Chapter 14

She knew where she was before her eyes even opened. The rhythmic sound of machines beeping and bad daytime TV were a dead giveaway. It'd been a good two years since she'd found herself in a hospital, a streak she wished could have lasted a bit longer. She could deal with demons, ghosts, corpses, and vampires but hospitals gave her the creeps.

She finally opened her eyes, curious to know what state she would find herself in. The overwhelming light from the fluorescent ceiling fixture burned her eyes for a moment but they soon adjusted to take in her surroundings.

Her body didn't look too banged up from what she could tell. She tried to remember all the hell that Meg had put her through; the broken wrist, the knife, and then crushing her internal organs. A cast was set on her wrist and she could feel her throat was a little rough, maybe from a breathing tube that had thankfully already been removed before she woke.

She couldn't feel any of the pain though. She knew her body should be sore from her injuries but she felt almost numb, and a little dizzy. "Must be the drugs," she thought, grateful for the heavy dosage.

The room was fairly bare expect for the machines, TV, and a sleeping Sam Winchester in the corner. She smiled as she looked over the taller brother. He had somehow managed a very complicated looking sleeping position in the smallest armchair in the world. "So wish I had my camera right now," she said in her scratchy voice. The use of her vocal chords brought about a cough and she reached for her water.

"Jo!" She about choked on the straw at the sound of his excited voice. She watched as Sam moved out of the armchair and dragged it towards her bedside. As he sat, she could tell he was trying his hardest to restrain his relief.

"Hey Sam. You ok?" He gave her his signature little laugh and shook his head.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Question is, how are you?"

"Been better but these drugs sure are helping. How long have I been out?"

"Little over a week." Her eyes shot open in surprise. "Yeah, I know. Doctor said the wrist and the stomach wound weren't all that bad but there was a lot of internal bleeding so they kept you sedated. They were worried that if you were awake, it might overwork your body."

"So is everything ok?"

"Yeah, they said you're healing up nicely. Few more days and you should be good to go."

"Good, I'm not really one for hospitals. The faster we can get on the road the…oh God, where's Dean? Is he ok?"

"He's a little tore up but nothing we couldn't stitch together. He's been in your room 24/7 since we left the shed. It took me a few hours but I finally talked him into a break. If all else, he was in desperate need of a shower." Jo exchanged a smile with him and felt the relief wash over her numb body. She'd been sure this had been a suicide mission but somehow, they'd made it out.

"And we called Ellen. Had a hard time getting hold of her but we finally did yesterday. She's relieved to know you're alright and said she's on her way south to meet you. Said she'd give us a call when she got close."

"Great, more reason to give her worry. I'm sure she's going to give me shit for weeks about this. If it wasn't for the apocalypse, she'd probably drag me away to Nebraska for a month to have some quality mother/daughter time."

"Like maybe some cross stitching or scrap booking?" Sam smiled at the thought of the Harvelle women gluing pictures of demons and vampires on pastel colored pages.

"I'm thinking Kumbya and a campfire." They both broke out in laughter over that mental image. She joked about it but deep down, she couldn't wait to be with her mother again. They fought like cats and dogs but she'd missed her during all this.

"What's so damn funny that I could hear Sam's hyena laugh all the way down the hall?" Dean stood in the doorway holding two coffees and watching the two hunters trying to contain themselves.

"Apparently, Jo and Ellen are having a Kumbya session in Nebraska and we're invited."

"Cold day in hell Sammy. Unless it's classic rock, I don't sing." Dean sat on the other side of the bed and handed Sam his coffee. He looked at Jo as she calmed herself down and met his gaze. His voice softened as he focused on her. "How you holding up?"

"I'm good. The drugs are doing their job. Sam said I might be able to leave in a few days?"

"Yeah, that's what Dr. McSexy said yesterday. Just got to stabilize your vitals and we can head out."

"I'm going to go let the nurses know she's awake. I'm sure they have some questions for you." Sam placed a hand on her shoulder momentarily and gave her a soft smile before heading to the nurses' station.

"You sure you're ok? You took a hell of a beating back there." Jo saw the true concern in his eyes as he looked her over. The dark circles under his eyes made it seem as though he hadn't slept in months. Sam had said he'd been in her room since the mission but she hadn't realized how much of a toll this had taken on him. She wasn't sure if it was the mission or something else that was affecting him.

"I think I'm ok. Nothing hurts and besides a sore throat, I'm breathing ok. Guess the doctors did a hell of a job patching me up. What happened?" Dean leaned forward in his chair and took a sip from his coffee before answering.

"After you passed out, Sam got loose from the chair and went after Meg but she fled the body before he could use the knife on her. Hate to say it but we'll probably see that bitch again. Anyway, you were in pretty bad shape. Sam went to get the car and I kept an eye on you until we could get you off to the hospital. Looked kind of touch and go there for a while, you really had me worried."

"I don't…remember all of it. I got up until she stuck me with the knife but everything after that, it's just gray. I remember looking at you and then waking up a few minutes ago. It's like a whole week my brain seems to have just quickly skipped."

"It was a long week, trust me." Dean suddenly seemed very interested in the top of his coffee cup, unable to look at her.

"I heard you stayed in my room the whole time. Sam, he said he could barely get you to leave." Her heart skipped a beat as she remembered their embrace before she left the motel. How he tightened his arms around her and placed a soft kiss on her head.

A few seconds passed in silence before he answered. "I just couldn't let anything else happen to you." He finally broke away from the staring contest with the coffee and looked at Jo. "After everything that's happened…. I needed for you to be ok."

"Why's that?" She knew it was an unfair question. Dean wasn't big on emotions but she could tell he was hiding something he didn't want to talk about right now. She had just about died saving their asses and damn it if she wasn't going to try to figure him out yet.

More silence as he took in a few deep breaths.

"Joanna Harvelle, how are we doing?" An older man wearing a white lab coat with clipboard in hand breezed through the doorway with Sam behind him.

"You're got to be freaking kidding me!?" Jo screamed in her head as she smiled up at the doctor. Meanwhile, she noticed Dean had gone back to his coffee. "Great Doc, thanks for asking."

Interstate 85 North (somewhere in Georgia)

"Ok Ellen, we'll see you in Chattanooga tomorrow. You too, bye." Sam snapped his cell shut and adjusted himself in the passenger seat. He flipped open the atlas and traced their trip with his finger. "Looks like about another four hours and we'll be there."

"Good, I'm starving." Dean pushed the pedal closer to the floorboards. They'd been speeding since they'd left Alabama that morning with Jo drugged up in the backseat. A few days after she'd woken up, the doctors released her and they didn't waste any time getting out of Dodge. They'd both hated the idea of taking her to a hospital that close to all the demonic activity but they didn't have a choice with her critical state. The second the doctor told them she was discharged, they'd hit the road.

"You just ate two burgers an hour ago. You're not even human. You've got to be some kind of gluttony demon or something."

"I know, I'm amazing."

"Not really where I was going with that."

"I'm thinking, after we stop the apocalypse, I'm going to become a professional eater like those guys on TV. I'll eat like forty-five hot dogs in a minute. It'll be awesome!"

"You realize they'll probably all develop health conditions because of that. It's too much on the body." Dean gave him a sideways glance.

"You just have to suck the fun out of everything don't you?"

"Just for you."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

As they headed through Atlanta, the only sounds within the Impala came from the classic rock station and the slight movements of a sleeping Jo in the backseat.

"How's she doing?" Dean asked as he kept his eyes on the heavy outbound traffic. Sam turned around in his seat and laid a hand on her forehead.

"Temperature's good." He slid two fingers on the side of her neck and held them there for a moment. "Good pulse too. I tell ya Dean, I'm shocked she made it out of this. When I saw her in the shed, it didn't look like there was a whole lotta hope." Sam turned his body back to the road and ran his fingers thru his long hair.

"She's a fighter, that's for sure. You should have seen what she did to the two demons in the house. I almost felt sorry for them." He smiled at the thought of the tough little blonde hunter and how surprised those demons must have been when they got handed that ass kicking.

"You know, I hadn't said anything yet cause it's been kind of tense since we left the shed, but…thanks for coming after me Dean."

"Are you serious? Thanks for coming after you? Like I had the option of just leaving you in Lucifer's hands?"

"I know things haven't gone real well with us lately…" Dean jerked the steering wheel to the right and brought the Impala to a neck breaking halt on the side of the road. He moved the shifter into park and glared at his brother.

"Stop it Sam. Stop all this shit about being so grateful that I saved your ass and that I came after you like I'm doing you some kind of favor." Sam clenched his jaw and let his eyes dart about the dashboard, confused at Dean's tone. Dean softened his voice before continuing. "Of course I came, you're my brother. I don't… I don't give a damn how bad things get, there is nothing, nothing, that will stop me from protecting you. Yeah, we didn't part ways on the best of terms in Colorado and that might have been a really stupid idea, but if it's the last thing I do, I'm not letting them get you."

Sam let a small smile cross his lips as he nodded at his brother and took in a deep breath. "I know…I know you'd do anything for me and that's what helped me. Lucifer, he was trying all these different ways to get me to say yes. Giving me all these reasons and telling me how much better off we'd be if the apocalypse happened. And I'm not going to lie, some of the things he said, they weren't crazy. But no matter how he tried to convince me, I knew that I couldn't because I couldn't do that to you."

It was Dean's turn to look confused at his brother.

"I knew it was wrong and letting him in would go against everything I believed in and all we fought for but that wasn't the biggest reason. I couldn't do it because…because I knew what it would do to you, to see me like that. There's been numerous times I've gone dark side and I saw the look in your eyes and I couldn't do that to you again. No matter how many paradises and peace on earth he promised would occur if I said yes, I could never live with my choice if I knew the pain it would cause you."

They sat there in silence for several minutes as an endless line of traffic passed them on the interstate.

Dean had never really been one for feelings and talking about them and he wasn't about to start now. He would never admit it to his brother but what he'd just said really had an affect on him. He'd struggled with Sam over the years, protecting him and then seeing him use his demonic side. No matter what he'd always have Sam's back, even when he discovered Sam's desire for demon blood. He was terrified by what it would turn his brother into but deep down, he'd never stop protecting him. But hearing Sam say how he thought about him while Lucifer tried his tricks, how Sam said no because of his devotion to his brother, gave Dean hope.

Dean ran his hands around the steering wheel and cleared his throat. "So, you back with me? From here on out we go as a team no matter what?"

"No matter what. We'll take down that evil son of a bitch together or go down trying." The exchanged a look before Dean popped the Impala back into drive.

"Well now that the chick flick moment is over, I need a beer."