Work Text:
Cough
“Was that a cough I just heard?” Robby whips his head around towards Jack who’s sitting at the kitchen table. Newspaper spread out in front of him and coffee in hand.
“It’s just a little tickle in the back of my throat. Nothing to be alarmed about,” Jack deflects before coughing again.
“Every time!” Robby throws his hands in the air, “Every single time you get sick you always get me sick too.”
“No I cough don’t,” Jack argues.
“Liar,” Robby scoffs and turns back to the stove as Dennis comes into the kitchen.
“What’s Jackie lying about,” Dennis leans over the man at the table to kiss him.
Jack sighs, “Mikey thinks that I always get him sick when I have a cold and I cough don’t think that’s true.”
“It is true,” Robby says as he plate their breakfast and bringing it to the table.
Dennis, still leaning over Jack kisses him again, “Well I have a strong immune system, bet you won’t get me sick.”
“You kissed him!? Oh my god, stop kissing him you’ll get sick. Oh my god I kissed him this morning too. No more kisses for you mister,” Robby glares at Jack.
“Why,” Jack whines, “kisses make everything better.”
“Because you are the most contagious man I know, and I will not be getting sick.” Robby turns sharply to Dennis, “Absolutely, under no circumstance do you fall into his trap and kiss him. Jackie is the worst patient when sick and he will try to fool you into kissing him with his cuteness which will only get you sick.”
Dennis laughs, “He can’t be that bad.”
Robby looks at Dennis and in all seriousness says, “Oh just you watch.”
Achoo
“Jack got sick and now here you are sneezing all over my desk. Must be that ‘kissing cold’ that the nurses are talking about. The kind you get from kissing your sick boyfriend too much,” Dana teases.
“I swear that I didn’t let him kiss me before I left this morning,” Robby’s nose begins to drip.
“Sure, he didn’t kiss you,” Dana looks are Robby incredulously. “Shoot, I’m out ten bucks now. I shouldn’t have bet for tomorrow morning.”
Pulling a tissue from the box on Dana’s desk Robby blows his nose. “Please don’t tell me you bet on when I’d get sick.”
Dana laughs, “Robby, the biggest pool in PTMC emergency room history was when you and Jack got together. The only one that even compares is the one predicting Whitaker’s love life, but obviously that’s been open for three years now. The moment Jack came to work with a cough on Tuesday the bets were on with your ‘kissing cold’. You’re staff love you, let them have a little fun at your expense.”
“I can’t believe they’re this cruel,” Robby moans.
Sniffle, sniffle, cough
Trinity turns to Dennis, “Dude, you must have caught whatever Dr Robby has.”
“What? Robby’s sick?”
“Yeah, Princess told me earlier that she overheard Robby and Dana talking about Dr Abbot being sick and Robby catching it. Princess was joking that the staff always bet how long after Abbot gets sick it takes Robby to get sick. They call it the ‘kissing cold’,” Trinity leers
Dennis blushes, “Well I definitely don’t have whatever they have. Just a regular sniff runny nose here. No ‘kissing cold’ at all. Nope.”
Trinity turns and stares at him, “You’re weird Huckleberry.”
By the end of the shift Dennis is sneezing every three minutes. “Honey,” Dana stops him, “You should head home early and lie down. Whatever is going around this place is getting nasty, first Jack, then Robby, and now you.”
“But cough, I only have thirty minutes left Dana. Please don’t make me go home early,” Dennis pleads.
“Fine but put a mask on. If you get snot on a patient you’re cleaning it up, my nurses won’t be helping you.” Dennis hurries to comply.
“I heard you caught the ‘kissing cold’,” Mel sits next to Dennis a few minutes later in the central workstation area, catching a few nurses and Robby’s attention.
“I did not! Who’s been telling you that? It better not have been Santos,” Dennis hisses at Mel. “It’s just a little cold, nothing to worry about.”
“Whitaker, a moment please,” Robby puts his hand on Dennis’s neck and guides him into the hall by the lockers.
“Before you say anything-” Robby holds up his hand to silence Dennis.
“I told you not to fall for it. He always does this. Every single time he gets sick he passes it onto me with those stupid good morning and good night kisses that he insists upon.”
“But he begged me for a goodbye kiss before work. He said it would make him feel better,” Dennis whines, snot beginning to run from his nose.
“Of course it made me feel better,” Jack says coming up behind Dennis from the elevator. Jack had opted to pick up the night shift after missing the last two days of work and finally feeling better. He was just now coming on to put his stuff away and check in early with the staff. Jack unlocks his locker and put his bag in before pulling out a tissue and handing it to Dennis. “Here Whitaker.”
“Don’t you dare start,” Robby warns venomously. “You made both of us sick with your stupid ‘kissing cold’ and I already know we’ll both be cough sick as dogs tomorrow.”
Dennis stands between Robby and Jack who are glaring at each other over Dennis’s head. Dennis wipes his nose with the tissue Jack gave him as staff from both the day and the night shifts begin to trickle into the hall heading towards their lockers. Trinity and Mel round the corner together discussing one of their patients from the day.
“Yes, but his Atherosclerosis caused the CVD which led to the stroke. Oh, hi Dr Abbot! Good to see you. The nurses said you’d been sick. I’m glad to see you back.” Mel and Trinity pause in front of them. “I hope I didn’t upset you by saying you caught the ‘kissing cold’,” Mel apologizes to Dennis who blushes refusing to make eye contact with Trinity who is looking at him funnily.
“The ‘kissing cold’?” Jack questions.
“Yes. Apparently our staff bet on how long after you get sick I end up sick. Because every time you’re sick,” Robby pokes Jack in the chest, “I get sick. And they decided to name it the ‘kissing cold’ which is just hilarious cough because of your stupid good morning and good night kisses which you just insist upon, and I told Dana about the one time.” At this point most of the staff in the hallway are paying attention to the conversation. After all it’s not often that their senior attending's are quarreling for everyone to see.
“Oh my god!” Trinity exclaims drawing the attention of all the staff in the hallway. She grins, “you do have the ‘kissing cold’, don’t you? Huckleberry you dog.”
Dennis looks like a deer caught in headlights, tissue still held up to his nose. “Trin, I beg you. Shut up.”
“What, couldn’t help yourself from stealing good morning kisses. Is that how you caught the ‘kissing cold’ Huckleberry?” Trinity pauses, “Oh my god I forgot about the betting pool, I just won so much money,” she cackles.