AUTHOR'S NOTES: So as it turns out, the writers of 'Supernatural'—and Eric Kripke—haven't decided if there's going to be a season 8 yet to my knowledge. (If someone knows differently, please share with the class. On the other hand, I've got a rock salt loaded shotgun that says the show's going to keep putting out seasons until we—the fans—tell them to stop. (To the SPN fans-Shotguns on the right, salt on the left, and please grab your torches and pitchforks as you join the queue to march up to Kripke's front door.)
Now—next story update will be to 'Pieces of the Whole' which I am finishing notes for.
As far as this story, this chapter is the aftermath of Ruby-Yes, THAT Ruby-crashing into Sam, Dean, Corey, and Kelly. I also figured out what happened to Casey, so to speak, since I cut her out of the last chapter.
And to NCIS fans, I know I fudged some details on Shannon Gibbs' parents names, but hopefully you'll forgive me.
Chapter 6
The sun was just starting to rise over the distant tree line when the police and rescue crews arrived at the accident scene, quickly starting the work of freeing the 4 people from inside the wrecked car.
Metro police ran the plates of both cars and while the pick-up truck had been reported stolen the night before, DC Metro Detective Grace Hart froze when she saw the IDs on the four people in the car. "Shit," Hart said, looking at her partner. The other detective looked at her and frowned.
"What is it?" Detective Kurt Browning asked, looking over Hart's shoulder. "Ah, fuck," he groaned, looking at the IDs.
"Three of the victims are the kids of NCIS agents and Miss Adler's parents are two of the biggest socialites in DC," Hart said, looking from the driver's licenses to the wreckage. "The press is going to have a field day when they catch wind of this."
Over in the car, the paramedics worked swiftly at loading Corey, Kelly, and Sam into ambulances as the fire crew tried to free Dean from the car.
Brian Jenks had been an EMT for almost 30 years and no matter what he tried, the young man in the driver's seat remained pinned. Looking up at the other two paramedics standing on the other side of the car, Brian expression was pained as he said, "I can't get the kid's leg to budge. We're gonna have to… to cut him out."
There was a split second pause as everyone took those words in, but they all knew that if they wanted to save Dean's life, there wasn't really much of a choice.
"20-year-old female—facial lacerations and contusions. Responsive to pain but negative on reflex response below the navel. Tibia and patellar fractures of the left leg."
As the ER doctors worked on Corey—taking x-rays and checking for internal injuries—they rattled off her condition and stats, double checking vitals and making sure the surgeons were ready for her.
When the scans came back showing no internal injuries there was a collective sigh of relief which was offset by the spinal x-rays which showed fractures of two of Corey's lumbar vertebrae.
As she was transported up to the surgical floor, Corey briefly started to regain consciousness and one of the nurses squeezed her hand as the young woman said, softly, "I can't move my legs."
x
"17-year-old male—facial lacerations and contusions. Pupils equal but unresponsive. Likely head trauma."
Sam woke up in the ER and panic filled him when all he saw was black.
"It's okay, son," a female voice said, putting a firm, yet reassuring, hand on his shoulder. "Can you tell me your name?"
Sam managed to take a few deep breaths and finally said, "Sam. Sam Winchester."
"And do you know where you are?" the female voice asked.
"Hospital?" Sam replied, trying to ignore the massive headache building. A memory swiftly came to the surface of his mind and he said, quickly, "There was someone… after the crash. Sh-she hit me in the face. She said she planned everything."
There was silence for a moment and then another voice—a male this time—said, "Okay, Sam. We're going to send you up to radiology to get some images of your brain and then if you're up to it, we'll make sure the police talk to you, okay?"
Sam nodded, wishing he could see what was going on. But before the doctors and nurses took his out of the room, he asked, "Wait—where's my brother? He was in the car. He was driving. Is he okay?"
"I don't know, Sam," another voice said. "As soon as we know something we'll let you know."
x
"16-year-old female—inflicted facial lacerations and multiple fractures and dislocations of the left arm."
The cuts on Kelly's face were NOT from the accident. That much had been clear. After the accident someone had deliberately sliced up her face.
There were a lot of sympathetic looks from the doctors and nurses as they worked on the teenager. It was obvious that the lacerations would require numerous stitches, but it was Kelly's injured arm that was the most alarming. There was no pulse or pain response in the limb and after insuring that her condition was stabilized, she was swiftly sent up to surgery.
Blaine Jeffries, a seasoned ER doctor of 57 years of age, looked pissed as he yanked his gloves off and tossed them in the nearest trash can before kicking it. When one of the nurses looked at him with alarm, Blaine huffed in frustration. "I want the son of a bitch who smashed into those kids' car," he snapped. "Because whoever it was just mutilated that poor girl and cost her her whole goddamn arm!"
"Blaine," another doctor said, poking her head into the trauma room. "Last crash victim just pulled up. You thought that teenage girl was bad? This guy's worse."
x
"20-year-old male—field amputation of the right leg and multiple fractures of the left leg including dislocating fracture of the left knee. Left elbow also shattered along with multiple rib fractures and likely fracture of the sternum."
On the way from the accident site to the hospital, Dean had stopped breathing and had been intubated en route. Once in the ER, the nurses quickly removed the brace from his left leg, alarmed when they couldn't find an ankle pulse.
The doctors worked on Dean and sent him to surgery with lightning speed. Once Blaine had stripped off his gloves again, he went to the front desk and looked at the nurse at the desk. "When the parents of the crash victims get in, page me. I'll be in the cafeteria."
The nurse nodded and watched Blaine head down the hallway. He was one of those gruff teddy bear-type doctors that always looked tough but he always treated his younger patients like they were his own kids.
"Hey, Sonia," Ruby Dawes said as she came in, her bag slung over her shoulder. "Heard we had a multiple victim crash. How awful!"
4 hours later, Blaine stood in the doorway of the surgical waiting room and took a deep breath before stepping inside. "Families of Sam and Dean Winchester, Kelly Gibbs, and Corey Adler?" he said, looking at the assembled group. He'd checked in on the crash victims only half an hour before and had volunteered to update the kids' families on their conditions.
The group of 6 stood around the waiting room, anxious looks on all of their faces. John Winchester was holding the hand of a very attractive redheaded woman and there was a shiny new engagement ring on the ring finger of her left hand. "How are my boys?" John asked, quickly, hoping there was some good news.
"Sam's being admitted with facial lacerations and contusions," Blaine began, hating the news he had to deliver to these parents—especially considering the engagement ring on the older girl-Corey's-hand. "His MRI and CT scans showed no bleeding in his brain, but there's substantial injury to the optic nerves."
John tensed at the news as he tried not to think of the worst case scenario. "So… Can Sam still see, or…?"
Blaine shook his head. "There's a very, very slim chance Sam might regain his vision but the longer the blindness lasts, the greater the odds are that it'll be permanent." The doctor gave Sam's father a moment or two to take that in before going on. "The nurses are getting Sam settled into his room if you want to go see him shortly."
"What about Dean?" John asked. He'd been told earlier that the paramedics had had to do a field amputation of Dean's right leg to get him out of the car and that his other leg was in really bad shape. How would the kid take the news that he'd lost both legs as a result of the crash?
The doctor didn't sugarcoat as he said, "Dean's ribs have been set and the sternum fracture was just a hairline fracture so he should recover just fine from those injuries. However, the surgeons said that the damage to Dean's left leg was too severe and they had to remove the limb." Seeing John Winchester's expression, Blaine added, "I'm sorry. I wish I had better news."
"What about Kelly and Corey?" Shannon Gibbs asked. She knew both girls had been badly hurt and there was something about the way the doctor was looking from one parent to another that made her uneasy. "Dr. Jeffries? What is it?"
Blaine should have known better than to try and hide his feelings from the wife of a federal agent and he took a moment before he said, "I'm not a cop. But I've seen a lot working in the ER and I don't believe the crash was entirely an accident." Looking at John Winchester, Shannon and Jethro Gibbs, and Nora and Victor Adler, Blaine made sure each of them understood what he was saying before he added, "This was intentional."
"You're saying that someone deliberately smashed into my daughter's car and sent those kids into that tree?" Victor said, looking both angry and horrified. "That someone wanted to hurt Cordelia?"
"Or it could have been someone trying to attack Sam, Dean, or Kelly since they were in the car as well," Blaine went on, quickly.
"Who do you think was the target?" John asked, running through his mental list of all the enemies he'd made both as a hunter and as an NCIS agent. Of course it was entirely possible that the perpetrator was someone with a grudge against Gibbs or the Adlers. Someone who was angry with Corey for getting engaged to Dean? But that didn't make any sense because Corey was the first and only girl Dean had ever dated.
But Blaine Jefferies just shook his head. "I honestly couldn't say. What I do know is that Sam and Kelly were the only ones hurt after the crash."
"Say again?" Gibbs said, eyes narrowed.
"Someone hit Sam in the face after the accident," the doctor explained. "It's what caused the extensive damage to Sam's optic nerves." Turning to Shannon and Jethro Gibbs, he added, "And they also wrenched Kelly's elbow and shoulder right out of joint before using a knife on her face." Looking sympathetic, he went on. "The cuts will heal, although there will likely be scarring—even with plastic surgery later. But unfortunately, the surgeons couldn't save Kelly's arm."
Shannon gasped and slowly sank down into one of the chairs, her face buried in her hands. Nora sat next to her and put her arms around her friend in a comforting embrace. "When can Vic and I see our daughter?" Nora asked, looking at Dr. Jefferies.
"Corey is still in surgery," Blaine replied. "It'll be at least another two hours."
"How bad?" Victor asked, hoping his daughter's injuries weren't too severe.
"She broke her back in the crash," the ER doctor explained. "Left leg as well."
"Is she paralyzed?" Victor asked, his mind automatically bringing up the worst case scenario. It had been hard at first, dealing with Corey's lupus diagnosis. Some days it was even harder given the effects of her disease—the joint pain, heart and lung problems… Even the idea of dealing with Corey's illness along with a serious and permanent disability made Victor feel sick to his stomach.
Blaine shook his head, trying to look positive. "Right now your daughter is experiencing a loss of motor function below the waist," he explained. "She can't move her legs, but she does still have full sensation. Trust me, that's a positive sign. It would be more worrisome if she was completely paralyzed. And the leg fractures are clean breaks so Corey should recover well from that."
xxxxxxxx
"Sam?"
Sam sat up quickly in his hospital bed, ignoring his headache getting worse as he did so. "Dad? Is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me," John replied, putting a hand on his youngest son's shoulder. "How are you feeling, Sammy?"
Usually Sam hated being called 'Sammy' but this was one of those rare moments that the nickname was a comfort. When he was Sammy, that meant that his father and brother would do everything in their power to fix whatever was wrong.
Except this time Sam's problems couldn't be fixed. "I've still got kind of a headache," Sam replied, avoiding the obvious. But when he could practically feel his father staring him down, Sam snapped, "Dad, I'm blind! How am I supposed to feel?"
"Look, Sam, you'll get through this, okay?" John insisted, wishing he could think of something more encouraging to say.
Sam sighed and gave a wordless shrug before asking, "Is Dean okay? What about Kelly and Corey?"
John let out a sigh of his own and rubbed his face with one hand. He didn't want to drop Dean's condition on Sam right now—especially since the kid was angry about the loss of his sight. But seeing Sam's expectant look, the older Winchester replied, "Dean's got some rib fractures… hairline crack to the sternum… But the worst was his legs."
Sam leaned back against the back of the hospital bed, guilt swallowing him up. "It's my fault, Dad. Dean wanted to drive. He said he was okay even though his legs were bad. I should have stopped him."
"Sam, it's not your fault," John pressed. "Someone slammed into the car and sent you guys into that tree." He didn't add the 'on purpose' that was running through his mind but he knew that Sam could hear it in his voice. The kid had always been very perceptive that way.
"Wait, what do you mean 'was'?" Sam asked, suddenly, as his father's words about Dean's condition started registering. "You said Dean's worst injury was to his legs." Horror and further guilt started settling on his face as he said, "Did Dean…? Did the doctors have to…?"
John wanted to tell his son anything but the truth but he also knew that he had to say it. "The paramedics had to cut Dean out of the car because his left leg was pinned because of the brace. And his right leg was too messed up to save." John felt tears burning his eyes as he thought of Dean losing both legs but he wouldn't allow himself to audibly cry. Right now that would likely push Sam right over the edge.
Father and son remained in silence for almost 10 minutes until a thought occurred to Sam. "Hey, Dad?"
"Yeah, Sammy?" John asked.
Sam paused a moment and then he said, "Since Dean's muscle disorder just affected the muscles of his lower legs, maybe once he gets walking with prosthetics he won't need the crutches any more. Maybe he'll be able to be kinda normal again."
"I hadn't thought of that," John replied, nodding pensively. "Maybe you're right."
"Dad?" Sam said again after another long pause.
"Yeah, Sammy," John replied quickly, just in case his youngest son thought he had gone from the room.
"Do… Do you think Kelly's still going to want to be with me even if I can't see?" Sam asked, thinking of his girlfriend.
His thoughts going to Gibbs' only child and the fact that the poor girl would spend the rest of her life scarred and without her left arm, John replied, "I think Kelly's going to need you to help her, Sam… especially the next couple months."
Sitting up straighter, Sam asked, "Dad, what are you talking about? What happened to Kelly?"
xxxxx
Leroy Jethro Gibbs' anger was barely contained as he watched Kelly be moved from Recovery to a room in the ICU right next door to where Corey and Dean were.
Looking at where his daughter's left arm had been, Gibbs clenched his jaw and fists. Someone had done this to his child. He wanted to find them and make them pay. He'd killed Pedro Hernandez for attempting to kill his family—it wouldn't be too much trouble to hunt down whoever had driven that truck the other night.
As the family of a victim, Gibbs knew that under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be allowed anywhere near the NCIS investigation into the crash. But the Adlers had raised a royal fuss—even going so far as personally calling the Director of NCIS—insisting that Gibbs, John Winchester, and Jenny Sheppard be the lead investigators.
Therefore, Jenny was back at NCIS working with the new forensic scientist on the crime scene evidence.
Even as pissed off and worried as he was, the thought of 25-year-old Abigail—Abby—Scuito made Gibbs smile ever so slightly.
Abby hadn't looked anything like a scientist when she'd been hired last month, but the girl was quick, sharp, smart, and an absolute genius with computers.
If anyone could figure out who had smashed into Kelly and the others, it was Abby.
Hearing his new cell phone ringing, Gibbs answered quickly, hoping it was good news.
"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby's hyper voice said, quickly.
"What do you got, Abbs?" Gibbs asked, making a mental note to try and get the girl to cut down on the caffeine.
"Okay, remember when you said that John Winchester had experience with weird stuff?" Abby went on in her usual rapid-fire speed. "Well, I found something in the evidence from the crash and it is definitely weird."
xxxxxxxxxx
Even though all mothers said it from time to time, Shannon truly believed that she had one of the most beautiful daughters in the world.
Kelly had always been pretty with her mother's red hair and her father's blue eyes. But when she smiled, she was a gorgeous blending of her parents.
Looking at her daughter as she lay unconscious in the hospital bed, Shannon couldn't help staring at the lines of stitches across Kelly's face and the mess of bandages where her left arm had been.
Sitting in a chair on Kelly's right side, Shannon couldn't help crying as she tentatively reached out a hand to brush her little girl's cheek. The doctors had said that plastic surgery would be able to cover most of the scars but they would still be noticeable, even with the best surgeons, and that was assuming that there wasn't any damage to the facial nerves.
Because her arm had been amputated at the shoulder joint itself, it was unclear at the moment if Kelly would be able to use a prosthetic later on. Currently, most designs of artificial limbs required at least an 8 inch stump—which excluded Kelly.
"Shannon?"
Looking up, Shannon was surprised to see her parents and Gibbs' father standing in the doorway. "Mom, Dad? What are you guys doing here?"
"Leroy called the other night after Kelly won that track meet," Jackson Gibbs replied with a polite smile. "I called Joann and Kyle before I came here."
Joanna watched her daughter stand and gave her a warm hug along with Kyle and Jackson. Looking at her granddaughter, Joanna said, softly, "Oh, my word… The poor child."
"Don't you worry," Jackson insisted with a reassuring smile. "Kelly's a tough kid. She made it through that crash when she was 8. I know she'll make it through this, too." Looking at Shannon with a knowing look, he added, "She is Leroy's daughter after all."
"So where is Jethro anyway?" Joanna asked with something of a snap to her voice. "As much as he says he loves Kelly, I'd have thought he'd be glued to her side right now."
"Mom!" Shannon exclaimed a little too loudly.
"Alright, now enough, you two," Kyle said, quickly.
But Shannon wasn't about to be calmed down. "Jethro got a call from NCIS about some lead on the crash. He went to go check on how the investigation is going. He'll find the person who did this, Mom."
"Really?" Joanna said, doubtfully. "He never found that drug dealer that almost killed you and Kelly. What makes you so sure he's going to find the driver of that truck?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nora and Victor Adler had married young—to the chagrin of their parents—and had moved to Washington DC. And even though both their families came from money, the couple never acted as though they were better than anyone else.
When Corey and Casey had been born, their parents had never spoiled them, ensuring that both girls grew up with a strong sense of morals and values.
Even when Corey had been diagnosed with lupus, Nora and Victor had tried to keep their daughter's life as normal as possible, insisting that she still go to school, even when Corey's hair had completely fallen out.
Now Corey was lying in a hospital bed, her left leg in a cast up to her mid-thigh. She wore a back and neck brace as well to keep her from moving too much and aggravating the injuries to her spine.
Nora wished she could do more for her daughter than just sitting next to her bed, but she also knew that right now there really wasn't anything she could do to speed up her daughter's recovery. All she could do was keep watch over Corey while Victor tried once again to get a hold of Casey.
After graduating high school, Casey had joined the Navy and now worked as a mechanic on an aircraft carrier. And while Nora and Victor couldn't be prouder of their daughter, this was one of those times they wished Casey had a local deployment.
"Honey?" Victor said as he stood in the doorway of the room. When Nora looked up, he gave his wife a slight smile before stepping inside the room so she could see the person standing behind him. "There was someone from the Navy Yard who wanted to stop by."
Casey didn't get a chance to speak before she was enveloped in a hug from her mother. "I missed you too, Mom," she said as she hugged back. When her mom let go after almost a full minute, she asked, "How's Corey doing?"
"She's still unconscious from surgery," Nora replied, sitting next to Corey's bed again. "Doctors said she'll likely be out until tomorrow."
Casey just nodded for a moment, not sure of what to say as she looked at her twin sister. Who the Hell would have wanted to hurt Corey? She was one of the nicest people on the planet, for cryin' out loud! "So is she going to be okay?"
"We don't know yet," Victor replied, simply. "Corey broke her back so… But the doctors seem to think she'll recover eventually."
Casey just nodded for a moment, thinking things over. She hated seeing her sister like this. The wig Corey usually wore was gone and the top of her head was tagged with healing scratches and one 7 inch cut marked with black stitches.
Nora looked at her other daughter and after a while, she asked, "So when do you have to report back, honey?"
Casey sat on her sister's other side and shrugged. "I'm on a two week leave but I'm going to talk to my CO about staying local for a while."
"Sweetheart, you don't have to—" Victor began but he stopped when he saw the set look in Casey's eyes. Deciding not to try and talk her out of it—since it was fairly obvious that his other daughter obviously felt guilty for not being around more—Vic instead said, "But it would be great to have you home more."
"And actually," Casey went on, thoughtfully. "I've been thinking that I might want to work for NCIS."