Dean had been in surgery for nearly 8 hours when the doctor emerged from the operating room, the translator at his side. "Mr. Winchester." The translator said, as the doctor spoke in Chinese "Your son has survived surgery. It was touch and go for a while, and he is weak, but we believe that he will pull through just fine. He is ultimately in good physical condition and strong will." The translator paled and turned to look at the doctor for a moment before continuing. "It seems that your son woke up during the operation as well..."
"He what?!" John roared. "Take me to my son. Now!" He ordered. Waking up during surgery? Now that was unacceptable. What had been going through Dean's mind? John couldn't even imagine, and he needed to see his son right then. Right now.
"He is in ICU and still unconscious." The translator explained. "But they will take you to his room. Only one visitor at a time and he must be allowed to rest."
"Oh, so now he sleeps. Now you have him asleep when you should have had him asleep when you were rearranging his internal organs." John shot back. "Well, better late than never. Yeah, we should definitely have a universal health care." He muttered as he followed them to the ICU. He spent a few moments staring at his son. Blood running in one arm. Fluids and medicine in another. The tube still down his throat. Bruised all to hell. And that's only what he could see. But he pulled up a chair and called Harry. "Put Sam on the phone." He said quietly.
Harry didn't ask. It was only right that Sam be the first to hear. The lack of anguish in John's voice gave him hope however. "Sam... it's your Dad." He said.
Sam took the phone. "Dad? How is he? What's going on?"
"He's out of surgery, Sammy." John said, and damnit if he wasn't blinking back tears of relief. "He's in the ICU, once they get the tube out of his throat, we'll get you in to see him. He's going to be fine, Sam."
Sam nearly slumped over when the tension left his body. "Thank God." He breathed. "Stay with him Dad... I don't know how far this thing has spread... don't trust anyone... They would come after him to get to me."
"I know. I'll lay down what I can here." John assured him. "You go to the jet. Get the dogs, rent out a whole damn hotel if you have to and fortify it."
"Right... okay... you are going to let the doctor take care of you now, right Dad?" He asked. "If Dean was that badly hurt, I know you aren't fine, no matter how much you say you are."
"Well, Dean had to get that nasty little habit from someone, right?" John said. "I will. I'll get checked out." After the tube was out, Dean woke up or his doctor arrived. Whichever came first.
"Okay... call me when you find out anything. You ... him... anything, okay?" Sam said as he got up and ran a hand through his dark hair.
"Absolutely." John said as he took up a vigil at his oldest son's bedside.
"Well?" Justin asked. It was obviously good news. The only question was, how good?
Sam said his good byes to his father and looked to Harry and Justin. "Dean pulled through. They say he will be alright. Right now he is in ICU on machines. When they take him off of them we can go and see him. Until then Dad suggested we rent out a hotel, get the dogs off the plane and set about fortifications."
Justin and Harry both breathed a sigh of relief at the news. "All right, we'll do that then." Harry said. "There's nothing we can do here, and Dean is stable." He pointed out.
Sam nodded. "Dad promised to be looked at but he won't until Dean is awake. I know him." He sighed. "But come on; let's start with getting the dogs. They are probably going insane by now."
"Justin, go find a hotel." Harry said. "We'll deal with the dogs." He said as he led Sam away and out of the hospital. Once outside, Harry leaned against the wall and exhaled sharply. "It was close this time." He said. They both knew it.
"I know. I thought I was being careful. I really did. I never meant to put any of you into danger that way. I certainly never mean for Dean to nearly get himself killed."
"It's not your fault, Sam. It's Justin's. He started this. He wanted a war on the council no matter what the cost." Harry said. "We're out. We have to be out. I'm not losing either one of you for Justin's ambitions."
"We may not have a choice." Sam said. "Things have a way of finding us even when we are avoiding them." He pointed out. "But I don't trust him, Harry. Not after all of this. We've been played all along."
"While I believe he didn't mean for this to happen, it's just another example of Justin doing what Justin wants without thinking of the consequences." Harry agreed. "What are the chances we can get Dean to move out of the mansion when he gets out?"
"Thin and none." Sam said. "Its his now, and he won't give it up to Justin just because he came back from the dead." Sam shook his head. Although he understood that one, why should Dean give up anything? Unfortunately there was no way to gracefully (which was to say without making an enemy of him) get Justin to move out either.
"We'll figure out something. We've got time." Harry said. "Let's go check on the dogs."
Sam nodded. "Okay." He said. "The car is over here - Easier to get to the airport that way." Carrying a dog on a bicycle, especially as sore as he was, just wasn't happening. Especially from all the way out at the airport.
Harry drove. On the way, he decided if it came down to it, he'd kill Justin. Again. Before it was anger, lashing out without really thinking. This time, it would be completely premeditated. He'd even try to leave magic out of it. But it was only a matter of time before one of them didn't come back from an excursion like this because of Justin. And it had to stop. "Dean's gonna have to totally give the pilot a good bonus this year. He's been stuck dog sitting all day."
Sam laughed. "And there are 4 of them." He said. "Two of them puppies." He said. "Yeah he deserves a good bonus... not to mention a night on the town."
"I say we give it to him." Harry said. "I also say we stay on the jet. It's easy to protect. And we can block Justin if we want. It's well appointed, you know your brother. Any other flight, he's drugged to the gills and all, so it's got beds and everything."
"Leave Justin to sleep in the hotel, and just put him off as long as possible." Sam said. "I like that plan. Right now I just want to sleep for a while, not deal with Justin's machinations."
"I second that." Harry said. "Well, the last part. I'll stay up with the dogs." Mouse was left at home. Roommates didn't travel well, pets did. Mouse was not a pet.
"Thanks." Sam said, and not because the dogs would need sitting. His would be curled up with him in the bed, he was sure. But because he liked the idea of someone awake and on guard at this point. For him it still wasn't entirely over. Some part of his mind was still trapped and afraid.
"It's going to take me all night to convince Max that Dean is fine." Harry said with a chuckle. Sam was right; he was using the dogs as an excuse. He was really staying up on watch and guard. He pulled up to the airport and around to the private hangar. "Come on, let's get you tucked in."
"Please tell me someone packed a change of clothes for me. I have been in these for... well ... since the last time I was working in your lab."
"Dean packed a bag for you." Harry said. "And even put it on one of the beds." Dean would always be the one to think of things like that.
"Good. I need to clean up before going to sleep." It wouldn't be much more than a sponge bath and a change of clothes but that was going to be more than enough. By the time he was done it would be hard to keep his eyes open long enough to crawl between the sheets.
Harry led the way to the jet, nodding to the pilot. He tossed the pilot the keys to the car. "Go ahead and take the night off, we'll hold down the fort." He said as he got Sam inside. "Okay, there's your cubicle, with your bag. Bathroom off it."
"Thanks." Sam said over the din of three excited pugs, pausing to pay attention to each, and then scratching Mutt behind the ears before getting into the shower. His long form was a mass of bruises and lacerations in various stages of healing hidden beneath his clothes, and if felt good to use the entirety of hot water, soothing what he could of them. Before long he was in bed, wearing nothing but boxers, and cuddling his own puppy close as his eyes drifted closed.
Dean's private doctor arrived a few hours later and consulted with the surgical and medical team at the hospital. The first thing he did was run a series of tests to evaluate Dean's ability to breathe on his own. He was well acquainted with Dean extubating himself, so he took the tube out as soon as he could. Which also allowed him the leverage to bully John into an examination. By the time the sun was rising and shining into Dean's hospital room, he was extubated and blinking at the sun.
"Well, I see I did that just in time." The doctor said, stripping off his gloves. He'd just finished extubating Dean not a half hour before, and just finished patching John up.
Dean nodded and winced. Wow everything still hurt. "Water." He said hoarsely. Seemed even when professionally done, extubation still hurt like a mother.
John held a water glass with a straw over to Dean so he could sip at it. "Before you ask, Sam is fine, at least physically. He's understandably still on edge, but he is going to be fine. You just need to worry about getting well."
Dean nodded as he sipped at the water. "I want to see him. No machines on. I want to see him." Dean said. "And I want newspapers for the last week, local."
"Harry called a while ago and said he was sleeping finally. He'll come in when he is awake. I'll send out for the papers. Not that you could read them. What are you looking for?"
"I can read them." Dean said. "An obituary. I have someone I have to thank. Somehow. Funeral seems a good way."
John frowned. "Alright." He said. "I'll see about getting them brought in. For now you need to rest." He told his son. If he could keep the two of them from getting themselves killed it would be a miracle.
"I know." Dean said with a nod as he picked up the phone. Dad had talked to Harry, which meant Harry was still up. So he called Harry's cell phone.
Harry answered the phone surprised to find Dean on the other end. "Sam's fine." He said instantly with a faint laugh. Dean might be in pain or still mildly sedated but he was fine if he was calling to check up on family already.
"And how are you?" Dean asked. "Where's Justin?" Justin unattended and not under surveillance was too risky. "And my dogs? And are you sure Sam's fine? What kind of fine are we talking about here?"
"Justin is securing a hotel, we are on the plane with the dogs, who are all fine, although Max seems convinced we have done you in and hidden the body. I'm fine. Not a scratch on me. Sam is.... under the circumstances he's okay. There will be some trauma to deal with. But physically everything is superficial."
"That's Maxie." Dean said. "Okay, so when Sam gets up, bring him here. I swear I'll stay put until he gets here. Besides, this place is full of Chinese nurses. I'm exotic. I'll have them eating out of my hand within the hour."
"You need to rest so we can get you back home where you belong. But yeah, I'll bring him in. I'm on watch until then so don't worry."
"Will do." Dean said as he hung up. He lifted up his gown and saw the mess of gauze and tape, with drains sticking out. "Oh that's not going to be pretty."
"Scars fade, and the ones that don't will give you something to impress the girls." John said rolling his eyes. "Not going to be pretty." He shook his head. "You damn near died boy."
"Yeah, not pretty." Dean said as he pulled the gauze off to take a look, and saw all the staples and stitches. "Lots of scars." He said. "Dad, I'm fine. Really."
"No you're not." He said sharply. "Leave that alone, you're gonna get it infected and wind up in a world of hurt." Dean had scared him this time. He was sure he had lost his son. He didn't want to go through that again if he could avoid it.
"I'm in pain." Dean said honestly. "You don't see me trying to get out of bed, do you? I hurt. I'm hungry. I'm feeling really tired, but can't sleep. I woke up during surgery. More than that, I saw you all when I was down. I'm here now, and for all of that, I'm fine. Take a breath, Dad." He said as he replaced the gauze.
John found himself doing just that, in preparation to yell at his son, but then he realized that the kid wasn't getting up, he actually was staying put this time, and thought better of it. "Alright." He looked to the doctor. "What can we do about the pain and the rest of it?"
"Dad." Dean said. "It's not unbearable. I'm still a little doped from surgery. Really, I'm good. I won't say fine, but I will say good. Sam's all right. You and Harry are fine. Maxie is ruling the roost. I'm good. So breathe. Come on, we can practice. In....out...."
John chuckled. "I remember how to breathe. But trust me... you don't want to wait for it to be unbearable before they do something about it. "
"I know, Dad. I know. Now when can I get out of bed? Don't give me that look, I was thinking about the bathroom issue." Dean said, looking at the doctor. "Could probably use an answer within the next ten minutes come to think of it."
"I think we'll be getting you a urinal for just now." The doctor said. "Your blood pressure was a little low and I don't want you passing out in there and busting something open again."
"That would not be good." Dean said with a nod. "So I'll lay back. Flirt. Watch some TV. Talk to the office. Read the newspapers people are going to bring in. I'll be good. Promise."
"I'll send someone in with something for you, and something for the pain. I'll tell them not to give you anything too strong." He knew Dean's preferences.
"Thanks, Doc." Dean said. "Hey, take in Beijing while you're here, charge it to the expense account, whatever you want."
"I just might take you up on that, since I am in the dog house with the wife for taking off with no notice." He said with a grin.
"Buy her something pretty, shiny and expensive from the both of us." Dean said with a laugh. "Girls like that. I'll be here in the morning, unless I'm able to transfer back to the States. Promise." He hated hospitals. But he wasn't going to fight about it. He needed to be here, he always knew when he needed to be in a hospital, he just always fought against it.
John looked at his son worriedly as the doctor left the room. Dean was being too compliant. He was really bad off if he was willing to stay put. "We need to make sure things like this don't happen again." He said hoping to distract himself from those thoughts.
"It won't." Dean said. "We took out half or more of the council." He pointed out. "We've got the remaining sepulchers. This battle is over. It might be the start of a war, but the battle at least is over and we won. That's a good thing, Dad."
"We almost won the battle and lost the war, son. I can't help feeling manipulated to this point. Justin is dangerous, Dean. I don't think it's just personal history talking here."
"He is. He's also far too single-minded." Dean said. "But only Sam knows where the last sepulcher is, and he'll never tell Justin. I don't want him to tell anyone, actually. He got what he wanted, a dismantling of the council. There's nothing else he needs to be involved in. Sam and Harry should set up a meeting with Merlin, see if they can block Justin's further rise."
"Can we be sure this Merlin character can be trusted? It wouldn't exactly be the first time someone has claimed to not know what people were doing under his orders."
"It's like the presidency, Dad. The president doesn't know what his undersecretaries are doing every minute of the day. He wasn't there, if he were involved, he would have been there. Therefore, it was an attempted coup on him as well. He's better as an ally than an adversary." Dean said as a nurse came in to take down his blood bag. He smiled and chatted with her a bit in Mandarin, making her blush as she left the room.
"When did you learn Chinese?" He asked, letting his opinions about the rest of it drop. There was still the matter of who was behind this whole engagement fiasco that happened before and the child that may or may not still be alive.
"While I was half dead." Dean said with a shrug. "I translocated. Met Yoda, and learned."
"Yoda... okay..." John said, wondering if he should tell the nurse not to give him more pain medication after all, it sounded like his son had enough drugs in him already.
"Yeah. Yoda. I don't know his name, hence the obituaries. He was outside the ICU in this hospital when I was trying to figure out how to get back into my body." Dean said. "Near death experience, Dad. Without the bright white light or the tunnel, thank God. I need to thank him, so I'm going to his funeral to pay respect. I'm not crazy, I'm not overly drugged. It happened. Case in point, now I speak Chinese."
"I don't think you're crazy." John said. "Okay, so if you don't know his name, how will you know what funeral to go to?" He asked.
"That's why I need the newspapers." Dean said. "Hopefully I'll luck out and there will be a picture. If not, I know he's a male between 60 and 80 years old and I'll pay off the hospital to tell me."
"Well the papers will be here soon." John said and looked up as the nurse came in with his pain medication and prophylactic dose of antibiotics.
Dean thanked the nurse. "Dad, you know what one big problem with the Winchester family is? We don't say what needs to be said. Or anything at all. Leads to a bad qi actually." Dean said. "I've spent years mired in guilt and self doubt, turning that inner rage outward and making some stupid decisions along the way. We can't live like this and survive."
"So talking is going to change that?" John asked, wondering if this near death experience had changed more than his son's language database. "Starting to wonder if I need to exorcise you." He teased. "You're staying put and talking about... feelings."
"I'm staying put because I'm well aware if I stand up, I'm going to pass out, and you'll just put me back in this bed again." Dean pointed out. "So I'm saving us a step. And I'm not talking about feelings, I'm talking about words. I was so angry at you for leaving us with those people. I was angry with Mom for dying. At the demon for killing her. At every adult who ever tried to tell me what to do and how to do it. I'm angry at Justin for his lies. I'm admitting I'm angry, and you know what? That makes me feel better. I can even feel my blood pressure unclenching. How much of my life would have been different if I hadn't been so damn angry all the time?"
"Most of it." John said with a sigh. "And that is on me, not you. I asked you to be a man when you were still a boy. A young boy. But I didn't see any other way... I came back for you... I'm sorry it was too late. I was too wrapped up in my own anger to teach you how to deal with your own."
"Dad, it's okay. I forgive you. You did your best with what you had. There's no manual for raising two boys after your wife is killed by a demon. I understand that now." Dean said. "And I do forgive you. Because it's the only way. I can't control you; I couldn't control you when I was ten. So that leaves us right here, right now. Where I'm fine and you've got issues, but I have to face it that they're your responsibility, not mine. I can't fix you, only you can do that. And I hope you figure out how to."
"Which is how it should be. You aren't responsible for the world. Question is can you embrace that view where your brother is concerned."
"One thing at a time." Dean said with a chuckle. "I'm working toward it. Right now I'm not there yet. But I'm working on it."
"Good, that means I don't have to break out the holy water and roman ritual." He said running a hand through his hair.
"Hey, give me credit. I'm trying. Did you know under the Chinese zodiac I'm a horse? It explains things so obscenely well. Just a tidbit there." Dean said. "Dad, I'm fine. I'm in good hands. Leave me a gun, some holy water and go make sure Harry and Sam are all right."
"Harry is fine and he is keeping an eye on Sam." John said settling into his chair. "I'm gonna stay right where I am."
"You sure? I mean, I'm well aware that I'm freaking you out." Dean said with a chuckle. "And it's going to be boring here. Just a lot of....waiting."
"I'm sure. And all it's going to be anywhere is a lot of waiting." John said. "Waiting while Sam sleeps, waiting while Harry paces... waiting while your dog tells me repeatedly to get off my ass and take her to you."
"Then why don't you go get my dog?" Dean suggested. "Poor old girl, she's probably frantic. I told her I'd be back in two hours. It's been way beyond that. And yes, she can tell time."
"Because most hospitals don't like animals running around. Especially in intensive care." John pointed out. "You and Max are just going to have to be patient a while longer."
"Dad, I have so much money, God asks me for a line of credit. Go get Maxie, I'll throw some cash around. Exchange rate is awesome." Dean said.
"Sometimes rules really are there for a reason." John said with a small laugh. "You will see her soon enough. Let's at least wait until you are out of intensive care before bribing the staff to let you have a dog in here."
"Fine, but you're dealing with her then." Dean said. "Believe me, you've never gone through anything like that before. She'll have you begging for mercy in fifteen minutes."
"We'll see. But you keep behaving, and you'll be in one of your high priced hospital rooms and all the pug you can handle."
"I'll get that whether I behave or not." Dean said with a laugh. "Really, I'm good though. You don't have to stay here and stare at me. I'm sure there are more important places to be."
"Other than sitting there watching Sam sleep, where would you suggest I be?" John asked, with one eye brow lifted.
"Well, sitting there watching Sam sleep." Dean said. "I'm on an invincibility trip right now. Come on, they knew we were coming for Sam, they counted on it. They were planning on ripping us apart and making Sam watch. They threw their best at me. I'm here, they're not. Fine, it was close. I get that. I'm still here though."
"And we don't know that we got all of them. Sam has Harry watching over him. You have me. It's how things are." John said. "But don't worry, I can leave the room if you really think I am keeping you from getting any action with a nurse." He teased.
"Oh don't worry. I think the drugs they're giving me inhibit any action with a nurse." Dean said with a laugh. "But you're right, we might not have gotten them all. Which means there might be a few still out there, waiting. Which is why the wagons need to be circled around Sam. It's him they'd be after."
"Are you saying you don't thing Harry is up to the job of looking after Sam?" John asked. "And you know you are the quickest route to make Sam compliant don't you?"
"I'm just saying Harry could use some back up." Dean said. "And yeah, I do know that. They won't think of that though, not directly. I'm the freak mortal brother, remember?"
"What does being non magical have to do with whether or not your brother loves you? Don't mistake them for being idiots just because they have chosen to pretend you don't exist on most occasions."
Dean rolled his eyes. "Dad, breathe. Remember, we talked about it before, this breathing thing. I never said Sam thought the way they did. I know he doesn't. But they think that way, therefore they will assume Sam does, or should, and discount my importance in his life altogether. They've been doing it for years. It's laughable really, but it's reality. They think that way, and they're wrong, but they think that way."
"Don't count on them not having eyes in their head. They don't think you are important, but they know Sam does. And I am breathing. I have been breathing longer than you have been alive." He added with a grin, bringing dimples to his cheeks. "Sam will be fine. Merlin is in the area and I suspect that if he is as guiltless in this as you say, they won't go near Sam directly. Expecting that it would be ... well... expected."
"Ah, but do you know how to use that breath?" Dean asked with a grin as newspapers were delivered to his room. He carefully sat up and braced his stomach with a pillow as he flipped through the newspapers. "That's him." He said, pointing to a picture. "That's Yoda. Well, he's actually Deng Xiao Po, and he died yesterday here after suffering a stroke. Funeral starts tomorrow. No comment, I'm going."
"So much for staying put and behaving." John said. "You are taking your doctor with you." That way if the boy passed out or ripped anything open there would be instant assistance.
Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm a work in progress." Dean said as he started calling hotels until he found the one Justin was staying at. "Yes, connect me to his room, please." He said.
The phone rang twice before Justin picked up. "Yes, Hello?" He said following it up. "Ni Hao."
"Your accent is totally off, dude." Dean said with a chuckle.
"Yes well, I am unrepentantly American. Glad to hear your voice. What's the prognosis?" He asked, relief evident in his voice.
"Same as it always is. I'm fine." Dean said. "Did you really expect anything different? How'd the talk with Merlin go?"
"It went well. He would like to talk to the three of you as soon as you are able to tolerate having visitors. "
"I bet he would." Dean said. "But I have plans tomorrow, so he's on hold for now. He can meditate on the fact that either he didn't know what his council was doing, or if he did know, we'll be coming for him too."
"Don't get too cocky, Dean. We were lucky this time, and even then we nearly lost you." Justin admonished. "Merlin will not tolerate much disrespect."
"I'm fine." Dean said automatically. "And I'm not a wizard. Therefore he gets as much respect as he earns with me. One would think that an attempted coup is the worst disrespect ever, and that he would be grateful to us for aborting it. One would think. Lack of gratefulness for putting ourselves in harm's way to prevent his being overtaken leads one to think he had a role, however subversive and hidden, in it all. One would think."
"Who said he wasn't grateful? I merely said he wanted to speak with you. As for respect, look at it this way, treat him with the same respect you would treat any loaded weapon. Handle him in the wrong way and things can get... messy. Not just for you. Samuel is a wizard, and he is one of the few remaining council members. He will be dealing with Merlin often. Don't make life difficult because you believe yourself above being polite."
"Treat him like a loaded weapon? If I think a loaded weapon is going to be dangerous, I unload it." Dean pointed out. "My brother and I have been disrespected by the council at every turn. And though I'm working on forgiveness, that does not mean that I forget."
"And the way to unload this particular weapon is be respectful. I'm not saying to literally kow tow to him, I am saying show some respect for his station. This isn't someone that you can blow off if they don't like what you say. Or more to the point Sam can't blow him off. Just... behave like a civilized human being when he visits. You'll find him quite amiable. We talked about this before. Social respect vs. Actual Respect. It's not that difficult."
"It's undeniably fake is what it is." Dean said. "As I've said before. But I'll be civil, and I can behave like a civilized human being when I have to. Don't worry. Though if he were to take anything out on Sam because of me, that would make him a lesser person, wouldn't it? And not so amiable."
"In the end ... does that matter? You are blaming him for things his friends have done, friends that he just found out have betrayed him I might add, so I think that might be a judgment of his worth we aren't ready to make. "
"You move against Sam, you move against me." Dean said. "That's the way it is. And I said the jury is still out on whether he was involved. We'll see, won't we?"
"And all I am saying is that maybe making things less unpleasant for Sam would be worth controlling yourself. I don't know that you will anger him, or what he will do if angered. I am saying be cautious, be respectful, and don't go out of your way to rub salt in open wounds."
"Open wounds? I have a ton of them." Dean pointed out. "But fine. Once I'm out of ICU, bring him by. I plan to get moved to a room with a nice view. See if they have a VIP suite or something."
"They usually do. And if they don't we'll arrange for a private nurse and your doctor here at the hotel until you are ready to travel."
"We'll arrange? Justin, I'm a grown man and no longer someone you can bend to your will. If there are arrangements to be made for me, I will make them for myself." Dean said calmly. "Things and people that you can't control you have to let go of. It's better for your qi."
"I'm not trying to control you Dean. I am trying to take care of you while you and Sam are recovering." Justin said with a long suffering sigh. Dean was talking nonsense.
"And I appreciate it." Dean said. "But it's not needed. But tell me, Justin, is this how you envisioned it all playing out? You do realize I crashed on the table three times, was translocated and barely didn't make it back into my body in time, right?"
"Of course it isn't." He said. "I never had any intention of either of you ever being harmed. Contrary to what you and Samuel seem to think, I did not raise you to be cannon fodder in my political wars."
"Maybe not Sam." Dean said, as calm as ever. "But all the training? Come on, was it really for anger management? Because if it was, you missed a whole other side to all the martial arts that would have helped more."
"I sent you to the best martial artists I could find because I was told that it would help you and give you a healthy outlet for your anger. You are not expendable Dean. I have never seen you that way. You and Sam are all I have left of my sister. Do you really thing I would squander that?"
"It's not fair pulling my mother into this." Dean said. "Because I can't fight back or even counter that. You know to me she's on a pedestal. So that was a bit of a cheap shot."
"No, it's the truth. You act as though no one but you and your father ever loved your mother. That just isn't true."
"My mother wanted us raised far from Chicago and all this magic business. If she didn't, we would have met you long before we did. But we didn't, did we?" Dean countered. "So you violated my mother's wishes when you took us from our father." There was no rancor or animosity in Dean's voice, surprisingly. "So using her in your arguments isn't a valid point."
"Sometimes what someone wants isn't what is best for them or in this case her children. We'll hash this out later. When you are healed, and Sam isn't as on edge. For now, know that I have never wished you harm, Dean. The three of you are my family."
"That's what scares me the most, Justin." Dean said with a sigh. "I'll call you when I'm out of ICU."
John had learned to stay out of the conversations his boys had with Justin. It just led to arguments between them all. Never the less he frowned over at his son. "That sounded ominous."
"Don't most conversations with Justin?" Dean said. "He's a master at hidden meanings and double talk. Sam and I are family, and the last pieces of Mom, therefore he doesn't want us hurt and everything is justified. Oh and Merlin of course wants to meet with me. Not sure I want to meet with him. I'm doing really good at this inner calmness thing so far you know."
"I noticed you didn't yell at him. Surprised actually. Maybe it's the drugs." John said. "Cause that man could move a saint to violence."
"What's the sense in yelling at him?" Dean asked. "If I yell at him, he's won. If I yell at him, that means he's got my number and knows how to get a reaction out of me. I chose not to yell at him, and instead talk rationally with him as he spoke irrationally. In the end, I won."
"We'll see how well that works for you in the future." John said. He had to agree it was probably the wiser option, but at the moment all he wanted to do was get very ... Irrational... all over Justin.
"I'm a work in progress, remember." Dean said. "I'll probably yell at him later. Hell, I might even hit him. Because I can't shake the feeling, and it's turning into fact, that this was Justin's plan the whole time. Do I believe he wanted me hurt? No. But I do believe he was willing to accept the possibility that I might be."
"I have to agree with you there, son." John said with a sigh. "I have a feeling Harry does too. That's why he and Sam are on the plane not checked into the hotel with Justin."
"The one thing he didn't factor in was your reappearance in our lives. That makes you dangerous to him, Dad." Dean said. "I'm serious, no posturing right now. He's a powerful wizard. He did raise himself from the dead, if you forgot. And in his world, you are expendable."
"I can take care of myself. If he thought I was easy to do in he would have killed me and taken you in, instead of the whole kidnapping scenario." John said. "He even showed up one day to gloat about what a terrible father I was and how it was my fault you two were lost."
"He was trying to goad you." Dean said. "Probably so you'd go off on a hunt in anger and get yourself killed. I think he left you alive because he hates you more than he did Harry's father. Harry's father from what I understand was fairly benign. You, like all Winchesters up to and including my generation, are a trouble maker."
"Wasn't always a trouble maker. I used to be the good kid in town." He said with a grin. Mostly. He had been a good looking teenaged boy with hormones and too much energy. He had his fair share of trouble as a kid, but after the war, after meeting Mary, the last thing on his mind was trouble. It was wrapped up in her and their life together.
"Really? What kind of town was that?" Dean teased. "I was never the good kid. That's all Sammy."
"You were never really a bad kid either, Dean. Just mouthy." John pointed out. "You just never seemed to be able to respect anyone that couldn't take down a shape shifter with his bare hands."
"It's my standing criteria for manhood." Dean said with a laugh. "Everyone has to have standards."
"That's a mighty small number of men out there in the world." He said smiling at his son. "Mine usually involves firearms."
Dean laughed again. "Then in your estimation, I was a man by the time I was ten." He said with a grin. "How do I top that?"
"Not just knowing how, otherwise all law enforcement would have to be considered men. But at 10 you were at least as good as any of them. By 16 you were better."
"And by eighteen I was the best." Dean said with a grin. "It's really just like one big puzzle. Then a first person shooter game, which I always loved. But the key is knowing when to draw and when not to."
"Exactly. "Never draw if you don't intend to fire, had been one of the first lessons John had taught his son. Followed by many others that had been honed by others along the way. John should have been born a hundred years sooner, Dean he figured was a much more modern man, but there was still some of the old west drifter in the boy. Still the hunter lurking under the business man veneer he wore to the office. Fortunately Justin hadn't managed to turn any of them into sharks. Which was what John saw when he looked at the wizard.
"So how are things with you and Connie?" Dean asked. "Sam and I have been guessing, and Harry's no help."
"We're good. Taking it slow. Letting her daughter get to know me. I think it puts Connie off a little... how I raised you boys when you were with me. She doesn't want her daughter involved in the family business and all that. So... it's... going."
"You met Anna?" Dean said. "Wow. I've never met Anna. I think Harry has a couple of times, but me and Sam haven't. She let you meet her daughter. Uh oh, once Harry finds out you're so going to get it."
"I pick her up for our dates. A gentleman always picks the lady up. Of course I met Anna. She's a cute kid. Got her mother's spunk." He chuckled "means she is going to be hell on wheels when she hits 16."
"We should call her. I mean, we all just kinda took off." Dean said. "I bet you two had plans too."
"She knew Sam was missing. I called and told her that much. I'll give her a call a little later. She's asleep right now." Given the time difference and all.
Dean glanced at the clock. "You're right. I forgot we were in a different time zone." He said. "Well, I'm running out of ways to entertain myself."
"Go to sleep." John told him. "If you plan to walk out of here tomorrow you are going to need all the rest you can get."
"You've got a point." Dean said and settled himself back in bed. He had to see Sammy, which wouldn't happen until Sam was awake. Go to a funeral, he needed rest for that. He was tired of fighting the drugs anyway.
Harry let Sam sleep as long as he wanted. He napped a bit himself, and left Bob messages on his machine. An old fashioned kind that even used cassettes, the big kind. Bob might not be able to answer the phone, but Harry could give him updates in thirty second increments.
Sam's sleep was troubled. Nightmarish would be more accurate, but the exhaustion kept him asleep though all of them. It was the little pug licking his nose, emphatically that finally roused him "What? Oh right... you need out. Don't you? Hold on let me get my pants on." He said groggily and dressed as the puppy sat on the bed looking up at him as only pugs can. Then he barked at him. Or at least it was what passed for a bark. It was actually more of a quacking sound than anything else. "I'm hurrying. Give me a minute." He told the pup, eventually picking him up and walking out into the main cabin of the plane.
"Made some food when the dog is done." Harry said, looking up when Sam finally came out of the cabin. "And Dean's awake."
Sam smiled. "Okay. Good... Right... dog... have to take the dog out first." He said although he really just wanted to get into a car and race over to the hospital. The little dog didn't take long, and soon they were back inside the plane. "I'm really not hungry." He told Harry, as he gave the pup a treat for being a good boy.
"Until we get word that Dean's out of ICU, we're treading water here. Might as well eat something." Harry pointed out. "Because if there's any decent food in that hospital, guaranteed your brother's already eaten it all."
Sam sighed. "Yeah okay." He said and went to get a plate of dinner. He wasn't hungry. His stomach was still tied up in knots. It was all he could do to swallow when he did take bites. He continued to eat more out of determination not to let the bastards win more than anything else. He had to be able to fake his way through being alright, and that included eating.
"Don't bother, Sam." Harry said. "We all know you're not all right. You gotta be able to be honest with someone."
Sam looked at his cousin. "I have to be all right." He said. "There really isn't much choice, you know." He pushed aside the food. "I will be... just gotta fake it till I make it. Otherwise I will go mad."
"You don't have to be all right. We don't expect you to be all right. I mean, how often do you let Dean get away with this bullshit?" Harry pointed out.
"I don't. But if I'm not all right, he is going to blame himself for not getting there soon enough. Or some other crap that he couldn't have stopped even if he had been there."
"He knows you're not all right." Harry said. "Your brother is not an idiot. He doesn't think they held you there and played Yatzee nice and peacefully."
"I know." Sam said. "But that won't change the reactions. If I can fake it... then he doesn't have to deal with it. And he doesn't need to deal with it after nearly dying because of it."
"He's going to try and deal with it anyway." Harry said and shook his head. He was talking to a brick wall. "Hopefully we'll get him somewhere we can sneak Maxie in. She's going crazy."
"Yeah I know. Poor old girl." Sam said. "It's gonna just about kill Dean when she goes."
"Yeah, I know." Harry said. "I don't think Ronan will be much comfort then. But lately it's been more likely Maxie would lose Dean."
"I know. I swear I am going to put him in a padded room one of these days, just to get through a year without almost losing him."
"And I'll help you build the room." Harry said. "Extra padded. With a slot in the door big enough for double cheeseburgers only."
"Sounds like a plan." Sam said with a laugh. "Cause, yeah, that will happen. Dean would find a way to lock me inside instead."
"I'll shove him in right after you." Harry said, drinking coffee. "I'm good with both of you in a bubble room. I really am."
"Makes it hard for me to help you with your investigations that way."
"That may be." Harry said. "But imagine how well rested we'd all be."
"Imagine how much trouble Justin could get into without all three of us there to ride herd."
"Okay. Good point there." Harry said. "I'm sure Dean's called him by now. Hope that went well, the last thing Dean needs is a showdown with Justin."
"If it turned into a show down, Dean would have called us to stop Dad." Sam said knowing his father well enough to know he would have taken it upon himself to give Justin an attitude adjustment.
"Justin won't go into the hospital anymore than we would. And John won't leave Dean until someone else can be in there." Harry pointed out. "So it could have been a verbal showdown."
"Even half dead, Dean would win." Sam said. "And who knows, it might be enough to get him to move out."
"That's because your brother has the nasty habit of having an answer for everything." Harry said with a laugh. "And it's particularly obnoxious when he turns that gift on me."
"It's not something I enjoy either. I'm just better at arguing with him. It's a brother thing. We can argue for days only to find out we were actually trying to make the exact same point all along." He chuckled. "Usually when Dad points it out just to get us to shut up."
"Yeah, I heard you two going at it when you were growing up." Harry said. Though he was convinced Dean purposefully goaded Sam into arguments because Sam was so silent at first. It was a way of making Sam talk. Even if it was yelling.
"Yeah, we weren't exactly quiet. But hey, at least we were normal in that regard." He pointed out. Although it was funny, Sam had been so jealous of Dean because he wasn't a wizard, and that lead to a lot of the arguments. Because in many ways, Sam really had been a spoiled child, and he had wanted desperately to play the video games with his brother and couldn't.
"It's probably the only regard in which you were normal. You arrived and were three feet tall, overnight you were seven feet tall." Harry said with a laugh.
"What night was that? Especially since I am only 6'5 now." He said. "And I remember being the short one in my class until my sophomore year, when I caught up with Dean finally."
"By then Dean had stopped growing." Harry said. Which was normal, Dean was going on twenty at the time. "You're still shorter than me. And I think you ran out of growth spurts." Okay, fine, Sam was shorter than Harry by an inch. Maybe an inch and a half on a good day. Half an inch on a Sam Winchester Bad Hair day.
"That's okay. I think I can live with not being the tallest guy in the family." He said, most people couldn't tell there was much if any difference in their height. Of course most people who came across them during office hours were certain they were 9 ft tall. It's amazing how much height a wand could add to a guy.
"Well, good. You have to live. One cousin on death's door is enough for this week." Harry said.
"Yeah well... not only do I have to live, I have to cope, which means I want to get back to work as soon as I can trust Dean out of my sight."
Harry had to chuckle at that. "Yeah, when's that going to be?" Harry asked. "Neither of you have ever trusted the other to be okay out of each other's sight. Ever." He pointed out. "You two are codependent to a worrisome level sometimes you know that?"
Sam scowled. "We only had each other for a long time." He said in defense. "Even the first couple of years when we were with you guys...it felt like we were alone." He sighed. "If that makes us depend on each other, and look out for each other more than most brothers, so be it. There isn't anything to worry about. We're just... close."
"Yeah. Okay." Harry said. "I'm going to take Max out." He said as his phone rang. "Hello? Oh hey, hold on. Someone wants to speak to you even more than I do." He said and held the phone out to Sam. "It's Dean." And waited to see how quickly this non co dependent brother would take the phone, when on the line was the brother he definitely was NOT co dependent on.
Sam took the phone quickly. "Dean? You're awake? Are you alright?" He asked, wishing they could get him out of the hospital so that he could see for himself and make sure. But Sam wasn't selfish enough to endanger other patients just to see his brother. Not this time anyway.
"I'm good." Dean said. "We're headed out in an hour or so. Securing a nurse for the doc, because Dad won't let that go. I don't know, what do you think? Jet or hotel? Either's fine with me." His voice was calm and smooth as he spoke to his brother. "You okay? Don't lie to me Sam."
"I'm fine. I was hurt worse the last time we went hunting together. I would say jet. Justin is at the hotel and well... I don't want to deal with him right now. Probably better I don't for a while."
"Okay. Jet it is then." Dean said. "But we'll have to deal with him eventually. Hey, I got an errand to run. Want to come with? Dad's a hovering babysitter." He said, rolling his eyes at John who was, well, hovering.
"An errand? Dean you just had major surgery. I mean seriously major surgery, we nearly lost you major. Are you sure it's a good idea to go out running errands?"
"It's one errand. And that's why I'm taking someone with me." Dean pointed out calmly. "You in or do I have to settle for Dad?"
"I'm in." Sam said. "Harry seems to think I'm made of glass too." He empathized. Although it was more on an emotional level than a physical one.
"Well, you are." Dean said. "But we'll be made of glass together. Double paned windows are always stronger, right? Tell Harry that."
"He would just say we are being co dependant." Sam countered. "So where are we going?"
"Funeral of an old friend." Dean said. "So wear a white shirt and black pants. No red and definitely no pink. Think you can do that?" Dean teased, looking up what he needed to know etiquette wise.
"Yeah I can do that. Will have to buy something but that's not a problem. You only packed casual clothes for me."
"I'll have it sent for. I needed something too." Dean said. "Had a person from the Hong Kong branch rush up, he's taking care of all that stuff. Clothes, you know. Didn't expect a funeral after all."
"Yeah. I didn't know you knew anyone here." He said. "When did they die?"
"Yesterday. I'll tell you all about when I get to the jet, promise. But it's a long story." Dean said with a chuckle. "But hey, I learned Chinese!"
"Why do I get the feeling it's going to be one hell of a story? But you do know if you walk into this plane you are going to be covered in pug hair in about 3 seconds flat, and she isn't going to want to let you leave without her."
"Crap. She can't come." Dean said. "Okay, you're right. I'll call when I'm a block away, you meet me on the corner, hop in, Dad hops out and I'll let Maxie be mad at me later. Promise."
"Good plan." Sam said with a laugh. "Just don't keel over on me okay? Don't need another mad dash to the emergency room."
"Yeah, that would suck." Dean said with a laugh. "Okay, got my discharge papers, I'll call you when I get to the corner." He said, hanging up and making another quick call to get clothes and comfortable shoes for Sam as well. He looked at his father. "It'll be fine. It's just a funeral."
"Yeah, and Sam was just doing research." His mother had just been checking on the baby, every horrifying story always started with 'it was just' or 'I was just'.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Completely different. I'm not involving myself in anything. I'm for once not looking for trouble. I'm going to pay tribute and give honor to someone that helped me be alive today. It's the right thing to do."
"Not arguing that point. Just that being a funeral doesn't make it safe." John pointed out. But then he was of the opinion that nowhere was safe.
"I've got you and the doc on speed dial." Dean said. "Anything starts going hinky in any way in either area; one of you will get a call. I promise. I'm just going to go thank an old friend, help him pass over, eat some food and come back. But hey, look on the bright side, Justin won't be there."
"Good. Sam is going with you too, which will help." They could keep an eye on each other. If one went south, the other would know. John had seen that look in men's eyes before. Usually those who had been tortured in Vietnam POW camps. It wasn't something that you snapped back from like a bad injury during a hunt. It messed with your head. That was the whole damned point. Neither of his sons was okay, but there was nothing he could do about it, but watch.
"It'll be bonding time." Dean said as he signed the forms for discharge, and took the clothes his stand in assistance had brought. "Okay, back in a minute. If I can't dress myself, I have no business going to a funeral, right? I'll be right out."
"If you can't dress yourself we are checking you back in." John told him, giving him a stern look. He didn't think this was a good idea at all, but there was no talking Dean out of it. He had been trying since he had first brought it up.
Dean laughed as he headed carefully to the bathroom. "You forgot your army, Dad." He said as he went into the bathroom. It took longer than usual, but he managed to change out of the hospital gown and into his clothes and even tie his own food. "All right, I'm ready." He said, coming out.
John looked his son over for signs of having over done it. Looking to see if he were pale, clammy or any other sign of weakness or pain. "Okay. Let's get out of here." He said finally. He still didn't like it.