Part Twenty-Eight

Minutes Ago...

May 10, 2004

Cole froze when he saw Phoebe lying on her side, her back to him. She seemed so small in the bed and her soft cries cut at his heart. "I'm so sorry," he whispered as he recovered and rushed to his wife's side.

Phoebe had brought her knees up as much as she could, as if curling into a tiny ball would change things. As if she could somehow pretend that time had been turned back more than a week. That Cole was alive and her labor would stop. "Oh, Cole," she sniffled, "I need you..."

"And I need you," he assured her as he tenderly kissed her temple.

Phoebe stiffened and held her breath before she awkwardly turned over. Speechless, she brought her shaky hand to his face and let her fingers rub against the stubble on his cheek. Practically nose-to-nose, her voice was barely a whisper when she desperately asked, "Are you really here?"

"Yeah, babe, I'm really here," he murmured before he crushed her lips to his.

Phoebe slowly opened her eyes and was stunned to see Cole leaning over the bed, his face hovering near hers. She felt his fingers massaging her scalp as he supported the back of her head and she still couldn't believe he was there. "Cole," she breathed. And when he smiled, she hesitantly reached out again to touch his face. "You feel so real," she murmured before she closed her eyes and practically fell back against the pillow. Maybe it was a dream, a hallucination. She thought she felt him hold onto her hands as she moved but it was probably her imagination.

Afraid she might be slipping into shock, Cole never stopped touching her and he sat on the edge of the bed. He pressed a kiss into her forehead and promised, "I'm real, Phoebe, and I'm not going anywhere." Tears fell from beneath her closed eyes and he gently kissed them away before he rested his forehead against hers. "I'm so sorry, Phoebe, I never meant for this to happen."

Phoebe shook her head and opened her eyes, "You're here and that's all that matters."

Cole smiled and then, mindful of the monitor, stroked the hospital gown covering her belly. His smile broadened when Phoebe purred and slightly arched her back for him. "Our little girl's definitely a Halliwell," he teased as he continued to feel for his child's movement. "She's as impatient as her mother and doesn't like being told 'not now'."

"Stubborn as her father with an independent streak," Phoebe corrected while she ran her palms up and down his chest. "You're here," she shook her head in amazement. "Cole...I...you don't know how I --"

He interrupted her with a brief but sweet kiss and saw the fear creeping back. Fear for him, for herself, for their baby. Indicating to the nearby monitors, he spoke quietly, "The doctor says you're both okay. But how are you? Really?"

"Scared," she finally admitted in a hushed voice. "It's really happening, Cole," she nervously stated as she watched his hand slide back and forth her belly. She placed her hand on top and moved with him. "Our baby's coming and you weren't here and all I kept seeing was the Seer coming in to --"

"The Seer is gone." Cole gripped her hands in his, "Forever. Our baby is safe. Our baby is good."

Surprised by his forceful, almost angry, response, she merely shrugged helplessly as tears welled in her eyes.

He immediately regretted his treatment of her. "I can't seem to do anything right by you today," he complained as he practically lurched off the bed. He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration and stared at the door, wondering if he should just leave. "It's my fault you're here, that damned plan. What the hell kind of father will I be?"

Phoebe grabbed at Cole's shirt before he could move but felt the start of a contraction and struggled to turn him around. "You're exactly the kind of father I want for my baby," she assured him even as the pain grew. As he turned back to her, she clenched his shirt tightly and pulled on it, "I love you, Cole, and I...I..."

Cole tried to ignore the pain of her tugging at his chest hair and stepped closer to the bed. "Breathe through the pain," he instructed, unsure whether it was more for her benefit or his. "That's it," he encouraged as Phoebe bent her head, almost pressing it into his chest, as the contraction continued to intensify. "You're doing great, just keep breathing."

She continued to breathe, just as they'd practiced. Somehow it seemed easier than before. Maybe because he was actually with her. But the contraction seemed to go on forever and no matter how badly she wanted to show Cole how strong she was, a moan still somehow escaped her lips.

Cole glanced at the fetal monitor and realized the contraction had already peaked. "It's almost over," he told her. Her fingers loosened their hold on him and he carefully helped her lean back against the pillow. She was slowly exhaling and he smiled proudly at her, "You're doing great." He noticed the washcloth in the bowl of water on the stand next to the bed and he wrung it out before lightly patting her forehead with it. Her eyes closed as she seemed to concentrate on her breathing so he continued for another moment before asking if she wanted some ice chips.

"Not right now," she weakly replied as she opened her eyes. She felt drained but still reached for him, barely able to brush against his chest before her hand felt so heavy that she let it fall. But Cole caught it and she managed a grateful smile. She didn't have the energy to talk and was content just to gaze at him.

Cole kissed her hand and, with his other hand, brushed back some matted hair away from the corners of her eyes. Her hair was disheveled and, as soon as she recovered more from the contraction, he'd help her fix the ponytail. In the meantime, he was content simply to watch her and hold her hands.

"What plan?" she finally asked as she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. She could've sworn he stiffened but chalked it up to her weariness. "You mentioned something about a plan and it being your fault."

Cole nodded and pulled his hands free, "The plan for Gideon."

Phoebe frowned, "Yeah, I'm not too crazy 'bout your using Wyatt and sneaking around with Paige and Chris."

"I know," he apologized, "but it was the only way to get Gideon to make his move while we were watching. Leo and I figured that we cou--"

"Wait a minute," she interrupted, "you and Leo?" Her tone raised a notch, "Leo was in on it too? How could use his own son as bait? How could he do that to Piper?"

"Same reason I wanted you out of it," he somberly told her. "You'd already gone into labor after something as harmless as the Tribunal."

"Losing my powers was harmless?" she snapped.

"You know what I mean," he argued. "You weren't in any physical danger at the time. But Gideon's actions had already placed you in danger. And, if Leo and I were going to draw out Gideon into the open, we didn't want you or Piper caught in the cross-fire."

"You could've told me what you were up to!" she exclaimed.

Cole glanced at her monitor and cautioned, "Calm down, it's --"

"Don't tell me to calm down!" She slapped at his chest, "You deliberately kept secrets from me. After everything we've been through. All the promises of being honest with each other. You deceived me and then you let me think you were dead! What was that, some sort of twisted bid for revenge? To make me suffer for my past sins? That --"

"How can you say that?" he shouted. "I love you, Phoebe. I --"

"But you don't trust me," she angrily hissed while ignoring the sudden pain in her chest. "Get out! Get the hell out!"

Cole barely heard her monitor's wild beeping. "This isn't about trusting you," he insisted. "It's about keeping you and our baby safe."

"Just --" But Phoebe couldn't continue speaking. She brought her hand to her chest and tried not to panic when she realized she couldn't catch her breath. She kept quickly inhaling but it wasn't enough as she continued to wheeze.

Cole immediately reached for the call button and pressed it hard as he sat down next to Phoebe. He placed a hand on her belly but she quickly slapped it away even as she struggled with her breathing. "Phoebe, I --"

"Get out!" she painfully cried. She tried to roll onto her side, away from him, but somehow it only made her breathing worse.

"I'm not leaving," he declared. But she wouldn't let him touch her and he grew more worried as her condition seemed to worsen. He was about to call for Leo when the nurse entered and immediately rushed to the bed. He stood aside to give the nurse room. "It'll be okay, Phoebe, you'll be okay."

"Get out!" she hoarsely whispered. "I can't deal with this. I don't want you here." Overwhelmed by physical and emotional pain, she cried, "Get out!"

The nurse turned to him, "Please, Mr. Turner, for their sakes, wait outside with your family."

Cole wanted nothing more than to shake some sense into his wife, to make her realize he'd acted only out of love and concern for her and their baby. But watching her in pain and knowing he was the cause was reason enough for him to heed the nurse's request. "I love you, Phoebe," he swore to her in a voice that involuntarily cracked. But when she only sobbed in return, he lowered his head and left the room without looking back.

888888888888888888888888888888

888888888888888888888888888888