The Night the Lights Went Out in Kansas
Chapter 1
The night was long, he never imagined how much his life would change. He had the perfect life, the perfect family. They had dreams and goals for their lives. When their oldest son was born they started a college fund for him. They knew he would grow to be someone special. He was the light of their life.
He was so full of life. He would bounce around the house, just a happy little bundle of joy. And, so grown for his age. He didn't miss anything. He always paid attention to everything around him. He didn't always understand everything, but he still paid attention to it all.
Dad worked a lot of hours at the local mechanic shop. There were a few times he brought his son with him, he seemed to love it there. Plus, the others who worked at the shop seemed to enjoy it when he came with his dad. They all swear he's just the cutest thing ever, and always try to spoil him and show him as much love as they can. The woman at the front counter really enjoyed spoiling the boy, and showing him off to all the customers.
Usually, he would stay home with his mom. Dad said she didn't need to work, she needed to stay home and take care of him. They had talked about having more, but for now they were enjoying the time they had with just the one boy.
There was one particular evening, Dad had an extra long, hard day at work and for some reason, Mom wasn't in a very good mood. They didn't seem to get along that night. They yelled and screamed at each other as their little boy hid under his bed, holding a pillow over his ears to try to block out the sounds. It wasn't the first time they yelled and screamed at each other, but it was the first time Dad packed a bag and stormed out of the house. When the door slammed shut and the screaming stopped, Mom came in to make sure her little boy was okay.
She knew they yelling scared him, and it took her a minute to find him under the bed with little tears in his eyes. She held her arms out and he crawled into his mom's arms, letting her comfort his fears away. He got to sleep in bed with her that night. He was sure he was the luckiest boy in the world for getting to sleep in the 'adult' room.
The next day, Dad didn't come home after work. Mom had talked to him on the phone, but it seemed to just upset her more.
"Mommy, don't worry, Daddy still loves you. And, so do I!"
Mom just gave him a big hug and kiss, stroking his long, shaggy hair. His hair was getting long, he would be needing a hair cut soon. Dad didn't like when his hair got long, he said it made him look like a girl, but, Mom liked it, and she said he was young so it was okay to have longer hair. He had such deep green eyes that he seemed to be able to win his way into everyone's heart. He was sad that Dad didn't come home after work, or that he wasn't there the following morning.
The day came and went, him and Mom went to the park and played for a while, then they came back home, she fixed his lunch then they laid down together for nap time. Dean got to sleep in his mom's bed again when Dad still didn't come home after work that night either. It was three nights before Daddy came home again. It took a few more days after he came home for them to not be mad at each other.
It wasn't long after that, Mom and Dad announced he was going to be a big brother! He wasn't sure if he wanted to share him Mom and Dad, or his toys, but they seemed happy about it, so he figured he would be happy for them too. He would do anything to see his Mommy smile, even if it meant he had to share his toys and time with someone else.
Mom promised it wouldn't change anything, that she would still love him just the same. Dad agreed. Life went back to normal, they continued to play at the park and Dad started teaching him how to play baseball and catch a football. He always told him how proud he was of him, and how much of a big boy he was becoming!
There were more days that he went to work with Dad, he said it was because Mom was sick, or tired, or had to go to the doctor. He wondered if her tummy kept her feeling bad all the time. When he ate too much his tummy would get big and round too, and it would make him feel sick. But, he didn't mind going to work with Daddy. He loved being around the cars and the people who worked there. They all taught him about tools, their names, and how to use them. He even got to pretend he was fixing some of the cars, or that he was the boss and told them what they needed to do to make the cars run again.
He would sit with the woman at the front desk and she taught him how to write and read and even how to count things like money and simple addition when adding up the customer's bills. He was always polite and called all the customers sir and ma'am. Of course, everyone who came into the shop commented on what good manners he had and how adorable he was.
He loved the attention he got there. He loved his mom too, but she was always too sick or tired to play with him much, so he enjoyed the change for a while.
One day, while at the shop with Dad, he had asked the woman at the front counter if she could watch him, keep him after work for a while. She agreed, knowing he was a good kid and they always got along great. Dad had told her why he needed her to watch him, but made it a secret and wouldn't let him know why.
The shop closed, and they went to a decent little restaurant for dinner. She talked to him about the things on the menu, helping him read them. She even allowed him to order his own food, which made him feel like a grown up! After they were finished, he helped her count the money so she could pay for their food, and then announced she was taking him to meet his dad.
He enjoyed the time he spent with her after work. Actually, he enjoyed everything about his little life. There was nothing that he didn't enjoy doing and he knew he was loved by everyone, so there was no reason not to be happy and have lots of fun. They drove into a parking lot and she took his hand, walking him past some cars until he saw his dad walking towards him.
"Daddy!" He shouted out with excitement as he leaped into his dad's arms.
Dad thanked her for her help and carried his son inside the big building. He hadn't noticed at first, until they were inside, where they were at.
"Daddy? Why are we at a hospital?" He asked.
"Because, I have a huge surprise for you!" His dad just grinned from ear to ear, hugging his boy tightly in his arms.
They got into an elevator, Dad told him what button to push, and they waited for the doors to open again. He was a little scared, he didn't know why they were there, but when his dad walked him into a room, he saw his mom laying in the bed.
"Mommy!" He said excitedly, before he was hushed by his dad.
He quietly and carefully walked over to his mom, climbing onto her bed to see what she was holding in her arms. When he looked inside the bundle of blankets, he saw the tiniest little face, sleeping with its tiny thumb in its mouth. He looked up at his mommy, a little confused.
"Dean, I want you to meet your little brother, Sam." His mom said proudly.
"That's right, son, you're a big brother now!" Dad added.
Dean just sat in his mom's lap and stared at his new little brother.
"Hi, Sammy, I'm your big brother, Dean. I'll keep you safe and protect you, and I'll even share my toys with you." He said before bending over, leaving a gentle kiss on his little forehead.
His mom and dad were right, they didn't love him any less just because he had a little brother. If anything, Dean felt like they loved him more now that he was a big brother.
At first, he was sad because his mommy didn't come home with them that night. Dad said she had to stay at the hospital for a couple days, and that meant they got to spend some special time together. The first night Mom and the baby were home, Dean couldn't seem to pry himself away, he kept a constant eye on his baby brother, making sure he was safe and all his needs were met. It was like Dean just knew what every cry meant, and what he wanted.
"He's hungry, Mommy." Dean would announce when Sam started crying around feeding time. "He needs a clean diaper, Mommy." Dean would tell her when his cry was a little different. "He wants you to hold him, Mommy." Dean would usually announce that with a little irritation, like he couldn't understand why he wasn't being held all the time.
He helped his mom as much as he could. He didn't want to go to the shop with Dad, he wanted to stay and help Mom. But, there were a few days Dad insisted he needed to give his mom a break and go to the shop for the day. Once there, Dean settled in and was happy, but it was usually a fight to get him there.
He had learned how to change a diaper and how to fix a bottle. He even learned how to hold a baby properly. He was only 4 years old, but he felt so much older now that he was a big brother. He was excited because he would be starting school next year, but was also sad because he didn't want to leave his brother. He had asked Mom if he could bring Sammy to school with him when he went, Mom just laughed at him and told him he couldn't do that.
Dean imagined, putting his brother in his backpack, but then thought about how fast he was growing up and figured, by then, he wouldn't fit. He always helped Mom give him a bath and change his clothes. He even learned how to wash laundry so Mom could have more time to take care of his brother. Dean enjoyed helping his mom around the house, as much as he enjoyed helping his dad around the shop.
That evening, the family sat around the kitchen table, eating their dinner, Mom and Dad talked about how they couldn't believe Sam was already 6 months old and how fast time had gone by. Of course, the day he was born, John had started a college fund for him too. They had no doubt he was going to be just as smart as Dean was.
Dean wanted to feed his brother that night, so he fed him his baby food before he even touched his own dinner. Mom and Dad talked about what a good big brother he was and how Sam was lucky to have him. Dean agreed. After they ate, Dean helped mom do dishes while Sam played in his highchair. Then, he helped her give him his bath and he even got to put the diaper on all by himself, and helped Mom put on his pajamas. Then, Mom sat down to feed him his night time bottle and rock him while Dad helped Dean with his bath and got him ready for bed.
Mom had laid Sam down in his crib already, but, the same as every night, Dean refused to go to bed without giving Sam his bed time kiss. Dad carried him into the nursery and held him so he could bend down and kiss his little brother, telling him he loved him and good night. Mary and John just smiled at each other, neither of them could understand how they got so lucky to have such wonderful kids.
Mom said she was tired and was going to bed, Dad carried Dean into his room, after he gave his mom her night time hug and kiss, and Dad tucked him in. He told him how proud he was of him and what a big boy he was, before kissing his forehead and turning out his light.
John had headed down to the couch to watch some tv. He wasn't ready to sleep just yet, and didn't want to wake his wife, knowing she was exhausted. He hadn't meant to fall asleep watching tv, but sometimes that old chair of his was more comfortable than he realized, and he would doze off without realizing it.
The next thing John knew, his wife had screamed, waking him from his sleep. He ran upstairs to see what she screamed about, and heard baby Sammy crying. He walked into the nursery, taking in a gasp of air, he wanted to scream, but couldn't seem to get the sound to come out.
His wife, his beautiful wife, the mother of his children, somehow, she was on the ceiling. She was pinned there by some unseen force. Her stomach was ripped opened under her nightgown. Blood was pooling around her stomach, soaking through the gown and dripping to the floor. Suddenly she burst into flames.
Dean had heard the commotion and woken up, he ventured out of his room to see what was going on. With tired eyes he wiped his little fists against them, giving a gentle rub to help wake him more. He heard his brother crying, but this crying was different, he didn't know what it meant, so he rushed to the nursery. The first thing he saw was Dad on the floor in a panic, looking at the ceiling. He followed his dad's gaze and caught a glimpse of his mom before she burst into flames.
Dad had jumped to his feet, and grabbed Sam, pushing Dean out of the room he put the baby in his arms, giving him instructions to run outside with him.
Dean couldn't think of anything else except his dad's orders. He had to keep his brother safe, even if that meant leaving his mom and dad behind. He ran outside, stopping in the front yard to look up at the window that was lit up with the light from the fire. Fear filled Dean's little body, causing his brother to start crying. He held him tightly against his chest.
"Shhh, Sammy, it's okay, I got you."
He tried to calm him. Then, like Superman, his dad came out of nowhere, swooping his boys into his arms and rushing them away from the house, just moments before the window exploded, leaving glass and debris all over the yard.
The smell of smoke and burnt flesh filled Dean's nose. He figured it was a smell that he would never forget. The commotion had woken the neighbors, and once they saw what was happening, they had called for a firetruck. It didn't take long before the entire area was filled with bright flashing lights and loud sirens.
Loud noises always scared Dean, so he covered his ears with his hands. His dad had taken Sam from him, so both of his hands were free. At first, he didn't want his dad to take him, but now he was glad he did, because he was able to block out some of the loud sirens that were blaring in his ears. It scared Sam too because he had started crying again.
John put the boys in the back seat of their car, told Dean to watch Sam, that it would be quieter in there, and not so scary. Dean happily agreed, anything to block the sounds was good with him. Dean didn't know it, but John had gone to the police officers and firefighters, and even the EMT and asked if they could turn off their sirens. He explained that Dean was scared of loud noises and had already had a rough enough night, seeing his mom burning in the fire that he didn't want to traumatize him any worse.
They all agreed, apologizing and turning their sirens off. Some even turned their bright lights off. Of course, it was necessary to leave some of the lights on in some vehicles, like the ones that were blocking the road, but at least there were less flashing lights.
Dean sat huddled in the floor of the back seat of the car, holding Sam tightly to him. He tried his best to comfort him, but he was so scared, he wasn't sure if it would work. To Dean's amazement, it did work, Sam had fallen asleep on Dean's chest. He knew he had to be strong, knew he couldn't cry. Sammy needed him. He needed his big brother to be strong for him, to protect him so he could sleep, and that's just what Dean had planned to do.