It Only Takes a Second
Chapter 8
Disclaimer: see chapter 1

"Mac?" John was standing at the foot of Sammy's bed, Dean right next to him as both Winchester's watched Mac continue his assessment of their youngest.

"We need to get him into some warmer cloths," Mac glanced at the toddler's worried father and brother as Dean quickly made his way to the dresser drawers, pulling out a pair of flannel pajamas for his baby brother. Laying them next to the doctor the small boy stepped back as Mac looked at John, "John I need you to help me, as we change him I'm going to check him over, so far I don't feel any broken bones. I do believe he has a slight concussion, but what's worrying me is that he is too cold, his temperature is 94.5, we need to warm him slowly."

John nodded as he sat opposite of the Doctor, lifting his son gently as Mac pulled the boys jacket, then his shirt off, replacing them with the pajamas that Dean had found. John was barely able to steel his emotions as he again felt the coldness of his baby boy's skin, the deathly paleness still twisting the knot in his stomach. Mac gently pressed along the tiny boy's rib cage, noting the beginnings of bruises, no doubt from his tumble. The Doctor buttoned up the pajama top as John removed the toddler's tennis shoes and jeans, then slipped on the warmer pants.

There were a few more minutes of silence as Mac finished checking the unconscious child. Looking up at his friend, Mac could see barely contained fear in John's gaze. "I think we should take him to the hospital, especially since we don't know how long he's been unconscious."

The psychic could easily see the turmoil his friend was going through as John ran his hand over his face, "I can't, I ran into some problems the last place we were…Mac I can't loss my kids, can't you take care of this?"

Mac stood as he glanced at Dean, who had climbed onto the foot of the bed, "John, there isn't anything else I can do, he doesn't have any broken bones, the scrapes are superficial, most likely from the fall, but I can't see what's going on inside, he could have internal injuries that I don't know about…medically speaking he needs to be at a hospital." Mac knew this was a fight he wasn't going to win; John shunned hospital, always fearful that someone would question any unusual injuries. John had begun training Dean and the boy sometimes had unusual bruises to prove it. A part of Mac could understand his friends fear, but the Doctor in him couldn't understand how someone could refuse their child professional care.

"I'll give you the night…" Mac ran his hand over his face, praying he wasn't somehow condemning the youngest Winchester to irreparable damage. "But if Sammy doesn't show any signs of waking up by morning I'm taking him to the hospital, even if I have to go through you to do it." John nodded as he returned his gaze to the still, small form. Dean slowly made his way to his brother's side, the six-year old laid down next to the toddler, placing his arm over his blanket cocooned baby brother. John pulled another blanket up and covered the six-year old, then watched the older boy close his eyes as sleep claimed him. The father heard, rather than saw, Mac leave the room through the connecting door, entering his own son's room.

Jim looked up as Mac entered the room; the Pastor had just finished cleaning up the few cuts on Caleb's pale face. "How's Sammy?"

Mac took a seat on the other side of his Son's bed, gently turning the boys face so he could look at the scarps and cuts, no doubt caused by tree branches. "Sammy's hypothermic and has some bruises from the fall, I didn't detect anything broken, but I'm worried about not knowing how long he's been unconscious and John doesn't want to take him to the hospital." Mac looked at his friend, "I told him if Sammy isn't awake by morning I'm taking him myself."

Jim nodded; he knew they had to tread lightly with John when it came to his son's, the father's greatest fear was losing his children. "I'll back you up on what you think you need to do, but we must be careful to not push Jonathon away in the process."

The Doctor let out a deep breath, "I know," returning his attention to his own son, "How's Caleb doing?" the father ran his hand through his son's jet-black hair.

"His temperature is around 96*, the cuts appear to be from branches, probably from him running through the woods. I was concerned with how quickly he fell asleep, but considering the vision from earlier in the day and everything that has happened." Jim looked at Mac, "He mumbled something about Sammy being further than we thought, perhaps that is why he didn't call us before he took it upon himself to find the boy."

Mac noticed a strange expression on Jim's face, much like the one he had glimpsed when trying to explain to John the 'string' connection that Caleb said he had with the Winchester children. "Jim?"

Jim stood and walked over to the window in Caleb's room, it overlooked the farm in the direction of the pond, through the moonlight the Pastor could barely make out the picnic table that had served as their base when they had left the forth walkie-talkie clutched in the hands of six-year old Dean. "I never thought children would be brought into this life. I know of families that go back generations, families that are born into hunting, but I never thought we would have children brought in from the outside. Julian told me once that my Triad would cause shifts within the Brotherhood, I never believed him until now."

Mac watched his friend, he was use to Jim speaking cryptically sometime, but now he was becoming worried. The Doctor stood and joined the Pastor at the window, "Jim, is something wrong, something you haven't told me about?"

Jim blew out a deep breath as he glanced toward the bed that held the sleeping teen, then to the door that lead to the Winchesters. "I've asked John to accept the position of the Knight." Jim looked at Mac, The Doctor wasn't surprised by the revelation, only that it had taken Jim longer than Mac expected to offer John the position, since Daniel Elkins had been removed as Knight shortly after Caleb had come into Mac's life, almost two years ago and John coming to the Brotherhood a short later. "Mackland, there was a reason I asked that you let Jonathon begin training Caleb…" Confusion crossed the Doctor's face as the Pastor continued. "Do you remember when you first told me about the connection that Caleb came to you with concerning Dean and Sammy?"

Mac again looked toward his son the back to the Pastor. "Yes, but what does that…"

Jim cut the younger man off, "Mackland, that connection being revealed has started a chain reaction of events, which I had to go back and research. Julian explained some things to me about how certain members of the Brotherhood, certain members of future Triads, are revealed to the current Guardian, other things have been shown to me as I've grown in the position. Just as I was made aware of you before we met, I have begun to see, signs, if you will, pointing me in the direction of the next Triad, the one that will take over from us. I had to check and see if such things could be recognized at early ages and I was surprised to see the training of past Triads sometimes started before the children were even old enough to talk. Julian told me that our generation was not to be born of traditional hunting families, this is probably why my mistake in appointing Daniel as Knight failed, his family can be traced back several generations. But me, you and Jonathon, we all three came from outside this life, each bringing our own experiences to the table. That's why we have had some issues within the Brotherhood; they don't understand how the selection works."

Mac watched his friend, still not understanding where this conversation was going. "Jim, I'm still not seeing how what has happened with Sammy and Caleb's connection to the boys has anything to do with the Brotherhood."

Jim's eyes took on an old look, like he was withholding a universe worth of knowledge behind his blue eyes. "There is a reason I wanted Caleb to train with Jonathon, why I am trying to keep Jonathon close to us. Signs are pointing me in a direction that we are going to have deal with very shortly. Caleb is being trained one on one with the Knight for a reason. His connection with Dean and Sammy is growing stronger for a reason." Jim's gaze seemed to burn into Mac's very soul as things were starting to come together in the psychic's mind, revelations that had him glancing at his son then back to his friend, back to the Guardian. "Mackland there are sign's being revealed that are pointing to your son as being the next Knight."