Can You Believe What A Year It's Been?
Dean woke up slowly, his body in so much shock that he almost forgot where he was and everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours. Once the room came into focus, his eyes landed on a poster for the hospital and he started to panic while chanting, "No, no, no" over and over as he pulled out the needle for the IV from his left arm and attempted to get out of the bed.
He went to step out of the bed, but as soon as his casted leg hit the ground, his body landed on top of it with a loud THUD. He tapped the plaster of the cast as if he didn't understand what was happening or why he would find himself in such a condition as he muttered, "What?"
The sound of the door knob turning and the hinges creaking open forced his attention away from his leg and then his eyes darted around the room looking for something that he could use as a weapon to defend himself. Bobby entered the room while checking that no one was watching him and Dean just stared at him dumbly. Bobby turned to talk to Dean and when he found the younger man on the floor, he scowled disapprovingly.
"You okay?"
Dean continued to stare at him in amazement as he slowly asked, "Bobby, you're alive?"
"Course I am," Bobby answered as if it was it was the silliest question that Dean could have asked at a time like this. "Why are you on the floor?"
"They gave me morphine… A lot," Dean replied simply as if that was the only answer that would have been acceptable for Bobby's question.
Bobby stepped over towards Dean to help him onto the bed as Dean explained, "Hey look… A monster broke my leg. Oh… Wait… The house… We thought that you two were dead…"
"Well I ain't," Bobby answered as he quickly closed the blinds in the room, triple checking that no one had been alerted to his presence and not noticing that Dean had said 'two' as opposed to 'you'.
Dean shook his head trying to will the dizziness his fall had caused away before saying, "Wait… Wait! Where's Lay? How is she?"
Bobby froze and looked over his shoulder while still closing blinds replying, "I… I thought that she was with you and Sam… I didn't see her at… There."
Dean turned away slightly with a guilty look on his face explaining, "No… She was… Waiting for us at the house just in case Sam made it back before I found him."
Bobby closed his eyes while taking in a slow, calming breath before answering, "I'm… I'm sure that she's fine… We'll try calling her later, but we got to run… This place ain't safe. Where's Sam?"
"Uh… Head scan, I think." Dean watched Bobby as the older man moved around the room and almost said something else about Addy, but just bit his tongue instead.
Bobby passed Dean his clothes while instructing him, "Meet me at the ambulance dock, stat. I'll find Sam."
The older hunter then turned to leave but paused when Dean called out, "What? Where? I'm a gimp here."
Bobby pivoted, looked around the room then grabbed a pair of crutches and handed them to a bewildered Dean. With an encouraging smile on his face, Bobby patted Dean's cheek a few times then he quickly left the room to go find Sam. Dean looked down at his clothes and crutches sadly wishing that he had someone that would do all of the hard work of dressing him or pushing him in a wheelchair instead of having to take care of all of that himself. Then he remembered why he was in the hospital and he snapped out of his state of self-pity.
He had to rip the seam of his jeans to accommodate the cast and once he was fully dressed, he tested out the crutches, grumbling quietly to himself when he didn't get the hang of using them straightaway. Once he felt that he wasn't going to fall on his face again, Dean ventured into the hallway. Over the past few years, he had visited more than his fair share of hospitals when loved ones had been admitted for a variety of reasons and it still amazed him how much all of the hospitals were alike, not matter in which State they were located. He instinctively knew that all he had to do was get off the ward that he was on right now to find the Emergency Room in order to get to the ambulance bay for his rendezvous with Bobby and Sam.
As he struggled to get used to the crutches, Dean was given more than one quizzical look from nurses, patients and visitors that he passed. One doctor did seem to take special notice of the retreating Winchester once Dean made his final approach to the exit. Dean paused slightly when he heard someone call his name, but then he saw that it was that doctor with a nurse that had called him and not Bobby like he had hoped it would have been. He didn't immediately realize that they were actually the things that he, Bobby and Sam were retreating from by leaving the hospital, but Dean's first instinct was to flee when someone knew his name or recognized him in a situation like this. John had taught his sons early on that the best soldiers were the ones that could do their job undetected and that practice carried over easily (and served them well) into their careers as hunters.
Dr. Gaines nearly punched the exit door out of frustration when the ambulance that Bobby was driving tore out of its parking spot as he muttered a few curses.
The nurse he was with took his hand, smiling sinisterly and quietly said, "I have a surprise for you." He looked down at her with a quizzical expression on his face as she tugged his arm to guide him back towards the ward that they had been on when they first saw Dean and explained, "It may only be a small consolation, but you do deserve a hearty snack… And this one… Mmm she looks tasty."
Being the seasoned hunter that he was, Bobby had planned the Winchesters' escape down to the finest detail, or at least as close to the smallest detail that he could on such short notice. They ditched the ambulance on a rural dirt road just a few miles away from the hospital where he had a car waiting for them. He and Dean struggled to maneuver Sam out of the back of the ambulance and to the back seat of the car and this task was only made more difficult with Dean's new handicap.
After Dean nearly fell for the third time and hit Bobby with his crutches for the fourth or fifth time, Bobby finally had had enough and yelled at him out of pure frustration, "Dean! Just go…! Get in the front seat and I'll take care of this too!"
Dean scowled but complied without any objections because his leg was starting to throb so badly that the pain was almost blinding causing him to have difficulties staying upright at the moment. Bobby left Sam on the stretcher then tried to slide the younger male onto the back seat of the car as gently as he could. He wasn't sure how far gone Sam was this time around or how serious the bump that was forming on his head was, but one thing that Bobby felt quite confident about was that nothing he could do right now would wake Sam, no matter how much he wished that he could.
While he did a quick check of Sam's vital signs and pupil responses, Bobby overheard Dean nearly whimpering in pain (although he knew Dean would maintain that it was a manly grunt that Bobby actually overheard). He popped the lid of the cooler that he had tucked in behind the driver's seat and passed Dean a bottle of water over Dean's shoulder. After Bobby tapped Dean on the shoulder no less than four times, Dean tentatively claimed the bottle.
"Pain killers are in the glove box," Bobby informed him as the older man adjusted Sam's position slightly in the hopes that he could ensure the unconscious man's comfort the best that he could. "And granola bars are in the center console."
Dean read the label of the prescription bottle while Bobby continued to explain his game plan, but Dean didn't hear a word that was being said once his eyes reached thee name that was typed out above the name of the medication.
"Okay, so here's your jacket… And a blanket… Yeah, here's that too… Toby's already headed out to pack your crutches into the truck for us… And… Your bag… Right, can't forget that," Dean hurriedly explained as he piled everything onto Addy's lap.
"Dean," she called out softly while he continued frantically piling up cards and flowers together on the counter beside the bed. "Dean!" She tried again and again, getting a bit louder with each attempt until she was finally able to grab one of his arms. "Dean! Slow down. We won't forget anything, but we still have to wait for Dr. Wingren to get back with the discharge papers… Just take it easy."
After a little more prodding, he finally took a seat at the foot of the bed so that he was facing Addy. She took both of his hands in hers then pulled him forward to place a soft kiss on his lips. He tried to sit back, but her grip was too tight and she kept him leaning forward and close to her. Before she could say anything else, they were interrupted by Toby's voice animatedly explaining, "Yeah Bobby we get to bring Mum home today! FINALLY! Oh… But you missed out on getting to sign her cast."
Addy leaned back and allowed Dean to sit back as well, but she maintained a firm hold on both of his hands as she turned to face the new comers, smiling brightly. Toby nearly vaulted himself forward to wrap her in an overly enthusiastic hug, but Bobby stood frozen in his place at the door holding a small paper bag in both hands in front of him and staring at the three of them in a stunned silence.
Bobby had come to visit Addy a couple of times, but she had been asleep or unable to accept any visitors each time that he had been at the hospital. The first time he had come to the hospital, Bobby hadn't been able to even make it into Addy's room and instead sat outside with Toby who had explained everything that had happened to the hunter to the best of his ability. Before leaving that day, Bobby had stolen a glance through her room's window and was barely able to hold back a sob when he saw the nearly catatonic woman wrapped in her loving partner's arms on her bed.
Now he could see the full extent of her injuries (or remnants of them) as well as the toll the past few months had had on her body. When she was younger and would make pit stops at his house with her parents, he had teased her from the time that she was a teenager into adulthood that she could never pass for a hunter if she stayed so skinny. His favorite way to tease her was to tell her that a monster would be able to snap her in two like a twig on a hot summer's day and then he would test her reflexes and agility in some way. Addy knew that he was trying to get to her, but she rose to the occasion every time and won… Most of the time (she let Bobby win on a few occasions to keep from bruising his ego too much). But right now, the way that she looked made him almost feel sick with worry and regret. Not only had she lost a significant amount of weight (her clothes were hanging off her as if she were wearing Dean's clothing and not her own), her skin was so pale that it accentuated every bruise and cut that lingered as reminders of the accident that had caused her to be admitted in the hospital.
In response to the painfully sad look in Bobby's eyes, Addy raised a hand to the small cut that had been stitched up over her right eye. Then both of their gazes landed on her leg that had just recently been freed from her cast where it laid sitting out straight on the foot rest of her wheelchair. When she looked like she might cry at realizing how feeble she must have looked, Bobby forced himself to give her a warm smile and pushed his own sad thoughts aside.
"Hey Koala Bear, it's really good to see you," Bobby finally spoke as he walked into the room and towards where she was sitting.
Toby jumped onto the bed and took a seat beside Dean so that Bobby could give her a brief hug as she quietly replied, "You too Bobby. I'm glad you could make it out."
When she turned her eyes up to him, he look like he was lost in his own thoughts then he suddenly explained, "Oh, here… Maureen asked me to bring this in…" He quickly handed her the bag while elaborating on his previous statement, "She was talking with Dr. Tomkins… Those are umm… Your prescriptions and things."
Addy knew there would be more than just pain killers and antibiotics in the bag, so she quickly put it away and out of sight. Feeling guilty that she hadn't talked to Bobby about her condition sooner, Addy nearly rambled out an explanation for the other medications and pill bottles that Bobby would have seen, but stopped herself when Maureen entered the room with her doctor.
Dr. Wingren smiled warmly then said with the barest hint of a tease, "Looks like someone is eager to get home."
Addy looked up at him with a sheepish grin answering, "Yeah… Umm… Sorry… Dean and I were just… Umm…"
"It's fine Addy," the doctor interrupted gently. In an effort to further ease Addy's mind, he squeezed one of her hands before passing her a large envelope filled with an assortment of paperwork. "No one like to have to spend more time in the hospital than they have to, I'm only here because they pay me." He paused to make sure that Addy looked more relaxed and when she laughed softly at his joke he continued, "Now in the envelope there are the schedules for your follow up appointments as well as your physiotherapy. And… When I ran into Maureen she was speaking with Dr. Tomkins and it sounds like you've already made arrangements with him as well?"
Addy nodded softly nearly whispering her reply, "Yes Sir… I have."
He squeezed her hand again with an encouraging smile as he said, "That's very good to hear. You take care of yourself Addy. A nurse will be in shortly to unhook you from all of these machines and then you'll be free to leave." He looked up to Dean and nodded politely. "You all have my number if you need anything, please don't hesitate to call."
Dean extended his right hand and shook the doctor's hand firmly as he offered a slightly broken, "Thank you for everything that you've done for us. Hopefully we won't have to call."
While everyone said their goodbyes to the doctor, Toby had retrieved a box to pack up all of the flowers, cards and other gifts that Addy's visitors had brought into her over the past three months. He had overheard her tell Dean that she didn't actually want to take any of them to her new home because she didn't want to have any reminders of the accident while she tried to move on, so he was just going to bag everything up and throw it away, but Maureen convinced him to do otherwise. She had asked him to box everything up instead so that it could be stored at the house because she knew that after Addy had completed her mourning period and had had some time to come to terms with everything that she might appreciate the small tokens of everyone's love. Addy had always looked up to Maureen for moral support and had deferred to her logic on more than one occasion, so Toby wasn't inclined to go against his Mom's wishes now because Addy had always told him that he should trust the person who wasn't making their decision based on their emotions when he started to hunt.
A nurse entered the room almost as soon as Dr. Wingren left, so Dean took everyone aside while she worked at detaching all of the medical equipment from Addy's body and did a final check of her leg. They had all worked hard at getting the new house ready for Dean and Addy to move into once Addy was released, but they had also made sure to only do the bare minimum because they wanted Addy to feel like she was making it her home. Dean was worried that the new house, as sparse as it was, might overwhelm her and he thought things might appear even worse if she was meeting this new challenge with a full audience. They all had been thinking the same thing as Dean and immediately agreed with him, so Dean passed his keys to their old house to Bobby so that he could stay there during his visit and Maureen offered to make dinner for everyone. Before Dean could worry too much, Maureen made sure that it was clear that they would only come over for a visit if Addy was feeling up to it, but either way she would drop the food off for them so he wouldn't have to make dinner.
When they drove up to their new house, Addy almost lost the ability to breathe. Dean sat outside in the Yukon with her just staring at the front yard for about fifteen minutes before he got antsy, so he started unpacking the truck. She remained mute and in her place while Dean carried everything into the house. Once he was done, he opened Addy's door and stood beside her, holding one of her hands tightly and petting her head gently.
Dean bit back a sad sigh just as Addy finally spoke. "I think we should get some lavender for the garden." She turned her head to look over at him with a sad smile on her face but her voice remained devoid of emotion. "My Mum always made sure to have lavender growing in her gardens."
Dean wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her head replying, "That sounds like a good idea… We can go shopping tomorrow and pick anything that you want for the yard."
The first couple of days were the hardest not only emotionally and physically for Addy to complete the transition from hospital to home. Dean and Bill had tried their best to find a house with a similar layout so that there would be at least a small measure of familiarity during their transition, but Addy's healing leg made most movements uncomfortable and stiff no matter what she did. On day one after Dean helped Addy to their new bedroom, she spent the rest of the day there in bed and only got up to eat dinner when Bobby and the Connors dropped by at her insistence that they come by for a visit. After that she decided that the easiest thing for her to do was to just try to spend less and less time in bed every day, but some days she was almost tempted not to the safe haven of Dean's embrace at all.
"Hey… So I'm lined up to start on that job site I told you about tomorrow… Did you… Umm… Need a refill on any of your prescriptions?" Dean asked before he started brushing his teeth.
Addy stepped up behind him to retrieve her toothbrush and smiled sadly to herself when she saw Dean checking over each of her pill bottles. He reached one that appeared to be full and whose contents were practically untouched so she tried to answer him before he could start to worry about it. "That's okay… I'm seeing Grace for physio and then I have an appointment with Dr. Tomkins tomorrow, so I can swing by the Pharmacy… But thank you, I appreciate the offer."
They both finished their nightly routine and got ready for bed, but Dean seemed to keep one wary eye on the full bottle at all times. "Those are the painkillers that Dr. Wingren prescribed," Addy explained while somewhat avoiding eye contact.
Dean wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to bed confessing, "Oh, I was wondering because you've barely touched them and you've seemed to be sticking to the… Umm schedule pretty closely for uhh everything else."
"Well…" She started with a chuckle as she cuddled into Dean's side under the covers. "The pins do kind of pinch and ache after my physio appointments, but it's not that big of a deal." Dean combed his fingers through her hair, but stopped when she had completed that statement. Addy felt his body tense slightly, so she took one of his hands in hers and placed it over the scar on her exposed collarbone. "I could have used them when I got this… Or got jumped by a werewolf… Or shot…" She was trying to sound light-hearted, joking like she would have in the past to ease Dean's mind, but he didn't seem to relax at all. She leaned up and nibbled on his neck and ear reaffirming, "Hey… I'm fine… I'm pretty sure that I slept through the worst of it, this is nothing compared to what we've had to deal with in the past. Please, try not to worry about me so much… I'm healing, it's all good."
Dean kissed her softly then answered, "As long as I get to worry a little bit about you."
Dean shook the pill bottle absentmindedly observing, "It's still full."
Bobby stole a glance to his right and barely caught a glimpse at the name that was on the label of the bottle. Given Dean's reaction, Bobby knew that if he was able to read it, he would find 'JONES, ADELAIDE V.' printed above the name of the medication. When he had thought that she was safe and sound with the Winchesters or some other safe house that the brothers knew about, Bobby hadn't thought twice about Dean using her untouched medications and didn't even try to find anything else since the bottle was already in the car.
"She's smart and she's strong," Bobby said supportively. "I'm sure that we'll hear from her soon… She knows what she's doing."
Dean popped one of the pills into his mouth, washed it down with a long drink of water and then he tossed the bottle back into the glove box and nearly slammed it shut. As he adjusted his visor mirror so that he could watch Sam while he was sleeping, Dean asked, "So where are we heading to?"
Bobby's jaw hung open slightly as he watched Dean out of the corner of his eye because he had just spent the last ten minutes explaining everything that he had planned to Dean. He had already gone over where they would hide out, how he would retrieve Dean's beloved car and son, but he could see how shaken up Dean about Sam once again being comatose and about not knowing where Addy was or if she was alive, so Bobby let Dean's inattentiveness slide.
"Rufus had a place in Montana that he liked to go to when he want to ignore the civilized world. It ain't fancy, but it's shelter and off the grid," Bobby explain as if it was the first time that he was relating that piece of information. "And I was able to find your back up duffels in the Impala, so you don't have to worry about that either."
Dean's eyes never left the reflected image of his brother's form as he nodded in reply, but Bobby knew that once again Dean wasn't actually listening to what he was saying so he ended the long winded conversation there. Once they hit the highway, Dean seemed to relax slightly and nearly dozed off in his seat. Bobby refocused all of his attention to the road after finding a suitable radio station to listen to for the duration of this leg of the trip.
During Bobby's first pit stop for gas, he was almost tempted to wake Dean to check what he might want to eat, but stopped himself from actually rousing him. He knew the Winchesters well enough to know that if he had some form of junk food for Dean and something that resembled healthy food for Sam then both would keep their complaints to a bare minimum. Plus, this was the first time that the lines on Dean's forehead had finally softened and looked somewhat relaxed, so Bobby wanted to allow him his moment of tranquility because he knew they were always few and far between in a hunter's life.
After gassing up the car, Bobby double checked on his two sleeping companions before he pulled out his cell phone and walked away from the vehicle.
Hey it's Addy! Obviously you have something important to tell me, so don't chicken out now. I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I get a chance! *BEEP*
"Hey Koala Bear…" Bobby started quietly before a brief pause to swallow hard and force his voice not to crack. "We just need to know that you're okay… So call any of us, alright? We all have our phones on… And… We miss you, so… Call us."
Dean was awake and staring at his phone's blackened screen. Bobby slipped behind the wheel and gently placed the plastic bag at his feet, trying not to disturb Dean. The sound of the rustling plastic brought Dean out of his reverie, but Bobby didn't attempt to start a conversation until the younger man had torn into one of the packages of snowballs that he had bought.
"Any luck?" Bobby asked hoping Dean would understand which topic Bobby was referring to with just that simple question.
Dean actually took a moment to swallow his food before answering, "Call went straight to voicemail."
Bobby nodded sadly then said, "Yeah, mine rang through to her voicemail too… How's the leg?"
Dean shrugged then took out the pill bottle so Bobby answered his own question by commenting, "Should hurt less once we get settled and you can get off of it."
The drive out West took longer than Bobby would have like, but with Dean unable to drive due to his dominant leg being in a cast and Sam in his unconscious state, he was stuck with the task of doing all of the driving completely on his own. As much as he would have like to have just driven through the night to put as much distant as humanly possible between Sioux Falls and their final destination, Bobby had to stop at a Rest Stop just off the highway en route to Montana when he found that he was having difficulties keeping his eyes open so that he could drive once they reached Wyoming. Sam thankfully woke up somewhere near the Montana border and was feeling well enough that he was able to take over driving for part of their journey and Bobby had a chance to properly rest in the back seat.
It didn't take the three men too long before they were settled into the house and their own semblance of a regular routine. Sam and Bobby searched the cabin in the hopes that they would fine anything remotely useful in order to continue their research, but that check turned up nothing of use so Sam focused his energies on searching the internet. Once there was enough food to last the two brothers for a while (Bobby was careful not to give a finite time frame), Bobby left to run errands and to try to re-establish some, if not all, of his old connections for leads until he was able to gather up enough of his old books and text to continue researching from that angle on his own.
After Bobby's departure, Sam started to watch Dean more closely to monitor his overall demeanor before finally asking, "Dean? Umm… Has Addy or Toby come up with anything that might be helpful?"
Although Dean's back was facing him, Sam could sense his brother's sad frown that would have overtaken his face during that line of questioning. Dean's shoulders hunched slightly as he answered, "Shit… You… You don't remember… Fuck…"
"Remember?" The younger Winchester questioned innocently when his brother didn't elaborate further.
"Yeah… When… When we got back to Bobby's… We… You and me… We found it had been firebombed or something and I… We couldn't find Lay… When I left there she had stayed behind to wait for you just in case… But then… We… And now… Umm… We haven't…" Dean somewhat reluctantly explained not wanting to show that dent in his armor so soon.
"We haven't heard from Addy since then?" Sam said as more of a question than a statement in mild shock. "Shit! You..? You don't think that she was in Bobby's… Or…? Do you…?"
Dean clenched his jaw then through gritted teeth replied, "It's the only thing that makes sense… So…? Any news on the Levia… Leviathings?"
"No… Nothing yet," Sam replied with a truly remorseful tone. He almost about to ask Dean something else but lately the Winchester standard had been to keep their inflammatory commentary to themselves, so Sam followed suit in this instant even though it went against his gut instincts.
Dean sat frozen in his place because he was anticipating further interrogation from his brother, but all he heard was the steady tapping sound of Sam working away on his laptop once again. He was almost tempted to ask Sam what he was working on right now, but he found a TV channel that was completely free and clear of static to watch and Dean found that option to be more appealing than have to talk with Sam. Dean wasn't trying to be difficult or distant with his brother, but he was worried that if they started any conversation along those lines right now that it would find its way to Dean having to explain why he had left Addy alone at Bobby's, even with the knowledge those creatures were on their way to South Dakota and Dean still wasn't ready to admit his guilt… At least not out loud.
As the hours passed, Sam made them a quick meal and then he took a break from his seemingly fruitless research to watch TV with his brother. Dean had started to have a little too much fun with his leg injury and had taken to ordering Sam around like his own helper monkey to fetch a few things here or there around the cabin to (as Dean put it) ensure his comfort to aid in a speedy recovery. However by the time that Sam placed his dinner plate in front of him, Dean realized that he might be pushing his brother's kindness beyond its limit. To show his appreciation for everything that Sam had done up to this point, Dean himself made an effort to find a movie on one of the limited channels they could receive that would be to his brother's liking.
They both braced to settle in for what they thought was going to be a relaxing evening until Dean's phone started ringing which abruptly brought them back to reality. Sam had to run to retrieve the phone for his brother, but he just handed it to Dean without looking at the caller ID.
Dean was still feeling on edge from not knowing Addy's whereabouts, so he too ignore his caller ID before answering his phone with a hurried, "Hello?"
"Uhh… Hi…? Uncle Dean…?" A tentative sounding Toby replied.
Dean's heart fluttered slightly with excitement because he was certain that Toby was calling him with good news. He sat up straight and didn't attempt to mask his excitement as he answered, "Oh! Hey Buddy! How are you doing?"
"Umm… I'm… I'm okay," Toby replied through an uncharacteristic stammer. "Umm… Can you…? Uhh… Can you pass a message onto Auntie Addy for me…I've been trying to call her and I've left her a bunch of messages but now when I call it only says that her mailbox is full so I couldn't tell her that I think that I've found something and…"
A large lump formed in Dean's throat that he had a hard time trying to swallow away while Toby continued his explanation in his more usual rapid fire fashion that seemed to overwhelm everyone but Addy. While Toby was still effectively rambling, Dean hoarsely said, "She… Lay's… Lay isn't with you?"
Toby stopped mid-sentence nearly shrieking through the phone, "SHE ISN'T WITH YOU?" Before Dean could respond the teen then yelled accusatorily, "WHERE IS SHE? WHAT HAPPENED TO HER UNCLE DEAN? DEAN! DEAN! WHERE IS… WHERE'S ADDY!"
"Toby… Buddy… You need to calm down. Come on… Please? Try to take at least a couple of deep breaths for me…" Dean implored with quiet desperation.
Sam was now sitting up at attention after hearing Toby's yelling coming through Dean's phone. Dean shook his head to keep his brother from asking any questions while trying to also calm down his offspring. Dean remained silent until he heard Toby's breathing start to settle slightly.
"Hey… Tobs…?" Dean stopped sharply when he once again heard himself using one of Addy's pet names for the teen. "Toby…? Are you…? Are you home alone right now?"
If someone could see a person's voice harden, Dean would have been able to see it in high definition, 3D when Toby angrily retorted, "No… Why?"
Dean paused and closed his eyes to try to maintain his calm demeanor. When he had first moved in with Addy, Dean had been quick to discipline Toby by shouting at the teen and crossly instructing him how he should be doing things properly. Addy finally took him aside one day to explain that she knew that Dean had been raised with a Dad who had basically been like a drill sergeant to him and that that had worked for them but it wasn't the way to get through to their son. She explained to him that the dynamic the three Winchester men had was unique and had worked for them, but she knew that John had also taught them that there would be situations that they would have to adapt and work out of their comfort zones to resolve the conflict and that's what she thought he would have to do with Toby. She had learned the hard way that yelling and being a hard-ass just scared Toby into silent submission, so Dean was trying his best right now to evoke the calming spirit that she had taught him.
"Toby…? Could you…? Could you go and get your Mom and Dad for me?" Dean finally asked as politely as he could when all that he wanted to do was go out and find something to kill right now to work out his aggression… Preferably with his bare hands.
"WHY?" Toby shouted so loudly that it brought his mother into his room. Before he could continue his angry tirade, Maureen silenced her son with a stern glare and had her hand thrust out in a silent demand for him to relinquish his phone to her.
Toby really wanted to continue yelling at Dean because at least then he would feel like he was doing something to delay having to hear any bad news, but he reluctantly placed the phone in Maureen's out-stretched palm instead.
She raised the phone to her ear sweetly announcing, "This is Maureen Connor, with whom am I speaking?"
"Mo?" Dean started before he corrected himself once again from speaking like Addy. "Maureen, it's Dean…"
"Dean?" She questioned more out of absentminded thought than necessity before she recognized the sorrow in his voice. "Dean? Darling, what's wrong? How can we help?"
This time when Dean swallowed, he was sure that it was so loud that most of the State of Montana, south western Alberta and even parts of south eastern British Columbia could have heard him. "Maureen… There's… Umm… Something I need to tell you guys about…"
"Oh…" She exclaimed quietly. "Tobias, Sweetheart come over here." She instructed lovingly away from the cell phone's microphone. Dean heard a loud beep in his ear which he could only assume Maureen fumbling to put the phone on speaker phone for the impending conversation. "Okay Dean, we're… We're both here. What is it that you wanted to tell us Darling?"
Dean turned away from Sam the best that he could because he never was able to cry in front of his brother's watchful eye as he started his explanation, "I'm so sorry Maureen… Toby, you have to believe… If I knew… I would have never…"
When Dean trailed off Toby inadvertently shrieked, "WHAT?"
Before her son could continue, Maureen more serenely asked, "Dean? What? What would you have prevented?"
Dean dropped into a drab monotone as he relayed his message almost robotically, "I left her at Bobby's place while I went looking for Sam… Lay… She stayed there to help me out just in case Sam got back there, but I found him and then we went back to Bobby's, but found it had been burned down…"
"Oh goodness…" Maureen quietly gasped just Toby shouted a sorrow-filled "No!"
"I'm… You have no idea how unbelievably sorry I am," Dean continued quietly.
"NO! No… You… You killed her!"
"Tobias!" Maureen exclaimed in an uncharacteristically loud tone. "Dean? Are you sure? Is…? Did…? Did we lose our Adelaide?"
"Of course we did!" Toby shouted frantically. "She left us for him! He… You did this Dean! She would have been fine… F-f-fine… W-w-with… W-with… Us!"
Toby's sob was more than audible before he ran away and out of the phone's microphone range. Maureen and Dean remained silent, just listening to each other's stuttered breath before Maureen sympathetically offered, "He's just upset Dean, and he didn't mean what he said. Adelaide has always been like a heroine to him, a big sister… But he has always considered her to be invincible because she's defeated some creatures, from vampires to werewolves, nasty spirits on her own…None… None of us every really… Oh goodness… Is she really…? She's not just…?"
For some reason Maureen couldn't quite finish her questions, so Dean jumped in, "It's been weeks since anyone has heard from her… Plus I don't think that she's ever let her voicemail box fill up beyond capacity before…" Maureen made no noise and no attempts to answer him, so Dean tried using his last piece of logical ammunition to prove his point. "Has she ever not called Toby if she was able to within forty-eight hours?"
Maureen shuddered in a breath then tearfully answered, "No, you're right… Our Adelaide always… Always makes… Made sure that Tobias knew that she was alright… Anytime of day… Oh my… Dean…? Sweetheart, are you alright?" She paused before taking in a deep breath to center herself. "Dean… She loved you… So much… Even when you were apart… We love you too and if you need anything, please, PLEASE remember that we are here for you." She heard Dean try to take in a deep breath so the concerned mother added, "Please don't take Tobias' reaction to heart. He's so quick to jump to conclusions sometimes; I don't know where he gets that from…" Dean bit his lip hard, knowing that this was a trait that Toby had inherited from both of his biological parent, which would probably be one of the many traits that would confuse Bill and Maureen over the upcoming years. "Once he has calmed down and had a moment to reflect, I'm sure that he'll apologize if…"
"He can reach me at this number anytime," Dean offered quickly.
Maureen smiled sadly to herself then replied through her tears, "Good… Good… I'll try talking with him later…" They both let more than a few tears fall before she added, "I'm so sorry for your loss Darling… She was… She…"
Maureen's emotions finally got the best of her and Dean barely held it together when he heard her break down completely so he quickly said, "Me too Mo… I know how close she was to all of you. If we… I'll… I mean…"
"We'll talk to you soon," Maureen concluded in a tone that Dean was more familiar with from his dealings with her.
"Okay… Yeah… And Mo? Could you thank Toby again for all of his hard work? Sam and I couldn't do this without him, so let him know we more than appreciate it."
Maureen tried to smile and stay strong, but the thought of the two Winchesters working without Addy was almost too much for her bear. "I will Dean. Please… Please you and Sam take care of each other, alright?"
Dean held his brother in an uncomfortable stare as he replied, "We always try our best to... I can promise you that much Maureen."
***********************Meanwhile back in South Dakota**********************************
Nurse Holmes led Dr. Gaines through the Emergency Ward and back towards the Intensive Care Unit. Her grin grew wider with every step that they took away from the elevator, but he just watched her skeptically while feeling increasingly frustrated with himself. He was supposed to have disposed of the Winchester brothers after Edgar had all but gift wrapped them by sending them to the hospital in an ambulance after the minor tussle in the scrap yard, so he wasn't feeling like he deserved a present or any rewards right now.
At the hospital room door, they paused to watch the woman as machines monitored her heart rate and other vital signs while she was in a coma until the nurse quietly said, "I thought that you would enjoy her."
The creature possessing Dr. Gaines forced his face to smile softly as he replied, "I'm sure that I will. Thank you."
She stood by the door so that she could allow him to savor the moment after all of the hard work that he had already accomplished, even if this last battle didn't have the outcome they had predicted. He approached his prey almost shyly until he was finally standing by her side. As he started to lean over the unconscious patient, the doctor looked over his shoulder to give the nurse a satisfied and grateful grin.
When Dr. Gaines' human tongue darted out to take a quick taste of his prize, Nurse Holmes had to grab onto the door frame to keep her weak knees from collapsing in excited anticipation. She continued to watch her superior as he explored the scent of his next meal until she was abruptly shoved aside.
"No!" The new comer shouted. "No, you can't hurt her."
Dr. Gaines stood up straight and turned to the man to his left asking, "What? Oh… Uh it's 'Edgar' that you go by now, right? What did you just say to me?"
The stocky construction worker being possessed by a Leviathan unleashed by Castiel's misguided use of Purgatory souls to defeat Raphael stood on the opposite side of the woman's bed saying, "The boss has decreed that this woman is not to be harmed in any way."
Dr. Gaines just stared at him with a wounded look because he couldn't believe that after his tiny little taste that he would be denied the full banquet. Nurse Holmes ran to the doctor's side to offer him any support that she could, but refrained from speaking when she saw the serious look in both of the 'men's' eyes.
"He has been waiting for her to surface," Edgar explained while brushing some hair off of her face.
The other two nodded then bowed slightly as the left the room. Edgar hated being left along with the human, but he had been given a job that he was told that he would have tend to in order to ensure his continued existence and she was it, so here he stood.
After Edgar waited impatiently for what felt like a millennium, her eyes fluttered opened. Edgar ran over to her side, took one of her hands and lovingly stated, "Sweetheart, you're awake! I've have been waiting so long for you."