Disclaimer: I do not own charmed.
To Look Again – Fleeing The Scene
Prue sat on her hospital bed, slowly watching the clock as the minutes slowly ticked past. She was getting discharged from the hospital that day as soon as the clock struck 12.30 pm she could leave, and she couldn't wait. It was 12.00 pm just now, only half an hour left, she thought to herself. However being discharged from hospital was bittersweet for Prue, for at the same time the next day she was being checked into Wake Glen's. She was being allowed home to pack a suitcase, and then someone would come and collect her. I'm like a condemned prison, given their last meal before being taken to the electric chair, she thought. 12.10 pm, only twenty minutes before Grams and Piper were due to come and collect her, Phoebe was sent to stay at a friends house whilst Prue was home. Grams didn't want any of this affecting Phoebe if she could help it, although she knew it was a long shot, but she didn't want Phoebe there when Prue got sent away. Twenty minutes later Grams arrived with Piper in tow, they walked in and greeted Prue, there was still tension between Prue and Grams, Piper tried her best to ignore it but she couldn't help but feel it. Grams had never told Piper what she and Prue had talked – or rather argued – about after she had left and Piper dared not ask Phoebe, but inside she knew that it would answer some of her questions that forever plagued her.
"Hi Prue… you excited about going home?" asked Piper, forcing a cheerful attitude and smiling falsely,
"Yeah… well at least I would be if I thought that I was going to get to stay there… but no, its just for one night," snarled Prue, shooting a glare in Grams' direction,
"Prudence, don't make this harder," sighed Grams as she slowly lifted the bags which Prue had packed last night with magazines and they few items of clothing she had in the hospital with her,
"Fine, lets just go," said Prue walking towards her door, Grams and Piper stood alone for a second and then continued out the room. The car journey home was the most uncomfortable that Piper had faced in a long time, Grams drove silently, muttering under her breath about incompetent young drivers. Prue sat in the back seat of the car for the first time in years, staring blankly out the front window, clutching a teddy bear that Piper had bought her from the hospital gift shop. Piper sat in the back also, she held Prue's bag in her lap, and watched the road and cars fly past her, she had tried her best to make the journey more comfortable by suggesting such games as the license plate game or poker with the cards that were in Prue's bag. But her efforts had failed.
Once home Prue headed straight for her bedroom, whilst Piper went to the kitchen and started to prepare some lunch for them, they ate in silence however Piper took it as a good sign that Prue had come down for lunch. She wasn't completely blanking her entire family, although she also felt that Prue just came down because of her. Soon darkness fell and Piper was back in the kitchen preparing dinner – each family member had their own nervous habits, for Grams it was knitting, for Phoebe it was nail biting, Prue's used to be drawing but Piper wasn't sure if it still was and Piper's was cooking, so she did. At half past six Piper set the table and lifted the meals, Grams sat down at the table and smiling lightly at Piper,
"I'll go get Prue," smiled Piper and headed upstairs, she knocked quietly after arriving at Prue's door, there was no reply from inside so Piper pushed the door open slightly, "Prue… are you sleeping?" she called as she walked into the room and looked around, she walked over the bed and moved the covers around, "Prue?" she called, she pulled the bedspread back and then looked around. She started the head to the door when she saw it, a few droplets of blood heading out of the room. Piper headed for the bathroom and pushed on the door, to her surprise it opened almost instantly and there was Prue.
"Piper!" she yelled, she was sitting on the side of the bathtub, razor blade deeply pressed against her arm which was leaking blood, Piper was speechless. She felt tears coming behind her eyes and felt her entire body shaking, Prue said nothing and didn't move a muscle… neither did Piper. Piper's eyes were fixated on Prue's arms, which were bleeding badly, witnessing the act of cutting made things far more real for Piper and things she had forgotten came flooding back to her brain. She watched as every drop of blood splashed into the small pool now forming at Prue's feet and staining the bathroom carpet; slowly she took a few steps backwards and exited the bathroom. This is when Prue moved, she got up and walked towards Piper, her eyes helpless and her body becoming weak she followed her sister into the hallway, trailing blood with her. She reached out her non-bloody hand to Piper how backed away quicker,
"Don't touch me!" she yelled in an instant, she hadn't meant to sound so harsh but she wasn't thinking clearly,
"Piper… please…" Sobbed Prue, "Please,"
"Don't… just stay… don't, keep away," sobbed Piper, who had let her tears fall,
"Please…. Piper… please, just… don't, please," sobbed Prue,
"No! Don't touch me!" yelled Piper again as Prue had walked towards her,
"What's going on here?" yelled Grams who had appeared at the top of the stairs, Piper shot round to face her grandmother,
"Grams…" she said quietly,
"Piper… please," sobbed Prue, repeating the same words,
"Prue…" said Grams seeing Prue's wound for the first time since the were hidden behind Piper,
"Please… Grams… Piper… please… please…save… help… save… please… help, me," sobbed Prue breaking down on the floor, and curling up in the foetal position, Grams ran past Piper and pulled Prue into her arms,
"Piper, get some towels from the bathroom and then go and get the first aid kit, there should be tourniquets," said Grams, holding Prue's arm in the air to try and stop the bleeding, Piper stood completely still and watched as Grams tried her best to help Prue,
"Piper," sobbed Prue, Piper's eyed moved down to Prue from Grams and she looked deep into her helpless sister's eyes, "Please…" Piper turned from them and ran quickly down the stairs,
"No!" yelled Prue, "Piper… please… don't go, please," Piper heard Prue yelling from the upstairs hallway but she continued down the stairs, she ran straight for the front door and out it without a second thought,
"Piper!" shouted Grams from upstairs, but the only reply she got what the front door slamming behind Piper.
"She's gone… gone… gone… GONE!!" sobbed Prue, "Grams… please… help… help,"
"I'm going to help you Prue," sobbed Grams,
"Help her…"