CHARMED "Antidote"
By J. B. Tilton email: Rating: PG (for mild language)

Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

(Authors note: This story takes place between the end of season 6 episode "It's A Bad, Bad, Bad, Bad World" and the beginning of season 7 episode "A Call To Arms".)

When newborn Chris begins to suffer from a strange ailment, the sisters and Leo become extremely concerned when not even Leo's healing ability will cure the baby.

ONE

Piper sat straight up in her hospital bed. An emergency notification was sounding over the hospital loudspeakers.

"Code Blue in pediatrics. Code Blue in pediatrics."

There was no reason for her to think that the announcement was in reference to Chris. He was only twenty-four hours old and by all indications the doctors had said he was perfectly healthy. But an alarm was going off in the back of her mind. An alarm that said her newborn infant son was in trouble.

Piper got out of the bed and headed for the pediatric ward as quickly as she could move. Code Blue usually meant a life and death situation. If the doctors and nurses didn't attend to it immediately a patient was likely to die. As she reached the pediatric ward she saw several of the medical staff desperately working on a baby but from where she stood she couldn't tell which baby it was.

There were several babies in the ward at the moment. Some of them even had life threatening illnesses or other dangerous conditions. The odds of Chris being the one in danger were actually very remote. But the alarm in her brain wouldn't stop. Some instinct told her that he was in trouble. One of the nurses looked up and saw Piper standing at the door. She hurried over to Piper.

"Ms. Halliwell," said the nurse, "you shouldn't be here. You should be in bed resting."

"What's going on?" Piper asked. "Is Chris okay?"

"Please, Ms. Halliwell," said the nurse, "we have our hands full at the moment. Please just go back to your room and get back into bed."

Just then one of the doctors working on the baby moved slightly and Piper could see the baby clearly. From that distance it would be impossible to tell which baby it actually was. But somehow Piper knew it was Chris. She tried to push her way into the ward.

"Get her out of here," shouted one of the doctors working on the baby.

"That's Chris, isn't it?" demanded Piper. "What's wrong with him?"

"Ms. Halliwell, please let the doctors do their job," pleaded the nurse. "We'll let you know everything we can as soon as possible. Right now you're just in the way. Please, go back to you room and let he doctors work."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," demanded Piper. "That's my son in there and I want to know what's going on with him."

"Ms. Halliwell," said another doctor walking up to her, "if you'll come back to your room I'll explain what's going on. I'm doctor Lyman. But Nurse Clements is right. You need to let the doctors do their jobs."

Piper looked at the doctor and then looked at the group that was busily working on Chris. As worried as she was she knew there was probably nothing she could do at the moment. She turned and headed back to her room and the doctor followed her.