WestFiction- "Sneezes and Wheezes" by Sue

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SNEEZES AND WHEEZES

by Susan

The dressing room echoed to the sound of sneezes. Bryan watched helplessly as Mark sat on the couch ploughing his way through a box of tissues. His eyes and nose were streaming as he desperately tried to stop sneezing. His throat was getting sore and his breathing was coming in gasps.

“I’m going to get Anto” said Bryan rushing out the door.

He could still hear Mark sneezing when he reached Anto’s office at the end of the corridor. He knocked and went in. Anto was on the phone and Bryan stood there hopping from one foot to the other as he waited for Anto to finish. Finally Anto hung up.

“What is it Bry?” Anto said “Lost your phone again?”

Bryan grabbed Anto and dragged him to the door.

“Listen!” he said.

Anto could hear Mark clearly.

“Good God!” he said rushing up the corridor and into the dressing room.

Mark was in a right state. His chest was beginning to ache with the force of the sneezing. He was getting wheezy.

“How long has he been like this?” said Anto.

“About 15 minutes” replied Bryan. “It just started all of a sudden.

Anto disappeared into the bathroom. He came back with a wet flannel.

“Lay him down” he said.

He moved Mark’s hands away from his face and placed the flannel over his mouth and nose.

“Breathe through the cloth Mark” Anto said.

Still the sneezing continued. Mark was beginning to panic. He couldn’t breathe properly and he tried to push the flannel away.

Anto grabbed his hand.

“No, leave it Mark” he said “Just for a minute.”

Slowly the sneezing began to ease. Anto fetched another cloth and wiped Mark’s streaming eyes.

“O.k. Mark “ he said “I’m going to take the flannel off now.”

Mark nodded and Anto removed the cloth. Mark was breathing heavily and holding his chest. Suddenly he sneezed.

“Oh no” said Bryan “What’s wrong with him?”

“I think it’s something in here” Anto said “Help me get him up. We’ll go to the others’ dressing room.”

They helped Mark along the corridor as he held the flannel over his face.

In the other room Nicky and Shane were shouting and laughing hysterically as they tried to out-do each other on the Play Station. Kian was playing his guitar loudly.

“Guys, knock it off!” yelled Anto going in.

They immediately stopped what they were doing and looked at Mark. Shane rushed over.

“What is it?” he said anxiously “What’s wrong?”

Anto explained as they layed Mark on the couch.

“I think it’s some sort of allergy” he added.

“What to?” asked Kian

“I don’t know” Anto replied “I wish I did.”

He removed the cloth and watched anxiously for any signs that the sneezing would return. Thankfully nothing happened. After a while Mark found it easier to breathe. He rubbed his chest.

“How do you feel Mark?” asked Anto.

“Knackered” Mark replied his voice husky.

Anto wiped Mark’s face.

“Have a little sleep” he said “Whatever affected you must be in your dressing room.”

Mark nodded and sniffed. Kian gave him some tissues. Shane fetched a blanket and covered Mark up. Within minutes he was asleep.

Anto sighed.

“O.k.” he said “Let’s go back to your room and see if we can find out what caused this. Something must have triggered it off. Kian, you stay with Mark. Keep an eye on him.”

Kian nodded and sat in the chair by the couch. He began to play his guitar softly although he knew it would take an explosion to wake Mark!

The others reached the dressing room.

“O.k. Bryan” said Anto “Tell me everything you and Mark did before this happened.”

Bryan sat down and thought hard.

“Well,” he said “We dumped our stuff and then Mark played Spiderman on the Play Station for a while. I phoned Kez. Then we did a bit of singing and I went for a quick shower. When I came out Mark was on the phone chatting to his mum. After that we decided to have a race on the Play Station and then Mark started sneezing. It was funny at first but then he couldn’t stop. He freaked out a bit cos he couldn’t get his breath. I came to get you then.”

Anto nodded.

“Maybe there is something by the Play Station?” he said.

“Hold on” said Nicky “Bry said that Mark played Spiderman earlier. He was fine then.”

Bryan sighed.

“Nix is right” he said.

They looked around the room. There was nothing unusual anywhere. The flowers were the same as they normally had. In fact anything that could have even remotely caused this reaction was the same as every other night.

Shane sighed and sat down.

“I don’t understand it” he said “What can it be? Our room is exactly the same yet he’s o.k in there.”

Anto looked at Bryan.

“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” he said.

“Yes” replied Bryan “I told you, we just did our normal stuff.”

Dejected they returned to the other room.

“Well?” said Kian “Did you find anything?”

They shook their heads.

“Nothing” said Nicky “It’s a mystery.”

Bryan knelt down beside Mark.

“He seems alright now” he said “I must admit he scared the hell out of me.”

Mark stirred. He opened his eyes and fumbled for a tissue. He sneezed.

“No” he gasped as his eyes started streaming again.

Anto grabbed Bryan and pushed him out of the way.

“Get the cloth!” he yelled.

Shane grabbed the flannel and held it over Mark’s nose and mouth. Mark struggled to pull it off as his chest tightened and started wheezing.

“It’s alright Mark” said Anto trying to calm him down. “Just try and relax.”

Gradually the sneezing and wheezing subsided.

Mark wiped his eyes as Shane removed the cloth.

“What is it?” he whispered “My chest really hurts.”

“I don’t know” Anto said “I think we’d better get you back to the hotel.”

“What about the show?” Mark said

“You can’t go on like that” Anto said “What if it happens on stage?”

Tears filled Mark’s eyes.

“Please Anto” he said “I’ll be fine”

Anto shook his head.

“I’m sorry Mark” he said “But I’m not prepared to risk it. The guys will have to go on as a foursome. Come on, let’s go.”

Bryan got hold of Mark and helped him up.

Mark sneezed.

“Bryan!” yelled Anto grabbing Mark and pushing him back onto the couch. “It’s you!”

“What?” Bryan said bewildered.

“It’s you Bryan!” Anto repeated as he once again held the flannel in place.

Bryan looked frantically around.

“I don’t understand” he said

“Everytime you go near Mark he sneezes!” said Shane.

Kian leaped to his feet.

“Wait a minute” he said “You said you had a shower earlier, did you use anything different?”

Bryan’s eyes widened.

“I bought a new deodorant!” he said “But surely that wouldn’t cause this?”

“Go and get it” said Anto and Bryan rushed off.

Two minutes later he was back. He gave the can to Anto.

“Where the hell did you get this?” he said looking at the multi-coloured can. He had never heard of it.

“Um, I , er got it from the market” replied Bryan “It was cheap”

“You do surprise me!” said Anto removing the lid.

He sat beside Mark.

“Listen Mark” he said “I want to try something. I’m going to take away the flannel and wave this stuff in front of you for a second. I won’t spray it or anything. O.k?”

Mark’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“No!” he said “I don’t want to sneeze again. It hurts and I can’t breathe.”

“I know it hurts Mark” Anto said “But we really need to find out what’s causing this so we can stop it.”

Mark hesitated.

“Alright” he whispered.

Everyone held their breath as Anto removed the flannel and waved the can in front of Mark. Mark sneezed immediately and violently. Tears poured down his cheeks as his eyes watered. He pushed Anto and the offending can away and tried to get up. Kian held him down as Shane applied the flannel. It took quite a while for Mark to get his breathing under control. He was very distressed. Shane gently wiped his face and Mark finally relaxed and closed his eyes.

Anto stood up.

“Right Bryan” he said “Go and have a very hot shower and this time use a different deodorant!”

“I’m really sorry” Bryan said crying softly “I had no idea this could happen. I would never hurt Mark.”

Anto patted him on the back.

“We know that ya deutz” he said “It’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known that Mark would be allergic to whatever is in this stuff. None of us could.”

“Here you go Bry” said Nicky handing him his own deodorant. “You can borrow mine.”

Bryan sniffed.

“Thanks Nix” he said “I guess I’d better go.”

He left the room.

Anto sighed and sat down.

“Thank God we found out what it was “ he said looking at Mark.

He checked his watch.

“Alright guys” he said standing up again. “Soundcheck is in 30 minutes. Mark will have to miss that. Dinner is at 7:00. but he can eat later. Let’s hope he can recover in time for the show at 8:55. We’ll let him sleep for as long as possible.”

Anto left the room taking the can with him. Kian picked up his guitar again and Nicky and Shane returned to the Play Station. Twenty minutes later Bryan came in. He was holding his arms out to the sides.

“What’s with the windmill impressions?” asked Nicky.

“I scrubbed my armpits so hard I made them sore” Bryan said “They really sting!”

The others laughed.

“You didn’t have to do that” said Kian.

“Oh yes I did “ replied Bryan “I’m not taking any chances!”

Shane laughed

“That’ll teach you not to buy the cheap stuff” he said “Just don’t do it again!”

Bryan looked at Mark’s sleeping face.

“Don’t worry” he said “I won’t. I’ll only buy the most expensive stuff from now on.”

“Perhaps you ought to take Mark shopping with you” said Nicky “You could wave stuff about before you buy it. If Mark sneezes, don’t buy it!”

Bryan laughed.

“ But seriously though guys” he said “We’ll all have to be careful in future about buying new things like that.”

Shane nodded

“Yeah” he said “You know, sticking with what you know is not to be sneezed at!” The others groaned at Shane’s awful cliché.

“Come on” said Kian getting up “Let’s go soundcheck”

They turned on the television before they left. Mark would probably wake up if it was quiet in the room. An advert for deodorant was showing.

“There you go Bry” said Nicky “Just what you need!”

“Yeah” said Bryan with a smile on his face. “I ‘sure’ do!”

THE END.

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