Author's Note: Hello, dear readers, I hope this chapter finds you and yours all doing well. I'm sorry it has taken me so long to post this chapter. I've had it (and parts of upcoming chapters) rattling around in my head, but between my job (I love it, but it's very stressful at times) and helping to care for my older parents (my dad just had his second major surgery in 3 months), I just haven't had the bandwidth to write. While the stress of the job seems to have calmed down some, at least for the moment, and Dad is recovering nicely, I've got some other projects that need attention, so once again it may be awhile before I can get the next chapter written and posted. I already have it roughly plotted out in my head, so there is that.
As always, if you like what I've written, please post a review or send me a PM. I love hearing from my readers.
CHAPTER 19
As Sam neared the clearing where the vehicles were parked, Krissy began shifting in his arms. "Put me down, I can walk," she said weakly. She was embarrassed to be carried like an invalid.
"You're too weak. You'll just fall on your face," Sam commented. "Besides, we're almost there."
"Saaaamm, please," Krissy whined.
"No." His voice was firm enough to warn her that he was done with that particular topic of conversation. "Now stop moving around, or you'll be making the rest of the trip over my shoulder."
She wasn't sure if he was serious, but she wasn't willing to take a chance. Being carried over Sam Winchester's broad shoulder like a sack of grain would be even worse than being carried in his arms. "Fine, whatever," she huffed.
Sam, deciding that silence was probably the better option at the moment, bit back a comment about her attitude. The two remained quiet until Sam stepped into the clearing at the edge of the woods where the vehicles were parked.
He gently set Krissy on her feet beside the rear driver's side door of the Impala. He held her by the arms until he thought she was steady, then released her and took a step back. She took a step forward and swayed. Sam quickly took hold of her upper arm again and raised his eyebrows as if to say "told you so." He reached around her with his other hand and opened the vehicle's door.
"Have a seat."
He waited until she was sitting sideways on the leather bench seat before moving to the back of the vehicle. He popped the trunk and shifted boxes and duffel bags around until he uncovered a small cooler. Opening it, he pulled out a bottle of water and a can of cola. He walked around to the side of the car and held the water out to Krissy.
"Here, you might want to rinse your mouth out."
Krissy straightened up from where she had been leaning her head against the back of the seat. Now that they were back at the vehicles, she was just as glad that Sam had insisted on carrying her. She felt exhausted from the combined effects of her injury and her upset stomach. On top of that, she was embarrassed at having gotten sick at the sight of Sam beheading the shifter. Still, she would rather eat glass than let Sam know.
She opened the bottle and poured some of the water into her mouth. She swished it around. Then leaning forward out of the car, she spit it onto the ground. She repeated the process another three times before the taste of bile was gone. She drank the remaining water and handed the empty bottle back to Sam.
He nodded in approval. "Good, now drink this," he directed as he held out the can of cola. "I'm sorry it's warm, but you need the sugar and caffeine in your system to counteract the shock from everything that has happened."
Krissy didn't say anything as she accepted the can. She opened it and took a sip, grimacing at the warm taste.
Sam watched the teenager as she drank. She hadn't said a word to him other than to ask to be allowed to walk back to the vehicles. "You okay?" he asked.
"Is that really a serious question?" Krissy responded as she looked up at him. "I was just nearly killed by a shifter."
Sam grinned sheepishly. "Point taken," he said. "Shift around so I can get to your arm." While she did as he'd instructed, he moved back to the truck of the car and pulled out the first aid kit and another bottle of water. He placed them both on the roof of the vehicle above where Krissy was sitting. "I want to take another look at your arm and get some ibuprofen into you."
He pulled the small medicine bottle from the kit and popped open the top before shaking two pills out into the palm of his hand. He paused a moment before shaking out a third one. It was a higher than recommended dose, but he knew Krissy was going to be in a lot of pain from those gashes once all the adrenaline was out of her system -- if she wasn't already. Plus, it would help get in front of the pain he knew would come when he thoroughly cleaned and stitched the wounds once they were back at the motel.
"Take these," Sam instructed as he held the pills out. He dropped them into her open hand and turned back to begin pulling more supplies out of the first aid kit. A pair of scissors, gauze pads and wrap, and tape were laid in the box's lid where they would be easily accessible.
Sam sighed when he realized Krissy was still holding the three pills in her hand. "Swallow them," he instructed a little impatiently as he knelt beside her and began unwinding the first strip of flannel from around her arm. He was a little relieved that the wounds had not bled enough to soak through that outer layer of fabric. When the first layer was free, he dropped it onto the ground beside him. He began unwinding the second strip, and his relief morphed into concern. The cloth didn't seem to be sticking to the wounds, which would have indicated that they hadn't started to clot.
When he got to the layer of fabric that was directly over the wounds, Sam saw that it was blood soaked. He also realized that the wounds had stopped bleeding freely and were only seeping. He gave a quiet hum of approval before he stood and grabbed the first aid supplies from the vehicle's roof.
He resumed his kneeling position and reached for the bottle of water. He opened it and sat it aside before grabbing a gauze pad. He ripped open the paper wrapper, pulled the pad out and dampened it with the water. He placed the water bottle back on the ground and gently took her arm in his hand.
Sam glanced up at Krissy and waited for her to nod before he began gently wiping the blood away from the skin surrounding the cuts. He repeated the process several times before her arm was clean. He was relieved to see that, although long, the wounds weren't very deep. "I may be able to use steristrips on those instead of having to suture them," he told Krissy as he released her arm and shifted to grab more gauze pads to lay over the wounds. "I'll know for sure, though, after we get back to the motel and I get your arm cleaned properly." He wound gauze around her arm, then secured it in place with strips of tape.
"You?" Krissy questioned as Sam began gathering the used medical supplies.
"Yes, me." Sam paused to look at her for a moment. "You wanted to be a hunter. Well, hunters doctor themselves when they get injured. The hospital is only for life or death situations." He had studied her as he spoke, and he had an inkling of what was concerning her. "Don't worry," he said, "if I have to stitch your arm up, I can give you something to help with the pain."
He stood and grabbed a small plastic bag from the first aid kit and tossed the used medical supplies into it. He tied it closed and laid it on the roof of the car before replacing the lid on the box. Grabbing the box and the bag of garbage, Sam moved to the back of the vehicle. He put the first aid kit back in it's usual spot and grabbed a bottle of gatorade from the cooler.
"Try not to move your arm that much," he said as he moved back around to where Krissy sat. He handed her the now open bottle and grinned slightly at her grimace. "Do you need me to put it back in the sling?"
"No, I'm okay," Krissy responded quietly as she took a sip. She hated gatorade. She was about to protest having to drink the vile liquid when Sam's cell phone rang. She smiled to herself when he turned his back and walked away from the car to answer the call. She slipped out of the car and walked quickly but slightly unsteadily to a nearby bush and poured out the contents of the bottle. She made her way back to the car and had resumed her seat when he turned back around.
"That was for you to drink, not to water the bushes," Sam rebuked her lightly. "You need the electrolytes in your system."
"A lot of good it would do if I just threw up from the taste," she commented a bit snippily.
Sam narrowed his eyes slightly at her comment, causing her to shift uncomfortably in her seat. Choosing not to rise to her bait, he said instead, "that was Dean. It's going to take them a while longer than he anticipated. We're going to take Jody's vehicle and go back to the motel. They'll meet us there when they've finished up here."
He moved to the back of the Impala and grabbed the box of first aid supplies and carried it over to Jody's car. Sam didn't think he'd need it until after his brother and the sheriff joined them at the motel, but he figured it was better to be safe than sorry. "Come on," he said as he placed the box in the floor of the backseat, "get your stuff and let's go."
They rode in companionable silence for a few minutes until Sam glanced over at Krissy. "You did good, by the way."
"I got injured,' Krissy replied sourly, thinking about how she'd gotten sick afterwards.
"You got jumped from behind. It happens to all of us. It's one of the risks of hunting. That's a good reason why you don't hunt alone. I'm proud of you for the way you handled it. You didn't panic or freeze up. Instead, you prepared to take that cat head on." Sam reached over and patted her knee. "I've known seasoned hunters who wouldn't have handled it that well."
Krissy shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."
"You guess?" Sam repeated as he took his eyes off the road for a moment to glance over at the teenager sitting beside him. "What do you think most fifteen year old girls would have done? Or most adults for that matter?" he asked as he turned his attention back to the road. It was growing late, and the sky was getting darker.
"I don't know."
"Well, I'll tell you. Most people would have panicked and ran or screamed, both of which would have antagonized that creature. Instead, you stayed calm and you prepared to face it down with a silver hunting knife. I'd call that pretty brave."
Krissy remained silent as she considered Sam's words. "I threw up afterwards and you had to carry me to the car," she said in a quiet voice that easily conveyed her embarrassment.
"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Krissy," Sam said gently as he glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. His hand still rested on her knee, and he gave it a comforting squeeze. "Adrenaline crashes can have a huge effect on your body, not to mention you were injured. I would have been surprised if you hadn't reacted that way." He gave a short bark of laughter and grinned for a moment before he continued. "Ask Dean how many times I've had to drag his ass back to the car after a fight and pour massive amounts of caffeine, sugar, and electrolytes down his throat after a bad fight."
Krissy grinned a little at the image that played in her head. "I'd like to see that," she commented.
The two lapsed into companionable silence for a few minutes before Sam spoke again. "It's not just how you handled the hunt I'm proud about," he said. "You did a really great job with your research. Finding that Native American legend probably saved the hunt. Without that information, I don't know if we would have been able to figure out what we were after. If we hadn't been able to find it as quickly or know how we needed to prepare. Hell," he said, a note of irony in his voice, "we probably would have started looking for a werecat or something."
"Do werecats even exist?" Krissy asked as she turned in her seat to look at Sam.
"I don't know, it's possible. Face it, before this evening I wouldn't have thought that an ancient immortal shapeshifting shaman would have existed either." He paused and met Krissy's gaze for a moment. "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," he quoted.
"Huh?" Krissy responded, obviously confused.
Sam shook his head in bemusement as he slowed the car down and turned into the parking lot of a national chain drugstore. "Guess I need to find a copy of Hamlet for you to read," he said as he parked the car. "We need to broaden your education." He opened the door and stepped out of the vehicle. He leaned down so he could look inside. "Sit tight, I'll be back in a minute. I need to pick up a few things." He straightened and patted the SUV's roof before he shut the door.
A few minutes later, Sam returned carrying a plastic grocery bag. He slid into the driver's seat before he dug into the bag and pulled out a bottle of unflavored Pedialyte."Drink it," he said in a voice that, while gentle, carried an unmistakable tone of command.
Krissy grimaced as she accepted the bottle and opened it. She took a tentative sip of the clear liquid and was pleased to find that it was almost like drinking water. She took a bigger drink of it and caught Sam's nod of approval out of the corner of her eye.
"I bought you something else," he said as he pulled a bag of milk chocolate and caramel squares from the sack. He noticed that when she'd picked out a candy bar when they were at the grocery store or making a quick pit stop at a gas station, she almost always went for that combination. He grinned when she reached for the bag. "You can have it later, but you have to earn it by doing what you're told," he said as he inclined his head toward the still nearly full bottle in her hand, clearly indicating his meaning. He'd thought to reward her for following orders this time rather than punishing her for disobeying them.
Sam had to hide his grin as he turned to toss the bag in the backseat. He'd clearly heard the "asshole" Krissy had muttered under her breath before she took another drink.
XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX
Dean sighed as he watched his brother carrying Krissy into the woods along the path that would lead them back to the vehicles. "You want to prep the corpse or dig a fire break?" he asked Jody as he approached the backpack that was resting on the ground near the body of the dead shapeshifter.
"I'll take the fire break, you can deal with the body," Jody replied as she came to stand beside him. "You going to try to dig a grave?" She watched as Dean pulled a collapsible shovel from the bag and put it together.
"No," he said, handing the shovel to her. "I don't want to take that kind of time. Clear all the vegetation out in a circle around the body. Make the clearing about two feet wide. I'm just going to burn this fucker into ash where he lies." He turned back to grab a canister of salt out of his backpack and moved toward the body.
Jody paused a moment to watch him before she began working. They'd gotten lucky. The ground in the area of the clearing they were in was mainly dirt, with a sparse covering of weeds and grass with a few twigs and fallen leaves from the nearby trees. Her mind began racing as she worked, replaying what had happened over and over again. She didn't know what had caused Krissy to stop or to turn at just the right second to avoid an attack from the rear. She could only speculate that the teenager had heard or sensed something that caught her attention. On top of that, she wasn't sure what had caused herself to turn around just in time to see the big cat crouching and preparing to launch itself at Krissy in a second attack. She shivered at the thought of what could have happened.
Jody was so lost in thought it took her a moment to realize that Dean was calling her name. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" She asked as she turned to face him.
"Where's your mind at?" he demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest and studied her. "You know better than to let your mind wander out here. I need you focused."
Jody blushed slightly in embarrassment at being chastised by Dean. She didn't respond to his question. Instead, she resumed working to clear the fire break. When she finished a few minutes later, she looked at the body lying in the middle of the circle and saw the unmistakable sheen of salt and smelled the gasoline Dean had poured over it to help the burning process.
Dean nodded his approval as he reached into his pocket for his lighter. He bent down and grabbed a long stick from the ground. Holding the flame from the lighter to the end of it, he watched as the stick caught fire. He then carefully held the burning wood to the tinder placed around the shapeshifter's body until the flames fully engulfed the corpse. He tossed the burning stick into the inferno and turned to study Jody.
"Don't think I didn't notice that you haven't answered my question, Jody," He said in a serious voice. "At the risk of going full Sammy, here, what had you so distracted?"
Jody wasn't ready to share her thoughts about whether she could have done something to prevent Krissy from being injured. Instead, she turned to look at Dean and shrugged. "Why don't you call Sam and tell him to take my vehicle so he and Krissy can go back to the motel. There's no reason they have to wait around on us."
"Uh huh," Dean responded, making it clear that he saw right through her. But he chose to pick his battles and pulled his cell phone from his pocket. He dialed, then waited for his brother to answer.
"How's the kid doing?" Dean asked when Sam answered his call.
"A bit better," Sam replied. "She's starting to come out of her shock a bit." He had to suppress a grin as he watched her exit the Impala and make her way shakily to a nearby stand of bushes. "Her attitude's starting to come back some. I re-dressed the cuts on her arm, and they don't look as deep as I initially thought. We may get by with just using steri-strips on them, but I won't know for sure until we get back to the motel and I can clean them properly and get a good look at them."
Dean glanced over at Jody, who was standing nearby watching him as he spoke. "Jody wanted me to tell you to use her vehicle so you and Krissy can head back to the motel. The keys are in it," he paused as he sensed Jody was about to speak.
"They're in the covered part of the center console."
Dean repeated what Jody had said, then added. "You ought to do it. It's probably going to take us longer than we planned here, and there's no sense in you two waiting around for us. Take the kid back to the motel and get her arm taken care of." Dean had been watching Jody as he'd talked. Despite what his brother thought sometimes, he wasn't completely clueless. He could tell there was something on the woman's mind, and he wanted to give her the opportunity to talk about whatever it was.
"Everything okay?" Sam asked, suddenly concerned. It wasn't like Dean to admit he wasn't right about something.
"Yeah, everything is fine," Dean replied, although the tone of his voice wasn't very convincing.
"Okay," Sam said reluctantly. He could tell there was something going on, but he wasn't going to press. "I'm probably going to wait until you two are back at the motel, too, before I work on Krissy's arm. I want Jody available to help her shower and get cleaned up."
Dean nodded. "That's probably a good idea. We'll try and get there as soon as we can." He disconnected the call and slid the phone back in his pocket. He glanced over at Jody as she came to stand beside him.
"How are things going with Krissy?" she asked. "At the bunker, I mean." She had a pretty good idea of how the teenager was at the moment and knew she was in good hands.
Dean glanced over at her before returning his gaze to the fire. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, and the shifter's corpse had been at least partially consumed by the flames. "About as good as you'd expect from a teenager with an attitude a mile wide. She's doing well in her training, but her mouth keeps getting her in trouble."
Jody wasn't all that surprised at Dean's statement. "Do you have any idea why that is?"
Dean sighed heavily. "Sam's got some crackpot theory that she's trying to push us away rather than get close to us so it won't hurt as much if we leave her behind."
"That doesn't sound all that crackpot to me," Jody replied. She paused a moment before asking, "so, what are you doing about it?"
"Sam and I have both told her until we're blue in the face that we ain't leaving her." He shrugged as if saying that should be enough.
"What else?"
Dean turned to look at Jody. "What do you mean, what else?"
"Just what I asked. What else are you and Sam doing to show her you aren't going to abandon her?"
"We're training her to hunt, Sammy's gonna be overseeing her homeschooling, and I jerk a knot in her tail when the attitude gets too out of control. We've essentially turned our lives upside down for that kid. If that doesn't tell her we're in it for the long haul, I don't know what will."
Jody sighed heavily. No wonder Krissy was giving them problems. What kid wouldn't under those circumstances. "Have you ever had a conversation with her that didn't involve hunting or scolding her about something?"
Dean thought for a moment. He had to answer that he honestly didn't remember.
"What kind of shows or movies does she like? What hobbies does she have? Does she like to read? What is her favorite genre?" Jody rapidly fired off the series of questions. When Dean looked at her blankly, she just shook her head in resignation.
"I think Sammy's talked to her some about that kinda thing. I know he's bought her some books, and they've talked about some show they both like."
"Don't you think you ought to talk to her about those kinds of things, too?" Jody crossed her arms over her chest and gave Dean a hard look. "After all, actions speak a lot louder than words, and from what I just heard you haven't really done anything to prove to her that you care about her and plan to stick around. Sam may be making an effort to bond with her, but we all know, Krissy included, that if you decided it was time to cut ties with her he would follow your lead."
Dean grimaced. He couldn't deny what Jody had just said, and the scenario that played out in his mind of what Krissy might do if she thought she was being abandoned terrified him. "Yes, ma'am," was all he could think to say in response.
XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX XxxxxX
Sam glanced over at Krissy as he pulled the SUV into a parking spot in front of their adjoining motel rooms and put it into park. She was sitting with her head tilted back against the headrest, and her eyes were closed. He had to smile slightly at the sight. The teenager had faded fast in the ten minute drive from the drug store. An adrenaline crash was good for that, he thought wryly to himself.
He grabbed the motel room key he'd found in the center console with the vehicle key and climbed out of the SUV. He closed the door gently and moved to open the door to the room being shared by Jody and Krissy. He assumed the bed against the inner wall was the one being used by Krissy as it was still unmade. Sighing at her perpetual untidiness, Sam moved across the room to straighten the sheet and blanket, then turned them down to make an inviting nest.
He then returned to the SUV and slowly opened the passenger door. He took the now empty bottle from Krissy's slack hand and laid it on the dashboard to dispose of later. Reaching into the vehicle, he slipped one arm under Krissy's knees and the other behind her back and gently pulled the sleeping teenager out of the seat. He carried her into the motel room and laid her on the bed he'd prepared. He then pulled the covers over her and went back outside to retrieve the empty bottle, the shopping bag holding Krissy's promised reward, and the first aid kit. She had slept through the whole thing.
An hour later Sam was sitting at the table by the window nursing a beer and reading the book he'd retrieved from the room he was sharing with Dean when a knock sounded on the door. He glanced at his watch, then over at Krissy as he rose to verify who was on the other side of the portal. She was still sleeping and didn't so much as twitch when he opened the door to allow Dean and Jody to enter the room.
"You get everything taken care of?"
"Yeah, that shifter is nothing but a pile of salty ashes scattered across the forest floor," Dean responded as he dropped down into one of the chairs at the table. He accepted the beer Sam held out to him.
When he'd gone for his book, Sam had also grabbed several beers from the cooler in his and Dean's room along with a couple of bottles of water. They were chilling in the buckets Sam had filled from the ice machine at the end of the building.
He pulled another bottle out of the bucket and held it out to Jody, silently asking if she wanted it. She nodded and gratefully accepted it when he handed it to her.
"So, how's she doing?" Jody asked as she nodded to the still-sleeping teenager.
"She crashed about an hour ago," Sam replied as he glanced at his watch. "Since you're here now, I'd like to wake her up and have you help her get cleaned up so I can get a good look at her arm."
Jody nodded and took a long drink from her bottle of beer before setting the bottle on the table. "Why don't you two head back to your room for a bit. I'll grab a quick shower then get her up. I'll give you a shout when she's ready."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Dean said as he came to his feet. "I could use a shower myself." He grabbed his still half full beer bottle off the table as he headed toward the door.
"Please do," Sam said as he moved to follow his brother through the door. "You reek."
Jody laughed as she shut the door behind them. She hadn't missed the rude hand gesture Dean had shot Sam as he'd entered their room. She had just turned away from the door when a quiet knock sounded from the other side. She looked through the peephole and saw Sam.
"Forget something?" she asked as she pulled open the door.
"Yeah, actually I did. I wanted to tell you that I bought Krissy some of her favorite chocolate as a reward if she did what I told her. She can have some of it when she wakes up, if she wants it. It's in the plastic bag on the dresser. Save some of it for after I get those cuts cleaned and dressed."
Jody smiled at him. "Good idea, I'll get some out for her in case she wants it."
Sam nodded and patted the doorframe as he stepped back. "Give me a call when you're ready."
Fifteen minutes later, after finishing her beer and taking a hot shower, Jody found herself standing beside Krissy's bed. She grabbed the covers and tossed them to the other side of the bed. "Come on, Krissy, time to wake up."
She groaned and rolled over, instantly regretting it as pain shot up her arm. She cried out and rolled until she was once again lying on her back. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and squinted at the bright light from the bedside lamp. "Jody?" she asked, looking up at the woman standing beside her bed.
"Yeah, sweetie, it's me. Come on, it's time to get up and take a shower. Sam's waiting to come back over so he can take care of your arm."
Krissy rose to her feet and walked a little unsteadily to the dresser where her bag rested. She spotted the squares of chocolate and caramel that had been set out for her. Grinning, she grabbed one and ripped open the wrapper and took a bite, savoring the flavor as the caramel and melting chocolate combined on her tongue. As rewards went, she thought, this wasn't such a bad one.
Krissy had no idea how long she'd slept, but she felt stronger after her nap and was growing steadier on her feet by the minute as she became more and more awake. Her toiletries were already in the bathroom, so she grabbed a pair of bike shorts, a long t-shirt and clean underwear to put on after her shower.
Jody had watched Krissy moving about the room and decided she was steady enough not to require supervision in the shower. "Let me take the bandages off. You can let water run over those cuts to rinse them out, but don't use soap on them." She followed Krissy to the small bathroom and washed her hands before turning to gently remove the tape and begin unwinding the gauze from around the teenager's arm. She sucked in a breath at the first sight of the wounds as she lifted the pads away.
Krissy noticed Jody's reaction and, before Jody could stop her, she shifted so that she could look at her arm in the mirror. She immediately grew nauseated at the sight of the three open gashes running from two inches or so below her shoulder to just above her elbow. Blood still oozed from the cut in the middle, while the other two had stopped bleeding.
Krissy swayed on her feet. Jody acted quickly, guiding the teenager to sit on the closed lid of the toilet and applying gentle pressure on the back of her neck until she leaned forward and rested her head between her knees. She stayed that way for several minutes before she felt steady enough to sit back up.
"You okay now?" Jody asked. She was watching Krissy with concerned eyes.
Krissy nodded in response. "I didn't know they were that bad," she said in a quiet voice.
"Oh, sweetie," Jody said as she wrapped an arm around Krissy's shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze. "I'm sure they look worse than they really are. Otherwise, Sam wouldn't be letting you take your time getting cleaned up and ready for him to treat you."
Krissy smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, he'd already be treating them." She felt steadier and shifted to rise to her feet. "I'd better get showered before he decides I've already had more than enough time."
Jody smiled in understanding. "You okay to do this by yourself, or do you need help?" She didn't give the teenager a chance to respond before she continued, "Be honest and accept help if you need it. There's no shame in it. I'd rather help you than have to explain to either of the Winchester brothers why I had to pick you up from the floor of the bathtub."
"No, I'm okay. I was just surprised when I saw my arm for the first time."
Jody nodded in understanding. "Okay, I'll go back to the other room, but leave this door open," she directed. Her voice was soft, but it carried an unmistakable note of command. "Yell out if you need anything or if you start feeling sick again, and I'll come back in." With that, she turned and left the room.
She waited until she heard the water running before she retrieved her cell phone from the bedside table and called Sam.
"Hey, Jody," he greeted as he answered the call. "You all ready for me to come over?"
"Not yet, Krissy is just now taking a shower," Jody responded. "I got a look at those cuts when I took the bandage off." She reported what she'd observed and concluded, "the middle one is going to need stitches." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Krissy saw them for the first time, too. She just about passed out."
"And you left her alone to shower?" Sam's voice had suddenly gone hard.
"I made sure she was steady on her feet first. I have had extensive first aid training, Sam Winchester, and I know a thing or two about what I'm doing." Her voice carried a definite tone of a mother scolding a stubborn child.
Although he knew she couldn't see it, Sam winced in response to the tone of her voice. Deciding to move on, he continued, "I have some lidocaine spray in the kit, but that will only take the edge off. As long as that cut is, I'd rather knock her out while I work." He fell silent as he gathered his thoughts. "There should be a bottle of oxycontin in the bottom compartment of the med kit. They were left over from an injury I had a while back. We could give her one of those, and it should knock her out."
Jody wasn't surprised to hear that Sam and Dean had a stash of powerful narcotic medication in their first aid kit. In fact, she had almost expected it, given how dangerous the life of a hunter was. At least, she thought, she'd never known them to use drugs recreationally. And, she considered, it probably would be best to knock Krissy out while Sam worked on her arm. From the looks of it, whatever he did to it was going to be painful.
"Okay, I'll dig it out right after I call you to come over. That way she'll still be able to talk to you about what's going to happen."
"Sounds good to me," Sam replied. "And, Jody?"
"Yes?"
"Thanks." Sam really did appreciate all the help Jody was giving them with Krissy. He knew the sheriff was going above and beyond for them, and he wanted her to know he was grateful.
Jody grinned, reading Sam's full meaning in the use of the word. "You're welcome. I'd better go check and make sure she hasn't passed out and drowned. Talk to you soon," she said as she disconnected the call.
The water shut off just as Jody knocked on the door frame of the small bathroom. "You okay?"
"I'm okay." Krissy's voice sounded a little stronger than it had just a few minutes ago. "But my arm is killing me." She pushed the shower curtain back and reached for the folded towel that sat on the back of the toilet. Pain shot through her arm when she reached to grasp an edge of the thin towel with her left hand, causing her to cry out in pain.
Jody didn't give Krissy time to react when she stepped into the bathroom and took the towel from her. "There's no such thing as modesty when you're hurt and need help," Jody stated matter of factly. She held the towel open so that Krissy could step out of the bathtub and onto the mat. Krissy blushed as the older woman quickly and clinically dried her off. She then bent forward to allow the woman to wrap another towel around her wet hair.
"Can you get dressed by yourself, or do you need my help with that also?"
The blush on Krissy's cheeks deepened. No one had helped her get dressed since she was three, and then it had been her dad. But, the reality of the situation was that any movement of her left arm was extremely painful, and getting dressed one-handed required more dexterity than she had at the moment. She sighed heavily. "I need your help."
Jody nodded and gave Krissy's shoulder a light squeeze as she moved past her to retrieve the girl's clothes from the side of the sink. The gesture clearly conveyed that Jody fully understood the teenager's thoughts and feelings on the matter.
A few minutes later, Krissy was seated at the table as Jody was running a comb through her towel dried hair. "Let's go ahead and pull this back into a ponytail at the base of your neck," Jody suggested. "It will be more comfortable and will keep it out of the way."
Krissy just nodded. The burst of energy that had come to her during her shower was fading. She was once again feeling exhausted, and she hated it.
After that was done, Jody handed Krissy her cell phone. "You want to call Sam and let him know you're ready for him to come over," she suggested as she pulled the first aid kit closer to her. She opened it, and started moving trays aside until she came to a compartment at the bottom of the box that contained a dozen prescription bottles. She began pulling them out one by one looking for the painkiller. She read the labels for less potent painkillers and a variety of antibiotics until she found the one she was after. She closed the box and watched Krissy as she disconnected the call.
"They're on their way," Krissy stated unnecessarily. She reached for the prescription bottle and picked it up to read the label. She didn't recognize the name of the medication, but it had been prescribed for Sam the year before.
Jody saw the confusion on Krissy's face. "It's a really strong painkiller," she explained. "Sam wants you to take one so you'll sleep through him working on your arm."
It was Jody's turn to become confused when Krissy's expression became mutinous. But a knock sounded on the door before Krissy could say anything. The moment the door closed behind the Winchester brothers, however, she stated, "I won't take it."
"Won't take what?" Sam asked as he sat down in the remaining chair and pulled the first aid kit towards him to start setting out the supplies he would need.
"That painkiller." Krissy forced herself to not wince at the pain that shot through her arm as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Uncross your arms and rest your left one on the table or in your lap." Sam directed as he looked up at her. "You're putting pressure on it, and that's causing it to bleed more." He waited until she complied with his order before he continued. "Now, why don't you want to take it?"
"I'm a hunter," Krissy stated pointedly, as if that were explanation enough.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Dean demanded as he came to stand beside her so he could study her face. "And I hate to break it to you, kid, but you've got a long way to go before you're anything more than a hunter in training."
"Not helping, Dean," Sam commented. Before he could say anything more, Jody pushed Dean out of her way and crouched down so she was eye level with Krissy.
"Just a few minutes ago your arm hurt so much I had to help you dry off and get dressed. What Sam is going to do to clean and stitch those cuts will be much worse." Jody paused to allow her words to sink in. "There's no shame in taking something to knock you out while Sam works on your arm. In fact, the last time I was injured badly enough on a hunt to need stitches, I got drunk so I wouldn't feel them. The hunters I was with didn't have a stash of painkillers like these two do. Believe me, if they had, I would have taken advantage of that."
"No, I'm not going to take it," Krissy replied stubbornly.
"Of all the damned fool notions," Dean commented from where he leaned against the dresser, his hands braced on the edge of the wood on either side of his hips.
Sam shot his brother a glare. "Okay, fine, if that's the way you want it." He picked up the prescription bottle and held it in his hand. "But that means Dean and Jody will be physically restraining you so you can't move around while I'm working." He met Krissy's eyes as he spoke. "Do you fully understand what that means?"
Krissy nodded her understanding.
"No," Sam admonished. "I want to hear your response." He dropped the prescription bottle back into its compartment and looked through the other until he found what he was looking for.
"Yes, sir," Krissy responded as she watched Sam.
He opened the bottle and shook a pill out into the palm of his hand. He held it out to her. "Take it," he directed. "It's tylenol with codeine. It won't knock you out, but it will take the edge off." Sam waited a moment to see if she would follow his directions and had to bite back a growl of frustration when Krissy refused to reach for it.
Dean straightened and moved quickly to stand behind Krissy's chair. "Take it on your own, or I'll shove it down your throat. Either way, you will be swallowing that pill."
"Think hard before you take that," Sam cautioned. "I won't be giving you anything stronger than ibuprofen in top of it, nor will I stop once I get started."
Krissy met his eyes as she tossed the pill into her mouth and chased it with a swallow of water.
Sam sighed at her stubbornness before he reached into the first aid kit and pulled out a large paper packet. He wiped down the table top with an alcohol pad, then ripped open the paper wrapper. He withdrew a folded pad and proceeded to lay it over the table. Krissy watched as he withdrew a suture kit, a box of steri-strips, gauze pads, tape, and other assorted medical supplies. He laid them out on the pad so they would be in easy reach as he needed them.
Sam nodded to Dean to let him know he was ready to begin. Dean grasped Krissy by her good arm and pulled her to her feet. Sam adjusted the empty chair so he would have access to her arm once she was sitting. Dean sat in the chair and pulled Krissy onto his lap so that her back was to his chest.
"Just a minute," Jody said as she left the room. She returned quickly with a rolled up washcloth. "You may want to bite down on this." She handed it to Krissy, who dropped it into her lap.
Dean took Krissy's right hand in his, and placing his arm and hers across her torso pinned her to him. Sam directed her to rest her left forearm on the pad covered table, Jody then moved into position to pin her arm in place. Krissy immediately knew without testing it that she wouldn't be able to move even a fraction of an inch and felt a momentary sense of panic.
"Okay," Sam said as his gaze first met Dean's then shifted to Krissy. "I'm going to flush out the wounds and make sure there's nothing in them." He bathed his hands in sanitizer and pulled on a pair of latex gloves before he picked up the bottle of saline and began spraying the liquid into the outermost cut. Krissy flinched at the discomfort, but otherwise remained silent.
"Good job, Krissy," he commented as he finished and set the now empty bottle aside. He opened the wrappers of several gauze pads and used them to dry the water from the skin surrounding the cuts. "Okay, now I'm going to apply some lidocaine. I can't put it inside the wounds, so I'm afraid it's only going to numb your skin."
Sam gave time for the lidocaine to take effect while he prepared the suture kit. "Okay, here we go. Dean, you might want to give her that wash cloth, then you and Jody hold her tight." He didn't bother saying that what he was going to do next was going to hurt. He watched as Dean released his hold long enough for Krissy to put the washcloth in her mouth and bite down on it. Instead of immediately resuming his hold, Dean pushed her head down until it rested in the crook of his neck and Krissy faced away from where Sam was working. Dean once again pinned Krissy to his torso and nodded for Sam to begin.
"First stitch," Sam said quietly as he slid the sharp, curved needle into Krissy's flesh at the upper edge of the cut. He felt her flinch and heard her suppressed moan as the needle passed through the wound and came out on the other side.
Sam didn't know how long he worked, but by the time he was finished the deeper, middle cut had been closed with sixteen stitches. The outer cut, which was the smallowest of the three gashes, had been closed with steri-strips. Unfortunately, the tension on the innermost gash from the stitches prevented it from being effectively held together with steri-strips. So, Sam had ended up having to suture it as well.
By the time Sam was finished and had bandaged the wounds, Krissy laid limply against Dean's chest. She barely managed to find the energy to offer a sigh of relief when she realized it was over. She felt Dean shift her on his lap so that he could stand up with her in his arms.
"Hey, Jody, would you grab another shirt out of her bag?" Dean asked as he carried her over to her bed. Tears had started streaming down Krissy's face as Sam had tied off the fourth stitch and had soaked her shirt. He sat her gently on the edge of the bed as Jody approached with the clean garment in her hand. Krissy recognized it as her last clean t-shirt.
"You going to be okay sitting on the side of the bed while Jody helps you get changed?" he asked gently.
"Yeah, I'll be okay," Krissy responded in a quiet voice. She was exhausted from the ordeal, and all she wanted to do was sleep. Not for the first time she was regretting her decision to not take the pain medication she had been offered. She hadn't thought getting her wounds stitched was going to be as bad as it was.
Dean released his hold on her and waited a few seconds to see if she was going to topple over. When she remained upright, he nodded encouragingly and moved away so that Jody could take his position.
The older woman stood so that she effectively blocked Sam's and Dean's view of Krissy. Although, when she looked over at them, she saw they both had turned their backs to the room in order to give the teenager some privacy. Jody helped Krissy pull the wet fabric over her head and quickly replaced it with the dry shirt. She then helped Krissy shift so that she could lie down. Krissy was asleep before Jody pulled the covers over her and tucked her in.
Author's Note: Okay, wow, I didn't realize Krissy was such a masochist. I had intended for her to be knocked out while Sam stitched up her arm, but she had other ideas as I was writing this. You think she'll ever learn that being stubborn isn't always the best option?