Chapter 66

Bobby directed the two brothers to sit down in the chairs while he thought very carefully about the words he was about to use. He didn't think they needed to know this story, but there was no way Jessie was going to let this drop. She wasn't in her right mind and this was just a way of lashing out towards all of them. He turned around when he heard her begin laughing mirthlessly.

"Jessie, please," he pleaded. "You know you don't want me to do this."

Her face was twisted in a sneer, which looked much worse now that she was shaking quite violently.

"Don't tell me what I want, old man."

He shook his head, turning back towards the boys, closing his eyes for a moment. He took a deep breath, before opening his eyes again. He was about to open his mouth when Jessie interrupted.

"Don't forget I'm listening. I will fill in the blanks if I have to."

He sighed loudly, glancing at the brothers apprehensively.

"It's okay, Bobby," Dean said. "We're big boys. I'm sure we can handle this."

Bobby nodded slightly in an attempt to agree with him, but he had doubts. He knew how touchy the boys could be about their father, especially Dean. He didn't think this story would sit very well with him at all.

"About 8 years ago, way back when Jessie was still somewhat new to hunting," he began, "She had this difficult case. I was worried about her so I asked around for hunters to help her." He took one long deep breath and continued. "Most of them didn't want to help her because she was new, or at least that's what they told me."

The brothers simultaneously looked at him with curiosity.

"Anyway, your father was the only one who would agree to help her," he continued. "Which was fine with me. I figured she was in good hands. "

"Wait," Dean interrupted. "You're not going to tell us he dangled her like bait or something, are you? We know he's done it before. I wouldn't be surprised in the least."

"Dean," Sam called. "This is Jessie we're talking about."

Dean shrugged his shoulders in response. He wasn't about to start an argument with his brother. He knew what his father had done previously with other hunters. He wouldn't be shocked in the least.

"Dean, let the man finish his story," Jessie said. "I promise it's worth the wait."

He was about to say something, when he made eye contact with Bobby. His look told him to be silent, so he did.

"Neither Jessie, nor your father knew exactly what they were hunting. There were two possible monsters it could be and they were having a difficult time figuring it out," he took a deep breath. "Or that's what Jessie thought."

"Wait," Dean interrupted again.

"Dean, shut up!" Sam yelled in irritation.

Bobby sighed loudly in frustration. "I'm already dreading telling you this, do you think you could stop interrupting?"

Sam nodded in agreement immediately, but Dean glanced at him questioningly for a few moments before nodding.

"Your father knew exactly what it was. But instead he told her it was the other monster," he took a pause to calm himself, hoping he wouldn't be interrupted again. "Now this wouldn't have been a problem if they were killed the same way and with the same type of weapon, but they weren't. Their hunting patterns were similar and that's where those similarities ended." He swallowed hard once. Finding it very difficult to continue. "When they went out to kill the monster, your father had the proper weapons and Jessie didn't."

"Wait," Dean interrupted again, earning him angry looks from both Bobby and Sam. "You mean he told her the wrong thing on purpose? My dad would never do that."

Bobby sighed once and continued. "Did I mention this son of a bitch had a taste for women? Well it did. And John knew this. So when they went to kill it, it went straight after Jessie, who didn't even have the proper weapons to fight it."

"No!" Dean said standing up angrily. "You're not going to tell me my father did this. You're just hearing her side of the story."

"Enough!" Bobby boomed. "Just let me finish this damn story!"

Dean crossed his arms in defiance, but stayed silent. Refusing to sit back down.

"The monster nearly killed Jessie, while John stood by and watched," he swallowed hard once again. He was finding it difficult to say these words out loud. "John killed it, of course. He wasn't going to let it continue killing other people. But when he was done... he just left Jessie there to die."

"Then how did she get out?" Dean asked angrily. "And why do you believe her of all people? She's a liar. How do you know she didn't lie about this?"

Sam opened his mouth to respond to his brother, but Bobby raised his hand to cut him off.

"Covered head to toe in blood, she managed to crawl her way out of the building she was in and collapsed just outside the door. Thankfully, a man had been walking by with his dog at that exact moment. When he noticed her he called 911. If not for him she would've died."

"And I ask again, Bobby," Dean said with venom. "How do you know she isn't lying about this?"

He glanced back and forth between the brothers in search of the words. He wanted to soften the blow he was about to deliver, but he just didn't think those words existed.

"Come on, Bobby," Jessie taunted. "Don't leave them in suspense. This is the best part."

He closed his eyes for a moment to think. When he opened them again he found himself staring at the ground between the brothers. He knew this was going to hurt and he didn't think he could make eye contact with them. However, before speaking again, he raised his head up, looking at the wall between them.

"It wasn't Jessie who told me this. It was John."

"Wait! What?" Sam said standing up angrily, his hands clenching into fists.

Dean looked dumbfounded. He didn't even know what to say.

"I'm sorry I had to tell you boys this," he said sorrowfully. "I never would've told you if I hadn't been forced to. I didn't want you to think any less of him."

"It's not your fault, Bobby," Sam said, placing a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"No. This is her fault," Dean said as he pointed at Jessie, causing her to begin laughing.

"No, Dean," Sam said angrily, removing his hand from Bobby's shoulder as he turned to face his brother. "This is dad's fault."

"Of course you would immediately think the worst of him, Sam," Dean said furiously. "You always did."

"Dean," Bobby said sternly. "There's no reason to fight with your brother about this."

"But—"

"No buts!" Bobby boomed loudly. "You're not gonna like what I have to say, but dammit you're gonna listen." He paused for a moment, making sure Dean wasn't going to interrupt again. "Your father was wrong. He wanted Jessie to die and he did what he could to make that happen. This is the truth."

The room was completely silent for many moments, the only sound that could be heard was breathing. Even Jessie was silent. It was Sam who finally broke the silence.

"I don't understand, Bobby," he said. "Why would my dad want Jessie dead?"

This was the question he had been dreading. He knew the answer, but he didn't want to tell them the truth. He had even kept it from Jessie. It had hurt him deeply to lie to her, but this was going to hurt him almost as much. He knew they, or at least Dean, worshipped John. But he was far from perfect, he knew all too well. And even if he had wanted to tell them the truth, he wouldn't tell them in front of Jessie. Of all the people this affected, he could never tell her. She could never know the reason he wanted her dead was because a psychic told him she would ruin Sam's life. He already felt regrets for ignoring the warning. If she knew he hadn't said anything, he was sure she would be, at the very least, angry with him.

"He never told me why," Bobby lied. "Not that I gave him much of a chance to explain. I pulled my gun out and told him to run before I filled him full of holes."

Dean stood in stunned silence for some time. He would glance back and forth between his brother and Bobby, but had no idea what to say. When he made eye contact with Jessie, who was grinning at him, he decided he needed to get away from there quickly.

"I'm gonna go take a nap, Bobby," he said quickly, practically running from the room.

Once Dean was gone, Bobby put a supportive hand on Sam's shoulder.

"I'm sorry she made me tell you this," he said with sorrow. "This was supposed to be kept from both of you."

"Why is that okay, Bobby?" Sam asked. "We should know what kind of man our father was."

He sighed loudly. "But this was between the three of us. This didn't involve you boys."

"But it does, Bobby. Don't you see that?" he asked with frustration.

Bobby sighed. He understood why Sam thought he should know about this, but he definitely didn't agree. Sam and Dean were far better off never knowing. He was angry with John for what he had done, but since he knew why, he understood. Ever since he'd become closer to Jessie, he finally understood how protective a father could be. He didn't know if he could stomach doing something like that to protect her, but he knew he would do just about anything.

While the two men were busy inside their own heads, both of them had forgotten about Jessie. That was until they heard a quiet thud.

Both men immediately ran to the door, finding Jessie unconscious on the floor. Sam gently shoved Bobby out of the way, opened the door and quickly ran inside. He very gingerly lifted her into his arms, carried her over to the cot and placed her gently on it. Kneeling beside her, he checked to make sure she was breathing—she was—before looking over every inch of her to make sure she wasn't injured. When he was sure she was fine, he placed a hand on her protruding stomach until he could feel the baby moving around. He breathed a sigh of relief, then sat down on the floor beside her.

By this time, Bobby had walked up behind him.

"Is she okay?" he asked with trepidation.

Sam nodded his head in response, unable to speak.

It was quiet for a few moments before Bobby spoke.

"I'm gonna go upstairs and call, Dr. Riley," he explained. "Is it safe to leave you in here?"

"I'll be fine," he replied softly.

Sam barely noticed when Bobby walked away and closed the door behind him. His only thoughts at the moment were for his wife and son. Absentmindedly, he placed his hand over his jacket where the thermos was still hiding in his pocket, before realizing it. He shook his head, removing his hand and instead took his wife's hand into his. He sat like this for quite some time just contemplating things. Occasionally a tear or two would fall, but he never noticed.

It was more than thirty minutes later when Bobby showed up to let Sam know the doctor would be by within the next couple of hours. He just nodded in response, but didn't speak or move otherwise.

Bobby didn't know what to do with himself at the moment, but he knew Sam would probably prefer a little bit of privacy. So he left the room, locking it behind him, then returned to the upper part of the house to await the doctor's arrival.

It was almost two hours later when Bobby returned to the panic room with Dr. Riley in tow. After letting him into the room, he locked the door behind him. He wanted so desperately to be in the room with them, but he knew someone had to stay outside. And since Dean hadn't returned from his nap yet, it had to be him. He sighed in frustration loudly as he sat down to wait.

Jessie was awake when the doctor arrived. She was lying on the cot, while Sam was beside her sitting cross legged on the floor. He greeted both of them, then turned his full attention to his patient.

Sam watched—and listened—intently as the doctor went about his examination. He could tell by the expression on his face he wasn't pleased. But he kept his demeanor calm while he spoke with his wife.

After the physical exam, Sam helped his wife into a sitting position on the cot, sitting beside her so she could lean on him for support. She looked haggard. Her eyes were dull and there were dark circles around them. Her hair was flat and matted slightly, and she was slumping. She definitely seemed like an entirely different person than she had been a couple hours before.

After the doctor reassured Jessie everything was fine with the baby, Sam walked him to the exit. Before he walked out of the door, the doctor whispered he wanted to chat with him upstairs with Bobby. He shook his head in agreement, before walking back over to his wife to let her know he would be back soon. She only nodded then laid herself down on the cot, pulling blankets over herself.

Sam turned away from her quickly, afraid to cry. He didn't want her to know how worried he was. And he was extremely worried. The one eighty from angry to completely exhausted was way too sudden in his opinion. He figured it was because of the baby. And the look the doctor had given him scared him even more.

When Sam finally made his way to the kitchen, the doctor was sitting at the table with Bobby, while Dean, who was back from his nap, was standing nearby. Both Dean's face and Bobby's was impassive, giving him no clue about what to expect. And the doctor had his back to him. He swallowed hard once, then walked around to the table and sat down opposite the doctor.

"Sam," the doctor began. "I've been speaking to Bobby about your wife's ailment. And while I don't understand the effects of demon blood, I do understand what withdrawal from drugs can do to a person. And every symptom I saw in your wife is text book."

"What does that mean for her exactly?" Sam asked.

He was silent for a moment. "After my exam, I could see that not only is Jessie's body stressed, but so is the baby. Now, I think she can make it out of this fine, but I'm not sure about the baby."

Sam's eyes went wide in horror. "Isn't there anything you can do?"

He glanced quickly at Bobby before returning his gaze towards Sam again. "The only way would be to have Jessie continue consuming demon blood but in increasingly smaller doses."

"So wean her off slowly?" he asked, shooting an angry look at Bobby.

"Yes. Although Bobby seems adamant that this isn't an option," he replied.

"It isn't," Bobby said firmly. "I'm trying to save her soul."

"And what about the life of my son, huh Bobby?" Sam asked furiously.

"Sam," the doctor called calmly. "I would rather you argue after I've left. All I can do is give you my advice and leave it up to you."

Sam nodded in response. "And what is your advice?"

"Well, I didn't do an internal exam so I have no idea if she's dilated at all, but the baby's head is in the proper position for birth," he began to explain to the men who all wore looks of confusion. "But I'm afraid of how this withdrawal is affecting both Jessie and the child. I wish there was a way to know exactly what was going to happen, but I can only tell you what might happen." He stopped for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. "If this condition is prolonged, there could be many health complications for both of them. Or, the stress of the withdrawal could push her into an early labor. Her due date is still a couple of weeks away. But at this point, it's almost the ideal situation."

"Almost?" Sam asked with trepidation.

"I'm gonna have to be frank with all of you," he said, quickly glancing at each of them. "Unless you wean her off slowly, I don't see this ending well at all. And yes, I know you're adamant this isn't an option. All I can do is tell you how this is probably gonna go." He sighed once loudly. "Ideally, if she goes into labor early and has a safe delivery, the baby will at least live. He will be in a lot of pain, though. And it will be rough for a long time. And this is if the delivery goes smoothly. If it doesn't—well things could be worse."

"What about if she doesn't go into labor early?" Bobby asked, his voice cracking slightly.

He shrugged his shoulders. "That's even more of an unknown. Although as of right now, her blood pressure is quiet high for someone so healthy and in good shape and with no pre-existing conditions. And if hers is, I hazard to guess that the child's is as well. I can't tell, of course, unless I can do an ultrasound. But in my best guess, his will be elevated as well." He glanced down at his hands, which were folded on the table in front of him, for a moment. "And on top of all that, he is in a lot of pain from the withdrawal. And from what info you've given me, he might be suffering even more than she is."

Sam stood up suddenly from the table, running out of the house, slamming the door on his way out.

"I'm sorry, Bobby," the doctor said, turning towards him. "I wish I had better news. But these cases are never easy."

"I understand," he replied, standing up from the table and offering his hand to the doctor to shake. "Thank you for your candor. I appreciate it."

The doctor stood up, shaking his hand. "I'm going to try and minimize the amount of patients I have for the next few days and see what happens. So call me immediately if something happens. Anything. I don't care the hour."

Bobby shook his head in agreement, then walked the doctor to the door. After he'd left, he slumped against the door, his head in his hand.

"Bobby," Dean called quietly as he walked towards him, laying a supportive hand on his shoulder. "Doctors don't know everything."

Bobby removed his hand from his face, glancing at Dean wearily. "I know."

Both of the men became silent. Not knowing what else to do, each of them grabbed a beer and sat at the table together. It was silent for only a few minutes, when Bobby suddenly spoke.

"Maybe you should go and look for your brother."

Dean nodded his head in agreement, standing up from the table, when suddenly the door flew open and Sam appeared. His face was splotched with red marks and his eyes were bloodshot.

"I was just about to go and look for you," Dean said awkwardly. "Are you okay?"

Sam glared at him, but said nothing. Instead he walked up to the kitchen table and reached into his pocket. Finding the thermos that he'd kept hidden inside, he grasped it tightly, then slammed it onto the table much more forcefully then he should have, making both men jump in shock.

"I can't let something happen to them," he said desperately. "But I also can't go against both of you, either. So that's in case you change your mind."

Both men looked at him questioningly.

"It's demon blood."

Dean glared at his brother angrily, while Bobby just shook his head in disappointment.

"Look, I'm not as strong as both of you," he said, swallowing hard, fighting back tears once again. "So I asked Crowley for this. I am not proud of it, but it is what it is."

"We'll talk about this in a bit," Bobby said impassively as he took the thermos. "I need time to think."

"Think quickly, Bobby," Sam said sorrowfully. "I can't lose her."