C.C. McKenna

Blood on the Field

Chapter Nineteen

Hang on Baby.

"Sorry Miss., You can't go in there" A middle aged nurse, with an unsympathetic expression on her face, placed her hand on Prue's chest and stopped her from going after the gurney that carried her baby sister.

"But... I have to go with her" Prue softly replied as she grabbed the nurse's hand; still shocked about the sudden strange situation.

"Sorry... but you'll have to wait out here" The nurse shook her head and blocked the way to the ICU. "Hospital regulations ma'am; the doctor will be with you as soon as he can"

"But you don't understand" Prue looked at the nurse with misty eyes. "She's my baby sister... she needs us" She bit her lower lip to avoid letting out a cry and took a deep breath to keep her composure; knowing perfectly well that she could never be allowed beyond those doors, but, she had to try anyway. "Fine... I'll wait here" She cleared her throat and took a seat, right in front of the IC unit.

Prue had been silently staring at the floor; her mind trying hard to understand the irony of life and her heart, the only thing she couldn't have control of, was beside her sister's. She had been understanding, calmed, and why not... patient; but it all had its limits. She was about to burst out in tears when she felt the loving hand of her sister... her best friend...

"Piper!" She muttered without even looking up.

"We're here" Her voice barely a whisper. "How is she"

"She's still in the ICU" Prue sighed as she locked eyes with the middle Halliwell. "But she's going to be fine; everything is going to be all right" She tried to inject some hope into her sisters' hearts.

"I'm scared Prue" Phoebe finally spoke. "I'm really scared"

"I know baby... come here" Prue walked slowly towards her sister and gently wrapped her arms around her.

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The doors finally slung open and a very nervous doctor appeared before them. Piper and Prue quickly jumped on their feet, followed by Phoebe. Piper didn't have to ask, she started crying when she saw the doctor's guilty eyes. Phoebe squeezed her sister's hand tighter and softly whispered a few soothing words in her ear. Prue's blue eyes stared unblinking at the doctor's concerned ones.

"I'm sorry... we did all we could" Doctor Robert Bryce took off his mouth cover, staring apologetically into the eldest blue anxious eyes. "but..."

"No... no, no, no, no; don't say that; she can't be; she just can't be dead!" Prue raised her voice and violently advanced towards him.

"Miss... please, you need to calm down" Dr. Bryce seized Prue's wrists and gently held her in place. "Your sister is not dead... she's in a coma... she still has a chance"

Prue's heart started pounding strongly; she wiggled her hands free from the doctor's grip and wiped her eyes. "I want to see her" She demanded.

"But..."

"Now!" Prue raised her voice; looking defiantly.

"Come with me" Dr. Bryce gently held Prue's arm but she swiftly joggled it away from him.

"We're coming too" Piper grabbed Phoebe's forearm and gently pulled her from her seat. "Come on sweetie" She wiped her eyes and confidently followed her big sister.

Doctor Bryce opened the door of one of the rooms in the ICU and quietly pulled himself aside. The three girls stood frozen by the doorframe, neither one of them wanting to make the first step.

Piper was the first to come forward; she released Phoebe's arm and slowly walked to Lexie's side; unwillingly catching a glimpse of the noisy machine that was coldly monitoring her sister's weak heart. She gently ran her fingers through her hair and cautiously bent over to kiss the top of Lexie's head. The latter remained unresponsive;

Her frail, cold body connected to so many wires and strange equipment made Piper's own shrunken heart skip a beat.

"She looks so... so fragile" Piper spoke; her voice barely a whisper.

"Yes she does" Prue agreed as she walked slowly towards them, gently pulling Phoebe along with her. The eldest stood by Lexie's side, opposite to Piper, and fixed her eyes on the respiration tube she had in her throat; she took a deep breath and slowly lowered her sight on her sister's upper body. She panicked when she noticed her sister's involuntary struggles to breath. The rise and fall of her chest was weak and uneven. Prue managed to get a grip, nervously pulled Phoebe's trembling hand, and gently placed it on top of Lexie's.

Dr. Bryce finally walked inside and stood in front of the sisters. "We had a very difficult time trying to get her back" He shook her head. "She went on cardiac arrest twice; but we were able to pulled her through... she's a strong girl"

"But why?... I still don't understand what happened" Prue looked warily into the doctor's eyes.

"We ran some tests and they came out positive" Dr. Bryce answered tactfully.

"Positive?" Piper walked towards the doctor. "As in "drug positive... positive?"

"Yes... methamphetamines, to be more precise" Dr. Bryce lowered his head.

"But that can't be!" Prue was more than upset by now.

"Have any of you noticed anything different in your sister's behavior?"

"No!" Prue was quick to answer.

"Try to think... very carefully, has your sister been acting like... ok, let me explain this to you:"

"Methamphetamine is a highly addictive central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, snorted, smoked, or ingested orally. Methamphetamine users feel a short yet intense "rush" when the drug is initially administered. The effects of methamphetamine include increased activity, decreased appetite, and a sense of well being that can last from 20 minutes to 12 hours...I'm sure that must have caused your sister's heart to fail"

[ http:www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/drugfact/methamphetamine/index.html ]

Prue's eyes popped wide open. "What?!"... No way... methamphetamines!...You're wrong... there must be a mistake"

"No Prue... Dr. Bryce is right; Lexie has been taking these" Piper reached for her jean's pocket and grabbed the small bottle. "This is what she's been swallowing, isn't it?" She held out the bottle and handed it to the doctor.

Dr. Bryce seized the bottle and carefully examined it. "No... Actually, this is prescribed heart medication" He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't understand... Why would she take methamphetamines if she is taking heart medication?"

"Wait a minute... wait a minute!" Prue grabbed the bottle from Dr Bryce's hand and turned around to face Piper. "You mean to tell me that you knew about this" She shook the bottle a couple of times. "And you didn't tell me"

"Prue, I can explain" Piper walked towards her sister and reached out to hold her, but Prue hastily pushed her away.

"Not now Piper" She took a deep breath and turned to the doctor. "What do we do now doctor Bryce?"

"Your sister should have known better; methamphetamines can cause death; and if she's under heart medication, either she didn't know what she was doing or... or she wanted to commit suicide"

"No!" Phoebe snapped back. "She would never do a thing like that... she just couldn't" Phoebe squeezed her sister's hand and bent down to kiss it.

"My sister's right" Prue walked slowly to the bed and gently ran her hand on Lexie's hair.

"She would never even think about it... she loves life" Prue drew a weak smile and turned to look at her baby sister. "She loves us... I know she does"

"I'm sorry" Doctor Bryce apologized. "I didn't mean to upset you" He walked towards Lexie and carefully checked her vitals. "It's just that it seems almost impossible for me to believe that she didn't care about her heart condition... she's so young... we are going to make some additional studies to try to determine the seriousness of her heart illness"

"She never said anything about that" Prue whispered. "We didn't know"

"Then... if what I saw her taking the other morning was her heart medication... how could it be possible for her to be addicted to methamphetamines... this just doesn't make any sense"

Dr. Bryce nodded. "I know; we'll just have to wait for her to pull through her unconsciousness to find out what really happened... but... I'm sorry... really am sorry"

"What for?... it's not your fault" Piper replied.

"Well... in a way it is; I'm sorry because I've already reported drug usage and possible suicidal attempt to the juvenile department of justice" Dr. Bryce shamefully stared at his shoes.

"You what?!" Phoebe shouted. "But why would you do a thing like that?" She released her sister's hand and carefully walked forward, trying to find him. "She's just a kid... she can't be jailed... she's not a delinquent... she's a teenager!"

"Miss Halliwell, please, I had to report this incident" He walked closer to Prue. "It's hospital's policies"

"I know you had... but it doesn't mean we have to keep up with you" She glared at him; and opened the door to let him out. "I need a heart specialist for my sister anyway" She sighed. "Thank you very much for bringing back our sister, but we won't be needing your services anymore... I guess you better leave" Prue spoke harshly not believing the words that he just said.

Doctor Bryce walked silently out of the room. "I'll send the specialist right away" He stated, never turning back.

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The following day.............

A nurse came by to check on Lexie and saw the three girls awkwardly resting. It had been more than 24 hours and neither of them had left her sister's side.

"I hate to bother you" The sweet voice of the nurse made Prue turn to her almost immediately. "I'm nurse Patty Dawson, and I will be taking care of your sister"

"Thank you miss Dawson" Prue smiled gratefully.

"Oh, but please, call me Patty" She checked Lexie's wrist and re-inserted the catheter.

"You have to be a little bit more careful here... the catheter was slightly pulled out of place, and the intravenous fluid did not completely get through her system"

"Sorry" Prue sounded preoccupied. "I promise we will be more careful; is she ok?" She slowly got up and went to her sister's side. Phoebe was sitting there, resting her head on Lexie's bed and drowned in a deep sleep. Prue smiled and softly kissed her sister's cheek.

"Yes, she's ok.... her vitals are strong; she should be awakening soon"

Prue smiled at Patty's positive remark and nodded. "I hope you're right"

"Uhm... Miss Halliwell" Nurse Dawson cleared her throat. "There's a lady outside this room that wants to talk to you... she's a... she's a detective"

"Prue's smile quickly faded. "Ok, thank you Patty; I'll be out there in a minute"

"She's been waiting there for more than an hour... I didn't let her in... I didn't want any of you to be disturbed" Patty smiled.

"Patty... you're an angel" Prue's smile returned to her face as she walked slowly to the sofa, where Piper was sleeping, to cover her body with her black leather jacket.

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"I'm Prue Halliwell... what can I do for you?" She folded her arms in front of her chest and stared at the well-dressed young woman that was waiting impatiently outside the room.

"Miss Halliwell" She extended her hand. "I'm agent Stern, Paula Stern"

Prue reached out and shook her hand, but remained silent.

"Dr. Bryce reported your sister's drug abuse and I have already checked her background; I went to her Faculty and talked to some of her friends... her coach, and a few professors" She paused for a moment, giving Prue a chance to speak.

"Then you must know that she's a great girl" Prue walked to the waiting room area and sat on one of the plastic chairs. Detective Stern followed her closely and also took a chair.

"They said she'd been acting odd lately; a little different maybe"

"Odd?" Prue slightly raised her eyebrow. "That's ridiculous"

"I even got a search warrant and went through her lockers... and... I'm sorry to tell you this, but I found methamphetamines in her belongings"

"You what?!" Prue quickly sprung up on her feet. "There must be a mistake... she is not an addict... she's... she's..." She covered her face with both hands to hide her tears. "What's going to happen to her? ... Are you going to file charges?"

"I'm sorry, but I have already filed them" She reached for her briefcase and slowly opened it. "This is the warrant for her arrest"

Prue looked down and stared at the paper, but she did not take it in her hands. "I need a lawyer... I can't just let you take her"

"Of course, you can call a lawyer and I'm sure he will take care of everything, but for the meantime, she is going to have to come with us" She carefully placed the papers on Prue's chair. "We'll wait until she's taken out from the ICU" Detective Stern stood up and stared into Prue's misty blue eyes.

"She's so young" Prue insisted.

"Actually... If she's 18, she's an adult now, for both civil and criminal purposes; if she's found guilty and confined to the prison system, she will be housed at a special youth detention center until her twenty-first birthday. She will be then transferred to Central Prison or some other adult prison unit... but don't worry, she's going to be very well taken care of"

Prue nodded and bit her lower lip to avoid crying. "Thank you" She picked up the papers and walked hastily to her sisters' side.

tbc