Chapter 5 "The First Attack"
"That's good. You'll find all the equipment you will need in one of these boxes. Take a sample of Connors blood and test it for the type."
"Connor's blood. Why Connors blood?" Gunn asked.
"I'm guessing it's in case Angel needs a transfusion. Right Dr. Martin?" Wesley asked.
"That's right. I'm going to take some of Angels blood as well. I'll bring it down in a few minutes. If it's the same as Connors then I want you to take a pint of Connors blood. Before you do that though check the refrigerator to make sure it's cold."
"Why did you get all of this Dr. Martin. Why are you asking us about our blood type and getting Connors blood in a bag. This looks like your expecting a major battle to take place. My guess is that you are going to need this for either Connor or Angel since they can't be treated at a regular hospital. My guess is that your going to need all of this to take care of Angel. Is that correct or is it not?" Wesley said as he looked over the list of the various supplies.
"A little voice in the back of my head is telling me that something is going to happen. But it will all be for the good. It will all seem horrific when it happens but if Angel is the man that I think he is he will learn from it. If he makes the right decision then he is going to be given a gift that he has only dreamed about and thought that he could never obtain." Dr. Martin said as she stood beside Wesley looking over his shoulder at the list. No one else heard what they were talking about. They had kept their voices low.
"Keep this to yourself Wesley. I don't know when it will happen and I don't know what will happen. What you see here is the only thing that I can do to prepare us. I'll see you later tonight."
Dr. Martin left then and went up to room 412 for the day. When she came to the room she had approached it without making a sound. This was something that all religious learned to do. It was why anyone entering a convent never heard any distracting noise. The building might contain 100 people but because it was so quiet you would think that no one was at home.
As she put her hand on the door knob she heard sounds that suggested she should wait a few minutes. She backed up and called out to them.
"I'll be there in a few minutes Angel. I forgot something in my room." When she said that she heard a loud thud, as though someone had fallen off the bed or couch. Then she heard Cordelia saying in a loud whisper "I told you we should have stopped, now she's going to think we're a couple of kids that can't keep they're hands off of each other." Then she heard Angel say "but we are like a couple of kids that can't keep they're hands off of each other."
Dr. Martin went down to her room and grabbed her medical bag so that she could get a sample of Angels blood. This time when she came up to the room she made more noise. She opened the door and went in as though nothing had happened. She put her bag down by her chair.
"I am hungry have you two had anything?"
Cordelia jumped up, eager to have something to do instead of thinking about almost being caught with Angel.
"Come to think about it I'm hungry to." Cordelia said.
They both started to make sandwiches for themselves. Cordelia warmed up a glass of blood for Angel. They brought their sandwiches and drinks over to the table. Just as Dr. Martin was about to take a bite of her sandwich she saw Angel looking at her.
"Can't I have one?" Angel asked.
"Sure Angel would you like me to make the same thing for you?" Dr. Martin said.
"That would be nice and I would be forever in your debt." He said with a grin.
"That's ok Angel your debts have already been covered." Dr. Martin answered.
She brought his sandwich over to him and sat down and started to eat her sandwich before he could ask for anything else. They ate in silence for a few minutes. Angel was eating his sandwich slowly and savoring every bite. After a few minutes Dr. Martin got up from the table and grabbed her medical bag that she had put by her chair. She came back to the table and saw that Angel and Cordelia were done.
"Now that were done feeding our faces we can get down to business. Angel would you go and lay down on the bed please. Take your jacket, shirt and T-shirt off." Angel got up from the table and made the mistake of looking at Cordelia. She mouthed the words to him 'I told you so.' Angel put his Vampire face on and moved toward her threateningly. Then changed back and went to the bed. He could see her at the table cracking up. He removed his clothes as she had requested and laid down.
"I don't know what is going on but I need you over here to help me Cordelia." Dr. Martin said this without even looking up.
Cordelia came over to the bed. "How can I help?"
While Dr. Martin had her head turned and was talking to Cordelia Angel got Cordelia's attention and mouthed at her. Ha, Ha.
Dr. Martin noticed the look on Cordelia's face.
"Alright, what's going on between you two? Your acting like two kids."
No one said anything. Cordelia had her head turned and was trying to hide the fact the she was laughing.
"Is anyone going to say anything or do I have to find out the hard way by making someone suffer. Angel."
"Cordelia said something earlier this morning about you and I and it was one of those things that you hate having inside your head because every time you see the person that thought creeps into your mind. She was just teasing me about it again."
"And what was that thought that came into your head?"
"It's to embarrassing to say." Angel said.
Cordelia decided to throw herself on the fire to save him.
"When he asked me to come up here with him I told him that I would do it because I couldn't leave him up here alone with you. I was afraid you would jump his bones so I had to come up and protect my property." Cordelia said.
"Now I would never do that Angel. But I understand if your falling in love with me. It often happens that a patient falls in love with their psychiatrist. But if you want I am sure that Cordelia wouldn't mind sharing you. Maybe we could get a three way activity going here." All the time she was saying that she was running her finger down the front of Angels chest. When she saw that he was getting aroused she slapped him on the chest and said "shame on you."
"It was Cordelia's fault not mine."
"Get over here on the other side of the bed and take this stop watch. When I tell you to start I want you to start the stop watch and tell me when 5 minutes has gone by."
Cordelia sat on the bed next to Angel and took the stop watch from Dr. Martin.
"I want everyone to be quiet, okay Cordelia start it." Dr. Martin put the stethoscope over Angels heart.
Dr. Martin was concentrating so hard she didn't hear something come crashing through the window. The sunlight came pouring in and Angel jumped off of the bed and ran for the door grabbing the women as he ran out. He couldn't fight whatever was in the room because of the sunlight. In the hallways though he would be protected from it since their wasn't any windows in this hallway.
"Run downstairs and get the others." Angel listened for any sound in the room. Within the next second someone came out. The man wore a ski mask over his head so Angel couldn't see who or what it was that was attacking him. What he could see was a long curved sword. It was too hard to fight with a sword in such close quarters so Angel did the only thing he could. He ran to the opening over the lobby 2 flights down. The intruder ran after him. As the attacker reached the second floor all the noise stopped and so he stopped. Proceeding more carefully he walked and listened. Angel could hear him coming down the hall. He was hiding in one of the rooms. As the attacker approached the room Angel jumped him and knocked him down and kicked the sword out of the attackers hand. Unfortunately he didn't see the knife that he had hidden under his shirt and on his back. As Angel jumped on him the attacker shoved the knife between his ribs on the right side. Angel fell backwards but not before breaking the attackers neck with a quick twist of his head. He heard a satisfying crack then fell backwards as he also let go of the attackers head. Gunn and Wesley came running up the stairs to the second floor balcony. As they reached the 2nd floor they saw that the attacker was dead and Angel was lying on the floor with a knife sticking out of his body. Gunn went to the balcony and yelled for Dr. Martin. He ran back to check Angel who was still unconscious. He didn't want to move him until Dr. Martin came. Within the next minute everyone including Connor joined them.
Dr. Martin stopped for a second to check with Wesley on the attacker.
"He's dead and he's also human." Everyone looked at Wesley for a second before returning their attention to Angel.
"Lets get him to the main kitchen and put him on the counter. Be careful that you don't touch the knife. Fred get me all of the clean towels that you can. Make sure that their all the same size then I want you to weigh one of them. Did you find the table top scale in one of the boxes?"
"Yes we have all of them open and the items are in the kitchen." Fred said as she ran along side of Dr. Martin.
"Okay use that scale to weigh the towels. As I use the towels to soak up the blood I want you to weigh them. It's important that I know the difference between the dry towel and the blood soaked towel. Do you know why?"
"Yes that will tell you how much blood he has lost." Fred said.
"Yes very good. While your up their would you get my medical bag. I left it up in room 412.
Thanks." Dr. Martin said as she went running into the kitchen after the men. She went up to the counter to check Angel. He was starting to wake up.
"Angel try not to move." Dr. Martin said as she checked him over for other cuts. Fred finally came in with her arms filled with towels. She gave Dr. Martin her medical bag then took one of the towels and weighed it.
"Fred give me one of those towels. Gunn help me lift him up so that I can check his back."
As Gunn turned Angel over she spread the towel on the counter to catch any blood. When she checked his back she saw that the tip of the blade was sticking out.
"Okay put him down. Cordelia come over here please." Cordelia had been standing to the side just watching. She came over to the other side of the counter.
"You're the one that patches Angel up all of the time right?"
"Yes."
"What do you think will happen when I pull out the knife?" Dr. Martin asked Cordelia.
"He'll bleed a lot at first but then it will stop completely within the next few minutes."
"Okay then here it goes. You ready Angel?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Okay I'm going to pull it out on 3. One, two." On two she pulled the knife out. Angel cried out in pain.
"Gees what did you do pull it out sideways. I think you cut me up even more."
"Sorry about that. This counter is kind of high for me. Short people have problems like that you know. But what do you tall people know about the problems of little people like me. Here I am trying to help you and all you can do is criticize me." Dr. Martin was acting like Angel had hurt her feelings. It had the desired affect.
"I'm sorry, it's not that bad. Cordy is always telling me that I whine like a baby." He felt bad that he hurt her feelings when here she was trying to help him.
"Hey thanks for the advice Cordelia. It worked just like you said it would."
The guys were laughing. Angel was a sap for a woman's tears. He would say he was sorry for anything, even if it wasn't his fault, he would always feel so bad.
"You were just pretending. Just to get my mind off of the pain right?"
"Yes Angel I did but I would appreciate it if you would have something built for me so that I'm looking down instead of up while treating you. Well as Cordelia said you seem to have stopped bleeding already. How do you feel?" Dr. Martin asked.
" Better except it hurts in the middle." Dr. Martin pressed the area around the lower left side of his abdomen and found it to be harder then it should have been.
"Although you've stopped bleeding on the outside it looks like your bleeding on the inside. I am going to have to open your wound up a little again so that it can drain. Once it drains you should heal at your usual pace. Do you want me to knock you out while I do it?"
"No go ahead. It won't take to long will it?"
"No but it will hurt though. I'm just going to let it drain for now. If you still are having trouble later tonight thou I'll have to open you up with a wider incision and clean it up and find out where your bleeding. If you don't want that to happen then I would advise you to have complete rest for tonight at least. Your body should absorb the rest of the blood. Okay?"
"Okay." Angel said and prepared himself mentally for the pain to come.
Dr. Martin grabbed a bunch of towels and laid them on top of Angel where she could grab them easily. Since all of the instruments that she had purchased still needed to be unpacked she used what she had in her medical bag. She took an already sterilized scalpel and prepared to make the incision.
"Okay Angel here we go." She made a small incision and kept cutting until the blood started to come out. Angels stomach muscles were tightening up as she made each cut.
"Angel don't tense up. You have to relax your stomach muscles."
"I can't help it, the pain is making me do it." Angel said as he continued to fight the waves of pain. He was actually sweating as he fought it.
"Yes you can, women are asked to do it all of the time when their going through labor. Focus on Cordelia's face. Don't think of anything else but her face." He did as she said and she could see his stomach muscles start to relax. That helped to let the blood flow more easily now. She quickly grabbed for the towels to soak up the blood as it came out. As each towel became soaked she handed it over to Fred who weighed the towel then put it to the side and wrote the weight down on a piece of paper. After about 10 minutes the flow slowed down and after 15 minutes it stopped completely. She cleaned up the area of the incision and brought the upper layer of skin together and taped the two sides together. She looked up at his face when she was done and saw that his eyes were closed. He had stopped sweating though and seemed to be more relaxed.
"Angel." Dr. Martin called his name. He opened his eyes slowly.
"How are you feeling now?"
"Better. A lot better." He looked back at Cordelia and said "Cordelia I have no problem with you having the baby's ok. That is hard to do."
"What is hard to do?" She asked.
"Relaxing your muscles when your in pain." He smiled at her and kissed her hand which he had been holding through the whole thing.
Dr. Martin was busy with Fred checking the weight of the used towels. Fred figured that he lost almost 2 pints of blood. Dr. Martin went back to Angel.
"Angel lets see if you can get up and walk. Gunn can you help him up?" Dr. Martin and Cordelia backed up and let Gunn help Angel. She didn't want Angel to be raising his right arm so she told Gunn to take his left arm and put it over his neck. Angel sat up and stayed in that position for a few seconds. He then slowly slid off of the counter and leaned on Gunn heavily.
"Okay Gunn take him over to the couch in the lobby and let him lay down for awhile." Gunn did as she said and slowly walked Angel to the lobby. Dr. Martin turned to Fred as Gunn and Angel walked out with Cordelia following them.
"Fred did you get a chance to test Connors blood.?"
"No, I was just about to do it when we heard all of the commotion going on upstairs."
"Let's get that done now. Grab two tubes and mark one for Connor and the other for Angel. I'll get the blood from Connor and then I'll get Angels while you set up to check the blood type.
Dr. Martin quickly took some blood from Connor and gave the tube to Fred. She then went into the lobby to get Angels. She found Angel lying on the couch with his head on Cordelia's lap.
"How is he doing?"
"Not to good. I don't think he is sleeping. I think he's unconscious." Dr. Martin tried waking him but received no response so she pressed in on his sternum to try to get a response and still he didn't wake up. She went ahead and took the sample of his blood and returned to the kitchen where she gave the sample to Fred. While Fred was testing the blood Dr. Martin gathered the equipment to get a pint of blood from Connor. Fred finally gave the okay that they were a match.
"Connor get up on the counter please. I need a pint of your blood now so that I can give it to Angel." Connor jumped up on the counter and laid down. He watched her prepare his arm and look for a vein to stick the needle in. She hit a vein on the first try and he watched his blood start to run into the bag. About 15 minutes later she unhooked him and grabbed some more equipment along with a pole to hang the bag of blood and she then took everything to the lobby.
She quickly set up the pole and hung the bag of blood from it. She placed one end of the tube in the bag with a clamp on it to prevent the blood from flowing out. She then prepared Angels arm to receive the blood. Once the needle was in and firmly taped in place she attached the other end of the tube and released the clamp. Just as she released the clamp the rest came in to check on Angel after helping Fred clean the kitchen. Gunn took the towels down to the basement and placed them in the washing machine with cold water, soap and plenty of bleach. He let it agitate a little and then turned it off as he was instructed to do by Fred.
"How's he doing Dr. Martin?" Fred asked.
"So far so good as they say. Could you get 2 or 3 blankets to put on him. I think the blood would circulate better if his body was warmer."
Fred and Wesley went up stairs to grab some blankets and returned in a few minutes. They put them on Angel then sat down to wait for him to respond. But he didn't respond in the way they thought. When the bag was half empty Angel opened his eyes and looked around. He looked at the pole holding the bag of blood. Cordelia could see his eyes following the tube carrying the blood into the needle in his arm. Angel was still weak but strong enough to try to pull the tube out of the needle and the bag. Cordelia screamed for Dr. Martin.
"Help me he's trying to take the needle out." As Gunn and Wesley grabbed his arms Dr. Martin tightened the clamp on the tube so that the blood wouldn't run out.
"Angel stop it you need this blood transfusion if you want to heal." Angel wouldn't listen he just continued to struggle to take the needle and tube out.
"You don't understand I can't take this it's human blood. I killed so many for their blood."
He yelled at her. She knew she had to stop him somehow before he broke the needle inside his arm.
"Angel stop it. This is Connors blood. In a way it's your own blood coming back to you. Now stop it." Angel finally stopped and looked up at her. He then allowed Gunn and Wesley to help him to lie down again. They covered him with the blankets again and then backed up to let Dr. Martin check the tubes and needle in his arm. When she was sure that everything was ok she took the clamp off of the tube and allowed the blood to flow from the bag again. Angel watched it flow down the tube and into his arm. He turned his head towards Cordelia.
"Angel you have to have this if you want to regain your strength as fast as possible. What if I had a vision and you couldn't help the people because you were too weak. You have to have this. Do you understand?" Angel looked up at her and after awhile answered her.
"I understand, but Cordy."
" Yes."
" I don't have to like it." He then turned his head towards her and closed his eyes. Cordelia ran her hand through his hair. Soothing him like she would a child.
Two hours later Angel was up and working out in the basement. Dr. Martin walked downstairs. She sat on the stairs and watched him for awhile.
"I thought I told you to take it easy the rest of the day." Dr. Martin said.
He was taking his anger and frustrations out on the punching bag. She was amazed at his ability to recover so fast. She had her stethoscope with her and wanted to listen to his heart beat after working out.
"I'm feeling fine. Good as new." Dr. Martin just shook her head.
"Are you done?"
"Yes."
"Come sit down on the steps next to me."
She patted the step and he grabbed a towel to wipe the seat off. She put the stethoscope right over his heart. She heard it this time. It only beat once every minute but it was beating. She gave him the stethoscope and told him to put it on then she held the other end over his heart.
"I can't hear anything." he said. She put a finger to her lips signaling to him to be quiet.
"I heard it." He had a big grin on his face.
"Your body is super efficient Angel. Look at you, your already cooled down."
"How can this be? I have always believed that we die when we're bitten by a Vampire and all of our organs cease to function."
Cordelia had come downstairs and was sitting behind them.
Dr. Martin took a deep breath that was more like a sigh.
"Cordelia and Angel I know that your not ignorant but I am going to ask you and Angel some questions that are meant to make you think. In doing so your going to answer your own question. Okay?"
"Okay." They both answered.
"Connor is Angels son because he had sex with Darla, Connors mother, right?"
They both answered yes.
"Do you understand what has to happen in order for a man to have intercourse?"
Angel was starting to get embarrassed.
"Yes." Cordelia answered.
"How?" Dr. Martin asked.
"Well uh, the uh." Cordelia was turning a bright red and if Angel could he would be doing the same. The Doctor decided to let them off the hook.
"In order for a man to have intercourse the penis becomes engorged with blood. How does the blood get there?"
"You know Fred and I were discussing that one day. How can it be possible when they're dead and the heart doesn't work. We were looking it up and we couldn't find anything on the subject." When she stopped talking she noticed Angel staring at her.
"You've been talking about it with Fred?" Angel was flabbergasted that they should be discussing how it's possible for him to have sex.
"Well we were just curious. Women talk about things like this all the time. How do you think I've been able to take care of you all this time. I ask questions and I research more than just demons and things that go bump in the night."
"And who else have you spoken to about this particular subject?" Dr. Martin thought they must be able to hear him upstairs he was shouting so loud.
Cordelia was looking down at her legs and picking at the lint on her pants. She answered with a nervous voice that was so low that even with his Vampire hearing Angel couldn't hear her.
"Who Cordy?"
This time she answered loud enough for him to hear.
"Buffy and Willow."
Angel looked like he was so mad that he could burst a blood vessel if he was a normal guy.
"Calm down Angel it's not the end of the world." Dr. Martin was laughing. Her laughter became contagious and Cordelia started laughing also. Watching the two women laughing calmed him down and he even started to have a grin on his face.
"Wait a minute now were getting away from the main subject. The question was how is it possible for Angel to have intercourse when he is supposed to be dead and his heart doesn't work." Dr. Martin said.
"Surely Angel you must know the answer?" She asked him and slowly the answer dawned on him.
"My heart does beat but very seldom compared to how many times it would normally beat."
"Yes, exactly."
"Then if that's true why don't I turn to dust when I get stuck with something, especially when Kate put a 4x4 through me?"
"Now I am just guessing at this, but I would say though that because your organs function so slowly your fast healing corrects the problem before or at least enough to prevent you from dying. Until I have access to another Vampire with a soul and one without I can only guess at these things. Based on you though I would say that everything works, just more slowly."
"Would you like to have another Vampire with a soul?" Angel asked.
"Yes, it would make for a good case study. Are you thinking of Spike?"
"You know about Spike?" Angel asked. He was surprised at her statement.
"Remember I said that I've read through many of the Watchers Chronicles?"
"Yes but I thought you only read about Angelus."
"I started out to read about Angelus only but as I was reading through it I saw that Spike was mentioned quite frequently. So I did a little side trip into the Chronicles on him. If you don't mind Angel invite all of them. I've read about all of the Scooby gang. While I'm here if anyone would like to talk to me I'll make time for them. After all how often can you get to see a psychiatrist for free. Buffy has had a lot to deal with in her young life. I think she could use some help."
"I guess I better get busy if the Scooby gang is coming." Cordelia said as she ran upstairs.
"Now that Cordelia is gone I wanted to ask you a question. Why is their such a difference in the way Cordy and Buffy love me. What I mean is why do you think Cordy accepts me and all that I am. Buffy always wanted something different or more then I could give her. Cordy serves my blood in a nice glass mug after she has carefully warmed it up. Buffy didn't like to see me drink the only thing I consumed. I could only drink it when she wasn't around and yet she offered me her blood when I was shot with a poisoned arrow and the blood of a slayer was the only cure."
"Angel how old was Buffy when you first met her and then how old was she when you left Sunnydale."
"She was 15 when I first saw her and 18 when I left."
"Wow talk about robbing the cradle."
"It wasn't like that Dr. Martin. I was directed towards her."
"Yes I know Angel I was just ribbing you a little. I've already talked to Cordelia about her. But to answer your question, Buffy fell in love with you when she was still relatively young. At the same time Cordelia was interested in you as 'Tall Dark and Handsome' and you belonged to someone else. For a girl like Cordelia was, that was a challenge in itself."
"What do you mean a challenge?" Angel asked.
"You where the prize at the top. Women challenge and fight for men just like men fight for women. We just do it differently."
"You mean men are about brut strength, top of the heap, Gorilla beating his chest stuff." Angel said with a smile. He liked the fact that they where having a conversation where he wasn't the center of the conversation and Dr. Martin wasn't constantly asking why."
"Exactly, at that time she didn't love you. You were just a challenge. When you two met here in L.A. you became friends. First because you both clung to something familiar. After awhile the friendship turned into love. Friends accept everything that makes a person a friend. You loved Buffy and she loved you. But Angel you where never friends. That is why Buffy never could accept in you that which she fights almost everyday of her life. It has been drilled into her head who she is and what her responsibilities are. I think that Buffy thinks of herself as being above most men. She accepted you because of your ideals and that which you see as your main purpose in life."
"That's why she won't let herself love Spike?" Angel asked. He felt sorry for Buffy and Spike. Spike loved Buffy with every fiber of his being. The problem for Spike was that Buffy didn't have the capacity to return that love. She slept with Spike but she said she didn't love him. Angel felt sorry for his Childe. He gave so much to his lovers and usually received very little in return. Angel stood up and offered Dr. Martin a hand up.
"I'll call Buffy tonight and ask her to come out on Monday. That will give Fred and Cordelia time to get ready. Cordelia doesn't show it but she doesn't exactly like Buffy being around me."
"Why doesn't she care for Buffy?"
"Cordelia's eyes turn green and it's that old demon jealousy raising it's ugly head. I've told her that what Buffy and I had is over and that I love her but she still get's on the defensive whenever Buffy is around."
"Don't worry about it Angel. I think you and Cordelia will be kept busy enough with the tests I want you to go through during the next 2 nights."
TBC...............