Parting Gift
Disclaimer: Winchesters are Kirpke's, Brotherhood characters are Ridley's.
Chapter 9
The meal had been quiet, both men physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. When Mac had finally headed upstairs after calling the hospital again, Sam was in his and Dean's room sitting in the small window seat that over looked the farm. "Sam?" Mac asked quietly as he entered the room.
"I'm scared Mac." As the older man crossed the room, the sound of Sam voice reminded Mac of when Sam was a child, he sounded so lost and vulnerable. "What if there is something else inside me just waiting for the right moment? What if this is just the start?"
Mac pulled the chair from the desk in the room, sitting it across from Sam as the younger man turned to face him. "Only you can tell if something else is going on. Sam you have been withdrawing yourself from us for weeks now. I believe you felt this building and you were trying to protect us, even as you were slowly losing yourself."
Sam looked down at his hands, at the ring Dean had insisted he wear. "I could hear his voice in my head."
"Lucifer?" Mac asked, remembering what Caleb had mentioned in the hospital.
The younger man nodded, his shaggy-brown hair covering his stubble-covered face as he looked up, meeting the steel-gray eye's of the former Scholar. "It's been there since Caleb called me back. I didn't feel him in here with me, but his voice was still whispering in my head."
"Do you still hear him?" Mac watched a silent tear slip from the dark eye's of his protégé, looking so much like John's pained expressions that the Doctor remembered from times years ago when one of the boys would be hurt and his friend would be battling with the choices he had made and the danger it had put his boys in.
"No, not since it happened." Sam's gaze returned to his clinched hands.
"Caleb told me he didn't feel Lucifer's presence in you, just an echo of him. Maybe once this happened it ended his hold." Mac reached out and took a hold of Sam's arm, the young man's eyes meeting his again. "Maybe Lucifer was hoping that by triggering this power he could destroy what he knew was important to you, thus destroying you. Then feeling he had accomplished his mission the echo would disappear."
"How can we be sure?" Sam whispered.
"We can't." Mac tried to reassure, even as he shared Sam's fear. "But you will know if it happens again and instead of retreating from us, thinking you have to fight it on your own, you need to let us know, let me know, so I can help you."
"Will I be able to control this?" Sam voice broke. Fear and worry that he was somehow still putting his family in danger was tearing at his very soul.
Mac sat up straighter, his gaze never leaving the broken young man before him. "You need to understand that this power is your power. Lucifer just figured out a way to dramatically increase it. But I believe with some time and patience you will be able to handle it. However…" Mac stood, looking at the younger man, "What you need to start that process is rest. To strengthen your mind you need to repair and strengthen your body. You've barely eaten in weeks, you haven't been sleeping, that contributed to the weakening of your defenses. You just need to remember this was not your fault. Lucifer knew exactly what to do to weaken you without you realizing what was happening."
Sam slowly stood, Mac laying a gentle hand on the young psychic's shoulder. "Just remember you don't have to do this alone. Now I believe we should turn in for the night. We can start on rebuilding your blocks tomorrow."
Mac started toward the door, Sam's quiet voice stopping him at the threshold. "Why are you helping me?" Over the last few years Sam had not exactly been the person they had all believed him to be. First the demon blood, then the lies about Ruby, him setting Lucifer free starting the hellish year that had just come to pass. Sam would have completely understood if his family turned their back's on him, he felt, he knew he deserved as much.
"What?" Mac turned, not sure if had heard the younger man right.
"I nearly killed Dean. I almost killed Caleb and Joshua. I didn't even know Eli and Ethan were here until I saw them laying there. I nearly killed my whole family; I nearly killed your son." Sam crossed the room, stopping at the foot of the bed. "I became the very thing Dad warned Dean about. Why are you taking the risk of letting me stay around?"
Mac couldn't believe Sam had asked that question. After all these years did he not realize that Mac viewed him as a son as well? Walking up to the slightly taller man, Mac reached up and took the boy's face between his hands. "You are as much my son as Caleb. Since John's death I have tried to be there for you boys, even before your father died I tried to be there. I tried so hard to make up for the areas in your life that John lacked. I would hope you know me better, the last thing in this world I would do is turn my back on you. You are my family and I love you."
Mac noticed more tears fill Sam's eyes as the former Scholar continued. "We will get through this and with time everyone will get past this and you, your brother and Caleb will become the greatest Triad the Brotherhood has ever seen. Jim saw that when this was set in motion all those years ago. As for what your father warned Dean about, I believe John was afraid. He knew he didn't have much time left after making that deal, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to protect you boys and as much as I hate him for it, he used Dean's love for you, his need to protect you at all cost, to keep his own fear of your developing abilities under wraps. Your father, despite how he felt about you, Caleb or myself, was always to some degree scared of our abilities because he had a hard time separating what we were capable of from what he fought everyday. But never doubt that your father loved you. He spent every minute of his life, from the moment of your mother's death to the moment of his, protecting you boys. And don't you dare think for a minute I would turn my back on you, that will never happen."
Dropping his hand's to his side, Mac watched as his words seemed to finally register in the young man before him, "Thanks Mac." Sam whispered, his body and mind suddenly feeling extremely exhausted.
"No need to thank me, it's what families do, we take care of our own. Now I believe you need to rest. We will talk more in the morning." Mac watched as Sam finally crawled into bed, seemingly asleep before his head hit the pillow. Pulling the door closed as he exited Mac slowly made his way down the hall to his own room.
When Mac awoke the next morning the house was silent, an unusual occurrence when the boys were around. However the memories of the last several days reminded the older man why the house was quiet. Once getting up Mac made his way toward Sam and Dean's room, concern spiked as he found it empty, Sam's bed neatly made as usual. Trying to calm the hint of panic that wanted to settle in his stomach the Psychic made his way downstairs. The living room and kitchen empty except for a pot of coffee that had recently been made.
Making his way to the only other place in the house Mac believed Sam could be, he saw the glow of a light coming through the particularly opened door of the Tomb as he stepped into the library. Silently entering the room Mac saw Sam knelling on the floor across the room, next to the very spot that the older man had found his son desperately trying to control the flow of blood that had been spilling from his best friend. As the former Scholar stepped closer he noticed Sam's shoulders shaking, a scrub brush and bucket of water next to him as the younger man was attempting to clean up his brother's spilt blood.
Even though every instinct in Mac's body was telling him he needed to remove Sam from the gore he was cleaning, a part of him could understand the younger man's need to be the one to clean it up. So, without saying a word, Mac moved toward the desk and started picking up the scattered books and papers that were near it. If cleaning up the destruction of the room helped Sam begin to heal, then Mac would make sure he was there to help in both matters.
Some time later Mac noticed the time, it was 10:00 a.m.. They had been working in the Tomb for the last four hours. The blood that had stained the floor and wall was now gone as Sam had begun re-shelving some of the books that littered the floor. "Sam, I believe we should stop for a while and get something to eat. I want to call the hospital and check on Dean and Caleb." Red-rimmed eyes met Mac's before Sam quietly left the room, the former Scholar close behind.
"That's great news…We're doing as well as can be expected." Mac was answering his son's question about how Sam was doing. The younger Winchester a few feet away at the kitchen table, picking at the scrambled eggs Mac had fixed. "Probably some time tomorrow…okay, just don't over do it Son, I know, but you're still recovering also. I'll see you tomorrow." Mac hung up the phone once Caleb disconnected the line. The older man making his way to the table.
"How's Dean?" Sam asked as he took a bite.
"Well…" Mac started as he picked up his fork to start on his breakfast, "The doctor's are saying everything is healing as it should, there haven't been any signs of complication. Caleb said they've cut back on the sedation since his blood pressure has started to stabilize and they hope he will start waking up sometime today or this evening."
"How's Caleb?" The younger man asked, knowing the Knight would never leave the Guardian's side.
Taking another bite of his eggs, the former Scholar answered. "He's camped out in your brother's room."
"Sounds about right." Mac actually saw a hint of a smile from the young man across from him.
"Bobby's on his way back, he's going pick up some stuff for Caleb and Dean, but he also wanted to see with his own eye's that you were okay." Mac finished his meal, taking his plate to the sink. Pointing toward Sam Mac spoke as he moved toward the doorway to the living room. "I really want you to finish those; everything is going to be fine. I'm going to take a shower, then we can finish in the Tomb if you'd like. However we do need to work on your blocks. I believe it would be best if we go up to the hospital in the morning. You know as well as I do if your brother wakes up and you are not there, he could start refusing treatment and try to sign himself out to look for you."
"Are you sure I'll be ready by tomorrow?" Sam really wanted to see his brother, but was scared to be near him at the moment.
"Have you had any instances since yesterday?" Mac paused in the doorway.
"No." Sam almost seemed surprised, that he hadn't realized he had not felt a build up since they had returned to the house.
"You mentioned early on, when your telekinesis first came on line that it seemed to happen when you were under great distress. I believe now that you know everyone will recover that you've already been able to control it to some degree. You will just have to remember that if you feel the power build, that you will have to purposely ground yourself until we can get your blocks fully in place. Don't worry Sam, we will get through this." With that Mac left the room. Sam finished off the rest of his eggs as he heard a vehicle pull up outside.
A/N: Thanks again for all of you guys staying so interested in my story. I'm just letting you guys know, I have finally finished this story. I'll be working on edits of the remaining chapters, but I will probably post a little more frequently, hince this chapter a little sooner that expected. Again Thank you all for sticking it out and that's so much to L. Burke for the wonderful story that inspired me.
