Chapter Six
Today you were wearing forget-me-not blue,
I held you and said, "I'll never forget you."
You smiled at me and stroked my hair,
But you were never really there.
There's something stirring in the air,
Promise me you will be there.
As I hold you the lies collide,
See you on the other side.
FRIDAY APRIL 7TH, 1989
Piper's POV
I stood hesitantly at Phoebe's bedroom door, wondering whether I should knock or not. My worries were erased when the door opened and Phoebe's amused face revealed itself. I smiled self-consciously.
"I was just gonna ask whether you wanted a lift to school or whether you wanted to come and see Grams with us." Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise.
"Of course I want to see her!" She seemed shocked that I even had to ask her.
"Okay, well hurry up then – we're leaving in, like, fifteen minutes. Visiting hours are eight 'til three and Prue likes being prompt," she rolled her eyes and I grinned.
"We're here to see our grandmother," Prue leaned over the front desk and looked directly at the poor girl behind it.
"O-okay… Halliwell, r-right?" she stuttered nervously. I put my hand on my sister's shoulder, hoping to calm her down. She sighed and looked at me. I tried to smile, unsuccessfully, but it seemed to be enough for her.
"Yes. She's with Doctor Stevens?" The nurse nodded. She motioned towards a hallway I vaguely remembered – the last time I had walked down it I was too preoccupied with holding tight to Prue's hand and praying for things to work out. This time I felt slightly more confident. I guess it was because I had had time to get used to it all.
"…down there and to the right," I quickly brought my head up to attention, realizing I had completely spaced out. I quickly looked at Prue and took comfort in the fact that she was nodding decisively and taking my hand again as if to lead me. I reached out to Phoebe who had been fidgeting since we had got here; she stared at my hand as if wondering what it was doing there before coming to her senses and grabbing it. We wandered through seemingly endless hallways before we saw her room. She was lying on the bed; she looked as though she were sleeping. I let go of my sisters' hands and went to her – I couldn't believe it. Grams had always been the strong backbone of our family – the ultimate authority that could end all arguments with only a few choice words. She was a lot like Prue in that way.
As if reading my mind, Prue came over and stood beside me with her arm around my waist, leaning her head on my shoulder. Phoebe flopped down in the chair on the other side of the bed, seemingly lost in thought. I watched her stare at Grams and I wondered what was going through her head. That was when the machines started screaming. I felt Prue hurdle from my side to the door, yelling for a nurse.
"Please, it's my grandmother! Someone get in here! NOW!" All of a sudden people seemed to be running from all directions, I was being shoved back and forth in the chaos of confusion – I couldn't see Grams or hear Prue over the noise.
"Can I have surgery called? Right now!"
"Somebody get the doctor!"
"Can I have a charge…?"
"Her heart's going, people!"
"Miss Halliwell?"
"Miss Halliwell, could you wait outside, please?"
People were taking me somewhere, I vaguely felt the sensation of being dragged away but I couldn't summon up the urge to pull back. I just followed, hoping that they would lead me right.
"Piper?" I felt arms around me; I was sitting in Prue's lap. I could feel her warmth all around me and I held onto it, allowing it to take me back to her. "Piper, are you okay?"
"What's going on?" Phoebe's worried eyes became clearer as my vision became more focused; she opened her mouth slightly to answer my question but shook her head helplessly, looking behind me at Prue.
"Grams' condition deteriorated: they're in surgery with her right now trying to fix whatever went wrong," I could hear the annoyance in her tone at how little we had been told. "You really scared us for a minute there." Her voice sounded tight, as if she were desperately trying to hold the emotions in without much success. I knew how she felt: she thought that she had lost two more people she loved, simultaneously.
"I'm sorry, Prue. I honestly don't know what happened. There was just so much going on – everyone was running and yelling and I had no idea what was happening all I knew was that it was bad and it was Grams and I just felt so terrified…the world was falling down…" Her arms tightened around me and I knew she understood; Phoebe just looked at me: she didn't need the explanation. She had felt it.
We had been in the waiting room for ages, waiting for Grams to get out of surgery. It was one of the worst times of my life; all I could do was hold onto Prue and Phoebe's hands and pray that we would somehow all make it out of here intact. Prue tugged on my hand and I looked up to see Doctor Stevens, looking like someone had died. Oh my God…it can't be. My breath caught in my throat as I waited for him to speak. He looked so defeated- his shoulders slumped and his entire posture was that of a dog preparing to be kicked while he was down.
"I'm so sorry…" my eyes blurred and I could hear Phoebe's quiet sobs next to me. He looked at us and gulped back his own tears.
"Doctor…how did this happen? What went wrong?" Prue asked- he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
"I don't know: it was working and then she was gone. Just like that. I've never lost a patient…" He started walking, nearly running out the door. I couldn't let him leave, not yet.
"Wait! Doctor, what happened? How did she go? How could she just die?" My questions seemed to physically hurt him, I ran after him with Prue and Phoebe close behind. He kept going and I threw up my hands in frustration. "Stop!"
The whole room froze.
"Oh my God…" Phoebe wiped the tears from her eyes as Prue spoke. I blinked away the sob that almost was and gasped at what I saw. "Piper…what's going on, how did you do that?"
"I…I don't know – that can't have been me!" I looked around desperately, searching for some kind of reason for this. All I saw were the bored, worried visitors to the hospital frozen in their places and the doctor some distance away with a look of despair on his face.
"It must have been you; you threw up your hands and he froze!" Phoebe seemed to be in complete shock, but then her expression changed completely. "Cool!" Prue turned to face her in confusion.
"What? In what way is this cool?" Phoebe quickly put on an apologetic expression and I saw the day hit her again.
"I'm sorry…it's just these past few days have been so awful…I just need something good to happen, okay?" She looked so broken.
The room unfroze.
"I'm sorry…" The doctor managed to finally get out of the room, leaving us with the confusion, despair and wonder at everything that was happening. I saw Prue shake her head and take control of herself, she took our hands and led us down the corridor towards Grams' room.
Phoebe's POV
I stopped at the door – I couldn't believe it. It was just like my dream, down to the last detail. The machines were all in the same places and her expression was as peaceful as I remembered.
"Oh…" I gasped. Prue and Piper looked up from where they were sat together next to the bed.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Piper looked slightly panicked, I could tell she felt as though something else were about to go wrong.
"I saw this…I saw this on Wednesday night." Their faces were incredulous: I could tell they didn't believe me.
"How could you have seen this? It must have been just a dream, after all Grams was in hospital: you probably dreamt it because it's what you feared most would happen." Piper nodded hopefully at Prue's explanation and stared at me, pleadingly. I wanted to argue but I didn't think that this was the time; everything was too up in the air.
Prue's POV
We stayed there in that position for what seemed like days. Not moving, barely even breathing: just staring and trying to deal with everything. Phoebe shifted, putting her weight on the other foot and opening her mouth to speak.
"I wish I knew…" She spoke quietly as if scared to break the silence. I looked up at her and waited for her to finish her thought. "I wish I knew what was going on…how Piper did…whatever she did and how I…" She closed her eyes and sighed, I knew what she wanted to say but it just didn't make any sense: how could she have seen the future?
Well, how could that whole room have frozen on its own? How did Grams die so unexpectedly? How could any of this have happened?
"All right, let's just say you did see this two nights ago: how?" It was so frustrating to just not know, it was like being locked in a room without any daylight. Phoebe sighed, shaking her head and shrugging her shoulders.
"Let's talk to the doctors – we have to organize something for her until we can have a funeral," Piper nodded and got up to leave. I took one last look at Grams' serene face before taking her hand and walking out.
SATURDAY APRIL 8TH, 1989
Prue's POV
The undertaker stood silently near the door of the room as I searched through the coffins, looking for the right one for Grams' body. There were so many to choose from. It was kind of overwhelming.
The undertaker seemed to take pity on me and came up to help me. "Was she of medium height and weight?" he asked.
"Um…yeah. Yeah, she was. Yeah."
The undertaker pointed to a deep brown casket with engravings of flowers decorating it. The lid had a carved cross on the top.
"It's made of oak tree wood and is our recommended model for those of medium height and weight. Unless, of course, she is to be buried with some of her possessions in which case you would probably favor a larger model…"
"This one's fine. Can you deliver it to the funeral home, please?" He nodded and I handed him one of the business cards I'd grabbed from the funeral home.
"Of course," he said. He nodded and led me out of the room.
Phoebe's POV
I can't believe it. Not only did my dream come true but my grandmother is dead. Dead. I'm never going to see her again. She left all three of us the Manor in her will. Grams' attorney read it to us earlier today, before Prue went out to find a casket.
And he gave me an envelope with my name written on it. He says it's a letter specifically for me but I haven't opened it yet. I don't really think I'm ready for that.
Tomorrow's the funeral. Prue thought it'd be best if it was over and done with right away. We don't want her body rotting away for a week. Luckily, there's no school today. I'd be a wreck. Marianne called and offered to come over but I knew she didn't mean it so I turned her down.
I don't know if I'll be able to make it through this.
Piper's POV
Prue's gonna try to be strong. Phoebe will probably do the same thing; roll her eyes and pretend it doesn't affect her. I'm going to do exactly the same thing I'm doing right now: bawl like a baby.
My grandmother is dead! How can they just sit there and pretend to be okay with this? She's dead for God's sake! Do they not realize she's never coming back?!
Okay, calming down. Of course they realize it. They lost her too. Prue's just trying to be strong and Phoebe…well, she's just being Phoebe. But they'll react. They'll react when it happens. And not only is she dead but we have these…powers, I guess. Great. Just as Grams dies, we get some weirdo powers to master. Is there a connection?
SUNDAY APRIL 9TH, 1989
The three Halliwell sisters sat front row center at the graveside funeral ceremony. Piper was crying on Prue's shoulder. Phoebe sat on Piper's other side, holding tightly to her older sister's arm.
They barely listened to what the minister was saying. It didn't matter. Grams was gone and now, they were putting her into the ground. Prue snapped forward in her seat when the coffin was lowered into the ground. The minister announced that the service was over and guests could give their condolences through cards or flowers. The sisters didn't want to have to deal with a wake. Grams hadn't requested one either so it made it so much easier.
But just as the Halliwells were about to leave, Santiago walked through the crowd of mourners towards them. Piper looked up at him and felt relieved until she saw the look in his eyes- the heartless smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"Looks like the wicked witch is dead, doesn't it?" Piper's insides plummeted and she felt as though she were going to be sick. Prue grabbed her hand and held on tightly as Phoebe just stared in shock. "Surprised are you? Well, I suppose I would be too- if I could feel."
"Who are you?" Prue hissed the words out through gritted teeth; rage seemed to be coming off her in waves. Santiago seemed a little put-off by this, it obviously didn't factor into his view of the eldest sister. But then he hadn't been around here very long.
"I'm just the guy who's going to kill you," he smiled at them lightly, before turning his gaze towards Piper.
Prue's POV
I felt Piper's entire body tense next to mine under his glare. I knew at that moment that I could tear this guy limb from limb without a second thought for messing with my sister: he didn't deserve to stand there with that stupid grin on his face, not feeling any pain like the agony she was feeling, to not know the damage he was causing or any kind of consequences.
"So baby, do you need your big sister to change your diapers for you or are you old enough to do it on your own?" he laughed callously and I suddenly felt the urge to throw him into Grams' still-open grave and watch him smash his face on her coffin- I just felt so angry I needed for him to hurt. The next thing I knew, a rush flew through me and out towards him, he was knocked violently into the air and chucked into the ground. I walked over and stared down at him, wondering what threw him so mercilessly- had I done that? Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I had.
"I wish I could bury you with her," I said simply. "I wish I could trap you in the earth and watch you rot for doing this to my sister." He looked up sharply at me, before climbing out of the grave with no evidence on his face for where he had met the hard oak wood of the coffin.
"Looks like the prophecy's true," he smiled at them maliciously before continuing. "We will finish this some other time bitches." He strode off, leaving us with our thoughts.
I turned to look at Piper and I could suddenly feel everything she was going through: there was an open window in her eyes where I could see her soul. She felt so lost- she had trusted Santiago and he had betrayed her. I stopped myself from closing my eyes against the onslaught because I knew it would only hurt her more. Right now, her fears of being left behind were proving true – I didn't want to add to it. I stared right into her pain and told her without words that I would never leave her; I would be here until the world ends.
Phoebe took both of her hands and we looked at her, "I think we have some questions that need answering." I could see an idea forming in her mind and couldn't help but raise my eyebrows.
"What's your plan?" I asked. I saw Phoebe's gaze switch quickly to Piper before looking back at me – I understood: she wanted to know whether I thought our sister could handle anything more today. I nodded slightly; I knew Piper needed answers and something to take her mind off how things were panning out.
"Okay, remember the spirit board we used to play with?"
"Yeah, you always used to push the pointer." Phoebe waved it off – I was surprised at her reluctance to start an argument – things really had changed.
"Anyway, the point was: aren't they supposed to help people contact the dead? Especially the dead with things to say and judging by everything that's been happening, our 'dearly departed' have a lot to say for themselves," Piper glanced up, shocked at the sarcastic way Phoebe had said 'dearly departed' but I squeezed her hand and hoped she realized that Phoebe was just angry and not deliberately trying to hurt her.
"It's never worked before," I frowned slightly, but Phoebe just grinned at my words.
"Well, I don't think Piper's ever frozen an entire room before and I don't think you've ever thrown someone into a grave without touching them either- there's a first time for everything," I looked down at Piper who nodded slightly and allowed me to lead her out of the cemetery and into the parking lot.
"So what? We just ask it a question?" Piper seemed to have suppressed her pain for now, focusing on the task in front of us. I nodded encouragingly.
"Yeah, you remember how we did this," she smiled slightly and put her fingers on the pointer, next to mine and Phoebe's.
"OK, we want to know what's going on," I wondered briefly what the spirits would think of Phoebe's vague wish but then I realized what I was thinking and returned to my usually skeptic view- this isn't happening.
The pointer jerked.
It moved quickly from the middle of the board to the letter 'A', Piper gasped a little but didn't take her fingers off the pointer. It was like watching a car crash- you couldn't look away. It trembled again and moved towards 'T' before pulling back and driving towards it again, almost as if it were trying to hit something. It continued moving to 'I' and then to 'C' before stopping completely- dead under our hands.
"Whoa," Phoebe had been holding her breath throughout the creepy event. She looked at me and said simply, "Attic."