Chapter 1
…Take Me to the Hospital…
Xander entered Sunnydale General Hospital with Cordelia hot on his tail.
Willow rushed over to them as soon as she spotted the pair. "She fell," she said in a breathy, panicky voice.
"What the hell happened?" the dark haired young man said as he grabbed her forearms to steady her.
"She was fighting some vamps when she fainted," the words jumbled together as she spoke quickly, but he'd known her so long that he was fluent in Willow-babble. "They already wheeled her to the back and won't let me in to see her."
"We'll see about that," Xander said darkly as he released the red head and headed toward the double doors of the ER.
"You cannot go in there," an Intern said as he saw the young man try to push the door open.
The X5 turned a steely eyed glare on the student doctor. "She needs someone with her…" he nearly growled. "Family…" he said as he tried to push the door open once more.
"I'm sorry," someone said from the door as it opened, "You cannot come in here."
Xander looked down at the doctor, more glared than anything, but he backed away with a frustrated sound at the back of his throat. He frowned as he bit a fingernail and paced the waiting room like a caged lion.
"I'll call Giles," Willow said in a perky tone and the young man silently handed her his cell phone.
"I'll call Buffy's mom," Cordelia said quietly as she took her own cell from a pocket in her cropped leather jacket.
…Goin' 'round the Hospital…
Every time Xander passed the double doors that led to the Emergency Room, he tried to get a glimpse of the interior. He tilted his head sideways to see if his enhanced hearing could pick up anything, but all the sounds coming from the double doors were muffled.
Cordelia and Willow sat next to one another with worried looks on their faces.
Giles had arrived and paced in the other direction, occasionally, he cleaned his glasses but other than that he remained silently waiting.
Joyce finally arrived and walked in their direction. "Where is she?" she asked when the Watcher reached her side.
"Still in there," Xander nearly snarled as he indicated the double doors with an impatient wave of his hand.
"I'd like to see my baby girl," Joyce said in deep concern.
"They won't let us in," Willow said as she rose and moved to the woman's side.
Joyce looked down at her and smiled sympathetically.
In that moment, the doctor entered the waiting room and called out, "Mrs. Summers?" he looked around expectantly.
"That's me," the blonde woman said as she turned to the doctor.
"I'm Dr. Ferguson," he said as he stood up straighter.
"Is my daughter alright, doctor?" she asked as she looked up at him.
"We were able to stabilize…"
Xander moved into the doctor's space, threatening, "Is. She. Okay?"
The doctor moved back from the young man, "She's going to be fine."
Joyce sighed with relief and sat down in the closest chair.
"We're going to keep her here for a few days so that we can monitor her fever." Ferguson said nervously as he eyed the young man.
…When can I go Home?…
Buffy Summers rested uncomfortably on the hospital bed. An IV drip fed nutrients into her veins to combat dehydration. The Slayer looked pale, drawn.
The door opened and Joyce entered with the Scooby Gang right behind her.
Both Cordelia and Xander frowned as they saw her. The pair shared a knowing look and moved to the blonde's side quickly.
Joyce moved to the bed and sat on the chair next to it as she took her daughter's hand. "Buffy? Are you alright, sweetie?"
"Are we taking me home?" she asked groggily as she tried to get up from the bed.
Xander held her shoulder to stop the blonde from getting up, "No, Buffinator, you need some RnR."
"My bed is better than this lumpy thing," the Slayer protested with a pout.
"I'm sure it is," the young man placated her, "but you need to get better, not relapse."
She relaxed back into the bed with a frown and stopped struggling.
"She feels hot, feverish," Xander stepped back to Giles' side when the Slayer had calmed down enough. His next words were whispered, "Her pulse is too erratic."
"It must be the flu," Giles agreed with him.
"I wanna go home," Buffy said loudly to her mother in her best child's voice.
Joyce looked at the others with a smile and a shrug.
Xander stood back, biting a fingernail as he watched a doctor and a nurse enter the room to check his friend and administer a sedative through the IV drip then left the room as efficiently as possible. For some reason, neither were comfortable in the dark haired youth's presence.
"I don't think I've ever seen her this scared," Xander said into the silence of the room.
"She hates hospitals," Joyce explained as she stroked the blonde's hair soothingly.
"I can sympathize," Xander snarked with a self-depreciating frown.
Willow looked at him oddly but turned to the Slayer's mother, "Why?"
"She was eight when her cousin Celia died in a hospital, Buffy was with her," the woman said by way of explanation.
'Just like Jack,' Cordelia thought to herself as she frowned sadly, remembering things best left forgotten.
