Chapter 8

Vincent didn't pay the dropped paint tray a second thought as Leah and her mysterious friend appeared out of the blue in his chair. He walked two paces and locked the door as she folded herself backwards and pried herself off Sam's body long enough to groan into his soft flesh and then fall into him due to the gun shot wound to her shoulder.

On a normal day - which was never normal - Leah would have considered dropping into her night job as kinda well normal...but today - ha...she was bleeding all over the place - had been missing for several days and well this was anything but normal.

"Holy shit," Vincent was saying over and over as he locked the door. "What the hell happened?" Had he been having some weirdo acid flashback and completely missed her arrival - what the hell?

Her " You don't want to know." wasn't exactly reassuring. Vincent went to a drawer and yanked it open pulling a first aid kit out. "Shit...shit..."

"Yeah I could think of a few other choice words." Leah breathed slumping into her unconscious friend who was sporting a hospital gown.

"What the hell happened?" Vincent was asking as he yanked open the kit and gave her a glance over his shoulder, the cigarette still dangling out of his mouth.

"I got shot, you - asshole." Leah got out through clenched teeth.

Sam chuckled to himself finally listening to the two of them. He supposed he was somewhat happy that she was talking to him as if she hated him. Her pain though could have been misconstrued as hate for now. Sam didn't know for sure what he was so upset about at the moment...it wasn't as if he had expressed an interest in her - not for anything more then friendship - despite their ploy to keep the two of them together. And well his body was situated precariously under hers in a tattoo parlor at the moment...Sam frowned.

"I think I noticed." Vincent scoffed flicking the ashes off the end of his cigarette as he whirled around with a set of tweezers and a whole host of other goodies on another freshly prepared tray.

"Good for you." Leah sighed and Sam didn't miss the long hard look she gave his own body...his whole body, before turning her gaze back to Vincent. He watched her push his hair back again as Vincent set the tray down and scooted a chair up next to her.

"You want to move you're friend?" Vincent motioned to Sam's body.

"He's staying right where he is." Leah replied quickly as she was worming her way out of her shirt unabashed. Sam almost turned around, but realized that it didn't matter - hell she had already snuggled up to him in the buff. Sam kinda wished he'd been coherent for that right about now. "Look can you just get this bullet out of me and get us a ride back to my apartment?" Leah slid the sling off and sat shirtless yet still not embarrassed.

"You know you don't ask for much." Vincent scoffed as he slid up next to her.

"Never do." She smiled brightly back at him. She looked back down to Sam softly though her smile fading slightly and Sam noticed the concern that lined her brow. He narrowed his eyes in wonder as her face shifted again and she looked back to Vincent trying to hide the worry.

"Yeah. Right." Vincent nodded. "I'd ask questions, but I know better."

Sam flinched as she leaned forward and kissed Vincent on the cheek. Vincent froze. "Make my job easier and stay where you are...just be still." Sam slumped into a seat and watched as she frowned slightly. He realized that Vincent was interested and that Leah wasn't despite her touchy kissy nature.

Maybe there was hope...sort of...God she was hard to figure out. Sam would have shifted back to Dean, but well he didn't want to watch him drool and Bobby contemplate murder when he could sit with Leah and his body.

That's what he kept telling himself anyway.

Sam winced as Leah placed one hand on his body's chest beneath her seemingly trying to brace herself. She closed her eyes. "Look just get the damn thing out." She whispered.

"Yes Ma'am." Vincent replied as he scooted even closer.

Leah felt Sam's heartbeat beneath her hand bringing her some measure of comfort as Vincent went to digging into her shoulder. Sam flinched for her as he saw the pain that wavered through her features. She let out a cut off cry trying to hold back the scream as tears made it past her defenses and rolled down her cheeks. "Want some Whiskey?"

"Hell yes." She growled. Why hadn't she thought of that? Oh yeah she was trying to make sure Sam was still breathing...trying to stay awake...She exhaled in relief when Vincent stopped long enough to bring her the bottle back. "Down it." He ordered thrusting it into her hand. And she did. She turned the bottle up and drank deeply before handing it back to Vincent and placing her hand back on Sam's chest.

Sam noticed she was careful to place it over his heart and he felt a tug at the corners of his mouth. She was still trying to keep tabs - Sam shook his head - while the guy was digging a bullet out of her.

"So I take it you're not going to be in tonight." Vincent's idle chit chat seemed to be annoying her to no end. She roughly shook her head biting back another scream. "You want to tell me what happened to you're arm?"

She glared back at him. "Never mind...just wondering if it's going to effect you're work."
"It won't." She got out between clenched teeth.

"That's good." Vincent sighed deeply before going back to digging. Leah bit into her lip again and wrapped her hand around Sam's as if it would help. Vincent dug deeper grunting in concentration then let out an excited "Aha" as he pulled the bullet out.

She screamed out a not so nice four letter word and got Vincent's eyes combing over her again before he swabbed the whole thing with a disinfectant and pushed a piece of gauze in place so hard that she nearly lost consciousness. "Dammit "

Vincent grabbed a gauze wrap and wound it around her arm tying it off tightly. Leah gave him a stifled grunt as she slammed her good hand down into Sam's stomach without thinking about it. Leah quickly looked down at Sam and gasped as the out of body Sam watched the hit with concern. "Hey watch it." Sam called though he knew no one would hear him.

"I'm sorry, Sammy." She whispered.

"Sammy is it?" Vincent picked up the name instantly. "So how did you find this one and did he get you shot?" Vincent grabbed up the tray and took it over to the counter next to the sink along the far wall. "He didn't shoot you did he?"

"I thought you weren't going to ask." Leah glared up at him.

"Yeah well - I guess as a boss I kinda want to know what some of my employees are doing. As a friend..." He turned and met her eyes. "Come on you show up out of no where with a coma patient and a bullet in you're arm. You gotta tell me something."

Leah shook her head in disbelief as she climbed to her feet dizzily. "Nope...not today. So how about that ride? And you think Matt can move Sammy for me?" Leah slipped back into her shirt gingerly and then replaced the sling.

"You are a piece of work." Vincent huffed.

"I've been called worse." Leah sighed then looked to him as if to ask 'well?'

Sam watched them in disbelief getting to his feet. The guy was really going to do it. He could tell already. Sam shook his head at Leah with a smile. "I'll second that." He whispered.

"I bet." Leah smiled suddenly - her voice so low he barely caught it and Vincent didn't even seem to hear her. Sam realized all at once that she had heard him.

"Matt!" Vincent screamed out as he walked to the door and unlocked it - opening it up to the rest of the lobby. "I need some help in here." Vincent turned around and looked to Leah as he heard Matt coming down the hall. "I'll pull the car around back."

"Thanks Vinnie." Leah said sincerely at last. Vincent simply nodded as he slipped out the door.

Half an hour latter Leah walked into her apartment and looked behind her to Vincent who had chivalrously decided to carry Sam up the stairs to her apartment. "Could you take him to the bedroom?"

Vincent glanced up and let his mouth fall open. "Sure - anything else you want?" He stomped back there and let Sam's body fall roughly to the bed.

"Careful with him." Leah warned following behind. "And Yeah I need you to let me have about a week off if not longer. "Maybe grab me a pizza before you run back to the shop." She wasn't joking.

Vincent rose to his feet his stance with hands on hips slightly offset by all the leather he was wearing and the various piercings. He didn't look so tough though starring at her in utter shock...still seeming to be about to fulfill her every request.

Sam stepped into the doorway to listen to the exchange and couldn't help but laugh. "Man this guy really has it bad. You should cut him a break, Leah."

"What do you want on it?" Vincent finally growled.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you had some latent mind control going on here." Sam chuckled.

"Pepperoni and olives." Leah sighed as she sank down on the bed next to Sam. She looked up to Vincent though and smiled. "You're an angel, Hun."

"Yeah...and you're an evil bitch." Vincent replied bitterly rolling his eyes. "I'll be back in ten."

"Can't we have normal nick names?! Evil bitch just doesn't ring well with me...and thanks!" Leah called at his retreating form. He flipped her off before he walked out the door and she simply laughed at him.

Once the front door closed though her mask of confidence and unwavering calm shifted to worry and glassed over tearful eyes. Her gaze shifted to Sam's form on the bed. "Jesus, Sam." She breathed.

"Hey I'm still alive at least." Sam replied sitting down next to her on the bed. He wished he could offer her some measure of comfort at that moment but as his hand went through her he knew it was nothing but a wish.

"There is that." She chuckled softly as she wiped at her eyes.

"You can hear me can't you?" Sam never actually met her gaze as she looked only to his form on the bed.

"Yeah. You weren't coming through very clear until the tattoo parlor." She said softly. "I just didn't want Vincent to think I was nuts on top of everything else."

"Can you see me?" Sam was pretty sure she couldn't.

"I'm looking at you now, Sam." Leah was referring to his body on the bed now. "Not that it's doing much good.

"No I'm not there...I sitting right beside you...on the bed...I'm having some kind of out of body experience." Sam said excitedly. God if she could hear him this was going to make everything so much easier. "Leah listen I need you to call Dean! You have to tell him where we are...he and Bobby are on the road right now."

Leah nodded too slowly and Sam suddenly noticed how heavy her eyes were. "Leah?"

"I'll do...that." She trailed off on the last word and suddenly pitched forward over his body out cold.

"Oh God." Sam gasped. Sam got to his feet feeling helpless as he watched the blood begin to soak into her bandage wrapped around her upper arm. "No...No" He breathed. A few minutes later he was never more happy to see anyone in his life - when Vincent walked into the apartment. He was setting the pizza down...muttering about how horrible she was and then finally noticed the calm quiet in the apartment.

Vincent paused in the living room. "Leah?" Vincent called. Come on - come on Sam was right there begging him to hear him telling him she was in trouble. "Leah?" Vincent made his way to the bedroom He stopped cold in the doorway and then hurried forward. " Oh shit...I knew you needed to go to the hospital. Man you're friend does too...Jesus woman - you always have to make things difficult..." He picked up the phone and dialed 911.

Sam wasn't sure that was a good idea, in fact he knew it wasn't especially if Vincent signed her in under her real name. "Oh shit." Sam whispered and then closed his eyes cursing again before he landed between Bobby and Dean in the truck again. Dean was laughed hysterically as Bobby screamed a wave of profanity that would make a sailor blush. Great...Sam looked from one to the other frantically. God, he had to get Dean to see him - to hear him or he and Leah were going to get handed to Hendrickson on a silver platter.