Part Three
Notes: Thanks so much to Doukeshi03!!!!! Doukeshi03 helped me with the scottish dialogue, where I'd be literally stuck in the mud, trying to do it! So here it is:
Enjoy:
Dawn made a noise, as she squirmed, and Buffy tried to calm her.
What was she thinking?! How could she be a mother to this child? Her child! She didn't know the first thing about being a mother!
"Ye have t'rock 'er" A voice said. Feminine. Soothing, comforting. Not in the least threatening. But Buffy jumped, none the less. "Ah'm sorry, deary. Th' PTB sent meh, t' help ye out, now."
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, holding her child closer to her chest.
"Who Ah am, is nay important. What Ah am, may be. Ah'm an elf, sent by th' Powers That Be, t' help ye, in yer time oh' need."
"I ask again, who are you?"
"Mah name is Phae. Like Ah said, th' Powers-"
"The Powers that Be sent you, yadda yadda. Why?"
"T' help ye. Ah'm a Mother's Assistant to mah people, th' best there is, and Th' Powers, once th' found out about yer bundle oh' joy, knew ye wud need help. So here Ah am. Di'nay worry, only those who know Ah'm an elf can tell. T' others, Ah look jus' like a normal person. Most wud'nay even see me."
"Uh-huh." Buffy was a skeptic. But then Dawn began crying. "Uh! What do I do?"
"She's hungry, lass. Jus' needs a good feeding."
"uh . . . . .how?"
The elf shook her head. "Ye're gonna be needin' mah help, more than Ah thought lass." She walked over to the bed. "Here, let me see the wee bairn." She took the crying bundle. "Now, the Gods gave ye everythin' ye'd need t' nurse this bonnie thing."
"I probably shouldn't have skipped Sex Ed class, shouldn't I?" Buffy said.
"Ye'll do fine. Now, open yer blouse, lassie, and give her a nipple t'suck on. Go on, the bairn ain't goin' t'hurtcha" Buffy looked at her warily, then did as she was told. Dawn latched on, and started to feed.
A strange feeling came over Buffy, a feeling of inner calm and peace. Her face must have shown it, because Phae commented.
"See? Ye were meant t' be a mother, lass. Those are yer instincts, older than time itself, almost. They flow in the veins of every female creature alive. And even some tha' aren't." She said, half a warning, half to make conversation. Buffy nodded, looking at the tiny girl in her arms, sucking hungrily at her chest.
~ * ~
Riley paced his room. Buffy was in the hospital, and he had no clue why, and nobody was telling him anything. He knew when he was being left out of the loop. And he didn't like it one bit. He had tried calling the hospital, but he had been told there was, 'no information concerning Miss Summers is available at this time.' Which probably meant she didn't want it given out, for some reason.
He couldn't call Joyce, on the off chance she didn't know: Buffy tended to like to keep her mom away from all things slayer related. If this was a slayer related injury, her mom might not know, and she might not want her mom knowing.
He knew there was a way for him to get information, but he really didn't want to. It was almost cruel. Could he really do that? Use his government connections, just to check up on her? She'd be incredibly hurt. Was it worth it?"
He sighed, and did some more pacing, waiting for the phone.
~ * ~
Angel sat at his desk, going through some paperwork, when he heard it. The noises that came just before a vision. He rushed out to the woman, catching her as she fell.
"AHH!" She cried, holding her splitting head.
"Shh. It's ok. I've got you. What did you see, Cordy?"
"You. . . and Buffy. Kissing . . . in the sunlight. Then Buffy and Willow . . . . at school. Willow . . . . .is supporting her. She's hunched. . . . .over in pain. Then, the hospital . . . . Buffy, in a bed . . . . holding . . . .something. Room . . . . . 154. Oh!" she groaned, her head splitting. He helped her over to a chair, and started to massage her neck. It seemed to help with the pain. "You're needed in Sunnydale." She said, sighing slightly as his hands massaged the tightness out of her neck and upper back.
"I want to make sure you're ok, first."
"I'm fine. Buffy needs you more." He looked at her, unsure. "Angel, I've come to learn, the more pain, the more urgent. Go!" He nodded, and grabbed his coat from the rack, and decided to grab a few weapons as well. Never bad to be prepared. The sun had just set, so he was fine in that department.
He had trepidation about going back to Sunnydale. It was clear that Buffy didn't want him there. And in the vision, she was at school. It was the middle of summer. And Buffy had never been one to take extra courses. How was he to know when the vision took place? The Powers were always cryptic, by way of nature.
He drove with all due speed towards Sunnydale, and got there just before midnight. He wasn't sure where to go first, Buffy's house, Willow's, Giles, where he'd most likely not get too warm a welcome, or to the boy's, Xander's. Either place, he'd be met with mixed reactions. Joyce never did trust or like him, Xander was jealous, Willow was Buffy's best friend, and therefor resented him for leaving. Giles was the closest thing Buffy had to a father, and she his daughter, besides his Angelus time, where he had tortured the watcher. Or to the hospital, how could he get in? It was past visiting hours, and would Buffy even want him? And what if that guy . . . .Finn, was there?
Would it be best to keep a low profile? Buffy would resent it, but more than she would resent him being here? It was hard to tell. No, it was best to announce himself, so Buffy would know, and not be put out that he was sneaking around her town. He sighed, an unneeded one, and turned his car towards the center of town, and the hospital complex there.
He entered the hospital with no problems. Getting to Buffy's room was harder. The hospital was light, day and night, though the corridor lights were dimmed, so patients could sleep. He went up to the desk, deciding to check there.
"Hi, I was told Buffy Summers was here? She's in room 154, right? Could you tell me where that is, please?" The nurse looked up at him, and then began typing at the computer.
"Right down there. But sir, visiting hours are over. You'll have to come back tomorrow."
He sighed, putting on a guise. "Dang. I haven't seen her in awhile, and when I heard from a friend she was here, I never even stopped to think. Tomorrow? I have to work. When do visiting hours end?"
"Eight."
"If I get off at four, three hours here, that's seven, an hour..." He muttered to himself, part of the guise. "There's no way I can get in to night? Even if she's awake?" he asked. "It's a long way, to see her for such a short amount of time."
"I'm sorry sir. She's tired from her ordeal, and has asked for no visitors until tomorrow at noon, besides her sister."
"her sister?" he was confused.
"The red head." The told him.
"Oh, that sister. Ok, well, thank you very much, and I'm sorry to bother you."
"It's alright, sir."
"Good night." He gave her a nod of the head, something that was popular in his day, and she smiled. He guessed her nights were generally slow.
He walked out, his duster flapping behind him, and went towards his car, trying to think up a haunt for the day. He wondered if the mansion was in use.
~ * ~
"Giles, this is hopeless." Willow pouted. "I can't find anything on a spell that would make Buffy forget something this big. There are spells for minor alterations, but getting pregnant isn't a small thing! And anything larger than that, it would take a huge amount of power, if not that of a whole coven! Who would want to do something like this to Buffy?"
"A demon who impregnated her, and then did not want her to find out until it was too late to get rid of the baby?"
"But she's so normal looking! There's no way that she could be demonic, Giles! Babies are pure."
"But not always good."
"How are we going to tell Buffy? There's no way she's going to give that baby up. I'm already attached to her. Buffy has carried her around for nine months, unknowingly, yes, but there's a really deep bond there."
"We still don't know for sure. Do we know around what time this would have taken place?"
"Late November, early December. The nurse said that Buffy looked to be bearly pregnant, but the baby was developed to the 40, 41 week mark. But she sounded like she was just guessing.
"And she said that it was possible to not know you were pregnant until you went into labor, but it was unusual."
"What if it wasn't just a spell on her memory, but a glamour to hide the baby as well?"
"We're talking strong magic, then."
"I agree." Willow sighed and placed her head on the book, on top of the desk, where she was sitting.
Giles lay a soothing hand on her shoulder, before going to look at some of his more obscure references.
~ * ~
When Buffy woke up in the morning, Phae was still there. How she had managed to elude the nurses, she had no clue, but she was still there.
"Good morning, lass. Hope ye slept well?"
"yeah." She yawned, stretching.
"Do ye want th' wee lass noo?" she motioned towards the plastic box like crib that Dawn had slept in.
"Did she sleep all night?" Buffy asked, confused. She thought babies didn't sleep through the night until they were older.
"Nay." She held up the bottle. "But ye were exhausted, and Ah let ye sleep. She needs yer milk, aye, but a wee bit of goat's milk isn't going t' harm her none."
"Goat's milk?" Buffy was concerned.
"Wha' do you think babies of old were raised on? It won't harm her none, dain't be worryin'." She gathered up the bundle and deposited it in Buffy's arms.
"Thank you." She murmured. "hi, baby." She said, as the baby squirmed in her arms.
"Oh, just thought ye'd like t' know, ye'll be havin' a visitor, t'night, after dark."
"Who?"
"Did'nay catch his name. But he was surely tall, and mightily broody."
"Angel." she sighed. How'd he find out? Had Willow told him?
Speak of the devil. She thought, as the red head entered the room, sunny as spring day. "Hi, Buffy! I brought you some things." Willow patted her back pack. "Hospital essentials. I've got your shampoo and conditioner, your body wash, and a brush. As well as some clothes. And, ta da! Make up! Makes every girl feel better!"
"Thanks, Will." She smiled at the girl. "uh, is there a bathroom around here somewhere?" Willow checked, and pointed it out to her. "Would you hold her, while I go freshen up?"
"Sure. Hey, who's that?" She pointed to the corner where Phae was sitting.
"How'd ye see me? Ye weren't supposed t'notice me!"
"Phae, she's a witch. She's also my best friend." Buffy told the elf, but then she turned to her friend, "But how did you see her, Will? I couldn't until she wanted me to."
"I just looked around, and there she was." She didn't mention the spell she had cast in the car. It was something she and Giles had found late last night, that was supposed to show where magic had been used to alter something. The baby glowed slightly, and there was a strange aura around Buffy, but the . . . . thing, Phae, reeked of magic. She definitely wasn't human.
Besides that the walls glowed a slight purple, most than likely a spell for health, and protection. For Sunnydalians, the doctors and nurses, or at least some, weren't as blind as they played.
But now they knew that it was in fact a spell that was done, and to still have such a strong trace after this long, nine months, showed just how strong the caster was. Willow began to worry. Her powers were growing in leaps and bounds, but she still couldn't compare to someone who could make a mother forget about an unborn child, for nine months. Or to glamour the growth away. It was both amazing, and terrifying. She was no longer sure if they were talking about a mortal anymore.
Willow sat with the infant as her mother went and freshened up, went to the bathroom, showered, and put on a tiny bit of make up. Her mother had always joked that with a properly made up face, you could face almost anything.
Buffy wished her mom was here, but had no clue how to tell her. Hey, mom, guess what?! I've been pregnant for nine months, without knowing it, and yesterday I have birth! Congratulations! You're a grandmother. No, I don't know who the father is. But we're trying to figure that out.
She sighed. Her mother had taken everything so well, but this? This wasn't slayer related. This was about being a girl. And being careful. Though how could she be careful, if she hadn't even known?
And on that topic, why hadn't the baby been damaged in any way? After she and Riley started sleeping together, she had started taking Birth Control. Surely that would have damaged the baby?
Unless of course someone or thing had been protecting it this whole time. Making sure she didn't find out and do something about it.
She brought the subject up to Willow, and through it all, Phae was looking guiltier and guiltier.
"Ok, what do you know?"
"Me? Nothin'." The elf said.
"Why don't I believe you? Oh, it could be your shiftiness, or it could be the guilty look on your face. Now, let me ask again, and this is the last time, Phae, what do you know?"
"Tha' baby is special. A child born to a slayer, now they're rare, and powerful. A prophecy usually gans along wi'it. She did'nay want anythin' hap'nin' t' that child, Ahm sure o' that one."
"She?"
Phae gulped. "I know not her name, lass. She jus' told me t' watch over ye and the wee bairn, and Ah did. No askin' questions. Elves are trustin' creatures, ye ken."
"Well slayers aren't." She turned back to Willow. "Go check with Giles. There's that book of prophecies. . . . The Something or other Codex. Lots of stuff on slayers, I guess. Didn't pay too much attention when he was talking about it. Have him check it, and any others he can. I want to know what my baby has to do with anything. If there's an impending apocalypse, I want to know about it." Willow nodded, and handed over the infant. Willow left her bag on the bed and left. Buffy turned to Phae. "If you know anything else, it would be in your best interest to tell me now. Slayers are not known for their patience."
"Then ye're goin' t' be havin' a mighty difficult time being a ma. Trust me on that one, at least." She turned away from mother and child and sat back in her corner, as Buffy sat down in the chair next to the bed. She wasn't one to stay in bed all day. That was one of the things she hated most about being in the hospital.
Notes: Thanks so much to Doukeshi03!!!!! Doukeshi03 helped me with the scottish dialogue, where I'd be literally stuck in the mud, trying to do it! So here it is:
Enjoy:
Dawn made a noise, as she squirmed, and Buffy tried to calm her.
What was she thinking?! How could she be a mother to this child? Her child! She didn't know the first thing about being a mother!
"Ye have t'rock 'er" A voice said. Feminine. Soothing, comforting. Not in the least threatening. But Buffy jumped, none the less. "Ah'm sorry, deary. Th' PTB sent meh, t' help ye out, now."
"Who are you?" Buffy asked, holding her child closer to her chest.
"Who Ah am, is nay important. What Ah am, may be. Ah'm an elf, sent by th' Powers That Be, t' help ye, in yer time oh' need."
"I ask again, who are you?"
"Mah name is Phae. Like Ah said, th' Powers-"
"The Powers that Be sent you, yadda yadda. Why?"
"T' help ye. Ah'm a Mother's Assistant to mah people, th' best there is, and Th' Powers, once th' found out about yer bundle oh' joy, knew ye wud need help. So here Ah am. Di'nay worry, only those who know Ah'm an elf can tell. T' others, Ah look jus' like a normal person. Most wud'nay even see me."
"Uh-huh." Buffy was a skeptic. But then Dawn began crying. "Uh! What do I do?"
"She's hungry, lass. Jus' needs a good feeding."
"uh . . . . .how?"
The elf shook her head. "Ye're gonna be needin' mah help, more than Ah thought lass." She walked over to the bed. "Here, let me see the wee bairn." She took the crying bundle. "Now, the Gods gave ye everythin' ye'd need t' nurse this bonnie thing."
"I probably shouldn't have skipped Sex Ed class, shouldn't I?" Buffy said.
"Ye'll do fine. Now, open yer blouse, lassie, and give her a nipple t'suck on. Go on, the bairn ain't goin' t'hurtcha" Buffy looked at her warily, then did as she was told. Dawn latched on, and started to feed.
A strange feeling came over Buffy, a feeling of inner calm and peace. Her face must have shown it, because Phae commented.
"See? Ye were meant t' be a mother, lass. Those are yer instincts, older than time itself, almost. They flow in the veins of every female creature alive. And even some tha' aren't." She said, half a warning, half to make conversation. Buffy nodded, looking at the tiny girl in her arms, sucking hungrily at her chest.
~ * ~
Riley paced his room. Buffy was in the hospital, and he had no clue why, and nobody was telling him anything. He knew when he was being left out of the loop. And he didn't like it one bit. He had tried calling the hospital, but he had been told there was, 'no information concerning Miss Summers is available at this time.' Which probably meant she didn't want it given out, for some reason.
He couldn't call Joyce, on the off chance she didn't know: Buffy tended to like to keep her mom away from all things slayer related. If this was a slayer related injury, her mom might not know, and she might not want her mom knowing.
He knew there was a way for him to get information, but he really didn't want to. It was almost cruel. Could he really do that? Use his government connections, just to check up on her? She'd be incredibly hurt. Was it worth it?"
He sighed, and did some more pacing, waiting for the phone.
~ * ~
Angel sat at his desk, going through some paperwork, when he heard it. The noises that came just before a vision. He rushed out to the woman, catching her as she fell.
"AHH!" She cried, holding her splitting head.
"Shh. It's ok. I've got you. What did you see, Cordy?"
"You. . . and Buffy. Kissing . . . in the sunlight. Then Buffy and Willow . . . . at school. Willow . . . . .is supporting her. She's hunched. . . . .over in pain. Then, the hospital . . . . Buffy, in a bed . . . . holding . . . .something. Room . . . . . 154. Oh!" she groaned, her head splitting. He helped her over to a chair, and started to massage her neck. It seemed to help with the pain. "You're needed in Sunnydale." She said, sighing slightly as his hands massaged the tightness out of her neck and upper back.
"I want to make sure you're ok, first."
"I'm fine. Buffy needs you more." He looked at her, unsure. "Angel, I've come to learn, the more pain, the more urgent. Go!" He nodded, and grabbed his coat from the rack, and decided to grab a few weapons as well. Never bad to be prepared. The sun had just set, so he was fine in that department.
He had trepidation about going back to Sunnydale. It was clear that Buffy didn't want him there. And in the vision, she was at school. It was the middle of summer. And Buffy had never been one to take extra courses. How was he to know when the vision took place? The Powers were always cryptic, by way of nature.
He drove with all due speed towards Sunnydale, and got there just before midnight. He wasn't sure where to go first, Buffy's house, Willow's, Giles, where he'd most likely not get too warm a welcome, or to the boy's, Xander's. Either place, he'd be met with mixed reactions. Joyce never did trust or like him, Xander was jealous, Willow was Buffy's best friend, and therefor resented him for leaving. Giles was the closest thing Buffy had to a father, and she his daughter, besides his Angelus time, where he had tortured the watcher. Or to the hospital, how could he get in? It was past visiting hours, and would Buffy even want him? And what if that guy . . . .Finn, was there?
Would it be best to keep a low profile? Buffy would resent it, but more than she would resent him being here? It was hard to tell. No, it was best to announce himself, so Buffy would know, and not be put out that he was sneaking around her town. He sighed, an unneeded one, and turned his car towards the center of town, and the hospital complex there.
He entered the hospital with no problems. Getting to Buffy's room was harder. The hospital was light, day and night, though the corridor lights were dimmed, so patients could sleep. He went up to the desk, deciding to check there.
"Hi, I was told Buffy Summers was here? She's in room 154, right? Could you tell me where that is, please?" The nurse looked up at him, and then began typing at the computer.
"Right down there. But sir, visiting hours are over. You'll have to come back tomorrow."
He sighed, putting on a guise. "Dang. I haven't seen her in awhile, and when I heard from a friend she was here, I never even stopped to think. Tomorrow? I have to work. When do visiting hours end?"
"Eight."
"If I get off at four, three hours here, that's seven, an hour..." He muttered to himself, part of the guise. "There's no way I can get in to night? Even if she's awake?" he asked. "It's a long way, to see her for such a short amount of time."
"I'm sorry sir. She's tired from her ordeal, and has asked for no visitors until tomorrow at noon, besides her sister."
"her sister?" he was confused.
"The red head." The told him.
"Oh, that sister. Ok, well, thank you very much, and I'm sorry to bother you."
"It's alright, sir."
"Good night." He gave her a nod of the head, something that was popular in his day, and she smiled. He guessed her nights were generally slow.
He walked out, his duster flapping behind him, and went towards his car, trying to think up a haunt for the day. He wondered if the mansion was in use.
~ * ~
"Giles, this is hopeless." Willow pouted. "I can't find anything on a spell that would make Buffy forget something this big. There are spells for minor alterations, but getting pregnant isn't a small thing! And anything larger than that, it would take a huge amount of power, if not that of a whole coven! Who would want to do something like this to Buffy?"
"A demon who impregnated her, and then did not want her to find out until it was too late to get rid of the baby?"
"But she's so normal looking! There's no way that she could be demonic, Giles! Babies are pure."
"But not always good."
"How are we going to tell Buffy? There's no way she's going to give that baby up. I'm already attached to her. Buffy has carried her around for nine months, unknowingly, yes, but there's a really deep bond there."
"We still don't know for sure. Do we know around what time this would have taken place?"
"Late November, early December. The nurse said that Buffy looked to be bearly pregnant, but the baby was developed to the 40, 41 week mark. But she sounded like she was just guessing.
"And she said that it was possible to not know you were pregnant until you went into labor, but it was unusual."
"What if it wasn't just a spell on her memory, but a glamour to hide the baby as well?"
"We're talking strong magic, then."
"I agree." Willow sighed and placed her head on the book, on top of the desk, where she was sitting.
Giles lay a soothing hand on her shoulder, before going to look at some of his more obscure references.
~ * ~
When Buffy woke up in the morning, Phae was still there. How she had managed to elude the nurses, she had no clue, but she was still there.
"Good morning, lass. Hope ye slept well?"
"yeah." She yawned, stretching.
"Do ye want th' wee lass noo?" she motioned towards the plastic box like crib that Dawn had slept in.
"Did she sleep all night?" Buffy asked, confused. She thought babies didn't sleep through the night until they were older.
"Nay." She held up the bottle. "But ye were exhausted, and Ah let ye sleep. She needs yer milk, aye, but a wee bit of goat's milk isn't going t' harm her none."
"Goat's milk?" Buffy was concerned.
"Wha' do you think babies of old were raised on? It won't harm her none, dain't be worryin'." She gathered up the bundle and deposited it in Buffy's arms.
"Thank you." She murmured. "hi, baby." She said, as the baby squirmed in her arms.
"Oh, just thought ye'd like t' know, ye'll be havin' a visitor, t'night, after dark."
"Who?"
"Did'nay catch his name. But he was surely tall, and mightily broody."
"Angel." she sighed. How'd he find out? Had Willow told him?
Speak of the devil. She thought, as the red head entered the room, sunny as spring day. "Hi, Buffy! I brought you some things." Willow patted her back pack. "Hospital essentials. I've got your shampoo and conditioner, your body wash, and a brush. As well as some clothes. And, ta da! Make up! Makes every girl feel better!"
"Thanks, Will." She smiled at the girl. "uh, is there a bathroom around here somewhere?" Willow checked, and pointed it out to her. "Would you hold her, while I go freshen up?"
"Sure. Hey, who's that?" She pointed to the corner where Phae was sitting.
"How'd ye see me? Ye weren't supposed t'notice me!"
"Phae, she's a witch. She's also my best friend." Buffy told the elf, but then she turned to her friend, "But how did you see her, Will? I couldn't until she wanted me to."
"I just looked around, and there she was." She didn't mention the spell she had cast in the car. It was something she and Giles had found late last night, that was supposed to show where magic had been used to alter something. The baby glowed slightly, and there was a strange aura around Buffy, but the . . . . thing, Phae, reeked of magic. She definitely wasn't human.
Besides that the walls glowed a slight purple, most than likely a spell for health, and protection. For Sunnydalians, the doctors and nurses, or at least some, weren't as blind as they played.
But now they knew that it was in fact a spell that was done, and to still have such a strong trace after this long, nine months, showed just how strong the caster was. Willow began to worry. Her powers were growing in leaps and bounds, but she still couldn't compare to someone who could make a mother forget about an unborn child, for nine months. Or to glamour the growth away. It was both amazing, and terrifying. She was no longer sure if they were talking about a mortal anymore.
Willow sat with the infant as her mother went and freshened up, went to the bathroom, showered, and put on a tiny bit of make up. Her mother had always joked that with a properly made up face, you could face almost anything.
Buffy wished her mom was here, but had no clue how to tell her. Hey, mom, guess what?! I've been pregnant for nine months, without knowing it, and yesterday I have birth! Congratulations! You're a grandmother. No, I don't know who the father is. But we're trying to figure that out.
She sighed. Her mother had taken everything so well, but this? This wasn't slayer related. This was about being a girl. And being careful. Though how could she be careful, if she hadn't even known?
And on that topic, why hadn't the baby been damaged in any way? After she and Riley started sleeping together, she had started taking Birth Control. Surely that would have damaged the baby?
Unless of course someone or thing had been protecting it this whole time. Making sure she didn't find out and do something about it.
She brought the subject up to Willow, and through it all, Phae was looking guiltier and guiltier.
"Ok, what do you know?"
"Me? Nothin'." The elf said.
"Why don't I believe you? Oh, it could be your shiftiness, or it could be the guilty look on your face. Now, let me ask again, and this is the last time, Phae, what do you know?"
"Tha' baby is special. A child born to a slayer, now they're rare, and powerful. A prophecy usually gans along wi'it. She did'nay want anythin' hap'nin' t' that child, Ahm sure o' that one."
"She?"
Phae gulped. "I know not her name, lass. She jus' told me t' watch over ye and the wee bairn, and Ah did. No askin' questions. Elves are trustin' creatures, ye ken."
"Well slayers aren't." She turned back to Willow. "Go check with Giles. There's that book of prophecies. . . . The Something or other Codex. Lots of stuff on slayers, I guess. Didn't pay too much attention when he was talking about it. Have him check it, and any others he can. I want to know what my baby has to do with anything. If there's an impending apocalypse, I want to know about it." Willow nodded, and handed over the infant. Willow left her bag on the bed and left. Buffy turned to Phae. "If you know anything else, it would be in your best interest to tell me now. Slayers are not known for their patience."
"Then ye're goin' t' be havin' a mighty difficult time being a ma. Trust me on that one, at least." She turned away from mother and child and sat back in her corner, as Buffy sat down in the chair next to the bed. She wasn't one to stay in bed all day. That was one of the things she hated most about being in the hospital.