[C] Blood Blood Gallons Of The Stuff

Every three months Ian made a point to make an appearance at the local blood bank to donate.

He had been doing so since he had turned seventeen.

Now at thirty four, he was well acquainted with the procedure and most of the nurses that worked here. Most of them were well acquainted with him as well.

He hummed a cheerfully morbid tune as he read through a magazine, waiting to be called up for his donation.

Lillian had just moved to Catania, she had been working as a nurse on the mainland for about a year now but when a supervisor position became available she snatched it up eagerly, especially since it was in her favourite department.

She walked in carrying a clipboard of names.

"Mister Milo?"

She called out indicating toward the back room before padding behind the dividing wall.

Lilly was a petite woman, her slender form hidden behind her slightly baggy uniform, she was yet to get it tailored to fit.

She had a tumble of chocolate curls reaching down to her backside.

Ian paused in his humming as an unfamiliar voice called out his name.

His sharp blue eyes flickered up as he closed the magazine and pushed himself to his feet, dusting off the imaginary dirt from his jean-clad thighs.

The tall man followed her behind the partition wall, offering her a smile as he moved to take a seat.

He was well aware of the procedure.

"I see from your chart that you're a veteran at this so I won't bother going over it. I'm Lillian and I'll be draining you today."

She joked with a small giggle as she moved the tray toward the seat and pulled on a pair of gloves as she gave him a gentle smile.

Pulling our a cotton bud she dabbed antiseptic onto his arm before picking up the needle.

"Always my favorite part."

She laugh softly as she leaned over his arm, finding a visible vein.

"I've done this once or twice before," he replied with a wry grin.

Once or twice was definitely an understatement.

He rested his arm on the arm of the chair and relaxed as the cool antiseptic was wiped over his skin.

"Each and every one of you nurses are vampiric," the man teased. "And sadistic. I bet you all thoroughly enjoy seeing people's discomfort around a needle."

His voice was light, obviously not trying to insult her in any way.

Lilly laughed in amusement as she pushed the needle into his arm.

"Sweety you have no idea."

She teased, hissing jokingly as she set up the bag to collect his bag.

"Because you know this isn't going to a patient, secretly after work we crack out the wine glasses and drink it."

Her eyes sparkled mischievously though she was clearly joking around.

She taped the needle down to his skin before going to fetch him a glass of water.

Ian laughed along with her, pretending to cringe back in fear as she hissed, though the grin still curled his lips.

"You Vampires, always lurking."

Not in blood banks, though. He'd met a lot of Vampires around. They were a common in the club. But he'd never met one in a hospital of any kind. He didn't believe any of them would be that certain that they wouldn't crack under the pressure of always smelling blood.

And the fact that he came to the hospital during the day guaranteed that he wouldn't see any Vampires.

"You know us, we are quite sneaky."

She replied with a soft giggle as she pushed a ringlet behind her ear and handed his the glass to drink from.

"Drink up, you need the fluids."

Lilly sat down behind him, checking the bag over carefully as she waited for it to fill.

She didn't know many Vampires who worked in hospitals either, though it had taken a lot of self control to get this far, it hadn't been without it's accidents but medical school had trained her well.

"Yes ma'am."

He took the glass gratefully and sipped slowly at the water.

His eyes flickered over her as subtly as he could manage as she checked over the bag slowly filling with his blood.

She was cute. Very cute.

"Good boy."

She cooed with a grin, messing around with her patients and having a joke always seemed to ease the mood.

Not that he seemed nervous at all, though when she did have a nervous patient they seemed to respond well to her.

"Once we are done you can have a lollipop."

"I haven't been given a lollipop for being a god boy for a long time."

A really long time. He'd outgrown such things before he'd even moved back here in the beginning of his teen years. He couldn't believe that it had been twenty years since he had moved here. Time really flew by.

He took another sip of his water.

"Oh well, you're never too old for a treat."

She replied as she moved over to a bowl of different candy she kept for small children who needed to be coaxed into behaving.

She plucked out a bright red lollipop and moved back over to where he was sitting, placing it down on the bench beside him.

"Only since you behaved so bravely."

She laughed softly before checking his bag again.

"Truer words were never spoken." Ian raised his glass as if to toast that saying.

A good treat every now and again made life bearable.

Whether that treat be a lollipop or something else.

His gaze turned down to the bag when she checked it again.

"You're nearly done."

She replied with a smile, the bag was nearly filled and his donation for the month completed.

"It's so nice having a patient who is so easy going, makes for a change."

The man hadn't passed out or gotten light headed, his veins weren't hard to find, obviously he had enough fluids before hand instead of not listening to the nurses and rocking up dehydrated.

"I used to be nervous about it," he admitted.

"The first few times I was pushed into it. My mother and brother have always donated so they made sure I did when I came of age, too. Little seventeen year old me was terrified of needles."

Though in the seventeen years since he had been donating blood, he'd gotten used to it and the procedure.

"It's gotten easier since."

"Well it is so nice to see and entire family giving back to the community in such an important way."

Donating money or clothes was all very good but blood, when blood was needed there wasn't time to waste, they didn't have the luxury of waiting until someone donated it, they needed it right then.

"Lets just hope that this donation goes a long way in helping someone who really needs it."

That was one thing she was truly passionate about, helping others.

"We always have. My grandmother used to for a long while." But now she was old. She hadn't been allowed to donate blood for a long while.

"Helping out with people's health is important to the Milo's."

No matter what, they would always try to help the community.

"I hope it does." His lips curled up into a crooked smile. "I enjoy helping people when I can."

"With the amount of times you have donated I wouldn't be surprised if you have saved a fair few lives."

She mused with a warm smile before carefully pulling the needle from his arm and placing a band-aid over the hole.

"There we go, you're done for another month. You know the drill, there is tea and cake in the lunch room if you're feeling light headed.

I expect you to have something to eat after donating."

"I can only hope that I have."

He would feel good knowing that his blood could have helped someone in a desperate time of need.

"I'll make sure to eat my fill, ma'am. I'll likely be at the gym, burning that cake off tomorrow." He pushed himself to his feet slowly and carefully, just to make sure he wasn't actually light headed and just hadn't felt it until now. It had happened a few times before; where he had stood up fast and watched the room spin around him.

The small worry was unfounded. He was absolutely fine this time.

"I'll be back in three months. Next time I'm here, I'll ask for the vampiric nurse," he teased.

"Don't work out too hard, give your body time to regenerate before doing anything too strenuous."

She warned lightly as she went about preparing the donation for shipment up to the hospital.

"You may have to be more specific Mister Milo, like you said, all of us nurses are vampiric."

She teased back with a soft chuckle.

"Yes, ma'am." He knew the drill and he knew his own body. He'd be fine.

Ian grinned at her as he stepped out of the room. He turned to lean back in, his blue eyes alight with mischief.

"I'll ask for the pretty vampiric nurse."

He offered her a flirty wink before disappearing down the hall towards the tea room.

Lilly had to hold in a soft squeak as he leaned back into the room and offered up those final words, and that wink...

A soft blush graced her cheeks once he had disappeared, she cursed herself for letting those blue eyes get to her and those muscles didn't help the cause either.

She puffed out her cheeks and let out a soft huff as she sat back in the chair he had just occupied.

"You are so going to that gym tomorrow Lilly."

One of the other nurses chirped as she came to clean up.

"Like hell I am."

She replied, no way would she go there and make herself look like a foolish teenager with a crush.

"He goes to the same gym I do, see him there all the time, you're coming with me."

The other nurse added, as if not even hearing Lilly's objection to going.

This time Lilly gave a real hiss under her breath, glaring at her friend as she went back to work.