SUMMARY: Buffy is ready to go home but what about the baby?
DISTRIBUTION: Ask
DISCLAIMER: Not owned by me. Joss and WB.
RATING: G
NOTE: For my stories Spike is two hundred years old and Angelus' childe. Thanks to Ryan for being my beta reader.
Angel felt someone enter the room and instantly came awake. His only desire was to protect his new family.
The nurse moved to the bed and reached over to shake Angel awake. When she looked down she gasped to see Angel staring back at her. "I'm here to take the baby back to the nursery." She explained. She somehow got the feeling that if he didn't like her answer she wouldn't like the outcome.
Angel held her gaze a moment longer then looked down at his son. "Do you have to take him?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, but he's very small and we need to monitor him. I was surprised that the doctor agreed to let him visit so soon. You know it's weird but he's amazingly well developed for being born so early. We're calling him the miracle baby." The nurse took the boy from his father's arms and returned him to the little bed. "Well, I'll be taking him back to the nursery now." She looked down at the baby, "Tell mommy and daddy bye-bye." She turned and left.
As soon as the baby left the room Buffy snapped awake. "Angel?" She felt his body pressed against hers. "Angel, is the baby still sleeping?"
"He was when the nurse took him back to the nursery." Angel wasn't surprised she had awakened. He had always know his own mother had a sixth sense when it came to him and his sister, she always seemed to know when they were feeling ill or something was bothering them.
"Angel I don't want him to be all alone. What if something happens to him? This is Sunnydale after all." Buffy wanted her baby with her and if he couldn't be with her then someone needed to stay with him.
"I know Baby. I don't like the idea of him being there alone either. Will you be all right if I leave you?" Angel was torn, he wanted to be with Buffy but he also didn't want his son to be alone.
"Yeah, now hurry, I don't want to leave him unprotected." Angel hurried out the door and Buffy tried to get back to sleep. It wasn't hard; she was still tired from giving birth.
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Buffy had been awakened several times during the night. It seemed that her son would not take any formula from the nurses and would only feed from her. The nurses had tried to feed him from the small stock of breast milk they kept for the preemies, but he refused. It seemed the only milk the boy would take was from his mother.
Every time the baby had been brought in Angel was there. He never left his son's side, he only wished the three of them could be together. The first time they had brought the baby in to feed he had told her that he had spoken with Giles and that he would be in first thing in the morning to help guard their son. Willow and Oz had also offered and they would take turns so he was never alone.
Buffy looked over at her sleeping Angel, he had crashed in the chair right after the pediatrician had come by to examine their son. He pronounced baby O'Brien the healthiest newborn he had ever examined. (Confirming what Doctor Mark had told them last night.) Which was very hard to believe since he was seventeen weeks premature. Angel had suggested that the due date had to have been wrong. The doctor could only agree, that had to be the explanation, nothing else fit.
So the doctor left, the nurse came for the baby and it was Giles turn to guard the child. Angel finally fell off into a much needed sleep. Now it was close to sunset and Buffy had been discharged, she was more than ready to go. The only problem now was they wanted to keep the baby until he had gained some weight. Some stupid hospital policy about not letting the baby go home until he weighed five pounds.
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After a long argument with first with the doctor then with the hospital administrator Buffy and Angel were given permission to take their baby home. Angel had pointed out that since the baby would take no other milk than his mother's it made no sense to keep him at the hospital. The whole point of keeping him was to ensure weight gain and he could not do that if he wouldn't eat. The doctors reluctantly agreed with the condition that they bring the baby in to be weighed in one week.
The administrator was less than pleased with the arrangement. If anything went wrong it was the hospital that would be held responsible and him along with it. He was the one that had to answer to the board and it was his head if there was a law suit.
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Buffy waited for Angel and Giles to come back from checking her out. She had no idea if they would be allowed to take their son home with them but she knew that Angel and Giles would do their best. If anyone could get the hospital to change their mind they could.
"Hey Buffy." Willow said as Oz followed her into the room.
"Hey" Oz added.
"They're letting me out tonight." Buffy told Willow as soon as she was in the door.
Willow knew how much Buffy hated hospitals and thought that she'd be happier. "You don't sound to happy about it. I thought that you'd be thrilled, Angel's home, the baby's here and you're going home. You guys can finally be together now, what's wrong?"
"I said they're letting me go home. ME, as in my baby has to stay because he doesn't weigh five pounds. Will, how can we protect him if he's here and we're not? What if something happens to him and we're not here?" Buffy broke down and started to cry.
Willow, disturbed at seeing her friend so upset rushed over to her and hugged her. "It will be okay Buffy. Angel is home and he'll fix everything. I mean he's Angel." Willow reasoned.
"Angel and Giles went to talk to the doctors, I'm hoping they'll let us bring him home. I don't want to leave my baby all alone here, anything could happen." Willow and Oz nodded, they knew only to well how dangerous Sunnydale was.
"I'm sure Angel and Giles will take care of everything. Don't worry." Oz always the optimist hoped to cheer Buffy up.
"I wish I could but you know how things have been going for me lately." That said Buffy sat back on the bed and waited.
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Angel entered the room to find Buffy sitting on the bed looking very dejected. "Buffy"
Buffy jumped up and into his arms. "Angel?" The worry was clear in her voice. He knew it was for the tiny baby that rested in the little plastic bed.
Angel moved closer to the baby using his senses to assure himself that the boy was well. "We can take him home on one condition." He told Buffy as a smile crossed his lips.
"What is it?" She asked.
"A nurse has to stop by once a day to weigh him for the first week, if he steadily gains weight, then we should be fine. If for some reason he loses weight than we'll have to bring him back." Angel moved closer to Buffy. "Don't worry Buffy we'll make sure he gains the weight." He bent over and kissed her.
"I hope you're right," was all she could say. She had doubts she would share with him once they were alone. Everyone turned towards the door as it opened, wondering who it was.
Cordelia pushed open the door and waltzed in with a large shopping bag. "Hi guys. You should see the sales at the mall, they're incredible." Cordy sat on the end of the bed and started to pull things from the bag. "Look at these shoes. Oh and I got this purse to match and there's........." She rattled on telling them how much she paid for her new shoes and purse.
The door opened once again and in walked the nurse with Giles and the baby. "I hear there's a little boy here who's ready to go home with his parents." She smiled. "I have both of your discharge papers and some special instructions for you and the little one." She then turned to Angel, "Now Dad, if you'll follow me we'll get these two checked out and you can be on your way." As Angel left the room he heard Buffy ask Willow if she had brought the clothes she asked for. Within seconds Giles and Oz joined Angel and the nurse.
Go to the next story Alone At Last