Normal All Over Again
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: For the record this is the last time I will say this- These characters are not mine.
To her surprise, Buffy had begun to feel more and more comfortable in her new 'home away from homes'. She had started to talk to more people and found a great deal of reassurance in the fact that she was not the only person suffering. She drew this conclusion with great ease, not only from other patients, but also the people who worked in the hospital. Although many people did not say that their lives were complex and overwhelming, she saw it in their faces and eyes and recognised it to be he same look she saw in her own face in the hospital and at 1630 Revello Drive. After the visit from the faux Spike, her thoughts felt clearer and like her own once again. Her head no longer felt as though hundreds of little people had crawled into it and were all whispering something different. Buffy began to think that this was a cause for concern as she had originally thought that the doctor's visit would create more chaos than ever.
A tiny knock came at the door and a small trolley was wheeled in directly after. Buffy recognised it as one of the nurses called Terry who was generally on the morning shift. She was a voluptuous woman that Buffy always just had the urge to hug on account of her cuddly appearance and her sweet disposition. She had long, shiny blonde hair that always reminded her of her bouncy, golden Sunnydale locks- in comparison to the short unkempt and slightly dirty hair that she now wore.
"Hello Buffy, how are you this morning?" Terry beamed at Buffy whilst sorting through her trolley of drugs and medication. Buffy simply nodded and smiled a little to indicate that things were okay. Terry saw this and laughed "Yeah, it gets a bit like that sometimes doesn't it?" The woman held out some small pills and Buffy automatically walked over as Terry said "You know the drill."
Buffy took the small collection of colourful pills and mumbled "I sure do." Before throwing them into the back of her throat and downed them without water.
"There are some activities today, out in the courtyard. I was just thinking that it would be good for you to get out into some fresh air and maybe meet some of the other patients." The nurse smiled kindly, but Buffy feeling a little awkward found a lovely spot somewhere near her left foot to focus on.
"I dunno, One looney mixing with a whole heap of other looneys. I think I'd rather have another round with Glory, without Olaf's hammer…" Buffy looked up from the fascinating spot on the floor only to find Terry looking extremely confused. "I just don't think it would be a very good idea… that's all."
"It wont just be 'looneys' as you put it. They are mixing patients in from a lot of other wards." Still seeing the unhappy look on Buffy's face she decided that there was no pleasing some people. "You don't have to go, I j-just thought that it would be a good ide…"
From no-where Buffy could hear yelling in the hallway and she recognised it as her parent's voices and she managed to just make out what they were saying:
"Look! If this is to difficult for you maybe we should just come separately. It would be easier for the both of us." Hank's voice was clearly agitated.
"Oh that is so typical. Only thinking about what is best for you. Do you have any idea what that would do to Buffy?"
"Of course I do! Buffy's health is and always has been my number one priority. You know that!"
"Fine." Buffy's mother was clearly trying to calm herself. "Lets just go and see Buffy. And try and contain yourself for more than five minutes." A short pause followed what her mother was saying. "For Buffy's sake." The nurse looked a little awkward as she had also heard everything while hearing the few brief footsteps up the hall, turned around with her trolley and almost collided with her parents at the door. There were a few mumbled apologies with a vast deal of discomfort, but eventually Terry made it to the door, but stopped just as she left. "Don't forget about the activities I told you about, they'll start at around 3ish" With one last smile and glance at Buffy's parents she vanished out through the door way. Buffy realised that her parents had simply walked in as though nothing had happened, clearly thinking that she was ignorant to their little spat. Despite this, she noticed a little tension between her parents that she had not been aware of before.
"How are you feeling today honey?" Buffy's mum hugged her and sat next to her on her bed.
Buffy, a little shaken from her parents argument (as it had been similar to one she had heard them have previously), just shrugged and said "I've been better." Buffy watched her father come up behind her mother and put his hand on her shoulder. To her shock she saw her mother flinch a little. "Well we just want you to focus on getting better." Barely even hearing her dad's comment, Buffy was still transfixed on his hand. She began to wonder wether she had always flinched when he did that, or was it a recent development. It was all as though their break up was happening all over again and it was still as painful as it had ever been. It was still real and raw, even though their break up last time had not been real.
"Are they still treating you well?" Hank enquired moving to the other side of the bed. Buffy nodded and began to think about the hospital staff and she found herself thinking about Doctor Sanguine.
"Did you know I was getting a new doctor?" Buffy's curiosity got the better of her, but all the same her parents weren't in the least surprised by her sudden outburst.
"Of course we did sweetie. We only want the best for our daughter…" commented her father, but was not allowed to finish as Joyce interrupted. "He is meant to be a highly qualified doctor Buffy. He's British, I think he trained at Cambridge."
"British…? No he wasn't, he was American… at least I thought he was." Buffy mumbled, not really speaking to anyone in particular, just thinking out loud.
"Well, he might have grown up in America, I'm not all to sure. I haven't met him yet." Said her mother. Buffy simply nodded, still feeling a little perplexed, everything had become so much more complex of late. Another awkward silence arose, and to end it her mother was clearly searching for something to say. "That nurse who was in here before seemed nice. What was it she was asking you to go to?"
Buffy was a little reluctant to tell her mother about the afternoon plan because she knew that she would want her to get involved even though she did not particularly want to. "Oh, nothing important. The hospital is just holding some afternoon activities for some of the different wards in the hospital, but I don't really want to go, it would just be lame anyway."
"Well this is probably the last thing you want to hear, but I think it would be probably be good for you." All Buffy could think at that moment was how utterly predictable her mother could be at times. She just shook her head and her parents had learnt that there was no point arguing with the 'head shake' because it just wouldn't go anywhere. "Oh, before I forget I bought you some new magazines." Hank pulled out an assortment of her favourite magazines from a plastic bag. "Thanks Dad, these look great. They don't exactly have up to date magazines here at Crazy-People-R-Us. Then again, it's not like I'll actually buy any of the clothes in them so there's not that much of a point."
Her mother took her hand and smiled a teary smile. "Buffy, if you could see how far you have come you would be as amazed as I am…" Her father cleared his throat in the background and Joyce paused a little while she clenched her jaw. "as we are. I mean you are even making whole sentences and everything." She smiled and hugged her mother.
"Well I had better get back to work. The money doesn't earn itself." Her father beamed at her and kissed her on the forehead.
"Yeah me too, sweetheart. We will see you again soon ok hon, okay." Buffy nodded, received one more kiss and watched her parents walk out the door. Once they were outside she listened intently and heard low mumbles. Buffy's eyes began to leak uncontrollably again, but it wasn't until she knew that her parents were out of earshot that she allowed herself to cry. It felt as though it was happening all over again and it was still as painful.