Skirmish
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: See chapter 1
A/N: Thanks again for all the feedback, both public and private. I really do appreciate it. And thanks to Kelli for her beta skills. There's some potty language to come, but considering what's going on, can you really blame anyone for a little cussing?
oooOOOooo
I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection - Sigmund Freud quotes
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Caleb paced on the sidewalk outside the hospital as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. He rubbed the back of his head, frustrated.
"There's got to be some way to find out who hired her!" he insisted.
"That's what I'm telling you, dude, I don't think it is a who."
Caleb stopped. "What?"
"Exactly."
"Don't do that Abbott and Costello shit with me," Caleb growled.
"Sorry. I managed to find another hunter who is tracking her, too. Seems he has an ax to grind because she did some work for him in the past and double-crossed him or something – whatever, man. He has his own reasons for doing what he does The main thing is, he makes it his business to know where she is at all times and he's been cataloging her employers for the last twenty or so years. He swears that this time she's working for a demon."
"A demon!" Caleb exclaimed, then ducked around the closest corner when he noticed people turn to look at him. "What did you say?"
"You heard me."
"Since when do demons hire people to do their bidding?"
"Who says they don't?"
"Okay, let's say this is true. You're saying the Winchesters have a demon after them?"
"Like you and John have never thought that yourselves? Considering the way his wife died –"
Caleb raked his fingers through his hair. "Sure, that's one of the possibilities, but we've never been able to find proof –"
"Maybe you have now."
"Why wouldn't the demon just fuck with John on its own? Why would it hire some old woman to do it? And what does it want with Dean?"
"Why do demons do any of the things they do?"
"You're not making any sense!"
"Demons follow their own kind of logic. If it was a demon that put Mary Winchester on that ceiling, it had a reason. Now John, like all of us, is likely to make enemies on the other side. We exorcise the bastards back to Hell –"
"Wait, now you're saying this is some random demon that John exorcised?"
"I don't know what demon it is, but the old man I talked to is convinced it's a demon of some kind."
"Why does he think that?"
"He was watching her house when it came to her."
"Here?"
"No. She moved there just a few weeks ago. Before that she lived in Atlanta, Georgia. Before that it was Memphis, Los Angeles, Bismarck –"
"I get it. So he was watching?"
"Random stakeout. All of a sudden the car radio goes freaky, there's a lightning storm even though the sky was clear. His watch stopped. The power in her house blinks off and on –"
"Okay, classic demon shit."
"The next day she moves to the same happy little burg as the Winchesters."
"Shit."
"Yeah."
"But why bring her into it?"
"For fun? Who knows? We know demons do things for their own enjoyment – how do you know that some of the things that have come after John haven't been sent by the demon? He's had some back luck; even for a hunter."
"What if we grab this woman and make her talk? We'll find the demon, exorcise it and everything can go back to normal."
"That's a nice idea, but it sounds too simple to actually work."
"Yeah," Caleb sighed. "Thanks for this, man. You got anything else?"
"No, that's it. How many people do you have there? You need any more backup?"
"I think we're good, thanks. John is pretty much a one man army anyway; especially when his kids are involved."
"Good luck, Caleb. I hope the Winchesters are worth it."
Caleb didn't have to hope. He knew they were.
oooOOOooo
Gretchen wanted to be close to the job so she could see the affects of her work, but she decided it would be safer to keep her distance. Proximity wasn't particularly important with what she had the ability to do. She was surprised to find out she was actually enjoying volunteering at the hospital. She never had children, but liked being in the pediatric ward and that's where she arranged to be for her morning shift.
oooOOOooo
Caleb went back to pacing on the sidewalk as he waited for Aidan to answer his phone.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"Caleb? I'm on my way to the hospital; is something wrong?"
"I left Sam in Dean's room about fifteen minutes ago and they were both fine. I just got off the phone with Joey; not sure you know him –"
"I've heard you talk about him. He found something out about Grandma?"
"You're not going to believe this," Caleb said and told him what he'd learned.
Aidan made no response.
"You there?"
"Jesus Christ."
"Not quite," Caleb said.
"You tell John yet?"
"No. I managed to talk him into going home for a little while. What did you get from your herb store?"
"Not enough if we're dealing with a demon."
"What do you think about grabbing the old woman and making her talk?"
"With or without John?"
"Woman or no, John may damn well kill her."
"We can't do anything without talking to him."
"You're right," Caleb reluctantly agreed. "Damnit."
"Let's give him a little longer in case he actually is managing to get some sleep. I'll see you soon."
When Caleb walked off the elevator a few minutes later, he saw Sam standing against the wall next to Dean's room.
"Sam?" Caleb rushed forward. He saw tears in his young friend's eyes. "What happened?"
"The doctor is with him. He started shaking; couldn't stop. He was trying to make me feel better and -"
Caleb looked toward the closed door and put an arm around Sam's shoulders. There was nothing he could do for Dean at the moment, but he could try to comfort Sam.
"Come on," he said gently. "Let's go sit in the waiting room."
Sam let himself be led to the couch where he could still watch Dean's door. There were a few other people in the room, but Caleb and Sam ignored them.
Caleb met the Winchesters through Pastor Jim when Sam was only three years old. John had devoted his life to hunting, but was still green and in need of guidance. Caleb's father was a hunter and he grew up in the lifestyle. Even though he was only twenty at the time, Jim thought his skills would help the father and his childhood experiences would help the sons. As almost always was the case, Jim was right and Caleb was a positive influence on all the members of the family.
"Sam –"
"Don't tell me he's going to be okay, because you don't know that. Caleb, we have to get him out of this hospital and away from that old woman."
"Sam, we haven't even seen her today –"
"I know you, Aidan and my dad know things you haven't told me, but I saw all that stuff at her house. And I saw what happened yesterday with that nurse. I'm not stupid, okay? I know you guys think she's behind this. And just because we haven't seen her – we hadn't seen her when Dean got sick in the car. Maybe she did that, too."
"You're too smart for your own good, Sam."
"Did you get in touch with anyone?"
"Look, Sam, I know this is your brother and I know you're smart and can handle a lot, but –"
"You have to talk to my dad first." He said dejectedly.
Caleb looked at him.
Sam shook his head. "It's fine."
"No, it's not." Caleb sighed. "You're right. You saw that stuff at her house and I know Aidan put you on the books to do research. We don't know exactly who she is, but we do think she's involved in all this. We don't know if she made Dean sick, but she's involved. The thing is, she's for hire and we don't know who holds the purse strings."
Sam stared at Dean's door. "We have to get him out of here."
"What?"
"He's not safe here."
"We don't know that. Besides, if we're right, it won't matter where he is."
"That's just great," Sam whispered.
They looked up when the doctor left Dean's room. He recognized Sam and walked across the hall.
"How's my brother?"
"He wants to see you."
"Can I –"
The doctor nodded. "Go ahead. He might already be asleep, though."
Sam's long strides took him across the hallway quickly. The doctor turned back to Caleb.
"Are you a relative?"
"No; family friend. Is Dean really doing all right?"
"He's stable. Do you know if his father is still in the hospital?"
"He went home for a little while. Is there a problem?"
The doctor looked uncertain. "Dean's fever spiked again and it caused a seizure."
"So what do you do now?"
"I've changed the treatment to broad spectrum antibiotics. I've also ordered a blood culture to test for Septicemia; that's basically a blood infection and happens sometimes after surgery."
"How long before you have the results?" Caleb asked, feeling sick himself.
"Not long. But he's already on the treatment I'd recommend for it so…"
"What could that, Sep, uh, the blood infection do?"
"There are any number of complications ranging from bleeding caused by the blood being unable to coagulate to renal failure and other conditions. Generally, it's easily treated with the wide spectrum antibiotics I've ordered so let's not jump ahead of ourselves, all right?" The doctor smiled encouragingly and excused himself.
Caleb nodded as the doctor walked away. "Thanks."
Sam wasn't prepared for how pale his brother looked. He stood just inside the door, watching him and even though Dean's eyes were closed, Sam could see the dark circles under them. Approaching the bed, Sam quietly lowered himself into the chair. He wanted a physical connection to his brother, but was afraid he would wake him so he just sat back in the chair and watched Dean's face carefully.
He glanced at the door when it opened a moment later and was grateful to see Caleb walk in.
"He's asleep," Sam whispered as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his friend, "Hey, Caleb?"
"Yeah?"
"I know I said I wasn't a kid, but I really want my dad."
"Me, too, Sam. I'll go call him."
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Gretchen stood in front of the mirror in the ladies room with a smile on her face. She had just completed a quick ritual that she was particularly proud of because she'd basically invented it herself. She would find a reason to go back to the surgical ward before leaving the hospital at the end of her shift just to see the effects of her work. While she knew she had to stay away from the Winchesters, and she recognized her mistake of being overconfident, her work was much more fulfilling when she could see what she had caused.
She glanced at the door as it opened and smiled at the newcomer as she went about washing her hands. She headed back to the pediatric ward to help pass out lunches, content with what she had accomplished so far.
oooOOOooo
Aidan saw Caleb as he came from the waiting room. He noticed the worried expression and looked at him questioningly.
"I just called John. Who knew I even had change for the pay phone; it's been so long since I've used one." Caleb sounded distracted.
"What's wrong?" Aidan asked fearfully.
"We have to get that old woman. We have to protect Dean from her."
"Did something happen?"
Caleb nodded, suddenly feeling sick. He sat down on the couch and leaned forward. "Fuck, Aidan, this is bad."
"What happened, damnit?"
Caleb took a deep breath and steadied himself before relating to Aidan what the doctor said.
"John's on his way?"
"Yeah," Caleb nodded, his voice low.
"What was his reaction?"
"What do you think it was?"
Aidan shook his head. "I'd rather not think about it. Where's Sam?"
"With his brother. He's scared to death."
"Why don't you go get some coffee or something? Take a break. I'll stay with Sam."
"I'll be okay."
"Yeah, I know. But maybe you can get in touch with some of those other people you brought to town and get them started working on how to get the old woman and what to do with her."
Caleb nodded. "That's not a bad idea."
Aidan opened the door as quietly as he could and nodded at Sam as he walked into the room. Sam was almost as pale as his brother and Aidan wasn't sure he shouldn't be in the next bed. He set the small duffle bag he was carrying over his shoulder on the floor next to the bed and stood next to Sam.
"What did you bring?" Sam asked quietly.
"I have marjoram, angelica root, caraway seed, and other miscellaneous things for protection and health. How's he doing?"
"He's sleeping. Did you see Caleb? He was calling my dad."
"I saw him. John is on his way. He went outside where he can use his cell phone and call some of the people he brought to town with him."
"I told him we have to get Dean out of here," Sam said, his eyes on his brother's ashen face. "We have to get him somewhere we can use more powerful stuff; somewhere we can completely protect. Are those people going to go after the old lady?"
"He's going to have them make plans. Your dad will have the final say in what we do."
Sam nodded. Aidan opened the bag and made the limited preparations he could.
"Aidan?" Sam asked a few minutes later.
"Yeah, Sam?"
"Why is she going after Dean? Caleb told me she's for hire – you think Dean pissed someone off?"
"I don't know, Sam."
"Cuz it makes more sense that it was Dad, you know? And whoever it is, is using Dean against him."
"That makes sense," Aidan agreed, stopping his work and looking at Sam.
"But why Dean and not me?"
"What are you getting at, Sam? That your dad has a favorite son? You know that isn't true."
"Do I?"
"Sam –"
"Dad and I fight a lot; he doesn't like me questioning him –":
"He doesn't like anyone questioning him. We're all supposed to believe he's right all the time."
"He's right a lot. But I want to know why; I don't want to just follow orders."
Aidan kneeled down in front of Sam and held his arms. "Sam, don't start thinking crazy. Your father loves you every bit as much as he loves Dean. You may drive him crazy because you're so smart and you don't follow blindly, but he loves you. I don't know why she chose to go after Dean; maybe it was luck of the draw or maybe whoever she's working for told her to go after him for some reason. But if it was you in that bed instead of your brother, your dad would be every bit as pissed and worried as he is now."
Sam looked past Aidan to his brother. "We have to protect him."
"We're working on it, Sam. I promise."
John drove toward the hospital in just short of a blind rage. He decided they'd screwed around long enough and it was time for action. He needed someone he trusted to stay with the boys while he went after the old woman, but he'd need backup there, too. He didn't believe she'd be stupid enough not to tell him who she was working for, but if she didn't, he was prepared to kill her. No one hurt his boys and that included some little old lady.
He knew Dean could check himself out of the hospital even if it was against the doctor's recommendation and, since he wasn't a minor, the hospital would have no obligation to notify any of the government agencies that John expertly avoided all these years. That might be what they ended up doing, but he wasn't equipped to provide the medication Dean would need. He decided their best option would be just to grab the old woman and leave Dean under the care of the doctors.
When John got to Dean's room, he was asleep. Sam was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at his brother as if that would somehow protect him. Aidan was sitting in the chair John had spent the night in, leaning toward the bed.
He was angrier than he had been in a long time, but his heart melted when he saw relief flood over Sam's face as he turned to look at his father. He was shocked when his younger son practically leapt from the bed to hug him tightly. Sam was scared and reverting to behavior John hadn't seen in years. If the cause for it was different, he might actually welcome it. Like any parent, John was happy to see his children grow and become independent, but at the same time he knew every step Sam took was a step away from the protection he could provide. Sam knew a lot about the supernatural, John had made sure of that, but there was just as much that he didn't know. John hadn't had enough time to teach either of his sons everything he knew, but there were some lessons he was intentionally holding back.
"It's okay, Sammy," John said, returning the hug. He wasn't about to chastise him for his reaction. Maybe he would if the situation wasn't so dire, but considering the circumstances, John was willing to let Sam be the child that he really was. "Caleb told me everything. The medication is going to help your brother and we're going to take care of the old woman."
Sam reluctantly pulled away and John approached Dean. He moaned slightly and shifted in the bed, but he didn't wake up. John looked at the monitor and saw his fever was higher than it had been earlier.
"Where's Caleb?"
"Making phone calls. He brought some people into town with him and they're working on a way to grab Grandma and finding a safe place to keep her."
John nodded, laying a hand on Dean's shoulder. He whimpered softly and John leaned over to whisper into his ear. He was calmed immediately.
"She works a four hour shift that's just about over –"
"But we also know where she lives, John. We're not going to rush into something when we don't know for sure what we're up against," Aidan said.
John glanced at him, sure there was something he hadn't been told yet. He thought he was reading Aidan's expression correctly and put a hand on Sam's shoulder.
"Stay here, okay, Sammy? Aidan and I will be in the hall for a few minutes." He felt Sam stiffen. "It's okay, son. We'll be right outside. I'll be able to hear you if you call."
Sam nodded and John squeezed his shoulder before letting it go. Aidan followed him out of the room.
"What?" John demanded. 'What don't I know?"
"Joey, a friend of Caleb's, says the woman is working for a demon."
"What?" John exclaimed. He looked around, but they were alone.
Aidan went through what Caleb told him earlier. "We were going to call you, but even you need a couple of hours of sleep a day."
John was angry that he wasn't informed immediately. "A demon is behind my son being sick and you didn't think I needed to know?"
"John, I told you –"
"Since when do you make those decisions?"
"He didn't."
John whirled at the sound of Caleb's voice.
"I did," he continued. "I made the call that you needed to sleep and that's why you're just finding out now. And if Dean hadn't taken a turn, you'd still be asleep and you still wouldn't know. You can give me all he crap you want to, because we both know I can't keep you from doing it, but just know that I'd make the same decision again."
John stared at him, but didn't challenge him. Caleb had been a good teacher when John needed it, but he'd surpassed Caleb's skills and even taught him a few things. Besides, Caleb, like everyone else, knew John made the decisions where his sons were involved. He didn't ask for advice and he didn't welcome it. The only person who occasionally got away with it was Pastor Jim.
"So you got in touch with the people you brought into town?"
Caleb nodded. "Yeah. They're headed over to Grandma's house to clean it out. They're going to take out everything she could possibly use for control or protection. They'll bring in weapons in case we need them and things we can use to get her to talk."
"I'll get her to talk," John growled.
Aidan and Caleb exchanged a look. They'd both seen John's powers of persuasion and they knew he probably wouldn't hesitate to use them against the old woman, but neither one thought that physical violence was the right choice.
"How long do they need?"
"They'll be done by the time she gets home."
John nodded.
"I was thinking," Caleb began and John glared at him. "You might think about staying here and letting us handle this."
"And just why the hell would I do that?"
"Because you're exhausted and crazy with anger. Sam is terrified and –"
"I'm not letting her off the hook and I'm not going to hide here –"
"Hide? You'd be here protecting your sons."
"I have to handle this!"
"Why?" Caleb hissed, moving closer to John and staring into his eyes. "Let us be the soldiers and you be the father. Just this once –"
"Don't tell me I haven't been a father to my sons." John sounded dangerous.
"Stop it!"
The three men turned to look at Sam. He was standing just outside Dean's room, leaning against the closed door.
"Stop fighting. I can stay here with Dean and Dad can go with you two. If anyone can make her tell us who she's working for, it's Dad."
John looked away from his son. "And which one of you told him she's for hire?"
Caleb looked at him defiantly. "I did."
John only nodded. He turned back to Sam. "You're not staying here alone."
"Fine, whatever. But don't fight with Aidan and Caleb; it's wasting time that we don't have."
John looked at his son; irritated with him, but proud at the same time. Without another word, Sam went back into his brother's room.
TBC