After cleaning up the glass on the floor, Piper lay down, but she couldn't sleep. A thousand thoughts were racing through her head. She closed her eyes, trying to sort them out.
Once she started thinking clearly, she realized that, as much as it would hurt to do this without him, she didn't need Leo. She was strong, she never would have made it this far if she wasn't. She could do this without him. After all, he hadn't left her any choice.
Telling herself that everything would be okay, she finally drifted off to sleep. She woke up a little over an hour later, the longest she'd slept during the day since Wyatt was born. Feeling well-rested and a lot better than she had before, she went downstairs to look for Nana and Wyatt.
She found them in the back yard, sitting near the lake. Nana was talking to Darvy, and rocking Wyatt in the same gentle, steady rhythm as the water. Darvy was holding a baby girl a little bit older than Wyatt, and two boys were running around a few feet away.
"Feeling okay now, doll?" Nana asked.
Piper nodded. "I'm great. Thanks."
"Good," Nana responded. "I know you've already met Darvy."
Darvy smiled at her. "Nana told me it came up positive. Congratulations."
"Thanks," Piper replied, taking her son.
"I've got three kids of my own," Darvy continued. "Trust me, only two at once is a piece of cake."
Piper laughed, shifting Wyatt to her hip. "How old are yours?"
"Ashton is four, Brennan is two, and Claire is six months," Darvy replied. "How about Wyatt?"
"He's four months," Piper said, beaming down at him. His reddish-brown hair, long for a baby so young, was gleaming in the sunlight. Darvy reached out and tousled it.
"Want to switch?" she offered.
"Sure," Piper replied, handing over Wyatt and taking Claire. The two women spent a while cooing over each other's babies, while Nana watched over Darvy's boys.
"Ashton, don't let your brother go that close to the water!" Nana called out.
Darvy looked over to where her older kids were playing. "Ash, Bren, come back over here," she called. Sighing, she looked at Piper. "Take my advice, sweetie, don't let him learn to walk or talk."
Piper bit her lip, as though she was seriously considering it. "I'll have to teach him eventually," she concluded. "I'll need him to help me with his little brother or sister."
Darvy shrugged her agreement. "I guess you're right," she said reluctently. "I'm still living in fear of the day when Claire gets to be just as wild as her brothers."
Piper nodded. "A friend of mine back home has kids. I've watched them for him a few times, and they're usually good, but I swear, just one drop of anything remotely sugary... Wyatt is never getting candy. Ever."
Darvy and Nana both laughed.
"Honey, it's not that bad," Nana said comfortingly.
"I know," Piper replied. "Still, I hope this one's a girl," she added, watching Ashton and Brennan argue. "I grew up with two sisters, and I love them, but sometimes I think I would've gotten along better with a brother..."
She paused. A smile came to her face as she remembered the time that Prue had turned into a man.
"I hear ya," Darvy responded, also watching her boys. "You should see the way they are with Claire. They're already so protective of her. I won't even have to worry when she starts to date."
Piper smiled. "I know Wyatt's going to be a good big brother. He's a lot like his Daddy."
There was a short, awkward pause. Nana had already repeated to Darvy what Piper had told her about how Leo left.
"That's a good thing," Piper told them, reading their faces."I'm glad Wyatt's like his father. I just wish his father were here to see it."
Nana and Darvy each put an arm around Piper. She smiled at them, grateful she'd found such good friends. She knew she'd need them in the months to come.
Suddenly, Wyatt and Claire both started to get fussy. Darvy and Piper switched back, and Piper looked at her watch. It was nearly six.
"He's probably hungry," she said, rocking him.
Darvy nodded. "I should probably get A, B, and C home, too."
Nana had already rounded up the boys. Darvy waved good-bye to Piper, Nana, and Wyatt before taking Brennan by the hand and, keeping a watchful eye on Ashton, started home.
"Piper, doll, do you need any help getting this one fed and put to sleep?" Nana asked.
Piper shook her head. "That's okay, Nana. If he won't go to sleep right away, I'll just dig around the boxes for his mobile. That thing always puts him right to sleep."
Nana smiled. "And what about getting you fed and put to sleep?"
Piper grinned. "That's a bit more complicated..." Shifting Wyatt to her hip, she gave Nana a tight, one-armed hug. "Thank you again for everything you've done for us today. Really, I don't know how I could have handled this alone."
Nana hugged her back, saying, "Dear, that's what I'm here for."
Waving good-bye, Piper trekked back up to the house. When she got inside, Wyatt was half asleep, but he woke up as soon as she put him in his high chair. He watched her curiously as she moved around the kitchen, getting his bottle ready and fixing a small salad for herself. She tested the bottle on her wrist, then handed it to him, thankful that he'd recently learned how to hold it for himself.
She sat down across from him, picking at her salad. Reminding herself that it was good for the baby, she managed to eat most of it before Wyatt had had enough of his bottle and needed to be burped.
A while later, Wyatt was asleep in his crib, and Piper was lying on her bed, tired but somehow wide awake, and reviewing her situation once again.
Now that most of the shock had worn off, she realized that it wasn't so bad. It was a beautiful town she'd relocated to, and she'd already made friends closer than the ones she'd had back home, where magic had seriously impacted her relationships. She didn't have to worry about that now. She was safe, and aside from that sharp, searing pain in her heart in the place in her heart that Leo used to fill, she was happy. She had a beautiful baby boy, and another child on the way. She didn't think she could ask for anything more.
And then her eyes fell on a picture of Leo, sticking out from the top of a cardboard box. Thinking about him, she cried herself to sleep.
****************
A/N: Just so you know, the next chapter skips ahead a few months. And yeah. Review. ::puppy eyes::
Once she started thinking clearly, she realized that, as much as it would hurt to do this without him, she didn't need Leo. She was strong, she never would have made it this far if she wasn't. She could do this without him. After all, he hadn't left her any choice.
Telling herself that everything would be okay, she finally drifted off to sleep. She woke up a little over an hour later, the longest she'd slept during the day since Wyatt was born. Feeling well-rested and a lot better than she had before, she went downstairs to look for Nana and Wyatt.
She found them in the back yard, sitting near the lake. Nana was talking to Darvy, and rocking Wyatt in the same gentle, steady rhythm as the water. Darvy was holding a baby girl a little bit older than Wyatt, and two boys were running around a few feet away.
"Feeling okay now, doll?" Nana asked.
Piper nodded. "I'm great. Thanks."
"Good," Nana responded. "I know you've already met Darvy."
Darvy smiled at her. "Nana told me it came up positive. Congratulations."
"Thanks," Piper replied, taking her son.
"I've got three kids of my own," Darvy continued. "Trust me, only two at once is a piece of cake."
Piper laughed, shifting Wyatt to her hip. "How old are yours?"
"Ashton is four, Brennan is two, and Claire is six months," Darvy replied. "How about Wyatt?"
"He's four months," Piper said, beaming down at him. His reddish-brown hair, long for a baby so young, was gleaming in the sunlight. Darvy reached out and tousled it.
"Want to switch?" she offered.
"Sure," Piper replied, handing over Wyatt and taking Claire. The two women spent a while cooing over each other's babies, while Nana watched over Darvy's boys.
"Ashton, don't let your brother go that close to the water!" Nana called out.
Darvy looked over to where her older kids were playing. "Ash, Bren, come back over here," she called. Sighing, she looked at Piper. "Take my advice, sweetie, don't let him learn to walk or talk."
Piper bit her lip, as though she was seriously considering it. "I'll have to teach him eventually," she concluded. "I'll need him to help me with his little brother or sister."
Darvy shrugged her agreement. "I guess you're right," she said reluctently. "I'm still living in fear of the day when Claire gets to be just as wild as her brothers."
Piper nodded. "A friend of mine back home has kids. I've watched them for him a few times, and they're usually good, but I swear, just one drop of anything remotely sugary... Wyatt is never getting candy. Ever."
Darvy and Nana both laughed.
"Honey, it's not that bad," Nana said comfortingly.
"I know," Piper replied. "Still, I hope this one's a girl," she added, watching Ashton and Brennan argue. "I grew up with two sisters, and I love them, but sometimes I think I would've gotten along better with a brother..."
She paused. A smile came to her face as she remembered the time that Prue had turned into a man.
"I hear ya," Darvy responded, also watching her boys. "You should see the way they are with Claire. They're already so protective of her. I won't even have to worry when she starts to date."
Piper smiled. "I know Wyatt's going to be a good big brother. He's a lot like his Daddy."
There was a short, awkward pause. Nana had already repeated to Darvy what Piper had told her about how Leo left.
"That's a good thing," Piper told them, reading their faces."I'm glad Wyatt's like his father. I just wish his father were here to see it."
Nana and Darvy each put an arm around Piper. She smiled at them, grateful she'd found such good friends. She knew she'd need them in the months to come.
Suddenly, Wyatt and Claire both started to get fussy. Darvy and Piper switched back, and Piper looked at her watch. It was nearly six.
"He's probably hungry," she said, rocking him.
Darvy nodded. "I should probably get A, B, and C home, too."
Nana had already rounded up the boys. Darvy waved good-bye to Piper, Nana, and Wyatt before taking Brennan by the hand and, keeping a watchful eye on Ashton, started home.
"Piper, doll, do you need any help getting this one fed and put to sleep?" Nana asked.
Piper shook her head. "That's okay, Nana. If he won't go to sleep right away, I'll just dig around the boxes for his mobile. That thing always puts him right to sleep."
Nana smiled. "And what about getting you fed and put to sleep?"
Piper grinned. "That's a bit more complicated..." Shifting Wyatt to her hip, she gave Nana a tight, one-armed hug. "Thank you again for everything you've done for us today. Really, I don't know how I could have handled this alone."
Nana hugged her back, saying, "Dear, that's what I'm here for."
Waving good-bye, Piper trekked back up to the house. When she got inside, Wyatt was half asleep, but he woke up as soon as she put him in his high chair. He watched her curiously as she moved around the kitchen, getting his bottle ready and fixing a small salad for herself. She tested the bottle on her wrist, then handed it to him, thankful that he'd recently learned how to hold it for himself.
She sat down across from him, picking at her salad. Reminding herself that it was good for the baby, she managed to eat most of it before Wyatt had had enough of his bottle and needed to be burped.
A while later, Wyatt was asleep in his crib, and Piper was lying on her bed, tired but somehow wide awake, and reviewing her situation once again.
Now that most of the shock had worn off, she realized that it wasn't so bad. It was a beautiful town she'd relocated to, and she'd already made friends closer than the ones she'd had back home, where magic had seriously impacted her relationships. She didn't have to worry about that now. She was safe, and aside from that sharp, searing pain in her heart in the place in her heart that Leo used to fill, she was happy. She had a beautiful baby boy, and another child on the way. She didn't think she could ask for anything more.
And then her eyes fell on a picture of Leo, sticking out from the top of a cardboard box. Thinking about him, she cried herself to sleep.
****************
A/N: Just so you know, the next chapter skips ahead a few months. And yeah. Review. ::puppy eyes::
