�Oh my God,� he said in a hushed voice, his fingers circling the wound on my arm, being careful to avoid touching it too much. �Oh my God, Buffy. Buffy, look at me. Don�t close your eyes. Whatever you do, don�t close your eyes. Don�t close your eyes.�
I could barely think. I could barely breathe. I didn�t have the abilities to think about breathing. Everything in my body was constricting with the pain, and my entire mind had gone numb.
Angel grabbed a large, white, unused, cloth napkin from the table where we had eaten our breakfast, and he said, �this is going to hurt a little, but I need to apply pressure.� With that, he pressed the piece of cloth to my wound, holding it firmly.
It felt as if he had pressed a button on my �Pain Monitor� and suddenly I was delivered ten injections of the terrible drug.
I found my voice, and let out my extremely-pained version of a scream/gasp. �Oh-� I sucked in a dry breath that did nothing for the pain except center it on my lungs.
�Who-� I couldn�t finish the thought.
�Buffy, listen to me,� Angel instructed, pillowing my head with his hand, and holding pressure to the bloody wound on my shoulder with the other. �You need to listen to me. Are you listening to me?�
I could barely manage a hint of a nod.
�Buffy, you need to stay with me here, okay? I need to get you out of here, but I can�t just take you out the front doors on a stretcher. I don�t know who else is out there, and if they see you on a stretcher, then they�ll know they got you. So I�m going to need you to help me out, okay?� His eyes were filled with concern and�fear. Fear for me. Fear for my safety. A fear that I�d be gone from his life as fast as I had entered it just a week and a half ago.
My voice came back, and I gasped out my sarcasm, �I�ve just been shot in the shoulder, and you want me to help you out? What in the Hell can I do for you?�
He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. �I�m gonna need you to be strong, Buffy. Can you do that for me?�
I nodded, wanting so badly to be able to help him. Anything for Angel. Anything for my Angel.
�Okay, here�s what we�re going to do��
~~
I don�t know how Angel got me dressed. I was half-aware of my surroundings, as I was starting to fade out from the blood loss and the shock. But about ten minutes later, I looked down at myself and found that I was dressed in the jeans and top provided by the hotel.
�Buffy, I need to cover the wound now, so that they don�t see anything�s wrong in the lobby,� he said. �I need to get you out of here, and to a private hospital, without anyone seeing. So I�m going to need to put a jacket on you. Can you deal with that much pressure?�
I shook my head that I couldn�t, so he started looking around the room for something to substitute.
�Oh!� an idea dawned on him suddenly. He dashed through the suite, to my bedroom, and returned a moment later with the pink night-stand cloth from my bedroom. He folded it into a triangle, and came over to me.
�I think these are coming back into style,� he said, gently tying it around my shoulders as a wrap. It effectively covered the back of my shoulder, where the wound was. Angel had found a small bandage to hold the blood back, so the wrap didn�t soak through immediately. We would have just enough time to get out of the hotel and to the limo, before it became visible.
Angel carried me to the door to the suite, and he buzzed the button for the elevator to be brought up. �Okay, Buffy. Now I need you to walk. We�ll go slowly. I promise. But we need to get to the elevator, and if I carry you, they�re going to know. Can you walk for me?� He asked me in a low voice that sounded genuinely curious as to whether or not I would be able to move my feet.
The elevator arrived, and the door was opened to reveal the same operator as a few hours before. Angel helped me as much as he could, and finally I was settled in the corner of the elevator, leaning against Angel�s chest. I hid my face in his chest, feeling the effects of the blood loss and shock. It would be so easy to just sleep. Just for a moment�
�Buffy!� Angel commanded me awake.
My eyes shot open, and then shut partially. I had to fight to keep them from shutting, but it was like they had a mind of their own.
Angel looked to the operator, who was trying not to stare even though he found the events of the ride very intriguing. �She needs coffee. She hasn�t slept very much. Honeymooners, you know?� Angel explained his �story� with a convincing smile.
�Oh,� the operator came to attention, �sir, we can have coffee delivered to your room. It is no problem. You don�t have to go all the way-�
I came to Angel�s aide, even though I was half-dazed. I looked at the man and said, �too strong. I need my coffee maker. I left it in the car. It�s my boyfriend. We have a�connection.�
I smiled at the man, and he seemed to be satisfied with thinking that I should be committed. He said nothing for the rest of the ride, except his parting wishes when we stepped off the elevator.
At Angel�s request, the limo was waiting with our familiar chauffer, and after getting me into the back, Angel whispered his instructions to him, and climbed in the back with me.
�Okay, there�s a private hospital about five miles out of Miami, Buffy. We�ll be there in about ten minutes. Can you stay awake for ten minutes?� he looked deeply into my half-shut eyes.
I took a deep breath. �As long as you promise never to kiss me again.�
He looked confused, and I explained, �every time you kiss me, I get hit with something.�