Chapter
6.15
Wednesday, May 15th, 2002
Spike picked up the heavy boots from the corner
of the car. He turned to make his goodbyes to the LA crowd.
"I don't reckon as I've really got time
to say thanks properly, what with me needin' to get this stuff
back to Dawn and grandpa here—"
"Would you stop calling me that?"
"Okay. Angel-ass here needs to get back
home before the sun's up, but I wouldn't want you to think we're
not grateful. So, next time we're down, dinner? You pick the restaurant.
I'll foot the bill. Prob'ly about a week an' a half, but I'll
give you a bell nearer the time." He transferred his gaze
to Gunn who still held the trash bag with all the samples.
"You'll see that gets burned or something?"
"Straight in the boiler when we get back,"
the young man confirmed.
"Right, then. Next time we're in LA."
With a wink to Connor and a, "See ya, kid,"
he left.
As soon as he could, he pulled off the train
tracks and made his way onto the highway, though he considered
turning back when he saw the road he was driving along now had
the appellation of The Ronald Reagan Freeway. "What's next?
I hope to hell no one in England's re-naming the M1 as The Maggie
Thatcher Motorway."
Once he hit a clear stretch of straightish road
he pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Buffy? I'm on my way back. I've got what
we need. She's going to be okay."
"And Sam?"
"Out cold, last I saw. Riley and his mates
have got her." Spike's teeth nibbled gently at his lower
lip before he continued. "They're takin' Red home, too. She
collapsed."
"Is she going to be okay?"
"Well, it looked pretty much like what happened
that time she teleported Glory, but she's been out for longer.
I think she should throw it off in time.
Buffy, there's something else. about Dawn. We
found a Dictaphone. Sam was using it to make notes. Love, according
to what she said it sounds like. Pet, let's just say her examination
was thorough enough to know that Bit's a virgin—"
"She what? I am going to kill the bitch."
"That was pretty much my reaction as well,
which is how come Red knocked herself out tryin' to stop me. The
point I'm trying to make, though, is that it might be no bad idea,
if they have some sort of rape counsellor there, for her to be
around when she pulls out of it."
"Spike, I'm going to have to go. We're pulling
up at the hospital."
"Okay, love. I'll be there with the antidote
as soon as I can... oh, an' it's that Glargkh Guhl Kashma'nik venom,
so you pretty much know what to expect until I get there."
"Okay... love." Buffy hesitated over
the endearment but brought herself to say it after a couple of
seconds. "We'll be waiting."
"On my way."
Spike selected the number for the second call,
which he was dreading almost as much.
"Spike?" Tara immediately sounded puzzled
that it was the vampire calling and not Willow.
"Yeah, pet. 'S me."
"What's happened? Buffy said you and Willow
were heading on, but that she and Wes were bringing Dawn back."
"Which they are. They'd just made it to
the hospital when I spoke to her. Look, Pixie, best I just spit
this out. Willow fainted. Cardboard's takin' her back to the house.
I told him I'd let you know so that you'd be there to look after
her when she got there."
"I knew it—"
"Now, before you blame her, if she hadn't
done what she did, then I would've probably done something really
stupid. She did you proud, pet. If I hadn't lost my temper she'd
have been just fine. In fact, if I'm still at the hospital next
time you see her awake, tell her I said thank you."
"Is she going to be okay?"
"Well, it looked to me like that last time
at the hospital when you two did your hoodoo on Glory, only she'd
been out for a good ten minutes when I headed out. I would have
hung around and kept an eye on her but I figured it was best to
get this antidote to the Niblet quick as I could."
"Spike, it's okay. You don't have to explain."
"Just didn't want you thinkin' that it was
'cause I wasn't bothered. Look, pet, can you ring Clem's lot and
let them know panic's over, for now."
"Sure, Spike. I'll pass the word."
"Thanks, love. See you later."
"Bye."
Buffy scooped up her sister in her arms. She
had wrapped her own coat around her to provide her with more cover
than the skimpy, pvc dress. Wesley stepped out from the shadows
by the entrance, having arrived and parked up his bike a couple
of minutes earlier. He picked up Buffy's helmet and backpack,
leaving the somewhat unsure soldier with nothing to do.
As it was quite some hours since all the bars
and clubs had ejected their patrons and not late enough for many
people to be up for the day, the ER was blessedly empty when they
arrived.
Even as she approached the desk, a male nurse
came forward and took Dawn from her arms, while the receptionist
took her details, before passing her over to the triage nurse
to give as much detail as she could about what had happened to
her sister. Buffy explained as much as she felt able, wondering
how this was going to look to social services, but knowing that
Dawn needed the medical attention for her other injuries if not
because of the venom in her system.
"Her boyfriend called earlier to say that
someone had spiked both their drinks. By the time his dad got
there Brandon was hurt and was brought here and my sister was
gone. We've been looking for her ever since. When we found her
she was like this. She came out of it once, but reverted back
almost straight away.
My fiancé and some friends managed to
track down the people who'd taken her. She's been poisoned with
a rare, animal venom which causes hallucinations. He's on his
way here now with the antidote, but we're more worried about her
other injuries. It seems... The person who took her may have abused
her, but she hasn't been herself long enough to tell us anything."
"It's okay, miss. We've been expecting you.
Your friend in the army managed to arrange for their specialist
to be—"
"No!" Buffy's response startled the
nurse with its vehemence. "I don't want her treated by army
physicians. I want her treated by normal doctors." Frustration
welled up in Buffy as she knew blurting out that the army was
responsible for her sister's injuries would ultimately bring them
more trouble. "Please, I just want her to be examined by
a normal doctor. Someone who can treat her for the wound on her
thigh and the damage she's done to her feet. Once Will gets here
with the antidote, it'll take care of the rest, unless there's any
further damage we don't know about."
The nurse's sympathetic attitude seemed to harden
slightly. "Miss Summers, I have to say that in my opinion
it would be remiss of you to not take advantage of the specialist.
It's almost certain he would have more experience with these types
of cases."
Buffy bit back the temptation to point out that
he probably had more experience causing them.
"Okay, how about this? He can watch while
she's examined by a proper doctor and if he has anything to say
he can tell us, but I'm not having anyone from the army administering
drugs to her or laying a finger on her and wherever possible I
want to be with her in the treatment room. Are we clear?"
"Perfectly." The nurse bustled off
toward the line of treatment cubicles, presumably to tell the
army doctor his services were to be barely tolerated. Buffy followed
after her but Wesley hesitated.
"Perhaps I should go and let Mr Michaels
and Brandon know that we found her?"
"Sure. If they'll let you." Buffy looked
over at the nurse.
"I think under the circumstances, he might
be allowed a brief visit."
Wesley headed for the lift. "I'll be back
shortly."
"Mr Michaels," Wes knocked softly at
the door, before pushing it open. The police guard was gone, so
it seemed like either Brandon had come round for long enough to
tell them what they wanted to know or they had realised that they
weren't going to be taking a death-bed deposition.
Brandon's father looked up from his seat by the
far bed. "Yes?" he responded equally quietly to Wes's
whispered greeting, as though afraid to wake the youth in the
bed.
"It's Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. We met earlier.
I just wanted to let you both know that we found Dawn."
"How is she?" the older man asked.
"We're confident in time she'll make a full
physical recovery. She's been poisoned but Spike and some other
acquaintances managed to find out what had been used and he's
on the way here with the antidote.
It's really not her physical injuries that are
our major concern."
"So what is your major concern."
"Well, when Buffy was explaining to the
admitting nurse about Dawn's condition she mentioned there was
a possibility of 'abuse', a word which has certain connotations
in these times, which if it's true could obviously have long-lasting
psychological effects. As I came back on the bike, I don't actually
know exactly what Spike may have been able to tell her.
Added to this, you don't have to be a genius
to know that Buffy is understandably concerned that this may affect
her case for guardianship." Even in the dimly lit room Wesley's
gaze met the other man's squarely.
"I think, bearing in mind that the prime
culprit is now in military custody and unlikely to face a civil
trial, it would be better if your army friends began their cover
up before word of this gets to social services. Buffy, Dawn and
Spike deserve the chance to be a family."
The man on the other side of the room nodded.
"I think that can be arranged. Why don't you stay with Brandon
in case he wakes up, while I go find somewhere I can use my phone?"
Thursday, May 16th, 2002
Spike didn't even wait to check with the nurse
when he made his way through the hospital doors. He simply let
himself be guided by the scent of Dawn's blood. It didn't even
register that the receptionist had scuttled out from behind her
desk to try to stop the intruder. He paused as he reached the
curtain that separated him from his girls unsure whether Dawn
might not be suitably dressed for him to visit.
"Buffy?" he asked. "Is it okay
to come in?"
The curtain was flung aside, and if not for the
orbs Spike had a funny feeling he would have been bowled over
by Buffy's fierce welcoming hug. He was in for another surprise
as he caught a glimpse of Dawn dressed in a hospital gown sitting
up in the hospital bed behind her, a huge grin plastered across
her face at her sister's enthusiasm.
"She's..."
"Jeez, Spike. Don't you start talking about
me as if I'm not here. I got enough of that from the doctors.
I'm in and out, so make the most of it and get me that antidote
before I go back to being a ball of light again."
"Antidote, right." Spike looked round,
searching for a member of staff, suddenly noticing the receptionist
who had been about to head back to her desk when she saw the welcome
Spike received. "Excuse me, miss. You wouldn't know where
we could find a syringe or someone who can administer an injection?"
The receptionist sniffed. "I believe Miss
Summers told the doctor his services could be best employed fetching
her and her sister a soda from the vending machine."
Spike raised a questioning brow as he moved round
to give Dawn her own hug and Buffy flushed beneath his gaze. "Riley
sent some army specialist, who just happened to be so close to
hand that he got here before I did."
"You think the boys are back in town?"
"Up until tonight I haven't seen anyone
I recognised but, then, they wouldn't want me to. I think once
everything's settled I'm going to want a nice long chat with Mr
Michaels."
Dawn's grin vanished. "Not any longer than
the one I'm going to want with Brandon."
"Now, look, pet. Give him a chance to explain.
A guy doesn't—" Spike's pleas on Brandon's behalf were cut
short by the arrival of the soda delivery guy.
Buffy pulled the can from his hand with a look
of distaste. "Didn't we tell you to get diet?"
"Pet. Be nice to the man who's going to
make your little sister better."
Buffy pulled herself in close against her fiancé
once more. "You're the one who got the stuff. All he's going
to do is stick a needle in her. and why does she get a needle
when I had to drink a liquid compost heap?"
"Just lucky, I guess," Spike replied.
"Now, you want me to administer an
injection?" the doctor asked.
"Well if you want I could do it, but I don't
know what the insurance company might make of that," Spike
suggested.
"Can we quit squabbling and somebody just
give me the jab so I can get out of here and put on some clothes
that cover my butt?" Dawn interrupted.
Spike pulled a bottle of antivenin from his pocket
and tossed it to the doctor, who peered rather too intently at
the label for comfort.
"You got some sort of problem, there, doc?"
The doctor turned to look at Spike. "This
substance is from an army dispensary."
"And so is what made her sick in the first
place. Just give her the damn shot."
The doctor looked distinctly uncomfortable with
the situation but moved to follow Spike's instructions. "How
much?"
"All of it."
The doctor moved to find a syringe in the trays
of the trolley by Dawn's bedside but it seemed that their time
had run out. Even as he filled the syringe Dawn's eyes seemed
to lose focus once more.
|
