A Victim for Six Years

Chapter twenty-seven: Back Here Again?

(Back into Piper's perspective, just so we're clear.)

I'm standing back in the courtroom, the only person there. The defense and prosecution stands, as well as the Judge's stand, is deserted. All of the pain is gone. What's going on? Looking around, I see a figure. Actually, there are two. Both women, with one wearing a brown jacket and red muffler, and the other wearing a black jacket and blue magatama. I walk over to them. I've seen these two women before. I call out to them.

"Mia!!! Mom!!!"

Mia Fey and Lana Skye turn around, smiling as they see me. I begin to run to them. I haven't seen Mia for six years, and my mother for three. I'm sure that somehow the secret of my little lie has been exposed to you by now. The last I saw my mother was when I was twelve, the day of the attack on our house.

Running to the two, I throw my arms around my mother, crying. It had been too long.

She hugged me back and smiled.

"Long time no see, Piper." She said. I turned to Mia.

"What are...what are you guys doing here? What am I doing here? Where are Phoenix and everyone else? Shouldn't they be here?"

"No." My mother said. "We're in a place that not even Maya can reach us."

I look around again. "Am I...dead? Did the fire...kill me?"

"Not entirely." My mother answered. "We're kind of in a limbo state right now."

"Am I allowed to go back?" I ask.

"That's up to you." My mother said. Up to me? It was my choice?

I look again at the deserted defense stand. "Where's Phoenix? Wasn't he there with me?"

"Not as injured as you." Mia answered. "He's slowly recovering in the hospital."

"What about...what about Franziska and my father?" I ask.

"If I'm correct, they should be standing next to your bed." Mia answered.

"My bed?" I ask, confused.

"You're in the hospital, Piper. After the roof caved in, firefighters went to get you and Phoenix. They were treating you, when your heart monitor stopped beeping." My mother said.

"But...doesn't that mean that...I died?" I ask, completely bewildered.

"Well, not necessarily. They're using defibrillators as we speak."

I take a few deep breaths before asking, "how much time do I have?"

"Not much." Mia said, shaking her head.

"How can I choose?" I ask.

"What do you mean how can you choose?" My mother asked. She pointed to the courtroom doors, which were open, and a bright light was shining through. "Go there, go with us. Don't go there, stay alive."

"But if I go there with you, I'll be leaving everyone else behind?" I ask, and Mia hung her head before saying,

"Yes."

I felt a jolt on my lungs. Breathing deeply, I looked at the two. I was running out of time to make my decision.

"It's working." My mother said. "You need to decide, Piper.

"I..." another jolt. "I think I...." another. I really wanted to go with Mia and my mother. I could finally be with my mother again. I wouldn't have to worry about anything anymore. It would be perfect.

But then...I remembered how afraid I had been when my father nearly died. I thought back to him, and Franziska, about what she had tried to do when someone she loved was about to die. I thought to Maya, and Phoenix, about how much they had helped us. About Gumshoe, Apollo, Athena, and Trucy. What would happen if I didn't make it? What would they do? What would they do if I didn't make it? I couldn't bring myself to do that to them.

I took another deep breath. The shocks got more powerful and faster.

"I....want to stay..." I said. They both nodded. I hugged my mom one last time. I would see her again, someday. They walked through the courtroom doors without me. I waved. They waved back. And then, the loud slam of the courtroom doors closing sounded in my ears.

I took in a deep, sharp breath. Everything looked and sounded so distorted and fuzzy. There were bright lights above me, and so many people around me. My ears were ringing, but I heard a constant beep, beep, beep, near me. The sound of a heart monitor.

There was a breathing mask over my mouth and nose, fogging up every time I exhaled. I began to blink a few times, my eyes adjusting to the lights. The first person that I saw was Franziska. Next to her was my father, Gumshoe, Larry, and Maya. Seeing Maya, I remembered one more thing from when Phoenix and I were talking in his apartment. I motioned for Franziska to lean in closer. I whispered to her,

"Box...in my pocket..." Hoping that she got the message. She nodded and went off to go get the box that I told her about.

About two minutes later, she returned. I had begun to sit up. I was beyond tired, and in so much pain, but I wanted to see this. I knew what was in that box. When Franziska returned, she handed me the box. Feeling myself breathing more easily, I asked the doctors to remove the mask.

For the first few minutes with the mask off, they stood beside my bed in case I would need it immediately. But surprisingly, I was making a pretty fast recovery.

"Where's Phoenix?" I ask. "Is he okay?"

My father nodded, looking more relieved than I'd ever seen anyone in my life. "He's recovering. It may take a while, but he'll be back on his feet eventually." I sighed with relief.

"You know, I'm getting a bit tired of being in this place every day." I joke. It brings a few smiles. I look at Maya.

"Phoenix said to give this to you." I say, handing her the small box. "He said that he knew the danger that this case may bring, and he wanted this to make it to you if he couldn't give it to you himself." Maya gasped. She knew what this was.

She opened the tiny box, pulling out a note folded up at least five times, and stood there, gazing at the box.

Franziska put her hand over her mouth in surprise. Larry and Gumshoe stood there with their mouths hanging open. My father was smiling, as if he had known about this. Maya turned the box around to reveal an engagement ring, a purple diamond in the middle.