#almost done!!!!

When Bob was first asked to be in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, he didn't know what to expect. Was everyone going to treat him like he was some dickwad who didn't earn his spot on the set? Was he going to be able to hold his own in scenes with some great actors? Bob didn't know.

Luckily for him, the experience turned out to be a great one. Bob realized he really liked acting and that it might be something he'd like to do again.

After Bob saw a rough cut, he was terribly proud. Sure, maybe you could see him rubbing his nose at least once in nearly every single scene he was in, but hey! It was dusty as hell in Durango! Bob was just glad no takes where he was stifling his sneezes as silently and unnoticeably as he could in the background made it into the film. He was sure there were a lot of those.

Bob's known from the start of this whole thing that there's going to be some big premiere and that he's going to be expected to be there. It had been something that kept him on the fence about accepting the part in the film. For a while he was debating just making the soundtrack and not actually being featured in the film just for that reason.

Sara poked and prodded at him, though, and told him that he'd have a great time at the premiere, that he'd have a lot to be proud of. Evidently, Bob gave in.

As it gets closer and closer to the date of the premiere, Bob's growing nervous. He really still hasn't been in the public eye all that much since his accident.

The stress is weighing on him more and more as the days go by. Sara can tell and so can the kids. He's pretending that it's not an issue, but he's not doing a very good job at it. Each time Sara tries to bring it up, Bob immediately clams up and refuses to talk about it. She knows that it's hard for him, but she really wishes that he would just let her help him. He hasn't been letting her do that for him much lately.

The day before the premiere, he even shrugs her hand off his shoulder when she places it there softly after he sneezes a few times. It's not the first time he's done that this morning and Sara can already tell it won't be the last.

Bob doesn't have a strong immune system in the slightest, and a lot of times when he gets stressed out like this he ends up catching something. Sara's been hoping and praying the past few days that that wouldn't be the case, but she's starting to think that the universe already has other plans.

She hears Bob coughing a bit in the shower after breakfast and she wants to scream at the top of her lungs. All this is gonna do is rattle Bob's nerves even more. He doesn't need that.

On top of Bob not needing that, the family doesn't need it either. Getting sick is guaranteed to wear his patience down to virtually nothing, and the threshold is already pretty low with how anxious he's been about the premiere.

Sara tries her best to care for and comfort him without really getting in his way. It's a difficult task, but Sara thinks she's doing a pretty good job.

And she is!

They make it to the night of the premiere without any real big fights. Of course, things get a little messy when they're getting ready to go.

Bob's got a decent cold now and he's exhausted. The stress has kept him up for a few nights now and it's showing through his symptoms. He's been sneezing a lot today and Sara's trying to urge Bob to put some tissues in at least one of his pockets.

For whatever reason, Bob will absolutely not do it. Sara doesn't know if he's embarrassed or what, but it's pissing her off a little that he won't just take the damn tissues. All she's got for storage space is her tiny little purse. No pockets on her dress or on her sweater. Bob's got all these deep ass pockets in his suit but he refuses to put a single goddamn tissue in any of them.

The couple bickers until Bob finally stuffs a handful of tissues into his pocket, grumbling all the way.

Sara tries to be patient with him. She knows that he's snapping because he's feeling uneasy, but man, he really doesn't have to fucking do that. It's like he never understands that she's on his team. It throws a real wrench in their marriage whenever Bob reverts back to his old ways of thinking he's got to fend for himself, that he's the only person that's truly on his own side. She understands why he thinks that, of course, but it's hard to deal with. She takes a deep breath anyway and tries to be there for her husband.

"You feeling okay?"

Bob nods. Sniffles.

"Are you sure you're up to going?"

Bob makes a face like Sara just asked him the most ridiculous question he's ever heard in his life.

"What?"

"I have to go," Bob says. Short and simple.

Sara shrugs. "I mean, yeah, but, look at you, honey. You sure you'll be able to make it the whole night?"

"I have to go."

Alright. Well. This isn't going anywhere.

Trying to give Bob some options doesn't seem to be panning out, so Sara just shuts her mouth. She knows he's gonna be miserable and that he's gonna want to leave early but he'll say he won't be able to and then they'll have to stay out all night and that the next morning Bob will wake up feeling a hundred times worse. She'd bet her entire life savings on it, and it pisses her off that there's nothing she can do to change it.

--

The premiere is overwhelming the second they get out of the car. There's a red carpet filled with reporters and photographers. Cameras are clicking and lights are flashing nonstop, and Bob's not too keen on stepping out in front of all of them.

The flickering lights are not only too much for Bob's eyes and his head, but they're proving themselves to be too much for his nose as well. With each flash, Bob feels his nose tickle a little more.

Of course it's as they really step onto the carpet that he feels the sensation peak. He ducks down behind Sara and stifles a couple of sneezes against the sleeve of his suit jacket. The sneezes bring a ridiculous amount of congestion forward and it's like he didn't even blow his nose five minutes ago in the car (he did, multiple times).

It's not too long before he sneezes again, this time as some reporter is interviewing him. The man had already seemed to realize that something was a little off about Bob, but the sneezes confirm it for him.

"Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm just fine and dandy. Thanks for your questions."

Ah, so that's how he's gonna deal with it. Sara tries to hide a chuckle. It doesn't surprise her at all that Bob's solution to people asking him how he's feeling is just to leave the conversation immediately.

He does it several times as they make their way down the carpet. It's obvious that he wants to get to the other side as quickly as possible so he can blow his nose. Sara knows he's not comfortable doing it in front of all these cameras.

When they finally get inside, Sara rushes Bob off to find a bathroom. They wave hello to anyone who tries to flag them down as they make their way there, hoping that they don't come across as too rude. Although, neither of them really care that much. Both of them are much more concerned about Bob's cold.

When they get to a more secluded area, Bob pauses and coughs. Hard. It has him bent over with one hand on his knee and one elbow wrapped as tightly around his face as possible.

Sara pulls him into a hug as soon as he's done.

"You're gonna get s-"

"I don't care."

--

They're not even halfway through the film when Bob starts contemplating if he can leave early. He's clearly distracting everyone with his coughing, no matter how hard he tries to muffle it. Stifling his sneezes has been a goddamn pain. There's so much pressure building in his sinuses that he's surprised his brain hasn't exploded yet.

Sara keeps a hand rubbing his thigh to soothe him as the film progresses. She knows that Bob is disappointed--he can't even be proud of the work he's done because he's too miserable to really watch it. Not to mention the fact that she thinks he's got a budding fever, and it's quite possibly messing with his brain already. She doesn't think that this is a night Bob will never forget.

She even thinks she catches him dozing off toward the end. Occasional coughing and sneezing keeps him awake, but it's starting to lose effect. Sara has to shake his leg every few minutes to make sure he doesn't conk out.

They're late to stand and applaud when the film ends. Bob's out of it and he tries to whistle and whoop and holler with everyone else but it just leaves his lungs rattling.

The second people start leaving, Bob and Sara book it. People try to stop them on their way out, telling them that Bob did such a wonderful job! They feel guilty for rushing away from them, but hey, Bob's gotta get home and in bed, stat.

They're standing waiting for their car when Sara feels Bob plop his head on her shoulder.

He gives a pitiful sniffle and says, "I should've stayed home tonight."

Sara tries not to show any pity on her face. "You're alright, honey. We'll be home soon."