Different Paths Part 21:
Some things never change

Finally at home, Prue placed Meghan on the couch while Andy collected a thermometer, some orange juice and blankets. The girls were still sitting in the kitchen, waiting for some news. Andy entered the kitchen with blankets and the thermometer to get some juice as everyone starred at him
"what?"
"Where?"
"How?"
"Meghan and Prue are in the living. Meghan's beside some fever alright. What happened I'll tell when Meghan's asleep..."
Andy said as he went for the fridge, then all three women ran off to Meghan and Prue and they all hugged the little girl.
"Hey, hey, hey, enough now... don't wake her up too much now"
Prue said. Meghan needed her rest and she was now short before falling asleep, so she really couldn't have her sisters getting her all hyper again. The girls understood and sat down somewhere around Meghan. Prue herself also sat down next to Meghan, as Meghan laid her head into her mom's lap
"daddy's right back"
Prue whispered, as she stroke Meghan's face and hair gently. Finally Andy returned. He handed the thermometer to Prue, placed the juice on the table and then covered Meghan up. Prue unwrapped the thermometer and then looked down at Meghan
"okay... open your mouth, princess"
Meghan shook her head covering her mouth with both hands
"Meghan, please."
Meghan again shook her head
"Meghan, this isn't a game or something where you decided what will happen. I'll take your temperature and I don't care in what way, you heard me?"
Prue asked in a serious voice. Meghan still didn't move. Andy looked at Prue, who nodded and Andy grabbed gently for Meghan's hand
"open your mouth"
she said serious. Meghan shook her head.
"Sweetie, it'll just take a few seconds. It's over in a minute, please..."
Prue nearly begged, then saw it had no use and grabbed her nose, so she couldn't breathe through it anymore. Soon enough Meghan opened her mouth and Prue placed the thermometer under her tongue. Andy then let go of Meghan's hands and looked worried down at his daughter, while sitting down where her feet ended. Phoebe just grinned. She had hated it, every time Prue had done that to her. She only remembered the nose part, but then saw how gently and loving Prue crawled Meghan's head and face to calm her down. To tell her she knew it wasn't a nice feeling, but that it had to be. Phoebe leaned her head back into Cole and then looked at Prue and her still worried face
"I love you"
Phoebe suddenly said everyone starred at Phoebe for that not getting who she meant, what she meant or why she said that. Phoebe just smiled and looked at Meghan
"I know how that feels... the nose trick's evil. I know all you feel now is being angry at your mom and that you don't even notice what she does. I needed till today to realize and see it. Don't be mad at her. Just enjoy her gentle stroking and how she cares for you."
Phoebe told her niece. Prue smiled a little and looked back down at Meghan, who now snuggled again into her mom's stomach and lap. Prue looked back at Phoebe and mouthed 'thanks' to her, before removing the thermometer, as it beeped.
"you still wanna drink something?"
she asked Meghan and she nodded. Prue grabbed for the juice and handed the glass to her daughter after placing her on her lap
"with both hands"
Prue lectured her, putting her other hand on the glass as well. Piper grinned, knowing that all too well as well. Meghan drank the glass empty and then Prue placed her back under the blanket and her head in her lap
"you no going awai, wite?"
Meghan asked. Prue smiled and kissed her forehead
"whether me or daddy will stay right here with you, I promise... now just go to sleep, okay?"
Meghan nodded and turned around... facing her mom's stomach as she started to go to sleep. Andy in the meantime had seen Leo holding Ann and smiled. He didn't hold his daughter for a while now. He got up and picked her from Leo
"hey..."
he said smiling... laying her across his chest
"wow... you are getting biiiiig and heavy"
he said smiling. Prue watched the scene and smiled, then looked back down at Meghan, who was now deep asleep and then stopped stroking her, just to wrap the blanket more around her
"some things never will change"
Piper said silently, smiling a little as well
"what do you mean?"
"There was a time Piper and I kept bugging Prue with the nickname mommy-sis."
Phoebe answered Paige
"the glass thingy... and the thermometer... 'I'll stay right here with you, I promise, now go to sleep' and that 'out of here she needs rest'... it's all too familiar"
Piper added
"yeah... and just good Meghan doesn't know what you would have done, if she didn't give up then..."
"Why?"
Paige asked
"Phoebe though she tricked me, when she was like 7. She just fast snapped for air and then closed her mouth all too fats again. I had no chance."
"And then Prue told me to face the wall. She uncovered me and took my temperature in my butt. I had no choice but to let it happen..."
Prue smiled a little
"it never hurt you and was just the best for you"
Prue answered. Paige just smiled a little
"I wished I could have been here as well"
she told them
"no offence, honey, but, I think another one I wouldn't have survived"
Prue said laughing...
"Yeah... Prue after all was still a kid herself..."
Andy added as he sat back down, crawling Ann's back. Prue smiled and leaned over Meghan to peck him
"and I wouldn't have made it without you"
she told him. Andy smiled a little and pecked her again
"but... you can try me and act childish now, if you wanna"
Prue grinned
"I think I'm gonna think about that"
Paige answered and the girls started laughing
"now what happened at the hospital?"
Leo asked. Andy looked up at him, sighted and then looked back at Meghan
"around 6 I woke up. I felt Meghan's cold hands and saw her sweaty forehead... so I felt it and she was burning up. Her temperature went up constantly till around 7 suddenly the regular sound of her heart beating was gone. I, at first, thought it was just the machine, which was broken but then looked down and saw she wasn't breathing anymore neither. Nurses and doctors hurried in right away as the machine automatically send a signal to them in that case. They had to reanimate her. Even with electroshock stuff and all. And after one of the shocks, she just opened her eyes and breathed again. The heartbeat was back and it was just like she just needed to shock us to show us she was still alive. The doctor's checked her over and confessed she was completely alrigth and awake again..."