The Way Home
Chapter 18
Disclaimer: see chapter 1

The chill of the late October wind caused the three people standing just outside the ambulance bay of Baptist Hospital in Louisville to pull their jackets closer. Mac stood just behind Sammy as another gust blew along side the building; the younger boy had been bouncing since yesterday when all the arrangements had been finalized to finally bring John to a hospital in Louisville. The Scholar had watched how the last few days had affected the youngest Winchester, between his father being missing then severally injured and gravely ill, to the separation from his big brother Dean, who had never been away from the smaller boy overnight, to the eleven-year old having to witness what had happened to Caleb, the Scholar was still amazed at the resilience of the child as they awaited the arrival of the ambulance carrying John from the airport.

The older man then glanced to his right as he took in the form of his twenty-two year old son. It had been four days since the near-tragic events that had threatened to take two members of their close-knot, though unconventional family, away. It had been just two days ago that Mac had lived through the worst sixty-seconds of his life, in that one minute the Doctor had watched his son die. But looking at him now, a little battered and bruised, his arm gingerly wrapped around himself in an attempt to alleviate some of the pain from his cracked ribs, Mac couldn't help but smile, his son was alive and on his way to a full recovery.

The sound of a vehicle approaching the hospital brought Mac's attention to the reason they were standing in the cold wind. The ambulance pulled into the bay as a dark sedan continued on, turning into the nearby parking lot. Mac placed his hand on Sammy's shoulder, preventing the younger boy from rushing forward as the driver rounded the back, pulling the doors open. "Dean!" Sammy shouted as his big brother jumped from the back, the older boy shooting his little brother a huge smile, then the fifteen-year old turned his attention back to the rig as a stretcher was pulled from the back, containing John Winchester. Mac felt the eleven-year old slip from his grip as he moved forward, "Dad!"

John turned toward the sound of his youngest son's voice, "Hey ya Sammy." John responded, with a small wave, as the boy reached the stretcher, grabbing his father's hand. John's voice was rough from the pneumonia he was still fighting, even though his fever had broken two-days ago,

Dean put his hand on his brother's shoulder, "Let them get Dad in out of the cold Sammy."

With a quick squeeze John released his son's hand as the medics wheeled him into the hospital, Jim making his way to the group as they started to follow. Sammy pulled on Dean's arm as they headed in, "I'm glad you're back."

Dean could see the fear and worry that still clouded the younger boy's face, it was another thing that had ate at the fifteen-year old for the last four days, not being around to comfort his little brother through all that had happened. Pulling the smaller boy to him, he gave Sammy a tight hug, "So am I Sammy, so am I." releasing Sammy, the child bound forward, making his way toward Jim and Mac, who were following closely behind John's stretcher, Mac talking with the doctor who had met them inside.

The teen watched his brother enter the building, then his eye's fell on the person standing off to the side of the doors. The sight of his best friend standing there staring at him nearly took Dean's breath. He had been so afraid that night when he had felt the older man collapse in his arms that somehow his family was being slowly taken from him. Though he had spoken to Caleb on the phone the day before, seeing the twenty-two year old in front of him caused all the emotions that had been warring inside to slowly come to the surface, causing his eye's to fill with tears. "Damien?" Dean whispered.

Caleb had stood back as the ambulance pulled in, his body still aching from his wreck, still tired from whatever his abilities had put him through, but like with Mac and Sammy, he needed to see John with his own eye's to know his mentor was alive and getting better. But more than his needed to see the older man, Caleb needed to see Dean. Once Mac had filled him in on all that had happened over the two days he had been unconscious, Caleb was overwhelmed with concern for his friend, his brother. Part of Caleb's mind could remember visiting the teen at Jim's pond, trying to reassure the kid that everything would be okay. During that time he could sense the barriers that the boy had started building, trying to keep his emotions pushed away, trying to deal with an overwhelming situation like he had when he was younger, by withdrawing into himself. However, standing here now, looking at the figure of his best friend, Caleb couldn't help but see that five-year old that needed reassuring that everything was okay, that someone was there to help him through what had happened. "Hey Deuce." Caleb choked out as the teen's emotions clashed with is own.

In that instant, when he heard Caleb call him 'Deuce', all the feelings that had barely been held together gave way and the teen rushed toward his friend, wrapping his arms around the older man's back, a feeling of peace replacing the fear as he felt as his brother's arms closed around him.

When the kid moved forward, Caleb took a step, the need to protect the broken boy before him resounding more than ever through the Psychic's soul as the boy's arms wrapped round him. Caleb winced slightly at the pull of his ribs, but it was worth it, if he could bring some peace to his friend. Wrapping his arms around the boy he could feel the shivers as Dean's emotions took over and he felt the boy sob against him. "I got ya Deuce, I got ya." Caleb whispered as he placed his chin on top of Dean's head.

Jim had stopped just inside the doors when he noticed that Dean and Caleb didn't enter behind them. Once John's fever broke after those heart stopping minutes, during which time they feared they had lost the Knight and Dean had lost his father, through the reassurances from the doctor's that John was on his way to a steady, slow, but full recovery. Then finally hearing Dean talk with Caleb on the phone the night before, Jim knew they were slowly getting Dean back from his self-imposed shutdown. But seeing the strong-willed boy move quickly toward the comfort only his best friend, his brother, could give him, Jim couldn't help but smile, Dean would be okay, they all would be okay.

Oxoxoxoxox

John hated hospital more than anything, but with everything that Mac explained had transpired over the last several days, the Knight decided to not fight his friend on making him stay a few more days once he arrived in Louisville. The last two day's had been hazy for the older man, the only constant that he had been able to grasp was the fact his Son had been by his side each and every time he had opened his eyes.

Watching his son sleep now, brought some comfort to John, especially now the Sammy was within his sight as well, curled next to his brother, both boys sleeping on the small couch in the hospital room. The fear he remembered waking up with two days ago as his fever broke in the most dramatic fashion, tore at every fiber of his being, he recalled standing in one of the ratty motel rooms as the place was consumed by fire, all to reminiscent of Sammy's nursery the night Mary had been stolen from him, desperately searching for his children. Panic had gripped him when he couldn't find them, However, just like in the woods days prior, Caleb was standing in the room with him, reassuring that his son's were safe and that they needed to get out of the burning structure. John had remembered Caleb reaching for the door before his world went dark.

Once being pulled back into the light it was his eldest broken voice that grounded him as he turned his head, seeing the devastated boy coming toward him. When Dean's warm hand took a hold of his, John knew in that moment he was going to be okay, that he had made it out of the fire, that he later learned was a life-threatening fever, brought on more from the pneumonia he had been ignoring, than the injuries he had received from his fall. In the moment of peace his son's presence brought him, John vowed to himself to never ignore another illness or injury, if for nothing else than to keep the look of heartbreaking loss from his son's green eyes.

"We scared the hell out of him." The quiet voice of Caleb drew John's attention away from his son's, to the dark-haired hunter sitting on the other side of the room.

"Yeah, Jim and Mac told me what happened." John stared at his protégé as the kid shifted, his arm still held close, protecting his hurting chest. "I just don't understand it though…you were with me, I'm sure of it, but that's not possible is it?" The Knight had been confused by what his two friends had said happened, especially about the fact that the entire time John had not only been missing, but unconscious in the hospital, Caleb had been in a similar state.

Caleb stood, making his way slowly to John's beside. "I don't really know how to explain it." The younger man sat on the edge of the bed, "I remember the vision, it hit me without any warnings like I would normally have, that's how I managed to wreck my Jeep." Caleb grinned slightly at his mentor, "I hope you can fix once you're up and moving around"

"I've tried for years to get you to take an interest in taking care of that vehicle, but you continue to treat it like shit and expect me to work miracles." John glanced toward his son's again, "Maybe you and Dean can have a go at it, I can supervise." A hint of a smile crossed John's face.

"More like order." Caleb mumbled as a serious look returned to his face. "I don't fully understand how I was with you in those woods, I just remember thinking as I made my way to Jim's that I had to get to you. When I could only get out that I had a vision about you before everything went black, my only thought was nobody was going to reach you in time." Caleb cleared his throat as emotions started to clog it, even in his unconscious state he could remember the feeling that John was slipping away from them.

"I would have died in those woods if your abilities hadn't triggered that little out of body visit." The truth of what John said seemed to finally settle in the two men. "Then again in that motel room, that was my fucked up minds way of dealing with the fever that nearly killed me. I don't know how to thank you."

Caleb was a little taken back by John's sentiment; the man was rare with praise and even rarer in showing appreciation. But at the same time Caleb didn't know if it was really warranted, since it was his subconscious that did all the work that his physical body couldn't. "It was you." John said quietly, as if he could now read minds, seeing the hint of doubt that the young psychic felt as to whether he had actually been able to control his abilities or not. "You said you were the only one who could reach me in time. I felt you, as solid as you are now as you drug my ass out of those woods. Whether you think you were in control or not, I totally believe you were, it was you." In a rare move, John reached out and gripped the younger man's arm, "You saved my life and I won't forget that."

"It was just as much you as me…" Caleb glanced toward the sleeping Winchester boys, "You wanted to get back to them…" Again the young man remembered feeling the fear that John had of leaving his boys, it had been the focusing point that had propelled the sick and injured man to keep placing one step in front of the other, even when John realized how gravely injured and sick he had become.

"Let's not forget that you need someone to stay on your ass, to keep you focused on hunts, since you get distracted so easily." John repeated one of Caleb's masked pleas that kept the Knight going over those traitorous hours as they made their way toward Bobby's.

Caleb saw the break in the emotion filled room that both men needed, "Damn straight." The twenty-two year old smiled as he felt John squeeze his arm again, this had been one of the times that Caleb didn't feel his abilities had been a curse, they had helped save his family this time, not just John, but as the Psychic looked over at his best friend again, he knew it had saved Dean as well.

"But don't think I've forgotten about the 'old man' comments you seemed to like throwing around, I think some extra sparing lesson's will be in order once I'm one hundred percent again." Again the hint of a smile that John so rarely showed, shined in the older man's eyes as Caleb let out a groan-laced laugh.

"Yes, sir." Caleb would take whatever John threw at him because at least the man was still there to throw it.