Note: Wow, that was a quick update, wasn't it? What can I say? Reviews make me write faster. So, you know what you have to do now… lol ;)
Chapter rated PG for use of the f word, and unbeta'd, again. Sorry.
Oh, and I'm not a doctor, nor a nurse, so the hospital procedures are not really my forte. Bear with me, okay?
Now, on with the chapter!!
o o o o o o o
"Wake up…"
My head hurts. Really… I feel like I have the mother of all hangovers, but I don't remember drinking anything. Actually, right now, I don't remember much of anything at all. The world is blurry around me as I struggle to open my eyes, and I'm starting to wish I hadn't woken up. My whole body aches, and my mind isn't really clear… I've been drugged, or something…
And then I hear it. A low, regular, and terribly annoying beeping sound.
Beep… beep… beep…
The haze around my memory starts to clear up.
Beep… beep… beep…
The alley, the vamp, my stake, the young men…
And suddenly, I understand. And I have to let out a groan.
Not again...
If I wasn't so pissed off, and if my body was in full possession of its capacities, I would probably laugh. Because, really, it's hilarious… in a pathetic way.
I'm in a fucking hospital, again. And yes, I know, language, but honestly right now I couldn't care less. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck… sometimes it just has to come out. Even if the therapeutic properties of the word are much less efficient when you think it than when you say it.
I would say it out loud, or maybe even shout it, if I felt like I could actually utter something that would vaguely sound like a word. My mouth is dry, my tongue feels numb, and my skin itches somewhere on my belly. Oh, and, the best part, I have needles poking everywhere, and a tube in my nose.
Great… this is bloody great, as Spike would have said. How on earth am I gonna get Angel back if I'm stuck in a hospital bed?
Not that I'm planning on staying… I'm the slayer, I heal pretty quickly, but I still need time to recover. And time is what I don't really have.
Those vamps were after me for a reason. And it wasn't to ask me out, or to add the Slayer to their collection of victims. No… they were organized, knew where I was, what I was doing… and were obviously acting on someone's account.
The sixty-four billion dollar question now is… Who?
Why don't they want him back?
Okay, stupid question, he wasn't exactly the kind of guy who everybody liked… He had his share of enemies. I remember the weeks after his death, we had quite a lot of work cleaning up his mess. Faith and a handful of the girls did most of it… I wasn't really in shape.
But still, it's strange… why now? Why attacking me and trying to stop me now that I'm so close? What did set all those events in motion? The old lady, the bracelet, the Whisper, the vamps… He's been dead for two years, and suddenly, the whole world knows there's a way for him to come back. I'd really like some kind of explanation for that…
And how could his coming back possibly be a threat for the underworld? Besides the obvious, I mean… What are they afraid of? Does he know something important? Is there some kind of master plan that requires his presence to fight evil?
I wish I knew… I need to understand.
Ow… but now, what I really need is some aspirin… or possibly some morphine…
"Ah, good, you're awake…" a cheery voice says, startling me.
Yes, I'm awake… and I hurt like Hell. A white human form is moving around me, and I can hear the sound of paper being shuffled.
"How do you feel?"
That question… I make a feeble attempt at rolling my eyes. Peachy, with a side of keen… Moron.
Did I mention how much I hate doctors?
He checks the bandage on my belly, and I can see him write something on a board before putting it at the end of my bed.
"You scared us, you know? But you seem to be healing incredibly well… and quickly!" he says.
I clear my throat. I really wish I could talk.
He lifts up the head of my bed, so that I'm almost in a sitting position. "I can't put it higher because of the wound on your stomach" he says, before handing me a glass of water "here".
I throw him a grateful glance. Okay, he's nice for a doctor.
"Thanks" I manage to croak.
He just smiles. "I can't give you anything to ease the pain at the moment, you have to wait a few hours… is it bearable?"
I nod. It hurts, but I've had worse… I'll survive.
"I have some information to ask you…" he says, grabbing a pencil from his pocket, and a sheet.
"Okay…"
"I suppose you have a name?"
I just look at him. No, genius, I don't, I'm No One, the vampire Slayer. Is he for real?
He sees the look on my face, and his smile widens. "Sorry, it's just, you didn't have any wallet, or ID on you when you were brought here. So, you were labelled Jane Doe, and we put you in a room with John Doe over there…" He points at a bed a few feet away from me, half hidden behind a curtain. I'm not alone in the room… great… my life keeps getting better and better…
"He's been here for about a week, and nobody came to reclaim him… So, we had a matching set of Does…" he says, chuckling.
I raise my eyebrows. I try to see the fun, but… no. I don't. And I'm friends with Xander, so, that's gotta mean something.
He has the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry… Try working in a hospital… you'll develop a weird sense of humour."
He clears his throat, and spends five minutes asking me questions about my name, social security number, address, who's the president (and that, I wish I didn't know)… Given that I feel like my brain is surrounded with cotton, it's a miracle I can remember anything.
He explains to me the nature of my wound, what happened… I was brought here by two guys who found me on the street, bleeding to death, but didn't know what had happened… yeah, sure. But I'm not about to tell him anything about the groups of demon fighters in L.A, he would probably just call the nice men in white coats and send me to the psych ward of this miniature version of Hell.
I apparently went through a two hour long surgery, my organs needed some stitching up… And that was almost two days ago.
Well, it's still better than five days, isn't it?
He leaves the room after unplugging me – according to him, I don't need the heart watch anymore, and I'm kinda relieved because the insistent 'beep' would probably drive me insane after a while… my relief only lasts a minute, of course, since John Doe my unfortunate roommate apparently has his own little noisy computer. Damn. The doctor tells me to press the button beside my bed if I need anything, and to wait for the nurse who will bring me a telephone. Giles, Dawn and Will are probably freaking out, they must have tried to contact me… I remember telling Willow that I would call her once I arrived in L.A… and of course, I forgot.
Well, this is all Angel's fault.
I smile at that, and shake my head… Sure, Buffy… Blame it on the missing guy.
The nurse finally comes in, and I call Willow, who almost cries in relief. She makes me swear that I will be careful in the future, and once I tell her that she really doesn't need to come all the way here, she threatens to send Faith to help if anything else happens. My sister slayer is currently in San Francisco, so, she'll be here in a heartbeat if I need her. Our relationship has considerably improved, over the years. She's like family… you don't choose them, sometimes you don't even like them, but in the end, they're a part of you you can never get rid of.
I hang up, feeling a little better but still completely sore, and tired. I drink another glass of water, and lean back as comfortably as possible against my pillow… I can see the sky, outside my window. It's the middle of the night, and wish I could see the stars, but the city lights are making it impossible. I sigh, hoping I'll feel better soon… I have a lost love to find.
My eyes are just starting to close when I feel it. That little tingle, down my spine, in my stomach… that slight tug at my heart… I barely manage to keep my eyes open, just the time to see him sit down on the chair next to my bed, a smile on his face. I make a feeble attempt at grinning back, before finally falling asleep, feeling protected and at peace.
My Angel is watching over me.
o o o o o o o
I'm currently going through what must definitely be one of the most boring days of my life. Really…
And if I see one more nurse coming in with anything that vaguely resembles a needle, I might get violent. And we all know that doesn't happen very often, don't we?
I slept for nine blissful hours, having, for a change, very nice dreams, some of them not suited for young and innocent ears, which is why I'm gonna stop talking about it now, before I start to embarrass myself. Oh, and something about a fruitbasket and twizzlers… go figure.
I woke up feeling incredibly better. I'm ready to go out, I could run a marathon… Now if only the doctor would have believed me sooner… He was slightly surprised when he saw my wound this morning, it's closed, and already scarring. A few days from now, it will just be a memory. I played Miss Complains-a-lot ever since I came back to the land of the conscious, hoping I would piss them off enough so they would let me out. And it worked, but only after I spent the whole day in that damn bed, watching the ceiling, talking to Lisa, the nice young nurse who took care of me, and counting the beeps of my neighbour's monitoring system… all the while resisting the urge to get up, rip the curtain off, and choke the poor man, just to make it stop.
They have no medical reason to keep me here, since I'm perfectly fine, but my quick healing left them a bit puzzled.
I caught a few glimpses of Angel here and there, lurking in the corner of the room… he couldn't really talk to me, since I was barely alone for a few minutes in a row. There was always somebody, checking on me, on John Doe, cleaning the room… Frustrating. And when I was finally at peace for a moment, he was nowhere to be seen. Typical.
At no moment this time did I feel like crying when I saw him. I think I got over the shock of the first few times. Besides, now, I know it's just a matter of time before I have the real live version of him to hug and cuddle as much as I want. And to hell with the curse, he owes me at least that. Now, when I see his Whisper around, I just want him to come closer and talk, or, I don't know, just be there.
He was there only an hour ago, and smiled at me while Lisa fussed over me… and left after he realised that she was going to change my bandage, which meant I was going to be half-naked. Angel… always the gentleman. Even if I could swear he tried to peek before vanishing in thin air.
Hey, just thinking about this now… does he really disappear and go somewhere else? Or does he just become invisible and keep walking around without me noticing? I look around the room suspiciously at that thought, feeling suddenly very self-conscious…
I shrug that thought away. There's nothing I can do about that now, and I'd better not start with the "what ifs".
But still. Disturbing thought.
I signed the release papers a few minutes ago, and I'm now getting up from the bed. I really need to get dressed, and get gone, because I can't stand that place anymore.
I've barely put my feet on the ground when Lisa comes back in the room, humming slightly off-key.
I groan a little, but with a smile.
"Please, tell me you don't come to chain me to the bed… I might have to use my knowledge in martial arts if you even try…" I tell her.
She chuckles. "Don't worry, you're safe." She comes closer, standing next to me, ready to help me out if I can't stand up on my own.
"I still think you should stay longer, but actually, I'm not here for you. I'm here to take care of my very favourite patient over there" she says, pointing at John Doe's bed.
I give her a disappointed look. Of course, it would work better if I wasn't grinning. "You mean I'm not your favorite? I'm hurt" I say, putting my hand over my heart.
"Sorry sweetie, he's more my style. Besides, he's way quieter than you are."
I laugh at that. She gives me a grin, and once she's sure I can stand up without support, she hands me my clothes. "He's quite the celebrity here, actually… All the girls wanted to take care of him. But I won the prize!" She singsongs the last part of the sentence. Then, after a pause "Actually, we drew lots, and I got the better deal" she adds with a smile.
"You people in hospitals are weird" I tell her, raising my eyebrows.
She laughs, and seeing I don't need her, leaves me alone to change, walking around my bed to take care of her patient. I turn my back to her, trying to find some privacy. I hear her open the curtain around his bed as she continues to babble.
"Hey, it's not everyday an unknown guy in a deep coma is dropped in front of the ER entrance, with no ID, no papers, nothing…"
"Well, that happened to me" I tell her.
"Sure, but you woke up with enough brains to tell us your name"
Yeah… that's a plus. I put my clothes on one by one, slowly, trying not to rip out any stitch. My body is still a bit sore… I'm putting my shoes on when she starts talking again.
"And actually, it helps that he's one hunk of a guy" she says.
That got my attention. I can't resist. If only I had known earlier… Hey, just because I'm one man's girl doesn't mean I can't look, right?
"Now that's interest…" I say as I turn around, and see my roommate's upper body for the first time.
And any sentence I might have said dies before crossing my lips.
I freeze as I see his face… I would know those features anywhere. I drop my second shoe on the floor, and my right hand flies in front of my mouth.
Lisa obviously realises something is wrong, because she jerks her head up to look at me. But I don't really see her. My eyes are stuck on the guy who was next to me all this time, and whose little beeps threatened to drive me crazy.
"Buffy?" she says "Are you okay?"
She looks from the guy to me, and back, as the implication of my reaction finally dawns on her.
"Buffy, do you know him?"
Oh yeah. I know him. Quite well, I might add.
I can't believe what's happening right in front of my eyes.
"Buffy?"
I think she's getting worried. But I ignore her, as the tears start to fall down my cheeks. I walk closer, to make sure I'm not dreaming.
No. I'm not.
It's definitely Angel who's sleeping on this bed.
o o o o o o o
Evil laugh
I got you there, uh? Okay, maybe it was a little obvious… but what can I say?
I hope you liked that chapter, because I'm really excited about this one. This is where I reveal the main part of my plot to the world… please, if you don't like, be gentle… lol! That fic is my little baby, and I'm a little insecure about it…
Anyway, I have some things to say.
No infringement of any kind is intended to Marc Levy. The whole coma thing… well, let's just say, he thought about it sooner than I did, and wrote a great book about that, "If only it were true", which I really advise you to read if you're a hopeless romantic. Actually, it's the book that inspired the movie "Just like heaven", that, by the way, I really didn't like. The book is way better.
But I only borrowed him the coma thing, the rest of my plot is definitely very different. Maybe there will be a few other similar elements here and there, but nothing really essential.
And that's it for now!!
Now, please, click on the little blue button below… yeah, just there, you got it! ;)
