Chapter 8
Every passing moment hurt. Every second they were separated from their sister seemed to act like alcohol being poured over an open wound, taunting it and intensifying the pain and prolonging their despair. They had so many unanswered questions. So many pieces to the puzzle were missing and the longer they took to arrive at their destination the more frustrated and distressed they became.
Suddenly orbing wasn't so convenient and although it only took seconds, that short span of time can seem like an eternity when someone you love is struggling and knocking at death's door. They didn't know what was awaiting them in that hospital room or what they would be forced to see but whatever it was, they knew they had what it took to survive the latest family crisis.
They always have.
For Phoebe it was like losing Prue all over again. The sadness, the never ending pain and longing was still with her till this day and if she was losing Piper she knew it would break her both emotionally and physically. The constant ache she knew would take over was already starting to take root in her soul as pictures of her life without her sister flashed before her very eyes. Why were the beings above punishing her again? What had she done to deserve having the people she loved ripped out of her life? What had she done that was so wrong, so unforgivable?
Meanwhile Paige held the same thoughts only she was forced to remember the death of her parents. The people she loved more then anything in the world but now they were gone. The couple was snatched from her life when she needed them the most and without so much as a warning and now she was faced with losing her sister as well and having to relive the pain and anguish that went along with the loss and emptiness of losing a loved one all over again. But at least this time she had Phoebe as well as Leo to help her through, she just hoped that it was not too late and that Piper could be saved.
But when they formed Piper and Phoebe could only gasp at the sight before them as not a single audible word was able to be formed in their brains nor were any comprehensible enough to escape their lips. They stood motionless in the silence of the room that only held the fait sound of sobbing in the background as they surveyed their new surroundings and tried to figure out just what the hell was going on. Although they now were able to breath a sigh of relief that it wasn't their sister's life that was in danger something about the scene before them just wasn't right?
Were their eyes deceiving them?
Was that their whitelighter?
Was that Chris, the so called angel lying in a bed before them with his head covered in bandages…dying?
Was that even possible? And if so why was it so important for them to be there and even more to the point why was it so heartbreaking for Piper and Leo who couldn't stand the boy?
As the two charmed ones studied the area with more alert eyes they caught sight of a blond headed male who was resting his head on the stomach of their whitelighter with reddened arms draped across him, sporting tear stained eyes and a look of complete exhaustion as he was now slowly starting to come around.
"Piper?" Paige spoke in a low tone of voice as not to disturb the two men.
Piper and Leo looked up now noticing that they were no longer alone. Piper, whom looked even more fatigued then the man before her motioned for her sisters to come closer as she exhaled sharply and wiped her red, swollen eyes.
"What happened honey?" the woman continued as he Phoebe too began to breakdown as her sister's emotions got the best of her.
"It's Chris" she said not meaning to state the obvious but unable to articulate the words that pained her so much to speak.
"What about him and why are you two so upset and who the hell is he?" Paige motioned to her nephew, unbeknownst to her.
Leo was about to shout angry words to his sister in law who held no regard for the life of his son but decided to relent due to the woman's ignorance that was his own not so long ago.
"I found out Chris's identity today" Leo spoke before looking down at his watch "Well yesterday. Anyway he's…" Leo's voice suddenly escaped him as words became lodged in his throat and his eyes became watery again.
"He's what Leo?" questioned Paige who now growing anxious to hear the revelation.
Leo swallowed hard before continuing as he tried to steady his breaths to make sure that he would be heard the first time and not have to repeat what he was about to say. "He's…" the man stopped once again trying to regain his composure.
"Damn it Leo just say it!" shouted Phoebe through tears demanding to know why her sister was suffering, even though she had a good idea what the Elder was about to say.
"He's our son, he has a brain tumor and he's going to die" Piper said so low that the two woman almost didn't hear her.
"What?" asked the youngest sister as she sat down on the bed beside her nephew. This wasn't possible. No, there had to be some kind of mistake. This man, this liar, this person who had ruined her sister's life couldn't be her nephew. He just couldn't.
"I know what you're feeling right now Paige. Behind all the denial and anger you feel guilt" the eldest sister spoke as she watched her younger sister's eyes become filled with water. "I know this because I felt the same way. I was forced to remember everything I've said and done to him from the moment he arrived to the second he orbed out of the house yesterday morning after I kicked him out. Me, his mother, the person that was supposed to protect him from pain caused him the most and now my baby is laying there, dying and I'm sitting her wishing it were me instead" she cried and allowed a soft whimper to flee from her lips before continuing "But that wouldn't make any sense right, because if it were me then Chris would never be born but God forgive me because I don't know what's worse"
"WHAT!" questioned a now fully awake Wyatt as he glared at his mother, wishing he had the strength to stand up and knock her on her ass. "What the hell's the matter with you? How could you say that? How could you say that you don't want my brother to be conceived you selfish bitch?"
Her son's words hit her hard but she didn't have what it took to respond all she could do, all she ever had the strength to do for the last few hours was cry and even that was fading, fast.
"That's not what your mother meant and you know it Wyatt" Leo said through quivering lips.
"Oh shut the hell up Leo! You're even more worthless and pitiful then she is. My God if were any real Elder you would have been able to save him. To bring my brother back to life but you can't even do that so as far as I'm concerned you can both go to hell" the man yelled back while trying to hold in tears.
"Stop it" Phoebe spoke in a calm manner while staring a whole through her nephew.
"Yeah Wyatt fighting with your parents is not going to help Chris. In fact you may be hurting him. I mean he could be listening to us right now and this is what you want him to hear. That you despise your mother and blame your father for his illness" Paige picked up where her sister left off.
But instead of succeeding in claming the older boy down all they did was anger him even further.
"Oh and hearing that he was basically a mistake is just so much better right Aunt Paige" the man answered back with sarcasm.
At that moment tempers flared and hate filled words flew back and forth from both side keeping them completely unaware of what was going on between them.
Christopher Perry Halliwell thought he was going insane when he was awoken by the sound of his brother's voice. At first he tired to shake it off but when he heard his father use the man's name and the words that were spoken next by his aunts he knew it was no dream at all and what was going on around him was very real. His eyes were now opening slightly and he could see the shadowy figures standing around him, except for his brother who was sitting off to his right. He wanted to shout and get their attention and put an end to their bickering but unfortunately he didn't have time to ponder any further as he could now feel a heavy, throbbing pain come into play, holding his thoughts and body captive.
He wanted to scream out in agony but his sore throat and dry thought wouldn't allow even a whimper to escape. He felt trapped inside his own body and became panicked when he couldn't get the attention of his family but then he felt it. His senses were finally starting to come around and he could now feel his hand being held firmly but his brother. Now if he could only regain his control over his body he could squeeze his brother's hand and get his family's attention.
"This isn't fair to him Wyatt!" he heard his Aunt Phoebe shout. "He's dying for Christ sake and this is what he want him to hear right before…" she trailed off unable to finish, not that Wyatt would have allowed her to anyway.
"STOP SAYING THAT! My brother is not going to die you hear me? He's not going to die!" the man shouted back.
If it were any other time Chris would have jumped up and down knowing that his brother still loved him but right now getting rid of this pain was all that matter to him.
Gathering all his strength the boy tried hard to focus on his right hand and what he wanted to accomplish. Steadying his breathing Chris tried first to work on his muscles, seeing if he could speed up the process expanding and contracting them as he struggled to get back his control.
His first attempted failed.
His second was just a little more successful then the first but he wouldn't give up. He was in pain and he needed to get his someone to stop it. Not only that but if these were truly his last hours he wanted to be able to say good-bye to his family and let them know just how much he loved them.
Just a little more Chris, he told himself as he tired to squeeze his brother's hand.
Wyatt felt something lightly brush his hand. He studied the hand of his brother with new found hope in his eyes as he waited to feel something else but when no new sensation was to be found the man returned a scowling gaze back to his family and continued to vent.
"It's not like you love him, hell you don't even like him"
"That's not fair Wyatt and you know it. Besides when we were fighting with Chris we had no clue as to who he was or what his real intentions were towards this family so what's your excuse for treating him like shit"
That was it. Paige had gone too far and she knew it by the look in her nephew's eyes. He was pissed. Livid beyond words as she watched with terror as he lifted his hand to do her harm but them suddenly he stopped.
"Ouch, what the…" he said looking down at his hand that the source of pain seemed to be coming from.
Holding onto him tightly was the hand of his little brother who had his nails digging deeply into his skin.
"Chris" the boy smiled now gaining the attention of his family.
"What, what's going on?" questioned Leo who walked over to his son's bed side as did Piper, Paige and Phoebe..
"Come on bro, open your eyes. That's it, you can do it" willed the older male as he leaned in close and began lovingly stroking the boy's head.
Two second latter the group was met with the dulling green eyes of Christopher Halliwell.