~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mothers, tell your children
Be quick, you must be strong
Life is full of wonder
Love is never wrong
Remember how they taught you
How much of it was fear
Refuse to hand it down
The legacy stops here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This isn't supposed to happen yet. This isn't supposed to happen yet," Prue kept sobbing. She was crying, more from alarm than pain.
"It'll be okay," Victor assured her. "Just relax, sweetheart. It'll be okay." He picked her up, and carried her up the basement stairs and into the kitchen, where Piper and Phoebe came rushing in.
"Prue, honey, what is it? What's wrong?" Phoebe asked frantically.
"She's gone into labor," Victor told them. "Stay with her, and I'll go call the doctor."
"No," Prue cried out, reaching for him. "Daddy, I need you."
Victor, the only one to remain calm throughout this, almost lost it at these words. Fighting to control himself for the sake of his daughter and grandchild, he merely nodded, and held her close.
"Let's get her to the car," Piper suggested. "We can call the doctor on the way there."
Victor nodded, and carried her out to the car. As they were starting off, and she was in between contractions, Prue looked up at him and whispered, "If I'm wrong, and this baby is a boy, I want to name him after you."
Victor nearly cried right then and there. His little girl had finally forgiven him.
-x-
When they got to the hospital, they immediately set Prue up in the delivery room.
"Can't you stop it?" Piper demanded. "She's a full seven weeks early."
Prue's doctor, Dr. Williams, shook his head sadly. "It's too late. There's nothing we can do, except make sure that the baby gets extra medical attention as soon as it's born."
The baby, a girl, was born barely half an hour later. The doctor placed her on Prue's chest, and she noticed something was wrong.
"She isn't crying. Why isn't my baby crying?"
One of the nurses came and removed some fluid from the baby's nose and mouth. Prue relaxed as soon as she heard her child's first weak sobs. She got to hold the baby for only a few short minutes before the doctors came to take her away. Because she was premature, her lungs were still weak, and she needed to be on a respirator. As they took the baby down the hall, one of the doctors remarked to another that she truly looked like a little angel.
-x-
Piper and Leo stood outside the NICU nursery, looking through the glass window at the new baby.
"She's beautiful, Aunt Piper," Leo said.
"Isn't she, Uncle Leo?" Piper responded, awe-struck at her new neice.
He wrapped his arms around her, smiling. "I get to be Uncle Leo?"
Piper nodded. "If you want to be. I mean, the Morrises are going to be Uncle Darryl and Aunt Janna, and you're just as much part of the family as they are. But if you don't want to be..."
He kissed her. "Of course I want to be. You know I love Prue, and that little girl. More importantly, I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied, leaning against him.
He looked at his watch. "I have to get back to work. Want to walk back with me?"
They headed back toward the emergency room, where Leo's shift was halfway over. On the way, they passed the regular nursery, with several couples standing outside, looking at their new sons or daughters.
"That could be us someday," he mused.
Piper nodded. She'd been thinking the same thing, but hadn't wanted to scare him by saying so out loud. "I hope so."
"It will be," he promised. They kissed, then parted. He went down to the emergency room, and she headed toward her sister's room, feeling even more elated than she had been a moment ago.
-x-
Prue spent nearly every waking moment at her daughter's side for the next week, holding her tiny hand and telling the baby how much she loved her. She got very little sleep, and ate even less, but she was completely oblivious to her own health. All she wanted was to hold her baby.
Finally, on the seventh day, she got to do just that when Dr. Jenkins, the pediatric specialist, declared that the baby was strong enough to breathe on her own and no longer needed to be hooked up to a machine.
Within an hour, Prue was back in her hospital room, holding her tiny daughter. Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Victor were standing around her.
"Her name is Aviva," Prue announced. "It's from a Latin word meaning 'life'. After I almost lost her, it was the only name I could think of that sounded right."
"Aviva," Victor repeated, trying it out.
Prue nodded, looking at him meaningfully. "Aviva Victoria."
Victor leaned down to kiss her, then the baby. Phoebe, Piper, and Leo followed suit.
"Hey, we can call her Ava for short," Phoebe suggested.
Piper nodded, liking the sound of it. "Hi, Ava," she cooed, gently stroking the baby with her fingers.
Aviva gurgled in reply, wrapping her tiny fist around Piper's little finger.
Phoebe leaned in, taking the baby's other hand. "Prue, she's beautiful."
"She's perfect," Victor added.
Prue nodded. "She is, isn't she?" She looked up at her father. "Thank you," she said. "If you hadn't been there, hadn't been the one to keep a level head, I might have lost her."
Victor shook his head. "How so? Honey, I know how much extra stress I must have caused you-"
"Not enough to have caused this," Prue protested. "Daddy, if I hadn't gone to dinner with you, I would have been in the office working overtime. Again."
"Oh, no," Victor sighed. "Don't tell me you're a workaholic just like you're old dad?"
"I wouldn't go that far..."
"We would," Piper, Leo, and Phoebe said simultaniously.
Prue glared at them, but didn't have time to say anything, because the nurse came in announcing that visiting hours were long over.
Victor, Phoebe, Piper, and Leo each kissed Prue and Aviva good-bye, then left. Prue was now alone with her baby daughter.
"We'll be okay, sweet girl," she whispered to the baby. Aviva cooed in response. "I know, baby, I know. It's just the two of us. But we'll be okay. You know you've got lots of people who love you. You haven't met all of them yet, but they're there. I'm here. I love you. You don't ever have to be afraid."
****************
A/N: 75 chapters. Wow. I seriously didn't expect the fic to get this long, and no, I'm not finished yet. Let me know if you're getting bored...
A/N2: To the person who asked who my beta is, well, tis I. Heh, I used to have a beta, but she disappeared somewhere around chapter 15, so now I do all proofreading myself. I've always been a bit of a grammer nut, though, so that's why you won't see many mistakes. Of course, I do sometimes miss a thing or two, so if you see any errors, please let me know and I'll go back and fix them. Thanks. ;)
~from the song "Silent Legacy" by Melissa Etheridge~
Mothers, tell your children
Be quick, you must be strong
Life is full of wonder
Love is never wrong
Remember how they taught you
How much of it was fear
Refuse to hand it down
The legacy stops here
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"This isn't supposed to happen yet. This isn't supposed to happen yet," Prue kept sobbing. She was crying, more from alarm than pain.
"It'll be okay," Victor assured her. "Just relax, sweetheart. It'll be okay." He picked her up, and carried her up the basement stairs and into the kitchen, where Piper and Phoebe came rushing in.
"Prue, honey, what is it? What's wrong?" Phoebe asked frantically.
"She's gone into labor," Victor told them. "Stay with her, and I'll go call the doctor."
"No," Prue cried out, reaching for him. "Daddy, I need you."
Victor, the only one to remain calm throughout this, almost lost it at these words. Fighting to control himself for the sake of his daughter and grandchild, he merely nodded, and held her close.
"Let's get her to the car," Piper suggested. "We can call the doctor on the way there."
Victor nodded, and carried her out to the car. As they were starting off, and she was in between contractions, Prue looked up at him and whispered, "If I'm wrong, and this baby is a boy, I want to name him after you."
Victor nearly cried right then and there. His little girl had finally forgiven him.
-x-
When they got to the hospital, they immediately set Prue up in the delivery room.
"Can't you stop it?" Piper demanded. "She's a full seven weeks early."
Prue's doctor, Dr. Williams, shook his head sadly. "It's too late. There's nothing we can do, except make sure that the baby gets extra medical attention as soon as it's born."
The baby, a girl, was born barely half an hour later. The doctor placed her on Prue's chest, and she noticed something was wrong.
"She isn't crying. Why isn't my baby crying?"
One of the nurses came and removed some fluid from the baby's nose and mouth. Prue relaxed as soon as she heard her child's first weak sobs. She got to hold the baby for only a few short minutes before the doctors came to take her away. Because she was premature, her lungs were still weak, and she needed to be on a respirator. As they took the baby down the hall, one of the doctors remarked to another that she truly looked like a little angel.
-x-
Piper and Leo stood outside the NICU nursery, looking through the glass window at the new baby.
"She's beautiful, Aunt Piper," Leo said.
"Isn't she, Uncle Leo?" Piper responded, awe-struck at her new neice.
He wrapped his arms around her, smiling. "I get to be Uncle Leo?"
Piper nodded. "If you want to be. I mean, the Morrises are going to be Uncle Darryl and Aunt Janna, and you're just as much part of the family as they are. But if you don't want to be..."
He kissed her. "Of course I want to be. You know I love Prue, and that little girl. More importantly, I love you."
"I love you, too," she replied, leaning against him.
He looked at his watch. "I have to get back to work. Want to walk back with me?"
They headed back toward the emergency room, where Leo's shift was halfway over. On the way, they passed the regular nursery, with several couples standing outside, looking at their new sons or daughters.
"That could be us someday," he mused.
Piper nodded. She'd been thinking the same thing, but hadn't wanted to scare him by saying so out loud. "I hope so."
"It will be," he promised. They kissed, then parted. He went down to the emergency room, and she headed toward her sister's room, feeling even more elated than she had been a moment ago.
-x-
Prue spent nearly every waking moment at her daughter's side for the next week, holding her tiny hand and telling the baby how much she loved her. She got very little sleep, and ate even less, but she was completely oblivious to her own health. All she wanted was to hold her baby.
Finally, on the seventh day, she got to do just that when Dr. Jenkins, the pediatric specialist, declared that the baby was strong enough to breathe on her own and no longer needed to be hooked up to a machine.
Within an hour, Prue was back in her hospital room, holding her tiny daughter. Piper, Phoebe, Leo, and Victor were standing around her.
"Her name is Aviva," Prue announced. "It's from a Latin word meaning 'life'. After I almost lost her, it was the only name I could think of that sounded right."
"Aviva," Victor repeated, trying it out.
Prue nodded, looking at him meaningfully. "Aviva Victoria."
Victor leaned down to kiss her, then the baby. Phoebe, Piper, and Leo followed suit.
"Hey, we can call her Ava for short," Phoebe suggested.
Piper nodded, liking the sound of it. "Hi, Ava," she cooed, gently stroking the baby with her fingers.
Aviva gurgled in reply, wrapping her tiny fist around Piper's little finger.
Phoebe leaned in, taking the baby's other hand. "Prue, she's beautiful."
"She's perfect," Victor added.
Prue nodded. "She is, isn't she?" She looked up at her father. "Thank you," she said. "If you hadn't been there, hadn't been the one to keep a level head, I might have lost her."
Victor shook his head. "How so? Honey, I know how much extra stress I must have caused you-"
"Not enough to have caused this," Prue protested. "Daddy, if I hadn't gone to dinner with you, I would have been in the office working overtime. Again."
"Oh, no," Victor sighed. "Don't tell me you're a workaholic just like you're old dad?"
"I wouldn't go that far..."
"We would," Piper, Leo, and Phoebe said simultaniously.
Prue glared at them, but didn't have time to say anything, because the nurse came in announcing that visiting hours were long over.
Victor, Phoebe, Piper, and Leo each kissed Prue and Aviva good-bye, then left. Prue was now alone with her baby daughter.
"We'll be okay, sweet girl," she whispered to the baby. Aviva cooed in response. "I know, baby, I know. It's just the two of us. But we'll be okay. You know you've got lots of people who love you. You haven't met all of them yet, but they're there. I'm here. I love you. You don't ever have to be afraid."
****************
A/N: 75 chapters. Wow. I seriously didn't expect the fic to get this long, and no, I'm not finished yet. Let me know if you're getting bored...
A/N2: To the person who asked who my beta is, well, tis I. Heh, I used to have a beta, but she disappeared somewhere around chapter 15, so now I do all proofreading myself. I've always been a bit of a grammer nut, though, so that's why you won't see many mistakes. Of course, I do sometimes miss a thing or two, so if you see any errors, please let me know and I'll go back and fix them. Thanks. ;)
~from the song "Silent Legacy" by Melissa Etheridge~