I really wanted to finish this chapter before Christmas, because I have a tendency of changing the story as I write it and I just needed to know in what direction I'm taking it. I would have posted this sooner, but I had a little sister emergency. She's fine now, so I'm happy. Oh, there was something else I was supposed to say last chapter. On your doorstep was strictly from Dean's POV, but for the purposes of this one, I sometimes have to change the POVs, as you probably noticed. I think I haven't made it too complicated, but if I have, please let me know.
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'Dean, would you do me a favor?' John spoke up all of a sudden. He was lying on the bed, trying to get some sleep before they would go back to Sam and James, while Dean continued pacing the room. Dean looked up at his father's voice.
'Please call Sam. I know he's going to make fun of you for this, but you're driving me freaking insane with your pacing and worrying' Dean shook his head. He didn't want to make it seem to Sam as though he didn't trust him with James.
'Then sit down on the bed and don't move for the next five minutes' Dean went to follow his father's orders, but he had barely planted his butt on the bed before he shot back up and started pacing the room again. John opened one eye, glancing over at his oldest son.
'You call Sam, now' He growled, and again Dean shook his head. 'I'm not really asking you' John continued, taking the phone from the bedside table and tossing the horn at Dean, who caught it before the phone went down.
'Now I would even dial for you, but I'm sure you know the number by heart'
'But dad, it's like…5.30 or something. I don't want to wake them up' Dean tried, reaching out to put the horn back where it belonged.
'Really Dean, I don't give a shit what time it is, even if it was in the middle of the night, you are calling Sam now. You are not going to get any sleep if you're like this and neither am I. And I'm not driving back before I'm convinced either one of us is rested well enough to ensure our safe arrival' John said, sitting up. Dean nodded, his dad was right. They had had a long night, going up against the Strix, who they needed to lure out into the public to expose her powers, and when that didn't work they opted for the stake through the heart. John originally hadn't thought it would work, but it did the trick and so now they were back in their motel room. Of course Dean had wanted to go right back to Sam and James, but John was making him get some shut-eye first, which he really wasn't getting unless he spoke to Sam and ensured himself everything was fine with both his brother and son.
His fingers were shaking as he dialed the number, something didn't feel right. He held the phone by his ear, waiting patiently for someone to pick up the phone, which didn't happen. There wasn't a voicemail either, so the phone just kept ringing.
'Dad…' Dean spoke with a shaky voice. 'Dad, he's not answering' He was already going through his duffle, looking for something warm to throw on over his shirt.
'Dean, what are you doing?' John questioned in a tired voice, sitting up a little and looking at his eldest.
'I don't care what you say, but I'm going back now' Dean answered, getting up from the bed and looking around the room for his boots that had to have ended up somewhere on the floor after he had kicked them off.
'Dean, calm down, would you? Are you sure you dialed right?' John tried to talk sense into Dean, who raised an eyebrow at the question. Of course he had dialed right, he was indignant that his father would even suggest something like that, and even more that he was considering it himself as well.
'Of course I have'
'Maybe you misdialed, try again' John said, making it sound like there was no use arguing, which Dean didn't. He took a deep breath and dialed again.
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Something was ringing, and it was annoying. It stuck in his ears and it worsened the pounding in his head. Sam lifted a shaky hand and swatted in the general direction of the noise.
'D'n, stop it' He mumbled, sure it was an alarm clock of some kind, his brother would take care of it. Or it was that same brother who was playing a trick on him. But the noise didn't stop, it grew closer, making his head hurt. He squeezed his already closed eyes even tighter and pushed a hand up to his face, trying to protect his ears from the sound. Just when he thought the noise would drive him mad it stopped.
'Thanks Dean' He sighed, letting his hand fall back to his side he relaxed again. The silence lasted only for a few moments, because then the ringing started up again. Sam moaned and turned to his side, away from the noise, only to roll back as fast as he could when a white hot pain coursed through his body. He bit his lip to stop himself from screaming out in absolute agony. Shit, he was not doing that again anytime soon.
He held his hand to his side, which felt warm and sticky. Sam opened his eyes to slits and held his hand to his face, he gasped to find it red with blood, his blood. He knew enough about first aid to understand that a wound, any wound, could potentially be dangerous if not taken care of. With the pain still very much present and his other hand feeling slightly awkward too he couldn't do a thorough inspection of his side, so he had to assume it was bad, like it felt. He had to stop the bleeding at least, until someone could take a look at the wound and treat it properly. Yes, he would try to stop the bleeding, after he had taken a quick nap. He no longer fought the pull of sleep, closed his eyes again and quickly drifted off to an uncomfortable sleep.
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His foot wouldn't stop bouncing, no matter how many pointed looks he, or his father for that matter, gave it. He had tried to forcefully stop it, but the second he released his leg, it would start again.
'Dean, stop it' John growled, he had had it.
'I'm trying dad, honestly I am' Dean responded with a slight pout. He stuck his finger in his mouth and started nibbling on the nail. Every muscle in his body was wound tight from the nerves and he was like a caged animal, stuck in the car until they had reached their destination. He was sure it would have been different if he had driven, but his dad somehow felt he wasn't capable of that with the "state he was in" or something and insisted he'd be the one to drive them back or they weren't leaving at all. Happy to at least be moving in the right direction, even with the wrong person behind the wheel, Dean had shut up about it. He was anxious to get back to the motel room, which was now only about two hours away.
After the second time receiving no answer he had totally lost it. His mind was playing a movie with worst case scenarios. Anything could have happened while they were away. His dad had, again, tried to calm him, telling him that it was still pretty early and there was a good chance that Sam was still asleep. Dean didn't buy that for a second. Sure that could be the reason he didn't pick up the phone the first time, but with the way they were trained always to be alert, especially if there was no one to watch their backs, he should've woken up and answered the bloody phone the second time. And if they arrived and everything turned out to be just fine he was gonna kick his little brother's ass for making him worry.
Beside him, his father let out a loud sigh. Dean could tell that he too was worried, whether he had the same gut instinct Dean had, or his oldest son's worries were beginning to rub off on him, he didn't know. Could be that he was starting to lose his patience with him, and Dean wouldn't even blame him if he did.
'Dean, I'm stopping the next chance we get. You're taking a ten minute breather' John said stern. Dean shook his head.
'Dad no' His father didn't even turn his head to acknowledge him.
'Please' He was certainly not beyond begging, but his father wouldn't budge. Realizing that as long as John had the car keys he wasn't going anywhere his dad didn't want him to, he shut up, crossed his arms and tried a classic Sammy sulky face.
'Not working Dean' His father commented, snorting at his son's scowl.
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True to his words John pulled the car over at the next rest stop, forced Dean out of the car and went to get some caffeine. He definitely needed some more caffeine if he was going to put up with this for the rest of the ride.
Dean hovered near the car, unsure of what to do with himself. He had to admit, he was secretly happy with this forced time out. He got the change to stretch his muscles and his foot had ceased the annoying tapping thing. But his mind was working overtime. He was too worried to even think straight, all he wanted was to get back to the motel as soon as he possibly could.
He jumped slightly when someone touched his shoulder. He snapped his hand back, ready to hit whoever it was in the face.
'Woo, easy tiger' His father said, taking a step back just in case. Dean released the breath he had been holding.
'Don't do that' He said, shrugging his dad's hand of his shoulder.
'I know you're worried Dean, but you've got to pull yourself together man' John tried, Dean turned to look at him, but didn't say anything. He hoped that his old man would understand that he needed to be left alone. He would deal with it in his own time, preferably after he had kicked Sam's ass. The message seemed to come across just fine, because without another word John made his way back around the car and slit into the driver's seat.
'You coming or what?' he joked, Dean couldn't appreciate the effort very much.
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He instantly knew something was very wrong when they pulled the car into the parking area and he spotted the door to their room slightly ajar. He opened his door and before the car had even come to a full stop he was out of it and sprinting towards the room. He could hear his father following behind him not much later.
Before he reached the room he slowed down, got the gun from his waistband and used it to push the door open a little further. The sight that met him made his heart drop. His little brother was lying on the floor, a small puddle of blood surrounding him. He looked young, and fragile, and hurt. Hurt, the word kept repeating itself in his mind. He had known something was wrong. He shouldn't have taken off with his dad, he had failed his little brother. He dropped the hand holding the gun, but remained frozen on his spot in the doorway. A sharp intake of breath coming from behind him, followed by a slight nudge to the side broke his trance. His father passed him and knelt down beside Sam, fingers tracing his neck, searching for a pulse.
'Maybe a little weak, but definitely there' John said, glancing up at Dean, whilst turning Sam's body, looking for the source of the bleeding. A moan coming from the boy had Dean spring into action. Rushing to his injured brother's side he knelt down beside his father and grabbed Sam's hand.
'Sammy?' He questioned, trying to find out if the boy was really awake or was unconsciously responding to the pain his father's hands were causing him.
'D'n' The softly spoken word brought a smile to Dean's face.
'Yeah buddy, it's me. Dad's here too' He whispered
'Knew you'd come' Sam whispered back, making an effort to open his eyes. He didn't get much further than half mast, but Dean would take it.
'What happened?; He asked, he just had to know.
'James…' Sam said, Dean's eyes grew wide and he looked around frantically, looking for the little boy. He was ashamed he didn't miss him until Sam mentioned his name. He was not only a horrible brother, but a lousy father on top of that.
'Where is he Sammy, he okay?' Sam managed something resembling a nod. Dean released a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
'Bathroom' Dean was about to take off towards the bathroom, but was stopped by Sam, who was tugging on his sleeve.
'You have to … knock … he won't open … the door … unless you knock … let him know … it's you' Sam mumbled. Dean nodded to show his brother he had understood, before heading to the bathroom. The door was opened, so he pushed it open slightly further, finding the room empty. His heart rate went up a few notches as he turned to look at Sam with questioning eyes. Sam raised his chin and pointed it in the direction of the door that separated their room from their father's room. Dean lingered in the doorway, not wanting to leave Sammy alone. It didn't take long for John to walk back into the room, carrying the first aid kid with him. He had gone to the car to collect it. Being sure his brother was taken care of, he made his way to his father's room.
'Okay Sammy, you're going to have to tell me where you're hurt' He heard his father say to his little brother, but they sounded far away and he didn't catch the answer as he continued to the bathroom. He put his ear to the closed door, but didn't hear a sound. He could feel his heart beating in this throat and he raised his hand to knock on the door quietly, not wanting to startle James if he was in there.
'Hey buddy, it's daddy. I'm here now, can you open the door for me' Dean spoke softly, head still pressed against the door. He heard the shuffling of feet, followed by the click of the door being unlocked. He took a step back so he wouldn't fall into the room with the door and all. He didn't even have time to react, because within seconds of the door opening a small bundle launched itself on him.
Dean stroked the boy's back while he sobbed, quietly at first, growing louder and louder. Dean really wanted to know what had happened, but he want to ask James in order not to scare him any further. He needn't have worried, because the boy started spilling the story on his own account.
'Unca Sammy said we playing game. He said you come find me, we surprise you. He said I lock the door and you or he come, knock on the door and I open it for you. And I heard scary noises daddy, and unca Sammy didn't come, and you didn't come' The boy sobbed. Dean couldn't imagine how terrified the boy must have been, waiting for his daddy or uncle to come get him, but neither one of them showed up. Obviously something or someone had come into their room, and Sam had wanted to protect his nephew, making him lock himself in the bathroom. He had probably waited outside of the door so he could throw himself in front of whatever was endangering the little boy. Dean cursed him for being so stupid, but at the same time he was so proud of his brother for keeping his son safe.
He wondered how long the boy had been in the bathroom. How long had Sam been out?
'Where unca Sam?' James asked, the sobbing dying down a little.
'He's in the other room. What do you say we go see how he is?' Dean had considered going into the room first, finding out how bad it was before letting James in, but he realized that in the state the toddler was in, he couldn't deny him seeing his uncle. So instead he got back to his feet, lifting James with him and walked back to the other room.
'How is he dad?' He asked as soon as John came in his line of sight. John had Sam sitting up a little, leaning against his father's chest for support, which he obviously needed.
'Not too bad I suppose. He's lost quite some blood from a stab wound in his side, but not enough to be worrying. The wound's not too deep, nothing a few stitches won't fix. I'm assuming he has a concussion though and it surely looks like he broke his wrist' John summed up the injuries Sam had sustained.
'Do we take him to a hospital?' Dean asked, John scrunched up his face. If he could avoid taking either one of his children to a doctor or hospital, he would. They were going to be curious about the wounds and their origin. Sam had mumbled something about being attacked, which would mean the police would be involved and he didn't need them poking around in his life.
'Yeah, we should. I can take care of the stab wound, but with head injuries you can never be too careful. And that wrist needs some proper medical attention, I can't set that' John sighed 'Dean, he's going to be okay, it could have been a lot worse' He added, trying to ease the worries in his eldest like he had been trying to do all day. With a nod Dean walked towards the beds, took the blankets of them and wrapped one around the trembling boy in his arms, who had only lifted his head from where it had been buried in the crook of his father's neck to look at Sam but hadn't given any other sign of alertness. Bringing the other blanket to his father who wrapped it around Sam h whispered in James' ear
'You heard that James, uncle Sam is okay. You know how he's a little clumsy sometimes? Well we're going to take him to a doctor because he was so clumsy he broke his arm' James giggled a little at his father's words and Dean looked at him, that smile right there, he would die for.
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I'm going to wish you all a merry Christmas, I hope you'll all have a great time with family and friends with presents or whatever way you're going to celebrate it. Or just a few good days if you're not celebrating at all. Also I wish you all the best for 2010, may all your dreams come true.
Elaine