In the waiting room, Xander was pacing. Joyce looked up, “You know he seems to love her.”
Xander rolled his eyes putting his hand up in the air not wanting to hear it as he continued pacing. Oz stood up in front of him blocking his way, “You know, Spike is still a man even if he is a vampire. Buffy really seems to like him and he likes her. Why can’t you just accept it? I think everyone else has. “
Xander glanced around at Cordelia’s face, Giles’s, Joyce’s, Willow’s and finally back to Oz. He didn’t know if acceptance was what he saw but he saw no anger, which is what he was feeling. He sat down on the chair as he sighed, “So I’m supposed to what just pretend I’m ok with this?”
Giles nodded, “At least until Buffy is free of Angel’s claim.”
Xander ran his hand through his hair as he put his head down between his legs and he felt Oz slap him on the back and felt Cordelia gently rubbing his back. He was thankful he had Cordelia again and only hoped it lasted until Monday when she would have to inform her friends of the situation.
Spike awoke to his senses telling him sunrise was close. He gave Buffy a kiss and heard her murmur his name in her sleep as he snuck out of the room to find her friends all sleeping. Oz woke up, “How is she?”
Spike shrugged, “Still very hot, still has a fever, but she’s sleeping. It’s close to sunrise I have to go.”
Oz nodded and stood up, “I’ll take you and Willow home.”
He nudged Willow who listened as he offered her a ride home and accepted.
Buffy woke up scared and in a hospital. She hated hospitals. She wanted to go home where she would be safe and in her bed all tucked in tight. She glanced around the big empty room looking for Spike but only saw the sun was just about to rise. Her head was killing her and she felt like her body was on fire. She started to sit up and noticed someone at the door. She ran a hand over her eyes trying to clear the vision but the boy stayed. He stared at her not saying a word and was dressed in blue pajamas. She blinked and then watched as he started to walk by her door and then she blinked again as a scary looking man with a black suit and hat walked by.
She rubbed a hand over her eyes thinking that walked wasn’t the proper word, it was more like the man glided by. He turned to look at Buffy and he appeared to be hovering over the ground. His face was all disfigured, with his long pointed nose and long fangs. He flexed his fingers, which were too long to be normal. She lifted her hand, which had been bandaged due to hitting the ground so hard on it earlier and brushed her hair from her face that was covering her eyes and she watched as the man turned towards the boy and continued out of view after him.
Buffy was curious as she removed her IV got out of bed tying her robe tightly around her and started to follow the man out of the room. She passed down the doorways of nurses helping various patients. She heard a nurse whisper to a man whom she was tucking in with a blanket, “You’ll be fine. Is that better?”
Buffy continued slowly down the hallway holding her robe closed as she saw two orderlies wheeling a child covered in a white sheet out of the children’s ward in front of her. She heard one of them say, “Man I hate it when you lose the young ones.”
She slowly walked towards the children’s ward but didn’t enter as she heard voices. Her doctor, Dr. Wilkinson stated in a hushed voice, “I’m just saying, step back on the dosage until we can analyze the results.”
The second doctor shook his head as Buffy peeked around the corner, “There isn’t time. I should think that would be clear to you by now.”
Dr Wilkinson gestured with her hands obviously very upset, “The normal course of treatment…”
She was interrupted by the other doctor who stated, “They aren’t responding to the normal course of treatment.”
He paused gesturing towards the children, “Look, they are getting worse.”
Dr. Wilkinson still didn’t seem convinced as she explained, “Raising their temperatures is poten…”
Again the other doctor cut her off as he spoke to her in a firm voice, “Dr. Wilkinson! I have the consent of the parents.”
She shook her head as she pleaded with the doctor, “They’re desperate! They don’t under what you’re…”
Again the doctor stopped her by speaking out of turn, “You know what, if you have a problem with my methods, just take it up with the board.”
Dr. Wilkinson spoke up practically jumping up in down in frustration, “I have!”
Buffy turned to go as the little boy she saw earlier and a little girl stopped her. The little boy looked at the little girl and whispered to Buffy, “He comes at night. The grownups don’t see him. He was with Tina. He’ll come back for us.”
Buffy looked confused as she asked, “Who?”
The little boy looked right at Buffy stating, “Death.” Buffy looked back and forth between the children in disbelief.
Buffy was awoken once by the doctor but slept the day away waking up bored as can be. Her room was covered in chocolate, grapes, balloons and still she was bored. She longed to go home but also longed to find the monster she had seen last night. She had visited the hospital children’s ward and met Ryan and he had drawn a picture of the same monster she had seen the night before and she knew what she had to do.
After a disturbing scene of watching the doctor be killed by death, she talked to Willow who agreed to give her the virus tonight in just a few minutes when she arrived so Buffy was just waiting patiently. She had to get this monster tonight and the only way to do so was to get sick again. Feeling better was great and she had been almost released but she really needed to save the children she had met. Willow came into the room and Spike did as well and Spike smiled at Buffy, “You look at all better!”
He had brought a dozen of bright wildflowers and a box of chocolates. Buffy smiled taking the gifts as she explained, “I’m going to need your help. I’m about to get sick.”
Spike frowned not understanding, “Why would you get sick? You look much better to me.”
Buffy frowned as she patted the bed explaining, “We have to do this quickly, the quick version. There’s a monster living in the children’s ward sucking the life out of sick children. Their deaths look like the children died from the original virus they had. I saw it the first night I was there because of my fever. Now I have to get the fever again. Can you come too because I don’t remember feeling so well when I was sick and I might need help. You won’t be able to see the monster though and whatever happens you have to make sure they don’t put me in a bed and without using fangs and all that.”
Spike shrugged and nodded not liking what he was hearing but agreed. Buffy smiled and Willow and Spike helped her out of bed to sneak down to the dead doctor’s office to see what they could find. Willow opened his fridge and found what Buffy was looking for, test tubes containing the virus that the children had. Spike frowned but Willow was the one who spoke up, “Buffy, think about this.”
Buffy crunched down to see inside of the fridge not even looking phased, “I have. Lots of thoughts.”
Spike frowned again but Willow spoke up before he could, “It’s crazy.”
Buffy continued to ignore her protests and looked through the test tubes to find the right one, “The fever. That’s how you see the Kindestod. That’s why Celia could see it. That’s why Ryan still can.”
Spike spoke up finally asking, “Who’s Ryan and Celia?”
Willow turned out answering quickly, “Celia is Buffy’s cousin who died in a hospital when she was just a kid and Ryan is the child in the children’s ward who is sick and about to be taken by the monster.”
Spike’s only reply was a simple, “Right” before he snatched the test-tube out of Buffy’s hand, as she was about to take a sip. Willow put her hands on her hips asking, “Buffy how are you going to fight this thing with a 107 degree temperature?”
Buffy tried to grab the test tube from Spike as she stated, “I guess we’ll find out.”
Spike growled at her as she tried to reach for the test tube again, “I want two promises from you. First off Summers, you will let Willow and I be with you at all times. Number 2, you will rest when this is done. Let us tuck you into your beddy bye all snug and safe and you will stop patrolling for a night or two until you feel better. Promise?”
Buffy looked reluctant but nodded and reached for a third time for the test tube. Spike held it just out of her reach as he stated, “This stuff you are about to drink like a shot, is 100%. You’d be dead before you even finish.”
Willow nodded in agreement and reached into the fridge to pull out a water bottle and poured it into a glass beaker. Spike handed the tube to Willow who put a drop of the virus in it. Buffy watched and stated, “Okay, but this better work fast.”
Spike eyed Buffy who stated, “Faster than that.”
Willow looked at Spike who looked back with a slight shrug. Spike whispered, “We will be watching her back.”
Willow nodded as she added a second drop hesitantly to the beaker and watched as Buffy lifted it to her mouth and whispered softly, “Here’s to my health.”