Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Charmed. I'm almost positive it's illegal to do what I'm going to do with these characters...ah well, don't sue. It's only fun and fiction!
AN: HUGE thanks to C.C McKenna, Timeless Deception, HollyShadow, Winter Blaze, p3charmed4eva, line100, Starring Piper, and Pixiedust-hunnie for your wonderful reviews! I love you all!!
Starring Piper: Ahhh! I miss you! And I wrote this jsut for you, so you better come on SOON! Kaysies?
Chapter 15
Leo orbed into the hospital room moments after Paige departed. With a strangled breath, he went to Piper's side. He had hardly acknowledged her presence for so long that it seemed unfamiliar to him, but the second he touched her lifeless hand, the memory of the strength and warmth Piper had once offered freely flooded back to him. Tears sprang to his eyes as he knelt at her side, pressing his forehead against her hand. What could he say? What would he do to bring her back?
The answer flashed in his mind, but Leo shoved it away immediately. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't. Healing was out of the question. But how could he stand by and watch her fade away, after so much she had overcome to be back with her family? Guilt shrouded him heavily. He had pushed her so far away, and now there was a possibility he could never make ammends. She would probably have laughed in his face, but he could have tried.
He loved her. Every painful breath he had taken since the day he had left her reminded him of that. Who knew shame and pride could work together, even to create such a disaster as their fallen marriage? An obsession had grown out of berating himself for the words he had mindlessly hurled at her. A woman who could never intentionally hurt anyone. A woman he had accused of murder.
A woman who had let someone she had claimed to love walk away without so much as a single word or moment of regret. Not that Leo would ever have known what she felt. He had closed the part of himself that could tap into her emotions, barricaded it so efficiently that he had forgotten the strength he had taken from her will. Piper had always been his everything. And he had thrown it -and her- away.
Leo looked up at his beloved and saw nothing but destruction. Physical, emotional. Ruin that had been impending after every blow dealt to her. Ruin she had held off until she could no longer even breathe for herself. Leo glared angrily at the machines surrounding her, irrationally feeling jealous because she needed them, but not him. Not ever again. Leo pushed to his feet, unable to stand the knowledge that he could do nothing for her, no matter his love.
"Piper," he whispered, bending to brush a kiss across her temple, "I'm so sorry. I should have..." What? Leo shook his head. All idle words. With a deep feeling of helplessness, Leo orbed from the room.
"What do you mean there's nothing more you can do for her?," Phoebe demanded of the doctor before her, practically shouting, "You're fucking trained for this kind of thing. You live for it, don't you? So what is so hard about helping my sister recover? And don't you dare tell me insurance, because I know damn well she was insured for anything, including a hang nail."
"It has nothing to do with insurance, not that it ever would, and I certainly would do more if it were possible," Dr. Hash went on calmly, if a little offended, "I am afraid you aren't understanding me properly. There are no medical means of helping Ms. Halliwell any further than what I have done for her. I am trying to tell you that her body and her will are all that will help her from this point on."
Phoebe stared at him for a long time, willing him to break into a smile and say he was only joking. How was it even possible that he could run out of options? With every advance they had made, hadn't one single idiot found a way to heal brutally beaten people? After all, it wasn't a rare occurence. When Dr. Hash finally looked away uneasily, Phoebe snapped from her thoughts. "So..is there anything I can do for her?," she whispered.
"Talk to her," the doctor encouraged, "But other than that... Our only option is to wait and hope for the best." He offered a sympathetic look before turning to walk away.
"What a waste of breath," Paige hissed, sneering at his retreating figure, "I don't know why we even bothered to ask him. If there's nothing he can do, I'm sure we can find something in the Book of Shadows to help her."
"No, Paige," Phoebe said gently, "He was right when he said all we can do is talk to her.. Even with magic on our side, there is nothing for this type of situation."
"Talking to her? That's ridiculous! The only way talking is going to help her at all is if we're saying a spell to heal her," Paige insisted.
"You aren't listening." Phoebe replied, frustrated, "Since magic didn't put her into this hospital, magic can't bring her out of it! There is no spell, not without consequences that neither of us are willing to risk." Paige gawked.
"Great, so we what? Wait for her to die?," she returned angrily.
"Don't even say it," Phoebe warned, narrowing her eyes, "Piper will make it through this. It's what she does. I know her." Without another word, she whirled around and headed for Piper's room. But Paige heard the unspoken words, and felt their sting. I know her, but you don't.
She never had, not really. Piper had tried to bond with her, a while after they met, but she had been preoccupied with her own life. That and keeping up her relationship with Phoebe, which had always taken precedence. Paige had been indifferent, distant. She had wasted so much time, instead of grabbing onto it with all she had. Even though she hadn't realized it, Piper had become precious in her life. And Paige had treated her older sister as expendable.
Paige sighed. It would do no good to dwell on the mistakes she made with Piper. All she had now was the hope of setting things right. At the moment, she needed to be with Piper, doing the one thing the doctor had advised them to do. Talk to her. Keep her tethered to this reality. At least she could do that for Piper, after everything Piper had done for her.
AN: Wow, another chapter, you must be saying. Yeah yeah. I know I've sucked at updating. Jsut bow to the amazing wonder that is Starring Piper. She made me do it!
AN: HUGE thanks to C.C McKenna, Timeless Deception, HollyShadow, Winter Blaze, p3charmed4eva, line100, Starring Piper, and Pixiedust-hunnie for your wonderful reviews! I love you all!!
Starring Piper: Ahhh! I miss you! And I wrote this jsut for you, so you better come on SOON! Kaysies?
Chapter 15
Leo orbed into the hospital room moments after Paige departed. With a strangled breath, he went to Piper's side. He had hardly acknowledged her presence for so long that it seemed unfamiliar to him, but the second he touched her lifeless hand, the memory of the strength and warmth Piper had once offered freely flooded back to him. Tears sprang to his eyes as he knelt at her side, pressing his forehead against her hand. What could he say? What would he do to bring her back?
The answer flashed in his mind, but Leo shoved it away immediately. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't. Healing was out of the question. But how could he stand by and watch her fade away, after so much she had overcome to be back with her family? Guilt shrouded him heavily. He had pushed her so far away, and now there was a possibility he could never make ammends. She would probably have laughed in his face, but he could have tried.
He loved her. Every painful breath he had taken since the day he had left her reminded him of that. Who knew shame and pride could work together, even to create such a disaster as their fallen marriage? An obsession had grown out of berating himself for the words he had mindlessly hurled at her. A woman who could never intentionally hurt anyone. A woman he had accused of murder.
A woman who had let someone she had claimed to love walk away without so much as a single word or moment of regret. Not that Leo would ever have known what she felt. He had closed the part of himself that could tap into her emotions, barricaded it so efficiently that he had forgotten the strength he had taken from her will. Piper had always been his everything. And he had thrown it -and her- away.
Leo looked up at his beloved and saw nothing but destruction. Physical, emotional. Ruin that had been impending after every blow dealt to her. Ruin she had held off until she could no longer even breathe for herself. Leo glared angrily at the machines surrounding her, irrationally feeling jealous because she needed them, but not him. Not ever again. Leo pushed to his feet, unable to stand the knowledge that he could do nothing for her, no matter his love.
"Piper," he whispered, bending to brush a kiss across her temple, "I'm so sorry. I should have..." What? Leo shook his head. All idle words. With a deep feeling of helplessness, Leo orbed from the room.
"What do you mean there's nothing more you can do for her?," Phoebe demanded of the doctor before her, practically shouting, "You're fucking trained for this kind of thing. You live for it, don't you? So what is so hard about helping my sister recover? And don't you dare tell me insurance, because I know damn well she was insured for anything, including a hang nail."
"It has nothing to do with insurance, not that it ever would, and I certainly would do more if it were possible," Dr. Hash went on calmly, if a little offended, "I am afraid you aren't understanding me properly. There are no medical means of helping Ms. Halliwell any further than what I have done for her. I am trying to tell you that her body and her will are all that will help her from this point on."
Phoebe stared at him for a long time, willing him to break into a smile and say he was only joking. How was it even possible that he could run out of options? With every advance they had made, hadn't one single idiot found a way to heal brutally beaten people? After all, it wasn't a rare occurence. When Dr. Hash finally looked away uneasily, Phoebe snapped from her thoughts. "So..is there anything I can do for her?," she whispered.
"Talk to her," the doctor encouraged, "But other than that... Our only option is to wait and hope for the best." He offered a sympathetic look before turning to walk away.
"What a waste of breath," Paige hissed, sneering at his retreating figure, "I don't know why we even bothered to ask him. If there's nothing he can do, I'm sure we can find something in the Book of Shadows to help her."
"No, Paige," Phoebe said gently, "He was right when he said all we can do is talk to her.. Even with magic on our side, there is nothing for this type of situation."
"Talking to her? That's ridiculous! The only way talking is going to help her at all is if we're saying a spell to heal her," Paige insisted.
"You aren't listening." Phoebe replied, frustrated, "Since magic didn't put her into this hospital, magic can't bring her out of it! There is no spell, not without consequences that neither of us are willing to risk." Paige gawked.
"Great, so we what? Wait for her to die?," she returned angrily.
"Don't even say it," Phoebe warned, narrowing her eyes, "Piper will make it through this. It's what she does. I know her." Without another word, she whirled around and headed for Piper's room. But Paige heard the unspoken words, and felt their sting. I know her, but you don't.
She never had, not really. Piper had tried to bond with her, a while after they met, but she had been preoccupied with her own life. That and keeping up her relationship with Phoebe, which had always taken precedence. Paige had been indifferent, distant. She had wasted so much time, instead of grabbing onto it with all she had. Even though she hadn't realized it, Piper had become precious in her life. And Paige had treated her older sister as expendable.
Paige sighed. It would do no good to dwell on the mistakes she made with Piper. All she had now was the hope of setting things right. At the moment, she needed to be with Piper, doing the one thing the doctor had advised them to do. Talk to her. Keep her tethered to this reality. At least she could do that for Piper, after everything Piper had done for her.
AN: Wow, another chapter, you must be saying. Yeah yeah. I know I've sucked at updating. Jsut bow to the amazing wonder that is Starring Piper. She made me do it!
