Chapter 2: Discoveries
A while later, Buffy was pushed back into the room. Spike jumped up, ready to meet her as soon as the door started to open. She looked exhausted, her whole body sagging into the wheelchair.

Carefully, Spike helped her into the bed, while Tina quietly excused herself, leaving Buffy and Spike alone in silence.

It was Spike who broke the silence first. “What happened down there, love?”

Buffy heaved a sigh as though only just realising there was someone else in the room; looking dully at him, she told him what had happened. “They did a head and shoulder scan first, that wasn’t so bad. But then they said they had to do a full body scan. I th-think maybe they found something in the first scan. But they weren’t saying anything. The full body scan was horrible. I th-think it’s b-bad, Spike.”

Buffy didn’t take the time to contemplate why she was telling her onetime enemy about this. She was showing him her weakness, a weakness he could use against her, yet she knew in her heart of hearts that he wouldn’t. She knew that if she laid here and analysed what was happening between them, it would only scare her, as to why she was letting him get so close, telling him things she couldn’t even bare to tell her friends.

Spike looked at her; she looked almost broken, and after everything that had happened, this must have been the final straw.

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think, love. They’re probably just being cautious. You know how doctors can be?” Spike knew he needed to comfort her; even if he didn’t believe what he was telling her, he needed her to believe it. If she had any hope of pulling through this, she would have to be strong.

“I’m scared, Spike.” Tears started to run down the pale cheeks.

“Hey now, none of that, pet.” He took her hand and sat in the chair next to the bed. “Where’s the slayer I know and love, the one that would kick my arse without even flinching.”

Buffy gave Spike a sad smile. “I think she’s hiding somewhere. Look, Spike, you don’t…”

Buffy didn’t get to finish her sentence, as there was a knock at the door. Willow quietly slipped into the room, followed by Tara.

Willow spoke softly, and although she seemed unaffected by Buffy’s weak looking appearance, Spike had heard her heart pick up when she had seen Buffy. He understood what the red haired witch must be thinking; she had never seen her friend weak before. She was the Slayer—she fought demons and stopped apocalypses—she wasn’t supposed to get sick.

“Hey, Buffy.”

“Hey, Will. Hey, Tara. What are you guys doing here?” Buffy fought to sit up on her own. Spike moved forward to try and help her but she gave him a stern look, so quick that Willow and Tara both missed it. Stepping back he allowed her to do it on her own. He knew why she didn’t want his help; it would mean looking even weaker in front of her friends.

Willow perched herself precariously at the end of the bed, being careful not to sit on Buffy’s feet, while Tara stood quietly by the door, trying not to draw too much attention to herself.

“We came to see how you were doing, Buffy. How are you doing?”

The blonde mustered up a smile from a place that was stronger and more confident than she actually felt. “I’m okay, Will… Had a CAT scan this morning… slightly scary, but no worse than anything I’ve fought before. Doctors are going to come back with results later today.” Buffy put a brave face on everything; she didn’t really want Willow knowing what had happened. After what Willow had done bringing her back, the two of them hadn’t been as close as they once had been. Both were working on mending their friendship, but it just took time.

“Oh, Buffy. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. The doctor sent us home but I came back as soon as I could… Giles and Xander will be coming soon.”

“No biggy, Will. I survived. What did the doctors say? Have they told you anything?”

Willow solemnly shook her head. “They said they did some test and would be getting the results some time today.”

Just at that moment, Xander and Giles came into the room, neither of them knocking. Trailing behind them was Anya.

“Hey, Buff. Way to get a guy scared. Next time you decided to collapse like that, give us a warning, will you?” Buffy stared at Xander as though he had just grown another head. Seeing her bewildered look and how she was rubbing her temples, Xander quickly hushed his voice. “Sorry Buffy, I’ll be quiet now.”

Giles placed his glasses that he had been cleaning back on his face; stepping past Xander, he went and gave Buffy a gentle hug.

“Hello, Buffy. How are you feeling now? Despite Xander’s uncouthness, he is right, you did give us all quite a scare.”

“Sorry, Giles. I’m feeling ok. Ready to go home.” Buffy forced a smile onto her face, so as not to let the rest of the scoobies see the pain she was in.

While all the scoobies were chattering away, all bombarding Buffy with questions, Spike slipped away unnoticed. He wasn’t wanted in that room, a point made clear by the murderous glances Xander sent his way. Buffy didn’t need him anymore; she had her friends round her now.

As he stepping out of the stuffy hospital room he took in a deep unneeded breath. Sitting on the little plastic seat next to the door was Dawn. Her head was downcast and she was looking at her fingers as she twiddled them in her lap.
Spike went and sat in the seat next to her. Neither spoke for a while.

“What are you doing out here, bit? Why aren’t you in there with the big group hug thing?”

Dawn looking up at him and Spike could see she had unshed tears in her eyes. “Willow and Tara brought me. They went in first because they wanted to check that Buffy was ok for visitors. They told me to wait out here till they came and got me. Why aren’t you still in there with her, Spike? Doesn’t she need you?”

Spike smiled. Dawn didn’t treat him like a monster, not like the rest of the damn scoobies did. She treated him like a man. “Nah, she doesn’t need me, she has her friends now. Niblet, you go on in. Big sis will be pleased to see you.”

Dawn nodded eagerly. “Are you sure?”

Spike didn’t know whether she meant was he sure she could go in, or whether he was sure Buffy didn’t need him. Either way he just nodded.

Standing up, Dawn gave Spike one last lingering sad look before tapping on Buffy’s door and walking in.

Spike sat alone in the quiet corridor. He could hear all the scoobies talking in the room behind him. He knew he would never belong with any of them; he was a monster and always would be in their eyes.

Picking himself up, he walked over to the stairwell and pushed the swinging door open. Going down to the basement, he got into the sewers to avoid the sunlight as he headed back to his crypt where he intended to drown his sorrows with a bottle of Jack he had stored away.

Spike hadn’t seen the doctor coming out of the lift as he had entered the stair well. The doctor that was carrying the results of Buffy’s CAT scan, the results that would shatter Buffy’s world forever. Spike didn’t see him as he left the lift and knocked quietly on Buffy’s door.


***
Buffy laid quietly on the bed, letting the sounds of her friends talking wash over her. Dawn was currently lying on the bed, her head nestled on Buffy’s shoulder and Buffy was playing with her hair.

She was suddenly broken out of her trance by a knock at the door. Hoping that it would be Spike coming back, she eagerly called for whoever it was to enter the room. However, she felt her heart drop when, instead of the bleached vampire she had been expecting to see, a doctor wearing a white coat stepped through the door.

The man spoke with a slight foreign accent, making a few of his words sound slurred. He was tall, with rimless glasses that sat perfectly perched on his nose. Buffy looked up into his face and marveled at how he could be so emotionless as he spoke about her health—or total lack of. “Miss Summers, I am Doctor Kristianson. I have the results from the CAT scan that you had this morning. Would you like your friends and family present while I explain our findings to you?”

Suddenly Buffy found all eyes on her. From the way he had said ‘our findings,’ Buffy could tell automatically that the news was not good. She didn’t want Dawn to hear it from this doctor; Buffy would rather that she could explain it to her herself later.

“Dawn, sweetie?” Dawn turned to look Buffy in the face. It was clear she was scared that she was going to lose her sister again. “Would you wait outside? I promise I will tell you everything.”

Nodding that she understood what Buffy was trying to say, Dawn lifted herself off the bed and went to sit back on the cold plastic seat outside the room.

“Tara? Would you go and wait with Dawn please?” Buffy didn’t want Dawn sitting alone at the moment and she knew Tara was the best person to go and sit with her.

Tara gave a silent nod and a small smile of understanding as she left the room to go and sit with Dawn. “Everyone else can stay.”

The doctor nodded before taking out several x-ray films out of the envelope he held in his hand. Walking over to the screen on the wall, he pinned them up so that everyone could see.

To Buffy they simply looked like pretty patterns, almost like the butterfly paintings you would do in kindergarten. However, she knew that they were far more important than that. She also knew that whatever was hidden within the mass of lines and swirls that seemed to make up the pattern of her brain, it would tell the secret of what was wrong with her. And Buffy was about to find out just what that was.

“Miss Summers, I am afraid the news is not good. The scans and your blood test have shown that you have a high-grade astrocytoma, otherwise known as Glioblastoma Multiforme or GMB. It is located in your frontal lobe. It is growing at a rapid rate, which we would not have predicted even if you had come to us earlier with your symptoms. It usually only affects older people, however it has been known on occasions to infect young people such as yourself. It is unclear how it has developed. In all probability it will have evolved from a low-grade astrocytoma, or possibly an oligodendroglioma.” During most of his speech, the doctor had been pointing out swirls and colours on the brain maps on the wall. Turning round now he looked directly at Buffy, ignoring the other youths in the room.

Buffy just looked at the doctor with a blank look on her face. “I don’t understand, doctor.” Her voice came out small and weak, and normally she would have cursed it, but right now she just felt so scared. Although she didn’t know what he had just said, she knew there were enough long words in there for it not to mean hugs and puppies.

“You have a brain tumor, Miss Summers. It is invading your brain at a very face pace. It is spreading to any nearby tissue it can find. The type of tumor you have contracted is the most invasive glial tumor there is. GMB accounts for about 32% of all brain tumors, so it is quite rare, Miss Summers.” He said the last part as though it was something she should be proud of, although it didn’t make her special.

Buffy couldn’t help the hysterical laugh that broke through. “I guess I should be happy then. I have something none of the other kids have, huh?” Tears ran down Buffy’s cheeks as she tried to comprehend what the doctor was telling her.

The doctor gave her a sad look, the first sign of any emotion since he had walked in the room. He knew this would be hard on the young woman. “I apologise. I did not mean for it to sound like that.”

Willow stepped past Xander—who seemed to have broken down into a total state of shock—to go and sit on the bed with Buffy and comfort her. Wrapping her arms tightly around her they hugged, both crying as tears soaked the other’s shoulder.

From next to Buffy, Giles finally cleared the lump of emotion caught in his throat and spoke up. He held his glasses so tightly in his hand it looked as though they may break. “What can be done, Doctor?”

The doctor nodded as though he had been expecting this question, yet it was the question he least wanted to give an answer to. “The normal course of action would be surgery and then chemotherapy if required. However, Miss Summers’ tumor is larger than the average tumor. To remove it would create a substantial lack of pressure that she is currently requiring to survive. We also can not perform the chemotherapy on Miss Summers, as the tumor has passed the stage where it would respond to therapy.” Looking over at Buffy, the doctor hoped she was understanding what he was implying without him having to say the words. Disappointingly, she never once met his eye.

It was Xander who broke the eerie silence that had settled over the room. “What are you saying?”

“I am saying that I am afraid there is nothing we can do that will not result in Miss Summers either become a vegetable or her death. There is nothing anyone can do.”

After this declaration the whole room was silent, except for the sound of Willow and Buffy’s sobs as they cried into each other’s arms. The silence was suddenly broken by Buffy’s small voice, so quite it could barely be heard.

“W-when did it come.”

The doctor understood what Buffy was asking; she wanted to know when she had developed the tumor. “Our preliminary findings show that you developed the tumor around four months ago. It is unclear whether anything could have been done if we had caught it sooner.”

Buffy’s head was reeling… four months, this couldn’t be real then. Four months ago she had been dead, and you can’t develop a tumor when you are dead. Without thinking, Buffy blurted out what she was thinking. “But that’s impossible. Four months ago I wasn’t here.”

The doctor gave Buffy a slightly bemused smile. “I’m afraid it isn’t just Sunnydale where tumors develop. The truth is you could have developed it wherever in the world you were.” Buffy knew what the doctor thought she had meant, and knew it was best not to argue. Although he may have seen a lot working in Sunnydale, Buffy was sure he wouldn’t be ready to know he was treating a patient who had been brought back from the dead.

Giles was well aware of what Buffy had been thinking. He himself was thinking along a similar line. It was possible that while in Hell, as a form of punishment Buffy may have been given the tumor and when Willow had worked her magic and brought her back, the tumor—and any other form of torture Buffy had had to endue—may have stayed with her, and transpired with her in this reality. Research would definitely be called for. Hopefully with Buffy’s help they might be able to locate which hell dimension she had been in, and therefore possibly find a cure for her current ailment, if such a cure existed. However, they would have to tread carefully so as not to upset Buffy further by having her remember where she had been. First things first, they had to get Buffy out of this inhospitable place and back to her own home where they could care for her.

“Well then, Doctor, if you are sure there is nothing that can be done, may we discharge Buffy and take her back to her own home? I am sure she will get more rest in her own bed than what she will be getting here.”

The Doctor had known that her friends would want to take her home as soon as possible. “Although I strongly recommend against it, there is nothing I can do to keep you here. Do you have any question, Miss Summers?” Buffy simply shook her head. “Well I have a few questions that I will need answering, standard things really, but you can take the forms home with you. I am sure you will find it easier that way.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Buffy nodded. With that final acknowledgement, the doctor left the room. Tara and Dawn came back into the room as he left. The four friends and Dawn then helped Buffy out of the bed and back home, where they would be able to love and protect her, like she had done for them for so many years without once failing.

***
Buffy and Dawn went back to the house, while the rest of the scoobies left them alone. Buffy had to explain to Dawn everything that had happened, and thankfully everyone understood that that was something they had to do alone. So one by one they all trailed back to the magic box.

That is where they were now, all seated around the table in the magic box. Books were piled high on the table within minutes of them entering the shop. Giles had set everyone into full research mode. They were determined to find out where Buffy had been, and although tired, no one was giving in. So far they had got it down to five hundred different dimensions that she could have been in. If they had any hope of helping Buffy at all, they had to get that number down further.
As the sun was just starting to set, the bell on the door rang throughout the shop. Everyone turned towards the door just as Buffy walked though it, looking frail and tired.

It was Giles who spoke first. “H-hello, Buffy. How are you feeling? Are you sure you should be walking around?” he asked worriedly, speaking in hushed tones.

“Giles, I’m not dying... Ok, you know what I mean. I’m fine.” Buffy smiled at everyone. The smile didn’t hold quite the same sparkle as usual. “I left Dawn at the house. She’s sleeping. I think all the crying has tired her out. She’s taking it pretty bad, Giles.”

Once again, Giles took off his glasses and started to clean them. “I well imagine that she is. She has already lost you once, Buffy. The thought of losing you again must be very hard for her to deal with. It is more you that I am concerned about. How are you faring in all of this?”

“I’m doing ok… not jumping through hoops or anything, but ok. Have you guys found anything?”

Everyone suddenly looked down, ashamed to look Buffy in the eye after searching for hours and being unable to come up with any concrete answers.

Buffy knew the news was not good when Giles once again started to clean his glasses. “Umm, not exactly.. We don’t have much to go on, just dates and such forth. It would help us if you could maybe try to remember a few details of where you were?”

Buffy took a deep breath and went and sat down at the table.

“Ok… Go ahead. I will tell you whatever you want to know about where I was…”

TBC…