They were all sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. Xander
had been in the emergency room for what felt like hours to Buffy.
She looked up as her mom walked in. "Buffy, are you okay?" she
asked. She sat down next to her daughter, and Buffy accepted the
comfort of being in her arms.
"I'm..." Buffy tried to talk, but broke down instead. She cried
silently, and Joyce held her, trying to soothe her.
"It's Xander," Willow explained. "He took a knife that was meant
for Buffy. The doctors are working on him right now."
"How bad is it?" Joyce asked.
"We don't know yet," Willow replied. "They haven't told us
anything. Xander's parents are on their way."
Buffy took a shaky breath, and sat up. "I'm okay," she said,
brushing the tears from her face. "So, Willow, you never told me
exactly how you scared the unlife out of Spike, but I think I
could use a good laugh right about now."
"Well, I played the scared friend for a minute. I had some stuff
for a spell, and I told him it was for the love spell. So then I
started the incantation, and much to his surprise, all his little
lackeys started bursting into flames. When he realized I was
doing it, he ran away, down one of the sewer passages. We would
have gone after him under normal circumstances, but we decided it
was probably better to find you and Xander."
"Good choice," Buffy said. "It might have saved Xander's life."
Xander's mother entered the waiting room then, and Willow went to
talk to her. "Mary, they're working on him right now."
"What happened?" the woman asked, on the verge of hysterics.
"Come sit down," Willow said, leading Mary over to sit with the
others. "Mary, you remember Buffy?" Mary nodded. "This is Buffy's
mom, Joyce Summers. Xander and Buffy were walking home from the
Bronze when they were attacked. It was a mugging attempt, and one
of the robbers decided to stab Xander in the stomach before they
ran off."
"Is he okay?" Mary asked fearfully. "How could this happen? I
hate this town. We should have left a long time ago. He's going
to be okay, right?"
Buffy couldn't take it, she had to get some fresh air. She walked
outside, and leaned up against the side of the building. She
stood and watched the sunrise. "I'm going to make you pay for
this, Spike," she whispered.
"There you are."
Buffy looked up to see Giles approaching. "Hey, Giles," she said.
"What am I, bad luck or something?"
"Don't say that," Giles replied with a frown. "You have saved all
of our lives more times than I can count. You are a good Slayer,
Buffy, the best the Council has had in over a hundred years."
Buffy gave him a skeptical look, and he said, "I'm very serious.
The last time a Slayer made it to seventeen was over a hundred
years ago. Most live for a matter of weeks, or months after
they're called."
They were both silent for a few minutes, and Buffy spoke, "I'm
really scared. More scared than when I lost Angel. I loved Angel,
and a part of me still does, but this is different. Xander's my
best friend, and if I lose him, I don't think I'll be able to
make it."
Before Giles could find any words of wisdom, Buffy moved away
from the wall. "Ignore me, I'm sleep-deprived," she muttered. She
wa;led back inside and found Joyce, Oz, and Willow, but no Mary
Harris. "Where's Xander's mom?" Buffy asked.
"She had to go back home," Willow said..
"Huh?" Buffy was rendered speechless by this turn of events. "Why
would she do that when Xander's fighting for his life in there?"
"Xander's family's....Xander's family," Willow shrugged. "They
deal with things differently than most people. She had to go, but
I promised her I'd call her when he woke up."
One of the doctors finally approached them. "Well, he's lost a
lot of blood, but we stitched him up, and stopped the internal
bleeding. He's still unconscious, though."
"He's going to be okay, right?" Buffy asked.
The doctor looked away, and Buffy repeated, "He's going to be
_okay_ right????" Willow took her hand to comfort her. "Answer
me," Buffy pleaded.
"As I said before, he's lost a lot of blood," the doctor said.
"We don't know what's going to happen for sure. I can tell you
this: if he wakes up in the next twenty-four hours, he's got an
excellent chance of walking out of here on his own."
"And if he doesn't?" Buffy asked.
"The longer he remains unconscious, the worse his chances are,"
the doctor admitted. "Now, as for visitors, I will allow one, and
only one at a time. Try to keep your spirits up, it will be
better for his health if he doesn't sense a lot of distress. Am I
clear?"
Everyone nodded, and the doctor said, "I spoke to Mrs. Harris
earlier, which is the reason I'm letting you know anything about
his condition. And the hospital usually has a rule about family
only, but Mrs. Harris told me that her son considers all of you
family."
After he'd gone, Willow said, "You go see him, Buffy."
"Are you sure Will? Don't you want--"
"He'll want to see you, or hear at least," Willow said. "Get in
there, that's an order."
"Thank you," Buffy said gratefully and hugged Willow.
***********
had been in the emergency room for what felt like hours to Buffy.
She looked up as her mom walked in. "Buffy, are you okay?" she
asked. She sat down next to her daughter, and Buffy accepted the
comfort of being in her arms.
"I'm..." Buffy tried to talk, but broke down instead. She cried
silently, and Joyce held her, trying to soothe her.
"It's Xander," Willow explained. "He took a knife that was meant
for Buffy. The doctors are working on him right now."
"How bad is it?" Joyce asked.
"We don't know yet," Willow replied. "They haven't told us
anything. Xander's parents are on their way."
Buffy took a shaky breath, and sat up. "I'm okay," she said,
brushing the tears from her face. "So, Willow, you never told me
exactly how you scared the unlife out of Spike, but I think I
could use a good laugh right about now."
"Well, I played the scared friend for a minute. I had some stuff
for a spell, and I told him it was for the love spell. So then I
started the incantation, and much to his surprise, all his little
lackeys started bursting into flames. When he realized I was
doing it, he ran away, down one of the sewer passages. We would
have gone after him under normal circumstances, but we decided it
was probably better to find you and Xander."
"Good choice," Buffy said. "It might have saved Xander's life."
Xander's mother entered the waiting room then, and Willow went to
talk to her. "Mary, they're working on him right now."
"What happened?" the woman asked, on the verge of hysterics.
"Come sit down," Willow said, leading Mary over to sit with the
others. "Mary, you remember Buffy?" Mary nodded. "This is Buffy's
mom, Joyce Summers. Xander and Buffy were walking home from the
Bronze when they were attacked. It was a mugging attempt, and one
of the robbers decided to stab Xander in the stomach before they
ran off."
"Is he okay?" Mary asked fearfully. "How could this happen? I
hate this town. We should have left a long time ago. He's going
to be okay, right?"
Buffy couldn't take it, she had to get some fresh air. She walked
outside, and leaned up against the side of the building. She
stood and watched the sunrise. "I'm going to make you pay for
this, Spike," she whispered.
"There you are."
Buffy looked up to see Giles approaching. "Hey, Giles," she said.
"What am I, bad luck or something?"
"Don't say that," Giles replied with a frown. "You have saved all
of our lives more times than I can count. You are a good Slayer,
Buffy, the best the Council has had in over a hundred years."
Buffy gave him a skeptical look, and he said, "I'm very serious.
The last time a Slayer made it to seventeen was over a hundred
years ago. Most live for a matter of weeks, or months after
they're called."
They were both silent for a few minutes, and Buffy spoke, "I'm
really scared. More scared than when I lost Angel. I loved Angel,
and a part of me still does, but this is different. Xander's my
best friend, and if I lose him, I don't think I'll be able to
make it."
Before Giles could find any words of wisdom, Buffy moved away
from the wall. "Ignore me, I'm sleep-deprived," she muttered. She
wa;led back inside and found Joyce, Oz, and Willow, but no Mary
Harris. "Where's Xander's mom?" Buffy asked.
"She had to go back home," Willow said..
"Huh?" Buffy was rendered speechless by this turn of events. "Why
would she do that when Xander's fighting for his life in there?"
"Xander's family's....Xander's family," Willow shrugged. "They
deal with things differently than most people. She had to go, but
I promised her I'd call her when he woke up."
One of the doctors finally approached them. "Well, he's lost a
lot of blood, but we stitched him up, and stopped the internal
bleeding. He's still unconscious, though."
"He's going to be okay, right?" Buffy asked.
The doctor looked away, and Buffy repeated, "He's going to be
_okay_ right????" Willow took her hand to comfort her. "Answer
me," Buffy pleaded.
"As I said before, he's lost a lot of blood," the doctor said.
"We don't know what's going to happen for sure. I can tell you
this: if he wakes up in the next twenty-four hours, he's got an
excellent chance of walking out of here on his own."
"And if he doesn't?" Buffy asked.
"The longer he remains unconscious, the worse his chances are,"
the doctor admitted. "Now, as for visitors, I will allow one, and
only one at a time. Try to keep your spirits up, it will be
better for his health if he doesn't sense a lot of distress. Am I
clear?"
Everyone nodded, and the doctor said, "I spoke to Mrs. Harris
earlier, which is the reason I'm letting you know anything about
his condition. And the hospital usually has a rule about family
only, but Mrs. Harris told me that her son considers all of you
family."
After he'd gone, Willow said, "You go see him, Buffy."
"Are you sure Will? Don't you want--"
"He'll want to see you, or hear at least," Willow said. "Get in
there, that's an order."
"Thank you," Buffy said gratefully and hugged Willow.
***********