********Part 13*******

"Well you two be careful," Oz said. He was at the studio, talking to Willow over her cell phone. She had called to tell him that she and Samantha were leaving the mall and that they should be home in less then an hour, but the conversation had lulled out to a good 10 minutes.

"We will be. I love you," Willow said over the phone.

"I love you, too," Oz declared, playing with the white crush velvet cubic box resting in the pocket of his favorite pair of khaki's. He hung up the phone, then pulled the box out, and set it on the wooden table in front of him. He opened the box, and pulled out the ring that Willow had tried on about a week ago. A dreamy smile played at his lips. He was going to propose tonight and his confidence in her reaction caused his heart to sore. Kevin was going to be at Tony's tonight, and if all went as planned...well it wouldn't be anything they hadn't done before, but it would prove to be the greatest night of his life. Well it would be 'one' of the 'two' greatest nights of his life. If all went as planned.

"Oz, you ready?" Jesse asked, opening the office door. Oz swiped up the ring and the box and placed it back in his pocket, then did a 180 in his mobile chair.

"Yes. What are we recording today?" Oz asked, standing up. He made his way to the door, a sadistic leer playing at his lips at the thought of tonight.

"We've got three to do today. Mercury, Mi Casa, and Terrance. Should only take a couple of hours though. We'll take a couple of breaks, so you can call your girlfriend if you want," Jesse said, walking a fast speed towards the recording studio. He opened the door for Oz, then closed it and went to sit in the observation booth. "And five, four, three, two.....*hand signal*.

***************

"So...dish!!!"

"What?"

"You heard me. I want details. I want you to tell me every single thing you and Oz did last night," Samantha said, hitting the dashboard with her index finger. A smile broke out through Willow's features. She shook her head slightly.

"Nothing. The usual. You know, the usual," Willow remarked sheepishly.

"So, he ordered take out, the two of you ate it, and then you had sex?" Samantha asked curiously. Willow blushed, then turned her head to look out at the scenery. "Well?"

"No comment," Willow replied, her fingers clutching at the tight blue jeans Samantha had insisted that she wear.

"Oh come on. We're best friends Willow. You used to tell me everything you did with other guys," Samantha coaxed. She was driving the jeep onto the entrance ramp to the highway.

"That's because I never did anything with other guys," Willow retorted.

"Fine. Just be that way. Ignore one of your best friends. Nope, don't say a word to your best friend. Even though I am one of your best friends you go ahead and keep your mouth shut because even though I'm one of your best friends and I want to know, you don't need to tell me, one of your best friends, a single thing," Samantha said, driving a steady 60 miles an hour while doing her best to avoid the speed crazed maniacs going 90 on the right side of the road. Willow sighed, and looked back to Samantha.

"Yes," Willow said bluntly.

"Yes?" Samantha asked, confused.

"Yes," Willow assured her. Samantha's brows narrowed.

"Yes what?" Samantha questioned.

"You know," Willow said, color rising to her cheeks.

"Oh...take out and sex? I kind of figured that out when you deliberately tried not to answer the question," Samantha replied. Willow hid her face into her sleeve and sighed.

"So...that was it?" Samantha asked.

"Yes, that was it. What do you want, a detailed description? Who did what to who, how long did it last, were we loud?" Willow suggested sarcastically. Samantha shook her head, doing her best to surpress her laughter and keep her attention focused on the road.

"No thankyou," Samantha declared. She turned on her blinker, signaling that she was using the exit ramp. A disturbing calm had washed over the two as they made their way down the ramp at a steady 50 miles per hour. The sun was setting below the horizon, and light was beaming off the shiny glossy surface of the window. The two shook them selves from their silent reverie when they heard the loud screeching of tires, the rank stench of burnt rubber, and the sound of desperate horns resonating through the still air. "Oh god...Willow!!!!!" Samantha warned as a huge movers truck made it's way into on coming traffic, hitting the jeep head on. Samantha stomped on the breaks and the jeep swerved. Glass shattered against glass, tires whizzled off of their axis, shards of metal pressed against the cushioned seats, the air bags deployed, and the car did a 540 in the air, landing in a nearby ditch. Aside from their crash 18 other cars were totaled, and the movers truck was still making its way into on coming traffic. The last thing Willow saw was the shocked fear lancing accross Samantha's features. Then, all fell silent.

******One hour later*******

"No answer?" Jesse asked concerned. Oz closed his eyes worriedly, then shook his head no.

"She should have been home by now," Oz replied, pressing the off button and setting it back on the desk.

"Don't worry about it. They probably just stopped by to get ice cream. She'll be home in a half hour, I promise," Jesse said, patting Oz on the back. He motioned Oz into the recording studio, then sat in the observation room and started the count down. "5, 4, 3, *hand signal*.

***********************

"This one has a pulse!!!!!" One of the firemen hollered from a distance. Several firemen and a huge ambulance truck made their way over to the crash scene where a jeep had been mangled amongst the muddy twigs, and branches 20 feet away from the road.

"We've got her. On three everybody. One, two, three..." Said one of the firemen. They lifted the girl onto the gurney, then set her next to a woman in a body bag.

"Is the lady conscious?" The police man asked.

"No sir," The peremdic declared.

"Any identification?"

"Yes sir, this was found next to the crash scene. The ID matches the woman," A fireman announced from behind him. He handed the wallet to the police man, then walked away with a solemn face.

"And the body next to her?"

"Samantha Jacobs. Age 27, from New York City," One peremdic declared after reading the tag attached to the body bag.

***********

"Keep going Oz," Jesse directed. The phone started to ring. Jesse stood up and walked over to the phone, then answered it. "Hello?"

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Oz Larkin please," A low depressing masucline voice said over the phone.

"He's kind of busy right now. Is this an emergency?" Jesse asked, following proper procedure.

"I'm calling in regards to Willow Rosenburg. There has been an accident."

No wonder the guy sounded so depressed. He was the guy that had to call people and put them in the state that wasn't always at their best.

"One moment please," Jesse said, setting the phone down. He walked back over to the microphone.

"That's a wrap, everybody. Oz....I need to have a few words with you," Jesse said into the speaker phone. Oz gave him a puzzled look, then set his guitar in it's case. "Let Mark get it for you," Jesse said urgently. Oz looked up knowingly. He could sense it in the air.

"What's going on?" Oz asked, jogging into Jesse's office. Jesse gestured to the phone with his eyes, a solemn expression playing across his forehead. Jesse mouthed the word, "I'm sorry", then opened the glass door to his office and stepped outside. The room fell silent. Oz picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Oz Larkin?"

"Yes. Is there a problem?"

"I'm calling in regards to Willow Rosenburg. There has been an accident. I was asked to inform you that she's being held at the LA Memorial Hospital."

Panic laced through his blood as sweat trickled out and down his now white clammy skin. It felt as if spiders were crawling up his skin. He blinked once. He blinked twice. He dropped the phone and looked up. The room was spinning. The yellow ceiling lights turned green, his heart stilled, and his vision produced a vivid red as if he busted a blood vessel near the cornea of his eye. He shook from head to toe, then choked when he felt Jesse hit him at his collar bone. His vision cleared and he picked up the phone.

"Hello, Hello?" The man asked, disturbed with the sudden silence.

"Thankyou," Oz said into the phone. He turned to face Jesse who was looking at him with a deep abyss of concern. "Jesse...drive me," Oz pleaded. Jesse nodded his head.

"Jason, I'm going to need you to close for me," Jesse said tossing the studio keys to his assistant manager.

"Yes sir," The young amateur replied.

"Let's go," Jesse said, handing Oz his leather jacket. He opened the door and tossed the car keys to Oz. "Start it," Jesse said, running back in and grabbing his drivers license. He ran back out and jumped into his shiny black polished 2003 Thunderbird. It took him 12 minutes to get out of the parking lot and it was just their luck that they got every single god damned red light on the way over there. Jesse drove up to the side where all visitors were supposed to go and let Oz out, then pulled out and parked the car next to another thunderbird.

Oz made his way down the white tile corridor where several patients in their mid-60's were either vomiting, coughing up blood, screaming for water, or banging their heads against the wall.

"Can I help you sir?" A lady at the attendance desk asked. The man looked as if he were lost. Then again, who wouldn't be in LA.

"Yes, I'm looking for Willow Rosenburg. I got a call and they told me to come down here," Oz said, his hands shaking as he pulled out a picture of a girl with red hair and green eyes.

"She's lovely. Just let me check these charts....ahhh..yes..uh...listen sir..."

"Oz."

"Oz...she's in Critical Condition right now. I'll have to advise Doctor Varsin before I can send you in. If you'll have a seat over there, I'll get to you as soon as possible....it shouldn't take to long," the nurse assured him. Oz nodded wearily, then made his way to a seat on stiff shaky legs. The nurse gave him a knowing look, then grabbed the desk phone and paged the doctor. A moment later the phone gave a ring and Doctor Varsin appeared on the other line.

"Yes, Mary, how can I help you?"

"Yes Nason, there is a man down here looking for a patient of yours. Willow Rosenburg. She's in critical condition right now. I told him I would have to advise you before I could send him up there...he seemed desperate sir. I'm sorry if I've caused you any inconvinience."

"None at all Mary. Is the man still there? I'd like to talk to him," Nason said over the phone. Mary blushed at the sound of his kind voice resonating over the phone. He was a handsome man, about 15 years older then she was, but still a sultry appearance. He looked a lot like Michael J. Fox, only he was about a foot taller.

"Oz...sir.." The nurse called, gesturing for the man to come up to the desk. He walked over expectantly.

"Yes?"

"Doctor Varsin would like to have a word with you," Mary replied, handing the phone to the some what guilt ridden man trembling at the site of such a steril enviroment. Sick people were coughing all over the place but none the less the janitors were doing their best to clean it up.

"Hello?" Oz said over the phone.

"Yes, is this Oz Larkin? Raven said he had a few words with you. Said you might drop by. If you'd like, I'll have my assistant meet you in about five minutes and he'll show you to my office and we can discuss procedure there. Is that good with you?"

"That's great...will I get to see her?"

"Of course. How ever, there are some things I think I should discuss with you before we go any further. My assistant is on his way."

"Thankyou," Oz said into the phone.

"I'll call you up when his assistant gets here," Mary said, taking the phone and setting it in the cradle. Oz nodded his head, then made his way to the mens room. The tile was relatively clean, but it made him want to puke when he saw the matching sky blue and lime green zig zags chasing each other along the walls. He turned on the water faucet, then splashed the water over his flushed red face.

"Oz Larkin, please come to the front desk, Oz Larkin please come to the front desk," a woman said over the intercom. Oz took one look in the mirror, then sighed in disgust. He looked like shit. He no longer had any gel in his hair, he was about 3 times whiter then usual, he thought he could actually see some of the black dye drip out of his hair, and he was getting a zit on his receding hair line. He dragged his feet across the slick white floor and met up with the assistant at the front desk.

"Hey, I'm Oz," Oz said, greeting the man in scrubbs.

"I'm Travis. Follow me."

They made their way towards the elevator, and the man pushed the button until it reached the sixth floor. He led Oz down a long carpeted corridor, beautiful art pictures hanging high in the air. "This is Doctor Varsin's office. He'll be with you in a moment," Travis said, opening the door for the man. Oz stepped into the neatly furnished room and sat in a nearby cushioned seat.

"Good evening Mr. Larkin, I'm Doctor Varsin. Call me Nason," Nason said, stepping around the desk and sitting down in the other seat. A file rested under his shoulder. Oz looked at it knowingly, then took in a deep breath.

"Hey," Oz said, wanting to see his girl friend as soon as possible. There was a long anxious moment of silence. "How is she?" Oz hesitated. He just wanted to see her. The doctor grunted. Oz looked at him in panic.

"She's comatose, Oz. Right now, it's too early to determine what her chances are of coming out of it," Nason said. The look in his eyes said there was more.

"The baby?" Oz asked quietly. The doctor let out a long sigh.

"That was what I really wanted to talk to you about. Miss. Rosenburg's system isn't what we doctors like to call medically stable to support a fetus at the time being. The baby is, surprisingly still alive, how ever the chances of it staying that way are awfully slim. Either way, you're going to have to let go of one of them. If you decide to keep the baby, Miss. Rosenburg will die. It's a little known fact of common sense. The chances of the baby making it through the procedure would be very slim. Only three out of 100 infants survive the procedure with out brain damage. How ever, if you decide to terminate this fetus, Miss. Rosenburg's chances of surving will increase dramatically. She's fighting for two lives right now. The termination of this fetus will make it much easier for her to fight for hers alone. Her chances of surviving are much higher then the fetus's. I'd like to give you a day to think about it. You are the only one legally responsible to determine the fate of Miss. Rosenburg. I'm very sorry Oz. I'll show you to her room."

The two walked down the tiny corridor. The doctor's words were still registering in his numb brain. The pain and the anticipation had gotten to the better of him. Now, all he could feel was numb. He hurt so much he went numb. It didn't happen every day. The doctor opened up the door, then lowered his head in respect.

"Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Would she be capable of having children..later?" Oz asked, his heart constricting through his lungs.

"Most certainly. If she comes out of the coma that is. I understand that you seem hesitant. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask."

"What about Samantha?" Oz asked hopefully. The doctor locked eyes with the man, then shook his head and gestured his head towards the morgue. Oz looked at the double door across the hall and did a double take.

"Deceased. The movers truck was going a steady 70 miles an hour into on coming traffic. Witnesess claim that the jeep swerved and the truck hit the drivers side. She was badly mangled."

"Was it quick?"

"She was suffocated. When the jeep did a 540 and the airbags deployed, the force of the impact bruised her breathing pipe and broke her nose. It appears that there was a struggle," The doctor said. A tear made it's way down Oz's cheek.

"Right."

"I'll be in my office," Nason said, and with that, he stepped out of the room and closed the doors. For once, Oz finally aloud himself to look at her badly bruised skin. A huge gash at her forehead, several on her neck and hands. Her leg was in a cast. A bandaid was placed over her ear, so he assumed that she lost an earing. Her lip was busted and her hair was all matted in mud and blood. Apparently the orderly's were too busy saving her life to clean her up. He spotted a box of cleanex on a near by table and went by to wet them a bit. He pulled up a chair, then proceeded to clean off the dirt covering her face. He glanced at her again and saw that two of her fingers were in a splint as well. With that, he cracked. Sobs echoed from his body as he weighed the effect his decision would have on both his and Willow's life. Naturally he wouldn't have had any problem, terminating the baby. If Willow's life was at stake, and the baby had absolutely no chance of living, then the proper thing to do would be to terminate one life to save another. How ever, Willow didn't believe in abortion. Besides that, from the look of things, she'd have to go through hell to fully recover, and on top of all that, one of her best friends was dead. But he just couldn't bring himself to let her go. There would be other kids, right? Willow had another 40 years to live out. They were supposed to grow old together and have a dozen kids. He prayed to the heavens that there was another way out. That someone else could make the decision for him. Should he save Willow for his own selfish desires? And what about Kevin? What was he supposed to say? Son, Mommy isn't going to be around anymore? The kid would never go for it. He looked down at his feet in disgust. Tears were actually making his skin look like a greyish color. Was his dye running out of his hair?

"Oz.." It was Nason. Oz turned his tear streaked face towards the man.

"Yes?"

"I know you don't want to hear this now, but visiting hours are over in 10 minutes and I think it might be a good idea if you could identify the body of Samantha Jacobs for verification to all the family members," The doctor said hopefully. It was the sad kind though...the regretful kind of hope. Oz sniffed and bit his lip. He took one last look at Willow, then stood up and dragged his heavy feet across the smooth tile.

After he identified the body, he made his way down to the lobby, then sighed in agitation when he saw the entire scooby gang. Buffy, Xander, Cordelia, Jesse, and Katlin were there. Kevin was sitting in a chair, biting his nails. Buffy walked up to him with open arms. He fell into them greatfully, then began to sob uncontrollably into her shoulder. Jesse walked up behind him to steady him and did his best to squeeze the knot out of his friend's shoulder.

"Oz what happened?" Buffy asked concerned. Oz shook his head, not wanting to repeat Nason's words.

"A moving truck drove into oncoming traffic and hit the jeep head on at 70 miles per hour. It did a 540 into a ditch. Willow is comatose. Baby's alive, but it's not likely to stay that way and unless I terminate it, Willow will die too because her system isn't medically stable to support the baby. Samantha's dead. She suffocated," Oz stated, collapsing against the wall. Kevin got up out of his seat and trotted over to hug his father. Oz clutched at his son desperately, taking in his scent and appearance. He was the only thing Oz had left of Willow at the time being.

"What are you going to do?" Xander asked. Oz looked at his son.

"Kevin, I want you to go sit over there for a few moments, please?" Oz asked. Kevin nodded, then trotted back over to the chair to play with Tony's game boy. He looked up at the four concerned faces looking down at him, then braced himself against the wall as he stood up.

"Well?" Cordelia prodded. A tear leaked from Oz's eye. He sniffed.

"I want to save Willow more than anything in the world..." Oz said. A 'but' was evident n his tone.

"But..." Buffy demanded.

"But I don't know how she's going to live with herself, knowing what I had to do to save her, and I don't know if I have the nerve to live with myself if I make the wrong decision. She will hate me, if I terminate our child, but I'll hate myself even more if I don't. The doctor said that if she came out of the coma, she'd more then likely be capable of having more children," Oz replied tearfully.

"So..." Xander started. Oz glared at him.

"I don't know!" Oz barked. "Why do I have to make all the god damned decisions? Give me a break, okay? People don't just make these decisions in half an hour," Oz said agitated. Xander stood rigid, a hurt expression playing on his features. Cordelia looked at Oz sympathetically, then hugged him.

"Sleep on it. The answer will come to you." Cordelia said, patting him on the back. Oz hugged her back and nodded his head. Then sighed.

"As tired as I am, I don't think I have the nerve to sleep. God only knows what's gonna happen if I do," Oz replied. Sighing, he leaned back against the wall. "I think I'm going to head home and get Kevin to bed."

"I'll drive you," Buffy volunteered. She walked over to get Kevin. "Hey kiddo. You ready to go?"

"I thought I was going home with Tony," Kevin said.

"I thought you would too, but your father really needs you right now. He's not feeling to good." Buffy said, picking him up. Kevin shrugged.

"Okay...oh..here Tony," Kevin said holding out the game boy towards his new best friend. Tony shook his head.

"It's okay. You can keep it over night. Bye," Tony said waving.

"Bye," Kevin said as Buffy passed him to Oz who carried him out towards Buffy's car.

"Kevin, things are going to change a bit. I thought I would warn you," Oz said, placing his son in the back seat of the car.

"Why? What happened to Mommy?" Kevin asked curiously. Oz shook his head as he sat in the passenger seat.

"Mommy's taking a really long nap right now."

"When is she gonna wake up?"

"I don't know."

*******Part 14...the next morning********

"Why can't I go see Mommy?" Kevin asked, doing his best to sip his father's old coffee. Oz looked at him, took the coffee cup from him and poured the contents down the sink. Kevin frowned. "Hey. I was drinking that."

"You have to be at least 12 to visit the place she is in. Besides, Tony wants you to go over to their house today," Oz said, picking his son up from off the ground. He locked the front door behind him, then drove over to Tony's and dropped his son off who was more than happy to see his friend.

"Bye Dad," Kevin said in a chipper mood. He was still excited that he got to stay up an hour later then his normal bed time.

"Bye Kevin. Love you," Oz said, speeding off towards the hospital after Kevin waved at him.

*********Half an hour later**********

"Hey," Oz said, walking up to the front desk. It was Mary again.

"Oh hey there. They moved Willow to another room. She's starting to breathe on her own. It's looking good," Mary said happily.

"Can I get the room number?" Oz asked quietly.

"Certainly. Shall I call up Doctor Varsin for you?"

"Yes please," Oz said, taking the posted note with Willow's room number written across it. "I want to stop by his office first," Oz added. Mary nodded and paged Doctor Varsin, telling him that he was needed.

"He'll be in his office by the time you get there. You can go ahead and go up if you'd like," Mary said, answering the phone.

"Thankyou," Oz replied. He made his way down the long corridor that led to Nason's office, then opened the door and sat in one of the visitor chairs. Nason walked in 30 seconds later, sat down, crossed his legs, and locked his fingers together.

"Good day. I trust you've made a decision?" Nason asked anxiously. He was desperate for work. They were having a very slow morning.

"Yeah...I'm going to terminate the pregnancy," Oz said, determined. Nason nodded his head.

"I thought I might add that once this procedure is over with, chances are very high that Willow will come out of this with no brain damage. Apparently the crash just jolted her neck and nerve cells a bit. However, the principle still applys. Only one of them can be saved," Nason finished. Oz nodded his head in understanding.

"That's what I figured. Can I see her?" Oz said, both crushed and anxious.

"Certainly. I'll walk you to her room. She started breathing on her own this morning so we moved her to level three for close observation. We took her off of the oxygen pump, but she's on a heart monitor and if anything goes wrong, we can set her back up in three seconds," Nason said, causing Oz's heart to soar a bit. For a second, he could actually see a wink of a smile playing at the misearable man's lips. He opened the door to Willow's room, then closed it when Oz was inside. He wanted to give the two some privacy. Oz nodded his head, reassuring himself that this was the right thing to do. He fingered the velvet box in his loose khaki's and pulled up a chair. He took a hold of her good hand and held it tightly, kissing her knuckles and holding them up to his cheek. A tear made it's way down her hand, then stopped at the wrist. He kissed it away, then laced his fingers with hers.

"You know I had this dream last night. Kevin was in highschool and we had two other little girls..I think they were twins cause they both started first grade together. We had another son who was starting Junior High too. Apparently you named him because I would never name my son Lawrence. He thought he was Super Man for a little while. Then I woke up. Reality became an issue. Cordelia told me that my answer would come in sleep...well sort of. She told me to sleep on it. I did. Now you're going to wake up. We're going to grow old together and we're going to have three more children together. We're going to be happy. I promise," Oz said crying. He sniffed and stood up. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her belly, then rested his ear against the slightly swollen pouch of skin sticking out. "I'm sorry," Oz whispered, more so to the baby then to Willow. "I'm so sorry," Oz sobbed. His tears wetted the thin fabric covering her stomach and sighed. He pulled back at the sound of a knock at the door, then faked a smile when the doctor stepped in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but the sooner we get this done, the better her chances are to fight off the ugly thing we all like to call death. I can schedule a surgery at 3pm this afternoon. I just need you to sign a release form, that way you can't sue us because we didn't make you sign a statement," Nason said, handing Oz a clip board. Oz took it, read over it carefully, took one last look at Willow's prone desperate figure on the bed beside him, and signed his name to the baby's death sentence. Even though it was probably already brain dead, his name on that paper would be the final cut. "I promise I'll bring her out of this alive," Nason said, grabbing the clip board and tucking it under his shoulder. He nodded towards Willow, then walked out of the room. Oz followed, seeing that it was already two in the afternoon. His stomach was growling.

"Are we aloud to eat in the lobby?" Oz asked desperately. Nason made a face.

"No, you're not. But in this case, if you'd like, you can eat what ever you'd like in my office," Nason replied. Oz grinned slightly and nodded his head.

"Thanks."

*********Three hours later*********

"Is she okay?" Oz asked worriedly. Both Buffy and Xander stood up. They had been there an entire hour and there was still no word on Willow's condition. The surgeon gave Oz a look, then gestured his head towards his office. Oz followed, then paced.

"She's still alive. We went ahead and put her back on the oxygen pump, just incase something went wrong. The fetus has been removed. If it's any consolation, it was already brain dead. Thus, you aren't responsible for the baby's death. Her body would have rejected it sooner or later. It was better sooner then later. Now Miss. Rosenburg's chances of surival have increased dramatically. I have faith that she'll wake up with very little if any brain damage. Our worst fear right now is that she might be deaf for a while. Her brain waves are still frozen in the temporal lobe of her brain." The surgeon informed him. Oz had closed his eyes in relief. Willow was going to be okay. "Of course, the medical bills will be quite extensive," The surgeon added.

"Money is no object," Oz assured him. He stood up and walked out of the office. Both Buffy and Xander were standing on either side of the door. He nodded, and the two sighed in relief. "She's still breathing," Oz said, hugging the two.

**********Three weeks later***********

Both Oz and Nason were laughing while Xander told the group all the funny embarrassing black mail stories they could use on Willow one day. About how her toe got stuck in the water hose one time, or the time when she was five and she got a little scissor happy and cut off two feet of her hair or the times when she used to run around without a shirt when she was four. The stories were amazing. The whole scooby gang was there. Willow was making a vast improvement, even though she was still comatose and Nason had made a few exceptions and had aloud Kevin to come into the CC room with his friend Tony.

"Okay, okay..." Buffy interupted. She couldn't stop laughing. "What's with the frog fear? Where did that come from?" Xander made a face.

"When I was little, I dared Willow to eat a frog. She thought the frog that I was talking about would be the chocolate covered ice cream frogs that you bought from the ice cream man. She didn't like chocolate at the time. I wasn't, and when I brought it over the next day...she freaked," Xander said laughing to himself. Buffy smiled, then covered her mouth as a fit of giggles surfaced through her throat. Jesse, Nason, and Oz grinned, then laughed when they saw the disgusted look penetrating through Cordelia's make up.

"It's not funny," Willow said weakly. She struggled to open her eyes. The room fell silent. Her hand twitched around and Oz stood up. Her lips were parted. She braced her self and tried to sit up. "Ow," she commented.

"Willow?" It was Oz. He was so close. She pried her eyes open a bit more, then smiled when she saw Oz leaning over her.

"My back hurts," Willow commented. Nason stood up and made his way over to the bed controls, then pressed a button that made Willow's bed recline into a sit up position. Kevin was sitting at the edge of her bed, Oz was brushing her hair back, Jesse was holding Buffy who was paler than usual, and Xander and Cordelia were pacing, looking frantically for a glass of water.

"Hey baby," Oz greeted. He kissed her forehead, then pulled away to grab at her good hand. He held it up to his cheek and smiled. Willow gave him a puzzled look, then smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Mommy," Kevin said joyfully. He crawled up the bed and hugged his mother around her shoulders.

"Hey Kevin," Willow said tiredly. His hair was making her face itch. She looked around. "Wow. I feel like I've been a sleep for ages....where is Samantha?" Everyone was here but Samantha. "Why am I here?" Oz grunted, then looked at the others. Everyone cleared out. The room was quiet. Willow was confused beyond belief, and Oz wasn't talking. "Oz?" Willow asked worriedly. Oz closed his eyes and cleared his throat.

"How are you feeling?" How could he tell her? Samantha's dead. The baby's dead. He couldn't speak.

"I'm fine. What happened to me?" He was being too quiet. He couldn't look at her. He was looking at her stomach.

"Willow...you were in an accident. Samantha didn't make it," Oz replied. Willow stilled under his scrutiny. His eyes were blood shot, probably from the lack of sleep, and she just knew that there was something else he wasn't telling her. She swallowed hard. Her nose krinkled and a lone tear made it's way down her cheek. Oz whiped it away with his calloused thumb, then kissed her softly.

"How?" Tears were making their way down her throat.

"What?" He knew what she was asking. He just didn't want to answer her.

"How did she die? Was it quick?" Willow asked frantically. By the looks on Oz's face, it wasn't.

"That's not important," Oz replied. Willow flared.

"What happened to her?" Willow demanded. Oz flinched, then averted his attention towards the door. He swallowed.

"She suffocated." He said quickly. More tears were streaming down her porcelain skin. She struggled to breathe. She knew what was coming. Something didn't feel right. She felt dead inside. Everything in her body was still.

"The baby?" Willow cried. Oz looked up. His eyes could tell her everything. He bit his lip and shook his head no. If she were standing, she would have collapsed. He kept shaking his head. The silence was to loud. You could hear the tiny dust particles moving around if you paid attention to them. Silent tears made their way down her throat now. She wanted to scream but she couldn't. She wanted to push Oz away, who was now holding her, doing his best to comfort her. Instead, she held him. There wasn't a time in her life when she thought she would see Oz cry. If only she knew what he went through to keep her alive.

"I'm so sorry Willow. I'm so sorry," was his only reply. He rocked her against his chest and kissed her temple. She wasn't saying anything.

"Oh god," She couldn't breathe. Her beautiful voice was full of pain. "No," she rasped.

"Willow..." Oz started. He ran his hand up and down her arm as if that would help her any. She kept on shaking her head in denial.

"No," Her cry was louder. She pulled at his shirt and cried into his shoulder. Both Buffy and Xander were looking in on the window. "Why?" It was a rhetorical question. She didn't want Oz to answer. It was her fault. She just knew it.

"Baby, it's not your fault. It just happened. It just happened," Oz assured her. Truth be told, she didn't believe him. He could hardly believe it himself.

"Oz don't leave me," Willow pleaded. He nodded his head and kissed her temple.

Again, he continued to rock her against his chest until she cried herself to sleep. When all fell silent, he rested her head against the pillow behind her, and walked out the door. He couldn't breathe. Several doctors rushed by him to take her vital signs.

"How is she?" Buffy asked. She already knew the answer. Oz shook his head.

"I don't want to talk about it," was his reply. Buffy nodded knowingly, hugged him, then rested her head against Jesse's shoulder as one of their best friends made his silent walk towards the exit.

All fell silent.

*****Part 15. One week later*****

The past few weeks had been a nightmare. Recovery was a bitch. Every second of every day, Willow was subjected to physical therapist who would make her move her swollen legs until her hair fell out. Emotional therapist had visited her daily, and Oz insisted that he see her every two hours. He would bring her flowers and buy her candy and sing her songs when ever they had some form of privacy. None of it helped. In fact, it made it worse. She'd grown to dread the very sight of him. Every time she saw him, it reminded her of the baby. She'd grown accustomed to turning her cheek to him when ever he tried to kiss her. He made her feel dirty. She couldn't understand why though. It was a gut feeling. And now, it was about to get worse. The hospital was releasing her in one hour into his custody. Custody. The word reminded her of prison. She didn't have the heart to tell him though. She loved him. She knew he was feeling it too. She just couldn't look at him without getting that feeling again. It was like he was hiding something from her that she wasn't consciously aware of.

"Hey baby," Oz said, walking in quietly. He took special care to not kiss her. He could tell she wanted to avoid him. He kept his eyes close to the ground, his fingers inner laced. He didn't bother to wait for a reply. She hadn't spoken to him since last week. He glanced in her direction. This time she didn't even bother to stare at him. It was as if the harder he tried, the further she ran. He could only imagine what she was thinking when they told her that they were letting her go today. He wasn't sure whether or not to be happy or terrified when he heard the news. All he knew was that Willow probably wasn't looking forward to it. "They told me that you could come home today." He tried for small talk. Not like it would have helped any. There was a knock at the door. The orderlies had only been a few paces behind him when he came in that morning. Oz turned to open the door. When he turned back, he caught Willow staring at him before she turned her head again. He told him self to be patient.

"Miss. Rosenburg," An orderlie acknowledged. He had a wheelchair in his hands. She wouldn't speak to him either. At least Oz wasn't too offended by her behavior. She wouldn't look at him. A second orderlie came in and lifted her out of the bed sheets. She was wearing a pair of khaki jeans which were way to baggy to fit her figure with tiny bunji chords attached to the zippers on her legs. A loose Panterra T-shirt that Oz had given her the day before covered her bruised arms. Most of her physical scars had faded to tiny scratches and bruises. The emotional scars however, managed to cut her deeper and deeper. The more she thought about the baby, the worse she felt. They set her in the wheelchair and rolled her to the elevator.

"I've got it from here," Oz said, taking Willow from the Orderlies.

"Have a nice day," One of them said cheerily. Willow groaned quietly. Alone with Oz. Something she used to dream about. Something she dreaded now. The ride home was completely silent. Somehow less intimate though, since Oz was no longer standing behind her. Willow staired out the window, then flinched when she saw a large plot of burned grass at the exit ramp. Oz could read her thoughts.

"Yeah. That's the place," Oz assured her. Willow stared at him, somewhat stunned. For the first time in a week, she spoke.

"Was it just me and Samantha?" Willow asked quietly. Oz took a moment to answer. He was too busy reveling in the sound of her voice. He shook his head out of a haze.

"No. 18 other cars were totalled. About 11 people died," Oz said, his voice coarse. He didn't want to repeat everything he was told while she was in a coma. Willow nodded her head and sighed. She didn't want Oz to see how upset she was. It wasn't her place to make him feel guilty. He glanced at her out of his perripheral vision. Was she actually trying to make conversation. "You know, that's the first time you've spoken to me in a week," Oz stated. Willow turned her sore neck to look at him. She nodded her head. His voice made her want to cry.

"I know." Oz noticed how distraught she seemed. Speaking was merely an obligation to her right now.

"Sorry," Oz apologized. He shouldn't have brought it up. He drove the rest of the way in silence. "Kevin is staying at Tony's for a week. You'll have time to get some rest. Get used to the house and the stairs." Oz said, opening the car door for Willow. He lifted her carefully and sat her in the wheel chair. He managed to roll her up the three steps up to the wooden deck that led to the door. Willow smiled at that. It felt kind of silly. "You sleepy?" Oz asked, rolling her to the couch.

"Yeah," Willow replied. She waited expectantly for Oz to say something else. To no avail, he merely lifted her out of the chair and cradled her against his body as he carried her up the stairs. Willow took the time to revel in the scent of his cologne. Oz's arms felt surprisingly good against her skin. He walked in to the open room and set her under the clean goose feathered comforter. There was an akward moment of silence. Oz didn't want to leave the room, but he didn't have anything to say. Willow just staired at him. It felt better to be around Oz at their home. She wanted him to say something.

"Are you hungry?" Oz asked. He wanted to hold her, comfort her..do anything for her just as long as he didn't have to stand still in a quiet room. Willow nodded her head, biting her lip. "What do you want?" Willow pondered this for a moment.

"Fast Food...tacos," Willow replied. The thought of something spicy going down her throat made her stomach growl. Oz nodded his head and walked towards the door.

"Anything else?" Oz asked hopefully. Willow shook her head no, then rested her head against a pillow. Oz left the room and arrived half an hour later with eight tacos and a couple boxes of nachos from Taco Bueno. Willow was sitting up expecantly. She had fallen asleep five minutes after Oz had left, but was awoken when she smelled the food on the other side of the door. Willow sighed in relief.

"Food," Willow said wriggling her feet. She smiled and waited patiently as Oz made his slow trek across the wooden floor. He smiled at her eagerness. He set the tacos in front of her, then turned around and started walking out the door. "Oz? Where you going?" He turned around, surprised.

"I..just thought you'd want some down time. I thought you'd want to be alone," Oz replied. Willow shook her head no. She patted the spot next to her on the king sized bed.

"Sit?" Willow asked hopefully. Oz smiled to himself in relief. He nodded his head and kicked off his shoes, then crawled under the warm blanket next to Willow. They sat about a foot apart, making small talk while they ate the greasy food. By the hour, they popped in a movie and had managed to inch closer to each other until Willow's head was resting on Oz's shoulder and Oz's hand was suddely rubbing her arm. The closeness wasn't too uncomfortable. There was still a small tingle of dread in the pit of her stomach, but she assumed that it would go away the next morning. They laughed when they saw a funny scene on the television. It felt good to hear her laugh. He held her closer, smiling to himself as he gazed at her beautiful, soft hair. He brushed his fingers through it. It was cold. It felt like she stuck her hair in the refrigerator for a few seconds..but it felt great. Like milk. It smelt like apples though. Willow glanced up at him and smiled. It felt like old times for a little while. She was practically sitting across his lap as she nibbled on her lower lip. Their eyelids drooped as they moved in to kiss each other. Their noses rubbed up against each other for a few moments. He wanted to cry when he felt her lips on his. It had been five weeks since he had kissed her. They were like fire on ice. It lasted for a few minutes until Willow felt the need to yawn. Her eye's watered when she was finished. Oz rubbed his nose in her hair and kissed her temple. Willow smiled.

"You sleepy?" Oz asked lovingly. Willow nodded her head. They cuddled for a few moments until eventually they both nodded off to sleep. They had good dreams.

***************************************************************

Oz woke to the sound of scratching at the door. He wrinkled his forehead in concern when he noticed that Willow was no longer resting in bed. Her wheelchair was gone too. Then he sighed in relief when he saw the balcony windows open. He walked out to check on her, and when he was assured that she wouldn't do anything stupid, he showered and changed into more presentable cloths. She was still out on the balcony when he returned.

She had woken up depressed. The sky was cloudy, the birds weren't chirping, and it was difficult to indulge in the sound of the water running down stream outside her window. She had decided to take a look at the back yard so she had maneuvered herself into the wheel chair. She wanted to cry when she saw how run down the place seemed. The lawn hadn't been mowed, the backyard pool was full of leaves, the tire swing was growing mold, and the lawn chairs she used to lay out on at the lake had been left out to rot. She had a good cry for about 10 minutes, then ceised her tears when she had none left. About an hour later, she realized she had been staring at the same spot since she stopped crying, when she felt the air shift behind her. Oz was up. She could smell the mix of sweat and cologne radiating off of his sleepy body. When she assured him that she was okay, he had left to do god knows what. Than he had returned about half an hour later, smelling fresh and clean. He placed his hands on either side of her wheel chair, then kissed the top of her head. Willow shuddered. Her stomach was doing the bad kind of flip flops. She was scowling. When Oz touched her, she thought about the baby. Maybe that's why she was afraid to go home with him last night. He'd touch her, and she'd freak. Last night she had done her best to forget about it. As if she were never pregnant in the first place. Cause then it wouldn't seem as bad. But that morning, she felt it. She'd had a dream about having more kids. Then she had woken up smiling. Then she realized that she wasn't to fond of having anymore at the time. So she had cried outside, as not to wake Oz. But now Oz was up, and she could feel the love radiating off of his body. She broke. If only he knew. Oz looked at her concerned.

"You okay?" She was shaking from head to foot. He walked around the chair, then squatted down, forcing her to meet his eyes. She was crying, her hands whiping at the stingy liquid running down her cheeks. She didn't want Oz to know she was upset. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Willow?" Oz asked concerned. She sighed again, doing her best to controll her nerves. It didn't help. All she could do was shake her head no.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Willow sobbed, shaking her head from side to side. Oz ran his fingers through her hair, then stood and lifted her lithe form into his arms. He carried her down the steps, then set her down on the fluffy couch. She had sniffed into his shoulder the entire way down. He ran to get her a glass of water. She refused it when he offered it. She just continued to cry. Oz sat next to her, doing his best to soothe her. He sat her across his lap and rocked her weeping body back and forth until she had settled down to sniffing. His t-shirt was soaked at the shoulder.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Oz asked, kissing her temple.

"It's my fault. It's my fault," Willow repeated. Oz couldn't understand. "I should have known better. I shouldn't have gone to the mall that day. I'm so stupid." Willow ranted. Oz grunted. She blamed herself for losing the baby. For losing Samantha. Oz shook his head no, several times.

"No it's not. Willow, you couldn't have known. Things just happen. It's a bad thing that no one could have controlled. If it hadn't of been you, it might have been someone else. You know Samantha doesn't blame you. The baby doesn't blame you Willow. I don't blame you. It's not your fault, it's not." Oz assured her. Willow shook from head to toe, denieing his words to the end, then stilled and merely stared at her feet on the other end of the couch. She held her hand up to her nose and sniffed. Oz held her and kissed away one of her tears. "Don't do this to yourself Willow. Blameing yourself doesn't make things better." Oz scolded. Willow looked at him, her eyes resembling those of a puppy, then nodded her head in resolution. If she felt guilty, she'd keep it to herself. "Willow promise me. Promise me, that you'll stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault. I love you Willow. I don't like seeing you this way. You've got to stop this. Blame it on me, okay...just don't put this on yourself." Oz said solemnly. His eyes were inches from hers. She closed hers and nodded her head. Her nose rubbed up against Oz's as he leaned in to kiss her. He placed a soft kiss on her lips, then pulled away and brushed a lock of her hair back behind her ear. Willow smiled at how sweet he was being. "Promise me?" Oz pleaded. Willow smiled sweetly.

"I promise." Willow said quietly. A peaceful expression had managed to sweep over her face. He kissed her forehead once more, then settled back against the soft couch and held her head to his chest. She could hear his heart beating. It was soothing. They had sat there for about twenty minutes, falling in and out of sleep until they both realized how hungry they were. A thought occured in Oz's head.

"Do you want to go to Friday's?" Oz asked. Friday's was another famous burger joint that he and Willow had frequented during the past decade that they new each other. Even though five years of that decade had been spent apart. Willow pondered it for a moment.

"Do you think they still serve chicken fajita's?" Willow asked, her mouth watering at the thought of biting into a tender juicy boneless chicken strip stuffed with spicy cheese. She didn't even bother to eat the bread. She was only after the chicken.

"They will always serve chicken fajita's." Oz assured her. Willow smiled, then nodded her head.

"I'd like that...but I've got to change first cause to be honest, these pants are so loose, they'd fall off if I didn't have a belt. They're so big I can put them on with out unzipping them or unbuttoning them. Just doesn't feel right." Willow said, wriggling around a bit. Oz blushed when she squirmed over his lap. Little zings were running at the speed of light up his back and up to his neck. Willow smiled and looked at him. "You are just so open when you know what you want," Willow noted. Oz blushed even more and forced himself to look at his feet. Willow shifted her body until she was sitting back on her heels, one leg resting between his two and the other rubbing up against his thigh. She didn't see why the doctors insisted that she need a wheel chair. Her legs felt just fine as long as she didn't move them too fast. Willow grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. Desire was evident in his features. Even when she was bruised and scratched, she was still beautiful as ever. Her eyes mirrored his own. She kissed him forcefully, pinning him against the cushioned back of the couch. Oz's arms circled her waiste and played with her long red hair. He didn't want to squeeze her to hard cause he knew her ribs were still a little sore. His hands went for the hem of her panterra t-shirt, causing her to pull away for a moment.

"What's wrong?" Oz asked. "Are we moving to fast? Cause, I'm fine with just kissing you," Oz admitted. Willow smiled and shook her head no.

"I'm hideous Oz. I love you but I don't want you to see me naked right now. Not when I look like I do right now. I've got scratches and bruises and stitches. I don't want you to remember me that way. Just trust me on this, okay? I've seen myself in the mirror. I didn't like it." Willow admitted. Oz laughed at her sincerity. He nodded his head.

"Okay, okay. I'll wait," He couldn't help but laugh at how silly he thought she was being.

"What's so funny?" Willow asked curiously. Oz bit his lip.

"You are," Oz said more seriously. He admired her figure from what he could see up close, then gazed into her eyes while he rubbed her arms. Willow leaned in to kiss him again, but stopped short when she felt her stomach grumble again. Oz's stomach mimicked hers. He sighed, then set Willow to the side as he stood up and made his way to the kitchen to grab his car keys. He came back to see Willow trying to walk the stairs. He panicked. He ran up behind her and lifted her up until she was cradled against his chest, startling her. "You could fall." Oz explained. Willow accepted his answer and enjoyed her free ride up the stairs. He set her down on the bed, than stared at her still form. "Did you need any help?" Oz asked hopefully. Willow smiled but shook her head no.

"No, I can get it." Willow said grinning. She could tell that Oz was begging for a sneak peak. Too bad. Oz nodded and walked out the door to give her some privacy. He kept it open just a bit. Willow sighed, then stood up and made her way over to the door that Oz was standing next to. She shut it tight and locked it.

"Shit," Oz whimpered. Willow stifled a giggle. She felt for the hem of the shirt, then raised her arms pulling the shirt with them. She walked over to the hall way closet and chose to wear a dark blue long sleeved form fitting turtle neck, then dropped the baggy pants and grabbed one of her long wavy black skirts with golden leaf patterns embroidered in the silky material. She slipped on a pair of dock martin sandles, then walked over to her vanity mirror and did her best to apply foundation over the scratches and the bruises on her face. At the time they had looked like old chicken pock scars or something. It wasn't too bad. Oz knocked at the door. "You decent?" He asked. Willow stood up and walked over to the door and unlocked it. She opened it, and the look on Oz's face was priceless. He swallowed hard. "You look good."

"Thankyou," Willow said hugging him. "I'm ready," Willow replied. He nodded his head and made his way to the wheelchair. "No, I don't need it. We're just going out to eat, right?" Willow noted. Oz nodded his head but grabbed it anyways.

"Just in case. I won't make you sit in it if you don't want . But if something goes wrong or you feel sick, it will probably be a good idea." Oz said, walking it down the stairs. He ran back up the stairs and carried Willow back down them. She laughed at his eagerness.

*********

"Two," Oz said to the hostess. The lady escorted the two to a booth with dim lighting. She handed them two menus.

"Hi, my name is Kat. Would you like to start out with an appetizer or something to drink?" The waitress asked.

"Are you still getting the fajita's Will?" Oz asked. Willow nodded her head. "Okay. I'll have a coke. She'll have iced tea, and we're going to go ahead and get the stuffed chicken fajita's for two," Oz said, handing the menus to the waitress. The waitress wrote it all down, then smiled at the two and made her way to the kitchen. She returned a minute later with their drinks.

"Your food will be out in about twenty minutes," The waitress said, walking away after the two had dismissed her with a smile.

"So...get any songs done lately?" Willow asked, attempting to break the silence.

"No, not really. Both Jesse and I were at the hospital more than at the studio. I told them that I would go back in about three weeks. I wanted to make sure you'd be all right before I left for tour in Florida." Oz said. Willow let the tea she was sipping, retreat back down the straw.

"You're going away on tour?" Willow asked, shocked.

"Yeah..we start in Florida and we work are way back to California. Don't worry, it's only six weeks....you could come...if you wanted," Oz said after a moment of silence. He was going to regret asking that. He didn't want her to be exposed to the public. Especially in the condition she was in. Then again, the smile she was giving out was probably worth it.

"I'd love that," Willow replied. "Kevin could come and meet some of your rock buddys." Willow suggested. She really wanted to spend a lot of time with Kevin after she recovered. The look on Oz's face caused her to frown. "What?" Willow asked. Oz hissed through his teeth while he grinded them.

"I don't know if Kevin should go. I actually have a feeling that you'll get hurt if you go. I mean..you can come if you want, but..it's dangerous Willow. Fans can be obsessed. If word got out that Oz's girlfriend went on tour with him, thousands of fans would have 22 millimeters aimed at your head. I'm not ashamed of you. Hell, I'd love to tell the world that we're together but..."

"Publicity. I know. Besides, I may not even be feeling good at the time so I might have to stay home. Who knows. It's okay though. I know you're just protecting me." Willow admitted. She was a bit dissappointed though. Oz nodded his head, glad that she understood.

"I love you. I won't let anything happen to you." Oz said, taking her hand in his. He kissed her knuckles. Willow cooed for a moment, then bounced in giddiness when their food arrived a few moments later.

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