Sick

Don't Feel Good

    Kurt woke to the sound of his alarm blaring ‘Defying Gravity’ throughout the room.

    “Ugh,” he groaned. He felt awful! He was congested, could barely breathe, he was sweating despite the fact that he was freezing, his head was pounding, and – *cough!*cough!* – he couldn’t stop coughing! Kurt dragged himself out of bed slowly and made his way up the stairs to his dad and Carole’s room. He knocked on the door, wincing at how loud it seemed to be.

    “Come in!” Carole said loudly. Kurt opened the door slowly to see Carole fixing her outfit in the mirror and his dad pulling on his socks. Kurt walked over and sat down next to his dad on the bed. He leaned his head on his dad’s shoulder and groaned.

    “You okay buddy?” Burt asked and Kurt shook his head slightly.

    “I don’t feel well,” he said quietly. Carole walked over and pressed her hand to his forehead.

    “Sweetie you’re burning up!” she exclaimed.

    “Go back to bed buddy; I’ll call the school and let ‘em know you’re not coming in today, okay?” Burt said quietly.

    Kurt nodded, “Okay.” He stood up slowly and went back downstairs.

    “Poor boy, he never gets sick,” Carole said.

    “Yeah, it’s very rare he catches anything. But, boy, when he does, well…” Burt gestured to the door Kurt had just gone through.

    “I’m not sure what’s better,” Carole said as they walked downstairs, “Hardly ever getting sick, but then getting it really bad like Kurt; or getting a small cold all the time like Finn.”

    “How about not getting sick ever?” Finn said loudly walking into the kitchen, “Where’s Kurt?”

    “He’s sick so keep your voice down,” Carole told him. Finn nodded and didn’t say anything more. The morning continued as normal, though it was quieter without Kurt singing and dancing with Carole while they made breakfast. It was made and eaten in silence so as not to disturb Kurt. When they were finished, Finn went to get ready for school while Burt and Carole did the dishes. Right when they finished, the doorbell rang. Burt opened the door to find Noah Puckerman standing on the step. He stepped aside to let Puck in.

    “Hey Mr. H., they ready yet?” Puck asked.

    “Finn’s upstairs, he should be down in a minute, but Kurt’s sick and isn’t going to school today.”

    “Is he okay?” Puck asked.

    “Yeah he’s fine, probably just the flu. But he’s not gonna be at school for a couple days.

    “Is it okay if I go down and see him?” Puck asked. Burt nodded and Puck went downstairs to the basement. He could hear Kurt coughing as he reached the bottom of the stairs and saw that he was wrapped up in a giant blanket.

    “Hey gorgeous,” Puck said quietly.

    “Noah,” Kurt turned his head slightly to look at his boyfriend, “You should wait upstairs so you don’t catch anything.”

    “Yeah, right,” Noah said sarcastically. He walked over to Kurt and kissed his forehead, “Wow, you are hot.”

    “Why thank you,” Kurt said, smiling slight. Noah laughed quietly but stopped when Kurt started coughing violently. He helped the smaller boy sit up and rubbed small circles on his back.

    “Take your shirt off,” he instructed when Kurt had finished.

    “What?” Kurt asked weakly.

    “Take your shirt off,” Noah said again. Kurt did as he was told and removed his shirt. He started shivering instantly. Noah disappeared into the bathroom and Kurt could hear him going through the drawers. He came back a few seconds later with a small jar of vapor rub. Noah took the lid off the jar and scooped some out with his fingers. He then proceeded to rub it all over Kurt’s neck and chest.

    “This’ll help you breathe better,” Noah said quietly as he spread it around. Kurt just nodded, feeling tired and relaxed as his boyfriend massaged his chest. He opened his eyes when Noah had finished and put his shirt back on. It was an old shirt of his dad’s and t was huge on him. He was also wearing a pair of Noah’s pajama pants that he had ‘borrowed’ when Noah’s sister, Sarah, spilt a glass of milk on his jeans.

    “Come on,” Noah said quietly and helped Kurt to his feet, “Let’s go up and get you set up on the couch.” Kurt nodded weakly; he knew his dad was probably already setting it up for him the same way he did every time Kurt got sick. Sire enough, they arrived in the living room to see Burt laying pillows and blankets on the couch.

    “Carole just left for work. Puck, if you and Finn don’t leave soon you’re gonna be late.” Puck nodded as he helped Kurt get settled on the couch.

    “Would it be okay if I came back after school?” Puck asked.

    “Of course, I already called my buddy and said I wouldn’t be in until 3:00.” Puck smiled and leaned down to kiss Kurt’s forehead before he said his goodbyes and left with Finn. Burt knelt down in front and smoothed his hair down.

    “Try and get some sleep kiddo,” Burt said quietly. Kurt nodded and closed his eyes before he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.