~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm not crazy
I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay a while and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Piper woke up just after dawn the next morning feeling like hell. Leo found her in the living room, curled up on the couch with a box of tissues.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting down next to her.
"Nothig, it's brobably just the blu," she replied. She blew her nose and tried again. "It's probably just the flu."
"What are your symptoms?" he asked, feeling her forehead for signs of a fever.
"Leo, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine," she insisted. "Really, I don't need you to examine me. I just need to go home and rest." She got up to leave, and made it halfway to the door before the room started to spin. "Okay, maybe I do need you," she said before collapsing.
Leo rushed over to her side, and tried to revive her. He quickly realized that she needed more medical attention than he alone could provide. Gently, he lifted her up, and carried her down to his car, intent on getting her to the hospital as quickly as possible.
-x-
Prue was already at Buckland's when she got the phone call. "Prue, it's Leo. Piper's sick. I had to take her the hospital. Come quick, it's pretty bad." That was it. No further explanation had been necessary. They'd both hung up before Prue had even thought to ask questions. Now, she was left to panic.
She was pacing her office when there was a knock at the door. Prue jumped, but tried to hide her anxiety when Jack poked his head in.
"Prue, you wanted to see me?" he asked, closing the door behind him.
"Yeah, um, I was wondering if you could cover for me," she said. "My sister's in the hospital. I just got a call from her boyfriend, he said she's really sick."
"Sure, of course," he said. "Go to your sister."
"Thanks," she said, giving him a grateful half-smile. She went back behind her desk, standing over the playpen she'd set up in the corner for days like this one, when Janna couldn't babysit. Five-month-old Aviva was sitting up, hugging the stuffed lamb that had once been Prue's. "I'll be leaving any minute, I hope. I'm just waiting for Tanya to get in so she can watch Ava."
"I'll take care of her," Jack offered.
Prue raised an eyebrow. In the few times she'd had to have him babysit, it had never been for an extended period of time, and she'd never been farther than down the hall. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," he replied without hesitation. "Aviva and I get along great. Don't we, kid?"
Aviva chose that moment to giggle at her lamb. Jack conveniently decided to take this as a 'yes'.
"See," he said, "She just agreed with me. Come on, Prue. You know they don't let kids in the hospital, and you need to be with your sister. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Just go."
"Okay," she agreed. She kissed him. "I'll be back later."
"Not if you don't leave," he said, pushing her toward the door. Waving good-bye to her daughter, she slipped out, and ran downstairs to her car.
-x-
As she pulled out of the parking lot, Prue called Paige and Phoebe to make sure they knew about Piper. They both did. Phoebe was already on her way to the hospital in Paige's Volvo, which she'd borrowed that morning to go to class. Paige, who'd gotten a ride from a friend at work, was now carless. Since Prue was closer to her than Phoebe was, it was agreed that the eldest sister would swing by and pick her up.
Paige was waiting outside the building when Prue turned into the lot. She jumped into the car as soon as it pulled up, barely waiting for Prue to bring it to a complete stop.
"What happened? How is she?" Paige demanded, absently buckling her seat belt as Prue sped onto the street.
"I don't know," Prue replied, anxiously gripping the steering wheel. "Leo didn't tell me much. I'm hoping that means there isn't much to tell, but he did say we should get down there, which can't be a good sign."
"Okay, but if something were really wrong, Leo would have told you over the phone, or at least prepared you for it somehow," Paige countered. "Maybe he just wants us down there to make sure that when she's released, she won't be going home sick to an empty house by herself."
Prue nodded, trying to accept Paige's explanation. "Yeah," she said half-heartedly. "Yeah, that's probably it."
They lapsed into silence, neither quite believing it but both wanting to. They stayed this way until they arrived at the hospital, found a parking space, and ran up to the front desk.
"Hi, can you tell us where Piper Halliwell is? We're her sisters," Prue requested of the receptionist.
"Halliwell," the woman repeated slowly, typing it into her computer. "This'll just take a second."
Or less. Before the computer even had a chance to load, Phoebe was coming at them from down the hall. "Prue, Paige, she's upstairs!" she called. "Come on."
The three met up in front of the elevator, and, clutching hands, took it up to the fourth floor. Phoebe brought her sisters into a small room at the end of the hall, where Leo was sitting on the bed, hovering over a sleeping Piper.
"How is she?" Paige asked.
Leo looked up, noticing for the first time that they were there. "Stable. The doctors aren't quite sure what's wrong with her. So far her fever's gone down as a result of the medication, but other than that, there's really no change from when I brought her in."
"She was awake before, when I got here," Phoebe added. "She seemed kind of out of it, but that was probably the fever."
"How can the doctors not know what's wrong with her?" Prue questioned.
Leo sighed. "They're running a few blood tests, but so far all they can treat is the symptoms. I think I heard someone say something about calling in an infectious diseases specialist, but that might just be to rule out a few possibilities."
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged glances, each too afraid to ask what sort of possibilities Leo was referring to. They stood just inside the doorway, leaning against each other. Prue was in the middle, her arms around her sisters as much for her own comfort as for theirs. She gave them each a small kiss, and pulled them closer. None of them took their eyes off Piper. She didn't stir.
****************
~from the song "Unwell" by Matchbox 20~
I'm not crazy
I'm just a little unwell
I know right now you can't tell
But stay a while and maybe then you'll see
A different side of me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Piper woke up just after dawn the next morning feeling like hell. Leo found her in the living room, curled up on the couch with a box of tissues.
"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked, sitting down next to her.
"Nothig, it's brobably just the blu," she replied. She blew her nose and tried again. "It's probably just the flu."
"What are your symptoms?" he asked, feeling her forehead for signs of a fever.
"Leo, I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine," she insisted. "Really, I don't need you to examine me. I just need to go home and rest." She got up to leave, and made it halfway to the door before the room started to spin. "Okay, maybe I do need you," she said before collapsing.
Leo rushed over to her side, and tried to revive her. He quickly realized that she needed more medical attention than he alone could provide. Gently, he lifted her up, and carried her down to his car, intent on getting her to the hospital as quickly as possible.
-x-
Prue was already at Buckland's when she got the phone call. "Prue, it's Leo. Piper's sick. I had to take her the hospital. Come quick, it's pretty bad." That was it. No further explanation had been necessary. They'd both hung up before Prue had even thought to ask questions. Now, she was left to panic.
She was pacing her office when there was a knock at the door. Prue jumped, but tried to hide her anxiety when Jack poked his head in.
"Prue, you wanted to see me?" he asked, closing the door behind him.
"Yeah, um, I was wondering if you could cover for me," she said. "My sister's in the hospital. I just got a call from her boyfriend, he said she's really sick."
"Sure, of course," he said. "Go to your sister."
"Thanks," she said, giving him a grateful half-smile. She went back behind her desk, standing over the playpen she'd set up in the corner for days like this one, when Janna couldn't babysit. Five-month-old Aviva was sitting up, hugging the stuffed lamb that had once been Prue's. "I'll be leaving any minute, I hope. I'm just waiting for Tanya to get in so she can watch Ava."
"I'll take care of her," Jack offered.
Prue raised an eyebrow. In the few times she'd had to have him babysit, it had never been for an extended period of time, and she'd never been farther than down the hall. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," he replied without hesitation. "Aviva and I get along great. Don't we, kid?"
Aviva chose that moment to giggle at her lamb. Jack conveniently decided to take this as a 'yes'.
"See," he said, "She just agreed with me. Come on, Prue. You know they don't let kids in the hospital, and you need to be with your sister. Don't worry about us, we'll be fine. Just go."
"Okay," she agreed. She kissed him. "I'll be back later."
"Not if you don't leave," he said, pushing her toward the door. Waving good-bye to her daughter, she slipped out, and ran downstairs to her car.
-x-
As she pulled out of the parking lot, Prue called Paige and Phoebe to make sure they knew about Piper. They both did. Phoebe was already on her way to the hospital in Paige's Volvo, which she'd borrowed that morning to go to class. Paige, who'd gotten a ride from a friend at work, was now carless. Since Prue was closer to her than Phoebe was, it was agreed that the eldest sister would swing by and pick her up.
Paige was waiting outside the building when Prue turned into the lot. She jumped into the car as soon as it pulled up, barely waiting for Prue to bring it to a complete stop.
"What happened? How is she?" Paige demanded, absently buckling her seat belt as Prue sped onto the street.
"I don't know," Prue replied, anxiously gripping the steering wheel. "Leo didn't tell me much. I'm hoping that means there isn't much to tell, but he did say we should get down there, which can't be a good sign."
"Okay, but if something were really wrong, Leo would have told you over the phone, or at least prepared you for it somehow," Paige countered. "Maybe he just wants us down there to make sure that when she's released, she won't be going home sick to an empty house by herself."
Prue nodded, trying to accept Paige's explanation. "Yeah," she said half-heartedly. "Yeah, that's probably it."
They lapsed into silence, neither quite believing it but both wanting to. They stayed this way until they arrived at the hospital, found a parking space, and ran up to the front desk.
"Hi, can you tell us where Piper Halliwell is? We're her sisters," Prue requested of the receptionist.
"Halliwell," the woman repeated slowly, typing it into her computer. "This'll just take a second."
Or less. Before the computer even had a chance to load, Phoebe was coming at them from down the hall. "Prue, Paige, she's upstairs!" she called. "Come on."
The three met up in front of the elevator, and, clutching hands, took it up to the fourth floor. Phoebe brought her sisters into a small room at the end of the hall, where Leo was sitting on the bed, hovering over a sleeping Piper.
"How is she?" Paige asked.
Leo looked up, noticing for the first time that they were there. "Stable. The doctors aren't quite sure what's wrong with her. So far her fever's gone down as a result of the medication, but other than that, there's really no change from when I brought her in."
"She was awake before, when I got here," Phoebe added. "She seemed kind of out of it, but that was probably the fever."
"How can the doctors not know what's wrong with her?" Prue questioned.
Leo sighed. "They're running a few blood tests, but so far all they can treat is the symptoms. I think I heard someone say something about calling in an infectious diseases specialist, but that might just be to rule out a few possibilities."
Prue, Phoebe, and Paige exchanged glances, each too afraid to ask what sort of possibilities Leo was referring to. They stood just inside the doorway, leaning against each other. Prue was in the middle, her arms around her sisters as much for her own comfort as for theirs. She gave them each a small kiss, and pulled them closer. None of them took their eyes off Piper. She didn't stir.
****************
~from the song "Unwell" by Matchbox 20~