Angel
was woken up someone tapping on his shoulder.
"Huh…what?"
He opened his eyes to find Buffy standing beside him.
"Heh
sleepyhead, time to rise and shine." Angel cracked a small smile at her, and
Buffy turned towards Cordelia's bed. She then looked down to see her hand inside Angel's.
"Finally
see the light?" The vampire nearly chuckled at her intentional pun, but he
realized what she was saying. He gazed
down at the sleeping figure, and tenderness filled his brown eyes.
"Yeah
Buffy, I think maybe I have."
The
slayer crossed her arms over her chest and rubbed her shoulders.
"Dammit,
this isn't supposed to happen to people like her," she growled.
"You're
right, it's not, but it still does happen," Angel retorted. Buffy's eyes settled on Cordelia's legs,
which were covered by a white blanket.
"I
can't that she won't ever walk again…" Tears streamed down her cheeks, and
Angel stood up.
"Buffy…don't
cry please…Cordelia wouldn't want you to, and I don't either." The blonde wiped
her eyes and laughed softly.
"It's
too bad there isn't some magical way to make her legs all better… Hey maybe I should call Willow; she might
have a spell for healing that we can use!" Something about Buffy's statement caught in Angel's mind.
"What
did you just say?" he gasped at her.
"What…you
mean about asking Willow to make a spell?"
"No…no…before
that!" Angel replied.
"You
mean about some magical way to make things right?" Buffy asked rather
confused. Angel closed his eyes as if
he was lost in deep thought, when his eyes suddenly shot open.
"That's
it!"
"What's
'it'?" a very confused slayer asked. Angel grabbed his trenchcoat and put it on.
"Buffy,
can you watch her for awhile? I need to
go somewhere."
"Yeah
sure, I can, but wait a minute…where are you going?" Buffy stood dumbstruck as
the vampire walked passed her.
"Hey,
where are you going, Angel?" she called as she stuck her head out in the
hallway. He turned back around and
smiled slightly.
"I'm
going to go find a miracle. I'll be
back as soon as I can." With that, Angel took off down the hallway not even
stopping to talk to Wesley and Gunn before he left.
A
few minutes later, Wesley poked his head into Cordelia's room.
"Excuse
me, but where was Angel running off to?" Buffy just shrugged her shoulders.
"I
have no idea. He said that he was going
to find a miracle."
Angel
nearly broke every driving law in LA as he drove to his destination. He jumped out of his car and walked down the
stairs. A familiar green-skinned figure
was there to meet him.
"Angel-cakes,
what's shaking?"
"I
don't have time to chat, Lorn, I need information."
"Well
then, pick a song…most of my customers are gone anyways," he stated knowing
that Angel didn't have the best voice.
"No…look,
this is something that you've given me before. Do you remember when I told you that Darla was dying, and I needed a way
to heal her? You told me the place to
go. Now, where is it?"
"Wait
a minute, vamp-boy, I don't just remember everything that I see for people."
Angel grabbed him by the collar.
"Listen
up, okay, Cordelia's in the hospital paralyzed from the waist down." After
hearing his statement, Lorn had a shocked look in his eyes. "She's hurt because
she took a blow that was meant for me. Now, where is the place?"
"All
right…all right…lose the collar grabbing, and I'll give it to you." Angel
released him, and the demon quickly scribbled down the address on a nearby
cocktail napkin. "Jeez, you never can stay away from saving beautiful women can
you?"
He
snatched the napkin from Lorn's hand and bolted for the door.
"Hey
Angel!" The vampire stopped and turned his head. "Good luck, pal, she doesn't
deserve something like that."
Two
weeks had passed since that night. Angel's insides were growling with impatience. He wanted Cordelia to walk again, but he'd had to watch her sit
in a wheelchair for the passed week. The doctors refused to discharge her without a week of observation.
Today
was the last day. Buffy was helping
Cordy dress while the guys waited patiently for her. Angel was glad that Buffy was here. He wasn't sure how Cordelia would react to have to dress with a
guy's help.
The
two of them came out of the bathroom, and Angel saw the smile on Cordelia's
face. She was amazing! Even in a wheelchair, she still had her
strength. And yet, Angel could see a
sadness hidden behind her brown eyes. A
sense of loss and defeat was there, and Angel felt his fists clench. He needed to carry out his plan, or he'd go
crazy watching her like this. It was
late evening before she was finally released, and Angel drove everyone to
Cordy's place.
Cordelia
was smiling as she returned to her home, and yet, she felt incomplete. Casting a glance down to her legs, a feeling
of despair and sadness swept through her. She was brought back to reality when Angel stopped pushing her to open
the door. To everyone's surprise, it
opened by itself.
"Dennis,
how many times have I told you not to do that," Cordelia chided as Angel
wheeled her inside.
"I
think that he's trying to be helpful, Cordy," he whispered in her ear. She shifted around in the stiff leather
seat.
"Hey
Angel, push me to the couch, I've got to get out of this chair." The vampire
did as she asked. But when Cordelia
went to push herself out of the chair, he stopped her.
"Here,
let me." Before his seer could object, Angel scooped her up in his arms and
picked her up. Cordelia smiled brightly
at him as he set her down on the couch. Her body tingled from being held in his arms, and she found herself
wanting to do that again.
"Thanks."
Angel cracked a small grin at her.
"Anytime."
The
group stayed up late talking about the many experiences they'd had individually
and together.
Angel
looked beside him to see Cordelia lying back on her couch fast asleep. He couldn't blame her; it had been a long
day and was well after midnight. He
caught Buffy's gaze, and she understood.
"Guys,
I'd say it's time to hit the hay." Everyone agreed with the slayer's
suggestion, and Wesley and Gunn said their goodnights.
"Angel,
put Cordy in the bedroom. We'll stay
out here," Buffy stated. Nodding his
head, Angel picked up his seer and carried her into her bedroom.
Buffy
watched her former lover cradling the brunette in his arms, and a small smile
crossed her face.
'He's
finally learned.' A hand touched her shoulder, and she turned towards him.
"Ready
for bed?" Riley asked softly. Buffy
gave him a warm hug and nodded her head against his chest.
"Yeah,
I'm beat."
Angel
pulled back the covers and tucked Cordelia in. She rolled onto her side and moaned softly. He brushed away the hair that fell onto her face, and she sighed
happily in response. The vampire's hand
lingered on her cheek, and he gently stroked the softness of her skin.
Cordelia
turned her head into his palm and nuzzled his hand.
"Hmm…Angel…"
she sighed contently. He couldn't help
but grin slightly; of all things, she was dreaming about him. Bending down, he placed a gentle kiss on her
forehead and pulled the blankets up around her.
"Goodnight
Delia." Angel said goodnight, but he did not leave her side. Taking a seat in the chair beside her bed,
the vampire kept careful watch over this precious woman that had slowly
reopened his heart.
'I
promise you, Cordelia, you will walk again…soon.' He said the words silently,
but Angel felt like he was taking an oath. He swore to her that there would be no more pain and that included hers
as well.
Author's Notes: Just what is Angel planning? You'll soon find out, but in the mean time, let me know how you like this story. It's drawing to its conclusion, and yet, it's just getting started. If you've seen most of the series, you might be able to guess what Angel's thinking, but otherwise…just be patient.
