[✔️] 𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑁𝐾 𝐹𝐴𝑆𝑇 | 𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐆𝐎 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐒

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍
𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐬𝐦𝐮𝐭
"𝐼 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝐼 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑛 𝐼 𝑑𝑜 𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑒𝑡 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝐼 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑜𝑤."
—𝐿𝑒𝑜 𝐶ℎ𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝ℎ𝑒𝑟

𝐈
— 𝑀𝑎𝑟𝑎 —

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 apprehension as Five pressed a bloodied cloth against Allison's neck while Grace assessed the situation.

"She's suffered a severe laceration to her larynx," Grace declared before she looked up at the others, who surrounded the hospital bed of the infirmary. "One of you will need to give blood."

Immediately, everyone responded simultaneously: "I will."

Luther shook his head, beginning to roll up his sleeve. "I'm doing it."

"I'm afraid that's not possible, dear boy," Pogo told him from the foot of the bed. "Your blood is more compatible with mine."

"Hey, don't sweat it. I—I got this, big guy," Klaus reassured him as he headed over to Grace's side of the bed, moving Luther aside. He rubbed his forearm, his eyes nervously watching Grace as he nodded. "I love needles."

"Master Klaus," Pogo called, causing everyone to turn towards him once more. "Your blood is . . . How shall I say this? . . . Too polluted."

Diego pushed Luther aside as he muttered, "Move."

"Yeah, go on." Luther stepped backward, allowing Diego to step over to Grace's side of the bed as she injected the needle.

Mara moved her gaze from Allison's unconscious face and towards Diego, her eyebrows raising. "You'll be okay? I know you don't like needles."

His smile was no more convincing than his words: "I'll be fine."

Grace fixed up the needle, pushing it out of the syringe to reveal that it was about the length of a thumb.

As soon as Diego caught sight of this, he gave a small whimper and passed out, falling to the ground with a thud.

Mara shook her head; she had warned him.

Pogo sighed as he peered over at him before telling Grace, "Stick him."

They watched as Grace knelt down to Diego's side and felt around just above his forearm for a good spot before she carefully injected the needle into his skin. Blood began to fill the syringe, and without lifting her eyes from the syringe, she asked, "Mara, darling, can you grab me a cotton ball and bandaid?"

Mara nodded and swiftly headed over to the cabinets, grabbing them before bringing them over to Grace.

"Just apply pressure with the cotton ball once I take the needle out, and put the bandaid on, all right?" Grace murmured as she placed her free hand on Diego's arm.

Mara nodded, and immediately placed the cotton ball onto the injection point as soon as Grace had lifted the needle. She pressed down on his skin, placing the bottom of the palm of her hand over the cotton so that she could peel off the wrapping of the bandaid.

Diego's eyes fluttered open just as she was placing the bandaid onto his arm, and his gaze shifted from his arm to her as he slowly sat himself up.

"See, baby?" he mumbled. "Dealt with it just fine."

"Clearly." She rolled her eyes as she got up, leaning over towards the garbage and throwing out the bandaid wrapper and the cotton.

The two of them joined the others in huddling around the hospital bed once more but weren't there for long as Grace shooed them away.