The Changing Lights of the Rainbow
Chapter 4
The night was long. Even with medicine induced sleep it seemed long, and lonely. The medication didn't keep all the pain away, his body still ached, his mind seemed to run nonstop. He was starting to feel the walls of the room close around him. He was restless, needing an escape from the craziness that seemed to be running through his being.
"Dad!"
It seemed way too late, he wished his dad would have come earlier. He wouldn't have felt so restless and lonely.
"Hey there, Ace, you doing okay?"
"Yes sir!"
John rubbed his hand down his son's arm, giving him the gentle touch, needed to calm him son.
"Dad, when can I get out of here?"
John chuckled. It seemed to be the hunter's way, to avoid hospitals like the plague. They had a tight alibi, but Dean still didn't feel right being there. He wasn't sure why. He didn't know much about the hunting life, he was only going off his gut instinct.
"Well, son, you still have a lot of healing to do."
"Can't I do that some place else? Like at Bobby's?"
"Do you know what your injuries are?"
"No sir"
"Okay, well you have a few broken ribs, that's what's causing the pain in your chest area. Also, there's a lot of bruising, on your insides. And outside, plus you have a fractured arm, that's why you have that cast on, also your shoulder has some stuff that's on the inside, like muscles and things that hold your bones together, they are like a rubber band, they stretch when you need to use them then go back to being tight again, but yours, right now, is like an old worn out rubber band and it's all stretched out, but, if you give it time to heal then it'll go back to being a regular rubber band again."
"Doesn't sound like anything that can't heal at Bobby's"
John, chuckled again, rubbing the top of Dean's head, "that's my boy!"
"So, we can go then?"
"Let's wait a little while, wait for the doctor, see what he says, then I'll spring you outta here, but, you can't tell anyone, got it?"
"Yes sir!"
They sat in silence, watched some old black and white movie on the tv that hung from the wall. Dean slept and John napped in the chair. John had ordered his son not to refuse any medication, that he would need all he could get if he was going to be leaving. So, Dean took the medicine that made him sleepy and feel funny.
When the doctor finally made his rounds and stopped in Dean's room, he only had good things to say. He was impressed with the strength the boy was showing. He was healing as expected, but of course, still had healing to do. With any luck he'd be going home in a week or so. As far as he knew, the police were still looking for the men who attacked him.
John thanked him, assured him he had the utmost faith in the officers working the case.
"Dad" Dean whispered after the doctor left, "what if the cops come back?"
"What did you tell them already?"
"I told them I didn't remember anything"
"Okay, good boy, now how about we work on getting you out of here?"
Dean gave his dad a smile, accepting the clothes he handed him to change into. The nurses had just made their rounds, it would be another 2 hours before they were back. John checked the hallway, making sure it was clear. He was thankful his son's room was near the stairs. They hurried out and down the first flight of stairs, then made their way to the elevators, finding their way out the front door and to their car.
John knew the adventure out of the hospital was exhausting for his boy, and figured his body was filled with pain. He only wished he was able to gather medication before they left the hospital. But, he would come up with something to help his son's pain. The boy never complained. No matter what situation he finds himself in he never complains.
Dean laid in the back seat, resting while his dad drove. Bobby had already headed out, back to his house with little Sammy. John stayed to rescue his son from the 4 walls that surrounded him. John kept an eye on his boy, glancing in the rear view mirror more than he watched the road ahead of him. Dean kept asleep for the first half of the trip, then his sleep became restless. John figured the pain medicine was starting to wear off. Dean woke, watching his dad through the mirror
"Hey there, Champ, how you feeling?"
"Okay"
Dean's voice was low, quiet, barely there. His eyes looked heavy, only half opened. His body, curled into a loose ball on the back seat. His little hands gripped at the cover his dad had placed over him. Breaths coming in short, heavy pants.
"You hurting?"
"I'm okay"
"I didn't ask if you was okay, I asked if you were hurting"
"Yes sir" Dean replied, dropping his eyes from the mirror, like he was ashamed of his answer.
"Not too much longer, boy, we're almost to Bobby's. Then, you can rest more comfortably, and hopefully he'll have something to help with that pain."
Dean closed his eyes, trying to block out the world. Willing his feelings to go away, to become numb.
'Way too young' John thought to himself. 'This boy is way too young to be hiding his pain, his emotions. He's way too young to have the instincts and understanding that he has.'
John looked back at this oldest son, he remembered the little, bouncy haired boy that would jump into his arms. The little boy who enjoyed sitting on the counter, beside the sink, and help his mom make cookies and cakes. He always hugged on his mom and dad. He was always such a good, bright kid. He was so in tune with everything around him.
He remembered when he and Mary got into a fight. He moved out, into a motel room, for a couple of days until they could work it out. Once he came back home, Mary told him about little Dean. She told him the boy didn't leave her side, that he stepped up and took John's place when it came to taking care of Sammy. She explained how she was never alone, never a single parent, not with Dean around. He even told her everything would be okay, and reassured her that John still loved her.
Now that Mary was gone, Dean had stepped up to take her place. He was taking over her part of caring for Sammy. He was telling his dad that everything would be okay. He was telling him, he didn't blame him for any of this. That he understood, and still loved him. He was telling his dad that he would be okay, that he would heal and everything would be back the way it was before.
The worst thing is, the kid believed it. He believed that everything would be okay. That, everything would be back the way it was. He hadn't shown any real emotions toward the events that happened. Sure, when no one was around, he was scared, and he showed it. While the man who wasn't his dad banged the door down, he couldn't hold back the tears. But, no one knew about any of that. No one saw it.
He was asleep when they made it to Bobby's house. John carried Dean inside, even though he woke during it, he didn't set him down. He couldn't. John needed Dean to be little again, as much as Dean needed to be treated like he was. He was so small, laying in the arms of his dad. He was so fragile, so broken. He curled himself into his dad's arms, resting his face against his chest. He embraced the warmth of his dad, if even just for a moment, he felt the father he used to know.
John tucked the boys in bed, together. They were in need of each other's closeness. That's what they were used to. John made sure they were both safe and sleeping before making his way down to the kitchen, where Bobby sat at the table. He was nursing a beer, and had another sitting in front of an empty chair across from him. John sat in the chair that was intended for him, opening the beer that was long overdue.
"I just don't know what to do" John admitted, quietly
"About what?" Bobby questioned
"How do I keep my boys safe with so much danger out there?"
John was still new to the whole hunting lifestyle. Sure, some hunters had figured out how to survive one way or another, he knew he would too, but it would take some time and guidance.
"Dean's the toughest kid I know" Bobby admitted after a long silence. "He may be young, but he's as smart as a whip, he's one hell of a protector when it comes to that brother of his."
John nodded, agreeing with Bobby's statement.
"I'm sure that kid'll have no problem figuring out how to keep 'em safe if anything were to happen again."
"That's the problem," John confessed, "Dean would protect his brother with his life, that I have no doubt of, but how am I going to make sure Dean stays safe?"
"I'm not sure if that's possible."
John gave a huff, not liking that answer
"You see" Bobby continued, "you're right, he would protect his brother with his life, so, he'll only see two options when facing danger. He'll either have to give his life to protect Sammy, or, no matter what injuries or danger he may face, he'll fight through it, he'll stay alive, because he has to. That's the only way he can continue to protect his brother, is if he survives through anything, which is always going to be his first option, the other option, would only become a possibility if he has no other choice."
John nodded, thinking hard about what Bobby had said. He knew it was true, knew Dean would do anything to protect his family.
"Has he said anything to you, about me?" John questioned
"Not sure what you mean"
"I mean, it was a shapeshifter, someone who looked and talked like me who hurt him. I'm not sure what the kid thinks, if he's scared, or even understands that it wasn't me"
"He understands and he's not scared. That boy called me before the shifter ever showed up at the door. He's got one hell of a hunter's sense. He told me he felt like something wasn't right. It was like the boy knew something was going to happen. He said he was scared, sure, but that's because he was afraid of the unknown, he was afraid of what he felt. But, he knew it wasn't you. That I know for sure. We've talked about it, and his only concern was that I find you, make sure you were safe. Somehow, the boy just knows."
Again, all John could do was nod.
"I need to teach him how to protect himself" John stated, speaking only partly to Bobby, but mostly to himself. "In case anything was to happen again."
"Can't say I disagree with that. It's probably the only way you'll be sure the boy would stay safe, I mean there's always all kinds of danger out there. Some of it supernatural, some of it not."
"Yeah, I know, but, I never thought either of my boys would face such danger, especially at such a young age."
"And, I think that oldest boy of yours proved that he's got one hell of an instinct for danger, and knows how to protect his brother, and himself. You know, it could have been a lot worse, somehow, I think he figured out how to protect himself from the damage that shifter could have done to him."
"Yeah, you're right. Can't say I disagree."
John swallowed the bottom of his bottle, pushing himself away from the table. He dropped his bottle in the trash, pausing for a moment before moving through the room.
"I need to go check on them, then try to get some shut eye. I'm sure Dean will be up later, in pain, and, I'm not sure what to do for him, I don't have anything to give him, we didn't exactly leave under doctor's orders."
"Well, we had already discussed how you were gonna get him out of there, lemme see what I have in the medicine box"
John followed Bobby into another room. Bobby dug through an old metal box that contained bottles of medication.
"I ain't got nothing for kids, but I figure, if you split it in half, or whatever he needs, and crush it in some food or drink, then that'll work just fine." Bobby said as he handed John a bottle of pain meds. "Those are the weakest, real pain meds, that I got"
"Thank you, Bobby, I appreciate everything you've done for me and my boys"
"No problem, something about those boys of yours, they're real special, don't you ever forget that"
John nodded with a smile, followed by a yawn. He gathered some apple sauce to put the medicine in later and headed upstairs. The room the boys were in had two single beds. The boys were asleep in one, and John took the other. He closed his eyes, allowing sleep to overcome him almost instantly. He felt safe, knew his boys felt safe. More than that, he knew they were safe. And that was the most comfortable feeling a father could have.