Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing them for a while. I'll give them back in one piece...well, maybe not Angel...
Summary: Come on. If you don't know by now, go back to the beginning...
A/N Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing! Keep it up - the more feedback I get, the more likely I am to update quickly... I'm shameless... Just a short chapter here, although the next one will be longer.
WARNING. The next chapter will be the reason this fic is rated R. It will include sex scenes, and being English I'm a little hazy on the boundaries between R and NC-17. Unfortunately all my betas are English as well, and I'd rather not use new ones as it will take too long before I can post. So please cut me a little slack - if you think it is too graphic, by all means tell me and I'll tone it down, but be nice? Pretty please? For anyone who does want to see the ...ahem smutty version, it will be posted on my webpage, www . freewebs . com / allinshadesofgrey / index . htm (without the spaces) at around the same time as I'll post it on here. It will also be archived at sinfularchive . com. Thanks!
"Ma'am? Um, I know this might sound just a little bit silly, but where am I?" The sound of the soft, Irish lilt coming from the man in front of her jolted Buffy back in to reality.
"I'm sorry; I'm Buffy Summers, your Nurse. You're at the Sunnydale memorial hospital, and you have been for two weeks now. You were injured at the battle at Hamburger Hill, and fell into a coma. Now, I'm afraid I'm gonna hafta ask you some questions of ma own, to make sure that bump on the head hasn't done you any permanent damage. Would you mind telling me your name, date of birth, and who the president is?"
"Not at all, Ma'am. My name is Liam O'Connor, and I was born on August 29th 1944, in Ireland. The President should be Richard Nixon – at least he was the last time I checked…Anything else I can do for you ma'am?"
'Kiss me…' "Just, don't call me ma'am? Makes me feel old… Call me Miss Summers. Or, better yet, Buffy. And other than that, you seem to be in good shape for someone who's been in a coma for the last few weeks."
"Buffy. I like that. So, you're my nurse? Any possibility of a sponge bath?" Angel said with a wink.
"Now then Mr O'Connor. You just behave yourself, or I might just make sure you stay in the bed fer much longer than you need to! The doctor should be here any minute now, and you shouldn't tire yourself out…" Funnily enough, while it usually made her skin crawl, Buffy found that she didn't mind the flirting when it came from Angel. Trying not to think too much about it, she busied herself with taking care of him before the doctor arrived.
"Make you a deal? I won't call you ma'am if you don't call me Mr O'Connor. Makes me feel like my father. Call me Angel? It's an old nick-name…"
"Well, Angel, you have yourself a deal." As Buffy saw the doctor arriving, she prepared to leave the room. "I'll be back later, Angel, ya hear?"
"Um, Buffy, I seem to have misplaced my dog-tags. And for some reason I get the feeling that you're the one to ask about them?" Angel questioned, just as Buffy was about to walk out of the door.
"I'll get them to you as soon as the doctor's done with you." Buffy replied with a grin.
