Warnings and disclaimer in Chapter 1. Enjoy.
"Knock knock," Xander called out quietly as he opened the door and led Dawn into the room. Willow followed after them carrying a large bag. "We come bearing food." Giles looked up while Joyce shook her head groggily.
"Did we come to early?" Willow asked, glancing at her watch.
"No," Giles said quickly. "We just had an incident last night."
"Is anything wrong?" Dawn asked, panicking slightly. Giles quickly shook his head.
"Nothing like that," he reassured her. "Buffy woke up last night and realized she was in the hospital. She had a small panic attack but your mother was able to calm her down."
"Explains why Joyce is in bed with her," Xander said knowingly. Willow nodded. "So aside from that how did the night go?"
"Good," Joyce answered, finally opening her eyes. "Is that breakfast?" Dawn nodded and Willow pulled out the plates Andrew had made for them. She handed one to Giles then placed the other on the sliding tray and moved it over the bed. Joyce carefully shifted Buffy so she could eat.
"So I was thinking," Dawn started, "about the Codex. The complete one not the small one. I've been skimming through it, trying to find the prophecy about the Third Age." Giles nodded. He had been helping her whenever he could. It was proving extremely difficult, not only because it was in a different language, but also because there was no form of grammar or punctuation that either of them could see. Sentences and prophecies merged into one another, often leaving them unable to tell when one stopped and the next started. "I've been focusing on the ones that are half English and half gibberish, since we are in the middle of the prophecy. There was one I remember that had something about a father and daughter uniting, but I dismissed it since there was no way dad would ever be in our world."
"Perhaps it would be wise to examine that prophecy in greater detail," Giles said. Dawn nodded.
"That's my thought, but I can't remember where I saw it."
"Perhaps Veronica can help you," Giles suggested. Dawn nodded just as Ben was coming into the room.
"Good morning," he greeted everyone. "Everyone is looking much better than last night."
"It's amazing what five hours of uninterrupted sleep can do," Joyce remarked as she finished her breakfast. She pushed the tray away and Willow quickly gathered the dishes.
"Five hours?" Ben asked knowingly. "Uninterrupted?" Joyce smirked and Ben just shook his head.
"Abby has a big mouth," Joyce said.
"You could say it's her job to keep me informed," Ben countered playfully. Joyce rolled her eyes.
"Either way," Giles interjected, not wanting the playful banter to get too out of hand, "it was one of Buffy's better nights." Joyce nodded. Ben let the matter drop and checked her readings.
"We have the preliminary blood test results," he said once he was sure everything was looking good. This immediately caught everyone's attention.
"So soon?" Xander asked. Ben nodded, pulling out the folder he had been carrying.
"The first step is a simple blood test," he explained. "Donors and recipients must have compatible blood types."
"And?" Joyce asked, gripping her daughter tightly.
"You and Dawn are not a match," Ben said slowly, examining the documents. Dawn sank into a chair while Joyce cried silently. Her shaking woke Buffy, who stared around the room momentarily before smiling up at her mother. "However, Giles is a match," Ben finished.
"What does that mean?" Giles asked shakily. "Will I be able to give her a kidney?" Ben held up his hands.
"We have a couple more tests to do before we get that far," he told them. "This was just the first test. Next we'll do HLA typing. This will give us a better idea how compatible your tissues will be." Giles nodded. "But one thing you really should start considering is where you want the surgery done. We should start making arrangements."
"We can't have it done here?" Joyce asked.
"We don't have the necessary equipment or expertise that specialty hospitals would have. The chances of a successful transplant are much higher at these hospitals. I have a list and would be willing to go over it with you." Joyce nodded and looked down at Buffy.
"I need to leave for a bit," she said, "but Xander and Willow and Dawn are here to keep you company." She looked up to make sure they were indeed available. They nodded. Buffy followed her gaze, watching them intently. "Will you be okay?" She watched them for a minute before turning her gaze back to her mother and nodding her head. She shifted out of her arms, letting her climb out of the bed. Willow and Xander quickly took her place, one on each side of Buffy. Willow grabbed the remote and started channel surfing, leaving Xander free to comment on what they were watching. Joyce and Giles watched for a minute until it was clear Buffy was fixated on the television, then they followed Ben out of the room.
"Is she going to be okay without you?" he asked casually as they slowly headed down the hallway toward his office. Joyce nodded.
"She'll be fine with Xander and Willow."
"But last night?" he asked.
"Last night she didn't know where she was or how she got here," Giles said calmly. "She does know that now. Although I wouldn't recommend leaving her alone, especially while she is sleeping, Xander and Willow are perfectly capable of keeping her entertained." Ben nodded as he opened the door to his office for them. Stepping behind his desk he pulled out a handful of brochures and they began discussing their options.
"What are you doing here?" Anya asked bluntly when Joyce entered The Magic Box.
"Anya," Dawn groaned from her spot at the research table. Anya sighed then turned back to Joyce.
"I'm sorry. What I meant to say is I am surprised to see you here and not at the hospital."
"I was looking for Dawn," she said, sitting down at the circular table. She faced her daughter. "You were gone when Rupert and I got back."
"I wanted to start researching," she said honestly, pointing to the book she had in front of her. Joyce nodded but made no move to get up. "Are you okay Mom?"
"No," she mumbled, slowly dissolving into tears. Dawn looked at Anya questioningly. She sighed and started to move from behind the register, but Tara beat her to it. She sat down next to the older woman, gently pulling her into her arms and rocking her. "Thank you," she said once she got herself under control.
"It's okay," Tara smiled gently. "It'll dry." Joyce smiled as she pulled herself out of the blonde's arms. "Did the results come back?" she asked. Joyce nodded.
"Neither Dawn nor myself are a match," she whispered.
"What about Giles?" Anya asked, much more interested now that the crying was over.
"He passed the first round, but there's more testing that needs to be done before they can say for sure," she said. "I just feel so helpless."
"I understand," Tara told her. "When my mom was sick I wanted so bad to help, but there was nothing I could do. Nothing anyone could do."
"How did you deal?" Dawn asked, obviously shaken more than she was letting on.
"I was just there for her," she said quietly. "She said spending time with me and my brother was the best thing we could do for her."
"Thank you Tara," Joyce said, eyes bright with unshed tears.
"So did you decide which hospital?" Dawn asked.
"What?" Anya asked from behind the counter. "Why can't you just stay here?"
"They don't have the right equipment," Joyce said. "There's a hospital in L.A. Ben is making the arrangements."
"Mom?" Dawn asked quietly. "Why wasn't I a match? Didn't the monks make me out of Buffy?"
"I don't know Dawn," she told her. "We still don't know much about that spell or how it actually worked." Dawn nodded resignedly. "So what are you working on?" she asked, looking down at the table. The Codex was open and surrounded by pads of papers.
"Trying to find the prophecy I was talking about earlier," she said. "But I can't quite find it and I don't think Giles would appreciate it if I started marking up the book."
"Have you tried photocopying the pages?" Joyce suggested, "or scanning them?"
"Yep," Dawn confirmed, "but nothing comes up. We think the magic protecting it is too strong. The only thing that works is writing out what I can read, but that will take forever."
"What if you read and I write?" Joyce suggested. "Then we can try to organize these prophecies into some sort of order."
"Don't you need to get back to the hospital?" Dawn asked. Joyce looked up.
"I think I need some time away," she admitted. "I need something to do other than worry. Besides Rupert is still there. And Willow and Xander. Buffy will be fine." Dawn nodded and the two of them soon had a method going. Anya and Tara helped whenever they could, but they had to take care of the stores as well. Veronica came in around noon and she and Joyce took turns recording the prophecy as Dawn read. By the time Faith and Daniel came to the shop all three were tired.
"At this rate it's going to take months," Dawn complained. They had worked all day and barely made a dent in the large book. She carefully placed a book mark so they would know where they left off.
"We don't have anything else going on," Joyce said, enjoying spending the time with her other daughter even if the work was tedious and boring if not a little disturbing. All those prophecies about The Slayer and not one of them had a happy ending.
"I found it rather enjoyable," Veronica told them. She had taken on the role of deciphering the information.
"Watchers," Faith rolled her eyes. Veronica retaliated by slapping her lightly on the arm. They watched as Tara and Anya closed the shops, then the group made their way to the hospital. They made their way down the familiar hallways and into an equally familiar room only to find Xander and Willow playing a cutthroat game of War. One was on each side of the bed and they were using the tray as their table. Buffy was looking on, smiling at their antics. She was continually reaching for their cards, and when she finally gripped some they conceded and let her have them.
"And Buffy wins again," Xander crowed. He began gathering up the cards, Buffy trying to help him, and started shuffling the deck. Willow handed over her cards and watched.
"Where's Giles?" Anya asked. Willow looked up at them while Xander hastily dealt.
"He and Ben are starting the third test," she said as she absently gathered her cards and put one down without even looking.
"Already?" Tara asked as Buffy tried picking up the cards, but only succeeded in pushing them back toward Willow. She casually added them to her own pile. "Did they finish the second test?"
"Not yet," she said, shaking her head slightly, "but the initial results are quite promising so they went ahead and started the third test."
"The most important test," Ben said as he and Giles reentered the room. "If the crossmatch comes back negative we should proceed right away."
"Isn't this moving a bit fast?" Dawn asked. "Is it really this bad?"
"Yes," Joyce said simply.
"I am extremely concerned," Ben told the group. "There are signs The Slayer is weakening. If she fails, Buffy won't survive. There's no way to know how long The Slayer will last. If we have a match, and a willing donor, we need to move as quickly as possible."
"How quickly would that be?" Giles asked. Ben sighed.
"Tomorrow," he said. "If the results are negative I want to move Buffy tomorrow. The hospital in L.A. is already expecting you. All we need are the results from the crossmatch."
"That isn't enough time," Anya protested. "We can't just close up the shops and leave. We need to wait for the weekend at least."
"Anya," Giles groaned, but Ben smiled.
"If everything is good it will still be a few days before the actual surgery. The hospital will double check our results, just to be on the safe side, before the surgery. Buffy and Giles are the only ones who will need to leave right away, though I suspect Joyce will want to go as well." Joyce nodded. There was no way she was going to leave her daughter alone.
"What about the dialysis treatments?" she asked him. "Are they working?"
"It's too early to say for sure," he told her, "but they will be able to continue the treatments in L.A." Joyce nodded and the group fell silent. Ben excused himself to do his rounds, while everybody watched as Buffy, Xander, and Willow played cards, until Buffy started getting tired. "I think it's time to call it a night," Ben said when he reentered the room as Buffy's head jerked upright for the fourth time. They all nodded, saying their goodbyes as the left the room. Eventually the only ones remaining with Ben were Giles and Joyce. Buffy looked up at them expectantly.
"What Buffy?" Joyce asked, looking at Ben curiously. Ben could only shrug. Buffy responded by pointing at her legs. She weakly pulled her left leg up then looked at them once more.
"Her nightly exercises," Giles said, understanding what she was saying. He looked to Ben. "Are we able to do them?"
"Basic ones should be fine," he said. "Just don't have her twist or entangle the lines." Giles nodded and started her exercises. Buffy smiled at him as he worked then slowly started to fall asleep. By the time he was done she was out. Giles pulled up the blanket and tucked her in. "I'm assuming you'll want to stay," Ben said, looking to Joyce. He was eager to avoid another incident like last night.
"I think we both will," she said, looking at Giles. Ben nodded.
"I'll inform Abby," he said, making a note on her chart. "Goodnight."
"Night," they both called back absently as they made themselves ready for another long night.
"So the test came back negative?" Dawn asked the next afternoon. Buffy had another rough morning, but Joyce was able to calm her down quickly. After that they were able to watch TV until it started losing Buffy's attention. Surprisingly Spike showed up with a book and started reading to Buffy. She was instantly mesmerized and Spike settled in for a long haul leaving Joyce and Giles free to run home and shower and change. Ben met them in the lobby with the results of the crossmatch test. It was negative and he was making arrangements to move Buffy later on tonight. Giles and Joyce were both packing a bag for their trip. Dawn was helping her mother, though in reality she was just watching while her mother packed.
"Yep," Joyce said as she quickly folded the shirts she was taking with her. "But negative is good in this case."
"So you're gonna head to L.A. later tonight?" she asked double checking. Joyce nodded. "And they're gonna do the same tests that Ben already did?"
"Yes," she said, adding her toiletries to the bag. "They specialize in these types of situations and want to double check Ben's findings, just to be sure." She turned to look at her daughter. "Did you want to come down tonight or wait and come with everyone else?" The others were coming down on Saturday.
"I think I'll wait if that's okay," she said. Joyce nodded and zipped up her bag. "I'm starting to get a feel for the book and don't want to stop just yet." Joyce nodded again and grabbed her bag. Dawn grabbed the small bag she had already packed for Buffy then they went down to Joyce's car. Giles joined them a few minutes later.
"I think we're all set," he said after he put their bags in the trunk. Joyce handed him the keys and they all piled in. The drive to the hospital was done in silence, each of them lost in their thoughts. Ben met them at the door.
"The UCLA Medical Center is waiting your arrival. Dr. Michael Hanson is one of the best transplant surgeons in the nation. I've already consulted with him about Buffy's unique situation and have forwarded him her medical records, but I'm sure he will want to talk to you. I've also forwarded the test results as well as your medical records Giles, but I'm sure he'll want to talk to you as well." He handed them a paper with the pertinent information printed out as they walked to Buffy's room. It was early afternoon and they were surprised to see the rest of the gang, including Spike, there waiting for them. Buffy was watching everyone contentedly.
"We couldn't let you leave without saying goodbye," Willow said, tears in her eyes. "Even though we'll see you in a few days." Joyce pulled the young girl into her arms, encasing her in a warm hug.
"It will all be okay," she promised as she let go of Willow and moved to Anya.
"Yes," Anya said confidently, although Joyce could hear the slight quiver in her voice that told her the ex-demon wasn't coping as well as she pretended. "You'll go to L.A. and Buffy and Giles will trade organs and everything will be good again." Joyce nodded as she went from Anya to Tara to Xander, finally ending with Dawn. She gave her daughter a huge hug while Giles performed the same rounds she just did. He was pulled away by Victoria for a moment, but then they joined the group.
"Please keep each other safe while we're gone," Joyce begged, looking at each of them intently.
"We'll be fine luv," Spike said gently. "You just take care of our girl. I'll take care of the Hellmouth till you get back."
"Us too," Faith added. "We won't leave till the situation is resolved one way or another."
"What about the Council's orders to go back to Cleveland?" Giles asked. Faith opened her mouth to reply but Veronica beat her to it.
"Screw the Council," she said determinedly. "This is family." Faith threw her an impressed smirk.
"We'll guard a Hellmouth," Faith said, "just not the one in Cleveland. Then we'll come down on Saturday with everyone else and support my sister Slayer." Giles nodded before turning to Joyce. She gave everyone one last look before turning to Ben.
"We're ready." He nodded and hit the call button. A few minutes later Abby came in and they soon had Buffy unhooked from the various machines until only a single IV remained.
"We thought she would be more comfortable driving down in your car," Ben explained when they saw Buffy wearing hospital scrubs instead of a gown. "Unless you would prefer an ambulance?"
"No," Joyce said as they carefully moved Buffy into a wheelchair. She looked around excitedly.
"I thought so," he said as Abby slowly pushed her out of the room. The gang, minus Spike, followed behind them as they made their way to the parking lot. Giles rushed ahead, opening the door and getting everything ready for Buffy. Ben and Abby carefully got her situated in the car, hanging the remaining IV bag from the coat hook on the roof while Joyce ran around to the other side and climbed in. Soon Buffy was settled in her mother's arms. Abby unfolded a blanket and draped it over the two women before shutting the door firmly. The gang waved goodbye while Ben and Giles walked around to the driver's side. Before Giles could open it Ben handed him a small box. "Just in case," he said. He opened it to find a sedative, pre measured and waiting. "I hope you don't have to use it, but just in case. If anything goes wrong you can call me, day or night. And I'm not just talking about the drive."
"Thank you," Giles said tightly. Ben simply nodded, opening the door for Giles. A few minutes later they were leaving the town of Sunnydale. "It will all be fine," he said, watching Joyce and Buffy in the rear view mirror. Joyce smiled tightly but couldn't keep the worried frown off her face for long. Buffy, for her part, was leaning toward the window, excitedly watching as the scenery passed by. Every so often she would glance back at her mother and smile but then something would catch her attention and she would look out the window again. This continued for almost an hour before she started to tire. She laid her head on her mother's chest, content to watch as the world passed by as she started to doze. Joyce reached up and started stroking her hair gently and was able to notice immediately when she started to tense.
"Buffy," she called softly, thinking her daughter was having another nightmare. Buffy turned her head slightly so she could look up at her mother.
"Joyce?" Giles asked from the front. She frowned.
"She's tensing," she told him. "Are we near the hospital?" She had been focusing on her daughter the entire trip and had no idea where they actually were.
"Not yet," he told her, glancing back at his Slayer. "We are nearing L.A. though." He slowed down slightly as he alternated between watching the road and his daughter.
"Rupert," Joyce called out, "you're frowning. What are you thinking?"
"A disturbing thought," he admitted. "We know The Ring brought her here as part of their operation. What if she thinks we're bringing her here to continue that service?" Joyce cringed as she thought about what he said.
"We'll just have to show her we're not," she said. Buffy looked up at her again, smiling slightly, but Joyce could see the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. "We won't let anyone hurt you baby. I promise." Buffy nodded and turned her head again so she was watching the scenery. As they neared L.A. Buffy continued to tense, but Joyce was always able to keep her calm. That was until they made the final turn and Buffy saw the hospital. Buffy began to struggle fiercely, desperately trying to get out of the car. "Buffy!" Joyce finally broke through her daughter's panic. She grabbed her chin, forcing her to meet her eyes. "It's okay," she repeated over and over again as Giles sped up slightly to reach the hospital. He parked directly in front of the admission office just as Ben directed. He saw a group of hospital staff, including Dr. Hansen, and quickly shut the car off and opened the door.
"Hello," he said politely, rushing over to shake the doctor's hand. "Dr. Hansen?"
"You must be Mr. Giles," he said politely. Giles nodded. "And Buffy is in the car?" He moved to open the door but Giles stopped him.
"She is having a panic attack," he told them quickly. The orderlies looked to the doctor for instructions. "Her mother is trying to calm her down. If you can give us a few minutes, I'm sure Joyce will be able to get through to her." Dr. Hansen looked through the car windows. "I'm sure Dr. Wilkinson mentioned her special circumstances," Giles said. Dr. Hansen sighed, motioning the orderlies back inside.
"I'll give you fifteen minutes to calm her down," he said, pushing the wheelchair towards Giles. "Then I'll have to sedate her." Giles nodded as Dr. Hansen calmly walked back inside the hospital. Giles quickly opened the car door. As he expected Joyce had managed to calm Buffy down quite a bit.
"It's okay," Joyce kept repeating. "Just focus on me." Buffy tried to do that, but every so often something would catch her eye and she would lose focus. Joyce was quick to bring her attention back to her though, and she could feel Buffy's breathing and heartbeat slowly come back to normal.
"Maybe it would be better if she closed her eyes," Giles advised, "at least until we reach the room." Joyce glanced at him momentarily, but Buffy surprised both of them when she did what he suggested. She didn't even open her eyes when Giles moved her from the car to the wheelchair.
"Just focus on my voice," Joyce told her as she scrambled from the car. Buffy had a death grip on Giles's hand and wasn't letting go any time soon. Joyce placed her own hand on Buffy's shoulder, rubbing it gently. She felt Buffy relax slightly and between the two of them they were able to push the wheelchair through the doors. Dr. Hansen was waiting for them when they made it inside. He watched them momentarily before motioning them to follow him. He led them down several hallways, stopping next to one of the rooms. He pointed inside, but made no move to follow them in. "It's okay," Joyce continued to reassure Buffy. "We're almost there. You can open your eyes now." Buffy did so just before Giles moved her from the chair to the bed. She relaxed her grip on his hand, but didn't let go, as she examined the new room. Joyce moved around to the other side of the bed and let Buffy grip her hand as well. Dr. Hansen gave them a few minutes to get settled before leading two nurses into the room.
"Good evening," he greeted as he and the nurses stopped a safe distance from the bed. All three of them turned to him. He was happy to see Buffy had calmed down considerably from what he first saw. "You must be Mr. Giles and Ms. Summers," he said, not moving closer to them but instead giving them each a little head bob. Joyce and Giles copied him. "And you must be Buffy." He smiled at her, but she just stared back at him. "I'd to take a moment to introduce myself and a couple members of my staff. I'm Dr. Michael Hansen and I will be conducting your transplant operation. To my left is my surgical nurse, Patrick O'Dell, and to my right is my ward nurse, Stacie Wallace." Each of the nurses waved as they were introduced. Joyce and Giles again copied them.
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Joyce told them honestly. "Thank you for all you're doing."
"My pleasure," he responded warmly. "For now we just need to get Buffy hooked up again and draw some blood for our tests. I believe she has another dialysis treatment scheduled?" Joyce nodded.
"You can come closer," Giles told them. "She's calmed down." They nodded and slowly approached. When Buffy didn't do anything other than watch them they started hooking her back up to the various machines and hanging IV lines. When they hooked up the dialysis machine and started her treatment Buffy was mesmerized by the blood flowing into and out of the machine.
"I think we'll leave you to get settled," Dr. Hansen told them once everything was in place. The nurses took the blood they drew and left the room, while Dr. Hansen watched Buffy carefully. "Once you're free if you could let the nurses know. We have several things we need to discuss." They nodded and turned their attention to the girl lying between them. She was struggling to keep her eyes open and they knew it would only be a matter of minutes before she lost the battle with sleep. Joyce reached over and started gently stroking her hair, soothing her into sleep. A few minutes later her grips on their hands went slack. Giles gently tucked her in before he and Joyce headed for the hallway.