The Way Home
Chapter 16
Disclaimer: see chapter 1
"My God…" Were the only words Mac's numb mind could relay. Jim had just told him that the doctor's weren't holding out much hope for John's recovery; his temperature continuing to climb. The Scholar leaned against the counter, his hand going to his face as his eye's closed, 'this can't be happening', played in silent mantra in his head. "My God, Dean." The Doctor's normally fast mind was having a problem processing that his brother could be dying, but the thought of Dean having to witness his father dying was tearing at his soul.
Jim was silent, giving the man on the other end of the phone time to come to grips with what was happening to their small, unconventional family. Mac already knew the answer, but needed to ask the question anyway, "How's Dean dealing with the news?"
The Pastor blew out a deep-breath; Mac could visualize the older man running his hand through his nearly gray hair. "He hasn't spoken since we found out, he's refused to leave Jonathon's side, he won't eat and he's been fighting sleep. However, his body finally won out and he fell asleep about a half an hour ago. I fear we're losing Dean along with his father."
Mac knew how true that possibility was, as much as it had pained the Doctor, he had learned over the years that Dean had somehow tied his self-worth to his ability to protect his family. The Scholar had witnessed first hand the guilt that overtook the teen when something happened to John or especially Sammy, when Dean felt he should have somehow seen it coming and stopped it. Whenever John had been hurt on a hunt or Sammy had ever been sick Dean would shutdown to where his only focus was taking care of his family, usually at the expense of himself. Mac had even noticed that when it came to Caleb, though the teen was eight-years his son's junior, the boy would feel personally responsible if Caleb got hurt on a hunt, whether Dean was involved in it or not.
Jim's voice brought Mac from his worried thoughts, "I think it's best to keep the news from Sammy for now, if the worst happens…" The sudden sound of a buzzer activating at the nurse's station that Jim was near brought a surge of panic through both the Guardian and the Scholar.
"Jim, what's going on?" Mac could clearly hear the buzzing and the sound of people moving quickly in the background, "Jim?"
The Pastor watched as Dr. William's and several nurses' converged on John's room, "Nonono," Jim whispered, "It's Jonathon's room, I need to go." With that Mac was greeted with a click as the line disconnected.
Pulling the phone from his ear, Mac just looked at it; 'this can't be happening' was all he continued to think as his heart rate increased, a complete feeling of uselessness overwhelming him. Mac took a deep-breath as he placed the phone back in its cradle, the Doctor needed a few moments to school his emotions, he needed to be strong for Sammy now, the younger boy could not be told of his father's condition just yet, especially with Dean so far away and unable to comfort him. The Scholar tried to process that there could have been any number of reason's that the alarms started sounding, but the doctor in him kept reminding him that it was never a good sign when it happened in the ICU.
Rubbing his hands over his face, Mac took another deep-breath. However his attention was pulled back to the nurse's station as the young woman got up from behind the counter and raced down the hallway. A flashing light caught the older man's attention for just a moment before he too turned and ran down the hall. The room-light flashing was Caleb's.
Ooxoxoxox
Flames shot up the wall, consuming the curtains as Caleb tried to focus on the figure standing in the middle of the room. The pure panic that radiated off his mentors face caused Caleb's heart to race, "JOHNNY!" the younger man yelled over the roar of the fire around them. "JOHN!"
Terrified eye's met the Psychic's as John turned, "I CAN'T FIND THEM!" John yelled, his eye's frantically searching the room. It was only then that Caleb noticed it was a room that looked like the countless motel rooms the Winchester's had frequented over the years. "DEAN! SAMMY!" John's voice yelled as he turned again, trying to find his son's. "CALEB I CAN'T FIND THEM!"
Something in Caleb's mind remembered that John had been sick, burning up with a fever when he had left him at Bobby's, the young Psychic finally understanding that with the fever tearing through his mentor's body, his mind would believe he was burning, but his need to protect his son's would still be fighting through the inferno raging around him, through him.
"THEY'RE NOT HERE JOHNNY!" Caleb yelled again as the bedding exploded into flames, causing the younger man to throw up his arm in an attempt to shield himself, he could feel the sweat starting to pour off his brow and down the back of his neck.
"I LEFT THEM HERE, I CAN'T FIND THEM! SAMMY! DEAN!" Again panic was taking over the Knight's fever-ravaged mind.
As the second bed exploded, Caleb knew he had to get John out of this room or they both were gonna die. "JOHNNY, LOOK AT ME!" John turned toward his protégé as part of the ceiling started to come down behind him. "DEAN AND SAMMY ARE SAFE! WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Caleb turned and saw the unmarred door behind him; he needed to get John out that door, now.
"ARE YOU SURE? I DON'T REMEMBER!" John's panicked voice wanted to believe the young man before him, but he needed to see his son's to be sure.
Motioning for John to come toward him as another piece of ceiling dropped, "I SWEAR JOHNNY, THEY'RE SAFE, I WOULDN'T LIE TO YOU ABOUT THAT! NOW MOVE IT OLD MAN!" Caleb remembered the 'old man' comments had kept John riled as they made their way toward Bobby's, he prayed they'd get his mentor in gear now.
John saw the determination in Caleb's face, he trusted the young man with his son's lives, with his life. If Caleb said the boys were safe, then the Knight knew it was true. But as John started making his way toward the Psychic another section of the ceiling came down, catching him across the back, knocking him down, his leg getting pinned beneath the debris. "JOHN!"
Caleb saw the section fall and lost sight of his mentor for a moment as hot sparks shot up into the air, when it cleared John was struggling to pull himself free, "JOHN!" Racing forward Caleb leapt over the burning beam, trying to lift it off John's leg, "UGH! SHIT!" He growled out as he struggled to lift the flaming material. Raising it slightly Caleb could see John working himself out from under it, once the older man was clear, Caleb dropped it and rushed to John's side, "CAN YOU STAND?"
The Knight had already made it to his knees as Caleb helped him the rest of the way to his feet, "THE BOY'S?" Again John needed to see them.
"THEY'RE SAFE. LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!" Caleb threw John's arm over his shoulder, grabbing the back of the older man's jacket. Looking up he could barely see the doorway through the flames that had nearly consumed the room, 'now or never', the Psychic thought. Without waiting for a reply from his mentor, Caleb drug them both across the burning carpet, jerking the door open as the rest of the ceiling came crashing down.
Oxoxoxoxox
Just as Mac burst into his son's room he saw the nurse hit the button on the wall, alerting the other nurse's on the floor, as well as the attending doctor that she needed help. The older man caught sight of Sammy backed against the wall, fear clear on his face, but the Scholar's attention was brought to his son as machines started beeping. Caleb's heart rate had increased again; sweat had broken out on the young man's face, plastering his hair to his forehead, his breathing coming out rapid and harsh. The doctor rushed into the room as did some other nurses "What's happening?" the doctor asked as he neared the bed, taking the stethoscope, placing it Caleb's chest.
Mac was transfixed by his son's state; his eye's going from Caleb's sweat cover face to the monitors that continued to beep erratically. The Scholar watched as an oxygen mask was quickly placed on his son's face, and his blood pressure was taken. Making his way to the side of the bed, Mac reached out taking his son's hand, an unmistakable heat seemed to be radiating off him as the nurse told the doctor Caleb's temperature, 104 and rising.
"What?" Mac looked up at the doctor, the poor man had been perplexed by Caleb's condition since the start, the unsure expression that greeted Mac's gaze didn't offer any comfort.
"I don't understand it; I don't know what's happening." The younger doctor turned to the nurse, relaying orders to try and treat the symptoms that were presenting themselves.
Mac gripped Caleb's hand tighter as he leaned over his son, "You told me you were okay, you promised you'd come back to me. Damnit Caleb, fight this. I can't lose you Son, please." Tears filled Mac's eyes as his son's body started to shake from the rapidly increasing fever. Suddenly Caleb stiffened in the bed, his hand contracting in his father's as his body was racked with a fever-induced seizure, then as quickly as it had started his son's body suddenly stilled, "Caleb!" Mac yelled as the room went silent.