Disclaimer : Nothing's mine (sadly)
I'm sorry for the delay. I know that I said that I would update much faster but life has been hectic. My dad got hurt and he's now on crutches. Seeing as he is the only one who can drive I have to go back home the week-end to help them around and I have to plan my moving, which happens to be in ten days. I'm kind of freaking out because my dad being out of the picture makes everything more difficult and I'm someone who stressed very easily so you can imagine my state right now.
One of the other consequences is that I didn't have time to write anymore. I am so cloooose to the end! One more little chapter for me and it's over. But it's on hiatus. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks it will be over, I will in my new little home, without any roommate to annoy me and I'll have all the time in the world!
I'm done complaining.
For my defense, this is the longest chapter of this fic. More than 6000 words. Am I forgiven? ^_^
Enjoy !
Chapter Twenty Six
Miracle
Buffy knew that something was wrong when she found herself back in the desert wearing a flowery sun-dress. She kicked off her sandals and walked the sand with bare feet.
"Am I dead?" she asked.
Of course, there was no response. She continued walking and tried to piece together her last memories. There had been a lot of pain involved. And then there was Faith. Why could she remember her sister Slayer? She had no idea.
It caught her eyes suddenly. She tried to look at it, but it disappeared as fast as it appeared. Five minutes later, at least what felt like five minutes later, it was there again. Like a ghost, she thought. It was like a transparent cloud in the shape of a human. She looked around and realised that there were hundreds of them, appearing and disappearing. She put her hand through one of them, expecting to find it cold and gross. She was pleasantly surprised to find it warm. Her skin tingled and a feeling of calm and peacefulness stole through her.
She heard movement behind her. Turning around, she came face to face with Sineya. She groaned.
"I am so dead. Again."
Four days had passed since the ritual and there was still no change in Buffy's condition. No one could explain what was happening. Or not happening as the case may be. Slayers were known to heal faster than regular humans. The problem was, that this Slayer wasn't healing at all. There had been no changes in her condition in four days and it was driving Owen mad. Willow had eventually theorised that Buffy was stuck in a magical coma. She had tried to reach her, but hadn't been able to; it was like she wasn't even there. After that, all they could do was wait.
Jack had been spending a lot of time down in the cells, trying to break their prisoner. But he met with no luck, day after day. And then one day, the guy had bitten off his own tongue. That had killed any chance they could've had to make him talk.
When Andy had learnt of Buffy's condition, he had harassed Gwen until he was given access to Torchwood. His face had paled when he saw his friend, to the point where they feared he would collapse. He had left quickly but he dropped by every day. He would sit next to her, hold her hand and tell her about his day. He would kiss her forehead before leaving. Only to come back the next day and do it all again.
Dawn rarely left her sister's side. She would go home only once a day to shower and sleep. She left late every night and was the first one to arrive in the morning. No one knew exactly what she would whisper into her sister's ear, but all day she would talk to her or ask questions. But receive no answers.
Giles passed the days buried in books. He had broken two fingers when giving their prisoner a makeover. Jack had been keeping an eye on him since then, afraid of what he might do while no one watched. He remembered all too well what Ripper was capable of.
Willow and Xander seemed to be the ones dealing with the situation the easiest. They appeared so calm it was unnerving. They focused on the case, trying to learn everything there was to learn. When Gwen had asked them how they dealt with it, they answered that their life had been filled with the same shit for so long now that they had accepted that any one of them could die any day. The former cop found it sad, but couldn't fault them.
Tosh was surely the one who took it the hardest, because of her last exchange with the Slayer. A couple of hours after they had brought Buffy back to the Hub, Gwen had found her friend crying her eyes out in the bathroom. She was being eaten up by the guilt. If she hadn't gotten in an argument with Buffy, she wouldn't have been captured and she wouldn't be lying in the medical bay practically dead. Gwen had tried to comfort her but as much as she loved Tosh, her words sounded false even to her own ears.
The only thing that didn't change was Buffy. She laid there, motionless and beautiful. A blanket covering her body up to the neck with only her face visible. She looked like an angel.
"You are not dead."
Even though Buffy knew that it was Sineya's voice she was hearing, it made her shiver. The First Slayer stood just in front of her, mouth firmly closed. Their connection sent her voice directly into Buffy's mind and it was creepy. She looked around.
"I'm on Death's doorstep then. Because I don't think that all this stuff would be happening if I was still alive."
"You are sleeping."
"Really?" That was surprising. "What kind of sleep?"
"A deep one."
Her eyes widened, "Am I in a coma?"
"That is another way to say it."
This was so not going well. One minute talking to her and she was already annoyed. So, she was in a coma. No need to panic. Maybe it was a good thing. After everything that had happened, perhaps it was the only way her body had found to heal her.
"You are not healing."
"What? Why?"
"You stopped fighting."
Sineya was right. She remembered thinking that maybe it was her time. She had been feeling so lost and depressed lately that it was hard to find a reason to continue fighting. It seemed like a good thing to do at the time. Anyway, something went wrong if she was comatose.
"Then I should be dead!" she protested.
"We can't die without fighting."
'We?' She frowned.
"Hum? You lost me."
"We are Slayers, fighters, warriors. We die fighting. We don't give up, never give up. You did. We couldn't let you. It is against our nature to let ourselves die."
"So what? You kept me from dying and now I'm in a coma but I'm not healing? I don't understand."
"You should be dead. But you aren't."
"No kidding!"
"You are not alone. You awakened them all, in them you live. You gave up but they couldn't let you. So they fight for you and show you why you should still fight. They kept you from dying."
Buffy remembered the ritual and all the memories she had seen. Happy ones — good ones. She also remembered the warmth that engulfed her as she felt every other Slayer, past and present. That was where the power came from; the Slayer line.
"Yes. You are not alone. We are one."
She finally understood what she was being told and why Sineya was using the pronoun we.
"You're the link."
"I am the Slayer. Always have been. Always will be. When there was only one, I was her. Now that we are many I am many. I've always existed and always will."
She looked at the shapes and knew that she was in the presence of every Slayer that had ever been. She turned toward Sineya.
"Why am I not healing?"
"We used our power to keep you alive and untouched."
"You're drained," she realized.
"Yes we are. We have to find more power to revive you."
"Easy!" She frowned. "Or not."
Buffy sat down. She was trapped in her mind with no way out. She couldn't even communicate with the others and she wasn't going to wake up soon because she had to find some power. She focused hard.
"I'm not the brain, I'm the muscles!" She groaned. "I'm so stuck."
Owen glared at the monitor like it had personally wronged him. He was ready to do anything to get a reaction. Something, anything. At least then, he would have something to do besides sit and watch as Buffy laid there, motionless and unchanging. Maybe he could go argue with Xander. He was sure he could push the guy's buttons enough to start a fight. What he would give for a fight!
"How is she?"
He didn't turn around. He just continued glaring at the screen and ignored her. He hadn't spoken to Tosh since they had found Buffy. He hadn't even looked at her. Couldn't bare it. He needed someone to blame and the Asian was the best available choice right now. If she hadn't yelled at Buffy, if she hadn't pushed her away, maybe she wouldn't be lying there. He had watched the fight through the CCTV cameras. The Slayer had seemed so broken. She wasn't in her right mind when she had walked away, without her coat or bag.
"I'm sorry Owen," she whispered.
She turned away, ready to leave. He didn't know why he did it but he started talking.
"She said that the only person I wasn't shagging was you because I respected you too much. She was sure that one day I would see how much I cared for you. You know what's funny about it? I was starting to think that maybe she could be right."
He turned and looked her in the eyes. She shivered as she saw the intense rage held beneath his own eyes.
"You knew how fragile, how depressed, she was and you turned your back on her. I don't know what you told her, but because of it, she was out there, alone, unarmed and vulnerable. You did this to her. Maybe I was ready to face the fact that I cared for you. But now, I don't even know if I can forgive you."
The disgust in his eyes was the final blow. She turned and ran as she felt the tears come. She locked herself in the bathroom and ignored Gwen calling out to her. She could almost hear her heart breaking.
She was there for a while before the door finally opened. She knew she had locked it. But what lock could stand against a properly trained witch? Willow locked the door behind her and sat down on the floor, her back against the door.
"It's hard, isn't it?"
"What?"
"The guilt."
Tosh didn't answer and the witch went on.
"Sometimes, emotions get the best of you. You forget about the big picture and say things you shouldn't say, do things you shouldn't do. You don't understand how wrong you were until it's too late, when your words or your actions have backfired on you. Normal people can make mistakes, but not us. We deal with life and death every day and even our most selfish little choices can cause a lot of damage."
"How do you do it then? How can you go on?"
Willow shrugged. "You don't have choice. You learn to live with the consequences of your actions."
"But how?"
Willow stood up, a tired smile on her lips. She was younger than Tosh but she seemed so much older. She unlocked the door. "I don't know. I'm still learning."
Tosh prayed one more time for Buffy and stood up. She should make herself useful. It was the least she could do. The only thing she could do.
"I've got an idea. A completely crazy idea."
Buffy sat up and looked at Sineya, frowning. If she wasn't some astral projection, she was sure she would have a splitting headache by now. She had spent the last few hours thinking about ways to find power and maybe, if it wasn't crazy as it sounded, she knew a way to get more.
"You've always existed, right? In every Slayer, you've always been there, and you will always be there."
"Yes."
"So, you're more than a link. You're a fixed point in time and space. You're always there. Whenever we are, wherever we are, you are a universal constant."
"Yes."
"Okay, there's this thing called the Rift. It's a sort of a rupture, or break, in time and space. And it's energy. Sometimes, it throws people or things out or sucks them in, whatever. Torchwood monitors it. Even if the rift is active in the whole city, it is strongest in the Hub. I know it, because I can feel it. It's pure energy and feels like it's crawling under my skin."
"I don't understand how it could help us."
"You know that thing we can do when we sense our environment? It's like we extend our consciousness, our power, to feel around. Or maybe it's like an octopus and we use our tentacles to feel what's around us. Couldn't we do the same here? We could search for the Rift energy, grab it and absorb a bit of it. Just enough to heal me. Is it possible?"
"If we could sense it, we could use it. But it is dangerous. It is not energy from here."
"What other choice do I have? I'm certainly not staying here forever!"
Buffy was pacing now. There was no way she was going to stay stuck in here. She might love the sun and the pleasant heat but she didn't like the desert part of it. It was strange, because her mind was abuzz with the last feelings she had received from the other Slayers and for the first time in months, she felt hope. These young girls didn't feel like she had at her age. They still had dreams, they still had hopes. It made her realize that she could have some of her own too. She was not alone anymore; she didn't have to bear all the weight. She had never really understood that before. She could have a life. Not a normal one with a husband and kids but she could have something. She just had to find out what exactly she wanted.
"We're doing it. I'm getting out of here."
The Blonde could have sworn that she saw the first Slayer smile just a little.
"So, how do we do it?" she asked.
"We can wake you but we cannot help you more. You will be alone for your next fight."
"What fight?"
"We will wake you. Your body is going to start feeling again."
Buffy was going to ask what she meant when she remembered what state her body would be in once awake.
"You're not going to heal me."
"You are the only one who can decide to live. We are offering you a chance. We can't help you more. We have showed you the way, now you have to walk on your own again."
The Slayer remembered the blade cutting into her skin, carving symbols all over her body. It was going to hurt like nothing else had ever hurt her before. She looked at Sineya.
"Okay, let's do it."
The first Slayer disappeared and Buffy found herself alone in the desert. She could not even the shades of her sisters anymore. Seconds passed, then minutes. Maybe her theory was wrong. She was going to be stuck here after all. She put a hand up to shade her eyes. Had the sun always been that bright? And was it hotter than before? Her chest began to hurt. The desert seemed to glow a deep golden colour. The air turned oppressive and it got harder and harder to breathe. Her head started to throb and she fell to her knees. Was it working or was she dying?
She heard a familiar voice and focused on the sound. It was Dawn's voice. She didn't understand what her sister was saying but the sound was sweet and reassuring. The desert started to fade. When the darkness had spread nearly everywhere, she heard, "It's your fight now."
For a couple of minutes, everything became quiet and black. But then it was like she crashed into her body. She opened her eyes and her lungs filled with air as the most excruciating pain she had ever felt spread throughout her entire being. It was unbearable. It was like her whole body was being stabbed with jagged, fiery needles. Her own universe was reduced to nothing but this painful sensation. She couldn't form any coherent thought or speech or see anything. She wasn't aware of her surroundings. The only thing that she knew was the pain. So she did what seemed the natural thing to do: she screamed in agony.
Jack looked up from his file as he heard the door open and watched as Ianto came in, locking the door behind him. The young man didn't approach him. Instead, he sat in the chair in front of the desk.
Putting his hands behind his head, the Captain leaned back in his chair. "You want something Ianto?"
He loosened his tie and Jack lifted an eyebrow.
"Are you hiding Ianto Jones?"
"From what, sir?" he asked. "Buffy's beaten and motionless form? Dawn's endless sad whispering? Owen's anger? Tosh's tears? Oh no, I know! Those Americans who seem to eat endlessly!"
The Captain laughed and stood up. He sat on the desk in front of him. Cupping Ianto's face in his hands, Jack leant forward and kissed him fully on the lips.
"I like that frustrated look!"
The young man stiffened and glared at his boss. "Don't mock me, sir."
"I wouldn't dare."
Jack grabbed Ianto's tie and forced him to move closer.
"Maybe I could find some way to alleviate that frustration."
They were only inches apart when sirens blared to life in the Hub. Jack let go of Ianto quickly and exclaimed, "Why does this always happen when we try to do this?"
In a few quick strides, he was outside. "Tosh, what's the situation?"
"I'm not sure, sir."
He scanned the room. Dawn was still with Buffy, Owen and Gwen were standing near, waiting to know more and the "Scoobies", as they were called, watched them curiously from the sidelines. Tosh's incertitude was a little annoying, especially after her sirens had instantly killed his plans regarding Ianto's frustration.
"Where's the problem, Tosh?"
"It's here."
"What's here?"
"The problem. My computers are recording a large spike in the Rift's activity and it's coming from here, from inside the Hub."
"What?"
Like they didn't already have enough problems right now. He opened his mouth to bark out orders when Dawn yelled, "Owen!"
The doctor cursed before running towards his medical bay. Jack followed him and reached the stairs just as Tosh's instruments went quiet. In the medical bay, Owen roughly pushed Dawn away. On the table, Buffy's eyes were open and the sight sent a flash of relief through him. But a second later, she let out one of the most pain-filled screams he had ever heard. The bandages that had been carefully wrapped around her turned red as her wounds seemed to wake with her and bleed profusely. He was by her side in a flash, grabbing the Slayer's shoulders to keep her from moving around too much. Her cheeks were soaked with tears and the scream had been replaced by heartbreaking moans and whimpers. He was sure that it couldn't get worse when she suddenly began seizing. He looked to Owen in panic. The doctor seemed completely calm and moved with a quickness and precision, reminding Jack why he had hired him in the first place. After what seemed like an eternity, she stilled.
"Tosh, the Rift?" he asked.
"It's quiet, sir. There's no sign of the energy spike and nothing came through."
"Owen?"
"I don't know what happened but if I had to guess, her body has just started to function normally. The severity of her injuries and the pain were too much. She went into shock, but I stabilized her. I'm going to change her bandages and keep her in a medically induced coma to help her deal with the pain."
"How long?"
"If she were an average patient, a week at least. But she's Buffy. If I see that she's healing as fast she should be, a couple of days maybe. Not more."
"But she's going to be okay, right?" Dawn asked in a small voice.
"Buffy's tough," Willow said from above. "She'll make it."
"It will certainly not be thanks to you," Gwen accused.
The witch glared at her. "You're too innocent and naïve to understand."
Owen kept Buffy in her coma for three days. When he decided that she had healed enough, he slowly stopped the medication keeping her under. However, she didn't wake up. It worried the others but the doctor assured them: it was normal. They watched her as her body healed almost right in front of their eyes. Sometimes, she moved or emitted a sound and they hold their breath, waiting... for nothing.
There was always someone by her side, mostly Dawn or Owen. Jack had finally had enough and ordered everyone out at the end of the afternoon, sick of all the tenseness in the air and his lack of alone time. He had been hard on them but as he watched Ianto get up and search for his clothes, he didn't regret it.
"Stay here tonight."
The Welsh froze in his search for a second. "And what about your wish to be alone?"
"I don't mind being alone with you."
"That's so generous of you." He slipped into his pants and started to make his way out of the room.
Jack frowned. "Where are you going?"
Ianto looked at his boss with a little smile on his lips, "I'm going to make coffee, like I was meaning to before you distracted me."
He left with Jack's laugh resounding through the office, strangely warming him. He daydreamed on his way to the kitchen and worked the coffee machine automatically. He had done it so many times now that he could do it in his sleep. He suspected he actually had a couple times. Buffy called him "Coffee God" and he realized that he missed it. He frowned upon discovering that he actually missed the girl. He looked away from the coffee-maker and to the motionless form of the Slayer. If he had watched it seconds earlier, he would have seen nothing. Right now, he could swear that the sheet was moving. He put the cups back on the table and walked quickly to the medical bay. He was halfway down the stairs when he saw her head move and her eyes flutter.
"Jack!"
He was now by her side.
"JACK!"
The sound of her heart beat, relayed by the machines, quickened. He was relieved when Jack finally appeared with only his pants on. His eyes glazed on seeing his nicely toned chest. He watched his boss take the Slayer's hand.
"Buffy?" he asked, squeezing her hand.
His voice offered her something to focus on. Because this was it, even Ianto was pretty sure that it was time for her to wake up. Her eyes moved rapidly under her lids as she mumbled. It was like she was trying to fight for consciousness. Ianto watched with bated breath as she finally opened her eyes. She looked around with a blank expression. Her face contorted into a painful grimace. She squeezed Jack's hand and, according to his expression, she put a little more force into it than was necessary. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Ianto moved quickly, filling a glass of water and helped her to sit up a little to drink. After one mouthful, she shook her head and he eased her down. She frowned, tried to speak and coughed. She tried again.
"W-Why are you half naked?"
Her voice was so weak and raspy that it was hard to hear and understand. Nevertheless, Jack laughed. "You don't want to know. How do you feel?"
"Can't move."
"Do you remember what happened?"
"It's foggy."
"You are very lucky to be alive."
Her eyes closed for a brief second and they watched her drift to sleep. For the first time, seeing her motionless didn't cause any anxiety. They knew it was only sleep this time.
Neither one of them went back to sleep. They waited around the medical bay. They thought that it would be best if Buffy wasn't alone when she woke up again. It took Jack a couple of hours to convince Ianto that he needed sleep. So now the young man was sprawled on the sofa in Jack's office. It had been five hours since Buffy had opened her eyes. When she did so again, Jack was at her side immediately. He let her pull herself together, offering his support with just his presence.
After a while, she gazed up at him and whispered, "Hi."
He grabbed a stool and sat down beside her.
"You scared us."
"'M sorry."
"How are you feeling?"
"Not good."
She tried to move but he stopped her. She didn't seem to be thinking clearly or even be aware of her environment.
"Buffy, stop moving."
"Need to move."
"You can't."
"I need to!"
"But you can't. You've been in a coma for days; you're hooked up to a lot of things, including a catheter."
She stared at him before blushing deeply and groaning. "That's humiliating."
Her voice was still a whisper but it was gaining strength as the minutes passed by. She was still fidgeting on the bed and he could feel her frustration.
"I need to move Jack. It's like an itch. I need to get out of this bed."
"I'm going to call Owen. He should be here quickly and let you out of that bed."
"You could do it."
"And be killed by my doctor? No thanks."
"You can't die."
"I can't staydead. I can die, and it hurts."
"Okay."
Jack looked at her suspiciously. He wasn't sure that he could leave her alone without finding her up when he came back. He walked quickly to his office and grabbed the phone while shaking Ianto awake. The young man jerked awake and focused on him, still half asleep. The Captain pointed out the door while the phone rang.
"Go make sure that she stays in bed."
Ianto was swaying out of the office when Owen picked up.
"Whoever you are, this had better be important."
"Buffy's awake and she wants to get up. I don't know how long we're going to keep her in bed."
"I'm coming."
The line went dead. That was the quickest phone call Jack had ever experienced. He left the office and heard Ianto say, "Don't force me to sedate you."
Buffy was glaring at him, perched on her elbows while the Welshman stared down at her, arms crossed over his chest. After a moments thought, Jack decided that he would laugh later. He patted Ianto on the back.
"Maybe you could get us some of your divine coffee?"
"I'm not sure that Buffy…"
"Buffy's right here and hearing just fine."
Ianto glared at her. "I thought that people in a coma were supposed to need days, even weeks, to recover."
"I'm not people."
Jack got his attention back by squeezing his ass and enjoyed Ianto's expression.
"Coffee, Ianto."
"On its way."
It was just Buffy and Jack. He sat back down on the stool and poked at the dark circles under her eyes.
"I must look horrible."
"You look alive."
She lifted an eyebrow and he laughed.
"Okay, maybe a little dead on your feet alive. But it's still better than the last few days. Tell me what happened."
She closed her eyes briefly and he took her hand. She sighed and moistened her lips with her tongue.
"I argued with Tosh and I decided to walk around a bit before coming back to the Hub. I don't know how they did it, but I didn't even realize they were there before it was too late. When I woke up, I was magically bound to the floor. Every time I moved, this terrible pain tore through me. I was so tired. He said you would never be there in time and I knew he was right. I… I thought that maybe it was time for me."
Jack tried to keep a straight face at her words and he hoped he succeeded. He would find time later, when she was better, to give her a long speech about letting herself die and giving up. He filled a glass with water and helped her drink it when her voice became too harsh. And he listened.
Ianto was about to barge in with the coffee when he heard Buffy's voice. As he realized what the two were talking about, he put his tray on a table and sat down. He should have let them know he was there or give them privacy by leaving or waiting in Jack's office. However, something kept him where he was. As he listened to Buffy's words, his eyes never left Jack. He could see the turmoil in his eyes, but most of all, he could see how much he cared for the woman, in a way he had never seen him care for anyone before. He wondered if Jack realized how much he loved Buffy. Perhaps not in a lovers way, but more in a paternal or protective way. Because as Ianto looked at Captain Jack Harkness taking care of the Slayer, listening to her patiently, he knew that it was love.
"I just…gave up I guess. I lost consciousness and I should have died but… as cliche as it sounds, my life flashed before my eyes. All the people that fill it, all the good memories that I have ever forgotten. It made me realize that I had been happy at some point and I lost it. But the most important point was that I could be happy again."
Ianto heard Owen arrive before seeing him. He waited and, as the young man entered, disheveled but completely awake and ready to act, he stopped him by the arm and shook his head to stop him from talking.
"Listen," he whispered.
And the doctor did, nodding his head in understanding. He put his bag on the floor and took a seat next to Ianto. Both men were now waiting and feeling a little guilty at eavesdropping like they were but it was their chance to understand a little more about the mystery that was Buffy Summers.
"Everything changed again. I was many girls and I could see them all, feel them dying. They were past Slayers, fallen in battle. Every one of them had been taught that dying for their duty was the most honorable death. However, every one of them, in the final moments of their lives, wanted to live so badly. It was just a flicker, at the end, but it was so strong! And I felt them, all the others girls, the other Slayers still alive, and they were so eager to live, so happy. They protected me from the spell and kept me alive. Sineya, the first Slayer, explained to me that they kind of put me into a magical stasis until I decided whether I wanted to live or to die. We talked a little and I realized that I was stupid and selfish. I chose the easy way out instead of standing my ground and looking for tomorrow. I have to rethink my life, find a new meaning. But I don't know if I can do it on my own. I need help."
Jack smiled kindly at her and squeezed her hand. He brushed a lock of hair out of her face.
"You'll get it."
"Thanks."
He kissed her forehead and heard her sigh a little. She fidgeted again and grimaced.
"Now, could you tell Owen and Ianto to stop hiding and bring me my coffee and get me out of this bed?"
Jack laughed. "Guys, you heard the girl!"
There was movement and both men appeared. Ianto put the tray down on Owen's desk.
"We weren't hiding, we were giving you some privacy."
"Yeah right," Buffy snorted. "Say that again but with a little more conviction."
She looked at Owen who was all doctor-like and muttering under his breath.
"Am I good to go?"
"No. You nearly died, you just woke up from a coma and you're acting like you just woke up from a nap."
"I need to move."
"Stop being so cheerful! This is a serious matter. You were severely injured and without the other Slayers, you'd be dead."
"I know! And believe me, the only reason I'm being this cheerful is because these two forbid me from moving."
"They were damn right."
Owen glanced at Jack and Ianto and ordered them to leave them alone. He put up the folding screen to offer them some privacy as he examined her and removed the catheter.
"That is so humiliating," she groaned.
"It's not like I haven't seen you naked."
"That's not the same!"
"I'm a doctor Buffy. You're not my first patient with a catheter."
"Yeah, but after removing it from the others, you never saw them again. We work together."
He didn't bother to answer. He helped her to swing her legs over the edge of the table and saw her whiten and clench her fists. A lone tear rolled down her cheek.
"Okay, you're so not ready," he said.
"No! I need to do it."
"Why?"
"It's a Slayer thing. The pain sends a signal. It's saying to the Slayer essence that it needs to work double for me to be able to fight and protect myself."
"So, the more pain you're in, the faster you heal?"
"Yep."
"Is that why you always argued when I wanted you to take painkillers?"
"Yep. I'll take some after. But not now."
"Okay, I'll help you but you do as I say!"
"Okay."
"Don't move, I've got some clothes for you."
He grabbed a bag from under the table and pulled out black jogging pants and a pink t-shirt she hadn't seen before. He saw her look.
"I bought them a couple of days ago, a size above. They're a bit bigger so they won't compress your injuries."
Her right hand caressed the heavy bandage on her left forearm. She looked up at him with anguish in her hazel eyes.
"How does it look?"
He helped her out of her hospital gown.
"I've done my best. Without your super healing, it would have been worse."
"What does that mean?"
He helped her to put the top on.
"There won't be a trace left on most of your body."
"Most?"
"They cut deeply into your back. It will scar."
"How much?"
"Some will be faint. A couple will be clearly visible. Like I said, you should be dead."
He helped her slip her legs into the pants and then to stand up to pull them all the way up. He knelt down and she used him to balance herself, her two tiny hands on his shoulders. He grabbed them and stood up, never letting her go.
"You ready?"
She chewed on her lower lip. "Baby steps?"
He nodded. "Baby steps."
He stood on her right, his left hand on her lower back, his right hand holding her right forearm. They walked around the inside of the medical bay, circling around the table. He stopped when she began to look tired, not beginning again until she had rested a moment. She kept silent, her jaw clenched from the pain, determined to not scream and most of all, to not stop. The pain didn't fade, only worsened as she felt her body healing. Like billions of ants running around under her skin. However, it didn't stop her. Because in the back of her mind, she could feel a warm tingling. When the Slayers past and present stopped her from dying, and when Sineya brought her out of the coma, she had felt the same energy course through her. For an instant, she had seen it all. She had been everything, everywhere and everywhen and it had been breathtaking. Even if she couldn't remember the details, that warm feeling still inside of her reminded her that despite every horror — every pain, every sadness, every death, every fight — life was still a miracle.
¤ ¤ tbc ¤ ¤