Chapter Two
I walked into the hospital mentally cursing myself. I should have known better leaving the Winchester boys unwatched for three weeks. Not a mistake I was going to make again. Quickly locating the boy's hospital rooms I headed for Dean's first. Entering the room I saw Dean. "Oh thank God. You look fine I was worried you would be a whole lot worse off." He turned towards me and instantly I swore. Behind him on a bed lay his real body hooked up to machines and unconcious. "Okay Dean I need you to stay calm."
"CALM!" He asked me loudly. "How am I supposed to stay calm when you are the only one who can see me and I appear to be lying dead on that hospital bed! What the hell is happening?"
Just as I was about to explain everything Sam walked into the room. He walked passed Dean not seeing him at all and simply not noticing me from where I was stood behind the partially open door. Moving over to Dean's body he gasped and tears began to form in his eyes. Dean's attention instantly left me and landed on Sam. "Sam. You look good. Especially considering." But his words did nothing to turn Sam's head. Sam couldn't hear him. "Man tell me you can hear me." he asked anxiously. "How is dad? Is he okay? Come on you are the psychic give me some ghost whispering or something." Sam gave no reaction so he turned back towards me. "Why can you hear me but he can't?"
I was interrupted yet again as a doctor entered. "Your father is awake. You can go see him if you like." Sam turned as the doctor entered and his eyes drifted over me but then his attention was stolen by the doctor's words. Only I heard Dean's muttered, "Thank God!"
"Doc, What about my brother?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"Well he sustained serious injuries, blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney but it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There are early signs of cerebral edema." The doctor told him calmly.
"What can we do?" Sam asked worried and a little impatient.
"Well we won't know his full condition until he wakes up." Sam nodded at that and the doctor continued, "If he wakes up."
"IF?" Sam questioned him at the same time Dean said, "Screw you doc! I'm wakin' up right now!"
"I have to be honest most people with his degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long. He is fighting very hard but you need to have realistic expectations." I knew more than any of them how unlikely it would be for Dean to survive this.
"Come on Sam! Find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me. I'll be fine!" Dean insisted but Sam still couldn't hear him. "Sam!" Sam stood in shock, unable to utter a word as the doctor left the room giving us both a pitying look. Sam's eyes jerked to mine and he demanded, "Save him! You did it before didn't you! Save him!"
I just shook my head. "I'm sorry Sam but there is a big difference between shooting a ghost that's trying to kill him and healing his injuries and putting his spirit back in his body." Sam glared at me and walked out of the room. Dean's eyes stayed on me even as Sam left the room and then he demanded, "What is happening to me?" I let out a sigh. This was going to be a long chat. Just as I was about to start explaining things I got cut off by my phone ringing.
"I swear one more thing cuts me off today I am going to shoot someone!" Glancing at my caller id. I apologized quickly to Dean, "Sorry, I will be back later to explain." I snapped open my phone as I walked out the door. This call was more important than Dean was at the moment.
Walking into Dean's hospital room once more I spotted Sam and Dean sitting on the floor on either side on a wigi board. It took a lot of self control to stop the laughter that was threatening to burst free, a wigi board.
"Well this is a pretty disturbing sight." Instantly I had gained both their attention. Immediately they were both talking to me. Their voices were mixed so I couldn't understand what either of them where trying to say. "ONE AT A TIME!" I yelled over their talking. Instantly they both stopped talking.
"You can hear Dean?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"Yes and I can see him too."
"How is it you can see him and no one else can?" Sam questioned.
"I asked the same thing." Dean remarked.
"It's a long story lets just accept that I can and move on."
Sam shook his head and walked off, saying, "There has to be some way to kill a reaper."
Dean just looked at me and asked, "Am I really a spirit now."
I nodded. "I'm going to go talk to Sam but I will be back in a bit." I walked into Sam just after leaving the room and he just walked passed me back into the room.
"Dad's gone." he stated standing next to Dean's bed.
"Where is he?" Dean asked and I relayed his words on to Sam.
"I don't know." He muttered, "but I found his journal. Who knows maybe there is something in here." Sam began to flick through the pages. I knew he wouldn't find anything. There was a way to kill a reaper but another one would simply come in it's place and another and another. There is no way to escape a reaper and not become a vengeful spirit and I was not about to let that happen to Dean. It would be better for him to die than become that which he hunts. Even if that would mean failing with my task.
"Thank you for not giving up on me Sammy. You too, Annie." Dean said looking at Sam and then me. I opened my mouth to repeat the words to Sam but Dean shook his head at me. Looking over Sam's shoulder Dean noticed something in the book and exclaimed, "Son of a bitch." He moved to walk out the door then turned to me and said, "Stay here with Sam I will come back and find you two." I nodded and he walked out the door.
A little while later Sam put down the book. He looked up at me. Disheartened he said, "I couldn't find anything in the book." I nodded and he continued, "I'm sorry Dean. I don't know how to help you but I will keep trying alright, as long as you keep fighting. You have to alright. You can't leave me here with dad we will kill each other. You know that. You've got to hold on man. You can't go, not now. We are just starting to be brothers again. Can you hear me?" Sam looked like he was about to cry by the end of it.
"He isn't here anymore. He left a little while ago and asked me to stay with you. He needs to know what you just said. He needs to hear you say it." I told him.
"Who are you really? Why are you helping us?" he asked suddenly.
"Let's call me your guardian angel. Can we just leave it at that?" I asked but I knew he would never let it go.
Just as he was about to say something Dean's body arched up off the bed and his hands began pulling at the oxygen tube in his throat. "Help someone help!" Sam yelled just as I whispered, "Impossible." The doctors quickly rushed in and pulled out the tube before running several tests on him. A few minutes later the doctor came in and talked to us and the last nurse left the room. The doctor began to explain, "I can't explain it the edema has vanished, the internal contusions have healed, your vitals are good. You must have some kind of angel watching over you." Sam's eyes went over Dean's head and met mine.
"Thanks, Doctor." Dean said to him in a rough voice from lack of use. Just after the doctor left the room Dean turned to the two of us and asked, "What happened? Why are you here?" The last bit was directed at me.
"You don't remember?" Sam asked.
Dean shook his head. I tilted my head for a second before pressing my hands against either side of his face. A few seconds later and Dean gasped as his memories returned. He looked at Sam and whispered on word, "Dad!" John was suddenly at the door asking, "How you doing, Dean?" At the arrival of John Winchester I faded into the background. It was better to not have to answer questions now anyways but I wouldn't be able to escape them for long.
"Fine I guess. I'm alive." Dean mumbled.
"That's what matters." John replied.
"Where were you last night?" Sam asked.
"I had some things to take care of."
"Well that's real specific." Sam retorted sarcasticly.
Then it struck him. The yellow eyed demon had no reason to keep him alive, unless someone had made a deal. In an eerily calm voice Dean demanded, "What did you do?"
"Did you go after the demon?" Sam asked. There thoughts were going in the same direction.
"No." He said trying to reassure both of them.
"Well why don't I believe you right now?" Sam asked angrily.
John took a step forward and asked, "Can we not fight? You know half the time we are fighting and I don't even know what we are fighting about. We're just butting heads. Sammy, I've made some mistakes but I've always done the best that I could. I just don't want to fight anymore, okay?" John looked like he was about to cry and both his sons looked shocked. He didn't say things like this to them. He was a good father but he wasn't a sharing kind of man.
"Dad are you okay?" Sam asked uncertainly.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired." he reassured.
"Really?" Dean asked, "Cause that sounded awful lot like a good bye."
"That's ridiculous. Sam would you mind getting me a cup of joe?"
Sam nodded a little taken back at the sudden dismissal but he left anyways after giving Dean a few looks. Just after Sam left Dean said to John, "I know what you did."
John shook his head confused, "What do you mean?"
"I know you sold your soul to bring me back."
"How?"
Dean looked at him with sadness in his eyes, "I remember. A reaper possessed by the yellow eyed demon brought me back. Only you and Sam would do that and I knew it wasn't Sam."
"I had to. You are my son. I couldn't let you die. You know. When you were a kid, I would come home from the hunt and after what I had seen I would be; I would be wrecked. And you. You would come up to me and put your hand on my shoulder and you would look me in the eye and you'd, you would say 'it's okay dad.' Dean I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to say that to me. I should have been saying that to you. I put too much on your shoulders. I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy and you took care of me. You did all that and you didn't complain, not once." A tear ran down John's face, "I just want you to know that I am so proud of you."
"That really you talkin?" Dean asked trying to lighten the situation.
"Yeah it's really me." John said as he sniffed trying to hold back more tears.
"Why are you saying this stuff? Did you really sell your soul?" Dean asked getting teary as well.
John gripped his shoulder and told him, "I want you to look out for Sammy, alright?"
"Yeah, Dad, You know I will." Dean told him. "Your scaring me."
"Don't be scared, Dean." Then John lent over him and whispered something in his ear. Dean turned sharply to look him in the face and John pulled away. Several more tears made there way down his face and he nodded at Dean before turning and leaving the room. Dean's eyes remained on his dad until he left the room. I too was in shock. I knew John Winchester cared about his boys but I never imagined I would witness a scene like that. All three Winchester boys had taken part in an emotional discussion in front of me today. It shook me. I moved out into the hall in time to see Sam drop his coffee as he looked into an empty hostpital room. The coffee spilling all over the floor even though the cup remained standing. Sam whispered, "Dad?" running towards him. We both yelled for help and before long doctors were gathered inside the room. The three of us stood by the door. Sam and I both keeping Dean from falling. We all knew it was too late but we had to hope so we stood there standing and watching as the doctors spoke and attempted to save John Winchester's life. The doctor's words stopped that hope, "Time of death 10:41 am."
