Chapter 12

Sam couldn't move. He just stood there in shock as he saw Lou drop like a rock to the ground, the dagger buried so deep in her back he was sure it had to be poking through the flesh in her chest. His shock was short-lived though, and he sprung into action. Iris was on her feet, making her way for the door. Sam cut her off in three steps, his long legs covering ground in half the time Iris could.

Interlacing his fingers, he essentially made his hand into a club, and letting his anger take over, swung up with all his strength, catching Iris square in the jaw. Her head cracked back as she flew into the wall behind her, knocking everything off the shelf above, and on to herself. She laid there limp, seemingly out cold.

Sam rushed to Lou's side, her body still, her face pale. The sight of the dagger handle making him sick. Fighting the urge to bring up the lunch he'd never had, he hesitantly checked for a pulse. The lack of bleeding making him feel pretty sure he wouldn't find one. But he did. He gently rolled her onto her side so she wasn't face down on the dirty floor.

"Sam, listen to me. Do not pull that out, whatever you do. It's the only thing that's stopping me from bleeding to death, and it'll leave a nice, big hole in my lung. That would not be a good thing." She coughed the last words out, spraying blood from her mouth onto her lips.

Sam took Lou's hand, talking to her softly, reassuringly. "Just relax, you're gonna be ok. It's not as bad as it looks."

"She squeezed his hand back, returning the sentiment. "You're full of shit Sam, but thanks for the words of support."

"Don't talk like that, you're gonna be just fine. Besides, Dean's gonna owe you big for this one. And you need to be around to collect. I can't wait to see the apology come out of his mouth. I think he owes you at least that."

"For that, I'll try to live. I'll need to see that to believe it though."

"Now you sound like Dean."

"Way to kick a girl when she's down, Sam."

"Oh God, now you really sound like Dean."

She coughed again, spraying more blood, this time across her face, arm, and all over the floor. Sam tried to gently wipe it away, tears starting to well in his face.

"Don't do that Sam, Winchesters don't cry. Look at it this way, maybe now, I can finally kick John's ass."

"That's not funny," Sam was pretty sure Lou wasn't going where John ended up.

"Come on, it's just a little funny."

"What are you doing, channeling Dean now?"

"Do you know what she said Sam? She said you two were arguing, about me. Wanna tell me what that was all about?"

"Not right now, I think we can save that for later." Sam was so not going there right now.

"Sam, since we're not gonna chit chat all night, do you want to get me out of here? I really don't want to die here on this floor."

"The car's at the end of the driveway, you want to walk, or should I go get it?"

"I think maybe you should go get it. That sounds like a really good idea. I tell you what, I'll wait right here, if you don't mind."

"Valet service, what a treat."
"Sam, help me up, and leave me your gun, just in case."

Sam slid his arm under her shoulder, and tried as gently as he could to lift her into a sitting position. When she was upright, he slid her over to a wall, propping her up against it. He put his gun in her good hand, and sprinted out of the barn to get the car.

He was gone no longer then ten seconds, and Iris was on her feet again, slowly advancing on Lou. She had nothing but murder in her eyes now. Her plans had all been ruined, and now she just wanted to make Lou pay. And where the hell did she find that axe?

"You really think I'm gonna let you out of here alive, you bitch?"

"Don't you ever give up? Can't you see you're done. Just stop already, it's over. Look at yourself, what makes you think someone like Dean would ever love you anyway? For one thing, you're crazy, and for another, everything you are goes against every fiber of his being. He hunts and kills things like you."

"Shut up!" Iris lunged forward, bringing the axe up, ready to strike.

As weak as she was, she raised Sam's .45, aimed, and fired. And her aim was dead on. Iris crumpled to the ground in a heap, bullet hole right between her eyes.

Lou just dropped the gun, sighed, and was out.

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Sam was already in the Impala when he heard the shot. He gunned the engine, tearing down the driveway at warp speed. Racing out of the car, he burst back into the barn, seeing the aftermath of what he knew he'd just heard. He was terrified to see that Lou's eyes were no longer open, and he wasn't even sure she was breathing.

He maneuvered his way around her so he could scoop her up into his arms, careful not to touch the offending metal. He was right about one thing, it had gone clean through. A good inch of the tip had broke through the flesh in her chest. There was only a slight trickle of blood from the front, but the entry wound was another story now. There had barely been any blood at first, now her whole back was covered in it.

He carried her out to the Impala, trying as gently as possible to lay her down in the back seat. "Screw Dean's car, let it get blood on it," Sam barked, closing the door. Climbing into the drivers seat, he tore off, straight back to the hospital.

Pulling out his phone, Sam hit the speed dial for the number he'd used to call Lou. He prayed someone would answer.

"Hello, can I help you?" A hesitant voice on the other end answered.

"Who's this? Is the emergency room?"

"Yes it is, who's this? This is a private line. Who are you looking for?"

"This is Sam…uh…(shit, what the hell name had he used)..Kilmister. I'm a friend of Dr. Carpenter. I have her with me, and she needs medical attention fast. I'm about ten minutes away, and I'll be bringing her right in. She's got a dagger lodged in her back, and she's losing blood fast."

"She has a WHAT lodged in her back?"

"A dagger… it's a long story. She told me not to pull it out, said she'd bleed to death if I did, so I didn't touch it. We're almost there, please, you've got to help her."

"We'll be ready, don't worry. You just get her here in one piece."

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Sam screeched up to the ER doors, and sure enough, they were there waiting for him. They awkwardly got her out of the car, placed her on a gurney, and wheeled her away. As she disappeared through the same two doors Dean had, he had the sickest form of déjà vu he'd ever had.

Minutes seemed like hours, and Sam couldn't stand waiting anymore. After the last week, he was all waited out. He forced his way through the doors, searching everywhere for Lou. The ER was empty, not a patient in sight.

He was approached by a young doctor, probably fresh out of med school. "Sam? Are you Sam?"

"I'm Sam, who are you?"
"Dr. Edwards. They already took Dr. Carpenter upstairs. They need to surgically remove that 'thing' in her back. They think it's lodged right next to an artery. It's going to be very tricky getting that out. They told me to tell you they'd be more than happy to contact you in your brother's room. Or, you can head upstairs to the waiting area."

"I think I'll head up to the waiting area. I don't think I can explain this to my brother right now anyway." 'Yeah, how the hell do I tell Dean that yet another person might die trying to save him., he thought.

Sam hit the elevator, knowing all too well the way he had to go. It had been hours since he left Dean, but until he could tell him something, he wasn't going anywhere near him. So he'd just sit and wait.

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Three hours later, it was finally over, and Sam knew he had to face his brother. He couldn't put it off any longer. Down the elevator he went, slowly walking the distance to Dean's room. The second he walked in, he was hit with a verbal barrage worthy of John Winchester himself.

"SAM, WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN! You've been gone for hours, or more like almost a day. I know you're pissed at me, but what the hell were you thinking. And nobody seems to know where Lou is either. I sure as hell didn't think she'd take that argument totally seriously. Do you know what you missed while you were playing around?"

"I can imagine," Sam just stared at the floor.

"What the hell's wrong with you Sam? If I believed in a god I'd thank him Sam. I can feel my legs again."

Sam had heard enough ranting from his brother. He was about ready to break. "DEAN, SHUT UP! I know you can feel your legs, I know your fever broke and is normal. I know more than you do."

"Come again? Did I miss something?"

"Not just something, everything. If you'll just shut up for five minutes, I'll tell you."

"I'm all ears Sam, start talking." Sam's tone was scaring Dean, and he knew why. He couldn't remember the last time Sam used that tone of voice, but he positive it meant bad news.

Sam started relaying the events of the night to Dean, from the beginning that he knew of. He explained all about Iris. How she'd started this whole mess with that she-creature, how she was keeping him sick to keep him there, how she just couldn't let him go. He told Dean about the spell she was casting, how Lou tried to stop her, and what Iris did to retaliate. He also told him that Iris was dead.

"Iris heard us arguing, Dean. She tried to kill Lou because of it. She thought she was in love with you. She knew it was her fault what happened to you, and it must have twisted her somehow. She had some kind of need to care for you."

Dean just stared, open mouthed, totally in shock. Sam tried to continue, but Dean just stopped him.

"Where is she Sam? I want to see her, NOW!"

"Dean, you can't get out of bed yet, your back …"

"Either you find me a chair and wheel me wherever she is, or I'm gonna pull out this piss tube, and go find her myself."

"Ok, let me see what I can do. And don't pull that out Dean, that'd be a really bad idea." Sam left in a desperate search for a chair. He didn't think Dean could walk up and down the halls, but he was pretty sure he'd try. The only thing he'd succeed in doing was hurting himself more.

He went to the nurses station, and explained what he needed. He was in a sense, asking for help. He also told the nurse it really wasn't an option either. Once Dean's mind was made up, there was no stopping him.

Returning to Dean, chair in hands and nurse right behind, he wheeled right up next to the bed. "She said she'll let you go Dean, but you have to let me put you in that chair, and everything stays attached. EVERYTHING."

"You want me to shine your shoes too? Just get me in the fucking chair, and let's go."

Sam put one arm under Dean's back, and another under his shoulders, and as he lifted, the nurse supported his legs. Easing him down into the chair, he tried to breath deeply as he waited for the pain the movement had caused to subside. Sam attached the IV to the chair pole, and just waited for Dean to let him know when the pain had passed enough to move.

It took a couple minutes, but seeing Dean's face ease slightly, he asked. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be. Let's go."

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They didn't have far to go. In fact, it was right across the hall. And it was Dean's turn to feel sick when he laid eyes on her. "Is this what I looked like Sam?"

"Just about, except she's prettier." Sam's attempt at humor failed miserably.

Sam pushed Dean as close to the bed as possible. Neither one of them noticed the doctor come in right behind them.

"Sam, and Dean, right?" I'm Dr. Dan Scott. I'm sure you don't remember me, Dean. We didn't meet under the best of circumstances. Seems we're making a habit of it."

"You're telling me. How is she? Is she gonna be ok?" Dean needed to hear it all, not Sam's sugar coated, fairy tale version.

"Well, that dagger, god I can't believe I just said that, entered just left of center. It lodged itself between the spinal column and the shoulder blade. Somehow, it went right between two ribs, through the lung, and out again through her chest. It was pressed against a major artery, putting a small tear in it. She would have bled out if you'd pulled it out Sam, just as she suspected. We had a difficult time getting it out without causing anymore damage. By the time we got that tear sewn up, she'd already lost too much blood and had gone into shock. Her temperature dropped, and her kidneys have started shutting down. We're trying to get the blood volume back to normal, but the respiratory distress is making it difficult. She's intubated, we're trying to control her blood pressure with medication, and we may need to start her on dialysis. If the kidneys shut down completely, it will only be a matter of time before other organs shut down as well. If that happens, there'll be nothing we can do. I'm sorry. I wish I had better news for you. I'll leave you alone now, but Dean, don't think you're sitting in that chair all night. I've already reviewed your chart, and you are going to be in a world of hurt if you keep that kind of pressure on your back for an extended period of time. We don't want those fractures to heal improperly."

"Right now, WE don't care," Dean responded.

As Dr. Scott left the room, he left them with one more comment. "You know, she's a good friend of mine, so I know how you feel. If she can make it through the next twenty-four hours, I may start to have a little hope. Right now, I'd just say pray. I'm sorry." And he was gone.

Sam broke the silence. "Dean, I hate to say it, but you may want to make your peace now, before it's too late."

"It won't ever be too late Sam. She'll make it. She's s fighter."

"Dean, you heard what he said. It will be a miracle if she makes it until morning."

"I heard what he said Sam. She won't need a miracle. She'll be fine. She's a Winchester."

Sam looked like someone had just punched him in the gut and drove all the air in his lungs out. "What did you just say?"

"I said she's a Winchester, Sam. She's our sister."