Hospitals

Phoebe walked past the crowds of people and smiled when she saw Bella.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked, noticing that Bella was cutting up some yellow spiky fruit.

Bella smiled. "Hey, just helping Piper out."

"Oh, I'm so gald to see you!" Piper exclaimed, rushing over to her two sisters.

"Is that because I can work tonight or is it because I am now "Phoebe Halliwell, college student." Phoebe asked and Bella smiled widely but Piper was too busy to notice.

"Okay, neat, thin slices please." She said before pausing. "Wait, you enrolled?" she asked and Phoebe nodded. "Phoebe, this is huge."
"Hugest thing I've done since I came back home. I mean, aside from vanquishing demons and saving the world from evil of course. Okay, so I signed up for two general courses." Phoebe handed Piper a piece of paper before turning to Bella. Bella left the fruit she was cutting and gave her sister a hug before going back to her work.

Piper's eyebrows shot up as she read through the list. "And seven electives. Seven, Phoebe?"

Phoebe sighed. "Alright, so I'm a little confused. I could use some advice. What do you think I should take?" she asked as Bella coughed. "Honey, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, it's nothing." Bella shrugged.

"I bet Prue made you have soup at lunch today after she heard that nothing." Piper said with a smile.

"Actually I had to cancel. My english teacher is evil and made us stay in class half an hour and there was no point meeting up with her after that."

"So, I guess you didn't go to the spa with Lily like you were planning too." Phoebe sighed.

"I had a ton of homework." Bella coughed again.

Phoebe frowned. "Bella, you have got to take care of yourself. You've been feeling funky since yesterday."

Bella sighed. "Stop worrying. I'm fine, don't keep pestering. You know, you're starting to sound like Prue." Bella laughed at Phoebe's offended expression.

"Just don't push it." Piper pleaded and Bella rolled her eyes but nodded.

"Here, slice." She said, pushing some of the fruit to her sister.

"What kind of fruit is this anyway?" Phoebe asked, sniffing the fruit before cutting it.

"Kewano. It's from South America. It's great for Mai Tai's. Just got them in yesterday actually. The bartender has a connection at the docks." Piper said and Phoebe stared at her.

"Wait, you smuggled it in?"

Bella sighed. "Phoebe, it's not like it's drugs."

"Look, just because we're witches, does not mean you're invincible. And you, miss, need to start taking care of yourself!" Phoebe nudged Bella who chuckled.

"Thank you, Doctor." She teased and Phoebe smiled widely.

"Hey, "Doctor Phoebe Halliwell". I like it." They all laughed before getting to work.

...

"It's late. Let's just get this done. Well, it certainly appears to be a Monet. Has the same style that he enjoyed in Paris after the Exposition de Verselle. The same delicate powdery interpretation combined with great vigour and expressiveness." Prue said as she bent slightly to examin the painting while Jack examined something else instead.

He smirked. "Great vigour? Randy little painter was he?"

Prue carried on as if she hadn't heard him. "The brush strokes around this smoke stack are somewhat unusual for Monet. They seem almost individual although beautifully rendered."

"Yeah, no complaints about my view either."

Prue rolled her eyes before straightening up and turning to her boyfriend. "Okay, you know what? Is everything with you sexual?"
"No…Okay, you've never thought about me?"
"Jack, come on, we don't have very much time to authenticate this painting."
"And I was good wasn't I? Come on, Prue, I'm not pushing this. I just, I know where you stand, I just wanna know where I stand with you." Jack said, just before Mr Cauldwell walked into the office.
"How are you two doing?" he asked.
"Oh, uh, we're fine. Exactly where we should be at the moment." Prue said, answering both of them.
"As long as it's authenticated by the auction. I've got eight buyers on the block interested in that piece."
"You don't have to worry about us, Mr. Cauldwell."
"Good." He said before leaving.
"Do I have to worry about us?" Jack asked and Prue sighed.

"Bella, sweetie, go home." Phoebe begged as Bella made her way over to Piper.
"Pipes, it is really hot in here." Bella gasped and Piper frowned.
"No, it's fi..." She trailed off when she saw how horrible Bella looked. "Bella, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just - " Bella swayed on the spot. "I feel horrible."
She fell to the floor and both Phoebe and Piper rushed to catch her. "Call 911!" Phoebe yelled as they looked down at the unconscious Bella.

Prue walked into the room nervously and her heart broke when she saw her baby sister lying in that hospital bed. She looked down at her sadly, some tears falling down her face.
Bella's eyes opened and Prue quickly forced a smile on her face, wiping her face dry quickly. "Hi."
"Prue?" Bella croaked.
"You're awake."
"What happened?"
"You don't remember?"
Bella frowned as she tried to remember. "I remember being in the club and talking to Phoebe and Piper and then...I gotta admit, it's a little fuzzy."
"You collapsed and we called an ambulance."
Bella pulled a face. "I'm in hospital? I know I'm a pain sometimes but what did I do to deserve this?" Prue tried to smile but couldn't quite manage it and Bella sighed. "So, what's wrong with me?"
"Um...they don't really know. We're just sort of waiting for blood test results."
"I'm sure it's nothing too exciting. It's probably something trendy like mono or Epstein Barr."
"Yeah, well, whatever it is you're gonna take the time to get better." Prue said firmly.
"You sound like Phoebe. Where is she and Piper anyway?"

Phoebe and Piper rushed to the reception desk and Phoebe frowned in annoyance when she saw the nurse had her back to them.
"Uh, hi. Nurse person." She said loudly, tapping the desk and the nurse turned to them. "Can you tell me where Dr. Wallis is. He said that my sister's test results should be in by eight and it's twenty past eight now."
"What is your sister's name?"
"Bella. Bella Halliwell." Piper said, more calm than Phoebe which is unusual.
"Bella Halliwell has been transferred to Dr. Williams care. If you have a seat in the waiting area, I'll page him." The nurse told them and they stared at her nervously.
"What happened to Dr. Wallis?"
"I'm sure that Dr. Williamson will be able to answer all of your questions. Please, have a seat in the waiting room." The nurse said firmly before turning her back again. Phoebe glared at the nurse but before she could say anything Piper pulled her towards the chairs.
"Are you sick too?" Phoebe heard a boy's voice say and she looked up to see a ten year old in a wheelchair.
"No, I'm not sick." Phoebe said quietly.
"Then why do you look so sad?"
"My sister's here and they don't know what's wrong with her."
The boy sighed. "The doctor's don't know what's wrong with me either. Maybe your sister and I have the same thing."
Phoebe smiled. "What's your name?"
"Nathan."
"Well, hello, Nathan. I'm Phoebe. And who is that?" she asked, pointing to the doll sitting on Nathan's lap.
"Ninja doll. I found him in the children's ward."
Phoebe smiled wider when she thought of something. "You know, I don't think that's a ninja doll. If I know my ninja dolls, I think that one's really a magical wi…zard."
"Really? How can you tell?" Nathan asked.
"Well, let me see him." She took the ninja and pretended to look thoughtfull. "I've seen what his type can do. He's got powers. He can move things and freeze things, he can shield and protect you and can kick box too. And the really cool thing about him is he can do all this to the demon…to the bad guys inside your body without anyone even knowing about it."
Nathan smiled. "Really? He can freeze the bad guys, move them and protect me?"
"And kick box them too. Don't forget that. Right out of your body. All you have to do is when you feel bad, you close your eyes and just picture him fighting them for you. Do you think you can do that?"
Nathan nodded. "Yeah."
Piper, who had been listening, smiled fondly before jumping when a doctor's voice came towards them.
"Phoebe and Piper Halliwell?" Dr Williamson asked as he walked over to them with a group of people behind him.
"Yes." Phoebe said as they both stood up.
"I'm Dr. Williamson."
"Hi." Piper said.
"Bye, nice to meet you." Phoebe said to Nathan before turning to Dr Williamson.
"See ya." Nathan said before leaving.
"And who are they?" Phoebe asked, nodding towards the group of people.
"Medical interns. They'll be viewing my work with your sister."
"Because…"
"Because they're studying the same field that I did. I'm an infectious disease specialist." Dr Williamson said before he and the other doctors walked into Bella's room.
"Specialist?" Piper questioned nervously as she and Phoebe followed.
Dr Williamsom walked over to Bella and Prue. "Miss Halliwell, I'm Dr. Williamson."
"Um, he's a specialist." Phoebe said quickly and Prue's smile faded as she looked between Bella and Dr Williamson.
"Where's Dr. Wallis?" Bella asked with a frown.
"I'll be keeping him posted. How are you feeling?"
"Okay. A little hot." Bella admitted as Dr Williamson's pager beeped.
"Have you been out of the country recently? Africa, South America, Caribbean?"
Bella smiled. "If only. No, I haven't left the city."
"Well apparently you've attracted a blood disease rarely seen in the United States, Arroyo fever."
"How is that possible?" Prue asked confused.
"Well, Arroyo fever's transmitted through a bite of sand fly which dies right after the bite. Have you had anything imported brought into your home recently."
"No." Bella said while Piper's eyes widened.
"No, but I have at the club. Kewano." Piper said, watching Dr Williamson's reaction.
"That's a possible carrier. Sometimes the fly's been known to live long enough in the crate to make the trip but rarely survives the quarantine period." He said and Piper's heart dropped. This was her fault.
"I think I have a bite on my shoulder." Bella said, pulling at her gown to show him the purple spot.
"When did you get this?" he asked.
"Just after I opened the fruit."
Dr Williamson turned to one of the doctors. "Tell the nurse I need ten cc's of penildron."
The Doctor nodded. "Right away."
"It's a high grade antibiotic which will be most effective when it administered through an I.V. Should bring your fever down." Dr Williamson explained as his pager beeped. "I gotta run some more tests. I'll be back shortly."
He turned to leave but before he could get out the door he was stopped by Phoebe. "Excuse me, she's gonna be okay, right? I mean, it's not life threatening." She almost begged and he sighed.
"Well, I'll know better after I run more tests. Excuse me."
Phoebe walked back over to her sisters and sat down on Bella's bed.
Bella blushed brightly when she noticed how much attention she was getting. "I'll be fine." She insisted.
"Yeah, I mean he didn't seem too worried. Just prescribed antibiotics." Prue said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself rather than Bella.
"I think we should call Leo." Piper whispered but Bella shook her head.
"No, Piper, not for me. He's not even our whitelighter anymore. Besides, you have Dan in your life now."
"He can heal you." Phoebe said.
"No."
"But if Leo knew you were sick - "
"No, and that's final. No demon or warlock did this to me. Just let the doctors do their magic."
Phoebe pouted before resting her head on Bella's stomach. "I just wanted you to get well soon."
Bella chuckled. "I know and I will. Now you get outta here. Prue, go to Bucklands, Phoebe, go to wherever it is you got to and Piper, you go back to the club."
"Okay, bye, love you." Prue said before kissing Bella's forehead and moving out of the way for Piper and Phoebe to kiss her.

"Hey. Have you had a chance to look at the thread density results on the Monet?" Prue asked, as soon as she was in her office.
Jack looked at her concerned. "Yeah, and you were right. There are some unexplained thread markings in the area around the station, as the signature."
"Have you told Cauldwell yet?"
"Not yet. I was hoping to talk you into going home first. Prue, you're exhausted."
Bella sighed. "Yeah, I know, but I prefer to stay here, you know, keep busy. How long can tests take anyway?"
"Bella is going to be fine."
"I know, it's just that after everything I've seen in my life and believe me I've seen a lot of weird stuff. It takes a lot to scare me. But this time I'm really scared." Prue said quietly and Jack pulled her into a hug.
"You know, I'm not really good at this, saying the right thing stuff. You know what? Why don't you go back to the hospital and I'll stay here and handle everything. Okay?"
Prue sighed before nodding as her phone rang. "Hello?" she said after she put it to her ear.

"Is she going to be okay?" Dan asked.
"You know, that's what's so frustrating. They won't tell us anything." Piper sighed.
"Where is she?"
"San Francisco Memorial." Piper said quietly and Dan pulled her into a hug.
"Nothing's gonna happen to her okay? Bella's strong and healthy and she's a fighter."
Piper smiled. "You've noticed too have you?" she said before the phone rang and Phoebe came into from the kitchen a few minutes later with the phone in her hand and a panicked look on her face.
"They need us at the hospital right now."

Piper, Phoebe and Dan ran through the halls to find Prue standing in the doorway of Bella's room.
"Prue, what happened?" Phoebe asked as she looked into the room to see doctors rushing around her baby sister.
Prue had tears running down her face. "I don't know. All they said was that her condition has worsened."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Piper asked, sounding hysterical.
"We're not gonna leave the door until we find out." Dan told her softly.
"Dr. Williamson." Prue said and the doctor walked over to them.
"Unfortunately your sister's immune system isn't as strong as we thought it would be and antibiotics are having no effect on the disease." He explained.
"So what do we…what do you do now?" Phoebe asked nervously.
"Well there's nothing more we can do."
Prue looked like her heart had been shattered. "What do you mean by that? What are you saying?"
"Well, either Piper pulls out of the coma on her own or I'm afraid your sister's not going to survive." Dr Williamson said and the sister burst into tears at the thought of loosing their sister.

"Okay, we can't let Bella die." Prue said, walking over to the Book of Shadows with Piper and Phoebe following.
"No, we can't but Prue, this isn't a demon or a warlock that we're up against." Phoebe said.
"Alright, there are spells in here to vanquish demons, then there's gotta be a spell in here to vanquish a lousy bug."
"But what about the consequences. There's still that little thing to worry about." Piper pointed out.
Prue frowned. "What consequences? The power of four remains unbroken, innocents are saved. I don't really see a down side to that, do you?"
"Prue, if good witches could really vanquish diseases, do you think there'd be one sick person in the world?" Phoebe snapped.
"We have to save Bella." Prue repeated once again.
"I agree. All I am saying is before we resort to the Book of Shadows, maybe we should call Leo." Phoebe suggested.
"No, she told us not to." Piper said quietly.
"So, let her be pissed at us, at least she'll be alive."
"We don't even know how to contact him. He's always just sorta been around." Prue said before they started to call for Leo, looking up at the ceiling. Leo orbed in suddenly, startling the sisters.
"Whoa, it worked." Phoebe muttered.
Piper walked up to her ex. "Alright, Leo, look Bella is very - "
"Very sick, I know. That's why I could hear you calling. I've been near by watching." Leo said.
Phoebe frowned. "Wait, you've been watching her this whole time and you haven't healed her?"
"I can't. They know about Bella too and they won't let me interfere. I'm not even supposed to be here right now."
"Leo, you can't just let Bella die." Prue said.
"Don't you think I would do something about it if I could."
"You said she was like your little sister."
"I know and she is. But I'm not her Whitelighter any more. And they won't let me." He said before pausing. They wouldn't let him but there is someone who could help. Someone close to Bella who would do anything for her. Leo jumped slightly when the whitelighter called for him. "I have to go, they know I'm here. I'm sorry."
Leo orbed out and Phoebe turned to Prue. "Screw the consequences." She said and they walked to the Book of Shadows.

R&R