"Me' fiafraigh do luach beannaght chun brat ceised gra'" Angel whispered again, kissing the back of Buffy's hand. He shut his eyes as he pressed his forehead to the place where he had just placed a kiss upon.

"What does that mean?" A tiny whisper just barely past Buffy's lips. Angel shot up immediately and sniffed an unexpected tear away and laughed instead, easing the tension in his body. "Angel." She sounded as if she were pleading with him but was only speaking his name in assurance that it was him of which she was talking to.

"Thank the gods." He just whispered under his breath, leaning to kiss her forehead.

"Angel, what-?" She didn't exactly know what she was asking, just that she was confused. Period. She put on unattended to machinery hand to her forehead, then covered her eyes from the bombarding light above her.

Angel quickly got up and turned the light off. Sitting back down, "Better?" He asked softly and still concerned, putting a hand on her cheek, his palm touching her skin, lightly caressing it with his thumb.

"Mmm... Much." She gave a heart melting smile, then returned to her calm and relaxed expression. It hurt too much, with the horrible headache she was having.

"How are you?" He leaned closer to her, he felt miles apart from her by just being two feet in literal distance.

"Well..." She looked at the heart meter, "It appears that I'm living. But," She gave him a half smile, risking the tension. "If you tell me I'm in a big hospital, full of sick people, I just might die right here." A sarcastic, piped up tone escaped her, closing her eyes instantly, beginning to rethink the whole raising her voice thing.

He chuckled slightly, "Please don't die. I still don't know how to work the VCR." He was dead serious, but he still had other reasons why he wanted her to keep breathing. And, preferably, awake and walking, He wished, again, for her to be okay. Then the details hit him. He felt a rush of sorrow and pain for both he and her, since he still wasn't sure if the baby was his or not, he wasn't sure how he would tell her but as soon as possible came to mind and felt appropriate.

"Buffy?" He decided, while they were still alone.

"Hmm?" She cracked her eyes to look at him.

"This may sound stupid," he then whispered, "If we're lucky." Then returned to his normal voice. "But the reason why you collapsed was because...when the vamp kicked you...he uh...he...tore...re-opened your uterus." She gave him a hurt then confused look, asking him for an explanation. His predictions were true, she hadn't known about the abortion, which meant that she had no clue about the baby. It was all done under their noses, pr demonically.

"Buffy, I don't understand it any more than you do, but the doctor said that you had an abortion." He was prepared for the worse, he thought. If she cried, he would be there all the way. If she yelled simply because she needed to, he would gladly be the one to take it. But what he wasn't prepared for was that ....she didn't cry. Instead, she turned her head, ripping her eyes from his to look up at the ceiling. He said nothing of her silence, he could see that she was running through possibilities, causes, consequences and past.

"I'm sorry." He took a chance and gave his best, lightly stroking her cheek with his knuckles. He could see her eyes glisten within what little light remained. He wanted nothing more than to sit on the bed with her in his arms and cry with her, again, like they had over the loss of the child that was swallowed by the "Day That Wasn't," but he never got the change to.

Hank entered the room, followed by Virgo Archamees. Dr. Vigro Archamees. Buffy and Angel's attention snapped to the newcomers and almost jumped out of their skin. The moment was just too tense and nerve racking that Buffy couldn't deal with the new surprise. Once again, the appearance of her father resulted in her crying. She focused as much as she could and let out the most heart shaking sob with the tears that dripped from her eyes and down her face, taking no time to slide but race on her cheeks, making room for the others that would accompany her.

The doctor looked to Angel after he had given up his chair to Mr. Summers. "Its policy that only one person visit during the night if at all."

Angel took the hint and slowly walked out, hesitating at the door, looking back to his "fiance'." He was ushered by Dr. Archamees and took the rest of the trip back to the waiting room alone. Back in his world of worry.

Part Twenty-Two

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