Please Be Careful With My Heart

Disclaimer: Charmed is not mine, I just love it so much so I did this. So please don't sue me.

Chapter 2

Victor ran as fast as he could to the hospital room of his wife. He was in business convention out of the state when he got a call from Penny about his wife's condition.

"Excuse me, where can I see a Patty Halliwell? I'm her husband and we're having a baby." Victor asked the nurse in the hospital lobby.

"She's finished delivering your baby, she's in room 203.", the nurse kindly informed Victor as he thanked her.

Victor entered the room and saw his wife sleeping, Penny sitting in the sofa on the left side of the room with Prue snuggled in her arms. Penny silently put Prue down on the sofa comfortably and hurriedly but quietly pulled Victor out of the room.

"Where have you been?" Grams demanded him.

"Work. How is she and the baby?" Victor trying to peek in the room to see his wife.

"Patty's fine, the baby... not so. Actually, she's on a surgery as we speak." Grams said. Upon hearing the word 'surgery', Victor snapped and loudly bombarded Penny with questions, "What?! Why? What's wrong?"

"Shhh!!", she sighed deeply, "There was a complication in the blood circulation in her heart... uhmmm... congenital heart."

A moment of silence then Victor breathed deeply and asked, "How did she take it?... does she know?" referring to his wife, he worry about her especially when faced with news like this.

"Depressed, but I think she's trying not to break for Prue."

"Oh, I almost forgot about her. How is she?"

"Full of hope. She loves her sister very much even if she haven't even seen her. I think she would be a great big sister." Grams said with so much pride.

5 years later...

In the lake shore, Prue, Piper and Phoebe are playing and circling their Mom and Dad. Prue sat on the blanket, took some sandwich and just watched her younger sisters play as Phoebe's trying to catch Piper.

"I'll get you!" Phoebe yelled as she ran picking up speed and tackled Piper to the ground a few meters away from their parents.

Giggling, she got up to try and pull her sister, but stopped as she saw Piper panting and trying to catch her breath but failing miserably.

Panicked and shocked, Phoebe doesn't know what to do just stood there and yelled, "Mom! Dad! Help!" not taking her eyes off Piper, who's still sitting on the ground with tears in her eyes and her hand in her chest, trying to put some air into her body.

"Mom!"

As Patty heard Phoebe's frantic voice, she got up immediately and ran, followed by Victor and Prue. As she saw her middle daughter on the ground as white as sheet, "Oh my God!" she hugged her daughter from behind and rubbed her chest and whispered, " Prue! The pills! ---shhh... you're ok... you're ok... ", Patty screamed as Prue ran back.

Then Patty glared at Phoebe, "What did you do?" Phoebe was out of words to say, "I-, Mom." Prue came with the pills and a bottle of water.

"Patty!", Victor warned his wife in a low voice. He crouched down to level with Phoebe, "Phoebe, honey, it's not your fault, now why don't you just get in the car. We'll be there in a while. Ok?" Victor reassured her. Phoebe just nodded and walked to the car with her eyes locked at her mother as she pleads Piper to take the medicine. "Come on, baby, just take this... it's ok... you're ok..." Patty said.

In the car on the way home, with Victor driving, Patty with Piper in her arms, in the passenger seat, and Phoebe and Prue in the backseat. Silence was ear-piercing inside the car.

As they pulled up in the manor, no one said a word, but just entered the house, with Grams happily welcoming her granddaughters and kissing them each, "How's you're picnic?" seeing that no one's answering her. "Oh, I guess you're all exhausted. Why don't you just rest for now and tell me the story tommorow morning. Hmm?"

Prue and Phoebe just nodded and kissed Grams goodnight and went upstairs.

Victor and Patty entered, she- carrying a sleeping Piper, he - carrying the things they brought to the lake.

"What happened?", Grams asked as she stroked Piper's hair.

"She had an attack.... Again." Patty said, obviously used to saying that sentence.

Everynight, Victor peaks in the room of each of his daughters to check on them, as he checks on Phoebe, he immediately heard the muffled sobs coming from her youngest daughter. And automatically hugged her daughter.

Phoebe just snuggled into her father's arms and whispered, "Dad? Mom's mad at me."

"No, baby, she's not. What happened earlier is not your fault. Your mom was just so worried about you're sister. She loves you very much."

"But she loves Piper more." Phoebe complained.

"She-We love you all equally. It's just that Piper is sick, you and Prue are healthier than her. Piper can't play straining games longer than you normally do." Victor explained.

"What's wrong with her?" Phoebe asked.

Victor paused for a moment, looking for words her daughter would surely understand, "Her heart is weak."

"oh..." clearly understanding but not wanting to ask more questions.

"Now, why don't you just sleep. Remember, it's your first day of school tommorow. Don't wanna miss that, right?", Victor said as he got up and tucked Phoebe in her bed.

"Ok, goodnight, daddy."

"Goodnight, baby." Victor kissed her daughter and left the room.

In Piper's room, Victor found Patty stroking her daughter's hair lovingly and staring at her, like she's memorizing every detail.

Victor entered the room quietly and slipped in behind his wife, and both watched their daughter sleep and breathe.

5 years ago...

Dr. Miles entered Patty's room, ready to face the family of the newborn angel she's been trying to save. But who could be ready for the emotions, but she has to do it. With a heart model in hand to help explain the condition of the baby's heart. She saw Penny and the parents of the baby, trying to give each other strength. Prue was in the care of the Trudeaus, Patty doesn't want to burden her daughter with more shocking news, it's too much for her.

"So, the operation went well. But there are more than one defects. I will explain to you each defect-"

"How many?", Patty interrupted.

The doctor just swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to detached herself emotionally.

"Three." That response just made Patty close her eyes for a moment to compose herself.

"What caused this?" Victor asked with confusion. "I mean my wife is very healthy. The delivery was normal. What - how did this happen?"

"Many times the cause of a congenital heart disease is unknown. And... unfortunately, this is one of those times." Then the doctor continues to explain the case using the heart model she's holding.

"One defect is there are holes in the walls of her heart. Another is called pulmonary atresia, which is an abnormality of the opening between the heart and the arteries to the lungs. Also, there is a single vein in the heart that is not working properly. The surgery that we just did have taken care of the holes in her heart. The side effects of that treatment would be a problem with high blood pressure and a very strained heart. Luckily, the the third defect is a common case of CHD (congenital heart disease), so medicine and regular check-ups are all she needs for that. "

"But the second defect I have mentioned to you is very complicated. Though the abnormality is not extraordinary and she can live with it, it's your decision to make if we will do the surgery. I just want to tell you that the surgery itself can be very risky and fatal. Brain damage can occur. It's up to you, if you want us to do the surgery or not. Just call me if you have made the decision. By the way, your baby is in the nursery, if you want I'll take you to her. "

"Oh please. Thank you." Victor said gratefully, answering for Patty who's all out of words.

In the nursery... The doctor left the family with such a heavy task of balancing the facts and logic of the situation.

Patty and Victor entered the nursery, Patty on a wheelchair, since she's still weak from the labor, and Victor behind her. Seeing her daughter for the first time, with many machines attached to her small frame, was heart-shattering for Patty.

"What are we gonna do?" Patty asked no one in particular, staring at her baby, gently slipping her hand in the holes on the left side of the incubator. And touches her daughter gently. Chuckled as the baby's little hand clutched her finger tightly.

"If we let them do the surgery, there is a possibility that she will be bedridden for her entire life. She wouldn't enjoy life that way, we would just be burdening her with the knowledge that she's weak and not like any other kids." Victor reasons with Patty.

"Brain damage... that's too much." Patty said with so much stress. Then Patty sighed deeply.

"I'll go for not doing the surgery. We don't have the right to steal from her the chance to enjoy life. The doctor said she can live with it. It's just up to her to decide, when she reach the right age, whether or not she wants to do the surgery. I want to see her play with her sister, I want to see her walk and run and hear her scream at the top of her lungs the word 'Mommy'. Though her activities will be limited. I want her to at least experience that."

"I'll support whatever you decide." Victor put his arms around Patty's shoulders and kissed her head. As they both watched their daughter.

Author's Note: Sorry if my English is not that good. anyway, hope you like it, there will be more sister conflicts. please review, let me know what you think. thanks!