Checking Out

Dean stormed into the room like an out-of-control hurricane just as I was saying that he wasn't Texas crazy. He'd changed into a pair of clean pants and a looser t-shirt that still somehow managed to hug his abs. I wasn't crushing on the man, but you'd have to be a bit blind not to think he wasn't stunning. Once, when I'd been stupidly drunk, I'd suggested that he should model for a nude magazine. I still haven't lived that down.

He took in the scene before him with a single glance, eyes narrowed. "How're you doing, Sam? Everything all right?"

"Fine. I'd like to get out here," replied the young omega guardedly.

Based solely on the fearsome look in Dean's eyes, Sam had every reason to feel skittish. I'd known the mechanic for years and worked for him for the last nine months, and even I felt like sinking into the floor. Standing there, looking at us, Dean's expression had gone a little wild, less calm, and more feral. I'd never seen my boss respond this way to anyone at all.

"Works for me. You got a place to stay?"

"I rented a motel room for a couple of days, due north of here I think."

"Dean, cool it," I butted in quietly.

He seemed to relax and loosen his shoulders a little. "Sorry about that. Just tired, I guess. Nerves on edge."

"It's me, isn't it?" asked the omega.

"It's biology. Not the same thing. Evolution made us a little overprotective, but I don't think Jo here is going to let me turn into a mother hen. That said, I suggest we make a disappearance before anyone can ask too many questions. Texas isn't friendly… to much of anyone, really."

The brown-haired man nodded eagerly and swing his feet off the bed. He tried to stand but wasn't yet steady on his feet. Dean caught him, and for a moment my heart beat a little faster. Worry lodged itself in the pit of my stomach. Then, my boss recovered his composure and gently steadied the taller man.

"Out of the question; it's not safe there. If Gordon's been there, he's liable to come back. I have a room you can use for a couple of weeks. We can, uh, drive down to this motel tomorrow and pick up your things."

"I can just go back to the motel. I can take care of myself, Dean."

"Of course you can, but you don't have to. Sometimes, you're allowed to put your burdens aside and let someone else help."

I took a deep breath. "You two are both stubborn bulls aren't you?"

"Yeah," said the two men, looking at me all of a sudden.

I rolled my eyes for a change. "Sam, trust me when I say you will want to take a vacation and heal up somewhere that monster can't find you. And, Dean, we need to get Sam to a safe state first thing tomorrow. The longer he stays here, the more likely it is that he'll get caught up in the madness."

Sam pulled out of Dean's helping arms and stood on his own. "I can't leave yet, not until…"

"Until what, kid, you kill that son of a bitch?" Dean demanded, exasperated. "Hate to break it to you, but omegas don't do revenge."

"Dean," I said warningly.

"He had… others… there. Bastard turns them and then sells them or kills them." Sam wasn't looking at either of us as he said it. "It was hell."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, and then Dean caved. "Compromise then. Stay at my place for a day or two, make sure you're all right, and then we go hunt down Gordon, and anyone else involved in this sick trade of his."

"I'm coming, too," I said a little more forcefully than intended.

"Jo, your mother would kill me if I let anything happen to you."

I looked at him point blank. "My mother is not my keeper, Dean, and I can hunt with the best of them. Drop it, it's an argument you can't win, Boss."

"Fine, fine! Sam, you all right with that?"

"Yeah, I guess," replied the young man uncertainly.

"Let me go find this Doctor Williams and get all the paperwork out of the way."

Dean made a bee line out of the hospital room as though it was on fire. I sat down in one of the contortionist chairs and leaned back with my head against a cool wall. Sam stumbled over and plopped down into a seat beside me. It was a comical sight for a man so tall to fit into a chair clearly intended for kindergartners.

Awake and moving, he still looked like he'd lost a fight with a tractor but he had a disarming smile and welcoming eyes. When he looked at me, I couldn't not take his side.

"Don't be too harsh on Dean, all right? He's a good guy. He tries hard."

The brown-haired man smiled and nodded. "He seems like it. I saw his face when I mentioned Gordon. Do they have a history?"

"If they do, Dean's never mentioned it. He's not really into sharing." I shrugged. "Gordon's well known in hunter circles, mostly as a rogue and a loner. Doesn't play well with others. Mostly goes after vampires. That kind of thing. This… whatever this is… is a side of him none of us knew about."

A few minutes later, the doctor from before walked in, followed by my boss. Williams pulled up a chair across from us and sat down while Dean stood next to me, leaning against a wall. He looked too agitated to sit still.

The doc looked down at his notes and then said, "So how're you feeling, Sammy?"

"Sam," the omega corrected him. "And, fine."

Turning to Dean, Richard went on, "Let's go over post-hospital procedures and medications. Then I'll have you sign a few forms, and then we'll have you and Sam out of here in no time."

Dean glanced over at Sam and mouthed, "I'll handle it."

"So first things first, medications. We're prescribing Percocet for pain relief for at least the first week, one pill every eight hours. You can switch him over to Tylenol after that. I know some people prefer to let an omega feel the pain of the change, but we strongly caution against it. The medical consensus is that good pain management leads to better outcomes overall.

"Next up, hormone suppressants. There's not much to say here. These are really your preference, but again, we recommend them. A slower change tends to have fewer complications and we see a large decrease in hospital visits. You'll want Sam to take one before bed nightly or when he gets up in the morning. Consistent usage is the key with these pills."

"Um," I tried but my boss put a hand on my arm.

"Thank you, Doctor, we'll make sure Sam gets all the medicine he needs," Dean said right over me. "Anything else?"

"Plenty of rest and good food is always a must. For the first few weeks, I would recommend very light exercise and just in general, nothing too strenuous. Once his arm and hand heal up, he may need some physical therapy, but we won't know for sure until we get there. Might be good to come in for a checkup in a few weeks, just to make sure everything's healing well."

"Understood."

"In the state of Texas there are also elective surgeries available for omegas that I can go over with you, if you'd like."

"Not necessary. I think we're fine, thank you."

"All right then, that's all I had. Here are medications." He handed Dean two small, orange bottles. "Let me have you sign these consent and release forms, and you can be on your way."

Nodding, Dean wrote his name in completely illegible cursive on the appropriate dotted lines. The doctor handed him copies of the paperwork, a packet of at-home-care instructions, and then excused himself.

Dean got up and handed the medications to Sam. "Well that was that. Let's not stick around to see what happens next."

"Is it like this everywhere?" asked the younger man softly, horror in his voice.

"Not everywhere, but there are at least three states in the contiguous US that still haven't gotten their proverbial heads out of their actual asses. Texas is a top offender. Up north is better. Canada's mostly got it right. Mexico… well, we don't talk about them."

"I didn't realize…"

I took Sam's non bandaged hand and squeezed gently. "Most people don't. It's OK. Promise, you'll be all right. We'll make sure of it."

"How's about we do that somewhere else, kids? Come on."

Sam had to lean on Dean as we walked out of the hospital room but no one seemed to pay much attention to us. No nurse offered a wheelchair, not even so much as a concerned glance our way. I was starting to wonder what was wrong with them all. If it bothered the mechanic or the young man, neither said anything about it.