Chapter 44

Buffy sat outside the hospital’s emergency room on a bench, “Breathe,” she said to herself as she tried to take some slow steadying breaths and take another sip of her Sprite. She and William had flown back from London on Sunday as planned and she returned to work on Monday, while he flew on to San Francisco. She just hadn’t felt right since.

The truth was that they still had lots to talk out. The “list” that Buffy had joked about had yet to be addressed. Sunday morning was hurried, the airplane didn’t seem private enough, and Buffy just didn’t feel like this was something to address over the phone. So, she, Buffy Summers was trying to exercise trust and patience. Woo boy.

Here it was Thursday. She and William agreed that he would put in extra hours during the 10 days since returning to the States. He would then fly to London, sleep a few hours, pick up Dru and fly back to Sunnydale. They were set to arrive in Sunnydale on a Saturday evening and would both stay with Buffy until Monday, at which time Drusilla would move into Chrysalis. William had made arrangements to stay in Sunnydale through until Wednesday morning. A week and two days until she would see him again, and even then, Dru would be there. God she missed him. Although they had spoken every night it just wasn’t the same. “Lovesick,” she thought “That’s what I am. Stupid guy. Making me miss him.”

Buffy flipped open her cell and dialed Willow’s number, “Willow Rosenburg,” she answered.

“Will? It’s me. Don’t hate me, but I’ve got to bail. I’m fighting off the flu from hell. I just want to go home after work and crawl into bed,” said Buffy.

“Are you sure you’re not being avoidy? Everything alright?” asked Willow more than a little concerned.

“Cross my heart and hope to die, Will. My jetlag excuse on Monday was totally and completely legitimate. I could give you graphic details to convince you of the validity of tonight’s excuse, but I would just gross you out. Trust me on this,” explained Buffy.

“Poor Buffy! How about I pick up some chicken soup from the deli and bring it by. No demand to visit. But, rest assured, I will continue to hound you until I get the full, uncensored scoop on your trip,” finished Willow.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure that I can even eat soup Will. Really, this is ugly,” said Buffy.

“Humor me. You’re sick and I’m a Jew…just go with the stereotype here Buff. Eat the damned soup, throw it away, I don’t care. It’s nothing more than an excuse to set eyes on you and make sure you’re really okay. I won’t stay, I promise, unless you want me to,” Willow said.

“Sounds good. I’ll be home by 5:00,” said Buffy before her pager went off.

“Code Trauma,” it read. “Okay, got to go!” said Buffy as she concluded her call with Willow, finished the remainder of her Sprite and threw the can away. The ambulance pulled into the parking lot and the double doors to the Emergency entrance opened. The trauma room was off to the immediate left. The EMT’s quickly unloaded the patient and wheeled them into the emergency room. Parker and the trauma team were ready to receive him and they went to work immediately. Buffy walked into the room, quickly put on gloves and began to gather up the clothes of the victim as they were cut away and tossed in her direction. She started to search through the pockets looking for any identifying information. The bullet had entered through the stomach, there was so much blood, his shirt, his pants, were saturated. Buffy felt her stomach lurch. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to talk herself out of being sick, “You can do this, you do it all the time,” she said to herself. She opened her eyes again as she pulled out a wallet, she dropped his clothes into a plastic bag and placed the bag onto a gurney. Buffy walked over to the counter and began to search through the victim’s wallet.

The room suddenly felt very hot. Buffy picked up a packet containing a sterile 4x4 and used it to fan herself. She started to feel a little light headed, she shook her head, trying to shake it off, the last thing she heard was Parker demanding, “Suction! Come on! I can’t see what I’m doing here. Christ! What a mess!”

Crash! The members of the team looked over to find Buffy on the floor, unconscious. She had managed to tip over a tray of sterile instruments on the way down. Everyone looked to Parker for direction. “Conner, you check out Buffy. Take care of her. Use my office. Nancy, get me that Goddamned suction.”

Conner looked torn. “Do it! I can handle this!” shouted Parker at him, “You don’t want us distracted worrying about her.”

Conner quickly pulled off his gloves and walked over to Buffy. She was already starting to come to. He very easily scooped her up and carried her out of the Trauma room over to Parker’s office, which was only about 20 feet away. As Conner started to lay Buffy down on the couch she grabbed hold of his scrub shirt and nuzzling into his chest murmured, “Missed you.”

Conner set Buffy down, then gently took her hand in his and said, “Buffy, It’s me, Conner, you fainted.”

Buffy opened her eyes and focused on Conner, crouching down next to her.

“I fainted?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “Has it ever happened before?”

“Once. I was really scared. Had a bit of a shock and I hadn’t eaten,” explained Buffy.

“Well, there was a lot of blood in there,” started Conner.

“Blood usually doesn’t bother me. It’s not that. I’ve just been fighting a flu,” she suggested.

“You look kind of pale,” said Conner.

“I’ll be fine. Really. I. Just-” Buffy’s sentence was interrupted as she sprinted off the couch in a desperate run for the bathroom.

Conner followed closely behind. Buffy was sitting on the floor, in front of the commode. She had already emptied was little contents were in her stomach, but couldn’t seem to stop responding to the spasms. She was tremulous as she wiped tears from her eyes.

“God, Conner, I’m-I’m sorry,” she said.

Conner grabbed a washcloth off of the shelf, ran cold water over it, wrung in out, and after pulling Buffy’s hair aside, laid it across the back of her neck. “Buffy, your emesis is totally clear. When did you last eat?” he asked.

“Yesterday morning? I got sick right after breakfast. Didn’t feel like eating any lunch. Tried dinner, without success, I might add. This morning the idea of food was yuck. I thought I would try a soda around lunch; see if I could hold that down. Bad idea,” Buffy concluded.

Conner crouched down in front of her. He grabbed her wrist and looking at his watch took her pulse. “It’s a little fast,” he said.

“I’ll be alright. I’m sure it’s just one of those 24-hour things. Or maybe 36-hour things?” Buffy said with some degree of uncertainty.

Just then, Parker walked in. “So, how’s my favorite patient?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be saving lives?” asked Buffy as with Conner’s help she rose from the bathroom floor and moved back over to the couch.

“I stabilized him. I’m off shift. Imperiale is on so he’s doing the surgery. The patient’s in good hands,” concluded Parker.

“She’s been experiencing nausea and vomiting for 24-36 hours. Can’t even hold down clear liquids. I’m concerned she’s getting dehydrated. I think we should do a blood draw and check her electrolytes,” said Conner.

“Fine. Good. Call Mandy and have her come down. Let’s give her some Compazine to help stave off the nausea,” said Parker.

“Buffy, do you have any allergies?” asked Conner right after he called Mandy and ordered the laboratory tests.

“No,” said Buffy.

“Any chance that you might be pregnant?” he inquired.

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Chapter 45

“Any chance that you might be pregnant?” he inquired.

“Not likely,” said Buffy.

“Not likely? When was the first day of your last period?” he asked.

“God, Conner, I don’t know. After I miscarried Dr. Jennings told me I wouldn’t be able to have any children. So, it’s not something I’m worried about,” she explained.

“Jennings?” asked Parker, “Did he explain why? Give you a reason?”

“I don’t remember! Look, it was a horrible time. Can’t you just give me something to settle my stomach?” pleaded Buffy.

Conner and Parker looked at one another and then Conner said, “Buffy, I think we should do a test to be on the safe side. It will only take a minute. You lay here and rest. Would you rather have someone else order the tests? I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“No Conner, I trust you. Go ahead an order the tests. The results will go to you, right?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Conner, “and I’ll come back and review them with you.”

Within 30 minutes Conner returned with Buffy’s lab results. Buffy was curled up on the couch and Parker was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork. “Parker, would you excuse us for a few minutes?” asked Conner.

“You’re joking. Right?” asked Parker looking up from whatever he was working on.

“Ah, no. Buffy, do you want Parker to stay? Or is it alright if I ask him to leave?” asked Conner.

“I really don’t care, lets just get on with it so I can start feeling better?” Buffy responded.

Conner crouched down on the floor in front of the sofa. He smiled softly and whispered trying to be discreet, “Buffy, it’s not the flu, it’s perfectly normal. You’re pregnant. You’re going to have a baby. Granted, the little bugger’s giving you a run for your money at the moment, but-”

“What?” said Buffy sitting up suddenly. “That can’t be right! I can’t be pregnant!”

“Well, I ran both a urine and a blood test. I think the results are pretty indisputable. So, given that, I don’t want to recommend prescribing anything. I think we should consult with an OB. I have a lot of respect for James Whistler,” said Conner.

“Whistler?” interjected Parker, “He’s no good. He won’t do an abortion.”

“Parker, I think you need to back off a bit. We don’t need to be making any assumptions. This is Buffy’s business. Well, Buffy and William’s,” clarified Conner.

“Of course. You’re right,” said Parker. “Buffy? How about we call Whistler and get you an appointment. I’m off for the day. I can walk you over there and then drive you home. We’ll see if we can get the nausea under control, get you re-hydrated, maybe get some food into you,” finished Parker.

“Thanks, I’ll take you up on the help getting the appointment,” said Buffy. “But, my car is here, I can get home by myself. And, my friend, Willow, is coming by with dinner tonight. So, there’s no need for either of you to worry about me. I’ll be alright. Really.”

“You are not driving yourself home,” said Parker. “If you don’t want me to take you, we can call a friend or a cab. Don’t be stubborn about this Buffy.”

Conner picked up the phone and within a few minutes had confirmed that James Whistler was in his office and would be willing to squeeze Buffy in, in between patients.

Their pagers all went off simultaneously and the overhead PA system announced “Code Trauma, Code Trauma.”

“Shit!” said Buffy.

Parker picked up the phone and was immediately patched through to the radio room where the EMT’s bringing in the patient could be heard giving report. It was an automobile accident. The victim appeared to be intoxicated and was thrown from the vehicle on impact through the front windshield. He simply ran off the road, no other victims involved. Although the probable had numerous lacerations and a probable concussion…it didn’t sound serious. “Conner, this one is pretty straight forward, you can handle this with Alex and the Residents. If you need help from me, just page me, I’ll just be across the street.”

“Thanks, Parker. Good luck, Buffy. Feel better. Let me know if there’s anything you need. Anything at all,” offered Conner before rushing off to attend to the incoming patient.

Parker and Buffy walked over to Whistler’s office. It was located in an office complex right across the street from the hospital. The waiting room was pretty full. There were about five other women there, some with children, and some with husbands. Buffy was given a clipboard containing mounds of paperwork. She did her best to fill it out. Parker noticed that her hand was shaking. “Here, let me help you,” he said taking the clipboard from her. Parker proceeded to ask her the questions and wrote down Buffy’s responses. Within 20 minutes they had completed all of the paperwork and Buffy was brought back into the doctor’s office.

“Hello. Buffy, is that right? I think I’ve seen you up on Labor and Delivery on occasion. I’m James Whistler,” he said leaning across his desk and extending his hand.

“Yes. I don’t usually work L&D, but I sometimes end up having to take a case there. You know, if we’re short-staffed or I’m on-call,” she explained shaking his hand before taking a seat.

“Well, did you bring the lab results from the hospital?” he asked

“Oh! Yes. Here they are,” said Buffy handing the lab results and other paperwork over to the doctor.

“Okay, then. Looks like your pregnant and a little dehydrated. Conner already told you that, though. I think that the first order of business is to get the nausea under control, get some fluids in you,” said Whistler.

“We can schedule an appointment for tomorrow morning and you can come back for a Transvaginal Ultrasound, make sure everything is going alright. Should we ask Parker to come in so that we can compare schedules and set up an appointment?”

“Why would Parker be at the appointment?” asked a confused Buffy.

“Well, he’s here today, and he’s your emergency contact on your medical record here. So, I just, kinda thought he was, bad assumption on my part, obviously,” Whistler trailed off.

“Parker and I are just co-workers, he helped fill out the paperwork. Let me change the emergency contact,” she asked reaching out to retrieve the form. As Buffy scratched out Parker’s name she began to tear up instantaneously. “I guess most women just automatically put down their husbands-”

Whistler pulled a tissue out of the box on his desk and handed it to Buffy. “I’m sorry. Maybe I’m getting a little ahead of the game here. We can slow this down. Buffy, plenty of unmarried women decide to have children. I’m guessing this has come as a bit of a shock to you?” he asked.

“You could say that. I didn’t think that I could conceive,” said Buffy as she blew her nose.

“Ah, I see. Well, Buffy, I should let you know up front that I don’t do terminations. If that’s a consideration then I can recommend another doctor. And, there would be no sense, really, in doing the ultrasound,” finished Whistler.

“No, no, I- oh my God! I can’t believe this is happening. I mean- how?” she asked as she stood up and nervously started pacing in the office.

Whistler smiled a bit and said, “That’s a rhetorical question, right? I know this is a big decision a big responsibility.You have a choice to make that affects all three of you really. I mean, you could tell the baby’s father and make the decision together, but you don’t have to. Whether he ever finds out is really up to you.”

“You think I should tell him,” said Buffy reaching for another tissue.

“I think that I know nothing about your personal situation and I have absolutely no right to encourage you in any direction. I will tell you that being a father has, for me, been one of the most profoundly rewarding experiences of my life. But, that’s just me. That’s just the way things turned out for me. Everyone’s different,” said Whistler.

“He’s under the impression that I can’t have children and we’ve known each other such a short time. What if he thinks I’ve misled him? How could I ever explain this?” she said as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks and she reached for another tissue.

“Look, Buffy, the bottom line is, even if you see 'em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asks for their life to change, not really. But it does. So what are we, helpless? Puppets? No. The big moments are gonna come, you can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are.”

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Chapter 46

Buffy took a deep steadying breath and after exhaling she looked at Whistler, tears still glistening in her eyes and she softly said, “I’m going to have a baby.”

“Well, it’s one option,” He confirmed.

“I’m going to have a baby,” she said her voice sounding more certain. “So, doctor, what time should I be here tomorrow? Wait, tomorrow the 4^th of July, you’re seeing patients?”

“Just you,” said Whistler. “Then I’ll be off to a day at the beach with my family.”

 “I appreciate it. In the meantime, what can I do to make sure that I’m taking in, and keeping down enough food and fluids,” asked Buffy.

“I recommend we go with the conservative approach for now. I’ll have Debbie give you one of my morning sickness kits on the way out. There’s a brochure with some eating tips, an acupressure wristband (which some report to be helpful), and some small containers of food items you may have some luck with; chicken broth, ginger ale, saltines, pretzels, Jell-O, herbal tea, and some crystallized ginger. How about you try some of this tonight and we’ll meet tomorrow at 10:00 for the ultrasound?” Whistler asked.

“Well, earlier or later works out better with work, if that’s possible,” suggested Buffy.

“No work tomorrow for you. Normally morning sickness is a good sign. It’s a sign that the placenta and fetal membrane are developing well. Since your lab values are a little below normal and you’ve been struggling with severe nausea and vomiting I want you to take tomorrow off. Your body needs the extra rest. It’s working extra hard now. Lets get you back on track. We’re probably only talking about missing one day of work,” Whistler concluded.

“Check. Get rest. Try to keep some liquids down. I got it,” responded Buffy.

“Let’s see if we can pin down a tentative due date,” said Whistler as he handed her the calendar. “When was the first day of your last period.”

“Oh, I’m bad about keeping track of this,” confessed Buffy as she started to study the calendar. “Okay, hmmm, William and I had sex for the first time on June 15^th, Father’s Day, way wiggy.  Then I didn’t see him until late in the week. I haven’t had my period since meeting him. Think! Oh!” exclaimed Buffy as she flipped the calendar back to May.

“Ha! It was after Memorial Day, because I was at Willow and Tara’s for a cookout and pool party, didn’t have it then. I started late that week, around the 30^th, Buffy concluded.”

“No other intercourse between the 30^th of May and June 15^th?” He asked.

Buffy shook her head no.

“Okay! So we’re talking really early in the pregnancy here. Let’s calculate the due date from what we think was conception. You should be due around March 8^th, that’s about 3 weeks gestation. Since we normally count from the 1^st day of your last period that’s about 5 weeks into the pregnancy.”

“March 8^th,” repeated Buffy still struggling to take it all in.

“Near as we can tell. As the pregnancy progresses we’ll have a better idea,” said Whistler.

“Okay then, I’ll see you at 10:00 A.M., thanks for everything,” said Buffy as she shook Whistlers hand and made her way out of his office.

After confirming her appointment for tomorrow from the front desk and retrieving her supplies she accepted Parker’s offer to drive her home.

As Parker pulled into her driveway he asked, “Do you need a ride to your appointment tomorrow morning?”

“Yeah, I guess I will, my cars still at the hospital. I’ll have my friend Willow take me,” said Buffy.

“Look, if you need me to give you a lift, you know I will,” he assured her.

“You’ve done so much, thank you,” said Buffy, truly grateful as she opened the passenger door and exited the car.

Parker turned off the engine and got out himself. “Let me at least make the chicken broth for you. You can take a bath while I heat it up. A couple saltines, a few sips of broth, then a little rest. Doctor’s orders.”

“My friend Willow was going to bring by some chicken noodle soup in about an hour. I can just wait until then,” suggested Buffy.

“Nope. That’s going to have pasta and vegetables in it. You need to start with clear liquids first. I guess I can’t blame you for not wanting to put up with me. But, I don’t want to leave you alone while you’re this sick,” Parker explained.

“First off, I’m not sick, I’m pregnant,” said Buffy. “Second of all, your- right. It’s silly of me not to accept your help until Willow gets here.”

“Spike? It’s me,” said Wes.

“What’s wrong? Is Buffy okay?” William asked, alarm evident in his voice.

“Not sure, I’ll know more in a minute. Parker Abrams brought her home tonight. Drove her home in his car. He’s walking her to the door to her apartment. I have the place wired. That was a piece of cake. I mean did you see the alarm system? Want to know her pass code?” asked Wes.

“No,” said William trying to be patient.

“I’ll be able to hear what’s going on once they’re inside. Do you want me to tap you in so you can hear directly?” asked Wes.

“Look, I’ve told you. I don’t want to invade Buffy’s privacy. I just want to make sure she’s safe. If you think she’s in danger I want you to go in and make like the bloody cavalry,” ordered William.

“Why is she so important to Master anyway?” asked Wesley.

“She’s not,” explained William. “She’s important to me.”

“Hold on, I’ve got sound,” said Wes as he set the cell-phone down and put on a headset.

“Do you want help starting the bath?” asked Parker.

“I think I can handle drawing a simple bath,” answered Buffy.

“Just don’t pass out. Lots of hard surfaces in there,” Parker reminded her.

“How do you know?” asked Buffy suddenly a little suspicious.

“Well, it is a bathroom. Most of them have sinks, toilets, tubs, all hard stuff?” clarified Parker.

Buffy relaxed again and said, “On second thought, maybe I would like to lay down while you get the bath ready, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” said Parker.

He followed Buffy back into the bedroom and while she laid down on the bed he went into the bathroom and began to draw her a warm bath. As the tub filled he went back to the kitchen and found a large mug. He opened the can of chicken broth, poured it into the mug, and placed it in the microwave, setting the timer for one-and-a-half minutes so that he would only need to push the “start” prompt. Parker walked back into the bedroom and saw that Buffy had dozed off. He turned off the water and debated whether of not he should wake her.

Parker pulled the stopper out of the bath, turned out the lights, and made his way back to the living room. He pulled out his cell and paged Conner. Conner called back within minutes.

“Dr. Abrams,” answered Parker.

“It’s Conner, what’s up?” he said.

“Wanted to see if everything went okay,” said Parker.

“Yeah, on this end, how’s Buffy?” asked Conner.

“She’s sleeping now. I drove her home after she saw Whistler. Her friend, Willow, should be on her way here now actually. I’m hanging out until she gets here though, just in case. She has a follow-up appointment in the morning that she’s going to have Willow take her to. Whistler gave her a bunch of natural remedies to try. She was advised to take tomorrow off and rest. Listen, it sounds like someone’s pulling into the driveway now. See you tomorrow,” concluded Parker as he hung up the phone.

“Spike?” called Wes.

“Yeah! What’s up? I’m on pins and needles here!” answered William.

“It’s fine. She’s safe. She’s…” Wes trailed off struggling with how much to reveal in light of Spikes expressed wish to preserve Buffy’s privacy.

“She’s what?” asked William, panic creeping into his voice.

“She was feeling a bit under the weather. The doc brought her home and she’s gone to sleep. Her friend Willow is on her way over with some good ol’ chicken soup,” explained Wes.

“Oh, thank God,” said William, breathing a sigh of relief. “Look, don’t stand down while he’s still there. I don’t trust him. Not one bit. Once Red arrives you can probably get some shut-eye…as long as the alarms are set and you stay wired for sound. You still have the art of simultaneous sleeping and surveillance mastered, right?”

“You know I’m one of the best. That’s why you asked for me. While I have you on the phone let me tell you we are nowhere with the DNA. I had the blood from the handkerchief run. I checked her apartment a couple days ago, nothing. The police officers that responded to the call about a trespasser didn’t take any samples. It was treated as an isolated incident. I could spend some time trying to connect-the-dots for them. But, why?” finished Wes.

“So that the police and arrest the bad guy and bring him to justice?” said William slowly.

“Get out!” exclaimed Wes. “You surprise me William. Have you been away so long that you’ve forgotten what it’s like? If someone is a danger to Buffy, taking him down like this will get him nothing more than a slap on the wrist. You want to play this as straight as possible. I get that. I’ll honor that as long as it doesn’t interfere with what’s been defined as my mission’s top priority.”

“Keep Buffy safe,” said William.

“Exactly. Glad we’re on the same page,” said Wesley as he noticed a car pull into Buffy’s driveway, next to Parker’s.  “I’ll check in tomorrow at the regular time, sooner if I need to,” said Wesley before disconnecting as he watched the attractive redhead approach Buffy’s door.

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Chapter 47

Willow was startled as Buffy’s door opened before she could knock. The redhead jumped back a bit, “Goddess, you scared me! You are?”

“Parker Abrams,” said Parker, extending his hand for a handshake. “Come on in. I was just hanging out until you arrived. You know, in case Buffy needed anything. Buffy and I work together. I gave her a ride home from the hospital tonight.”

“Yeah, well, okay. I’m going to just go and, and check and make sure she’s, you know, okay,” said Willow nervously.

“I’m gonna head out then. It was nice meeting you, Willow. Oh, and don’t give her the soup you brought just yet. There’s some clear broth ready to go in the microwave and some saltines on the counter. She needs to start with that. You probably should wake her and see if you can get her to eat anything,” explained Parker.

Willow heard Parker let himself out. She put the soup down in the kitchen, and then proceeded up the hallway to Buffy’s bedroom. It was fairly dark, but the bathroom light had been left on and Willow could clearly see Buffy’s form lying on top of her bed, covered by a chenille throw. Willow walked over, sat on the edge of the bed, and placing her hand on Buffy’s shoulder softly called her name.

“Buffy? It’s me, Willow. How are you feeling, sweetie?” asked Willow softly.

Buffy slowly opened her eyes. Then, even more slowly her face lit up with a beautiful smile.

“Hey, I thought you were sick! What’s with the happy?” said Willow suspiciously.

“Oh, Willow!” said Buffy leaning up onto her elbows. “I’m not sick at all, well I am, but it’s okay, it’s normal. I’m, I’m pregnant!”

Willow continued to look at Buffy as is she hadn’t heard her. Then she said, “I’m sorry, I could have sworn I heard you say that you were pregnant.”

“That’s what I said,” confirmed Buffy.

“Oh Goddess!” exclaimed Willow as Buffy moved over to let Willow crawl onto the bed beside her.

“Yeah,” agreed Buffy. “Now in addition to my squeezy stomach, my head is swimming. What the hell am I going to do?”

“About?” prompted Willow.

“Everything Willow,” said Buffy as she flopped back down onto her pillow.

“Well, let’s start with the obvious,” suggested Willow. “In your mind, is terminating this pregnancy a possibility?”

Buffy inhaled deeply and placing a protective hand across her stomach said, “No. No it isn’t. This feels like a second chance and I’m not going to give it up. Even if I have to do this all on my own.”

“Buffy, you have me and Tara. You and the little one will never have to be alone,” said Willow as she brushed a loose strand of hair out of Buffy’s face. “Can I call Tara and have her come over? I’ll have her bring Chinese food. Maybe in a while you’ll be able to eat some plain white rice. Yum. Yum.”

Buffy laughed and said, “Yeah, call Tara and tell her the news. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for you combusting internally due to inability to spread the juicy gossip! I’m going to start a bath. You can come visit if you want after you’ve gotten a hold of Tara.”

Ten minutes later Willow knocked on the bathroom door, and then pushed it open. Buffy was reclined in the tub. Willow walked in and sat on the tub’s edge. “I assume that William is the father?”

“Yes. There hasn’t been anyone else,” confirmed Buffy. “I’m afraid, Willow.”

“It’s a big thing, a baby,” offered Willow.

“Not just that. Do you believe in fate? I don’t know. I’ve known William for, such a short time. It feels unbelievable. This is crazy,” said Buffy.

“Do you love him?” asked Willow.

“Yes, Will. Yes, I do,” said Buffy.

“Has he given you any indication that he feels the same way?” Willow inquired.

“Yes, he said it first,” explained Buffy.

“You believe him?” asked Willow.

“About loving me? Yes,” said Buffy.

“But,” prompted Willow.

“But there are things about him I don’t know and/or don’t understand. The last time I found out I was pregnant I was married. I was very much in love with my husband. Then, before I could even tell him it all came crashing down. I found out he wasn’t who I thought he was. He certainly didn’t love me. I was alone and then…” Buffy trailed off as her hand again instinctively moved to hold her still flat stomach.

“I know the story, I was here. But, we’re not talking about Angel here. We’re talking about William. The two have absolutely nothing to do with one another,” said Willow.

Buffy got out of the tub and after wrapping a robe around herself rejoined Willow in the bedroom. As she sat on the bed, Buffy started laughing, then within seconds she was sobbing. Through Buffy’s tears Willow was able to make out, “But we ran into Angel in London, he and William are friends. Well, maybe not friends, but something. They’re connected somehow. William asked me not to go to the police about his real identity. He asked me to hold off for two weeks, but I don’t understand why, and like an idiot I agreed. When he looks at me with those deep, blue eyes I just lose all sense of, well, sense. Then there’s this whole thing about William working for the government. I don’t really know who he is!”

“William told you he works for the government?” asked Willow.

“No,” said Buffy as she grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand and blew her nose. “His sister, Drusilla, told me. She heard it, whispered on the wind. She-she said things were going to get complicated and she wasn’t kidding.”

“The crazy sister?” asked Willow.

“Yeah,” confirmed Buffy.

“The crazy sister that has been locked in a psych ward for a decade tells you William’s what, living some double life? And you believe her? Are you sure insanity isn’t contagious?” scolded Willow.

“Of course you don’t know everything about William. You’ve known him for a few weeks. You couldn’t possibly have it all figured out. Two things you do know,” said Willow as she climbed out of bed and began to pace, as if standing in front of a jury, “One, you are carrying his child. Two, you love him. Buffy? That’s a hell of a start.”

“Okay,” agreed Buffy. “But, I knew those two things, you’re not helping, tell me what to do,” pleaded Buffy.

“Oh no! Not me. I’m supportive best friend here. I’m not going to pile on the shoulds. I’ll be Miss Sounding Board. A model of neutrality, that’s me,” concluded Willow.

“You think I should tell him?” asked Buffy hesitantly.

“Of course you should tell him, you ninny!” said Willow as she picked up one of Buffy’s throw pillows from the bed and gently knocked her upside the head.

“But how?” she moaned as she wrestled Willow for the pillow.

“We’ve got all night to figure that out. We can book you on a morning flight to San Francisco,” said Willow as she finally regained control over the pillow and, in doing so, flew completely off the bed.

Tara had been watching their struggle from the bedroom door and she burst out in laughter. “Oh my gosh! She so kicked your butt! You need to brush up on your pillow-fighting technique, sweetie,” she said as she walked over to Willow, helped pull her up off the floor, and kissed her hello.

“She so did not, I was going easy on her. What, with the entire being sick, slash, pregnancy thing,” defended Willow.

“Nope. She slayed you fair and square,” confirmed Tara.

“Harrumph!!” said Willow. “Let’s eat. I’m going to warm up some nice clear chicken broth for Madam and we’ll get right to work.”

“What are we working on?” asked Tara.

“Buffy’s going to tell William about the baby tomorrow and we’re going to help by being neutral sounding boards,” finished Willow.

Buffy and Tara exchanged a knowing glance, and then Tara, patting Willow on the arm said, “Sure honey.”

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