Veronica waited at the nurses station for someone to show up. Getting bored, she looked over the counter at the desk. Nothing but the usual desktop items. There were pens, paper, stuffed unicorns (awww!) a weird stick figure guy with swords, and Wallace's medical file? Score!
"Hello? Anybody home?" she called out.
After waiting a few seconds to see if anybody responded, Veronica moseyed around the counter to have a quick peek. 'After all', she thought to herself, 'it's not my fault that someone left this out. That's practically asking me to read it.' And read it she did. Comforted by the fact the doctors didn't sugarcoat the damage to Wallace's arm (she had been kinda worried) Veronica went to put the file back. Before she did, however, she glanced at the name of the file that was underneath Wallace's. 'Charles Boyleston. Charlie Boy maybe?' Curious, Veronica started reading through that file as well. 'These injuries match up to the one's that Charles Gunn looked like he had.' Hearing someone coming, Veronica quickly noted Charles' room number and put the file back down.
"What are you doing back here?" A male voice asked. Another nurse. Clearly not the one that came into Wallace's room.
"OhmyGod! I'm sooo sorry!" She blurted, putting on her best blonde voice. "Like, I was just waiting for someone to show up. But then, like, no-one did." After a few seconds, the nurse demanded to know why Veronica was looking at confidential files. Whoops. He saw her. Veronica thought quickly. "Oh. Are they really confidential?" The nurse nodded, annoyed that this stupid girl was touching his stuff. "Because I was just, like, taking a quick peek at my best friend's info." She started sniffling a little. "I wanted to see if he was really as hurt as the doctors said." Voice breaking, eyes watering, Veronica continued. "To see if he would play basketball again. Because if he can't, he'll lose his scholarship! He can't afford to pay for school! He's going to have to turn to crime! Oh my God! He's going to end up shot in some drive-buy!" Veronica fully let loose with the tears now.
Panicking at the sight, the nurse tried his best to comfort her, even though he really had no idea what to say. 'They really should have offered a course on how to deal with distraught family.' he thought distantly. "Well it's O.K. right? I mean, you saw his file. It was just like the doctor said right? So your friend's not going to get shot. Right?" He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "So it's O.K."
"You really think so?" Veronica asked in a small voice.
"Sure! Sure I do! Your friend is going to be just fine." He said nodding vigorously, clearly relieved the girl was calming down.
Veronica squealed happily, and then hugged the man. "Oh thank you so much!"
The nurse blushed. "No problem. I'm sure with your help, he'll make a complete recovery." he said sincerely.
Letting go, Veronica gave him a big beaming smile. Then turned and headed back to Wallace's room.
-
"So where have you been?" Wallace asked as soon as Veronica came back.
"At the nurses station."
"Yeah, about that." Wallace started.
"What about it?" Veronica asked like she knew what was coming and didn't want to know.
"Nurse Flakey came back for the thermometer." He told her.
Veronica's eyes bugged out. Yep. It was as bad as she thought. "And you gave it to her?"
Wallace was taken aback at Veronica's reaction. "Yeah I gave it to her. You said you couldn't find anything weird about it."
"Yet!" She said, frustrated. "I couldn't find anything yet!"
Wallace started to get frustrated himself. "Well did you want me to say to her? 'Sorry but you can't have this back. My friend thinks you put a bug in it."
Veronica let out an irritated groan, then plopped her ass back into her seat.
-
Illyria walked into Gunn's room, still in her disguise. "I have returned with the device."
"Thanks for letting us know. Wouldn't ever have guessed." Spike snarked, but with no real emotion.
Gunn looked at Spike with his good eye. "What's your problem?" he asked.
Spike started to say something, but Illyria beat him to it. "Unimportant. Where's Angel?" she asked, looking around. "We must discern why Champions Bane an effect on the human progeny."
Annoyed that Illyria interrupted him, Spike ignored her question and went back to looking out the window.
Rolling his eye at Spike, Gunn answered her question. "He took a call on his cell. Said it was important."
Illyria wasn't satisfied with that answer. "Why has he taken this call?" she demanded imperiously. "It is paramount we espy those who would attack us!"
"It was Buffy." Spike said, certainly not pouting, or brooding, or anything even remotely unmanly. He was contemplating things with a quiet sort of dignity. Yeah, that was it!
"Oh." Gunn said, surprised. Well, that would definitely explain why Spike was doing his best girl impression. "What does she want?"
Spike shrugged sullenly. "Don't know. He left the room remember?"
Illyria rolled her eyes in a shockingly human way, then started fondling one of the plants in Gunn's room. Looking at the fallen god king's display with something akin to disgust, Gunn asked her what the thermometer said.
Illyria took out the object in question, looked at it, and said "Room temperature." Then went back to her ivy.
Spike snorted.
Gunn tried again. "Let me rephrase the question. What does it say in regards to the kids?"
Spike turned away from his window. "Don't you know how to read it?" he asked Gunn. "After all, you got it."
Gunn shook his head. "I just knew where to find one. Doesn't mean I know how to use it."
"I too am uncertain how to use the device." Illyria stated.
Gunn sighed. "Which means we have to wait for Angel to come back."
"I can see how you made lawyer." Spike told him with obvious sarcasm.
"Shut the hell up Blondie Bear."
-
Angel paced in the hallway, his cell phone at his ear. "You're sure?" he waited for a response. "I really don't think this is a good idea. No seriously. This will only end badly." He paused. "Of course I want to help!" Angel said, getting angry. "I'm not the one who turned my back on someone I trusted without giving them the benefit of a doubt! Yes I'm talking about Fred! She died when Willow could have helped. If Giles didn't give me the God damned runaround then maybe..." trailing off, the vampire sighed. "No I don't blame you, not really." Angel let out another sigh. "Buffy, don't. I understand." He said with compassion. He couldn't ever stay mad at her for long. "If you sided with some immortal evil, then I'd be worried too." Angel smirked. "That was absolutely a dig at your boyfriend. You could do better." Smiling now, Angel continued. "No. I don't mean me." He listened for a moment. "I sure as hell didn't mean Spike either!" he said, looking disgusted He rolled his eyes. "Ha. Ha." Angel stopped pacing and his face grew serious. "I'll do it." He pulled the phone away from his ears at the loud and grateful noise Buffy made. "You're welcome. Just don't blame me when this blows up in our faces."
Angel hung up the phone and stared down at the floor.
