Hospital Visits:
Ch 6- Disheartened
"I don't know if I can do this. I'm a thoracic expert, the brain isn't my area," Dr. Grossman nervously stated.
"Well doc, all you can do is your best then," Spike replied nonchalantly. He added, "And if you start to have trouble, Harms here can start to remove body parts. That should focus your concentration, yeah?"
Clearing his throat and trying to swallow, the doctor waved Spike to sit down. He began to arrange his surgical tools, trying to calm his jittering hands. Although Grossman wasn't in the Initiative, he'd done some research work in HST anatomy when the project was on the drawing board. He knew the delight that these vampires would take in hurting him. He was trying desperately not to wonder what would happen to him once he'd completed the operation.
"Mind the hairline, doc. I don't fancy having the other little vampires laughing at my comb-over when I'm back in action."
Minutes later, after giving Spike a local, the doctor made his first cut into the vampire's scalp. The chip had been implanted in a remarkably small incision using a state of the art bone laser. Though the doctor didn't have one available now, by following the old incision site he hoped to minimize the amount of sawing that would be necessary. He was very cognizant of making the hostile angry during the procedure and what that could mean to his own further good health.
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Harmony Kendall was fascinated. In front of her was Spike's brain matter, all gray and squishy and slightly pulsating. It was hideous. It was so cool!
As she took a deep drag on her cigarette, the human waved his hand in front of his face. As if she was blowing smog into his face or something. It was irritating and she was hoping Spike would let her kill the old fart once this was over.
"Could you move, miss? You're getting in the way of my elbow and this is delicate work."
"Harmony," Spike sighed in irritation, "if he ends up bollocksing this operation because of you…"
The doctor once again sighed at her in irritation. "You really shouldn't be smoking in here. Especially, this close to an open head incision."
Harmony's response was to growl. She pulled herself up haughtily and glared at the surgeon. "And just why shouldn't I smoke all I want and in any place I please?"
When the doctor pointed to the 'No Smoking' sign displayed prominently on the wall, she was mortified.
"Oh, my goodness! I am so sorry. I didn't see the sign at all. Here, let me just put this out," she said as she began to stub the smoldering tobacco out on the wall next to the sign.
She really was sorry. She'd never intentionally break the rules, well, except for the murdering and robbery and stuff, but that was different. That was normal vampire stuff.
Dr. Grossman began to prod at the gray matter with the tip of a blunt ended instrument. He was looking for the chip and realized that his decision time was fast approaching. Either he'd have to remove the chip, or he'd have to refuse. No matter which he chose, it was likely that he wouldn't be alive much longer. Perspiration dripped from under his arms and beaded his forehead as he wracked his brain for a way out of this. He considered stabbing blinding into the brain of the vampire seated before him, vulnerable, but that still left the annoying blonde woman to deal with.
"Damn it," he said in exasperation.
"What now? I put the stupid smoke out," Harmony whined.
"You've got ash on his brain. I'll need to rinse and suction."
"Harmony, you git! If you cause me brain damage, I'm going to rip your flamin' head off," Spike growled out at her. "Why don't you stand in front of me, where I can keep an eye on you!"
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Buffy and Riley strode down the seventh floor of the hospital wing, its deserted hallway eerily silent. It appeared that the army had pulled strings somewhere and gotten the entire floor cleared out for this operation. It was just an unwelcome reminder of how much power the folks in Washington could bring to bear on her at any time, if they really wanted to.
Riley was pale and shaking. Sweat ran in rivulets down his face and Buffy was keeping a tight hold around his middle, letting him lean into her as they walked. His chest was on fire and he was starting to worry that she'd found him too late. If this wasn't a heart attack, it was the closest he'd ever want to get. Following closely behind the two of them was Nurse Greene.
As they came around a corner and down a connecting hallway, they saw Graham lying on the floor. Next to him kneeling was a red head vaguely familiar to Riley. As Veronica rushed around Buffy and Riley to attend to the stricken and still unconscious Graham, the red headed soldier approached.
"Colonel," he saluted, despite the fact that Riley technically didn't have a rank anymore.
"Banks, right?"
"Yessir. We've got two hostiles in the operating room, sir. They've got the doctor. I didn't think it would be a good idea to bust in on my own and the Major is out."
"Do you know who the hostiles are?"
"Major Miller called one of them Hostile 17. The other is a blonde woman, but she's a vampire, sir."
"God dammit," Buffy hissed. "Spike! And the blonde can only be Harmony. I owe that bitch for touching Dawn."
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On the fourth floor of the hospital, Joyce sat on a gurney wearing a patient robe. In front of her on a lighted panel were the ghostly images of the inside of her head. An older gentleman, Dr. Baines, glanced over at her as he pointed out a dark smudge on the film. It looked like someone had accidentally brushed a finger against the plate while developing the pictures. It was much worse than that.
Dr. Baines looked at her in sympathy. The sort of false, clinical sympathy that made her want to grab a hold of him and shake him until he fell apart at the seams. She didn't do this. Instead she struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to overwhelm her at any moment.
"I'll give you a few minutes alone, while I check the surgical schedule. Can I have the nurses call someone for you," Dr. Baines asked her.
Joyce went to answer, but found that sound wouldn't come. She could only shake her head 'no'. As he told her he was sorry and left the room, her entire being was focused on a small dark smudge on a backlit sheet of plastic. She cried softly and wondered if Hank would be there for the girls if the time came.
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Doctor Grossman glanced over the vampire's exposed brain and eyed the other vampire. This 'Harmony' demon appeared restless and bored. She was chewing a thumbnail and pacing…sighing and watching the clock tick. With her attention so diverted, the doctor made up his mind.
Slipping bloodied gloved fingers into his pants pocket, he grabbed the first coin he felt. Slipping what turned out to be a penny onto the vampire's brain matter, he next grabbed a pair of tiny forceps. Acting in a, he hoped, convincing manner, he worked the forceps over the penny before grabbing it up. Making sure it was completely obscured with blood and bits of brain; he announced the successful removal of the chip and dropped the penny into a small silver dish.
Harmony jumped up and down in place and clapped her hands. She was giddy with excitement. So much so, she morphed into her human visage and grabbed Spike by the face. She leaned into him and kissed him with a loud smack.
Spike, for his part, felt nothing but a wild sense of anticipation and freedom. He'd been hobbled for way too long. He couldn't wait for the next time that the Slayer decided to punch him when he turned around and hit her back. Grinning, he ordered the doctor to get with the sewing so he could be on his way.
Dr. Grossman did as instructed. He was fervently praying that the two vampires would keep their word to leave him be. If he was very, very lucky, they'd be long gone before they discovered his duplicity. He intended to be back on the Sunnydale Army base and petitioning for a transfer before twilight set.
He just snipped the last of the stitches in the vampire's scalp and told them he was through. Waiting to see what they would do next, he stood shivering. Harmony had re-assumed her fanged appearance, making the doctor even more apprehensive. The other one, Spike, seemed in good spirits and only laughed at the pale human in front of him.
"Relax, doc. You kept you're end of the bargain up, I'll keep mine. Let's go Harmony. We've got a city of people to terrorize."
"Can I eat the soldiers on the way out?"
"You know, I think we both can," he laughed evilly.
Buffy and the soon-to-be meals burst into the room. Spike's face fell for an instance, before he remembered that he could kick Buffy's ass now. He wouldn't kill her, he still planned on the two of them hooking up for some good times, but he would show her he wasn't the harmless puppy anymore. Harmony gasped in fear and immediately launched herself behind Spike. She was still in immortal terror of the Slayer, who was now purposefully striding across the room.
To either side of her stood the red-headed soldier they'd waylaid in the hallway and Riley Finn, looking a little worse for wear. Spike grinned even wider. He'd been waiting a long time to get a piece of commando-boy and not even Buffy was going to stop him from feasting on that piece.
"You prick," Buffy shot at Spike.
"What can I say, gorgeous? Sooner or later, the Big Bad was bound to return."
As the three white hats charged, Spike grabbed Harmony and literally through her into them. Slamming into Buffy, they both dropped to the floor with the vampire on top of the Slayer. This left Spike free to perform a cross room jump to land in front of Finn.
On the floor, Harmony was struggling to get her limbs under her. Spike threw me at her! He's trying to get me dead, that jerk!
"I'm sorry, Buffy! This wasn't my idea, okay! Don't stake me!"
Buffy grabbed a hold of Harmony and threw her across the room. While Banks was rushing to the doctor's side to protect him, Spike and Riley cautiously sized each other up.
"I've been waiting for this for quite a while Finn," Spike menaced.
Riley went to round house kick the vampire but found him self unable to follow through. Spike easily blocked the blow. As Spike readied himself to return his first punch post-chipping, Riley folded to the floor. Gasping in pain, Spike saw him grab his chest.
"Riley," Buffy yelled as she started to run toward their position.
Spike pulled back a black-booted foot to kick the soldier while he was down, but found himself clutching his head and screaming in pain. As he swung around with a questioning look, Doctor Grossman held up what was clearly a penny and shrugged.
Buffy punched Spike, sending him reeling to the floor. Still disoriented by the electric shock of the chip, he found himself unable to react. Fortunately, the soldier was still more worried about defending the doctor than attacking. Buffy was too busy tending to Riley. When Harmony grabbed him and hissed it was time to go, he didn't argue but followed her out.
As they ran, they leaped over Graham's unconscious form scaring a scream from the nurse that remained near him. She watched them dash down the hallway, frantically avoiding shafts of sunlight or barreling through them with little yells.
She heard the female demon whine, "And I didn't even get a bite from any of them…." as they disappeared from sight.
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End Ch 6