Okay. I HAVE decided to change the name of this story, and I'll do it when I post the next chapter. The story will remain the same, so the title is the only thing that is changing. Just wanted to give you guys a head's up!

-TWENTY TWO-

The smile that crossed Dean's face when he woke up and saw his father was enough to bring Melinda back to tears. She kissed Dean on the forehead and told him she'd let the boys have a little time to have man talk. Dean smiled up at her, green eyes sparkling, whispering that he loved her before he let her hand go.

For the first time, she whispered it back.

Dean kept the smile on his face as he watched her leave, before turning his attention to the only family he'd ever known, the two men before him, both battered and bruised, each with some body part in a cast, John in a wheelchair.

Neither one of them making eye contact.

Dean let out a sigh, reaching up and gently brushing his hand over his head. He winced when he hit a patch of still-tender skin, then let his hand fall.

"All right, out with it."

John and Sam both looked at him then, and Dean sighed again.

"What's going on?"

John put on a smile, and Dean felt a chill roll down his spine. He'd seen that smile too many times before. John was about to sugarcoat something, suavely manipulate the conversation and move Dean's attention over to something else. John opened his mouth, and Dean shook his head.

"No. I—I want the truth. Don't try and change the subject."

John glanced down at his arm, wrapped securely in a sling. Dean let out a sigh.

"Sammy? Talk to me."

Sam swallowed, glancing down at his father. John shook his head, then looked up at Dean and smiled.

"I don't know if I've ever told you boys how proud I am of you."

Dean's eyes widened, and Sam turned to face the wall. John looked up, met green eyes, felt the twinge in his heart that he always did when he saw Mary's eyes staring back at him from their son.

"You make me proud. You always have. You've taken care of this family when I couldn't, held us together when everything tried to pull us apart. You've taken care of Sammy since he was born. He's lucky to have you, Dean, and I really hope he knows how lucky he is."
"I do."

Sam's voice was quiet when he spoke, and Dean glanced over to him, then back to John.

"Dad, are you all right?"

John laughed quietly, then cleared his throat.

"Hey, Sammy?"

Sam turned around, hazel eyes sparkling with unshed tears. John motioned towards the door with his head.

"Think you could grab me a cup of caffeine?"

Sam sniffled and nodded his head. He stepped by the bed, patting Dean's leg, then walked out of the room. Dean lifted a hand to rub at his chin, then met his father's eyes.

"Dad, what the hell's going on?"

John smiled at him, looking down for a moment, then back up.

"You know, when you were a kid … I'd come home sometimes and I'd …"

John let out a breath, shaking his head.

"You'd come up to me and you … You'd put your little hand on my shoulder and you'd look me in the eye and you'd say 'It's okay, Dad.'"

Tears were in John's eyes, and he sniffled.

"I'm sorry, Dean."
"For what?"

John shook his head.

"You shouldn't have had to say that to me. I should have been saying that to you. I put—I put too much on your shoulders. I made you grow up too fast."

John let out a breath as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"You took care of Sammy. You took care of me. You shouldn't have had to, but you did, and you didn't complain. Not once."

John shook his head.

"I just … I just want you to know how proud you've made me."
"Dad, is this really you talking?"

John let out a laugh.

"Yeah, bud. It's really me. And it's a damn long time coming, I know."

Dean shook his head.

"Dad, why … Why're you saying this stuff?"

John smiled, glancing behind him for a second.

"I want you to watch out for Sammy, okay?"

Dean let out a breath.

"Come on. You're not leaving again, are you? Dad, you're beat to hell and you—"
"Dean."

Dean went quiet, and John nodded to him.

"Promise me."
"Dad, you know I will."

John nodded. Dean took in a shaky breath.

"Dad, you ... you're scaring me."

John smiled, giving him a wink.

"Don't you worry about me. I'll be fine. Just … Do what I couldn't, okay? Just let it go."
"What? What are you talking about?"

John glanced at his leg, all wrapped up in the cast and the brace, then back to Dean.

"Sam said you don't remember anything?"
"Not really, no."
"Let's keep it that way, okay?"
"Dad, what—"

John shook his head.

"Just watch out for your brother. And that girl. She's a keeper, son."

Dean's face relaxed at the mention of Melinda, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"I know she is."

John glanced down at his hand, gently turning his wedding ring.

"She reminds me a lot of your mom."
"Really?"

John glanced back up, smiling and nodding.

"Did I ever tell you how we got together?"

Dean shook his head, and John smiled as he thought back.

"First time we met, she couldn't stand me. Naturally, I fell head over heels for her the moment I saw her, but she needed a little convincing. I nagged her until she agreed to go out with me. 'One date, and you'll leave me the hell alone?'"

John let out a laugh.

"I promised her, just one date, then she'd never hear from me again."

Dean smiled.

"Guess it was a good date."

John nodded.

"Yes, it was. And when she made it clear that she wouldn't put up with my bullshit, well …"

John glanced back at his ring, then looked up at Dean.

"I didn't really have a choice, and I didn't really give her one. Although later, when she was pregnant with you, she told me that she'd just made it seem like it was my idea to marry her."

John let out a laugh, shaking his head again.

"She sure was something."

John closed his eyes again, and at the low sound of a cough, John and Dean turned to see Sam in the doorway, cup of coffee in his hand. John smiled as he reached a hand out, nodding towards Sam as he took a sip. Sam stepped back over to the wall, leaning against it.

"So… We gonna talk about it?"

At the same time, Dean and John both raised a shoulder, let out a breath. Sam let out a quiet laugh. John shook his head.

"To be honest, I … I can't remember what was so important."
"It had to be important, for us to need to get you, Sammy. But I just can't …"

Dean blew out a breath, and John reached over, patting his leg.

"It's all right. If it's really important, it'll come back to you."

John let out a sigh, reaching a hand up to cover his mouth as he yawned.

"Hey, Sammy?"

Sam looked up, and John smiled.

"Think I could get you to chauffeur me back to my room?"

Sam rolled his eyes, but smiled. John wheeled himself closer to the bed, gripping Dean's shoulder.

"I love you, kid. Don't scare us like this again, all right?"

Dean nodded, cheeks growing red.

"I, uh … I love you too, Dad."

John nodded, sitting back as Sam wheeled him out of the room.

Bobby was waiting for them in John's room. Sam just smiled as Bobby helped him get John back in the bed, as they already started their bitching at each other. Sam shook his head as he set the pillow behind his father's head.

"It's like Grumpy Old Men."
"Shut up, Sam."

He cackled at their simultaneous speech as he walked out of the room, slipping his hands in his pockets before he walked back to Dean's room. Bobby shut the door when he was gone, then turned to face the bed.

"Now. Spare me the bullshit and tell me what the hell's going on here."

John pursed his lips.

"Nothing's going on."
"Uh-huh. If nothing else, you've always been a damn good liar."

John shrugged his shoulders.

"You gotta do what you gotta do."
"And that's lying to your sons?"
"I'm keeping them safe. And I'm not lying to them."
"You're sure as hell not telling them the truth."

John sighed.

"I can't, Bobby. Their lives depend on them not knowing. You've got to keep them from digging."
"You can do that, John. I'm not going to lie to them."

John swallowed, and Bobby blew out a breath.

"Stubborn son of a bitch."

John let out a laugh.

"I love you too, Bobby."

Bobby raised his middle finger, and John laid back against the pillows as he laughed. A knock sounded at the door, a few seconds before Melinda's blonde head poked in. Bobby and John both smiled at the sight of her, and Bobby cleared his throat.

"I'll go see about the boys."

Melinda smiled as Bobby walked past her, then looked to John, who shook his head.

"Subtle, ain't he?"

Melinda let out a laugh, then pulled a chair up next to the bed. It was quiet for a few moments, before she spoke.

"I feel like I know you. And I don't know why."

John just looked at her, and she sighed.

"It's not because of Dean. Even though you two could be twins. He's like a carbon copy of you."

John smiled, feeling a real sense of pride fill his chest. Melinda shook her head.

"It's something else. Something … From a long time ago. I don't know."

She sighed again, reaching to pull a piece of fuzz from the bed. John watched her, mind drifting back.

"Wyatt, watch your sister."

The towheaded little boy nodded, holding out his arms, and the chubby little girl toddled into them, laughing when her brother caught her. Another little boy, not quite as blonde, stood back, his own little brother standing between his legs, holding onto his arm, chewing on his fist, watching the three children who were watching them. John reached down and patted his son's shoulder.

"It's all right, Dean-o. I'll be right over here. Just watch out for Sammy."
"Yes, sir."

Dean walked over, to the dark-haired little boy with his mother's dark eyes, who was watching him carefully. After a few minutes, they were running around like they were old friends, the toddlers watching them with wide eyes from the sandbox.

John turned to Leo, saw the wide smile on his face before he took his eyes from his children. They walked over to a bench and sat down. Leo shook his head, then let out a sigh.

"How you doing?"

John sighed, dragging a hand over his face.

"It's hard. But it's not as bad as it was before."

Leo nodded, and John went on.

"Dean's talking again. He didn't say a word for nearly a year, until Bobby said something about Sam being too quiet. Dean didn't talk, so I guess Sam didn't see a need to, either."

Leo smiled, and John snorted.

"What? You gonna give me your medical opinion, Doc?"

Leo let out a laugh.

"Nah. With the trauma the kid's been through …"

Leo shook his head.

"He'll be all right."

Leo reached over, gripped John's shoulder.

"You both will."

John tried to smile, but stared down at his hands instead. He looked up, blinking when he saw the little girl in front of him, wide blue eyes staring at him. She held his gaze for a minute, then lifted both of her hands.

"Up."

John smiled, reaching down and picking her up, setting her in his lap. Leo watched them with an amused expression, glancing back at the boys. John stared at the beauty in his arms, the two little blonde pigtails on top of her head, her father's blue eyes watching him carefully. She finally shifted on his lap, reaching her hands up to his face and laying them gently on his cheeks.

John smiled. He'd let his strict shaving-every-day habit slide in the past year. There wasn't a lot of time, not with Dean waking up crying every night, and Sam being a normal baby with a jacked-up sleep schedule. John had learned to go without, and now had a dark beard shadowing his cheeks and jaw.

Leo was clean-shaven, as he always had been.

The little girl made a "hmm" noise as she gently patted his cheeks, and John let out a laugh. Leo shook his head as he watched them.

"She's a curious one. Can't leave well-enough alone, gets herself into quite a few pickles. Just like her mother."

John let out a laugh at that.

"Mother, my ass. She's her dad made over."

Leo laughed, reaching over and tickling his daughter's foot. She looked to him, smiling widely as she called him "da da" a few times, then went back to patting John's cheeks. John leaned over, growling low and rubbing his chin against her neck. She squealed, melting into giggles, and John felt some part of his heart loosen. He leaned up and she clapped her hands, reaching out for him, sweet little voice saying "Again! Again!"

John blinked, shaking his head.

"Maybe I remind you of someone."

Melinda nodded slowly.

"Maybe."

John let out a laugh.

"And if not, it's just par for the course in this funky town."

Melinda raised an eyebrow as she smiled.

"'Funky town'?"

John smiled.

"Tell that to Dean. He'll get a kick out of it."

Melinda shook her head, reaching up a hand and pushing it through her hair. She let out a sigh, then looked up, saw John's dark eyes watching her. She gave him a smile.

"You need a place to stay. To … recup and … I don't know. Figure things out, I guess."

John nodded, and Melinda glanced down at her hands.

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay with Sam and Jess."

John let out a laugh.

"Uh, no. No, I don't …"

John laughed again, shaking his head.

"Don't get me wrong. I love my son, but … Sammy and I can barely stay in the same room without going at each other."

Melinda smiled as she nodded.

"I'd offer to let you stay with Dean and me, but the place is upstairs and with your leg…"

She pushed a hand through her hair, and John smiled.

"I'll just impose on Bobby. Not like it's the first time."
"Just between you and me, I think he likes it."

John laughed, nodding his head. Melinda smiled at him, and his face softened.

"You're good for Dean."

Melinda blinked, blue eyes gone wide. John was hit with a wave of nostalgia, and he swallowed. He pushed a smile on his face.

"You remind me a lot of my Mary. Beautiful. Kind. But you don't take no shit."

Melinda laughed.

"Well, thank you. I can see how much you love her, how much Dean did. I'm flattered."

John nodded, blinking back tears.

"You take care of him for me."

Melinda tilted her head, and John let out a shaky breath.

"He … he carries a heavy burden. And it's my fault."
"John—"
"No, it … It is my fault."

John shook his head, glancing down at his arm.

"I made him grow up too fast. I put too many responsibilities on him. He was four when Mary died. He never got to be a kid. I never let him be a kid."

John shook his head again, lifting pain-filled eyes to Melinda.

"He raised Sammy. Not me; Dean was more of a father to Sam than I ever was. He took care of Sam, and he took care of me, and he … He never should have had to."

John closed his eyes, squeezing them shut at the tears he didn't want to let fall. He felt a soft touch on his arm, and opened his eyes, to see soft blue eyes looking back at him.

Chubby arms stretched towards him, blue eyes locked on his.

"Up."

Melinda shook her head.

"You did the best you could."

John snorted, reaching up to wipe a tear from his cheek.

"It wasn't enough."
"Oh, I don't know."

Melinda smiled.

"They turned out all right, I think."

John smiled.

"Yeah, they did."
"Those boys are the best men I have ever met. And I know how lucky I am to have them in my life."

Melinda patted John's arm.

"You had a hand in how they turned out, no matter how small it might have been. They could resent you and be determined to do anything but the right thing. They could be junkies or in prison. But they're not. One's got a thriving business, and the other's in law school."

She shrugged her shoulders again, and John nodded. He cleared his throat, then nodded to her.

"Thank you for that."
"Anytime."

She glanced at the clock on the wall, then sighed.

"I better get back."

John nodded, then settled back in the bed.

"Hey, that sister of yours?"

Melinda smiled as she stood up, smoothing out her clothes.

"She's good people. Not as good as me, but you know."

John laughed as Melinda reached over, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"She's crazy about Sam. They'll take good care of each other."

John nodded, and Melinda tightened her grip.

"They're all right, John. And once this all blows over, they'll be fine. We all will."

John reached up to pat Melinda's hand on his arm. She narrowed her eyes, and he gave a minute shake of his head. She smiled, sliding her hand from under his, slipping it into the pocket of her jacket. John let his hand fall and sighed, smiling when Melinda leaned over to kiss his cheek.

"Get some rest."

John watched her leave, laying his head back on the pillow, letting out a long breath.

"They'll be fine."

Melinda walked into the room and went straight to the bed, leaning over and pressing a kiss to Dean's forehead. He blinked opened his eyes, smiling at her and yawning.

"Where'd you go?"

She smiled, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"To talk to your dad."

Dean smiled and nodded, reaching a hand out. Melinda smiled and laced her fingers with his, then shrugged her shoulders as she let out a sigh.

"I'm thinking about leaving you for him."

Dean threw back his head and laughed, one hand coming up to hold his aching ribs. He laughed until tears were rolling down his cheeks, while Melinda just grinned at him. Sam and Jess walked into the room, and Jess raised an eyebrow.

"What's so funny?"

Melinda glanced back at her and smiled.

"I just told Dean I was thinking about ditching him for John."
"Crap, I was going to do that!"

Dean laughed again, this time with Melinda joining in. Jess glanced over to Sam, who had his lips pressed together, muscles in his jaw tense. He shook his head.

"Not funny."

Jess stepped over to him and wrapped her arms around him. Sam crossed his arms over his chest, stubbornly refusing to look at her. Jess snuggled closer, until Sam glanced down.

"It's a little funny."
"Not funny."
"Just a little bit?"

Sam couldn't fight it anymore. He shook his head, looping his arms around Jess, bending down to kiss her lips.

"Ew, Sasquatch. Get a room."

Melinda and Jess laughed as Gabriel and Bobby stepped into the room. Melinda sat up straighter, smiling at Bobby.

"Hey, you might have a house guest for a while, Bobby."

He raised an eyebrow.

"One of these idjits?"

Melinda smiled.

"No, their dad."

Bobby rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I just left his room. We talked, he let me know he'd be crashing on my couch. Can't wait for the slumber party."

The boys laughed, and Gabe jumped at the sound of the intercom beeping before a voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Code Blue, room 356. Code Blue, room 356."

The room fell silent as Melinda slowly turned her head to meet Dean's eyes. Jess spoke quietly.

"Is—isn't 356 …?"

Sam turned and ran from the room, sprinting down the hall. Jess went after him as Melinda, Gabe, and Bobby helped Dean from the bed, and they hurried down the hall. Dean stepped up beside Sam, who was gripping the doorframe, shaking his head. A nurse was standing in front of him, trying to get them all to step back, until Dean's rough, raspy rang out.

"That's our dad!"

The nurse stepped aside, turning back around to the team that was currently gathered around John's bed, shouting medical terms to each other over the blaring of the alarms. Sam gripped the door harder, tears in his eyes. Dean laid a hand on Sam's shoulder, squeezing hard as John's body bowed up from the bed, electricity coursing through his veins in an attempt to re-start his heart. Finally, a tired voice rang out.

"All right, hold compressions."

Melinda glanced up, seeing Dean mouthing the words "Come on" over and over again. Jess looped an arm around Melinda's shoulders, until nothing but a high-pitched whine could be heard. The voice rang out again.

"Okay, I'll call it. Time of death: 10:41 A.M."