~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something wrong
With all the plans of my life
I didn't realize that you've been here
Dolefully desired
Destiny of a lie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo sat on the edge of Piper's hospital bed, holding her hand and gently wiping away the tears that were silently coursing down her cheeks. He looked up as Phoebe, Prue, and Paige appeared at the doorway, and, after glancing down at his wife, who nodded, he got up to meet them in the hallway.
"Leo, what happened?" Prue asked, taking notice of the worried creases in her brother-in-law's face.
Swallowing hard, Leo answered, "She uh, she said she was feeling weird, so I brought her in, and, um..." He paused, obviously having trouble just getting the words out. Shaking his head, he sighed and said, "We lost the baby."
Prue, Paige, and Phoebe hesitated, none of them sure of what to say. Silently, they all stepped forward at once to give their brother-in-law a hug. They didn't notice, but a single tear slipped down his cheek.
"Leo, I'm so sorry," Paige offered.
"How is she?" Prue asked.
Leo sighed. "I don't know. She's trying so hard to be strong, but I know this must be killing her. I can't get her to talk to me, though. Maybe you could try? I have to go sign some paperwork for her release, but while I'm gone, can you three go in and sit with her? She probably won't admit it, but she really needs all the support she can get right now."
The girls nodded, and filed into their sister's room. All three of them climbed onto her bed, surrounding her, embracing her. For a while, none of them said anything.
"We were so happy about this," Piper whispered, her voice choked and hoarse from crying.
"I know, honey, I know," Prue said, soothingly stroking her sister's hair.
"It'll be okay, sweetie, you'll see," Phoebe added. "Leo's just gone to fill out some forms, and then he'll take you home. Prue, Paige, and I will be there for both of you, whenever you need us, okay? The two of you will get through this together, and then, maybe when you're ready, you could try again-"
"No," Piper interrupted suddenly. "I can't go back to the apartment. I can't be there, with him, I just... It's just too much." She looked up, her eyes wide and filled with tears. "Could I come back to the manor with you guys? I promise it wouldn't be for very long, just until I can... I don't know, deal with this, I guess. Please, I don't think I can handle being with Leo right now."
Phoebe, Paige, and Prue looked at each other, wondering if this really was the best thing for their sister. But Piper's scared, pleading expression won them over, and slowly they all nodded.
"Of course you can, honey," Paige said, lightly kissing Piper's cheek. "You know you'll always have a place with us, no matter what."
Piper nodded, and tried her best to give her sisters a small smile. It vanished from her face, however, when she looked up and saw her husband in the doorway. Paige, Prue, and Phoebe saw him, too, and took this as their cue to leave.
"Are you ready to go?" Leo asked once his sisters-in-law had slipped out into the hallway.
Piper shook her head, trying not to cry. "I can't," she said. "I'm sorry, Leo, I can't go home with you."
"What are you talking about?" questioned a bewildered Leo. "The doctors said it was fine. Don't worry, sweetheart, it'll be okay. We'll go home, take this one day at a time. You aren't in this alone. We'll get through it."
"That's just it," Piper tried to explain. "I can't be with you right now. I'm sorry, Leo, I really am, but please, try to understand. Every time I look at you, every time I wake up in that apartment where we were supposed to start our life together, I'm going to be reminded of this baby we lost, and I can't deal with that right now. It's too hard."
Crestfallen, Leo asked, "So what do we do now?"
Piper sighed. "I'm going back to stay with my sisters for a while. Leo, I... I think it's best if we seperated."
"Seperated," Leo repeated, the word leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He nodded slowly, wanting to respect her wished, as much is it killed him. "For how long?"
"I don't know," she said helplessly. "At least until I can get past this, and then... we'll see. I just need some time."
"Okay," he replied quietly, and turned to leave. He paused at the door, and said, "Piper, I love you."
She waited until he was gone before whispering, "I love you, too."
****************
A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short. I'll try and make the next one longer and less sad.
~from the song "Heave's A Lie" by Lacuna Coil~
Something wrong
With all the plans of my life
I didn't realize that you've been here
Dolefully desired
Destiny of a lie
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo sat on the edge of Piper's hospital bed, holding her hand and gently wiping away the tears that were silently coursing down her cheeks. He looked up as Phoebe, Prue, and Paige appeared at the doorway, and, after glancing down at his wife, who nodded, he got up to meet them in the hallway.
"Leo, what happened?" Prue asked, taking notice of the worried creases in her brother-in-law's face.
Swallowing hard, Leo answered, "She uh, she said she was feeling weird, so I brought her in, and, um..." He paused, obviously having trouble just getting the words out. Shaking his head, he sighed and said, "We lost the baby."
Prue, Paige, and Phoebe hesitated, none of them sure of what to say. Silently, they all stepped forward at once to give their brother-in-law a hug. They didn't notice, but a single tear slipped down his cheek.
"Leo, I'm so sorry," Paige offered.
"How is she?" Prue asked.
Leo sighed. "I don't know. She's trying so hard to be strong, but I know this must be killing her. I can't get her to talk to me, though. Maybe you could try? I have to go sign some paperwork for her release, but while I'm gone, can you three go in and sit with her? She probably won't admit it, but she really needs all the support she can get right now."
The girls nodded, and filed into their sister's room. All three of them climbed onto her bed, surrounding her, embracing her. For a while, none of them said anything.
"We were so happy about this," Piper whispered, her voice choked and hoarse from crying.
"I know, honey, I know," Prue said, soothingly stroking her sister's hair.
"It'll be okay, sweetie, you'll see," Phoebe added. "Leo's just gone to fill out some forms, and then he'll take you home. Prue, Paige, and I will be there for both of you, whenever you need us, okay? The two of you will get through this together, and then, maybe when you're ready, you could try again-"
"No," Piper interrupted suddenly. "I can't go back to the apartment. I can't be there, with him, I just... It's just too much." She looked up, her eyes wide and filled with tears. "Could I come back to the manor with you guys? I promise it wouldn't be for very long, just until I can... I don't know, deal with this, I guess. Please, I don't think I can handle being with Leo right now."
Phoebe, Paige, and Prue looked at each other, wondering if this really was the best thing for their sister. But Piper's scared, pleading expression won them over, and slowly they all nodded.
"Of course you can, honey," Paige said, lightly kissing Piper's cheek. "You know you'll always have a place with us, no matter what."
Piper nodded, and tried her best to give her sisters a small smile. It vanished from her face, however, when she looked up and saw her husband in the doorway. Paige, Prue, and Phoebe saw him, too, and took this as their cue to leave.
"Are you ready to go?" Leo asked once his sisters-in-law had slipped out into the hallway.
Piper shook her head, trying not to cry. "I can't," she said. "I'm sorry, Leo, I can't go home with you."
"What are you talking about?" questioned a bewildered Leo. "The doctors said it was fine. Don't worry, sweetheart, it'll be okay. We'll go home, take this one day at a time. You aren't in this alone. We'll get through it."
"That's just it," Piper tried to explain. "I can't be with you right now. I'm sorry, Leo, I really am, but please, try to understand. Every time I look at you, every time I wake up in that apartment where we were supposed to start our life together, I'm going to be reminded of this baby we lost, and I can't deal with that right now. It's too hard."
Crestfallen, Leo asked, "So what do we do now?"
Piper sighed. "I'm going back to stay with my sisters for a while. Leo, I... I think it's best if we seperated."
"Seperated," Leo repeated, the word leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. He nodded slowly, wanting to respect her wished, as much is it killed him. "For how long?"
"I don't know," she said helplessly. "At least until I can get past this, and then... we'll see. I just need some time."
"Okay," he replied quietly, and turned to leave. He paused at the door, and said, "Piper, I love you."
She waited until he was gone before whispering, "I love you, too."
****************
A/N: Sorry this chapter was so short. I'll try and make the next one longer and less sad.
~from the song "Heave's A Lie" by Lacuna Coil~