When Death Calls Ch. 10
Disclaimer: Kripke and the CW own the Winchesters. I am just playing with them and will return them later. I also have no claim on the famed Winchester House located in San Jose, California.
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Previously: "Hey tiger, you feeling alright" he asked reaching out to pat Sam on the hand and realizing he had something grasped within his fist. "Whatcha got there kiddo?" he asked as nodded towards Sam's hand.
Sam opened his hand and glanced down to see the mini Impala resting in his hand. "Dean" he whispered as his eyes glistened with tears.
"Sammy?" Joshua questioned as he felt a lump forming in his throat at seeing the tears glisten in Sam's hazel eyes. He couldn't stand the thought of the kid being upset, especially now that he was in the hospital.
As Sam stared at the small black car in his hand, a flood of memories rushed through his mind about how much the car meant to him and Dean, how it had gotten them through some rough times in their lives. To him, it symbolized just how close their brotherly bond was, a bond that only strengthened over time. Looking up at Joshua with a smile on his tear streaked face, Sam said "Dean was here"
"What…I mean how do you know?" Joshua stammered out as he realized that Dean must have came and went while he was down in the cafeteria. He was grateful that Dean had came, yet wanted to smack him up alongside his head for not staying until Sammy could see him face to face.
"He left something behind to let me know he's thinking of me and that he loves me" Sam replied as he held the mini replica of the car close to his chest taking comfort from the talisman. He wished he would have been awake to see his brother, but he also knew Dean must have had a good reason for leaving. It was enough for now though to know that his brother was worried about him and had come to the hospital.
"I ought to kick his ass for not sticking around" Joshua stated seeing the wistful look on Sammy's face.
"No Josh, don't say that. I know my brother well enough to know that Dean would have stayed if he could have. He had his reasons for leaving."
"I'm sorry Sam. I'm just worried about you. I don't want you to be upset that your family isn't here" Joshua stated in apology.
"Thanks for that, but you don't have to worry about me Josh, I'm fine" Sam said with a sincere look on his face.
Joshua relaxed a little after hearing Sam's words. He could tell by the look on the kid's face that he meant what he said. ""Yeah, I know you are tiger" he said as he reached out to muss Sam's hair when he suddenly realized he hadn't told Sam about Jessica. "Damn, I almost forgot to tell you but your girlfriend Jessica called and she is on the way to the hospital now."
A look of panic crossed Sam's face as he asked "You didn't tell her what we were doing did you Josh? I mean…Jessica doesn't know about my past or my life as a hunter.
"Relax kid, I just told her that you accidentally fell down the stairs. Your secret is safe"
Sam blew out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Thanks Josh, I don't know what I would do without Jess. She's the only thing that has kept me going since I came to Stanford." Sam knew without a doubt that he would have ran back home with his tail between his legs, begging forgiveness from his dad if Jess hadn't kept him occupied and his mind off of how much he missed his big brother.
"You're welcome kiddo. Now get some rest before your girl gets here" Joshua prompted seeing the way that Sam was struggling to keep his eyes open and focused.
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As Jess drove to the hospital, a sudden chill overtook her as she remembered her conversation with Sam just before he had left for the weekend. He had told her that he was going camping with a friend, but yet this same friend had just told her that Sam had gotten hurt falling down the stairs. She wondered if Sam had unconsciously misled her or if their plans had changed unexpectedly. She knew Sam wouldn't outright lie to her since he knew how much she valued honesty in their relationship especially after a previous one ended badly for her. Pulling into the parking lot of San Jose Memorial, Jess was determined to find out exactly what happened and her and Sam would deal with it together.
Entering the hospital, Jess didn't bother stopping by the nurse's desk since she knew exactly where Sam was from her phone conversation. She jogged over to the open elevator and quickly pushed the button that would take her up to the second floor. As soon as the elevator stopped, Jessica quickly exited and searched the room numbers until she came upon room 226. She quietly pushed the door opened to find the lights dimmed and a man slumped over in a chair beside Sam's bed. She also heard the soft sound of snoring coming from the bed and knew that Sam was asleep also.
She stealthily walked over to the bed trying not to awaken either one and gently clasped Sam's right hand. She hated seeing the lines of pain that crossed his face even in sleep. She reached out to brush a stray hair from his forehead before leaning down to plant a soft kiss upon his lips. "I love you Sam, I'll be here waiting for you when you wake up" she whispered just before hearing the sound of a man clearing his throat. She looked up to see the man she assumed to be Joshua smiling at her.
Joshua had been awakened by the sound of the door squeaking when it was slowly pushed open. He figured it was a nurse coming in to check Sam's vitals when he opened his eyes slightly to see a young blonde woman bending over Sam's bed and kissing him on the forehead instead. Trying not to intrude on such a private moment, he closed his eyes once again giving the girl a few precious moments alone with Sam. Joshua then cleared his throat to let the young lady know that he was awake.
"Hi, I'm Joshua" Josh said as he held out his hand in greeting. "You must be Jessica."
"Yes, I am. It's nice to finally meet one of Sam's friends" Jessica said with a dazzling smile as she visually assessed the man in front of her. She noticed he was a tall man, probably even taller than Sam and that even though he seemed to be an imposing figure, Jessica sensed that there was a gentleness about him.
Feeling a deep need to know just what happened to Sam, Jessica asked "Joshua, I know you told me that Sam fell down the stairs, but I thought the two of you were going camping. Just what did happen to cause Sam to get hurt?"
Knowing that he needed to support Sam's cover story, Joshua told her "Yeah, we were planning on camping down near Colwell Beach, but we didn't want to use the campsite there because it was too over crowded so we drove to a more remote location. We found what we thought was the perfect area, it had a great place to park the cars and some stone steps leading down to the beach. We gathered out gear and started on down with tiger here leading the way. We didn't know the steps weren't secure and Sammy stepped on one that gave way causing him to tumble the rest of the way down. As soon as I got to him, I could tell that he was unconscious. I called for help right away and well, here we are."
"Thank God you were there to help him" gasped Jessica as she covered her mouth in shock. Just the thought of losing Sam made her heart ache in a way she never thought it could. "I don't know how to thank you for helping him. I love him with all my heart and don't know what I would have done if I had lost him."
"You don't have to thank me, Sam means a lot to me too. He wrapped my heart around his little finger when he was just a toddler and that hasn't changed. Just knowing he has somebody who truly loves him is all the thanks I need" Joshua stated before saying "I'll leave the two of you alone together for a little while." He watched as Jessica pulled up a chair nd sat down beside Sammy before walking out the door.
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Joshua had no sooner walked out the room when he heard the sound of his phone ringing. After checking the caller ID he flipped open the phone and said "What the hell do you want Winchester?"
"Is that the way you greet everybody over the phone?" John asked sarcastically annoyed by the tone of Joshua's voice. "I was calling to check up on Sammy and to let you know that I took care of your little problem back at the Winchester Mansion."
"Well if you would have bothered bringing your sorry ass down to the hospital, you would have known that Sam had a bad concussion and that the doctors are keeping him for observation." Joshua spat out angrily at the man who couldn't take the time to let his son know he cared.
"Damn it Josh, don't get started with me. You know I have my reasons for not seeing Sammy, Just keep your nose out of places it doesn't belong" John retorted.
"Go to hell Winchester. At least the kid knows that I care about him which is more than I can say for you."
"Even though we fight a lot, Sammy knows that I love him so you can quit acting all high and mighty with me. He's my kid Joshua, not yours. The sooner you understand that. the better off you'll be" John gritted out through clenched teeth seething in anger at the other hunter who was trying to take his place in hi youngest son's life.
"Yeah, well he would have been better off if he had been mine" Joshua spat out before cutting the call. If he had to listen to John ranting for one more minute, he was going to lose his freaking mind.
TBC The next chapter will most likely be a short epilogue to the story!