A/N: This is just a little drabble about Mel and Roman set in the future in an AU of my Charmed Lineage series. This is dedicated to Melinda Faith Halliwell for giving me inspiration.
Panic
Roman Nicolae could say for certain that there were two things he hated with a passion. The first thing he hated were hospitals he couldn't stand them there was just something about the sterile brightness that he found unsettling. The second thing he hated was the fact his wife was a cop if it was possible he hated that more than he hated hospitals. It wasn't enough that she put her life on the line fighting demons but then she had to go put her life on the line at work as well. But he wasn't about to tell her to quit her job that would only result in a fight he would lose. Actually he lost every fight he had with his wife no one could out stubborn a Halliwell woman while his brothers-in-law Wyatt and Chris were stubborn Mel still put them both to shame.
Roman was totally freaking out it took him all of his strength not to strangle the nurse in the ER when she started asking him all kinds of questions. "I'm looking for my wife." He said as calmly as he could muster under the circumstances.
"Sir what is your wife's name?" the nurse asked him like she was bored with her job.
"Melinda, Melinda Halliwell." Roman answered a tone of urgency in his voice now he was scared out of his mind.
"How old is your wife?" the nurse asked him like she was reading off a cue card.
Roman ran his hand through his dark blonde hair to calm himself so he didn't bite this woman's head off when he answered her. "Mel is twenty-four." He said reminding himself to take deep breaths.
The nurse made a show of typing something into her computer "And that would make you her contact person Mr. Roman Nicolae. Do you know why your wife was brought here tonight?"
That was it what little bit of cool Roman had managed to hold on to was gone. "Look lady I'm done playing twenty questions with you. Either tell me where my wife is or I'll find someone who will." He almost regretted the words when he saw the nurse wince but his only thoughts were with Mel.
Roman felt a hand on his shoulder "Hey Ro don't worry about her come on I'll take you to Mel." He turned around to see that it was Wyatt who was talking to him.
Wyatt led him down the corridors and into a waiting room. It was the longest walk Roman had taken in his entire life. He saw that Chris, Henry, Jason, and D.J. were already there it made sense those four worked with her.
"What happened?" Roman directed the question at those four.
Chris walked over to him and put a calming hand on his shoulder. "Ro Mel got shot and uh it doesn't look really good at all." He broke it to him gently.
Roman felt tears fill his eyes "How did it happen?" he asked he wanted to know. He was suppressing the last part of what Chris had said he refused to believe that his wife wouldn't be ok.
"I don't know we were chasing down a suspect when he turned and opened fire he hit Mel out of pure luck." D.J. told him he wasn't really sure how it had happened himself and he had been there.
"Hey Ro you know that she is going to be ok because she is a fighter she won't let this keep her down. Besides that Dr. Halliwell over here isn't operating on her. If it makes feel any better your mom trained the surgical team that is in there operating on Mel." Henry said trying to make Roman laugh and feel better at the same time.
"Hank I won't feel better until I talk to her and I know that she is ok." Roman replied sinking down in a chair he just felt numb on the inside. He came alive a little bit when Piper and Leo showed up and put his year old son R.J. in his arms. That feeling didn't last long when the head surgeon came out with his cap in his hand.
"Mr. Nicolae we did the best we could to stabilize her after she came in. But she had already lost a lot of blood. We managed to repair the damage that the bullet did and we stopped the bleeding. But now the rest is up to her she is in a coma she is going to have to pull out of it on her own." The doctor said to him.
Roman managed to mumble a stiff thank you but there was murder in his eyes and it was directed at D.J. this was his fault. He handed R.J. back to Piper before he went crazy. D.J. may have been taller than him but Roman had a lot of muscle. He grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pushed him into the wall. "You bastard this your fault you are supposed to look out for her out there you were her partner tonight. I know this is your sick way of getting back at me and her for us getting married."
"Whoa Roman stop and think a minute about what you're saying and then take a minute to cool off." D.J. said trying to calm him.
"No I won't. What is this you can't have her so I can't either? We have a son together D.J. just get over it. I swear to God if she doesn't pull through this I'm going to kill you dead. You hear me?" Roman yelled at him not giving him a chance to answer before he punched him in his face repeatedly.
It took Chris and Henry to pull Roman off of him. "Ro I know it's hard but calm down." Henry coached him.
Roman had tears running down his face now he didn't know how to live his life without her. "Just somebody take me to my wife I need to see Mel." He wailed he didn't know how seeing her was going to make anything better but he just needed to see her.
"Ok Ro come on I'll take you to see her." Chris said wanting to get him as far from D.J. as humanly possible. With the state of mind he was in he would kill him with his bare hands before he knew what he had done.
In hindsight asking to see her might not have been the best idea he had ever had in his entire life. His heart broke into tiny pieces when he saw her lying there in that bed with all kind of tubes coming out of her. He had been crying to begin with now his cries turned into sobs.
He took a seat in the chair beside her bed and his hand instantly found hers. He reached up and very gently pressed a kiss to her forehead before he kissed her on the lips. He had thought that maybe that would bring her out from under the coma she was in but he had no such luck.
He sat there for what seemed like hours just staring at her and trying to imagine his life without her. He couldn't do it his life was only worth living if he had her by his side. It occurred to him that every story he had worth telling had her in it. She was his lover, his wife, his best friend, his better half, and his baby's mother. So he needed her a hell of a lot more than she needed him.
He had fought everyone's attempts to get him to leave her side he would have none of it at all. He didn't care if he didn't eat or sleep he was going to be by her side when she woke up.
Three days, three days she had been in a coma and three days it had been since he felt whole inside. Mel was in a coma and she looked better than he did. His normally bright blue eyes were bloodshot and dull, underneath his eyes were black circles, he had a thick dusting of hair on his chin, and he was still wearing the same clothes as he had been the night she was admitted. His cheeks were sunken and hollow probably from his lack of sleep and food. But he couldn't rest not until he knew that she was going to be ok.
"Roman sweetie you have got to go home and get some rest. This is not healthy for you, you haven't ate or slept in days. You need a shower you're starting to smell. Besides that your son misses you if nothing else go home for a few hours and see him." Eva tried to reason with her son.
"But mom if I go who will stay and watch Mel?" Roman pleaded with her. He did not want to leave her side but if his son needed him he just might have to.
"Don't worry Roman I'll stay with her and I promise you that I will not leave her side." Piper said he hadn't even noticed her standing in the doorway.
"Aunt Piper I don't want her to wake up scared and alone if I'm not here." Roman reasoned with her he didn't take it into account that Mel was her daughter and she was hurting just as bad as he was.
Piper walked to him and gave him a watery smile "Roman, Mel is my baby girl I promise you that I will guard her with my life. You know that I won't let anything happen to her. But right now your baby needs you no matter how much you want to stay with her. Mel would want you to go be with R.J. she would never forgive you if you let her baby cry for his daddy and didn't go to him."
Roman nodded his head "Alright I'll go." He said he was not happy about it but Piper was right. Mel would be pissed with him if he didn't go to their son.
He gripped Mel's left hand tighter "Mellie please open your eyes baby I need you to open your eyes and be ok. I love you and I don't know how to live without you. I can't live without you baby girl you are my everything. I know that you're a fighter so fight this now for me fight this for us. Hell fight it for R.J. I don't care who you fight for as long as you fight. I miss you so much right now that it hurts to breathe and I won't be able to sleep until I know that you're ok. So please by ok I need you and R.J. needs you I can't raise him alone." He begged her tears rolling down his face he didn't care that his mother and his mother-in-law were in the room.
Roman took the wedding ring off his finger and ten his slipped it on Mel's ring finger they had to take hers off the night she was admitted "Baby I love and I will be back as soon as I can. But I have to go R.J. needs me." he kissed her on her lips gently before he turned and left the room. He didn't stop to pay attention to the fact Piper and Eva both had tears rolling down their faces as well.
Roman had to admit that it did feel good to have his son in his arms after he took him from Leo. "Hi big boy I missed you so much." He said kissing him all over his face.
"He missed you too Ro I know that you love Mel but you need to take care of you right now too." Leo patted him gently on the shoulder.
"I know I just need her to be ok Uncle Leo I need that more than I need anything right now." Roman admitted.
It pained him to look at his son because he looked so much like Mel. He was so afraid that he would never get to see his wife's eyes light up or make her laugh again.
"I know but you need a shower I will watch him while you go take your shower." Leo said taking his grandson back.
Roman felt almost human again after he took his shower and got something to eat. That good feeling didn't last long at all when his cell phone rang. It was Piper she told him that he had to get to the hospital as soon as he could. He knew that his heart stopped just for an instant.
He broke every speed limit on the way to the hospital and then he ran down the corridor until he reached his wife's room. He just knew that he was going to go there and she would be dead. So he got a pleasant surprise when he saw her sitting up in bed. Mel smiled at him when she saw him standing in the doorway.
Roman didn't trust himself to speak for a second and he had to swallow the lump in his throat before he did. "Damn Halliwell leave it to you to wake up the minute I leave." he said his voice barely above a whisper.
Mel smiled wider at him her eyes brimming with tears "You know that I have to keep you on your toes Nicolae. You don't look bad for a guy who has been here three days. From the way mom talked I thought you were going to show up looking like death warmed over. And then there is the matter of this ring on my finger I don't think it belongs to me." she said trying to make light of her situation. Then she beckoned him to her with a hooked finger.
Roman couldn't make his legs carry him fast enough. "I wanted you to know that I was with you even though I had to go check on R.J. God I love you so much Mellie."
"I love you too Ro I can't believe you stayed by my side for three days." Mel said reaching up to kiss him.
"Mel you are my world. Every story that I have worth telling begins with the words Mel and I. I haven't been able to breathe for the last three days I didn't think I would ever see you open your eyes again. I thought that you were going to leave me alone." Roman sobbed into his wife's shoulder.
"Hey Roman James I'm right here and I always will be. I'm not quitting on you now or ever." Mel promised him before she kissed him again. Roman came alive again when she kissed him this time and both knew that they wouldn't be able to live without the other.