~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You're in my mind
All of the time
I know that's not enough
But if the sky can crack
There must be some way back
To love, and only love
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a long night. Piper, Phoebe, and Andy had stayed in the waiting room, pacing around and waiting for news from the doctor. Finally, the girls had fallen asleep, leaning against each other on one of the hospital's hard seats.
Andy woke them when the doctor came in. They protested at first, exhausted, but sprang up when they saw Leo.
"How is she?" Piper asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"She's in Recovery." Leo replied. "She's not awake yet."
"She'll be okay, though, right?" Andy asked.
Leo nodded. "She'll live. There might be some damage to her spinal cord, she hit pretty hard. But she'll live."
"Can we see her?" Phoebe requested.
Leo hesitated, but gave in to Piper's pleading look. 'God, she's beautiful,' he thought, 'even with her face all tear-stained and miserable.' Silently, he chided himself for thinking that, even if he couldn't help it. Her sister had almost died, for chrissake, he couldn't make a pass at her now. He sighed, forcing his mind to go back to focusing on the patient. "You can see her, but I'm warning you, she's pretty beat up. You can't stay too long."
He led them to Prue's bed in the CCU. "Come find me or one of the nurses if she wakes up," he instructed. With that, he was gone.
Piper and Phoebe knelt beside their sister, while Andy hung back. The girls were both shaking, trying not to cry at the sight of their big sister bruised and hooked up to every machine imaginable. They sat on opposite sides of her, stroking her hair and willing her to come back to them.
Days passed, and Prue's condition remained much the same. Andy, Piper and Phoebe were there every day, sometimes spending the night. Usually, Leo managed to convince at least one of them to go home and get some sleep. Piper was the most exhausted; she'd come to the hospital after work every day, and talk Leo and the nurses into letting her stay well past visiting hours, if she left Prue's side at all. Most of the time she just spent the night in a cot next to Prue's bed, crying herself to sleep. Leo was growing very worried about her, and on more than just a doctor-patient level. Still, he brushed those feelings aside.
One Saturday morning, a little over a week after the accident, Leo found Piper curled up in a chair next to Prue's hospital bed.
"Hey, isn't it a little early for you to be here?" he asked gently.
Piper looked up. "I can't leave her." she said.
Leo frowned. Something about her voice... he could tell she was tryiing desperately not to cry. She always tried to be the strong one, like her big sister. She never cried in front of anyone else; not her younger sister, not the cop, not even in front of the hospital staff. He admired that about her, that strength, but at the same time, it scared him. She needed someone to confide in. She needed someone to hold her and tell her it would be allright. He knew this the moment she looked up at him with that frightened, vulnerable expression.
That was the moment when everything changed. He knelt down in front of her, and kissed her. Then, he held her to him, whispering reassuring things in her ear. She put her arms around his neck like a small child, and, for the first time in front of someone, she cried.
****************
A/N: Well, I hope that made up for the lack of P/L in the previous chapters. I know it seemed slow, but if I had them meet right away, it would be completely missing the point of this fic. I hope you like it so far. Please, review and let me know.
~from the song "Electrical Storm" by U2~
You're in my mind
All of the time
I know that's not enough
But if the sky can crack
There must be some way back
To love, and only love
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a long night. Piper, Phoebe, and Andy had stayed in the waiting room, pacing around and waiting for news from the doctor. Finally, the girls had fallen asleep, leaning against each other on one of the hospital's hard seats.
Andy woke them when the doctor came in. They protested at first, exhausted, but sprang up when they saw Leo.
"How is she?" Piper asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"She's in Recovery." Leo replied. "She's not awake yet."
"She'll be okay, though, right?" Andy asked.
Leo nodded. "She'll live. There might be some damage to her spinal cord, she hit pretty hard. But she'll live."
"Can we see her?" Phoebe requested.
Leo hesitated, but gave in to Piper's pleading look. 'God, she's beautiful,' he thought, 'even with her face all tear-stained and miserable.' Silently, he chided himself for thinking that, even if he couldn't help it. Her sister had almost died, for chrissake, he couldn't make a pass at her now. He sighed, forcing his mind to go back to focusing on the patient. "You can see her, but I'm warning you, she's pretty beat up. You can't stay too long."
He led them to Prue's bed in the CCU. "Come find me or one of the nurses if she wakes up," he instructed. With that, he was gone.
Piper and Phoebe knelt beside their sister, while Andy hung back. The girls were both shaking, trying not to cry at the sight of their big sister bruised and hooked up to every machine imaginable. They sat on opposite sides of her, stroking her hair and willing her to come back to them.
Days passed, and Prue's condition remained much the same. Andy, Piper and Phoebe were there every day, sometimes spending the night. Usually, Leo managed to convince at least one of them to go home and get some sleep. Piper was the most exhausted; she'd come to the hospital after work every day, and talk Leo and the nurses into letting her stay well past visiting hours, if she left Prue's side at all. Most of the time she just spent the night in a cot next to Prue's bed, crying herself to sleep. Leo was growing very worried about her, and on more than just a doctor-patient level. Still, he brushed those feelings aside.
One Saturday morning, a little over a week after the accident, Leo found Piper curled up in a chair next to Prue's hospital bed.
"Hey, isn't it a little early for you to be here?" he asked gently.
Piper looked up. "I can't leave her." she said.
Leo frowned. Something about her voice... he could tell she was tryiing desperately not to cry. She always tried to be the strong one, like her big sister. She never cried in front of anyone else; not her younger sister, not the cop, not even in front of the hospital staff. He admired that about her, that strength, but at the same time, it scared him. She needed someone to confide in. She needed someone to hold her and tell her it would be allright. He knew this the moment she looked up at him with that frightened, vulnerable expression.
That was the moment when everything changed. He knelt down in front of her, and kissed her. Then, he held her to him, whispering reassuring things in her ear. She put her arms around his neck like a small child, and, for the first time in front of someone, she cried.
****************
A/N: Well, I hope that made up for the lack of P/L in the previous chapters. I know it seemed slow, but if I had them meet right away, it would be completely missing the point of this fic. I hope you like it so far. Please, review and let me know.
~from the song "Electrical Storm" by U2~