CHAPTER 15
Spike was tempted to get up and do the dance of Joy, but it was barely 6 am and he felt rather sore because of his night spent on a chair. He also wanted to take her in his arms, but that was out of the question considering all the tubes and bandages.
So he just closed his eyes for a second, said a silent thank you prayer and let a welcomed giant wave of relief – make that a tsunami – overwhelm him.
He smiled back at her, caressing her cheek. “Welcome back, love.”
She looked around. “Am I in the hospital? What happened?” Her voice was a little bit hoarse and she cleared her throat.
“You don’t remember?”
She frowned, concentrating. “Hurts too much to think,” she finally said. “Hurts kinda everywhere,” she added, wincing.
Spike pressed the button to alert the nurse, who gave Buffy some painkillers and checked on her.
Soon after taking the pills, Buffy started to doze off again, sending a sheepish look to Spike. “I’m sorry. I can’t help but feel sleepy.”
He caressed her hair tenderly. “It’s alright. You just rest.”
“Stay?” she muttered.
“Not leaving you, my love. Ever,” he whispered, rising and kissing her lips, feeling overjoyed when she kissed him back. He had dreaded not getting to feel their softness against his anymore.
Once she was asleep, Spike let the tears run down his cheeks once again. But they were tears of happiness, and they felt damn good.
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
Giles and Jenny arrived a few hours later. Spike was in the hallway and when Giles saw his face, he knew the news was good.
“She’s awake,” the younger man greeted them, a big smile spreading his lips.
Buffy’s eyes shined when she saw her dad walking into the room. Giles hugged her as much as he could without hurting her. He was horrified by her condition, but he hid it the best he could.
“Hey daddy. I’m glad you’re back.”
“My sweet darling…you gave us quite a scare, you know.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. How was your trip?”
Her eyes fluttered. She was under strong medication, and it made her sleepy.
“I’ll tell you all about it later. Now rest.” Giles stayed at her side for a few minutes. Jenny walked in, smiling. “How is she?” she asked, noticing the young woman was asleep.
“She’ll be fine…well, that’s what she said,” Giles sighed, and Jenny’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the damages on Buffy’s cheek.
“Oh my God, how could he do this to her? What kind of monster…”
“The kind that deserve to rot in jail,” Giles replied, trying to control his anger at the sight of his little girl lying in a hospital bed. “I need to talk to William. Can you stay with her?” he asked Jenny.
He found Spike sipping on a coffee in the hallway. “She still awake?” his stepson asked.
“She was, but she’s sleeping now. She’s terribly weakened.”
“Rupert, I’m sorry. I had promised you to…”
Giles put his hand on his shoulder. “William, don’t. This is not your fault. I met Riley several times, and I could never have imagined…please tell me that bastard is in the hand of the police.”
“He is. As soon as Buffy is released from the hospital she’ll have to give a declaration, the D.A will press charges, and hopefully he will be put behind bars for attempted murder. It should keep him there for a while.”
“But how did it happen?”
Spike told Giles the whole story, including that of Tara Maclay. “I can’t believe he tricked me so easily and that I left the house and Buffy alone like the stupid wanker that I am,” he finished, shaking his head in self-disgust.
“William, even if you hadn’t left, he would have found another way. You couldn’t lock yourself in the house with Buffy, could you?” Giles raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly. “Although from what I understand neither of you would have minded.”
He had the satisfaction of seeing Spike blush.
“I truly love her, you know. If she hadn’t been so badly wounded, I probably would have taken the time to kill Finn with my bare hands, and bugger the consequences. I stayed with her until she woke up. I wanted to be there when she opened her eyes.”
Giles nodded thoughtfully, before asking, “What about Darla?”
“We talked and broke our engagement. We’re fine.”
“Good, good. But it won’t be easy, you know that. You live in LA most of the time, Buffy lives in Sunnydale. You are famous, and used to a certain way of living…and you’re both still young.”
“We’re aware of that. And we’ll deal with those issues. We’ve already overcome some of them. To be honest, we didn’t talk about marriage or anything. It’s way too early. But we love each other deeply, and are willing to make the best out of it.”
Giles smiled. “I’m sure you will. I just want for Buffy and you to walk into this with your eyes wide open. I would hate to see either one of you hurt.”
“Thank you, Rupert,” Spike said, hugging his stepdad. It was another weight lifted, having his blessing. He loved and respected the man as much as his own father.
Giles and Jenny stayed most of the day, until Spike advised them to go home. The couple was starting to feel the effects of the trip and the jet lag, and since Buffy was now out of danger, they could go home and rest.
Xander and Willow came as well, and Buffy stayed awake long enough to talk to them for a little while.
Now everybody was gone. Spike had left for a few minutes to fetch something to eat. When he came back, her eyes were open.
“Hey, look who’s awake. How are you feeling, sweetheart?” he asked, kissing her forehead.
“Better. Not too sleepy. Can I have some water?”
He poured her a glass and helped her to drink.
“Thanks.” She pulled her hand from under the cover and intertwined her fingers with his. “I remember what happened. Riley came and attacked me. I opened the door without checking because I thought it was you coming back for your cell phone. It’s still kind of a blur, but I remember being sure I was going to die.”
“It’s that cell phone that saved your life. When I called Diego the second time and he told me he had never called…I’ve never been so terrified in my life. I think I broke all the speed limits. It’s a wonder I didn’t get arrested. I arrived at the house just in time.” He caressed her hair. “I’m sorry I left you. That was really stupid, especially since we knew he was a threat.”
She looked at him tenderly. “Well, we were both stupid then. I should have been more persuasive and made you stay. I could have chained you to the bed, for instance,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
He smiled. “I’m sure we’ll find other opportunities for you to do that.”
“What will happen to Riley?”
“The police took care of him. As soon as you get better, you’ll have to talk to the D.A who’ll press charges.”
“You’ll come with me, right?”
“Of course I will, pet. I’m here for you. As are Rupert, Jenny, Xand and Will. If you need to talk, or cry, or anything we are all here for you.”
“How was dad? I was so sleepy when he came. I barely talked to him.”
“He was extremely relieved to see you were doing well. And we have his blessing.”
“I know I talked to Xander and Willow, but again I wasn’t at my best. It must have been an exciting return from their honeymoon…not.”
“They were as terrified as I was. Xander brought your dad here this morning.”
“And you were here all the time,” she said with a tender smile.
“I never left your side, sweetheart. Well, except for that talk I had with Darla.”
“She came here?”
He nodded. “And guess what? She’s in love with someone else. I don’t know exactly how it happened, but I think that in the end she’s the one who broke up with me. The important thing is, we’re good. And…I’m free.”
Her eyes shined. “So does that mean you’re officially my guy?”
He kissed her hand. “I’m your guy, baby. As long as you’ll have me.”
“Oh, that could be a long time, you know.”
He shrugged. “Well, I’m free for the next 50 years.” He sat down on the bed and leaned into her, careful not to touch her upper body or disturb the tube coming out of her arm. “Don’t ever scare me like that ever again,” he whispered before pressing his lips gently to hers. But what was supposed to be a sweet and gentle kiss rapidly turned into something more passionate. Buffy moaned, and Spike pulled back immediately.
“Did I hurt you?” he inquired, concerned.
She giggled, blushing. “Uh, no. That was a satisfied noise. Kissing you is the best medication ever,” she added.
“Oh, good. Because I intend to overdose you then,” he said, caressing her hair and her face, marvelling at the fact that she was smiling and talking and kissing him when he had been so close to losing her.
§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§
After a few days, Buffy managed to convince Spike to at least go back home during the night. He was starting to look worse than she did. So far he had just made quick back and forth trips to shower and change, and was staying at her side all night. Eventually, he agreed to go and sleep at home, after she had repeated for the umpteenth time that she wouldn’t vanish even if he stopped looking at her for more than five minutes.
But she was glad he was there, though, the first time she looked at her face in the mirror. Her left side was swollen and balancing between shades of green and violet. And she had stitches going through her entire cheekbone.
Spike was holding her hand, waiting for her to say something and offering as much comfort as he could.
“Ok. No Miss America pageant for me this year,” she joked, but her throat was constricted and her eyes were sparkling with unshed tears. “That will leave me with a pretty scar, won’t it?”
“They did repair it the best they could. But it will leave a scar, yes. The doctor gave me the number of a plastic surgeon. You’ll decide what you want to do.”
Buffy put the mirror back and looked at him. “You’ll still love scarred me?”
He smiled and rolled his eyes. “Of course, you silly bint.”
She nodded and sighed. “Maybe I’ll get a role in the sequel of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.”
“As long as you don’t leave me for Orlando,” he warned her.
She pulled him to her. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby.”
TBC...
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