Chapter Twenty-Four: Love's Filled With Compromises
"Would you sit down?" Giles asked Spike, impatiently. "You're giving me motion sickness."
Spike glared at Giles and continued pacing around the ER waiting room. Every now and then he glanced at the door they'd taken Buffy through. He thought about sitting in the back with Buffy while Giles drove them to the hospital. Once they were there she'd been rushed away and he hadn't been allowed to stay with her. Right now he, Giles and Dawn were waiting for some kind of news.
"What's taking them so long?" Dawn asked Giles.
"They'll let us know as soon as there's something to tell," Giles tried to assure her. He was worried too, though. He had been hoping to hear something from Buffy's doctor by now. He looked up and saw Spike, about to charge through the ER doors to where Buffy was, "Don't even think about it," He warned.
"How do you plan on stopping me?" Spike growled.
"Use your head for once," Giles snapped. "If you go in there, threatening and scaring Buffy's doctor then she and your child aren't going to be cared for. So if they mean anything to you then I suggest you sit down and wait."
Spike glared at Giles so Dawn said, "He's right. They'll come and tell us as soon as they can."
Spike nodded at Dawn and resumed his pacing. Dawn watched him and then leaned over and whispered to Giles, "I wish Buffy could see him now. If she thinks he doesn't feel, she should see him."
Giles nodded. Spike's concern for both Buffy and the baby had been obvious even before Buffy'd collapsed. Even Giles had to admit that Spike appeared to be taking good care of Buffy and Dawn. He just hoped that this wasn't a temporary situation, for everyone's sake.
A doctor came out and said, "Are you here with Buffy Summers?"
"Yes," Spike said, hurrying over to him. "How is she? How's the baby?"
"They're fine," The doctor said. Spike Giles and Dawn all sighed with relief until the doctor continued, "For now."
"What do you mean, for now?" Spike asked, alarmed.
"Buffy hasn't been eating right," The doctor explained. "Now I understand that's been because she can't keep anything down but the baby doesn't understand that and it's feeling the effects."
"So what can we do?" Giles asked.
"Right now we're giving her fluids that should help but she needs to start taking better care of herself."
"She's trying," Dawn protested. "But everything she eats she brings back up."
"There's some medication I can give her that might help with the nausea," The doctor explained.
"Will that harm the baby?" Spike asked.
"It shouldn't," The doctor explained. "But of course with any kind of medication there is some risk."
"What does Buffy say?" Giles asked.
"I haven't discussed it with her yet. She's resting right now and I want to keep her here overnight for observation."
"Can I see her?" Spike asked. The doctor nodded and Spike followed him through the ER doors. Giles was about to go after them but Dawn stopped him.
"Let them be alone," she suggested. "This is their baby. They need to be together right now."
Giles looked at her and then nodded. Dawn was right. As much as he disliked it, it was true. This was between Spike and Buffy. Buffy was fine and he had given up his right to interfere in Buffy's life "Why don't we go down and get something to eat," He suggested.
Spike followed the doctor down the hall to Buffy's room. Buffy was lying in a hospital bed, her eyes closed. She opened them when she heard Spike come in and stretched out her hand. Spike walked over, took her hand and sat down next to the bed. "How're feeling, pet?" He asked.
"Tired," She said. Then her eyes widened. "The baby? Is she alright?"
"Little Plasma's fine," Spike assured her. "And so are you."
"What happened?" Buffy asked, resting her free hand on her stomach to assure herself that the baby was still there.
Spike put his on over Buffy's on her stomach. It was starting to firm and bulge. Buffy had even been complaining that her clothes weren't fitting right anymore, "You haven't been eating right, luv," Spike explained. Buffy started to protest, "I know, I know," Spike said. "You can't help it but the doctors says that the baby doesn't understand that."
"So what do we do?" Buffy asked.
"He wants to keep you here overnight and he has some medicine that might help you to feel better."
"Will it hurt the baby?" Buffy asked.
"He doesn't think so," Spike said. "He did say that there is always some risk but.."
"Then we're not going to try it," Buffy said, firmly. "Not if there's a chance it might hurt the baby."
"I know," Spike said. "But it's hurting the baby if you don't eat. You don't eat then the baby doesn't eat."
"What about that tea Sarah gave me," Buffy said. "She said that that was supposed to help."
"And it hasn't," Spike said. "If anything you've been getting sicker."
"Let's just wait it out," Buffy protested. "I'm almost done with my first trimester. I should be feeling better soon."
"What if you don't," Spike said. "And what do you do in the meantime?"
"I'm not going to risk this baby," Buffy said, surprising even her. When she'd first learned that she was pregnant her first instinct had been not to have the baby, now she was doing all she could to make sure that this baby would be healthy.
"I'm not saying you should," Spike said. "But you're risking both your health and the baby's if you keep on like this."
"Well maybe Tara has a spell that could help," Buffy suggested.
"No," Spike said. "Magic is what got us into this in the first place."
"So what do we do?" Buffy asked. "I'm not going to risk my baby by taking drugs so don't even go there."
Spike momentarily toyed with the idea of putting pills in her food but decided not to. He hadn't liked it when the Initiative had put sedatives in his blood and he knew that Buffy wouldn't like it either. "Why don't we try not using drugs for a few more weeks, see how you feel, try eating as much as possible. We'll see what happens."
"Okay," Buffy agreed. Then she looked at Spike curiously, "Did we just make a compromise?"
Spike grinned, "I think we just did."
"Wow," Buffy said. "Wonders never cease."
Spike nodded, "So is there anything I can get you? Name it and it's yours."
"I'm not really hungry," Buffy started to say but Spike's look stopped her. "I guess I could eat something. How about some chicken?"
"I'll order some for you," Spike said. "And some mashed potatoes, gravy and a milk shake to go with it. How does that sound?"
Buffy thought for a minute, "I think I can manage that."
Spike picked up the phone and ordered Buffy's request to be delivered. If the hospital didn't like it then they could deal with him. "There," He said. "Dinner is ordered."
"Thanks," Buffy said. She looked around the room and suddenly realized that they were alone, "Where's Dawn and Giles?"
"Probably still in the waiting room," Spike said. He hoped they would stay there too. He wanted to be alone with Buffy and the baby. It wasn't too often that it was just them, unless it was dark and they were in Buffy's bed.
"How long do I have to stay here?" Buffy asked.
"Just overnight," Spike explained. "They want to keep an eye on you and then you can go home."
"I wish I could go home now," Buffy said.
Spike kissed her hand and said, "So do I. Um about these past few days, I'm sorry about what's been going on with Cecily."
"It's okay," Buffy said. "You must have really loved her, didn't you?"
"Yes," Spike admitted. "But not as much as I love you. I'm not who I was then, in every bloody way."
"Much have been hard, though," Buffy said. "I'm sorry that I wasn't more understanding. I guess I wasn't very nice to you."
Spike grinned, "You're never nice to me." He kissed her on the forehead, "But that's one of the reasons I love you."
Buffy nodded. She didn't love him back but she was starting to feel something other than hatred for him. She understood a little better why he was the way he was and that helped her to understand what kind of a person she let into her bed every night and father her child. She might not love him but she was starting to like him.
"Would you sit down?" Giles asked Spike, impatiently. "You're giving me motion sickness."
Spike glared at Giles and continued pacing around the ER waiting room. Every now and then he glanced at the door they'd taken Buffy through. He thought about sitting in the back with Buffy while Giles drove them to the hospital. Once they were there she'd been rushed away and he hadn't been allowed to stay with her. Right now he, Giles and Dawn were waiting for some kind of news.
"What's taking them so long?" Dawn asked Giles.
"They'll let us know as soon as there's something to tell," Giles tried to assure her. He was worried too, though. He had been hoping to hear something from Buffy's doctor by now. He looked up and saw Spike, about to charge through the ER doors to where Buffy was, "Don't even think about it," He warned.
"How do you plan on stopping me?" Spike growled.
"Use your head for once," Giles snapped. "If you go in there, threatening and scaring Buffy's doctor then she and your child aren't going to be cared for. So if they mean anything to you then I suggest you sit down and wait."
Spike glared at Giles so Dawn said, "He's right. They'll come and tell us as soon as they can."
Spike nodded at Dawn and resumed his pacing. Dawn watched him and then leaned over and whispered to Giles, "I wish Buffy could see him now. If she thinks he doesn't feel, she should see him."
Giles nodded. Spike's concern for both Buffy and the baby had been obvious even before Buffy'd collapsed. Even Giles had to admit that Spike appeared to be taking good care of Buffy and Dawn. He just hoped that this wasn't a temporary situation, for everyone's sake.
A doctor came out and said, "Are you here with Buffy Summers?"
"Yes," Spike said, hurrying over to him. "How is she? How's the baby?"
"They're fine," The doctor said. Spike Giles and Dawn all sighed with relief until the doctor continued, "For now."
"What do you mean, for now?" Spike asked, alarmed.
"Buffy hasn't been eating right," The doctor explained. "Now I understand that's been because she can't keep anything down but the baby doesn't understand that and it's feeling the effects."
"So what can we do?" Giles asked.
"Right now we're giving her fluids that should help but she needs to start taking better care of herself."
"She's trying," Dawn protested. "But everything she eats she brings back up."
"There's some medication I can give her that might help with the nausea," The doctor explained.
"Will that harm the baby?" Spike asked.
"It shouldn't," The doctor explained. "But of course with any kind of medication there is some risk."
"What does Buffy say?" Giles asked.
"I haven't discussed it with her yet. She's resting right now and I want to keep her here overnight for observation."
"Can I see her?" Spike asked. The doctor nodded and Spike followed him through the ER doors. Giles was about to go after them but Dawn stopped him.
"Let them be alone," she suggested. "This is their baby. They need to be together right now."
Giles looked at her and then nodded. Dawn was right. As much as he disliked it, it was true. This was between Spike and Buffy. Buffy was fine and he had given up his right to interfere in Buffy's life "Why don't we go down and get something to eat," He suggested.
Spike followed the doctor down the hall to Buffy's room. Buffy was lying in a hospital bed, her eyes closed. She opened them when she heard Spike come in and stretched out her hand. Spike walked over, took her hand and sat down next to the bed. "How're feeling, pet?" He asked.
"Tired," She said. Then her eyes widened. "The baby? Is she alright?"
"Little Plasma's fine," Spike assured her. "And so are you."
"What happened?" Buffy asked, resting her free hand on her stomach to assure herself that the baby was still there.
Spike put his on over Buffy's on her stomach. It was starting to firm and bulge. Buffy had even been complaining that her clothes weren't fitting right anymore, "You haven't been eating right, luv," Spike explained. Buffy started to protest, "I know, I know," Spike said. "You can't help it but the doctors says that the baby doesn't understand that."
"So what do we do?" Buffy asked.
"He wants to keep you here overnight and he has some medicine that might help you to feel better."
"Will it hurt the baby?" Buffy asked.
"He doesn't think so," Spike said. "He did say that there is always some risk but.."
"Then we're not going to try it," Buffy said, firmly. "Not if there's a chance it might hurt the baby."
"I know," Spike said. "But it's hurting the baby if you don't eat. You don't eat then the baby doesn't eat."
"What about that tea Sarah gave me," Buffy said. "She said that that was supposed to help."
"And it hasn't," Spike said. "If anything you've been getting sicker."
"Let's just wait it out," Buffy protested. "I'm almost done with my first trimester. I should be feeling better soon."
"What if you don't," Spike said. "And what do you do in the meantime?"
"I'm not going to risk this baby," Buffy said, surprising even her. When she'd first learned that she was pregnant her first instinct had been not to have the baby, now she was doing all she could to make sure that this baby would be healthy.
"I'm not saying you should," Spike said. "But you're risking both your health and the baby's if you keep on like this."
"Well maybe Tara has a spell that could help," Buffy suggested.
"No," Spike said. "Magic is what got us into this in the first place."
"So what do we do?" Buffy asked. "I'm not going to risk my baby by taking drugs so don't even go there."
Spike momentarily toyed with the idea of putting pills in her food but decided not to. He hadn't liked it when the Initiative had put sedatives in his blood and he knew that Buffy wouldn't like it either. "Why don't we try not using drugs for a few more weeks, see how you feel, try eating as much as possible. We'll see what happens."
"Okay," Buffy agreed. Then she looked at Spike curiously, "Did we just make a compromise?"
Spike grinned, "I think we just did."
"Wow," Buffy said. "Wonders never cease."
Spike nodded, "So is there anything I can get you? Name it and it's yours."
"I'm not really hungry," Buffy started to say but Spike's look stopped her. "I guess I could eat something. How about some chicken?"
"I'll order some for you," Spike said. "And some mashed potatoes, gravy and a milk shake to go with it. How does that sound?"
Buffy thought for a minute, "I think I can manage that."
Spike picked up the phone and ordered Buffy's request to be delivered. If the hospital didn't like it then they could deal with him. "There," He said. "Dinner is ordered."
"Thanks," Buffy said. She looked around the room and suddenly realized that they were alone, "Where's Dawn and Giles?"
"Probably still in the waiting room," Spike said. He hoped they would stay there too. He wanted to be alone with Buffy and the baby. It wasn't too often that it was just them, unless it was dark and they were in Buffy's bed.
"How long do I have to stay here?" Buffy asked.
"Just overnight," Spike explained. "They want to keep an eye on you and then you can go home."
"I wish I could go home now," Buffy said.
Spike kissed her hand and said, "So do I. Um about these past few days, I'm sorry about what's been going on with Cecily."
"It's okay," Buffy said. "You must have really loved her, didn't you?"
"Yes," Spike admitted. "But not as much as I love you. I'm not who I was then, in every bloody way."
"Much have been hard, though," Buffy said. "I'm sorry that I wasn't more understanding. I guess I wasn't very nice to you."
Spike grinned, "You're never nice to me." He kissed her on the forehead, "But that's one of the reasons I love you."
Buffy nodded. She didn't love him back but she was starting to feel something other than hatred for him. She understood a little better why he was the way he was and that helped her to understand what kind of a person she let into her bed every night and father her child. She might not love him but she was starting to like him.