Loves Comes Softly

Chapter 2

She hated the graveyard shift. Always had. Ever since she was hired at Sunnydale Memorial, Buffy had loathed spending her nights making rounds on the darkened halls of the hospital. The low light in the corridors made time seem to stand still and the lack of noise was almost deafening. Of course the occasional expectant mother would come in and bring a little excitement her way but usually – it was always quiet.

Her nights were usually filled with making rounds of the patients and seeing that they were comfortable and tonight was no exception. She had walked the halls three times already and she finally stopped by the large windows of the nursery. Peering inside the softly lit room, she smiled down at the sleeping babies on the other side of the glass. Every one of them had been in her arms at one point and she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of their mothers. To have someone to love and who would love you back unconditionally seemed like a dream. It would certainly make life seem a little more worth living.

She had been completely alone for several years now. Learning her mother was sick had put her into research mode and she scrambled for every bit of information she could find. Her mother's illness was one of the reasons she wanted to become a nurse. It was only natural that she'd want to help others in her same predicament. Working on the maternity floor had been a fluke. One she would be forever grateful for. Her best friend Willow was a Maternity nurse and a simple visit to the maternity floor to visit her had been all it took. After seeing so much death it was a nice change to actually be there to help usher in a new life and she happily put in for a transfer. Buffy knew she'd much rather welcome life into the world than help a grieving family cope with losing one.

Her life in Sunnydale was a lonely one, but she was grateful for the friends she had. The only remaining family she had was an absentee father somewhere in the world. She had last seen him at her mother's funeral and he hadn't even stayed for the whole thing. Just a quick stop over on his way to someplace exotic with his twenty-something year old girlfriend had been all the contact she had with him, so it was nice to have someone else to actually care about her. Her long hours made it hard for her to meet new people so the majority of her friends were on staff at the hospital. Not that she was complaining. She felt a bond with these people unlike any she had ever had. Her friends here were her family now.

Sighing heavily Buffy gave one final look at the babies before turning and walking down the hall to the reception area. She smiled as Tara looked up at her from behind the desk as she rounded the corner of the hall. "Hey Tara. Anything happening yet?"

"Afraid not," Tara replied with a smile. "Looks to be another quiet night."

"I was afraid of that," Buffy sighed as she approached the desk and leaned over it, grabbing the patient list and staring at it for the tenth time that night. "I hate nights like this."

"Me too," Tara said. "Almost makes you wish for the chaos of multiple births at once."

"I'll agree with you there," Buffy smiled before lying the patient's list back down. "I guess I'll go make another round," she sighed.

"You're going to wear a hole in the carpets if you don't stop pacing the halls."

"I know," Buffy smiled. "But it beats just sitting here."

"I know exactly what you mean," Tara said as Buffy once again started for the hall.

"Yell if you need me."

"Unless you want to man the phones, I think I've got it covered," Tara smiled before glancing down at the red flashing light on the phone and sighing heavily. "And here comes call number ninety-two for the night," she said softly to herself before grabbing the phone and answering the line. "Maternity. How may I direct your call?"

"Yes, I'm looking for a nurse. I think her name was - Betty, maybe."

Tara thought hard for a minute before shaking her head. "No, I'm sorry sir," she said. "There's no one named Betty that works here."

"Oh. I'm sorry to say that I really don't know what her name was."

"Are you sure she works in Maternity?"

"Yes. She was there when my daughter was born."

"I see," Tara said. "Well, without a name I'm not real sure I can help you. Is there something I can do for you?" Tara could hear a baby crying in the background and the rush of air as the man on the other end sighed heavily into the phone had her smiling.

"Yeah I guess, but I'd really rather talk to her."

"I see," Tara said. "Well, could you describe her to me? Maybe that will help."

"Yeah. She had long blonde hair. Green eyes. Kind of short – real pretty."

"Ok" Tara said smiling as she looked down the hall as Buffy walked away. She smiled as she thought of the name "Betty." "Maybe you're looking for Buffy. We have a Buffy here. Is that who you mean?"

"Yes! Buffy. That was her name."

"Okay," Tara smiled. "Hang on one minute and I'll get her for you." Tara put the call on hold and smiled big as she looked down the hall. "Buffy," she said as loudly as she dared. "There's a call for you on line one."

Buffy turned back and looked at Tara and the wide grin on her face. She wondered what it was for before she quickly walked back down the hall. "Who is it?"

"It's a guy," Tara grinned as she handed Buffy the phone's receiver. "And he has an accent. We know how you love that."

Buffy's grinned as she reached out and took the receiver. "Don't get cute," she told Tara as she placed the phone by her ear. "You know as well as I do there isn't any guy in my life."

"I know," Tara giggled. "He called you Betty anyway."

Buffy mouthed the word "Betty" and watched Tara laugh before shaking her head and reaching over the desk to hit the flashing button on the phone. When the line connected she immediately heard the wailing of an infant. "This is Buffy Summers."

"Buffy – Hi, This is Spike – I mean William Harrington. I'm not sure if you remember me or not."

Buffy's smiled matched Tara's as she heard his voice and she turned her back to her still giggling friend. "Mr. Harrington. I do remember you," she said trying to drown out Tara's light laughter. "How can I help you?"

"It's Lily," Spike replied. "I don't understand what's wrong."

Buffy could hear the fatigue in his voice. She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. She could only imagine what he was going through. "What exactly is the problem, Mr. Harrington?"

"Spike."

"Excuse me?"

"Spike. I go by Spike."

"Oh. I see," Buffy smiled. "Ok Spike, What seems to be the problem?"

"Lily," Spike said. "I can't bring her to the hospital every time she cries but she hasn't stopped crying in over an hour. I can't figure out what's wrong."

Buffy's heart clenched as he talked. He sounded so desperate and worn that her heart immediately went out to him. "Okay," she said before taking a deep breath. "I'm sure you've tried feeding her?" She waited and nodded as he said yes. "Changed her – burped her?" Every question was followed by a firm yes and she tried to think of the obvious first to try and save him from panicking. "Ok. When is the last time she slept?"

"She had a nap this evening."

Buffy couldn't help but smile. He sounded almost in tears as she listened to him ramble on about Lily's daily routine and she wondered if he had anyone to help him. As he finally finished talking, she turned to look at Tara before smiling at her friend. "Well, I'm not real sure what the problem is," she told him. "It's kind of hard when I can't see for myself. Does she feel warm?" No was the answer to that question and Buffy racked her brain as she tried to think of anything not health related. "Have you tried bathing her?"

"I've given her a bath today."

"When was that?" She asked.

"Earlier – maybe noon."

"Did she sleep after her bath?"

Spike laughed lightly as he rubbed his face before answering. "Yeah. All bloody day long."

Buffy smiled when she thought she knew the answer. "Are you trying to make her sleep now?"

"Yes," Spike answered. "Its three in the bloody morning!"

Buffy laughed lightly before shaking her head. "She's probably not sleepy. Maybe try giving her another bath and see if that helps."

"A bath?" Spike asked. "How is that going to help?"

"It'll relax her. Make her sleepy," Buffy answered.

"Oh," Spike said. "Okay. Well, will you be there a while?"

"I'll be here all night."

"Great," Spike said, relieved. "Is it okay if I call you back if the bath doesn't work?"

"That will be fine, Mr. Harrington."

"Please, call me Spike."

Buffy could hear the smile in his voice and her lips curved into one of its on. "Okay, Spike. Call me anytime."

As the line went dead, Buffy couldn't help but sigh. "That poor guy is going to have a nervous breakdown if he don't get some help with her."

"Help with who?" Tara asked as Buffy hung the phone back up.

"Lily," Buffy said.

Tara was about to ask who Lily was, when Buffy smiled and started back down the hall. She could see by the look on her friend's face that the phone call had made her night. She'd have to remember and ask Willow who Mr. Harrington was. If anyone would know – it was Willow.

Spike returned the phone to its cradle before he turned to look at Lily as she lay in the small bassinet in the living room. She was still whimpering and he sighed heavily before rubbing his face and crossing the room and looking down at her. Her bottom lip was quivering as she cried and Spike couldn't help but smile. "Okay nibblet," he said before reaching out and picking her up. "The pretty nurse says its bath time."

He still couldn't believe how things had turned out. When the news came that he'd finally be a father, never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd be doing everything himself. He had a new appreciation for women who did this. He had only been trying to deal with it for a week and he felt run down. Women the world over did it daily and made it look easy. They all deserved a medal in his opinion.

As he walked down the hall to the kitchen he shook his head at the mess that lined the floor. Never had the house been in such disarray. It felt as if he did nothing all day but chase after the things Lily needed. The washing had been left for another day, as had the cleaning. It seemed like another day never came. The kitchen cabinets were littered with the remains of take out food cartons and he wondered if he'd ever find the time to actually cook again.

Grabbing the small washbasin, Spike slid it across the counter and shook his head as he watched paper plates and napkins fall to the floor. "Guess I need to clean eventually. What do you think?" He asked, looking down at his daughter. Her bright, wide eyes stared up at him and she yawned before kicking her feet. "Now you're sleepy?"

Spike chuckled before filling the tub with water and stripping Lily of her clothes before gently placing her in the water. She tensed up as her body came into contact with the water and his heart raced as he tried to get a good hold of her. He really hated this part. Not that Lily complained about bath time – it was just she was so slippery. He constantly worried about losing his grip and her getting hurt. Getting water in her eyes and ears worried him too. He had scoured every Internet site he could to find out if he was bathing her correctly and he felt like an idiot most of the time at the things he was searching for.

Truth be known, he knew nothing about babies. He was an only child with no family. Both his parents had been only children so his contact with babies was – none. His desire for a family was what brought him here. Orphaned at an early age made him long for the simple pleasures of a family. Drusilla knew this and had sacrificed everything so he could have his dream. Now – the dream seemed futile without her to complete it.

His chest tightened as he thought of her and he inhaled deeply before shaking his head and focusing on his task. It was easier that way. He had too much to deal with now to sink into the depression his body desperately wanted. If it weren't for Lily, he would have crawled into the cheapest bottle of bourbon he could find and not come out. She was the only thing keeping him going at the moment.

Pushing the memories of Drusilla away, Spike finished Lily's bath before looking around him for a towel. He rolled his eyes when he realized he had forgotten it again. Lifting her from the water he smiled as he held her up and looked at her. "Now you're going to go to sleep like a good little girl, aren't you?" Her response was immediate and Spike held her away from his body as she soaked the front of his shirt. He looked down at his now wet shirt and he cocked one eyebrow before looking back at her "You just couldn't wait for a diaper, could you?"

He laughed in spite of the mess and it was at that moment that Spike's heart soared as he looked at her. His beautiful baby girl chose that moment to gave him his first gift. The tiniest of smiles curved her lips and he couldn't help but fall a little bit more in love with her. It was the first time since Drusilla's death that he felt truly happy. One simple smile – albeit small - had touched him like nothing else ever had. Pulling her flush against him, Spike sighed as he leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Promise you'll always be daddy's little girl," he whispered softly. "I can't bear to loose you too."

To Be Continued…