Chapter 6
Chapter 6

Los Angeles County Hospital was usually a fairly calm place after midnight but not this night! The entrance doors were almost kicked off their hinges as a group of people stormed inside.

The receptionist gulped as she saw the strangers approaching her. It was quite a group to behold. A middle-aged man with a torn jacket and glasses, a black man about mid-twenties, a blonde woman and dark haired man also in their early twenties. Lastly, was a man who put out an aura of strength and respect. He held a chestnut-haired woman in his arms.

"We need help now!" the carrier nearly shouted. The nurse looked down at the young woman and noticed the severity of her wounds. Not caring that this group looked quite odd, she immediately summoned a doctor and orderlies.

A minute later, the orderlies arrived with a stretcher, and the man laid his charge down on her side. He didn't want to hurt her back anymore by putting her weight on it- not to mention the whip marks on her back.

A man in his early forties rushed into the reception area. His eyes widened as he saw the prone figure on the gurney.

"Good Lord, what happened to this poor girl?" He checked her appearance and saw the multiple bruises, blood stripes on her back, and a very large bruise on her lower spine. He looked up at the man who had put her down on the stretcher. His black trench coat looked disheveled from carrying the girl, and his eyes were wild.

"Help her please," the man pleaded. The doctor checked the young woman's vital signs, and a sigh of relief escaped his mouth.

"She's got pulse." He turned towards the orderlies. "Let's get her to ER now; she needs help!"

"I'm going with!" The doctor turned his head at the abrupt statement. It was the man who had been carrying her. His eyes focused, and a silent plea repeated in his brown eyes.

"All right, but you need to let us do our job." At the man's confirmation, the doctor took one end of the stretcher, and they raced off down the hallway.

The remaining members stood in complete silence.

"Excuse me?" the receptionist asked. "I'm sorry but could one of you please give me some information about that young lady?" The man with glasses stepped forward.

"What do you need to know?"

"Her name please?"

"Cordelia…Cordelia Chase." The nurse could tell that the man was trying to keep his eyes from clouding over.

"Okay…and is there someone that we can call for her…a next of kin or family member?"

"We are her family, ma'am, but if you must put a name down, just put Angel." Wesley didn't say another word but merely backed away and pinched his nose between his eyes.

Angel stood in the doorway of the emergency room as doctors and nurses worked furiously to tend Cordelia's wounds. He could hear their various comments about how in the world this had happened to her or that the person who did this to her should be thrown in jail or worse. His eyes trailed down to the beautiful face that had been marred from a furious beating.

'Please Cordelia, don't leave me now.'

He felt so helpless. He could have been the most powerful vampire in the world, and there wasn't a thing that he could do for her now.

"Okay, let's get her up to the OR," one of the doctors ordered. Angel snapped back to reality as they wheeled Cordelia out of the room and towards an elevator down the hall. He immediately grabbed on of the doctors.

"Where are you taking her?" he nearly demanded.

"We've stabilized her vital signs. She's been taken to the operating room for surgery. She didn't appear to have any broken ribs or organ damage but what were those marks on her back. She looks like she's been hit with something."

"They're whip marks," Angel answered flatly. The doctor's eyes shot open.

"What happened to her?"

"She was kidnapped and tortured."

"How could someone do that to another human being?" Angel glared at him not wanting to get into the details.

"Will she be all right?"

"I don't know, sir, she's young, and I'm hoping that she's strong as well. What concerns me is that huge bruise on her spine. Do you know what that's from?"

"A sledgehammer." When Angel answered him, the doctor felt like he was going to be sick. That did not sound good for their patient. She could have severe internal damage or broken vertebrae.

"We'll do our best to help her." With that, the doctor left Angel and headed upstairs.

The vampire stood in the center of the hallway, frozen in place.

'Hoping that she's strong? Cordelia's the strongest person I know.'

Four hours passed by, and Angel and the others were anxiously awaiting news on Cordelia's condition.

Angel stood next to the window gazing out at the lights of LA. He felt someone touch his arm and turned to see Buffy standing next to him.

"Angel, she's gonna make it." The vampire nodded his head, but his eyes held a different opinion.

"I wish that I had some confirmation of that, Buffy."

"The doctor's coming, Angel." Wesley's comment drew everyone towards the doorway, and a middle-aged man entered the room. Angel was the first person he met.

"I'm Dr. Morgan. We just finished with Miss Chase."

"Will she be okay?" Angel nearly demanded.

"Are you a member of her family?"

"I'm a friend of hers. Now, how is she?"

"Is any of her family here?" Angel was getting agitated that the doctor wouldn't answer his question, and Buffy stepped up next to him.

"Doctor, she doesn't have any family except for us." The look in her eyes gave the doctor no room to question her.

"She's going to pull through…" Angel let the breath he'd been holding for the last five minutes. She was going to be all right. "But…" A lump began to rise in his throat. "…the blow to her lower back did serious damage to her spinal column."

"So what's the scenario?" Wesley asked, hoping that it wasn't what he was thinking.

"Three of her vertebrae compressed around her spinal cord like a vice and damaged several of the nerves. As a result, her lower motor functions have been cut off."

"Doctor, can you please just tell us what's wrong with her?" Angel asked.

"Angel…" The vampire turned towards Wesley who had a somber look on his face, "…what Dr. Morgan is trying to say is that she's paralyzed."

"What!" Angel snapped back around and gazed at the doctor so intently that the man nearly cringed. "Is that true?"

"Yes, she's paralyzed from the waist down."

Author's Notes: I know, you're thinking this sucks right? Well…just wait and see what happens…this dark cloud may have a silver lining after all. R & R this for me, please. I'd appreciate some input.