The tapping of hard soled men's shoes echoed down the hallway, despite the
ever-present sounds of a hospital at work. Patients cried from pain and
fear, monitors beeped, a wheel squeaked as a volunteer delivered meals.
Behind the closed door of one room, however, it was silent. An unnatural
stillness filled the air, smothering the numerous occupants.
Tara and Anya remained in the hospitals they'd been assigned. As soon as the nurse had warned them Buffy's doctor's eminent arrival, Willow had bolted from her bed to Tara's. The two women were huddled together on the tiny bed for comfort.
Xander was now perched on the side of Anya's bed, one arm around her shoulders, with the fingers of his other hand entangled with hers. He'd gone to help Giles back into the wheelchair and bring him to the girls' room as soon as they'd been warned that the doctor was coming.
Dawn sat bolt upright in one of the vistors' chairs. She'd pulled it into a corner of the room. Her eyes were fixated on Spike.
The vampire paced the length of the room, fingers fiddling with his lighter. He'd never felt so helpless and weak. He desperately wanted to kill something, just to prove he still had control over something. Even when Drusilla was so fragile, needing him to hunt for her and protect her, he hadn't been so scared, and he'd been worried about her every time he left her alone. This crushing fear in his chest was paralysing.
The footsteps continued past the room, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. As much as they wanted to know Buffy's condition, they were terrified to find out.
Spike suddenly hissed for silence. Only his enhanced hearing had caught the sound of the footsteps pausing, then returning to the closed door of the hospital room.
The door opened slowly and a familiar man entered. After a quick glance, no one was able to look him in the eye. Spike turned his back on the man and deliberately walked to the chair pulled alongside Dawn's. He'd intended to sit down gently, to be strong for the young girl, but once again his control slipped, and he collapsed into the chair. Dawn grabbed his arm with a strength that made even the vampire wince.
"Hello everyone," Dr. Kriegel said sombrely. His eyes ranged over the assembled group. "I know most of you by face, if not by name. Hello, Dawn, Mr. Giles," he greeted the two he did know, his glance resting on the pale blond beside the youngest member of the group. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get all of your names, just so I know who I'm dealing with."
Giles took it upon himself to introduce everyone, pointing at them as he went. "Xander and Anya, Tara and Willow, of course you know Dawn, and the only person you haven't seen before,"
Spike interrupted. He didn't want this man who had Buffy's life in his hands to have a bad impression of him. "William Wainwright."
Everyone looked at him in surprise. Giles recovered first, looking back at the doctor. "Yes, William." He repeated.
Dr. Kriegel smiled at the group. Somehow it wasn't comforting. "As I'm sure you know, Buffy was rushed to surgery shortly after she arrived. The CAT scan revealed significant brain injury and several locations where small blood vessels had burst and were leaking into the brain. This is called an intracerebral hematoma. In surgery, I removed a small part of her skull and cauterized the sites." At that description, Xander looked really disgusted. "I also drained any pockets of blood and fluid that had already collected," the doctor continued.
"She came through the surgery quite well. After she was settled in Recovery, we hooked her up to an EEG, that is, an Electroencephalogram, to study her brain waves. The good news is her brain pattern is steady and normal, showing that she didn't suffer any brain damage." Wide smiles and sighs of relief greeted this news. Only Spike seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"What's the bad news?" he asked.
"William, right?" Dr. Kriegel sighed, turning to face the questioner. At Spike's nod, the doctor continued. "Yes, I'm afraid it isn't all good news. The EEG patterns, while normal, are slightly subdued. It appears Buffy is in a coma."
Looks of shock and a few scattered sobs greeted this information. Dr. Kriegel waited a few moments for the news to sink in and for the group to compose themselves before continuing. "I'm sure you need some time to deal with this, but I could really use some help. I understand from the paramedics that most of your were at the accident site?" he questioned. At their nods, he continued. "It would really help me know what to look for if I knew what happened."
Everyone looked at Giles. He grimaced but nodded slightly. He was the sensible choice He was the adult in the group and the only one who'd watched Buffy the entire time. Slowly, he recounted his tale.
"We'd all gotten together at the Summers' residence. We try to do that frequently now, to help support Buffy and Dawn since Joyce... Anyway, Dawn's cat was missing, and Buffy asked us all to help look for it. Dawn stayed at the house, of course, and Sp... William stayed to look after her. The animal was known to frequent a construction site, so we headed there first. When we got there, a crowd of neighbours had gathered. The rising wind had started a tower on the property swaying, and it looked like it would fall at any moment. I'm sorry to say we joined the group of rubber neckers. Suddenly Buffy darted away and up the tower. She climbed several stories high. I didn't see the cat, but I assume she must have. She turned around and smiled and started climbing down again, but by then it was too late. A sudden gust of wind sent the tower crashing around her. I...it looked to me as if she tried to jump free of the wreckage as it feel. I'm afraid, I couldn't, I didn't watch her fall. It happened too fast," Giles said turning his face away on that lie, unwilling to relive that moment."
"About how high was she?" Dr. Kriegel asked.
"I'd estimate 15 metres," Giles answered.
Everyone looked at him with confusion. He rapidly did the conversion in his head. "Uh, about 50 feet."
"That's quite a fall. Buffy is a very lucky girl," the doctor said seriously. "I'll have Buffy sent for a full set of X-Rays, just to make sure there are no broken bones or other injuries, but she seems remarkably healthy, other than the brain injury."
An uncomfortable silence fell as Xander, Anya, Giles, Dawn and Spike studiously avoided looking at Tara and Willow. Buffy's "remarkable health" was surely due in no small part to the magical triage the two witches had performed before the paramedics arrived. The doctor cleared his throat. "I have every confidence that Buffy will soon wake from her coma. Until then, I'll ensure that every one in this room is permitted to visit her. Right now she's in the Intensive Care Unit, so only two people at a time are allowed into her room. You'll have to take turns for the time being. Just as a head's up, the ICU nurses keep a close watch, so don't try to sneak in. These rules are for Buffy's own well-being, and it is important you follow them." The doctor turned to leave, then turned back with a sheepish look on his face. "I suggest you talk to her, play her favourite music, hold her hand, whatever. There are no studies to back this up, but in my experience, coma patients often respond well to that sort of thing. Here's my card if you have any questions," Kriegel said, handing Giles a stack of cards. "Rest assured that we are doing everything possible for Buffy." With that, Dr. Kriegel left the room.
Xander quietly got up and plucked the cards from Giles' hand, going around the room and distributing one to each person. Everyone looked at the cards in their hands, fiddling with the small piece of thick paper and trying to assimilate the information Dr. Kriegel gave them.
Finally, Dawn spoke. "It's my fault." Everyone rushed to deny it, stunned by the self-loathing in the young girl's voice. Ignoring all of them, Dawn curled up in the chair, hiding her face and sobbing out her broken heart.
************************************************************************
Hey all!
Since this chapter was significantly shorter than the others, I thought I'd take this opportunity to add in some notes of my own.
First I want to thank everyone who's sent me reviews. I really appreciate it. I've been trying to respond to each of you personally via email, but for those of you who don't have your email address in your profile, or are on AOL (it seems to hate my dynamic ip from the cable modem), I wanted to thank you here.
Moluvsnumber17, kori hime, rubi-elektra, Harm Marie, and Mary: Thanks for taking the time to encourage me to keep updating this story. I'm trying really hard to not let it die. This is my first BtVS fic and the first thing I've posted to fanfiction.net. I'm definitely going to keep writing and posting, if this is the response I get.
Ms Trick: I can't thank you enough for all your encouragement!
Just to let everyone know, I have at least one other BtVS fic percolating around in my head, but I don't know when I'll get to it. I'm really concentrating on Death is Your Gift right now. I have a feeling this could be a long story. My current plan is to figure out how Buffy's coma will affect each episode in season 6 and 7. Obviously, some stuff won't happen at all - Buffy can't be raised from the dead if she never dies, and if she's not raised, the First can't get a foothold in reality, - but I'm trying to stay pretty close to the existing plot. In the summary, I list it as S/B, so eventually it'll get Spuffy. First, she has to wake up though, 'cause otherwise, ew.
One of the reasons I'm doing this is I found the Spuffiness a little unbelievable, especially post "Seeing Red". I also really wondered what everyone went through during the three months Buffy was dead, so I'm going to explore that, except without the dead part.
Hope this look inside my mind didn't give too much away. It couldn't really, because I don't have anything beyond the next couple of chapters figured out. If you really want more inside scoop, or to hear about the new story (tentatively titled The Guardian) drop me a line at ann@garniss.org.
Thanks again,
GarniGal (Ann)
Tara and Anya remained in the hospitals they'd been assigned. As soon as the nurse had warned them Buffy's doctor's eminent arrival, Willow had bolted from her bed to Tara's. The two women were huddled together on the tiny bed for comfort.
Xander was now perched on the side of Anya's bed, one arm around her shoulders, with the fingers of his other hand entangled with hers. He'd gone to help Giles back into the wheelchair and bring him to the girls' room as soon as they'd been warned that the doctor was coming.
Dawn sat bolt upright in one of the vistors' chairs. She'd pulled it into a corner of the room. Her eyes were fixated on Spike.
The vampire paced the length of the room, fingers fiddling with his lighter. He'd never felt so helpless and weak. He desperately wanted to kill something, just to prove he still had control over something. Even when Drusilla was so fragile, needing him to hunt for her and protect her, he hadn't been so scared, and he'd been worried about her every time he left her alone. This crushing fear in his chest was paralysing.
The footsteps continued past the room, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. As much as they wanted to know Buffy's condition, they were terrified to find out.
Spike suddenly hissed for silence. Only his enhanced hearing had caught the sound of the footsteps pausing, then returning to the closed door of the hospital room.
The door opened slowly and a familiar man entered. After a quick glance, no one was able to look him in the eye. Spike turned his back on the man and deliberately walked to the chair pulled alongside Dawn's. He'd intended to sit down gently, to be strong for the young girl, but once again his control slipped, and he collapsed into the chair. Dawn grabbed his arm with a strength that made even the vampire wince.
"Hello everyone," Dr. Kriegel said sombrely. His eyes ranged over the assembled group. "I know most of you by face, if not by name. Hello, Dawn, Mr. Giles," he greeted the two he did know, his glance resting on the pale blond beside the youngest member of the group. "If you don't mind, I'd like to get all of your names, just so I know who I'm dealing with."
Giles took it upon himself to introduce everyone, pointing at them as he went. "Xander and Anya, Tara and Willow, of course you know Dawn, and the only person you haven't seen before,"
Spike interrupted. He didn't want this man who had Buffy's life in his hands to have a bad impression of him. "William Wainwright."
Everyone looked at him in surprise. Giles recovered first, looking back at the doctor. "Yes, William." He repeated.
Dr. Kriegel smiled at the group. Somehow it wasn't comforting. "As I'm sure you know, Buffy was rushed to surgery shortly after she arrived. The CAT scan revealed significant brain injury and several locations where small blood vessels had burst and were leaking into the brain. This is called an intracerebral hematoma. In surgery, I removed a small part of her skull and cauterized the sites." At that description, Xander looked really disgusted. "I also drained any pockets of blood and fluid that had already collected," the doctor continued.
"She came through the surgery quite well. After she was settled in Recovery, we hooked her up to an EEG, that is, an Electroencephalogram, to study her brain waves. The good news is her brain pattern is steady and normal, showing that she didn't suffer any brain damage." Wide smiles and sighs of relief greeted this news. Only Spike seemed to be waiting for the other shoe to drop.
"What's the bad news?" he asked.
"William, right?" Dr. Kriegel sighed, turning to face the questioner. At Spike's nod, the doctor continued. "Yes, I'm afraid it isn't all good news. The EEG patterns, while normal, are slightly subdued. It appears Buffy is in a coma."
Looks of shock and a few scattered sobs greeted this information. Dr. Kriegel waited a few moments for the news to sink in and for the group to compose themselves before continuing. "I'm sure you need some time to deal with this, but I could really use some help. I understand from the paramedics that most of your were at the accident site?" he questioned. At their nods, he continued. "It would really help me know what to look for if I knew what happened."
Everyone looked at Giles. He grimaced but nodded slightly. He was the sensible choice He was the adult in the group and the only one who'd watched Buffy the entire time. Slowly, he recounted his tale.
"We'd all gotten together at the Summers' residence. We try to do that frequently now, to help support Buffy and Dawn since Joyce... Anyway, Dawn's cat was missing, and Buffy asked us all to help look for it. Dawn stayed at the house, of course, and Sp... William stayed to look after her. The animal was known to frequent a construction site, so we headed there first. When we got there, a crowd of neighbours had gathered. The rising wind had started a tower on the property swaying, and it looked like it would fall at any moment. I'm sorry to say we joined the group of rubber neckers. Suddenly Buffy darted away and up the tower. She climbed several stories high. I didn't see the cat, but I assume she must have. She turned around and smiled and started climbing down again, but by then it was too late. A sudden gust of wind sent the tower crashing around her. I...it looked to me as if she tried to jump free of the wreckage as it feel. I'm afraid, I couldn't, I didn't watch her fall. It happened too fast," Giles said turning his face away on that lie, unwilling to relive that moment."
"About how high was she?" Dr. Kriegel asked.
"I'd estimate 15 metres," Giles answered.
Everyone looked at him with confusion. He rapidly did the conversion in his head. "Uh, about 50 feet."
"That's quite a fall. Buffy is a very lucky girl," the doctor said seriously. "I'll have Buffy sent for a full set of X-Rays, just to make sure there are no broken bones or other injuries, but she seems remarkably healthy, other than the brain injury."
An uncomfortable silence fell as Xander, Anya, Giles, Dawn and Spike studiously avoided looking at Tara and Willow. Buffy's "remarkable health" was surely due in no small part to the magical triage the two witches had performed before the paramedics arrived. The doctor cleared his throat. "I have every confidence that Buffy will soon wake from her coma. Until then, I'll ensure that every one in this room is permitted to visit her. Right now she's in the Intensive Care Unit, so only two people at a time are allowed into her room. You'll have to take turns for the time being. Just as a head's up, the ICU nurses keep a close watch, so don't try to sneak in. These rules are for Buffy's own well-being, and it is important you follow them." The doctor turned to leave, then turned back with a sheepish look on his face. "I suggest you talk to her, play her favourite music, hold her hand, whatever. There are no studies to back this up, but in my experience, coma patients often respond well to that sort of thing. Here's my card if you have any questions," Kriegel said, handing Giles a stack of cards. "Rest assured that we are doing everything possible for Buffy." With that, Dr. Kriegel left the room.
Xander quietly got up and plucked the cards from Giles' hand, going around the room and distributing one to each person. Everyone looked at the cards in their hands, fiddling with the small piece of thick paper and trying to assimilate the information Dr. Kriegel gave them.
Finally, Dawn spoke. "It's my fault." Everyone rushed to deny it, stunned by the self-loathing in the young girl's voice. Ignoring all of them, Dawn curled up in the chair, hiding her face and sobbing out her broken heart.
************************************************************************
Hey all!
Since this chapter was significantly shorter than the others, I thought I'd take this opportunity to add in some notes of my own.
First I want to thank everyone who's sent me reviews. I really appreciate it. I've been trying to respond to each of you personally via email, but for those of you who don't have your email address in your profile, or are on AOL (it seems to hate my dynamic ip from the cable modem), I wanted to thank you here.
Moluvsnumber17, kori hime, rubi-elektra, Harm Marie, and Mary: Thanks for taking the time to encourage me to keep updating this story. I'm trying really hard to not let it die. This is my first BtVS fic and the first thing I've posted to fanfiction.net. I'm definitely going to keep writing and posting, if this is the response I get.
Ms Trick: I can't thank you enough for all your encouragement!
Just to let everyone know, I have at least one other BtVS fic percolating around in my head, but I don't know when I'll get to it. I'm really concentrating on Death is Your Gift right now. I have a feeling this could be a long story. My current plan is to figure out how Buffy's coma will affect each episode in season 6 and 7. Obviously, some stuff won't happen at all - Buffy can't be raised from the dead if she never dies, and if she's not raised, the First can't get a foothold in reality, - but I'm trying to stay pretty close to the existing plot. In the summary, I list it as S/B, so eventually it'll get Spuffy. First, she has to wake up though, 'cause otherwise, ew.
One of the reasons I'm doing this is I found the Spuffiness a little unbelievable, especially post "Seeing Red". I also really wondered what everyone went through during the three months Buffy was dead, so I'm going to explore that, except without the dead part.
Hope this look inside my mind didn't give too much away. It couldn't really, because I don't have anything beyond the next couple of chapters figured out. If you really want more inside scoop, or to hear about the new story (tentatively titled The Guardian) drop me a line at ann@garniss.org.
Thanks again,
GarniGal (Ann)