Part Ten

It was almost a week before the hospital would release Giles, though he couldn’t understand why. He had felt better the following day, and was itching to get out. God knows, he had spent enough times in the hospital, and really wasn’t looking forward to an extended stay. But the doctor’s told him he was extremely ill, and still suffering from dehydration. Besides, if he left, his Slayer threatened to break his kneecaps.

But, today was the day we was to leave, and nobody was more thrilled than he. As he dressed, the words that Oz translated from the box, played in his thoughts:

“This is a gift from the evil within.”

It was a simple statement, yet one that carried great foreboding, and one that weighed heavily on the Watcher’s mind. And, something he needed to research.

He slipped his hand into his pocket and noticed something different. It was gone! The corkscrew earring that he found on the floor of his office, the one that belonged to Jenny, the same one she took back from him in his...

“No,” he said, shaking his head, “I..it must have slipped out of my pocket. It had to have.”

******

Buffy saw Giles being wheeled by a pretty nurse. She knew it was just routine, but she had a feeling that Giles was enjoying this too much. She ran over and waited for him to get out of the chair before giving him a big hug.

“Boy, am I glad you’re outa there,” Buffy said, as they left in her mother’s car, “We need to go into some serious research mode. Willow thinks she might know what this ‘evil from within’ thing is, but she needs your help.”

Giles smiled, knowing that, if it were up to Buffy, things would be getting back to normal very soon. Which, in Sunnydale, was a never ending run of evilpalooza.

“So, what did Dr. Wilson say about your recovery?” Joyce asked.

“Oddly enough,” Giles admitted, “It wasn’t Dr. Wilson that released me. The staff hasn’t heard from him in a few days. He’s taking a leave of absence, because of his daughter.”

“Poor guy,” Buffy sighed, “I didn’t have the heart to tell him his daughter is a vampire. I don’t know how he would have taken it.”

“You were right in keeping that from him,” Giles agreed, “For the most part, Emily Wilson is dead. It’s best he not know the truth.”

******

The sun had set, when Dr. Wilson finally woke up. Ever since his daughter was killed, he found it harder to get out of bed. His analytical mind told him, he was suffering from depression and should talk to someone about it. But, what would he tell them? He couldn’t tell the truth...that his daughter was killed by a vampire, he was working for...that would win him a one way trip to the funny farm faster then he could say demon.

So, every day he suffered in silence, hoping against all hope, that one day he would find his release.

He was about to open another bottle of scotch, when the doorbell rang. He didn’t really want to see anyone, but something compelled him to answer it. He slowly opened the door and gasped in shock when he saw who was standing before him.

“Emily,” he choked, “is th..that really you?”

“Oh, daddy, I missed you so much,” she said calmly standing outside the door, “I got away from the bad man, because I love you.”

“Oh honey,” he cried, “come in out of the cold,” he picked her up in his arms and asked, “I’m so sorry that this happened. How can daddy make this up to you?”

Emily smiled and bared her fangs, “By dying daddy. By dying.”