The only reason Sam is still alive is because Dean doesn't have any anger left to expend his way. All he got was a long sorrowful look of disappointment, though not necessarily surprise, before his brother walked out of the room leaving Sam to scramble after him.
It's been 43 hours. Emma's scream still echoing in Sam's head. The image of Brad unconscious face rolling unflinchingly as Dean touched his cheek burned into his mind. Dean hasn't spoken. Just poured over books and drove to the nearest church to yell for Castiel. Judging from the look on Dean's face no screams brought the angel to him.
"Hello Dean." Dean's head jerks up as the angel materializes in front of him. Blood pumps through his veins with maniacal relentlessness as he jumps to his feet.
"Where are they?" There is no time for pleasantries or the usual verbal sparring.
"Dean..." Cas trails off uncertainly.
"Where are my kids?" Dean pushes Castiel roughly up against the wall. He may not know how to torture and angel but if it really came down to that he'd figure out a way.
"You won't be able to protect them." There is an apology in Castiel's voice as well as finality. "Belzebub is more powerful than you can imagine even angels cannot penetrate their location."
"Look there's gotta be a way." Sam sounds like he did before Dean's deal came due. Dean recognizes that desperateness a mile off. Castiel grabs both of them roughly. The next time the blink they are in a rundown apartment block.
"Cas what the hell is this?"Castiel opens the door to reveal Emma and Brad pressed up across the wall, frightened. Brad is still loopy from his concussion and Emma is still bloodied and battered. A lone tear trails down Emma's face breaking any hesitancy Dean has.
"Hey, hey it's ok come on we're gonna get you out of here ok?" Emma doesn't respond and when Dean goes to hug her his hands go straight through. Urgently he looks back to Castiel.
"This is the children's childhood home. Belzebub has cursed it, made it come to life for them. You can watch but you aren't really here." Castiel explains watching as Brad wraps and arm around Emma pulling her towards him. The door creaks open but it's not Belzebub.
"Their bio-father?" Sam asks breathlessly to Castiel picking up on the world Belzebub has created. This is how they intend to break them.
They don't watch. They can here the screams, the begging but mostly they are trying to find a way to break through the curse. Dean is sweating and swearing trying an old chant from the journals Castiel had retrieved for them when the screams stop. Everything is steadier then. As if the world has suddenly come in to full-picture from Technicolor. Sam experimentally pushes at a door and it opens. Realizing that Belzebub's fantasy land has drifted away leaving Sam and Dean solid and real in this world both men rush up the stairs to the apartment where they last saw Emma and Brad. They almost wished they hadn't.
Both kids are unconscious now. Dean immediately kneels down beside Brad who is closer. He can't imagine ever walking by a child that's in pain.
"Brad?" Brad moans, shaking fiercely. His cast is dented and Dean prays to God that doesn't mean another surgery.
"I got you." Dean easily shifts the boy in his arms before looking up for Sam. "Sam?" His brother is kneeling beside Emma looking but not touching, no triage or comforting whispers. It wasn't like Sam to freeze. They've seen each other bruised and bloodied so many times they know how to handle it.
"Sam?" Dean says worriedly picking up Brad and walking over to where Sam and Emma are. Emma is bloody, broken but that's not what scares Dean the most, her chest isn't moving.
"Sam she's not breathing." Dean says urgently as Sam just stares pale and thin-lipped. "Sam move." Dean says roughly pushing his brother out of the way and putting Brad down before running to the little girl.
"CALL 911!" Whatever funk Sam is in the instructions seems to snap him out of it and he stutters to an operator as Dean blows in to Emma's mouth watching the artificial rise of her chest. Quickly he pumps her chest trying to remember how many compressions there are meant to be. He knows it's around 30 and breathes two more false breaths at 26.
"Come on. Come on." Dean begs softly. He knows that CPR rarely restarts the heart. That it's the flow of oxygen that is important but he still naively longs to feel the thump of a heart beat.
"Move over sir." Dean doesn't listen still pumping furtively on Emma's chest. He feels Sam rip him away and reluctantly let's the EMTs take over. They're loading her on to the gurney pumping oxygen and readying the defibrillators. Her skin is barely visible beneath the bruises and the IV's and ice packs. Dean's barely breathing. It's rare he lets Sam keep up any kind of prolonged physical touching but he doesn't shrug off the arm that is clutching his wrist.
"Brad?" He whispers weakly looking back to where a semi-coherent Brad is being loaded on to an ambulance along. "Sam you go. I need to talk with Cas." Sam looks uncomfortably to the angel he forgot was there before bolting off to the ambulance.
Brad is drifting out of consciousness as Sam slips beside him easily encasing the small hand in his.
"What happened? Where's Emma?" Brad whispers hazily. Sam swallows hard resting a hand in the boy's hair, not answering.
"Try to keep him awake sir." Sam nods at the EMT before leaning in close to the bleary-eyed boy.
"Hey sweetheart." Sam whispers his voice low and deep as he settles a hand on Brad's far cheek. The moment is only for the two of them and Sam's willing to bet he won't remember it anyways so he has no qualms about be a bit sappy.
"I've got you. You're safe now." Sam whispers smiling a little as Brad leans in to his hand. Brad isn't exactly a fountain of affection. He rarely comes for cuddles or kisses like most four year olds. He's hesitant and Sam can understand why.
"It hurts." Brad whispers like he's telling a horrible secret. The words makes Sam's heart ache as he itches to pick the boy up and swallow him in a protective embrace.
"I no baby I'm sorry." Sam whispers again. Baby was always the cherished nickname, bestowed by John only in times of extreme, extreme pain or anguish. Sam likes the way it feels coming off his lips almost as much as he likes the way Brad's expression softens slightly. In slight contentment, Brad's eyes begin to drift close causing Sam to spring into action.
"Hey, hey buddy wake up." The urgency in Sam's voice frightens Brad who cringes expecting a slap. "No. No no one's gonna hurt you but you have to stay awake. Do you wanna hear a story?"
"Yea." Brad says softly letting his eyes find Sam. "This one time Dean decided it would be a good idea to put Nair in my shampoo..."
XOXO
Dean never realized how slow three hours could be. The job was always moving, always fast all the time. Three hours on a hunt almost always felt like fifteen minutes. Waiting rooms have a way of stretching time out like fresh taffy and so it's just Dean pacing the waiting room alone and desperate for information.
Brad had been taken in for surgery and Emma had been whisked away no word nothing just a pile of consent papers a rapidly paling Sam had signed as the transfused blood and nutrients began to be infused into the little body. Sam was still talking in hushed urgent tones with a doctor about something to do with Emma and Dean just let him take over. Sam grimly shakes the doctors hand and walks over to Dean after shakily running a hand through his hair. This can't be good.
"Brain surgery." Sam says simply disbelief lacing his voice. "Our two year old daughter needs brain surgery." Dean feels his mouth dry up at that.
"She also has severe internal bleeding and is still not breathing on her own. They lost her twice on the way here." Sam's voice breaks at the end and he looks down running a hand awkwardly on the back of his neck.
"Brad doesn't remember what happened." Sam continues a trembling hand over his mouth. "They had to re-open his arm. He should be fine in a few days but God Dean what are we gonna tell him?"
"He'll remember." Dean says grimly.
"Emma has a 65% chance of survival and even then they don't know if she'll wake up." Sam whispers after a long moment of tense silence. Dean closes eyes willing this all to be some bad dream. Beside him Sam's breath hitches and Dean reaches up solidly squeezing his little brother's shoulder. They never get a fucking break.
A/N So I know that this was a short chapter BUT next one will be long and I'm super excited about it and you will have your little individual thank you notes next week but Monday is running out of daylight and I wanted to post this for you guys!
PLEASE REVIEW..I'm unashamedly begging it means so much seriously.
Thanks XOXO
Next chapter will be MONDAY June 8th