“Buffy?” Spike peeked into Buffy’s hospital room nervously, suddenly afraid to step inside. When he’d finally gone back to the others, grateful that none of them had been there to witness his breakdown, the doctor had been there. Spike had only stayed long enough to find out that Buffy was awake and what room she was in, then he’d rushed off to see her.
Buffy smiled weakly and struggled to sit up. “Spike! You’re here.”
Horrifying thoughts of head traumas and amnesia instantly forgotten, Spike hurried over to the bed and gently pushed her back down. “Don’t get up, luv. You need to rest.” Spike swallowed when he saw how pale Buffy was. He longed to take her in his arms, but was afraid of hurting her. He looked around the room for something to sit on, but Buffy patted the bed, indicating that he should sit down next to her.
“For crying out loud, Spike. Sit down, will you? I’m not dying.” She frowned when he didn’t return the smile. “Spike, I’m fine. Really, I just…” A thought suddenly hit her and she gasped in horror. “Oh my God! I must look awful!” Running a shaky hand over her face and through her hair, she let out an ‘eeep’ and hid deep down under the covers.
Spike couldn’t help but chuckling. “Buffy, you look great. Come on, pet, get back up here.”
“No. Don’t look at me!” Her voice sounded muffled.
Rolling his eyes, Spike sat down on the bed and pulled the covers away from her. Buffy glared at him and pouted. Ignoring her, Spike leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Buffy, you’ll always look beautiful to me.”
The look in her eyes softened. “Really? You’re not just saying that?”
Her face was covered with large cuts and bruises, but to Spike, none of that mattered. All he cared about was the fact that Buffy was awake and that she would be okay. “Buffy, I was so worried about you. I couldn’t bear losing you, I…” He forced back a sob, desperate to keep more tears from falling.
Buffy reached out her hand towards his face, gently cupping his cheek. “Sweetie, I’m okay, don’t worry. The doctor said I was lucky to get away with a concussion and a sprained ankle. And I feel so much better now that you’re here.” She was relieved to see that her words seemed to get through to him, and smiled when he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, gently.
After throwing his suitcase in the trunk of his car, Riley jumped into the front seat, nervously fumbling with the key. He’d made an anonymous phone call to the hospital, and was informed that Buffy was now awake. He’d made a mistake coming here; he should’ve just stayed in LA. Deep down, he’d suspected all along that Buffy wouldn’t take him back, but he just couldn’t accept that. Not because he loved her, but because of his ego. And when he’d found out that Buffy had moved on, he’d just seen red.
The realization that Buffy could’ve died falling down the stairs had opened his eyes, and Riley decided that enough was enough. He would leave Sunnydale, and could only hope that he wouldn’t be accused of causing the accident. The thought of losing Buffy to another man was humiliating, but it was better than going to jail. The irony that he’d planned on using Spike’s record to break up him and Buffy, and now he was the one who had to worry about the police, wasn’t lost on him. Gritting his teeth in anger, Riley stepped on the accelerator. If he hurried, he could be back in LA by nightfall.
“Hi, Buffy. I’m glad you didn’t die!”
“Um… Thanks, Anya.” Buffy smiled, somewhat hesitantly.
Anya smiled back brightly, not noticing how the others rolled their eyes at her comment. Then she turned to Xander. “Now that we know she’s gonna be okay, can we get out of here? We haven’t had sex all day.”
Xander looked like he wished the floor would open up and swallow him. “Anya…”
Misreading his reaction, Anya quickly turned back to Buffy. “Not that I blame you or anything. It’s not like you fell down the stairs on purpose to keep me and Xander from having sex.” Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You didn’t, right?” Buffy shook her head. “Good!” The others could only shake their heads in amusement.
“Bloody hell! Giles!” Spike jumped off the bed, where he’d been half lying comfortably next to Buffy. “He told me to be back in an hour and a half, gotta call him before he’ll give my job to the janitor.” He gave Buffy a quick peck on the cheek before rushing out of the room.
Buffy giggled. Then she became serious, hit by a thought. “What did Riley say? He and Spike didn’t get into a fight, did they?”
The room became silent as her friends looked at each other in confusion. Finally, Willow spoke up. “What are you talking about?”
Buffy frowned. “Riley was the one who told you what happened, right? Is he outside?”
Willow shook her head carefully. “Buffy, the hospital called me since you listed me as the first person to call in case of an emergency. We haven’t even met your ex. What does he have to do with any of this?”
“But he was there when…” Buffy stopped as realization hit her. “Oh my God, the jerk just left!”
Spike had just hung up the phone, an annoyed expression on his face, when he noticed Xander making his way over to him. “Don’t wanna leave, but Giles isn’t picking up. Have to go over there and tell him what happened, don’t fancy getting fired for not showing up.”
“Spike…”
Raising his hand to stop him, Spike went on; “Gotta go, mate. Tell Buffy I’ll be right back, will you?”
“Sure, it’s just…” Xander hesitated, not sure how to go on. “Look, Spike, there’s something you should know.”
Spike sighed, looking at his watch. “I’m late as it is. Can’t it wait?”
Xander shrugged. “I suppose it can. It’s just something Buffy said. About her ex.”
Riley cursed loudly as he was forced to pull over to the side of the road. How could he have been so stupid that he’d forgotten to fill up the gas before leaving LA? He took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down, realizing that it was probably a good thing he hadn’t gotten out of town yet. Though he had no idea where the nearest gas station was, and he didn’t exactly look forward to walking all across town in search for it. Maybe he’d be able to stop another car, asking for directions, or even better; a ride. Although he hadn’t met any cars yet, he decided that it was probably still his best option, and got out of the car.
TBC