Chapter 7 Angel looked up at the clock on the wall. Buffy had been in surgery for 45 minutes now, but to him it felt like forever. The others had returned and had been joined by Anya, Oz, Wesley and Cordelia. They where all spread out in the chairs in the waiting area. Angel was standing by the window, left shoulder resting against the windowsill. He could still hear the fear in Buffy`s voice as they wheeled her into the OR. It had taken all his strength not to burst through the doors to be with her. The rain was still pouring down outside. Angel was praying that it would continue like that, and that the sun wouldn`t show itself. He couldn`t stand the thought of having to leave now. But then again, if something happened to Buffy or Connor, it wouldn`t matter if he burned. His life wouldn`t be worth living, and the Shanshu prophecy, that said he would become human, wouldn`t mean a thing. Was this the price, the woman he loved and their child, where they the price for him becoming human? He knew he didn`t deserve them. That he didn`t deserve to be happy. All the pain he had caused people. It would serve him right to lose everything he loved. All the people he killed, all the suffering he had inflicted. Why should his child be spared. But Buffy and the baby, they were innocent. They shouldn`t be punished for his mistakes. He knew Buffy was strong, and their kid would be strong too. Even though Angel didn`t have any special powers when the baby was conceived, Buffy was still the slayer, that had to mean something. He was suddenly pulled back to reality by someone touching his arm. It was Cordelia. "Are you okay?" He didn`t speak. What was he suppose to say. His whole life was about to change, but he didn`t know if it would be for the better or worse. "You`re not a talker...I know...I`m here if you need anything, okay?" He nodded, managing a small smile to show he appreciated the concern. She smiled at him and patted him on the shoulder. Then rejoined the others, leaving him to stare at the rain. ____________________________________________________________ A little while later, Angel was sitting in the chair next to Cordelia. Everyone was quiet, just staring blankly out in the room. Angel who usually never spoke unless asked, felt he needed to say something. "This whole thing is miracle, you don`t just get half a miracle, right?" He felt is voice break. he wanted confirmation, but no one knew what to say. Cordelia put a hand on his shoulder for support. The minutes ticked by. Angel was now pacing the floors. He was unable to sit quietly anymore. He kept thinking back on all the moments he shared with Buffy. All the things they wanted, but never got to have. He remembered the first time he saw her. She looked so carefree back then, and he remembered wanting to shield her for the dangers that laid ahead. Later when he had seen her slay her first vampire. She had been so scared and confused. He had wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her. Then the next time he had seen her, she was much stronger and less frightened. She had literally knocked him off his feet. He was already in love with her. He had fallen for her the minute he had seen her, in front of her school. It didn`t take long, before he had no longer been able to hide his feelings. He had known it was wrong, but when their lips met for the first time, it all felt right, and nothing else seemed to matter. Of course things went bad fast, as Buffy learned he was a vampire. But somehow they managed to get past all their differences, and for a while it had been good. Deep down he had always known that it wouldn`t have worked out, but he loved her so much, and wanted so badly to hide from reality. However eventually it had catch up to them. But now things were different. Now he had the hope that he one day would become human. He looked up at the clock on the wall again. It had now been an hour. He was unsure if it was normal for it to take so long, or, if it actually hadn`t been that long. Angel paced back and forth nervously running his fingers through his hair. Then he spotted the doctor approaching the others, he sprinted down the hall. Oh God, this was it. One way or another, things would never be the same. The doctor waited for him, then started to explain. "There was a lot of bleeding, and it took a while to control it. But Buffy is stabile now." Thank God, Buffy was okay, Angel thought. But what about their son. "The baby had some trouble breathing, but he is going to be okay?" An overwhelming sense of relief ran through everyone, and they hugged. Even Angel and Giles shared a hug. "Can we see them?" Joyce asked. "Buffy is in recovery, I`ll come find you when she can have visitors. But you can all see the baby now if you like" They all eagerly gathered their things and followed the doctor. Chapter 8 Back to This Woman`s Work