Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.
A/N: I am planning to continue and finish The Stranger. I have a general idea of the direction I want it to go, but I'm debating with myself over some details in the middle of the story. So, for a couple of weeks probably, that story is on hiatus. The idea for this one bit me hard and I couldn't stop thinking about it until I wrote it.
I thought about splitting this story up into multiple chapters, but I think it works better as a long one shot. Warning-I turned the angst level up high in this one. It made me cry just thinking about writing it, and I had to stop several times while actually writing it to wipe my eyes and blow my nose. So with that, I hope everyone's doing well.
"Push me again, Sammy!"
Sam laughed. Evy was having a blast at the park. She had had to go to the doctor that day, and Sam had promised her that if she did well at her doctor's visit, he'd take her to the playground before going home. He hadn't really been worried about her misbehaving, but Evy was incredibly shy sometimes around strangers. His thinking had been that if she had something to look forward to after the appointment was over, she would be a little happier about it. It worked like a charm. Evy had, without being prompted, said hello to the doctor, been polite the entire time, and said goodbye when they'd left. Sam got behind her and started to push her again, when a sudden pain in his foot made him yell out in surprise.
"Ow!"
"Sammy?" Evy said.
She jumped out of the swing, nearly giving Sam a heart attack, but his foot was hurting too much for him to say anything. A concerned Evy raced to Sam's side and bit her bottom lip, trying not to cry. Her big brother was the strongest person in the whole world, so anything to make him yell out like that had to be bad. Really bad.
"I'm okay, Cricket." Sam said, walking over to the nearest park bench.
It was an unusually warm, humid day, even for the summer, so Sam was wearing sandals. He pulled his sandals off and at first didn't see anything wrong. But his foot stung. A lot. He hated doing it, but Evy was the only other person around, so he had to know.
"Listen, Cricket, I need you to do something for me. And I need you to be brave, okay?"
"Okay, Sammy." She said in a small voice.
"I need you to look at the bottom of my foot and see if you see any cuts. Okay?" Sam explained. "Don't be scared to tell me. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Evy bent down to look at the foot.
At first, she didn't see anything either. Then she noticed it-a tiny stream of blood dripping down the side of Sam's foot. It was a scratch. Not very deep or wide, but it went almost across the whole length of his foot. Evy very gingerly touched the edge of his foot, and Sam winced in pain.
"Sorry, Sammy." she said, feeling guilty. She didn't want to cause him more pain than he was already in. "You got a scratch right there."
"A scratch? What…?"
Sam looked over to where he had been pushing Evy on the swing earlier, and he saw it. The playground was very run down, and Sam had been watching Evy so carefully that he hadn't noticed it before. A piece of metal wire was sticking up from one of the poles on the swing set. Sam had scratched his foot there, he was sure of it.
"Is it bleeding, Cricket?"
"A little." Evy said.
"More than when you scrape your knee? Or less?" Sam asked.
"Less."
So it's not deep. Just stings like a bitch. Sam thought. "Okay, Cricket. I'll be okay, it just stings a little. But I need to go home and fix it up. I'm sorry, that means we need to leave the park early."
Sam had promised her an hour at the park, and they'd been there less than twenty minutes. He felt guilty cutting her day short, but never had he been so proud of her than when she said back to him,
"You're more important than the park, Sammy. Come on, let's go."
Sam stood up, and though it was slightly painful, he found he could walk. Evy insisted on 'going slow' and holding Sam's hand on the way back to Pastor Jim's. Sam hated the fact that they were staying with pastor Jim. He felt he had proved that he was old enough and responsible enough to take care of Evy on his own. John had given that responsibility to Sam himself the year before. But the hunt that John and Dean were on was long, weeks long, and involved little kids going missing. Sam had ben pleasantly surprised when they arrived at pastor Jim's. John had explained the arrangement he had with Sam, and pastor Jim had told Sam that first night,
"You know the rules, Sam. Clean up after yourself, keep your bedtime, and be polite. As far as Evy goes, I'm here if you need help. Other than that, I'll stay out of your way."
Evy held tight to Sam's hand until they got back to pastor Jim's house. Evy made Sam get on the couch 'and stay there and not move, Sammy'. Sam chuckled. Evy was normally very calm and sweet, unless she thought someone was hurt. Then she got bossy.
"Yes, ma'am." he said.
"I'm going to get pastor Jim."
"Cricket, I can fix it myself, I don't need…" Sam started, before Evy stopped his objection with the only existing female version of the Winchester Glare. "Fine."
Evy walked around the house, trying to find pastor Jim. When she couldn't find him, she left the house through the back door and headed next door towards the church. She found pastor Jim in the sanctuary, getting ready for Sunday services.
"Pastor Jim! I need your help." Evy said, running up to him.
"Evy, careful, sweetheart. No running in the church." Jim scolded gently. He noticed that Evy looked upset, so he put the hymnal in his hand down on the seat in front of him and bent down to her eye level. "What's wrong, dear?"
"Sammy got hurt at the park today." Evy said. "Will you come take a look at him, please?"
"Of course I will. Where is he?" Jim asked.
"He's in the living room." Evy said. "Come on, please, fast. He's hurt."
"All right, I'm coming." Jim said, taking her hand as he stood up. "Lead the way."
Evy pulled pastor Jim towards the house and into the living room, where Sam was still sitting on the couch with his sandal off. Evy sat down next to him and waited as pastor Jim examined Sam's foot.
"Is he okay?" Evy asked anxiously.
"He'll be fine, sweetie." Jim said, grinning at Evy's overprotectiveness. "He doesn't even need a Band-Aid."
"Really?" Evy asked.
"Really." Jim said. "He'll be okay."
"Okay." Evy said, though she still sounded doubtful.
"Evy, he does need one thing though. Would you go get it for me, please?" Jim asked.
"Sure. What is it?" Evy asked.
"Do you know where the first aid kit is? In the bathroom?" Jim asked. Evy nodded. "Okay. Go get the first aid kit and open it up. Inside, there's a yellow tube of cream. Can you bring that to me?"
"Yes, sir!" Evy said, going to the bathroom as fast as she could.
"Was that really necessary?" Sam asked.
"The Neosporin, yes." Jim said. "The cut is pretty minor, but I don't want to risk it getting infected. Asking Evy to get it…" Jim raised his eyebrows, in a what do you think? type of expression.
Sam nodded. "Yeah. You're right."
"Here it is!" Evy came back into the living room with a big smile and the Neosporin in her hand. "Is this it?"
"That's exactly right, sweetheart." Jim said. "You get up on the couch and hold Sam's hand."
"Got it."
Evy got back on the couch and grabbed Sam's hand. It was a lot of work for Sam to pretend Evy was comforting him, rather than making him laugh. Her concentration on the task at hand would put the best surgeon in the world to shame. She took her job seriously, and Sam didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"All done." Jim said.
"You okay, Sammy?" Evy asked. "Does it still hurt?"
"A little." Sam said honestly. "But I'm okay."
"Wait." Evy let go of his hand, and leaned over and kissed the scratch. "How's that?"
"Much better." Sam said with a smile. "Thank you, Cricket."
"Well, it's just about dinnertime. Who's hungry?" Jim asked.
The night went by fairly easily. The scratch on Sam's foot was mostly forgotten, until right before bedtime when Evy insisted on checking on it. Sam showed it to her, and she kissed it again.
"It doesn't hurt?" Evy asked.
"Not anymore." Sam lied. It still stung a bit, but if he told her that, she'd spend the whole night worrying. "Time for sleep, Cricket."
"Okay, Sammy." Evy said as she laid down. "Sing to me?"
"Of course." Sam said.
Evy turned over and grabbed Squish, cuddling him to her chest as Sam lifted the back of her nightshirt and started to scratch her back and sing to her. She was sleeping less than five minutes later. Sam leaned over the bed and kissed her cheek. He took a good, long look at her before leaving. What she'd said earlier was ringing through his head. You're more important than the park, Sammy. As humorous as she'd been to him earlier, he was grateful for her.
"Good night, Cricket. Sammy loves you. Thank you for taking care of me today."
Sam soon fell asleep himself, in the other bed that pastor Jim kept in the room. His foot throbbed a little, but he hoped that some sleep would make it better in the morning. All was quiet until later that night. Evy woke up and went to the bathroom. Just as she was coming back to the room, she heard something from Sam's bed. She walked over carefully, not sure what was going on, hugging Squish close to her. When she got to the edge of the bed, she heard it. The sound was Sam. He wasn't crying, but he was shivering. A lot. Evy reached out a hand and touched Sam's back. She pulled it back quickly. Sam was hot. Really hot. And he was sweaty. He's sick, Evy thought. After all the times that Sam had taken care of her while she was sick, Evy felt bad that she couldn't do it for him. But she didn't know what to do. Hopefully Sammy could tell her.
"Sammy. Wake up." Evy said, reaching over and patting his shoulder. When Sam didn't wake up, she tried harder. "Sammy, wake up. You're sick."
Evy tried a few more times to get Sam to wake up and answer her. She even patted his face a few times. Sam never would wake up, so Evy, crying hard, called for pastor Jim. It took three more times for him to come, but Evy stayed right next to Sam. Pastor Jim threw open the bedroom door and turned on the light, eyes scanning the room rapidly. He finally spotted Evy, and realized that there wasn't a monster in the room. Something was wrong with Sam.
"Evy? What is it, honey?" Jim asked.
"It's Sammy. He won't wake up."
"What?" Jim asked. "What do you mean?"
"He was shaking and he's hot. I tried to wake him up and he won't wake up."
"Okay, sweetie. Let me take a look."
Evy moved over and let pastor Jim look at Sam. She watched him shake Sam too, trying to get him to wake up. When Sam wouldn't wake up for him either, pastor Jim felt Sam's forehead. Evy was looking away from pastor Jim, which was a good thing, or she would have seen the look of fear on his face.
"Evy, go bring me the phone."
"What's wrong with…?" Evy asked.
"NOW!" Jim said, a little rougher than he meant to. Realizing he'd just snapped at Evy for being worried, Jim took a breath. "I'm sorry, honey. Just go get the phone, okay? I need to call the doctor. Sam's sick."
Evy nodded and headed towards the living room. She knew pastor Jim hadn't meant to yell at her. He never did. He was worried and scared. And that worried and scared Evy. But she couldn't think about that right now. Sammy needed her to be brave, so she grabbed the phone and went back to pastor Jim as fast as she could. He took the phone from her and started dialing a number. He stopped when he got an idea. He reached down and picked up Evy, putting her on top of Sam's bed.
"You stay here with Sammy, okay, honey? I'll be in the living room making a couple calls."
"What's wrong with him?" Evy asked.
"I don't know. But we'll find out. Right now, just hold his hand and talk to him. Okay?" Jim said.
"Like he does when I don't feel good?" Evy asked.
"Exactly." Jim answered, pasting on a fake smile for Evy's benefit. "Do you think you can do that?"
"Yes, sir." Evy said.
"Good girl." pastor Jim answered. He gave Evy a quick kiss on the forehead. "I'll be in the living room."
Evy looked over at the still shaking Sammy. She grabbed his hand, which felt hot and sweaty, and tried to stop herself from crying. She couldn't talk right when she was crying, so she needed to keep being brave. Evy took her other hand and pushed some of Sam's hair out of his face.
"Don't be scared, Sammy." Evy said. "I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you."
Evy kept trying to make him feel better, and asked him a couple of times to wake up, but it wasn't working. Sam continued to shake, and he still felt hot. Evy heard the front door open, and pastor Jim talking to someone. Soon the bedroom door opened, and pastor Jim walked in with the nice lady that cleaned the church, Miss Betty. Miss Betty waited next to the door, while pastor Jim walked back over to the bed. He knew he needed to get going with Sam, but as worried as he was about Sam, it was separating him and Evy that Jim dreaded the most.
"Evy, I need you to listen to me. Alright?"
"I'm listening." she said quietly.
"Sweetheart, I need to take Sam to the hospital. He's very, very sick. More sick than I can do anything for here." Jim told her.
"Okay. Let's go." Evy said.
Jim bit his bottom lip and looked to the floor, preparing for the meltdown he was sure was coming. "You're not going."
"What?" Evy asked. Suddenly being brave didn't matter to her so much. "He needs me!"
"Evy, listen, you need to stay here…"
"NO!" Evy yelled.
Jim's first instinct was to scold her. He was tired and worried, and they couldn't waste time. Until he realized that she wasn't yelling in defiance, but in pain and fear. He reached over and took Evy's hand, but she pulled it back from him and grabbed Sam's arm. He started to say something else to her, until she just about broke Jim's heart with what she said next.
"Please don't take him away from me."
Choking back tears of his own, Jim said gently, "I'm not trying to. I promise I'm not. But Sammy needs a doctor, and he needs one now."
Evy started crying even harder than she had been, until Betty came to the edge of the bed. "Evy, sweetheart? Listen to me, okay? I know you're worried. I know you're scared, and I know you're hurting. But the doctors need to focus on Sammy right now. If you go, they're gonna want to take a look at you too. Then they can't pay as much attention to Sammy. Does that make sense?"
"He wouldn't leave me alone if it was me." Evy said.
Jim bit his tongue when the thought that's an understatement came to mind. "Evy, I promise you, he will not be alone."
"You'll stay with him?" she asked.
"Yes. And I called your uncle Bobby, he's on his way. Your daddy and Dean are too. I promise you that someone will stay with Sammy at all times. He will not be alone." Jim said. "Please, sweetheart, we need to get going."
"Can I give him a kiss goodbye?"
Jim knew he should say no, on the chance that whatever was wrong with Sam was contagious, but the heartbroken little girl was likely to have a full-blown tantrum if he did. "Sure."
Evy kissed Sam's cheek and hugged his neck tightly. "Come back, Sammy."
"Okay, honey. You go with Miss Betty. It's time for me and Sammy to go."
Betty picked up Evy, who she had to pry away from Sam. Evy's whole body shook with tears, and Betty found herself dealing with a few stray tears of her own. When Jim opened the front door and walked out with Sammy, Evy let out a choked "Sammy" and buried herself in Betty's shoulder. Betty held the sobbing child tightly. She knew that there was no chance Evy was going back to sleep willingly now, so she walked out to Jim's living room, sat on the couch that Jim had examined Sam on earlier that afternoon, and held the crying little girl in her lap until she fell into an exhausted sleep nearly thirty minutes later.
When Evy woke up the next morning, the sun was high up in the sky, and it was hot. She heard voices coming from the kitchen, and the sound of a frying pan. She smelled bacon, and her stomach rumbled. Evy got off the couch and walked towards the kitchen. When she heard pastor Jim's voice, she smiled. If he was back, then that must mean Sammy was back too. Didn't it? Evy ran into the kitchen smiling, only to lose it when the only two people she saw there were pastor Jim and miss Betty.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Betty said. "I made you some breakfast."
"Where's Sammy?"
A look of guilt crossed Jim's face, and he looked to Betty for a moment, before bracing himself for the news he had to deliver. He'd sat with families who had a dying loved one. He'd been with parents who'd lost their children. He'd had to tell parents that their children were dead. But never before had he so dreaded giving bad news. Jim reached his arm out toward Evy and beckoned her over to him.
"Come here, sweetheart. Will you sit in my lap?"
Evy listened to him, and climbed into his lap. Maybe he was just going to tell her that Sammy was in the bedroom sleeping, and she needed to leave him alone for a while. That he was back and she could see him later that night.
Maybe.
"Sweetheart, do you remember last night, when I told you that Sammy was very sick?"
"Yes, sir." Evy said. "Is he still sick?"
"Yes." Jim said. "I'm afraid he has to stay in the hospital for a little while."
"Why? What's wrong with him?"
"The cut on his foot. It got infected. Really infected. And that's what's making him sick." Jim explained.
Evy's eyes got big, and she jumped down off Jim's lap. "No! You said he was okay!"
Though Jim hadn't expected that, he realized she was right. He had told her that the scratch was okay, and that Sammy would be fine. Though Jim knew in his rational mind that there had been no way for him to predict what would happen, in a five-year-old's mind, especially one as attached to her brother as Evy was, what he'd said had been a promise. One that Jim had broken in the worst way.
"I know I did, sweetie. And I really thought that he was. But sometimes people don't get sick from these right away…"
"And you said you wouldn't leave him alone!" Evy said accusingly.
"He's not alone." Jim said patiently. "Your uncle Bobby came a little while ago. He's sitting with Sam right now."
"Where's daddy?" Evy said. "And Deanie?"
"They're on their way back. They should be here tonight." Jim explained.
Evy was mad at pastor Jim for lying to her, but she was more worried about Sammy. "When can I go see Sammy?"
Jim's already shredded heart crumbled. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. You can't. Not for a while."
"Why not?" Evy asked. "Why can't I see him?"
"He's in a place in the hospital called the Intensive Care Unit. They only allow adults to visit." Jim said.
"No! You can't keep me from him! I want my Sammy!" Evy yelled, her voice getting louder and louder.
"Sweetie…" Jim said, attempting to pull her in for a hug.
"NO!" Evy screamed, jerking away from him. "Leave me alone!"
Evy ran back to the bedroom she'd been sleeping in the night before, threw herself on the bed, grabbed Squish, and cried as hard as she could. She didn't care if she got in trouble for yelling or running away from pastor Jim or slamming the door. It wasn't fair. Sammy was sick, and probably scared. He needed a hug and a kiss, just like he'd give her if it was her stuck in that bed. But just because she was smaller than everyone else, she couldn't go. She didn't know how long she sat on the bed, crying her eyes out, but when she heard a knock at the bedroom door, she didn't answer. Pastor Jim opened it and stood in the doorway, looking at her.
Evy flipped over and looked at him too. She expected him to be upset. He'd told her that she had to be polite when she'd arrived, and she'd done the exact opposite. But he didn't look angry. He just looked sad. He waited a minute before asking,
"Are you okay?"
"No." Evy said, wiping her face. "It's not fair."
"What's not fair?" Jim asked from the doorway.
"Why do you have to be a grown up to visit somebody in the hospital? Sammy's my family too." Evy said.
"You're right. He is." Jim said. "Do you mind if I sit down?"
"Sure." Evy said, wiping her face again.
How do you even have any tears left? Jim wondered as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You're right. It's not fair. But the reason you can't go to where Sammy is, sweetie, is because even though the doctors know that Sammy's sick, and they know it started with his foot, they don't really know what he's sick with. Does that make sense?"
"Not really." Evy admitted.
"Think about it this way. You know how when you're around someone who has a cold, you might get a cold too?" Evy nodded. "Well, that's what's going on with Sam. Except the doctors don't know what kind of sickness he has, so they don't know if he can pass it on to you."
"But Sammy's big, and he got sick anyway." Evy protested.
Jim frowned. "I know it's hard to understand, sweetie. But if Sam were here, do you think he'd want you to do something that might make you sick?"
"No." Evy admitted reluctantly. "But he wouldn't leave me alone if it was me in there."
"I told you, sweetheart, he's not alone." Jim said again.
"But what if he thinks I don't love him anymore 'cause I'm not there?" Evy asked.
"Well that is just about the silliest thing I've ever heard." Jim said. "Doesn't Sam tell you he loves you every day?"
"Yeah."
"And don't you tell him?" Jim asked.
"Yeah. I do."
"Then believe me, he knows you love him. And nothing will make him doubt that." Jim promised.
"I miss him." Evy said.
"I know you do, sweetie. But we just have to have some faith that Sammy will be all right and that he'll come back to us soon. Okay?"
"Okay." Evy said quietly.
"Now, how about some breakfast? I hear a little rumbling in someone's tummy." Jim teased.
"Is it yours?"
Jim let out a laugh at that. "Funny girl."
"Pastor Jim?" Evy asked. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. Are you gonna tell Sammy when he wakes up?"
Jim smiled. "Not since you apologized on your own. And I understand you were really upset. Your secret's safe with me."
Jim picked up Evy and carried her to the kitchen. He went back to the hospital a few hours later to relieve Bobby, who came to the house to sit with a slightly better, but still deeply depressed Evy. Evy tried to ask Bobby to take her to see Sam, but was met with a firm no. Bobby said the same thing Jim did. He was sorry, he knew she wanted to go, but it was too dangerous. She didn't fight him on it, just held Squish tighter to her chest and cried some more. Bobby wasn't mad at her for the crying, just held her and tried to cheer her up. But it didn't work. All Evy could think about was Sammy laying on that hospital bed. She didn't care what anybody said. He was wondering where she was. And because she was smaller than everyone else, she was stuck here. Then she got an idea. She'd wait for daddy and Deanie. She wasn't sure about daddy, but Deanie would listen to her. She was sure of it.
It seemed like forever waiting on John and Dean to get back. Pastor Jim and Bobby kept taking turns going back and forth to the hospital. After the fifth time of being told no, Evy gave up asking. She eventually fell asleep on the couch, and woke up to the sound of hushed voices talking on the other side of the room.
"I know you're anxious to get to Sam, but you need to talk to Evy too. She's very upset." she heard pastor Jim saying.
"I know that, but Sam…"
"Bobby's with Sam. Talk to Evy first." pastor Jim insisted.
Evy sat up on the couch and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Daddy?"
John had been anxious to get to Sam, but the look on Evy's face stopped him. She was lonely and hurting, and it showed in every part of her. John sat next to her on the couch, and he realized how hurt she was when she wrapped her arms around his neck and sat in his lap. He and Evy weren't very close, so for her to want him, she was hurting more than she could handle.
"Pastor Jim told me you were upset." John said.
"Yes, sir." Evy said. "I want to go see Sammy."
"I know, little one." John said. "I know you do."
Evy released John's neck and wiped her face again. "Is he any better?"
"No." John said. "No, he's not."
"But I can't go see him till he gets better." Evy said, defeated.
John nodded. "That's right."
Evy's bottom lip started trembling. "Daddy, is Sammy gonna die?"
John's heart twisted painfully inside him. "Why would you ask that?"
"Because if he does, I won't ever see him again." Evy said. "I just want to see him."
John hated lying to her, because if Sam continued to deteriorate, it was a possibility. But Evy was already upset, and she needed some hope. "No, little one. Sammy's not going to die. He'll get better and come home. You just need to wait a little more."
"You promise?" Evy asked.
"I promise." John said.
"But pastor Jim promised he'd be okay when he hurt his foot." Evy said. "How do you know he'll be okay?"
"Because I'm daddy. Daddies know." John said, giving her a smile he didn't feel. "He'll be okay."
"Okay, daddy."
"Dean and I are going to go see Sam. One of us will come back in a while, okay?" John said.
"Can I sleep with one of you tonight?" Evy asked. "I'm scared."
"Yeah." John said. "You can."
Evy suddenly got an idea. "Wait, daddy. Don't go yet."
"Why not?" John asked.
"I want to give you something to take to Sammy. Please? It'll only take me a minute."
"Okay. Go get it." John said.
Evy went back to her room, where she'd put Squish back on the bed. She didn't want to do this, but if she couldn't go see Sam, she had to do something. She picked up Squish and gave him a hug, then walked back out to give him to John.
"Daddy? Will you give him to Sammy?"
John carefully took Squish from Evy, "Squish? Are you sure you want to give him up?"
"Sammy needs him more than I do." Evy said. "Please, daddy. Take him."
John looked down at the beaten, battered cat in his arms. For Evy to give up Squish was huge. She never went without him, and getting her to sleep without him was impossible. John gave up the fight to not let Evy go see Sam. She deserved it more than any of them did.
"Little one, go get your shoes on."
"What?" Evy asked.
"Go get your shoes on." John said. "You're going with us."
Evy finally smiled for the first time that day. "Thank you, daddy!"
"Go." John said, patting her back to rush her along.
When Evy was out of earshot, Jim asked, "John? Are you sure?"
"Are you sure you want to keep telling her no?"
Evy was back before Jim could respond. John put her in the car and drove to the hospital. Evy held Squish and looked out the window, getting more and more excited by the second. When she saw the hospital parking lot, she unbuckled herself before John even stopped the car. She had a hand on the doorknob and was about to get out when John stopped her.
"Wait, little one. We need to have a talk first."
Evy sat back and waited, thinking she was in trouble for not waiting for John.
"Listen, I know you really want to go see Sammy, but there's something you should know before you go up there."
"Know what, daddy?" Evy asked.
"Well, Sammy's not awake. And he's not going to wake up just by asking him to. When you see him, he might look a little scary to you. But don't be scared, okay? All the stuff in the room with him is just to help him get better. Understand?" John asked, feeling as if he butchered the explanation.
"I understand, daddy." Evy said. "Can he hear me? Can I talk to him?"
"You can try." John said.
"Okay. Can we go now?" Evy asked.
"Sure. Let's go."
John helped Evy out of the car, Dean and pastor Jim walking up behind them. Jim could barely believe it had only been a little more than twenty-four hours since Evy had come running into the church to get his help with Sam's foot. They walked inside, and after some arguing with the lead nurse on the floor of the ICU, John was carrying Evy into Sam's room. Evy gasped when she saw him. Sammy was in a hospital gown, with tubes going in and out of him. He looked like he was sleeping, and she could reach over and shake him awake. But daddy had said all the scary equipment in the room was helping Sammy get better, so she decided to be brave and not let it bother her.
"You okay, little one?" John asked, grateful that he and Dean had come to the hospital earlier before going to Jim's; the look of shock on Evy's face right now mirrored his own.
"Can I get on the bed with him?" she asked.
"Sure. Just be careful of all the tubes and the medical equipment. Okay?"
"Okay, daddy. I will." Evy promised.
John sat her down next to Sam, and Evy turned so she was sitting on top of his legs. She reached over and put a hand to his cheek, which still felt hot. She wanted to cry, but she didn't. She held in her tears so she could make him feel better.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier, Sammy." Evy said. "I asked and asked, but everybody kept telling me I was too little. But I'm here now." Evy pulled Squish from her side and put him right next to Sam's face. "I brought Squish with me. He can stay with you when I can't. He'll keep you safe and make you feel better."
All the other adults in the room had tears in their eyes. Dean reached over and grabbed Evy's shoulder. "Come on, kiddo. It's almost dinnertime. Let's go get something to eat."
Evy pulled back from Dean and protested angrily. "But I just got here!"
"Dean…." John said, and pulled Dean away from them. "Listen, little one, me, Dean, pastor Jim, and uncle Bobby are going to get some dinner downstairs in the cafeteria. We'll leave you and Sammy alone for a little while. But when we come back, it's time to go. Okay?"
"Okay, daddy." Evy said. "Can I come back?"
"Yes. You can come back." John promised. "If you need something before we get back, go to the desk and ask the nurse to page us."
"Okay, daddy. Thank you."
"You're welcome, little one." John said. He took another look at Sammy, then back to Evy. "Can daddy have a hug?"
Evy gave John the hug he asked for, then watched as the adults left the room. She took Sammy's hand, told him again she was there, then laid down next to him. It was heavy, but she picked up Sam's arm and moved it so that he was holding her. She snuggled up to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She felt her eyes get heavy, and soon she was asleep too.
Jim and John came back to the room together. Bobby and Dean were waiting outside in the Impala. John had braced himself for Evy's reaction. He knew she'd likely cry when he made her leave, maybe even yell, scream, or throw a tantrum. What they were not prepared for was to find her sleeping underneath Sam's arms, with Squish lying between them. John sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He moved to go pick her up, when Jim grabbed his shoulder.
"Let her stay."
"You were the one who was asking if it was really a good idea to bring her in the first place!" John whispered.
"Do you really want to wake her up right now?" Jim said, pointing over to the bed. "Or try to make her go to bed at my house, without Sam or Squish?"
John realized he was right. Evy fought bedtime enough on a normal night. If she was already asleep, waking her up and dragging her back to Jim's would only create twice the battle. John grabbed the blanket Jim had slept in the room with the night before, draped it over Evy, and kissed her goodnight.
"Who do you think should stay…?" Jim started, before he was interrupted by the sound of a groan coming from the bed.
Sam was squirming and stretching, as though he were just waking up. He yawned, and Jim, stunned, ran over and placed a hand to his forehead. His eyes grew o the size of saucers, and he stared at Sam in awe.
"Jim, what is it?"
"His fever's broken." Jim said.
"What?" John asked.
"Dad…"
The motion of Sam waking up made Evy wake up too. Once she saw Sam was stirring, she sat up and squealed. "Sammy!"
"Jim, go grab the doctor."
Jim nodded and stepped into the hallway to grab the doctor.
"Dad…" Sam said again.
"Welcome to the land of the living, son."
"Sammy, you're awake!" Evy squealed again, promptly flinging both arms around his neck.
When Sam groaned a little, John moved to tell Evy to back off a little, but Sam waved him off. "It's okay, Dad."
"Sammy, you're okay." Evy said again. "You're really okay."
"I'm okay, Cricket." Sam said, patting her back weakly. "I'm okay."
Evy realized something and turned to John with a smile. "Daddy, you were right."
"Right about what?" John asked.
"You said Sammy would be okay. You said daddies just know. You were right."
The doctor came back inside and examined Sam. To everyone's disbelief, the scratch on Sam's foot, which two hours earlier had been swollen and red, was little more than a thin scar. Even the doctor couldn't believe how fast Sam had gotten over his mysterious infection. Evy stayed close to Sam, her tears from earlier in the day replaced with a joy that, for once, matched everyone around her. When the doctor mentioned that he'd like to keep Sam overnight, just to be safe, Evy begged them,
"Please let me stay. He needs me."
John looked to the doctor, who nodded his approval. "He didn't get better until she showed up. I'd say she's your good luck charm."
"More like guardian angel." Sam said. "She always has been."
The rest of the family stayed until visiting hours were over. Evy was asleep again when they left. Once they were gone, Sam turned back to her and said again, for the second night in a row,
"Good night, angel. Thank you for taking care of me today."