Disclaimer: The characters of Supernatural do not belong to me. The original character of Evelyn Winchester does.
Chapter Six
Time to Go
Sam read through Charlotte's Web again, from the beginning at Evy's insistence. She wanted Dean to hear it, too. Dean had read it before, though of course Evy didn't know that. It had been the first book he'd read to her after Sam had gone to Stanford. But Sam sat on one side of her, Dean on the other, and Evy in the middle. They read the whole story, start to finish, and prepared lunch. Evy's favorite, monkey sandwiches with chips and juice. Sam kept staring at the clock. It felt like he could feel the seconds ticking away. They kept getting louder and louder and louder. Finally, the clock hit 2:30, and they were surprised by a visit from Cass.
"Sam. Dean."
Sam put one protective hand on Evy's shoulder when she jumped. "Cass." He said.
"It's time." Cass told him sadly.
Sam checked the clock. 2:31. "No." he said, almost childishly. "No. We still have five minutes, Cass."
Cass nodded. "Yes. You do. But Evy can only go home if we're all outside." He explained.
Then we won't go. Sam thought. But Evy was jumping and pulling at Sam's arm, ready to follow Cass outside to go home. So, even though he felt as if his legs were made of lead, Sam followed her outside. He checked the clock on his phone. 2:33. Three minutes and she'd be gone. Sam felt a sad sense of déjà vu. His mind flipped to the day, nearly four years earlier, when he'd known, down to the second, when Evy was going to die. She had been brave then, right up until the last second. Now, he knew when she leaving, but she was happy this time rather than scared and miserable. So Sam attempted the same thing. He dried his eyes and held her hand, waiting.
"Cass?"
Cass, who had been standing over by the Impala next to Dean, bent down to Evy's eye level. "Yes?"
"How do I go home?" she asked.
"A door will open up right here." Cass answered, pointing in front of them. "A woman will come through. After she comes through, all you have to do is step through the door and you'll be home."
Before Cass could say any more, a bright light started to appear. It started as a simple orb, then grew until it was the size and shape of a door. The door opened, and a woman stepped through. Sam, who only moments before had been feeling devastated and in despair, stared in disbelief. He looked to Dean, whose mouth was hanging open. Cass was smiling.
"Hey, I know you." Evy said, suddenly breaking the silence. "You're the nurse lady from the hospital."
Sam looked down at Evy and then back to the woman. She was right. The woman who had stepped through the door was the same one who had sat with Sam all those years ago at the hospital. He hadn't thought about her in years. Now he wished he had.
The woman laughed. "That's right, sweetheart. I am. Now it's time to get you home. You ready?"
"Yeah." Evy said. "Is my Sammy okay?"
"He's fine. He's waiting on you." The woman responded.
She let go of Sam's hand and walked over to her. She reached the woman, then stopped. She tapped the woman's knee and beckoned her to bend down. Evy whispered something in her ear. The woman smiled and said,
"I think that's a fantastic idea. Go ahead."
Evy turned around and ran to Dean, hugging him around his neck. Dean told her how much he loved her and would miss her, too emotional to say anything else. She then went to Cass, who told her the same thing in his own way. She turned and ran to Sam, who bent down and held her tightly. Sam let her go from the hug, but held on to her for a moment.
"Don't you ever forget how much I love you. Okay?"
"Okay, Sammy." Evy said. "I'm sorry me leaving is making you so sad."
"Do not be sorry." Sam said. "You hear me? Do not be sorry. You have made me the happiest I've been in a very long time. So don't be sorry, Cricket. I love you. I will always love you."
"I love you too." Evy looked back towards the door, then back to Sammy sadly. "I gotta go."
Sam nodded. "I know. Go on, Cricket. It's okay." As Evy walked towards the door, Sam stared at the woman.
"Let me get her home." She said. "Then I promise I'll explain everything."
Sam nodded, and Evy walked towards the door slowly. When she reached it, she turned back to everyone, giving them one last air kiss. She then went through the door and back home. Sam turned back to the mysterious woman. If he thought the last few days had been unbelievable, this was about to top the list. The woman smiled and said to him,
"Hi, Sammy."
Sam's eyes welled up with tears again, as he said in a broken voice, "Cricket?"
