Recovery 1
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
Magic forces black and white Reaching out through space and light Be he far or be he near Bring us the Guardian Gabriel here.
Phoebe waited a few seconds, praying inwardly that the being she wanted desperately would appear. When nothing happened, she flipped the pages and began chanting again.
Powers of the family rise Course unseen across the skies Come to us we call you near Come to us and settle here Blood to Blood I summon thee Blood to Blood return to me
As tears began to flow down her cheeks, Phoebe looked up. Cole looked back at her, and they both were thinking the same thing.
"Are you sure that was the last spell in the Book?" Cole asked desperately.
"Yes, I trie..tried everything, and he still isn't here." Phoebe remarked as she fought to hold back tears. Cole walked around the table and pulled her into his arms, and she began to weep. Cole rocked her back and forth until the weeping stopped, and then slowly began to whisper. "Sshhh.it will be alright. We can never give up hope. Gabriel is alive, he has to be, and we will bring him back here."
"But, you heard Mortanos." Phoebe began, but Cole interrupted her.
"I don't care if God himself came here and told us, I will NEVER give up," Cole said fiercely. Phoebe could feel the pain in his voice, and she knew he could never bear to believe that their son was dead. "My son is like me; he's a survivor. He will come back to us, he has to. Now, come on. We'll get some rest and try again tomorrow."
Phoebe nodded, but as she and Cole cleaned up the supplies and left the room, Phoebe realized that in her heart, she no longer had any hope.
***
"Alright, take him to get an X-ray of his chest immediately, he could have a broken sternum," Dr. Connors told the orderly. As the orderly nodded and began to wheel the man out of the ER, Dr. Connors breathed a sigh. One down, about a million to go.
"Dr. Connors." John said as he caught up with her.
"Yes, Dr. Nichols?" Dr. Connors replied in a tired voice.
"Sara, I can tell you're exhausted. You need to go home and get some sleep." John said in a quiet voice.
"But John, I've only been here." Sara began, but her voice trailed off as she struggled to remember just how long it had been since she started this shift.
"You've been on duty for close to 14 hours non-stop. You need to get some rest," John admonished.
"But what about you?" Sara demanded.
"I caught a cat-nap a little while ago, and I don't have a loving daughter who is probably wondering where her mommy is right now," John replied.
"That's fighting dirty," Sara muttered.
John laughed, but it sounded strained. "Get out of here, and what's more, you are banned from the hospital tomorrow."
"What, but Dr. Nichols," Sara said in shock.
"Don't you 'Dr. Nichols' me. You are drained, and you need a vacation day. Don't worry, it is a paid day, I know how hard you have been working. Take your daughter to the beach and have fun. And before you say anything about other doctors deserving it more," John continued as Sara was about to open her mouth, "I checked the stats. You've worked 30 hours more this week than any other doctor. Go HOME!"
Sara was about to protest, but the look in John's eyes told her it would be useless. So, she sighed, and said, "Yes sir."
***
As Piper continued to work on breakfast, Leo orbed in. He walked over and hugged Piper, who smiled sadly and said, "Hello honey. How are you doing?"
Leo said, "That is actually what I wanted to ask you. I know I've been gone a lot lately." "You've had charges to relocate, I understand," Piper said quickly. "It was important that you move the witches before some of the new demons took advantage of the situation. Besides, you helped me that night." Piper trailed off as she remembered the night, that first night when Gabriel was finally gone. Melinda couldn't sleep, and Piper just couldn't stop crying. Leo had stayed with her all night, and rocked her as she expressed her grief. She still mourned, but now she could at least function.
"But not more important than family," Leo said firmly. "So, how is everyone?"
Piper sighed, and looked at Leo. Leo could read immense grief and pain there. "I don't know what to do. Phoebe and Cole have been up every night the last week trying to find or bring back their son. I want to tell them not to, but I can't. I mean, if it had been Melinda."
Leo pulled her into an embrace, and said, "It's alright. I understand. I'll talk to them. There has to be something we can do." Paige and Michael walked downstairs at that moment, and Piper asked, "Hey Paige, hey Michael. Did you guys sleep well?"
"I slept alright," Paige commented, "and before you ask, Cole and Phoebe went to bed about 3am, and Phoebe cried herself to sleep."
Piper's face became sad as she said, "We have to do something. There has to be something we can do to comfort her."
"I completely agree," Michael commented, "I mean, they lost a child. I've heard of parents who committed suicide over that. It'll take time for them to deal with it, and it will take a great deal of support from this family."
"I don't think there's much we can do at this point," Paige said, "Unless Gabriel came back. Leo are you sure." Paige asked hopefully.
"The Guardians can no longer sense Gabriel, which means he doesn't exist," Leo pointed out sadly. The sisters had asked him that question at least 30 times this week, but Leo did not mind answering it. He just wished there was something else he could say.
"It's not actually Phoebe I'm worried about," Piper said, "It's Cole. Phoebe is openly grieving, which is important, but I don't think Cole is grieving at all. How can we help him if he won't let us in?"
Leo looked up in the direction on Cole and Phoebe's bedroom, and said, "I don't think Cole has accepted the fact that Gabriel is dead."
"Who can blame him?" Paige replied.
"I'm not, the fact that he thinks that is common," Leo replied, "but it prevents you from grieving. As long as Cole holds out on the hope that Gabriel is alive, he can't move on."
As if his name summoned him, Cole came down the stairs. Everyone bit back a gasp at the sight of him. Cole had deep rings under his eyes, and he looked like he was fighting to keep himself together. He looked at them, forced a smile, and said, "I'm going to work. Tell Phoebe I'll be back around 4:30 this afternoon."
"But Cole," Paige began, but he was already out the door. "It's Saturday." she trailed off softly.
Phoebe came down about thirty seconds later, and asked, "Did Cole go off to work?" When the sisters nodded, Phoebe sat down heavily, and looked over at them. "I need your help."
The sisters, Michael, and Leo immediately sat down next to her and Piper said, "Anything, honey. We're here for you."
"I miss Gabriel, and it hurts so bad I can barely speak," Phoebe said, "but the hurt is getting less every day as time passes, and I am able to grieve. Cole is not grieving, and I can see how much it hurts him to hold it in. We have to do something."
"Well, why not just stop casting spells to find Gabriel?" Paige asked, then said, "Not that you should, I mean.you know what I mean."
"That's alright, I don't really think the spells will work," Phoebe replied with a ghost of a smile. "Then why do you do it?" Piper asked. "For Cole," Phoebe commented brokenly, "Cole cannot give up. Something is driving him inwardly, some inner pain he refuses to voice. I can see it and practically feel it. Cole is hiding something."
"What do you think that is?" Leo questioned.
Phoebe sighed, and then said, "I.don't know, but whatever is driving him makes it impossible for him to let Gabriel go. Until he lets that out, Cole cannot and will not grieve. We have to help him."
"You're right, that kind of thing can drive a person mad, no matter how strong," Leo mentioned, "and we'll deal with it when he gets back, but I have a question for you. How are you holding up?"
Phoebe looked over at him, and then said, "It hurts to breathe, to exist. I look around, and my body and mind scream for my son. But, each day it gets a little easier. Slowly, I am accepting the fact that Gabriel is not coming back."
***
"Mommy, Mommy," Sara's daughter screamed to her.
"Yes, dear. What did you find?" Sara asked.
"Look, mommy. Isn't it pretty." Her daughter brought over a very pretty rock, which Sara dutifully admired.
"Yes, Arianna, it is very pretty." Sara replied. The child beamed, and then ran back to the water's edge to find more pretty objects. Sara sighed. Sometimes I wish I could forget that easily she thought gloomily. But she couldn't, no more than she could forget the events that brought her to this point.
Sara was a witch, one with the power of transmogrification. She had always been happy to have it, and been honored to be one. However, she would have traded it up instantly to no longer know just how close to destruction the human race got. According to her whitelighter, some ancient evil had returned, and almost destroyed everyone. Makes you really wish for ignorance Sara thought wryly. But then there would still be the massive injuries that his arrival caused, the riot wounds and the general injuries and the.
Sara forcibly changed the direction of her thoughts. She had come here to relax, not to dwell on things like that. Sara smiled as she thought of her little daughter. Arianna was only four, but she already possessed Sara's gift, and she was a constant joy to her life. Even though Sara's marriage hadn't lasted, she was glad that she had this little blessing in her life.
"Mommy mommy!" Arianna called out.
"Yes, honey," Sara replied absently as her mind wandered.
"Come here, quick!" Something in her daughter's voice made Sara worry, so she looked up. When she saw what Arianna was pointing to, she got up and broke into a dead run. Lying on the beach as if washed up with the tide was a small boy.
TO BE CONTINUED.
(I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it. This continues a storyline begun in Degrees of Evil, and continued in several other stories).
Magic forces black and white Reaching out through space and light Be he far or be he near Bring us the Guardian Gabriel here.
Phoebe waited a few seconds, praying inwardly that the being she wanted desperately would appear. When nothing happened, she flipped the pages and began chanting again.
Powers of the family rise Course unseen across the skies Come to us we call you near Come to us and settle here Blood to Blood I summon thee Blood to Blood return to me
As tears began to flow down her cheeks, Phoebe looked up. Cole looked back at her, and they both were thinking the same thing.
"Are you sure that was the last spell in the Book?" Cole asked desperately.
"Yes, I trie..tried everything, and he still isn't here." Phoebe remarked as she fought to hold back tears. Cole walked around the table and pulled her into his arms, and she began to weep. Cole rocked her back and forth until the weeping stopped, and then slowly began to whisper. "Sshhh.it will be alright. We can never give up hope. Gabriel is alive, he has to be, and we will bring him back here."
"But, you heard Mortanos." Phoebe began, but Cole interrupted her.
"I don't care if God himself came here and told us, I will NEVER give up," Cole said fiercely. Phoebe could feel the pain in his voice, and she knew he could never bear to believe that their son was dead. "My son is like me; he's a survivor. He will come back to us, he has to. Now, come on. We'll get some rest and try again tomorrow."
Phoebe nodded, but as she and Cole cleaned up the supplies and left the room, Phoebe realized that in her heart, she no longer had any hope.
***
"Alright, take him to get an X-ray of his chest immediately, he could have a broken sternum," Dr. Connors told the orderly. As the orderly nodded and began to wheel the man out of the ER, Dr. Connors breathed a sigh. One down, about a million to go.
"Dr. Connors." John said as he caught up with her.
"Yes, Dr. Nichols?" Dr. Connors replied in a tired voice.
"Sara, I can tell you're exhausted. You need to go home and get some sleep." John said in a quiet voice.
"But John, I've only been here." Sara began, but her voice trailed off as she struggled to remember just how long it had been since she started this shift.
"You've been on duty for close to 14 hours non-stop. You need to get some rest," John admonished.
"But what about you?" Sara demanded.
"I caught a cat-nap a little while ago, and I don't have a loving daughter who is probably wondering where her mommy is right now," John replied.
"That's fighting dirty," Sara muttered.
John laughed, but it sounded strained. "Get out of here, and what's more, you are banned from the hospital tomorrow."
"What, but Dr. Nichols," Sara said in shock.
"Don't you 'Dr. Nichols' me. You are drained, and you need a vacation day. Don't worry, it is a paid day, I know how hard you have been working. Take your daughter to the beach and have fun. And before you say anything about other doctors deserving it more," John continued as Sara was about to open her mouth, "I checked the stats. You've worked 30 hours more this week than any other doctor. Go HOME!"
Sara was about to protest, but the look in John's eyes told her it would be useless. So, she sighed, and said, "Yes sir."
***
As Piper continued to work on breakfast, Leo orbed in. He walked over and hugged Piper, who smiled sadly and said, "Hello honey. How are you doing?"
Leo said, "That is actually what I wanted to ask you. I know I've been gone a lot lately." "You've had charges to relocate, I understand," Piper said quickly. "It was important that you move the witches before some of the new demons took advantage of the situation. Besides, you helped me that night." Piper trailed off as she remembered the night, that first night when Gabriel was finally gone. Melinda couldn't sleep, and Piper just couldn't stop crying. Leo had stayed with her all night, and rocked her as she expressed her grief. She still mourned, but now she could at least function.
"But not more important than family," Leo said firmly. "So, how is everyone?"
Piper sighed, and looked at Leo. Leo could read immense grief and pain there. "I don't know what to do. Phoebe and Cole have been up every night the last week trying to find or bring back their son. I want to tell them not to, but I can't. I mean, if it had been Melinda."
Leo pulled her into an embrace, and said, "It's alright. I understand. I'll talk to them. There has to be something we can do." Paige and Michael walked downstairs at that moment, and Piper asked, "Hey Paige, hey Michael. Did you guys sleep well?"
"I slept alright," Paige commented, "and before you ask, Cole and Phoebe went to bed about 3am, and Phoebe cried herself to sleep."
Piper's face became sad as she said, "We have to do something. There has to be something we can do to comfort her."
"I completely agree," Michael commented, "I mean, they lost a child. I've heard of parents who committed suicide over that. It'll take time for them to deal with it, and it will take a great deal of support from this family."
"I don't think there's much we can do at this point," Paige said, "Unless Gabriel came back. Leo are you sure." Paige asked hopefully.
"The Guardians can no longer sense Gabriel, which means he doesn't exist," Leo pointed out sadly. The sisters had asked him that question at least 30 times this week, but Leo did not mind answering it. He just wished there was something else he could say.
"It's not actually Phoebe I'm worried about," Piper said, "It's Cole. Phoebe is openly grieving, which is important, but I don't think Cole is grieving at all. How can we help him if he won't let us in?"
Leo looked up in the direction on Cole and Phoebe's bedroom, and said, "I don't think Cole has accepted the fact that Gabriel is dead."
"Who can blame him?" Paige replied.
"I'm not, the fact that he thinks that is common," Leo replied, "but it prevents you from grieving. As long as Cole holds out on the hope that Gabriel is alive, he can't move on."
As if his name summoned him, Cole came down the stairs. Everyone bit back a gasp at the sight of him. Cole had deep rings under his eyes, and he looked like he was fighting to keep himself together. He looked at them, forced a smile, and said, "I'm going to work. Tell Phoebe I'll be back around 4:30 this afternoon."
"But Cole," Paige began, but he was already out the door. "It's Saturday." she trailed off softly.
Phoebe came down about thirty seconds later, and asked, "Did Cole go off to work?" When the sisters nodded, Phoebe sat down heavily, and looked over at them. "I need your help."
The sisters, Michael, and Leo immediately sat down next to her and Piper said, "Anything, honey. We're here for you."
"I miss Gabriel, and it hurts so bad I can barely speak," Phoebe said, "but the hurt is getting less every day as time passes, and I am able to grieve. Cole is not grieving, and I can see how much it hurts him to hold it in. We have to do something."
"Well, why not just stop casting spells to find Gabriel?" Paige asked, then said, "Not that you should, I mean.you know what I mean."
"That's alright, I don't really think the spells will work," Phoebe replied with a ghost of a smile. "Then why do you do it?" Piper asked. "For Cole," Phoebe commented brokenly, "Cole cannot give up. Something is driving him inwardly, some inner pain he refuses to voice. I can see it and practically feel it. Cole is hiding something."
"What do you think that is?" Leo questioned.
Phoebe sighed, and then said, "I.don't know, but whatever is driving him makes it impossible for him to let Gabriel go. Until he lets that out, Cole cannot and will not grieve. We have to help him."
"You're right, that kind of thing can drive a person mad, no matter how strong," Leo mentioned, "and we'll deal with it when he gets back, but I have a question for you. How are you holding up?"
Phoebe looked over at him, and then said, "It hurts to breathe, to exist. I look around, and my body and mind scream for my son. But, each day it gets a little easier. Slowly, I am accepting the fact that Gabriel is not coming back."
***
"Mommy, Mommy," Sara's daughter screamed to her.
"Yes, dear. What did you find?" Sara asked.
"Look, mommy. Isn't it pretty." Her daughter brought over a very pretty rock, which Sara dutifully admired.
"Yes, Arianna, it is very pretty." Sara replied. The child beamed, and then ran back to the water's edge to find more pretty objects. Sara sighed. Sometimes I wish I could forget that easily she thought gloomily. But she couldn't, no more than she could forget the events that brought her to this point.
Sara was a witch, one with the power of transmogrification. She had always been happy to have it, and been honored to be one. However, she would have traded it up instantly to no longer know just how close to destruction the human race got. According to her whitelighter, some ancient evil had returned, and almost destroyed everyone. Makes you really wish for ignorance Sara thought wryly. But then there would still be the massive injuries that his arrival caused, the riot wounds and the general injuries and the.
Sara forcibly changed the direction of her thoughts. She had come here to relax, not to dwell on things like that. Sara smiled as she thought of her little daughter. Arianna was only four, but she already possessed Sara's gift, and she was a constant joy to her life. Even though Sara's marriage hadn't lasted, she was glad that she had this little blessing in her life.
"Mommy mommy!" Arianna called out.
"Yes, honey," Sara replied absently as her mind wandered.
"Come here, quick!" Something in her daughter's voice made Sara worry, so she looked up. When she saw what Arianna was pointing to, she got up and broke into a dead run. Lying on the beach as if washed up with the tide was a small boy.
TO BE CONTINUED.