~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
But in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prue was just getting ready to leave work when Leo called, telling her that Piper hadn't responded to the antibiotics and was now in a coma. Jack, as usual, showed up at exactly the right moment, just as she was hanging up. "Piper's in a coma," she told him.
He hugged her, and held her tightly while she cried. For a while, neither of them said anything. Prue, who typically hated appearing vulnerable in front of anyone, pulled herself together as soon as she could.
"I have to go, I have to get down there," she said pushing him away.
"Prue, you're not going anywhere, at least not by yourself," he countered. "Look, your hands are shaking."
"I have to get to her," she insisted, putting her hands behind her back.
"Then let me take you," he volunteered. "Come on, Prue. You're too distraught right now to drive. You'd end up in the hospital right next to your sister. Let me take you, and then I'll sit in the waiting room with the baby while you go up and stay with your sister."
Prue sighed, nodding. "All right. I'll call Phoebe and have her get Paige. Thanks, Jack. You've been really amazing today."
He leaned in, kissing her forehead. "Hey, no problem. You just concentrate on your sister, and let me worry about everything else."
She let him hold her for a minute longer. He gave her strength, and today she could use all that she could get.
-x-
Phoebe spotted Paige and Glen just as she was entering the parking lot. "Paige, I was just about to come get you."
"Glen, this is my sister, Phoebe," Paige introduced. "Pheebs, this is my best friend, Glen. The one I told you about."
Phoebe paused to nod at Glen, then turned back to her sister. "Paige, Piper's in a coma."
Paige felt her knees grow weak, and grabbed Glen for support. "What? How...?"
"She wasn't responding to the medicine, and the fever was too much for her," Phoebe explained. "Come on, Leo, Prue, Jack, and Ava are upstairs."
Paige and Glen followed her to the waiting room down the hall from the Intensive Care Unit. Leo was staring out the window, and Prue was sitting on the hard, uncomfortable couch, leaning against Jack, who was bouncing Aviva in his lap. Even the baby, picking up on her mother's anxiety, was quickly becoming agitated.
Paige quickly introduced Glen, and her family responded with quiet hellos before slipping back into silence. Aviva, getting unusually cranky, started to wimper.
"Why don't I take her down the hall, and get us all sodas or something?" Prue suggested, hovering over her squaling daughter.
"Glen and I are already up, we'll go," Paige volunteered. Prue, not really wanting to move in case the doctor came in to inform them of some change in Piper, just nodded. Paige took her niece from Jack, and set out for the nearest vending machines with Glen in tow.
"I still can't believe you're an aunt," he said, letting a calmer, more curious Aviva wrap her hand around his finger.
Paige smiled. "Sometimes, neither can I. She's adorable, isn't she?"
He nodded. "Yeah, she's a cutie. How old is she?"
"Five months," Paige replied, shifting the baby onto her hip.
Glen looked surprised. "She's really small for her age."
Paige shrugged. "She's a preemie. You should have seen her when I met her, when she was only two weeks old. You've really grown since then, haven't you, Ava?" she cooed. Aviva didn't respond, instead looking with wide eyes over at Glen. "Oh, you noticed him," Paige said to her small niece, smiling over at her friend. "Sweetheart, that's Auntie Paige's best friend, Glen. Don't worry, he's not so scary once you get to know him. Well, okay, maybe he is, a little bit..."
Glen mock-glared at her. "I am not scary. I am strong and manly and valiant and-"
He was cut off by Paige's giggling. "Sorry, honey, of course you are," she said apologetically. She turned her attention back to her niece, getting an idea. "Ava, honey, maybe you can persuade Glennie here to stick around. After all, not even a strong, manly, valiant guy like him could resist such a sweet little thing like you, right?" As she said this, she handed the baby off to Glen.
"Not fair," he pouted, "Using this innocent little girl as a pawn in your evil plan. That's low, Paige, really low."
She smiled. "It's working, isn't it?"
"Of course it's working," he replied, bouncing the baby gently. "Look at her. How could it not work?"
Paige winked at Aviva, then started making funny faces so the baby would laugh. By now they'd reached the vending machines, so she started digging around her purse for coins.
"Here," Glen said, handing Aviva over to her aunt. He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a roll of quarters. "When you travel all the time, you learn to have change on hand at all times," he told her, feeding quarters into the machine.
They returned to the waiting room with Aviva in Paige's arms and six cans of Coke in Glen's. He set the soda down on the table next to the couch, then took a seat across the small room in one of the chairs. Paige sat down next to him. Prue got up to get drinks for herself and Jack, then took the baby from her sister and went back to her place. Nobody spoke a word.
****************
A/N: Ugh. I went to sleep, woke up, and suddenly it's September. I probably won't be able to update as often now, since Hell -- I mean, school -- starts the day after tomorrow. ::cries:: I don't want to go back, dambit.
~from the song "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day~
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
But in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prue was just getting ready to leave work when Leo called, telling her that Piper hadn't responded to the antibiotics and was now in a coma. Jack, as usual, showed up at exactly the right moment, just as she was hanging up. "Piper's in a coma," she told him.
He hugged her, and held her tightly while she cried. For a while, neither of them said anything. Prue, who typically hated appearing vulnerable in front of anyone, pulled herself together as soon as she could.
"I have to go, I have to get down there," she said pushing him away.
"Prue, you're not going anywhere, at least not by yourself," he countered. "Look, your hands are shaking."
"I have to get to her," she insisted, putting her hands behind her back.
"Then let me take you," he volunteered. "Come on, Prue. You're too distraught right now to drive. You'd end up in the hospital right next to your sister. Let me take you, and then I'll sit in the waiting room with the baby while you go up and stay with your sister."
Prue sighed, nodding. "All right. I'll call Phoebe and have her get Paige. Thanks, Jack. You've been really amazing today."
He leaned in, kissing her forehead. "Hey, no problem. You just concentrate on your sister, and let me worry about everything else."
She let him hold her for a minute longer. He gave her strength, and today she could use all that she could get.
-x-
Phoebe spotted Paige and Glen just as she was entering the parking lot. "Paige, I was just about to come get you."
"Glen, this is my sister, Phoebe," Paige introduced. "Pheebs, this is my best friend, Glen. The one I told you about."
Phoebe paused to nod at Glen, then turned back to her sister. "Paige, Piper's in a coma."
Paige felt her knees grow weak, and grabbed Glen for support. "What? How...?"
"She wasn't responding to the medicine, and the fever was too much for her," Phoebe explained. "Come on, Leo, Prue, Jack, and Ava are upstairs."
Paige and Glen followed her to the waiting room down the hall from the Intensive Care Unit. Leo was staring out the window, and Prue was sitting on the hard, uncomfortable couch, leaning against Jack, who was bouncing Aviva in his lap. Even the baby, picking up on her mother's anxiety, was quickly becoming agitated.
Paige quickly introduced Glen, and her family responded with quiet hellos before slipping back into silence. Aviva, getting unusually cranky, started to wimper.
"Why don't I take her down the hall, and get us all sodas or something?" Prue suggested, hovering over her squaling daughter.
"Glen and I are already up, we'll go," Paige volunteered. Prue, not really wanting to move in case the doctor came in to inform them of some change in Piper, just nodded. Paige took her niece from Jack, and set out for the nearest vending machines with Glen in tow.
"I still can't believe you're an aunt," he said, letting a calmer, more curious Aviva wrap her hand around his finger.
Paige smiled. "Sometimes, neither can I. She's adorable, isn't she?"
He nodded. "Yeah, she's a cutie. How old is she?"
"Five months," Paige replied, shifting the baby onto her hip.
Glen looked surprised. "She's really small for her age."
Paige shrugged. "She's a preemie. You should have seen her when I met her, when she was only two weeks old. You've really grown since then, haven't you, Ava?" she cooed. Aviva didn't respond, instead looking with wide eyes over at Glen. "Oh, you noticed him," Paige said to her small niece, smiling over at her friend. "Sweetheart, that's Auntie Paige's best friend, Glen. Don't worry, he's not so scary once you get to know him. Well, okay, maybe he is, a little bit..."
Glen mock-glared at her. "I am not scary. I am strong and manly and valiant and-"
He was cut off by Paige's giggling. "Sorry, honey, of course you are," she said apologetically. She turned her attention back to her niece, getting an idea. "Ava, honey, maybe you can persuade Glennie here to stick around. After all, not even a strong, manly, valiant guy like him could resist such a sweet little thing like you, right?" As she said this, she handed the baby off to Glen.
"Not fair," he pouted, "Using this innocent little girl as a pawn in your evil plan. That's low, Paige, really low."
She smiled. "It's working, isn't it?"
"Of course it's working," he replied, bouncing the baby gently. "Look at her. How could it not work?"
Paige winked at Aviva, then started making funny faces so the baby would laugh. By now they'd reached the vending machines, so she started digging around her purse for coins.
"Here," Glen said, handing Aviva over to her aunt. He reached into his back pocket, and pulled out a roll of quarters. "When you travel all the time, you learn to have change on hand at all times," he told her, feeding quarters into the machine.
They returned to the waiting room with Aviva in Paige's arms and six cans of Coke in Glen's. He set the soda down on the table next to the couch, then took a seat across the small room in one of the chairs. Paige sat down next to him. Prue got up to get drinks for herself and Jack, then took the baby from her sister and went back to her place. Nobody spoke a word.
****************
A/N: Ugh. I went to sleep, woke up, and suddenly it's September. I probably won't be able to update as often now, since Hell -- I mean, school -- starts the day after tomorrow. ::cries:: I don't want to go back, dambit.
~from the song "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day~