Armageddon Saga
Chapter Forty Two:
A Father's Reflections
By the Lady Sirona ladysirona@LadySirona.com
Hank Summers stalked the halls of the British hospital seeking the intensive care unit containing his daughter. He learned she was a Slayer, but it didn't mean anything to him when he first learned of it. Now he saw how he was wrong. He was almost an elemental force. The father, who had far too long been left in the dark to the daily life and activity of his daughter, now was in a foreign country seeking her out in an intensive care unit.
He couldn't believe it.. his baby... his little girl.... He took a deep breath and turned a corner. He stalked along as he reviewed in his memory the damage Joyce had listed. It was beyond anything he thought possible for anyone to survive. But what surprised him most...was that she was pregnant.
His baby girl was pregnant.
Hank had finally had found the ICU, but was frantic when he found that her name wasn't on the patient listing board. He didn't know she was listed as Cheryl Doe on the board for her safety. They had her on a Blacklist, where they would not give any information to anyone not on the clearance list.Joyce heard him at the nurse’s station, raising hell about wanting to see his daughter. Joyce knew the tone Hank was using, and was not looking forward to facing her ex-husband in such a mood, but knew it was inevitable.Joyce turned to Angel "Uh 0h - Angel... he doesn't sound too pleased... you might want to go and find some place to hide" She quickly left to intercept the storming father. Angel turned to Giles. "Giles should I leave? I think I should stay...” Giles just shrugged.
Buffy laid in the dark, locked in her mind... Her was father coming here? Doesn't know the whole story? *Oh wow... dad's gonna be sooo pissed...*.
Joyce identified him as family to the nurses and put him on the clearance list forvisitation as Hank stormed in... Finally directed to her room. He walked in and stopped short and stood in the door taking it all in, he was in shock.Tears filled his eyes. His baby girl.... Joyce followed him in. "Hank - calm down... she's gonna be ok....." Hank turned to her mother with surprise in his eyes. "Going to be ok? She looks like shit!" Joyce nodded. "I know she looks like Hell, Hank, but she is going to be ok."Hank needed to rend... to tear. He scanned the room and saw the talk dark haired young man at her bedside. Being far too friendly with her than anyone has a right to be with his baby girl. The boyfriend? "Are you the son of a bitch who got my daughter pregnant?" he demanded of Angel.
Angel looked at Buffy and then at Hank. "Yes sir." He knew he was in for it now... Buffy was frantic, locked inside... unable to protect Angel from her father....*DUCK AND COVER - ANGEL DUCK AND COVER! * She called to Angel in her mind... she was so sure there would be bloodshed.
Kara rushed in response to the alarms ringing on the monitor, carrying sedation. "You will have to control yourself Sir, or I will have security remove you." She looked at this stranger... she didn't know who or what he was to her, but he was upsetting her patient and it pissed her off! "You are upsetting her... look at her heart rate [150-170] now stop this immediately, or leave..." She gave Buffy an injection and she starts to relax, shown in her heart rate started to slow to more normal levels.
Angel looked at Hank. "Mr. Summers, I am so sorry, we never meant for her to getpregnant. It was an accident... But I love Buffy very much, and I will always be there for her.." Hank snarled at Angel, and Buffy's heart rate started to pick up...
Joyce thwapped Hank on the shoulder. "Hank - calm down... I'm not telling you again... calm down or go outside... No other choices” He looked at her furious. He walked to the bed and sat in the chair, a defeated man. His baby was hurt, maybe dying, and there was nothing he could do about it. He looked at her, and quietly and silently started to cry. Quietly and silently, the tears streak down his face.
Angel gave Hank the privacy he needed. He kissed her on the forehead and Hank noticedhow much she calmed with Angel's touch. Her heart rate slowed, the respiratory rate on the ventilator slowed. Hank then realized that she loved this man. She moved a little when Angel kissed her.
Hank took her swollen hand in his. He didn't know this man who had stolen his baby girls heart... but her response to him was unmistakable. "Ok, baby girl. I accept him... I realize you love him and so I will accept him is that ok, baby?" Hank babbled at her stroking her frail hand while he talked...
Buffy called up her reserves... she had to get contact! *Daddy... don't cry...* She relaxed into Angels kisses on her forehead while she felt her father holding her hand. *Much better... You can read us both the riot act later ok? *
Hank saw her vital signs stabilize and realized she heard him. Angel looked at themonitor and back to Buffy. Placing his fingers into her hand, he spoke to her urgently. "Buffy squeeze my fingers...please Buffy just a little bit?" Hank watched her closely. They all saw her fingers move slightly in a obvious attempt to follow the command.
Angel holds her hand next to his cheek. "Oh god Buffy!" She feels her hand wetted by Angels' tears of thanks. "Oh Buffy I love you...” She turned her head toward him slightly and opened her swollen eyes. The face of the man she loved was peering down at her.. She tried to talk but had something in her mouth and nothing worked. Angel stroked her face gently "It's Ok baby you can't talk, you have a tube into your lung and you are on a ventilator... I love you baby... oh god, you going to be all right.." He held her hand to his cheek and blood stained tears streamed down his face....
Hank stared at the bloodstained tears streaking down Angel's face in shock. Gilescame up to him, "Mr. summers I think we need to have a talk...." Hank looks at Giles with fear in his eyes. Giles nodded to the door and Hank followed him out... to explain the whole situation.
Buffy wiped feebly at one of the tears of Angel’s away gently. Angel put his face down to hers, touched foreheads and then cried, as he softly said "Oh god baby... I thought I lost you...I love you baby..." Buffy looked at him, unable to say what is in her mind, not realizing it is so obvious on her face...*it's OK... never lose me...love you...So much...god I want to say it so bad...*
Joyce watched their love; it was almost painful to see. She realized they need to be alone. "I'll go find Dr. Wilson..." She turns as Kara comes in. Joyce fills Kara in on the changes. Kara shot her cardiac numbers and smiles. The change in the numbers showed she has turned the corner in her sepsis... and was now getting better.
Kara smiled at Angel and Joyce. "She is doing better. She is more awake. But what she really needs now is to really to sleep and to heal and so I am throwing you all out of here for the next 6 hours. You can all wait in the waiting room and I will get you if there are any changes but she needs the sleep." Kara then injected Buffy with a sedative to take her into sleep and threw them all out of the room.
Angel and Joyce look at one another... It was ok there would be a tomorrow for her...