Peanut2lb: Gasp! Dude, I never would have thought that you actually went through something like that. Geez, I'm so sorry pal, I mean, I've seen clips on TV about that awful quake, and man, lemme tell you that it is scary...and quite a lot, I might add. I'm sure that no matter how long it's been, you always keep that memory at hand; I wish I was wrong. Sorry again dude.
Now, about your nice comments, Yup, It's going to be cool to see Phoebe as a Doctor, right? Just wait and see what's coming next. TFR dude.
PrUe AnD AnDy: Thanks for reviewing dude, and don't worry, everybody will get what they deserve. TFR
Faith Kingsley: Sorry for the delay kiddo, hope you like this update. And about your question (Lexie leaving) ...DUDE!...come on...FOCUS! Go back to chapter one or two...can't recall which one, but you'll find the answer there. TFR.
AlyssaAs: Aww, dude, you're so sweet! Thanks a lot for your kind words. Don't worry missy, Lexie will be hurt, you can count on it. Hope you like this update. TFR
Princess Pinky: Hey dude! Wait till you find out about Sophie... Dun-dun-dun-dun! I'm glad Lexie is finally coming to her senses too. Don't worry, she'll end up doing the right thing. TFR.
OK... ENOUGH FOR TODAY! LET'S GO TO THE STORY DUDES!
C.C. McKenna
Earthquake
Chapter Seven
Phoebe hung up the telephone releasing a heavy sigh at the same time; she had been on the handset for the lasthalf hour,dealing with busy tones, long exasperating holds, and rude receptionists with no courtesy at all. She shook her head, fixing her eyes on Piper's inquisitive ones. "Nothing" she added.
"Nothing? What do you mean nothing!" Piper snapped,rubbing her temples and swiftly moving across the room. They had seen the news on TV… they saw with terror what the devastating Earthquake had done to San Francisco, and they were desperate doing all the necessary arrangements to get back to their hometown, to get back to their sisters… but unfortunately, it was obviously impossible.
"What do you mean nothing!" Piper yelled louder. "Y-you… you try another airline! And then another, and another one, until you get us a freaking seat to San Francisco!"
"P-piper…"
"No! Don't you Piper me…"
Phoebe squinted, taking in each and every one of her sister's desperate words. She was upset and desperate too but she was keeping her cool, Piper needed her right now. Piper…sweetie…" she slowly walked to her sister and gently enveloped her trembling body with her loving arms. "Honey, calm down, you need to calm down… we'll get there, I don't know how, but we will, I promise; it's just that there are no flights to San Francisco, they've shut down the airport," Phoebe kissed her sister's temple, "and flights to L.A. are all booked up"
Piper hastily pulled back, holding Phoebe at arms length. "I don't give a damn" She muttered through clenched teeth, tightly clutching her fingers around her sister's arms. "Get us a private jet or anything, I don't care what you have to do, but do it now!" She raised her voice, never releasing her grip. "Tell me, can you do something? Can you fix this…t-this… can you get us there?" Piper shouted and took a very deep breath, "P-please Phoebe, I just can't take it anymore, this…this silence is killing me…not knowing anything about my sisters is freaking killing me!" She yelled, shaking her sister with anger.
"Ok…o-ok…" Phoebe bit her lips, a couple of tears found their way down her cheek while she pulled her sister closer. "Easy now" Phoebe softly whispered; Piper's nervous outburst was scaring her. "I'll get us there, but please, Piper, you have to calm down, this is…"
"Then do it now!" Piper cut off her sister's words, forcing her to startle, "I want to see my sisters, I want to be with them, I want to know they're all aright"
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"P-prue" Andy stirred, slowly coming out of his nothingness. He winced and carefully reached down to grab his leg. He couldn't see a thing but he knew it was badly damaged. He could feel it. His leg was bleeding due to an exposed fracture and he couldn't move it no matter how hard he tried. He made an effort to get a hold of his belt and strap it around his leg to make a tourniquet, but soon found out that his arm was broken too. He swallowed hard and closed his eyes tightly, trying to get rid of the pain; it took him a couple of minutes but he finally managed to tie the belt, single handed, around his leg; he waited just a little more to regain strength, until he collected enough energy to move. He crawled with difficulty, with only one thing in his mind…Prue.
"You have to be here somewhere, I was holding you… you have to be here…" Andy kept murmuring, dragging his leg, dealing with his aching arm, and struggling like crazy to keep himself conscious. He stopped for a couple of seconds and took a deep breath before he attempted to remove a rather large metal structure, but he couldn't do it, his flaccid arm just wasn't giving him the results he wanted. He moaned and fell on his back, cringing in pain; gasping. He made another huge effort but still, he couldn't move; He was weak and thirsty; the blood loss was quickly becoming a major issue. He moved his hand and accidentally brushed his fingers on something soft. His eyes went wide and automatically sat up; it was Prue, he knew it had to be her, somehow deep down inside, his heart just knew it.
Andy couldn't see a thing but he grasped the cold, limp hand and squeezed it; he got no response whatsoever, so he slowly slid his trembling fingers trying to reach further, stopping abruptly before he even reached the elbow, realizing that the hand he was holding was the only thing he could get a hold of. Pulling some rocks aside, he fearfully gripped the lifeless hand, and without still being able to focus enough to identify it, his heart jumped inside when he recognized his girlfriend's gold charm bracelet. Somehow, it found a way to glitter to make sure he was right.
"P-prue…baby?" Andy whispered. He never thought he could be this frightened, but he was. He bit his lips with nervousness and gently ran his thumb on the lifeless hand he was holding. "Prue…oh God…please, she has to be alive" He paused for a moment to get rid of his fear, "Prue…I know you're alive, my heart can't be wrong…" He cleared his throat to swallow the big lump that was blocking it. "I love you…I need you…. please God… please, this can't be happening" Andy kept mumbling, painfully trying to toss more rocks out of the way; but his arm reluctantly willing to comply with his orders. Hissing with desperation and slowly leaning his aching body on a pile of twisted irons, his thoughts immediately traveled to Prue. "I love you Prue, you know that; I'm staying here with you, I won't leave you alone" He whispered, hating himself more than ever for not being able to do more for her.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Lexie was slowly getting to the place she saw her sister for the last time; she was tired and frightened, but she wanted to find her with all her might. Her slim body made it easier for her to crawl through small and shallow places, desperately calling her sister's name, not even bothering to think about the burning pain she was feeling inside her chest; not to mention the weakness that her worn out heart was causing.
Lexie was angry, confused and scared; she hated herself for being such a bitch to her sister lately; if only she was given a chance to do things right, if only she could tell her sister how much she loved her; if only she could turn back time…if…if, there were too many ifs involved this time; her hands instinctively went to her head, strongly pressing her temples, trying to get those thoughts out of her mind; She screamed when she felt a sharp pain inside her head, almost as it was about and ready to implode; she dropped on her knees and cried; Finally releasing all the pressure she'd jealously kept inside over the years. She was mad at life for treating her so harsh, but worst of all, she was mad at God for taking away all the important people in her life, all the people she loved, her mother, her grandparents, and now he wanted to take her sister; She hated life for not giving her a chance to grow up with a father, a father that should had taken care of her and her ill mother; She had always lived with the thought that maybe if he had been around, things had definitely been different; her mother would probably still be alive, and she wouldn't have had to go through all the pain and suffering of living with her aunt and all that physical and physiological abuse. She screamed again, holding the side of her body, ignoring her own pain. She stood up, slowly but steady, oh she was angry, but this time something was different, this time she felt an unusual force running through her veins; she took a deep breath and determinedly decided she had had enough, she surprised herself swearing never to hide behind God's will again, this time she was going to fight back, there was absolutely no way for her to accept God's rules, no, not anymore; this time she was going to fight harder, and this time… she was going to win.
Completely out of breath, and almost to the point of collapsing again, Lexie called out her sister's name for what she thought was probably a thousand time, receiving no response whatsoever; she closed her eyes with desperation and took several short breaths to get her strength back, but everything seemed useless, she still couldn't catch her breath; so she decided instead to grant herself a little time to rest. Lexie leaned back on a pile of shards, rubbing the side of her chest to get some relief; her broken ribs were starting to be a real problem; but nothing was going to stop her from finding her big sister. She was about to move on when she thought she heard an old familiar voice filling the air. "Andy?" She whispered to no one and quickly sat up, trying hard to identify her brother in law's voice from the hundreds of voices that had been piercing her ears for quite a while now.
"Over here Lexie!" Andy had listened to Lexie's calls trying to find her sister, so he yelled louder, hoping to guide her to where they were. "Lexie, follow my voice, I'm going to keep shouting until you find us" And so he did; he yelled as loud as he could, becoming weaker and weaker with each shout. His sight got blurry and he was about to pass out when he felt a soothing, comforting hand on his shoulder.
"I'm here Andy…I'm right here; Thank God you're ok" She said, not noticing Andy's injuries; it was still dark, and only diffused shadows could be perceived. "Where's Prue…where's my sister!"
"Lexie" Andy slowly licked his lips. "I'm so g-glad to see you…she's…she's…"
"Andrew, don't do this to me, wake up, come on, wake up" She slapped him several times to keep him conscious but it was too late, he m,mdplunged his head in her hands, unconscious. "You've got to tell me where my sister is…I can't see a thing…damn it Andrew!"
It was useless, Andy was unconscious, but she knew her sister had to be near somewhere; If Andy was here, Prue had to be too, that was obvious. She dragged Andy with difficulty to an open space and leaned him on a stack of stones, sharing a space with a couple of screaming reporters; knowing for a fact that help would be coming their way soon; she wiped the sweat and the salty drops from her face and quickly checked the oxygen cylinder she kept in her waist band and immediately went back to find her sister.
Lexie kept carefully tossing rocks away, calling her sister's name every time she shoved debris aside, but never getting a response. "Come on Prue, say something, yell…please" she kept digging, "answer me, let me know where you are", she whispered with every desperate attempt she made to find her. Suddenly, she stopped for a moment, realizing the big mistake she had done. She stood up and searched inside her pocket, her hands were shaking when she grabbed the first present Prue had given her, the silver cell phone. Without hesitations, she flipped it open and dialed her sister's number; She waited a few seconds, which she thought they were the longest seconds of her life, and her heart jumped like crazy when she heard the heavenly ringing sound of her sister's cell only a couple of feet away, in a matter of seconds, she was all over the pile of debris. Ignoring the cuts and scrapes on her hands, she just kept tossing rocks away, shoving the pain aside and ignoring the sheer agony her ribs were causing through her entire body. She took a couple of seconds to regain strength and immediately went back to her task, her hands were a mess, but time was vital.
The first thing she came across with was her sister's cold hand, which she held tight as soon as she plunged heavily on her knees. "I'm here Prue, I'm here with you, you're not alone" Lexie kept repeating, she was scared and afraid of not having enough courage to handle the situation. "I'll get you out, I promise" She clenched her sister's hand, hoping to hear a reply; the only thing she got was an almost imperceptible weak squeeze in return, but it was more than enough for Lexie, Prue had given her a little hope to go on. She didn't want to release her sister's flaccid hand, but she did anyway, and anxiously went back to the heavy rocks. Suddenly, the ringing stopped, Prue's cell was out, but Lexie didn't care, she had already found her sister, and now the only thing she had to do was to get her out.
Lexie's cell light made it a lot easier for her to see what she was doing; she held it tight between her teeth while she lifted the last piece of concrete and spotted Prue, face down and completely oblivious to Lexie's presence.
"Prue…oh God…thank you, thank you, thank you…!" Lexie bent down and carefully brushed the hair from her sister's face. Her hands were shaking and her heart was beating out of control. "Prue, come on Prue, I'm scared, please…please wake up" Lexie spread her gaze and fought against a sudden dizzy spell when she realized that her sister's lower body was trapped underneath a huge beam. She closed her eyes tightly and gazed back to her sister. She was now more scared than ever. "I'll get you out, don't worry" She whispered in her sister's ear while she quickly reached for the cylinder and gently placed the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth, waiting to see a sign, any sign that could reveal her sister's condition; something that could tell her that she was still alive and that she were going to be ok.
After a while, Prue's eyelids barely fluttered. The first thing she felt was cold, then fear. She tried to rub her eyes but her arm didn't respond. She had no control. Her breathing was shallow and she couldn't even think straight. Instinctively, she took a deep breath and filled her lungs with the precious oxygen her sister had just provided her with. She then tried to shake the haze out of her head but the sharp, unbearable pain she felt on her back almost sent her back to oblivion again, fortunately Lexie's sweet voice kept her conscious.
"Don't move," Lexie whispered once more, softly rubbing her sister's back with gentle circled motions, immediately turning off her cell phone to preserve the battery and save the precious blue light for later. "Please, stay still or you'll hurt yourself even more"
The moment Prue felt her sister's touch she forced herself to stay awake; she slowly tried to open her eyes, succeeding this time, but all she saw was darkness; no faces, no nothing. The surface below her was rough and cold. Her head was hurting bad and she could feel a hot stream running down her forehead, blatantly cluttering her face. She didn't have to be a doctor to know that her right arm was fractured; despite the lack of light, she was well aware of it's awkward position; It was bleeding too; the sticky warm liquid underneath it validated her own diagnose. "A-andy" She whispered in her mind, but an excruciating pain suddenly brought her out of her thoughts; her back was hurting her in a way she never thought it could be possible.
"Awwgh…p-please", Prue gasped and tilted the oxygen away from her face, "my back is killing me…do s-something…p-please" she cried desperately.
Lexie quickly tightened her grip on her sister's hand. "Ok…ok…easy" She grabbed her cell again and turned it on to get some light, but she already knew the reason for her sister's pain…the iron beam was sharply pressing down and piercing Prue's lower back, and it didn't look good. It was going to be almost impossible for Lexie to get her sister free and agonizingly painful for Prue to bear, but she had to do it, she had no choice, so she tried one last shot. "Prue…can you use your powers? Think you can help me move the beam?"
"A-andy" Prue's words were barely a mere whisper, but Lexie was close enough to listen.
"Andy is fine Prue, he's safe; now, please, stay with me here…can-you-move-the-beam?"
"B-beam?"
"Yes Prue, can you help me move the beam from your back? Can you move at all?" Lexie asked softly.
"N-no,… I… I can't… "
"Ok…ok, don't worry" Lexie tried to move her sister but her own body protested violently; she wanted to ignore the pain and focus on her sister but it was just too much. "It's ok", she paused, trying to get her breathing under control, "I'll see what I can do," she barely whispered.
"I…I'm-m s-s-s-sorry" Prue spoke softly, suppressing the annoying cough that had been bothering her for quite a while now. "W-where's A-anddddy?" She asked between coughs.
"Easy…easy, I think it's better if you don't talk" Lexie brushed her sister's hair out of the way. "He's ok…Andy is ok…sshhh, stay calm, I'll get you out" Lexie placed a soft kiss on her sister's forehead "Listen Prue, I'm going to lift the bar, and it's going to hurt bad but I have to do it"
"I…k-know… j-just… just d-do it"
"Ok" Lexie nodded, once again admiring her sister's strength and fearless spirit, "I'll do this quickly…just take a deep breath and on the count of three, one…two…"
A ripping scream was released from the bottom of Prue's chest the moment her sister lifted the heavy bar; She had placed an iron rod underneath the beam, and with the help of a piece of concrete, lifted it, and dropped it beside her. The heavy thud shook the surroundings in a very violent way, surprising everybody, and forcing them to scream, again fearing for their lives; Lexie looked around and saw debris falling dangerously all over the place and without hesitation she jumped on top of her sister to protect her.
"L-leave Lexie, g-get out of here" Prue hissed; she knew the place wasn't going to hold any longer. "It's too late f-for me, but you s-still can…"
"No, there's no way in hell I'm leaving you here…come on, hold on to me, we can get out of here together" Lexie panicked when Prue remained still, unmoving. "Can you feel your legs?" She asked, trying to pull her sister up.
"Yeah, but I… I can't…I'm… I'm…" Prue tried to answer, but flinched as she drew in a breath to speak. "I…I…" she couldn't even think straight; She could feel her life slowly slipping away, and for the first time in her life, she felt fear.
"Prue…stay with me" Lexie softly held her sister's chin. "Come on, keep those eyes open for me…please" Lexie said with a tremulous voice.
Prue slowly opened her eyes and looked up, landing her sight on her sister's green, kind, but worried eyes. "My back hurts," she winced. "I think something's wrong inside of me…I'm not going to m-make it Lex, I know…I just…" She swallowed her cry, taking in all the fear and sorrow she saw on her sister's face. The pain she was unwillingly inflicting on her baby sister.
"Sshh," Lexie placed her trembling finger on Prue's dry lips. "Don't even think about it Prue" She took off her jacket and dropped it on the floor. "Forget it, you are not going anywhere" She looked down at Prue, and started taking her shirt off, "You're not getting rid of me that easily," she wrapped the shirt tightly around Prue's stomach, being very careful to cover up the open wound she had on her back; it wasn't that large, but it was deep; maybe it wasn't the world's most brilliant idea, but at least it helped slow down the blood loss a little. She then put her jacket back on while she checked her sister's injuries. "There" she nodded, satisfied with her own work. "This will give us more time" she stood there for a couple of seconds, staring at her sister. "I love you Prue" Lexie whispered and gently squeezed her sister's hand, "And listen well; lots of things are going to happen tonight in this building Prue, but you dying on me is definitely not one of them, so, forget it big sister, I'm going to get us both out of here".
"L-lex… Prue barely managed to whisper, she knew there was something wrong inside her; she knew her time was near; she could sense death's presence, that was an old feeling she knew too well. "Lexie…" She tried again, this time a little bit louder; she could feel herself slowly drifting away, so she reluctantly closed her eyes, risking a chance of never opening them back again, while her thoughts traveled to Andy and her sisters; just wanting to see them one last time; she needed to say good-bye.
"I'm right here" Lexie whispered, slowly leaning closer to her sister's face. She wanted to cry but she bit her lower lip and muffled her sobs; after all, she was an expert on that subject; She used to cry in silent almost every night before falling asleep and no one could ever tell.
"You need to tell Andy…a-and-and Piper and Phoebe that…"
"No, no, you'll tell them whatever it is you want to say as soon as we're out of this hole and as soon as they get here, because you're not leaving us, you hear? You're not going anywhere!"
"But…"
"No Prue, you are strong, and…and unbreakable, you can't give up now, please" Lexie started crying. "You just can't" She added, trying hard to keep her voice steady.
Prue wanted to give her sister the comfort she needed but she was weaker than what she was willing to admit she suddenly found herself praying, pleading to God to let her live a while longer, at least long enough to say one last good-bye. She knew she didn't have much time left; she couldn't hold much longer. She softly closed her eyes, unwillingly, allowing a few cherished memories of her sisters to flash inside her head. Piper's warm and comforting embrace…her sweet, shy smile…her strength and her unconditional never-ending love. Phoebe's bright inquisitive eyes; filled with their own special glee, yet so gentle and loving; always reliable; always there. And then there was Lexie, the youngest of them all; the wild one, the spontaneous one, the loner, the one that longed for love, even though she'd never admit it. The images kept flashing, suddenly pausing on Andy's tender, loving smile. She was abruptly pulled away into reality when Lexie's words became louder and clearer. "L-lex…? She whispered while her thoughts slowly drifted back to her baby sister.
"Yes, come on Prue, let's try…"
"N-no, y-you h-have to leave, I m-mean it, Lexie, for once in y-your l-life, do as you are told…" Prue hissed before she felt her body loosened in Lexie's arms. The last thing Prue heard was the panic in her sister's voice; She closed her eyes and drew a weak, peaceful smile when Andy's image became vivid in her mind; she fought to stay awake but didn't win.
"Stop it Prue, don't do this to me…please, wake up" Lexie grasped her sister's shoulders and shook her a couple of times trying to bring her back. "Stay with me here, please, Prue…PRUE!" Lexie's painful cries were quickly blended with hundreds of other desperate and terrified screams.
TBC
