Title: Stop Motion 2/?
Author: Shannon
Pairing: Willow/Giles
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Characters belong to Joss Whedon, ME, UPN, FOX, and WB.
Distribution: http://magical-worlds.us/musings/, My LJ (shannon730), Hairy Eyeball if Elisabeth wants it. Anyone else that has my other fics. Any one else just let me know first.
Summary: Buffy is injured. Willow and Giles work together to help her and find the vampires behind the attack.
Author's Notes: Thanks to Gabrielle for betaing this for me. This is written in response to Michelle's challenge
What would happen if Buffy was paralyzed? I'd like to see a story about this, and about Giles' reaction to it. Pairing: A Giles/Buffy pairing would be preferred, but any pairing would be good. (It could be interesting to see how Buffy's paralysis would affect Giles' relationship with someone else.) I hope it's at least close to what you wanted.
Buffy stared at the doctor, then at her friends and Dawn, then back at the doctor. He was the only one meeting her eyes. Everyone else seemed very interested in the floor, ceiling, or walls of her hospital room. They had all known what the doctor was going to say, that much was obvious. The doctor was wrong, though, she thought, he didn't understand about being a slayer. She would heal. It was just taking longer than normal, the injury was worse, so she wasn't healing as quickly. They all knew that. So, why were they all looking at her like they wanted to be anywhere but in this room with her?
Giles was watching Buffy's reaction. He didn't meet her eyes when her gaze fell on him, but he was watching. They had all had a long discussion about this last night, when the doctor informed Dawn it was time to tell Buffy. No one was sure how she would react, but they also didn't doubt the possibility that Buffy would skip over the denial phase and move right into anger. Now though, he wasn't sure how she was taking the news at all. She wasn't saying anything. He looked at Willow, who he was sure was also watching Buffy more closely than the other girl realized.
"You're healing incredibly fast, Miss Summers," the doctor said. "Much faster than anyone expected so I won't rule out the chance of you regaining some use of your legs in the future."
"So this could all go away, then?" Buffy asked, "I could be fine?"
"I didn't say that," the doctor corrected. "I said you may regain some use. If you do, it will be very limited."
"But I could."
"Miss Summers," the doctor interrupted, "I know this is all shocking to you, and it will take some time to adjust but please don't put too much hope in regaining the ability to walk."
"You don't understand," Buffy said angrily.
"Perhaps I should leave you to talk to your friends," the doctor said quietly, and left the room. There was nothing more he could say to help her and her sister had warned him that she would react badly. "Tomorrow we can discuss a physical therapy plan."
"Buffy," Willow said, as the doctor closed the door behind him. "Everything's going to be okay."
"Of course it is," Buffy said, smiling. "I'm a slayer. I can heal from this, I don't know why it's taking so long but it was more serious than usual, so I figure it's just slower to heal; right, Giles? The doctor doesn't understand that."
"Buff, I don't think she meant." Xander said. He stepped closer to the bed, still not meeting her eyes. He understood, probably better than the others did, what this was doing to her; but the doctor was right, she couldn't pretend it would go away. "I don't think you can heal this."
"He's right," Giles said, stepping closer to the bed. "The damage to your spinal cord was."
"I am not going to stay like this, Giles," Buffy protested. "I am not going to be in a wheelchair."
"Buffy, I understand how," Giles said quietly.
"What do you understand, Giles?" Buffy said angrily. "How it feels to be told you won't ever walk again? Not to be able to feel your legs? To know that what you did, who you are is gone because you couldn't outrun a few vampires?"
"I don't think that's fair, B," Faith said from her place against the wall. "Giles is trying to help you, we all are. It may not have happened to us, but we are trying to help and understand."
"And being a slayer, fighting vampires, isn't everything you are," Willow added. "You're still Buffy, our friend, Dawn's sister. That isn't going to change just because you can't walk."
"We want to help you," Xander said.
"You want to help me?" Buffy said angrily, turning slightly so she could face him. "By telling me to accept that I'm going to be like this for the rest of my life? That's not helping, that's giving up. Did anyone even try to find those vampires? They're still out there, right?"
"We've all been here, Buffy," Giles pointed out, "We felt that being here was more important than."
"Right," Buffy said, tears in her eyes. "You all had to be here to make sure I didn't actually hold on to any hope of walking. Well, great job, all of you."
"Buffy, I." Willow began. Buffy's reaction wasn't surprising at all, but it still hurt. None of them wanted to see her hurt like this.
"Just get out, all of you."
"Buffy," Dawn said quietly as everyone moved toward the door. "Don't."
"Just leave. I want to be alone," Buffy said staring straight ahead of her. If they didn't want to believe in her, then she didn't want them around her right now.
"Call if you change your mind, B," Faith said as she waited for Dawn to leave the room before pulling the door closed and leaving Buffy alone.