FF: Tell me I was dreaming (7/?)

["Christeen Demons" <Shyfox30@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Okay guys.:-) This one is dedicated to Bill...happy B-day big guy.:-)

Thanks goes to Quin for being my beta.:-)

All standard disclaimers are still in place.:-) Joss owns the 
characters...the story is mine.:-) Enjoy.
Chapter seven: The Wish
Last night I had a crazy dream.
A wish was granted just for me. It could be for anything.
I didn?t wish for money, or a mansion by the blue.
I simply wished for one more day with you.

One more day.
One more time.
One more sunset, baby, I?d be satisfied.
But then again, I know what it would do.
We?d be wishing still for one more day with you.

Joyce thought that she was seeing things when she poked her head into 
Buffy?s hospital room the next morning. Sheila and Willow had their heads 
together, discussing everything from marriage to motherhood, while living on 
the hellmouth.
It did Joyce?s heart good to see them together like this, grateful for 
Sheila?s change of heart where her daughter was concerned. Willow certainly 
needed all of the support that she could get right now.
It took the conversing pair a while to notice that she was standing there. 
She was just contemplating creeping back out when Willow picked up her head 
and saw her.
?Joyce...hi. Come on in.?

Joyce hesitated, not wanting to intrude on this moment. ?I?m sorry to 
interrupt. I can come back later.?
Willow was just starting to shake her head in protest, when her mother spoke 
up. ?No...please...stay.? Sheila said awkwardly, as she rose to greet the 
person that had been there for her daugher when she hadn?t been. 
?I...wanted to thank you for taking Willow in and supporting her. After 
talking with her last night, I?ve begun to realize just how much I?ve missed 
out on with her...especially over the last few years. It?s going to take me 
a while to make up for that. I?m just glad that I?m getting this second 
chance.?
?We all make mistakes. I know I?ve made my own with Buffy.? Joyce said, 
ruefully, a wistful look filling her eyes as she looked over at where her 
daughter lay so still. ?Some I don?t think I?ve even begun to atone for 
yet.?
Willow eyed her sympathetically, knowing what she was thinking about. 
?Buffy never blamed you for that. I think you should know...just in case.? 
Willow cast her own look at the bed, knowing that she shouldn?t be thinking 
the unthinkable, but somehow not being
able to prevent it.

?How is she?? Joyce couldn?t keep herself from asking, walking over to take 
the cool fingers into her own hand. ?Were there any changes during the 
night??
Willow shook her head slowly. ?None noticable. The nurses came in to check 
on her a couple of times...but...? She shrugged, helplessly.
?I would have thought that her healing powers would have kicked in by now.? 
Joyce murmured, thoughtfully.
?Maybe they have.? Willow agreed, cautiously. ?But most of her ouchies are 
on the inside...so we probably wouldn?t notice anyway.?
Joyce nodded, quietly, wondering what was going on inside Buffy?s head at 
the moment, trying to imagine her daughter?s healing ability kicking in to 
overtime. ?I just know that she?s going to pull through this.?
?She has to.? Willow agreed, softly.

Sheila watched the communication, noticing how close Joyce and Willow 
appeared to be, and wondering where she had lost that connection with her 
own daughter. She knew that level of trust was hard to build and easily 
broken. She didn?t know if she?d ever be able to re-establish that link. 
She was going to give it her every effort though, and if Ira didn?t like 
it...well, she?d be damned if she?d let him stop her from having a 
relationship with her own daughter. She hoped against all hope that he 
would come to his senses...but if he didn?t...well she wasn?t about to let 
the opportunity to get to know her own daughter...and
later her granddaughter, to pass her by.

*****

Doctor Greene entered Buffy?s room not long after Joyce had, and if he was 
surprised by the presence of the three women he didn?t let it show.
?Good morning.? He smiled congenially at Joyce and Willow, introducing 
himself to Sheila, before moving his attention to his patient. ?And, how 
are we doing this morning, Miss Summers?? His voice was cheerful as he 
picked up Buffy?s chart, almost as if he expected her to say. ?Why, I?m 
fine, Doc. How are you??
At Willow?s questioning look, Dr. Greene explained his behavior. ?I?ve 
gotten into the habit of talking to my patients. I imagine that they can 
hear me, and like hearing a warm, friendly voice on the other 
side...something that they can cling to while they heal. And it
has been proven to increase brain stimulation, heightening her chances for 
recovery.?
?I?ve heard that too.? Willow nodded, having researched this very thing. 
She watched him curiously while he examined Buffy?s chart, wondering what it 
said, if anything, about the progress of her wife?s recovery.
He felt their attention on him, like little pinpricks on the back of his 
neck, while he examined the chart, knowing that they were anxiously waiting 
for him to make some sort of prognosis. He nodded to himself, closing the 
chart before turning to look at three worried faces.
?Well?? Willow asked, unable to wait any longer.

?I?m sure you?re all eager to see Buffy making progress. The truth is, we 
don?t know where she?s at right now. We will need to take numerous x-rays 
and Cat scans today and compare them to the ones we took when she first came 
in. Hopefully, we will find that the bruising and swelling is going down. 
The sooner the pressure in her brain is alleviated,
the better off she?s going to be.? He explained.

?How soon will we know?? Joyce asked, laying a comforting hand on Willow?s 
shoulder.
?The tests should take about three to four hours. I?ll notify you when we 
have the results, but until then I strongly suggest that you get something 
to eat, and then get some rest.? He directed most of the last part to 
Willow, who he was worried about. ?You won?t be doing
Buffy any good by wearing yourself out.?

Willow found herself getting a little angry at his presumption. And though 
she wanted to object, she felt the exhaustion starting to eat away at her 
reserves, and the growling of her stomach reminded her that she hadn?t eaten 
since some time yesterday. Noticing the caring, concerned looks she was 
recieving from the Doctor and both of her mothers she started to feel 
slightly ashamed that she wasn?t taking better care of herself, therefore 
neglecting the baby?s health. She knew that Buffy would not be happy at all 
if she knew.
?Okay.? She conceded quietly. ?But...you will tell me when she?s 
back...right??
?I will notify you when she?s brought back to the room. Try not to worry, 
as soon as we know anything else, we?ll let you know.?
There wasn?t much else she could say to that, so she gently placed a parting 
kiss on her wife?s left hand. ?See you later.? She whispered quietly, to 
responsive ears, then allowed herself to be lead from the room.
?Well.? Dr. Greene said, after watching the women leave. ?Let?s see if we 
can give that young lady the miracle she craves. What do you say??
He thought his overtired mind was playing tricks on him when he heard a 
whispered, ?Ready when you are, Doc.? He shook his head to clear it, 
thinking that his imagination had run wild. Casting one last look at the 
woman in the bed, he imagined a ghost of a smile playing over the blonde?s 
lips, as if she were sharing a joke with him. Feeling
jumpy, and not a little unnerved, he left the room to start the proceedings.

*****

Later that day, Dr. Greene was busy examining the X-rays that had just been 
brought back from the lab. Unfortunately, they looked like they had been 
taken of a totally different person.
?Are you sure these are the x-rays taken from Buffy Summers?? he asked, 
looking back and forth between two very differen?t looking sets of x-rays. 
It was almost like looking at a before and after picture...only more 
pronounced.
?I?m positive, Doctor Greene.? An aide replied, casting a nervous glance at 
the chart holding the patient?s name. Misplaced lab reports didn?t exactly 
look good on a person?s record.
Dr. Greene shook his head, mystified by what he was seeing. Sure he had 
expected some reduction in the swelling and bruising that had completely 
filled the skull in the first x-ray, but it should have been nothing like he 
was seeing now. The first was taken as a prime example of a coma patient 
that was barely alive. The second was a portrait of a body
actively and aggresively repairing itself.

It was no wonder the supply of nutrients found in Buffy?s blood stream was 
so low. Her body was using them all to heal itself. He?d have to 
increase the nutrients that was presently filling her IV to meet the 
requirements demanded from her body, but if this rapid rate of healing kept 
its steady pace...for all intents and purposes she should come out of it by 
late tonight, or sometime in the early hours of the morning. What happened 
after that was anybody?s guess.
He looked forward to telling Buffy Summer?s family the good news...and maybe 
then they could answer a few questions of his own.
*****

Willow was sleeping restlessly when Dr. Greene entered her hospital room. 
Joyce and Sheila had been sitting in the corner chatting quietly when he had 
entered but had become quiet as soon as they noticed him standing in the 
entryway. He didn?t allow himself to speculate about what they had been 
discussing, finding that line of thought entirely too
unprofessional, and put his other questions to the back of his mind for the 
moment.
Joyce eyed him anxiously, wondering what the tests had revealed about the 
condition of her daughter. ?Are the tests back?? She asked, her voice 
soft. She didn?t want to wake Willow unless she absolutely had to.
?Yes, they are.? Something in the way he said that caused Joyce to pick her 
ears up in interest. Something had changed. Something was different. And 
she got the feeling that the change was going to be good.
It didn?t take long for Sheila, who had laid a hand on her daughter?s arm, 
to wake her up. She swam out of the light doze with hardly any awareness 
that she had done so, until she looked over and saw the Doctor standing 
there.
?Is it Buffy?? Willow asked, as she sat up abruptly in the bed, brushing 
off a slight feeling of dizzyness. ?Is she okay??
Seeing the worry on the Red-head?s face, Dr. Greene rushed to reassure her. 
?She?s fine. Actually, she?s more fine than I had anticipated.?
Both Joyce and Willow felt an electric shock flow down their spines. They 
stared at the Doctor in anticipation, trying hard not to look at each other. 
They each knew what the other was thinking...they just needed the Doctor 
to confirm it.
Dr. Greene watched their emotions flicker, curiously, almost feeling like he 
was swimming in a fish bowl, under the leer of a hungry cat. ?I told you 
I?d let you know as soon as the lab reports came back what her condition 
was. The truth is...they were a bit surprising. And, it took me a little 
while to believe what I was seeing.?
He looked at them, seeing matching expressions of confusion highlighting 
their faces, but somehow he got the feeling that the confusion was feigned. 
?She?s healing at a much faster rate than I expected...in fact most 
patients in her condition wouldn?t have recovered as nearly as quickly as 
what the X-rays have shown.?
?Cut to the chase Doctor.? Joyce said, strung out by the anticipation. 
?How is my daughter??
?Well, I can tell you, that the swelling has gone down, the hemotoma has all 
but disappeared, and even the crack in her skull appears to be mending 
itself.? Joyce and Willow simply stared at him, conscious of every breath. 
?If all goes well, and she suffers no setbacks, I estimate that she will 
wake up either late tonight or early tomorrow
morning.?

?In the meantime, we will be giving her more nutrients...her body appears to 
be depleting her supply faster than we can give them to her...? The Doctor 
continued talking, but his words fell on deaf ears as the two people that 
loved Buffy the most let out loud whoops of
joy, and hugged each other joyfully. ?I knew that she was going to be all 
right.? Joyce said, feeling happy tears slip down her face.
?I can?t wait to see her beautiful blue eyes looking at me.? Willow 
murmured, all but forgetting the presence of the Doctor.
Dr. Greene smiled, allowing them to have their moment, then grew serious as 
he cleared his throat, waiting until he got their attention before 
continuing. ?I know Buffy has made a lot of progress in a very short period 
of time, and that has us very optimistic about her continued path towards 
getting well, but I also don?t want to fool you into thinking that her 
recovery is going to be painless.?
That recieved their undivided attention again, and they sat in rapt silence 
waiting for him to continue. ?While it is true that Buffy has passed one 
major hurdle in just coming this far, we won?t know how much damage the 
swelling has already done to her brain until she wakes up.?
Fingers tightened painfully around Joyce?s wrist causing her to look down at 
the white knuckled grip Willow had on her. ?I wouldn?t be telling you this 
if I didn?t think it was important to prepare you for any eventuality. 
Buffy suffered a great blow to the head and as a result of that she might 
not come out of the coma the same Buffy as when she went in.? Dr. Greene 
clarified, allowing his words to sink in.
?Like what, Doctor?? Joyce asked, finally.

?She might suffer anything from paralysis, mood swings, erratic behavior, 
short term to wide spread amnesia or some form of mental illness or 
instability.?
He could see the devestation on their faces, hating that part of his job 
where he had to state the worst. ?I?m sorry to have to tell you like this, 
but I didn?t want to trick you into thinking that the worst is over. Buffy 
still has a long way to go in her recovery process.?
?Buffy?s good at dealing with pain...or anything that?s thrown at her.? 
Willow replied calmly, thinking about all of the times Buffy had pulled 
herself out of the land of hurt she was in and fought back. ?She can handle 
it. But what are her chances of coming out without any of these 
hindrances??
?Like I said before, it?s hard to tell what the outcome is going to be...but 
with the amount of damage she has to overcome...I'd say her chances of 
waking up completely healed, without any kind of long term problems are 
pretty slim.?
The mood over the room was decidedly somber now. Willow felt like she had 
just played the good news/bad news game and it left her feeling overwhelmed. 
Buffy was definitely going to wake up...sometime during the night...that 
was the good news. The bad news was Willow didn?t know if it would be her 
Buffy waking up, or a somewhat dented facimile of her.
*****

It was a pensive group that had gathered around Buffy?s bed that night, 
waiting for some sign that the Slayer was awakening. Xander and Giles had 
been brought up to date on Buffy?s condition, and now they, along with the 
rest of the group, waited for their Slayer to wake up, and the other shoe to 
fall.
Xander paced quietly around the room, casting long glances back at the bed 
every now and then, just to make sure he hadn?t missed anything. Giles 
reflected that it was probably going to be a long night...every tick of the 
clock felt like an eternity to a small group that might have had better luck 
watching paint dry, than a young woman who might or might
not awaken at any moment.

Willow just sat quietly by the bed, holding her wife and best friend?s hand 
tightly to her chest while she waited for those beautiful eyes to open. 
Inanely, she thought of a song that she had absolutely loved as a child...a 
song from Pete?s Dragon that she would play over and over again, driving her 
parents crazy. It had somehow, always made her feel better, especially 
after the older kids had teased her mercilessly at school, that somewhere in 
the world there was a candle that shined brightly just for her. She had 
found that candle the day she had met Buffy, shining that light into the 
darkness and protecting her from the
shadows that she had unknowingly mingled with. Now, it was her turn to be 
Buffy?s candle, and no matter what happened she knew that she would help her 
to see through the darkness surrounding her.
She found herself singing the song in a soft tone, not caring in the least 
if the other?s heard her.
?I?ll be your candle on the water. 
My love for you will always burn.
I know you?re lost and drifting, 
but the clouds are lifting. 
Don?t give up you have somewhere to 
turn.
I?ll be your candle on the
water. 
Till every wave is warm and bright. 
My soul is there beside you. 
Let this candle guide you. 
Soon you?ll 
see a golden stream of light.
A cold and friendless tide has found you.
Don?t let the stormy darkness pull you down.
I?ll paint a ray of hope around you,
circling in the air...lighted by a prayer.

I?ll be your candle on the water. 
This flame inside of me will grow. 
Keep holding on, you?ll 
make it. 
Here?s my hand so take it. 
Look for me reaching out to show,
As sure as rivers flow...I?ll never let you go.?

Her mother smiled, recognizing the song instantly and placed a gentle hand 
on one shoulder. Joyce simply recognized the meaning behind the words, and 
the gentle tranquility of the tune. She too placed a loving hand on 
Willow?s other shoulder, both lending their support. Willow smiled through 
her tears, feeling the circle of love spreading throughout the room as Giles 
and Xander came over to the edge of the bed adding their support to the 
small group.
As the night wore on into early morning, Willow began to wonder if the 
Doctor?s estimate had been accurate. She cast an inquiring look over at the 
man who stood waiting in the doorway. ?Talk to her.? He advised, quietly. 
?Let her follow your voice back home.?
Willow gulped, feeling a little apprehensive as she studied the face of her 
love. ?It?s time to wake up.? She started, haltingly. ?Everybody misses 
you. Giles misses having somebody around that he can scold. Xander misses 
having you throw him on his butt. Your mom misses the way you used to sneak 
out of the house when you were supposed to be sleeping.?
Willow heard her family chuckling behind her, but she kept her focus on 
Buffy?s face. ?I might be a little presumptious, but I think I miss you the 
most.? Nobody said a word at that, all knowing that it was probably true. 
?I need you, Buffy. I love you. Please come back to me.?
She waited a few more seconds, studying her wife?s face for any sign of 
life...a blink, a twitch...anything. When nothing was forthcoming more 
moments later, Willow looked helplessly and hopelessly over at the doctor, 
nearly missing the collective gasp that went around the room.
She swiveled her head back around quickly, feeling a jolt go through her as 
she was locked in the vibrant blue gaze that stared back at her.
They examined her quite thoroughly, as if they didn?t quite know what to 
make of her. Then she felt them lift as they scanned the entire room, and 
every face in it.
?Buffy?? Willow whispered, regaining Buffy?s attention.

A blonde eyebrow furrowed in a somber face as Willow felt herself being 
examined once more. Finally the blonde spoke, in a voice hoarse from lack 
of use. ?I?m sorry. Do I know you??
...to be continued.

I'm really sorry about the cliffhanger, guys...but before you do anything 
not so bright, like light torchers or prepare the guilotine, please note 
that Quin has the ERT's and Lambda teams set to protect me.
Shyfox





_____________________________________________________________________________________
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com