Over a month later, Piper was still seeing Jared. Grams still strongly disapproved, but Piper was trying to be the perfect granddaughter, limiting the time she spent with Jared and never neglecting her family or schoolwork. However, she could only keep this up for so long.
"Piper," Prue called gently, standing outside the bathroom door. "Honey, are you okay?"
"No," Piper managed before heaving into the toilet.
Prue sighed, worried. Her sister had been in there for half an hour now. This had almost become routine, within the last two weeks or so. "Honey, you should really see a doctor. It's probably just the flu, but he can prescribe something."
"No," Piper repeated, opening the door. Standing up straight, she was still several inches shorter than her sister; still, Prue was shocked at how much older she looked. "It's not the flu," Piper said, her eyes filling with tears. "At least, I don't think it is. Prue, I'm late."
Prue sucked in a deep breath, trying to think straight for the benefit of her sister. "Okay, by how long?"
"Two months," Piper said shakily. "The first time, I just kept hoping I'd get it, but I still haven't, and now I'm getting sick all the time, and..." She broke off, afraid that if she said any more, she'd start to cry.
Prue was finding it harder by the second to form rational thoughts. "How long ago was the last time you and Jared...?"
"Seven weeks ago. The first time, when I told you. We haven't done anything since," Piper swore.
"Honey, once is all it takes," Prue said softly.
"I know," Piper replied. There was a pause. "God, what am I going to do?"
"Well, first you need to know for sure," Prue said, once again thinking clearly. "I'll go make you a doctor's appointment, and I'm taking you myself. I can afford to skip class for one day, especially for this." Prue was a Fine Arts major at the nearby university, only ten minutes from where Jared went to class. In fact, the two had seen each other several times in the two colleges' shared popular hangout, a coffee house within equal distance of the schools. Prue had gotten the impression that he was a nice guy, genuinely interested in her sister, but that didn't stop her from loathing him at the moment.
"Prue, what if I am?" Piper asked fearfully.
"We'll worry about it when we know for sure," she said. She gave her sister a quick kiss, then pointed her down the hall. "Now go back to bed. I'm tell Grams you've got the flu."
Piper sighed. "I hate lying to her."
Prue gave her a small half-smile. "I know. But hey, maybe the doctor will tell us that it's not a lie."
Piper feebly tried to smile back, then disappeared into her room. Prue then went into her own room, both to set up the appointment and to call Grams at work and let her know that Piper was staying home from school. Then, she went back to Piper, trying in vain to comfort the girl.
The appointment was for twelve noon. Piper was quickly examined by the doctor, had blood drawn, and then, since there weren't many other patients, told to sit with Prue in the waiting room until the test results were ready. Since it was a slow day for the doctor, this didn't take long, though for Piper it seemed like an eternity and a half before she was finally called back into the office.
"Well, Ms. Halliwell, the results are pretty straightforward," the doctor, a middle-aged, grey-haired gentleman, began. "According to the examination and the tests we ran, you're in perfect health. You're also pregnant."
It took every ounce of strength Piper had not to cry. Prue reached over and squeezed her hand, then took over for her as far as listening to the doctor's advice and finally thanking him when they were through, as Piper sat motionless, unable to hear a word of their conversation. Prue had to steer her back to the car. It wasn't until they'd pulled onto the highway that Piper said anything at all.
"I'm only sixteen," she whispered to no one in particular. "How can this happen?"
Prue reached over and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You can get through this, Piper. When we get home, we'll talk, and you can figure out what you want to do. We've still got a few hours before Phoebe gets home. That'll at least give us time to talk it over."
"So we're going to decide my entire future in the span of 'a few hours'?" Piper demanded.
"We're going to figure out where we go from here," Prue corrected, keeping her temper in check in response to her sister's irritability.
Piper sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. You not the one I'm mad at; I am."
"I know, honey," Prue said. "I can't even imagine how scared you must feel. But you've got to let me help you. I'd hate to see you go through it alone."
Piper nodded, but turned so her back was to her sister, and curled up in her seat. She spent the rest of the drive just staring out the window.
When they got home, it took Prue half an hour to get Piper to eat a bowl of soup. When she'd finally had lunch, she went into her room, where at last Prue got her talking.
"I have to tell Jared," Piper said with a sigh. "And Grams... Oh, she's already so disappointed in me. She'll never forgive me now."
"Of course she will," Prue assured her. "She's probably just as mad at herself as she is at you. I mean, she's supposed to be your parental figure, she's responsible for teaching you, and she probably feels like she's failed somehow."
Piper bit her lip. "You sound like you can relate."
Prue shrugged uncomfortably. She'd just inadvertantly confessed her own feelings about the situation, but, not wanting to upset her already distraught sister, she pretended she'd been speaking purely hypothetically.
Piper knew her sister too well to believe her. "Honey, I'm so sorry. I'm the one who screwed up. Not you. Please don't feel bad for my mistake."
"Hey, don't worry about it, sweetie," Prue said. "You need to figure out your own feelings about this, so don't even think about mine or anyone else's."
"How can I not?" Piper questioned. "Prue, you didn't see the look on Grams' face when she caught me sneaking in that morning. And this is just so much worse... How could I have let this happen?"
Unsure of how to respond, Prue just said, "I think we need to worry more about what's going to happen next. Do you want me there when you talk to Grams?"
Piper nodded. "Yes. I need you. I can't face Grams alone. But I don't want Phoebe there. I know I'll have to let her know eventually, I mean, I'll only be able to hide it for so long, but... She's so young, and she looks up to me, not as much as she does to you, but still..." She squeezed her eyes shut, but a few tears rolled down anyway. She kept coming back to the same question, and nobody - not Prue, not Grams, not even Jared - was going to be able to give her an answer.
How could she have let this happen?
"Piper," Prue called gently, standing outside the bathroom door. "Honey, are you okay?"
"No," Piper managed before heaving into the toilet.
Prue sighed, worried. Her sister had been in there for half an hour now. This had almost become routine, within the last two weeks or so. "Honey, you should really see a doctor. It's probably just the flu, but he can prescribe something."
"No," Piper repeated, opening the door. Standing up straight, she was still several inches shorter than her sister; still, Prue was shocked at how much older she looked. "It's not the flu," Piper said, her eyes filling with tears. "At least, I don't think it is. Prue, I'm late."
Prue sucked in a deep breath, trying to think straight for the benefit of her sister. "Okay, by how long?"
"Two months," Piper said shakily. "The first time, I just kept hoping I'd get it, but I still haven't, and now I'm getting sick all the time, and..." She broke off, afraid that if she said any more, she'd start to cry.
Prue was finding it harder by the second to form rational thoughts. "How long ago was the last time you and Jared...?"
"Seven weeks ago. The first time, when I told you. We haven't done anything since," Piper swore.
"Honey, once is all it takes," Prue said softly.
"I know," Piper replied. There was a pause. "God, what am I going to do?"
"Well, first you need to know for sure," Prue said, once again thinking clearly. "I'll go make you a doctor's appointment, and I'm taking you myself. I can afford to skip class for one day, especially for this." Prue was a Fine Arts major at the nearby university, only ten minutes from where Jared went to class. In fact, the two had seen each other several times in the two colleges' shared popular hangout, a coffee house within equal distance of the schools. Prue had gotten the impression that he was a nice guy, genuinely interested in her sister, but that didn't stop her from loathing him at the moment.
"Prue, what if I am?" Piper asked fearfully.
"We'll worry about it when we know for sure," she said. She gave her sister a quick kiss, then pointed her down the hall. "Now go back to bed. I'm tell Grams you've got the flu."
Piper sighed. "I hate lying to her."
Prue gave her a small half-smile. "I know. But hey, maybe the doctor will tell us that it's not a lie."
Piper feebly tried to smile back, then disappeared into her room. Prue then went into her own room, both to set up the appointment and to call Grams at work and let her know that Piper was staying home from school. Then, she went back to Piper, trying in vain to comfort the girl.
The appointment was for twelve noon. Piper was quickly examined by the doctor, had blood drawn, and then, since there weren't many other patients, told to sit with Prue in the waiting room until the test results were ready. Since it was a slow day for the doctor, this didn't take long, though for Piper it seemed like an eternity and a half before she was finally called back into the office.
"Well, Ms. Halliwell, the results are pretty straightforward," the doctor, a middle-aged, grey-haired gentleman, began. "According to the examination and the tests we ran, you're in perfect health. You're also pregnant."
It took every ounce of strength Piper had not to cry. Prue reached over and squeezed her hand, then took over for her as far as listening to the doctor's advice and finally thanking him when they were through, as Piper sat motionless, unable to hear a word of their conversation. Prue had to steer her back to the car. It wasn't until they'd pulled onto the highway that Piper said anything at all.
"I'm only sixteen," she whispered to no one in particular. "How can this happen?"
Prue reached over and put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You can get through this, Piper. When we get home, we'll talk, and you can figure out what you want to do. We've still got a few hours before Phoebe gets home. That'll at least give us time to talk it over."
"So we're going to decide my entire future in the span of 'a few hours'?" Piper demanded.
"We're going to figure out where we go from here," Prue corrected, keeping her temper in check in response to her sister's irritability.
Piper sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. You not the one I'm mad at; I am."
"I know, honey," Prue said. "I can't even imagine how scared you must feel. But you've got to let me help you. I'd hate to see you go through it alone."
Piper nodded, but turned so her back was to her sister, and curled up in her seat. She spent the rest of the drive just staring out the window.
When they got home, it took Prue half an hour to get Piper to eat a bowl of soup. When she'd finally had lunch, she went into her room, where at last Prue got her talking.
"I have to tell Jared," Piper said with a sigh. "And Grams... Oh, she's already so disappointed in me. She'll never forgive me now."
"Of course she will," Prue assured her. "She's probably just as mad at herself as she is at you. I mean, she's supposed to be your parental figure, she's responsible for teaching you, and she probably feels like she's failed somehow."
Piper bit her lip. "You sound like you can relate."
Prue shrugged uncomfortably. She'd just inadvertantly confessed her own feelings about the situation, but, not wanting to upset her already distraught sister, she pretended she'd been speaking purely hypothetically.
Piper knew her sister too well to believe her. "Honey, I'm so sorry. I'm the one who screwed up. Not you. Please don't feel bad for my mistake."
"Hey, don't worry about it, sweetie," Prue said. "You need to figure out your own feelings about this, so don't even think about mine or anyone else's."
"How can I not?" Piper questioned. "Prue, you didn't see the look on Grams' face when she caught me sneaking in that morning. And this is just so much worse... How could I have let this happen?"
Unsure of how to respond, Prue just said, "I think we need to worry more about what's going to happen next. Do you want me there when you talk to Grams?"
Piper nodded. "Yes. I need you. I can't face Grams alone. But I don't want Phoebe there. I know I'll have to let her know eventually, I mean, I'll only be able to hide it for so long, but... She's so young, and she looks up to me, not as much as she does to you, but still..." She squeezed her eyes shut, but a few tears rolled down anyway. She kept coming back to the same question, and nobody - not Prue, not Grams, not even Jared - was going to be able to give her an answer.
How could she have let this happen?