There's a rule you should never forget…if you ask Dean Winchester.
He may be wee less than six..but he knows the rule.
HE. KNOWS. THE . RULE.
Which rule ?
Never disregard the ' spidey' senses of a big brother. Never.. ever.. ever.
As far as Sammy is concerned…Dean's 'spidey' rule is the ultimate . His little brother is almost two… and quite a handful. Leave him to his instruments for an hour….and Sammy will climb up the wall ( at least will try to), hang from the curtains like a baby monkey (will surely try to), tumble head first getting hurt, drink the detergents and cleaning liquids, choke on legos and beans, run out of the house (despite express orders of his dad) and get under a car.
But Sammy never does .
NEVER.
Why?
Well you see..the big brother spidey senses are always working to keep Sammy safe and content. It's Dean who distracts him from wall climbing and curtain hanging, stores detergents and medicines locked in a cupboard, keeps the lego pieces and tiny toys (and beans ..yuck! Why does dad even buy them?) out of his brother's reach and always locks the doors when dad's not home.
Dad doesn't have any 'spidey' sense. But when Dean's at school..he is the next best alternative and has to do.
So why is Dean rambling all this to you?
About six months back dad had taken Dean and his little munchkin to the nearest goodwill store for a little shopping.
That's ok . Dean knows that his dad doesn't have much money and always tries his best to buy them good stuff. Dean doesn't mind.
That was not the problem.
The PROBLEM occurred when Sammy picked up a fluffy little blanket from a nearby shelf and refused to put it down. It was a cute little blanket…navy blue with a big Winnie the Pooh smiling in the centre. Any other day and their dad would have scolded his brother.
But this day? He didn't twitch a brow. In an unusual move..Dean's dad had smiled and bought the blanket for an overjoyed Sammy.
And that was the first time Dean's 'spidey' senses went off like crazy. It wasn't that he didn't want his little brother to have nice things. He did. But a little voice inside him kept on warning about something bad.
They moved a lot. What if the blanket was lost? Dean knows what it feels to lose something.
"Dad?" Dean had whispered to his unaware dad as he paid for their things. Sammy was busy hugging the blanket with utmost glee.
"Hmmm?" John was hardly paying attention ..busy getting his change back from the old lady in the counter.
"Don't buy it dad..What if ….." But he was cut off.
"Come on Deano! It's a measly little blanket. What's the worst that can happen?" John Winchester had smiled indulgently.
And that was the end of the conversation.
Things happened. Just as Dean had thought , Sammy loved the blanket. No scratch that. Sammy married the blanket and invited no one but himself on his wedding.
Over the next six months…Sam and his blanket became inseparable. It sort of reminded Dean of that silly Linus and his stupid blanket in the comics .
The navy blue slowly faded to light blue. It got puked on, peed on, drooled on, chewed on, slobbered on, dropped in the mud..grease and an assortment of liquids… used as superman's cape and a sheikh's turban (ok..that was Dean's idea.) ….and slept on. It tore along the seams and was repeatedly mended inexpertly by dad. It had been washed so many times..that it's surface became rough to touch.
But Sam's love never lessened. Sammy never slept or ate or kept quite without his precious blanky.
And then the worst thing happened.
Dad's job was done. They had packed bags, loaded them in the impala and zoomed off to a new destination.
As they unpacked their bags in a new motel in Wichita, Sammy inevitably began digging for his blanky.
"Whes my banky Deanie?" his little brother had inquired …frown marring his baby face.
With increasing trepidation John discovered the truth. They had forgotten to pack Sammy's 'banky' ..
And within a moment everything broke down in Dean's world.
Sammy started crying.
Sammy never screamed like other kids. He never rolled on the ground and pounded his tiny fists like other bratty babies. He didn't even throw things like other toddlers. He always preferred to cling to his Deanie's chest and cry his heart out.
And Dean can't watch Sammy cry.
And that's what happening right at this moment. John Winchester helplessly looked as his baby son asked his big brother to make everything right.
"Dee…hic….m..my..banky Deee..hic…bing my banky Dee..hic" Dean rocked his brother as he cried into his brother's nightshirt.
"Shhh bub….shhh…come on Sammy" Dean threw another pained look at his dad who sighed in return.
"Dad dwive pala..hic.. an bing my banky..hic.." replied the little boy..his incessant cries interspersed with hiccups.
Dean's teared up. He knew it's impossible. Driving all the way back would cost money. Dean's dad doesn't have much and he will never agree to Sammy's innocent plan. If Dean had a pair of wings he would have brought that silly blanket back.
But Dean doesn't have wings.
The little boy rejected every attempt at comfort as he clung to the only person he knew could ease his pain. A bowl of his favorite mac n cheese lay abandoned…even his favorite crayons seem to have lost their charm.
Sammy wanted his blanky .
The cries of his youngest was grating John's nerves. He was angry..more at himself than at his baby. Just as he was about to bring out the inner disciplinarian to shut Sammy up…something unusual happened.
John watched as his oldest laid his sniffing baby brother on the bed and wrapped him securely with his arms.
"Hey Sammy?"
…
"I have somethin for you …just look at me?" implored Dean
"Huh?"A pair of saddest hazel eyes looked up.
"I am your blanky…ok?" Dean's eyes brightened as he found the solution.
"Deanie my banky?" Sam whispered..little eyebrows raised in a silent question.
"Sure Sammy! See ?" The green eyed boy wrapped himself around Sammy as if he was a blanket…only with a beating heart this time. It was an impossible solution..but it stuck.
For Dean had been Sammy's blanky far longer than anyone else.
"Dees my banky .. yaaaay" clapped Sammy ..little face breaking into sunny smile. He proceeded to pull Dean's hand and put it over his eyes …just as he did with his blanky.
This was the perfect plan…thought Dean. He could do everything Sammy did with his blanky…on the top of that he would even look after Sammy unlike the errant blanket. He will never ever ever get lost and leave his Sammy.
And he will never make Sammy cry.
The crisis of the century was averted much to John's comfort. Sammy had gotten back his precious blanky.
Over the next few days John watched on as a strange spectacle unfolded. Just as before..Sammy clung to his 'blanky' . But it was his blanky that carried him everywhere, rather than the opposite.
"Ewwww Sammy! Don't chew on my shirt!" Sammy's blanky would cry .
"You my banky! I chew my banky Deanie!" An ecstatic Sammy would reply. His Dee proved to be a way better blanket than anything else.
In the night..wayward little limbs would hold Sammy's blanky captive..who would smile and hug Sammy even harder in return.
Big brother and blanket rolled into one tiny six year old body.
The realization of how good a blanky Dean was came a few days later. John had found another blanket in a thrift store nearby. This one was red with the same Winnie picture in the middle.
Sammy would love this one as well…John had hoped.
"Here's a new blanky kiddo! See?" John placed it on the bed near Sammy that night hoping to please his baby.
"My banky?" frowned the little boy as his big brother silently stared on.
"No wan one dada!" giggled Sammy as he pounced on his big brother slobbering his face with baby kisses eliciting laughter from the freckle faced boy.
"Dees my banky dada…no wan a new one!"
Sammy has at last found the best blanky in the world. He had it all along.
It had a pair of bright green eyes, button nose , lots of freckles….
and the biggest heart in the world.