Mending old wounds
by Lee
Chapter 6
[reviews]
She had little trouble finding a certain place in the in the hospital she remembered so well. Growing up she spent most of her childhood here. Not slaying Vampires in the morgue, but spending most of it as a patient. When she was a small child around the age of Five she had a rare heart disease. They never found a donor heart for her, and without the right medication she would die. At this moment she didn't care. She traveled the children hospital wing and smiled when she saw a familiar face, Once a nurse now a doctor. She sat down in the hallway hoping to be noticed, when she was it was by security. "Miss you'll have to come back with us." Layla remained motionless in a daze, just for a few moments. Reminiscing on her childhood memories. She felt cold now, thinking about how she was almost always alone at night. The nightmares she always had, no one to snuggle up to. No mother to cry out to at night like when she was at home. "Miss..." She looked up with tears in her eyes, and shook her head. She refused to leave or be removed without seeing her old friend. "Get away from me!" Layla screamed at the security guards punching one in the jaw, sending him into a cart of Supplies. The commotion got the children and doctor's attention. "Don't touch me, just leave me alone."
Just as her wish, The Doctor she was looking at came over to her. "Layla?" The doctor placed a gentle hand on the grown child now, smiling sweetly at her. "Is that you Tarzan?" When she was younger she refused to take her medicine and she would growl. So she got the nickname Bear from most of the nurses. One nurse was different and always called her Tarzan. The reason being like her namesake Tarzan she tried too hard to fit into where she thought she belonged. When She was younger she wasn't allowed to run or play with the other kids for fear of overexertion that would strain her weak heart, but sometimes she would sneak her wheelchair onto the basketball court and shoot a few. The other kids were very tolerant and they allowed her to take as many shots as she wanted. "Nurse Angie?" She smiled sweetly and shook her head. "It's Doctor Angie now Layla. Come on lets get you some Hot chocolate." Layla smiled following her into the Doctor's Lounge. The doctor turned back to the Guards "When her parents get here tell them she's with me and to wait in my office." The guards nodded their understanding and left to meet the girls parents. "Oh and boys, her parents are both women. Just giving you the heads up."
"You made a scene out there Tarzan." Angie handed Layla a cup of Hot Chocolate. Still smiling, but she could hear the disappointment in Angie's voice. "Sorry."
"When your Mothers told me about your condition, your coma I visited you everyday up until today. You had a lot of visitors." Layla had a hard time believing that, she just continued sipping her hot chocolate. "Your mothers have been..."
"I don't want to hear about them right now." Layla seemed more upset then Angie understood. She used to agree with her all the time about how much her parents neglected her. They rarely spent time with her, they would visit everyday but only for a few hours. "There coming here, they know where I am?" She felt the ache of betrayal, she couldn't believe this. "Layla listen to me, they will not see you until you are ready. Understood? They are being escorted to my office when they arrive, you are Twenty one now and..."
"Did you just say Twenty one? That means I've been a sleep for over three years?" Angie nodded, grabbing Layla's hand. "Why didn't anyone tell me?" She started to sob, so hurt, so betrayed.
"They never got around to it? Would you of believed them if they had? Your headstrong and stubborn like your mothers." Angie smiled wiping tears away from the young girls cheek. "Now drink your Hot chocolate and I'll meet with your family." Layla nodded and relaxed back in the seat.
Doctor Angie's office was medium sized, her walls covered with various awards and diplomas . The room was lightly sented with some kind of Vanilla and strawberry sent and her desk was mahogany. The papers and files were neatly stacked and pens in there right place. The window curtains were open wide allowing all the sunlight to filter in. There was soft classical music playing as well in the background. Angie sat tapping her foot nervously while she waited for the Summer-Rosenberg's to arrive. "Angie?" she looked up and saw an army. "Didn't know you were bringing the whole clan, all of you come on in please." Angie's smile was still sweet, still welcoming and Willow remembered it so well.
Angie walked over to Buffy and Willow hugging them both. "Where is she Angie?"
"Before I feed her to the wolves, let me make a small suggestion..." Willow and Buffy looked waiting for an easy solution for their "Problem". "Don't take her to jail, she's very fragile, she's your daughter." Buffy's eyes went cold, it was her job to lock up criminals. "She is a murder, she killed men and women. What's worse ,she knew exactly what she was doing." Willow was silent as Angie and Buffy discussed options and ideas. Willow's tears were obvious, the pain of losing her daughter again was too much. "Excuse me a moment." she stood, Buffy grabbed a hold of her wife and pulled her into an embrace, which she knew would allow Willow to break down. Willow had planned to go to the bathroom to cry away from eyes peering at her, but Buffy had her now. "I don't want to lose her again Buffy, not again please."
"Willow I love you, and I love Layla, but she murdered innocent people, she could do it again. Do you want to take the chance that she'll kill again?" Willow didn't know what to do. She couldn't understand,part of her didn't want to. She shut down and refused to listen to reason. Her and Buffy had the talks about this. That if Layla woke up what they would do, Willow had agreed. Now it was different .Now, she was actually awake. "Willow?"
"She's my baby Buffy, I love her.Please Don't take my baby away." Willow had carried Layla for nine months and spent hours in labor before giving birth to a beautiful baby girl.Willow was the one to carry the baby because the Slayer couldn't risk being pregnant. Giles was thrilled when they decided it would be Willow would carry the child, it meant both Buffy and the baby would be safe.
"I hate to interrupt this, but Buffy's got a point Will. If any of my kids did that, I would be forced to...ouch!" Anya hit him with her purse and glared. "What?"
"Alexander Harris, don't jinx it. Now one of them will turn evil and its all your fault!" Anya was ready for another swing when The eldest son intervened. "Mom, I won't turn evil I swear on everything that is money." He knew his mother loved money, and he knew the way to shut her up was to make her Proud. "Such a good boy." Anya hugged him and he smiled. Xander mouthed a thank you and turned back to Willow. "Xander..."
"Will, you know what is right." Angie lost the battle a while ago she knew that, but she felt like she had betrayed Layla. She knew the slayer would do everything to get her daughter back even beat up a Doctor. "Where is she Angie?" Angie stood and sighed, she walked to the window looking out into the day time. "She'll hate me, I promised her not until she was ready to talk. let me go and talk with her first. Please."
Willow and Buffy nodded in agreement. Buffy's slayer sense tingled,she had a feeling that Angie had something planned. She watched as she left the office and stop to talk to a nurse who looked at the door and nodded. "You need to escape now, take this its not much but it's enough for now." Layla looked confused she wasn't sure what Angie was asking her, she was really confused. "Your mother Buffy says you need to pay for what you did, all that you killed. She talked Willow into it, even though she was against the whole thing, I can't protect you. Take this and find a way out of here and contact me when you get some place safe."
"But Angie?"
"Do you want to go to jail?" Layla shook her head as Angie place the money in Layla's pocket and smiled. "That should be enough for a bus one way and help you with some food and some clothes, if used wisely. Be safe." Layla Hugged Angie tight and let a few tears fall. "I love you so much Angie, thanks for everything."
Without another word, Angie sent Layla out the backstairs and sighed. She would make up a story about her being gone when she got to the doctor's lounge. Buffy would know it was a lie. She feared that women, but she would remain strong for Layla. She would protect Tarzan with her life.