to bed right now!"
"But... sssnnnff, what about all the housework and everything?"
Protested Charlotte.
"It will be alright, I'll take care of everything today.
You need rest, honey, why can't you understand that?"
His wife wanted to answer, but her nose wouldn't let her speak.
Her breath was hitching and her nostrils were flaring, as she was getting ready to launch into another series of forceful sneezes.
She turned away from the bowl with the cracked eggs and...
"Haah... haaah.... haaaakksshoo!! Haappsshoo!! Haaaappssh!! Haaappsshiiewww!! Haaaakksssh!! Haaassshoo!! Uugh, sssnff!!"
She groaned and started massaging her poor, achy head.
"Ok, you wod... sssnff!! I'b really dot feelig well today... haaah... haaaakksshoo!! Haaasssh!! Haaappssshieww!!
Uuugh, sssnff!! This cold is the worst!"
She admitted in defeat, her voice sounding whiny and tired.
Jack pulled his wife closer and hugged her.
"Finally you admitted it! Awww, my poor dear!"
As he gently kissed her, he could feel heat radiating from her body and he could also see that she was shivering a bit.
"Uh oh! That's not good, honey!
You're burning up!" 
He felt her forehead and said: "You definitely feel warm, I think you're running a fever!"
"That bakes sedse... sssnff!! I feel all tired and chilled today...
Oh do, I deed to sdee... haaah... haaakksshoo!! Haaaakksshoo!! Ugh, sdeeze agaid! Ssnff!!"
She turned away from her husband and sneezed into her elbow.
"Bless you, dear! Now, back to bed you go!"
Charlotte tried to protest again: "Oh hodey, I dod't thidk that's decessary, I cad badage... ssssnfff!!"
"Oh no, I won't hear any of it! I'm your husband and you do as I say!"
He exclaimed firmly, trying to keep a straight face.
He failed miserably as he burst into laughter a few seconds later.
It was obviously just a joke, he would never snap at his wife like that!
And Charlotte knew that, so she laughed herself.
He always managed to make her laugh, even when she was feeling under the weather!
She sniffled wetly and blew her nose again, as Jack helped her climb the stairs and get back into bed.
He went to the bathroom to fetch a thermometer, then came back to their bedroom.
"Now, open your mouth and try not to sneeze again!" He chuckled.
Charlotte chuckled a bit herself, then she opened her mouth as Jack placed the thermometer under her tongue.
Unfortunately, her nose immediately started tickling again...
She tried her best not to sneeze, but the itch was too strong!
"Ppssshh!! Kksssh!!" She stifled two sneezes in rapid succession, desperately trying not to sneeze out the thermometer.
Luckily it stayed put in her mouth.
"Awww, bless you!" Jack cooed, then he proceeded to get the thermometer out of his wife's mouth.
"Haaah... haaakksshoo!! Haaakksshoo!! Haaakksssh!! Haappsshoo!! Haaakkssheww!! Uugh, ssnff!!
Oh, that felt so good! I cad fidally sdeeze agaid! It was so hard to hold theb id!"
"I know, honey!"
He frowned as he saw the reading on the thermometer.
"Uh oh! 101.1 °F! You're definitely running a fever, honey!
No wonder you're burning up!"
He gently kissed his wife's feverish brow, told her to get some rest and then went back downstairs to make breakfast.

[Klingon]

this is good so far Italiangirl!

[launderedlace]

Handkerchiefs in the pocket of an apron? Love it - that's me all the time!

[ShamanBodyan]

It's very sweet 😍. 

[jke1995]

Super sweet! I love how Charlotte tries to keep herself from sneezing with the thermometer in her mouth.