[Reviews - 155]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 3166 times

- Text Size +




The Surrogate

A/N Thanks to Kar for her quick edit job…thanks sweetie…

Chapter Fourteen

Seeking Answers



8:20am


Buffy sat at the breakfast nook, paper in one hand and juice in the other trying to get her prenatal vitamin down her throat and as usual it seem to just stick. Flipping over the page she scanned it, nothing catching her attention. She was too busy thinking about last night and the evening that her and Spike had spent on the town. As usual, he’d circum to her every whim; they ate at her favourite restaurant and walked along the lit streets of the city centre. It had been a pity that it had to end, but she’d become tired and he’d insisted that they return home so that she could rest and get some sleep. Snuggling next to him in bed, she’d slept like a baby and unbeknownst to her he’d just watched her sleep.

She could hear the shower running upstairs and impatiently awaited for him to come down for breakfast before he officially went back to work today. After the visit by his father, Spike had thought it best that he return to the family firm and try to clean up some of the mess that his disappearance had caused. Buffy would dread having to face the crap he would be getting from angry clients, but she supposed that he would charm them back to civility. Yet most importantly make bridges back with his family, his father seemed to some what accept the situation, but his mother was another concern. One that she hoped that Spike could deal with and she just didn’t know if she was up to facing another unhappy mother.

She dropped the paper as her thoughts moved logically to her own parents and the hurt that just sat under the surface of her being. It stung her deeply that neither of her folks had even tried to call her. Buffy had no idea what they were thinking, feeling at this moment or what they understood about the situation she found herself in. What wasn’t undeniable was that her mother wouldn’t be happy with the current situation between Lily and Spike, and she couldn’t even conceive what her mom would be thinking about herself and Spike.

Buffy had put off calling her parents for various reasons, the main being that she had to get her own life in order first before she could even think of introducing them to even the idea that she was pregnant. Or even more dramatic the fact that Spike was the father, now living in her house and would be a permanent fixture in her life. ‘What a tangled web we weave’, Buffy thought to herself. Recollecting Mr.Freemantle’s reaction to the news of her pregnancy, she knew one thing…that she didn’t want a repeat of the other day between herself and her parents.

Looking at the clock she made her decision and picked up the portable phone and with a shaky hand she dialled her parents’ home number. Buffy could feel the anticipation rise up from herself as she felt like a lead brick rested on her sternum, she swallowed back the bile that threatened to hit her mouth and sat down again before she fell down. The line continued to buzz with the ringing tone, each second that passed felt like an eternity to her. Finally, the phone picked up and a familiar voice answered the phone.

“Hello?”

“Mo…Mom?” Buffy asked even though she knew who was at the end of the line. The silence was deafening, not a single word came from the other end of the phone, just a light sound of static. “Mom…” she could hear the sound of movement on the other end of the line until someone finally spoke.

“Buffy?” her stepfathers voice resonated through the earpiece.

“Yeah it’s me,” her voice quiet and broken. “Where’s Mom?”

“She’s a little lost for words at the moment,” his voice filled with concern. “We haven’t heard from you in such along time Buffy, but then again what’s happened with your sister, I’m not surprised.”

“I’m sorry,” was the only words that seemed to come from her throat. “She didn’t really leave me with much choice.”

“Buffy there’s always choices! But shacking up with your brother-in-law after breaking up the marriage isn’t a smart choice, Buffy! Your mother and I are very disappointed in you,” his words were cold and heartless; obviously Lily hadn’t told them the truth about her split with her husband. Buffy wondered whether she’d told them about the baby or her new relationship with Liam James. This was typical of Lily, she told people what she wanted to tell them truth or lie, it didn’t matter to Lily but she hadn’t pulled something this devious in years, not since they were children.

“So Lily told you what happened then? That she left William for another man and let me with such a mess like you wouldn’t believe…”

“Buffy, I know what you’ve done young lady and I don’t want to hear your excuses! How could you do this to your sister?” her stepfather interrupted her.

“I didn’t do anything! Lily had an affair…”

“My daughter would never do that, she loves her husband! How can you accuse her of that! Considering that you were sleeping with her husband!” he just kept interrupting her. Buffy mind screamed in frustration as he wouldn’t even let her talk, Lily seemed to have gotten there first and he wasn’t going to listen to a thing that she had to say. She only wished that her mother would have given her the courtesy to talk to her, them maybe she could have told her what was really going on.

“Believe what you want to, but it didn’t happen like that! Lily can do no wrong and Buffy disappoints again. I hope that the truth comes out and you and Mom will see her for the deceiver that she really is,” Buffy spoke with a formidable voice that tried to relay the depths of her emotions. “Tell Mom that I love her.”

Buffy turned the phone off before he could get another word in, but one thing was so clear to her. Her family had abandoned her and sided with Lily, she closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the phone as her desolation struck her. Tears began to run down her eyes as silent cries of sorrow that wouldn’t come from her throat, gently she began to rock on the chair that she sat on. She felt the warmth of Spike behind her as he put his arms around her waist, raising her until she stood, with her back against his chest. With some gentle prodding, she turned around to face him and burrow herself as closely as she could in his arms.

“Shhhhhh, sweetheart,” Spike pulled her hair away from her face as she hid half her face on his chest. “They’ll see one day Luv, they’ll see the truth. You’ve got us, Goldilocks; me and the baby,” with that he swayed in time with her gentle rocking motions, he could feel her pain and devastation. He wanted to grab Buffy drive over to her parents, and show just what Lily had done to him and their daughter, he couldn’t believe that they seemed to doubt her truth.

He’d been listening to her conversation just after it would appear her stepfather had gotten on the phone, ‘bloody git’ Spike thought to himself, ‘deserves a punch on the fucking nose!’ Taking the phone from her vice like grip, he turned it on and dialled his father’s private number, waiting for him to pick up he pulled Buffy in as close to himself as the baby would let him. It was obvious that he couldn’t go back to work just yet, Buffy was far more important than that, he only hoped that his father would be more understanding than Buffy’s stepfather.

“Dad, sorry can’t make it today,” Spike tried to be as quite as he could as not to scare Buffy off. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s impossible to come in today.” A pause then, “yeah Dad, it’s Buffy…no it’s not the baby…Dad the baby’s fine…parents.” With that, he turned the phone off and put it down the best he could onto the breakfast nook as he watched as it fell to the floor with a thud. The noise startled Buffy out of her daze as her head snapped out from his chest, her face red and eyes ruddy from her tears, her mouth set in a line thin.

“Lily lied to them! They believe HER!” Buffy voice was full of venom and hate for her sister. “She told them that I broke up your marriage! That I was sleeping with you!”

“Fucking bitch!” Spike looked like he wanted to annihilate something. “Bloody fucking bitch!”

“Spike why? Why would she do that?”

“Simple Luv, make us look like the baddies and get your folks on her side,” Spike ran a hand through his wet hair. “Bloody hell!”

“What am I going to do, Spike? I can’t have Mom think that I broke up your marriage!” Buffy began to tear again. “Lily always convinced them of anything that she wanted to. How am I meant to fix this, Spike?”

“I don’t know, Luv, I just don’t know,” he took her face into his hands. “Buffy, you have to remember that I’m here, the only thing that really matters is us and the baby. If you need something to hold onto then hold onto us.”

“I know,” she hugged him the best she could. “But it still hurts.”

“I know baby,” Spike tried to console her. “Luv, maybe you should go back to bed and rest.”

“I don’t want to go back to bed, Spike,” Buffy pulled herself away from him and wiped the tears away from her eyes. The look in her eyes changed from hurt and anger too something that he just couldn’t describe. “What do you want to do, Luv?”

“See Dr. Singer.”


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After a few frantic phones made by Spike he managed to get an appointment with
Dr. Singer that morning. Several times he tried to get the reason why the urgent need to see the doctor, but all she would do was reassure him that the baby was fine. She refused at point blank to discuss anything about the baby or the morning’s phone call with him any further. Spike was getting frenzied with her refusal to talk with him, all he could think was that her stepfather had done a good job at screwing with her mind. He still had it in mind to go and beat the living shit out him, in the past he’d had a lot of respect for the man, but now all he could think of him was that the man was an idiot. He had even more contempt for Buffy’s mother; she wouldn’t even talk to her daughter and that he couldn’t understand.

Together they sat on the couch in the waiting room, Spike refused to let her out of his sight as he held her hand in a death grip. It was becoming irritating for Buffy, especially when she’d been asked for a urine sample and he wouldn’t leave the bathroom till the nurse had intervened and suggested that he leave to give her ‘some privacy’. As soon as she handed the sample to the nurse, prior to her appointment Spike had grabbed her hand and lead her to the first seat. He sat there letting out large frustrating exhales of breath as she still refused to talk to him about why she wanted to see the doctor so urgently. After what seemed an eternity, Dr. Singer called for Buffy, and as she stood she pulled her hand away from his and walked into the office, without once looking at him.

“So what seems to be the problem, my dear?” Dr. Singer asked as he shut the door, raising a hand to gesture her to sit down on one of the two chairs in front of his desk. “Don’t want William on this visit?”

“No,” Buffy quietly spoke. “I just wanted a check up and to ask you something.”

“Alright, let’s start with the usual,” the doctor moved to his desk unpacked the blood pressure machine and took a reading. “Hmm, a little up, but nothing to worry about. Buffy, would you get on the scales please.” He moved around to his desk and wrote in her medical file that lay open on the desk, he quickly followed her to the scales. “You’re putting on the right amount of weight for your term. Okay on the examination table.” Buffy moved down from the scales and onto the examination table, she watched as the doctor measured the girth of her abdomen, and placed the foetal monitor over her stomach. The steady quick beat of the baby heart thumped through the speaker attached to the monitor, after pushing the ‘rhythm’ button on the equipment, the doctor retrieved the printout out it produced. “Okay heart beats fine, your putting on the right weight and baby seems to be growing at the right rate for your gestation period Buffy. So what’s bothering you young lady?”

“Umm it’s ummm just that…ummm,” Buffy stumbled out her words. “I want know if…if I can...” She was interrupted by loud yelling outside and the secretary loudly but calmly trying to quieten down someone. The shrill of the phone broke her concentration, as Dr. Singer rushed over to answer the phone, she could hear the ‘oh’, ‘umm’ and ‘okay see what I can do’ as he spoke to the other person on the other end of the line.

“Buffy, it would seem that William’s getting a little testy out there. Any chance he could come in before he rips my office to shreds?”

“But…?” Buffy felt torn, she wanted to say ‘yes’ but she wanted an answer to her questions.

“Alright, Buffy, a shot in the dark answer to your question. You can as long as your comfortable with it and not a high risk pregnancy, which your not, but be gentle okay.”

She felt like her face was on fire with embarrassment and a little shocked at the doctor’s statement. “But I wanted to ask…”

“What, Buffy?” Dr. Singer was getting slightly agitated with the whole situation. “Have I misjudged your question? I…” he was unable finish his sentence as Spike forcefully pushed the door open and made his way into the room. “Mr.Freemantle! This is a private consultation if you please!”

“No, I don’t please!” he walked with a determined gait over to where Buffy now sat on the examination table with her feet hanging over the edge. “Are you alright?” He watched as she answered with a nod, but could help but keep her gaze on her shoes. Looking back at the doctor, he asked him, “Are they both alright?”

“Mr.Freemantle, I’m sure that Buffy will inform you and your wife with the progress of her pregnancy when you get home!” Dr. Singer’s agitation at being interrupted during a consultation showed in his manor and stance. “So if you don’t mind I’d like to finish this privately and give Miss. Summers some dignity please!”

“My only concern here Dr. Singer is Buffy and the baby. It would also seem that you are unaware that circumstances have changed doctor, Lily is no longer a part of this equation so I’d appreciate it if you don’t inform my soon to be ex-wife any information concerning Buffy or myself!”

“Oh umm I..umm…I didn’t realise that your circumstances had changed,” Dr. Singer walked to the door and held the handle as he gestured for him to leave. “Both are fine William. Now if you don’t mind!” With some reluctance he looked at Buffy as she still wouldn’t look up at him, he turned back to the doctor and with an unhappy look on his face he walked out the door as Dr. Singer slammed it behind him. “Buffy, what is going on?”

“It’s complicated Dr. Singer; I don’t know where to begin?” Buffy looked up at him her eyes laced with concern. “But it’s alright, William’s here for me and the baby?”

“Is that all Buffy? Just there for you and the baby?”

“Like I said doctor. it’s complicated beyond imagination…”

“Buffy?” Dr. Singer concern filled his face; he walked over to the young lady that sat on his exanimation table. “Do you have any idea what you’re getting yourself into?”

“Yes, I do,” she took his hand in trying to reassure him that everything was all right. “She left awhile ago and his been there for me like no one else is, and he wants to be with us.”

“Us?”

“The baby and me,” Buffy smiled at him with all the hope that she felt about herself and Spike. “Believe me we’ve been to hell and back, but he’s been there all through the hard times and it’s not over yet.”

“Yet?”

“Lily left such a mess, more than myself, the surrogacy and let alone William, but we’re moving on with our lives,” Buffy let his hand go and got herself off the table. “I’m sorry that you’re caught in the middle of this all Dr Singer, but plan is that I’m keeping the baby and his or her father’s apart of our life.”

“Oh.”

“Yes ‘oh’,” Buffy repeated the doctor’s exclamation. “So doc, the baby’s okay and I can…” Her embarrassment caught her again, as she watched Dr. Singer walk away from her and went to his desk and pulled out a pamphlet.

“This should answer all your questions, and yes you’re fine and so is the baby,” he went back to the door and opened it, letting her exit after she gathered her bag. “But only if you feel it’s the right thing, Buffy?”

“It is and thanks for your concern, Dr. Singer.”

“Only if what feels right, Buffy?” Spike stood in front of her exit out of the office. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing!” she pushed him gently out of the way and proceeded to walk out the front door.

“What is she talking about doctor?” Spike demanded from the man in front of him.

“You’ll have to ask her that!” Dr. Singer turned to the waiting room. “Mr. and Mrs. McLachland please.”

Spike virtually ran from the room trying to catch up with the petite blond, sometimes he just didn’t know where she got her energy, as she disappeared down the hallway. “BUFFY!”


~~~***~~~***~~~


3.20 pm

“Buffy talk to me! What did you and Dr. Singer talk about?” Spike paced the kitchen floor trying for the umpteenth time to get the truth from her. “Please baby, tell me!”

“Nothing! If you hadn’t come bursting in, them maybe I could have finished my consultation and asked him what I wanted to know!” Buffy was getting angry with his constant nagging about what had happened in the consulting room.

“What am I expected to do, Buffy? You’re mum and dad blow you off then you demand to see Dr. Singer! Yet you refuse to tell me why you went to see him! All I get is ‘the baby’s fine’. Well I know the baby’s fine, but what about you! I need to know you’re okay!”

“Spike, I’m fine, yeah I’m hurt about Mom and Dad but I didn’t expect anything different really. I want to find Lily and blow her up, yeah I’m upset with Lily,” Buffy voice quietened as she spoke more to him, she stood up from where she sat and halted his pacing with a hug. “But I got you and the baby and the most important people in my life are here with me.” She grabbed his hand and lay it on her tummy, “the baby” and as she lay a hand on his cheek, “you”.

“If something was wrong, you’d tell me right?”

“Yes, you idiot! I’ve told you a thousand times, you stupid man!” Buffy walked away with a huff and headed up the staircase towards their bedroom. Leaving him to stand there with a furrowed brow and a lost look on his face, she was up to something but he just couldn’t put his finger on it yet. Well not yet anyway….





You must login (register) to review.