Great Reviews!
Dean hadn't slept in two nights. He took out every book about child custody and spent the days studying. Sam on the other hand, made phone calls to Bobby about what was going on and continued with his own search. He wanted to get back to normal which was Dean's goal until two days ago; when he decided to be a father.
"Bobby I don't know how to help him. You remember what he was like back then? Well, now it's worse. He wants to stay and fight." Sam said quietly standing outside their motel room.
"Sam, that's not a bad thing. Dean needs to do this. It's been fifteen years and he hardly knows her. From what you've told, what's worse is that the girl's mother is dead. Dean wasn't contacted, he feels bad. Let him play it out and call me in a few days. I may just have to come to you guys with what I've found."
"What you've fo-" But Bobby had hung up. He wasn't going to tell Sam anything that didn't revolved around Dean and his most recent battle. Sam went back in the room to find Dean where he had left him…for two days. Sam sat across from his brother watching him. Dean took notes and furiously flipped through book after book.
"How's it going?" Sam asked. Dean didn't look up, "Still going. There's just so much that I need to do if I want my daughter back."
"Are you sure it's worth it? You haven't been here for fifteen years; the court won't be so kind." Dean finally looked up. The look he gave Sam made him lean his chair back some.
"I am positive this is worth it. It's my daughter Sam and your niece! Why don't you try acting like you care."
"You chose not to be a part of her life. You chose to continue on with your own hunter life and leave her the hell alone figuring she was better off. Is this better for her? To know the man who abandoned her and didn't even show up when her mother died?"
"For a brief moment I thought I loved Mandy, you know. When that little girl first appeared I looked at Mandy and thought, 'This is my life for the next eighteen years'. I thought we would be this perfect little family and nothing bad would happen. Then demons started appearing around town and I had to leave. I wouldn't put that precious little girl in harms way, she deserved better. I never loved Mandy; I loved that little girl more than anything. She was so innocent so full of life; she had her whole life ahead of her. I was only sixteen Sam; I would've screwed it up."
"It kind of seems like her life is already screwed up, doesn't it?" Sam said. Dean nodded and grabbed a beer from the mini fridge.
"Just give me a week. I need to see if it's even a possibility that I can stay and watch her grow up. I want my daughter to know that I do love her despite everything I've done." Dean gave Sam his famous sad eyes. And with that, Sam threw in the towel.
"Shylan." Sam said. Dean looked at him, "What?"
"Her name is Shylan. I've heard it helps if you know your own daughter's name." Dean nodded at Sam's logic.
Once Kyle had gotten Shy up to her room he gave her two sleeping pills and left her alone. He didn't want her to dwell on the events of the evening. Once her breathing was steady, he went downstairs with Sherri.
"Any explanation?" Kyle asked over a cup of coffee. Sherri sighed, "None. I haven't seen him since he was sixteen but he hasn't changed. I can see why Mandy fell for him but I have no idea why he is here. Unless it's for her birthday. Some surprise."
"You don't think he's going to take her do you?" Kyle asked uneasy.
"Does it matter? That case won't even get to court, I'll make sure of that. Shylan needs something stable right now, Dean Winchester isn't it." Kyle took a mental note of the guys name.
"Does he know about her?" Kyle asked Sherri. She looked up at Kyle.
"No, he doesn't. The last time he saw her she was six years old. Mandy was on track with her life and Shy was healthy. She didn't even get sick until she was ten and Mandy never bothered to ask anyone for help. She helped herself to the bottles under the sink." Sherri pointed. She looked Kyle directly in his eyes, "Listen, Shylan made it clear when I moved in that she doesn't tell people about her disease. She said that besides her doctors and therapist, you and her mom were the only ones who knew. I guess school was easy for her when she took her pills and she can usually keep a low profile during the day. Her father isn't going to know about this."
"What if telling him might scare him off? That's good right." Kyle said.
"We'll see. I want to know his end game first. I have been nine when Mandy but I listened to everything. Mandy told me everything about her situation. She is the reason I focused on school, graduated, and went on to college."
"Where did you go to college Sherri?" Kyle asked her.
"I went to the University of Florida. The farthest school from here. But when I graduated, Mandy called me and said she needed help. I moved back and never looked back on my decision. Turns out, Mandy really did need me. She was battling her addiction and a sick little girl."
"That means Shy would've been ten but then why didn't she get help for three more years?"
"She never let me come over is it was a bad day. I didn't figure it out for a few years; I hardly came over as it was." Sherri shrugged. Kyle nodded. Secrets had both been kept from them. Of course he knew something was wrong with his best friend because of all of the hospital trips but he was never allowed to undermine Mandy's authority. But no normal eleven year old tried to kill themselves. Later, it just became about the drugs.
"Why don't you go on home? I've got this tonight. She'll sleep until early tomorrow morning and I think we need to talk when she gets up." Kyle hesitated. Sherri took his shoulder, "Give me your number, I'll call if anything goes wrong but I'm sure it won't. Give me a little more credit. She is my niece." Kyle nodded writing down his number before walking home.