Chapter 9 High Resolution. Tara is in trouble. Will Buffy and Xander save her?
Xander and Buffy head over to the Xander's lap top. He configures a way to get Buffy into the internet but with protection.
"You need to be careful in there," says Xander. "Just like the real world, the digital world is scary too."
"I'll be careful," says Buffy. "Send me to her."
"Alright, here goes." Buffy fades away and enters Xander's lap top. Darla and Giles enter Xander's room. "She's going in." Xander presses send to his e-mail. Buffy is on her way to Tara's digital watch.
"How soon can we know?" ask Giles.
"Not too long," says Xander.
Buffy travels through the thousands of bites of the what we all know as the internet in a white taxi cab. She passes many lights that she sees at the speed of light. They are all flashes to her. Then she finally arrives to her destination.
"Tara can you hear me," says Buffy from inside of Tara's watch. Buffy looks through the screen and sees a distorted picture.
"Oh my gosh. Ms. Are you okay?" ask someone Buffy could not identify. "She's bleeding. Someone call an ambulance."
"The guy is worst than her," says another unknown person.
Back at Xander's the phone rings. Giles goes over to get it. He then walks over to Xander and hands him the phone.
"Who is it?" ask Xander.
"It's Willow," Giles responds. He then heads over to turn on the TV as Willow had told him to do so.
"Hello," says Xander.
"Xander, I think Tara's been hit by car," says Willow.
"What?" Xander stands up and looks at the TV.
"It's on the news."
"Just minutes ago while two people were crossing this street a very rapid moving vehicle struck them," says the news lady. "There is no where about of their identity, but they have been rushed to Penn View Hospital where they are in critical conditions." The news camera shows the street and on the street they see Tara's watch.
"Oh, gosh," says Darla falling apart. "Tara!" Giles holds her to calm her down.
"No, this can't be," says Xander.
"We need to get to the hospital right now," says Giles.
"Willow we'll meet you there," says Xander as he hangs up the phone. "Go ahead without me. I'll be right behind you."
"Are you sure?" ask Giles.
"Yes, go!" Giles and Darla leave the room and head to the hospital in Giles car.
Xander grabs his I-pod and connects it to his laptop. He then heads out.
Meanwhile in the hospital, Spike and Tara are brought in and rush into the emergency room. The two are bleeding heavily and doctors announce to start to get blood in for transfusion as soon as possible.
Giles and Darla arrive at the hospital and quickly ask about Tara. The nurse tells them that both are in intensive care. The two then decide to wait until the doctor comes.
Xander reaches the accident scene and finds Tara's watch. The road was empty and Xander quickly got Buffy out of the watch.
"Xander I don't think Tara is alright," says Buffy. "I don't know what happen. I couldn't see anything."
"It's okay," says Xander. "We know where she is?"
"Oh you do. I knew you could find her," says Buffy with a smile. "Where is she?"
"She's in the hospital."
"A hospital. What's that?"
"A place where they take people who are not well," replies Xander. "Come on lets go." Xander garbs Buffy's hand and head to his car.
"Why is Tara not well?"
"She got hit by a car. It's all my fault."
"Why is it your fault?"
"Because she was mad at me and she went with that guy…If I…"
"You can't change the past Xander only the outcome of the future."
"How did you become so smart?"
"You silly." Xander gives Buffy a smile. "Everything happens for a reason. I think that's the right to say."
"Yeah, it is. Come on lets see how Tara is doing." The two head to his car and Xander drives to the hospital.
As they enter the hospital, Giles rushes over to Xander and grabs him. He pulls him over to where everyone is with the doctor. Xander is confuse at all this and faces the doctor.
"Are you Xander?" ask the doctor.
"Yeah," replies Xander.
"Come with me," says the doctor as he puts his hand over shoulder.
"Ah, Will watch over Buffy," says Xander as he walks down the hallway. Willow stands up and tells Buffy to sit down with the rest.
"She's in critical condition and in a state of a coma," says the doctor. "The strangest thing is that a patient in this circumstances shouldn't be able to speak and she does."
"I thought you said she was in a coma," says Xander.
"Yes, but she speaks only one word."
"What's that?"
"You're name. My guess is she's holding on for you."
"Can I go in?"
"Sure." The doctor opens the door to the room and Xander enters the room. He then stops.
"There was a guy with her."
"He's in worst conditions. He took the worst hit. Must of gotten in the way of you friend here. Probably saved her life if she would wake." Xander walks over to Tara's side and sits in a chair. He grabs her hand and squeezes it.
Back at the lobby the doctor returns to ask if anyone knew family of the other victim. Willow only knew one person, their manager Ethan. She calls him up but he doesn't pick up.
"Can I see him," says Buffy standing up.
"Buffy no. Xander told me to keep you here," says Willow.
"But he's alone. He needs someone to be there for him," says Buffy as she gets up.
"She can see him. It maybe good for him if he hears someone familiar," says the doctor.
"Come on."
"Um, I…" says Willow looking Anya who is filing her nails. The doctor takes Buffy over to Spikes room. She walks into the room and sees his motionless body on the bed. Buffy grabs the chair next to the bed and sits down then looks at Spike. She looks at the machines that are connected to him to keep him stable then she returns her gaze to Spike.
"Talk to him," says the doctor. "Tell him he can come back to us. Something." Buffy nods her head and returns to look at Spike. "I'll leave you two alone." The doctor leaves the room.
"A human is such a delicate thing," says Buffy. She looks at Spike's brace that lifts his leg up. "So easily broken. I'll never know what's that like." She looks at her hand that seem to be fading. Buffy then puts her hand on the bed just two inches away from Spike's hand then she touches the machine next to the bed. She begins to turn into a TV set display with the snowy picture.
Suddenly a picture is clear. Buffy sees Tara and Spike leaving a café. They wait for the light before crossing the street and when it changes a van comes speeding away. Spike pushes Tara away but she hit's the ground hard hitting her head against the concrete. As for Spike he got hit by the van on his side and thrown two feet away from where the van stop.
Buffy lets go of the machine and pulls away from everything. She notices that she's recharged but the machine next Spike's bed stops working. His heart rate starts to slow down.