Here's my next multi chapter fic. I'm really putting poor Jane through the wringer at the moment aren't I? I'm so mean…
Anyway thank you so much to lurkingwhump for listening to me drone on about this fic. I truly wouldn't be able to get anything done if it wasn't for you x
Just going to put a bit of a TW in with this. This is for my badthinghappenbingo prompt "stomach flu" so if you're squeamish don't read ahead.
Jane lay beside her husband, rubbing him softly on his back while he slept. The last eight hours had been hell. She had woken up the night before, only to find Kurt's side of the bed empty.
When she had finally found him, he had been huddled over the toilet retching his guts up.
"I'm ok… go back to bed." he had said, and Jane had shook her head, falling to her knees beside him.
She had stayed with him on the bathroom floor all night, taking turns between rubbing his back as he was violently ill, and wringing out the washcloth she had placed on the back of his neck.
He had protested, albeit weakly, stating he didn't want her to get sick. She had only shook her head, stating that their vows had said in sickness and in health.
Four hours later, he had finally managed to keep ginger ale down, and Jane had convinced him to move to the bedroom where he would be more comfortable.
She had placed a bucket on the floor beside him, and put a fresh glass of water on his bedside table.
He had fallen asleep quickly, completely drained from his visit with the porcelain God.
Kurt woke some time later, groaning when he tried to roll over.
"How are you feeling?" Jane asked, placing the back of her hand on his forehead.
"Like I've been hit by a truck." he muttered into the pillow.
Jane smiled, rubbing his shoulder.
"Your fever has broken at least." she said.
"And I don't feel like I'm going to throw up any time soon." Kurt continued.
Jane leant forward, kissing him on the forehead.
"I'll get you some Gatorade." she said, making her way to the kitchen. She returned, helping him sit back against the pillows.
He took the drink off of her, taking a tentative sip. He breathed a sigh of relief, when it hit his stomach, then settled.
"Keep sipping at that." Jane said. "I'm gonna go make the couch up so we can watch something if you like?"
Kurt smiled. She knew he hated being in bed during the day, whether he was sick or not.
She moved back to the bedroom, helping him out of bed and onto the couch. He was weak, completely spent from the virus he was still trying to fight off. She got him comfortable, before returning to the bedroom to grab the gatorade and the bucket from the side of the bed.
It was Easter weekend, so they had the next three days off, and Jane was secretly relieved, knowing she would have hated to leave him like this.
They spent the majority of the next day, tangled together on the couch, secretly relishing in the fact that no one wanted to disturb them because they knew Kurt was sick.
Late in the afternoon, Jane was starting to feel a little unwell herself. She shrugged, turning back to the movie, thinking she was probably just worn out. This was the first time in a long time, they had actually spent a couple of days doing nothing. Her body was probably just unsettled because she had finally 'stopped.'
Another twenty minutes passed, and her stomach was growing notably more upset. She held her breath, trying to ignore the cramps that were starting to rip their way through her system.
"You ok?" Kurt asked, noticing her grimace of pain.
"I'm not sure." she replied, bringing her hand up to cover her stomach. She exhaled slowly, trying to quell the torment within.
She tensed, as she rode out another wave of pain, a low rumble settling deep in her belly.
"Oh, I think I'm about to be very unwell." she groaned scrambling to her feet, making a beeline for the bathroom.
Kurt let her go, wanting to give her a little privacy if her stomach revolted at the other end.
A short while later, Jane exited the bathroom, looking pale and miserable.
"You ok?" Kurt asked her again from the kitchen, knowing she probably felt as wretched as she looked.
She shook her head, a defeated smile playing on her lips.
"I think I've caught your bug." she groaned miserably, taking a seat at the breakfast bar.
"Oh Jane. I'm sorry." Kurt apologized offering her a glass of ginger ale.
"Don't be." she said smiling softly. "You told me to keep away and I didnt listen. I knew the risk." She accepted the ginger ale, taking a tentative sip. "Why do you only get the vomiting though?" she complained, trying to make the situation a little more lighthearted.
Kurt just smiled softly in sympathy, walking around the counter and cupping the side of her head in his hand.
"Guess my body is just stronger than yours." he said, trying to get a rise out of her.
It worked. She smacked him on the shoulder, before he grabbed her hands and held them to his chest.
"Now now." he stated.
Jane rolled her eyes, noticing how pale he had become again.
"Why don't you go and sit down?" she suggested. Stronger or not, he was still recovering himself.
Kurt nodded, swallowing thickly.
"Join me?"
Her stomach gurgled loudly. She winced, bringing her hand to clutch at her abdomen as another cramp hit. Kurt place his hand on her shoulder, hoping to give a little comfort as her insides rebelled against her.
She groaned in discomfort, before her eyes widened.
"I think that's me again." she muttered, heading back towards the bathroom.
Kurt sighed, staring after Jane. He knew how unwell he had been - and he had only been vomiting. He would take that any day if his wife didn't have to suffer the same fate.
The sound of retching filled the apartment. Frowning, Kurt made his way to the bathroom, knocking softly.
"Jane?" he asked tentatively.
"Don't come in." she muttered. Kurt sighed, knowing she had started going at both ends.
"Let me know if you need anything." he said through the door. Not expecting much of a reply, he made his way back to the couch, waiting for his wife to reemerge. He knew she wanted a little privacy, but he would be there if she needed him.
Kurt opened his eyes drowsily. He must have nodded off. He looked at his watch, noticing that a couple of hours had passed. Sitting up, he realised Jane was still missing.
"Damn." he muttered, getting to his feet and making his way to the bathroom.
"You ok in there?" he asked through the door.
When all he received in response was a weak groan, he opened the door slowly.
"Oh Jane." he sighed, moving into the bathroom. She was leant over the toilet, her head resting on her arm, eyes closed in exhaustion. She had stripped down to her singlet and had managed to throw her hair into a small bun.
He knelt beside her, rubbing between her shoulder blades gently.
"Come on sweetheart, let's get you off the floor."
Jane shook her head.
"Not ready." she grunted out, her arm wrapping around her belly protectively.
"Ok, ok." he said, turning to grab a washcloth from under the sink. He wet it with cool water and wrung it out, placing it on the back of her neck, just like she had done for him a couple of nights before.
She groaned into the toilet bowl as her stomach churned. Before she knew it, she was vomiting again, heaving up what little was left in her system. Kurt rubbed her back, wishing he could switch places with her.
She panted heavily when she had finally got herself back under control, whimpering at the pain in her abdomen.
"Here." he said softly, offering her a glass of water.
Jane took a sip, and then lay exhaustively against Kurt. He kissed her softly on her forehead, frowning slightly at the burning of her skin.
"Ready to go to bed now?" he asked, wanting her to be more comfortable. She nodded in response, not quite sure if she could trust her voice. He stood, bringing her up with him. She groaned, swaying against the dizziness that assaulted her at the change of equilibrium. "Easy." he murmured, steadying her against his chest.
He guided her to their bedroom, helping her under the covers. Moving to the living room, he grabbed the bucket she had set aside for him earlier, knowing he was no longer at risk of needing it. He also poured her a fresh glass of ginger ale - she needed to start rehydrating sooner rather than later.
When he returned to the bedroom, he sighed at what greeted him. She was curled on her side, her knees brought up to her chest, pain etched into the features of her face. He sat down beside her, rubbing her shoulder softly.
"Something's not right, Kurt." she whispered, hugging her arms to her stomach. "You didn't get cramps this bad."
Kurt frowned.
"Do you want me to call the doctor?" he asked. Jane wasn't usually one to complain about pain.
She shook her head.
"Not yet…" she ground out. "It's probably just a twenty-four hour bug like yours was. It's just hitting me harder is all."
"Alright." he said softly. "You tell me if it gets any worse though." he added, his concern growing by the moment.
Jane didn't reply. She just shifted, rubbing her stomach uncomfortably.
"Do you think you could try drink a little for me?" he asked, brushing the bangs off her burning forehead.
Jane swallowed thickly. The thought of ingesting anything making her feel nauseated. But she knew she needed to keep her fluid levels up, if she wanted to have any chance of getting over this.
She nodded softly, and Kurt helped her sit up. He winced with her, seeing the pain flash across her face from the change in position.
He grabbed the glass off the nightstand and passed it to her. She reached out with shaky hands, sipping slowly.
Not five minutes after she had managed to drain half of the glass, her eyes grew wide, before squeezing shut. She swallowed convulsively, exhaling slowly.
"You going to be sick again?" Kurt asked knowingly, already reaching for the bucket on the floor. When he didn't receive a response, he helped her sit, rubbing her back as she breathed heavily into the bucket, willing the nausea to just stop.
She lost the battle within seconds, bringing up the ginger ale she had just consumed. Kurt's heart broke, watching her crying out at the pain in her stomach. He was starting to agree that something was definitely wrong. He had been sick, but Jane was right in saying that he never experienced stomach pain as debilitating as she was.
When she was done, he helped her lay back against the pillows, too exhausted to do anything, but try and breathe through the pain. He took the bucket to the bathroom, washing it out, before returning to her. He placed the bucket back on the ground and put a cold washcloth on her forehead.
"You ok for a minute?" he asked.
Jane just nodded softly in reply, hugging her knees back to her chest.
Kurt left the bedroom, looking through his contact list and calling their family doctor.
He told him of Jane's symptoms, and the doctor agreed that they sounded more severe than just a normal stomach bug. He told Kurt he would be over within the next hour.
Kurt disconnected the call and made his way back to the bedroom, where his wife was lying in the exact position he had left her. He sat down beside her, turning the washcloth over so the cooler side was on her skin.
"I called the doctor." he confessed.
Jane frowned.
"Why? I thought we decided I had just got the worse end of your bug?"
Kurt shook his head.
"The doctor agrees that this is more than a typical stomach bug." he said, rubbing her arm softly. "The sickness aside, the pain you're experiencing isn't normal."
Jane frowned again, choosing not to answer. She was sick of doctors.
"Also I'm a little worried because you can't keep anything down." Kurt continued. "I would just feel a bit better if you were checked out."
Jane sighed, then winced, riding out another wave of pain.
"Oh Jane…" he sighed, hating to see her in this level of discomfort. "Do you want to try the wheatsack?"
She nodded and Kurt moved off to the kitchen, relieved that he was able to do something to try and make her feel a bit better.
When the wheatsack was heated, he returned to the bedroom, lying down on the bed behind her. He wrapped her in his arms, holding the wheatsack to her stomach, rubbing her back gently with his free hand. She wrapped her arms around the wheatsack, hugging his hand to her middle.
Eventually, in the safety of her husband's arms, the exhaustion overcame the pain and Jane fell into a fitful sleep. Kurt lay with her, still rubbing her back softly, waiting for the doctor to arrive.