A/N: Okay, I'm doing a happy little jig because some nice person nominated me for a Spuffy Award, so if you get a chance go to a href=http://www.flesh-for-fantasy.com/SpuffyAwards/index2.htmlSpuffy Awards/a and vote for me under Best Fantasy Angst! *kisses* Thanks!
Chapter 11: That night
After naming Dawn, Spike left her to be fed by the nurses so that he could go see Buffy. He was still dazed that their baby had been delivered two weeks early and was as healthy as any other newborn. When he reached the ICU he had to find the head nurse so he could be admitted. The nurse gave him an odd glance but admitted him.
"She's in a coma right now, sir." The nurse took a deep sigh, "she may not wake up, but if you would like you can massage her hands and feet to keep the circulation going in them." She gave him a small smile and went back about her business.
Spike made his way to Buffy. Her face was pale and she looked younger, almost childlike. There were dark purple bruises under her eyes. Other than those two things Spike couldn't see any difference between Buffy now and how she had always looked to him. Spike glanced at the screen that showed her heart beat reading her pulse, 58 beats per second. Spike knew that was slow but then Buffy had always been incredibly fit. Of its own accord, his hand went to her chest, feeling for her heart beat. When he realized what he was doing he snatched his hand back like it had been burned. Instead he picked up her hand and began to stroke the back, and then gently increasing his pressure, he massaged her hand from the heel to the tips of her fingers.
*Flashback*
"Come on Spike it would be fun!" Buffy gave him a pouting face.
"Pet, I'm not going to some nancy-boy massage class."
"But if we both go we can give each other massage. I could even add in a few places that they won't teach in class!" She winked at him. At 17 Spike was easy to deal with because he was all hormones. She just had to give him suitable motivation.
*Present Day*
Spike continued the massage up from her hand to her wrists, rolling the hand and making sure to get the joint working, then up to the forearm. Buffy always complained that it tickled when he massaged there. He switched to the other hand repeating his motions, slowly, gently, but firmly.
"Luv, I know you can hear me in there somewhere, so I'm going to talk to you like you can hear me. We have a beautiful little girl, her name if Dawn Hope. I thought you would like that name, since you were my inspiration." He glanced at her heart rated, noting that it had gone up to 65. "Luv, I need you to wake up. Please. I can't live with out you and Dawn can't live with out both of us. We're a team, pet. Please wake up." He moved to the foot of the bed and started massaging her feet. From the big toe to the ball of the foot then on to the other toes, he kept gentle, steady pressure. From there he kneaded the internal cuneiform and stroked his thumbs to her heel. A machine gave a beep and he stared at it, startled, Buffy's heart rate was up to 89. Spike dropped her foot and moved up to her head.
"Buffy, Buffy! I know you can hear me! Wake up Buffy!" He heard foot steps and saw the nurse appear on Buffy's other side.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
"I was massaging her feet; her heart rate's been going up steadily"
"Well keep doing it, it's getting a response!" The nurse fiddled with the tubes at Buffy's neck as Spike raced to her feet to keep up the massage.
"Will this wake her up?"
"I don't know. She was a in a pretty bad way when they brought her in and as I said I don't think she'll wake up. But if her heart rate is up then she at least recognizes that you're here." Spike kept going, moving to her ankle, rotating them and flexing the muscle.
"Can you go get my sister, Willow?" The nurse gave him a skeptical look, "please, she's the best masseuse I know and I could really use her help." The nurse turned away and rushed out to get her. Spike moved back to Buffy head. "Luv, I know you're in there. Wake up, please!" Tears began to stream down his cheek, dripping onto Buffy's face. Willow ran in then, breathless, looking at him for what to do. "Massage her, I don't care where just try and get a response." He said out loud, and then as the nurse moved off he began to whisper. "Alright, what's the deal Willow? She's not dead but she not really awake, so what went wrong with the spell?"
"Nothing. It went perfectly; she's just out of it from the delivery." Just then a gurgle could be heard from Buffy. "She's trying to breath! Nurse!" The nurse ran back over, "she's trying to breathe, can't you take the tube out?" Willow pointed to the air tube in Buffy's throat.
"Yes, she's trying hard alright. Amazing," she yanked the tape that had been holding it down and with drew the tube. Three breaths were held as Buffy gasped. She gave one hard cough and began to breathe on her own. Willow and Spike cheered as the nurse stared at a woman who, by all accounts, should be dead by now.
"Alright, keep at it; See if you can get more." The nurse walked away again leaving Willow and Spike to continue their massages. Spike smiled over Buffy at Willow.
"We'll see what we can do." Willow reached into her bag and pulled out an amulet, the same one she and Tara had created earlier that morning. She quietly tucked it into Buffy's pillow, still listening to Buffy's breathing. "Just give it some time to work; it only needs on more thing after she gets a little stronger."
"What?"
"You'll see." They turned back to Buffy and kept up their massage.
Buffy was in a tunnel. At one end there was a brilliant gold light and at the other, a dimmer silver light. The tunnel was filled with thick fluid and Buffy had trouble moving. 'This must be some kind of dream; I'm zoning out at the shop again or something". Buffy felt frustrated, an emotion she had become well acquainted with in the last few months. She knew there was a way to bring her thoughts back to the real world and it had to do with one end of the tunnel. She looked at the bright end thinking that the light was supposed to guide her out but the liquid that surrounded her seemed to pull her towards the dimmer light. It was like a gentle massage, undulating against her, pulling her in. She struggled briefly and felt her head go under. She choked, gasped, then the water was cleared and she took a deep breath. She tried once more to swim to the brighter light, but she started to go under. Finally, she decided that the other end was what she wanted. It was dimmer but as she got closer she could almost hear people talking. Maybe Will's shaking me again, trying to get me to snap back to it. She sighed and kept swimming. Finally, she reached the end but couldn't figure out how to get out. She started treading water, hoping someone would give her a hand out.
Chapter 11: That night
After naming Dawn, Spike left her to be fed by the nurses so that he could go see Buffy. He was still dazed that their baby had been delivered two weeks early and was as healthy as any other newborn. When he reached the ICU he had to find the head nurse so he could be admitted. The nurse gave him an odd glance but admitted him.
"She's in a coma right now, sir." The nurse took a deep sigh, "she may not wake up, but if you would like you can massage her hands and feet to keep the circulation going in them." She gave him a small smile and went back about her business.
Spike made his way to Buffy. Her face was pale and she looked younger, almost childlike. There were dark purple bruises under her eyes. Other than those two things Spike couldn't see any difference between Buffy now and how she had always looked to him. Spike glanced at the screen that showed her heart beat reading her pulse, 58 beats per second. Spike knew that was slow but then Buffy had always been incredibly fit. Of its own accord, his hand went to her chest, feeling for her heart beat. When he realized what he was doing he snatched his hand back like it had been burned. Instead he picked up her hand and began to stroke the back, and then gently increasing his pressure, he massaged her hand from the heel to the tips of her fingers.
*Flashback*
"Come on Spike it would be fun!" Buffy gave him a pouting face.
"Pet, I'm not going to some nancy-boy massage class."
"But if we both go we can give each other massage. I could even add in a few places that they won't teach in class!" She winked at him. At 17 Spike was easy to deal with because he was all hormones. She just had to give him suitable motivation.
*Present Day*
Spike continued the massage up from her hand to her wrists, rolling the hand and making sure to get the joint working, then up to the forearm. Buffy always complained that it tickled when he massaged there. He switched to the other hand repeating his motions, slowly, gently, but firmly.
"Luv, I know you can hear me in there somewhere, so I'm going to talk to you like you can hear me. We have a beautiful little girl, her name if Dawn Hope. I thought you would like that name, since you were my inspiration." He glanced at her heart rated, noting that it had gone up to 65. "Luv, I need you to wake up. Please. I can't live with out you and Dawn can't live with out both of us. We're a team, pet. Please wake up." He moved to the foot of the bed and started massaging her feet. From the big toe to the ball of the foot then on to the other toes, he kept gentle, steady pressure. From there he kneaded the internal cuneiform and stroked his thumbs to her heel. A machine gave a beep and he stared at it, startled, Buffy's heart rate was up to 89. Spike dropped her foot and moved up to her head.
"Buffy, Buffy! I know you can hear me! Wake up Buffy!" He heard foot steps and saw the nurse appear on Buffy's other side.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
"I was massaging her feet; her heart rate's been going up steadily"
"Well keep doing it, it's getting a response!" The nurse fiddled with the tubes at Buffy's neck as Spike raced to her feet to keep up the massage.
"Will this wake her up?"
"I don't know. She was a in a pretty bad way when they brought her in and as I said I don't think she'll wake up. But if her heart rate is up then she at least recognizes that you're here." Spike kept going, moving to her ankle, rotating them and flexing the muscle.
"Can you go get my sister, Willow?" The nurse gave him a skeptical look, "please, she's the best masseuse I know and I could really use her help." The nurse turned away and rushed out to get her. Spike moved back to Buffy head. "Luv, I know you're in there. Wake up, please!" Tears began to stream down his cheek, dripping onto Buffy's face. Willow ran in then, breathless, looking at him for what to do. "Massage her, I don't care where just try and get a response." He said out loud, and then as the nurse moved off he began to whisper. "Alright, what's the deal Willow? She's not dead but she not really awake, so what went wrong with the spell?"
"Nothing. It went perfectly; she's just out of it from the delivery." Just then a gurgle could be heard from Buffy. "She's trying to breath! Nurse!" The nurse ran back over, "she's trying to breathe, can't you take the tube out?" Willow pointed to the air tube in Buffy's throat.
"Yes, she's trying hard alright. Amazing," she yanked the tape that had been holding it down and with drew the tube. Three breaths were held as Buffy gasped. She gave one hard cough and began to breathe on her own. Willow and Spike cheered as the nurse stared at a woman who, by all accounts, should be dead by now.
"Alright, keep at it; See if you can get more." The nurse walked away again leaving Willow and Spike to continue their massages. Spike smiled over Buffy at Willow.
"We'll see what we can do." Willow reached into her bag and pulled out an amulet, the same one she and Tara had created earlier that morning. She quietly tucked it into Buffy's pillow, still listening to Buffy's breathing. "Just give it some time to work; it only needs on more thing after she gets a little stronger."
"What?"
"You'll see." They turned back to Buffy and kept up their massage.
Buffy was in a tunnel. At one end there was a brilliant gold light and at the other, a dimmer silver light. The tunnel was filled with thick fluid and Buffy had trouble moving. 'This must be some kind of dream; I'm zoning out at the shop again or something". Buffy felt frustrated, an emotion she had become well acquainted with in the last few months. She knew there was a way to bring her thoughts back to the real world and it had to do with one end of the tunnel. She looked at the bright end thinking that the light was supposed to guide her out but the liquid that surrounded her seemed to pull her towards the dimmer light. It was like a gentle massage, undulating against her, pulling her in. She struggled briefly and felt her head go under. She choked, gasped, then the water was cleared and she took a deep breath. She tried once more to swim to the brighter light, but she started to go under. Finally, she decided that the other end was what she wanted. It was dimmer but as she got closer she could almost hear people talking. Maybe Will's shaking me again, trying to get me to snap back to it. She sighed and kept swimming. Finally, she reached the end but couldn't figure out how to get out. She started treading water, hoping someone would give her a hand out.
