Rating: G
Summary: Blair tries his smelliest cold remedy yet...
Disclaimers: "The Sentinel" belongs to Pet Fly/Paramount - I ask NOT to be sued!
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AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACHOOOOOO!!!!
"Bless you," Jim said as he came downstairs and into the loft's kitchen. The sound of Blair's LOUD sneezing had assaulted his ears all morning - and all night for that matter after Blair had assured him that he was fine. Jim had dialed his hearing down as low as he dared during the night but still he heard the sneezes.
Pulling out a tissue from the box on the counter, he handed it to his partner whose eyes were bloodshot from the lack of a full night's sleep. "You, my friend, are going to the doctor."
Blair nodded a "thanks for the tissue" that was quickly followed by a shake of his head, "It's just a cold. I'll be fine in a few days. I'm already planning to take something for it."
"What? One of your natural cold remedies?"
"Uh huh."
"Look, Chief, the last time you brewed one of your natural cold remedies this place smelled so strange that the neighbors were complaining!" Jim said.
"Ah," Blair said, "That remedy was for you. I intended to try something a bit more subtle." He walked over to the refrigerator and removed a netted bunch of --
"Garlic?" Jim said, "You intended to boil garlic?"
His Guide shot him a mock glare, "No, I'm not going to boil it. I'm going to suck on it."
"You're going to what?" Jim asked, dialing up his hearing, not sure whether or not he heard his friend right.
"I said I am going to SUCK ON IT! You see I have read that at the onset of a cold if you suck on a garlic clove switching it out to a fresh clove every four or five hours, your cold will be gone within twenty-four to forty-eight hours," Blair said, peeling a clove.
"And you're willing to try this?"
Blair shrugged, "Hey if it works." He popped the clove in his mouth and bit down on it slightly.
Jim immediately held his nose, "I hope that takes care of your cold."
"Yeah, me too."
It was decided that Blair should stay home that day since he didn't have work at the university. He had been scheduled to work with Jim that day but with the strength of the garlic's "aroma" they both thought it would be a better idea not to give Simon the opportunity to yell at him.
After a few more minutes, Jim headed for work, pausing at the door, turning back to Blair he said, "I don't know if you'll get rid of that cold with garlic, Chief, but there is one thing I guarantee it WILL do for you."
"Wats zat?" Blair asked.
"I guarantee you it'll ward off EVERY vampire in Cascade who happens to be looking for a hippie anthropologist for a snack!"
Blair nearly missed hitting him with the dishtowel as Jim ducked out of the door...
The End
Note: I don't know if the garlic thing really works or not so I left that question unanswered at the end. I found the garlic tidbit by looking it up "natural cold remedies" in an interest search engine.
People spend billions of dollars every year trying to fight off the misery of the common cold. Want to try something different? Garlic is said to work wonders. Take a large clove, peel and keep it in your mouth. Bite down every so-often to release the natural juices. Replace with a new clove every four or five hours. Your cold symptoms are reported to be to gone in twenty four, to forty eight hours.
According to research by Dr. James North, at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, garlic can prevent cold and flu viruses if taken early enough. North's findings show that garlic is effective in killing the human rhinovirus, which causes colds. Dr. Andrew Weil, M.D. and author of Natural Health, Natural Medicine (Walker & Co., 1998) also believes in the cold-fighting benefits of garlic: "The best home remedy I have found for colds is to eat several cloves of raw garlic at the first onset of symptoms... Cut in chunks and swallow whole like pills... I recommend one or two cloves a day."