My beloved readers, it ain't Sunday already, you haven't missed anything, don't worry. I decided to celebrate Supernatural's renewal for a 7th season by posting another chapter. Just pretend it's a glass of sparkling wine or something.

Cheers!

Chapter 28

It was the tiny, almost invisible shift on Dean's pale features that told Sam his big brother had recognized the driver. It was an almost comical sight and pretty hard for Sam to suppress a smile. When Dean turned his head slightly, meeting his gaze, raising his eyebrows in an 'I don't believe it' gesture, Sam nodded curtly and just winked at him.

The vehicle came to a complete stop, and Griffin scattered a few curses around while he stomped backwards to the rear doors, pushing them open with way too much force and storming outside. The three men inside were able to follow his exact path while he rounded the ambulance by listening to his expletives and insults creeping easily through the vehicle's thin walls.

Griffin's rant was abruptly stopped by a thud and a surprised grunt. A second thud later everything was quiet.

Sam darted a glance over to Phillip who looked ridiculously calm for a situation like this, but then he had been on a salt and burn with Dean, right? One could say the guy was definitely conscience-proofed after an event like that.

"Damn, I hope this works..." Phillip whispered, his gaze glued to the open doors.

Dean looked as if he was about to say something but uncertain to do so. Sam felt bad for leaving his brother in the dark about this plan, but there hadn't been a convenient time to bring him into the loop. And maybe it had been the best. No acting for Dean. Just real fear and terror. But to be honest, Sam didn't want to see the look of betrayal directed at him on Dean's face ever again.

When a familiar face appeared at the opened back of the ambulance, Sam's tension faded at one go.

"You boys ready to change trains?" Bobby asked with his typical gruff tone and it was the first time Sam noticed the hilarious clothing the old man wore – dressed completely in white, no hat on an eerily well-groomed head – it was definitely a rare sight.

"Definitely", Sam answered, starting to lose Dean's restraints.

"You guys are going to be the death of me, you know that", Dean gasped, looking as if he was still trying to comprehend what was happening, "Bobby? How did you...Sam? This is..."

"Yep. Sorry that it took so long." A genuine smile formed itself on Bobby's face. "Good to see you, boy. I'm glad we have you back."

Pulling the straps off Dean's wrists, careful as not to jostle his bandaged right, Sam glanced up at his older brother. Dean's eyes were glassy, but it had nothing to do with him feeling sick or tired. There was pure relief and gladness in those green eyes, the realization that it was finally over, that this was his way out of the mess which had almost costed him his sanity and his life overwhelming.

With his hands free again, Dean raised them to his face and pressed their heels into his eyes. "Geez", he muttered, "a little hint next time, Sam."

"Sorry", Sam replied, patting Dean's thigh, "there just wasn't enough time."

"Speaking of", Bobby interrupted, "I don't know how long that baby elephant here's going to sleep, so I'd suggest you hurry up."

Something Bobby didn't need to say twice. Grabbing Dean's arms, Sam and Phillip helped him up and the trio climbed out of the vehicle. Sam put Dean's arm over his shoulders when he noticed his brother's unsteadiness, satisfied but concerned when Dean didn't raise a protest.

Oh yeah, there would be plenty of sleep and rest for big brother over the next days.

Walking round the ambulance they discovered Griffin lying unconscious on the ground.

"Wow", Phillip said, "how did you do that? You have iron fists?"

"Nah." Bobby held up something that looked like a metal rod and waved it at him, "Got an iron crowbar." The nurse raised both eyebrows and answered with an appreciative nod.

Sam looked down at the orderly, and for the tiniest second thought about kicking against the man's bandaged nose. He sure as hell hadn't suffered as much as Dean had from the guy, but the simple thought of Griffin having a carte blanche, having done God knows what to his brother while he had been a prisoner at Lake Okeechobee's, made him just plain sick.

"I know what you're thinking, Sammy", Dean rasped, pulling Sam out of his hateful brooding, "let it go. Not worth ruining your clean shoes."

"Okay", Phillip stepped up to them, his eyes darting from Griffin to the brothers and on to the deserted street, "I parked your car over there in the woods. See, there's a wooded trail up ahead to the right. It's a two minute walk and you're going to find it. I placed the keys upon the left front tire."

"Our car?" Dean frowned, "My car? Sam, you let him drive my car?"

Sam couldn't help but roll his eyes. Was it possible? Leave it to Dean to bitch about someone else driving his precious car. "Yeah, suck it up. Come on, let's go..." He gently pulled his older brother into the direction of the trail, feeling awkwardly exposed standing at the side of a street where anyone passing the ambulance could see them.

"Wait", Dean stopped after a few reluctant steps and looked back at Phillip, "what about Phil? I mean, we can't just leave him here like this. They're going to get suspicious if we don't at least..."

"Knock him out?" Bobby finished or for him, and Dean nodded carefully. "I got it covered, Dean."

"Yeah", Phillip chimed in nervously, "Bobby here's going to...well, he promised to be gentle. Just a shiner, nothing else, right, Bobby?"

"Sure."

"Okay." Dean shifted and Sam noticed he was trying to keep himself upright without his support. The younger Winchester let go of him and watched carefully as Dean straightened, ready to catch him if his legs would fail to carry him.

"No offense, Phil. I mean...what I said about my car. You driving it and all that."

"None taken", Phillip replied, smiling, "Sam warned me to be careful with it...her, I mean."

"Yeah...you know...there are only a handful of people allowed to drive her. But I'd trust you with her anytime."

Phillip's smile got even wider. "Well, that's actually nice to hear. So, in case I like to surprise my wife and have a 60s weekend with her, you think I could borrow the Impala then?"

The sudden change of Dean's expression was priceless. "You can over-do it, you know?" he stated flatly. And this time Sam couldn't suppress his grin. He threw an amused glance over to Bobby who was obviously thinking the same, his beard twitching slightly.

"Just kidding", Phillip laughed, waving at them in an attempt to shoo them away, "now get lost, you guys."

Sam stepped forward and got a hold of Dean's arm again, draping it gently back over his shoulders.

"I'm sorry I wasn't much of a help for you, Dean", Phillip added, his cheery mood suddenly replaced by solemnity, "and I'm sorry you had to gain all those experiences. In the facility as well as wherever you've been before. I hope you can make peace with your past some time. I hope...no, I know you will. And with Sam by your side...I'm sure he can be what I haven't been able to be for you."

Sam stopped and looked back at the nurse, touched by the words and their meaning. And from the way he felt Dean's breathing hitch, his brother was deeply stirred as well.

The younger Winchester didn't know what exactly had happened at the facility. In how many ways Phillip had done the job that in fact should have been his. Had been there for Dean. Had listened. Even that Sam doubted that Dean had been talkative much, those two may have developed quite a bond. But emo talk? Probably not.

"Don't be sorry, Phil", Dean whispered, "I wouldn't have lasted that long without you in there. I thank you for that. You're good at what you're doing. But as you know now, there are some things you can't explain and some people you can't help or safe. Remember then that it's not your fault, okay?"

He couldn't see Dean's eyes and didn't want to check them right now. But from the way his brother's voice choked up and Phillip's eyes went all tear-eyed, Sam knew that this was their moment. He knew that Dean was right. They weren't here if Phillip wouldn't have helped them out. With a bit more luck and a few hellish visions less they would have been far away already, thanks to the first escape after the salt and burn on the cemetery.

Phillip was a special person. One of the few people the Winchester's could count as friends. And maybe some day Dean would even give his consent to lend the Impala out for a 60s joyride.

In the distance the wail of sirens rang out. Far away, barely audible, but everybody knew what it meant.

"Guess they found the original driver", Bobby stated, jerking his head towards the woods, "Go!"

An order Sam obeyed without batting an eyelash. After one last grateful look at Phillip, he started to move towards the trail, dragging Dean with him. His brother was surprisingly light on his feet despite his fragile appearance, which made their progress fast and smooth. Turning right into the trail, they rushed along, deeper into the woods, dodging some sagging twigs and branches.

It wasn't far, but at the same time the Impala came into view Dean started to trip, and Sam noticed that he was carrying more of his brother's weight now.

"Dean?"

"Don' ask...jus' move..."

Gritting his teeth, eyes on the car, Sam stepped it up a notch, afraid of hurting his brother, but not having the luxury to care about it right now. If they'd get caught now, it would be over.

Dean tripped again, this time not able to catch himself. When he fell to the ground with an exhausted grunt, Sam landed right beside him, the momentum too strong and too sudden to avert his own fall. He scrambled back to his feet as fast as possible, gripping Dean's shoulders and pulling him up.

"Sammy..."

"Oh no, don't you dare give up", Sam panted, disgusted at himself for being so bossy and mean, "come on, you can do this..." He darted desperate eyes from Dean to the Impala, pondered whether it was better to run and get the car and just drive it to his sibling instead of bringing his sibling to the car. They were so damn close. Maybe he could just carry Dean, ignore the gripes and curses he would definitely hear and earn himself an evil stare afterwards. He could live with that, though. As long as they got out.

Hauling Dean up to his feet again was an almost impossible task, given his brother's weak condition. Right before Sam was about to throw Dean over his shoulder, it was Bobby who came to their help once again. Appearing to Dean's right, he gripped the older Winchester's arm and put it around him.

"You call me old man again, kid", the older hunter mumbled and started to jog.

They reached the Impala and Sam lunged at the front tire, snatching the keys Phillip had put there earlier. Together, Bobby and him placed an absolutly spent Dean onto the back seat while the blaring of the sirens had come alarmingly close.

"You can drive straight ahead", Bobby panted, slumping down onto the passenger's seat while Sam took the wheel and the Impala roared to life, "the trail leads to another road at the other side of the woods."

"I just hope the trail's broad enough", Sam said, equally out of breath, "no way I'm going to steer the car through this thick forest..."

"What...'bout...Phil?" came a breathless rasp from behind, music to Sam's ears because it told him that his brother was at least conscious.

"Taken care of, as I've promised. The guy has not even passed out. I was really gentle."

"Good...good...thanks Bobby...for everything..."

"No need to thank me", Bobby shrugged, lowering his gaze, "like I said, I wish we could have gotten you out sooner."

"Hmmm..."

"Dean? Hey, come one, stay awake." Steering the Impala along the gravelly trail as fast as he dared, Sam's worry spiked when he watched in the interior mirror as his brother's eyelids slid shut. "Dean?"

"Let him rest, Sam", Bobby spoke up, fumbling something out of his pant pocket, "He's beat. Been through a lot. A little nap won't do any harm. Besides..." He put his beloved baseball cap onto his head. "...you're here, aren't you. And as Phil said, there's no one who could watch out better for him as you, right?"

Sam blinked, the trail with it's surrounding trees ahead of him blurring. He would try. He had done a piss-poor job so far, but he would try harder. Look out for his big brother for a change.

Together and with some time they would work this out.

The longer the distance between Okeechobee and them the better Sam felt, the tension that had held him in some kind of corset the whole time slowly fading. They hadn't seen a cop for hours, no one was following them. He imagined Phillip and Griffin sitting at the police station or maybe back in the hospital where their injuries would be taken care of, making their statements.

Phillip would tell about a white getaway car, 'a Toyota or something like that', and that doctor Larsson had mentioned something about going to New York. It wasn't much, a red herring which would buy them some time, but it was enough. It was a 1,700 mile drive to Sioux Falls, about one day before they would arrive at Bobby's house, where they would hole up for the next days or weeks, waiting for the dust to settle and Dean to get better.

Sam turned around, checking on his sibling sprawled out on the back seat. They had begun their escape 4 hours ago and Dean hadn't woken up once, had not even stirred, and Sam had almost pulled over a few times to check if he was breathing. Bobby had just waved him off every time, had told him to relax.

Easier said than done. Bobby hadn't been the one keeping Dean in his lap, feeling his blood seep into his clothes, feeling, watching, hearing him die.

But then the older hunter had been quite shocked when Sam had brought the news to him after Dean had been taken to the hospital. He had gotten quiet at first, so quiet Sam had had to check his phone, had to check if the connection was still there. Then Bobby had started to rant. Calmly at first. Angry and royally pissed, but still calm. At some point he had turned the volume up. Had called them names, first Dean, then him. Morons. Stupid asses. Something about getting into the car and drive over to kick Dean's butt into next week himself. The old man had had a real temper tantrum before he had gotten quiet again and Sam had noticed his strangled voice. Bobby had been terrified. Had been truly shocked, and the younger hunter wasn't even sure if it had been Dean's condition that had moved the man so much, or what Dean had done to himself.

Looking over to Bobby, peacefully snoring with his head against the window, Sam remembered the older man's appearance when he had found him at Dean's bedside for the first time. Sam had gotten himself a coffee and had walked back into Dean's room. And Bobby had sat there. Had kneaded his cap in calloused hands. Had stared at Dean's slack features. And had talked to him. Too hushed and low for Sam to understand, but the way the older man's voice had sounded, all choked up and sad...Sam had retreated, had sneaked out of the room again as silently as he could, had left that moment to Bobby. And Dean. He didn't know if Dean had heard anything Bobby had said, didn't know if he had been aware of their surrogate father, had been aware of anyone or anything around him while he had been under.

Bobby's snoring hitched and he jerked slightly, his eyes flying open. It took him a moment to sort his thoughts, to recognize his surroundings and the reason why he was on the Impala's passenger's seat.

"Hey", Sam greeted him, smiling at Bobby's confusion, "good morning."

"How long was I out?" the other man rasped, turning around to check on Dean.

"Not long, one hour maybe."

"What about Matilda over here? Has he been awake?"

"Nope. But I need a break, how about we stop at the next diner or something, get some coffee and something to eat. I bet a nice selection of pies will boost him awake."

Bobby nodded and adjusted his cap. "Sounds good in my ears. Besides, I can't wait to put on my own clothes again. This bright white junk here makes me want to put on sunglasses the whole time." He let out a sigh and Sam felt his eyes on him.

"What is it?" the Winchester asked irritated.

"You're worried."

"No kidding", Sam huffed out, unconsciously kneading the wheel.

"Why? Dean is here, he's right behind you. He's not the larger than life brother we all know and want right now, but that's to be expected. He's sleeping like a log which, and that's my guess, is perhaps down to the fact that he hears his baby rumble and purr and you and me talking...he's home, Sam. This is probably the first real good sleep he's getting since all this has started. So why are you worried? What's bugging you?"

Sam's gaze was glued to the street, but he knew Bobby was looking right through him.

"I don't know if we can reconnect, just like that. I think...I know Dean has lost a whole part of his faith in me. Which is my fault, I know that. I don't know if I can earn his trust again." He paused and looked over his shoulder, making sure Dean was still out, and took a deep breath. "And I don't know how I can help him. I want to, god, I'd do anything to make him better...I'd take all those memories from hell, all the pain, the physical and mental ones away from him, would take it on my shoulders, carry the weight for him. But that's not possible. And I don't know what to do."

Sam stopped talking, felt the emotions envelope him. It had taken him some time to realize that it were these doubts sitting heavily on his stomach the whole time. After the incident at the mental hospital it had been the fear for Dean's life which had threatened to drive him insane. When Dean had gotten better, the tension and uncertainty of the upcoming escape had almost crushed him. But with Dean being almost okay, their escape successful, he should have felt better, right?

"Maybe there's no major thing for you to do, Sam, ever thought about that?" Bobby asked calmly, still looking at him. "What did you do after Dean's return?"

Sam frowned, darting an uncertain glance over to the older man. "What do you mean?"

"What did you do, with him freshly out of hell? Gave him a daily foam bath, cooked him dinner? Played the guitar and sang happy songs?"

"No, nothing like that, I...I did nothing..."

"See? And he got better, right? Actually, he hadn't been bad or moody or has been struggling with PTSD in the first place. He came back and was him. Pure Dean. He didn't need anything from anyone. That's him, he copes with things like that on his own. He always did that, he always will. The only stuff he might need are those little things everyone of us needs from time to time. Some bottle of Jack or Jim. A nice hunt with a nice high body count on the baddie side. A nice long drive with this car."

Bobby paused, before he added, "And he needs you. Your presence. Your patience. Your sympathetic ear in case he feels like talking about it. And do you wanna know something funny? It's everything that makes your relationship working. You and your brother...that's the basis that keeps you two going. You don't crush each other. But you're there for each other. Without actually saying a word."

Sam felt a single tear crawl down the side of his face. Of course this was their recipe. For years. Ever since Sam could remember it was the Winchester way to handle feelings. It hadn't been his way, and Dean always had a good time teasing him about it, calling him Dr. Phil or rolling his eyes whenever Sam had asked him if he was okay or if Dean wanted to talk about something.

But over the years Sam had adjusted. Had learned to leave his dad alone when he had noticed the man's melancholy. Had tried not to hover when Dean had obviously needed help but wouldn't ask for it. Sam had hated it. Had damned his father for almost raising them to emotional cripples.

Thing was that this time it might not have been their dad's fault. There had been many moments lately when Sam had the nagging feeling that Dean would have been indeed willing to share his memories and experiences, talk about stuff. He already had, right? Twice. But then, had Sam reacted the right way every time? Or hadn't it been him shutting his brother off, pushing him away, with the wrong feedback, the wrong actions?

Dean knew about his nightly sneak outs. It was one of the many things giving him the right to struggle with his trust towards Sam. And after this whole 'I get you out' thing that had went everything else but smooth up to now he hadn't earned Dean's trust at all.

But they needed to overcome this. And if it were for only a few weeks. Sam had to regain Dean's trust and faith in him. Because right now this might be their way out of the mess. Right now this was the help he could offer and pray that it'd be enough.

To be continued...