NINETEEN

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

January 22nd, 2009

Sam watched Dean pace across the waiting room, his brother's face a mask of rage and concern. "Could you maybe stop that? You're making me dizzy."

Dean stopped, turned, and glared at Sam. "It helps me think, so...no!" He went back to pacing, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jacket. Sam sighed and stood up, stretching his long legs.

"I'm going to go get some coffee. You want some?" Dean nodded at him and Sam walked out into the hospital's hallway, the fluorescent lights glaringly bright to his tired eyes. His head still throbbed from the beating it had taken during the fight with the demon.

It seemed ages ago that the whole ordeal had happened, but, as Sam glanced at his watch, it had only been just over two hours since the ambush. He strolled down the hallway, following the arrows that pointed to the hospital's cafeteria, glancing into the occasional room.

Sam purchased two coffees and began to sip his without adding the usual massive amounts of cream and sugar he normally would have. The warm liquid burned his throat as it slid down, but Sam hardly registered the feeling, his entire body numb. He had just rounded the corner on his way back to the waiting room when he saw Dean standing with a doctor. Sam picked up his pace, arriving just as the doctor placed his hand on Dean's shoulder.

"...should make a full recovery," the doctor was saying. "Son, you know I have to ask this. How did she come by those wounds?"

Dean glanced at Sam, needing Sam's quick wit to answer the man. "We were walking home and this group of guys attacked us," Sam answered.

"Have you reported this to the police?"

"Not yet. We were too worried about her injuries," Sam continued the lie. The doctor looked both men over, obviously suspicious of their answer.

"Ms. Wilson is very lucky to be alive. I was just telling your friend here that the cut she sustained to her arm severed one of the major arteries. If you hadn't gotten her here when you did, there is no doubt in my mind that Nancy would have bled out. Which one of you thought to tie off the wound?"

"I did," Sam answered.

"That was quick thinking, son," the doctor said, giving Sam a smile. "You undoubtedly saved her life." He clapped Sam on the shoulder.

"When can we see her?" Dean asked abruptly.

"Well, she's resting now, but I don't see why you can't go visit her in an hour or so. You gentleman should talk with the police during that time," the doctor instructed, continuing to eye Sam and Dean suspiciously. The doctor sighed and nodded his head. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few more patients to attend to." He shook both Sam and Dean's hands before strolling off down the hallway.

"That's good news," Sam stated, handing Dean a coffee cup. Dean grunted and took a sip, grimacing at the terrible taste.

"God, yuck! This crap tastes like monkey butt," Dean spat, chucking the cup into a trash can. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and leaned against the wall. He stared at Sam, making him feel very uncomfortable.

"What ?" Sam asked.

Dean blinked and shrugged. "Nothing."

"That look wasn't 'nothing', Dean. What is it?"

"You sure haven't been hesitating with using those freaky powers of yours lately. Two demons in less than two days?" Dean shook his head.

"If I remember correctly, one of those demons was choking you to death when I stopped him," Sam snapped. He had been waiting for Dean to bring up his abilities, to chastise him about using them again. "Look, let's not do this here, alright? Let's just go find Reggie's room and check on her." Sam started towards the nurse's station, but Dean grabbed his arm.

"I think we should just leave Reggie here and find those damn demons who ambushed us tonight. By sticking around here, we're just putting her in more danger."

"I'm not so sure, Dean. Didn't you hear the demon when you tried to stop her? She said she had no business with us."

"So what's your point?" Dean grunted.

"I don't think that demon was there for us."

"Are you trying to say that she was there because of Reggie?"

"Yeah, I think she was," Sam said, nodding.

"That doesn't make any sense. The demons want us, they want to stop us. Why would they come after Reggie?"

"I don't know. Maybe because she's a hunter? They've never needed any more than that to kill one before. Why would that change now?"

Dean stared off down the hallway, lost in thought. "Maybe," he mumbled a few moments later. Sam was about to respond when something caught his eye through the waiting room window. A woman stood watching them, her hands balled together anxiously.

"Son of a bitch!" Sam yelled, recognizing the blonde demon from earlier. He pointed at her as Dean turned to look. They both raced back into the room and the woman held her hands up as they pulled out their guns.

"Whoa, whoa! I'm not here to fight with you," she cried, backing up until she hit the wall behind her.

"Really? 'Cause you sure fooled us earlier!" Dean snapped.

"I'm only going on orders. Just like you."

"Orders? Whose orders?" Sam asked, lowering his gun a little.

"You know who."

"Lilith," Dean growled and cocked his gun. The demon waved her hands in the air in front of her, trying to calm the situation. Sam reached out his hand and placed it on top Dean's gun. "What the hell are you doing?" Dean hissed, glaring incredulously at Sam.

"Let's hear what she has to say."

"Thank you," the woman said.

"Then we can send her evil ass back to the bowels from which she slithered," Sam continued, glaring at the woman so that she could see he meant it. She gulped and nodded at them.

"Let's hear it then," Dean snapped.

She took a deep breath and lowered her hands, keeping a wary eye on the two brothers. "Lilith says that you have to leave Philadelphia. You have to leave and you have to do it now."

Dean snorted and shook his head. "I don't freakin' think so."

"If you leave, Lilith won't kill her." Dean and Sam looked at each other, confused.

"Kill her? Her who?" Dean asked, taking a step forward.

"If you leave, she'll let her go, unharmed," the demon said.

"Did you not hear me? Her who?" Dean snapped. Sam grabbed his shoulder and he turned to look at him. Sam's face had gone completely white. "What is it?"

"It's Ruby, Dean. They have Ruby." Sam turned to get some kind of confirmation from the demon but found that she was already gone.

"Dammit!" Dean yelled.

"What are we going to do, Dean?" Sam asked.

"We're going to kill these bastards, that's what."

"They have Ruby. We can't let them kill her."

"She knew what the score was, Sammy." Dean sighed and placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Look, I know you two have this weird thing between you that makes you care about her. I may not like it, or get it, but I see it. Ruby chose her side in this fight and with that choice she put her head on the chopping block, just like us. If we can help get her free, we'll try, but we can't leave. Not now. Not with Lilith trying to open another seal."

Sam nodded, resigned. "Let's go check on Reggie," he said. Dean followed him out into the hallway and they made their way down to the nurse's station. A tall, pretty brunette beamed up at them as they approached.

"What can I help you with, gentleman?"

"What room is Nancy Wilson in?" Sam asked as Dean leaned on the counter, grinning back at the young woman.

"You have an amazing smile, you know that," Dean stated, flirting with the nurse.

"You know, my husband tells me that all the time," she quipped back. She laughed as Dean's smile faltered and he stood up. She tapped a few keys on her keyboard as Sam stood chuckling at Dean. "Ms. Wilson is in room 313. It's just around this corner here, all the way at the end of the hall."

"Thank you," Sam said and followed Dean, who hurried away from the desk. "I can't believe you didn't notice the huge rock weighing down her hand," Sam said once they were out of earshot.

"Well, I didn't!," Dean cried. "How was I supposed to know she was married. I mean, you saw the way she was smiling at me."

"She was being pleasant, Dean. It's kind of her job to act like that."

"Yeah, well, they shouldn't. It sends the wrong signals," Dean grumbled. Sam chuckled at him as he opened the door to Reggie's hospital room. The curtain was pulled around the bed closest to the window and the other was unoccupied. Unsure of whether Reggie was asleep or not, they approached the bed quietly and gently pulled back the end of the curtain.

"What the...?" Dean exclaimed. The bed was empty, the blankets scrunched to the bottom.

Sam went over to the bathroom door and knocked, dread already rising in his stomach. "Reggie?" he called hesitantly. He tried the handle and found that it was unlocked. Sam pushed it open, the door slowly swinging inward with a low creak. The light was off, the room empty. He turned back to Dean and was shocked to find that his brother was gone. "Dean?"

Sam walked out into the hallway and spotted Dean talking to a nurse he had stopped, although talking wasn't really the best description. Sam could hear Dean's voice clearly as it carried all the way down the hall. "What do you mean you don't know where she could be? What kind of hospital is this? How often do you lose patients?" he yelled at her.

"Sir, please stop shouting at me. If you give me a minute, I'll see if I can get you some more information," the nurse, a short heavy-set woman with wiry, light brown hair, said. She tried to walk past Dean but he stepped in front of her again, blocking her path.

"Easy, Dean," Sam interceded, grabbing Dean's shoulder. The nurse looked at him appreciatively and strode off. Sam hoped she was heading to the nurse's station and not calling security.

"What the hell kind of hospital is this?" Dean yelled after her.

"Dean, relax," Sam hissed soothingly.

Dean clenched his fists at his side and turned on Sam. "Where the hell did she go, Sam? A person doesn't just walk out of their room after losing the amount of blood Reggie lost." Anger flooded his face.

"I don't know, but yelling at that poor woman isn't going to get you any answers," Sam stated. "Now take a deep breath and calm down." Dean deliberately took a deep breath and nodded his head as he exhaled. "Stay here while I go see if I can get some more information. They probably just took her to run some tests." Sam headed off towards the nurse's station, hoping he was right.

"What do you mean you don't know where she is?" Sam cried. "How do you lose a patient who had to have a transfusion?"

"As I said sir, the system doesn't show that any tests were ordered or that there is any reason for Ms. Wilson to be out of her room. There's nothing currently showing on her chart. If you would give me a minute, I'll call her doctor and ask him directly," the wiry-haired nurse snapped. She picked up the phone before Sam could respond, turning her back on him. Sam took a deep breath and exhaled, trying to remain calm despite the nagging worry in the pit of his stomach. Dean stood at the end of the hallway, pacing back and forth, watching Sam.

It only took the woman a few minutes to get the doctor on the phone and Sam strained his hearing, trying to listen in. He leaned on the counter and she pulled away, cupping her hand over the mouthpiece. Finally, she turned back to Sam as she hung up the phone. "The doctor is on his way up," she stated.

"What does that mean?"

"Dr. Wanek will be here in a minute and you can talk to him then." The nurse got up from the desk, gathering several charts, and strode off in the opposite direction.

Sam looked down the hall at Dean, who threw his hands into the air and yelled, "So?" Sam gave an exaggerated shrug and started pacing himself. He heard Dean growl and his brother's footsteps as he approached. "What's going on, Sam?"

"I don't know. The nurse said Reggie's doctor is on his way up. Then she just scurried off that way," Sam snapped, pointing after the woman. Both men turned as they heard the sound of approaching footsteps and saw Dr. Wanek as he made his way towards them. The man looked puzzled, which only increased Sam's feeling of dread.

"Gentleman," Dr. Wanek greeted them.

"What the hell happened to our friend, Doc?" Dean snapped.

Dr. Wanek shook his head and pulled a chart from the desk behind them. "I'm not really sure. I didn't order any tests and the nurses state Ms. Wilson was in her room the last time they went in to check her stats."

"People don't just disappear. Especially not in hospitals," Dean snapped, yanking the chart from the doctor's hands and slamming it on the counter.

"I can't explain what's going on here," Dr. Wanek replied, clearly flustered at Dean's anger. "I notified security immediately and they are searching the premises as we speak. We're doing everything we possibly can to find her." Dean grunted and Sam grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the desk and the doctor before Dean did something stupid. Sam dragged his brother down the hallway and back into Reggie's empty room.

"You need to calm down, Dean, before they call the police."

Dean yanked his arm out Sam's grasp and walked to the window. He slammed his hands against the glass. "Where the hell is Reggie?" Suddenly, he gasped and spun around. "You don't think…?"

"That Lilith has her?" Sam finished solemnly. Dean nodded, his face going white as he slumped against the window for support. "I don't want to believe it, but yeah, I think she does." Sam sat down on the edge of the empty bed and closed his eyes. "What do we do now?" When there was no response, Sam's eyes flew open. His brother stood with his head in his hands. "Dean?"

"I don't know, Sammy. I don't know," he whispered.