13398/Waking up in a hospital is never fun

Waking up in a hospital is never fun
Date of Scene:	29 May 2021
Location:	Mercy Hospital, Sunnydale
Synopsis:	Thomas picks up Buffy from the hospital. Liver is served for lunch!
Cast of Characters:	Buffy Summers, Thomas Raith
Tinyplot:	Open Door

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Buffy Summers has posed:
It's only been a few hours since Buffy was deposited in the hospital after last night's chaotic but ultimately successful ritual to seal a highly chaotic and dangerous rift of magic left behind in the vampire stronghold. Buffy's own blood turned out to be the fifth element, but unfortunately it required a *lot* of her blood..Enough that she needed a transfusion after.

Of course, she had been unconscious for most of the ordeal, her mind overloaded by memories of what had transpired in the stronghold over the past hundreds of years..Memories of a previous slayer's triumphs and ultimately, her death.

No doubt, one of the scoobies, possibly Giles or Willow, had contacted Thomas to let him know what had happened and where she could be found at the local hospital.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Earlier that day Thomas had went to check his stock report when Buffy had come into the bedroom wearing nothing but a towel. He'd set his phone down, screen on and had been ... distracted. so it was hours later that he realized his phone was in fact dead, and another hour after that that he bothered to turn it on. that's when he got the voice mail from Giles. The speed limit on the streets between The Lady and the hospital in Sunnydale range from 25-45 miles per hour. Thomas burried the needle. It was past visiting hours, naturally, but a little bit of charm and a little bit of Hunger and he was able to get past the receptionist and get Buffy's room number. And now... now he sits. Holding her hand in both of his. Silently praying to a God he doesn't believe in.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers had drifted in and out of consciousness, confused, overwhelmed, in pain both mentally and physically. The last thing she remembered was Spike standing over her with a knife, cutting deep into her arm and spilling the blood on a weird rune thingy..There was so much blood..So much violence..Screaming..War..Vampires..Death..

Her eyes fly open in sudden shock, "Spike, why?!" she cries out, then realizes someone is holding her hand. "Thomas!? Wha...What happened?"

Thomas Raith has posed:
You know what a worried boyfriend doesn't want to hear when his lover first raises out of unconsciousness? Her call out another guy's name. One that he has, on numerous occasions expressed his distaste for. Thomas' eye go from ocean blue to almost silver white in an instant. "spike did this to you?" he says in a cold fury...

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers sighs, shaking her head. "I don't know..Maybe? Everything's so confusing. We.lWe were down in the tunnels, investigating the runes. Giles said something about the chosen one..Destined weapon..I reached out and touched the words, then I.." she groans, clutching her head, still feeling a massive headache.

"I just..Everything went blank, I collapsed, got this rush of so many memories..Slayer memories I think, fighting this vampire horde, alongside a witch, wizard and dhampire..They sacrificed themselves to turn them to stone.." Buffy squeezes her eyes shut, a pained expression on her face.

"When I woke up, Spike was standing over me, holding a knife..He..He cut me..Dropped my blood on a rune..So much blood..So tired.." her grip on his hand isn't as strong as usual. But she holds it none the less. "But, I know he wouldn't ever hurt me, not without a good reason..?"

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas can hear the question at the end of that last statement, and it infuriates him. He looks in her eyes, his own silver white with his rage. She's likely never seen them like that except in the heat of battle or the heat of passion. "You told me once, if I asked you to stay away from him, you would. Well for starters, I'm asking that now." He says calmly. "And if I find out he hurt you without a reason good enough for /my/ standards... he trails off but the menace is still very alive in him. It's as though he can not yet fathom a punishment worth of such a crime.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers blinks, noting the anger in his eyes and it makes her sad..She doesn't like to make him sad. "Okay..I will..Sorry.." she sits up a bit, glancing at him with a frown. "I'll be alright, I just need a bit of rest..It's what everyone keeps telling me anyway, especially when they saw this grey streak in my hair. I've been working too hard, I should let the others handle things for a bit..And other things.." she seems a bit worried as she says that though, as if there's more to it than that. She doesn't want to make Thomas any madder than he is, though.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith passes for human, most of the time. Sometimes he can even fool himself. But there are certain tells. One of them is when he holds still, he holds /unnaturally/ still. Almost like a statue. And when she mentions the streak in her hair, he freezes, feeling like he stepped on a rake. After all it wasn't over work that put that streak there but him. Her offering, in an act of love, to let him fully "indulge" himself on her several week back. It was the only sign that he'd over fead, but it is there as a constant warning to him. A moment later he sighs and sits beside her, clasping her hands again. "When Giles called, I was so scared.."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers ponders for a moment telling him how it's really all Spike's fault, going around telling everyone about the grey streak, how he convinced everyone that Thomas is hurting her, how she got into a fight with Giles over that, not long before they headed to the subway..

He can see how tormented she is over this, her hesitancy to speak, it's in her eyes, how she opens her mouth then closes it again. No..No good will come of it. She'll let Giles talk to him, maybe stay away from Spike for a bit, even moreso now after..This.

Buffy draws a deep breath. "I'm okay, just..Stay with me? Get me out of here, I want to go home. I..I hate hospitals.." she shivers at some terrible memory, pulling back the covers as if trying to leave like, right now. But a sudden dizzy spell causes her to flinch, laying back down again.

"Dammit.." she mutters.

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith nods slightly. "I'll have you in our bed inside of an hour." he promises softly, and gently kisses her on her forehead. He then proceeds to go out and use a bit of charm, a slightly raised voice and a lot of bullshit, somehow convincing the staff that he is her spiritual leader, and that this place is bad for her soul. that he thanks them for all their work, but now that she is stable she can get better treatment at the temple... Funny thing about hospitals and religion... they'd rather a patent die then risk offending their soul.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers smiles and nods. "Thanks." she cranes her ears as she listens to the conversation going on outside her door, and giggles a bit. Thomas is the furthest thing from a spiritual leader, but she knows that he's pretty good at convincing people of anything he wants. She draws a deep breath, closing her eyes again, focusing on her breathing. Maybe within an hour she'll feel a bit stronger to leave..If she can stay calm that long. At least she got a private room..

Thomas Raith has posed:
It takes a bit longer then an hour, simply due to paper work and of course them eventually bothering to ask Buffy if she actually wants to go with him. Soone enough though Thomas is wheeling her out towards his car, paperwork and discharge papers in hand. He assured them that he would see to any medication and such, it simply wasn't good for her Chi to be in this place. He sets her in the seat, laying it back and then caring her up the back stairs to their apartment... Not waking her again until he is bringing her food... Specifically a large piece of liver and a tall glass of orange juice.

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers had fallen asleep again on the ride home, but she was just happy to get out of the hospital and be with with Thomas, regardless of what some people were saying to the contrary. When she wakes up, she's quite happy to find herself home again, and she smiles faintly at him. "You got me home already? Thanks!" although her eyes widen at the liver and she wrinkles her nose. "Awe, really? I have to eat that?"

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith smiles in that sort of indulgent way he sometimes has and says "There is banana pudding for desert, but this." He gestures to plate where the absolute worst piece of meat in any animal is sitting, "Is full of protein and iron. It will help your body produce more blood cells. That is a long way of saying, yes you have to eat it. You can smother it in ketchup if you like, I'm told that helps."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers sighs and makes a face at him. "I don't suppose you could, make it into a pats and stick it in a burger bu with all the trimmings? My mom used to do that when I was younger, trick me into eating liver without my even knowing.."she groans, "I guess this is the price I have to pay for leaving the hospital early, huh.."

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith looks down at the plate and makes a bit of a face. "Joyce is a genius. That thought never even occurred to me." He sets the plate down and adds, "I promise to do that next time, since this will not be the last liver meal you will be eating untill you are all the way back on your feet." He brushes her hair from her face. She might notice that on top of everything, he even changed her into her "Happy Sushi" pajamas. "But for now, consider it the punishment for scaring me out of my skull."

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers sighs, "Fine, but can you at least chop it up and put it in a sandwich or...Something? It's just so...Big and shiny and squishy, and brr.." she shivers but draws a deep breath as she starts chopping it up, dipping it in ketchup and trying to swallow down small pieces at a time with a gulp of orange juice. It doesn't hide the taste completely, but it's way better than eating it straight. "I really hate you sometimes.." she mutters, "But I k ow you're only doing this cuz you care..I suppose it couldn't be worse than drinking blood or sipping on fear or..something." she smiles weakly, working in silence on her liver for several minutes. How big is this thing anyway?

Thomas Raith has posed:
It's a fairly big portion, and would be even if you /liked/ liver. But still it's not so much food as medicine, and medicine isn't supposed to taste good. "I know," He says with a smile about her sometimes hating him, "But lets be honest, you only keep me around for the sex anyway." He says in a light teasing tone. "Now what the hell happened?"

Buffy Summers has posed:
Buffy Summers manages to eat a bit more than half of it before she needs to take a break. "Thomas..You know I love you, for more than just the sex. You're my best friend, you know me better than anyone..Well.." she shakes her head at a thought, deciding not to say it."You make me happy. So don't ever say that." he may have been joking, but she seems to have taken it seriously. Maybe she's just tired.

"What happened? Aside from what I told you, I don't really remember. You'll probably have to ask Giles to fill in the gaps, he's been meaning to talk to you anyway.." Buffy frowns as she says that, obviously troubled by something else..

Thomas Raith has posed:
Thomas Raith sighs softly, "I know that baby, I really do." He strokes her face, "Be easier for us both if that was all it was." He touches his forhead to her's smiling softly and closing his eyes, "Easier, but not nearly as fun." he adds after a moment. Then he sighs. "Why don't I give him a call. Willow too. when they find out I springed you from the join they will be worried anyway."