Hey guys, this is a fic that just sort of came to me. I'm sort of a medical nerd, so sometimes I research different thing and I came across Pertussis, or whooping cough and realized how horrible it truly is. I know I might get hate from some people for saying this...but I wrote this fic as a warning for people who don't vaccination their children (for what ever reason) Whooping cough is completely preventable with a vaccination. Not convinced, youtube videos of people with whooping cough and you'll change your mind. It's truly awful.
"Achoo!" Blaine sneezed into a tissue as he lay on the couch. He loved New York. He really did, but he hated all the germs. Blaine had always had a really awful immune system, even since he was a child. He caught everything from the flu, to bronchitis, to colds, to the chicken pox. If there was a virus going around, Blaine could pretty much count on getting it. Now, he was pretty sure he was getting a wicked cold. A kid in his theater had been coughing up a lung the other day and barely covered his mouth. It was no wonder the germ had found his way into Blaine's body. All he had done today was lay on the couch and be miserable. His nose was extremely stuffed and his chest felt tight. Worst of all, he had an awful cough. All Blaine wanted was for Kurt to come home and take care of him. But, they need money, so Kurt had gone to his shift at the diner.
As Blaine lay on the couch, he felt a tickle begin in his throat. "Oh not again…" He thought. Blaine pushed himself to a sitting position and let the hacking coughs erupt from his body. He coughed until he could barely breathe. Finally,the coughing let up and Blaine laid back down before grabbing his bottle of water and taking a sip. This cold sure was killer. He had never had one this bad.
"Hey honey," He heard as the large door slid open, revealing Kurt dressed in his diner uniform. "How are you feeling?" he asked walking over to his fiance.
"Not good." Blaine rasped out, coughing. Kurt frowned and leaned in closer to press his lips to Blaine's forehead.
"You feel warm." Kurt observed. "Let me go and get the thermometer." he added before walking down the hallway to the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the thermometer before walking back into the living room and taking a seat on the edge of the couch. "Open for me, hun." he said. Blaine slowly opened his mouth and positioned the thermometer under his tongue. They waited a moment before the device beeped and Kurt took it from his mouth. "Ooh...102.4" Kurt replied. "You're really sick. Maybe we should go to the doctor"
"Just a cold." Blaine argued. "I always get sick. I have the worst immune system in the world."
"Maybe we should just stick you in a bubble." Kurt laughed and so did Blaine, but that proved to be a bad decision because it triggered another coughing attack. Blaine shot up into a sitting position as the coughs ripped through his body. Kurt was instantly at his side, rubbing Blaine's back. When he was finished, Kurt handed him the bottle of water and Blaine took a sip and tried to breathe. "I really don't like that cough." Kurt told him. "If you get worse, we're going to the doctor's."
"No…" Blaine whined.
"You know for a boy who gets sick so often...you sure don't like doctors." Kurt said.
"Yes, that's exactly why." Blaine replied. "When I was a kid, I was constantly at the doctor. It was awful."
"Okay my little lemon boy." Kurt laughed, "How about we move you to the bed where you'll be more comfortable, huh?" Blaine nodded and allowed Kurt to help him into the bathroom. Because of the fever, Blaine was very dizzy and had to rely on Kurt to get him to the bedroom. Once there, Blaine collapsed on the bed, his muscles feeling like jelly. Kurt covered him up with blankets and then ran his fingers through Blaine's hair. "Get some rest okay." Kurt told him and Blaine nodded as he settled under the covers. After that, Kurt left his fiance in bed and headed into the living room to work on some homework for his next class. Blaine lasted about an hour before he was rouse from his nap with a coughing jag. This time it was really bad. Blaine coughed and coughed, until he began to gag. He pressed a tissue to his mouth and continued to cough, eventually bringing up some thick mucus from his throat. Kurt came in from the living room carrying a trashcan. "Here honey," Kurt said. "Just breathe." Blaine continued to cough. He couldn't stop. Kurt positioned the trashcan under Blaine's mouth as he gagged and then threw up a little bit. Finally, the coughing fit stop and Blaine was completely out of breath. Kurt grabbed a tissue and gently wiped Blaine's mouth.
"I'm okay." Blaine rasped out.
"Yeah, you sound great." Kurt replied sarcastically. "You are going to the doctor tomorrow. A cold does not make you cough so much that you throw up."
"Please...no." Blaine moaned.
"Nope, you're not changing my mind." Kurt replied. "I'm going to call the doctor now and make you an appointment." he added before heading out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where his cell phone was. Blaine closed his eyes and sulked in bed. He was fine. it was just a bad cold.
That night, Kurt crawled into bed with Blaine and hugged him from behind. Kurt could tell that Blaine still had a fever. Tomorrow could not come soon enough. Around one in the morning, Blaine woke up, feeling that familiar tickle. He broke from Kurt's arms and began to cough. This one felt really strong, so he went into the bathroom in an attempt to keep Kurt from waking up. Blaine coughed and coughed. Feeling some mucus come up, he hunched over the toilet and spit before continuing. Back in the bedroom, Kurt heard his fiance and went into the bathroom. He found Blaine still hunched over the toilet coughing. Kurt knelt behind him and rubbed his back. "Shh, it's okay honey." Kurt said comforting him. Blaine continued to cough and between each cough, he wheezed, practically getting no air whatsoever. Before long, Blaine practically looked blue and Kurt began to panic. Blaine finally stopped coughing and slumped against the bathtub.
"That's it. We're going to the hospital now." Kurt said.
"No…" Blaine cried, coughing once again.
"Shh, calm down." Kurt replied. "Don't get yourself worked up. You'll start to cough again. But, I'm taking you to the hospital. Hun, you just turned blue. Something is wrong." Kurt watched as Blaine teared up, but nodded. He helped his fiance off the ground and practically carried him into the living room. He helped Blaine slip on a jacket before the two of them went downstairs and out to the streets. Kurt was quick to grab a few tissue and a bag just in case for the way to the hospital.
Kurt hailed a taxi and then helped Blaine get inside. "New York Memorial Hospital." Kurt told the driver. On the way there, Blaine fell asleep pressed against Kurt's chest. By the time they got to the hospital, Blaine was so pale and could barely get him inside. "I wanna go home.' he moaned from one of the waiting room chairs.
"Shh, shh, it's okay." Kurt comforted. "How much longer until my husband is seen?" he barked at a passing nurse.
"We're swamped." She retorted. Just as she passed by Blaine went into a cough jag, coughing, wheezing and gagging, which made the nurse stop in her tracks. "On second thought, let's get you into a private room." she said. She grabbed a wheelchair and together, she and Kurt sat Blaine down. They rushed him to a private room and at that point, Blaine was gagging once again. The nurse grabbed a basin and held it under Blaine's mouth. "It's alright. Let it out." she said, until Blaine coughed up more mucus.
When Blaine was finished the nurse handed took the oxygen mask and handed it to him. "Keep this on okay. It'll help you breathe." she told him. Blaine nodded, and leaned back on the gurney.
"What's wrong with him?" Kurt asked, running his fingers through Blaine's hair.
"I'm not a doctor, but to me it sounds like pertussis." the nurse replied.
"Wait? Pertussis? Whooping cough?" Kurt asked. "Aren't there vaccines for that?"
"There are." the nurse replied. "I'll go get you a doctor." she added before leaving. About five minutes later, a doctor came back, an Ipad in his hand.
"Hi, I'm Dr. Marks." The man said. "Can I have your name?" he asked Blaine. Blaine went to talk, but Kurt cut him off.
"His name is Blaine Anderson." Kurt replied. The doctor nodded and typed in his name and brought up his file. "The nurse in here before said he had whooping cough." Kurt told the man. "That's a vaccine that you get as a kid. Didn't Blaine receive that?" The doctor looked through Blaine's file and then looked up.
"No he didn't.' Dr. Marks replied. "It looks like he doesn't have any of the vaccination typically given to children."
"M-my parents didn't believe in vaccines." Blaine coughed out before fitting the oxygen mask to his face once again.
"From that cough, I pretty much have my diagnosis." Dr. Marks said. "It's whooping cough and it sounds bad. I'm going to go ahead and admit him for the night and we'll get him started on antibiotics."
"Okay, thank you." Kurt replied.
"No problem. An orderly will be here to take you guys up to a room." Dr. Marks replied. After Dr. Marks left, Kurt returned to Blaine's side and ran his fingers through Blaine's hair again.
"I can't believe your parents' didn't vaccinate you." Kurt said angrily.
"I g-guess that explains my crappy immune system." Blaine gasped out. "You can say I told you so now."
"I'll gloat when you're better." Kurt replied, kissing his forehead. Soon after, an orderly came and took Blaine upstairs. They got him situation with nasal cannula and a basin just in case. It was a rough night. Blaine had at least five coughing fits during the night that Kurt had to deal with. At one point, Kurt felt himself beginning to cry. Blaine was just so sick and it hurt to see him like that.
"Honey, why don't you go and get some food." the nurse offered. "I've got him." Blaine who was still wheezing, looked panicked.
"No, no, I'll stay." Kurt replied, taking his placed behind Blaine's back. Blaine gagged again and threw up into the basin. "Shh, shh sweetie." he said, rubbing Blaine's back. They were in for a rough couple of weeks. After about a week, Blaine was released from the hospital and was slowly getting better. He couldn't go back to school yet and still had awful coughing fits, but it was getting better. It took about ten weeks for Blaine to totally get back on his feet.
"I'm glad I'm finally better." Blaine replied.
"Me too." Kurt replied. "If I've learned anything from this experience...when we have kids, they are getting vaccinated for everything."
"Oh definitely." Blaine said. "I wouldn't wish whooping cough on my worst enemy." Kurt smiled and pressed a kiss to Blaine's forehead. It was good to have his fiance back.