ooh, that's a good question; what
will happen next? let's have a look, shall we? ... we are so evil
~~~~~~~~~
"Um…Tara? Why are we at the vet's?" Willow asked, a little unsure why they were there.
"Because Chester got hit by a car, and Chester is Tara's puppy. Thus we go to the vets. " Jake answered her since Tara was too busy looking for the vet.
Willow stifled a gasp, "Chester's your
puppy?!”
"Yeah, Will, why, who did you think he was?"
"Um…nothing…just, like...I don't know…your girlfriend...or boyfriend, maybe?"
Willow looked down, ashamed for being so judgmental, even though secretly happier that Chester was just a puppy. Then she realized that was just as bad. Puppies are cute…little furry puppies. Something Tara loved. The puppy had to be ok.
Just then the vet rounded the corner.
Willow moved to Tara for support if the blond needed it. Tara didn't object, and without thinking, reached out for Willow's hand.
"What's wrong with him? How is he? Can I see him?" Tara rushed.
"Yes, you can see him, but first I want to tell you what has happened. He is in surgery right now. His legs are broken and he has some cuts, we’re just checking for internal bleeding." The doctor said.
“Oh…” Tara squeezed Willow's hand tighter. Willow squeezed back, her brow crinkled in concern for the puppy that Tara held so dear.
Willow rubbed her thumb across Tara's hand soothingly.
Tara swallowed, holding back tears "Will he be ok?"
"Yes, he should do,” the vet answered.
A single tear pierced Tara’s eyes and trailed down her face.
Willow noticed; she reached over with her unoccupied hand and wiped away the tear,
It's just a friendly gesture, no other motive involved... she convinced herself.
Tara sank into the touch, feeling the warmth of the gesture.
Another woman entered the room, and called the Vet over. " Excuse me for a second, please." He went over and talked to the lady for a couple of seconds then walked back to the small group with a smile on his face.
"What is it? Is he ok?" Tara asked, hope welling up inside her at the prospect.
"Chester doesn’t have any internal bleeding. But.."
"There's a but?" Willow cut in, but taking a step back as she spoke, realizing it really wasn't anything to do with her. Tara pulled her forward again with her hand, reassuringly.
"He has broken his front legs, and will need casts. He will need to be carried around for a while, and will also need some pretty powerful pain killers because of some large cuts on him."
Tara sniffed, "He can't walk?"
"No. But he will recover in time, the healing process will be a lot faster with the loving care I am sure you will be able to provide him," the vet smiled sympathetically at Tara. It was obvious to him she cared deeply for the small dog.
Tara sucked in her breath, and cringed at the thought of her puppy being in pain, then her mouth curled into a little smile; Her Chester was going to be ok.
Willow perked up a little too. If Tara was happy, she was happy, and vice versa
Well, I hope it's vice versa... she thought.
"Can I see him soon?" Tara asked again.
"You can see him in a few minutes. But just you, the puppy shouldn’t be overwhelmed with people. Especially people he hasn't had contact with," the vet cautioned.
"Um...I'll go wait outside?" Willow asked, noticing the hinting tone of the vet's voice.
"I think you should...I'll only be a little while - you can stay with Jake,” Tara offered.
"Come this way please. You two can wait outside the door." Willow and Tara walked hand in hand behind the vet with Jake trailing behind them.
They reached a peach colored door. "Alright, so I'll be here."
"OK" Tara nodded and also heard words of comfort from Jake before she entered the room, her hands shaking and now with a tear stained face.
Willow wasn't too pleased with being stuck with Tara's potential lover, but she didn't want to impose herself on Tara.
The door slammed closed behind Tara almost mockingly.
Willow and Jake waited in silence for a while, neither able to think of something to say that was appropriate.
Willow had no clue what to think or say so she just stared at the floor.
"Poor Chester," the hacker commented, the silence unnerving her. It was almost like an omen. She had a bed feeling in the pit of her stomach and it was making her a little queasy.
Jake took the time to examine Tara's friend. He hadn’t known Tara for long but he cared for the girl and it was obvious these two had history.
"Are you ok?" he asked, noticing the odd look on the redhead's face.
"Yeah...fine. Um...do you know where I can find some water or something?" Willow asked, wanting to get out of the awkward situation.
Before Jake could answer, a piercing ring was heard, making them both jump.
"Hello love," it was her gym teacher wannabe boss.
Jake perked his ears...
What did she say?"How is everything going?" She didn’t even wait for an answer. "Look, I got this urgent message from some one named Bunny? Something about your friend Oz being in the hospital,"
Willow swallowed hard.
How did Buffy find out where I worked? "What's wrong with him...I need to call her back."
Willow hadn't spoken to Buffy for such a long time, and she felt guilty for that. But she needed to know what was wrong...she didn't want to hear it from her boss.
“Yeah, sure thing, hon.” The woman agreed and hung up.
Willow quickly thanked her boss and dialed Buffy’s number.
"Hello?" Buffy answered
"Buffy..." Willow's stomach churned, part from nervousness, part from guilt "What's wrong? How did you find me?" she asked.
"We tracked you down on the internet. It was mostly Dawn, actually," Buffy dodged the questions being fired at her, not wanting to explain why she was really calling.
"Buffy, you're being all avoidy," Willow pushed.
" Will…it’s Oz, something is happening to him and he wont let the Doctors touch him until he talks to you. He's hurt bad, Will, you have to get there." Buffy warned, "And you have to call me afterwards!" she added. It was not the time, she knew, but she missed her best friend.
"Alright, which hospital?" Willow asked, panicky; even if she didn’t love oz in that way anymore, he was still very important to her.
"It's at St. Hope's hospital, do you know where that is?" Buffy asked, nervously, since she didn’t have a clue.
Willow nodded. It was pretty close to where she worked, "Yeah, I do. I'm on my way," she replied.
"Good luck, Will, God speed," Buffy punned, weakly.
Willow hung up the cell.
Jake was listening to one side of the conversation but could tell it was pretty brutal. The redhead had slowed down her breathing and was looking kind of scared. He heard the name of the hospital and instantly offered Willow a comforting pat on the back.
"You need a ride?" he asked.
"Yeah," Willow's voice cracked. Her world was crumbling, she was torn, but decided Oz needed her more than Tara did right now.
"Alright, give me a sec," Jake instructed.
Jake entered the vets room to tell Tara that he was leaving to give Willow a ride and would be back shortly.
He reappeared a minute later, "Lets go." He mumbled as he walked towards the door. He took the redhead's arm, lending her some sort of support as he unlocked the car and let her in.
Willow mumbled something under her breath. "Tara...Chester...Buffy…Oz...Tara...Chester...Buffy...Oz" She repeated the mantra to herself as Jake started the car.
The car jerked into motion, jolting a tear from Willow's eye.
"I'm not gay - I'm just Trevor's bitch." - some drunken guy about his sexuality
"Oh, bugger off, you BROLLY!" - Anya to Giles on his use of the english language
"We'll all be a lot happier without the constant whining....Mom, Buffy, Tara, Waah" - DMW to Dawn