Chapter 11
Spike wasn’t allowed in the ambulance once it arrived, so he followed behind in his car a little while later. He knew the school called Buffy’s parents, so they would most likely be on their way to the hospital as well. Spike couldn’t deal with the fact that they probably wouldn’t be too happy to see him, but he had to make sure that she was all right. He took a deep breath before entering the building. It wasn’t long before he spotted Buffy’s parents and made his way over to them.
“Is she okay?” was the first thing he could think of to say.
Joyce put a calming hand on her husband’s arm. “We don’t know anything yet.”
Spike nodded. “My mate was the one that called the ambulance; I just panicked seeing her unconscious. I came here as soon as I could.”
“Buffy has us now; you should just run along home.”
Spike had a feeling that her step-father would be the more difficult one out of the two, but he wasn’t about to go anywhere. “I know I’m not your favorite person right now, but I care deeply for your daughter. I can’t just sit at home, not until I know that she’s okay.”
Joyce gave him a small smile. “You can wait with us. I’m sure Buffy would like to know that you’re here.”
Spike sat down in an available seat, not very convinced by her mother’s words.
The doctor arrived a moment later, all three standing up to greet him.
“How is my daughter?” Joyce started.
“She only fainted; we believe it may be from a lot of sudden stress in her life.”
Spike felt shame go through him. If finding out about the bet wasn’t added stress, he didn’t know what was.
Joyce nodded. “Will she be all right?”
The doctor took a deep breath. “It’s too soon to tell. We know of her condition and did a cat scan. I’m afraid your daughter will need immediate surgery.”
Joyce and Giles both paled at that, while Spike looked confused.
“She has an appointment with Dr. Miller on Tuesday. He was recommended to us by Dr. Sanchez in Los Angeles,” Joyce explained.
He nodded as well. “We are aware of that. Dr. Miller thinks it would be best to go through with the surgery as soon as possible. I’m afraid it would be dire for Buffy to wait much longer. The tumor needs to come out now, or she could be looking at severe brain damage.”
Joyce gasped, squeezing her husband’s hand. “Would she be able to survive the operation?”
“Dr. Miller is the best brain surgeon in California, but I really couldn’t tell you that. I would just say that she has a very good chance, but not having the surgery done would put her at even more risk. It’s up to you, ma’am.”
Joyce looked at Giles, nodding after a few seconds. “We’ll go through with the surgery. Is there any way we can talk to Buffy before that?”
The doctor nodded again. “Yes, she’s in room 401. You may all see her if you wish,” he told them, then walked away to tend to other patients.
Spike was in shock during their whole conversation. Buffy had a brain tumor? He couldn’t believe it. “I have to see her,” he spoke up suddenly. “Please, I need to see her.”
Giles didn’t think that was the best idea, but one look at his wife’s resolve face had him nodding his head. “All right, but you will not upset her. Is that understood?”
Spike nodded as well, then followed them to Buffy’s room.
* * * * *
He stood in the doorway as Joyce went over to Buffy’s bedside, giving her a hug. Giles did the same, while Spike remained in the same spot. She looked so pale and small lying there.
Buffy glanced up and met his eyes, seemingly surprised to see him.
“Are you comfortable? Do you need me to fluff your pillow more? Get you something to drink?” Joyce said in a rush.
“Mom, it’s okay. I don’t need anything,” Buffy replied.
She patted her daughter’s hand. “We’ll be with you through everything, honey.”
“I know. I’m really glad you’re both here, but can I speak to Spike alone?”
Joyce nodded after a moment, grabbing her husband’s hand and pulling him out of the room.
Buffy smiled at her step-father’s reluctance to leave, but knew that he could never resist Joyce’s resolve face.
Spike stepped closer to her bed, taking a seat in the chair next to it.
“Why are you here?”
“How can you even ask me that? I was scared to death when I saw you passed out in school today. This is the only place I would be right now.” He took her hand in his, placing a kiss on her knuckles.
Buffy could feel his fingers shaking. “I guess I just didn’t think you would care.”
Spike’s eyes widened. “Of course I care. I know you probably have no reason to believe that, but it’s true. You mean a lot to me, Buffy. I realized that the first night we went out together. I know I should have ended the bet sooner, but I was just stupid. I’ve done a lot that I’m not proud of, but I never wanted this to happen. This is all my bloody fault. You probably wouldn’t even be in here right now if it wasn’t for me.”
Buffy shook her head. “I don’t blame you for this, Spike. I was bound to be in here eventually, it’s just happening a little sooner than we planned. It’s not your fault.”
He felt his eyes tear up. “Why didn’t you tell me about the tumor? All those times you got headaches? Why didn’t you ever say anything?”
She took a deep breath. “I didn’t want anyone to know. When everyone found out in Los Angeles, they treated me differently. I couldn’t stand to see all of the pity. I didn’t want that here, I wanted to be treated like everyone else. I don’t need anyone feeling sorry for me.”
“Are you scared?” he wondered softly.
“A little, but I know that I can handle whatever happens.” She took another breath before continuing. “Spike, if I don’t make it through this…”
He cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips. “You’re going to make it, okay? You’re not dying, I won’t let you. I can’t lose you now, not when I just found you. So, you’re going to be fine. I’ll see to that.”
Buffy smiled sadly. She knew there was nothing he could do, but it was a nice thought.
Spike was concerned when her eyes started to close. “Are you tired, baby?”
She opened her eyes back up to gaze into his. “Baby?”
He blushed a little, but wasn’t about to deny it. “Yeah, is that okay? You’re my girl, right?” Spike prayed that she would say yes, he didn’t know what he would do if she turned him down. Not when he realized that he was falling in love with her. Hell, he was probably already there.
“Baby sounds good, sleepy now.”
Spike smiled at how adorable she was. “You get some rest, love. I’ll be waiting outside with your parents. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Won’t your dad be mad?”
He shrugged. “I could care less about him. You’re the only thing that matters right now. I’ll see you later.” Spike leaned down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, tip of her nose, then finally on her lips. He lingered there a bit longer, pulling away to lightly caress her cheek. “What did I ever do without you?” he whispered, but noticed that she was already asleep. “I hope I never have to find out.” With one more kiss to her forehead, he left the room.
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