A Nose For The Job (CSI: New York, Stella)

[Chanel_no5]

***Note***

This was a drabble at first, but then the wonderful thing happened; it grew into a story. Not a novel-length of course, but still.

I'm not entirely able to wrap my head around Stella Bonasera's character, although I've watched most seasons with her in them. She's somewhat confusing to me. But... I have such a crush on her nose I'll try writing her anyway.

I haven't written much for the public for some time, so... cut me some slack, will ya?

****

Stella leaned in closer to the dead body on the stairs and immediately snapped back, barely managing to get her arm up in front of her face before she exploded with a violent sneeze.

“AayISSCHH!” She kept her arm pressed firmly against the lower part of her face for a couple of seconds, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled with a second sneeze. Eventually her head bobbed forward with another, one that she only barely - and with a lot of effort - managed to stifle. “AayIKXTH!”

Mac gave her a slightly amused glance.

“Well, you get bonus points for not spraying those all over the evidence,” he commented before growing serious. “Bless you. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said and rubbed her nose with her knuckles. Then she blinked and an uncomfortable, distracted look fell upon her features. “No, wait, I’m not…” she said in a breathy voice and took a few steps away from Mac and the body. “Ahh… hah-ah-YISSCHHO! Jesus Christ… Aaah-yeh-ISSCHHUH!”

Mac stood up and pulled off his gloves. He had never seen her lose control like this before. It was unsettling. “What’s wrong Stella?”

“Mac, that guy…” she coughed out the words and stifled four rapid sneezes in a row before her sinuses decided they were not taking that kind of pressure, and she had no choice but to allow another two, full, throaty, violent ones to push forward.

“AEECCHHO! Hah-ERSCHHO! Oh my God… he’s covered in cedar pollen.”

“Cedar pollen?” Mac said and looked closer at the substance that clung to the man’s suit like fine dust. “Are you sure?”

“P-pohhh… huh… HUH-yISSCHHEW! Positive! I'm so a-ah... ah-hah... AyISSCHH! Allergic to it it's not even funny.”

“Alright. Get out of here and find some antihistamines,” Mac said, and Stella was not to be told twice. Her entire appearance revealed how miserable she felt, as much as she tried to hold back her reaction until she was out of eyesight… and earshot.

Well, Mac thought as he watched the curly-haired woman leave the scene, Stella always did have a nose for this job.

***

She probably should have stayed away from examining this particular body, because even hours later, when properly medicated, Stella felt her nose protest against the allergens. It was burning intensely, as if she had gotten chlorined water into it. But it was her case and she was curious, and thus she made it all the way down to the autopsy, ignoring her nose's desperate pleas not to be exposed to that kind of torture again.

Sid was just about to cut the man’s clothes open when Stella entered. She grabbed a mask and adjusted it around her mouth and nose before daring to approach the vic. Sid looked up at her with mild curiosity.

“There is no need for the mask, I’ve run a preliminary tox screen on the substance on his clothing, and it’s perfectly harmless.”

“To you, maybe,” Stella replied. And, as insane as it was, her nose had already started to run again. She sniffed, and realised too late that it was a mistake. The itch spread like wildfire throughout her nasal passages.

“It’s just pollen. Cedar pollen, to be exact, which is curious…” Sid looked up and into the Detective’s watery, bloodshot and slowly closing eyes.

“Ah. I take it you’re allergic to cedar pollen,” he concluded. Stella tried to respond, but her nose beat her to it.

“AyIXTHH!” She sniffed and gave Sid a sheepish look above the mask. “I’m sorry.”

“And I’m speechless. Usually it takes at least several minutes, hours in some cases, of exposure to an allergen for an allergic reaction to fully form.” He frowned. “And you look like you’re on the verge of a severe one.”

“I’m fine.” She winced when she heard how thick her voice sounded. “Aah-yIKSCHghh!”

“No, and you will only get worse. Allergies can’t be overcome by willpower Stella, and this is more immediate than any reaction I’ve ever seen in my medical career.”

“With all due respect,” she began, wishing that she could remove the mask and rub her nose, but knowing that if she removed it she would only expose her sensitive mucus membranes to even more pollen. “Most of your patients are already dead,” she finished.

“True,” Sid replied, not sounding the slightest bit offended.

Stella let out an involuntary moan as the itch in her nose crossed the line between irritating and plain painful. Her need to sneeze was so great she couldn’t satisfy it; it was as if her body had forgotten how to.

“Stella,” Sid straightened and took a step away from the body. “There is no reason for you to torture yourself like this. Tell Mac to come down instead. Or any of the other Detectives.” He shook his head a little. “And take some medicine right away, you’re in for a very nasty allergy attack.”

“I already took a couple of allergy pills.” She tore the mask off and rubbed her nose even as a sneeze was starting to build. Eventually she covered her quivering, rosy nostrils with her sleeve. “Hehh… ehhh…. EYISSCHHO! AyISSCCHH! HaaayIEESSSCHHOO!”

“Then you should go and see a doctor.” Sid frowned. “One that does work with living patients.”

At that very moment Mac arrived. He gave Stella one quick glance and spoke in his most commanding voice:

“Get out! You’re off this case!”

“Thank you, Mac," Sid sighed. "There is a reason I work with dead patients; I hate watching anyone suffer.”

“Well, she knew about her allergies and she knew this body was covered in pollen, so this attack was self-inflicted,” Mac muttered. “Her stubbornness can be very annoying at times.”

Sid huffed.

“As if you wouldn’t have done the same thing yourself. You get way too worked up when investigating the weird cases.”

Mac said nothing. Sid chuckled and continued.

“I swear, sometimes the two of you seem like the same person poured into two separate bodies.”

“Shut up Sid,” Mac said. But he was smiling.

[Purple]

OH MY GOD. I have been binge-watching CSI:NY for the last week and decided to come creeping on the forum. CHANEL, YOU GODDESS YOU.

Stella let out an involuntary moan as the itch in her nose crossed the line between irritating and plain painful. Her need to sneeze was so great she couldn’t satisfy it; it was as if her body had forgotten how to.

Excuse me who told you that was okay

“With all due respect,” she began, wishing that she could remove the mask and rub her nose, but knowing that if she removed it she would only expose her sensitive mucus membranes to even more pollen. “Most of your patients are already dead,” she finished.

“True,” Sid replied, not sounding the slightest bit offended.

Seriously. SO good. THANK YOU.