Now hundreds of miles later and a couple states away from where they had been, Sam tried to get comfortable. Dean's driving really hadn't been too bad. Although, Sam had noticed that Dean paid a lot more attention to his rear and side mirrors. Presumably, Dean was compensating for his deafness by paying more attention to his mirrors and what went on around him. Sam looked out his side window and wondered what was going through his brother's head. Dean was accustomed to driving with the music on. Now, Dean could have turned the music on; but, his deafness would have kept him from appreciating it. Sam too was accustomed to hearing his brother's music fill the car and actually missed it, although he would never admit that to Dean. Again, Sam shifted in the seat and tried to find some position that gave relief to his sore body. Hunting took a toll on his body; but, these long drives seemed to also have a similar effect.
Dean once again looked at his side mirrors and then the rearview mirror. There were no other vehicles around them. It was going on one in the morning and traffic was none existent. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Sam seemed to be unable to find a comfortable position. He understood why Sam was tiring from the ride. They had been driving all day, with just a few very quick breaks. A knot had formed between Dean's shoulder blades from the drive and the intense concentration, which he was doing in order to compensate for the deafness. He knew that Sam would have been willing to do some of the driving, and appreciated the fact that Sam had let Dean do all the driving. Dean needed to feel that he had some control over something, since his hearing seemed to have decided to fail him. Dean slowly rolled his shoulders and tried to ease the tension.
In the distance, Dean noticed a neon sign that said vacancy. Deciding that they had put enough distance between themselves and their last hunt, Dean pulled the Impala into the empty parking lot of Good Vibrations Inn. It didn't look like much; but at least, it didn't look too run down. Dean brought the car to a stop outside the Inn's office. Sam got out of the Impala and after giving his back a good stretch, he went in and got them a room. Upon exiting the office, Sam held up eight fingers and pointed Dean in the direction of the room. Instead of joining Dean in the car, Sam opted to walk to their room, which wasn't far from the office. Dean parked the Impala, in front of their room, and began to unpack their stuff. Sam opened the door to their room and then grabbed his gear from the car. Laden with their stuff, both brothers entered their room. It wasn't impressive; but, it was clean and didn't have a funky odor to it. As usual, Dean claimed the bed closest to the door. Sam put his own gear next to his bed and flopped down onto the welcoming bed.
"Be right back," Dean said as he headed out the door and back into the night.
Sam closed his eyes. A few minutes later, they shot open. Why had Dean left and where had he gone?! Normally, Sam wouldn't have been worried about Dean stepping out; but due to his deafness, Sam felt compelled to keep an eye on Dean. Sam was getting up from the bed, when the door opened and Dean came back into their room.
Dean entered the room carrying some vending machine snacks. They hadn't eaten much on the road, and he wanted something to eat before going to bed. Dean hadn't seen much of a town, before pulling into the Inn's parking lot and figured that they probably wouldn't find any restaurants open at this time of the morning. So, that only left him with whatever the vending machine happened to have in-stock. Fortunately, the machine was well stocked and Dean had been glad to see a nice variety. In addition to the food, Dean had also grabbed them some sodas. After shutting the door behind him, Dean placed the food on a table. Grabbing a bag of chips and candy bar for himself, Dean went and sat down on his bed. Dean watched as Sam got up and went to inspect what Dean had bought. After grabbing some crackers and a granola bar, Sam returned to his own bed.
The boys silently ate their food. It wasn't companionable silence. Instead, it was forced silence. Dean could have spoken to Sam; but, Sam could only have written down his answers. And since Sam was eating, Dean didn't want Sam to waste time on writing anything down. So, the boys sat there, eating their food and lost in their own thoughts. After they had finished, without a word, they got ready for bed.
As Dean lay in bed, he stared at the ceiling. Normally, he would have said goodnight to Sam; but tonight, that just felt wrong, Sure, Dean could have said it; but, Dean wouldn't have heard Sam's normal reply of "'night". With some regret, Dean finally fell asleep.
Sam lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling. Dean hadn't said goodnight to him. That felt wrong. In the past, Dean hadn't said goodnight, when he was pissed at Sam or when Dean was so exhausted that he passed out before his head even hit the pillow. Tonight however, Sam knew that Dean probably hadn't said it because Dean wouldn't have heard Sam's reply. Sam was an adult and understood why Dean had silently gone to bed; but, that still didn't keep it from hurting Sam a little bit. Sam prayed that Dean's hearing returned soon, because all this silence was becoming unnerving. After a little tossing and turning, Sam was finally able to fall asleep.
A few hours later, Dean awoke with a start. Something had roused him from his sleep and he didn't know what that was. As he lay there and became aware of his surroundings, Dean realized that his bed was vibrating. Not just the mattress; but, the entire bed, including the head board, was vibrating. Grabbing his knife out from under his pillow, Dean quickly got off his bed and turned on a light, which immediately caused Sam to wake up as well.