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It had gotten worse. Three days. It was supposed to have been better, all dealt with and done with and gone in three days. Two even, she was a strong girl present circumstances aside. But it wasn't handled, and finished and completely obliterated, it was worse.

She was on fire, her insides were melting, she was sure. Sweat oozed from every pore she had, and it wasn't enough. Her body didn't cool and her eyes blurred as the salty beads meandered into them.
Her thigh was burning, pulsating with every beat of her heart and no matter how she tried to detach her mind from the pain it wouldn't stop. The best she could accomplish was a steady ache.

There were bugs in her mouth, creeping all about the back of her throat with their furry legs and flicky antennae. If she coughed, they only moved about more incessantly, and it was better to suppress the desire to do so.

Chapped lips rubbed against one another as a sudden chill hovered over her frame. It seeped into her marrow and even though it was an awful feeling, she hoped it would balance out the heat eventually. Her perspiration soaked blanket would have to suffice for the moment. She moaned into her pillow.
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"Please pick up. Please. Come on, come on. We got this stupid cell phone so you could use it!" Dawn was speaking into the hollow ring of the phone her fingers quickly drumming the countertop.

"'Lo?" His voice finally came through the receiver. "Who is it?"

"It's Dawn, who else knows you have a phone anyway? Why didn't you pick up? I've been calling and calling you and only getting your stupid voicemail. Talk into the Mic for Spike is a very stupid message anyway, but we have a problem."

"What happened? I couldn't remember where I put the bloody thing. Is she alright?" He was panicking already; she could hear the little hitch in his breath that didn't even have to be there.

"She's in her room and she crying and screaming and I'm too scared to go in there. I don't know what's going on, and Mom's still in the hospital and please come over and help me."

"I'll be right there pet."
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"Buffy?" She was all tangled up in her sheets, rolling from one side to another, and small droplets of moisture hung all over her goosebumped flesh. Her temperature was up; he could feel the heavy cloud of heat floating over her bed. This was not good. "Luv what's wrong?"

"Hurts. Hurts so bad."

"What hurts?" She only moaned in reply. "Shhh. Alright, we'll try to make it all better? How does that sound?" He placed his right hand on her head and would have pulled back, she was scorching, but her hands grabbed his own.

"Cold." She slid his hand down over her face and her neck. He followed the motion with his eyes but it wasn't until he felt her sternum underneath his fingertips that he realized her nightshirt was completely unbuttoned until her navel. She turned to face him. Her breasts were flushed.

He tried to pull away, but she was not having any of it, and relocated his hand on top of her left nipple. "You're so cold." She shivered beneath his palm.

He took a deep breath. "Buffy you have to show me where it hurts alright? I can only make it better if you tell me where that is."

Her hands let go of his, and he reluctantly removed his own. Her index finger pointed down to her crotch. He didn't want to take advantage of her, and this was much too tempting.

"Where luv? Your leg?" She nodded in reply. "I'm just going to take a look, ok." She squeezed her legs more tightly together, yelping as flesh met flesh. "No, shhh. Shhh." His hand stroked her damp hair. "I won't let this hurt. Just let me see." Her legs relaxed and she let him pick up the edge of her nightshirt. "There's a good girl."

Her thigh was crimson and inflamed. A small trail of blood hovered on the surface of deep gashes. It didn't smell right to his sensitive nose. There was definitely an infection lurking somewhere in the wound. "Riley." She moaned the word and then coughed.

"We can call him pet. How about I have Dawn do that and he can meet us."

"No! No! Don't call him. No."

"Why not?"

She was shaking again, and tears were forming on her eyelashes. "Made me do things I didn't want to do. Hurt me. Don't call, please Spike. Don't call."

"Alright, I won't call him." He brushed at her tears. "You'll feel better soon luv, I promise. I'll be right back." He walked away from her bed and out into the hallway where Dawn was anxiously waiting at the door. "I want you to help get her dressed as best as you can. She's going to need to see a doctor; there's an infection somewhere. I'm going to go get the DeSoto and meet you back here to take her to the hospital. You understand Dawn?"

"Yes, yea, I can do that."

"There's my Niblet. I'll make it quick."

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