"Mrs. Winchester, you have a visitor," the hospice nurse said as she opened the door further to let Ryan come in. Finn grinned from her bed as her son came to sit down next to her, his face reminding her entirely of her late husband. She reached a frail hand up to rest it on his cheek, as he placed his own over her's. Her hands were thin and cold against Ryan's cheek; it almost made him shiver when it touched his warm skin.
"Hi mom, how are you doing?" He asked quietly, doing the most he could to push the frightening thoughts of how she actually looked out of his mind. Her eyes looked tired and only squinted at him, her breathing was shallow and quiet, but she was smiling as she always did when seeing him. His thoughts suddenly drifted back to when he was a young boy, how bright blue her eyes were, how her red hair glowed like fire in the sunlight, her strong arms holding him tightly as they laughed together in the park. He had always been more attached to his mother than his father, the man always absent on business; a business that never ended, but one his mother had taken herself out of for Ryan.
"I'm alright Ryan, how are you honey?" Finn asked quietly, her eyelids drooping tiredly, comforted by his presence there, "did you kill that monster in the boat house?" The nurse standing nearby certainly had no idea what sounded like the ramblings of a nearly ninety year old woman were entirely the truth, but Ryan did.
"Yeah, mom, I got it. Everyone at the lake is safe." Ryan replied to her, doing his best to swallow the lump growing in his throat. It had been years since he had been on a hunt for anything. He, like his mother, had quit hunting monsters and demons for his own growing family.
"That's good," Finn nodded slowly, her hand moving back to the crisp white bedding she was laying on, her hand still being held by Ryan's, her eyelids shutting. "Your father would be so proud of you Ryan." Ryan bit at his lower lip to keep the tears hiding behind his eyes at bay. Regardless that his father wasn't around for most of his time growing up, he still admired him from how his mother spoke of him. He was his mother's whole world, whether or not he was around. She always believed in him; a bond, even now, Ryan didn't quite understand.
Ryan jumped slightly in his seat as his cell phone buzzed violently in his pocket, digging for the phone in his jeans. He glanced at the caller, standing up but still holding on to Finn's hand.
"Mom, I have to take this call, I'll be right back, I promise. Don't… Don't go anywhere, alright?" Ryan asked rhetorically, slowly letting her hand go as he left the room, looking back at her with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. Finn wondered why he had asked such a thing as she sank comfortably into her bedding with a sigh. She opened her eyes again, seeing a new figure, one in a very familiar tan trench coat. She smiled softly realizing who the figure was as he came over to her bedside.
She shut her eyes again, the soft smile still on her face as she greeted him, "Hello Castiel, it's lovely to see you after all these years."
"It's good to see you too, Finn," Castiel said as he gently stroked her hair, sitting down in the chair Ryan was occupying before. "Your family is much bigger than it used to be."
"It is. Ryan and Riley made sure of that. I'm going to be a great grandmother soon, and Ryan's going to be a grandfather for the first time." Finn grinned, and chuckled quietly at the thought. Castiel sat thoughtfully at her bedside, just listening to her chuckle, thinking back to when that laugh had so much more life behind it. He knew why most of that life had faded; after two battles with cancer, it was no surprise most of the energy Finn once had was lost in the years past.
Finn cleared her throat after the chuckle; her tired eyes open once again, just looking over at Castiel, "I'm not going to see my great grandchild, am I?" She asked calmly.
Castiel was taken aback by how perceptive Finn still was as an old woman. He glanced down to the carpeting for a brief moment, then back up to Finn, his expression serious, but somehow soft. "Quite the opposite, you'll be able to see her very often, watch over her, maybe even guide her at times," he said, standing up from the chair and looking down at her in the bed in almost a curious way.
Finn heaved a large sigh, looking back up at him serenely, "I've lived a much longer life than expected, and I'm glad I held on so long. But I am tired, so I suppose I should go," she said, holding her hand up slightly from the bedding. "You'll keep me safe on the trip, won't you, Castiel?" She asked tentatively, working very hard to hide the fear growing inside her of the unknown to come.
Castiel nodded to her, taking her hand gently in his', "I'll be with you the whole trip," he spoke softly. Finn shut her eyes again, letting out her last breath of life as Castiel gently placed his hand on her forehead. She felt relief flood over her as she slowly opened her eyes again, standing in front of Castiel now, his hand still gently holding hers' as she looked up at him. Her soul still looked like the young vibrant hunter she was at nearly 30; her hair fiery red pulled back in a high ponytail, her eyes back to their glistening bright blue, and her grin back to its full strength.
Even he, the angel of the lord, couldn't keep back the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, letting a soft smile creep across his lips. "He'll be happy to see you again too," he mentioned as he slowly lead her out of the room.
