Francisco arrived with a small cooler and a look Adriana recognized instantly — calm, careful, and just a little bit apologetic.

She sat cross-legged on the couch, flipping through a worn paperback. “That better be lunch,” she said, half-joking.

He shook his head gently, setting the cooler down on the table. “Not lunch. Medicine.”

Her smile faltered. “How much medicine?”

Francisco opened the lid and pulled out a neatly organized tray of syringes, each one labeled. “You’re behind, Adri. Four vaccines and two vitamin boosters. Each of the vitamins has to be done on both sides.”

Adriana’s eyes widened. “That’s… ten.”

He nodded. “Four for your thighs. Six for your buttocks. I know it’s a lot.”

She stared at the tray for a moment, then exhaled slowly. “Okay.”

Francisco glanced up. “Are you sure?”

She met his eyes and nodded. “If you’re doing it, I’m okay.”

They set up in the quiet of her room, curtains drawn, the soft hum of a fan in the background. She lay on her side first, shorts slipped down just enough. He knelt beside her, steady hands and even steadier voice.

The first injection stung — sharp and clean.

The second one burned deep. She tensed.

Francisco placed a warm hand gently on her lower back. “Breathe, Adri.”

She did. And kept doing it through the third. And the fourth.

They switched positions. Thighs next.

These felt different — some were dull and achy, others sharp, electric.

By the last two, she winced openly, burying her face in the pillow.

“Almost done,” he said softly.

When it was finally over, he massaged each site gently with a warm cloth, rubbing the soreness away little by little. She rolled over, groaning slightly but laughing.

“You know,” she said, “there’s a very fine line between helping someone and torturing them.”

Francisco chuckled. “If it helps, I think you’re officially the bravest person I know.”

She sat up slowly, still sore, still flushed from the ordeal. “I better be. That was brutal.”

He handed her a bottle of water and sat beside her, eyes sincere. “I’m really proud of you, Adriana. You didn’t complain once. You just… faced it.”

“I trusted you,” she said simply.

He smiled, but there was a note of seriousness in his voice when he added, “You should know — most of these shots? They’ll need follow-ups. Boosters. Some within a few weeks, some in a few months.”

She groaned dramatically, flopping back onto the bed. “You’re kidding me.”

“I wish I was.”

She peeked at him from under her arm. “You’re still doing them, right?”

“Every single one,” he said without hesitation. “You won’t go through it alone.”

There was a pause.

Then she smirked. “Well then, I guess I can survive anything.”