Chapter Twenty-Six
Baby Steps
Spike whizzed along the corridors to the therapy room for his morning session with Brad. He was feeling pretty good. His legs seemed to be getting stronger by the second let alone the day. Spike wondered whether he’d finally learnt how to tap into the enhanced healing powers properly. He smirked as he recalled the lovemaking that he’d just enjoyed. If Buffy’s reactions were anything to go by then he was certainly getting more active during the course of it.
Spike pushed open the door to the therapy room and then brought himself to an abrupt stop when he saw Brad.
“Morning, Spike.”
“Morning,” replied Spike, eyeing the apparatus that Brad was holding, “So today’s the day, huh?”
“Yes, I think you’re ready. We’ll go through a few exercises to warm you up and then introduce you to your new best friend,” he said, patting the metal walking frame at his side.
“Okay.”
Spike got onto the bed and worked with Brad for about ten minutes.
“Okay, I’ll just go and get a couple of nurses to help us and then we’ll see how you do with the frame.”
Spike nodded. Whilst he was waiting for Brad he stared at his legs. “Don’t let me down all right?” he muttered.
“Ready?” asked Brad when he returned.
“If you think I am, then I am,” said Spike.
Brad explained how Spike had to hold the frame and that Carl and Ted would be there to help him should he lose his balance.
“You’re going to have to take most of your weight on your hands to begin with, so it’s going to be difficult, okay? We’ll just get you to stand and see how it goes from there.”
“Okay,” said Spike.
He sat on the edge of the bed with his feet touching the ground. Brad positioned the frame correctly so that Spike could hold onto it in the right places. Brad stood in front of him and Carl and Ted put their hands under Spike’s arms and helped him to his feet.
“Great, now support yourself on your hands. Don’t ask too much of your legs, “encouraged Brad, “Just put your feet a little further apart – that’s it.”
Spike leaned on the frame and got his balance. He didn’t look around as Carl and Ted released their grip on him because he was concentrating too hard. His legs wobbled a bit but held him upright.
“Don’t forget to breathe,” said Brad, grinning at him.
“Right,” replied Spike with a faint smile. He hadn’t even realised that he was holding it.
“So how do you feel about taking a step?”
“Um…I’m not sure,” said Spike quietly. He was afraid, quite literally, of taking the next step in his recovery.
“You’ll be fine, Spike. You’re seriously strong in your upper body and we’re here to catch you if you should fall,” coaxed Brad before explaining how to move the frame forwards just a little and then step towards it.
“Okay.”
Spike bit his lip, concentrated on his balance and slid the frame forward by about six inches. He then asked his left leg to step forward first as it was the strongest. He then shuffled his right to meet it. He glanced up at Brad and smiled.
Brad grinned at him, “You’re doing it, Spike, you’re walking.”
Spike repeated his actions another six times before Brad noticed him beginning to tire and got him to sit back down in the wheelchair that Ted brought up for him. Spike sat down gratefully. He glanced back at how far he had come. It was only a few feet but he’d done it under his own power. He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
“I did it,” he said quietly.
“Damn straight you did,” said Brad, giving him a pat on his shoulder. “As usual you’ve amazed me at how well you’re progressing.”
“Thanks, mate,” replied Spike. It was a shame that he couldn’t be honest with Brad about why he was healing so well. He had a horrible feeling that Brad might expect the same results from his other patients.
“We’ll still do the session in the pool each afternoon,” said Brad, “And you have to promise me that you won’t try to walk unless you’re with me, okay?”
“Okay,” said Spike, “I won’t.”
Brad gave him a hard stare. “I mean it.”
Spike laughed, “I know, don’t worry. I’ll stick with my wheels for now. Rate I was going, it’d take me about two hours to get to the bathroom anyway.”
“That’s a good point,” replied Brad smiling broadly, “Let’s do some work with the weights now.”
Spike rolled over to the equipment and had a thorough workout. As ever pushing himself hard made him feel good, so he was tired but well satisfied as he went back to meet Buffy.
She was curled up on the couch reading a magazine when he got back to their room.
“Hey, honey, how did you do?”
“Good, thanks,” said Spike, going over to her and taking her hand, “Did something a bit different this morning.”
“Yeah? What was it?”
Spike grinned at her and raised his eyebrows.
“Oh my God! You didn’t? I should have been there. Oh Spike, you did it, you walked.” She flung her arms around him.
“Shuffled would be more accurate.”
“I don’t care! Oh, I’m so proud of you,” she said, kissing him, “What did it feel like?”
“A bit weird and a bit wobbly,” said Spike, “But it was great, even though I could only do a few baby steps before they were going to give out on me.”
“It’s happening, Spike, it’s really happening.” Her eyes glistened with tears.
“I’ll be racing you in no time,” said Spike, for once allowing himself to really hope for the future. “I was always faster than you.”
“No, you were not,” protested Buffy.
“Then how come I always managed to give you the slip?”
“Because, even way back then, I never really wanted to stake you, I guess.” She smiled.
“Irresistible, that’s me,” smirked Spike.
“Oh, yeah. God’s gift, that’s what you are,” said Buffy sarcastically.
“You’re here, aren’t you?” He grinned.
“Yes, but I’ve always had way bad taste in men,” stated Buffy.
“Not anymore, love. Mind you, how you could fall for tall, dark and forehead I’ll never know,” said Spike, unable to resist poking fun at Angel even when he wasn’t around to hear it.
“And then there was Parker, he was a real stand up guy,” added Buffy.
“Oh yeah, he really played you, Slayer, didn’t he? I felt kind of sorry for you that day.”
“Sorry for me? You threw me through a glass table and tried to kill me.”
“Um…yeah…anyway, you tried to burn me up when you took the Gem of Amara off me. So I’m not taking the blame for that little encounter,” said Spike. “And your bloody soldier boy staked me one time!”
“Riley? He staked you? How come you didn’t dust? He was always a pretty accurate aim,” replied Buffy.
“Don’t sound so bleeding proud of him,” grumbled Spike. “He did hit the mark only the stake was just ‘wood effect’ and not real. Really sodding hurt.”
“Aw, poor wittle Spikey,” trilled Buffy, chuckling at him, “Want me to kiss it all better?”
“Shift over so I can get on there with you,” said Spike.
He manoeuvred himself onto the couch as Buffy wriggled back.
“So where are you gonna start with the kissing?”
Buffy put her hand on the bulge in his pants, “Um…was thinking of somewhere around here?”
“Sounds good to me, pet,” laughed Spike.
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That evening they lay snuggled up to each other on the couch watching TV. They didn’t notice the figure peering in at them. They has left the drapes open and the light inside made their observer invisible to them in the blackness outside, but offered a clear view of the couple. The figure growled quietly as they started to kiss.
“The time will come,” it muttered.
00000000
Um…Buffy,” Spike said hesitantly as they lay in bed.
“Yeah?”
“Er…you know how we were talking about your old boyfriends?”
Buffy shifted so that she could look at him, “Yeah.”
“Well, I was wondering…why were you with the Immortal?
There, he’d said it. He’d finally asked the question that he’d wanted to for so long. He avoided her eye.
“What?” exclaimed Buffy and then started to laugh.
Spike glared at her which made her laugh even harder. Spike started to sulk.
“I’m sorry,” gasped Buffy, “It’s just…where in hell did you get that idea from?”
“Angel had a man watching you and you beat him up when you spotted him watching you and the Immortal.” Buffy opened her mouth to protest but Spike cut her off, “Don’t deny it, I saw you dancing with the git,” he snapped.
Buffy laughed again, much to Spike’s fury. He sat up and would have got out of bed and stormed off if it wasn’t for the fact the effect would be spoiled by him having to get into the chair first.
Buffy stopped laughing when she realised how upset Spike was getting. She put her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Spike, I shouldn’t have laughed,” she said sincerely.
“Hmpht,” said Spike.
“Just think for a minute. You said a man, so was it a human that was following me?”
“Yeah, what of it?”
“When have I ever beaten up humans?”
“Um…never, before then anyway.”
“Never, period. Spike,” said Buffy, “I just can’t do it. Someone did follow me when I was with the Immortal but it was one of his minions that beat the guy up.”
“So you admit that you were with him then?” said Spike, sounding a little whiney.
“I was ‘walking’ with him. I was never ‘with’ him.”
“But you were dancing with him.”
“I’ve danced with Xander but I’ve never been ‘with’ him,” said Buffy, losing patience, “Look, the Immortal runs Rome. He had connections everywhere. I had to deal with him from time to time, but as long as he didn’t hurt my young slayers I left him alone.”
“But Andrew said…”
“What did he say?” snapped Buffy, “When he came to retrieve Dana, I hadn’t even made contact with the Immortal then.”
“No, not then,” said Spike.
He realised that this was an argument that he was going to lose. He should have trusted his instincts that she’d never have been attracted to the Immortal. But, God, it had hurt so much when he’d seen her dancing with him.
“Me and Angel came to Rome on business and called in at your apartment. Andrew was there. He told us that you were out with the Immortal and that he was glad that you weren’t spending another night in smooching on the sofa.”
Buffy bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing again. Stupid, gullible, Spike. “Spike, you know what Andrew is like at telling stories. I promise you, I have never smooched on any item of furniture with the Immortal. Eew!” She shuddered. “Andrew kept telling me that I should go out more and not spend the evenings cuddling Mr. Gordo.”
“Mr. Gordo?” asked Spike, “Who the hell is Mr. Gordo? Sounds a right wanker.”
“My stuffed animal. It’s a pig. I’ve had him since I was six.”
“Oh,” said Spike weakly.
Buffy kissed him. “You still don’t know what I was like after I’d lost you, do you? I’d saved the world, Spike. I should have felt elated. But all I felt was empty. I was as destroyed inside as Sunnydale was on the outside. The price of saving the world had been too high. I never even dated anyone. No one could compare to you. I just threw myself into my duties training the young slayers and waited for the hurting to stop. It never did. I learned to hide it better, that’s all, so they all thought that I was moving on - but I never did. When were you in Rome anyway? Oh wait, it’ll have been during your ‘don’t tell her that I’m alive for her own good’ phase, am I right?” She smiled at him to soften her words.
“Er…yeah…Buffy,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms, “I love you so much.”
“I love you more.”
“Not possible.”
“Want to bet on that, buster?” teased Buffy.
“I don’t think so,” replied Spike, “I never was lucky with gambling. There was a horse this one time and …”
She sighed and cuddled into him. She loved it when he told her funny anecdotes from his past. She wanted to know all of his stories. His soft voice acted like a lullaby and soon she was asleep in his arms.
“That interesting, pet?” smiled Spike, dropping a kiss on her hair before settling down to sleep himself.
tbc
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BANNER BY DAWNOFME
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BANNER BY DAWNOFMEAuthor's Chapter Notes:
Thanks as ever to Carol for her beta work :)
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks for bearing with me during the slower updates - real life way too busy right now! But will have more soon! Thanks! :)