The Changing Lights of the Rainbow

Chapter 3

The smell wasn't the same. Instead of a musky, moldy smell there was a smell of lemons and cleaner. It felt soft underneath him. Soft and comfortable, and safe. It felt safe. He wasn't sure why, but he felt safe. He wasn't even sure why he wouldn't feel safe.

Where was he? Who was he? What was going on? Far too many questions and no answers. Why was it so dark? He couldn't see anything. There was a sound, a sound of… beeping? Was that beeping? And maybe a muffled... something? or maybe someone? Beeping and muffling. What were those sounds? Something touching him? Someone?

Soft, safe, lemon cleaner, beeping, muffles, touch. This should seem familiar. He should know what's going on. But, he doesn't. And, its still dark. He tried to blink his eyes, realizing they were closed. Maybe that's why its still dark? Maybe he needs to open his eyes.

He tries. It feels like he's lifting heavy weights. Its still dark. He's not sure if his eyes were opened or closed. He couldn't tell. He couldn't feel anything. He couldn't hear anything anymore either. He still felt the softness, as it drifted away and his mind became blank.

Again, he heard the beeping, felt the softness under him. He must have fallen asleep, or passed out. Either way, he still wasn't sure where he was. The lemon smell was back. The darkness was back. His eyes, they were closed, again. He needed to do something. What was it? A job? A chore? He wasn't sure, couldn't remember. What was it he needed to do? It was important, but he just couldn't seem to remember.

The muffling sounds were back. It sounded like… like… voices? Who? What? Why? He couldn't remember.

"SAMMY!" Dean's eyes shot opened and his body flew into a seated position.

Instantly, regretting the quick movement. Pain shot through his entire body, his head throbbed, the dizziness made the vomit rise in the back of his throat.

"Whoa, whoa there, kiddo, take it slow"

Dean looked up, "Bobby?"

He squinted his eyes, had a confused look on his face.

Bobby rested his hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him back to a laying position.

"Dee!" His little brother ran up to him, jumped on the bed, and gave his brother a big squeeze.

"Ow!" Dean tried to hold in the pain, but, it didn't seem to work.

"s'rry" Sam dropped his eyes and lowered his head

"Hey, buddy, it's okay, no big deal." Dean gave Sammy a big smile, letting him know everything was okay. He wrapped his arms around his little brother, as he laid his little head on Dean's chest, happy to have his brother back.

Bobby sat beside the bed, giving a slight rub to Sammy's head as the little one began to fall asleep laying in the arms of his brother.

"You remember what happened?"

Dean wrinkled his forehead, letting the last events he remembered run through his head. "I… I think so… Dad?"

"I still haven't found him yet, but don't you worry, I will"

Dean nodded his head, "That wasn't Daddy, was it?"

"No, son, that was a shapeshifter, they shift their bodies into whatever they want. Including other people."

"Dad?"

"Yeah, even your dad. I think what happened was he got his hands on your old man, and shifted into him. The thing is, he probably has your daddy tied up somewhere, they have a home, usually in a hidden place, like a cellar or drain pipes underground. So we just gotta figure out where it lived and we should find your dad."

"Then, why are you here?"

"Looking after you boys"

"You should be looking for Dad"

"I gotta make sure you're okay, first."

"I'm fine, go find Dad"

"Well, demanding, aren't we?" Bobby said with a chuckle, "Kinda reminds me of your old man."

"Please, Bobby, you need to go find him. Please." Dean's weak, begging voice broke through Bobby's heart.

"Okay, okay."

The nurse walked in at that point, "Well, look who's awake, hey there little man, how you feeling?"

"Peachy" Dean said with a grin.

The nurse took his vitals and checked him over.

"How's the kid doing?" Bobby asked.

"Looks like he's doing good, he's healing right up"

"Good, hey, I need to run out, grab some things, do you think it would be okay if they stayed here alone for a little while?"

"I'll take care of Sammy" Dean chimed in

The nurse smiled, "Yeah, I think your nephews will be just fine for a little while" the nurse smiled again and walked out of the room.

"Nephews?" Dean asked Bobby,

"Uh, yeah, I had to tell them something, so if anyone asks, I'm your uncle Bobby, Oh and by the way, your last names are Singer, got it?"

"Yes sir" Dean said with a nod. He knew the rules of hunting, the first one was you needed to be a good liar, not everyone can handle the truth.

"I'll be back soon, hopefully with your old man" Bobby patted Dean on the shoulder and walked out the room.

Dean held his brother a little tighter, "It'll be okay, Sammy." He whispered to the sleeping baby.

The nurses came and went through out the day. Sammy stayed on Dean's bed, he refused to leave his brother's side. Dean was just fine with that, as long as he could feel him, then he could rest, knowing his little brother was safe. The day became long, more than what Dean thought he could handle. His body was aching. He wasn't sure what his injuries were, no one really told him. Everyone usually thinks he's too young to understand anything.

The cops came, asking questions. Dean didn't answer anything. He refused to speak to anyone except Sammy, and that was just quiet whispers. Dean wasn't told what to tell them if they asked, and he wasn't old enough to think of a good lie himself, so he basically just made them assume he didn't remember anything that happened.

It wasn't a complete lie he reasoned with himself. He really wasn't sure exactly what had all happened, and he was sure there were moments, details, that he didn't remember, or was possibly unconscious for. And Sammy, he didn't know anything either. Dean had made sure of that. He kept him hidden in the bathroom, where he couldn't see anything and would be safe. Besides, he was too young to answer questions anyhow.

He wished Uncle Bobby would hurry up and come back. He wished Dad would come back. He was scared. He would never admit it, that would be the same as admitting weakness, and he knew he couldn't do that. So, this fear he felt, it would be his little secret.

He could tell the nurses were getting concerned that the boys were still alone. And, the fact that Dean was hurting, but refused anything for pain. He said he had to wait for Uncle Bobby, so he could take care of Sammy. He said they made his too sleepy and he needed to be able to wake up, to take care of his brother, because that's his job. Of course, that didn't go over well with his nurse, but they also didn't question too much, mostly because Dean wouldn't answer their questions anyhow.

He was getting tired, the pain was building up, sending him to the point of broken tears. He just wanted something to take the pain away, and sleep. Sleep was good. He had dozed off and on all day, especially when Sammy curled himself into Dean's side. But, it wasn't good enough, he needed real sleep, he felt an exhaustion stronger than he had ever felt before.

He heard some muffled sounds outside the door, loud enough it woke Sammy. But, he couldn't make out what they were saying. The voices got louder as they entered the room.

"Yes, Mr. Singer, you were right, your nephew is awful shy, wouldn't hardly even talk to me"

Bobby and the nurse had walked into the room. She gave Dean a smile, "Maybe, now that you're back the kid will take something for that pain. I know he's gotta be hurting"

Bobby nodded at her and she approached Dean, "Gonna give you something now, okay? It'll take your pain away and make you sleepy"

Dean nodded, not taking his eyes off Bobby.

"U'cl B'bby" Sam mumbled as he reached out for him. It was like the kid knew his brother needed his space and time to heal.

The nurse walked out. Sam saw him first, "DADDY!" he shouted as he squirmed in Bobby's arms and jumped into his dad's

"Dad" Dean whispered with a sigh of relief. His eyes were starting to feel heavy from the medicine, and his body was relaxing by the second, unable to react to what his mind was thinking.

Bobby and John both looked exhausted. They had obviously been in some type of a fight, but they had attempted to clean themselves before returning to the hospital. Bobby suggested they clean themselves better, but John was in a hurry to see his boys.

John had walked to the side of Dean's bed, sitting in a chair that was near. "Hey there, Champ, how you feeling?"

Dean shuffled a few inches away from his dad before he stopped himself, "Dad, is that really you?" he sounded exhausted and scared and in pain.

John brushed his fingers through his son's hair. Sammy remained on his lap, his arms wrapped tightly around his dad's neck. "Yeah, yeah it's me, it's really me."

Dean gave a half crooked smile, and John returned the gesture. "You just rest now, okay? Everything's gonna be alright. I'm okay now, and you boys, you're safe again. So, you just rest and heal up."

"Yes sir" Dean whispered with half closed eyes.

John stood to walk away from his bed, stopped by the sound of his oldest son's voice.

"Dad?" John turned to look at his broken, fragile boy, looking so small in the big hospital bed, surrounded by machines and tubes that were running in and out of him. "W…will" Dean's voice was shaky. He needed to ask, needed to find out, but was scared that it would make him look weak. John raised his eyebrows, waiting for Dean to finish what he was trying to say. "Will…if you don't mind… could you… I don't know… stay… here… with me?... Please?"

Dean's hand was trembling and grasping the covers tightly. His voice increased with shakiness with each word that he spoke. He didn't want to make his dad upset, or have anyone think he was weak, because, damn it, he was not weak. He had protected his brother, saved him. He got the shit beat out of him and he never broke, not completely. He knew, without anyone telling him, that something was wrong, and he did what he had to do to protect his brother. So, the last thing he was, was weak.

But, he was scared. He wasn't sure why. He knew the threat was gone. Bobby had taken care of that, and now, his dad was back, safe, uninjured. Or, at least, there weren't any injuries that Dean could see. He just wanted that extra sense of security. The security his dad brought. But, he didn't need it. No way would he ever need anything like that, or anyone, but wants and needs are two different things. This was a want. If Dad said no, that would be okay, he would be okay.

"Yeah, sure, Buddy," John turned to Bobby, "Hey, do you mind watching Sammy for me tonight? He shouldn't be any problem, but if he is, just give me a call and I'll come get him. I'm sure you both could use a good night's sleep in an actual bed."

Bobby nodded. He wasn't too sure about watching the little squirt, but Dean did it all the time, so if a 6 year old could take care of him then he should be able to too. John explained to Sammy that Dean needed his rest and that he needed to stay with him, that Uncle Bobby would protect him and make sure he was taken care of. He explained that when they got done sleeping, Bobby would bring him back.

"Daddy!" Sam started crying, grasping his dad's neck tighter. He didn't want to let him go.

"Dad" Dean sounded weaker than before, "it's okay, you should stay with Sammy, I'll be fine here" He gave a weak smile that barely curled the corners of his mouth, his eyes less than half opened. The exhaustion of the day mixed with the meds were starting to take full effect. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to fight sleep.

"You sure, Champ?"

Dean nodded his head. Or, at least, he thinks he did. The numbness that was taking over his body was making it hard for him to figure out if his body actually moved or not. But, at least he couldn't feel the pain, and that's all that really mattered.

John took a moment to look at his son, really look at him. He handed Sam to Bobby, assuring him he just needed to go tell Dean good bye and he'd be right back. He walked to his son's side, wiping his fingers through his hair and brushing away the stray strands that had stuck to his forehead. Dean looked up at his dad, his eyes were tired, and filled with what looked to be a mixture of pain and fear.

"You're the bravest boy I know" John said quietly, "thank you, for taking care of your brother. I'm so proud of you." He wasn't usually the emotional type, but right now, he couldn't help it. He would have been okay if he had not made it out alive. Losing his life wasn't the problem, the thing is, he almost lost his boys. That wasn't acceptable. He needed to protect them, and to think, if not for Dean's natural instincts and quick reactions he could have lost them both.

"You sure you're okay with me leaving with Sammy?"

Dean nodded his head, "He needs you"

"Okay, you look like you're about to pass out anyhow. I'll be back first thing in the morning. If you need anything at all, you have the nurses call Bobby, okay?"

"Yes sir" Dean said with a small nod, again he wasn't sure if he actually moved his head or not. His eyes slipped shut. John remained, watching the numbers on the monitor even out. An indication that his son was asleep and appeared to be, for the most part, pain free.

Before leaving, he made sure the night nurse had the numbers they could be reached at. He assured them they were going to get a nearby motel, give the baby a place to sleep and all of them a warm shower, and they would be back as soon as they woke.

John gave his oldest son another long look before walking out of the room. When had the youngster become so grown? When did his age stop reflecting the oldness of his soul? He let out a silent sigh, knowing, this would be another turning point in the boy's life, that he would never be the same after experiencing an attack from the supernatural.