Deuce and Damien
Chapter 4
Disclaimer: See chapter one
A/N: Again thanks so much to everyone reviewing. I've nearly completed this story and will hopefully be posting a chapter or two a day. Thanks-Montez
As the three men neared the shed, John looked at the structure wondering how on earth it was standing against the onslaught of the freezing wind; he could literally see it shaking. Bobby reached the door first seeing the lock busted off. "They've got to be in here, locks gone!" he shouted as Mac and John came up behind him.
Bobby pushed on the door, expecting to open easily but found it only moved a little. Leaning his shoulder into it he finally managed to get it open. John pushed his way in first, "Dean! Caleb!" John stood in the middle of the small structure and looked around, "I don't see them."
Mac stepped in; his eye's adjusting to the darkness, but it was only when Bobby finally pulled a flashlight from his pocket and turned it on that Mac saw something in the corner, "There!" The Mechanic turned the light to where the Doctor was pointing. In the corner furthest from the door the men saw an impossibly small bundle, barely catching the jet-black hair that was seen from underneath the dirty blue blanket. "Caleb!" Mac yelled as he rushed toward his son.
John dropped in front of the boy just as Mac knelt next to him. The Scholar reached up and pulled the blanket back a little when there was still no response from his son. The first thing he noticed was the lack of a jacket on the teen, but as they continued to pull the blanket down, the reason was soon revealed.
"Dean." John whispered out, he could barely see his small son's face through the covering of the older boys coat as he was held close by the teen.
Mac reached up to touch Caleb's face, pulling his hand back as if it had been burned, "They're freezing, we need to get them back to the house" John reached out to take his son in his arms, but Mac grabbed his arm. "Move him slowly, if we move them to fast there could be problems." Looking over his shoulder at Bobby Mac asked, "Do you have another blanket in here?"
Rummaging around on the other side of the shed Bobby found another blanket, "Here!" He handed it to the Scholar, "What do you need me to do?"
Mac was slowly removing his son's arms from around Dean as John easily picked his son up and held him close, Bobby helping put one of the blankets over the small child. John's heart ached at the cold he felt from his son, he was almost afraid to find out if he was even breathing; he just needed to get him back to the house.
John stepped back as Mac again spoke to Bobby, "Bobby I need you to help me get Caleb up so I can carry him." Caleb had recently had a growth spurt and seemed to be all arms and legs, but Mac still had a few inches on his son and though it would be awkward he knew the only way to get him to the house was to carry him. "Once I have him up, I need you to get the blanket worked around him since he doesn't have his jacket on."
Getting a quick nod from the Mechanic they worked slowly, trying not to move the teen too quickly, finally getting him into Mac's arms, Bobby covered him. Looking over the two men and the precious cargo they each held in their arms, Bobby pulled the door open again and the three men headed back out into the storm, making their way toward the house.
oxoxoxoxoxo
Jim had been pacing the house since the men headed out looking for Dean and Caleb. The Pastor had placed Sammy back in the playpen, the toddler seeming to sense something was wrong as he remained quiet and watched the movement of the older man. Jim had decided to go through Bobby's place gathering all the blankets he could find for when everyone returned, to him that was the only option, he knew the men would not return until the children were found. However, the Preacher continued to silently pray the children were okay. He had grown up in the northern part of the country and knew just how tragic the situation could turn out.
He glanced up at the clock on the wall. It had been nearly an hour since John, Mac and Bobby had headed out and an unknown amount of time since Dean and Caleb had been out in the elements. Looking out the window again, Jim raced to the door as the pounding of the men's boots were heard on the stairs. "My God." Jim whispered as John, followed by Mac came through the door with snow covering the blanket covered bundles in their arms.
"Bobby I need you to get the fire going, Jim we need as many blanket's as you can find." Mac shouted, entering the door.
"Already in the living room!" Jim shouted following them into the room
"We need to get a call in and see if we can get an ambulance out here." Mac shouted as he and John made there way into Bobby's living room. "John we need to go slow, but we need to get them out of these wet closes and under the blankets, don't rub on his arms or legs, we need to check them for frost bite."
Placing his son on the pile John finally got his first look at the child and he stopped. Dean's face looked so angelic, peaceful, but incredibly pale, almost like porcelain. His mind seemed to stop working as he took in the bluish tint to Dean's lips, "No, no, no" John started shaking his head, this wasn't his son, he would never allow his son to look so… He had sworn to himself after losing Mary that he would not let anything happen to his children and now, laying before him, the face that reminded him so much of his beloved wife, lay deathly still.
Jim watched as the boys were laid on the blankets, his heart skipping a beat at their paleness. He watched Mac set about getting Caleb out of his wet cloths but noticed John had yet to touch Dean. Mac glanced up at John, noticing he hadn't moved, quickly he recognized the shock his friend had slipped into. Mac himself had to force himself into 'doctor mode' or he would be doing the same thing as Caleb appeared the same way. Looking up Mac motioned toward Dean, "Jim, we need Dean out of those cloths." Quickly the Pastor knelt next to John and slowly started removing Caleb's jacket, then Dean's. It was once Jim was working on getting Dean's tee-shirt off that John seemed to snap out of the shock he had been in and wordlessly worked on getting Dean's small jeans off, Bobby just returning to the room with some dry cloths for both boys.
Dropping the cloths near the men, Bobby started stoking the fire, adding more wood. "Phones are out, I'll try the shortwave, but they probably won't send anyone out in this until it clears some." Bobby commented leaving the room to try and summon help.
Once John had started working on his son, Jim crossed the room, grabbing Mac's medical bag that the man carried with him everywhere. Once he finished getting his son cocooned in the blankets the Doctor pulled out the thermometer and stethoscope. Jim turned back to helping John get a dry pair of sweats on the small child. "John, your body heat will help warm him up." The pastor commented as John started to wrap Dean in blankets.
It was like a light had suddenly gone off in John's normally fast mind; raising to his knees he quickly shed his wet jacket, pulled his flannel shirt off, then finally his tee-shirt. "Help me with him." The terrified father whispered sitting back against the couch. Jim reached forward and took the small bundle in his arms feeling the unnatural cold even through the blanket. The Pastor handed Dean to his father who cradled his son to his chest as Jim placed several more blankets around them.
John felt himself shiver when his son was placed to his chest; he had barely detected the nearly non-existent rise and fall of the child's chest while they had been removing the small boy's cloths. "Mac?"
Mac was still working with Caleb, only the teen's face could be seen from the buddle of blankets that surrounded him, "His body temp is 87, respiration is shallow." Mac ran his hand through his hair; he knew they had to be careful warming the boys; so much could go wrong quickly. "Jim?" The Pastor looked at the Doctor who motioned him over. Mac needed someone beside his son while he checked on Dean. Jim seeing the pleading in his friend's eyes moved toward the teen as Mac made his way toward Dean.
"That's good, using body heat…" Mac looked up at John, the terrified father watching the Scholar place the stethoscope on his son's tiny chest. Listening for a moment he removed the instrument, the placed thermometer into the child's mouth, holding it closed. Another two minutes passed before Mac read it. "Dean's temp is 85. Hypothermia occurs quicker in smaller children. His respiration is also shallow. The only thing we can do right now is try to warm them slowly and pray there are no complications." Mac hated feeling useless and this was turning into one of those moments. Hating he couldn't do more he moved back over toward his own son and followed John's example by removing his shirt and pulling his son to him, Jim again helping to cover them.
"Just got a hold of search and rescue, they can't send anyone out until morning at the earliest. They're calling for a break in the weather then, before another round comes in." Bobby spoke as he entered the room, the deathly silence of the room shaking the normally unshakable man. He took in John and Mac cradling their children to them, Jim taking a seat close to Sammy's playpen, the toddler just as quiet as the men. Without another word Bobby crossed the room, stoking the fire once more.