Deuce and Damien
Chapter 14
Disclaimer: See chapter one
The next time Caleb opened his eye's he was met with a dimly light room, the sound of a faint beeping was heard off to his right, a cool rush of air could be felt just below his nose. Blinking slowly he was finally able to bring the room into focus, it was a hospital room. He felt himself start to panic, the last time he had been in a hospital room he had been forcibly strapped down and sedated to a near comatose state. The teen quickly moved his arms and legs, relief calming him slightly at the absences of restraints. Taking a few calming breaths he felt a slight pain in his chest. Turning his head he made out the sleeping form of his father sitting uncomfortably in a chair nest to his bed.
Caleb had never really looked at Mac before, but as he took a minute to study the sleeping man he noticed the deep worry lines creasing his adoptive father's face. The teen was able to see, even with Mac sleeping, the dark circles around the man's eyes, telling the boy that the man hadn't been sleeping much, and when he did it was restless, if Mac's wrinkled clothing was any indication. Since coming to live with Mac, Caleb would often find himself worrying if the man that had adopted him really could care about him as much as he professed. However, just seeing the man next to his bed, in such a disheveled state, it finally hit home that Caleb had found a family that really did care about him, that loved him.
Closing his eye's a minute the teen tried to recall how he had come to be in a hospital. He remembered being at Bobby's junkyard, storming about the property, mad at his father, at the mechanic for arguing about his family's supposed history and it connection to a demon. He was mad at Pastor Jim who seemed to hold the middle ground, not coming to the boy's defense about the bad things that had happened to him in his thirteen-years. He remembered not being sure what to think of John Winchester. He had only ever been around the man a few times; the former Marine was quiet, hardly spoke and had never commented on the ongoing discussion about the Reaves's family history.
Caleb remembered storming out of the mechanic's house pissed he wasn't included; he remembered it starting to snow. He felt his heart constrict as the memory of his mother filled his mind, her warm touch, her promise that is abilities were truly his and that his brother was to come from another. Caleb's eyes shot open, desperately looking around the room. He remembered finding an unconscious Dean in the snow, the little boy having followed the younger child's pattern of following him around.
Caleb's eyes finally landed on another bed in the room, a small form visible in the limited lighting. In seeing the little boy in the other bed, the teen felt the need see him up close, to touch him, to make sure he was real. Caleb vividly remembered being with the child in what he could only assume was the little boys mind. He remembered finding Dean on the floor of the nursery, watching his mother rocking Sammy, then the scene changing as the room was consumed by a fire no one realized the five-year old had witnessed, and then finally being at Pastor Jim's farm and the visitation of Mary Winchester.
Slowly sitting up, trying not to wake his father or Dean's, who was also dozing next to the child's bed, Caleb eased his legs over the side, sitting a moment so the room would stop spinning. Pulling off the oxygen canal, he stood pulling the IV pole closer, using it to hold him up, his body rebelling against the movement, aching as he moved. After what seemed like forever the teen finally came to stand next to the sleeping child. Reaching out he laid his hand on the little boys chest, closing his eye's in relief as he felt the steady heartbeat and rhythmic breathing beneath his touch.
"Damien?" The quiet whisper had Caleb looking into the angelic face of the child; big moss-green eye's meeting his.
"Hey Deuce, you okay?" Caleb felt tears form at hearing the boy's voice. Clearly recalling the fear he felt when the child had wanted to stay with his mother.
"My chest hurts." Dean answered as he laid his smaller hand over Caleb's, "But you're here, I feel safe now."
A lump filled Caleb's throat at the raw emotion, the complete trust he saw looking at him, "Um…yeah, we're safe now. You rest; okay…I'll keep watch."
Dean looked at the teen then slowly moved over in the larger bed, "Can you stay with me? Just until I go to sleep?"
"Yeah…okay." Caleb moved the IV pole closer to the bed as he sat on the edge. Raising the head of the bed slightly, he turned leaning back next to Dean. Readjusting his IV, then making sure Dean's wasn't tangled.
Dean turned toward the teen as he leaned back, wrapping his little arms around the older boy's arm, "Thank you for staying with me, I love you Damien." Dean whispered as he drifted back to sleep.
Caleb watched as the child nestled against his arm, hearing his barely audible sentiment. Without thinking the teen leaned over and kissed the top of the blond head next to him, "Love you too Deuce."
As he felt the child's breath even out against his arm, Caleb leaned his head back, again humbled by the unconditional acceptance of the younger boy. With a silent yawn the teen's eyes slipped shut, a peaceful sleep settling over him.
Slowly coming back to awareness, Mac realized it was still the wee hours of the morning. The last three days being the worst in his life, after the accident that nearly killed him. He had never been more terrified at the completely helpless feeling he had experienced at not being able to help his son as the boy suffered from the effects of hypothermia, then pneumonia, both which nearly claimed the teen's life. Rubbing his hand over his unshaven face he looked up at the bed, expecting to see the sleeping boy.
Panic filled his soul as his gaze met an empty bed. For an instant he feared the memory of his son's brief consciousness had been a cruel allusion and that his son had truly been lost to him. Standing quickly, looking around the room, he felt lightheaded with relief as he caught the form of the teen in the other bed, next to Dean.
"He's been over here for a while, I woke up about an hour ago and they were sound asleep." John spoke quietly as Mac approached.
"For a second I thought it was all a dream, them waking up. I thought I'd lost him." Mac reached up and ran his hand through his son's dark hair, the teen barely moving at the touch.
"I know what you mean." John stood, needing to stretch from the many hours sitting next to his sleeping son. Stepping to the other side of the bed, John placed his hand on the rail. "It was like losing Mary all over again, only a million times worse." The younger man's voice cracked as he reached out and touched his son's arm. "I've lived in fear since that night, so afraid that what took Mary would come back for the boys. They are the only thing I have left to live for and if I lost them…"
"I've worried everyday since Caleb has come into my life. The last few months have been hard, especially with the talk surrounding his family. He won't talk to me; I don't know how to get through to him and now this." Mac looked up meeting the Knight's gaze.
"Do you know something I've noticed in that time?" John cleared his throat, realizing something as he watched the boys sleep, seemingly peaceful next to each other.
"What?" Mac inquired.
"Since meeting you and Caleb, Dean has started coming back some. Even though he hasn't been talking, he has started interacting more, not just sitting around in his own world. I know he still does that, but it seems anytime we are around you guys, Dean's always following Caleb around, trying to engage him. Since that night, Dean would only react to something I did or said, but lately he's been trying to initiate contact." John looked back at the boys. "For some reason your son has unknowingly been helping bring my son back to me and for that I'm grateful." A few minutes had passed in silence before John's deep voice again broke the silence. "I believe Caleb saved Dean's life out there."
"I think maybe they saved each other." Mac responded as each man took a seat.
Both men looked up as the door to the room opened, Jim coming through, two coffee cups in hand. "I believe you could both use one of these."
"Thanks" John responded, taking a long drink of the hot liquid, relishing the heat and caffeine jolt.
"Thank you Jim." Mac responded, watching as the older man stepped near the bed.
"Is Sammy being good?" John asked. He had been waiting for the doctor's okay to allow the toddler into his brother's room.
Jim smiled at the younger man, "Robert is finding out it is not as easy as it seems to get a stubborn eighteen month old to eat anything other than macaroni and cheese."
John let out a quiet laugh, "That's become Sammy's favorite food lately."
"Indeed. How are our boys doing?" Jim came around to the father's leaning against Caleb's empty bed.
Mac spoke first, "Doctor thinks they may get to leave the hospital in a couple days. He wants them to take it easy and rest for a while, build their strength back up from the pneumonia." Taking another drink of coffee Mac continued, "Fortunately there aren't any ill effects from Caleb's seizure and from the EKG his heart is in good shape."
"Thank God for that." Jim responded. "I want you both to come back to the farm for a while, let the boy's recuperate there." Looking at the sleeping boys Jim added, "I think it will do them both good if they have one another to help work through what has happened, plus it will give you both a safe place to let your guard down and recoup some of the much needed rest you both have been lacking the past few days."
"Jim, we can't…" John spoke only to have Jim bring his hand up to silence him.
"Please Jonathon; this has been a great scare for all of us. It would mean a lot to me if you allow me to help take care of them. Mackland?" Jim looked at the Scholar.
"Okay, I'll call and arrange a flight to take us to Kentucky once Dean and Caleb are discharged." Mac glanced at John, who nodded. Silence settling over the room as the three men waited for the boys to wake up again.