Chapter 11

Two hours after her surgery, Buffy's body started showing signs of increased awareness, as the deep sedation wore off. She appeared to be dreaming, her muscles having little twitches here and there. The nurse made a note of it on the chart and a mental note to come back in half an hour.

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Corinne was waiting at the most shaded entrance when Spike came running through the doors.

"Where is she?" he barked, heading towards the main lobby and the elevators.

"Spike, you can't just charge in there. You need to stop at the nurses' station and get a visitor's pass. They won't just let you barrel into ICU," Corinne reasoned.

"What floor?" he growled, punching the 'up' button repeatedly for the elevator. The doors opened just before he lost patience for waiting and ran up the stairs. She followed him in and pressed 'stop'.

"Look, I know you're very upset, but you need to calm down, okay? If you go up there looking like you're going to eat someone, they're going to call security against you. Normally, you wouldn't even be able to see her, but since Dawn is her only relative in town, and a minor, the rest have already been in there. I'll get you a pass, just please keep your voice down up there, okay?" she pleaded.

He slumped against the wall of the elevator, the adrenaline draining away now that he was forced to stop. Spike nodded, so she pushed the button to get the elevator moving again. He followed directions mutely as he was told to sign the visitor's book, clip on the visitor's badge, follow Corinne… She stopped in front of Buffy's door.

"You need to understand that the sight of her will probably be upsetting right now. She has a tube in to help her breathe, and more hooked up elsewhere. You can touch her, just mind the lines, alright?" Another nod.

Spike swallowed nervously, and pushed the door open, Corinne slipping in behind him just in case he had questions. She kept an eye out the little window for the Scoobies.

The smells in any hospital were strong enough to make his nose burn, but having it all associated with Buffy made them that much worse. He could smell the trace of blood from her wounds, the iodine used on her skin to sterilize it, the plastic of the equipment keeping her alive. The one reassurance was her heartbeat, pounding through his brain, though slower than he was used to hearing it…or liked to hear. Buffy's hand twitched – he held his breath, praying she would open her eyes.

"She won't be waking up quite yet," Corinne said softly. "The anesthesia's just worn off enough that she can dream now. But sleep is good. She just had major surgery, so her body needs to concentrate completely on healing."

"What is all this…equipment?" he asked, waving his arm towards the machines.

She walked over to demonstrate. "Well, this monitors her vitals. Pulse rate, heartbeat, oxygen levels… This one is the respirator. It has a pump that circulates oxygen into her lungs through that tube to help her breathe. It'll come out once she's awake, or at least breathing sufficiently without help. This little thing regulates her pain medication. I'm sure you recognize IV bags…"

He nodded, absorbing. "So, she's…comfortable? Not in any pain?"

"High as a kite, if she were awake. Again, once she has recovered further, the level will be dropped gradually and she'll be switched to pills."

"What all-" Spike cleared his throat and tried speaking again. "What all did they do to her?" He finally stepped close enough to take Buffy's hand in his own, stroking the soft skin with his thumb. She shouldn't be lying so still. His Slayer was a force of nature.

"I treated her in the E.R. She had lost a lot of blood before she got here…we had to clamp the severed veins and arteries to get her stable enough for surgery. Neither bullet had left her body, yet…"

"Bullets? She was shot?"

Corinne nodded. "Xander was there at the house with her. I don't know who the shooter was. Anyway…Buffy almost died before we got her to the O.R. The surgeon had to open the wound in her abdomen further to clamp the bleeder while we did CPR. Once she was stable, she came up here. The surgery lasted three hours – I stayed to watch – and she's been out for two. They, uh…had to remove one of her kidneys. That's where the bullet had stopped, and it was not repairable. She'll function fine on just one, though, as long as she doesn't get a major infection in the future. There will be scar tissue…"

"No, there won't…eventually. Slayer healing will take care of that. The only scars she bears are the fang marks on her neck. Her powers will take care of all of it, as long as she's alive."

"That's good. It also helps that she has a life to come back to, people that love her. We've found that a patient's mental state can make up for what medicine can't. But, I'm sure you've known lots that were too stubborn to die, in your lifetime."

He grunted, but didn't reply. Buffy was stubborn enough to make it through anything, if she wanted to. It was the 'if' that worried him. He knew her too well not to believe that she might take this chance to return to heaven, if she could. Despite improving in recent weeks, his Slayer still longed to return to her final rest. It was more precious to her than even Dawn. Whomever had done this would pay – he'd see to it, even if the bastard was human. Spike had an invitation to dinner, and they were going to have that dinner, even if it wasn't tonight.

"We should probably leave, Spike," Corinne said gently, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm only supposed to let you in here for five minutes."

"Could I have just a moment alone? Please?"

"Sure." She slipped out to wait in the hall, keeping an eye out.

"God, luv…when Doc said you were hurt, my heart would have stopped, if it still beat. I've never been so scared in my unlife. I had time, coming through the sewers, to think of all the possible things that might have happened to you…You have to get well, sweetheart. We just started getting to a good place, you know? You can't let some wanker with a gun steal that away, Buffy. We need you. It's selfish, but we do. Open those pretty hazel eyes at me and shoot off that smart mouth…god, I'd give anything for one of your puns right now. I love you, Buffy, and I'm going to be here every night until you wake up—" The rap on the door reminded him his time was up. "I'll see you again soon, kitten." He bent down and kissed her forehead, then the back of her hand. Stroked his slender fingers through her blonde strands. Spike could barely make himself walk away. It hurt to put her out of his sight.

"You okay?" Corinne asked when he came out.

"Do I look it?"

"I know, it's a dumb question…I just want to be there for you, Spike. I know this has to be hard."

"I need to talk to Harris, find out who did this. You want to take out the Slayer; you fight her one on one like any self-respecting demon should. What kind of coward shoots a girl going to breakfast, huh? Torture's too good for 'em." He stopped to batter the poor elevator button again. "I need a smoke. Bloody antiseptic smell makes me want to heave. People are supposed to get well here. Can't they make it smell like flowers or cake? And why is this damn elevator so slow?!" Spike whirled around, caught sight of the stairs, and stomped off to take the alternate route. Corinne couldn't keep up with him down those steps, so she hoped that he wasn't going to do anything crazy. At least it was still light out.

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Spike had no intention of leaving the hospital, yet. He wanted the pay phone. Calling The Magic Box didn't help – the machine came on immediately to take messages. He didn't have Harris' home number. Maybe the witches would be with Dawn at home – only there was no answer there, either. Which meant they had to be here. The Bit would want to be near her sister, unless people forced her to go home. Rather than tearing the hospital apart, he waited for Corinne to exit the stairwell.

She jumped, not expecting him to be right outside the door. "Spike! Warn a girl!"

"Buffy's family – where would they be in this rat trap?"

"There's a family waiting room on the 5th floor, or they could be in the cafeteria…"

"Great. Show me." He took her by the elbow and started guiding her towards the elevators.

"The cafeteria is down here." Sighing, she turned down a hallway. "This way."

Spike sniffed as they stepped inside. "Harris and Demon Girl have been here, the rest haven't. Upstairs."

'Good thing I'm wearing trainers,' Corinne thought, hurrying to catch up. Following a vampire on a mission could quickly get exhausting.

An alarm was going off at the nurses' station when they got up there. Corinne checked the code then hurried off. "Stay here, Spike!" she ordered.

Dr. Larkin entered the room to see a frantic Buffy trying to move as the nurses tried to calm her down.

"Give her a mild sedative. Buffy? Do you remember me? Just blink, honey, don't move. I'm going to remove the tube from your throat, okay, but I need your help. Once for 'yes'."

The blonde blinked and waited, going still.

"Okay, I need you to swallow as I pull this out. Ready?" Dr. Larkin removed the tube as gently as she could, but it still left Buffy coughing. One of the nurses helped her take a sip of water. "You're in Sunnydale Hospital, Buffy. Do you remember how you got here? Just blink, don't try to talk." Another single blink, though she looked a little confused. "It's okay to feel foggy. You were heavily sedated during surgery, and in and out of consciousness before that. How do you feel? Are you in any pain?"

Buffy thought about it, then shook her head slowly.

"Good. I'm going to let your surgeon know you're awake."

"My…friends…" the Slayer croaked, her throat sore from the tube.

"I think someone's still here, with Dawn. We'll page them once the doctor has had a look at you, okay?"

She nodded a little, then closed her eyes, still very tired. Corinne adjusted the pain drip, made some notes, and left the room. She told the nurse at the desk to page Dr. Solomon, then found Spike pacing by the elevator.

"You were in Buffy's room. Is she alright?" he asked frantically.

"She just woke up. Wait! Her doctor has to see her first, then family. Just have a little patience, okay?"

"Where's Dawn?"

"They should be down here."

Dawn launched herself at the vampire upon sight, hugging him tight enough to hurt a mortal man. He held her to him, whispering words of comfort. Tara just smiled, while Willow looked away uncomfortably.

"Dr. Larkin?" the redhead addressed instead.

"The good news is that Buffy is awake. She has to be seen by her doctor first, and she's still going to be very tired, so only two visitors right now. It's the rules, I didn't make 'em. That being said, we'll know more about how she's healing once the doctor is done. He'll answer all your questions."

"But she can talk, right?" Dawn asked.

"A little. The tube helping her breathe creates a nasty sore throat when it's removed, so just ask her to nod or shake her head to questions. The important thing is to focus on her getting well. She's needs support, and to know that people are there even if this is difficult."

"How long until I can see her?"

"Uh…around ten minutes, depending on if her surgeon is available right away. I don't know Dr. Solomon's schedule. One of the nurses will get you, don't worry." Corinne shook hands with the ladies, then left. A hand on her shoulder stopped her in the hallway. She turned around to meet the worried eyes of her friend.

"There isn't anything you're not telling the Bit, is there…? Somethin' she's too young to hear?"

"Spike, you know what I do right now. The surgeon will be able to say more after he's examined her, but I saw no signs that she's not recovering well, okay? You just need to be a little patient," she encouraged. He nodded, some of the tension draining out of his shoulders.

"Alright, Doc. I guess I'll sit with the Niblet until then… Thanks, pet. Are you off duty now?"

"Yeah…I was going to head home. Feel free to page me if something comes up…" Corinne turned to walk away. She'd started work at 6am and was dead tired.

"Corinne!" Spike called, stopping her at the elevators. "About before…I was a real jerk, and…"

"Don't worry about it. You've got more important things to focus on here." She stepped in the elevator, holding the door for a nurse also going down.

"Pet…"

"It's okay, really. Just go be with Dawn." The doors closed, and there was nothing more to say.

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"Miss Summers. You had quite the scare this morning. You're lucky to be alive," Dr. Solomon greeted Buffy.

"W-water…please?" she croaked

"You can have some ice chips." He nodded to the nurse to go get them. "Let's see how these wounds are doing, eh?" Dr. Solomon moved her gown aside to expose first the wound below her collarbone, then the one on her abdomen. "Roll to your side, please?" He them examined the small incision made in her low back to remove the damaged kidney. "Good…good, minimal oozing. Has anyone explained to you the procedures you had done, yet, today?"

Buffy shook her head.

"Well, obviously, those bullets had to be removed. They were a soft type, designed to spread out and do tissue damage as they travel through the body. The one in your chest stopped at your shoulder blade. Luckily, that one missed the major arteries. The one that went into your belly wasn't quite as generous. It did a lot of damage as it passed through, before lodging in your kidney. The damage to that organ was too severe for us to repair, and we had to remove it. You can still live a normal, healthy life with one, though, as long as you don't get a major infection some time in the future. Now, you lost a lot of blood, so it's normal for you to feel weak for a while, and we're going to want to keep you in the hospital for at least a few more days. Your wounds need to be checked often. Are you in any pain right now?"

"Not really…good drugs." She swallowed convulsively at the pain in her throat, which just made her grimace further. The nurse showed up with the ice chips.

"Suck slowly on those, dear."

"There's a note on your chart that your family is still here, so I'm going to let you see them now, but just a couple, for a few minutes. I want you to get lots of rest, Buffy," Dr. Solomon ordered.

She nodded again, feeling too tired to try running off, anyway. The doctor and nurse left after drawing some samples for tests. Buffy's eyes were drifting closed, when there was a knock on her door.

"Buffy?" Dawn asked hesitantly, poking her head around the door.

Her sister smiled a little and nodded for her to come in. "Hey," she croaked.

The teen rushed in, grateful to see her sister awake, and tried to give her a hug without hurting Buffy. "You look like hell," she teased.

"Ha, ha."

"And sound like a frog. Did the doctor say when you could come home?"

Buffy grimaced. "Few days. I-"

"Hate hospitals. Yeah, we know. Still, your health is what matters. Tara and Willow are here…and Spike. He's pretty worried about you."

"Xander?"

"Gone to pick up Giles from the airport. He's okay. Just a bad scrape on his arm. He talked to the police when you got here, apparently, so they know to search for that creep. So…since you're in here, does that mean I can stay home from school tomorrow?"

"Dawn…"

The teen grinned unrepentantly. "Yeah, just checking. Should I send Spike in next?" she asked hopefully. She could see her sister grind on the question, before giving her answer.

"Yeah…I need to ask him something."

"Okay!" Dawn said cheerfully. She kissed her sister's cheek, then hurried to call her vampire in. "Spike! You're next."

He looked up surprised, then hurried in before either of the witches could stop him.

"Why does he get to go?" Willow complained to Dawn.

"She said she had to ask him something. I'm not going to argue with a sick Slayer," she replied. Tara just shook her head and suggested Willow call Xander and let him know Buffy was awake. Dawn beamed at the blonde witch, recognizing the distraction tactic that would give Spike and Buffy a few minutes of peace.

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"You wanted to see me, luv?"

"I did. Have a seat," she whispered.

"Would you rather write it down, pet? Don't want you hurting yourself," he added, sitting nimbly on the edge of the bed.

"I'm alright. Sorry there's no dinner tonight."

Spike squeezed the hand lying near his thigh. "No worries, luv. We'll have other nights. You just need to focus on getting well. You almost died today, Slayer. I don't care that he's human, Buffy. The police just better find him before I do…" he ended up saying on a growl.

His protectiveness made her smile. "Thanks for the sentiment, but don't get yourself hurt. Listen, Spike…I want you to watch after Dawn, while I'm in here, okay? She listens to you…and she needs someone who'll make sure she goes to school…"

"Whatever you want, Buffy, as long as you take it easy. You don't need to worry about the Bit. She had a right scare, waiting for you to wake up today. We all did. I'm sure she'll be on her best behavior."

She snickered, then coughed a little. "Yeah, right…at least she has that job to keep her occupied." Buffy yawned, sleep coming whether she wanted it or not.

Spike brushed her hair back with a gentle hand. "Go ahead and sleep, kitten. I'll be around when you wake up."

"Promise?" she asked sleepily.

"Cross my undead heart. Sweet dreams, Buffy." He kissed her cheek, pleased when he saw the contented smile that crossed her face.

"Mmmm…" Her body rhythms were soon slow and even as she fell into a restorative sleep.

Spike slipped out quietly and rejoined Dawn in the hall.

"You should get something to eat, Spike. Knowing you, you raced down here without warming up your breakfast first," she said upon sight of him.

"Your sister's asleep. Any news from the Whelp or the cops?" he asked, ignoring her suggestion.

"Nope. So are you gonna eat something, or what? We have nothing else to do if she's asleep."

"Fine, if it'll get you to quit naggin' me."

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Corinne was glad to get home to her cozy little apartment. She toed off her shoes, put a cup of soup in the microwave to heat, and started running a bath while she finished undressing. Sinking into the hot water, she sighed in relief as her sore muscles started to unwind. However, her mind wasn't so quick to unwind. The day replayed in her head, from the quiet early morning, to the rare event of getting a trauma in during the day, to finding out it was someone she knew, to having to tell a kid her big sister was in serious condition, to waking up Spike with the news. This kind of day was part of why she chose to do her residency so far from home. She could avoid having to tell someone she knew well that his or her loved one might not make it. Avoid emotional attachments while she was still learning.

Corinne wasn't sure why she'd stayed away from Spike so long. Well, she hadn't completely stayed away. She peeked into his crypt during the day, sometimes, when she knew he'd be sound asleep. And sometimes, she thought that he might have come by the hospital to check on her, too, when she'd walk out at night and smell cigarettes. A month later, she could admit that his refusal to open up had hurt her, even though it was his prerogative to share or not. And seeing him today, looking like his world might fall apart if Buffy Summers wasn't alright…well, she hadn't been prepared for that to hurt, too.

"Oh, this is not good…" Corinne groaned, as realization struck.

She was falling for a vampire. A friend. Spike.

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"Giles," Willow sighed happily, greeting the Watcher as he came off the elevator. He hugged her, then shook hands with Tara.

"How is she? Is she awake?"

"She woke up for a little while earlier, but she's been sleeping since," Dawn replied. "She's been through a lot." And you weren't here.

"Dawn. It's good to see you. How are you holding up?" he asked kindly.

"Like a trooper. Where are you staying, cuz I don't know if Buffy's going to be waking up again tonight?" she responded shortly. In Dawn's mind, Giles was definitely partly to blame for her sister's near collapse, and all the pain that came with it.

"I haven't made arrangements, yet, in the rush. Will they let me look in on her?" he asked the witches.

"Let's go talk to the nurses' station," Willow suggested. "They said we could stay until 8 o'clock, so I think it'll be okay."

"Hey, Dawnster, you want to go get a bite to eat? Get some fresh air for a little while?" Xander offered, trying to be cheery.

"You can pick up something, if you want. I'd rather stay here," she replied. Dawn didn't plan on leaving until the hospital kicked her out. She knew Spike would be here doing the same thing. Speaking of which, where had he run off?

"Sure, kiddo. We'll get some Chinese for everybody since it's closest," he replied.

Why did they have to pretend it was just another day? She didn't expect everybody to go around in ashes and sackcloth, but they could at least just be normal about the serious situation. For all Dawn believed in the positive, she'd lived in Sunnydale too long to think everything always turned out sunshine and roses. Her sister could still have health issues. They didn't know for sure, yet, that she was going to be fine. Dawn sat down to wait again within sight of Buffy's room.

Giles came out a minute later and nodded to her, before heading back to the Scoobies. No big surprise. He'd never known what to do with her, anyway, unless it was scolding her for touching things at The Magic Box, or reading his books. Giles was lousy with young people.

"Hey, Bit. What are you doing all on your lonesome?" Spike asked, sitting down next to her.

"Giles arrived. They're all talking up there. You know how it goes," she replied with a shrug. The humans always grouped together.

"That, I do, pet. Have you eaten dinner? Your sister wants me to make sure you get your 3-squares."

"Better late than never, huh? Anyway, Xander's supposed to be going for Chinese food. Do you think they'll let me eat up here?" she asked, turning to the vampire.

"They let the patients eat, don't they? I don't think they'd deprive a skinny little girl of a meal, either."

"I'm not little," Dawn pouted.

"True enough, Bit. I keep wishing you didn't have to grow up so fast. You know I'll look after you, right? If all this goes belly up somehow?"

She smiled. "I know."

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Corinne had been asleep only a few hours, when she was paged by the hospital.

"Someone paged me?" she said, calling in.

"Dr. Larkin? Your patient from today…Buffy Summers… There was a note on the chart to call you if something came up."

"What's her condition?" Corinne asked, getting dressed.

"We had to put her on oxygen. She has fluid building up in her lungs."

"Alright, I'll be there in about ten minutes. Start her on antibiotics for pneumonia and page Dr. Solomon. He's in charge of her case."

"Yes, ma'am."

Crap! Wasn't this girl supposed to have super healing powers or something? Damnit! It was like her body wanted to fight them every time they fixed something.

Dr. Larkin discovered the problem when she walked into Buffy's hospital room.

"Who laid the bed completely flat?" she barked at the nurse trailing her. Corinne grabbed the remote and elevated the head of the bed a few degrees.

"I-I did, ma'am. The patient was complaining that she couldn't sleep sitting up…"

"So, you just put the bed down, without consulting her chart? Nurse…"

"Melody. I-I'm a temp."

"Wonderful. You're a temp. Well, Melody, you've probably given this patient pneumonia from all the fluid that backed up in her lungs, and we'll be lucky if you haven't killed her! Go get your supervisor. As far as I'm concerned, you're fired," Corinne growled.

The young nurse practically wet herself in fear, before recovering enough to scamper out of the room.

"I'm sorry, Buffy. I hope you can fight your way through this," Dr. Larkin muttered as she updated the chart and checked medications. Hopefully, the young blonde would get through the night without having to be intibated. Having to wait, Corinne sat down and watched until Dr. Solomon arrived.

"You've been pretty dedicated to this one patient, Dr. Larkin," he remarked.

"A good friend of mine is in love with her. I owe it to him to do my best."

"Ah, I see…You should go home, get back to bed. You look like hell, and nothing's going to change with Miss Summers that can't be handled without you."

She rubbed her tired, gritty eyes. "Is that a suggestion, or an order from a superior?"

"Whatever it takes to get you to go home, Intern."

Corinne sighed, and pushed herself up. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry you had to be called out of your bed in the middle of the night."

"Perk of the job, Dr. Larkin. Get some sleep. This place will need you tomorrow."

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"I'm not going to school today! We don't even know if Buffy's out of the woods, yet," Dawn said stubbornly, facing down Spike in the morning.

"Bit, the hospital would have called if something was wrong. You can put in your six hours of class time before you go back to see her."

"What if something sudden happens, like with Mom, and I'm not there? How can I live with that?" she argued.

"You think I don't worry about it, too? Look, playing all the 'what-ifs' isn't going to do any of us a lot of good, and you know it. Your sister wanted you to keep going to school, so you're going to school!"

"Oh, so since she says it, it's law?! Screw that! My teachers will understand. Missing one day isn't going to make me flunk!"

"You're going, if I have to drag you through the sewers by your hair to get you there. Now, Harris will be here any minute. Get your skinny arse downstairs, grab a muffin, and go to school." He had that look she knew all too well that said he wasn't budging, or making idle threats.

Dawn glared at Spike a final time, grabbed her backpack in a huff, and stomped down the stairs as loud as she could. She slammed the front door hard enough to rattle the windows, too, for good measure. He peeked out the curtains long enough to make sure she got in the Whelp's car, the dragged his tired body down to the basement to crash on the cot in the corner. These were the days he thought Summers women would be the death of him.

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Dawn was the first back to the hospital, since she got out of school at 2:30. She signed the book, put on her visitor's sticker, and headed for Buffy's room. She was unpleasantly surprised to find her sister still asleep, and with a breathing mask on her face. Dawn paged a nurse and waited for an explanation.

This isn't right. This isn't good, Dawn thought, pacing the small room. Her sister should be complaining about the bad food by now, not lying there so still. There was a knock on the door, before a doctor came in.

"You're related to Miss Summers? I'm Dr. Janoff."

"You're not one of my sister's doctors."

"I'm on-duty on this floor, so for now, I am. Please, have a seat…"

"Dawn. Dawn Summers."

"Well, Dawn, your sister developed a little fluid in her lungs overnight, accompanied by a mild infection, so we're giving her oxygen to help her breathe more easily, and antibiotics. This isn't that uncommon after major surgery, so I don't want you to be alarmed."

"But, why isn't she awake, at least?"

"Your sister has slipped into a mild coma. It's her body's way of conserving her energy while it fights off the infection. The faster that happens, the faster she'll wake up again."

"She will wake up, though, right?"

He flipped through the chart. "She seems to be responding well to treatment so far. I'm sure it's just a matter of time."

"She can hear me, still, right? That's what they always say about coma patients on TV…"

"She can, Dawn. Tell her anything you like. The voices of loved ones are often therapeutic. Now, unless you have any other questions, I have other patients to see…"

"No…go ahead. I just want to be alone with her."

He nodded, and left quietly. Poor kid.