Author's Note: I would like to say thanks again to those who are reading and reviewing Too Young Too Be Too Old. I'd also like to prepare my readers for this chapter and the next couple which are coming up ahead. Ruby will be making an appearance, but I am in no way intentionally trying to come across as a Ruby fanatic. However, there will be mention of her and Sam's ridiculous relationship (if that's what people are calling it these days) and even some of her inner thoughts. Scary, yes. I agree, but I did attempt to pull some humor out of it. I do promise her appearance will not last forever. I have other appearances of other characters next in line so have no fear. Furthermore, if you have yet to run away from this warning and have faith that I am not leading you down a disturbing path, enjoy this chapter and the ones that follow.

Dean Winchester was feeling pretty good at the moment. His veins pulsated rhythmically while his heart lightly thumped in his chest. Like his body was humming with 'chill-axing' delight. It was all quite…nice. Sigh! Even the horrendous florescent lighting didn't bother him. All he had to do was close his eyes and…Oh yes!

"Mr. Perry?"

"Mr. Perry? Will you please wake up?"

"Mr. Perry?"

Dean unwillingly fluttered one eye open. His other for some reason wasn't opening. The working orb landed on a blurry figure with a yellow head and a green body. Bird? Hmm.

"Mr. Perry, can you hear me?"

Perry? Hmm. Nod.

"Good. Can you speak?"

Speak? Of course he could. He wasn't freakin' two.

He parted his lips and…that's it. He poked his tongue out to wet his lips and to create some lubrication. Once more, he tried to speak and failed. The green bird with the yellow head stepped closer with an outstretched arm. Dean carefully gazed down to his chest. The thing's hand was centimeters away from his chest with a plastic cup in offering.

Gulp, gulp, gulp! Sigh! What a nice bird. The water was glorious. Cold but not too cold. Cough! Ahem.

"Can you speak?" The bird questioned and Dean blinked a few times. With each blink, the bird morphed into something more human. Smirk! Quite a hot one, too. Dean's one working eye lazily traveled the womanly form of the nurse.

"You betcha I can, sweetheart." Dean graveled out.

"Wonderful." She laughed and rolled her eyes. "Are you feeling any discomfort?"

"Not a thing!" He drawled, still trying to work his charm, unaware of his 'run through the ringer literally' appearance.

"Okay." She laughed once more and eyed the patient's monitor. "I will let your doctor know, so he can tell your brother and sister. They are sitting in the waiting room."

Dean's brow furrowed. Sister?

The hospital waiting room smelled of bleach and death. The Winchesters hated them. It was one of the few things they all agreed on. Hospitals were a terrible place based off of good intentions which made things worse. Growing up Winchester meant black and white. Evil is evil and good is good. Sam understood that good came out of hospitals, but he had been in so many for the past thirteen years for bad reasons, it was hard to see the those good things.

When Sam Winchester grew up, he did not want to be in the medical field. He almost smiled at that. He was grown up. And he was hunting with his brother. Sam couldn't imagine a different way of living. Well, that was a lie. He often wondered what normalcy felt like. It probably didn't feel like a dull pain forming at the bottom of his spine because hospital chairs were uncomfortable.

Sam leaned back into said uncomfortable chair to ease the tension that was forming. The doctor said he'd be out soon to tell him about his brother. When was soon? It had been at least two hours since that liar had said 'soon'.

Dean better be okay, Sam thought and bounced his knee impatiently and wrung his hands. He turned his head to the person next to him. They hadn't spoken since they gently hauled Dean into the back seat of the Impala. Okay, more like argued. So what if he didn't know how to drive? He was only thirteen for crying out loud. He said this and she gave him a look of horror. She actually looked like she wanted to run away. Her gaze had shifted past him and way behind him. She then turned her head towards the direction she had magically appeared from. And it was quite magical. One moment, the biker man's beefy hand was descending, threatening to make contact with his face and the next, she flew out from someplace and attacked like a ravenous tigress on a baby gazelle.

Sam had been grateful that she hadn't run away when he mistakenly told her that he was thirteen. She did, however, gulp, fish for the keys on his brother's person, and climb into the driver's seat. She had stared at the steering wheel for a brief second with her hands carefully hovering over it like she was afraid to touch it before plunging the key into the ignition and driving to the hospital.

"I never asked for your name. I'm sorry." Sam said to girl next to him who sat rigidly straight in her seat boring holes into the wall across the room with her eyes. "I'm Sam and thank you for saving me and my brother. I don't know how I will ever repay you."

His words jolted her like an electric shock, for she jumped an inch or two out of her chair. He saw her brows furrow and lips part like she was about to say something but was too baffled to speak. Honestly, she looked horrified, upset, and like she was struggling with her conscious.

"I'm sorry." Sam said softly to the girl who still hadn't turned to face him. "I didn't mean to frighten you." His gaze fell down to her hand which was white-knuckling the armrest of her chair. Gently and cautiously he placed his gigantic one over it. The girl's eyebrows shot up and her head whipped down to speculate what was going on down there in alarm like she couldn't believe he just touched her. The abrupt motion caused pieces of her hair to fall over her face, shielding him from a clear shot of the heroin. Sam jerked his hand back and was about to apologize when the girl spoke.

"You didn't." She whispered with her eyes still down. She swallowed and let out a breath that made Sam wonder if she'd been holding it since the parking lot. "I'm Ruby."

"That's a pretty name." Sam smiled, glad that she had spoken and some of the awkwardness had been lifted. "Oh and did you know it's a Latin based name. It perfectly translates into red. It's also a gem or jewel or whatever, but you probably already knew that."

Though her hair still obstructed his gaze, he could see a small smile form on her lips. She brought her hand up and tucked a lock of hair behind her hair and straightening her neck, so she was eye level with Sam. She was pretty, he guessed in that grown up kind of way.

Sam had yet to see the significance in the opposite sex. Sure, he could recognize a pretty girl, but it didn't turn him into a mumbling idiot like he saw happen to a lot of boys his age. Too be honest, he actually hadn't even had his first crush yet. Hmmm. Sam eyed the girl next to him speculatively. He wondered if she could be his first crush.

Sam thought about it longer.

And grimaced.

She was old. Pretty but old.

Ruby had long brown hair and full lips and had widely almond shaped brown eyes with animated eyebrows hovering over them. 'Dean would like her,' Sam mused, 'even though she is kinda old. He's kinda old, too.'

By living with his brother all his life, Sam noticed many things concerning Dean's interest in girls. To put it plainly, 'girl' was his brother's type regardless of eye color, hair color, physique, height, and personal interest. However, Dean did have preferences. There was only one type of girl that made Dean go bonkers. Long brown hair, dark eyes, gorgeous face, with a side of kick-ass!

"And your name." She began steadily as if in a trance, "It's Hebrew. Samuel means 'His name is God'." She paused to close her eyes and take another breath and smiled once more. Sam found her mannerisms to be completely fascinating.

"Ruby Perry!" A nurse with two clipboards called out into the waiting room. Sam watched her walk across the room and retrieve the clipboard. She nodded at the nurse's word. Sam tried to lip-read everything the two were saying but could only make out 'Dean' and 'stable'.

When the two finished conversing, Ruby retreated and shoved one of the clipboards into Sam's middle.

"Hey!" Sam exclaimed in surprise and attempted to shove the thing away. Ruby ignored him and snaked her hand into Sam's coat pocket and pulled out a wallet.

"Hey! That's Dean's!" Sam hissed and reached to get it back. "What are you doing?"

"Hush!" She elbowed him lightly with arm to bat his offending limb from coming in contact with what she was doing. She dug through the cards, completely ignoring the cash and spoke, "Fill out your clipboard. I don't know anything about your brother's medical history."

Sam eyed the papers on the clipboard. He sighed, "I don't really either."

Ruby paused mid-fiddle and narrowed her eyes at the boy next to her. She sucked a breath through her teeth.

"Well, guess!"

Sam jumped at her screech, confused how quickly her demeanor changed from quietly timid to point blank PMS.

He watched her whip out one of the cards and jot down some information on her clipboard. He craned his head to get a better view.

Oooooh.