Title: A Model Romance
Author: Ashley K.
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.
Chapter Seven:
Angelus paced the length of the waiting room. On arrival at the hospital, Wesley had rushed Buffy into an examination room, with strict instructions that Angelus was to stay put. Angelus willed the picture of Buffy's still form out of his mind. He was driving himself crazy.
"Angel," Wesley called out, his face grave. "Buffy is suffering from eclampsia, although it was once called pregnancy-induced toxemia. It is a very rare condition, especially in cases such as Buffy's; she's received adequate prenatal care, no pregnancy-related problems, and no family history of high-blood pressure. However, it is more common in young, first-time mothers and it does, like in Buffy's case—"
"Wes, spare me the lecture!" Angelus interrupted. "Will Buffy be alright?"
"Yes," Wesley answered, "But we need to do an emergency C-section. Normally in cases like Buffy's, the mother will recover quite nicely once the child is born."
"A C-section?" Angelus asked, shuddering. His own mother's death had been the result of complications from a C-section. "Is there any other way?"
"Buffy shows absolutely no signs of dilation and, we feel that inducing labor with the mother unconscious is not advisable," Wesley carefully said, remembering how Angelus' mother had passed away. "Angel, it's for the best."
Angelus stared at his long-time friend, his jaw tightening. Never again would he put Buffy through this. "Fine. Do whatever you have to do to save her."
Nodding, Wesley turned to prepare for the emergency C-section. "Wait, Wes?" Angelus called after him. Wesley half-turned. "She'll be better, right? Once the baby's out, I mean."
Suddenly feeling very, very sorry for his friend, Wesley sadly smiled. "Angelus, there's never a guarantee in situations like this."
Angelus stared down at the tiny red bundle he held in his arms. He had insisted on being present during his child's birth and had held onto Buffy's limp hand the entire time. Smiling down at his newborn daughter, Angelus gently touched her cheek. Being delivered at 38 weeks gave his daughter an extremely good chance of survival. Everything was developed well enough to handle being outside of the womb. Or so Wesley assured him.
"Buffy," Angelus said, leaning down closer to her, still holding their child. "Wake up. Look at our baby. Buff, if you don't wake up, I'm naming her Adele and didn't you hate that name?"
He watched, holding his breath, waiting for his wife to wake up and defy him, as was Buffy's habit. Angelus felt a stab of disappointment. "Well, little one," he said down to their daughter, tears in his eyes, "It would seem that Mommy wants to sleep some more. But I know some people who would love to meet you."
Walking out of the recovery room, Angelus threw Buffy one last lingering look. He silently vowed that he would never, ever put her in this position again. Entering the waiting room, he grimly smiled at Buffy and his friends and family. "Meet Baby Girl Giles," he said, tiredly as they all flocked around him. Wordlessly, Joyce grabbed for his daughter.
"How's Buffy?" Anya asked. "Is she awake yet?"
"No, not yet," Angelus replied, smiling at his daughter.
"What are you going to name her?" Willow asked, motioning to her best friend's newborn.
Thinking about all the names that they had, seriously, discussed, Angelus took another look at their daughter. "Olivia Janna," he said, smiling and reaching for his child again. "We're going to go visit with Buffy some more. Wes said that she could wake up at any moment."
Angelus sat next to his wife, holding her hand and whispering promises to her. The nurses had long-since taken little Olivia back to the nursery, promising her worried father that, yes, all babies made that loud of a noise when they were burped. "I don't think that they do," Angelus confided to his unconscious wife. "Our daughter's a little piglet."
"Any change?" Joyce asked, peeking her head into Buffy's private room. Her daughter's still form scared her. Even when Joyce had been pregnant with Buffy, Buffy had never been this motionless. It seemed as though Buffy was constantly moving. Angelus shook his head, mournfully. "I brought you some food."
"Thank you, but, I'm not hungry," Angelus said, not taking his eyes off of Buffy. If she wasn't awake to steal his food, as was her habit, he wasn't going to eat.
Staring at her daughter and her daughter's husband, Joyce wondered when the two of them would get their act together. Buffy still kept insisting that Angelus didn't love her; he loved owning things, not the thing itself. However, the look in Angelus' eyes whenever he looked at Buffy suggested otherwise. "Angel, you need to eat. When Buffy wakes up, she needs you there with here, not laying in a bed next to her."
Growling at his mother-in-law, Angelus snatched the bag of fast food out of her hand, devouring a cheeseburger in four huge swallows. "There," he said, mumbling through a mouth-full of food. "Happy now?"
Smiling indulgently at him, Joyce patted his back. "We'll be waiting; come get us when she's up. I'm going to go hold my granddaughter."
Angelus' vigil lasted another eight hours, hours that went by slower than any years that Angelus remembered. Finally, fourteen hours after Buffy had woken him up, she stirred.
Angelus jumped, praying that it wasn't going to be another false alarm. She had stirred before, a couple hours previously, but still hadn't regained consciousness. He sat there, not moving, until, after what seemed like eight more hours, Buffy moaned.
"Angel?" she whispered, her eyes still half closed.
"Yeah, Buffy?" Angelus answered, his voice hoarse. He watched as Buffy's hand gently hovered over her stomach and her eyes popped open when it encountered the flatness of it.
"I lost the baby," she mournfully whispered. "Didn't I?" she asked, tears coming to her eyes.
Pressing the call button, Angelus held his wife's hand. "No, baby, our daughter's in the nursery. She's fine, perfect and healthy."
"She?" Buffy tearfully whispered. "Did you name her?"
"I was thinking Olivia Janna," Angelus replied, watching his wife's face. They had never discussed naming their child after his mother, or her father, but once he laid eyes on their daughter, he had seen his mother in Olivia's eyes. He prayed that Buffy would like it.
"That's pretty," Buffy said. "I want to see her."
"Mrs. Giles! You're awake. How do you feel?" Buffy's doctor boomed upon entering.
"I want to see my baby," Buffy demanded. "And when do I get out of here?"
Kissing her forehead, Angelus softly told her to be good while he went to tell their family and friends. Leaving Buffy to terrorize her doctor, Angelus leaned against the hall wall; tears of relief streaming down his face. Buffy was going to be okay. And that's all that mattered.
Author: Ashley K.
Disclaimer: I own nothing BTVS or A:tS.
Chapter Seven:
Angelus paced the length of the waiting room. On arrival at the hospital, Wesley had rushed Buffy into an examination room, with strict instructions that Angelus was to stay put. Angelus willed the picture of Buffy's still form out of his mind. He was driving himself crazy.
"Angel," Wesley called out, his face grave. "Buffy is suffering from eclampsia, although it was once called pregnancy-induced toxemia. It is a very rare condition, especially in cases such as Buffy's; she's received adequate prenatal care, no pregnancy-related problems, and no family history of high-blood pressure. However, it is more common in young, first-time mothers and it does, like in Buffy's case—"
"Wes, spare me the lecture!" Angelus interrupted. "Will Buffy be alright?"
"Yes," Wesley answered, "But we need to do an emergency C-section. Normally in cases like Buffy's, the mother will recover quite nicely once the child is born."
"A C-section?" Angelus asked, shuddering. His own mother's death had been the result of complications from a C-section. "Is there any other way?"
"Buffy shows absolutely no signs of dilation and, we feel that inducing labor with the mother unconscious is not advisable," Wesley carefully said, remembering how Angelus' mother had passed away. "Angel, it's for the best."
Angelus stared at his long-time friend, his jaw tightening. Never again would he put Buffy through this. "Fine. Do whatever you have to do to save her."
Nodding, Wesley turned to prepare for the emergency C-section. "Wait, Wes?" Angelus called after him. Wesley half-turned. "She'll be better, right? Once the baby's out, I mean."
Suddenly feeling very, very sorry for his friend, Wesley sadly smiled. "Angelus, there's never a guarantee in situations like this."
Angelus stared down at the tiny red bundle he held in his arms. He had insisted on being present during his child's birth and had held onto Buffy's limp hand the entire time. Smiling down at his newborn daughter, Angelus gently touched her cheek. Being delivered at 38 weeks gave his daughter an extremely good chance of survival. Everything was developed well enough to handle being outside of the womb. Or so Wesley assured him.
"Buffy," Angelus said, leaning down closer to her, still holding their child. "Wake up. Look at our baby. Buff, if you don't wake up, I'm naming her Adele and didn't you hate that name?"
He watched, holding his breath, waiting for his wife to wake up and defy him, as was Buffy's habit. Angelus felt a stab of disappointment. "Well, little one," he said down to their daughter, tears in his eyes, "It would seem that Mommy wants to sleep some more. But I know some people who would love to meet you."
Walking out of the recovery room, Angelus threw Buffy one last lingering look. He silently vowed that he would never, ever put her in this position again. Entering the waiting room, he grimly smiled at Buffy and his friends and family. "Meet Baby Girl Giles," he said, tiredly as they all flocked around him. Wordlessly, Joyce grabbed for his daughter.
"How's Buffy?" Anya asked. "Is she awake yet?"
"No, not yet," Angelus replied, smiling at his daughter.
"What are you going to name her?" Willow asked, motioning to her best friend's newborn.
Thinking about all the names that they had, seriously, discussed, Angelus took another look at their daughter. "Olivia Janna," he said, smiling and reaching for his child again. "We're going to go visit with Buffy some more. Wes said that she could wake up at any moment."
Angelus sat next to his wife, holding her hand and whispering promises to her. The nurses had long-since taken little Olivia back to the nursery, promising her worried father that, yes, all babies made that loud of a noise when they were burped. "I don't think that they do," Angelus confided to his unconscious wife. "Our daughter's a little piglet."
"Any change?" Joyce asked, peeking her head into Buffy's private room. Her daughter's still form scared her. Even when Joyce had been pregnant with Buffy, Buffy had never been this motionless. It seemed as though Buffy was constantly moving. Angelus shook his head, mournfully. "I brought you some food."
"Thank you, but, I'm not hungry," Angelus said, not taking his eyes off of Buffy. If she wasn't awake to steal his food, as was her habit, he wasn't going to eat.
Staring at her daughter and her daughter's husband, Joyce wondered when the two of them would get their act together. Buffy still kept insisting that Angelus didn't love her; he loved owning things, not the thing itself. However, the look in Angelus' eyes whenever he looked at Buffy suggested otherwise. "Angel, you need to eat. When Buffy wakes up, she needs you there with here, not laying in a bed next to her."
Growling at his mother-in-law, Angelus snatched the bag of fast food out of her hand, devouring a cheeseburger in four huge swallows. "There," he said, mumbling through a mouth-full of food. "Happy now?"
Smiling indulgently at him, Joyce patted his back. "We'll be waiting; come get us when she's up. I'm going to go hold my granddaughter."
Angelus' vigil lasted another eight hours, hours that went by slower than any years that Angelus remembered. Finally, fourteen hours after Buffy had woken him up, she stirred.
Angelus jumped, praying that it wasn't going to be another false alarm. She had stirred before, a couple hours previously, but still hadn't regained consciousness. He sat there, not moving, until, after what seemed like eight more hours, Buffy moaned.
"Angel?" she whispered, her eyes still half closed.
"Yeah, Buffy?" Angelus answered, his voice hoarse. He watched as Buffy's hand gently hovered over her stomach and her eyes popped open when it encountered the flatness of it.
"I lost the baby," she mournfully whispered. "Didn't I?" she asked, tears coming to her eyes.
Pressing the call button, Angelus held his wife's hand. "No, baby, our daughter's in the nursery. She's fine, perfect and healthy."
"She?" Buffy tearfully whispered. "Did you name her?"
"I was thinking Olivia Janna," Angelus replied, watching his wife's face. They had never discussed naming their child after his mother, or her father, but once he laid eyes on their daughter, he had seen his mother in Olivia's eyes. He prayed that Buffy would like it.
"That's pretty," Buffy said. "I want to see her."
"Mrs. Giles! You're awake. How do you feel?" Buffy's doctor boomed upon entering.
"I want to see my baby," Buffy demanded. "And when do I get out of here?"
Kissing her forehead, Angelus softly told her to be good while he went to tell their family and friends. Leaving Buffy to terrorize her doctor, Angelus leaned against the hall wall; tears of relief streaming down his face. Buffy was going to be okay. And that's all that mattered.