~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There's a pain in her heart
She's trying so hard to unwind
Makes her cry in the night
When visions so real make her blind
Wants to break through the fear
Erasing the scars from within
Start a new kind of being
She's down and she's praying again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo was summoned immediately. He brought along a neurologist, and they were both hovering over Prue, asking her questions. Piper, Phoebe, and Andy had been banished to the back of the room, where they watched helplessly as the doctors examined Prue.
"We have to run a few tests to confirm it, but we think you have a condition known commonly as temporary paralysis." the neurologist said.
"Really? Because you know, I never would have guessed." Prue tended to get sarcastic when she was scared, and right now she was very, very scared.
The doctor ignored her. "The good news is, we can minimize the damage with therapy. I believe Dr. Wyatt already told you about our physical therapist? Well, we can have her work with you to regain movement in your legs."
"How well will this work?" Piper asked.
The doctor shrugged. "It's impossible to tell until we try. Sometimes it doesn't work at all, in other cases there have been complete recoveries. Now, don't get your hopes up, but your sister's injury may not be as severe as I'd first thought. There is a good chance that she could relearn how to walk. You need to keep in mind that there's also a slight chance the she can spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair."
Prue shook her head. "That's not going to happen. When can I meet this phsycal therapist?"
Leo smiled. "I told you she had spirit."
"Good." the other doctor replied. "She'll need it."
The two doctors left, and Prue was surrounded by her family. None of them quite knew what to say.
"Guys, stop it." Prue said. "Stop worrying. I'll be fine."
"We know you will be." Andy said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll work through this. And we'll all be here to help you."
"All of you?" Prue asked, looking up at Andy and wondering if this meant he planned to stick around.
Andy nodded in answer to her unasked question. "All of us."
Satisfied, Prue turned her attention to Piper. "So, what's the deal with you and that cute doctor?"
Piper pretended to be baffled. "Me and what doctor?"
"Don't play stupid with me; I'm better at it." Prue said.
Piper opened her mouth to protest, but Prue shot her a Look. "Don't even think about denying it. I saw how you looked at each other."
Piper blushed. "I really don't know what you're talking about."
Prue smirked. "Yeah, okay."
Piper's blush deepened. "Um, I'm kinda thristy. Does anyone else want a soda or something?"
"Oooh, coffee. Please?" Prue begged.
Piper shook her head. "Not a chance. You're getting milk, it'll help your bones heal faster. Andy, Phoebe, I'll get you guys sodas?"
Andy and Phoebe both nodded, and Piper ran off to the hospital cafeteria.
"You really think there's something going on between our sister and D.r Wyatt?" Phoebe asked when Piper left the room.
"Oh yeah," Prue said. "What, you mean to tell me you've been around here for a week and didn't notice, when I saw it five minutes after coming out of a coma? You two are even more out of it than I am."
"Well, we kinda had other things on our minds." Andy reminded her.
"Yeah." Phoebe chimed in. "You know, for a while there, I was really scared. I was afraid I was going to lose you, right when we started to get along. I just..." her voice trailed off.
"I know." Prue said. A thought suddenly occured to her. "What day is it?"
"Saturday." Andy answered.
"Oh." she replied. There was an unexpected, awkward silence.
"I'm going to go find Piper," Phoebe said. She knew Andy and Prue needed to talk, even if they didn't realize it themselves, so she went.
"So I guess we never got to go on our date." Prue said.
Andy grimanced. "God, Prue... When I got that phone call, I just... If you had died, I don't know what I would have done. I know it sounds like some dumb old aphorism, and hell, that's what it is, but it's true. I don't know what I would have done."
"You would have moved on, Andy," Prue said softly. "You would have done it because you would have had to. You would have gone on as you were. Why wouldn't you? We'd only found each other again two days before..." the sentence died on her lips. She couldn't name it, the accident, the thing that had nearly ended her life and instead quite possibly destroyed it.
Andy shook his head vigorously. "I wouldn't have forgotten you. I never had, Prue, even after high school, when we went our seperate ways, I never forgot you."
"I didn't say you would, I just said you'd move on." Prue replied, keeping that soft, wistful tone. She swallowed, and forced her voice to take on it's normal strength. "And anyway," she continued, "I didn't die. I'm not planning on it anytime soon, so this whole discussion is pointless."
Andy nodded, and kissed her. "Right. Forget what happened, what could have. Now, we can focus on the future."
"You've been back in my life for two days and you're alreayd talking about the future? A bit presumptuous, aren't you, Mr. Trudeau?" Prue asked playfully.
"A week and two days." Andy corrected.
Prue frowned. "That's right. I keep forgetting..." She looked up at him, curious. "Where you really here the whole time? In the hospital, I mean? With me?"
Andy nodded. "The whole time. Well, not as much as Piper. She slept on a cot almost every night. But I was here every day, until the staff kicked me out at night." He frowned. "You look surprised. Why?"
"You'd only been back in my life two days." Prue reiterated.
Andy took her hand. "You know, when I moved back to San Francisco, I was hoping I'd see you. I know, high school was a long time ago, and we were just kids, but I... I still love you, Prue."
He leaned in and kissed her again. This time, the kiss was deeper, more lasting, and suddenly, Prue wasn't so scared anymore.
****************
A/N: Those of you who've been bugging me for more Piper/Leo time will be very happy next chapter. All I'm gonna say.
A/N2: Just hit 100 reviews! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, especially witchnicky, my beta reader. I've gotten up to chapter 27 ready to go up, so if you keep reading, I'll keep writing. I'm not nearly done yet!
~from the song "Hurt Before" by The Corrs~
There's a pain in her heart
She's trying so hard to unwind
Makes her cry in the night
When visions so real make her blind
Wants to break through the fear
Erasing the scars from within
Start a new kind of being
She's down and she's praying again
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo was summoned immediately. He brought along a neurologist, and they were both hovering over Prue, asking her questions. Piper, Phoebe, and Andy had been banished to the back of the room, where they watched helplessly as the doctors examined Prue.
"We have to run a few tests to confirm it, but we think you have a condition known commonly as temporary paralysis." the neurologist said.
"Really? Because you know, I never would have guessed." Prue tended to get sarcastic when she was scared, and right now she was very, very scared.
The doctor ignored her. "The good news is, we can minimize the damage with therapy. I believe Dr. Wyatt already told you about our physical therapist? Well, we can have her work with you to regain movement in your legs."
"How well will this work?" Piper asked.
The doctor shrugged. "It's impossible to tell until we try. Sometimes it doesn't work at all, in other cases there have been complete recoveries. Now, don't get your hopes up, but your sister's injury may not be as severe as I'd first thought. There is a good chance that she could relearn how to walk. You need to keep in mind that there's also a slight chance the she can spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair."
Prue shook her head. "That's not going to happen. When can I meet this phsycal therapist?"
Leo smiled. "I told you she had spirit."
"Good." the other doctor replied. "She'll need it."
The two doctors left, and Prue was surrounded by her family. None of them quite knew what to say.
"Guys, stop it." Prue said. "Stop worrying. I'll be fine."
"We know you will be." Andy said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "You'll work through this. And we'll all be here to help you."
"All of you?" Prue asked, looking up at Andy and wondering if this meant he planned to stick around.
Andy nodded in answer to her unasked question. "All of us."
Satisfied, Prue turned her attention to Piper. "So, what's the deal with you and that cute doctor?"
Piper pretended to be baffled. "Me and what doctor?"
"Don't play stupid with me; I'm better at it." Prue said.
Piper opened her mouth to protest, but Prue shot her a Look. "Don't even think about denying it. I saw how you looked at each other."
Piper blushed. "I really don't know what you're talking about."
Prue smirked. "Yeah, okay."
Piper's blush deepened. "Um, I'm kinda thristy. Does anyone else want a soda or something?"
"Oooh, coffee. Please?" Prue begged.
Piper shook her head. "Not a chance. You're getting milk, it'll help your bones heal faster. Andy, Phoebe, I'll get you guys sodas?"
Andy and Phoebe both nodded, and Piper ran off to the hospital cafeteria.
"You really think there's something going on between our sister and D.r Wyatt?" Phoebe asked when Piper left the room.
"Oh yeah," Prue said. "What, you mean to tell me you've been around here for a week and didn't notice, when I saw it five minutes after coming out of a coma? You two are even more out of it than I am."
"Well, we kinda had other things on our minds." Andy reminded her.
"Yeah." Phoebe chimed in. "You know, for a while there, I was really scared. I was afraid I was going to lose you, right when we started to get along. I just..." her voice trailed off.
"I know." Prue said. A thought suddenly occured to her. "What day is it?"
"Saturday." Andy answered.
"Oh." she replied. There was an unexpected, awkward silence.
"I'm going to go find Piper," Phoebe said. She knew Andy and Prue needed to talk, even if they didn't realize it themselves, so she went.
"So I guess we never got to go on our date." Prue said.
Andy grimanced. "God, Prue... When I got that phone call, I just... If you had died, I don't know what I would have done. I know it sounds like some dumb old aphorism, and hell, that's what it is, but it's true. I don't know what I would have done."
"You would have moved on, Andy," Prue said softly. "You would have done it because you would have had to. You would have gone on as you were. Why wouldn't you? We'd only found each other again two days before..." the sentence died on her lips. She couldn't name it, the accident, the thing that had nearly ended her life and instead quite possibly destroyed it.
Andy shook his head vigorously. "I wouldn't have forgotten you. I never had, Prue, even after high school, when we went our seperate ways, I never forgot you."
"I didn't say you would, I just said you'd move on." Prue replied, keeping that soft, wistful tone. She swallowed, and forced her voice to take on it's normal strength. "And anyway," she continued, "I didn't die. I'm not planning on it anytime soon, so this whole discussion is pointless."
Andy nodded, and kissed her. "Right. Forget what happened, what could have. Now, we can focus on the future."
"You've been back in my life for two days and you're alreayd talking about the future? A bit presumptuous, aren't you, Mr. Trudeau?" Prue asked playfully.
"A week and two days." Andy corrected.
Prue frowned. "That's right. I keep forgetting..." She looked up at him, curious. "Where you really here the whole time? In the hospital, I mean? With me?"
Andy nodded. "The whole time. Well, not as much as Piper. She slept on a cot almost every night. But I was here every day, until the staff kicked me out at night." He frowned. "You look surprised. Why?"
"You'd only been back in my life two days." Prue reiterated.
Andy took her hand. "You know, when I moved back to San Francisco, I was hoping I'd see you. I know, high school was a long time ago, and we were just kids, but I... I still love you, Prue."
He leaned in and kissed her again. This time, the kiss was deeper, more lasting, and suddenly, Prue wasn't so scared anymore.
****************
A/N: Those of you who've been bugging me for more Piper/Leo time will be very happy next chapter. All I'm gonna say.
A/N2: Just hit 100 reviews! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, especially witchnicky, my beta reader. I've gotten up to chapter 27 ready to go up, so if you keep reading, I'll keep writing. I'm not nearly done yet!
~from the song "Hurt Before" by The Corrs~