Chapter 12 - Careful Deception

Wesley tapped his foot nervously on the polished white floor of the hospital waiting room. He was alone in the room, Angel and Gunn had received a call about a Grecirial demon just as the squad arrived to pick up Fred, who was unconscious. Cordelia stayed at home to watch Connor, who had been sick lately. She wasn't about to expose her son to a hospital full of sick people. So, alone Wesley sat.

An older man sat near him, reading a Time magazine. He noticed Wesley's nervousness and put the magazine down.

"What you in here for, Partner?" The man asked.

Wesley looked up, adjusting his glasses. "Oh...my...wife is pregnant and she had a fall." He blinked a few times before removing the troublesome glasses to clean them. He wondered why he had never opted for laser surgery or even contact lenses.

The man nodded. "Your first?"

"Yes." Wesley found himself smiling. "I just hope everything's okay."

"Mr. Gunn?" Called a receptionist.

His legs shook as he stood. "Yes?"

"Doctor Anderson would like to speak with you about your wife's condition."

"Good luck." The man whispered. He turned back to his magazine.

* * *

"Wow, man...you really beat that demon to hell." Angel said, lifting his favorite broadsword over his shoulder.

Gunn nodded. "I guess I just have a little bit of tension to work out." His stone jaw was set in a determined frown. "I'm going to the hospital. You coming?"

Angel shook his head. "I'm gonna head home." There was a silence for a few moments. "Is it Wesley?"

The taller man nodded. "Yeah. He's in love with her." He gripped the axe tighter. "And I think she loves him."

* * *

"Your wife's condition is what is called pre-eclampsia. It's a disease that effects a small percentage of pregnant women during their first pregnancies. It consists mostly of dizzy spells, chronic dehydration, and a rise in blood pressure. We may have to hospitalize her for a while. If the condition continues to get worse, we will be forced to induce labor to put an end to her pain." The short, young doctor explained. She gave a smile of encouragement. "I really think that Winifred will be able to pull out of this. She seems to be strong."

Wesley nodded, turning his eyes towards the open door of the hospital room. He saw a nightmare inside. Fred was hooked to beeping, buzzing, and odd machines. She was obviously asleep, but the rest didn't seem to be a comfortable one.

He entered the room quietly, shutting the door behind him. There was a chair next to the bed. Wesley sat down and took her delicate left hand.

"Fred...you're going to have to stay here for a while. But I'll be here everyday, believe me. Even if I'm here with Gunn...I'll be here. Because I love you, Fred. And no one else can make me believe anything else. Not even you could make me believe any different." He leaned down to kiss her hand.

Fred's eyes fluttered open and she squinted against the room's light. "Wesley?" She asked in a whisper.

"I'm here, love." He squeezed her hand tighter.

"Gunn?"

Wesley shook his head. "No, he's not here."

She let out a deep sigh of relief. "Wesley...I'm so sorry for what happened."

"It wasn't your fault..."

She nodded. "I married him."

"Oh." He looked down at her hand again, remembering.

"But I'm divorcing him."

Wesley's watery blue eyes looked up. "You are?"

She nodded. "He doesn't want me around anyway. He got mean after you left. He hits me sometimes. Not always...just every once and a while. He doesn't love me like you do." She reached up and stroked the side of his face with a smile.

His face grew red with anger. "He hits you? I'll kill him."

She sighed. "And he leaves all the time. I'll wake up in the middle of the night and he's gone. To another woman, I suppose."

He usually wasn't a vengeful man, but Wesley was on the verge of finding Gunn and killing him on the spot. "I swear, Fred...I would never do anything like that to you. Ever."

"I know," she whispered. She closed her eyes and laid her hands on her stomach as she began to drift off to sleep. "I love you."

Wesley half-smiled. "I love you too." He stood and left the room, looking for the way out.

"Mr. Gunn?" Called a nurse.

Wesley paused and turned. "Yes?"

"We did an ultrasound a few minutes ago...would you like to know the sex of your child?"

His gaze softened. "Yes."

The nurse smiled. "You're going to have a little girl, sir."

A girl. Wesley grinned like a little school boy. "Thank you." He turned and headed for the exit.

* * *

"Do you have the papers?" Asked a voice from the shadows.

The other dark shadow nodded and thrust a handful of papers in a manilla envelope towards the female, who was smoking a cigarette. The smoke curled up into intricate patterns and settled somewhere near the edge where light met dark.

She grinned in the dark. "Thanks. I owe you." She leaned forward and kissed the man passionately. Her lips and fingertips were filled with lust as they walked over his body with a smile. The papers fell to the floor, containing valuable police evidence on a murder case.