This isn't a baby fiction. I only have one more chapter after this anyway. I already did that once and I really don't need to do it again. Buffy is okay, of course. You guys will just have to read on to find out. Once again, thanks for all the reviews. They are greatly appreciated!

Chapter 20

Joyce and Spike were in the hospital waiting room after Riley called Joyce to tell her that Buffy was brought in. She called Giles and he wasn't there, so she told Spike what happened and he left to the hospital immediately after that. It was hours later and they still didn't know what was wrong with Buffy. They only knew that she was taken into the operating room for surgery. Joyce couldn't sit around any longer without knowing if her daughter was alright, when the doctor finally came out. Joyce stood up and walked over to him. "Is Buffy okay?" The doctor saw how concerned she was and nodded.

"Your daughter's going to be fine. She had appendicitis and we had to operate immediately. It's a good thing she was brought in when she was. Her appendix was about to burst. She's unconscious right now, but she should be awake soon." The doctor explained and Joyce sighed in relief.

"Can we see her?" She asked and the doctor nodded again.

"Yes, she's in room 214." Joyce gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you, doctor." He smiled back at her before walking away. Joyce then had tears in her eyes as she looked at the two men standing behind her. She approached Riley and gave him a hug. "That's the second time you've saved my baby." She said as she pulled out of the hug and Riley gave her a shy smile.

"I didn't really do anything. I only called the ambulance." Joyce shook her head.

"If you weren't with her, I don't even want to know what could have happened. I'm very grateful to you." Riley nodded and accepted her gratitude.

"I'm just glad she's okay. She's a special girl." He said and Joyce agreed.

"Yes, she is." Joyce then looked at Spike and wondered why he was so quiet. "Are you alright, William?" Spike looked at her when she spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just hate these close calls." Joyce nodded in understanding.

"Let's go see how she's doing." She said as they all headed to Buffy's room.

Buffy woke up feeling groggy as she tried to focus her eyes on her surroundings. She didn't know where she was, until her eyes landed on her mother. "Hey, sleepy head. You finally decided to come back to us." Joyce said as she brushed the hair out of Buffy's face.

"Mom, where am I?" She wondered.

"You're in the hospital, sweetie." Buffy's eyes grew big as she sat up with a start.

"No, I can't be in the hospital." Joyce pushed Buffy gently back on the bed and tried to calm her.

"Honey, you need to lie down." Buffy shook her head.

"I don't like it here. I wanna go home." She said in a frightened voice and Joyce felt for her daughter. She knew how much Buffy hated hospitals.

"I know you do, but you're going to have to stay here for a bit longer. You just had surgery, Buffy. You need to rest." Buffy sighed as she lay back on the bed. It was then that she noticed the two men in the room. She saw Riley first and suddenly remembered what happened. She smiled at him and held out her hand. He looked confused for a moment as he took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.

"You always seem to be saving me." She whispered and Riley felt touched again as he looked at her.

"I'm just glad I was there." Buffy agreed as her eyes finally rested on Spike. He walked closer to her and Riley let her hand go. Spike kneeled down by her side and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"How do you feel?" He asked her.

"I've been better. I'm glad you're here." She said and Spike nodded.

"Where else would I be?" He stated as he then placed a soft kiss on her lips. He pulled away with tears in his eyes. "You have to stop doing this to me, Buffy. I don't think I can take anymore." She caressed his cheek and gave him a smile.

"I'll try to be more careful." He smiled back and gave her another kiss.

"We should go now. Buffy needs her rest." Joyce told them and Riley nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure Sam is wondering where I am by now. Take care of yourself, Buffy. I don't want to see you in class for at least a few weeks, okay? You need to take it easy." Buffy sighed and nodded without argument. Riley gave everyone one more look before he walked out of the room. Joyce gave Buffy a kiss on the cheek and then grabbed Spike's arm.

"We'll be back to see you tomorrow, Buffy." She nodded again as Joyce and Spike walked out of the room. Buffy then closed her eyes and tried to get more sleep.

Spike got back to his empty house and walked up to his room. He lay on his bed and realized that he couldn't fall asleep. He then moved to his desk and grabbed the picture that was sitting there. It was a picture of him and Buffy that was taken two years ago, a few months after they met. They were outside in his backyard when the picture was taken. Spike smiled at the memory. Buffy just woke up and she was complaining that she didn't want any pictures taken because her hair was a mess. Spike just told her that she always looked beautiful and she gave him the sweetest smile that anyone has ever graced him with. He knew that he loved her. He tried to hide his feelings because he figured that she would never see him as anything more than a friend. Then he developed a crush on Cordelia. She was the only cheerleader that never treated him like a freak. His feelings for Buffy never went away though. He loved her from the first second he saw her. There was no one but her. She has taken him to places that he never would have dreamed of. Spike smiled again as he placed the picture back on his desk. He lay back down on his bed and knew that he would finally be able to fall asleep, with dreams of Buffy in his head.