Chapter 18
"That lousy, son of a- that lousy bastard!" Darla quickly corrected herself. "He left me, again."
"Not to worry, my sweet. He will soon have to take care of you. But now he has to help my William."
"Take care of me? What the hell are you talking about, Dru? I can damn well take care of myself, and you."
"Shh. Don't want to ruin it. Daddy's left a surprise for us all..." she said ominously as she stare at Darla's flat belly.
*********************
After much arguing and bitching (from both parties), Angel finally left a majorly pissed off Darla and headed back home. After having some time away from the whole situation, he decided to support Buffy and (although reluctantly) Spike and their decisions. He was going to feign happiness for them. Nah, that would be too hard. Indifference was his plan of action. As soon as he walked through the door, the scents of blood and fear assaulted his senses.
"Angel, where were- "
"Where's Buffy? Is she okay?" Angel said, interrupting Fred.
"Sorry man. They took her to the hospital." Gunn explained. After finding out where she was, Angel made a mad dash to his car and sped to the hospital.
********************
The doctors decided to try and stop a premature delivery. They put Buffy in a Trendelenburg bed, elevating her hips and feet in an attempt to counter the pull of gravity on the baby. But the doctors soon realized that the bed wasn't enough. The contractions were too strong. They hoped to prolong the delivery for forty-eight hours to give a drug called betamethasone a chance to peed up the development of her baby's lungs. They also gave her another drug called Brethine to slow down the contractions. It was Buffy's only hope of holding the baby in the uterus, and every additional hour improved the baby's chance of survival. Fifteen hours later, Joy Anne Summers was brought into the world.
******************
I was in a daze. I remember the doctor saying "It's a girl," and then a whole bunch of strangers taking my baby away. As I stared up at the bright, ceiling lights, I began to cry. I wanted my baby; I wanted Spike; I wanted my mommy and Giles. But I was left alone with questions of where was my baby? What were they doing to her? Is she all right? When can I see her...
There was no absolute reassurance from the doctors and nurses. It was always "We're doing the best we can." Other than that, they mostly ignored me. A few minutes later, they gave me only a brief glimpse of her to last me the next twenty-four hours. The doctor folded down the flap of the blanket for no more than two seconds before taking her away to the nursery. One of the nurses informed me that Spike would be allowed to follow. This brought me some comfort, but I wanted to be with her myself. Two seconds just wasn't enough.
********************
A girl. I had a lil' girl. They said Buffy was fine and needed her rest, and I knew she would want me to watch our baby. At first I was terrified. In addition to my own fears, my daughter was now hooked up to a bunch of wires and a tube inside of an incubator. But they were just for monitoring her and a respiratory aid.
She was so tiny. But beautiful all the same. She was pink all over, with fine blond eyebrows and very little hair on her head. But I wanted to see her eyes. I just knew that if only I could look into her eyes, then she would be okay, somehow...
********************
"Angel? What are you doing here?" Buffy asked tiredly.
"Hey. Sorry I wasn't there to- are you all right?" he said, hovering near the doorway.
"I'm okay. Just drained, tired, distressed, whatever. But you can come closer, you know. I don't bite." she said with a small attempt at a smile.
"Have you seen the baby yet, or Spike?" Angel thought about the conversation he had earlier with the wayward vampire. Never before had he seen him so weak and vulnerable. He never thought he would ever use adjectives such as those to describe Spike.
"It's all my fault."
"No, Spike. You couldn't control this."
"You're right. I can't. But see, that's the thing of it."
"What do you mean?"
"They're being punished because of me. Paying for my sins and I- I can't stop it." he finished as he turned away in what seemed in attempt of hiding his face, in shame. Angel gently grasped his shoulder and slowly turned him around. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were glazed over.
"Spike, this isn't because of you. This may not happen more often than not, but it does happen. It happens to lots of other good, decent people out there. Buffy needs you right now. She needs you to be strong." Angel said, pinning Spike with his eyes.
"But what if I can't?"
"You don't have a choice. No matter what happens- "
"I'll never leave her. Whatever happens here today... I'll always be by her side, whether she wants me there or not. I'll be strong, for her."
"And I'll be strong for you, if you let me. What's family for, right? Besides to drive you insane of course." Spike had a ghost of a smile before it disappearing altogether. Angel enveloped him in a tentative hug. Spike responded, hugging him back. After so many burned bridges, theirs was finally mended again.
"Yeah, I saw him. The doctors gave him one of those IDs and took him the the nursery. He wanted me to check on you. He'll be here, though. Just wanted someone not on hospital staff to watch over the baby."
"So, he'll be here later?"
"Yeah, he- " Angel stopped as Buffy fell into a peaceful sleep, knowing that the baby would be safe under Spike and Angel's watchful gaze. When she awoke sometime later, Spike was right beside her. He began to smile and lightly stroked her hair.
"Angel's keeping watch now. Everything's gonna be fine. She's getting stronger every minute. Literally you know- stabilized."
"I should explain."
" 'Bout what, luv?"
"Her name. I know it isn't what we discussed exactly, but, she's a person all her own, and needed her own name."
"I know. Besides, 'Joy' is from Joyce- "
"She is joy, to me."
"Me too. And Anne is you and my mum's middle name. Let's face it; Constance is a completely old fashioned name. Rightly so after nearly a century and a half."
"Yeah. And she'll be okay?"
"I promise you that. And besides, you should know better than anyone that the Summer's women are survivors by nature. Of course she'll make it."
"That lousy, son of a- that lousy bastard!" Darla quickly corrected herself. "He left me, again."
"Not to worry, my sweet. He will soon have to take care of you. But now he has to help my William."
"Take care of me? What the hell are you talking about, Dru? I can damn well take care of myself, and you."
"Shh. Don't want to ruin it. Daddy's left a surprise for us all..." she said ominously as she stare at Darla's flat belly.
*********************
After much arguing and bitching (from both parties), Angel finally left a majorly pissed off Darla and headed back home. After having some time away from the whole situation, he decided to support Buffy and (although reluctantly) Spike and their decisions. He was going to feign happiness for them. Nah, that would be too hard. Indifference was his plan of action. As soon as he walked through the door, the scents of blood and fear assaulted his senses.
"Angel, where were- "
"Where's Buffy? Is she okay?" Angel said, interrupting Fred.
"Sorry man. They took her to the hospital." Gunn explained. After finding out where she was, Angel made a mad dash to his car and sped to the hospital.
********************
The doctors decided to try and stop a premature delivery. They put Buffy in a Trendelenburg bed, elevating her hips and feet in an attempt to counter the pull of gravity on the baby. But the doctors soon realized that the bed wasn't enough. The contractions were too strong. They hoped to prolong the delivery for forty-eight hours to give a drug called betamethasone a chance to peed up the development of her baby's lungs. They also gave her another drug called Brethine to slow down the contractions. It was Buffy's only hope of holding the baby in the uterus, and every additional hour improved the baby's chance of survival. Fifteen hours later, Joy Anne Summers was brought into the world.
******************
I was in a daze. I remember the doctor saying "It's a girl," and then a whole bunch of strangers taking my baby away. As I stared up at the bright, ceiling lights, I began to cry. I wanted my baby; I wanted Spike; I wanted my mommy and Giles. But I was left alone with questions of where was my baby? What were they doing to her? Is she all right? When can I see her...
There was no absolute reassurance from the doctors and nurses. It was always "We're doing the best we can." Other than that, they mostly ignored me. A few minutes later, they gave me only a brief glimpse of her to last me the next twenty-four hours. The doctor folded down the flap of the blanket for no more than two seconds before taking her away to the nursery. One of the nurses informed me that Spike would be allowed to follow. This brought me some comfort, but I wanted to be with her myself. Two seconds just wasn't enough.
********************
A girl. I had a lil' girl. They said Buffy was fine and needed her rest, and I knew she would want me to watch our baby. At first I was terrified. In addition to my own fears, my daughter was now hooked up to a bunch of wires and a tube inside of an incubator. But they were just for monitoring her and a respiratory aid.
She was so tiny. But beautiful all the same. She was pink all over, with fine blond eyebrows and very little hair on her head. But I wanted to see her eyes. I just knew that if only I could look into her eyes, then she would be okay, somehow...
********************
"Angel? What are you doing here?" Buffy asked tiredly.
"Hey. Sorry I wasn't there to- are you all right?" he said, hovering near the doorway.
"I'm okay. Just drained, tired, distressed, whatever. But you can come closer, you know. I don't bite." she said with a small attempt at a smile.
"Have you seen the baby yet, or Spike?" Angel thought about the conversation he had earlier with the wayward vampire. Never before had he seen him so weak and vulnerable. He never thought he would ever use adjectives such as those to describe Spike.
"It's all my fault."
"No, Spike. You couldn't control this."
"You're right. I can't. But see, that's the thing of it."
"What do you mean?"
"They're being punished because of me. Paying for my sins and I- I can't stop it." he finished as he turned away in what seemed in attempt of hiding his face, in shame. Angel gently grasped his shoulder and slowly turned him around. He wasn't crying, but his eyes were glazed over.
"Spike, this isn't because of you. This may not happen more often than not, but it does happen. It happens to lots of other good, decent people out there. Buffy needs you right now. She needs you to be strong." Angel said, pinning Spike with his eyes.
"But what if I can't?"
"You don't have a choice. No matter what happens- "
"I'll never leave her. Whatever happens here today... I'll always be by her side, whether she wants me there or not. I'll be strong, for her."
"And I'll be strong for you, if you let me. What's family for, right? Besides to drive you insane of course." Spike had a ghost of a smile before it disappearing altogether. Angel enveloped him in a tentative hug. Spike responded, hugging him back. After so many burned bridges, theirs was finally mended again.
"Yeah, I saw him. The doctors gave him one of those IDs and took him the the nursery. He wanted me to check on you. He'll be here, though. Just wanted someone not on hospital staff to watch over the baby."
"So, he'll be here later?"
"Yeah, he- " Angel stopped as Buffy fell into a peaceful sleep, knowing that the baby would be safe under Spike and Angel's watchful gaze. When she awoke sometime later, Spike was right beside her. He began to smile and lightly stroked her hair.
"Angel's keeping watch now. Everything's gonna be fine. She's getting stronger every minute. Literally you know- stabilized."
"I should explain."
" 'Bout what, luv?"
"Her name. I know it isn't what we discussed exactly, but, she's a person all her own, and needed her own name."
"I know. Besides, 'Joy' is from Joyce- "
"She is joy, to me."
"Me too. And Anne is you and my mum's middle name. Let's face it; Constance is a completely old fashioned name. Rightly so after nearly a century and a half."
"Yeah. And she'll be okay?"
"I promise you that. And besides, you should know better than anyone that the Summer's women are survivors by nature. Of course she'll make it."