Stuck in the feedback loop (5/5)

The doctor walked along the corridor leisurely, taking her time. Today was a pretty quiet evening actually, only four or five people in the IC ward, andno fatalities. She set her clipboard down on the reception desk, and lifted a cup of coffee to her lips.

"Hey Karen," She greeted the receptionist. The plump woman looked up and smiled.

"Hey, slow evening tonight huh?" She said. The doctor hummed her agreement, and lifted the cup again, which promptly went flying as the double doors ofthe reception area were kicked open. A small red head ran in, carrying an even smaller blonde in her arms.

"Help!" Red shouted. "Someone please!" The doctor dropped the cup and ran straight over. Behind her, two more nurses were arriving with a stretcher.

"What happened?" She asked no one in particular. Two more people came to stand beside her, a man in his late-forties, and a boy of about sixteen or seventeen.

"A wild animal attacked her as she was walking home." The man said in a crisp British accent.

"Did you see what animal?"

"No." He replied simply.

"Massive trauma to the throat, mild abrasions to the cranium. Probably massive blood loss." She said loudly to one of the male orderlies, who noted it down. "Get her down to the ER now." As the other nurses lifted the blonde onto the stretcher, she turned to the red haired girl who’d brought her in.

"What’s her name?" She asked.

"Buffy." Red replied through tear streaked eyes.

"Okay, You can come with us to the ER but you’ll have to wait there." The doctor turned back to Buffy. "Buffy…Buffy can you hear me?" Buffy rolled her head to the side and opened her eyes slightly.

"W…Where am I?" She asked dazedly.

"You’re in the hospital honey, my name’s Jennifer, Jenny Calendar. We’re gonna give you something to take the pain away, okay?" Jennifer said soothingly, placing her hand on Buffy’s as the stretcher moved.

"Okay…no pain is good…" Buffy said, wincing. Around the stretcher, two light bulbs suddenly sparked and exploded.

"What the?" One of the nurses said, and stopped. Jennifer glared at him.

"Keep moving!" The nurse complied with her order, and they burst throughthe doors of the ER. The older man stopped then and stared after the stretcher,but the red head and the boy followed them through into the ward.

"Hey, I told you to wait here." Jennifer shouted at them. "Are you family?"

"Yes," the boy replied huskily. Somehow, the older woman doubted that but didn’t say anything. The stretcher wheeled into a room, and after three counts Buffy was lifted on to the bed. Almost immediately, orderlies began attaching various needles and drips to her. The hear rate monitor was switched on, and a series of fast blips began to stream out from it.

"We need blood!" Jennifer shouted out. She heard a muffled acknowledgement and a second later one of the nurses was running out. The beeps suddenly began to steadily increase in speed, the gap between them shortening at a rapid pace. Jennifer heard a gasp from Red. "She’s going into arrest! Panels!" She ordered. The machine was wheeled up next to her and the woman grabbed both of the shock apparatus.

"Okay, 3…2…1" She counted down, placing the panels on Buffy’s chest. The staccato beeping of the machine had now turned into a steady stream, a continuous hum. "CLEAR!" The voltage ran through Buffy like fire on a run of gasoline. Her body arched and she cried out. Next to Jennifer, the window suddenly smashed into thousands of tiny shards. A strong wind began to blow throughout the room, papers went flying and overcoats billowed. "No effect!" Jennifer shouted. "Someone hold her down!" Two orderlies grabbed an arm each, but they were flung away by some invisible force. Blood trickled out of Buffy’s clenched fist, and her eyes opened abruptly. Jennifer gasped and stumbled back. Her eyes…they were…completely black!" Another second passed, with Buffyarching more and more off the bed, until it looked like she was floating. The heartrate monitor exploded in a shower of sparks, then as suddenly as all the chaos begun, it ended. Buffy flopped down onto the bed and her head lolled to one side.

"No!" Red shouted from behind her, and buried her face in the boy’s chest. "Oh god…Buffy…" She wept. Jennifer took a cautious step to Buffy, and looked at her eyes again. The black mist cleared from them, and the doctor closed her eyelids.

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Willow awoke with a start. The gentle beep of the HRM filled the room, and a gentle breeze floated in through a partially open window. The red head jumped up and ran over to Buffy’s bedside. The blonde lay with various drips attached to her hands, and blood pumping in from a machine next to her, which whirred every minute or so. Willow knelt down and buried her face in Buffy’s pale hand.

"I’m so sorry," She said in a hushed breath, in between quiet sobs. "You just wanted to help, to be my friend, and I failed you. I’m so sorry." She kissed Buffy’s palm, and got up to walk back to her seat.

"You didn’t fail me, Wil." A voice came from behind her. Willow spun around quickly and was about to strike out when she saw who it was. Buffy was standing there, in an ethereal sort of light. Willow could swear she saw little spots of light dancing around her.

"Buffy…" Willow said quietly, and trailed off. The apparition in frontof her shrugged.

"Yeah, it’s me. Sort of." Buffyghost said, looking at herself. Her translucent body shimmered and immediately Willow went to her. She seemed so fragile, as if the smallest breeze would scatter her.

"How…?" Willow asked. She was still stuck on monosyllabic words at the moment.

"I dunno, astral projection?" Buffyghost said quietly, and smiled faintly. "I don’t think I have long." As if to prove her point, she seemed to become more see-through.

"I’m sorry Buffy," Willow said, forcing the words through her choked throat.

"Don’t be, you did all you could. Besides, I might pull out of this sooner or later. Weird things happen all the time here."

"I’m beginning to notice that." The two girls smiled. Buffyghost walked up to Willow and stroked the side of her face. The red haired Slayer had imagined Buffy’s touch to be cold, but instead she felt a warmth spread through her like never before, kind of like when you come in from the snow and take a gulp of hot chocolate. Willow closed her eyes under the touch, and she felt Buffy’s lips brush her own. This time instead of warmth, she felt a strange sense of euphoria. She opened her eyes after a second, and found herself looking into the eyes of a woman she hadn’t known existed up until a few days ago, and whoshe now thought she…loved? Was it possible to fall in love in a matter of days? Willow didn’t know, all she knew…all she felt, for this remarkable girl was unlike anything she’d felt for anyone before, even her parents.

"I love you," Willow breathed. For a moment, Buffyghost seemed to becomemore solid, more real. But the translucency returned as quickly as it had left.

"I know," Buffy said, and let her head move forward. Willow did the same, and their foreheads touched. That simple action said more than words ever could, and Willow brought her arms up so that she was embracing Buffy.

"Stay with me?" She said quietly.

"Always," Buffy replied, although her voice had taken on a more echoey, more spirit-like tone. Willow closed her eyes and tightened her hold. They stayed like that for long seconds, until when Willow opened her eyes, there was noone there.

"I love you too," A voice on the wind seemed to breathe. Willow closed her eyes and let tears escape from her eyes. She went back to her seat then, and pulled it to the bed. She grasped Buffy’s hand in her own, and leant her head on her arm, even as the HRM flatlined, and the doctors rushed in.

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Estremità... per ora.

Cheers,

Jamie