attackfish | So I probably have whooping cough

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So I probably have whooping cough

I just did field experience in an elementary school that had it going around (thank you anti-vaxxers) and I had never completed my vaccination schedule for it since I reacted so badly to the first shot, and I have all the right symptoms. I feel miserable and gross, and have an appointment with my NP this afternoon for final diagnosis. I'm coughing until I can't breathe, and I think everybody should pamper me and write me fic, you know, to keep my spirits up.

Also, I'm probably never going to get to see my baby niece again. Damn it. Good thing is, I've been staying away from her because I was worried I'd pick something up during field experiece. Turns out I did.

EDIT: Diagnosis confirmed. I have whooping cough. Big whoop.

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Oh no! My brother had whooping cough in his teens -- turns out there was a weak batch of vaccine when he was going through immunisation -- and it was terrible. I hope it's not too bad for you.

I'm very very uncomfortable, but I'm doing alright, thank you. Sorry about your brother. It's no fun at all. And I have three to six more weeks of coughing to go.

My sympathies, that totally sucks. :( You were smart to keep away from the baby, though. Why won't you get to see her again?

I'm exaggerating. I'll get to see her once I'm not contagious, which with antibiotics should be about a week. Poor baby. her mom took her up to stay with her other grandparents because one of my nephews has strep throat, so it wasn't like I was going to see her for a week or so anyway. It just feels like forever.

Also I wrote that bit before I knew qbout the antibiotics, and I was looking at a six week quarentine.

Ugh this reminds me of a thing that I've heard from anti-vaxxers before when someone tries to point out to them that vaccinations are to protect everybody: "Well that's why you got your kid vaccinated, so I don't see why I should have to do mine." While completely missing the point that this also protects people who can't get vaccinated due to various health reasons.

I'd be willing to write you a fic if you give me a prompt, since I'm rather bad at top-of-my head sort of stuff.

This. Okay, I'm a young adult, and compromized immune system or not, while I will have a miserable few weeks, I will be fine. My three month old niece, however... If I hadn't been an overprotective aunt, I could have given it to her, and she could have died. Whooping cough kills babies. It kills them before they are old enough to get the vaccine. This is going around an elementary school. How many of the kids there have baby siblings that they could bring this home to? It makes me so angry when these people don't get that it isn't just about them and their child.

How about I take a cue from your icon? Iroh: facepalm.

Oh yes, not to mention that apparently a kid is better off dead than autistic. Never mind that there's been study after study after study proving that vaccines don't cause autism.

Oh yes, better dead, than alive but an icky autistic person. My precious baby is too good to be *gasp* disabled, even if in reality there is no evidence of any link between autism and vaccines, and the study that proported to show one was found not only to be wrong but fraudulent.

I don't see how any decent human being can think this is okay. This isn't a matter of personal decisions, it's child endangerment.

(Still on the Iroh facepalm, but it's just such an appropriate image.)

It's selfish desregard for human life. There is no excuse.

It's a perfect image.

(He only ever does this for Zuko. That is one special kid.)

Zuko is a boy of many talents.

Finally finished! (I have no free time. Such is the life of a grad student.)

Also: Are you entirely sure about giving me a humor prompt while you're still coughing uncontrollably? Well, at any rate, here's what I came up with:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10843248/1/Five-Generations-of-Facepalms

Thank you! *goes off to read*

*Hugs.

Good thinking of keeping away from your niece. I hope the antibiotics work and you feel better soon.

I'll write you a drabble if you give me a prompt (Avatar or White Collar, whatever you prefer).

At this point, the antibiotics make me not contagious faster, but I still will have three to six weeks worth of symptoms. With all this coughing, my abs are going to be fantastic when this is over.

Avatar prompt Katara: Reflections in the water.

Okay, so this didn't come out exactly like I wanted, but I hope you enjoy it anyway.
*****

She sees it coming long before anyone else.

The years are passing away while they remake the world. Somehow, the Republic city grows out of what was once known as the Fire Nation colonies, and when Katara stops and watches, she sees how their dreams are coming true, sometimes different than they imagined, often more painful or beautiful or joyful than they expected. No matter what they do, there are always disputes to be settled and problems to be solved, but decades of their work eventually yield their results and the world enters a new era of peace and harmony. With all that’s going on, they barely notice that they’re slowly growing old.

That day, Katara and Aang come to see Zuko, for once being there to simply see their friends. Soon Mai joins them as they drink tea and play Pai Sho; laughing, joking and remembering the old times. When Zuko mentions stepping down and passing the throne to his daughter, Katara smiles and thinks of her own children who are already making their own mark in the world. For once, everything seems perfect.

They’re ambushed on their way home.

In the surprise attack, Aang is badly wounded, and Katara barely sees his tattoos flicker while she’s busy taking out their attackers and burying them in a block of ice. They rush back to the Fire Nation Palace. Katara immediately settles in the Royal gardens and takes Aang to the pond with her, while Zuko ensures their privacy, promising to help them any way they need. Wincing in pain, Aang lays down on the edge of the small lake while Katara steps into the water with him, kissing him on the lips before she turns to the job in hand. One by one, she addresses Aang’s burns and injuries, treating them the same way that she had done countless times in the past.

One of the wounds doesn’t respond to her healing.

“What…”

Calling on her powers, Katara focuses on the remaining burn. She pours every ounce of her into concentrating the healing energy, molds the water to her will as she repeatedly sooths the burned flesh on Aang’s chest. For a long time, there is no progress at all, but finally she can feel the body responding as the healing takes place.

“Katara…? Are you okay?”

It’s already dark. It’s been hours since she started. Suddenly her legs are shaking and she has to sit down.

“Katara?” exclaims Aang, who has somehow gotten up and is now staring at her in concern.

Katara smiles at him. “I’m fine, Aang. Hey, you’re all wet…” She bends the water out of their clothes. Catching on, Aang calls up a warm breeze of wind, until they’re both completely dry. “How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks to you… like always.”

“That’s good.” Trying to fake her smile, she looks away even as Aang pulls her closer.

She’s not fine.

Katara sees their faces in the water, and thinks of how long it took her to heal Aang’s wound; how his body struggled against her, how even now there is a noticeable angry red scar. She remembers the way Aang’s energy felt under her hands, like the old people she sometimes tries to heal, and it’s like a punch in the gut when she realizes that even all her waterbending mastery can’t take away the fatigue and weariness of old age. If she’s honest with herself, she has already started noticing the signs earlier – after five decades together, Katara and Aang know each other all too well. She tells herself she’s wrong, that her senses are fooling her… but she is still up her ankles in the lake and the water doesn't lie.

The realization shakes her to the core. One day, she’s going to lose Aang. It won’t be tomorrow or even the next month, but the day is coming quicker than she expected.

“Are you okay?” asks Aang in concern.

Katara looks at him, sees the love in his eyes, the wrinkles from laugher and that vibrant playful spark that she always loved about him. No matter what his body says, Aang’s spirit is as young and strong as ever.

She takes a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

They still have time, years, even. Katara doesn’t intend to waste them.

This time, her smile is real. “Come on, let’s see if Zuko has a room for us”.

They kiss before they start their walk back to the Royal Palace.

I do like it! It's very awwww worthy, even with the feeling impending tragedy. I love it, thank you!

Yeah, I know that feeling of the upcoming tragedy is there... I tried to come up with something more optimistic, but somehow my thoughts always led me to a dark place. Anyway, thank you :) I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Well, you know I'm such a sucker for angst, so impending tragedy can be a good thing. Thank you.

Eeesh, sending all the nice thoughts and cups of tea your way. I caught it when I was 6 months old, and my mother keeps recounting how terrifying it was every time the subject comes up. And despite the experience she still went on to be quite negligent on the vaccination schedule, as I found out this year when I went to update my shots and had to get ALL the vaccines - the only one I had (tetanos/diphteria/polio) has to be refreshed every ten years. Incidentally, they now include whooping cough as well in those tetanos booster combo shots, since apparently somewhere between the last shot and now they realized you lose immunity if you don't encounter it regularly. It felt like quite the bargain jabs-to-amount-of-diseases-prevented ratio!

Wait, you caught a life threatening vaccine preventable disease and your mother was still lackidaisical about them? Wow. I've had all my vaccines except flu (egg allergy, not allowed) and whooping cough, but my immunologist says with my disease, any immunity I have to anything is questionable. I am forced to rely on hers immu ity, which with the anti-vaxxers around...

Yeah. And she is old enough to have seen the devastating effects of most of these formerly common childhood illnesses when they were still rampant. But she also went to a Waldorf school and subscribed to Anthroposophy for a long time, so the naturalistic fallacy comes up a lot. I think there must be some hidden anti-vax sentiment still lurking, because as long as you're talking hypothetically she's all for vaccines but then when I was talking with her about how many shots I was going to have to get, she accused me of being "Impfgeil" - which is really hard to translate but maybe "are you thrill-seeking?!" could sort of get the sentiment across.

I... still can't wrap my head around that one.

*shakes head* people have the weirdest logical blind spots.

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So I probably have whooping cough

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fic: Five Generations of Facepalms

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Katara - Reflections in the Water

Re: Katara - Reflections in the Water

Re: Katara - Reflections in the Water

Re: Katara - Reflections in the Water

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