THREE
Phoebe looked out of the maintenance closet of the center. The
corridors were more deserted than she would have thought they would be
at this time of day. Many of the people were obviously hospital
personnel while others were just as obviously visitors.
She checked the room numbers and found they were only a few
doors down from the woman's room. No one appeared to be near the
room. An elderly couple walked past the room but didn't give it a
second look.
"The coast is clear," whispered Phoebe to the others. "We
should be able to get to her room without any trouble. It's to the
left."
Cautiously, the four exited the closet. A young man of perhaps
twenty was passing by at that moment and gave them strange look.
"What's the matter?" asked Piper. "You never saw a tour of a
center for the chronically ill before?"
The young man didn't answer. He just continued on down the
corridor with the strangest look on his face. When they reached the
room, they looked around, and then Phoebe reached over and opened the
door. Quickly but quietly they filed into the room, ready to confront
any demon that lay beyond.
They all stood in stunned silence at the scene in the room. The
younger woman Phoebe had seen in her premonition was lying in a bed
with all sorts of instruments hooked up to her. She looked as if she
was sleeping. The older woman Phoebe had seen was sitting quietly in
a chair next to the bed reading from a book. As Leo and the Charmed
Ones entered, the older woman looked up.
"Is there something wrong?" asked the woman.
"No, uh, no, not at all," stammered Leo. "We, uh, seem to have
the wrong room, that's all. Sorry if we disturbed you."
"Are you a doctor?" asked the woman.
"Not exactly," said Leo, looking at the other three. "That is,
my preoccupation is more with infants."
Piper just smiled at the cryptic reference to her pregnancy.
"Oh," said the woman. "Dr. Cavanaugh, Pamela's doctor," she
looked over at the woman in the bed, "said that a specialist might
stop by to have a look at her. Though I'm not sure what they can do
for her. It's been so long since anyone was able to help her."
"What's wrong with her?" asked Phoebe.
"She was in a car accident," said the woman. "She suffered a
brain injury that left her in a coma. They say they don't hold out
much hope for her recovery. I come in a couple of times a week to
read to her. Some of the doctors believe that, even in a coma, people
can still hear you."
"I'm sure she'll get better soon," said Piper, putting her hand
on the woman's shoulder. "When she's ready, I'm sure she'll wake
right up."
"I wish I could believe that," said the woman sadly. "It's been
twenty two years now. Pamela was only thirteen at the time. Most of
her childhood and all of her adulthood has been spent in this coma.
I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Patrice Stephens. I'm
Pamela's older sister. Pamela's last name is McIntyre."
Piper made the introductions to Patrice. She was still a bit
stunned from the news that Phoebe had a premonition about a woman who
had been in a coma for twenty-two years.
"She was always rather shy," said the woman. "She spent most of
her time watching television or reading. Mostly fantasy type stories.
Those were always her favorites. After twenty two years of reading
them to her, I guess I've sort of developed a fondness for them, too."
"We're sorry we disturbed you," said Paige. "It's apparent you
loved your sister very much."
"We all did," said Patrice. "I have two other sisters, Patty
and Paula. We all take turns coming in to read to her."
"Patty was our mother's name," said Piper. "It's odd. All of
your names start with P, just as ours do."
"Why, yes, dear," said the woman, "you're absolutely right.
Now, isn't that a coincidence? I wonder. Could I impose on you for
just a minute?'
"Sure," said Paige. "How can we help?"
"Could you stay with Pam for a minute or two?" asked Patrice.
"I want to get something to drink, but I don't want to leave her
alone. It would mean a great deal to me."
"Sure," said Piper. "We'll be glad to wait until you get back."
"Thank you so much," said the woman.
She picked up her purse and left the room. Piper followed her
over to the door and watched as she walked to some vending machines
down the hall.
"I don't understand," said Phoebe. "This is the right room.
And those two are the same ones I saw in my premonition. But there
doesn't seem to be any danger at all here. How could I have been so
wrong?"
"Maybe you weren't," said Leo. "You became the Charmed Ones to
help people. That may not always involve magic or fighting demons.
Maybe you were given that premonition so that you could give her
sister some hope."
"I wish Cole was here," said Phoebe. "He might have some ideas
on what's going on."
"Leo," said Paige, "couldn't you use your healing power to heal
Pamela? Maybe that's what we were sent her for."
"I can't," said Leo.
"He's right," said Piper. "As much as we might want to, Leo is
only supposed to use his healing powers for demon attacks."
"He's used them other times," protested Paige.
"And I hear about it every time I do," said Leo. "From THEM."
He looked at the ceiling. "This appears to have been nothing more
than an unfortunate accident. There's no way I can justify healing
her. I'm sorry, Paige, but that's how it is."
"I know," said Paige. "I guess it was just wishful thinking."
"There must be some reason I got the premonition," said Phoebe.
"Maybe it has something to do with the accident. If we knew more
about it, maybe it might give us a clue as to what we're supposed to
do here."
"I don't think we should bother Patrice about it," said Piper.
"She's obviously still unsettled about it even after all these years.
I'll call Darryl and see if he can find out anything about it. I'm
sure there's a police report on it somewhere."
"Good idea," said Leo. "I'll see what I can find out, too.
There must be some demon involved if Phoebe got a premonition about
this. But as far as I can tell, neither Pamela nor Patrice is in any
danger."
Just then, Patrice came back into the room carrying a cup.
"Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate it. And I'm sure
Pam does, too."
"Here," said Paige, tearing a page out of a small notebook that
was lying on the nightstand. "This is our name and phone number. If
there's anything we can do to help, please call us. We'd be glad to
help in any way we can. I work for Social Services. Maybe there's
something we can do to make things a bit easier on you."
"Thank you, dear," said Patrice. She put the paper into her
purse. "It's been very hard the past few years. You've been very
comforting."
"Anything we can do to help," said Phoebe. "I guess we'd better
get going. Again, we're sorry we disturbed you."
"It was no disturbance," said Patrice. "Pam doesn't get many
visitors, other than her sisters and me. I'm sure she was happy to
see some new faces for a change."
Leo and the Charmed Ones left the room and headed for the
elevator. Once in the elevator, Leo orbed them back to the manor.
"That was strange," said Paige. "Phoebe gets a premonition and
when we get there, there's nothing for us to do. Has this ever
happened before?"
"No," said Phoebe. "Usually, when we get to where ever we're
supposed to be we find a demon or warlock or something else we have to
fight. We've never had an episode like this one."
"We'd better keep an eye on her," said Leo. "There has to be a
reason for Phoebe's premonition. Maybe whatever it is will happen
sometime in the near future."
"Well," said Piper, putting the phone down, "I explained
everything to Darryl. He said he'd check the police records and see
what he can find out. Luckily, the police department has been
updating their computer files so it shouldn't take him too long to
find out anything. He said he'd let us know as soon as he does."
"I'll go back to the center and keep and eye on Pamela," said
Leo. "If you're needed, I'll orb back here for you. If you need me,
just call."
"Okay, sweetie," said Piper, kissing Leo. "In the meantime,
I'll check the Book of Shadows. Maybe there's something in there that
can help us."
Leo orbed out and Piper went up to the attic. Phoebe went with
her to lend a hand. Paige began to make a list of the things that
Social Services might be able to do to help both Pamela and her
family.
Phoebe looked out of the maintenance closet of the center. The
corridors were more deserted than she would have thought they would be
at this time of day. Many of the people were obviously hospital
personnel while others were just as obviously visitors.
She checked the room numbers and found they were only a few
doors down from the woman's room. No one appeared to be near the
room. An elderly couple walked past the room but didn't give it a
second look.
"The coast is clear," whispered Phoebe to the others. "We
should be able to get to her room without any trouble. It's to the
left."
Cautiously, the four exited the closet. A young man of perhaps
twenty was passing by at that moment and gave them strange look.
"What's the matter?" asked Piper. "You never saw a tour of a
center for the chronically ill before?"
The young man didn't answer. He just continued on down the
corridor with the strangest look on his face. When they reached the
room, they looked around, and then Phoebe reached over and opened the
door. Quickly but quietly they filed into the room, ready to confront
any demon that lay beyond.
They all stood in stunned silence at the scene in the room. The
younger woman Phoebe had seen in her premonition was lying in a bed
with all sorts of instruments hooked up to her. She looked as if she
was sleeping. The older woman Phoebe had seen was sitting quietly in
a chair next to the bed reading from a book. As Leo and the Charmed
Ones entered, the older woman looked up.
"Is there something wrong?" asked the woman.
"No, uh, no, not at all," stammered Leo. "We, uh, seem to have
the wrong room, that's all. Sorry if we disturbed you."
"Are you a doctor?" asked the woman.
"Not exactly," said Leo, looking at the other three. "That is,
my preoccupation is more with infants."
Piper just smiled at the cryptic reference to her pregnancy.
"Oh," said the woman. "Dr. Cavanaugh, Pamela's doctor," she
looked over at the woman in the bed, "said that a specialist might
stop by to have a look at her. Though I'm not sure what they can do
for her. It's been so long since anyone was able to help her."
"What's wrong with her?" asked Phoebe.
"She was in a car accident," said the woman. "She suffered a
brain injury that left her in a coma. They say they don't hold out
much hope for her recovery. I come in a couple of times a week to
read to her. Some of the doctors believe that, even in a coma, people
can still hear you."
"I'm sure she'll get better soon," said Piper, putting her hand
on the woman's shoulder. "When she's ready, I'm sure she'll wake
right up."
"I wish I could believe that," said the woman sadly. "It's been
twenty two years now. Pamela was only thirteen at the time. Most of
her childhood and all of her adulthood has been spent in this coma.
I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Patrice Stephens. I'm
Pamela's older sister. Pamela's last name is McIntyre."
Piper made the introductions to Patrice. She was still a bit
stunned from the news that Phoebe had a premonition about a woman who
had been in a coma for twenty-two years.
"She was always rather shy," said the woman. "She spent most of
her time watching television or reading. Mostly fantasy type stories.
Those were always her favorites. After twenty two years of reading
them to her, I guess I've sort of developed a fondness for them, too."
"We're sorry we disturbed you," said Paige. "It's apparent you
loved your sister very much."
"We all did," said Patrice. "I have two other sisters, Patty
and Paula. We all take turns coming in to read to her."
"Patty was our mother's name," said Piper. "It's odd. All of
your names start with P, just as ours do."
"Why, yes, dear," said the woman, "you're absolutely right.
Now, isn't that a coincidence? I wonder. Could I impose on you for
just a minute?'
"Sure," said Paige. "How can we help?"
"Could you stay with Pam for a minute or two?" asked Patrice.
"I want to get something to drink, but I don't want to leave her
alone. It would mean a great deal to me."
"Sure," said Piper. "We'll be glad to wait until you get back."
"Thank you so much," said the woman.
She picked up her purse and left the room. Piper followed her
over to the door and watched as she walked to some vending machines
down the hall.
"I don't understand," said Phoebe. "This is the right room.
And those two are the same ones I saw in my premonition. But there
doesn't seem to be any danger at all here. How could I have been so
wrong?"
"Maybe you weren't," said Leo. "You became the Charmed Ones to
help people. That may not always involve magic or fighting demons.
Maybe you were given that premonition so that you could give her
sister some hope."
"I wish Cole was here," said Phoebe. "He might have some ideas
on what's going on."
"Leo," said Paige, "couldn't you use your healing power to heal
Pamela? Maybe that's what we were sent her for."
"I can't," said Leo.
"He's right," said Piper. "As much as we might want to, Leo is
only supposed to use his healing powers for demon attacks."
"He's used them other times," protested Paige.
"And I hear about it every time I do," said Leo. "From THEM."
He looked at the ceiling. "This appears to have been nothing more
than an unfortunate accident. There's no way I can justify healing
her. I'm sorry, Paige, but that's how it is."
"I know," said Paige. "I guess it was just wishful thinking."
"There must be some reason I got the premonition," said Phoebe.
"Maybe it has something to do with the accident. If we knew more
about it, maybe it might give us a clue as to what we're supposed to
do here."
"I don't think we should bother Patrice about it," said Piper.
"She's obviously still unsettled about it even after all these years.
I'll call Darryl and see if he can find out anything about it. I'm
sure there's a police report on it somewhere."
"Good idea," said Leo. "I'll see what I can find out, too.
There must be some demon involved if Phoebe got a premonition about
this. But as far as I can tell, neither Pamela nor Patrice is in any
danger."
Just then, Patrice came back into the room carrying a cup.
"Thank you," she said. "I really appreciate it. And I'm sure
Pam does, too."
"Here," said Paige, tearing a page out of a small notebook that
was lying on the nightstand. "This is our name and phone number. If
there's anything we can do to help, please call us. We'd be glad to
help in any way we can. I work for Social Services. Maybe there's
something we can do to make things a bit easier on you."
"Thank you, dear," said Patrice. She put the paper into her
purse. "It's been very hard the past few years. You've been very
comforting."
"Anything we can do to help," said Phoebe. "I guess we'd better
get going. Again, we're sorry we disturbed you."
"It was no disturbance," said Patrice. "Pam doesn't get many
visitors, other than her sisters and me. I'm sure she was happy to
see some new faces for a change."
Leo and the Charmed Ones left the room and headed for the
elevator. Once in the elevator, Leo orbed them back to the manor.
"That was strange," said Paige. "Phoebe gets a premonition and
when we get there, there's nothing for us to do. Has this ever
happened before?"
"No," said Phoebe. "Usually, when we get to where ever we're
supposed to be we find a demon or warlock or something else we have to
fight. We've never had an episode like this one."
"We'd better keep an eye on her," said Leo. "There has to be a
reason for Phoebe's premonition. Maybe whatever it is will happen
sometime in the near future."
"Well," said Piper, putting the phone down, "I explained
everything to Darryl. He said he'd check the police records and see
what he can find out. Luckily, the police department has been
updating their computer files so it shouldn't take him too long to
find out anything. He said he'd let us know as soon as he does."
"I'll go back to the center and keep and eye on Pamela," said
Leo. "If you're needed, I'll orb back here for you. If you need me,
just call."
"Okay, sweetie," said Piper, kissing Leo. "In the meantime,
I'll check the Book of Shadows. Maybe there's something in there that
can help us."
Leo orbed out and Piper went up to the attic. Phoebe went with
her to lend a hand. Paige began to make a list of the things that
Social Services might be able to do to help both Pamela and her
family.