Caroline didn't wake up as much as she was suddenly awake. Her mouth felt crispy dry, chest aching with every intake of breath. A sharp pain bounced against her temple, irritated further by the brightness of the fluorescent light staring down from overhead. She cringed at the brightness, but as she lifted her arm to block the light, she was pulled to a halt by a tugging from the back of her hand. Tubes strung up from a nearby IV pole were taped to her wrist, dripping in a clear liquid that was doing nothing for the pain she was experiencing.

Caroline took a steadying breath as she leaned back against the bed. She knew she was in a hospital, that was obvious, but she couldn't remember how she had gotten there. And she was hurt, pretty bad, judging by the way every inch of her ached and burned as if she'd just been dragged out of hell. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what had happened, why she was here, why all she felt was agony...

The sudden rush of memories sent Caroline jerking upright in the bed, a rush of adrenaline shoving back the previous pain. The IV yanked out of her arm and set off a squealing alarm as she searched the room around her. A large dozing figure in the corner suddenly sprang to life, and she briefly recognized Sam before continuing her search for Dean.

He was hurt. There had been an accident. She remembered now. The car was coming so fast, so fast, then it was slamming against her, almost inside her. Everything was fuzzy and red with the haziest of memories of Dean's face floating in her mind. "Dean... Dean! Dean!" Caroline called out as she felt her heart catching in her chest. She tried to move, get out of the bed, when multiple hands landed on her body, holding her back. She glanced up hurriedly, seeing Sam and an unfamiliar nurse hovering above with worried expressions.

"Miss, you need to lay back down," the nurse insisted firmly, but Caroline shook her head with a firm determination. It was only when her weight shifted from the bed to her feet, igniting the pain of a broken limb, that Caroline stopped, whining in sudden pain. Sam's hand pressed her gently back against the bed, and she grabbed at his arm desperately as she reluctantly allowed herself to be lead back into a semi-reclining position, still prepared to jump up at a moment's notice. Her eyes darted up to meet his, gaze questioning.

"It's okay, Caroline, you're going to be-"

"Where is he? Where is Dean?" She commanded fiercely, cutting him off. The tight heaviness in her chest hadn't diminished, nor had the pain in her skull. And now she was fairly sure that her left leg was on fire, or the bone had been shattered, something, but it didn't matter because she couldn't find Dean. She had a feeling settling deep in her stomach like a rock that said if he wasn't here, wasn't right beside her, something was horribly wrong.

Sam's worried expression only reinforced her concern. "Where is he?" She demanded again, her voice growing stronger and louder as the tension grew. The nurse beside her pursed her lips in silence as she moved to check Caroline's vitals. She was clearly hovering to stay in tune with the unfolding drama, and Caroline would've snapped at her if she were feeling anything other than terrifying worry.

Sam ran a hand through his thick chocolate hair as he stared at the ground, slowly shaking his head. It took every ounce of Caroline's patience and will power to keep from screaming at him again. "I don't... I'm sure he'll be back soon," Sam finally answered, sounding hesitant. He would barely meet her eyes.

"You mean you don't know where he is?" Caroline was incredulous. Usually the brothers were so inseparable they were practically stapled to each other's sides. Dean would have to have a hell of a good reason to disappear on both of them without some kind of warning or explanation... And that was a terrifying thought. "What... What happened? Is he hurt?" Caroline heard the beeping of a monitor beside her, alerting on her increasing heart rate. She didn't need to be told; she could feel the beat thumping in her chest like a hammer, picking up speed every second.

"Miss, you need to calm down. I'm sure everything's fine..." the nurse spoke in a low comforting tone, but Caroline shrugged off the hand on her shoulder with a harsh jerk. She didn't want to be touched, not by a nurse, not by Sam. Only by Dean. How could everything be okay if she couldn't feel his arms around her?

"He..." Sam glanced wearily at the nurse, clearly weighing his words for her benefit. Just like everything else with the Winchester brothers, there was a wall of secrecy that had to be maintained, and times of crisis didn't change that code. When he finally met Caroline's eyes, she could see that all the muscles in Sam's jaw had gone tight, and his fingers clenched into fists before slowly straightening. "You were in an accident. Dean swerved, but the truck hit you hard, Care. You were unconscious for a few days..."

"I don't care about me!" Caroline cringed at Sam's expression, shocked by her outburst, and she attempted to lower her voice to a calmer state, still shoving off the gentle touches of the nurse. "Would you leave us alone, please?" She finally snapped at her.

The attendant stepped back with a thrown expression, then slowly nodded. "Yes, Miss Forbes. Your doctor will be in to see you soon." With an offended look, the nurse spun around and flew out the door.

Not feeling the slightest bit remorseful, Caroline turned back to her lover's brother. "What the hell is going on, Sam?"

The younger Winchester shook his head and sat down beside the girl on the small hospital bed, hesitantly taking her hand. "He disappeared, Care. Late, the day before yesterday. I don't know where he went."

Shock coursed through her for a moment, and Caroline could do nothing but sit and stare. When she finally managed to speak again, she sounded close to tears. "But he... He's okay, right?"

Sam nodded with some uncertainty. "He had a concussion, got a bit scraped up from the accident. But he was here sitting beside you for a day, wouldn't even move. Then he just..." Sam shrugged, clearly just as lost and confused by his brother's actions as Caroline was.

The blonde dropped her gaze from Sam's, unable to look him in the eye. Her mouth dropped open and a strangled sounding noise eeked out. She couldn't comprehend why Dean wasn't here, where he would have gone without her. The pain that she'd felt earlier was nothing compared to this sudden stab in her chest, the ache of being abandoned. She hated feeling alone, and he knew that! If anything, that should have been a reason for her to have hope of his return, but all she could do was wonder at his vanishing act. Dean's words played in her head like a broken record, over and over again without fading out. "I love you, Caroline Forbes. I'll never leave you." Then why was she here now, alone and afraid?

Suddenly unable to handle her own fear and confusion, Caroline slumped against Sam's shoulder with a heaving broken sob. In only a few moments time, she had slipped back into a less peaceful unconscious, where she dreamed of Dean's vanishing face.


Sorry it took me so long! Reviews make me cry happy tears!

P.S. - Whoops, don't know how it got doubled. That's what I get for not checking over it three thousand times. Thanks for letting me know, and I think I fixed it! 3