Armageddon Saga
ChapterChapter Forty: Life Flight
By the Lady Sirona ladysirona@LadySirona.com
Just as the Sun was setting the next day her Doctors came to Angel and Giles. "She is getting worse and we can't handle her. She is going into kidney failure and needs dialysis and more specialized care than can give her. We cannot handle her sepsis, injuries, renalfailure and her Disseminated intravascular coagulpathy. We are not experienced in such trauma and sepsis. We are going to need to Life Flight her to London. " The Doctors knew that it was probably hopeless, but they had to offer a chance.
Angel heard the words, and they terrified him. Buffy's kidneys had shut down from the toxins of the baby's demise. Now she needed intense dialysis, and had to go to London to get it. This was being complicated with DIC, or the using up of her clotting factors... Buffy was bleeding to death... her blood just wouldn't clot.
"She'll die if she stays here. She may die in transit if she goes. She may die anyway. But if there is a chance for her, this is her only chance, in my opinion, and my colleagues medical opinion." The doctor looked at the intense young man. He obviously loved his wife very much. He loved her enough to pay cash for her medical care, but did he love her enough to pay cash for the thousands required to send her to London? It may save herlife, but the medical staff feared it probably would not.
"Then do it. What ever it takes, do it." Angel growled and returned to his post at her side.
The phone rang at Joyce Summer's Gallery. Joyce picked it up, innocent of the fact her safe little world was about to end.
"Joyce? Rupert Giles. Buffy has been very seriously injured. She is being life flighted to London. She may not survive the night or the trip. A ticket to London on the 6pm flight on TransAm Airlines is waiting for you at the airport. Other Watchers will pick you up at the airport. They will bring you to Buffy. I will see you when you arrive. I am sorry, I have to go..." the phone went dead. Leaving Joyce with the frantic need to prepare for her trip out of the country...
The Life Flight transfer went well. They transferred her that very night, since it was the quickest. Angel and the rest took standard airfare to London and arrived shortly after she did. Angel wanted to travel with Buffy on the life flight, but no one could go with her. Angel prayed she would survive the transfer. He, and the Doctors had their doubts she would survive through the transfer.
Upon arrival In London... They went directly to the intensive care. Angel once again insisted on staying, and the after reviewing the other Doctors notes, the London Doctors allowed it. He stood at her side as they settled her in, the nurses clucking over herravaged body like angered hens.
He immediately felt more comfortable when he met her Trauma Team Nurses Kara andCharlene. He felt she was in good hands, Kara would work nights and Charlene would work Days with Buffy. Giles told them that Kara and Charlene were in fact Watchers, and would be her nurses exclusively. They were aware of the real situation, where the physicians were not.
He stood at her side and held her hand as the renal doctor sank in the massive Quinton catheter into her femoral vein in her thigh. He winced at the size of the catheter, and the blood running from the site... She was bleeding from every port and incision and woundwith her DIC.
He watched in fascination as they did the dialysis, when they ran her blood through the hemodialysis machine, as it cycled through the tubes, and cartridges and return clean to her and his children. Removing the fluids and toxins that her kidneys no longer removed.
She was bleeding from every wound and every insertion site of every tube and line. The loss of clotting factors necessitated numerous blood transfusions and blood products. The nurses where constantly changing her dressings and drainage bags. The smell of blood was overwhelming in the room...and hunger ate at him with iron teeth, but Angel wouldn't leave her side. He feared that any moment may be her last, and he wasn't goingto leave her side for something as insignificant as nourishment.
Angel was grateful that the ICU in London was old, and in fact, did not even have anywindows. He didn't care if it was night or day. He kept his post at her bedside as Giles and Willow and Xander came and went at the whim of the nurses. Willow and Xander tried to distract him, tried to ease his pain. They had no effect.
Angel made sure he had leave to stay at her bedside at all times like he did at the last ICU. He eventually earned the respect of the nurses by making himself useful, helping with her care with turning her and bathing her. He also stayed out of the nurse’s way.
They watched the heart-broken Angel at his "wife's" bedside. The other nurses had the report they had an accident rock climbing while they were on their honeymoon. It broke their hearts to see Angel's devastation at her condition. Only Kara and Charlene knew thetruth. This was Slayer Prime, fallen in the battle against evil, and the vampire who loved her.
Angel was at her side as he always was. His head lay on the bed as he held her hand in his when Giles entered. Giles stared at the vampire. He knew that Angel loved Buffy, but the degree and depth was beyond even his expectations. Somehow, Giles just knew that if Buffy died, Angel would once again see a sunrise. His love and devotion to Buffy was incredible. Far beyond anything he ever thought possible...
"Angel?" Giles touched his shoulder gently. He knew as a Watcher, that roughly arousing a vampire was not good, and could be lethal. Angel looked up at Giles, and Giles stepped back. Angel was much paler than usual. His face gaunt, his eyes slightly sunken, he looked exhausted and unfed. "My God man," Giles blurted, "When did you last feed?"
"I dunno. A day or two... maybe more." Angel mumbled. He really couldn't remember when he last fed, and that had been a snack of sorts if anything. He felt the hunger growling in him... and squelched it.
"Angel. You're not going to help her if you starve yourself to death." Giles looked at the mourning vampire. His distress was almost palpable. "I'm going to have Willow and Xander bring you something. Drink it. If not for yourself, Please, do it for her." Gilesglanced at Buffy. She was almost unrecognizable, her body bloated with fluids, bruises covering her body and blood leaking from every tube and line. Angel just nodded. Giles couldn't believe his ability to control, to be starving, and maintain control while exposedto that much blood....
About an hour or so later Xander walked into the ICU carrying a large thermos filled with pig's blood. He felt odd bringing Angel blood. He had always disliked Angel, rightfrom the start. That dislike had grown to outright hatred when Angel had lost his soul and tortured them all as Angelus. Now Angel was back, and Buffy loved him. He had literally gone through Hell, and now sat mourning at the sick bed of the woman they both loved. Only difference now, was Buffy loved Angel, and he finally acknowledged he truly loved Willow.
Angel looked up as Xander walked in with a question in his eyes. "For you." Xander said simply as he handed the thermos to him. Angel raised an eyebrow, as he nodded to him. Angel removed the lid and sniffed. "Pig," was all Angel said.
"Yeah. I didn't know your preference, and I don't have connections for human outdated blood at a blood bank." Xander mumbled. Angel just looked at Xander and then at Buffy. "You want me to leave?" Xander offered. He knew how shy Angel was about his feedinghabits. Buffy had mentioned how he hated to feed in front of anyone, even in front of her.
Angel looked at Xander. He had grown a bit in the last months. Where before he was an irritant, now he was a...friend? Angel looked into the thermos; pigs’ blood. The closest to human, and fresh from the smell. Actually quite the delicacy for a vampire, too bad he really didn't care. Angel shrugged in response to Xander’s question. He didn't really care.
Xander watched fascinated as Angel raised the thermos to his lips and drank. His face never even transformed. He drank non-stop until the thermos was empty. Xander was astonished. It had held a half-gallon of fresh blood. "Thanks," was all Angel said as hestood, rinsed the thermos out in the sink, and handed it back to Xander. Xander stared at the thermos. A half gallon... Just like that. He drank down a half gallon of blood and never changed. *I thought they had to change to feed* Xander thoughts were confused. *Is he that far gone, worrying for Buffy, he can't even feed? *
"Angel?" Xander asked softly. The vampire looked at him. "What will you do if she dies?" He really didn't want to know but he had to put a name to the growing feeling of dread and fatality he was getting from Angel, so he had to ask. He knew he really didn'twant the answer, but he needed to know.
"Watch the next sunrise." Angel said slowly and clearly, his voice devoid of emotion. As if he was reciting the weather. Xander stared at him in shock. "What Xander, You don't approve?" Angel asked dryly, "I thought you'd be happy to see me gone."
"Yeah, Angelus. But not you Angel, you've lived 245 years. Certainly you've seen mortals die?" Xander asked. Ever since London he found himself bound to Angel in a mysterious way... It broke his heart to see him this way, almost as much as it hurt to seeBuffy that way. But because of the bonding in place when they were in London, Xanderfelt what Angel was feeling... that was pure agony. He had always thought the cool elusive vampire was unemotional. Now, he felt every strong emotion Angel felt, and it was ripping him apart and breaking his heart.
"Yeah, Xander, I have. At the time I could have cared less. I have never been loved or loved one! Buffy is unique. I existed for 80 years between my curse and seeing Buffy. 80 years, Xander. Imagine living your whole life 4 times over, maybe five without love, or even meaningful conversation. I spent one third of my existence in a void. No friends. No love. Not even any conversation. The other 2/3 of my life I was a viciousviolent animal, killing any and all who caught my attention." Angel sighed. "Buffy is my life, my reason to exist, my only reason to exist. I need her more... than I need blood."Angel's voice drifted off.
"Do you really think she wants you to suicide?" Xander asked softly. He could feel the depth of Angel's agony and knew the answer before the older man spoke it.
"No. It's what I want. I can't do it without her. With luck, we be in the Summerland together." Angel sighed. "I lived 243 years without her love. I can't do it again. I won't."
Xander just stared at Angel. Cryptic guy was gone, as was the vicious Angelus. All that remained was a man who loved his woman so much, that life was inconceivable without her. He had never known Angel loved her that much. Now, even feeling Angel's love and pain, he almost couldn't conceive of loving someone that much.
"Leave now, Xander. Please?" Angel asked in a hoarse voice. Xander realized that for Angel, the conversation was too painful to deal with. All Angel could do was sit by her bedside and pray.