"Baby, are you sure you're feeling OK?"

Trish De La Rosa asks her boyfriend, Jace Dillon, while he's coughing and hacking violently, wheezing and is dealing with a bunch of stridor. He goes into another fit of aggressive, barking coughs, sniffles, and clears his throat. He smiles at her very sheepishly and says in a very raspy voice,

"I'm fine, Trish. Don't worry about me. My throat is killing me, I can't stop coughing, I can hardly breathe and I'm frigid to my bones."

Cold and flu season has been spreading like wildfire in Miami and half the Marino high student body is sick and half the faculty is sick as well. Jace feels like death, but he doesn't want his girlfriend to worry about him. He is frigid to his bones, his throat is very sore, he has a violent barking cough, his nose is plugged yet it's running at the same time, his nose and chest are congested and he has the chills. He was diagnosed with asthma as a toddler, and while he has outgrown most of the triggers he had as a child, he still has some of them, including respiratory infections, hard exercise, strong weather, tobacco smoke, and environmental smoke, as well as allergies to peanuts, shellfish, cats, dogs, dust and mold. He does have to use an inhaler sometimes. Trish watches as Jace takes his inhaler from the front pocket of his backpack, primes it, shakes it, and brings it to his lips. He sniffles, smiling sheepishly again and croaks,

"See? I'm fine. I just took my inhaler."

He then goes into another fit of coughing and hacking.

"Jace, do you expect me to believe that? You literally just described how sick you are to me."

She walks to him and lays her hand on his cheeks and forehead.

"Mi amor, you're burning hot. You gotta go to my mom's office. Go home, get into bed, drink fluids, maybe go to the doctor's."

Jace goes into another coughing and hacking fit. Trish takes her phone out and dials her mother's number. He coughs again and she says,

"Hola, Mami. Listen, I want to send Jace to your office. He's coughing, as you can probably hear, and probably running a fever. Will you take some vital signs on him? Great. Thanks, Mom. Muchas Gracias. Te quiero. Adios."

She hangs up the phone and says,

"Jace, my mom would like to see you in her office."

Trish's mother, Magdalena De La Rosa, is the school nurse at Marino High School. Several students have been at her office and have been sent home. Jace says to Trish,

"Trish, I appreciate how much you care."

"You're my boyfriend, and you're sick. Now go to my mom's office before you pass out."

He grabs his backpack, reaching Magdalena's office. He knocks on the door, going into a violent coughing fit, and Trish's mother answers it.

"Hola, Jace. Trish says you're pretty sick and she sounded very concerned for you."

He coughs yet again and says hoarsely,

"Yeah, I have a really bad chest cold."

He goes into another coughing fit again.

"Dios mio. That cough is nasty."

She holds the door open for him and tells him to lie on the cot.

"Here, hold out your wrist so I can take your pulse."

She places her index and middle finger on his wrist.

"Pulse is surprisingly normal."

Magdalena lays her hand on his forehead.

"You're burning up. I'm going to take your temperature."

She takes a thermometer out of her pocket, sticking the tip in his ear.

"101.7. You have a fever and a very bad cough. I'm going to have to send you home. I hope you make a fast recovery."

"Thank you, Magdalena."

"You're welcome."

Jace walks out of the nurse's office with his backpack and gets into his car, driving home. He arrives home after a fifteen minute drive to go home. He feels like death, but he is very appreciative to come home to a bed and blankets and his girlfriend caring about him so much. He gets into his pajamas- a plain blue crewneck and blue Rangers sweatpants, leaving his white tube socks on, and he puts his inhaler on his nightstand. He goes to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and gets a washcloth, soaking it in cool water and wringing it out. He gets back into bed, laying the cloth on his forehead. His throat is very sore and dry and it even hurts to cough.

He hears his phone vibrate on his nightstand and sees he was part of a texting group with his friends, Dez Wade and Austin Moon. Dez sent a video of himself in a giraffe union suit, laying on his bed. He texts,

"Hi, guys! I have strep throat and I have a high fever! I feel like crap!"

He attaches a picture of himself lying in bed, wearing a giraffe union suit.

Austin texts,

"Why do you seem so happy about it?"

Dez texts,

"I'm high on Tylenol and my fever is making me delirious."

Jace texts,

"Damn. I was sent home from school by my girlfriend's mom because I have a very bad cough and I had a high fever."

Austin texts,

"I have the flu. I was in the ER last night and tested positive for the flu. I have a fever, I have a cough, I have chills, I have body aches, I'm throwing up and I hate it."

Jace texts,

"Which one of us is the sickest?"

Dez texts,

"Well I'm delirious and my throat hurts, Jace, your asthma is probably acting up, and Austin is under quarantine. I think we're all pretty sick."

He follows it up with another text.

"Also Carrie has strep, too. Maybe she and I should have a strep throat date."

Jace texts,

"I've never heard of a strep date lol."

Austin texts,

"Ally has a cold. Though she actually went to school."

Jace puts his phone down, picks up his inhaler, shakes it, and brings it to his lips. Having asthma makes a chest cold exponentially worse. He can't help but notice his inhaler only has three puffs left and when he has a cold, it can get harder for him to breathe. He gets out of bed and goes to the closet, grabbing the nebulizer, putting the mask on his nose and mouth and breathing into it. Being sick is the absolute worst.

Around 8:30 that night, he's still coughing, hacking, and wheezing. He hears a knock at his bedroom door.

"Come in,"

he croaks, coughing and hacking. It's his mother, Agnes, coming into his room in her pajamas and slippers and she is holding a digital thermometer and is carefully carrying a mug of tea. Her short, dirty blonde pixie cut is tousled. She says,

"Hi, Jace. I got you some tea with honey. It's ginger."

Jace coughs and hacks yet again.

"Thank you, Mom."

"Honey, your cough sounds terrible, you have stridor and I can hear you from my room. Are you OK?"

He coughs and sniffles.

"I feel like I'm on my deathbed."

Agnes lays her hand on his forehead and cheeks and says,

"You're really burning up. I'm taking your temperature."

She takes the thermometer from the pocket of her robe, shakes it and tells him,

"Here. Under your tongue."

She puts it under his tongue and it beeps.

"102. I heard that you were sent home sick today, which immediately made me realize I shouldn't have sent you to school."

"Mom, in your defense, I told you I felt OK. Trish sent me to her mom's office and her mom sent me home."

"Trish was right to do that. She's a keeper."

"Yeah, she is."

Agnes says,

"On another note, you should probably see Dr. Cochran tomorrow. You're staying home from school tomorrow."

"You're right. I need another inhaler anyway because the one I have is almost out of puffs."

He goes into another coughing and hacking, hurting his throat and his chest. Agnes says,

"Poor thing. Hopefully, you'll get some sleep tonight."

"Yeah."

He picks up his phone from his nightstand, making an appointment for 8:30 AM tomorrow to see his doctor, Dr. Murray Cochran. He lifts up the tea and it not only tastes good, but it feels good on his throat. However, it's going to take him a little more than tea to feel better. He has asthma, so his cough will probably linger a little bit longer. Hopefully, he'll get some sleep tonight, though.

In the morning, he's not feeling any better, but not any worse either. He was up the majority of the night coughing, hacking, wheezing, sniffling, and shivering and only got about an hour and a half of sleep. He is sitting on the table waiting for Dr. Cochran. His phone goes off once again, and he checks his phone. It's a text message from Trish, or according to her name in his phone, Beautiful. The text says,

"Hi, Baby. How are you feeling?"

Jace texts,

"Like I'm about to die."

Trish texts him back,

"Aww, poor baby."

He texts her,

"I'm at the doctor."

She texts him,

"Good."

He puts his phone in the pocket of his hoodie, goes into another coughing and hacking fit, sniffles, and watches the door open. It's Dr. Cochran, holding a clipboard.

"Good morning."

Jace says,

"Hi,"

And goes into another coughing and hacking fit. Dr. Cochran says,

"Oh, that sounds like a pretty nasty cough."

Jace coughs and clears his throat.

"Yeah."

"Have you had a fever?"

"Yeah. I spiked a 102 fever last night."

"Have you had trouble breathing?"

"Some of the time. I have asthma so it's par for the course, though."

The doctor unwinds his stethoscope from around his shoulders and tells him,

"Take a slow deep breath for me."

Jace breathes deeply as his doctor listens to his chest and his back.

"It's not serious, but it's good that you came when you did. Your coughing has that barking sound, your breathing is very raspy, and I'm sensing some mucus in your chest and nose."

Jace coughs and hacks and Dr. Cochran asks him,

"We should probably do a mucus test on you. Is that OK?"

Jace croaks,

"It's fine. Go ahead."

He then swabs his throat and nose and takes it down to the lab. After fifteen minutes, Dr. Cochran comes back with the test results.

"According to the test, you tested negative for influenza. You also tested negative for rhinovirus and strep throat."

Jace coughs and hacks.

"What did I test positive for?"

Dr. Cochran says,

"You have tested positive for acute bronchitis. It's not that serious, but you need to keep tabs on it. You have asthma so it can make it more difficult for you to breathe."

The teen boy coughs and sniffles.

"What do you recommend I do to treat it?"

He says,

"You have a viral infection, so an antibiotic won't help with your infection. You should just stick with over-the-counter cough suppressant pills, and more importantly, bed rest and fluids. You can also try gargling saltwater, throat lozenges, and you have asthma, so breathing treatments may help."

Jace coughs and hacks and clears his throat.

"Doctor, could I also get a new inhaler?"

"Absolutely. They're available at the pharmacy. You should take about two or three puffs and you should take it when you feel you need to use it."

Jace coughs again.

"Thank you for your help, doctor."

Dr. Cochran smiles.

"You're welcome. I hope that these treatments help. If your symptoms return or get worse, just come back in and we'll take another look at you."

He climbs off of the exam table and leaves the clinic, arriving home. He climbs back into bed and he picks his phone up and sees Trish texted him. The message says,

"Hi, mi amor. What did the doctor say?"

He texts back,

"I have bronchitis."

Trish texts,

"Aww, poor baby. Should I come over after school?"

Jace loves his girlfriend more than anything else in the world, but he feels hesitant to let her come over. He doesn't want her catching what he has. He loves her and she wants to help care for him, so he decides to let her.

"I'd love that. You should keep your distance from me, though. I'm kinda contagious."

He goes into another coughing and hacking fit, taking two puffs from his inhaler.

Trish texts,

"Yeah. See you after school. Keep resting, taking your inhaler, and drinking. Love you, Papi."

Jace texts,

"I love you, too, Princess."

Meanwhile, back at Marino High School, Trish is at lunch with her girlfriends- Ally Dawson, Kira Starr, and Piper Lainfield. All she can think about is Jace and how sick he is. Ally sneezes and coughs into her elbow and sniffles. She asks Trish,

"Trish, are you texting Jace?"

Trish says,

"Yeah. He has a really bad chest cold."

Ally sneezes twice and coughs.

"It's really going around this year. I have a cold and Austin ended up in the ER with the flu."

Piper says,

"Both Carrie and Dez have strep throat and having a strep throat date. It's gross but it's kind of cute."

Trish says,

"Yeah, I can agree with that."

Ally coughs and sneezes again and Kira says,

"Ally, I wish I sounded like you when I have a cold. All sexy and raspy like that."

Ally says,

"Thanks…"

Kira says,

"Maybe Austin would like your sexy sick voice."

Ally says,

"I sent him a voicemail and he said he found it sexy."

Trish pipes in.

"Kira's right, Mami. Your sick voice is sexy and raspy. But in all seriousness, why did you come to school with a cold?"

Ally says,

"I have a cold, but I don't feel sick enough to stay home from school. I took some Dayquil early this morning and I feel fine."

She coughs and sneezes into her elbow. Trish shrugs.

"If you say so."

Ally sneezes and sniffles.

"I sent Austin a recording of me with a cold and he thought it was so sexy."

She yet again sneezes and coughs. Trish then gets a text from her Abuelita, Guadalupe Garcia. The text says,

"Hola, mija. Estoy ordenando comestibles desde la aplicación Costco y obteniendo ingredientes para la sopa de pollo. Tu hermano está muy enfermo con la gripe y planeo hacerle un poco. ¿Necesitas algo?"

Trish texts,

"Oh bueno! ¿Harás sopa de pollo extra? Quiero traerle algo a Jace. El está muy enfermo. Además, ¿Podría obtener más vaporizador, unas pastillas para la tos y té de manzanilla y miel? Eso también es para Jace."

Guadalupe texts,

"¿Con qué está enfermo Jace?"

Trish texts,

"Pobre bebé tiene un resfriado muy fuerte en el pecho."

Guadalupe texts,

"Pobrecito. ¡Por supuesto que haré extra! Amo a Jace."

Trish texts,

"Muchas gracias, Abuelita. Te quiero. Eres la mejor."

After about a couple of hours, the last bell finally rings. Trish rushes home and puts her backpack down. The aroma of sopa de pollo fills her home.

"Hola?"

Trish says.

Her abuelita gives her a tight embrace and they both kiss each other on the cheeks and she says,

"Hola, mija. ¿Cómo era la escuela?"

"La escuela estaba bien. Sin embargo, estoy ansioso por amamantar a mi novio."

"Puedo imaginar. Es tan lindo que quieres cuidar a tu novio enfermo."

"¿Qué puedo decir? El es mi bebe. También es un poco inmunocomprometido. Tu sabes, con su asma?"

Trish finds a bag with her name written in sharpie. In the bag is a pack of two-ply tissues, a bag of cough drops, a pack of vapor rub, a box of chamomile tea, a thing of honey, and a container of sopa de pollo.

"Muchas gracias, abuelita. Eres la mejor. Estaré en casa en un par de horas."

"Hasta entonces. Dale mis saludos a Jace."

"Sí, definitivamente lo haré. Adios, abuelita."

She gives her grandmother a kiss on the cheek and Guadalupe hugs and kisses her. Trish picks up the bag and her purse and orders an Uber to go to Jace's house. Meanwhile, back at Jace's house, he got up and moved to the couch and finishes the last of his glass of orange juice. He goes into another coughing and hacking fit and picks up his inhaler, priming it and putting it to his lips. He hears the doorbell ring and goes to the door.

Jace opens the door, to find Trish standing there holding her purse on her shoulder and holding a white plastic bag. Jace sniffles and coughs and lightly and wryly chuckles.

"Hi, gorgeous girl."

Trish smiles.

"Aww, hi, sicky."

Normally, the two greet each other by kissing on the lips but Jace is sick. He doesn't want her to catch it from him. He can't help but admire the blatant height difference between him and his girlfriend. He croaks,

"Come on in."

He holds the door open for her and he shuts it behind her. Trish puts her bags down on the table and Jace goes into another coughing and hacking fit. She says,

"Poor baby. That cough sounds horrible. That said, you have a very sexy voice when you're sick."

He blushes and coughs.

"Thanks, babe."

Jace sniffles and says,

"I appreciate how willing you are to come over here when I'm sick."

Trish lightly scoffs.

"Hey, of all the things you do for me, I have to return the favor sometimes. The plastic bag is a care package. Feel free to open it whenever."

She watches as he opens the bag and pulls out the contents.

"Trish, you're the best!"

She blushes.

"I am, aren't I? My abuelita made that soup. If anyone in my house is sick, Abuelita makes enough sopa de pollo to feed a homeless shelter. I'll go get you a bowl."

Jace is very hard-pressed to find anything he doesn't love about his girlfriend. He loves her sarcastic sense of humor, the fact that when she wants something, she is always willing to get her hands dirty and she won't take no for an answer, the fact that she doesn't care what anyone thinks of her, the fact that she's always telling it like it is, the fact that she doesn't take crap from anyone and amid her sarcastic, snarky, and ass-kicking exterior, she is empathetic, caring, and even motherly. Trish comes back with the soup and she asks him,

"Doesn't it smell good?"

Jace coughs and sniffles.

"I can hardly smell anything, but it looks amazing."

Trish slightly giggles.

"Oh, that's right. You can't smell it because you're so congested, poor baby."

He sniffles and grins at her. Trish says,

"It's got some salsa and chili peppers, as spicy food is good for a cold. It'll help with your breathing and clear up your nasal congestion."

He takes a spoonful of the soup.

"Best soup I've ever had! Your grandma sure knows how to cook."

Guadalupe used to be a chef for a living. She owned a Mexican catering company called Fantástico and makes the best Mexican food ever. She moved in with Trish's family a couple of weeks before Trish was born and after her husband passed away from stomach cancer. She's retired now, but she still loves to cook.

Trish says,

"She really does."

He finishes the soup and wipes his face with a kleenex.

"Best soup I've ever had!"

Jace says and coughs into his elbow. Trish giggles.

"Glad you enjoyed it. Now, take your shirt off."

She reaches into the bag and Jace throws his gray short-sleeved shirt off. She immediately starts gawking at his shirtless chest and she opens the container of Vaporub, applying it to her boyfriend's chest, throat, and feet. Jace coughs and hacks again and Trish asks him,

"Why are you so sexy?"

He says hoarsely,

"I don't know,"

And coughs and hacks. He clears his throat and coughs again. He throws his shirt back on and he says to Trish,

"If I'm sexy, then you're gorgeous."

She blushes and he goes into another fit of coughing and hacking.

"Your coughing isn't sounding much better, baby. I'm going to go get you some tea with honey."

He shakes the inhaler, bringing it to his lips and puffing. Trish returns in ten minutes with a mug of tea with honey.

"Here you go."

Jace asks,

"Trish, why are you the best?"

Trish giggles.

"I don't know why. I'm like a sour patch kid- sour and sweet."

Jace lightly chuckles and takes a sip of the hot tea.

"True. There's no other way I'd rather have you. You're my everything."

"You're my everything, too. Do you need anything else?"

He drinks more of the tea and says,

"Can I get a glass of ice water? I'm thinking of taking a few of the cough drops that you were nice enough to give me. Then could you get the nebulizer? It's upstairs in my room by my bed."

Trish giggles.

"Sure."

"Thank you, babe,"

Jace croaks and coughs. His coughing seems to be slowly getting better, but with his asthma, his coughs tend to linger for up to four weeks. Trish goes into his room and finds the nebulizer. She stops for a few seconds to stare at a picture Jace has on his dresser of her when she was trying on her Quinceañera dress and wearing a tiara. She vividly remembers that he asked her out at her Quinceañera, in front of her friends and family, and before she made her entrance, he went into the back to give her her gifts- a bouquet of magnolias, roses, lilies, and baby's breath, and he gave her a gift basket with her favorite candies and cute knickknacks. She can't help but think it's adorable that he has a picture of her in his bedroom.

She goes the side of his bed and picks up the nebulizer, taking it downstairs to Jace, and fills a glass of water with ice.

"Thank you, Trish,"

Jace says and coughs.

Trish says,

"You know I'd always take care of you. Can I rub your shoulders?"

Jace sniffles and coughs and he says hoarsely,

"I'd love that."

He picks up the mask to the nebulizer, holding the mask over his nose and mouth and breathing in and out, with Trish rubbing his shoulders. He could definitely say that this is the best sick day he's ever had. He might be feeling like crap, but at least he has his girlfriend there with him. He loves her more than anything else in the world and has never loved any girl more than her.

The nebulizer auto-turns off and Trish has been rubbing Jace's shoulders for ten straight minutes. He shakes his inhaler and brings it to his lips, taking two puffs. She asks,

"Feeling any better?"

He says,

"I'm starting to get better. I can breathe and I don't feel as congested so those are good signs."

Trish lays her hand on his forehead and cheeks.

"You're also starting to cool down, Jace."

He coughs and hacks.

"Your cough is still where we need to work on, though."

Trish's phone starts to ring.

"Hola, Mom. I'm at Jace's house, taking care of him. He's starting to get better. I was his nurse. Sure, you can come and get me if you're on your way home. See you then, Mami. Adios."

She hangs up and she says,

"That was my mom. She was calling to ask where I am and she says she hopes you get better. She said she'll be here to get me in fifteen minutes."

Jace says,

"Trish, why are you the best ever?"

Trish says,

"Because boyfriends and girlfriends take care of each other and are always there for each other when the chips are down."

He coughs into his elbow and he says,

"As long as I have you there with me, I don't care where I am."

Trish plants a kiss on Jace's cheek. Fifteen minutes later, Trish gets a text from her mother saying she is outside.

"My mom's here, Jace."

Jace says,

"Thank you for taking care of me. Remind me to do the same next time you're sick."

Trish giggles.

"You know I'm going to remind you. I hope you get better fast."

Jace says,

"Thank you, babe. For giving me the best sick day I've ever had."

She plants another kiss on his cheek and collects her purse.

"You keep resting up, keep drinking fluids, and you'll be fine."

He watches her as she exits his house. Jace loves Trish more than anything else in the world. He pulls the blanket off the couch and covers himself with it, yawning, stretching, and falling asleep, feeling beyond thankful for his loving girlfriend.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I hope you guys liked that story! Now, don't get me wrong, I love Auslly as much as every other fan of A&A does, but I can't help but think Jace and Trish were seriously underrated. Lmao, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't obsessed with them. Review, follow, and favorite if you liked it! Have an awesome day my readers!