Dean knew his family was there, it was a given and one he appreciated; it didn't make him less nervous though. Today was graduation day, and although many people had made sure not to tell their families about it, he was the opposite and wanted everyone there. After all, if it wasn't for them then he wouldn't be there in his uniform waiting for the precession to begin. He had been ready to walk away from his dream because his family needed him, but Johnny had made sure he stuck with it. In an odd way he felt like today was their day, not just his and he wanted to make sure they were there.
After the ceremony there was a small reception and Dean was enjoying showing off his family to his friends. He had been only one of three to get stationed in Lawrence, while the other graduates had been split into the surrounding areas. It definitely was a time for celebration, and he was going to make sure they did it in style. Only Ellie knew that he made reservations for the whole family to Chez Moran in the entertainment district, and he knew for a fact that she wasn't going to tell.
Picking his little niece up into his arms he was amazed at how easy she was letting him do that now, before it would be touch and go; some days she'd let him, other days were just for Johnny. Taking a moment to glance at his little brother, he wondered what was going on in his head. Ever since moving next door to their parents he had made sure that Ellie's needs were taken care of, but had thrown himself into projects that anyone with one working hand would have trouble doing. In fact it had caused an argument one night that caused Ellie to get so upset she hid in a coat closet and wouldn't come out until she saw them hug and say they were sorry. Now he could smile about it, then – not so much.
"Hey Dean, Congratulations!" Johnny said happily, giving his big brother a pat on the back. "So, you're still in Lawrence right?"
Their parents had tuned into the conversation and were anxiously waiting the answer. "Yep, I'll be here until they decide to transfer me somewhere else, but that rarely happens." He said with a smile. He knew he'd have weird hours, but that was ok, most of the time he'd be home to help with Ellie and the house. "So, you guys ready for my surprise?" he asked, hoping that it wasn't as corny as he was starting to think.
They had managed to weave through traffic without any problems and even got a decent parking spot. The real problem had been convincing his parents that it was ok to go into the normally posh restaurant since he was buying. Who knew that parents could be so damn stubborn?
As they enjoyed lunch, they all noticed that Johnny suddenly got distracted and nothing they did could get him to focus on the occasion at hand. Finally Dean had enough and decided to take matters in his own hands. Waving his hand in front of his little brother, Dean finally got Johnny's attention. "Hey, there you are, I was starting to wonder if you got lost."
"Sorry man, it's just that guy over there… he's one of top specialists in autism in the area. I've been trying to get an appointment with him for the last month ever since I went to his seminar." Johnny said quietly as he still watched the guy.
Mary knew that Johnny had been going to a series of seminars and unofficial 'playdates' for people with autism and their families, but she hadn't known that he had been trying to get Ellie seen by someone. "Johnny, is everything alright? I mean, you haven't changed your mind have you?"
Looking at Mary Johnny shook his head. "No, I still don't think that there's anything wrong with her, I just want to make sure that I'm not messing up, that's all."
The rest of the Winchester's laughed when they heard that. They all knew that when it came to Ellie, there was no way he could ever mess up, she was too much of a high priority. Seeing his puzzled look, John smiled. "Don't worry son, you're doing fine with her. She's actually started to interact more with others since you two have been together, so don't sell yourself short."
Nodding, Johnny was about to say something when he suddenly reached out. "Dr. Brewster," he said while grabbing hold of the passing man. "excuse me, but I sat for your seminar at the library last month and was hoping to make an appointment with you to see Ellie."
The others at the table were quietly waiting for the reaction of the doctor and was surprised when the man pulled a chair up to the table. "Well, I'm pretty well booked through the end of the year for new patients, but if you could tell me a little bit about her and what's going on, I might be able to fit her in."
Bolstered, Johnny told the doctor everything of how Ellie hadn't been breathing when she was born, to the normal advancements that she had gone through until a short time after the age of two and then the sudden shut down of all of her social skills. The doctor listened, as he watched Ellie draw on a small piece of paper while humming to herself. After listening, Dr. Brewster nodded.
"I see. Well young man, I have to hand it to you, all in all I'd say that for the lack of experience you have done pretty well. However, I believe that she would most likely be an ideal candidate for the school that myself and a couple of colleagues have formed. We've noticed that a lot of times, it's actually the parents or guardians who unintentionally hold their loved ones back. From what I can see so far, she is a healthy little girl, and should be able to learn new skills with the program that we had devised."
The adults at the table were silent for a moment while they processed what they heard. It was Johnny who broke out of his shock first. "Wait a minute, I didn't say that there was something wrong with her, she's perfectly fine the way she is. I just want to make sure that I'm not making matters worse in the way I'm teaching her." He said in almost desperation.
Dr. Brewster looked at Johnny and nodded, "Of course, most parents feel that way about their children. However those are the parents who usually end up conforming to the child, not making the child conform to them. At our school, she'd have access to twenty four hour care in a stimulating environment designed to draw out those who suffer from her condition.
"Wait… what?" Dean asked, "That sounds more like a boarding school or something… twenty four hour care or something."
"Precisely, the constant care that she would receive would be…"
"I'm sorry to have wasted your time Dr. Brewster, but you have to understand I'm not leaving Ellie – ever!"
Nodding, the doctor rose from his seat. "Of course, however I must caution you that without proper guidance, your Ellie could possibly stay at this level for the rest of her life."
The look on Johnny's face as he watched the doctor leave the restaurant was one the others couldn't place; it was either 'like hell' or 'who cares', either way it reminded the others just who Johnny was.
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Mary sat and watched Ellie draw a picture of a house with trees and a dog in the yard. It hadn't been too hard to figure out that the house was hers and the dog was what she was hoping for. Smiling, Mary was ready to put it on the refrigerator with the others when Caleb knocked on the side door. Over the last couple of months, either he or Bobby would stop in to make sure everything was alright. At first it unnerved her until they sat down with her when John was at work and the boys were out with Ellie, then it started to make a weird sort of sense.
"Mary, what do you know about Druids?" Caleb asked cautiously, they were pretty sure that she had no idea what was going on, but they still needed to be careful.
Confused, Mary smiled and replied, "Druids? You mean those people who wear long robes and go out on the highest mountains… those druids?"
Caleb wasn't sure what was going to happen, but they waited too long as it was. "We got a call from a friend of ours who found evidence of your family having a long line of them. Normally it wouldn't be bad, most of them stay to themselves and practice peacefully. It's the ones who don't that show up on our radar and then we have to deal with it."
Seeing that Mary wasn't seeing the full story, Bobby stepped in to help. "We think that one of your ancestors made a deal, and the closer the time came to collect, the further your family tried to distance itself away from what they had practiced for so long."
"I don't understand, my family's not some sort of… whatever, they're normal people. Even if they were, what does that have to do with what's going on now?"
Looking at each other, both Bobby and Caleb shook their heads. "We're not sure yet, but if someone in your family was trying to welsh out on a deal, then we could be in for more than we initially thought." Bobby said quietly, watching the woman in front of him closely.
She had been so certain that they were both crazy, but then she thought about the times that her brother or uncles would get mad if she asked too many questions about their family. Now she could see how it might be a possibility. Not wanting to think about it too much, she had pushed it off to the side to concentrate on other things.
"Come in Caleb, Ellie and I were about to have lunch. How would you like your grilled cheese?" she asked with a chuckle. Every day Ellie ate the same thing and didn't seem to ever get tired of it.
Smiling, Caleb shook his head. "None for me today, thanks though. I take it Johnny took off again for a little while?" he asked while watching the little girl start on a new picture.
Mary nodded, "You know, I was sure that I'd see the boys just as much once they moved next door, but now I see them only as they're running out the door."
Caleb laughed at that. "I take it that Johnny still doesn't believe what Dr. Brewster said?" he asked, knowing exactly how the kid felt about the guy.
"You know Johnny, but to be honest I can't blame him. When that doctor suggested she go to a special boarding school, I thought he was joking. I'm glad that Johnny dug his heals in, I have no idea what we'd do without her."
Smiling, Caleb was pretty sure he knew the answer but he wasn't willing to share his theory. He watched as Ellie started a new picture and had to admit that she was becoming quite the little artist, a person could actually tell what she was drawing. "So, Johnny's still doing the physical therapy?"
"Mmm hmmm, it's almost over though from what they were telling him last time, but ever since he had that run in with Dr. Brewster he's been determined to prove the man wrong." She said quietly. She thought about the last couple of months and knew that Johnny would disappear for a couple hours past his physical therapy appointments, but he always came back looking more determined than ever.
"You know, if you'd like either Bobby or I could find us what's up with him and let you know." He offered, hoping that Johnny wasn't going back to some of his old habits.
Mary laughed, "No, thank you though. I'm sure when he's ready he'll tell us what he's been up to. Besides, in the past couple of months he's actually started to relax a little around us, I don't want to risk that."
Nodding in agreement, Caleb sat at the table and thought about the changes that they'd noticed in Johnny and had to agree that it would be better just to let Mohammad come to the mountain. He was still contemplating the reason for his visit when the sound of the phone interrupted his train of thought. He wasn't paying any attention until Mary ran into the kitchen with Ellie's coat.
"That was Dean, Johnny's in the ER!"
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Dean loved what he did, he really did. However he got the distinct feeling that all the crazies waited until he was on duty before they came out and caused havoc. It was bad enough the fatalities on the Interstate last week because some moron didn't like the idea of being cut off, or the domestic violence case last month that left a two month old baby in the state's care until other family was found, now they had a shooting on the campus of none other than KU and didn't that hit just too close to home; he still had friends there.
As they pulled up with news that the ambulance was on the way and the police had already secured the scene, he and his crewmates rushed to see if they could keep the poor soul with them until he could be transported to the hospital. He remembered being teased about wanting to be a firefighter, since most people still think of them as people who help little girls get their cat out of trees, but being a first responder meant so much more; it meant that someone's life was in their hands until more qualified help arrived.
They had been met by one of the Professors who immediately rushed them towards the scene. "It's all so surreal, Dr. Malloy and I were walking a prospective student around the campus when a shot rang out and the boy dropped there at our feet. We didn't even get a chance to see where the shot was fired from it happened so fast."
Rushing across the commons they could see the police were doing their best to keep everyone away while an older gentleman sat in the damp grass holding the victim's hand while trying to stop the bleeding with his other. Dean knew that this wasn't going to be a pretty sight, it never was when a kid was involved, and being that the guy was looking into enrolling meant that he was just that; a kid.
"Dean, you need to stay back." An officer said, cutting in front of him. Dean recognized him from a few of the more crazy calls they had to content with.
Confused, he watched the others get to the victim before looking at each other then at him in horror before starting to work on him. Looking back at the officer Dean suddenly remembered the guys name. "What's going on Jack?" he asked, suddenly feeling a knot in the pit of his stomach.
"Man, you need to trust me, you don't want to see this." Jack said, looking at Dean with sympathy.
Pushing away from the man, Dean ran towards his teammates and then slid to a stop when he saw the dark hair and too pale face. "Sammy!"