Seven months later, Prudence Melinda Halliwell was born. Like her brother, she was six weeks early, but despite a low birth weight, she was in perfect health. Piper used the name that she and Leo had both decided on for a girl, but she soon found that calling her child by her big sister's name was more painful than she'd thought it would be, and so she called her daughter by her middle name, Melinda, which Nana soon shortened to Lin. By the time the child was a few minutes old, the nickname had already stuck.
"Hey, Lin," Piper cooed, beaming down at the baby in her arms, who was now a little over five hours old. Darvy, who'd been with Piper during the delivery, was perched on the edge of the bed, hovering over Piper and the baby. Nana, who'd also been there during Lin's birth, had left to get Wyatt, who was in the waiting room with Ashton, Brennan, Claire, and Kurtis, who'd been watching the kids since Piper went into labor the night before.
"Here we are," Nana said cheerfully, entering Piper's hospital room with eleven-month-old Wyatt on her hip. She placed the little boy on Piper's bedside, where Darvy could keep an eye on him.
"Wyatt, say hi to your baby sister, Lin," Piper instructed gently.
Wyatt reached out toward the baby, and she wrapped her tiny hand around his fingers. He began talking to her in a sort of babyish prattle. Lin looked up at him, her large blue eyes twinkling, and gurgled happily. Piper smiled, glad that her two children were getting along so well already.
Nana cleared her throat. "Piper, love, if you're feeling up to visitors, there's someone outside who'd like to meet you..."
Piper nodded, wondering who it could possibly be. Nana went over to the door, and motioned for someone to come in. Standing behind her, Piper could just make out the greying hair and dark suit of a medium-sized man. Nana and the man stepped inside, and Piper gasped.
"Daddy!" she cried out joyfully.
Victor stepped past Nana to give his daughter a hug and a kiss. "Hi, sweetheart."
"Daddy, what are you doing here?" Piper asked, surprised.
"I wanted to see my baby girl's baby girl," he replied, looking down at the baby. "She's gorgeous, Piper. She looks exactly like you. What did you name her?"
"Prudence," Piper replied wistfully. "Prudence Melinda. We're calling her Lin for short."
Victor tugged her hair comfortingly, then shifted his gaze to the baby boy on her lap. "This must be Wyatt," he guessed, picking the boy up. "Hey, Wyatt. I'm your grandfather. You don't remember me, do you?"
Wyatt shook his head, looking to his mother for reassurance. Piper smiled at him, so he looked back at his grandfather with more curiousity than suspiscion.
"I didn't think you would," Victor continued, smiling at him. "The last time I saw you, you were about as old as your little sister is now."
Wyatt looked at Lin, and then back at Victor in confusion, unable to imagine himself as ever having been that young.
Victor laughed. "You have gotten big, haven't you?"
Wyatt nodded eagerly. "Big bwothew," he exclaimed, trying to pronounce the words his mother had been talking about the past few weeks. The adults all laughed, and he looked at them each in turn, wondering what was so funny.
"That's right, Wyatt, you're a big brother now," Darvy told him. "Just like Ashton and Brennan."
Nana took him from his grandfather. "We'd better let you two catch up," she said, starting toward the door.
Darvy gave Piper a kiss before getting up. "We'll be down the hall if you need us."
Piper nodded, watching them leave. The door clicked shut behind them. For the first time in almost a year, father and daughter were alone together.
"How did you find me?" Piper asked, not altogether displeased that he did.
Victor shrugged. "It was more by chance than anything. I knew Ananda from a few years back, through a series of running into each other back when I lived in New York City. We've stayed in touch on and off since then, but neither of us ever mentioned you until recently, until she told me about a friend of hers who had a little boy named Wyatt. That led to me telling her all about you, but I thought it was just coincedence. Ananda was the one who put two and two together and came up with four."
Piper nodded, processing this. "How long have you known?"
"A few days. As soon as she told me that you were there, I made arrangements to come. When I got here, I found out you were in labor," he replied. There was a pause. "Do your sisters know?"
"About the baby?" Piper shook her head. "No. I didn't find out I was pregnant until I got here. I haven't spoken to them at all since... I just couldn't face them, after the way I left. I couldn't face you."
He looked surprised. "Piper, you know all too well that I'm not in a position to criticise you for leaving. You could have come to me. Why didn't you?"
Again, she shook her head. "No, Daddy. I couldn't. I couldn't deal with losing Leo, so I cut ties with everyone. It was stupid, and cowardly, but there you go."
He sat down on the bed, putting his arms around her and the baby, who was half asleep.
Piper leaned against him. "Are you going to tell them? Phoebe and Paige, I mean. Are you going to tell them about Lin, and where I am, and everything else?"
He sighed. "Not if you don't want me to."
She took a moment to think about this. "Don't," she said finally. "I can hardly think about them without wanting to cry, I can hardly say my own daughter's name out loud because it reminds me of... I'm not ready to go back to them yet. Until I am, I don't think it's fair to remind them that they've got a sister and a nephew and now a neice they haven't even met. I don't want them to think about us as much as I think about them."
A tear slid down her cheek. Victor wiped it away. "I won't tell them," he promised. "But I think you should. Honey, they do think about you, constantly. Nothing you do or don't say will make them love you any less. You have to know that."
She nodded. Carefully, so as not to wake Lin, she shifted the baby's weight to one arm and used her free hand to wipe the tears that were falling now. "Have you seen them lately?" she asked, sniffling.
"I'm going to, tomorrow. I promised them I'd come weeks ago, before I knew you were here," he explained. "My plane leaves tonight."
Piper nodded. She looked at the clock, and realised that he should probably be going. It was already pretty late, and the airport was a two-hour drive from there, what with the traffic and all. "If you have to tell them something," she began, her voice quavering with emotion, "Tell them I love them."
Victor leaned in, kissing her and the baby. "I love you," he said, getting up.
He was halfway out the door before he heard her whisper, "I love you, Daddy."
"Hey, Lin," Piper cooed, beaming down at the baby in her arms, who was now a little over five hours old. Darvy, who'd been with Piper during the delivery, was perched on the edge of the bed, hovering over Piper and the baby. Nana, who'd also been there during Lin's birth, had left to get Wyatt, who was in the waiting room with Ashton, Brennan, Claire, and Kurtis, who'd been watching the kids since Piper went into labor the night before.
"Here we are," Nana said cheerfully, entering Piper's hospital room with eleven-month-old Wyatt on her hip. She placed the little boy on Piper's bedside, where Darvy could keep an eye on him.
"Wyatt, say hi to your baby sister, Lin," Piper instructed gently.
Wyatt reached out toward the baby, and she wrapped her tiny hand around his fingers. He began talking to her in a sort of babyish prattle. Lin looked up at him, her large blue eyes twinkling, and gurgled happily. Piper smiled, glad that her two children were getting along so well already.
Nana cleared her throat. "Piper, love, if you're feeling up to visitors, there's someone outside who'd like to meet you..."
Piper nodded, wondering who it could possibly be. Nana went over to the door, and motioned for someone to come in. Standing behind her, Piper could just make out the greying hair and dark suit of a medium-sized man. Nana and the man stepped inside, and Piper gasped.
"Daddy!" she cried out joyfully.
Victor stepped past Nana to give his daughter a hug and a kiss. "Hi, sweetheart."
"Daddy, what are you doing here?" Piper asked, surprised.
"I wanted to see my baby girl's baby girl," he replied, looking down at the baby. "She's gorgeous, Piper. She looks exactly like you. What did you name her?"
"Prudence," Piper replied wistfully. "Prudence Melinda. We're calling her Lin for short."
Victor tugged her hair comfortingly, then shifted his gaze to the baby boy on her lap. "This must be Wyatt," he guessed, picking the boy up. "Hey, Wyatt. I'm your grandfather. You don't remember me, do you?"
Wyatt shook his head, looking to his mother for reassurance. Piper smiled at him, so he looked back at his grandfather with more curiousity than suspiscion.
"I didn't think you would," Victor continued, smiling at him. "The last time I saw you, you were about as old as your little sister is now."
Wyatt looked at Lin, and then back at Victor in confusion, unable to imagine himself as ever having been that young.
Victor laughed. "You have gotten big, haven't you?"
Wyatt nodded eagerly. "Big bwothew," he exclaimed, trying to pronounce the words his mother had been talking about the past few weeks. The adults all laughed, and he looked at them each in turn, wondering what was so funny.
"That's right, Wyatt, you're a big brother now," Darvy told him. "Just like Ashton and Brennan."
Nana took him from his grandfather. "We'd better let you two catch up," she said, starting toward the door.
Darvy gave Piper a kiss before getting up. "We'll be down the hall if you need us."
Piper nodded, watching them leave. The door clicked shut behind them. For the first time in almost a year, father and daughter were alone together.
"How did you find me?" Piper asked, not altogether displeased that he did.
Victor shrugged. "It was more by chance than anything. I knew Ananda from a few years back, through a series of running into each other back when I lived in New York City. We've stayed in touch on and off since then, but neither of us ever mentioned you until recently, until she told me about a friend of hers who had a little boy named Wyatt. That led to me telling her all about you, but I thought it was just coincedence. Ananda was the one who put two and two together and came up with four."
Piper nodded, processing this. "How long have you known?"
"A few days. As soon as she told me that you were there, I made arrangements to come. When I got here, I found out you were in labor," he replied. There was a pause. "Do your sisters know?"
"About the baby?" Piper shook her head. "No. I didn't find out I was pregnant until I got here. I haven't spoken to them at all since... I just couldn't face them, after the way I left. I couldn't face you."
He looked surprised. "Piper, you know all too well that I'm not in a position to criticise you for leaving. You could have come to me. Why didn't you?"
Again, she shook her head. "No, Daddy. I couldn't. I couldn't deal with losing Leo, so I cut ties with everyone. It was stupid, and cowardly, but there you go."
He sat down on the bed, putting his arms around her and the baby, who was half asleep.
Piper leaned against him. "Are you going to tell them? Phoebe and Paige, I mean. Are you going to tell them about Lin, and where I am, and everything else?"
He sighed. "Not if you don't want me to."
She took a moment to think about this. "Don't," she said finally. "I can hardly think about them without wanting to cry, I can hardly say my own daughter's name out loud because it reminds me of... I'm not ready to go back to them yet. Until I am, I don't think it's fair to remind them that they've got a sister and a nephew and now a neice they haven't even met. I don't want them to think about us as much as I think about them."
A tear slid down her cheek. Victor wiped it away. "I won't tell them," he promised. "But I think you should. Honey, they do think about you, constantly. Nothing you do or don't say will make them love you any less. You have to know that."
She nodded. Carefully, so as not to wake Lin, she shifted the baby's weight to one arm and used her free hand to wipe the tears that were falling now. "Have you seen them lately?" she asked, sniffling.
"I'm going to, tomorrow. I promised them I'd come weeks ago, before I knew you were here," he explained. "My plane leaves tonight."
Piper nodded. She looked at the clock, and realised that he should probably be going. It was already pretty late, and the airport was a two-hour drive from there, what with the traffic and all. "If you have to tell them something," she began, her voice quavering with emotion, "Tell them I love them."
Victor leaned in, kissing her and the baby. "I love you," he said, getting up.
He was halfway out the door before he heard her whisper, "I love you, Daddy."
