***
Terren held Lara close as she shook. He ignored the scent of her blood, the sweet heat of her presence, and let her rant.
"...and then they said they'd have to put in another prior authorization, and they'd certainly put a rush on it, but that was on a Friday afternoon, so I'm stuck without my long-term insulin until Monday afternoon at least." Lara swore, fists clenched against his chest.
A day and a half she'd been without her medication and he could already smell the difference. "Are you going to be okay?"
"Probably fucking not." Lara pushed away to sit up, pulling away from the vampire. "Even if I watch everything I eat, my blood glucose is going to go up. And up. And up. I can kinda balance it out with my short term, but that comes with its own set of problems that suck just as bad."
Terren sat up, reached out to stroke her back. They'd been dating for nearly a year, moved beyond merely feeding intimacies to an actual relationship of caring and companionship. This was the first time she'd had actual problems related to her diabetes, and he was at a loss. "How can I help?"
Lara shrugged, shook her head, and crossed her arms tight under her breasts. "I dunno. Go shake down the medical assistant. Buy my five hundred dollar insulin pen. Make me into a vampire."
He ignored the bitter tone of her voice, replying only to her words. "I think I'd enjoy harassing anyone who causes you such distress, and I have more than enough money to purchase whatever you need, but..." Terren's voice trailed off and he let his fingers brush the base of her neck.
"But what? I'm not good enough to be a vampire?" Lara snapped. Terren removed his hand and she turned to look at him with sadness in her eyes. "Sorry. I get super cranky when my sugars are off."
Terren's heart softened. He pulled her into a hug, stroking her long hair, kissing the top of her head. He had not been a creature of the night for so long that he couldn't be moved by sympathy and emotions. "That's not what I meant. I just...we haven't talked about it. I don't know if you really want to be changed."
Lara relaxed in his arms, let her hands fall to her lap. "I'm not sure I've really thought about it myself. I mean, in passing, sure, but not as an actual reality, despite all the time we spend together.
"But I've wanted to, most of my life. I've been pretty sure I'd make a good vampire since I was a teenager, and only grew more sure as I got older."
She adjusted and sat up to look him in the eyes. "After I was diagnosed Type One, I began to doubt that I even could become one. You know, since my blood is poison now."
What was he supposed to say to that? Words didn't seem adequate to express sympathy for her situation. Nor for the swell of love within.
Terren cupped her cheek, then leaned forward to kiss her, long and slow. When they parted, he whispered against her mouth. "There is nothing that would prevent your changed. If you really wish the change, I will do so."
Lara stiffened, then sighed. "You mean it?"
He moved so he could gaze into her eyes. "I most certainly do. You'll never need to worry about waiting for your insurance, or having to inject yourself, or crashing.
"But you will need to hunt, feed, kill. No more sunlight, no mirrors, no chocolate. Do you really want to swap one leash for another?" Terren stroked her soft skin with his thumbs.
Lara smiled, eyes bright. "Anything's better than this hell."
