Skirmish
Chapter 2
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: Thanks so much for the feedback! It really means a lot to me. This isn't a terribly long chapter, but I'm working diligently… Hope you enjoy.
oooOOOooo
Life consists in penetrating the unknown, and fashioning our actions in accord with the new knowledge thus acquired - Leo Tolstoy
oooOOOooo
"Why didn't you go with the rest of your family?" Gretchen asked Aidan when she saw him in the hallway outside of Dean's room.
"Oh, we're not family. I'm just a friend."
She smiled at him. "Sometimes friends are as close as family."
Aidan only nodded.
"Have you been here long?"
"I was gone for a while," Aidan said as he tried to get a handle on her tone. She didn't seem agitated, but he still got the feeling that something was bothering her.
"Maybe you'd like to go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat."
"I'm fine, thanks. I'll just stay here; out of the way."
She nodded stiffly, a frozen smile on her face. "All right, then."
Aidan watched as Gretchen walked toward the nurses' station. She was probably in her early 60's and except for the cold feeling he got when she was near, she seemed like someone's grandmother. He went into the waiting room, sitting where he could keep an eye on Dean's door.
oooOOOooo
While Sam went to the bedroom he and Dean shared, John made them a quick dinner. He hadn't eaten since early that morning, but he still wasn't hungry. He knew he needed to eat, but he also decided if they were supposed to be gone from the hospital for an hour, that's how long they would be gone. Sam wasn't very interested in food either, but wasn't in the mood to fight with his father.
John called Aidan as he drove back to the hospital. Cell phones weren't allowed in the surgical ward and he didn't really expect his friend to answer, but when all he got was voicemail, it made him feel uneasy.
Sam carried the small bag he'd packed for Dean and trailed his father inside from the parking lot. John knew he was worried, but really had no words of consolation for him. He didn't believe in sugarcoating things for his boys – there were things he would flat out not tell them, but he didn't like to lie to them.
John couldn't help but notice the change in Sam since the day before. It was natural for a child to strike out on his own and do things for himself as he got older, and just yesterday, Sam was an independent young man fully capable of defending himself and making his own decisions. He wasn't outwardly scared of new situations, but since seeing Dean in the hospital bed earlier, he had stayed physically close to John. Even now, as they waited for the elevator, Sam was standing so close that they were almost touching. It reminded him of when the boy was very young and would hide behind him or Dean in unfamiliar places.
Aidan was standing in the hallway outside of Dean's room when the Winchesters got out of the elevator.
"Is Dean all right?" Sam asked, approaching his friend.
"He's okay. A nurse just went in to check on him."
"Has that old woman been here?"
"Sam," John cautioned, looking around.
"She talked to me for a few minutes when you first left, but she hasn't been back since then. I saw her at the other end of the hall a couple of times."
They turned as the door to Dean's room opened.
"Oh, Mr. Walcott," she smiled. "You can see him now. Visiting hours end in a couple of hours, but if there's no problem, one of you can stay with him after that."
"How is he doing?"
"He's fine; and much more awake than he was an hour ago." She glanced at Sam. "I'm on duty until 11:00 so if you need anything, just let me know."
"Thank you," John said and watched as she walked away.
"Come on, Dad," Sam said impatiently.
"Go ahead; I'll be right there."
Sam looked uncertainly toward the closed door, but nodded and walked across the hall.
"Things were quiet," Aidan said once he and John were alone. "Like I said, the old woman talked to me for a couple of minutes and then stayed at the other end of the hall."
"You get any kind of vibe from her?"
"Vibe?" Aidan smiled.
"Don't give me crap; it's been a long day."
"I know. I'm sorry, John. Look, I don't know what it is, but I do get a weird feeling from her. And she – well, she seems to be able to get people to do what she wants them to."
"Can't anything be easy?" John complained, running his fingers through his hair.
"Do you want me to stay tonight?"
"No, I will. But I need you to stay with Sammy at the house."
"Sure. I think I'm gonna snoop around a little bit; I'll be back soon."
"Be careful."
Dean heard the door and slowly opened his eyes.
"Sammy –" he sounded tired and hoarse.
"Hey, Dean. Dad's outside talking to Aidan."
The older boy nodded. "You okay?"
Sam smiled and put the duffle bag on the floor. "I didn't have surgery, man."
"Whatever." Dean shifted as Sam sat on the bed next to him. "What's in the bag?
"Clothes for when you get out. I also grabbed your new car magazines and some of your music."
"Thanks, Sammy."
"How are you feeling?"
"Good."
Sam laughed. "Liar."
"Yeah," Dean laid back against the pillow and closed his eyes. "But it's better than puking on the side of the road."
"So," Sam looked down. "How long were you not feeling well?"
"Just this morning."
"Really?"
"Sammy, it's over now, okay?"
"Look, man, I'm just saying – "
"I'm okay, Sammy."
"But when something's wrong, you should tell me or Dad and not keep it to yourself."
Dean looked at his brother briefly and saw the concern in his eyes. "You're right. But I promise I didn't feel bad before this morning."
"Okay."
John watched his boys through the small window in the door, a warm feeling in his heart and tears in his eyes. He knew the one weakness he had, the thing that would probably be his undoing, was his devotion to his sons. It might not look like it from the outside, but there was nothing John put before his sons. He'd told them since before they were old enough to understand that nothing came before killing the demon. What he didn't tell his sons, though, was that didn't include them. He would do anything to protect his sons.
He took a deep breath before pushing open the door.
oooOOOooo
Alone in the employee break room, she paced angrily. Everything was in place, but yet nothing was working. She should have been able to send John and the boy away, but something seemed to be blocking her. She couldn't read the other one at all. She wondered if she tipped her hand by convincing the nurse to let John visit his son before leaving. She knew she had to be smart; it was too easy to make mistakes around John because he never let his guard down. That was especially true when it involved his boys.
Sighing and straightening her sweater, Gretchen left the room with a smile on her face. She had only been volunteering at the hospital for a few weeks, but she was already everyone's favorite. Her reputation wouldn't matter soon, though, because once she finished what she had come here to do, she would disappear as if she'd never existed.
oooOOOooo
Sam was asleep next to his brother when the announcement came that visiting hours were over. John and Aidan were in a corner of the room, whispering about theories and fears that they were jaded and over-reacting. Whether they were or not, John already decided he was spending the night at the hospital. He didn't care that Dean was nineteen or that he might have misread the volunteer; his son was not going to be alone in a hospital all night. He was no more comfortable with seeing Dean sick and vulnerable than Sam was.
"I don't want to go," Sam said when John woke him. Dean stirred slightly.
"Don't worry; I'll be with him, Sammy. I want you in your own bed. Besides, you have school tomorrow and –"
"I'm not going to school when Dean is in the hospital."
"Sam," John decided this wasn't a battle that needed to be fought. "I'll leave that up to you. But you're going home with Aidan now."
The young man looked at his brother, then back to John. "You'll stay in the room with him?"
"I'll be by his side all night."
Sam nodded and carefully got out of the bed. "Okay."
John laid a hand on Sam's shoulder and when his son looked at him, he wasn't quite sure what he saw in his eyes. He recognized the uncertainty and trust, but there was something else as well. It was almost like Sam knew something that he wasn't saying.
"I'll call in the morning," John promised.
Sam nodded and had started to look away when he turned back to his father and hugged him. Surprised, it took him a moment to react, but John returned the hug and whispered into his son's ear that everything would be all right.
John stood next to Dean's bed, a hand on his arm. Still under the effects of the anesthesia, he'd been sleeping for hours and John was glad for that. He noticed that Sam had slipped the string bracelet back on Dean's wrist. He didn't quite understand the bracelets, but each of the boys wore one, and he'd chosen not to ask questions. The boys had their own rituals and secrets that he didn't interfere with.
There was only so much he could do for protection. At home they salted the doors and windows, but that certainly wasn't practical in a hospital room. He put Dean's necklace around his neck a while ago; the nurse noticed it when she came in on her rounds, but didn't say anything about it. There were a few things hidden around the room that wouldn't cause concern, but John still felt somewhat uneasy.
Aidan had spent an hour trying to find information about Gretchen, but all he'd been able to report back to John was that everyone seemed very fond of her. No one seemed to know anything about her personally, but his snooping in the volunteer coordinator's office got him her home address. John didn't like the idea of Aidan taking Sam to her house with him, but he preferred that to Sam being left alone. He used to think that things would be easier when the boys were old enough to take care of themselves, but in some ways, it was harder.
There were a few people in his life he could leave the boys with when they were younger; Pastor Jim was always a willing caretaker, but no one was better at caring for Sam than his older brother. Most of the time, the boys were together and things were easy. It was the few times, like this, when they had to be separated that John wished he could be in two places at once.
Earlier in the evening, a nurse told John they didn't expect anyone to be admitted overnight and he could use the second bed in Dean's room. He thanked her, but had no intention of sleeping. Before Aidan left with Sam, John got a large cup of coffee and he had over the counter caffeine pills if he got tired. There was a fairly comfortable chair in the room and John settled in. He had a book and his journal, but his attention stayed on his son.
"What are we looking for?" Sam asked.
"Anything that looks suspicious," Aidan explained. "But be very careful. We don't want to leave any evidence that anyone was here."
Sam had only been shown how to search a room using their home for the training. The most involvement Sam was allowed to have in hunts was research; not only was he very good at it, he enjoyed doing it. Aidan searched the front rooms thoroughly while keeping an eye on Sam, but it wasn't long before he could see that the boy knew what he was doing.
"Aidan!" Sam called a few minutes later. He'd moved to the back of the house and it took Aidan only a few rushed steps to reach him.
"What the…" He walked into the room where he could see that Sam removed a sheet from the workbench in the back bedroom, revealing what was obviously paraphernalia for use in a ritual.
"What is this stuff?" Sam asked fearfully.
Aidan examined the items on the bench, but his attention immediately went to the large book. He picked it up and turned to the marked page.
"Aidan," Sam pointed to a small picture of his brother.
"Son of a…" he looked over the bench again. "This isn't good, kid. Come on, we need to go."
Sam didn't move.
He replaced the book. "Help me with the sheet."
"Aidan –"
"Now, Sam."
The younger boy didn't wait to be told again. They adjusted the sheet and then Sam followed the older hunter out of the house.
"What's going on?" Sam asked as they got into Aidan's truck.
"The book was about Hoodoo; the marked page was how to control situations."
"The picture of Dean –"
"Your dad needs to know about this." Aidan pulled out his cell phone as he drove toward the hospital.
"Who are you calling? Dad won't have his phone on in the hospital."
"I'm not calling your dad. Caleb is nearby; I'm calling him."
Caleb was another trusted ally and Aidan knew that John would accept his assistance. Aidan had first called him a few hours before when he began to suspect something was going on with the volunteer. As he listened to the phone ring, Aidan hoped Caleb hadn't run into traffic.
oooOOOooo
Gretchen looked at the clock behind the nurses' station. Her shift was almost over and staying late would look suspicious. With John still in the hospital, and outside of her control, there was nothing she could do, anyway. She glanced at Judy as the nurse sat behind the desk making notes in a patient's file. Gretchen found that she couldn't control John, but she could still control the people around him.
"Hi Judy," Gretchen smiled as she approached the desk.
The nurse looked up at her. "About ready to leave for the night?"
"Yes. With visiting hours over, I'm sure you'll want to get everyone settled for the night."
"I think most are already asleep."
"It's been a quiet night," Gretchen said. "How is that new boy? Walcott?"
Judy nodded. "Yes, Dean. He's doing fine. His father is going to stay with him tonight."
"That's sweet." Gretchen reached into her sweater pocket with one hand and patted Judy's wrist with the other. "I should get out of your hair, I suppose. I hope you have a quiet evening."
"Thank you," Judy smiled. "And thanks for your help tonight."
"It was my pleasure."
Gretchen headed for the elevator, pausing briefly outside of Dean's room.
John looked at Dean as he shifted in the bed. A moment later his eyes opened and he looked around nervously.
"Dean?"
The boy relaxed immediately, hearing his father's voice. John moved to the edge of the bed. "Hey, son."
"It must be late. You should be home with Sammy."
"Aidan is with your brother."
Dean cleared his throat. "I'm thirsty."
John poured water from the pitcher left by a nurse earlier and handed the cup to his son who nodded his thanks.
"Sammy okay?"
"He's fine. He fell asleep with you earlier."
"I'm sure that was amusing for you."
John smiled. "Reminded me of when you two were little. How are you feeling?"
"I ache a little bit, but I'm okay. I'm still tired."
"The doctor said it would be a while before the anesthesia is completely out of your system. Why don't you just close your eyes and don't fight it?"
Dean held out the cup he'd emptied of water and noticed the bracelet on his wrist. "Sammy give this back to me?"
John nodded. "You've got the amulet, too."
"I smell eucalyptus."
"Aidan brought it." John nodded toward a small flower arrangement across the room.
"Did he just think it was pretty or is it protection from something?"
"It's just a precaution."
"And that's why you're staying the night?"
"Go to sleep, Dean."
"Dad –"
John laid a hand on his son's arm. "Don't worry about anything; just get better so your brother stops worrying about you."
"Sammy the only one worried?"
Smiling, John cupped Dean's face gently. "Yeah, he's the only one."
When John glanced toward the door later, he expected to see Gretchen's face but instead he saw Caleb. Surprised, John motioned his friend to come in.
"What are you doing here?" John whispered.
"Aidan asked me to come. How's Dean doing?"
"He's fine; he'll be out of here in a day or two. What did Aidan tell you?"
Caleb glanced toward the bed.
"He's asleep," John said, but moved across the room anyway.
"Aidan thought you might need a little backup. He went to that old woman's house and found a whole lot of Hoodoo stuff."
"Really." John said thoughtfully.
"And a picture of our boy here."
"What?"
Caleb shrugged. "That's what Aidan said."
"Where is he now?"
"Working on some defense."
"He's got Sammy with him?"
"Yup. And now that I've delivered the message, I thought I'd go find out what I can about that old woman."
John nodded. "Stay in touch with Aidan – and I don't want Sammy awake all night. You and Aidan either, for that matter. I suspect the old woman will be back on her game tomorrow, if she isn't now."
"Don't worry. You just stay here and keep an eye on Dean; we'll handle the rest of it."
They looked toward the door when it opened. Judy nodded toward Caleb as she went about examining Dean.
"I'm headed out." Caleb looked at John and he nodded. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."
John watched him walk out, then turned his attention to the nurse as she replaced the nearly empty IV bag. She examined Dean briefly and checked the monitor while making notes in his chart.
"He woke up for a little while," John said.
"Good. The doctor will be by early in the morning; he probably won't order any food for Dean until lunch, but I'd be willing to bet he gets released sooner than we thought earlier today. He seems to be doing very well."
"That's good news."
She smiled at him, then looked back to the patient for a moment. "There's a shift change coming up soon. I'll let the replacement head nurse know you're in here for the night. Do you need anything?"
"No. Thank you."
She glanced at Dean again and then headed out of the room.
John rubbed his stubbled face and sighed. He wasn't one for sitting around and waiting; and he really wasn't one for letting other people handle his problems, but he wasn't sure what else to do right now. Dean needed someone to watch over him, the old woman needed to be investigated and Sammy need to be kept safe.
TBC