Chapter 29
Jenni did her best to look innocent as she made her way down the halls to Sam's room, pulling curious glances as police officers shuffled past her. As she turned down the hall that led to Sam's room she felt her heart pound against her ribcage. Dr. Runes and Kory were standing down the hall talking in hushed whispers.
Jenni straightened her shoulders and started down the hall, keeping her jaw locked to stop it from trembling. Kory and Dr. Runes looked up at her as she approached, both meeting her with twin looks of satisfaction.
"Morning Kory…Dr. Runes."
"Yes indeed it is, Jenni. Mr. Andrews would like to speak with you."
"Where is he?"
"In his office."
"Seemed important that he talk to you as soon as you got in, Jenni." Dr. Runes supplied.
"Oh, ok." Jenni shot a glance to the window looking into Sam's door to see a cop posted next to the bed. She felt a lump rise in her throat and her stomach twisted uncomfortably. She was in way over her head on this. She had no idea how she was going to pull this off.
"Jenni…"
Jenni glowered at Kory for a minute before turning on her heel and disappearing around the far corner. She had no intention on going to see Mr. Andrews, he had without a doubt heard about her breakdown the day before and would want to check up on her, either that or tell her to suck it up. Either way she really wasn't in the mood to listen to it today.
She shot a glance over her shoulder, checking to make sure that Kory or Dr. Runes hadn't followed her. Satisfied that she was indeed alone she slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She pulled her cell from her pocket and dialed the hospital's main number.
"This is Rachael how can I help you?"
"Rach, it's Jen."
"Jen?"
"Yeah, listen I need your help."
"Jen, did you know that there are cops all over the place? They are keeping close tabs on Sam…and looking for his brother."
"Rach, I know...I need you to listen to me for a sec..."
Rachael continued as if Jenni hadn't spoken. "He's wanted for murder apparently."
Jenni froze. She felt her legs trembling beneath her and grabbed onto one of the nearby sinks to help support her. "Wh…what?"
"Yeah, apparently Dean killed a few young women over in St. Louis."
"Oh, God."
"Yeah, police are keeping a constant surveillance on Sam. Don't want Dean to slip past them."
Jenni couldn't breathe; her world was spinning dizzily around her. She couldn't feel her hands, her hold on the sink loosened and she fell to the hard floor, one arm wrapped around her stomach while she gasped, desperately trying to fill her closing lungs.
"Jen? You ok? Jennifer!"
"Rach…" Jenni gasped trying to catch her breath. "Is there a cop by your station?"
"A few, yeah…why?"
"I know where Dean is. I can lead them to him."
"Jenni," Rachael sound worried.
"Give them the damn phone!" Jenni felt like throwing up.
"Hang on, hon."
Jenni waited a beat closing her eyes and breathing deeply in through her nose. After a moment a gruff voice greeted her.
"Officer Turpin. I was told you could lead us to the suspect?"
"Yeah, yeah I can. I know where he is." Jenni continued to gulp at air like a fish out of water.
"Where is he?"
"Out in the parking lot, saw him out by a red mustang, 1965 model."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure." Jenni flipped the phone shut without saying anything more. She then slipped out of her heels and tossed them into one of the open stalls. They would only slow her down, not to mention announce her presence. She then slipped out of her white jacket and wadded it into a ball, tossing that in the stall as well.
She knew she didn't have long before the cops caught on to her distraction, she would have act fast and convincingly from here on out. She tugged at the top of her blouse, busting a few buttons, which scattered across the bathroom floor and disappeared. She pulled handfuls of hair from her elegant twist and ruffled the loose ends, making her look scruffy and upset. Satisfied she hurried out of the bathroom.
She walked as fast as she dared down the halls to Sam's room; surprised and relieved when she found it empty. A quick glance into the small window showed her that the officer hadn't left his post. She pushed open the door and let her eyes dart from Sam to the officer.
The officer eyed her scruffy appearance apprehensively. "Can I help you miss?"
"Just saying goodbye to one my patients, I was fired today." Jenni let her voice tremble and her eyes water.
The officer's eyes softened somewhat but he held his stiff position. Ever on the ready in case something came up.
Jenni opened up one of the medical drawers and filled a syringe before walking to Sam's bed, sitting on the edge.
"Jenni." Sam rasped his blank eye darting around in its socket. "Where's…what?"
"Shh. It's ok Sam." Jenni sniffed and brushed the back of her hand against her nose. "I'm going to give you something to make you sleep."
"No."
"Just relax, Kory and Dr. Runes will take good care of you."
"Excuse me, Miss? I'm not sure if you should…"
The officer didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. He had moved from his position to stop Jenni from injecting the sedative into Sam and she had turned with surprising speed and agility. She was quickly on her feet and the needle was in his neck before he knew what hit him. He gaped at her his eyes wide for a moment before his knees buckled and he collapsed with a thump.
"Jenni?"
"Sorry, Sam. Had to convince the 'ox' here that I wasn't here to spring you." Jenni pulled a bobby pin from its place in her loose twist and started working on the handcuffs that were keeping Sam in bed. After a minute the lock clicked and the cuffs were loose.
"Where's Dean?"
"He's waiting for you out in the staff parking lot." Jenni helped Sam to sit up, keeping a hand behind his shoulder as he swayed dizzily. Once sure he was secure enough to sit on his own Jenni pulled out the IV's and taped a couple cotton balls in their place to stop the blood flow.
"Sam, we need to get you out of here."
"Couldn't agree more."
"I'll get your clothes. You can change when we get back to my place."
"K."
Jenni quickly pulled Sam's belongings from the drawer provided and tossed them on the bed. "Don't move, I'll be right back."
She made her way to the door and stuck her head out, and saw a janitor down the hall. "Roger, can you get me a wheelchair please?"
"Sure, Jenni."
Roger disappeared and was back a minute later, pushing a wheelchair in front of him. Jenni thanked him and turned back into the room, taking the wheelchair with her.
"We'll be a lot fast if you ride in this, Sam. The faster we get out of here, the less time the cops have to check the parking lot for Dean."
Sam groaned and lifted a hand to his forehead.
"Hey? You ok?" Jenni stooped down before Sam, one hand lifting to rest against Sam's cheek. Sam pressed into the touch, his uncovered eye closed.
"How'd they find us?"
"We'll worry about that later, right now we need to get you both out of here." Jenni whispered urgently as she helped Sam to his feet and to the wheelchair. He settled into without complaint. She tossed his belongings onto his lap. "Hold those, make sure to keep them as flat as possible." Jenni yanked the top blanket off the bed and wrapped it around Sam's chest and legs, efficiently covering him.
"I feel dizzy."
"That's ok, Sam. You're still sick so that's normal. Just hang in there ok. We'll get you back to my place and you can lay down."
Sam nodded once and let his head hang down, so his chin was almost touching his chest.
Jenni maneuvered them out of the room and down the hall, keeping a constant eye out for police officers or fellow staff.
She had made it down three hallways before she heard the tell tale clicking of somebody's heels.
"Jenni!"
Jenni cringed, she was so busted. She looked over her shoulder to see Kory practically jogging up to her.
***
Dean was getting more
and more nervous as the minutes passed. He shouldn't have let Jenni
do this on her own, he should be the one in there getting his brother
out, not Jenni. He had let her in and had officially screwed up
someone else's life. He couldn't believe he had been so stupid,
he should have known that something like this would happen.
Still something was bothering him, how the hell did they find out? He was pretty sure that he only had the one ID in his wallet. He reached back and pulled out his wallet, flipping through all the ID's. Every single one of them had the same name on them. Dean Evans. It couldn't have been his then…but what about Sam's?
Dean tried to remember if he had given Sam the same ID, forcing his brain to focus on what their aliases were this time, but drew a blank. For the life of him he couldn't remember what Sam had told the coroner when they had examined the body. He had told the emergency that he and Sam had been out camping when they had been attacked by the harpy. They must have checked ID's then.
Shit. They were in it deep now and he knew it. What made it worse was Jenni had been thrown into it, just because she had tried to help them out. If she succeeded and managed to get Sam out of the hospital and all three of them disappeared she would be on the radar as well. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if that happened. She didn't deserve to be hunted down the rest of her life for trying to help. He'd find some way out of this for her.
He felt an uncomfortable knot tie up his stomach and looked again to the staff door.
"Come on, come on…where the hell are you?"
***
Jenni glared
at Kory as she slowed her pace, seeming almost casual as she
approached them. She felt herself trembling as Kory eyed her up and
down before finally smirking at her appearance.
"Nice look, Jenni. It does wonders for you."
"What the hell do you want, Kory?"
"Taking Sam somewhere?"
"He needs some eye tests done."
"Uh huh, and you actually expect me to believe that?"
"Why would I be lying about something like that?"
"Oh I don't know…the fact that we can't stand each other could be a big one. Or the biggest reason…the fact that I found Sam's guard out cold on the floor, right next to a syringe. Not a real smooth move there, Jen." Kory lifted the empty syringe, twisting it around in her fingers.
Jenni's fingers tightened around the handlebars to the wheelchair. She stared unblinking at the slow spinning syringe. "Don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't huh?" Kory sneered and stepped forward, her hot breath blowing on Jenni's face. "Well let me break it down for you. You get in too deep with a patient, get attached, find out he's wanted by the police, and try to smuggle them out of here. You get caught, end up in prison for the rest of your life, and me…well I get a promotion for being the one who caught the bitch trying to help the fugitive."
"Well you would deserve it after doing something like that."
Kory cocked and eyebrow and smirked at her.
"Unfortunately, I just can't allow that to happen." Jenni continued.
"What are you…ahhh!" Kory's sentence was broken with a cry of pain as Jenni's fist connected with her mouth.
"Guess you never knew that I took self defense lessons after I recovered from my surgery did you bitch?" Jenni swung her fist again this time smashing it against Kory's nose. "For months I put up with this shit from you, you acting like you were all high and mighty! What makes you so much better than me?" Jenni's socked foot connected with Kory's stomach knocking the wind out of her and making her double over in pain.
"I put up with your taunts, I put up with your attitude, and God knows I kept it all to myself. But not now! Not anymore!" Jenni's knuckles cracked as she connected with Kory's jaw. "I'm tired of taking this from you, if you have issues with me come out and say it but stop spreading rumors about me and stop spreading my life about the staff. Or I swear I will sue your ass for every penny you own!" Jenni spun around in a quick circle and knocked Kory off her feet with a well-placed round house.
Kory lay still on the floor, holding her bleeding nose in her hands, tears pouring from her eyes as she looked up at Jenni.
Jenni crouched over her, her eyes fiery. "And just for the record, bitch, I wasn't the one who reported you. Get your facts straight before you make assumptions and hope to God that I don't find out if you treat someone else this way."
Kory whimpered as Jenni stood and turned away from her. She grabbed the handlebars to the wheelchair and picked up the pace to a swift jog, turning around the last corner before the staff exit.
Kory's scream of pain and frustration echoed behind them.
"She's going to have security here in a minute, Sam. We need to pick up the pace." Jenni panted as she started to run, her socked feet sliding on the linoleum floor.
She locked her knees as she got within a couple feet of the staff door and spun herself and the wheelchair around, hitting her back against the handle and opening it.
"There she is! Stop!"
Jenni didn't stop she yanked Sam through the door and kicked it closed behind her. "Dean!"
Dean was already racing around the car, he had the back and passenger doors to the impala open before Jenni got there. He helped Sam into the front seat while Jenni climbed into the back. He slammed Sam's door and raced back around, started up the engine and yanked her into reverse, shooting up bits of loose asphalt as he pulled out of his spot quickly.
The staff door opened and two officers appeared, guns drawn and ready right after the impala disappeared around the far corner of the hospital. They looked at each other their expressions grave before one lifted his radio. "Sir, they're gone."
***
"Holy…"
Jenni breathed pressing a hand to her thundering heart. She leaned
back against the bench, her eyes closing as she drew in several deep
breaths.
"Jenni, you ok?" Dean shot her a concerned look in the rearview.
Jenni nodded and opened her eyes. "I'm good, Dean. Better than good. I'm great!"
Dean cocked an eyebrow at her before shooting a glance at his brother, surprised to see his brother grinning like a goon.
"What's so funny?"
"Dude she beat the snot out of Kory."
"What?" Dean shot Jenni another look.
"You have no idea how good it felt too." Jenni sighed before letting out a somewhat relieved laugh. "I've wanted to knock her socks off for weeks and never had the guts to do it…until now anyway."
"You seriously…when?"
"When she tried to stop us from escaping." Sam offered lifting a hand to his bandaged eye and pressing against it.
"So what you just turned around and gave her the whammy?"
"No."
"Kory ripped into her again and Jenni shut her up."
"I think I broke something." Jenni said studying her swollen knuckles. "Maybe I shouldn't have hit her so hard."
"We'll look at it later." Dean assured turning his attention back to the road. "Where are we going?"
"Back to my place."
"They'll come looking there first." Dean said quietly.
"Maybe so, but that isn't the only place I own, Dean. I'll need to get the keys."
"Make it quick, they'll be on our trail in no time."
"Do you guys need to stop at the bungalow for anything?"
"We should get our gear, Dean. We can stay at Jenni's until the heat is off."
"You're right. Jenni, get whatever is necessary and only what is necessary, the sooner we get out of town the better."
The impala made a sharp turn, squealing her protest as Dean barely let up on the gas. They made another quick left turn and stopped in the drive of Jenni's house. "We'll wait for you here. You have five minutes."
"I won't need that long." Jenni assured as she hopped out of the car and hurried up the stairs to her side door, keeping her left hand cradled against her chest. She soon disappeared from sight, leaving the door open behind her.
"So she really kicked Kory's ass?" Dean asked unable to keep the amusement from his voice.
Sam turned his head in Dean's direction and smiled. "Yeah, I didn't see it obviously, but from the sounds of things she was really beating into her."
"Can't say she didn't have it coming. Wondered how long it would take for Jenni to stand up for herself."
"Yeah well she let her have it. I'm pretty sure I heard something crack from one of the blows, wouldn't be surprised if Jenni did break something."
The brothers were silenced as the side door slammed shut and Jenni hurried down the stairs, a small bag over her shoulder and keys in her hand. She slid back into the backseat and shut the impala's door.
"That's all your taking?" Dean asked eyeing Jenni's small bag.
"Well if you want to eat when we get up there then yes." Jenni answered dropping the bag onto the seat next to her. Dean didn't miss how she kept her left hand close to her body, or the purple and severely swollen knuckles. He didn't doubt that something was broken.
"Clothes?"
"Dean we are going to my hideaway. I keep most of the essentials there."
"Oh." Dean pulled the impala back into reverse and pulled out of the drive.
***
It
was mid afternoon before the trio made it to Jenni's secluded
hideaway cabin. Jenni showed the brothers to a guest room, complete
with two singles and a single dresser before locking herself in her
own bedroom across the hall.
Dean helped Sam to lie down on the bed furthest from the door, frowning at how weak Sam seemed.
"You need to talk to her, Dean." Sam whispered as his head hit the pillow, his exposed eye closed.
"I know, Sam. I just don't know what to say to her." Dean sat down on the edge of Sam's bed, toying with one of the knots on the hand tied blanket. "I mean she's on the run because of us…what can I possibly say to make that better?"
"You'll think of something. Tell her the truth."
"Yeah because that always goes well."
Sam shrugged and barely suppressed a yawn. "It's worth a shot, some people understood. Becky, Sarah, and Cassie…"
"That was only because they saw it with their own eyes, Sam. It's one thing to hear about it but something totally different to experience it first hand. Jenni will think I'm nuts."
"She likes you, Dean."
"That's the problem, Sam. It's because she likes me that she's in this situation. It's cost her everything, the police are going to be looking for her."
"She's smart, she'll come up with something convincing."
"Maybe, this is just…" Dean paused, rubbing a hand through his ruffled hair. "Our lives are so screwed up, Sam."
"They've always been screwed up, Dean."
"Yeah but even more so now."
"Didn't bother you before."
"Yeah it did." Dean confessed. Sam's eye popped open, staring blankly ahead of him. "Just not as much. I just figured that as long as we were together, you know…I knew we could get through anything. Now it's different."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing."
There it was…the unavoidable shut down. Sam blew out a frustrated sigh and closed his eye again. He was surprised that Dean had opened up that much. The bed shifted as Dean pushed himself to his feet and padded across the room to sit on his own.
"Time is it?"
Dean glanced at his watch and shifted his eyes to the hall and Jenni's still closed bedroom door. "Three-thirty."
"Hmm…" Sam was half asleep now. Dean watched him until Sam's chest rose and fell in a deep rhythm. He then exited the room, closing the door halfway behind him, wanting to be able to hear Sam in case he woke up.
Dean stepped up to Jenni's door, hesitated, and then knocked softly.
"Come in, Dean."
Dean pushed open the door and poked his head around the edge. He saw Jenni sitting at a small desk in the corner of the room, she was looking into a small face mirror. She had pulled the rest of her hair from its twist and it now hung limply about her shoulders. She didn't bother looking at him as he came in but continued to look into the mirror.
"Jenni?"
"I'm fine, Dean."
"We need to wrap your knuckles."
Jenni turned away from the mirror and looked at him, her eyes were red rimmed and puffy. "Ok."
Dean retrieved the first aid kit from the bathroom and returned to the bedroom, Jenni was now sitting on the bed, holding her purple swollen hand protectively against her chest. She lifted her eyes as Dean entered the room and sat next to her.
Dean pulled her arm away from her body gently examining the swollen knuckles and prodding the middle one. Jenni hissed and jerked involuntarily.
"Well I think you definitely broke that middle one clobbering Kory." Dean said seriously as he retrieved the antiseptic and a cotton ball from the supplies. "You must have really got her good."
"Heard it crack when I hit her."
"Yeah, well I'd hate to see what she looks like right now. Where'd you hit her?"
"Which time?"
Dean's head jerked up, his eyebrows lifting in amusement. "How many times did you hit her?"
"Lost track, I kind of lost it back there."
Dean chuckled and began to wipe away the dried blood from Jenni's split knuckles. "Somebody must have taught you how to throw a punch."
"Took some lessons after…" Jenni shrugged off the rest of the sentence. "Anyway, think I broke her nose."
Dean smirked and slowly uncurled Jenni's fingers, pausing momentarily when she would hiss before continuing on with his ministrations.
"You know I broke a couple knuckles punching some guy's lights out once." Dean offered as he began to wrap Jenni's hand.
"You did?"
"Yep, fourth grade. Sammy was in kindergarten and some second grade punk started picking on him, so I threatened the little brat. He had an older brother in the sixth grade. We exchanged a few throws, I ended up with a black eye and bloody nose, he ended up going to the hospital. My Dad wasn't very happy."
Jenni chuckled and Dean offered her a trademark grin. He finished taping the wrappings in place and put the items back in the first aid kit.
"Sam have any problems after that?"
"Hell no, in fact he went around the school boasting that his brother was the one who beat up the sixth grader." Dean laughed remembering. "Kid always looked up to me."
"He still does, Dean."
Dean shot her a glance and looked away, studying his lap.
"There's a place down the road you can go to get Sam's medications filled. They'll be more affordable there."
"Ok."
Jenni examined her bandaged hand with unfocused eyes. "Dean, what was all this about today? Why are the cops after you?"
Dean chewed on his bottom lip for a moment studying Jenni as she continued to sit still, staring at her hand.
"Rachael told me you're wanted for murder." Jenni lifted her eyes to Dean's, their gazes locking. "It isn't true is it?"
"It's true. I am wanted for murder, Jenni. But I didn't kill anyone."
"So why are they after you?"
"You won't believe me."
"Try me."
"No, I'm serious. You'll think I'm nuts." Dean pushed himself to his feet and walked to the far side of the room, looking out the window and down to the view of Millwood Lake. The sun sparkled against the choppy blue surface and a few boats drifted around on the waves as fishermen lazily cast in their lines.
"Dean, please…I want to know."
"Jenni," Dean turned back to Jenni, leaning his back against the large window. "You've given up everything for us. You've risked everything for us. Why'd you do it?"
"Because I don't think you'd kill anyone, Dean. You said you didn't do it and I believe you."
Dean sighed and shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. "Jenni, my brother and I hunt evil things."
"Evil things?"
"Like supernatural evil things. Ghosts. Demons. Vampires. Werewolves. They are all real and we hunt them down."
"Wait what?" Jenni got up off the bed and backed away from him, bumping into her dresser.
"Jenni, look I know its hard to believe, but I'm telling you the truth."
"You're telling me that werewolves are real? And vampires?"
"I know it sounds nuts but I swear…"
"I need some coffee…and a couple shots." Jenni turned and left the room.
"Damn it." Dean pushed away from the window and followed her. He caught up with her in the kitchen where she was starting the coffee maker, a bottle of bourbon was on the counter next to her. She picked it up and drank from the bottle, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand when she was done.
"Jenni, I know you think I'm crazy…"
"No, Dean. I don't think you're crazy." Jenni turned to him and studied him with weary eyes before taking another sip of the bourbon. "I believe you."
Dean was skeptical. "You do?"
"I've always believed that there was something more out there." Jenni nodded setting down the bottle and slowly spinning it around. "Ghosts and demons I knew for sure."
"What do you mean?"
"Well sometimes weird things happen at the hospital…people die there and I believe there is more for us than just this life. Your essence, spirit, ghost whatever you want to call it has to go somewhere when you die. And demons, well when I was little and used to go to church with my parents they used to talk about angels and demons. I believed that the angels would save us and that the demons would be forced back to hell. Until…well until later when my eyes were opened for me."
Jenni looked back up at Dean her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. He looked at her curiously but it was obvious that she wasn't going to offer any information on the topic.
Dean knew better than to press. He nodded to the now filled coffee pot. Jenni pulled a couple mugs from the cupboard and filled them both with the steaming liquid.
Dean downed half of his in a few swallows ignoring how the hot liquid scorched his tongue and the back of his throat. "Seriously, Jenni…what do you put in this?"
"A pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg."
"Huh…" Dean stared into his inky mug.
"My Mom used to do the same thing, my Dad liked his coffee that way. I remember watching her winking at me as she put in the two spices, making me promise not to tell him what was in it." Jenni rubbed the bottoms of her eyes, stilling the tears that tried to trickle down her face. "They died when I was ten, lived with my grandparents until I was eighteen and then moved out…went to college and bought this place with the money my parents left me."
"It's nice." Dean said looking around the log cabin.
"My parents used to rent it for the summer, we came every year for as long as I can remember. My Mom would stay here and bake us these huge dinners…and my Dad would take me swimming in the lake. One night they went out to the lake together, I was here with a babysitter…they never came back. Police dragged the lake…found their bodies a few weeks later."
Dean poured a stiff bout of bourbon into his coffee before adding some to Jenni's as well. "So you bought this place because it reminded you of them?"
Jenni nodded and sipped at her spiked coffee. "I suppose it seems dumb. Why buy a place that is so close to where your parents died?"
"I don't think so, Jenni."
Jenni looked up at him, a few more tears slipping down her cheeks. "Me neither." She looked around the cabin. The walls were pretty empty, she didn't get out here enough to decorate it, but still it was cozy, and in a way it was home. "You know this is the last place I can really remember feeling happy."
She drained the rest of her coffee and placed the mug in the sink. She walked to the back door and lifted her jacket off the peg there. "I'm going to get some fresh air, you better go get those medications for Sam before the drug store closes. If you don't he's going to be really miserable come morning."
Dean didn't have time to respond, Jenni was out the door and down the stairs before he could blink. He watched her disappear into a small clump of trees before he shut the door softly behind her.
