Chapter 21

Dean woke up just after dark. He must've been more tired than he thought. He sat up to check his siblings and was a little surprised at what he saw. Sam had his entire body wrapped around Katie to the point that all Dean could see of her was her shoes. He left them to sleep and went to go find Bobby and Racheal.

The room was filled with food smells the second he opened the door. He thought about shutting it, but changed his mind. He decided it would be better to leave the door open in case Sam and Katie needed him. He found Bobby and Racheal in the kitchen cracking jokes at each other and making dinner.

He stood in the doorway watching them and a thought crossed his mind. If Dad and Laura were around at this moment, they'd probably be doing the same thing right now. For the millionth time in his life, he wished Dad had never left the girls in Nevada. He was sure things would've been so much easier on all of them growing up if Dad hadn't been so pigheaded and afraid of his daughters.

He was completely lost in his own thoughts when a towel came flying through the air and landed on his head.

"What the.." Dean said as he pulled the towel off his head.
"I asked you if you had a nice nap." Racheal said with a laugh.

"Uh, yeah." Dean replied.

"You alright kid?" Bobby asked.

"Yeah, just a little tired." Dean said.

"Still." Racheal said. "Dude you slept for like four hours."

"As compared to the two days he probably didn't sleep at all." Bobby said as he tossed a french fry at his daughter.

Racheal promptly caught the flying piece of food and pegged Bobby right between the eyes. The look on Bobby's face had Dean and Racheal doubled over with laughter.

"What's going on?" Katie asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Just picking on Dad." Racheal replied.

"Oh, I wanna play." Katie said. "But first, are Sam's clothes in the car?"

"Yeah, why?" Dean asked.

"Cause he would like to come out here and eat with us." Katie said.

"You need the keys?" Dean asked as Katie walked to the front door.

"Nope, got one." Katie replied just as the door closed.

Dean stared at the door for a second then he heard Sam calling for him and Katie. He quickly ran for his brother's room before Sam really started to panic.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Dean asked, slightly out of breath.

"I thought you left." Sam replied sheepishly.

"Katie just went out to grab you some clothes." Dean replied. "She'll be back in a sec."

"I'm back already." Katie replied.

Dean jumped at Katie's statement. That girl was just way to damn quiet.

"I hate it when you do that." Dean said as he turned to look at his sister.

"You should pay closer attention." Katie said with a smile.

"I saw her." Sam added.

"You're facing the doorway." Dean said.

"You're gonna have to go shirtless Sam." Katie said as she walked past Dean. "But I brought you some sweats."

"Um, Katie." Sam said, as he turned a little red.
"Don't worry, I'm not staying." Katie said. "Dean's gonna help you get dressed and then change the bandages."

"Where are you going?" Sam asked, trying and failing to hide his fear.

"I'm going into the kitchen to bug Bobby." Katie replied. "I haven't reached my quota for smacks to the back of my head yet today."

"He'd better not touch you." Sam said angrily.

"Sam, it's ok." Katie said soothingly. "It's just a game Bobby and I play. He won't hurt me."

Dean watched has Sam and Katie had a little staring contest, then Sam nodded and Katie left the room. Things had shifted so fast between them that Dean's head was still trying to catch up. Sam and Katie had gone form teasing him, to teasing each other, to Sam being scared, to Katie making him feel better, to Sam trying to protect Katie in barely more than a minute.

"What was that?" Dean finally asked his brother.

"She's been hurt enough." Sam said.

"I meant the whole conversation." Dean said. "It shifted so fast I lost track of what was going on."

"You and Katie do that to me all the time." Sam said. "Difference is that I only hear about half the conversation."

"We do not." Dean protested.

"Do to." Sam shot back. "I guess I just understand her a little better now so we can do the same to you."

"Oh, that's so not fair." Dean said. "Using my own sister against me."

"Yeah, payback's a bitch isn't it?" Sam laughed.

"Come on Sam. We gotta get you all pretty for your dinner debut." Dean teased.

"Whatever." Sam grumbled.

Dean helped Sam get his pants on and then helped him sit on the bed so Dean could change the bandages on Sam's front and back. When Dean pulled the old bandages off, Sam's front, he was shocked at what he saw. This was his first good look at Sam's injuries so he wasn't expecting him to look that bad.

"Oh Jesus Sammy." Dean gasped out.

"It's not that bad." Sam said flatly. "I think my back is worse, but I can't see it so I don't know."

"I'm sorry." Dean said as he got the stuff he needed to fix up his brother off the counter where Katie had left them.

"For what Dean?" Sam said. "You didn't do this."

"Never should've let you walk out of that bar alone." Dean said.

"You didn't know some one was waiting to grab me." Sam said. "It's ok."

"Well," Dean said with a smile. "You'll have a bunch of cool scars to show the chicks."

"Pickups are your thing Dean, not mine." Sam said.

"You know, the last time you said that, you got the girl." Dean teased.

"I know." Sam said with a smile. "That's why I said it."

"Bitch."
"Jerk."

Dean laughed and then finished fixing up Sam's front. They were both quiet as he did Sam's back. Dean was thinking that this one had been way, way too close a call. He needed to keep a better eye on Sam so this would never happen again.

"You done yet?" Sam asked. "I'm hungry."

"Yeah, I'm done princess." Dean replied. "You're good to go."

Sam stood up, and then promptly fell back onto the bed.

"Not so fast, Sammy." Dean said as he walked around to help his brother stand. "Just cause the meds Katie's giving you make you think you're better, you're not."

"I hate this." Sam whined.

"I know, but at least you're out of the hospital like you wanted." Dean said. "Speaking of which, why did you want out of there so bad?"

"Wasn't safe there." Sam said quietly.

"You sound like Katie." Dean said.

"Well, maybe she's rubbing off on me." Sam said with a small smile.

"Good, then maybe you'll stop being so girly." Dean teased.

Sam punched Dean lightly in the shoulder and the two walked out of Sam's room to go eat.