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Chapter 13: Outside the Doctor's Office

Piper splashed the cool water over her face. As the water slowly dripped down her face, she looked at herself in the mirror in the bathroom. She didn't look like the same person. Her skin was pale and her eyes were bloodshot. She leaned against the wall across from the mirror and slid down to the floor. There she sat, wondering what she was going to do.

She heard the front door open and close. "Piper?" she heard Leo call.

"In here," she called back. She could hear Leo walking towards the bathroom.

"Piper?" he asked softly. "What are you doing in here?"

"Nothing," she said in a monotone voice with her hands covering her face.

Leo bent down and removed Piper's hands from her face. "Piper, what is it?"

"Nothing," she said in the same voice. He looked into her eyes, but all he saw was an empty, haunted look.

Leo tried another approach. "Where's Laurie?"

"With my sister."

"Is she alright?"

"Yeah. Fine."

Okay, so it wasn't Laurie. What could it be? "Piper, I know something's wrong. Talk to me." He held her hands to let her know he was there for her.

"I'm" she cleared her voice but didn't speak anymore.

"You're what?"

"I'm pregnant."

Leo fell from his squatting position onto the floor, leaning against the cabinets. "What?" he squeaked. He was still holding Piper's hands.

She withdrew her hands. She once again covered her face. Leo didn't go to her. He sat in a stupor, letting his mind wonder over the possibility. Pregnant. Piper was pregnant. He was going to be a father. Again. He just learned Laurie was his child. That was enough to take in. But this? This was… he didn't know.

Leo could hear Piper softly crying. He pulled himself out of his self-pitying stupor and went to her. How could he be so selfish? Piper was the one dealing with the majority of this.

He went to her and put his arms around her. She leaned on him and cried. "It's okay. Everything's going to be fine." He gently wiped away her tears.

"No, it's not," she said, struggling to sit up. "Leo, after I had Laurie the doctor told me it wasn't safe to have anymore kids. If I were to get pregnant, there is a chance the baby wouldn't make it past four months."

"What happed?" Leo asked, his heart constricting. Did something happen to Piper and Laurie when she was born?

Piper closed her eyes, vividly recalling that day. "I went into labor and Prue drove me to the hospital. Up until that point, I hadn't had a problem during my pregnancy. But I started bleeding heavily and to this day I still don't know why."

Leo could see she was struggling to hold back tears, so he tightened his grip on her hand.

"That wasn't the worst of it. The umbilical cord had gotten wrapped around Laurie's throat. She wasn't breathing when she came out. The last thing I remember hearing before I passed out was 'the baby's not breathing'."

"But Laurie's fine now. There's nothing wrong."

"I know, but that's not the point. The point is something could go wrong again, only worse. The doctor told me that's probably what my stomach pain has been from." She let out a sob before saying, "I don't know what to do."

Leo held her close. "It's okay. We'll make it through. Together." But inside, he was terrified. Something must be terribly wrong so early in the pregnancy if she was pain like that.

Piper was somewhat reassured by his use of the pronoun 'we'. It implied he was here to stay.

They sat on the bathroom floor for the next few minutes, not talking, just thinking. After a few minutes Leo said, "This is a nice floor an all, but my legs are falling asleep."

Piper laughed and sat up. "I was going to take a bath anyway."

"Good idea," he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Leo! You're not serious!"

"Of course I am."

Later on, once the bubbles were up to her shoulders and she was leaning against Leo, his hands on her stomach, she said, "I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow with the obstetrician that delivered Laurie."

Leo, who was kissing her shoulders, said, "I'm going with you."

"Leo, you don't have to. Besides, don't you have work?"

"Piper, I know I don't have to go. I want to go. Besides, I have about eleven weeks of vacation time saved up."

"You still don't have to go."

"I'm going, and that's final," he said, kissing her to stop any further protests.

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Piper, Leo, and Laurie walked into the obstetrician's office. Laurie played with some toys while Piper and Leo waited anxiously in chairs, holding hands.

"Everything's going to be fine," he told her, kissing her hand.

Now if only the doctor would say that, Piper thought.

"Miss Halliwell?" a nurse called. "The doctor will see you now."

Piper, Leo, and Laurie followed the nurse down the hallway and to an examination room. Laurie once again sat on the floor, playing with her toys, while Piper and Leo waited for the doctor.

He came in soon after. The first thing he did was greet Piper. "Well, you are looking good."

"Thank you, Doctor Mason."

He bent down towards Laurie. "And this is Laurie, I presume." Laurie didn't say anything. "I remember the day you were born." Laurie once again didn't reply so he turned back towards Piper. "Quite an eventful day if I remember correctly."

"You could say that."

"Alright. Well, the first thing I want to do is an ultrasound. Would you lie down, please?"

Piper laid down and Leo held her hand. The doctor put cold jelly on her stomach and then began the ultrasound.

"Well, everything looks good," he said. "You can see the outline of the baby," the doctor said, tracing it with his finger.

Leo couldn't believe he was looking at his child. It was nothing more than different colored lines, but he could begin to see a form as the doctor pointed it out. He couldn't believe that was his child.

"Do you want to know the sex?"

"Sure," Piper replied.

"Don't quote me on this, but I'm going to guess it's a boy."

Leo couldn't quite grasp it. A son. He was going to have a son. He squeezed Piper's hand and she looked up at him, a huge smile on her face.

The doctor finished his exam after checking the fetal heart rate. "It's a tad low, but nothing to be alarmed about," he told them when he saw the worried expressions on their faces.

"I know I don't have to remind you of the complications you might have during this pregnancy, but if you relax and take it easy, things should go somewhat smoothly."

Her appointment was soon over and they headed out of the door. The sky was gray and overcast, but the sun was trying to shine through the clouds.

Leo had one arm around Piper's waist and held Laurie's hand with his other hand. They were almost to the car when Leo heard the gunshot. The crowd of people outside screamed and began running.

Police instinct kicked in. He dropped to the ground, making sure Piper and Laurie were safely lying on ground. He got into a crouching position, withdrawing his weapon he carried on him at all times since Laurie had been abducted.

He slowly got up and looked around the street, weapon up and ready to shoot. He saw no one suspicious on the street, but that didn't mean the shooter hadn't shot through a window of one of the many shops on the street. It would have been impossible to tell where the gunman was in the chaos of the crowd.

Leo, not seeing a suspect in sight, lowered his weapon. As he did, he noticed his shirt covered in blood. He felt around his body, wondering if he was wounded. He felt no wounds, so he turned back to Piper and Leo.

Laurie was still lying on the ground covering her head. Piper was still on the ground. It wasn't until he looked at the sidewalk that he figured out what happened.

Red blood was slowly seeping down the sidewalk, filling in every little crease and crack until it seemed like a never ending red puddle.

It was coming from Piper.