Alex felt Bobby shaking her awake. Blinking owlishly, she saw that the blurred red numbers of the clock beside her bed said 4:15. Alex yawned.
"What's going on? Are they back?"
"Get dressed." Bobby urged. "We gotta go to the hospital."
Alex was out of bed in a flash, racing for her backpack, and Bobby left out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
When they got to the hospital, Bobby rushed towards the nurses station, wanting to ask where John and the boys might be. But, there was no point, because he could hear John's loud mouth from where he was, and they just followed the sound.
"... and if you can't get me a fucking wheelchair, I'll walk out of here!" he barked.
"Sir, it's hospital policy..." the nurse tried.
"You can shove your hospital policy up your---"
"Daddy!" Alex said, sticking her head in the door.
"Oh, good! There's my girl..." he said, motioning for her to come over with his good arm, his other being in a sling.
"What happened?" Alex demanded. "Where are Sam and Dean?"
"There was a car accident, Button." John sighed. "Now, I need you to go and check on your brothers, because Nurse Rachett over there won't let me."
Alex nodded. "Okay, where are they?" she asked the nurse politely, even though she was a little panicked. She figured Dad had scared the poor woman enough, as John Winchester was used to doing--- and getting--- what he wanted when he demanded.
"I'll take you myself." she said, holding out her hand to Alex, grateful for an excuse to leave the room.
Alex followed, more than a little relieved to see Sam, standing on his own, no visible bandages, against a doorframe.
"Sam!" she said, tackling him around his waist.
"Ooof! Careful, bruised ribs..." he groaned.
At her horrifed expression, though, he felt bad. "It's okay. I'm fine."
Alex bit her lip.
"Where's Dean?"
Sam gestured blandly to the double-doors where surgery was taking place.
"They won't let anyone back there with him right now... he won't wake up yet."
Alex swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, blinking back furious tears.
"Hey, hey, it's... it's okay. Don't you be giving up on him that easy..." Sam said gently, kneeling down in front of her. "Promise me you won't, because he needs us not to."
Alex nodded, her eyes starting to feel like boiled onions, but refusing to let the tears trickle down. She was a big girl now--- more than that, she was a Winchester, and Winchesters did not just cry over nothing...
"He is going to be okay. I promise you, no matter what I have to do... he's going to be fine." Sam said, kissing the top of her head. "But, you don't really need to be here; it's not... the best place for you."
"I want to be here." she said weakly.
"It's late. I'm gonna tell Bobby to take you home--- where is he?"
"Trying to keep Dad from killing the nurses?"
A smirk tugged at one corner of Sam's mouth. "Right... Well, I need to talk to Bobby about a couple of things anyway, so, we're gonna let you sit with Dad a little bit, and then Bobby's taking you back to his place. Okay?"
Alex nodded slowly. It was anything but "okay", but, whining about it wouldn't help matters at all. Besides, she could tell Sam was stretched beyond the limit at the moment, and she didn't want to add to his stress. Besides, if Sam said Dean was going to be okay, going to wake up, he would... He was Dean, he just had to...
