Angel glanced at the crumpled form in his armchair. Spike had fallen asleep a little while ago, after tending to Angel for a couple of hours without any squabbles or…any words coming out of his mouth at all. Angel assumed it would've been too strange for his Childe to openly show friendliness towards him, and he himself acted just the same. He was torn between trying to send his attendant away again and letting him take care of him. He really needed those warm compresses coming, but also he took some pleasure from it all too. A similar thing happened before, after he was severely wounded in a silly fight of his own fault with another gang of vampires back in Cheshire. Also, if it wasn't for his condition, he would've enjoyed watching Spike sleep. He remembered he used to do that, well, in another lifetime. Spike intertwined with Dru on a large fancy bed. His two childe, that loved him more than anything. When Darla was asleep he usually would go to their room and watch them sleep. Or, if they woke up, they would take pleasure in each other, together. If Darla found out, she would make a scene, or join them. Depended on her mood. After all, she did understand affection for your childe. She did understand it too much, as it stands. Things have progressed so much since then, for better and for worse. If he looked at it from a rude perspective, it appeared that there were many more bad points than good ones. He had lost people close to him...he knew that others would most likely to die too. And some would actually want to... He had also suffered himself, both mentally and physically. Some of this will heal, but he knew that there were some invisible scars there that will never go away. One the other hand, some have benefited from all of these experiences as well...Spike more than anyone else. He was able to make it through everything that came his way. And through everything he had seen and done, he had become a good and strong person, someone to be counted on when it really mattered. Someone worthy of redemption. Someone who got a soul for himself. Not like him. Spike was right, he was nothing like him. He was worthy of shanshu. Consequently, if he could reason with himself and not feel jealous for one reason or another, he would no longer have a reason to be frustrated with him. Instead, at times like this, he would've wanted to be able to express his positive feelings to him. And he would've wanted him to respond the same way. He wanted to start fresh and take hold of what they once had. But to do this, he first needed one last thing from William. He knew he was undeserving of it, but he hoped to be forgiven. At least by Spike. He needed to hear that from at least one of his descendants. And he wanted to hold him and hold onto him for comfort…the pain increased and he couldn't help moaning, queasiness and light-headedness mounting as he tried to reach for the bucket with the damp cloths himself. He couldn't reach, the bucket was turned over, water flowing onto the floor. After a few seconds or years, the pain was so bad it could have been either, he heard Spike stirring and saw the slender form slipping inside his view, face weary.
Angel's ancient brown eyes, showing the weight of years despite the guise of youth, were fogged and he was shuddering, his abdomen close to convulsions. Spike picked up the phone to call the ex watcher.
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Wesley was waiting for them in the medical area having just read the exact file Angel was talking about earlier to Spike. It had been in the early hours of the morning when Spike had told him of Angel's illness. He knew it must've been severe, or else his proud boss would not have called for help. Especially not through Spike. Wes was even more worried when he saw his friend lying on the examination table, looking very unlike the tough warrior they were so used to seeing. He had seen earlier that Angel could barely walk into the room, even with Spike's help. The secret medical files had told the Englishman everything he needed to know about how to help the vampire, but nowhere in the records did Fred mention Angel feeling anywhere close to as bad as he looked just now. Although Wesley was still feeling numb after losing Fred, he was starting to fill with a certain amount of apprehension at the sight of his friend. Coming to take over the W&H was probably the worst decision they ever made. He nodded without speaking, his eyes filled with concern, and began, "hi…Angel. Where exactly does it hurt?"
Angel almost laughed out loud at the question. Where does it hurt? It hurt everywhere! "I. . . Oh."
"The most," Wesley corrected himself. Spike pulled back and leant onto the wall.
Angel touched his upper left quadrant, "but it's radiating all through to my back. Wes, I…I don't understand is why it hurts so much."
"We'll find out," Wes turned towards the demon doctor, a ghuraghs that resembled a bipedal hyena with four human-like arms which ended in claws. He was covered with ochre-yellow fur.
"My name is Tanari, I was introduced to you once when you visited Mr. Spike in here," the demon addressed Angel, then turned towards her assistant, "this is nurse Sherman.""Maggie," the very human looking young woman in a strictly tailored nurse suit and with short, fantastically styled hair turned her head to look at her CEO and flashed her routine smile.
"Miss Sherman will take some samples from you and give us the results of a rough laboratory analysis, while I make an ultrasound," Tanari explained, "let's adjust the headrest a few inches higher…could you please slightly flex your knees? Does this hurt?" He pulled his claws inside his paws like a cat would when playing with its master and pressed his four fingers of the examining hand held contiguously with the fingertips in the same plane, very lightly on the previously indicated area of Angel's abdomen, just enough to indent the surface.
"Very much," Angel was wincing with the pain.
"I'll be very gentle, just one more thing, I'll proceed to find out about percussion tenderness. The presence of tenderness in response to gentle percussion has significance and it is a far kinder technique," he pat the same spot now and got a similar response, "ok, tenderness that is moderate or severe always signifies an inflammatory state. But it would be good to find out how much and exactly where. The physical examination doesn't seem to be the best option. Let's see if we can come up with anything," he pulled the ultrasound equipment closer, "I'm putting some clear gel onto your stomach to improve contact between the transducer hand piece and your skin…" He move the transducer around the vampire's abdomen to get the best picture and watched the screen intently for about a minute, "well. Ok. He's got acute inflammation of the stomach lining and duodenum, especially pylorus area, extending right till the peritoneum…"
"Isn't this just a little bit weird?" Wesley intercepted.
"Don't think so. Try to live on dog food for about a hundred years and you'll know. I'm having difficulties myself with the mostly human food that is available on this planet…Of course we'll check for all kinds of toxins and antibodies, but right now we'll have to get him on an iv. Maggie? Can I have 90mg of Flunixine meglamine in a Ringer solution? Also, another iv kit and a bag of whole blood and one of plasma, please Maggie…I'm afraid," he turned back towards Angel, "there is too much puss in there to clear by itself any time soon. We'll have to insert an open drainage tube.
Angel let out a frustrated moan, "alright," he finally relented.
"Excellent," the demon doctor proclaimed, turning, "we'll have to prepare as we would in case of any other abdominal operation. With the pain you are in, it would be more comfortable than if I kinda just stabbed you and it would be safer as well. I believe this inflammation has only internal causes, I could mainly describe it similar to Crohn's disease in humans. But with bacteria you never know. As Mr. Pryce stated it is all a bit weird after all. Better not to risk it. We'll be ready shortly."
Angel nodded and replied with a "yes."
The surgeon stepped forward with a vial of liquid and a needle. "we should perhaps sedate you first. It's important that you remain motionless during the procedure…"