Note: This is actually a really old WIP! I wrote it a couple years ago for a Fandom Bingo event, but I never got around to typing it. (busy life).

Hetty's office

'Can you please just rub the lotion please?' Hetty asked.

'Based off the swelling I'm seeing, it might be better to inject the lotion then to rub it on.' Granger replied. 'Where do you keep the syringes?'

'That dresser over there.

Granger noticed how tense Hetty looked when he brought the needle over.

'You alright?'

'Yeah, yeah. Just, that needle looks bigger from here.' Hetty sheephisly replied.

'It's just a small needle, most you'll feel is just a prick.' Granger replied.

Hetty still looked tense.

'Okay.' Putting the needle on the table. 'What's really bothering you? You've never acted like this way around needles as long as I've known you. Something wrong?' Granger asked, comfortly.

Flushing. 'I'm, not a fan of needles anymore.' Hetty softly replied. 'As it turns out, being injected by truth serum by monsters who either want you dead or want you to be a slave can change your whole outlook on injections.'

'Oh Hetty…' Granger thought as he felt a lump form in his throat. After taking a seat next to her, he asked her how long it had been going on.

'I noticed it in the hospital after being rescued, when the nurse would inject stuff in my IV, I would start getting this awful feeling in my stomach, and being reasurred that it was just antibiotics didn't really help. After that, I kept getting jittery whenever I had to be injected, whether it had to be a sedative or antibiotic, I would just hold my breath and pray inside that I wasn't about to have truth serum in my blood again, and as you can see, the tense feeling hasn't gone away, and I don't know if it ever will.' Hetty said.

'Excuse me if I may ask, but, why didn't you say anything?'

'Because I'm so embarrassed! I was trained to not fear injections, and now I tense up each time someone approaches me with a syringe, even if that person is my own husband! I feel so stupid.'

Holding her left hand and brushing a spare tear from her face.'Princess, you are the smartest woman I've ever known. And it's okay to be afraid. Also, I've never been a fan of needles myself, I may know how to hide it, but it still gets to me sometimes. But, it's not stupid to feel afraid of a needle.' Granger gently said.

After giving him a soft look for a few seconds… 'Oh bugger, now I'm going to start crying for real! (chuckle).'

'Well, before you do. I'll just rub this lotion on your swollen looking back. I'm sure you must be starting to get cold without your shirt on.'

'You sure it's not cause you're getting tired of looking at my boobs?'

Granger chuckled.