YELLOW BRICK ROAD
By: Lisette (lisette@chaletian.co.uk)
Rating: PG-13 so far - might change later on.
Distribution: Want, take, have. Just e-mail me first.
Summary: Faith is released from prison - but there's a catch.
Feedback: God, please.
Angel, Buffy, the whole lot, belong to JW, Mutant Enemy, and anyone else who officially owns them. I don't. Big surprise.
Okay, a few notes. Firstly, I haven't seen any of season 3 yet, though I know vaguely what happens. So, definitely after "Billy", and Fred and Gunn are getting with the happy, but "WITW" never happened.
Please, please review - I need to know what people think! I have a fragile ego and it needs bolstering! Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed - you have made me a happy person!
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Chapter Thirty-Four - The Emergency Room
When you are in shock, a hospital is an assault on the senses. The emergency room was always the worst. Bright lights, shouting voices, every now and then an ambulance screaming to a halt outside the big double doors and paramedics rushing in, talking quickly, handing over all the information a doctor or nurse might require.
Slightly dazed, Faith walked up to the nurses' station, for once unaware of the looks she was receiving. In an ER at three o'clock in the morning you had to look pretty bizarre to attract any attention, and Faith definitely qualified. The tight fitting leather pants were enough to catch the eye of the male contingent, but it was her right arm covered in blood that was the focus of most people's attention.
But Faith wasn't interested.
"Excuse me, um…" The nurse turned around and Faith gulped. This was no gentle "ER"-esque Nurse Hathaway. This was a "Carry on Matron" sergeant major type, complete with hairy upper lip. "I'm looking for a friend who was brought in, Wesley Wyndham-" She trailed off, then ran past the station to where a familiar figure was standing, arms akimbo, expression fierce. He looked at her, did a double take, then an expression of pure relief crossed his face, and he stepped forward.
"Faith!" To her utter astonishment, he folded her in his arms in a brief but heartfelt, hug. "You're all…" He paused as he got a good look at her arm. "You're hurt!" Faith looked down at her arm in mild surprise.
"No," she replied quietly. "It's…it's not mine." Angel's expression darkened as he realised the import of her words.
"Wesley," he stated softly.
"How is he?" The vampire, shrugged.
"The doctors, they don't… They'll tell us when they know. Um, Faith?"
"Yeah?"
"The police are here. Not for you," he added hurriedly. "The paramedics notified them, I think. They don't know what happened, but one was on the phone here, and said that they found a dead guy at the warehouse, and they've traced the phone that made the call to Wesley's cell phone, but they can't find it anywhere." Faith's hand hovered over the pocket in her trousers, an action Angel noted but didn't comment on.
"What happened?" he asked gently.
"Lilah was on to me, I don't know how. I don't think I did anything to make her suspect." Angel closed his eyes, a look of anguish contorting his features for a moment, but Faith didn't notice. "They locked me up in a meat locker or something. There were these three guys… I don't know how long I was there; I was out of it for a while, but then Wesley came." She smiled, unaware that she was doing so. "Anyway, he'd distracted the guards, but they came back, we got into a fight - you know how it goes." She stopped, but Angel urged her on, knowing full well that not talking about what happened would only make the memories worse. And Faith had enough to deal with on that front.
"What then?"
"One of the guys had a knife. He…God, Angel!" Her voice broke, and tears welled in her eyes. "I just stood and watched, and he… The we fought, and I…I didn't mean to kill him!" she cried, the tears falling in earnest now. "I just wanted to stop him, and we were fighting, and it just…it just happened. And there was so much blood, and Wesley…" She was sobbing, her whole body shaking with the emotion she had tried to keep in check.