A week had passed since they had arrived to LA and the Summers sisters were desperate to get out of that place. The last three days had been a nightmare for Buffy. Her sister was grumpy and everything Buffy did or said made her angry. Buffy didn't know what else to do. She had brought Faith to lighten up the mood and it seemed to work. But as soon as their cousin left the room, her little sister went back to ignoring her. Buffy knew Dawn was tired of being there, she wanted to go home too. She wished she could take her far away from that hospital and make her feel better. But there was nothing she could do for her right now and it was making her crazy.
Buffy finally decided to give her space and take the day off to visit a friend, Cordelia, who lived in the city. Cordelia was an actress, she met Buffy at school. They were both part of the cheerleading squad of Sunnydale High. Everyone thought Cordelia was shallow and self-absorved. But she really was a good friend and tried her best to make Buffy feel better. She knew how much her friend loved her little sister and she didn't want to imagine what would happen to her if Dawn didn't make it. Buffy had went through so much already, she had broken her engagement with Riley only a couple of months before her mom died. Her dad had abandoned them years earlier and now all she had was Dawn. So, Cordelia patiently listened as her friend cried her heart out and explained her current situation. Then she took her to a spa.
Buffy felt guilty for leaving Dawn at the hospital. But she desperately needed this. Not just for herself, but for Dawn too. It was her job to be strong for her sister and take care of her. But the uncertainity of waiting for a donor and every minute she spent watching her sister suffer was killing her. So, she concentrated on getting her strenght back. She would be of no use if she had a heart attack herself. Dawn strangely had agreed and let her go without complaining. Still, Buffy would only be at the spa a couple of hours. She didn't want to leave Dawn for too long.
Meanwhile at the hospital, Dawn was quite happy. Buffy had been annoying her the last few days asking her every five seconds if she was OK. She knew her sister had the best intentions, but when you spend so much time in a room with the same person, everything becomes irritating. Plus, she felt fine. The chest pains were gone and Dawn wondered if maybe the doctors had been wrong and she didn't need a heart transplant after all.
Anyway, today it was about Dawn and her Ipod. No heart transplant talk and no exasperating big sister around. She was cheerfully singing a Britney Spears song with her earplugs on, when she saw Spike coming in.
"Have mercy on us, niblet. That was bloody terrible" He said disgusted.
"What? Were you spying on me or something?" She inquired.
"No, I was passing by. The whole hospital can hear you. You know?" He replied teasing. Dawn was blushing.
"So, this is your room. It's comfy" He observed.
"No, it's not and you know that" She replied with a certain bitterness in her voice.
"You're right. I was just trying to be nice" He said.
"So, what do you want?" Dawn asked.
"I just came to see what have you been up to" Spike said.
"Why? We're not friends." She stated.
"That actually hurt my feelings bit. I like you" He mocked.
"I don't and if my sister finds you here, she'll be mad" Dawn told him.
"Well, I don't see anybody here. Did she abandon you or something? I wouldn't blame her. You're not so pleasant" He said.
"Neither are you!" She argued.
"Oh I am so pleasant. I have plenty of friends and people who want to spend time with me." He responded offended.
"Then what are you doing here all alone?" She questioned him.
"I came to tell you about your horrible signing torturing all the patients of the hospital!" He replied furiously.
"Well, message received now go away" She said annoyed.
"Fine!" yelled Spike before storming off.
Buffy felt like a new woman. She made her way to the hospital with a smile on her face ready to face whatever obstacle they might face. Dawnie was going to be fine because Buffy would be there to hold her and be strong for her.
When she got to her little sister's room, she was welcomed by a very angry Dawn. All the strenght she had recovered that day was lost with a single phrase coming out of her sister's mouth. "You abandoned me!" Dawn exclaimed horrified. "You're the worst sister ever!" she concluded with tears in her eyes. Buffy just stood there wondering what had gone wrong.