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Part Two....


(Ten Days Later)

Xander hit the double doors that led
to the emergency room with both hands,
ignoring the noise that echoed in the hall-
way when they banged against the walls.

As he made his way through the antiseptic
smelling corridors, he mentally cursed
himself to hell and back for letting things
get this far.

Turning the corner by the nurses station,
he spotted a sign that read "Waiting Room"
with a red arrow beneath the words.

Is that small and dismal room, four of the
people he loved most in the world sat side
by side on an old, coffee stained sofa.

The other person he loved most dearly,
however, was not there. She was behind
yet another set of double doors that he
could not go through.

** Damn it...this can't be happening! It's
a dream, a horrible dream and I've had
enough of it and I want to wake up right
now!**

Willow saw him first. "Xander.." Her voice
was soft and frightened as she stood up
and embraced him.

He was almost afraid to ask. "How is she?"

Giles took an unsteady breath. "Fortunate
to be alive.

"So, what happened?"

Willow pulled away and sat back down. After
taking a moment to collect herself, she began
to explain. "She was out on a patrol. I was
about...I guess, maybe a hundred feet away
when I saw her, and I was gonna try and catch
up with her...and this vampire came out of
nowhere. I don't know why, but...he totally
took her by surprise, I could tell..."

"Just one?" Xander asked.

"Yeah," she nodded. "So...well, they fought,
you know...just like a thousand times be-
fore. But...I was watching her and...and it.."

Xander filled in the blank. "It was different
this time. SHE was different."

Willow nodded again, her eyes filling with
tears. "I've never seen her like that." Her
voice trembled. "It...it was almost like she
wasn't even trying....like she wanted to..." She
couldn't bear to finish the sentence.

"Like she wanted to die?" Xander supplied
grimly, then sighed. "Maybe she does."

Four pairs of eyes stared at him, shocked
that he'd say such a thing, but fearing it
was true.

Willow struggled to continue. "I ran and
got hold of her bag. I found that big cross
she carries and the holy water...you know,
in that squirt bottle. When he saw me with
it...he let go of her and took off running. Buffy
was...she was unconscious. At first I thought
that...that she was..." Tears trickled down
her cheeks. "I...I found a pulse, but she...she
just wouldn't wake up...so I called 911. I...I
was so afraid that she might..."

Unable to say more, she wiped her face
on a balled up tissue and stared at the
floor.

Xander moved over, kneeling in front of
Dawn. "You hanging in there, honey?" he
asked, taking one of her hands and holding
it between his.

Dawn nodded, dry eyed. "I'm okay," she
said, trying to sound as though she really
was. "She'll be all right, too. I know she
will..."

Xander tried out an encouraging smile. "You
bet she will," he said, sitting on the sofa
next to her. On his other side, Anya moved
closer and leaned against his shoulder without
speaking.

Giles pulled off his glasses and rubbed his
eyes, suddenly looking much older. "I don't
know why I'm actually surprised at this," he
said quietly, drawing their attention. "She's
been so withdrawn these last few days. Not
training, and I'm sure she's lost weight that
she can't spare, so I know she hasn't
been eating properly....and she won't tell me
what's wrong."

Xander leaned his head back against the
wall and closed his eyes. "I'LL tell you
what's wrong," he said, swallowing the pain
that threatened to close his throat. "And
then...we have to figure out a way to make it
right.




Almost an hour later, they watched as a
man wearing green hospital scrubs emerged
from the room where the slayer lay un-
conscious. He spoke briefly with one of
the nurses, who nodded and gestured in
their direction.

As the doctor approached them, they all
rose to their feet at once.

"I'm Dr. Scanlon, and I've been the attending
physician treating Miss Summers. Are you
relatives?"

Not wanting to get involved with explanations,
Giles simply nodded. "Yes."

The doctor glanced at the chart in his hand
then looked up again. "Well...I'm afraid I don't
have terribly good news right now. She's lost
a lot of blood, but we've dealt with that. There
are several broken ribs, but no serious organ
damage."

He took a deep breath before hitting them
with the worst of it. "The blow to her head was
severe. She has a subdural hematoma...a
deep bruise and swelling on the brain...and it's
put her into a coma."

"Oh, God," Willow moaned, clutching Giles'
hand.

The watcher's voice was shaky. "And...and her
prognosis?"

Dr. Scanlon shrugged. "It's wait and see right
now. We want to give her time to wake up on
her own, if she's going to. I'm hoping surgery
won't be necessary...um, she appears to be at
least ten pounds below an ideal weight. Has she
been ill recently?"

They all glanced at each other. "She's had
some...emotional upheavals," Giles answered.
"She lost her mother not long ago, and...well
it's been difficult."

"I see," the doctor nodded. "Listen...I'm sorry
that I don't have anything better to tell you
right now, but it really is touch and go at the
moment." He gave them a time to absorb these
words, then said, "I'm sending her up to Intensive
Care for now, and I've placed a call to Martin Daley.
He's one of the best neurologists in the state."

He walked them towards the elevator. "My advice
for all of you would be to go home and get some
rest...but I'm doubting that you're going to follow
it."

Giles shook his head. "I'm afraid not. She's...she's
very important to us."

"I can see that," Dr. Scanlon said, giving them
a sympathetic smile. "The ICU is on the fifth floor,
and it has a much more comfortable waiting room.
I'll come up and talk to you again when Dr. Daley
arrives."

They murmured their thanks as he returned to
the nurses station, then fell silent as they waited
for the elevator.

Xander was the first to speak. "You guys go on
upstairs. I have to make a phone call first."

When the elevator doors slid shut, he pulled a
handful of change from his pocket. Returning to
the waiting area, he began feeding coins into the
payphone, then listened to the beeps and clicks
as his call was put through.

The number rang four times before it was an-
swered.

"Hi, it's Xander...I've been better...Something's hap-
pened....Yeah, it's pretty bad...We need your
help...SHE needs your help...I think you may be
the only one who can...Okay, just listen, cause it's
one hell of a story...."


TBC.....
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