Dean was frustrated with being stuck in the hospital. With his arms not working 100% he couldn't do very much for himself, and it was embarrassing. Add that to his worries about Sam, and he couldn't even enjoy the sponge bath that the hot nurse gave him that morning while his mother was getting coffee and talking with Jody.

When she got back to his room, Mom didn't have the good news Dean had been counting on. The police in the town Sam had called from weren't cooperating. Doubtlessly, the chief had refused to ruffle the feathers of the local religious leader on the say-so of some Sheriff outside of her jurisdiction. So, Jody was on her way to Idaho, but it grated at Dean that Sam was on his own, in danger, and someone else was going on the rescue mission.

Lunch was even more humiliating as his mother wanted to help him eat. Sure, she was his Mom, but he was almost 40 for Christ's sake and it had taken all his self-control to not snap at her. She was just trying to help, but it was way too awkward. Besides, he had no appetite. No matter what everyone had told him, he wasn't going to feel better until Sammy was home and back to his usual gigantic, floppy haired, kind-hearted self. Eventually, he convinced Mom that it was the unappealing hospital food that was the problem and sent her in search of a cheeseburger. She hadn't been gone more than 30 minutes when Cas arrived.

"Hello Dean," Cas greeted him.

"Hey Cas. How's Jack?" Mom had already given him an update this morning, but it never hurt to ask.

"He is doing very well. Jack woke up this morning for a bit and was able to eat and drink. He still seems to need sleep, but I'm hopeful that he will be ready to try and heal you tomorrow." Cas sat in the chair Mom had vacated earlier as Dean mulled that over.

"So, about that, how's that going to work? Are you planning to bring him here? Because it might raise some eyebrows if all of a sudden my legs are magically fixed, and I walk on out of here?" Dean had been thinking about this off and on all day and it just didn't make sense to have Jack perform a miracle in the hospital. No need to draw that kind attention to them so close to home. Cas and Mom were going to have to sneak him out somehow and bring him to the kid.

"Yes, Bobby mentioned that. We think that the best strategy will be to tell the nurse that we're taking you for some fresh air in the courtyard and instead Mary will drive you home."

Dean tossed around that idea. It was simple, but sometimes the best plans were. It wasn't like he could take off on his own, as much as it bugged him. There had been a time when he would have protested being smuggled out like a sack of potatoes, but he'd wised up with age. Sometimes even the mighty Dean Winchester needed help, even if he didn't like it.

"Okay. When are we going to do this?" By focusing on the logistics, he could ignore how self-conscious he felt.

"I was going to ask Mary for her opinion, but I have been observing the nursing schedule." Cas scrunched up his face into his thoughtful look. "Based on when the staff are at their busiest, tomorrow immediately after lunch seems to be the most expedient time." Dean's first instinct was to make his escape late tonight, but he trusted Cas with his life, so if his friend felt that was the best time, then he'd go along with it.

"I'm back." Mom came into the room carrying some take out bags that smelled heavenly. Cas jumped up to help. "Thank you, Cas," she said. Mom pulled out a burger and unwrapped it. It had been cut in half, to make it easier to eat, but she made no mention of that, simply putting it on his tray within easy reach. Adding fries and a drink with one of those bendy straws from the nurse's station, she set him up to feed himself. Dean appreciated the considerate gesture. Cas graciously gave up the sole chair in the room so that Mom could sit while she dug her own meal out of the greasy bag. Although Dean hadn't thought he was hungry, his stomach growled. Now that they had a plan, he found himself feeling more hopeful, so he picked up half of his burger with the fingertips of his cast-free hand and took a bite.

xxxxxx

Later in the afternoon, Dean sent his mother home. She insisted that she was fine. "I'm a hunter and a mother, Dean. I know a thing or two about going without sleep," but she looked tired to him. He wasn't so self absorbed that he didn't recognize the toll that having him out of commission and Sam in the wind was taking on her. He promised to rest and save his energy for tomorrow's big break out, so eventually he'd convinced her to go home. Dean had tried to get Cas to leave too, but the angel seemed oblivious to his hints, and he couldn't quite bring himself to be rude. They settled into a companionable silence as they watched some daytime talk show on Dean's tiny television.

"I understand that this must be frightening Dean '' said Cas out of nowhere startling him out of his TV induced haze.

"What? Watching this chucklehead make a fool of herself?" He waved his cast at the talk show host. "The only thing frightening is how brain-dead she is."

"No. I meant that I understand how difficult it must be for you to be so dependent on others." Dean squirmed a little at that, the chick on TV forgotten. He glanced over at his friend. When did Cas get so observant? It was unnerving. Normally he'd have brushed off the comment with a flippant response, but for some reason he didn't, and Cas continued.

"When I became human, I lost all my powers. I was forced to rely on the kindness of other people."

A pang of guilt made Dean's stomach hurt. "Yeah, well you shouldn't have had to. I should have never made you leave in that state." Gadreel may not have given Dean much choice, but he would never stop feeling bad about throwing Castiel out in his time of need. Cas simply shook his head.

"That doesn't matter now. My point was that it can be difficult for you to accept help. You think that you must be strong for everyone and handle every problem yourself. But you don't, Dean. You have people who care about you."

The TV forgotten Dean found himself speechless, awash with unexpected emotion. He forced it down. "Thanks Cas. I appreciate it." His voice was steady, so he considered it a win.

"And you know we will do everything we can to get Sam back," Cas said.

Dean reached out and patted Cas's arm awkwardly, his cast making the movement more like a thump. "I know you will. But…" There was a fear that had been nagging Dean since Rowena had visited. He was over the moon to know his brother was alive, and he really did believe that his friends and family wouldn't rest until Sam was home. It was just - "Once he's back, what happens if he can't get back into his body? What if he's stuck as a little kid?" One of the nice things about being friends with Cas was that the angel wasn't prone to pointless platitudes. Dean could see him consider the questions seriously, but then the angel smiled with his crooked grin.

"Well, you seem to have done an excellent job raising him the first time, Dean. Besides, regardless of his physical form, Sam will always be your brother."

Cas was right. Sam in any body was still Sam. They just had to get him home and then they could figure it out. Sammy could be relentless. He would research until he found a way to make it happen. And for once, there was no big bad breathing down their necks, no axe hanging over their heads, and as Cas had pointed out, they had Mom, Jody, Jack, Rowena and even Bobby 2.0 to help. Dean wanted his brother back, but the first step was to get the hell out of this hospital bed. Then he could figure it out.

Eventually visiting hours were over and Cas left for the evening. Dean knew he had a long, restless night ahead of him, but he felt a little better equipped to handle whatever happened next. By tomorrow, Jody would probably have Sam and be on her way back to Kansas.

xxxxxx

Everything hurt in the morning. Sam shifted around in the unyielding chair, but he couldn't find a comfortable position. He tried to be subtle about it, but there probably wasn't any point. The adults in this strange family were just going to ignore the aftereffects of the beating he'd gotten last night. When he'd gone into the bathroom earlier, Sam had seen the shadow of bruising beginning to form under his left eye and the darker purple mess that was his rib cage. He'd checked out his injuries and the ribs didn't appear to move, so it was likely they were just cracked. Regardless, it made breathing, and everything else painful.

Leah was watching him with empathy in her dark eyes. Her back was turned to Damaris who was sitting on the bed behind the girl, braiding her hair into its usual two plaits. The contrast between the hair and the woman's skin was vivid. It was funny just how different Leah looked when compared to her parents. The adults were both fair skinned, but Leah had a darker colouring. Sam shrugged to himself and immediately regretted it as more aches and pains flared to life. He settled for giving Leah a wan smile and resolved to move as little as possible.

Abraham was out at the van, loading their bags. They were moving on again and Sam was not looking forward to being cooped up in the backseat again. But his bigger concern was finding a way to reach Jody. The Sheriff was his best bet at getting out of here and getting Leah away from her fanatical, violent parents.

"There, you're done," Damaris said, nudging Leah away from her and zipping the hairbrush into the open bag beside her. "Noah, take this outside," she ordered. Gingerly, he got to his feet and grabbed the handle. Luckily, the bag was rather light but the weight of it still pulled on his torso, and he had to suck his lips between his teeth to avoid wincing.

Outside the air was already hot, shimmering against the dusty red outcroppings on the other side of the parking lot. Leah and her mother joined them as Abraham loaded the last bag into the back of the vehicle. Reluctantly, Sam followed them into the van and they pulled out onto the road. It was stifling in the backseat, even with the windows rolled down, and his shirt was soon stuck to his back. Whether it was due to the heat or in deference to his battered side, Leah kept her distance as they drove, although she kept sneaking glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

For his part, Sam closed his eyes. He hadn't really slept last night and at least the hum of the tires and the smell of the hot asphalt were something to focus on instead of the throbbing of his bruises. About half an hour passed when Sam felt the change in direction. Abraham slowed and steered them off the pavement, bumping to a stop in the parking lot of a diner. Impatient to get out of the heat and maybe find a phone, Sam followed the rest of the family into the Modest Pig. Wistfully he thought of Dean as he walked by a case full of a huge variety of pies. This was the kind of home-style restaurant that his brother loved; it even had a pig on it's sign.

Where Dean and he would choose a booth that gave them a clear view to the door, Abraham picked one in the middle of the room. Sam automatically had scanned the place for any threats and identified possible exits by the time the busy waitress arrived at their table. She brought menus, glasses of water and then put some crayons in front of Sam and Leah.

"There ya go, sweetie," she said in the casual friendly tone of someone who was used to seeing a multitude of hungry families travelling through. "There's some pictures to color on the back of your placemats for you and your sister." Although the older woman was just being kind, it was a harsh reminder that Sam was not himself. He tried not to hold it against her, after all how could she possibly know that he was a grown man trapped in a kid's body? When she returned to take their order, he wasn't surprised when Abraham ordered for them all.

The meal she brought wasn't the Western omelet he would have ordered for himself, but it was tasty and filling. His physical needs right now were that of a growing boy, so he had no problem cleaning his plate after Abraham made a big deal out of praying over the food. Not everyone was a fan of his show of piety as Sam caught one guy a few tables over rolling his eyes and a look of sympathy on the face of a middle-aged mother wrangling two young kids of her own. Sam kept an eye on her and when she got up to herd her children towards the restrooms at the back of the building, Sam excused himself and followed.

The mother gave him a smile of apology as her little ones darted and danced around the short hallway leading to the bathrooms.

"Connor! Laurie! Get out of the way." The kids in question edged towards the wall, but Sam stopped in front of her. He looked up at her with what Dean would call his "puppy dog" eyes, hoping that the bruises on his face would look even worse in the harsh fluorescent light.

"Actually Ma'am, I need your help."

Her eyes darted to his blooming shiner and a look of compassion melted over her face. "Oh honey, what can I do for you?" Sam felt slightly bad about dragging such a nice lady into this mess, but he was short of options.

"Do you have a phone I could borrow? Please." He scuffed his feet and hung his head in what he hoped was a convincing impression of shame. "I need to call the police," he said in a low voice. "I'm afraid of what might happen to my sister and me."

"Oh sweetie!" she gasped, clutching at her chest in dismay. Even though they couldn't be seen from where they were standing, she cast a sour eye towards where the Farlows were sitting. "Is someone hurting you, honey?" He nodded, poking himself in the ribs hard enough to bring tears to his eyes. "Don't you worry. I'm going to get you some help, okay?" She pulled a cell phone out of her enormous purse and dialed 911.