OK, I think I'm getting really good at the cliff hangers. There's another one at the end of this chapter. Soory it's been so long since my last post. I moved away from my home town again and the only place I can get an internet connection is at work. I'm hoping I can post a chapter at least once a week. Thanks to everyone for being so patient with me and thanks for all the great reviews.

Chapter 21

Katie returned to consciousness just as Sam was yelling out Dean's name. She sat up carefully, knowing that there had to be some serious damage done to her back because of the crash. At the moment she didn't feel any pain, but that may have been because she was only concerned about the state of her family.

"Sam," Katie called out, "Can you move?"

"Katie?"

"I'm ok, I think." Katie lied, "Can you move?"

"Yeah, I think so." Sam replied.

"Good. I need you to carefully get out of the car and then sit down by the front tire. Do not move any farther than that until I can check you out." Katie said with as much authority as she could.

"What about Dad and Dean?" Sam asked.

"I'm gonna check them out first, but I need you to move before I can get to dad. While you're getting out of the way, I'm gonna check on Dean. Remember to move as slowly and carefully as you can and don't gonna any farther than the ground by the front tire."

Sam nodded and began to slide out of the car. Katie watched him until she could only see the top of his head resting against the Impala's front fender, then she started her examination of Dean.

"Alright big brother," Katie said more to herself than Dean, "let's see what you've done to yourself this time."

Katie immediately checked the laceration on Dean's chest and let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding when she saw that the bleeding had all but stopped. Next she checked his abdomen to see if there were any signs of internal bleeding and found none, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be any later on. She did however find three broken ribs on his right side. Katie figured that he had been slammed into her knee by the initial impact and then thrown back into the door when the car came to a stop. She already knew Dean had some kind of head trauma because he was unconscious, but she silently prayed that it was nothing more than a bad concussion.

As soon as she was done checking out Dean, she slithered into the front seat Sam had vacated as carefully as she could. She somehow managed to make it past Dean and their father without bumping either of them.

"Sam," Katie called out as she started examining John, "you still with me out there?"

"Yeah," Sam replied, "how are they?"

"Still breathing." Katie replied, "Dean's in pretty bad shape and I'm just getting to Dad now."

"Is there anything you can do?" Sam asked almost too low for Katie to hear.

"I don't have the equipment." Katie replied, "Best I can do is keep them breathing until the emergency crews get here. Speaking of which, where's the driver of that truck?"

"He's calling 9-1-1 now." Sam replied.

Katie heard a soft moan come from Sam at the end of his sentence and she started to get a little more worried about him.

"Just sit tight little brother," Katie said reassuringly as she turned to look at him, "I'll be with you in a few minutes and help's on the way."

Katie saw the top of Sam's head bob slightly as if he were nodding and then turned back to finish checking John for injuries. She was just reaching around him to check his shoulder when John suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"Dad," Katie said quietly so as not to startle him further, "it's ok. It's just me. I'm trying to see how messed up your shoulder is."

"M-m-my b-boys-s?" John slurred as he looked at Katie with unfocused eyes.

"They're both right here and doing just fine." Katie lied.

John nodded once and then slumped farther down into the seat, unconsciousness reclaiming him. Katie finished her examination of John quickly and then slid out of the car to the ground. She slowly crawled over to Sam and began to check him for injuries, starting at his feet and going up from there.

"Anything feel weird as you were getting out here?" Katie asked him as she gently pressed his stomach.

"Just my head." Sam replied, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine." Katie replied flatly. She knew she was probably lying, but she couldn't really feel anything at the moment so she didn't know for sure.

"You're bleeding." Sam said.

"Yeah, probably." Katie said offhandedly, refusing to meet Sam's eyes.

"Katie," Sam said sternly, "look at me."

Katie caught Sam's gaze for a second, but before she could look away he reached up and grabbed her chin.

"Are you hurt?" Sam asked more firmly.

Katie looked at her brother a moment longer before answering. She was a little surprised by the concern she saw in his eyes.

"I don't know." Katie answered, "I can't really feel anything at the moment."

"Katie, you shouldn't be moving around so much." Sam said as he grabbed Katie with his other hand and tried to force her to sit next to him.

"I'm fine." Katie reiterated, "If I can get nearly beaten to death, then carry my eight year old twin on my back for almost three miles before getting picked up by a cop, this little car crash ain't nothing."

Katie's statement had just the affect she intended. A look of shock crossed Sam's face as she felt his hold on her relax. Katie twisted out of Sam's grasp just as the sound of sirens could be heard in the distance.

"I gotta check Dean again." were the only words Katie said as she climbed back into the front seat of the car.

Katie had just finished her recheck of Dean as the ambulance arrived, followed by one helicopter and then another. She quickly gave the paramedics a rundown of the probable injuries to her family and then assisted as best she could in getting them ready for transport. Whenever one of them asked her if she was hurt she simply replied, "I'm fine" in the same tone she had used with Sam earlier. It was nearly two hours after sunrise by the time John, Sam, and Dean were strapped onto backboards and ready for transport to the nearest hospital. During this time a second ambulance had arrived. Katie was about to allow one of the other paramedics to examine her when she heard Sam call out again.

"Tell me if they're ok." She heard Sam ask one of the paramedics carrying him to one of the waiting ambulances. Katie heard the paramedic tell Sam to stay still as she rushed over to her younger brother.

"Are they even alive?" Sam yelled.

"Sam." Katie said adopting their father's drill sergeant tone, "Just do as the paramedics tell you. Dad and Dean will be at the hospital before you will. They're gonna be fine, I promise."

"Ok." Sam said quietly as he laid his head back down against the board.

Katie helped them load Sam into the ambulance and closed the doors. She watched it pull away and then looked up into the sky at the shrinking helicopters carrying her father and older brother. She sent up another silent prayer to whatever gods were listening that her family would make it through ok and collapsed to the ground just as one of the paramedics from the other ambulance lightly touched her shoulder.