Love Is Hell
Chapter Twenty-Three: Sickness and In Health
Kate was at work, dressed in printed scrubs of red and green Christmas trees. A week before Christmas, Kate had begun picking up shifts—which meant taking on sixteen hour shifts for four days straight. She was on her third day, and she was exhausted; but her Christmas spirits (increased because this year, she wouldn't be spending it alone) made her incredibly optimistic. She performed her third operation within the past six hours—a poor fifteen year old girl had her appendix rupture and the stitching was just finished when someone knocked on the glass.
Kate glanced up from her work—needle and thread in her hand—and saw that it was Jane, the student intern who'd been an ER tech. Kate recollected her every time she saw Jane on the day where she'd done surgery on a trauma patient and Jane, who'd been inexperienced, assisted in the operation nicely, mainly because Jane followed Kate's instructions to the letter. That had been six months ago; Jane had switched her major of ER trauma to surgery, and was now Kate's assistant. Jane was also the one knocking on the glass. Kate saw her.
Jane held a phone in her hand, which she waved in indication that someone was on the line for her. She held up her scalpel for a nonverbal gesture of saying 'one minute'. Jane nodded and spoke on the phone a few minutes longer as Kate finished up the operation.
She stripped off the yellow gown, mask, and gloves in order then washed her hands. Shortly after, Jane came to Kate's side, handing her the phone.
"Who is it?" asked Kate.
"Some sick guy; he says he needs to talk to you, some medical emergency," Jane said. Jane, who'd been a blonde-haired woman as an intern and dyed it black, making her look like a tan ebony-haired beauty. Since that day where she had to follow Kate's directions, she'd been Kate's helper—in and out of surgery.
Kate took the phone, saying, "Dr. Burns here, hello?"
"Kate..."
Kate narrowed her eyes curiously.
"Sheldon?" Kate inquired.
"Kate, I'm sick."
Kate looked at Jane and thanked her wordlessly, then Jane nodded respectfully, heading out of the hospital for her thirty-minute break. Kate sat in the conference room, holding the phone between her ear and shoulder, as she began to fill out the admission paper work for the new patient.
"When I left you were fine," said Kate.
"When you left, I had a cold. Now I'm sick," Sheldon told her. Well, he wasn't faking; he sounded terrible. She heard him sneeze, and mutter something about his sinuses hurting.
"What do you want me to do, Sheldon? I have another procedure in thirty minutes," Kate told him.
At that moment, the phone was transferred and Kate heard Leonard's voice.
"Kate, it's Leonard."
"Hello, Leonard," Kate returned gently. "How—why are you in the apartment?"
"Sheldon banged on our door until we answered," Leonard said unhappily. "And, in case you didn't hear, he's sick."
"Okay," said Kate. "Well, I can't do anything right now; I have a surgery in thirty minutes and it's one that only I can do."
"Are you sure you can't—Sheldon, I know you're sick; hold on!" Leonard snapped. He addressed Kate: "Look, I know you've got stuff to do but Penny and I have a date and Sheldon's being...you know...Sheldon."
Kate sighed, glancing at her watch. She replied, "You're telling me that Sheldon's never been sick alone?"
"No, and frankly, I blame his mother for that." Leonard said. "Sheldon, just go to bed. I'll be there in a minute! Jesus...Kate, can you come here as soon as you can?"
"After my procedure, yes," Kate replied.
"Good, cuz he won't leave us alone."
"You know what," said Kate. "The moment I get finished, I'll come over there, relieve you and Penny of Sheldon, and I'll take care of him."
"Oh thank god, thank you so much," Leonard said with great relief. "You have no idea how in debt I am to you."
Kate heard his relief and she sighed warily, saying, "I can only imagine. Look, I have to go. Do I need to pick anything up when I leave?"
"Uh yeah...Soup, grilled cheese, juice—pretty much everything anyone in the entire world eats or drinks when they're sick," said Leonard. "But, you know, odds are whatever you don't get is what he'll want."
"Gotcha, okay, Leonard, thanks for calling," said Kate. "I have a surgery to..."
"One more thing."
"Sure."
"Who was that woman that answered the phone?" asked Leonard.
"Jane. Why?"
"Jane?"
"Yeah, you know that person I had pulled into surgery to help me because no one else listened to what I was saying and it'd have screwed up the surgery if they didn't listen; the same one that joined me when I had go in front of the board to determine if I made an irresponsible decision or a necessary one?" Kate reminded.
"Oh yeah, I remember. The intern."
"Yes, well she became an intern, changed her major from trauma care to surgery; she's my intern now."
"Oh great."
"Why do you ask?" Kate asked.
"Well, Raj initially was on the phone and heard her so now he wants to meet her," said Leonard. "I guess the Kahla person never hit it off well."
Kate nodded, saying, "I guess I can see if she's in a relationship, I don't know for sure. I'll look into it. Like I said, I'll be home as soon as I can, okay?"
"Sure, thank you so much."
"Yeah, okay. Bye."
"Bye, Kate," Leonard said quickly.
Kate hung up. She groaned; not even when she left the hospital did her job end. She stood and began sterilizing for the next operation.
Xx
Kate knocked on the apartment door; it opened with Leonard and Penny standing behind it, looking worn down to the bone. They assisted in helping Kate lug in the three grocery bags of food, wash cloths, and herbs. Penny waited at the door as Leonard updated Kate.
"So you've never had Sheldon get sick on you before, have you?" Leonard asked.
"No," said Kate. "What's up?"
"What's up—well..." Leonard said slowly. "He had a cold, then he had a fever. It's 102 degrees right now and he's in bed..."
Kate heard Sheldon call for Leonard and she looked at he and Penny with a tired smile.
"Um, he's been throwing up, sneezing, blowing his nose, oh, and he wanted soup," said Leonard. He glanced in the bags and pulled out the tomato, saying, "Oh good, you got it. So there ya go." He and Penny ran out of the apartment quickly and closed the door.
"Leonard!" Sheldon called.
Kate went into her bedroom and quickly changed out of her scrubs; she was a short-sleeve pink shirt (batman on the front, of course) and blue jeans. Kate knocked on his door gently, and opened it without invitation.
Sheldon was in bed, pillows under his head elevating his body at an obtuse angle for more oxygen access. There were dark shades under his eyes, his face was pale, but he was also pink. He held a tissue in his hands, in which he sneezed. Kate smiled gently and sat on the side of his bed.
"Hello, honey," Kate cooed. Sheldon looked at her.
"Why did it take you so long to get here?" Sheldon complained. "Penny and Leonard were ignoring me all day!"
Kate touched the back of her hand to his forehead; he was burning up! She cupped his cheek with the same hand and said in a motherly voice, "I'm sorry, honey, I was working. But don't you worry, Kate's here." She leaned over the edge, taking the waste basket, in which he dropped his tissue. She handed him another one.
"You should have gotten here faster when I told you I had a cold," Sheldon stated.
"Mm, well, I have colds too and they always go without treatment," Kate replied.
"You can't treat a cold, Kate; it's viral." Sheldon returned rather coldly.
"You're right, it is," said Kate. As she stood, Sheldon began coughing a fit. "Sheldon, I don't know what Leonard and Penny have been doing but I'm going to take your vitals just so I'm on the up and up."
"Well, at least you're doing something." Sheldon said nasally.
Kate gave him a tired look but none the less, she stood and walked into the living room. She opened her suitcase and pulled out her stethoscope, sphygmomanometer, thermometer and pulse-ox. Kate walked back into Sheldon's room. She sat on the bed with one leg hanging off the edge.
"Open your mouth, Sheldon," said Kate gently.
He did so and she placed the thermometer under his tongue. He closed his mouth after she'd done so. Kate took his hand and placed his right index finger into the pulse-ox, reading its pulse and oxygen level.
"hmhmhmm-hmm hmhmm..." Sheldon mumbled.
"Don't talk when you have a thermometer in your mouth," Kate ordered strictly. She looked at him, saying, "Otherwise, the reading will be wrong."
"Hmm-mmmm..."
"I know you know that already," Kate replied. "Now quiet." She looked down at the reading: "Oxygen is ninety-eight. Pulse is eighty-nine." She withdrew the pulse-ox and placed it on the end table.
Kate looked at Sheldon and touched the end of thermometer.
"Open," Kate instructed.
He parted his lips slightly and she withdrew it.
"How do you suppose you became sick anyway?" asked Kate coolly.
Sheldon sneezed into his tissue before saying anything and he looked at her quizzically.
"My immunity levels dropped and I got a cold. Kate, I've told you this three times—achoo!" Sheldon recovered from the sneeze, and added, "But to answer your question, my symptoms appeared three days ago."
Kate looked at him and said, "Three days ago? You mean the same day where you decided you weren't going to ride with me to work and instead, you'd walk in the rain?"
Sheldon gazed at her equivocally, refusing to admit it. Kate and Sheldon had a small disagreement about whether or not the Batmobile (Kate's car, not the fictional car) could look more like the Batmobile if it had a jet. Sheldon said it could. Kate refused to add a jet on her car. And therefore, Sheldon refused to ride to work with her in the car, resulting in what now was the consequence.
Kate didn't make him say that she was right. He didn't have to. The glare on his face was more than obvious. Kate read the thermometer, unaffected by the glare.
"102.0," read Kate. "Well, at least I don't have to take you to the Emergency Room. In order for that to happen, it'd have to be 105, or you'd be dying." She wiped both items down with an alcohol pad and then opened the blood pressure cuff.
Sheldon held out his arm and Kate moved his sleeve upon to his bicep, wrapping the cuff around. Sheldon watched her while sniffling; before placing the stethoscope's base (the part that touched the skin and was always freezing cold) on his warm flesh, Kate held it in her palms for a minute. She then placed it underneath the cuff, put the ear pieces in her ears, and then squeezed the bulb until she began to hear his heart beat.
Kate let out the pressure and looked at him, saying, "Your blood pressure is a little wacky, but nothing to worry about." Kate leaned forward and kissed his forehead, murmuring, "Kate will be back in five minutes."
She left shortly to put her items back in the red cross bag. Soon after she was putting soup in the microwave and she came back to see Sheldon was holding his hands to his temples.
"Headache?" Kate suggested, sitting on the side of his bed again.
"Headache, stomachache, and any other ache that comes to mind," Sheldon complained. He groaned agonizingly. "By far, this the worst sick I've ever been, and when I was a child, I was frequently visited by illness."
"I'm making soup," Kate offered.
"I don't want soup." Sheldon muttered. He leaned over to the opposite side of the bed and handed her Vapo-rub. "Can you rub this on my chest? The Vapo-rub makes my hands smell funny."
Kate smiled and took it from him.
"Sure," she said.
He raised up his shirt. Kate undid the top and dipped her fingers into the gel. She touched the flesh above his sternum, smiling ever so slightly when he flinched. She rubbed in concentric circles; Sheldon sighed pleasantly, relaxed.
"Kate," he said. "Will you sing Soft Kitty to me?"
Kate nodded. He closed his eyes and she sang: "Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty, Little Ball of Fur. Happy Kitty, Sleepy Kitty, Purr, purr, purr."
Sheldon sighed again. He looked at her.
"Kate."
"Yes, Sheldon?"
"Are you going to leave tomorrow?" asked Sheldon.
"No," said Kate. "I called in."
"But you're not sick," Sheldon protested.
"No, but you are."
"They let you call in for that?"
"No," said Kate. "I told them my grandmother was passing and I had to be off for the next week."
Sheldon stared at her but Kate smiled, saying, "She's not, but they'd never let me call in and reschedule a surgery based on the data provided my boyfriend is sick. That'd never pan out correctly."
"You told a lie?"
"Yeah," said Kate. She capped the Vapo-Rub and said serenely, "I'd lie a hundred times if it means making sure you're okay, honey."
"That's both comforting and, yet, disturbing," Sheldon noted. He lowered his shirt and pulled another tissue from the box, sneezing then blowing his nose again.
"I'm going to check on the soup," said Kate lightly.
Sheldon followed Kate into the living room to eat.
Xx
It was twenty-four hours later and Kate sat on the couch, tired, worn out, and physically drained. She heard Sheldon call for her again and she walked into his bedroom without invitation, not even knocking.
"Can you take my vitals again?" Sheldon asked; he'd slept over sixteen hours, which seemed to speed along his recovery. Kate nodded and she came back into the room five minutes later and took his vitals again.
"Open," Kate said tiredly.
He opened his mouth and she put the thermometer under his tongue. He closed his mouth and watched her curiously.
"You look a little sick too, Kate; I hope I didn't give it to you," Sheldon noted.
Kate took his readings for oxygen and pulse.
"Ninety-nine for oxygen, and ninety for heart rate," read Kate. She looked at him, saying, "I'm not sick, Sheldon. I'm tired." She took the thermometer after two minutes, reading, "Ninety-nine."
"You're always tired."
"I'm always working," Kate reminded. "Especially with these holidays coming up." She took his blood pressure and then looked at him pointedly, "Taking care of you isn't an easy trip either."
Sheldon shrugged, saying, "Well, to compare, it wasn't exactly a trip to a museum caring for you when you were under the flu and had a sprained ankle."
"Touche," Kate mused. "You're healthy again."
She stood, put up her items, and then went to bed after saying, "I'm tired. Good night."
Sheldon looked after her, perplexed, but then went to do his laundry; after all, it was eight-fifteen and Saturday: Laundry night.