The man sitting by the hospital bed is running out of excuses to stay.
So he makes up more.
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"Sammy, I know you probably don't remember this, but for some reason I can't get it out of my mind."
Dean leans over the bed and stares at his baby brother, Sam's "Gigantor" body somehow dwarfed under the white sheet. They've been in the hospital for eleven days, and Sam still hasn't woken up from the coma. It was supposed to be a job like any other, a light hunt compared to the heavy stuff they've been dealing with for the past couple of years. With the demons, angels, and leviathans constantly chasing them, the dead body found strung up to an electrical wire was an easy job, a simple case of a spirit gone vengeful. Boy, was it anything but easy. Dean escaped with just a couple of broken ribs and a concussion, but Sammy...Sammy was torn from him by the second spirit and his head had practically been crushed. The doctor said that he would soon give up and let go but Dean wouldn't allow that. Not on his watch.
"Do you remember, back when I first got you from Stanford, the incident with the lake spirit? It was a kid who died and started terrorizing the families of the people who killed him. Nasty looking thing... well, anyways there was this woman who's husband had been killed, and she had this kid. Back in those days, I considered myself to be a real looker, and I had the bright idea that this lady would be my type. I tried all of my usual methods of seduction, asking to be walked to the motel, trying a pickup line. In fact, I even told her that 'Kids are great.' I know, even then you shook your head at my stupidity, and she shrugged me off. The thing is, after she walked away, you told me to 'Name three kids you even know.' I've decided I've had enough time to think and met enough kids to give you an answer."
"The three kids I have in mind were from different places and times, but all connected by one thing. They were all impacted by evil."
"One kid hunted it. Obviously, this kid can only be Krissy. What other child do we know that hunts? Except Cas that one time, but that's beside the point. Krissy was a child of a hunter, like us, but she was more sheltered. Although she may have known what her dad did, she was fourteen before she got to hunt. In fact, she outfoxed both of us and acted innocent to kill the vetala. Her life was turned upside down and her world ripped apart the next time we met her. She and a group of other kids were taken under the wing by a man who wanted only to use them. Still, she persevered. I know I haven't spoken to her in a while, but I bet if I did, she would tell she can take care of herself. And she can."
"The next kid had the opportunity to become evil. Remember Jesse? He was being groomed by both the demons and the angels to become a weapon of mass destruction. He had powers that were wicked awesome. But he refused to cave in to the pressure. He only ever accidentally harmed those around him, and upon realizing it, he took responsibility and left his family to keep them safe. He listened to us and decided to prevent any more trouble and disappear . I hope he's doing alright, wherever he is."
"The last kid experienced evil and forgot it..." Dean paused and wiped his eyes with his hand. He turned to Sammy and brokenly said, " I don't think I'm ready to talk about Ben yet. Not for a hundred years."
"So, I guess the final kid will have to be the one who was born evil. I haven't told you this yet, because every time I bring up Amy this look comes into your eyes and it's like I'm talking to a brick wall. But she had a kid. She was killing for him. He didn't ask to be a kitsune, yet he was born that way, and that's the way he's gonna be for the rest of his life. After I killed his mom, he swore he would find me and kill me. And you want to know something? I won't stop him if he comes. What right did I have to take away the one loving person he had ever known? If he does keep his promise, I will accept my death as a judgement for all of the things I've done wrong. That kid is biding his time somewhere, waiting to kill the destroyer of his life. And I don't blame him."
"The point I'm trying to make is this: you were once one of these kids. A hunter, however reluctant. The kid with the demon blood. Used from six months old as a pawn in the plan of a demon. All I can say is that I grieve for your lost childhood. I hate the fact that you had no mother, just crummy old me and a distant Dad. I wish I had never taken you from Stanford all those years ago, that Jessica would warm the other side of your bed at night and little baby Winchester's could get jam hand prints on your shirt. I wish you had and apple-pie life."
"But I think you've gone too far, sacrificed too much, lost any chance of being normal. I am so sorry for that. But that doesn't mean I'm not proud of you. You are the reason I keep pushing on, keep saying no, refusing to become one of the things I used to hunt. You are the reason I get up in the morning. I can't lose you."
Dean stood up and leaned in close to Sam's face as he grinned a little and said, "I'll stop the monologuing and give you a chance to heal. Just don't forget Sammy. Don't forget to always keep fighting."
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The man waited. Hoping. Praying.
The brother opened his eyes and looked over at the man.
He had been given a risen to stay