I stood at the payphone in the waiting room of the hospital. I dug in my
pocket for another quarter. No one was home at the Summers' house, or at
least no one was answering, so I decided to try the next best thing. I
dialed the phone and waiting for a voice to greet me.
"Hello?" Asked a sleepy voice, it was almost two in the morning.
"Hi, Anya. Sorry to call so early but…"
"Spike?"
"Yeah, pet, it's me. Look, I wanted to see if Buffy was at your place 'cause I tried calling her house and no one picked up."
"Uh, Buffy? She's not here. I mean, she was. She and Xander left about twenty minutes ago for the hospital."
I turned around to watch the slayer walk briskly in through the front doors, the whelp bringing up the rear. She walked to the receptionist but then saw me. She rushed over.
"Ah, Anya, there here."
"Okay, tell Dawn I hope she okay."
"I will."
"Bye," she hung up the phone, as did I.
"Slayer, whelp, how are you two doing?" I asked, cocking my head and grinning sardonically.
"Where is she?" Demanded Buffy.
"Calm down, love. She's getting her arm x-rayed."
"And you left her?"
"They wouldn't let me go into the room with her, so I took the opportunity to try and call you," I looked at her hardened face. ~Ungreatful bitch!~
"Alright. Uh, where is should we go?"
"I'll take you to her room."
Buffy followed me and Xander came obediently behind. We walked into her room to see that she wasn't back yet. We waited in uncomfortable silence until finally the doctor brought her back. Dawn looked at Buffy and Xander and back to me. Buffy immediately embraced her sister.
"Oh, Dawnie! Are you okay?"
"Ow!," Yelled the girl, "you squeezed my arm!"
"Oh sorry!"
"Hey Dawnster," Xander greeted her, and Dawn seemed to take to him more warmly than her own sister. He took her head in her hands and kissed her forehead gently. She then walked back over to me. The doctor than approached Buffy with a large envelope.
"Hello. Ms. Summers?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Hi, my name is Dr. Lexington. You're Dawn's sister, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, good. Now we looked over the x-rays and she appears t have fractured her arm…"
The doctor went on about stuff I didn't need to hear so I nudged Dawn, on her good side of course.
"Hey, Little Bit, I brought you some stuff from the vending machine."
She smiled warmly. "I'm not that hungry."
"Are you sure? I heard that chocolate can solve any problem," I said as I held out a bag of M&M's.
"Well, maybe just a couple," she said as I tore open the bag and pour a few into her hand. She began to put a few into her mouth when the doctor asked for her.
"Dawn, could you come here and sit on the examination table, please?"
"Um, okay." She walked over and once again I helped her hop up. I stood beside her as the doctor continued to speak.
"We're going to have to reset the bone. Now, I won't lie to you, it will hurt, but once I'm done we'll give you something for the pain, okay?"
Dawn looked around apprehensively. She looked at me and then at Buffy who went to take her hand. However, when Buffy reached out, Dawn flinched and took my hand instead. Buffy's eyes were green with jealousy. She obviously could not understand why the girl would want me rather than her. I couldn't care less however, I had been in sort of a 'na-na-na-poo-poo' sort of stage since that night. I was mightely pissed and with good reason.
I had become so lost in thought about Buffy that I was startled when I heard Dawn cry out and tightly grasped my hand. I looked at her and watched the tears flow steadily from her eyes.
"All done. Sorry Dawn," said the doctor, "I'll get you something for the pain right away."
She nodded and put her head down on my shoulder, sobbing furiously.
"It's not fair, it's not fair," I heard her moan.
"I know, Dawnie, I know," I told her as I rubbed her back, "but you're a tough kid, you'll be okay."
She nodded again and lifted her head up. "I wanna go home," she stated surely.
"I know, Dawnie," Buffy told her sister, "as soon as they give you some meds and put a cast on we'll get out of here."
Dawn just sat staring at her feet, more tears falling from her eyes to the floor.
"What's wrong?" Xander asked.
"How could Willow do that? How could she do that to me?"
"That's the thing Dawnster, she didn't do it to hurt you. She…it's like she has an addiction. And she was wrong, we know, but you have to try and forgive her."
"Why? Why should I? It's her own fault. Tara tried to stop her but she was too big headed to listen, how can you defend her?" The young girl asked angrily, "I hate her!"
"Dawnie, don't say that. She…"
"Why shouldn't she say that?" I asked, interrupting Buffy.
"Because it isn't Willow's fault that she has a problem."
"Bloody right it's her fault. Tara warned her, I know more than you think. And the lot of you have been so wrapped up in your own little worlds, that you couldn't even see that your BEST friend has gone on the bloody pipe."
"Oh yeah, *Spike? If you saw it so very well then why didn't you say anything?"
"Oh right, slayer. Because if I had said something, you would have just believed me?"
Buffy looked at her feet, she knew I was right. She never believed anything I told her even when I was right. I thought I had won when she looked up, anger flaring in her eyes.
"Would you like to know WHY I don't trust you, Spike?"
"Why's that?"
"Because…"
"STOP IT!" Dawn shouted. "Just stop it, please you guys. I'm sorry."
"Dawn, you don't have to be sorry for anything. You…"
The doctor walked in, interrupting Xander mid-sentence.
"Okay, first I'm gonna put on the cast. Then I'll have the nurse bring something for the pain. How does that sound, Dawn?"
Dawn only smiled while she still glared at Buffy and me.
"Spike, can I talk to you outside?" Buffy asked, motioning toward the door. I made no response but followed slowly.
"Look, I don't need to fight with you, especially not now in front of Dawn."
"Right, then. So stop fighting with me."
"It's just, you have no idea how hard this must be for Willow and I think we need to give her the benefit of the doubt. At least for now."
"It's just- I hate to see Dawnie like that, you know? It makes me feel so, so…"
"Helpless."
"Yeah."
"Okay well incase you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly thrilled about my sister being in the hospital."
I cocked my head, what could I have possibly said to that? I just sighed loudly and nodded.
"Another thing, Spike, I think we've been a little bitter, since-uh-last night, so, thank you."
"For what, last night?"
"No, for helping me to find Dawn."
"Well, slayer, incase you haven't noticed, I kinda like the girl. She's much more pleasant to be around than you. Also, even if you had make me stop looking with you, I would have kept looking."
"Thank you. I mean it."
"I know."
"Oh, and about last night, it wasn't so bad," she told me, smiling wickedly.
"Oh yeah, slayer? Well, maybe I'll see you around then."
"Yeah, maybe you will."
"Hello?" Asked a sleepy voice, it was almost two in the morning.
"Hi, Anya. Sorry to call so early but…"
"Spike?"
"Yeah, pet, it's me. Look, I wanted to see if Buffy was at your place 'cause I tried calling her house and no one picked up."
"Uh, Buffy? She's not here. I mean, she was. She and Xander left about twenty minutes ago for the hospital."
I turned around to watch the slayer walk briskly in through the front doors, the whelp bringing up the rear. She walked to the receptionist but then saw me. She rushed over.
"Ah, Anya, there here."
"Okay, tell Dawn I hope she okay."
"I will."
"Bye," she hung up the phone, as did I.
"Slayer, whelp, how are you two doing?" I asked, cocking my head and grinning sardonically.
"Where is she?" Demanded Buffy.
"Calm down, love. She's getting her arm x-rayed."
"And you left her?"
"They wouldn't let me go into the room with her, so I took the opportunity to try and call you," I looked at her hardened face. ~Ungreatful bitch!~
"Alright. Uh, where is should we go?"
"I'll take you to her room."
Buffy followed me and Xander came obediently behind. We walked into her room to see that she wasn't back yet. We waited in uncomfortable silence until finally the doctor brought her back. Dawn looked at Buffy and Xander and back to me. Buffy immediately embraced her sister.
"Oh, Dawnie! Are you okay?"
"Ow!," Yelled the girl, "you squeezed my arm!"
"Oh sorry!"
"Hey Dawnster," Xander greeted her, and Dawn seemed to take to him more warmly than her own sister. He took her head in her hands and kissed her forehead gently. She then walked back over to me. The doctor than approached Buffy with a large envelope.
"Hello. Ms. Summers?"
"Yes, that's me."
"Hi, my name is Dr. Lexington. You're Dawn's sister, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, good. Now we looked over the x-rays and she appears t have fractured her arm…"
The doctor went on about stuff I didn't need to hear so I nudged Dawn, on her good side of course.
"Hey, Little Bit, I brought you some stuff from the vending machine."
She smiled warmly. "I'm not that hungry."
"Are you sure? I heard that chocolate can solve any problem," I said as I held out a bag of M&M's.
"Well, maybe just a couple," she said as I tore open the bag and pour a few into her hand. She began to put a few into her mouth when the doctor asked for her.
"Dawn, could you come here and sit on the examination table, please?"
"Um, okay." She walked over and once again I helped her hop up. I stood beside her as the doctor continued to speak.
"We're going to have to reset the bone. Now, I won't lie to you, it will hurt, but once I'm done we'll give you something for the pain, okay?"
Dawn looked around apprehensively. She looked at me and then at Buffy who went to take her hand. However, when Buffy reached out, Dawn flinched and took my hand instead. Buffy's eyes were green with jealousy. She obviously could not understand why the girl would want me rather than her. I couldn't care less however, I had been in sort of a 'na-na-na-poo-poo' sort of stage since that night. I was mightely pissed and with good reason.
I had become so lost in thought about Buffy that I was startled when I heard Dawn cry out and tightly grasped my hand. I looked at her and watched the tears flow steadily from her eyes.
"All done. Sorry Dawn," said the doctor, "I'll get you something for the pain right away."
She nodded and put her head down on my shoulder, sobbing furiously.
"It's not fair, it's not fair," I heard her moan.
"I know, Dawnie, I know," I told her as I rubbed her back, "but you're a tough kid, you'll be okay."
She nodded again and lifted her head up. "I wanna go home," she stated surely.
"I know, Dawnie," Buffy told her sister, "as soon as they give you some meds and put a cast on we'll get out of here."
Dawn just sat staring at her feet, more tears falling from her eyes to the floor.
"What's wrong?" Xander asked.
"How could Willow do that? How could she do that to me?"
"That's the thing Dawnster, she didn't do it to hurt you. She…it's like she has an addiction. And she was wrong, we know, but you have to try and forgive her."
"Why? Why should I? It's her own fault. Tara tried to stop her but she was too big headed to listen, how can you defend her?" The young girl asked angrily, "I hate her!"
"Dawnie, don't say that. She…"
"Why shouldn't she say that?" I asked, interrupting Buffy.
"Because it isn't Willow's fault that she has a problem."
"Bloody right it's her fault. Tara warned her, I know more than you think. And the lot of you have been so wrapped up in your own little worlds, that you couldn't even see that your BEST friend has gone on the bloody pipe."
"Oh yeah, *Spike? If you saw it so very well then why didn't you say anything?"
"Oh right, slayer. Because if I had said something, you would have just believed me?"
Buffy looked at her feet, she knew I was right. She never believed anything I told her even when I was right. I thought I had won when she looked up, anger flaring in her eyes.
"Would you like to know WHY I don't trust you, Spike?"
"Why's that?"
"Because…"
"STOP IT!" Dawn shouted. "Just stop it, please you guys. I'm sorry."
"Dawn, you don't have to be sorry for anything. You…"
The doctor walked in, interrupting Xander mid-sentence.
"Okay, first I'm gonna put on the cast. Then I'll have the nurse bring something for the pain. How does that sound, Dawn?"
Dawn only smiled while she still glared at Buffy and me.
"Spike, can I talk to you outside?" Buffy asked, motioning toward the door. I made no response but followed slowly.
"Look, I don't need to fight with you, especially not now in front of Dawn."
"Right, then. So stop fighting with me."
"It's just, you have no idea how hard this must be for Willow and I think we need to give her the benefit of the doubt. At least for now."
"It's just- I hate to see Dawnie like that, you know? It makes me feel so, so…"
"Helpless."
"Yeah."
"Okay well incase you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly thrilled about my sister being in the hospital."
I cocked my head, what could I have possibly said to that? I just sighed loudly and nodded.
"Another thing, Spike, I think we've been a little bitter, since-uh-last night, so, thank you."
"For what, last night?"
"No, for helping me to find Dawn."
"Well, slayer, incase you haven't noticed, I kinda like the girl. She's much more pleasant to be around than you. Also, even if you had make me stop looking with you, I would have kept looking."
"Thank you. I mean it."
"I know."
"Oh, and about last night, it wasn't so bad," she told me, smiling wickedly.
"Oh yeah, slayer? Well, maybe I'll see you around then."
"Yeah, maybe you will."