Unwell Part II

Part II

"I cannot walk through the suburbs in the solitude of the night without thinking that the night pleases us because it suppresses the details, just as our memory does." - Jorge Luis Borges

"Heather is that you?" Heather placed the bag that contained her gown from the night before onto the chair along with her purse and back-pack. "Yeah it's me." Heather answered as she made her way to the kitchen. Haley Price appeared from her bedroom in gun metal leather pants and matching leather vest. "Did you just get home?" Heather asked. Haley shook her black hair, "No. I've got stuff to do today." Haley told her. "Doing what?" Heather asked. She got a bowl out of the cupboard and went to get cereal and milk. "Never mind that. Where were you?" Haley asked jumping up onto the counter. "I was working." Heather replied. Haley's mouth turned down into a frown. "So you and Dan still haven't done it?" Haley pouted.

Heather cocked her head and looked at her sister. Amazed that they were even family. Heather, although thin and short was no where near as small as her younger sister. Heather had long brown hair and Haley had long black hair. Even their skin was different. Whereas Heather couldn't step foot in the sun without SPF45, Haley could get dark in winter. "Come on, you two have been dating for six months now. You would think a little action would be involved." Haley whined. Heather just gave her a pointed stare and started to eat her breakfast. "Why do you care so much about my sex life?" Heather inquired between bites of breakfast. "Well let's see you are young, you're single, you're attractive, you are my sister after all, and you've been dating this gorgeous guy for six months and haven't gotten past a few make-out sessions. I just wonder what gives."

Heather sighed. Her sister was right. Too right which ticked her off, but she didn't have an answer as to why she couldn't seem to get past the thought that having sex with Dan was somehow wrong. "I don't know. I wish I did because it would make things easier." Haley seemed to accept the answer, "Well since we know you didn't get any how was the ball?" Haley loved to jump subjects and Heather used to this went along with her, "It was nice. A little boring. I did get to meet Lillian's new boyfriend though." Heather commented and walked out of the kitchen and back into the living room to eat. "Oh and what is he like?"

"He's nice. Taller than she is by a few inches, blonde hair, light eyes, owns his own business." Heather listed off the things that had struck her when she had met Leo Wyatt. He was quiet and nice and she liked that. She shook her head at her wondering thoughts and continued speaking, "Have you ever heard of Leo Wyatt? He owns White Investments?" Heather directed to Haley. "Leo Wyatt? As in Leo Wyatt of White Investments. One of the richest men on Earth? Who hasn't heard of him?" Heather shrugged, "I didn't, but he's really a nice guy." Haley's jaw dropped, "A nice guy? You met the most eligible bachelor in America and all you can say is he's nice? First Dan and now this... If you don't straighten up I'm going to have to disown you." Haley teased.

Heather laughed at her sister, "The way things are going you just might." Haley stood up from the chair, "I really gotta get going. Do you have work tonight?" Haley went and got a leather jacket that matched her outfit. "Yeah, but it's my last night shift. I finally got it so I have days." Heather told her. "Good. Then I will see you tomorrow. You stay safe and if possible get laid." Haley ordered over her shoulder. "You're impossible." Heather shouted to her. "You love me." Haley shouted back and then shut the door to their apartment.

Heather let out a breath and decided that cleaning was in order and then she could get a nice nap in before she had to work. As she stretched she got up and then went to cleaning.

"So how was your evening?" Darryl asked as he sat in the restaurant waiting for Jason to show up. Leo shrugged his shoulders, "It was okay. I met Lillian's dad and two brothers, Dan and Chris." Leo told him. He hadn't told his partner and best friend about Heather yet and he had no plans to do so. He knew what everyone's reaction would be and he couldn't deal with it this time. He was also very distracted. He knew it would take Cole awhile, but he wanted answers now. "Oh and what were they all like?" Darryl had interest in the Bennett family. Especially Lillian. Any woman who could get Leo's attention and hold it for a month, AND convince him to meet her family was an extraordinary woman. "Victor isn't crazy about me dating his daughter. Chris could have cared less, but Dan was really interesting. He's a doctor and runs Bennett hospital." Leo shared.

"Bennett Hospital?" Leo looked up to see if Jason had arrived yet, but with no sign of him looked back at Darryl, "Yeah. He takes in mental patients. I told him I would look into investing in it." Leo divulged. "Investing?" Darryl's eyebrows rose with that question, "We used to support hospitals back East and I figured that it could be a good investment." Leo snapped back defensively. Darryl put up his hands to show that he was not attacking, "No that's fine. I just can't believe that you're going to support it is all." Darryl said trying to mollify his partner.

Leo sighed, "Sorry. I didn't mean to get defensive. You're my partner you should know if I decide to invest in something." he apologized. "I'm glad for you Leo I really am." Leo nodded his head and then saw that Jason was making his way to them. "Good he's here." Leo stated through clenched teeth. Both men stood up when Jason came to the table. "Sorry I'm late guys, but there was an accident on the way here and took forever to get through it." Leo and Darryl nodded their understanding and then sat back down. The waiter came by and took the men's order.

"So have you thought about if this dream of ours going to get off the ground?" Jason asked them. Darryl and Leo looked at one another and Leo answered him, "Yes we have. We still have a few questions, but I think it's a possible avenue to explore." Jason smiled. That's what he was hoping for, "Good. Now let's eat some lunch and answer those."

Leo and Darryl sat in silence as the cab drove them back to the office. It was a big investment to do what they were about to do, but all three men knew that it was going to be one hell of a deal when it was finished. Darryl broke the silence, "I was suppose to ask you if you would like to have dinner with us tomorrow night." Leo looked at him for a second, "Sure. I'm getting sick of take-out." Darryl laughed, "Good I'll tell Sheila. She's been a little worried about you and now you can deal with it." It was Leo's turn to laugh. Sheila was a wonderful woman and after Piper's disappearance had really helped Leo out by making sure that he ate and took care of himself. He owed her a lot.

When they got back to the office Leo checked his messages noticing that only Lillian had called. He picked up the phone and dialed her number, "Hello." she stated into the phone. "It's me." he replied. He could hear the smile in her voice, "Hey me. I was just calling to see how you were. You made a big impression on my brother." she told him. "Chris? Yeah we had a lot to talk about." he deadpanned. Lillian laughed into the phone, "Smart ass." Leo smiled to himself. He loved teasing her and hearing her laugh. She had a very beautiful laugh, "I was wondering if you could join Dan and I for dinner tomorrow night?" she asked. "I'm sorry, but I already agreed to have dinner with Darryl and his wife."

"Hmmm." she sounded annoyed. He knew that their dating life was sparse, but he was a busy person. "How about I take you out on Sunday night?" he asked her. "Fine. Meet me at eight." she told him. "I will. You have a nice weekend and I'll see you Sunday evening." "Perfect." Lillian stated and then hung up. She had a problem with saying good-bye, but it didn't bother him to much. At least his days were free this weekend. He had been wanting to walk around and really explore the city but hadn't found the chance yet. Although Lillian had shown him a few things on their dates it still wasn't much. He missed walking the streets of New York and was hoping he could find a nice trail here.

"Okay I'm leaving. I will see you tomorrow night." Darryl said from the door. Leo looked up, "Okay. I will see you then." Leo told him. Darryl nodded and left. Leo was going to finish going over the figures for their big project with Jason and then he would head home.

Leo woke to the sound of his home phone ringing. " 'Ello?" he slurred. "How come Prue knows about Lillian and I didn't?" Phoebe's voice asked. He looked at his clock that read 6:58 am. "It's not even seven in the morning here." he groaned into the phone. "And it's almost ten o' clock here. That is not the point. The point is that Prue knew you were dating a woman named Lillian and you're ONLY SISTER did not!" Leo rolled his eyes. He knew his baby sister cared about him. That she wanted him to be alright and was extremely worried about him after Piper's disappearance, but she could, at times, be a little overbearing. "Prue wasn't suppose to know. Sheila told her." Leo told her. There was humph on the other end. "Look I didn't want Prue or you to find out until I knew where the relationship was going. We've only been dating a month. I was going to tell you about it when you came down for my birthday." Leo told her trying to placate her.

There was a long pause on the other end, "I'm sorry. I just felt slightly hurt that Prue knew about it before I, your only sibling and sister, knew." Phoebe explained. Leo smiled into the phone, "It's okay. How is P3 holding up?" he asked trying to get past the subject of Lillian before she asked too many questions. "The part you let me run is fine." Leo shook his head, "Phoebe I don't want to argue at seven in the morning. I'm just curious since now I'm living here and not able to see it every day." He heard his sister sigh, "I'm sorry too. It's fine. It's been doing beautifully. The food is fine, not as good as Piper would have it done, but it's good enough for everyone. So what are your plans today?" "I'm going to go explore the city today." he told her honestly. "Well good. I have shopping to do today. I've bought the tickets for April and will email you all the information on Monday." "Okay. I will see you in a little over a month. I love you Phoebe." Leo declared. "Love you too brother." Phoebe declared in her best movie star voice. "Bye." he told her laughing. "Bye."

After Phoebe's call Leo got dressed in what he considered his 'comfortable' clothes. Which consisted of a white shirt, a flannel shirt over that, and jeans. It was what Piper had considered, 'geeky and outdated' clothes. He didn't care though. It was perfect for exploring the city and for appearing random. Most people didn't know who he was, but when someone did figure out who he was they had many questions. Normally he didn't mind that, but he just wanted to explore today and think a few things through. With his stomach rumbling for food he grabbed his wallet, keys, and cell phone (in case Cole called), and headed out of the door into the beautiful sunlight of the day.

He went to his regular deli and with a bagel and cream cheese he headed back out. He was amazed at how beautiful the city actually was. He took a tour of Alcatraz and played tourist at Fisherman's Warf and Pier 39. He had taken the boat to look at the bay and had even walked a little on the Golden Gate Bridge. He even allowed himself to step foot in FAO Schwartz. That was a little more difficult for him because of the families that were walking around inside the famous toy store. He and Piper had wanted kids, but for some reason not even the doctors could explain they hadn't been able to.

It was about thirty minutes before he had to head back to his apartment that he had finally found what he had been seeking. It was beautiful. Made out of gray stone with large French mahogany doors. There were beautiful stain-glassed windows depicting different scenes from the Bible. He opened one of the heavy doors with it's black wrought-iron ring handle and walked in. The floor was also made up of the rich mahogany wood as were the pews. He walked forward entranced with the altar before him. On either side of the altar it was flanked with two mahogany doors that resembled the ones leading into the church. The steps leading up to it were in a rich crimson carpet that was soft to the touch. It also was marked with tears of those who had sought solace from it. The pulpit was made up of the mahogany, but in the center of the wood was the golden carving of Luke 22:19, "Do this in remembrance of me." the command that Jesus had given his disciples during the Last Supper. Behind the pulpit was a full baptismal. Which shocked Leo because he thought he had entered a Catholic Church, but a baptismal like the one before him were usually only found in Baptist churches.

Not that it made much difference to him. It was the church that he had found appealing. It was where he would go to seek solace like those before him when his memories were pounding at the back of his brain begging to be released. It was where he would go when he couldn't find sleep or peace. It was where he would go when he needed something that wasn't his usual surroundings. It was perfect for what he had been looking for. Amazingly it was also a church that he had back in New York. He wasn't looking for one, but months after Piper's disappearance he had been walking around and found it. From then on out he had gone there when he needed a rest and now he had found one here as well. Something akin to peace settled inside him and he felt better about living here then he ever had before.

He sat down in the first pew for a moment when the side door on his right opened up. A man who looked to be a football player with broad shoulders, buzz-cut blonde hair, and wearing jeans and a Dallas Cowboy jersey walked out. The man looked a little startled to see Leo sitting there, but he recovered quickly. "Good afternoon. I'm Pastor Shawn Jeffries. Welcome to North Pier Baptist Church." the man greeted holding his hand out to Leo. Leo took it and shook it noting that it was a firm handshake which was something Leo had always preferred. He also noticed the slight southern accent that Shawn had. "Nice to meet you, I'm Leo Wyatt." Leo responded. The man nodded for a moment, "We don't get many visitors on Saturday afternoons, but I'm glad that you're here. We're open twenty-four hours a day. If you need anything my office is through that door and the second one on the left." Shawn told him. Leo smiled, "Thank-you. I really do appreciate it." The man nodded again, "Well I'm on my way out, but it was very nice to meet you Mr. Wyatt. I hope I see you again." he said. "I'm sure you will." Leo replied. Shawn gave him a smile and then walked down the center aisle then out the door.

Leo looked down at his watch and noticed that he had spent much longer in the church then had planned and would have to catch a cab to make it to his apartment on time. He walked out of the church smiling at the treasure he had found. He caught a cab quickly and made it to his apartment in less than ten minutes. He changed out of his clothes into his khaki pants, white shirt, and brown leather jacket. Noting that no one had called him all day he locked the door behind him and walked back out of his apartment building.

Heather awoke startled and had to take in deep gulping breaths to get herself calmed down. She looked at her clock and noticed she still had five more minutes of sleep before she had to get up. Not that she would be able to get back to sleep if she had all the time in the world anyway. She had another weird dream and although that wasn't very unusual she was starting to get sick of it. Ever since her accident nearly a year and a half ago she had been having the weird dreams. She hardly ever recognized the people in her dream unless it was Dan, Haley, or someone she had met that day. Which would explain why Leo Wyatt had popped up in this dream.

When her breathing had calmed down she got out of her bed. She put out her work clothes and then decided to take a quick shower. It was dark by the time that she made it out of her apartment. She decided to grab a cab and fifteen minutes later was on the steps at Bennett Hospital. As she was walking up Dan was walking down. "Evening." he greeted her and then leaned down for a kiss. She leaned up and enjoyed the moment. "I'm glad this is your last night on evening shift." he told her. She gave him a huge smile, "I'm glad too, but I'm running late." He laughed, "I think you're boss will understand." She gave him a kiss on the cheek and then walked into the front door of the hospital. She heard screaming coming from one of the rooms on the second floor. It was going to be a long night.

End of Part II

*Author's Notes: There is no Baptist Church such as the one I described in San Francisco. I made it up. No, this isn't a religious fic, but I enjoy the thought of a weary person finding peace in a quiet church.

*Author's Notes 2: If you would like an email to know when I update this story just tell me you're email in your review. It worked really well with Life's Grace, so I'm going to offer it for this story as well. :)