Coma
Chapter Fifteen
Disclaimer: I bought a Sam and Dean Winchester from Winchesters-R-Us
Proper disclaimer: Much as I wish I did, I don't own anything from Supernatural, and I'm not making any money from this fic. I don't own Winchesters-R-Us, either. (If I could find the fic again, I'd let you know who does)
Warning(s): Pretty much the same as in the other chapters. If you don't like, don't read
Once again – thank you to everyone who's taken the time to leave a review for this fic so far. Every comment means a lot – but, as I said before, if you have any suggestions as to how this fic can be made better, please don't hesitate to let me know
Brief recap of previous chapter: Sam had a rather interesting conversation with Melissa's spirit about what's been going on – from what she says, it seems like someone in the hospital is working with the demon.
Meanwhile, Dean attempted to try and make Amber feel better (well, as better as possible), but soon gave up, and when he went downstairs to get her a beer, he then found Meg, once again – who mentioned something about a sacrifice before leaving…
Sam frowned, following the line of Melissa's gaze, and then turned his attention back to the woman. "You don't mean…?" He cut himself off, though, as he saw the strange look on Melissa's face, and the way Missouri's eyes were gradually beginning to darken again.
"Melissa…?"
Melissa held up a hand. "All I can say… is that I died soon after I started looking into Jody's past." Almost before she had spoken the last word, Missouri fell limp as a dark mist was expelled from her mouth. For a long while, the psychic just remained slumped, her head lowered.
Help me to pass on…
Sam wasn't sure whether that thought came from Melissa's spirit, or from his own mind. Either way, he would have tried to move the spirit on anyway. I honestly don't believe that a ghost should be kept bound and unable to leave… "Missouri, are you all right?" Sam asked quietly, starting to move forward.
Missouri slowly lifted her head. The woman looked rather haunted and drawn, but she smiled at Sam in an obvious attempt to reassure him. "She's gone. I think that she used up too much of her energy."
Sam frowned, remembering how most ghosts could and did take on form. "I guess she doesn't have that much energy…"
"Either that, or she's conserving it for something – which is the impression I got from her. I don't know what she's conserving it for, though – her mind, if one could call it that, was too tightly shielded."
Sam frowned again, unable to help his slight feeling of uneasiness. He poured himself another glass of wine and drank some. His hands were shaking a little, but that couldn't be helped. He supposed it was a delayed reaction to everything that had been going on. I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to deal with the Vereor demon on top of everything else. Sometimes, it seems so… easy… to just give up. Ever since Jessica's death, it's been Dean who's been holding me together.
There's no way that I'll be able to pull this off on my own… But if what Melissa said is true – and I have no reason to doubt her – Missouri's the only one I can really trust. Jody could be working for the demon, and Amber just seems mentally unstable…
"I wouldn't do anything unless you're absolutely sure of what you know," Missouri said, her tone serious. "Find out what you can, and don't accuse anyone unless you're absolutely sure. And don't cuss," she added, almost as an afterthought.
"But I…" Sam's voice trailed off. He'd been about to say that he hadn't cursed out loud, only in his mind – but, of course, Missouri could read his mind. He sighed, shaking his head slightly. "What else can I do? I will not let anything happen to Dean!" At least, not anything more… "Missouri, his doctor found a lot of alcohol and sleeping pills in Dean's stomach. Why would he find that? Dean wouldn't try to kill himself! Would he…? Was it my fault? I hurt him – I shot him, first with rock salt, then with a regular bullet. What kind of brother am I! I've failed him in so many ways…" Sam lowered his head.
"Oh, honey." Missouri reached out to gently cover Sam's hands with her own. "What happened wasn't your fault. It could have just as easily been Dean the doctor's spirit possessed."
Sam shook his head violently, refusing to look at Missouri. "Dean would never have pulled that trigger. He's always looked after me. He's my older brother, my protector… He practically raised me! And look at how I repaid him…!" Sam couldn't stop the tears that sprang to his eyes. He was so tired and heartsick…
Missouri squeezed Sam's hands gently. "It wasn't your fault, Sam," she repeated, her tone soft and soothing. "There was nothing you could have done about it, and your brother understands that. He loves you, even if he doesn't tell you that in words."
"Why would he try to kill himself?" Sam whispered.
Missouri went quiet for a moment, looking thoughtful. When she spoke up, it was with a question of her own. "Sam… Why do you think that Dean's in a coma?"
"I don't know…" Sam freed one of his hands from Missouri's to wipe at his eyes, trying with all that he had to stay calm. "I guess either a combination of my shooting him and Doctor Ellicott attacking; or possibly the sleeping pills…" He hadn't asked the doctor what might have caused it, and he probably should have.
"Do you believe in parallel worlds?"
"Huh?" Sam frowned. "Parallel worlds?" Like worlds with different versions of ourselves in or something?
Missouri nodded. "Yes, that's right," she answered. "Sometimes I think that psychics can see certain things because they've already happened. Now you listen to me, boy. Your brother didn't try to kill himself – and what happened to him was not your fault. It could have happened to anyone."
"What do you mean?" Sam couldn't help feeling confused. This continual talk in riddles was beginning to annoy him. Not to mention the frustration that it was causing. "I'm assuming the tests didn't lie – if Dean didn't try to kill himself, what are the sleeping pills doing in his system?" It was a real effort not to lose control of himself and blow up at Missouri. He had to keep reminding himself that this wasn't her fault, and that she was in fact there to help.
"Please be patient," Missouri said. "Your brother's in no danger right at this moment. Anyway, although I haven't actually seen what I'm about to tell you, I've heard stories about it happen. Sometimes, a gateway between this world and one of the parallel worlds can be weakened, and a… paradox can occur."
"A paradox?"
Missouri nodded. "Something can happen to a person in this world, and something can happen to their 'twin' that's similar, at the same time. In other words, the reason for those substances being in Dean's body would be because, at the same time that Dean got shot and attacked by the ghost, his 'twin' in a parallel world tried to kill himself."
And the scary thing is, that actually seemed to make sense… "Then how do I get him back?" Sam asked. "Can I enter the world he's in?"
"It's not possible." Missouri patted his hands once, and then drew back slightly. "The circumstances have to be exactly right. The chances are, nothing will happen – though it's possible that you'd end up in a completely different world."
What else can I do? If Missouri's intention had been to make Sam feel better, it hadn't worked at all.
"What you're doing now," Missouri responded to Sam's thought. "All that you can. No one can ask anything more from you."
Sam sighed, and put his head in his hands. "My best isn't good enough." He was failing his brother. Actually, he'd already failed his brother – he was just making it even worse now. What am I going to do? There are so many questions, and not enough answers. Part of the problem with how he was feeling was also to do with his lack of sleep. Now, he was just feeling so tired…
"I know that you're worried about the situation with your brother, Sam," Missouri said. "And about what's happening with the demon. However, your body does need sleep – and when it forces you to sleep, you'll be extremely unprepared."
"Yeah, I get that." Sam shook his head slightly. "I'm going to try and find out as much as I can about the Vereor demon, so that I can face it on equal ground. I remembered that its tentacles are quite sensitive, and was able to hurt it – I think."
"You must be able to get rid of it completely," Missouri pointed out. "Even if it can't go after you, there's nothing to stop it from attacking someone else."
"I know." Sam raked his hands through his hair. "I'm going to do all that I can to find out about the demon. In fact, I was thinking about heading to the library tomorrow. I would have gone today – but, of course, there was quite a lot happening."
"I really don't think that you're going to be able to stay awake for yet another night."
Sam shrugged. "I've done it before," he responded, thinking of the time after Jessica's death. He still had nightmares about it…
And it's probably going to be even worse now that the Vereor demon's gone after me. He glanced towards the stairs a moment. "I wonder what Jody and Amber are doing at the moment…" He said it more to change the subject than out of any real worry. I'm sure I'd know if anything were to happen…
Missouri looked towards the stairs as well, and then gave a slight shrug. "Amber's playing around on the computer, and Jody's asleep."
"Asleep?" Sam frowned, and then bit his lip slightly. I hope that the Vereor demon doesn't see her as a target… He might not be sure about Jody's involvement in the business with the hospital – but that didn't mean he wanted to see her or anyone else become the prey of the demon. "I should probably go and check on her…" And see if he could find anything, of course. He then glanced at the dirty plates and glasses. "Uh… After I do the washing up, of course."
"I'll do that," Missouri offered. When Sam gave her a surprised look, she gave a smile. "Housework tends to relax me and give me time to think. I would assume that you haven't discovered that yet. Then again, you've been staying in motels for quite a while now. You haven't had to do much housework."
"We've been washing our clothes," Sam protested, not paying too much attention to the fact that he was still using 'we' – talking about his brother as well.
Missouri raised her eyebrows. "In the laundrette?"
"Well…" Sam shrugged slightly. "If you don't mind doing the washing up, then you're welcome to do so. I'll go upstairs and check that Jody's doing all right…"
Missouri nodded, and then paused, frowning a little, as she glanced towards the stairs. "She's not up there anymore…" The psychic sounded surprised, and not a little worried.
"Huh?" Sam also looked towards the stairs. "Then where is she?" He wanted to run up the stairs and look around, but realised that he'd be searching more or less 'blind' – so he decided to stay downstairs. "What about Amber? Is she gone as well?"
"No, she's still on the computer."
"Right." Sam made up his mind, and quickly started up the stairs, starting to become more convinced that Melissa's words might actually be close to the truth…
Min-Li unlocked the front door of her apartment, and stepped inside, holding her bag of groceries with one arm. She closed the door behind her, and switched on the light in her hall, before carrying the groceries through to the kitchen and switching on the light there. Before she started putting the items away, she pressed the Play button on the answer-phone to listen to any messages.
The first message was from Min-Li's older sister, saying that she was in town and wanted to meet up for drinks. The second was from one of the other receptionists in the hospital, asking Min-Li to take her shift next week while she went to a wedding.
Min-Li finished putting the groceries away, and then opened the fridge. She took the bottle of milk out, and twisted the lid off. She opened a cupboard, and took a glass out before closing it again.
The woman poured the milk into her glass, and then leaned back slightly against the side as she drank.
Dean stared at the spot where Meg had been for a long moment, feeling quite hot. He clenched his fists at his sides, and fought down the urge to punch something – preferably the wall. It's not going to help any if I let my anger take control of me – but it would sure as hell make me feel better.
"Hey, Dean?"
Dean turned round, and gave a slight frown as he noticed Sam standing a little way behind him. "Hey, what are you doing up?" More to the point, why didn't I hear him approaching? Did Meg's presence really affect me that much? "Couldn't sleep? Nightmares?" The moment Dean said it, he wished he hadn't. He needed to remember – this Sam hadn't gone through the same things as the Sam in his world had gone through?
Sam's face showed his confusion – Dean could read his brother like an open book. "What do you mean by that?" Then, he shook his head. "Never mind. I didn't come looking for you to have an argument."
"Then what did you come looking for me for?" Dean remembered the argument he and Sam had had earlier, when they had talked about the parallel worlds.
Sam gave a sigh. "Look, about that conversation we had earlier… I'm not saying that I believe you. To be honest, this whole thing sound kinda… crazy. But I figure – hey, you're my brother. I've got to stick by you, because who else is gonna?"
Yeah, that's real comforting. "Well, good," Dean said. "Thanks. You don't have to believe me – but I'll feel better if at least one person is on my side." Amber didn't exactly count, given that she was at least partially possessed.
Sam nodded. "Can I do anything at the moment?"
"Nah, just rest right now," Dean answered. "I've got it covered – I'm just gonna get Amber a beer or something."
"I'll just go up to bed," Sam commented. "I booked tomorrow off, and took the liberty of doing the same for you. So we can head to Kansas as soon as we're all ready tomorrow."
"Yeah, great." It occurred to Dean that he was going to have to spend some time packing during the next day. He would also prefer to take Amber with them, so that he had her where he could keep his eye on her. "So you just go do college-boy stuff or whatever… And make sure to get some good rest."
"Some things just don't change," Sam muttered, as he turned to start up the stairs again.
Dean waited until his brother had gone up the stairs, and then headed into the kitchen. He started to open the fridge, but then hesitated, turning slightly.
There, sitting innocently on the side, was a vial exactly like the one Meg had worn around her neck.
Dean hesitated a moment, frowning to himself. I must be crazy to even consider this… It was a dangerous game that Meg was playing. Whatever choice Dean made, it was pretty obvious that someone was going to wind up dead.
Dean paused, considering, and then picked up the vial. For a long moment, he just stood there, staring at the little container. Then, using the chain that was attached to the vial, he slipped it over his head, where it swung beside his necklace. I'm pretty sure that no one will ask me why I'm wearing this – but I'll be able to come up with a story that sounds plausible enough should I need to.
It felt strange to have the black elixir so close to him, though. Dean could imagine the liquid sloshing around inside – although he couldn't hear anything. He wondered briefly if the elixir might be able to seep through the vial into his skin, and quickly made sure that it was resting against the material of his shirt rather than against his skin.
Well, this means that I'm gonna have to make sure no one else can get to this vial… Hm, I wonder if I could get a shielding spell or protection spell to put on it. Well, he wouldn't be able to do that right now – so maybe he would have to tuck it under his shirt anyway, at least for tonight.
After doing so, Dean opened the fridge, and took out two cans of beer. He closed it again, and was going to head out of the kitchen and back upstairs. However, an idea occurred to him, and he spent a little while opening and closing various cupboards until he found what he was looking for. Then, he carried the empty bottle and cans of beer upstairs.
Instead of going immediately to Amber's room, though, Dean knocked on the door of Jessica and Sam's room. I might wake them up – but a little bit of discomfort right now is better than getting attacked by a demon tomorrow.
Finally, the door was opened by Sam, who blinked blearily at Dean. "Huh? What's wrong, Dean?"
"Nothing's wrong." Dean gave an innocent smile. "Are you kids having fun? Oh, while you're awake – you or Jessica wouldn't happen to own a rosary, would you?"
"Huh?" Sam frowned, looking confused, and rather out of it. "Jessica might have one… Why do you want a rosary?"
Dean smiled again. "Oh, there's just something I need to check out," he answered. "I would have waited until tomorrow – but I might have forgotten by then, not to mention we're going to Kansas." Somehow, I don't think Sammy would really accept my real reason for needing a rosary.
"Oh, ok." Sam yawned. "Just a moment." He stepped back into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Dean heard his brother talking quietly for a moment, and then moving around, before Sam came back out again. The man held out a rosary out to his brother. "Here. I don't know what you need it for – but good luck, whatever it is."
"Thanks." Dean tucked the bottle and one of the cans of beer under his arm, before reaching out to take the rosary. He looked it over as Sam went back inside the bedroom. It's rather plain… But it'll get the job done.
Dean then walked into Amber's room – without knocking, of course. He didn't wait for Amber to react, just set the cans of beer on the side, and then scuffed the salt, breaking the circle.
"What are you doing…?" Amber was cut off, though, as Dean strode forward, grabbed her arm, and all but pulled her off the bed. "Dean?"
Dean ignored Amber's words, and pretty much dragged her out of the room. As he headed in the direction of the bathroom, he spoke sharply and shortly, but his words weren't actually addressed to Amber. "I'm going to show you exactly what you're dealing with here. Trust me, if you even think of showing your face here, you'll be sorry."
"You're hurting my arm…"
"Sorry," Dean replied, but wasn't really that sorry. He still kept tight hold of Amber's arm. "I'm just trying to take every precaution possible right now. I don't see any way around taking you to Kansas tomorrow, so I'm going to do all that I can to make that bastard want to stay out of sight."
"Oh…" Amber glanced at the bottle and the rosary Dean was holding. "What are those for?"
"Take a wild guess." Dean pulled Amber into the bathroom, and pushed her down onto the toilet seat. "Make sure that thing can see what I'm doing." He plugged the sink, and then ran some water, waiting for the sink to fill up.
"If this thing knows whatever it is you're about to do, why isn't it coming out?" Amber asked.
"I think it was triggered by something," Dean answered without looking at her. "Probably because you got mad." He wasn't going to tell Amber about seeing Meg – there was no need to make her even more scared than she already was.
Besides, making her scared will probably work exactly the same as making her angry – it'll allow the demon to take control. Well, it made sense to Dean. He fell silent, though, and turned the tap off. He then put the rosary in the water and started speaking in Latin. I've had this drilled into my head since I was a kid…
Once he had finished, Dean took the lid off the bottle, slipped it into the water, and filled it to just below the neck. He then screwed the lid back on, and turned to Amber, holding the bottle up.
"Holy water."