10

To say that their schedule worked out perfectly would be an understatement, but it did improve the fighting. Now when the boys argued Cas would calmly go to the fridge and point to the schedule. He was so very dedicated to the schedule and it made Snow laugh every time he brought it up.

But the first break in the schedule wasn't caused by either of the men, it was caused by Snow's job. As an ER nurse her work shifts changed occasionally and since she didn't have kids she often volunteered to work shifts for the nurses who had important parent things to do. Like school concerts, holidays, PT interviews, dentist appointments etc. Which was how she ended up on the wrong end of a knife with an angry father screaming at her from the other end.

It was a routine day, she had agreed to cover four hours for her friend Beth who wanted to take her daughter to Kansas City shopping for her prom dress. She stitched up some people, she examined bruises and bumps, she conferred with Doctors about MRI's and X-rays, nothing seemed unusual. Until she walked into the last room in the ward to see a kid holding a broken arm and a mother who looked absolutely terrified. She instantly became suspicious as the woman began to make excuses about her clumsy kid before even being asked what had happened. The boy, no more then 7, sat silent and flushing at her excuses.

"And where is the boys father?" Snow asked writing notes on her clipboard for the Doc to scan over.

"My Dad is working." the boy said opening his mouth for the first time. It was too quick, too much and Snow knew exactly how the kid had broken his arm. She went through the rest of her questions and as soon as she was at the nurses station she picked up the phone to call Child Services. Someone would be there in no more then a half hour they promised her so she hung up, informed the other nurses what was happening and went to check on the kid again.

When she walked into the room there was a very angry, very large man, holding the mom by her shirt collar and yelling some very dark threats. As soon as they noticed her there he dropped her and stalked towards Snow.

"You didn't see nothing." he hissed at her and Snow glowered at him.

"You need to leave sir." she informed him pressing the call button on the wall for security.

"No fucking way I'm leaving, not without my kid." he said to her. Two security officers were coming into the room when he noticed them and suddenly Snow was pulled against his chest and there was a knife at her throat.

Things began to phase out for Snow at this point. She heard screaming from the mother, negotiating from the security detail, a code white being called across the coms system but her focus was on the boy. He was still on the gurney, staring with terror at his father. But he wasn't surprised looking, he looked like he had actually been expecting this and was ashamed of the man who had sired him. Snow locked eyes with him and refused to look away. She tried to convey to him how none of this was his fault.

Police showed up and Snow still didn't look away from the kid. The mother had been hauled from the room by officers so now it was just the kid, the man and Snow. Plus about ten people with guns.

"Just let the woman go sir, we can work all this out, there's no need to hurt anyone." one officer was saying while another was covertly get his firearm out. Snow finally took her eyes off the kid and shook her head to the officer. If he took that gun out there would be at least two dead people in here.

Deciding she had left this long enough she finally fell back into some defensive training that the boys had taught her. They had decided that since she had been attacked once she needed to know how to defend herself. So she stomped on the mans foot, slammed her elbow back into his gut, felt the knife scratch her throat before twisting around and punching the bridge of his nose. He howled, blood poured from the broken nose, but the knife clattered to the floor and the cops rushed over. Snow went for the kid but he was pulling back from her in fear and she stopped. How much violence had this kid seen to be scared of someone who was trying to help him? Tears threatened to spill out of her eyes as an officer ushered her out of the room to clean up the blood that was welling on her neck.

Three hours later, many statements to cops, a few to Child Services who indeed get there within half an hour and assured her the boy would be going into protective custody, and Snow was just sitting in a hospital bed waiting to be discharged. Her Doctor thought she might need to talk to a professional but he didn't know that she had three men waiting for her at home who could comfort her ten times as well as any shrink.

"You can go Snow, and take three days off, I'll clear it with the staff." Doctor Graften said smiling at her gently as he patted her shoulder gently. She gave him a weak smile and slipped off the bed onto shaky legs. She was exhausted and just wanted to get home. She groaned at the idea of driving all the way to the bunker but before she could leave the room Dean, Sam and Cas were all there crowding her and asking her a million questions.

"Are you ok Snow? Are you hurt?" Sam asked looking her up and down and even turning her around to inspect her back.

"They called and said there was a man with a knife, what the hell happened?" Dean demanded.

"Why didn't you pray for me Snow, I could have been here instantly." Cas frowned at her. Stepping back from them she started to shake her head.

"Boys please, can we just not…" she said and she wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline finally leaving her system but she broke down. Tears spilled down her face, her voice cracked as she tried to speak and three sets of arms wrapped themselves around her. She sobbed and they held her.

"We got you baby, no one can hurt you now." Dean whispered against her hair.

"Its not me, its the kid." Snow sobbed out.

"What kid?" Sam asked looking at Dean and Cas for some clarification.

"He's been through so much, he just doesn't deserve to see that." she said not able to explain what she was talking about. Dean seemed to suddenly get it and he hugged her even harder. Sam and Cas let him lead her away from them but they stared at them with confusion.

"Its ok Snow, its not your fault. Its not his fault. Its that assholes fault. Some times bad people can just poison everything around them." Dean was saying to her as he rubbed her back and she cried against him.

"How Dean, how can someone do that to a kid? Especially their own? And this wasn't the first time, the kids got medical records from the time he was born." she was ranting now, anger mixing in with the sadness. Dean was looking down at her and she stopped. There was too much understanding in that look.

"Dean?" she asked him quietly.

"Some times parents do things because they think its right, they think its making their kids tougher, braver." he said blinking slowly. Snow's heart broke to hear that from him, that explanation he probably had rehearsed and told others before. Just like the boy in the ER.

"Dean." Snow placed her hand on his cheek and he rested his forehead against hers.

"Lets get you home Snowflake." he sighed and used his pet name for her. She nodded, suddenly feeling overwhelmed with sadness and Dean led her back to the others.