Chapter 3
WHY AM I ALWAYS THE ONE
THAT GETS SHOT
Dr. Martin was sleeping on an unoccupied bed in the ICU. She had only had a few hours of sleep when at 9 A.M. one of the nurses woke her up by shaking her shoulder gently.
"Dr. Martin wake up. Dr. Martin?" The nurse waited until she was sure that Dr. Martin was fully awake before she said anything else.
"I'm awake, what's wrong?" "It's Mr. Price Dr. Martin his heart has stopped twice and we were able to get it going each time. The resident in charge thinks that either the hole in his heart has opened again or it has more damage to it then was apparent when he was first operated on."
"Thank you I'll be right there." Dr. Martin threw some water on her face then went into Wesley's ICU unit.
She quickly checked the readout on the heart monitor and then took several minutes to listen to his heart. She could hear the irregularity of the heart beat and another noise that wasn't normal. She could understand why the resident thought there was a hole in Wesley's heart again. She walked over to the nurses station and spoke with the nurse in charge of Wesley.
"I want you to call the surgeon that operated on Mr. Price tell him that I will be reopening his chest in one hour and that I would appreciate his assistance. I also want you to call the surgical resident and tell him that I will need his assistance. I also want a heart specialist here ASAP."
Dr. Martin got on the phone then and called her room at the hotel. Giles answered. "Rupert would you bring me some clean underwear and a clean blouse. I also need a more comfortable pair of shoes. I'm going to call Angel and let him know that Wesley's heart has stopped twice and I am getting ready to operate on him again. We think the hole that the bullet tore open has reopened again or we missed some other damage to his heart that wasn't apparent when he was first operated on. I'll be waiting for you at the nurses station in ICU. Bye."
Dr. Martin called Angel and let him know what was going on. She advised him not to come out yet but to wait until she was able to give him more information once she got out of surgery. She waited at the nurses unit for Rupert to come with her change of clothes. As soon as he arrived she went to take a shower and changed into some surgical scrubs then went out to the nurses station. Giles had gone to sit in the waiting room so she went over to him. He was waiting with a tray of food from the cafeteria. It was just a small meal consisting of two scrambled eggs with two slices of buttered toast, jelly and a carton of orange juice. Dr. Martin took him into the Doctors lounge where they could have a few moments of piece and quiet.
"What do you think Mary? Is he going to make it?" Mary looked up into Giles eyes. She could tell that he was truly concerned.
"I am going to tell you what I told everyone earlier this morning Rupert. This will be a true test of everyone's faith. We know that Wesley has been assigned the task of taking care of the education of all of the children and that he will be the last one of the original team that will leave this world. So yes my faith says that he will survive but the big question for me is what kind of condition will he be in for the rest of his life. Mary and Giles finished their breakfast in quiet.
As soon as she was done she went to the nurses station to speak to the head nurse.
"Has anyone reported in yet Terri?" "Yes the heart specialist Dr. Fernando has called in and he should be here any moment. The surgical resident is here and we have scheduled an operating room for you. The surgeon that first operated on Mr. Price will be here in about 15 minutes." "Thanks Terri. When Dr. Fernando arrives tell him that I will be in Mr. Prices unit."
Dr. Martin went in to check on Wesley. His eyes were open and she could see the tears coming from his eyes. When he saw her he tried to speak but he couldn't speak loud enough to be heard. Dr. Martin went to his side and bent down as close as she could which was difficult because of her height.
"What happened to me?" Wesley asked. Dr. Martin new he was speaking in a whisper because his mouth and throat were dry. She saw the cup of ice on the tray next to the bed so she gave him a few chunks of ice and no more. She didn't want too much in his stomach.
"You were shot at least four time in the chest during the fight to extricate the Meadows boy. You were the only one hit everyone else is alright. Wesley you were hit in your heart, in each lung and in your spleen. We had you in surgery for over eight hours Wesley. I am going to be taking you back into surgery because your heart has stopped twice now. I have a heart specialist coming in right now so I can get a second opinion as to what is wrong with your heart. I think either the hole that we repaired has somehow opened again or we missed some other injury to your heart. Cordelia has contacted Fred and she should be here in a few hours. She also contacted your parents and they are coming but we don't know when yet. I want you to remember Wesley that God has plans for you and since you haven't completed your set tasks yet you will recover. It's going to be a hard recovery but you will recover. As to how long it will take you to recover depends on you. Rest now Wesley, rest." Dr. Martin picked up his hand and kissed it then brushed the hair from his eyes. From the sound of the heart monitor she knew that he was sleeping now.
Dr. Fernando came into the room and introduced himself. They went over to the nurses station and talked for awhile, then Dr. Fernando went in to examine Wesley. He listened to his heart for a good 10 minutes. When he came back to the nurses station he told Dr. Martin that he agreed with her that there was a hole in his heart and most likely it's the original one. But since they didn't have the time to perform any tests they could only go by what they heard in the examination. The primary surgeon that operated on Wesley had arrived and was getting ready for surgery. Dr. Martin joined him along with the heart specialist that wanted to watch. In the mean time they prepared Wesley for surgery and took him back into the operating room.
Cordelia and Angel were up by 10 so that she could get ready to pick up Fred and her parents. Even though Kathleen was on solid food now Cordelia was still breast feeding her so she was busily using the breast pump so she could leave some in the refrigerator for Angel or Lorne to give to Kathleen. Since it was daylight Angel of course couldn't go with her but he said he would meet them at the hospital by the usual underground highway that he used to travel during the day. Just one hour before Wesley's mother had called with information on their flight and when they would arrive. Thanks to Willow, Buffy and Tara she didn't have to worry about getting the extra rooms that they would need ready for Wesley and Fred's parents. The rest of the Sunnydale gang had been to the hotel so often that they had their own rooms.
"Angel I'm leaving now. When your ready to leave let Willow know, she said she would take care of Kathleen for us. Mike is coming with me so he can keep an eye on Fred then he has to leave to take care of his own patients. Hunter is going to pick him up later." Cordelia gave her husband a kiss then left. Right now Cordelia's mini van was coming in very handy.
By the time Cordelia and Mike made it to the airport Fred and her parents were standing in front of the airport at the arrival station of the airline they had taken. Cordelia parked the van in front of them and climbed out as fast as she could and ran to Fred. They hugged each other and cried on each others shoulder. While they were busy hugging each other Mike introduced himself to Fred's Parents. "Mr. and Mrs. Burkle I'm Cordelia and Fred's Obstetrician. Can you tell me if she has been having any problems since she was told of what happened to Wesley?"
"No she has been taking it pretty good really. I am very surprised." Her mother answered.
"That's good. You never know how strong people are until they have to go through something like this." Cordelia let go of Fred then and she turned to her parents and greeted them. Fred greeted Mike and started to introduce him to her parents. "I've already introduced myself Fred. Why don't we get into the van and go to the hospital before they give Cordelia a ticket for parking here." Cordelia gave the keys to Mike so he could drive and she could sit in the back with Fred and Fred's mother. Fred's father sat up front with Mike.
As they sat together in the back of the van Cordelia and Fred held hands for support. Cordelia could feel the slight trembling in Fred's hand, she didn't say anything though she just continued to hold her hand. Her friend had always been there for her whenever Angel was hurt. Cordelia and Fred leaned on each other for support more than they realized.
In another ten minutes they arrived at the hospital where Mike dropped them off at the entrance then parked the van. Cordelia, Fred and her parents went upstairs to the ICU and waited for Mike. When Mike came in he went to Cordelia. "Has anyone talked to you yet?" "No we were waiting for you." Cordelia answered.
"I am going to check and see if they are done yet or if they are still in there." Cordelia nodded her okay. Mike went to the nurses station and asked if their was any news on Wesley.
"I'm sorry Dr. Thompson but they are still in surgery." Mike went upstairs then to the OR as he entered the area he explained to the nurse that he was just going to step inside for a few minutes then step out. She helped him to put a gown on and gave him a mask then Mike stepped into the OR.
"How's it going Mary?" "We are just closing up now Mike, I take it Fred is here with her parents?" "Yes we just picked them up." "Okay Mike I'll be with you in a second." Dr. Martin turned from the operating table and stepped down from the box they had for her to stand on. She could hear everyone laughing.
"Okay, okay lets get all of the jokes over with now. Ha, ha little Dr. Mary Martin needs a highchair to operate just so she can reach the patient. Ha, ha, ha." She walked out with a grin. She walked over to Mike and took her gloves, gown, mask and hat off then went to clean herself up and straighten her hair. "Okay Mike lets go."
"How is Fred doing?" "Surprisingly well. I thought she would fall apart but she seems to be doing just fine. I guess her ordeal in Pilea only made her stronger." "I think that and the fact that she has her family around her." Dr. Thompson and Martin turned the corner and found Cordelia, Fred and her parents standing up to hear the latest news.
Dr. Martin went to Fred. Fred immediately ran into her arms and held onto her for dear life. Dr. Martin held her and let her cry for awhile then she led her to the couch where they could all sit down. Dr. Martin turned to Mike. "Mike do you think we could give her a mild tranquilizer?" "Yes, I have one right here." He took one pill from a bottle that was in his pocket and handed it to Fred." "No I don't want to take anything. I promise I won't do that anymore." "Fred it's not you I am thinking of it's for your babies." Fred looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?" "Your parents family doctor called me to get some information and he told me." "Does anyone else know?" "Right now only the people sitting here know." He held the pill out for her again and this time she took it along with some of her Pepsi.
"Okay Fred this is what is going on with your Wesley. We had to take him into surgery a second time because we were having a hard time stabilizing him and his heart stopped twice. When we went back in we found that he did have another hole in his heart that we couldn't see from the front. When we opened him we could see blood pooling around his heart but nothing was wrong with the sutures we had put in. We closed him up in the front then went in through the back that's when we found the other hole. Apparently the bullet that we took out had gone through just far enough to create a small hole on the back side of his heart and that is what was bleeding into the sac around his heart and leaking into the surrounding cavity. As soon as we repaired this second hole his heart started pumping just fine so we are almost 999.99 sure that we got everything." Fred hugged her again and thanked her.
"Fred I want you to understand that it's going to be a long hard road to recovery that Wesley will have to travel. When we take him home he is going to need around the clock nursing for the first month. After that he will need physical therapy to help him get back on his feet again. Angel and Gunn will be able to help him with that but for the first month we are going to have to hire a nurse to take care of him."
"I can take care of him Dr. Martin and with everyone there to help well be fine." Fred said.
"No Fred you can't. Many of the things that he will need done for him will be to strenuous for you. Since your carrying twins you're going to get big pretty fast. Remember how Cordelia didn't have to even consider wearing maternity clothes until her 5th month I think. Well because your so thin now I think it would be a good idea if you and your mother went shopping for them now because your regular clothes won't fit within another month or two. Look at you I can see how the top of your skirt is tight. Pull the top up higher so that your stomach is free and not constrained." Fred looked like she was going to protest again.
"Don't you agree with me Dr. Thompson?" "Yes I do agree. Fred you will need to be turning Wesley on his side frequently, lifting his head or all of the upper portion of his body so that he can sit up. All of his bodily functions will have to be taken cared of for him for the first week. Which means their will be a lot of bending and lifting. Now if you want to loose your babies then go ahead and try it, but otherwise do as your told or I am going to help your father take you over his knees and give you a spanking." Dr. Thompson stopped for a second then he thought about another threat that might make her stop and think. "Or would you like me to tell Angel?"
Fred looked at Cordelia and Dr. Martin. "Don't you remember what he did to me when I gave him a problem about coming home on time?" Cordelia rubbed her behind as though she could still feel the spanking.
Fred thought about it and conceded. "Alright I'll be good. You don't have to tell Angel. Maybe we can get Gunn's new girl friend."
"I'll take care of that Fred. I want to warn you now that Wesley is going to look very scary. He will have tubes running in and out all over him. He will be out of it for the next two to three hours, but you can go in and hold his hand and talk to him. Talk to him softly with your mouth to his ear. I know that I said that he is unconscious right now but he might be able to hear you. I know that I heard Angel when I came out of surgery. I heard him and he came to me as a dream." Dr. Martin got up then told the rest that she would come back for Cordelia later and she would be the only other person that she would allow to see Wesley right now.
"Lets go Mrs. Price and see your husband." Dr. Martin took Fred's hand and led her into ICU. Since Wesley had just come out of surgery and because of the nature of the surgery they stopped and put gowns on along with masks. Dr. Martin took Fred's hand again and led her over to Wesley. Dr. Martin leaned into Fred so she could talk to her softly. "Remember Fred that you must be strong for Wesley. Don't let him know how worried you are about him, I want you to tell him how much you love him and how anxious you are to have him come home. Tell him about how you found out that he helped you to make twins. Make him feel proud of the fact that he fathered twins where Angel was only able to make one. Go to him now. I will be over here on the side talking to the nurses."
Fred slowly approached Wesley's bed. She saw all of the machines with tubes attached to them and then going to Wesley. She heard that constant beat of the monitor that tracked his heart beat and the amount of oxygen going into his blood. She saw the bag of blood with a line leading into his arm.
Fred practically walked on her toes as she approached the bed. She picked up his hand and held it gently in hers. She bent forward and kissed him as best she could.
"Wesley it's me, Fred. We just arrived a couple of hours ago. My parents are with me but Dr. Martin won't let them see you yet. She said you needed to rest. Wesley I have some good news. We're going to have twins, I found out just last week. I wasn't feeling to good so my mom made an appointment with her Doctor since I was exposed to the measles. They took an ultrasound just to see if the baby was active or not yet and that's when we saw two babies. Now you can tell Angel that you're a better man then him because you made two babies and he was only able to make one."
Fred was quiet for a while. One of the nurses gave her a chair which she thanked her for then sat down. She held on to his hand and leaned her forehead against their hands. Please Wesley don't leave me yet. I love you and need you.
Fred felt someone touch her shoulder. She looked up and saw Dr. Martin. "It's time to go Fred." "He knows I'm here Dr. Martin I felt him squeeze my hand." Fred said as she wiped the tears from her eyes and got up to leave with her. She gave Wesley a gentle kiss then turned and left.
They stopped to remove their gowns and mask then returned to the waiting room. When Fred looked up she saw Angel standing in the waiting room. She ran to him and threw her arms around his neck. Angel took her in his arms to comfort her. She was crying so hard she almost couldn't catch her breath.
"Make him better Angel, make these last few days go away, make it all better Angel. You can do anything. You saved me from Pilea. You can do anything. Call Willow maybe she can do something. Do something Angel, do something, make it all go away." Fred hugged him and beat his chest intermittently.
Angel took her to the couch and held her in his lap. He took her arms from around his neck and held them in front of her.
"Now you know that I can't do that Fred. You know that we all have our orders as to what we have to do before we leave this world. You also know that Wesley has already been told that he will be the last one of us to leave. So unless a bomb hits Los Angeles within the next few months I would say that Wesley will recover. Besides you still have to make a couple of babies with him."
Fred had calmed down while Angel was talking to her. "Angel we have already made those babies. Last week I had an ultrasound done and we saw two babies."
Angel gave her a hug and a congratulation then he hit his forehead with his hand. "Oh no."
"What's wrong?" Fred asked.
"Now I am going to have to listen to Wesley laughing at me and making remarks like 'ha, only one huh, that's okay Angel keep trying sooner or later you'll get it right. If you need any pointers as to how to create two at one time just give me a call and you, Cordelia and I can meet in 412.'" That made Fred laugh as she wiped her tears away again.
"Lets go and talk to your husband now for a few minutes." Angel said as he put her on the floor. "But Angel I just went to see him and he isn't awake yet." Fred told him.
"Well see Fred. I am going to try to communicate with him. I may not be able to but it doesn't hurt to try does it." "No it doesn't hurt to try. Is it okay Dr. Martin?" "Yes Fred, don't you know that a mother can never refuse anything that her son requests. Lets go." Dr. Martin took Angel and Fred to see Wesley. After they had put their gowns and masks on she led them to Wesley's bed. Angel stood on one side and Fred the other. Angel bent down and called out Wesley's name several times. He picked up his hand and held it in his. Angel closed his eyes and concentrated on Wesley. Dr. Martin was standing close by and she saw tears coming from Angels eyes.
After a minute Angel stretched out his hand to Fred. Dr. Martin told her to take his hand. Fred closed her eyes then and opened her mind to Angel. After a minute Fred smiled and cried tears of joy. Dr. Martin pulled them away when she saw that Wesley's heart was beating faster.
"I'm sorry I had to do that Fred and Angel but his heart was starting to beat faster and we don't want it to do that. Angel, if you can, tell him why I took your hands away from him and that I want him to rest." Angel did as she requested then they left and went back to the waiting room.
"Let's go home now everyone. I want Wesley to rest now." Dr. Martin went to get her clothes that she had come with and returned to the waiting room to go out with the rest. It was getting dark outside now so Angel was able to drive them home. Hunter had come to pick up Dr. Thompson a long time ago.
Angel drove right home and didn't stop for anything. When they arrived they found everyone just sitting down to dinner. Fred took a few minutes to greet everyone then she introduced her parents to everyone. They all sat down to dinner then and ate in quiet for a while.
Angel was the first to speak. "When is Wesley's parents supposed to come in Cordy?" "At midnight tonight. I thought maybe Giles and Dr. Martin could go and pick them up in my Van. I hate to do this to you Mom, I know you must be very tired but once you meet Mr. Price I think you will understand why I think it would be best for you two to go. If your too tired maybe Fred can go instead. We have to be very careful with his father Dr. Martin because he can talk to Wesley in such a way that can make his blood pressure go way up. He thinks of Angel as nothing more than an animal. It will be interesting to see what Toby thinks of him. I also strongly suggest that we not leave him alone with Wesley at any time."
It was 7 in the evening so Dr. Martin thought that if she went to bed right away she would be able to make it to the airport at midnight. "I guess I better go to bed right away so I can go tonight. Goodnight everyone I will see you tomorrow morning sometime." Giles told her he would be up in a minute.
Giles waited until Mary had gone up the stairs.
"I wanted to let everyone know what kind of man Wesley's father is. I know that Angels group is more familiar with him since they live with Wesley but the Sunnydale group doesn't know. Mr. Price is a very rude man. He tells you what he thinks and doesn't pull any punches, if you know what I mean. He is very hard on Wesley, and to tell you the truth he is very hard on anyone that is under what he considers his jurisdiction. When I started working with the council I was assigned to Mr. Price. I lost count on how many times I wanted to punch him right in the nose. So I am giving you fair warning. We need to protect Fred and Wesley at all cost. Lets not leave him alone in the same room without one of us being their. I'll see you all tomorrow. Good night everyone." Giles stood up then and left to go to bed and get as much sleep as he could before having to go to the airport.
Everyone got up then and started to clear the table. "Mrs. Burkle and Fred why don't you go and rest. I know it's been a long hard day for you two." "Thanks Cordelia I am very tired. Goodnight everyone." Everyone answered good night and Mrs. and Mr. Burkle followed their daughter upstairs also.
After all of the dishes were done and the food put away Angel, Connor, Spike and Gunn went upstairs to one of the rooms on the fifth floor. Mr. Meadows was given a key to this room and he could go in whenever he wanted. His son was kept chained up in this room. The chains had become necessary when the boy had almost escaped when Mr. and Mrs. Meadows had come to visit their son together.
Angel walked into the room first followed by Spike, Gunn and Connor. Both Spike and Angel had large glasses of blood. They all took seats around the boy. Angel hadn't been spending any time with him because of what happened to Wesley so tonight was the first time that he had met with the boy.
"What's your name boy?" Angel asked. "Jessie Meadows." The young man replied nervously.
"Do you know who I am Jessie?" "Yeah, I heard one of my friends call you Angelus."
"My name is Angel, Angelus is my demons name. Are you aware Jessie that your mind will not be in control of your body when you become a Vampire?" "That's not true, Jake said that he shares control of his body with his resident demon and that they get along just fine."
"A vampires demon allows you to see what he is doing but he doesn't allow you to control your body. Do you have any idea why?" "No." Jessie seemed to be having second thoughts on his choice.
Spike had taken Mrs. Meadows out of the room for a few minutes while Angel was talking to Jessie. He had explained to her what Angel was going to do and how they wanted her to react, which she was probably going to do anyway. He led her back into the room again with a tray of drinks for everyone. The tray included a large mug of blood that had already been warmed up. With any luck this kid could be taken cared of in one night.
Angel saw Spike and Mrs. Meadows return along with the props for the theatrical play he was about to act out.
"Jessie would you like something to drink?" "Yes can I have a root beer?" "No, I want you to start getting used to what will be the only thing that you will be able to drink or as we Vampires refer to it "eat"."
Angel handed Jessie the large mug of blood. Jessie looked at it and took it from Angel. Angel and Spike drank their own blood. They let some of it come out of the corner of their mouths and didn't bother to wipe it away. Jessie hesitated to drink the blood. Angel stepped behind Jessie and put his arm around his neck. He took the mug of blood from Jessie and put it to his lips.
"What's the matter Jessie don't you want to taste what you'll be craving for the rest of your existence?" Angel made him take some of the blood in his mouth. The young man choked on it.
"What's wrong Jessie. I thought this is what you wanted." Spike came forward and changed his face then drank the blood and let it drip down his chin. "You know kid the best part of your first few nights as a vampire is that you get to get back at your parents for any wrongs that you figure they've done to you." Spike went to Mrs. Meadows and picked her up by the waist then grabbed her hair and pulled her head to the side so that her neck was exposed. When Spike grabbed her Mrs. Meadows screamed. Her eyes were almost popping out of her head she was so scared.
"Leave my mother alone you bastard." Jessie yelled at Spike, at the same time crying and trying to pull away from Angel.
"Why are you fighting it Jessie. We thought you would like to see what it is that your body will be doing while your mind will just be watching your demon kill your parents. You won't be able to say anything like 'Bye Mom, sorry it has to end this way but I can't help myself. I love you.' Then you'll just tear into her neck and drink her dry. You know when you do that their screams just slowly get more and more quiet, which is good because it can be really annoying after a while. Unfortunately for your father a newly made vampire is absolutely ravenous for more blood. Your next victim will be your father. Fortunately for you you're much stronger now so even though he will be fighting you all of the way you'll be able to handle him with no problem. So drink up my boy drink up." Angel poured the rest of the blood in the glass into Jessie's mouth.
"Jessie I want you to look at the men sitting over here. Do you see the pointed pieces of wood that they have in their hands?" As Jessie began to recover from the choking episode he looked at Gunn and Connor who were playing with the wood spikes.
"These men and many of the people that they know have made it their life's work to kill Vampires. Spike and I still exist because we have agreed to work with them. But now days most newly made Vampires are turned to dust as soon as they come out of the grave. Occasionally though we get people like your parents that come to us and beg us to save their children from their own stupidity. They love their children so much that they are willing to give over their life savings if necessary. Fortunately for you your parents are well off and they are working to save you from yourself." Angel let go of Jessie and straightened himself.
"Now if you still want to become a Vampire I'll give you back to your friends. Then someone in our group will wait by your grave until you crawl your way up out of the grave and then drive a spike through your heart at which time you will turn to dust."
Jessie stood up and went to his parents. He apologized for all that he had put them through and begged them to forgive him and his stupidity. "I want to go home now, please take me home." The Meadows started to walk out of the door then stopped. Mr. Meadows took his checkbook out of his jacket pocket and wrote Angel Investigations a check for $15,000. "Thank you Mr. Martin, thank you for returning our son to us." "Your welcome Mr. Meadows. Tell Jessie that we will be watching him for awhile just in case his friends make their existence look attractive to him again. Keep him busy Mr. Meadows so that he doesn't have time to get into mischief. I'll walk you out to your car."
Spike, Connor and Gunn cleaned up after Jessie and closed the door on this case. They hoped that it was the last time that they would see Jessie.
As Angel was walking back into the hotel Giles and Dr. Martin were walking out of the door and on their way to the airport. Dr. Martin had rented a larger BMW for the next 2 weeks so that Wesley's parents could be transported in luxury. The one she had was built more for 2 people instead of 4. Giles had learned early on in their relationship that if he wanted to keep his heart beating at a normal rate he would be doing all of the driving whenever they had to go anyplace together. When they arrived at the airport they had the airport valet park the car and went into the baggage pickup area and waited for the Prices.
Thirty minutes later Giles stood up when he recognized Mr. Price. Mary stood up also. By the way that Mr. Price walked and looked at them when he saw Rupert she understood why Rupert spoke of him as he did.
"Mr. Price I hope you had an easy flight. Mrs. Price how are you?" "Very well Rupert."
"Mr. and Mrs. Price I would like to introduce you to my wife Dr. Mary Martin-Giles." They shook hands and Mr. Price said 'Dr. Martin? Are you the Doctor that is taking care of my son?'" "Yes Mr. Price I am. We won't be going to see Wesley until tomorrow though. He needs to rest as much as possible right now and I am sure that you and your wife are very tired after such a long flight." "Nonsense, I demand that you take us to our son immediately." Mr. Price said.
"Lets pick up your luggage right now and get the car. I'll explain everything that has taken place and perhaps you will agree then that Wesley needs to rest right now." "Dr. Martin I understand that you are looking out for the welfare of our son but we have come a long way to see our son. If you don't want to take us to the hospital to see our son then I will call a cab."
"Of course you have every right to do that but I can take steps that will prevent Wesley from having any visitors." Dr. Martin pulled out her cell phone and called the hospitals captain of the guards. They could hear her talking to the guard. "This is Dr. Mary Martin I have a patient up in ICU that I want a guard to prevent anyone that isn't hospital personnel from visiting until tomorrow noon. He just had heart surgery and he is too weak for any visitors. His name is Wesley Wyndham Price. Thank you." Dr. Martin put away her cell phone and looked at Mr. Price.
"You were saying Mr. Price." Dr. Martin gave him a sweet smile. He had no choice but to concede defeat at this time. Giles helped him then to retrieve their luggage as it went around the turnstile. They went out to the valet station and Giles gave the valet his ticket and they had their car within five minutes. Mr. Price was impressed when he saw the car.
"Is this your car Rupert?" "No we rented it for two weeks while you're here. Mary's BMW can barely contain four people.
"How long have you two been married?" Mrs. Price asked.
"One month." Giles answered. "But please don't mention it to anyone else. Mary and I had been living together and Mary, being who she is, wasn't comfortable with that arrangement. We knew that everyone wanted us to have a big wedding and we didn't so we snuck out of Sunnydale and came to Los Angeles without anyone knowing and had a friend of Mary's perform the ceremony for us. Mary kept her last name to make things easier since her name is used on so many things and she is basically known as Dr. Martin. So no one but you two know that we are married."
Giles was pulling out of the airport now and they would be at the hotel in 30 minutes. Dr. Martin figured they had enough time for her to explain what happened to Wesley and how he was doing now. By the time she was done they were pulling into the back of the hotel. Dr. Martin got out of the car and helped Mrs. Price exit the car.
"Come on Mrs. Price lets let the men bring the luggage in. Would you like a cup of tea or are you hungry?" "Please call me Felicity. Yes I am hungry but I would prefer to have something simple so that I won't be trying to sleep on a full stomach." "I think we can cook up something for you and your husband that will suit your needs." They were quickly becoming friends. When Felicity was not being controlled by her husband Mary found her to be a very likable person.
By the time that the men had taken the luggage up to the room that they were going to be using the women had some sandwiches made along with hot tea for everyone.
Everyone sat down and had some tea. Dr. Martin had made some Earl Grey tea and egg salad sandwiches along with some Jell cups and a dish of whipped cream to put on the Jell. She knew she had hit the nail right on the head when she saw a grin on Mr. Price's face.
"Wherever did you learn how to make tea Dr. Martin this is excellent." Mr. Price said.
"One of the sisters was from England and she showed me how to do it." Giles saw the questioning look on Prices face so he offered an explanation.
"My dear Mary is a former Roman Catholic Nun. She left the convent about a year ago to be with Angel and our family. Let me tell you about my Mary." Giles proceeded to tell the Price's all about Mary. You could tell that he was very proud of her.
Mr. and Mrs. Price stared at Mary. Mr. Price was the first one to speak up. "Well Rupert it seems that you have made yourself quite a catch. My congratulations to both of you. I hope you will be very happy together."
"Thank you Mr. Price, it's not often that you can find love twice in your life." Mary reached for Rupert's hand and gave him a light kiss on his cheek.
Mary got up, pushed her chair in then started to take the dishes to the kitchen. When she came back she said "I think it's time to say goodnight now. I have to get up early to go and check on Wesley. Rupert will bring you over at 12 noon and you can see him then. Rupert when you bring them call me first, we may be able to move him to a private room tomorrow." Mary came over and pulled her chair out again. She took Felicity's hands in hers and Felicity turned in her chair so that she could look at Mary.
"Felicity I want you to understand that your son has gone through a lot. His body has taken a pretty bad beating so to speak. We've operated on him twice and we have tubes running in and out of his body. To be frank when you see him for the first time it's going to look rather scary. But don't be afraid, with all of the physical activity they have to engage in while fighting Vampires and demons of all sorts, it forces them to stay in top physical condition. Because of his excellent physical condition Wesley is doing very well he just looks bad. I will see you tomorrow when you come to see your son." Mary stood up then and hugged Felicity then took them to their room.
Earlier in the evening, twenty minutes after everyone had gone to their own rooms. Cordelia and Angel heard a soft tapping on their door. Cordelia went to the door and opened it. It was Fred.
"Fred, come in honey. Is everything okay?" Fred came in. She was wearing a long cotton night gown with a bathrobe that obviously wasn't hers. She walked into the room and pulled at the edges of the robe in order to pull it tighter around herself. Cordelia put her arm around her and directed her to the edge of the bed.
"Cordelia and Angel would you mind if I stayed in here with you. I can't stand being alone in my room. I thought I would ask you to sleep with me in my room but then I thought that would be to inconvenient for you with Kathleen over here or her over there and you having to take all of her things over their." "Sure honey you can stay here with me and Angel can go and sleep in your bedroom." Cordelia said as she wrapped her arm around Fred.
"Well no I don't want Angel to go I want him to stay. I remembered you said he snores and since Wesley does to I thought he could sleep on the couch and I would hear him snoring and be able to sleep." "Ah come on Fred we can all fit on the bed. It's a king size bed. Cordelia can sleep next to me. She's used to my cold body. Although with two lovely ladies sharing my bed it might start getting to hot for you." "I think I can trust you Angel. You wouldn't do anything with me being so vulnerable right now."
"Okay then it's settled, Fred will sleep on the left side and Cordelia will be in the middle then me on the right side. Go to bed ladies and get all of your talking over with. I am going to go on the balcony and say the rosary and all of the other things Father Barrie gave me to do. Or would you like to come out with me and we can pray for Wesley's speedy recovery?" Angel asked as he looked at the girls.
Cordelia got up and pulled at Fred's hand. "Come on girlfriend lets go outside. I know that I always feel better after we pray the rosary together. I promise that you will sleep much better afterward." Cordelia pulled out a quilt for Fred and one for herself then they went outside and sat down on the patio couch. Angel came out a few minutes later with three cups of hot tea then he sat down and pulled out his rosary. Cordelia turned on the small book lamp that she used for times like this then she pulled out her book that she read the mysteries of the rosary from. Angel led the prayer and Cordelia read the mystery and Fred followed along.
All the time they were praying the rosary they all took sips of hot tea and watched Fred to make sure that she drank hers also. Unknown to Fred Angel had spiked her tea so that she would sleep tonight. It was just a small amount so that it wouldn't hurt her babies and Fred wouldn't catch on to what he was doing. As they finished the rosary Cordelia nudged Angel. He looked over to Fred and saw that she was sleeping so he went over to her and picked her up and put her on the bed. Cordelia gave a quilt and pillow to Angel then she climbed into the bed also. Angel dragged himself over to the couch and threw himself on it. Cordelia could hear a constant stream of grumbling coming from the couch. She just laughed then rolled over and went to sleep.
Around three in the morning Cordelia woke up to her feet feeling real cold. When she reached down to make sure the quilt was covering her feet she felt someone next to her. It was then that she realized her feet were cold because Angel was next to her. Instead of waking both Fred and Angel up she just covered her feet better and laid back down. She thought to herself 'It's so nice to be needed.'
Dr. Martin was on the road by 7 A.M. and on her way to the hospital. The hospital had called her earlier and asked if she could help out in surgery since the surgeon on call had gone skiing the previous weekend and had broken his leg. She told Rupert that she would probably be at the hospital all day.
As soon as she arrived she let the appropriate people know that she was in the hospital and they gave her the on call pager. Her next stop was the ICU nurses station where she gave them several orders for tests that she wanted done on Wesley. She also told them that if the tests came back with good news then she wanted Wesley moved to a regular room but she would want to talk to Dr. Fernando first.
Dr. Martin was kept busy for most of the morning by two appendicitis and one minor surgery of the removal of an arrow through a young boys thigh. By the time she had some free time she went to check on Wesley and found Dr. Fernando with him in ICU. She waited by the nurses station until he was done.
"What do you think?" Dr. Martin asked him as he came out to the nurses station.
"He looks and sounds good. I checked the recent blood tests and they look good. It just goes to show you how being in good physical shape can sometimes save your life. If Mr. Price was as bad off as most of us I don't think he would have survived. If everything else is okay I would release him tomorrow. But take it easy on him. I know he lives with you and he'll most likely have the best of care." "Okay, thank you very much, I owe you one." "You can bet I'll collect on that. I checked you and your talents out just like I am sure you did me. I'll see you around Dr. Martin." They shook hands then Dr. Fernando left.
Dr. Martin had a smile on her face as she went into Wesley because she knew about Dr. Fernando's free clinic. She knew she could continue Gods work at this free clinic and she was happy with that.
"Wesley?" Dr. Martin called him since he was sleeping. He opened his eyes and took a moment to focus in on her.
"Well Wesley your heart doctor has passed you with flying colors. I am going to tell the nurses to move you to a private room as soon as they can find one. Then you'll be bathed and shaved and most of the tubes will be taken out of you. I am going to ask Rupert to bring some Jell for you and that will be your first solid food. Don't eat anything else until I say so okay?" Wesley nodded a yes to her.
"Wesley your parents are here. They arrived last night. Your father wanted to come and see you right away but I wouldn't allow it. Both your mother and father will be coming this afternoon to see you. I spoke with them for awhile. Your mother is very nice and your father, except for the few brief words that we exchanged seems to be a very controlling person. Because of what I know of him from that brief time that Rupert and I spent with him and what I know of him through you and Angel I am going to leave you hooked up to the heart monitor while he is here in the states. If I should hear your heart starting to beat to fast I am going to intervene. You are an important person to Angel Investigation Wesley and we can't let anything happen while your recuperating. But that is only secondary to how much we all love you, especially Angel. He sees you almost like a brother I think. The next time I see you I will have your parents with me and I won't leave the room while your parents are visiting." She gave him a kiss on his forehead then left.
It was 12 noon when she left the ICU. As she started walking to the nurses station she saw Rupert checking with one of the nurses. She went to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"I need to talk to the nurse for a minute Rupert then I'll join you in the waiting room." "Okay, just to let you know I have Fred with me also." Giles told Mary then he went back to the waiting room to join the others. Mary gave instructions to the nurse as to what was to be done with Wesley. She waited until the nurse was able to tell her what room he would be transferred to. When she was given this information she went to the Doctors lounge where the lockers were and she retrieved her regular clothes and went into the lady's bathroom to change. She was walking to the waiting room after only a few minutes.
"Good morning everyone." Mr. and Mrs. Price stood up. "Can we see Wesley now?" His mother asked.
"No, not yet Felicity. They are removing most of the monitors and tubes going into and out of him then they are going to move him to a private room. I want them to bath him and at that time they will change his bandages also. That way then he will be nice and clean for his mother, father and wife. All of those scary looking tubes and wires will be gone then." Dr. Martin had her arm around Fred as she was talking.
"Lets go to the cafeteria and have some lunch. I am starving." "Didn't you have anything to eat this morning?" Felicity asked.
"Of course not Felicity. You should know that Doctors never follow their own advice. In fact Doctors are known as the worst patients. When I became a doctor my mother was in seventh heaven because she got to preach to me all of the time. She would always say 'Mary Tares Martin you know better then to skip your breakfast, Mary Tares Martin you know you should get eight hours of sleep each night.' I would just say yes Mother, I know Mother, yes Mother I promise I'll have something to eat before I go to the hospital Mother, yes Mother I am going to bed right now. My goodness gracious Mother your driving me crazy. Then I found myself turning around and telling my patients the same thing." Dr. Martin hit herself on her head several times.
"You know, sometimes I think that when we are doing something that we know is wrong and we have people that are telling us that it's wrong, we just get those statements that gets sucked up by tornado like action and it gets deposited in a brain cell that has absolutely no function. When the tornado like action stops that cell closes up and never opens again except to suck in another statement. And do you know what kind of locks are on that brain cell Felicity?" "No what kind are they?" Felicity was so caught up with what Dr. Martin was saying she didn't even notice the aids moving Wesley to a room downstairs.
"Those locks are specially made by the manufacturer Excuses Inc.. Are you familiar with that manufacturer Felicity?" Felicity was quiet for a while. Then in the next moment it seemed that she grew a back bone. "Yes I most certainly am." "Then you will understand when I say 'Today is the first day of the rest of my life.'" "Yes, today is the first day of the rest of my life." They all walked into the cafeteria and chose their lunch. Nobody chose anything that even resembled a healthy meal. When they got to the table they all looked at each others plate and started laughing.
Giles knew what Mary was doing and chose not to say anything since he might ruin it for her. He was just thinking that she is a very sneaky person. She switches hats very smoothly, and the victim almost never sees her do it.
An hour later Mary's pager went off. She took it off of her belt and looked at it.
"Okay people it's time. The nurse has reported that Wesley is settle into his new room. Lets go see your son Felicity. Fred I am going to take Mr. and Mrs. Price in first. When they leave I'll take you in and you can stay for the rest of the day with your husband. I'll send someone to come and get you this evening. I have put in an order for a hospital bed and all of the equipment that I want to monitor him with then tomorrow well bring Wesley home." Fred hugged Dr. Martin and whispered a thank you into her ear. They all went to the room then.
Dr. Martin walked into Wesley's room first. "I have some visitors that have come across the seas just to make sure that their son was okay. Come in Mr. and Mrs. Price." Dr. Martin stood to the side and let Wesley's parents approach the bed.
Dr. Martin heard the monitor report that his heart beat increased slightly. She pulled up a chair for herself. She was far enough away to stay out of the conversation but not so far away that she couldn't monitor the situation.
Felicity went to her son and hugged him and showered kisses on him. Her husband immediately reprimanded her for showing so much emotion. Felicity stood back and let her husband have access to their son. Mr. Price gave a brief handshake to Wesley then let go. Dr. Martin could see the hurt feelings go across Wesley's face but he quickly hid them again.
"How are you feeling Wesley?" "Better then I did yesterday father. Did you have a pleasant trip over here? I know it must have taken a long time." Dr. Martin noticed that Wesley's voice sounded weak. "Yes it was quiet comfortable we had first class tickets you know. So uh Wesley uh how did you get yourself into this predicament?"
"We were fighting a gang of Vampires and humans that a clients son wanted to join and his parents didn't want him to. The Vampires had painted a grandiose picture of what life would be like as a Vampire. Normally Vampires and demons don't bother with guns but since this gang had humans with them they had some hardware. One of them started firing it off and unfortunately I was the closest one."
"Have you forgotten how to duck. I would of thought that you would of been hit with only one bullet and then go behind some appropriately large item." Mr. Price said in an accusatory voice.
Dr. Martin heard the heart monitor increasing it's rhythmic beep.
"Stop that William. Can't you talk to your son without criticizing him. He almost died and here you are pointing out to him what you consider mistakes. If you cannot speak to your son with nothing but love in your heart then you might as well go back to England now."
Felicity looked at Dr. Martin. Dr. Martin smiled back at her and held her thumbs up.
"Well what is it going to be William?" "Uh I'll go and wait out in the waiting room while you visit with Wesley. Wesley I just wanted to say that I am truly happy that you are all right." Mr. Price tried to hide his tears by turning and leaving.
Felicity picked up Wesley's hand and said 'You know Wesley that your father does love you it's just that he doesn't know how to express himself. Its how he was treated by his father and it's the only way that he knows."
"I understand that Mother but it doesn't make it right. Where is Fred?" "Dr. Martin let us visit you first because she is going to let Fred spend the rest of the day with you." Dr. Martin noticed that Wesley was starting to tire.
"Felicity I think Wesley had better rest now." Mrs. Price kissed her son goodbye. "You rest now Wesley. I promise you that things will be better tomorrow." She turned then and followed Dr. Martin out of the door.
As she walked out of the door she saw Fred coming towards her. "Take care of our boy Fred, tell him I'm sorry that our first meeting after so many years, turned out badly." They hugged then Fred went in to see her husband.
Fred went to Wesley's bedside and they kissed and hugged each other. Fred jumped up and laid down beside Wesley on his right side. She wrapped her arm around him.
"I missed you Wesley." "I miss you also Fred."
Fred was laying further down on the bed so that Wesley could put his arm around her and she could lean her head on him without touching his chest or forcing his arm to be so high that it would hurt him.
During the afternoon they talked about all of the things that had happened while they were apart. When Wesley became tired they stopped and slept. The nurses aid woke them up when she brought a dish of Jell for Wesley. Fred fed him while she continued their interrupted conversation. When Fred came to the part of where she slept the previous night Wesley almost choked on the Jell she had just given him. He knew Fred's mind didn't go the way that his was going. "Why did you want Angel to sleep in the room?" "Because Cordelia told me that Angel snores when he first goes to sleep just like you do and I knew if I heard Angel snoring that I would be able to sleep."
"I don't remember ever hearing Angel snore, and we've shared sleeping quarters many times."
Wesley said. He found it hard to believe that Angel snored since he seldom took in air.
"Cordelia said that Angel didn't use to snore but she thinks he does it now because he is becoming more human. Did you know that they have a little ritual that they go through every morning where they go out onto the back patio. Cordelia has a special stop watch that they use to test Angel to see if he can put his hand out into the sun just like Dr. Martin showed him. After they do that they pray the rosary together because that was part of Angels penance that Fr. Barrie gave him. Cordelia says she usually leaves him then and she makes their breakfast and he sits in the dark corner of the patio and meditates for awhile."
"You two sure do talk a lot about us men. What have you told her about me?" "Nothing that she doesn't already know. After all she has known you a lot longer then I have. She says that she has seen you several times without anything on." Wesley started to get a little agitated. The heart monitor started to beep much faster as his heart started to beat faster.
"How could she we never, Fred Cordelia and I, we never..." "Calm down Wesley she said that you walk in your sleep sometimes when you've been hitting the books pretty hard. She said when she saw you she would just keep an eye on you to make sure you didn't go outside or do anything dangerous."
"I guess I had better start wearing pajama bottoms when I've been hitting the books, as she calls it." "Yes I think that would be a good idea." They laid there for a while and didn't say anything. Fred felt safe and complete now that she could put her arms around Wesley, while Wesley felt that a part of him that had been missing was his again and he felt contented. They both slept for a few hours again. They slept a deep sound sleep that showed their feeling of contentment.
At 5 o'clock the nurse called out their names. "Mr. and Mrs. Price wake up. I need to check your vitals Mr. Price and your bandages. When we are done I am going to let your two visitors get you up and take you for a walk." "Who's here?" Wesley asked. "They gave their names as just Gunn and Angel."
Fred had gotten off of the bed and was helping the nurse with Wesley. "Mr. Price since you don't have the catheter in you anymore have you passed any urine yet?" "No but I sure need to go now that you mentioned it." "Do you want to go to the bathroom or I can give you a container?"
The nurse asked.
"I think I would like to go to the bathroom if you don't mind. Fred would you get Gunn and Angel and ask them to come in please."
Angel and Gunn came in with Fred. "Hey Wesley." Gunn said as he came over to Wesley and hugged him carefully. "I sure am glad you survived another gun shot." Gunn said. Wesley just gave him a dirty look.
Angel took his hand and hugged him. When he pulled away Wesley could see the tears threatening to spill over. Both Angel and Wesley put their heads down in order to hide their tears. Neither was very successful.
"Can you answer a question for me Angel?" "Sure Wesley if I can."
"Why am I always the one that gets shot?" Angel bent forward and put his hand on Wesley's shoulder. "That question Wesley can only be answered by my boss. If I were you, the first chance I got, I would have a long talk with him." "Yes I think I will do that, but right now I need one of you to help me walk to the bathroom." "What's that you said Angel? Did you say you would help him?" Gunn said.
"That's okay Wesley, I'll help you. Gunn has never been in a position where he needs help with the simplest things in life so he doesn't understand." The nurse and Angel helped Wesley to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed. Angel got on his right side then and put his arm around his waist then helped him off of the bed and to the floor.
Wesley felt dizzy after being on his back for so long. The nurse saw the look on his face. "Take a moment to steady yourself Mr. Price. You've been on your back for so long that your blood needs time to circulate properly. When you're done I want your friends to take you over to the nurses station then back."
Angel waited a few minutes while Wesley got control of himself. "Are you ready now?" "Yes lets go." It took them almost three minutes to make it to the bathroom which was only five feet away. Angel took him into the bathroom and held onto him while he stood in front of the toilet. They had to stand their for a minute while he tried to pass his urine. Angel could sense Wesley's embarrassment. "Wesley don't be embarrassed. You've had to help me too often for you to be embarrassed at my helping you."
Fred was in there with them. She could see that Wesley was having a problem so she turned to the faucet in the shower and turned on the cold water. After a few minutes Wesley was done and Fred helped him to clean himself and straighten his clothes up. As she turned the water off she said "I don't know why that works but it always does." Angel helped Wesley to go back to the bed. He didn't get on it he just leaned against it for awhile.
Wesley looked at the nurse. "Can we skip our little walk today?" Wesley was breathing hard.
"No Mr. Price your doctor gave orders that you were to walk to the nurses station and back."
"Okay Angel I guess I have to do it. You guys better be prepared to bring me back thou because I can tell you right now I'm not going to make it back standing on my own two feet." Gunn came over and put his arm underneath Wesley's right arm and held onto his hand "Okay Wesley lets go." Angel did the same as Gunn and Wesley took his first steps to the nurses station.
The nurses station was only about 15 feet from Wesley's room. It took them 15 minutes just to go that 15 feet. Half way back to the bedroom Wesley's legs gave out and he would have gone down if Angel and Gunn hadn't been there to pick him up.
When they arrived at the bed Angel took him from Gunn and lifted him up into his arms and placed Wesley back on the bed. The nurse and Fred got him situated in the bed again after Angel him put down. Wesley was having a hard time catching his breath so the nurse put him on oxygen.
Wesley was surprised when Dr. Martin walked into the room. The nurse talked to Dr. Martin for a minute then left.
Dr. Martin had been working at the hospital all day so she was pretty tired. She was on her way home when she thought she would check on Wesley so she caught the whole episode of his first efforts to walk.
"How are you doing Wesley?" "I can honestly say that I have been better." She laughed at what he said. She was tired so she pulled the chair close to the bed and sat down.
"Fred would you take the oxygen tube out of his nose for a minute or two so I can watch the monitor?" Fred did as she asked and they waited as she observed the monitor that measured the level of oxygen going into Wesley's lungs and blood. Dr. Martin stood up and turned the oxygen off.
"Your doing just fine Wesley. Your lungs are functioning just as they should. Do you feel any pain any where around your chest?" "No." He answered. His breathing had returned to normal now.
"Wesley I was watching you walk and I saw how you were having a hard time. I think that if you stop and think about it you will remember that the problems you are having are typical for someone that has had major surgery. I think you know that with each passing day it will get easier and easier. The first time is always the hardest. I am going to go home now and make sure that everything is set up for you. I'm going to ask the nurse to find you a walker. I want you to get up and go to the bathroom by using that walker but call and tell the nurse before you go. Now say good bye to Fred and well be leaving." Dr. Martin got up from the chair and Angel put it back against the wall.
"Mary are you the one that helped my mother to grow a backbone?" Wesley asked. Dr. Martin curtsied in a very dramatic pose. "Guilty as charged my dear." She turned then and left and called for Angel and Gunn to come with her so Fred and Wesley could have a moment together.
Angel said his good byes and followed his mother to the nurses station. "I am discharging Mr. Price tomorrow. We will have an ambulance pick him up and transfer him to his home. I also want Mr. Price to be given a walker. I want him to walk to the bathroom with the walker but I told him to call you and let you know he is going just in case he needs help. Get a sample of his urine tomorrow morning and have the usual tests. I won't be coming with the ambulance tomorrow so call me with the results okay?" "Yes Dr. Martin we'll take good care of him."
Dr. Martin noticed the look on her face. "He is good looking isn't he?" The other nurses and clerks overheard them talking and came over. "Yes he is in fact you seem to be surrounded by good looking men Dr. Martin. Especially your son." "Down girls down. Wipe the drool from your mouths. Mr. Price and my son are married. The tall black man already has a future bride staked out." Dr. Martin told her audience.
Angel overheard the conversation and came over to the counter and turned the charm on. "And how are you ladies doing today. I hope Wesley isn't making you work to hard." Unfortunately for Angel Fred came out of Wesley's room at just the right time.
"Lets go Angel I think your wife and daughter are waiting for you to return and help with the hospital bed." Angels face lost it's smile. "Good bye ladies. Are you ready mom?" "Yes lets go before you get into any more trouble."
They all walked out quietly. No one said anything. Angel knew he was in trouble.
"You ladies aren't going to say anything to Cordelia are you?" Dr. Martin and Fred looked at each other.
"No Angel we wouldn't want Cordelia to be hurt like that. If she finds out it will come from someone else other then us." Fred said. By the tone of her voice he knew she wasn't exactly happy with him.
When they arrived at the hotel Angel let the ladies out at the back. When he parked his car he noticed that Cordelia's van was gone. When he went inside everyone answered his greeting but didn't say anything else. He went into the bedroom. Cordelia wasn't downstairs and he didn't see her up here. He looked around the rooms. Most of the things that it took to take care of Kathleen was gone. He looked in the closet, most of her clothes were gone. He went downstairs then.
The first person he saw was Giles. "Giles have you seen Cordelia?" "Yes Angel I did. She asked me for help in taking all of her's and Kathleen's things to the van. She said that she didn't want to talk to you right now and she was going to stay at the mansion in Sunnydale."
"Did she say why she was going there?" Angel knew the answer before Giles said it.
"She asked me to tell you 'You forgot about the link between you two.'" Giles saw the look on Angels face and he felt sorry for him. "It only takes a moment of what we consider 'innocent flirting' to hurt our wives Angel. I understand that what you did had no meaning to you but to Cordelia it's just as good as a slap in the face. To her it means that every time you said I love you it was nothing more than a lie and she will never be able to believe you again."
Angel was so upset over what had happened he didn't notice that Giles had said our wives.
"What do you think I should do." Angel asked. I think you should go after her tonight. If you don't she'll think you don't care. But give her some time and space. You've hurt her feelings Angel and I don't think that a new wardrobe will solve the problem this time." "Thank you Giles, I think your right. Tell mom where I went. Tell her I'll bring my family back as soon as I can."
Angel grabbed a few changes of clothes and ran out the door to his car.
TBC...