Sam's first day back home coincided with Dean's first day back to work which made both Winchester households more than a little chaotic. Dean didn't want to leave his still recovering brother home by himself to take care of Ellie, but Sam didn't want a house full of people either. It had taken over an hour of very loud 'discussing' before they came to the agreement that their mom would stop in every once in awhile while either Bobby or Caleb would stick around the house to make sure Jason didn't show up and cause trouble.
John had stayed out of the argument knowing that if he'd stepped in then he'd end up alienating his youngest son. None of the others knew that it had taken Sam demanding to be released and the threat of a lawsuit for the doctor on call to grudgingly release the younger Winchester. When asked why he'd put his health at risk the young man looked pointedly at John and replied, "If I was sick then I'd stay, but they just want me here to watch me. I can be 'watched' at home while I take care of Ellie." John couldn't argue with Sam's assessment, the doctor had even admitted that there wasn't anything more they could do for him except start him on physical therapy and watch to match sure infection didn't set in; both items they could handle outside the hospital. It took quite a lot of will power though for him not to spill the beans to Dean who ranted and raved about lunatic doctors and revolving door policies; will power and the look his son gave him letting him know that this was a test to see if he could really be trusted, he wasn't planning on failing this one.
Caleb and Bobby had sat in the living room and listened to the others hash things out, normally they would have laid odds on who would win, but they already knew how stubborn Johnny could be so they had no doubt about the outcome. When the decision had finally been reached, they both let out a sigh and shook their heads. Both knew that no doctor in their right mind and hoping to keep from getting a malpractice claim would have released the boy so soon, but then again… they both knew how stubborn the boy could be. So now all they could do was flip a coin to see who stayed with Mary while the other said with Johnny and Ellie.
Seeing that she wasn't going to get her way, Mary had contented herself with making a lunch for her family that could be reheated in the microwave. She knew that something was going on beneath the surface of her son's claim that he was fine, but she also didn't want him to feel pressured, so she let it drop. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the living room just as Ellie made her way down stairs humming along the way. Mary never understood what made the little become more open some days and closed off on others, but she was more concerned about Ellie missing out on the greater things that life had to offer. Suddenly she realized someone was watching her and she hesitated only a moment before she turned and saw her youngest looking at her as if he were assessing her. Although she wasn't sure what brought the sudden mistrust on, she wasn't going to back down and allowed him to continue to watch her. Suddenly he smiled and turned his attention to Ellie, leaving her to assume that she had passed.
"Hey Ellie, did you dress yourself today?" Sam asked, happy to see her acting more like her five year old self. He smiled when he saw the pink pants, orange top and to complete the look… ballerina slippers. "I see we're in a happy mood. How about you show me in a picture what you're feeling."
It didn't take long for Ellie to get off the couch and head towards her bookshelf that held all of her art supplies. The others watched her carefully to make sure nothing fell, but Sam knew that she would be meticulous in getting her paper and pencils, therefore he leaned back and closed his eyes.
"Alright, so you managed to get your way, fine little brother… but don't think that you'll get off the hook about taking care of yourself. You better get some rest, and if I have to I'll bring the whole station down here to knock you out, got it?" Dean asked, already knowing that his little brother was used to being on his own and was still having trouble accepting help on occasion.
"Dean… Go! She and I'll be alright, it's not like we're totally alone you know." Sam said without opening his eyes. He could here Ellie in the background already sketching out a drawing, he wondered if she'd color it in this time. He didn't realize that Dean had left and someone was talking to him until he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"You know, I could take Ellie with me for the day…"
"Thank you, but no." he said quietly, knowing his mom meant well, but it was something he felt he had to do; he needed to know that he could still take care of Ellie.
Nodding, Mary looked at Caleb before she headed towards the kitchen. She made sure that they had everything they needed in case she was gone for awhile, she really needed to check on her friend Allison; the poor woman hadn't been out of the house since her second stroke.
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Dean's first day back at the station was a busy one and he would have enjoyed it a lot more if it wasn't for the fact that he had left his little brother and niece at home to practically fend for themselves. Ok, he knew that wasn't really true, but that's how he felt; his first day back on the job coincided with his brother's first day home and…
"Damn it!" he cursed under his breath as the realization of what had been dancing around in his brain finally hit home. Trying not to let his imagination run away with him, he decided to check his facts before he jumped to conclusions; after all it could just be a coincidence, right? Yeah… and he was the Easter bunny, check out his fluffy tail! Reaching for the phone he called the doctor who had released Sammy, thankful that he had made a point to remember the guy's name since there had been so many flittering in and out after his brother had been put in a regular room.
It took a couple of minutes before a weary voice come onto the phone and after Dean explained who he was he was immediately interrupted by a suddenly very alert sounding male very anxious to talk. "Good God, please don't tell me that he's decided to sue me, I told him it wasn't in his best interest to leave so soon, but he demanded it and even threatened malpractice if I didn't release him. Granted all his tests were coming back fine, but for him to now want to…"
Dean felt as if he had been kicked in the gut, and then tossed into a free fall. Hearing what the doctor said make him even more nervous about leaving his brother at home. "Wait… hold on, you mean he shouldn't be home right now?" he asked, terrified that something could happen in the amount of time it would take for their mom to check on him again. "Is that what you're saying… he should still be in the hospital?"
"Mr. Winchester, your brother was shot in the chest, sustained sever blood loss, and had only been out of the ICU for two days. If that had occurred to me, I'd want to make certain there were no complications even if the tests did come up clean."
"Ok wait… what tests, and if they're coming back fine then what's the problem?" Dean asked, wondering just what was up with this doctor and if maybe Sammy had the right idea about getting out of there.
"Look, your brother should have at least started physical therapy before he was released. You never know when a clot could develop and…"
Slamming the phone down, Dean was racing towards the bay doors determined to make it home in record time. He ignored the startled looks he was getting and instead ran to his car, peeling out of the small parking lot. Ten minutes later he was slamming his brakes in the driveway and busting through the door, barely taking the time to open the offending barrier to his brother. When he got into the house he found himself looking down the barrel of two guns in his face and the sound of a screaming little girl in the background.
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Sam hated feeling as if people were hovering, mainly because the only time they hovered seemed to be when he nearly died. Sighing, he couldn't help but think about one of the times that the doctor's had been ready to write him off which made him think of Cade, bringing a cloud of depression with it.
Cade had been his friend no matter what happened. They had faced social workers, gang bangers, spirits and even a few demons together, and the common thread had been how no matter what had been thrown at them both of them knew that the other was there no matter what was threatened or promised. He missed Cade, and wondered if he would be able to trust Dean with that intensity.
He heard Caleb in the kitchen and had repeatedly told the man to leave everything and he'd get to it later, to which the other man scoffed and continued with what he was doing. Looking over he was pleased to see Ellie concentrating on another picture, this one was the day at the park and he wasn't surprised to see how much she was trying to fit onto the page; what was surprising was the detail she was putting into her pictures lately. Sitting up on the couch he continued to watch as she continued to sketch each tiny blade of grass as if each one was the most important. Suddenly she stopped though and looked at the picture blankly as if she'd never seen it before, then got up off the floor and walked toward the back of the room. Concerned, Sam managed to get up off the couch and follow.
"Ellie? What's wrong princess?" he asked, truly concerned that he was watching her go from 'good day' to 'bad day' right before his eyes.
"Johnny, what's going on kid?" Caleb asked, trying to see why Ellie had suddenly stopped what she was doing and went to a bookshelf on the other side of the room.
Looking over at the hunter Sam shrugged his shoulder, "I have no idea. One minute she was content with drawing, then the next she's over here as if someone threw a switch."
Walking over to them, Caleb sat down next to Ellie and Johnny and just watched as the little girl stared at a particular shelf, but at nothing in particular. Not knowing what to do, both men sat back and watched in hopes of seeing something that would clue them in to what was happening.
Suddenly they heard a car scream around the corner and brake fast in the driveway. Concerned, Caleb pulled out his gun and headed towards the door as Sam reached up on the top shelf and pulled one of his down, flipping the safety off as he moved closer to Caleb. They hadn't made it fully to the door, both cursing the closed blinds, when they heard the pounding of footsteps on the pavement then the door being flung open causing Ellie to scream in fright and both Sam and Caleb to raise their weapons on the intruder.
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Josh was actually glad that Sam Winchester had been released; it gave him a rest from the constant badgering he was getting about the kid's condition. To make matters worse, he was actually starting to like the kid, a major taboo when dealing with people of Sam's ilk. He had to keep his mind focused on the job at hand, and hopefully he wouldn't have to pull out the stops to either stop the kid, or stop his uncle; because he really didn't welcome the thought of doing either at the moment, right now he was seriously thinking about retiring.
Hearing his phone ring, he hesitating in answering it only because he already knew who it was and what he wanted; it had been the same for the last several days. Somehow he was supposed to get into Dean's good graces, and then find a way to bring Sammy into the fold. He hated the idea of going that far this time; he knew that Sam was basically a good kid and if left alone he'd be able to choose for himself; that's what free will was all about. Unfortunately he was being told that free will was going to condemn the whole human race if they didn't do something about it, and the solution seemed to be finding out what abilities Sam Winchester had and if they had any link with a certain demon. Josh knew it was a formality; the consensus was that Sam's premature abilities just proved that he needed utilized quickly before it was too late. His question had been 'too late for what?'
Deciding to ignore the phone, he walked around his apartment and picked up various souvenirs from his travels to find others who possessed certain traits and talents. Some of his trips had been very successful, while others had been complete and utter disasters. Mostly though he had to wonder just how Brian thought he'd be able to keep up the charade, after all the others hadn't had an ancient agreement bound by blood hidden in their family tree.
Sighing, he knew that his family and Brian's were bound together by centuries of service, but it still didn't set well with him how the other man was willing to use his own nephew to get what he wanted. Looking around the place that he'd called home for the last several years, he made a decision and walked away from everything his family had stood for. He had someone to see, and hopefully someone to help.