Angel looked in on Buffy and she looked peaceful, almost as though she was merely napping.
She was really banged up and Angel couldn’t help but frown knowing that would mean she would be stuck in the hospital until those at least healed.
He let out a deep breath as she watched all the expensive machines Buffy was hooked up to work.
He whispered to her, “Wake up Buffy dear. The doctors say you will get better and we need you at the club.”
Angel hesitated not knowing what else to say then came up with another idea, “I need you too Buffy. I’m aching for you.”
He paused for a moment wondering if that was the right words to say to someone who was possibly dying but figured it was true and they always say talking helps the person.
Thinking he did his duty, he borrowed a cup of water near the bed and gentle made tears appear on his eyes using droplets of water so that the press would think this was hard for him.
He did that a few times letting it dry on his face and added a few fresh ones which he willed himself not to wipe them away until the press gets to see them. As he wandered back out of the hospital room, he mumbled loudly about how hard it was to see Buffy in such a state.
The press snapped a picture of Angel and placed it next to a picture of Buffy in the hospital bed and it made front page news with the headlines, “Guardian Angel O’Connor latest charge, Buffy Summers, lay between life and death.”
Under the headlines, an article carefully planned by Angel described how Buffy needed a place to stay and how she had been staying in some crappy motel and how she seemed to have been abused at one point based on how skittish she was.
It explained how he had given her a job, a life, and his love.
It showed a picture taken of the two of them at his club just a few weeks prior where Buffy was laughing at something Angel had said.
Finally it finished saying how heartbroken Angel was over his sweet Buffy’s condition and he hoped to have her back to work real soon.
Xander was sitting with Anya in their new little house on the outskirts of L.A.
Anya picked up the paper and sighed, “Poor Angel. I grew up with him you know.”
Xander jumped up taking the picture from Anya who had just recently married him and looked at the headline mentioning Buffy.
He then skimmed the article before rushing over to his phone and making a phone call.
Anya sat in shock wondering what was going through her new husband’s head but shrugged it off picking up the paper to think about poor Angel.
William’s phone rang and he rolled over reluctantly to get it. He noticed it said Xander so he gave in and picked it up answering, “Xanman you know it’s 8 am right on a Saturday?”
Xander’s voice rushed over the phone in a really quick and almost confusing manner, “Spike, it’s your girl. She’s in the hospital man. It looks really bad. She got hit by a moving car!! And it’s saying they aren’t sure she will even wake up or if she will have brain damage.”
William rolled over and said, “Which hospital Xan?”
Xander rambled off L.A. Memorial on the east side as William threw down the phone barely hanging it up not listening to Xander as he talked about Angel, and slipped on a pair of pants, grabbed a red tight shirt and his leather duster running out the door in a rush.
William rushed into the hospital after getting a speeding ticket for speeding through two red lights that he had been not even paying attention to. He was mostly surprised he didn't get more seeing how the trip took 2 hours instead of 3.
When the cop had heard him rambling on about Buffy, he gave him a weird look not understanding how this blond guy could have anything to do with Angel’s girl but told him he would end up in the hospital in the bed next to her if he didn’t slow down and start listening to the traffic laws.
William had thrown the ticket on the seat to deal with it at a later date and now was asking the receptionist which room Buffy Summers was in.
She asked if he was a relative, but William didn’t answer as he heard the nurse who had been walking by him with a fellow nurse that she was about to go check on the poor girl and she hoped that she eventually woke up for everyone’s sake.
The receptionist tried to stop him but gave up being unable to leave her post. She just hoped for the best seeing how distraught the man was.
William watched from the opened door as they adjusted her IVs.
Checked her blood pressure and temperature and walked back out of the room.
He snuck in after her gently opening the door and then closing it as he walked over to her bed side noticing how bad she really looked.
Her face was pale and marred with bruises.
She had a black eye and her arms were black and blue.
Her hands were cut up, probably from falling on the ground or something after being hit.
Or perhaps she used them to stop the car, who knows but he took the one that was in better shape and gentle held it saying, Buffy luv, tis me Spike or as you know him William. Xander told me the news and I rushed here to see you. God why do you insist on leaving me all the time? Love you so bloody much Buffy and always have and you always insist on leaving me. Would have returned to you. Was going to visit the first weekend I got with a three day weekend which was only two weeks away. But you never called. Tried to call the diner and they said you left. God you stupid bint, you really know how to break a guy’s heart. So finally found you again only to have you laying on this bed, so cold and sleeping and you might never wake up again. What is a wanker supposed to do? Oh Buffy luv wake up please.”
Still Buffy slept on so William curled up next to her in the chair resting his head on her arm as the tears flowed freely and before he knew it, he was asleep exhausted from the tears and emotions.
When the nurses returned in an hour to check on their patient, they found him in that very position with his hand still wrapped in Buffy and seeing his face coated with tears, they covered him with a blanket and left him knowing that Angel wouldn’t be back until morning since that was the instructions he gave, which was over 14 hours away.