Chapter 7.0
Dreams & Thai Food
Mei could feel herself running, she couldn't remember why or when she had started running but there was a cold sweat running down her back. She was running from something, the dragons again? She was scared. Very, very scared. It was dark and cold, where ever she was. Was she back in the sewers again? No, she didn't think so, it didn't stink. She didn't think she would ever forget that stench. She couldn't see anything, she only knew she had to run. She couldn't shake off a deep sinking feeling in her chest, a hard knot in her gut, an unexplainable fear that turned into an ache that just seemed to spread all over.
She could feel something getting closer behind her. A sharp chill running up her spine and the hairs on the back of her neck seeming to jolt. She was sure she had gotten out, Sam and Dean had saved her, and the other girls. But there was no mistaking the damp cold walls they had been in. In the dragon's den. Right when she thought she was sure to be caught, there was a light. It was too far away. She wanted to speed up and get to the out faster but no matter how quickly she tried to pump her legs, it just seemed to shrink away in the distance. Then something jumped out at her and knocked her down. Something hot and heavy was on top of her. It was the dragon that had kidnapped her. Wasn't he dead?! Sam and Dean had killed it, hadn't they?
Her breathing grew rapid and she watched in horror as his hand began to glow inching closer to her. Her limbs didn't seem to want to work anymore. She wanted so much to fight him off but she found she couldn't as much as move her pinky. She could manage to close her eyes though and grit her teeth as she felt a searing pain in her abdomen. She wanted to yell but found that was one more thing she couldn't manage to do.
This time Mei could feel herself yelling, it was more of a quick shout and it made her jolt up from where she had been apparently laying down. Her eyes darted around, trying to figure out where she was, as a few sweat beads rolled down the side of her face. She was in the back seat of the Impala. She sighed in relief then cringed. She looked down at her stomach, the pain was still there, and the ache throughout her body. She couldn't help but sigh again, frustrated with her cramps but glad that it was just that.
She felt a chill run through her, collected herself, then noticed that her lap was super-hot and heavy. Uncomfortably so. It seemed that while she had been asleep, either Sam or Dean had gotten her a heated blanket. It was now draped over her legs and plugged into the cigarette lighter in the front seat. The men themselves were absent from the front seat. It looked like they were parked in front of what looked like a pharmacy. Mei paused a moment wondering why they were stopped here. Then a sharp pain ran through her head and she groaned as it spread from her forehead to the tips of her limbs. She was sure she was running a fever. The cold achiness of her body and throbbing head told her that much.
She shifted and moved her head to the side so she could see her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her face was flushed and her hair was a mess. A few of the raven strands pasted to the sides of her face and forehead from the sweat. She smacked her lips together, her mouth was dry and cottony. She was thirsty. She crawled out of the back seat and started to make her way towards the pharmacy. She coughed a little as she made her way through the automatic doors. There was a chime at her entrance and she noticed right away when Sam and Dean perked up from where they had apparently been crouched down. Sam more noticeable than Dean, towering over the short island.
Sam hurried to her and protested, "You shouldn't be up, you're running a fever." Mei quirked a brow at his worried tone. She took notice of what he was carrying in his arms. There were about four different kinds of thermometers, and what looked like cough syrup. A generic cough and cold remedy. She could feel another cough coming on and tried to hold her breath to keep it from coming out and ended up whirling around to cough into her sleeve to avoid coughing on Sam.
Sam couldn't help but frown at her coughing. It was a horrible gargled cough and seemed to wrack her body. Sam and Dean hadn't been in the pharmacy for even five minutes when she had walked in. They had been on the road for a while. Mei had fallen asleep in the back seat not long after admitting to them that she had lady cramps. They had noticed that she had been groaning in her sleep, seems to be having a nightmare. It wasn't too surprising after the ordeal she had gone through. It was when they had stopped for gas that they checked her over. It was Sam who noticed that she had gone pale and clammy so he had checked her for a fever.
"My bet is, that her time in the dragon's den probably got her sick. It wasn't exactly the Hamilton." She could hear Dean getting closer as he spoke, another fit of coughs overtaking her. Her head feeling very heavy then light the next second as she sucked in a breath. At this, Sam picked one of the thermometers and reached out for some cough drops. He tore it open and handed her one, a hopeful expression on his face as she took it.
"Let's get what we came for and hit the road. We'll find a place to bunk until she gets better." Sam nodded at Dean. The shorter brother didn't look very happy, Mei wasn't sure if it was because he was upset that she was sick or if he thought this was all an inconvenience. She twirled the strongly flavored tablet in her mouth, her throat seeming to sooth some right away. She remembered why she had come into the building in the first place as they walked towards the checkout. She had forgotten her phone back in the backseat of the Impala so she had to tug lightly at Sam's sleeve. She felt like a child doing so, and more so when she just pointed at the water bottles on display. She knew she looked guilty asking for it but felt reassured as Sam smiled and grabbed not only one but a case of water bottles.
"You need to stay hydrated." He said simply as her eyes widened at the amount he had gotten. Dean sighed at his brother as he struggled with everything he carried. He took some of the load and tried for a reassuring smile, but grimaced sharing his thoughts out loud as another fit of coughs overtook her. "That does not sound good. Let's hope they have ice where ever we go, we're going to need some to beat that fever."
Mei tried nodding but felt a chill, woozy, and then there was another fit of coughing so she gave thumbs up instead. They paid and made their way back to the Impala. She flopped into the back seat and closed her eyes as the movement of the car made her head spin. She groaned and buried her face into her pillow. Apparently, she fell back to sleep there because the next thing she remembered was waking up briefly as they tried to get her to wake up to get into the room. They must have carried her in, she thought now as she reached up to her forehead, there was something obviously cold there. It was a ziplock wrapped in a paper towel with ice that was mostly melted. She vaguely remembered waking up a few times in the motel as well. Coughing and taking some medicine that Sam gave her that made her fall back to sleep almost instantly.
She took off the makeshift cold pack and set it on the bedside table, the lamp there was still turned on. It was dimmed, giving little light to the room. It was when she finally sat up that Mei realized that she was the only one awake. It looked like Sam was asleep on the other bed and she assumed that Dean was asleep on the couch facing the television set. It was also on, like the lamp, but it seemed to be on mute. It was tuned to an old western. Clint's trademark squint was focused somewhere beyond the lens of the camera.
Mei remembered this scene from when she had seen it back home, with her family… Her family. She hadn't, couldn't, stop thinking about them since Dean had told her what he had found at her house, or better yet what he hadn't found. Where were they? What had happened? Why had they made it seem like Mei had left on a trip? It was like they knew that she was going to be spirited away. Had they had something to do with it? Why did it seem like they were trying to cover it up?
Before she knew it, Mei was crawling out of bed and walking to the couch to sit on it. She could see Dean was slouched against the armrest. He must have been watching TV when he had fallen asleep. His head was tilted back, mouth agape. His arms and ankles were crossed, his legs stretched out toward the TV. Mei couldn't help but smile at the scene. She turned to look towards Sam, sleeping like a starfish on the bed. It was no wonder why Dean had taken the couch.
Mei brushed her teeth and freshened up, she was still on her period but her cramps were nearly gone. She decided to sit quietly next to Dean with her blanket wrapped around her until the movie ended. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep for but she felt better, not very much better but better. She felt if she breathed in the chilly air too deeply her cough might return. So, she kept her blanket over her mouth, the humidity keeping her cough at bay. Her throat felt raw and raspy. She wasn't sure where Sam had put the cough drops or where they had put the medicine. She did, however, know that she had been sleeping on her back that her nose had probably drained to the back of her mouth and probably into her lungs.
She grimaced at the thought of coughing all of it up later. She remembered when she had been sick like this before. Her uncles had taken care of her. They had made her soup and tea that warmed her and soothed her from the inside out. She remembered them and how they loved her and she loved them. She felt her heart ache for them. Missing them now more than she had before. She looked around the room. She wasn't sure where she was. Where they had stopped. It didn't really matter, it wasn't home.
Mei found herself sniffing as her nose began to run again and her eyes welled up, brimming with unshed tears. She didn't want to cry anymore, she fought them back. Or fought them back as best as she could. She curled up and leaned her head against the headrest, it wasn't as comfortable but she didn't want to go back to the bed. She wanted to feel close to someone, her rear and feet were a few inches away from Dean, who still slept.
Or so she thought. Dean had woken up when she had first sat on the couch. He was listening to her and watching her when he could, trying to see what she would do. He tried not to physically tense when she looked like she was about to cry. She looked lost. Her expression when she looked around the room said everything. "This wasn't home." He remembered that look. He had had it himself when he was a boy. When his father took them to their first hotel room. The first of many. When exactly had he stopped looking at these kinds of rooms like that?
This kind of thinking was making him uncomfortable. He chanced a peek at Mei from the corner of his eye, he had felt her move next to him on the couch. She was laying on her side with her head on the low armrest, curled into the fetal position. It was hard to see her though, she was wrapped up too tightly into her blanket cocoon. He waited until he was sure she was asleep again before moving. He straightened out and peered over her.
She really was small. Sam had mentioned it while she had been asleep but he had tried to not pay it any attention. She was a girl, girls were small. So what? But now that he had her there curled up next to him, he really got the feeling she was small. The couch they were on was about the size of a love seat and they both fit on it like this. His mind wondered a little, if she were flipped around, her head could have been on his lap. Did he want that? He stood up and kneeled in front of her trying to find her face in the mess. Was she trying to suffocate herself?
He couldn't help but smile at what he found. She was a mess and had to breath from her mouth, from which she was drooling. He nearly jumped when she snorted suddenly, but froze as he realized she was still asleep. Should he try to get her comfortable or just leave her there like that? He wasn't sure he would be able to untangle her from her blanket without waking her up. So, he did what he could which was get her pillow and tuck it under her head after moving her a little on the couch so her neck wasn't kinked.
He watched her for a few minutes before wondering what he should do. He had gotten his few hours of sleep and was up for the day. He checked the time, it was 7 am. He knew Bobby would be up by now so he stepped out of the room and called the elder hunter.
"Yeah?" Bobby answered. "Hey, Bobby, we're going to be kind of late to get back. Mei got sick and we're bunked down till she gets better." Before Dean could continue talking Bobby cut him off. "Why don't you get the Angel to work his mojo oh her?" Dean was quiet for a few minutes. "You didn't think of that did you?" "Yes, yes I did." Dean obviously hadn't thought of it. "It's just a cold or something. I think Angel mojo is kind of overkill for that." He defended. Maybe he would ask Cas to help speed up her recovery. But after he hung up with Bobby.
He could hear her dog, what was it's name again? Sebastian? Whatever it's name was he could hear it scampering around Bobby. "Alright, alright, ya mangey mutt, I'll get yer food." Bobby tried speaking away from the phone but Dean could still hear him. "Any news on what happened at her house yet?" Dean asked after he knew he had Bobby's full attention. "Nothing yet. Not sure how the police are trying to contact her, they know she's mute. You know they are itchin' to ask her questions though." Dean sighed at that.
"Yeah I'm sure they are." Dean rubbed his forehead remembering how Mei had looked earlier. She had probably been thinking about her home and family. "Alright, let me know if you hear anything. Thanks Bobby." He hung up and thought if he should call Cas. Might the angel know how to fix her mutism too. Would that be too far? Did she like being mute? Was it something that could even be fixed? It would make talking to her easier. He liked talking to her. He wondered what it would be like to have her talk back instead of texting or writing. Should he ask Cas if he can fix it. No, it wasn't his place.
"Hey Cas, I don't know if your busy or anything but Mei's with us and she's sick. I was wondering if you could help get her better. We think she got sick in the sewers." Dean wasn't sure what he was asking anymore so he kind of trailed off at the end. "It wasn't the sewers." Cas's gruff voice came to him near the Impala behind him. "It wasn't?" Dean asked automatically. "It seems that however she came to be on your bed, the power that got her there, temporarily weakened her immune system. She could have gotten sick anywhere." Dean grimaced. "I'm sure the sewers didn't help." "Probably not. I will see if I can help." Cas was about to go into the room but the elder Winchester stopped him.
"Have you heard or seen anything else about what might have happened to her family or her home?" Castiel looked questioningly at Dean. "There has been a lot of chatter on Angel radio about what could have happened. But they're all asking the same things. Nobody knows what happened. Everything and everyone involved has been warded from sight. The only one I can see is the girl." Dean waited for Castiel to say more but he didn't.
"And? What do you see about her? Why is she mute?" Castiel looked curious at this. "She's mute? I will have to examine her more closely to see why that is." He narrowed his eyes as if looking at her through the wall. "When you last asked me to see if she was something other than human I did not see anything to cause concern. She is only human."
"I get that she's human Cas. It's not what I'm asking." What was he asking? "I don't understand." The angel announced after a moment. "It's nothing, forget it. So, do you think you can help her out?" Dean wasn't sure what he was trying to get out of his friend. He let the Angel into the room to find that Sam was awake now and was checking on Mei.
"Hey Cas, what's going on?" Sam asked quietly. The two spoke and Dean tried to remember the dream he had been having before Mei had gotten on the couch and woken him up. He knew it had something to do with her but he had forgotten what it had been about now. It felt like it may have been important. He had been lost in thought, trying to remember anything, when Sam brought him back to reality.
"Huh, what?" Dean asked not sure what his younger brother had asked him. "Do you think this is a good idea?" Dean was still a little confused. "To have Cas heal her? Wouldn't it bring up questions? We told her about vampires and werewolves, but angels and what that means. I mean it was kind of hard for us to believe it and we live the life." Sam tried to make sense, and Dean understood. They wanted to keep her out of the loop if they could.
She wouldn't have to know that Cas was even here. "He can just work his mojo while she's sleeping, if she wakes up. Make her forget she saw you." He started, talking to Sam then finished to Cas. Cas nodded and crouched down in front of where she was laying on the couch. A light came from his palm as he passed it over the bundle that was Mei. "How did she end up on the couch?" Sam asked Dean crossing his arms as they both watched Cas do his thing. "She woke up and watched some TV then curled up and passed out."
"And you let her just stay on the couch. You were pretending to sleep, weren't you?" Sam was a little disbelieving, frowning at his brother. "What? She looked like she wanted to cry." Dean admitted frowning back. Sam was better at dealing with emotional women, but they both would rather just not. Sam grimaced slightly in understanding before turning his attention back to Cas and Mei. It was only a few minutes and Cas was done. He straightened up and approached the brothers.
"She is fine now." He stated as fact. His blank expression never faltering, as always. "Did you find out why she's mute?" Dean asked and Sam turned to look at him surprised. "I did not. There's no physical reason why she cannot speak. I would need more time for a thorough inspection. It could be uncomfortable for her." Dean nodded understanding. He didn't think she was making it up. She didn't seem the type to traumatize easily. She didn't seem traumatized now and she had come face to face with dragons. Sad about her family and home, but not traumatized.
"Maybe later Cas, let's just let her sleep for now. We'll hit the road once she's up. We're going to Bobby's, we're leaving her there while we look for answers." Castiel nodded at Dean, then frowned. "She is waking up." Before the brothers had time to respond he was gone. Just as Cas had said, Mei stirred then sat up abruptly. Quickly untangled herself and ran to the bathroom. Sam and Dean merely stood there, waiting for her to come back out, eyebrows raised. When she did come out she looked confused.
"Feeling better?" Dean asked. All Mei could do was nod. She looked for her phone, and texted them when she found it. 'I just hacked up the biggest loogy.' "Gross. Are you hungry?" Sam cut off her texting anything else so she couldn't ask anything. She thought a moment, and moved her mouth as if testing if she would want food, smacking her lips together and nodded. Sam smiled at the now familiar gesture. She would do it every time they asked if she was hungry.
"Let's pack up and hit the road then, we can head to Bobby's after we eat." Dean announced snatching up his duffle. He turned and saw Mei as he left to put his stuff in the car. She was frowning, even more confused at how her pillow had gotten on the couch. Sam was getting his things and helped Mei with hers, Dean hadn't even had to come back in. They were all in the car, Mei had insisted on leaving her blanket and pillow in the trunk, she had coughed on and drooled all over them. She hopped she would be able to wash them soon.
"Where do we feel like eating?" Dean asked as he turned the ignition and Baby came to life with a rumble. Sam shrugged. They hadn't really eaten anything since Mei had gotten sick. "Anything sounds good right now." Mei nodded, agreeing with Sam. Dean seemed a little frustrated but pulled out of the parking spot and grumbled something along the lines of "We'll eat at the first place that comes up then." Which turned out to be a Thai food place much to Sam's excitement and Dean's chagrin.
"So, you like Thai food?" Dean asked Mei after they had ordered their drinks. They had their menus and they couldn't help but notice her expressions as she went over the selection. Her silent oh's and ah's amused them to say the least. She smiled and nodded. Dean decided then that he would order the same thing she did. The amount of gusto that she had just made it seem like the best thing to get. Which amused Sam even more.
Sam wasn't sure what it was about Mei that he liked about her, but he did. She seemed kind and light hearted, even after everything that had happened. The way it usually went, when a victim had to change their way of life this drastically, even if only temporarily, the brothers were to blame. Either by those involved or by themselves. It felt very different with Mei, she didn't act like a victim. Even though she was angry, frustrated, and confused she didn't seem to blame them.
"This is good." Dean announced around a mouthful of pad see ew. Sam looked down at his own plate, a little regretfully. Mei's and Dean's plates smelled so much better. He looked from Dean to Mei, who also had a mouthful of the thick noodles giving Dean a smile. She glanced at Sam and her expression grew curious. He was looking at them both with an odd thoughtful look. 'What's wrong?' She texted him. He almost pouted when he answered.
"Your food smells better than mine." She laughed at this and responded with 'Want to go halfsies? Yours looks good too.' Sam looked reluctant and guilty for a second before nodding. So, they split the beef and broccoli and pad see ew. Dean looked like he wanted to tease them but stopped when Mei exaggerated the amount of yum she was getting from a sliver of beef. He frowned and stole one from his little brother's plate. Sam unintelligibly protested, frowning as he watched his elder brother chew on the flavorful meat.
"That. Is pretty good too." Dean nodded. They ate the remainder of their meals in near silence. After they finished, Mei asked to order a Thai tea for the road. They each got one and Dean was surprised at how sweet it was. "I'll just sip it." He said after putting it between his legs, pulling out of the parking lot and starting the long drive to Bobby's.
On the road, Mei took her time to finally check her messages. There were so many from her friends, worried and wanting to know if she was okay. They let her know that the police were looking for her. They wanted to know if her uncles had contacted her. If she knew anything about what had happened. She couldn't help but sigh, she didn't have any answers and she knew if she responded to any of them they would want to know why she wasn't coming home right away to find out. It would be out of character for her if she didn't know what she did. Which wasn't much, but it wasn't something she could even begin to try to explain to her friends.
Sam had told her it was a bad idea to try to contact anyone she knew from home. It wouldn't be safe for them or her. At first, she was sure he had been exaggerating. But now, after the eye opener of what could be out there, what could be involved, she didn't want to risk it. She loved her friends and would do what she could to keep them safe. As much as she wanted to let them know she was okay, she would let them worry about her just until she knew what was going on. Hopefully they would understand.
"Do you think you could help us learn some more sign language?" Sam asked from the front seat, he still had that Sign Language for Dummies book and was holding it up, an unsure grin on his face. He wasn't sure if she would still want to. She let him know about her friends worrying. "I understand, it was the same for me when I had to leave Stanford. I lived there and had friends. They worried but don't worry, we're gonna try to get you back home." He changed where he was going with that last sentence. He had thought of saying "Don't worry, they'll forget about you eventually," like his friends had. He didn't blame them, they had their lives to move on with.
Mei looked sad a moment. She did notice that Sam didn't say anything about being in contact with his friends. She didn't want to ask if he was or not, it seemed like a tender subject. One she wasn't quite ready to face herself. 'Yeah I'll help you guys learn some ASL.' She texted after a few moments of silent thought. She smiled and took the book.
The remainder of the day was spent like they had the first time they had been in the car together. They tried not to talk about their situation, her situation. The brothers would switch driving when they would get tired of driving. Whoever was not driving would entertain or be entertained by Mei. It was late afternoon when they started napping to prepare for the night drive. Mei insisted she could drive too but Dean didn't seem quite ready to trust her behind the wheel.
'Is it because I'm Asian? Or because I'm a woman?' Mei was acting like she was angry, she obviously wasn't but the questions had startled Dean and he nearly choked. He blabbered for a minute and Sam couldn't help but laugh. They were at a pit stop, getting snacks and refreshments. Dean had just taken a huge gulp of a coke when Mei had sent him the accusations.
"So, I'm either racist or sexist." He mocks glowering, smirking a little when he turned to pay for their things. Mei snorted at this and waved her hands defensively. 'It's because I have no peripheral vision.' She put her hands on either side of her face and made chomping motions with her mouth. Her teeth over her bottom lip and her eyes narrowed, like she was some old Asian lady. Dean tried hard to just stare at her blankly, but she just kept going. Chomp, chomp, chomp. He couldn't hold it, Sam was already snickering. She just wasn't breaking character. He was fighting a losing battle so his laugh came out strained as he tried to stifle it.
