Ties that Blind Chapter 16 – Finding Clinton
Dean sat and watched as Sam finally slept. The day's events and the pain pills would probably keep his brother out for quite a while. Dean shivered as he remembered how close he had come to killing Sam. But what was worse was he remembered everything that had happened; Including Sam's offer to trade himself for Dean. "Sammy, you and I are going to have to set some ground rules here…I don't want you to make the same choice that Dad made you hear me?"
Sam moaned lightly but remained asleep. Dean pulled the covers up as he heard a light knock on the connecting doorway. Dean opened the door and let Ellen into the room. "How is he Dean?" Ellen asked as she took a seat at the table in the room.
"As good as can be expected after being thrown down some stairs and almost strangled by his own brother." Dean said taking a seat opposite Ellen.
"Now Dean, you know that Sam doesn't hold you responsible. You can't always be there to protect him…as much as you want to." Ellen looked at the connecting door as she thought of her own daughter.
"I know, but it doesn't make it any easier does it?" Dean saw the understanding in her eyes. "So, has Ash been able to find anything on our missing kid?"
"Not yet. But he did find out what happened to Sharon. Apparently when she became pregnant, her foster family was angry and demanded she have an abortion. She refused, but they were going to force her to have one. When her foster father tried to force her into the car, she burned him and ran off. Ash is trying to find out where she went to and where her son was born. Once we have that information, we might be able to track him through the system."
"Or you could just call social services and see if they have any record of a boy named Clinton who was placed in foster care after his mother was arrested for shop lifting." Jo said quietly from the doorway.
"Jo, I thought you were resting." Ellen asked as she motioned for her daughter to join them.
"Yeah, well I got to thinking that maybe Clinton was in the foster care system just like his mother was before him. So I used my sources to get more information on him." Jo looked at Dean but quickly looked away. She knew that Sam was ok with her, but she also knew that Dean still didn't trust her.
"So what else did you find out?" Dean asked quietly.
"Ok, it looks like Sharon gave birth to her son at Cook County General Hospital when she was 17. Since her foster family refused to take her back, she was given the choice to put her son up for adoption and she would be placed in another foster home or she could try to raise her son with state aid."
"Let me guess, she chose to raise her son on her own. So what happened?" Dean asked as he looked over towards Sam. Sam was tossing lightly and moaning in his sleep. But he calmed down before Dean could get up.
"She did try to make a go of it Dean. I mean the poor girl dropped out of high school and got a job as a waitress. She had a small apartment and seemed to be doing well until about a year ago. She was picked up in the Marshall Fields Department Store for shoplifting. The charges were eventually dropped, but the state had taken custody of her son and refused to give him back until she could prove that she could provide a proper home for him."
"You gotta be kidding me!" Dean exclaimed as he shook his head. He knew what state agencies could do…there had been more than one time that they had threatened to take custody of Dean and Sam. Luckily their father had managed to get them away before they could act.
"So, Clinton was put into the foster care system…why was it so hard to find him?" Ellen asked.
"Because the man that took him in disappeared with Clinton. The case worker was real upset that they had lost track of the man. But I do have his name and his last known address." Jo handed the information over to Dean.
"Ok, so we have something to work with here. I think I'll go check out where this Virgil Hampton used to live. Maybe the neighbors can tell me something. Jo, do you think you can work with Ash to see if you can find any kind of a trail?" Dean saw Jo smile for the first time since this mess began. He still didn't trust her to use her head, but he also knew that deep down she wasn't a bad person…just headstrong.
"Sure Dean…I'll get right on it." Jo quickly stood and returned to her room.
Ellen placed a hand on Dean's arm. "Thanks Dean…I know you are still mad at her for what she did…"
"Like I said Ellen, what's done is done and now we have to move on. I think we need to find this kid fast before the demon moves on with him again. Besides, that demon and I need to have a little chat…I'm going to enjoy sending that bastard back to hell." Dean looked at Sam, the bruises on his brother's neck reminding him how close he had come again to losing his brother.
"Can you stay here with Sam?" Dean asked as he stood and grabbed his coat.
"Sure Dean…but you be careful. I'm not sure that you going off by yourself is such a good idea. The demon already got to you once…why don't I ride along? Jo can look after Sam." Ellen stood and held up her hand as she saw Dean starting to object.
"Look Dean, none of us should be alone right now…if that demon was strong enough to take you, it wouldn't have any trouble taking over one of us. As soon as we leave these rooms we are targets. I'm just suggesting until we can get rid of the demon, none of us should venture from these rooms alone."
Dean paused. He knew that Ellen was right. The demon probably was able to use him because he had allowed his emotions to get out of control. His guilt over his father's death and his worry about Sam made him an easy target. "Ok, you're right. But if I tell you to stay…you stay understood?"
"Yes Sir!" Ellen barked as she stood to let Jo know what was going on.
Jo came back into the room and sat by the computer on the desk. "You two be careful…call me every 2 hours so that I know you're ok."
Ellen looked at her daughter. "Jo, we'll call, but if something happens you have the numbers I gave you. You call in reinforcements…don't leave this room."
Dean saw that Jo was going to object. "Look Jo, I'm trusting you with taking care of my brother. Can I trust that you won't leave him unprotected…'cause if you have any doubts, let me know now and we'll come up with another plan."
Jo sucked in her breath as she looked over at Sam sleeping. "I won't let you down Dean…I promise."
"Good, then we better get going Ellen. Jo same as before, except this time make sure you say 'Cristo' before you open the door. I put more holy water around and both of these rooms are protected by charms to keep the demon out. So as long as you stay inside these rooms, you should be fine." Dean walked over to Sam, glad that his brother was still asleep. "See you later Sammy...I'll be back real soon. I promise."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Virgil sat in a restaurant watching the hotel entrance. He had sent two of his brothers to get Sam and one of his brothers had almost succeeded in getting to the Winchester boy. But the Winchesters had been too strong. The only way to get to Sam was to separate him from his brother.
The demon in Virgil smiled as he saw Dean and a woman exit the hotel. This could be the opening that he needed. He quickly got up and paid the bill. As he entered the lobby and made his way to the elevators, he smiled. Soon he would have both Sam and the boy Clinton under his control. His father would be pleased. But as he approached the door to the hotel room, he cringed. He should have realized that the Winchesters would have place protections in the room to keep his kind out.
Stepping back into the hallway, he smiled. Well he couldn't go in, but then he knew someone that could. Yes, maybe it was time for Clinton to meet his mother's murderer.
TBC
Raven524: Ok the alerts are working again (I think) and but unfortunately I still can't post chapters using word. So please forgive any formatting errors as I'm stuck using notepad again. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. So Dean has gone off and left Sam with Jo…me thinks he should have rethought that move, but then Dean is just trying to do what Sam would want him to do right? I wonder what will happen next…hmmmm…guess I better keep writing huh? Thanks again to everyone who was trying to review during the latest site hitch. I am trying to get back to you all, but if I miss someone, please accept my heartfelt thanks!