The island in the kitchen was set for dinner when Dawn arrived home. She picked a cherry tomato from the bowl and popped it into her mouth. "So why's dinner so early?" She called out looking for Buffy. She noticed the brown bag on the counter and opened it, "Eww....hope this isn't part of our dinner."
Buffy came into the kitchen from the basement and quicky took the bag of blood from Dawn, "I've got to go out early, so dinner's early. Is that okay?"
"Sure, I love spaghetti." Dawn washed her hands and sat down at the bar, "The bag of blood and the going out early? You're going to see Spike, aren't you?"
"Well....yes I am." Buffy busied herself cutting the garlic bread.
"Can I go?"
"I don't think so, not now. He's .....he's not well. But I think he's somewhere that they can help him now."
Buffy began to dish salad into her bowl.
"Where?" Dawn was confused.
"In a clinic for mental health patients." Buffy explained as she sipped her water.
"A clinic? You've had Spike commited? Are 'you' crazy?" Dawn stared at her sister in disbelief, "Poor Spike, he could end up dust, those people won't know how to take care of him."
"It's okay, Dawn - this doctor, Doctor Lavery. She knows about Spike's special problems, she knows Wesley. I called him and checked her out."
"Are you sure you can trust her? I mean Wesley isn't always such a good judge of people, remember how he screwed up when he was your Watcher?"
Buffy smiled at Dawn over a forkful of spaghetti, "Wesley's changed a lot since then......." She sighed, "We all have."
"Can I go see him soon?" Dawn asked as she reached for more bread.
"I hope so. Doctor Lavery thinks she can help him back to his old annoying self." Buffy told her as she finished her dinner and stood to go, "Please do the dishes and your homework. I'll be home as soon as I can."
"At least tell Spike I said hi." Dawn called after her as she closed the door.
****
Spike fell to sleep as Dana sat beside his bed scribbling more notes in her tablet. He had seemed to remain lucid for about an hour after the sedative wore off. She wondered if the medicine had anything to do with the lucidity, she'd watch him and possibly try some different dosages. Maybe if they could regulate his moods, it could give him time enough away from the voices and ghosts of his past to work his guilt out, to work his way back to the real world. Buffy seemed to be a key player in Spike's world, she seemed to antagonize him yet calm him at the same time, this case was definitely a challenge.
The nurse led Buffy to Spike's room, she opened the door slowly, finding Dana sitting beside
a sleeping Spike scribbling notes in her tablet. "Is he okay?" Buffy asked as she stood
beside the bed, he was tossing and mumbling in his sleep.
"Yes, he doesn't seem to sleep well at all, very restless. I suppose his sleep is filled
with the same horrors as his awake delusions are." Dana stood up and closed her tablet.
"I've brought him some blood." Buffy held out the brown bag, "He likes it warm, do you
have a microwave?"
"Yes, across the hall in the lounge. Why don't you go heat it and I'll let him know you're
here." Dana nudged Spike's shoulder to wake him as Buffy left the room.
He opened his eyes slowly as if he were afraid of what he might see. "Buffy's here." Dana
said softly.
He immediatley scanned the room looking for her, "Where is she? Usually I see things that arent' there but now....I don't see her." He appeared distressed as he continued to look around the room.
"She's brought something for you to eat. She'll be right back." Dana spoke comfortingly.
"Hey, I brought you some goodies." Buffy smiled as she took the mug to Spike, "It's ninety eight point six just like you like it."
Spike sniffed the mug cautiosly then began to take small sips. When he had finished it he
turned to Buffy, "Thank you."
"Your welcome, how are you feeling?"
He was staring at her now, "Did you know that you are quite the picture of loveliness?" He asked he with a shy smile.
Buffy almost blushed at he softly worded compliment, "Now it's my turn to thank you." She lay her hand on his arm.
Spike's countenance completely changed at the soft touch of Buffy's hand on his arm, "But
YOU shouldn't TOUCH me! I am a bad, bad man."
"No, Spike it's okay."
Buffy tried to take his hand but he jerked back from her pulling his knees up to his chest and repeating "I'm bad, I'm bad."
"Buffy, I think you need to leave now." Dana put her hand on Buffy's elbow and guided her to the door of the room. Once outside she kept a watchful eye on Spike through the window in
his door. "You can come back tomorrow."
"I don't want to leave him, like this. I want to make him understand...." Buffy peeked in
the little window at the vampire on the bed repeating his sad mantra.
"He'll be okay. I'm looking into some medication for him, something to help ground him keep him in the real world long enough to get his guilt feelings in line so he can start to get better." Dana explained as she watched the tears welling in Buffy's eyes.
"Will the medication be safe for him? Because I have an idea, when you asked me what triggered the psychosis? I thought it was just the guilt after his soul was restored but..I've been thinking that maybe it was also something in that basement, like something down there was doing this to him?" Buffy looked away from the window long enough to tell
Dana her theory.
"In Sunnydale I guess anything's possible, I mean I am treating a vampire afterall. So I think I'll give him a few days to see if he gets better without medicaion, that would
help prove or disprove the basement theory. I will have to sedate him again if he tries to
hurt himself though."
"I understand if he is hurting himself then you have to do something. I guess I should go.
I'll be back tomorrow night." She looked into the room once more, Spike was sitting quietly on the bed now, his head down, "Goodnight, Spike." She whispered softly before turning back to Dana, "Oh if you could please tell him that Dawn says hi and wants to visit soon."
"I'll tell him." Dana nodded at Buffy as she went to go back into the room, "Spike?"
She called softly to him, no answer. She stepped closer to the bed and looked directly in
his sad eyes, "I have a message for you - Dawn says hello and she wants to visit soon."
His eyes lit up and he gave her a small smile, "Niblet? She wants to see me?"
"Yes, she does." The doctor smiled back at him.
"Is it okay with Buffy?" Spike chewed nervously on his bottom lip.
Dana nodded her head at the vampire,"She told me to give you the message. She really wants you to get better, Spike."
"I....I...hurt her badly and don't deserve her forgiveness though. Of all the people I've
hurt....she means the most." Spike sighed softly as his moment of sanity passed as quickly as it came.
Dana left him talking animatedly to the chair about the lovely young blond woman who had visited with him tonight. It wasn't much of a start...but it was at least something and if
Buffy was right about getting him away from that basement...maybe just maybe she had a good chance of helping him.
TBC
Buffy came into the kitchen from the basement and quicky took the bag of blood from Dawn, "I've got to go out early, so dinner's early. Is that okay?"
"Sure, I love spaghetti." Dawn washed her hands and sat down at the bar, "The bag of blood and the going out early? You're going to see Spike, aren't you?"
"Well....yes I am." Buffy busied herself cutting the garlic bread.
"Can I go?"
"I don't think so, not now. He's .....he's not well. But I think he's somewhere that they can help him now."
Buffy began to dish salad into her bowl.
"Where?" Dawn was confused.
"In a clinic for mental health patients." Buffy explained as she sipped her water.
"A clinic? You've had Spike commited? Are 'you' crazy?" Dawn stared at her sister in disbelief, "Poor Spike, he could end up dust, those people won't know how to take care of him."
"It's okay, Dawn - this doctor, Doctor Lavery. She knows about Spike's special problems, she knows Wesley. I called him and checked her out."
"Are you sure you can trust her? I mean Wesley isn't always such a good judge of people, remember how he screwed up when he was your Watcher?"
Buffy smiled at Dawn over a forkful of spaghetti, "Wesley's changed a lot since then......." She sighed, "We all have."
"Can I go see him soon?" Dawn asked as she reached for more bread.
"I hope so. Doctor Lavery thinks she can help him back to his old annoying self." Buffy told her as she finished her dinner and stood to go, "Please do the dishes and your homework. I'll be home as soon as I can."
"At least tell Spike I said hi." Dawn called after her as she closed the door.
****
Spike fell to sleep as Dana sat beside his bed scribbling more notes in her tablet. He had seemed to remain lucid for about an hour after the sedative wore off. She wondered if the medicine had anything to do with the lucidity, she'd watch him and possibly try some different dosages. Maybe if they could regulate his moods, it could give him time enough away from the voices and ghosts of his past to work his guilt out, to work his way back to the real world. Buffy seemed to be a key player in Spike's world, she seemed to antagonize him yet calm him at the same time, this case was definitely a challenge.
The nurse led Buffy to Spike's room, she opened the door slowly, finding Dana sitting beside
a sleeping Spike scribbling notes in her tablet. "Is he okay?" Buffy asked as she stood
beside the bed, he was tossing and mumbling in his sleep.
"Yes, he doesn't seem to sleep well at all, very restless. I suppose his sleep is filled
with the same horrors as his awake delusions are." Dana stood up and closed her tablet.
"I've brought him some blood." Buffy held out the brown bag, "He likes it warm, do you
have a microwave?"
"Yes, across the hall in the lounge. Why don't you go heat it and I'll let him know you're
here." Dana nudged Spike's shoulder to wake him as Buffy left the room.
He opened his eyes slowly as if he were afraid of what he might see. "Buffy's here." Dana
said softly.
He immediatley scanned the room looking for her, "Where is she? Usually I see things that arent' there but now....I don't see her." He appeared distressed as he continued to look around the room.
"She's brought something for you to eat. She'll be right back." Dana spoke comfortingly.
"Hey, I brought you some goodies." Buffy smiled as she took the mug to Spike, "It's ninety eight point six just like you like it."
Spike sniffed the mug cautiosly then began to take small sips. When he had finished it he
turned to Buffy, "Thank you."
"Your welcome, how are you feeling?"
He was staring at her now, "Did you know that you are quite the picture of loveliness?" He asked he with a shy smile.
Buffy almost blushed at he softly worded compliment, "Now it's my turn to thank you." She lay her hand on his arm.
Spike's countenance completely changed at the soft touch of Buffy's hand on his arm, "But
YOU shouldn't TOUCH me! I am a bad, bad man."
"No, Spike it's okay."
Buffy tried to take his hand but he jerked back from her pulling his knees up to his chest and repeating "I'm bad, I'm bad."
"Buffy, I think you need to leave now." Dana put her hand on Buffy's elbow and guided her to the door of the room. Once outside she kept a watchful eye on Spike through the window in
his door. "You can come back tomorrow."
"I don't want to leave him, like this. I want to make him understand...." Buffy peeked in
the little window at the vampire on the bed repeating his sad mantra.
"He'll be okay. I'm looking into some medication for him, something to help ground him keep him in the real world long enough to get his guilt feelings in line so he can start to get better." Dana explained as she watched the tears welling in Buffy's eyes.
"Will the medication be safe for him? Because I have an idea, when you asked me what triggered the psychosis? I thought it was just the guilt after his soul was restored but..I've been thinking that maybe it was also something in that basement, like something down there was doing this to him?" Buffy looked away from the window long enough to tell
Dana her theory.
"In Sunnydale I guess anything's possible, I mean I am treating a vampire afterall. So I think I'll give him a few days to see if he gets better without medicaion, that would
help prove or disprove the basement theory. I will have to sedate him again if he tries to
hurt himself though."
"I understand if he is hurting himself then you have to do something. I guess I should go.
I'll be back tomorrow night." She looked into the room once more, Spike was sitting quietly on the bed now, his head down, "Goodnight, Spike." She whispered softly before turning back to Dana, "Oh if you could please tell him that Dawn says hi and wants to visit soon."
"I'll tell him." Dana nodded at Buffy as she went to go back into the room, "Spike?"
She called softly to him, no answer. She stepped closer to the bed and looked directly in
his sad eyes, "I have a message for you - Dawn says hello and she wants to visit soon."
His eyes lit up and he gave her a small smile, "Niblet? She wants to see me?"
"Yes, she does." The doctor smiled back at him.
"Is it okay with Buffy?" Spike chewed nervously on his bottom lip.
Dana nodded her head at the vampire,"She told me to give you the message. She really wants you to get better, Spike."
"I....I...hurt her badly and don't deserve her forgiveness though. Of all the people I've
hurt....she means the most." Spike sighed softly as his moment of sanity passed as quickly as it came.
Dana left him talking animatedly to the chair about the lovely young blond woman who had visited with him tonight. It wasn't much of a start...but it was at least something and if
Buffy was right about getting him away from that basement...maybe just maybe she had a good chance of helping him.
TBC