Dean stood there in shock at his very ill little brother and tried to pull his thoughts together, but it was hard to wrap his head around what he heard. 'Dean… please don't leave… I'll be better, I promise…please ask Dad to let me stay.' He couldn't get his brother's voice out of his head, and what he asked kept repeating like some sort of demented loop that was determined to drive him insane. Pushing his own feelings of guilt down, he quickly went to his Sammy and ran his hand through his hair.
"No way bro, we're in this together. From now on, where you go, I go. We'll be like Bonnie and Clyde, with me of course being Clyde 'cause you're such a girl anyways." Dean said smiling. When he saw Sammy just stare at him with glassy eyes he grew more serious. "I promise you Sammy, you're never going to be left behind again. Do you understand me Sammy, never!"
Nodding, Sam understood, but wondered if it was a trick his mind was playing on him. He'd never seen Dean act this way before, and he had to wonder if maybe his wishes had actually manifested into this delusion. Closing his eyes, he prayed for sleep, but knew that it wasn't going to come, he was too hot and every muscle ached. Feeling something cool on his forehead, he smiled and leaned into it; whimpering when it was taken away.
"Sorry Sammy, but we need to get your medicine in you before you get any worse. Somehow I don't think that Dad planned for an emergency room visit so soon after breaking you out of the hospital." Helping Sammy with the pills and water, he soon laid his brother back against the pillows and continued wiping the damp washcloth across his face in an effort to help cool him down.
As the fever reducer started to take effect, Sam started to feel himself drift off with the feel of Dean close by.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
John knew that Jim would have been the first one to figure it out, but he still wasn't prepared for the reaction of the others. When his friends started to vocalize their disbelief he easily ignored them knowing that their initial diatribe would take a few minutes and he was going to use that time for something more constructive, like figuring how to keep a psychopathic hunter away from his boys.
"Damn it John, are you even listening?" Bobby yelled, angry that out of all the years they'd known each other, the idgit still felt that he couldn't trust them.
"No." John said simply. He already knew what they were thinking, and could imagine what they were actually saying. It didn't matter though; he knew that he was right in keeping his boys away, even if his friends didn't understand it.
Jim knew that they weren't getting anywhere and decided to take the initiative. "John, how do you know that the boys are alright? What if Sam gets worse?"
Looking at his long time friend, John smiled, "Dean's with Sammy, Jim; there's nothing to worry about. In fact, if I had listened to Dean instead of making excuses, Sammy wouldn't have been in the hospital."
"You don't know that John, no one picked up on it." Joshua said, trying to alleviate some of the tension.
John didn't bother to answer, instead walked over to the phone and called information to get the number of a motel that Cara was rumored to be staying. After hearing the number, he quickly dialed it and waited to be connected. He couldn't believe that she had survived this long with using her real name. When she answered, John wondered if she had a death wish. "I hear you're looking for me." He said quietly, hoping that she wasn't as stupid as she seemed.
"Actually, I've been looking for your sons John, but they seem to have disappeared; that's ok though, I have it on good authority where they're heading. As it is, I'm going to be leaving very soon John, and when I find them, I'm going to make sure that little Sammy suffers for your mistakes." Cara said as she gathered up her things and walked closer to the door. She wasn't an idiot, she knew that he would head here first and she was going to make sure she had a head start before he could even lay rubber to the road. "Good bye John Winchester, I'll be sure to tell Sammy hi for you."
The sound of the dial tone could be heard from the phone that John dropped as he ran towards the door. He wasn't foolish to think that she'd stay at the motel, but he was certain he could catch up with her if he hurried. As he reached the truck though he realized that the area around the truck had been disturbed. Sensing something was wrong, he stepped back just as the truck exploded.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
Dean knew that Sammy needed his rest, but he was also worried about not getting the treatment he needed if he was asleep all the time. Wondering if he was in over his head, he sat on the other bed and watched as his little brother slept fitfully due to his fever. Thankful that the temperature had started to go down, Dean wasn't ready to do back flips just yet, anything could still go wrong, and he didn't have a backup plan.
Looking around the motel room he started to wonder how long they would be there. It wasn't a bad room, at least it was cleaner than a lot that they had stayed in over the years, but it still wasn't someplace that anyone recovering should be. The room was small with only moderate air conditioning and paper thin walls that allowed them to hear the very intimate goings on in the next room. If it wasn't for the fact that their dad would be able to locate them easier if they stayed, he would have already found a better place that would allow his brother to rest easier. Sighing, he went back to his earlier questions of how long they might be there and what supplies they could need.
Making a mental check list of everything they would need, he suddenly thought of another problem; there was no way he could leave Sammy in the room alone, and no way could his little brother stay out while they got what they needed. Feeling as if he was between a rock and a hard place, he wondered if there was a way to get some of the items delivered to the room without raising too much suspicion. With another look at his brother, he picked up the phone and called the front desk immediately being connected with a matronly clerk who remembered checking him in earlier. After filling her in about a road trip gone bad and a sick sibling, she was more than willing to call the neighborhood store that still had a person who made deliveries for a fee. Giving her the list of items then listening to her carry on about poor little lambs, Dean felt better that one worry was taken care of and he allowed the conversation to carry on just so the lady would feel more appreciated.
After the lengthy conversation, Dean checked Sammy's temperature again and felt a small measure of relief that it hadn't increased again. Checking the time, he saw it was time to wake him again and even though he dreaded the confusion he knew was going to affect his brother, he knew it had to be done; he just wished that he knew what the game plan was 'cause this one didn't set too well with him at the moment.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
John lay on the ground with the smell of burning fuel and rubber in his nostrils. He heard his name through the ringing in his ears, but he felt as if his body was being held down by lead weights. Groaning, he took a quick inventory and calculated that the worst injury was the back of his head that decided to get to know the asphalt of Jim's driveway; the rest was minor things that would feel better the quicker he moved around.
"Damn it John, answer me… are you ok?" Caleb yelled. He, like the others, had been at the doorway when the truck blew up, but the all saw John as he was picked up and tossed into the air. It was a good thing that the charge hadn't been larger, and that John hadn't been closer, otherwise none of them would have liked what they would have had to do next.
"Yeah… yeah, I'm ok, just help me up." John grunted already trying to sit up even as the world spun around him. Looking at the mess, then his friends, he said, "I guess I'm not going to be able to catch up to her after all."
Jim shook his head and wondered if the man had lost his mind completely, but decided to keep that question to himself. Finally, after making sure that his friend was alright, he asked, "John, do you really think that she knows were the boys are?"
The others froze at Jim's question. They had been wondering about it themselves, it wasn't as if the conversation had actually been a quiet one, so they had heard everything and none of them liked it.
"I don't know Jim, but I do know that they need to get out of there just in case." John said firmly as he made his way back into the rectory. "Jim, I need to use your phone again."
It took a few minutes to get in touch with the motel his boys were staying in, and another few minutes for another call to get connected that involved a very nosy clerk who sounded as if she was someone's great grandmother. Finally he heard Dean's voice on the other end and he almost fell over in relief.
"Dean, son… are you ok? Is Sammy alright?" he asked, knowing that they were running out of time.
"Dad? What the… what… yeah, I'm ok, Sammy's got a fever and is sleeping a lot though. Dad, what's…"
"Dean, I need you to listen. You need to leave now... pack up your brother and go. Don't stop for anyone, do you understand?"
There was a small pause before Dean answered, "Yeah Dad, I understand, but I don't think you do. Sammy's sick and I don't think that moving him around is going to do him much good."
"I know son, but you need to understand something. That woman, Cara Kline, she's after your brother and she won't care if he's ill, she's going to try to track you down and get to him."
Dean cursed on the phone but John heard the rustling of items being tossed into bags. "Ok Dad, you convinced me, but you better have a plan than doesn't entail us driving around all over the place."
John smirked a moment and knew he was doing the right thing. "Yeah son, I have a plan; one that you might actually like. I want you to take Sammy and head west. Do you know where I'll meet you?" he asked, hoping that his son hadn't forgotten about…
"Yeah Dad, I get it. Look, how long do we give you?"
"A week son, if I'm not there in a week, then I won't be there at all. Tell Sammy I'm sorry, ok?"
"Nope, you get to do that yourself."
John stood there in shock when he suddenly heard the dial tone, but recovered enough to understand that Dean will make sure that Sammy's out of harms way above all else. Turning back to the other hunters he nodded, "They'll be safe now."
Bobby looked around before he asked, "So, now what do we do?"
"Now we do exactly what Cara wants us to; we lead her to them." John said quietly as he poured himself another cup of coffee and sat at the table.