𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘀𝗵𝗲𝘀 ~ 𝗞𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝘃𝗲𝘀

~ Chapter Thirty Seven ~

Klaus had stayed up as long as he could the night prior, trying to comfort Allison but she continued shooing him away. "Yes, I'm looking for a patient named Raymond Chestnut. He may have been brought in last night from the riot at Stadler's," He heard Allison's voice faintly as she held the telephone receiver tightly in her hands. "Why is that any of your business? Of course, you don't treat Negros. How silly of me," Allison bit back at the stern receptionist before hanging up.

Slowly, Klaus sat up. His vision soon adjusted as he watched Allison pace back and forth across the kitchen. "You alright?" He asked tiredly. "No! Ray didn't come home last night!" Allison answered. "Well, I'm sure he's fine. First things first, we'll need coffee, vitamin b12, oh and a piping hot bowl of Menudo, and then we'll sort all this stuff out," Klaus muttered. Allison turned around on her heel with a look of irritation. "He saw me rumor that cop, Klaus!" She snapped.

Klaus's eyes widened with surprise, but at the same time, he knew that she was trying to save her husband's life. "I'm such an idiot," she sighed, sitting in one of the dining room chairs. "No, you're not," Klaus said reassuringly. "I promised myself that I would never do this again. Nothing good ever comes from it," Allison said, burying her face in her hands. The former junkie talked to his sister about a fable about a scorpion and frog wanting to cross the river, but both ended up drowning.

This random comment made Allison even more confused. "What the hell is the point of that story?" she questioned. "The point is frogs are bitches, and we do not negotiate with terrorists," Klaus answered. "I can't actually deal with you right now. I'm going to find my damn husband without you!" She grabbed a few things before heading to her bedroom to get changed. Klaus began to feel a little guilty as he couldn't help his sister with her pain and left the house, hoping to find Dave again and convince him not to sign up for the war.

To his surprise, the hardware store was closed, but he still didn't give up. Out of the corner of his eye, Klaus saw Dave and his uncle walk into Stadler's. "You're still going to convince him not to sign up for the war?" Ben questioned. "Yes. Now, will you please shut up and let me do this?" Klaus asked, peering over his shoulder, concerning a few nearby bystanders. "Remember, you said that you can handle this, so if things go south, don't blame me,"

Klaus slipped his sunglasses on as he walked inside the restaurant, sitting at the bar while he waited for Dave's uncle to leave the table. As he waited, Klaus mentally prepared the words inside his head and silently prayed that Dave would be convinced and go on about his life and live for a long time. After what seemed like forever, Dave's Uncle finally left the booth and walked to the bathroom, giving the former junkie a small amount of time to talk to his long-lost love.

"Hey Mamie Pink, right?" Dave asked as Klaus sat across from him. "Klaus Hargreeves. But you can call me whatever you want," he clarified, just before Dave could ask him how the latrine was looking since his visit to the store. "Listen to me, Dave. I have to talk to you about something important," Klaus said, trying to get straight to the point. Dave looked at the former junkie with a hint of confusion, wondering where this was going. "This is going to sound crazy, but... I know you,"

"Yeah, from the hardware store," Dave nodded. "No, from before. No, after. Listen, I know you're thinking about enlisting, thinking it's your duty cause your grandfather fought in World War I, and your father fought in World War II, and then that guy you're eating brunch with is your Uncle Ryan, who fought in Korea," Klaus explained. "Brian," Dave clarified as Klaus continued talking. "Mhmm and you look up to Brian. And you're starting to believe all this stuff he's saying about how being in the military makes you a man,"