Coma

Chapter Eight

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the show Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. Any character you don't recognise from the show, I probably own. (Who else would have them?)

Warning(s): AU; spoilers; violence; some swearing

Author's Note: Once again, thank you to the people who have reviewed this story – and who've read it as well. Given the fact that I'm usually terrible at updating and can sometimes leave ages between new chapters, I think that I've been doing quite well, personally .

Also, if you don't like the story, please let me know why – and also what sort of things I can do to improve. It would be really helpful, thanks.

And just a comment – I like being evil to the characters in my stories (and roleplays, too, but that's a different thing entirely). So, chances are – the events in this fic are likely to get worse before they get better.

Brief recap of previous chapter: Sam (presumably) had a strange dream in which he met what could have been a spirit woman.
When Sam woke up, he had to talk Jody out of leaving to go to her work at the hospital, and when Jody asked him how his brother was, Sam seemed to have lost all memory of Dean.
Meanwhile, in the parallel world, Dean woke up to see Amber standing by the window, having had a nightmare. He questioned her a bit about the relationship between her and parallel-world Dean, but dropped it when Amber started to get upset, instead asking whether she believed in parallel worlds – to which he didn't really get a proper response.

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Sam glanced up at the door of the study, tapping his fingers lightly against the computer desk, waiting for the sounds of Jody moving around to stop. Once he was sure she was asleep, he could start looking through the files on the computer without worrying about her coming in and demanding to know what he was doing.

"Coffee?" Jody asked, coming to the doorway of the room. Her dark hair was still a bit damp from the shower she had just had, and she was wearing a dressing gown over a pair of jeans. She was holding a steaming mug in front of her with both hands, being careful so as not to spill any over herself.

"Yeah, thanks," Sam replied, turning his attention back to the computer screen. He already had Amber Williams' number, and he recognised the area code as being Stanford.

I'm guessing that Melissa's younger sister goes to Stanford University, then…

"No problem." Jody set the mug on a coaster a few inches from the computer. "So… Do you have your memory back yet?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, watching him with clear concern.

Sam shook his head slightly, though more in disbelief than as a negative response. "I already told you, I don't have a brother," he replied. "I don't know what someone's been telling you, but I don't have a brother. I'm an only child." Except, there was… something. Something that felt wrong.

All right, now I'm just being silly, Sam thought. It's this job, it's getting to me. Has been since Jessica's death. I must be losing it. Maybe I'm locked up in a padded cell somewhere wearing a straitjacket.

Jody just looked totally confused. "Did something happen to you last night, Sam? You were fine yesterday. You couldn't just forget about your brother like that – you brought him to the hospital. He got shot during a mugging or something like that – it's not like I know all of the details."

What are you gonna do, Sam? Gun's filled with rock salt; it's not gonna kill me.

No… But it'll hurt like hell.

Sam shook his head slightly to clear it, and the strange words faded from his mind as suddenly as they had sounded. Something's trying to make me lose it… He was having difficulty remembering just why he was in Rockford, Illinois, though. Something to do with Roosevelt Asylum, but why couldn't he remember the details of what had happened?

I usually have a really good memory…

"I keep telling you, you're mistaken," Sam insisted. "I don't have a brother. I've never had a brother."

"Ok… I'll try a different approach," Jody muttered. Then, "So… Why'd you come to Rockford then?"

"My Dad sent a text with co-ordinates to the asylum," Sam explained. "It was, well…" His voice trailed off, and he shrugged slightly. Telling Jody about the ghost of Doctor Ellicott would probably just frighten her again, and he didn't need that to deal with on top of everything else. "It was some… family business," he finished. "Same old, same old." Yeah… like hunting demons, exorcising ghosts, and so on.

"Hunting." Jody looked over Sam's shoulder. "So what do you need the computer for?" she asked, apparently having given up on trying to convince Sam of the existence of his brother, at least for the time being.

"Research," Sam answered without looking up as he sipped some coffee. "You have internet access, right?"

"Sure." Jody sighed a little, and straightened up, heading towards the door. "I'm gonna go get something to eat before I head off to bed," she said. "Do you want anything?"

"No thanks," Sam replied. "Make sure you do get some rest," he continued, moving his fingers over the keyboard. "I'm probably going to need your help at some stage soon." As far as he was concerned, it was probably better to try and make Jody feel like she could be useful. Otherwise, she might lose hope. It was so easy to do…

"Ok," Jody mumbled, and then Sam heard the sound of her footsteps moving out of the door.

Sam turned his head to watch the young woman leave, and then turned back to the computer. His skills at hacking were about average, but then, unless Jody was very good at protecting her files, and had something to hide, it probably wasn't going to be much of a problem.

Sam made sure to keep alert for any sounds that would indicate Jody coming back up the stairs as he worked. Most of the files that he brought up were unimportant documents, including reports, which had very little interest to him. He began to wonder if there was anything to find at all, and then he tried to open a folder that was password-protected.

The folder wasn't titled anything remotely suspicious – simply Work at the hospital. However, the fact that it was protected by a password suggested that Jody was trying to hide something.

And here's where I stumble… I've never been especially good at discovering passwords. Little wonder – he had been studying law at university, rather than hacking into computers.

Sam tapped his fingers against the desk as he thought. He really didn't want to just give up now, but how could he guess the correct password? It could be anything – any combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. Although I suppose it can't hurt to at least try – it could be something to do with what's going on at the hospital.

And there it was again – that feeling of something being wrong. Sam frowned, struggling in his mind for a moment, then simply pushed the feeling aside. Concentrating on something else wasn't going to help at all.

Sam stared at the screen a moment, his lower lip caught between his teeth. What was likely to be the password?

Something to do with the events at the hospital, possibly, and something that would be easy to remember…

After a moment, Sam got an idea. What was the name of the first victim Jody had seen? She'd said that there was a person she had seen first in the hospital… Jon Peterson, that's it. It was a bit of a long shot, but Sam tried typing it in anyway.

The password worked, and a few files came up. Two of them were video files, and Sam clicked on them after a glance at the door to make sure that Jody hadn't come in while he hadn't been paying attention. He didn't have many qualms about looking at possibly private files – but Jody definitely wouldn't like it.

The video files turned out to be from security cameras at the hospital – at least, Sam assumed that that was what they were. Looking at the times on the screen, Sam could tell that they were from the times that some of the victims had supposedly died. Had Melissa sent the files over to Jody, or had Jody got them herself? Either way, it was clear that no one suspicious had entered the hospital during those times. In fact, the very quietness was suspicious.

I wonder if there are any security cameras in the rooms of the patients… Sam would have to ask Jody about it, but he assumed that she, if not Melissa, had already looked into anything like that.

Sam moved his arm slightly, and his elbow caught the mug of coffee. The mug went flying, and hot liquid spilled everywhere. Sam leaped up, letting out a few choice curse words, and grabbed the box of tissues off the filing cabinet, quickly wiping up the coffee before it could get to the computer.

Sam let out a slight sigh, and dropped the tissues in the bin under the desk. That was strange… It wasn't the fact that he had spilled the coffee, but rather that he was pretty sure that the coffee mug hadn't been close enough for him to knock over. Certainly not just when he'd moved his arm slightly.

Sam righted the coffee mug, and turned his attention back to the computer screen. His eyes widened, and then narrowed slightly.

One of the word files had somehow been opened during the spillage of the coffee, and there were words that had been typed up there:

STAY AWAY FROM THE HOSPITAL.

Sam stared at the words for a moment, wondering about the source of the ghosts. A spirit? But given that he was apparently a psychic, shouldn't he have felt something? And was the spilling of the coffee of some significance, or just an accident? It had certainly drawn his attention away from the computer screen for a few moments.

It took Sam only a second to realise that he hadn't heard Jody come up the stairs yet. He headed out of the door and down into the living room. Sam didn't call out, partly because he had the feeling that it wasn't going to do anything – he wasn't sure why or where the idea had come from, but he was pretty sure that Jody had gone out of the house and to the hospital.

But then, why didn't I hear the front door slam?

In the living room, Sam saw the dressing gown that Jody had been wearing spread out over one of the armchairs. Clearly, she had got dressed, and then put the dressing gown on over her clothes so that Sam wouldn't become suspicious.

"Shit!" Sam ran his fingers through his hair and let out a groan. He'd been so convinced that he'd managed to get Jody round to his way of thinking that he hadn't paid any attention to what the young woman was doing. Did this have anything to do with what she'd been saying about his supposed brother?

Who didn't exist, of course…

Now what should I do? Sam wondered. The feeling that Jody was in danger was still there – but it wasn't really strong. He could perhaps ring the hospital, and make sure that the receptionist he had spoken to knew that something might happen to Jody. He could probably claim to be a police officer or something – then again, he would have to use his mobile, or even a payphone, so that the call couldn't be traced.

I'll see if I can get hold of Amber, and then call the hospital… While this feeling remains one of mere unease, it's probably not the time to start panicking.

Sam paused, frowning slightly as he seemed to hear a sound behind him, almost like something had fallen. As he turned round, he thought he saw a figure standing there out of the corner of his eye. However, the next moment, it was gone, and he was uncertain of whether he'd seen anything or not.

What was I doing? Oh, yes… I was going to try phoning Amber Williams, and then contact someone at the hospital.

Sam headed back over to the door, and left the room, moving to go up the stairs. He didn't glance either at the clock on the wall or at the watch on his wrist, which was probably a good thing.

It was much later than he thought…

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Jody headed through the entrance doors into the hospital, and hung her backpack on one of the hooks. She then grabbed one of the white coats, and slipped it around herself, before heading into the waiting area and over to the desk.

Jody's friend, Min-Li, looked up at her from where she was working at one of the computers. "Oh, are you all right?" the Asian girl asked. "Your roommate called and said that you'd been taken ill…?"

"Oh, he's a little… over-excitable," Jody lied. "I just woke up with a headache, and he told me that I shouldn't be going into work today." All right, she knew that coming to the hospital was probably a bad idea. However, she wanted to try and find out what might have happened with Sam and his brother. She was scared, though, and tried to remember what time Min-Li tended to get off work in the morning shifts.

I hope that she'd be able to come into the room with me while I'm looking… Jody wasn't afraid to admit – to herself, at least – that she wasn't exactly brave.

"But you don't look very good," Min-Li commented. "Are you sure you should not be resting? Perhaps you are over-worked."

More like stressed-out, Jody thought. I suppose I could get some sleeping pills in order to be able to sleep better. However… I don't want to be caught off guard. Not like Melissa clearly was…

"I'm fine," Jody insisted. "It's just a little… you know? With all of the patients here. It can be quite depressing sometimes… Especially when they pass on, you know?" It was true, in a way – but not the whole truth, of course. Hardly anyone was going to believe Jody if she tried to tell them what had been going on at the hospital. It was only sheer luck that Sam Winchester hadn't thought that Jody was talking nonsense.

Of course, there was now a problem going on with him as well…

Min-Li nodded. "Well, so long as you are fine," she said. "Your schedule's been changed today. You're to help your uncle run tests on Dean Winchester before walking Mrs. Dover in the garden."

"More tests?" Jody frowned. "I thought my uncle already ran loads of tests on Dean Winchester… He hasn't found anything strange, as near as I know. Well, other than the whole coma thing, that is."

Min-Li shrugged. "I do not know the details," she replied. "Doctor Nelson just told me about the changes."

"Right…" Jody decided not to press for more information. She had wanted to go and see Dean anyway, in case there was a way of discovering what was up with Sam. There's the saying – don't look a gift horse in the mouth. I guess that applies here. "Well, thanks for letting me know…" she said, smiling at Min-Li. "I'll see you later, ok? Maybe we can meet for drinks or something." Like after all this is over and I feel safe enough to have a proper social life.

"Ok." Min-Li smiled, and then turned her attention back to the computer. As one of the phones rang, she picked it up and answered, tucking the phone between her neck and shoulder as she continued typing.

Jody turned to walk away from the desk. As she did so, a single thought flittered through her mind. Sam called me in sick… So why was the schedule changed?

Jody was caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn't notice the person she nearly walked into.

It was a well-built older man with black hair, wearing dark clothes – he seemed almost… out of place in the hospital. He smiled, seemingly polite enough, but Jody imagined a menacing interior hidden behind that mask. Of course, those were just her thoughts. Nowadays, she was seeing threats everywhere.

Jody pushed those unhelpful thoughts away, and smiled at the man. "Hello, can I help you?" she asked politely.

"Yes, my name is Doctor Herring," the man replied. "I'm a specialist working in the situations of coma victims. I was asked to come here to take a look at a patient here who's in a coma – Dean Winchester, I believe. That is the one, correct?"

"Yes, he's a coma victim," Jody answered, a little hesitantly. But it wasn't like the news about coma victims was private – and the man obviously already knew about Dean Winchester. "Do you have some ID?" she asked. "And who asked you to come here?" Jody didn't know every person who worked in the hospital, of course – but she was trying to get some idea of whether he was lying or not.

"It was Doctor Ward who asked me to come," the man responded, as he reached into his wallet. He took out an ID card, and held it up for Jody to see before putting it away again. "May I see him?"

"I guess so…" Jody couldn't see much of a problem with that, especially since the man was apparently going to be trying to help Dean Winchester. Sam would be happy about that… If he actually remembered his brother, that is. Jody wasn't going to let the man be left alone with Dean, though. Not until she was absolutely certain that he wasn't a threat.

"Good. Then please lead the way?" Doctor Herring requested. "Miss… ah…?"

"Just call me Jody," Jody said as she started to move in the direction of the room that Dean had been put in.

"Then you can call me John." The doctor followed Jody as she moved out of the reception area. "Why don't you tell me what happened to Dean Winchester?"

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Amber's eyes opened, and she sat up, looking around the room. She had a vague memory of Dean getting into bed again – but she hadn't felt like talking, so she had let herself slip back into sleep, though had stayed pretty much on the far end of the bed.

It didn't matter that she was awake now. Dean wasn't lying in the bed anymore, and Amber glanced around with a vague feeling of confusion and disorientation.

She then noticed the envelope lying on the pillow next to her.

With a slight frown, Amber sat up, and reached for the envelope. All right, the Dean that she knew had left her messages before, but this Dean seemed… different, somehow. Sure, his mannerisms were the same; the sort of things he said could only be Dean – but there was… something. It was like he was a totally different person in a way. Of course, that was impossible. He was enough like Dean that there was no way he could be a doppelganger or whatever those so-called doubles were.

I'm just freaked because Dean's somehow completely forgotten me…

And what had the whole business with the salt been about? If Amber didn't know better, she would have thought that Dean had deliberately tipped the salt over her head. But why would he do that?

It wasn't too difficult to tell that he was lying about the salt, because that whole story about fish and chips was completely ridiculous.

Amber sighed a little, and did her best to push those thoughts away. Something had clearly happened to Dean, and he had lost part of his memory for a while. That was all. He'd remember her and their relationship. He had to.

It was too bad that this wasn't a movie where love could make Dean remember…

"Oh, well." Amber sighed and, hearing Brownie stir put her hand down to gently pet the dog, before opening the envelope to read the note that had been left there.

Hey. Sammy said that you didn't have classes today, so I thought I'd let you sleep. You look like you need it. I've gone out to go look something up, but I've got my mobile with me – I assume you have the number. But don't call unless it's a real emergency.
I made some pancakes for breakfast, but don't worry. I'll pay you back for what I used, even if I have to hustle pool.
We can talk about that question I asked you later.
Dean.

Amber sighed, and dropped the note and the envelope onto the dressing table next to her side of the bed. She would have to remember to put it in with the recycling when the time came in the next couple of days.

And even in this short note, he sounds like a different person… In the note, he was talking about hustling pool as if it were the most natural thing in the world. But the Dean Amber knew rarely used those skills – only when he really needed to. So what else was different about him? And why did those differences make her feel nervous, and almost a little frightened?

No matter how different he seems around me, he's still Dean… Besides, it's not like Sam seems to have noticed anything.

Amber gave a slight sigh, and straightened up off the bed, heading into the adjoining bathroom. She pulled the band out of her hair and slipped out of her nightgown. She then opened the shower door before getting in, and turned the spray on.

For a moment, Amber just closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm water flowing over her body. A bath might have been better to relieve the stress of the previous day, but she tended to prefer taking showers. Very often, she didn't have the time to spend taking a leisurely bath.

Something passed by at the corner of Amber's vision.

The young woman frowned, and glanced to the side. The glass was misted a little by the steam, but she wiped a hand across the surface, feeling almost sure that someone had just walked into the bathroom.

But there was no one there.

Amber frowned, and then let out a slightly nervous laugh. Heh… I'm starting to let my imagination run away with me. Despite that, though, she still washed her hair and body in record time before quickly getting out of the shower and wrapping her towel around her. She then put another towel around her hair before drying herself. Heading back into the bedroom, she got changed into a white blouse over a black skirt.

"Let's go downstairs and get something to eat," Amber said as she picked up Brownie and headed out of the door. Dean had mentioned pancakes in his note – Amber wanted to make some. She was actually feeling quite hungry, so she decided that she was going to cook some bacon and eggs as well.

Once she was in the kitchen, Amber let Brownie down onto the floor, and then put some food into a bowl for him. As she turned to start making the pancakes, she paused.

On the side was a plate of pancakes. Amber wondered at the sight a moment, then realised what it had to be. Dean had likely made too many pancakes, so had left some of them on the side as opposed to throwing them away.

He did that a lot before…

Amber cracked a couple of eggs into a frying pan, and then put three slices of bacon as well. She turned the heat up, and then waited a little impatiently for the food to cook. She almost couldn't believe just how hungry she was. It felt like she hadn't eaten in days, rather than just last night.

It's not even like I've been doing anything strenuous…

As Brownie finished crunching his food, the food finished cooking. Amber put one of the slices of bacon into Brownie's bowl, and then put the rest of the bacon, as well as the eggs, onto the plate with the pancakes. She grabbed a knife and fork out of one of the drawers, and headed into the dining room with the food, leaving Brownie behind eating the bacon.

Amber sat down at the dining room table, and started eating. She wasn't really bothered about being in the house on her own – she had a number of reports that she needed to finish off. And I'm not really sure how I'm going to answer that question…

Amber was about halfway through her food when she heard the phone ringing. She gave a heavy sigh, and set her knife and fork down, before getting up and moving into the hall to pick up the phone. "Good morning, Amber speaking, what can I do for you?"

There was silence on the other end.

Amber frowned. "Hello?" she said into the phone. "Hello?" She was more annoyed than really nervous. She didn't need prank phone calls right now.

Finally, the voice said: "Home alone, Amber Williams? What a pity… You can't be too careful these days. Otherwise, you might go the same way as your sister…" The voice sounded muffled – but the words were clear enough.

Amber stiffened slightly. "Who is this?" she demanded. Someone's playing a joke…? It's not very funny…

The only answer Amber got was soft laughter, and then the call was disconnected.

Amber stared at the phone for a long while, feeling kind of sick to the stomach. It's some kind of sick joke… It has to be. Anyone could have found out about Melissa's death. After all, it wasn't like she had kept it secret at all… And what awful person would call her up in a manner that was pretty much threatening?

Amber's hand shook as she dropped the phone back into its cradle. She was no longer content with staying in the apartment on her own. She wanted someone, anyone, with her – even if it was Dean who didn't remember anything about her and their relationship. He had told her only to call if it was an emergency – but what else was this?

Amber grabbed the phone again, and dialled Dean's number, knowing it by heart.