Sam's POV
I come to from the crash and I hear footsteps coming around the car to the driver's side of the Impala. I try to lift my head, but I find it too painful. I don't hear anything except for those footsteps. I don't even hear the soft prayers she was whispering. Maybe she didn't know she was speaking so loud, but dad and I could hear her words easily from the front seat. The footsteps stop at my door and I grab the colt from my jacket. The door is pulled off as I aim at the demon standing before me.
"Get back or I'll kill you. I swear to God." I croak out at the black-eyed man.
"You won't." Came the reply. "You're saving that bullet for someone else." I cock the gun and continue aiming at the demon.
"You wanna bet?" I ask him. He pauses for a second before vacating the man. The black smoke leaves as the man comes to his senses. I put the colt away and relax as I hear the man freaking out. "Dad?" I call to the man in the passenger seat. No response. "Dad...Dean" I try. Knowing he had probably been unconscious even before the crash. No response. "Shelby..." Again, no response. "Shelby!" I shout as I panic. What if they're all dead? What am I gonna do?" It's not until the light of day reaches us that the emergency vehicles and workers, that the truck driver called, arrive. They take Dean and Shelby and dad by helicopter, but because my injuries are non-life-threatening they take me in an actual ambulance. I keep asking if they're gonna be okay, but they give me no real helpful information.
Shelby's POV
There's a bright light before me, but I'm not in a tunnel. The light is an entity. An astral being. I just gaze at it in awe.
"My child." It speaks to me.
"Dad?" I ask. It doesn't sound like him, but what else could it mean.
"No." It tells me. As I continue to stare into the orb of light, I begin to see wings. I gasp.
"You're an angel." I say.
"Yes."
"Have you come to take me away?" I ask.
"No. In fact I am here to send you back." The angel says. "You have much to do. You have people to protect."
Dean's POV
I sit up and realize that I'm in a hospital room. I look down at myself and see that I have on a white V-neck t-shirt and some loose fitting pants. I see no one in the room with me so I jump off the bed. As I walk into the hallway I notice that the halls are deserted. Strange.
"Sam?" I call out. No response. "Dad?" I call out again after looking into the empty room across from me. No answer. "Shelby?" Again, no answer. I walk down the hall to see if I an find any person to help me look for my family or direct me in the right direction. "Anybody!?" I reach the stairs at the end of the hall and walk down them slowly. This is the quietest hospital I've ever been in. It's sort of freaking me out. I see someone at the desk. "Excuse me." I call out to her, but she doesn't even react to my words. "Hi..." I say as I reach the window in front of the desk. "I-uh...I think I was in a car accident with my girlfriend and my dad and my brother. I just need to find 'em." The woman just ignores me completely. "Hello?" I ask when I notice that she isn't even reacting to me being in front of her. I snap and wave in front of her face and it still doesn't get her attention. Alright, I'm a little freaked out now. I retrace my steps and go back to the room I started in. I look through the door and see me hooked up to a bunch of machines. Now I'm really freaking out. What the fuck is going on?
I stand by the door in my room trying to process everything going on right now. How can I be in that bed when I'm right here? I refuse to believe I'm a ghost. All those machines are supposed to be keeping me alive. I don't move until I see Sammy walk in. He walks right by me.
"Sammy." I say. "You look good...considering." I chuckle awkwardly as he ignores me.
"Oh no." I hear him whisper.
"Man, tell me you can hear me." I beg as I walk to the other side of the hospital bed. I look at his face and it is not an expression telling me that he can hear me. It's more like shock and sorrow at my tubed up body on the bed. "How's dad and Shelby?" I ask, just in case he can hear me. "Are they okay?" He doesn't answer me. "Come on, you're the psychic. I mean, give me some ghost whispering or something.
"Your father's awake." Came a voice from the door. I look up to see a man in a doctor's coat. "You can go see him if you like."
"And Shelby?" Sam asks.
"Well, she's still in a coma." Came the reply. "Her injuries were minor enough for her to be okay. So, she should wake up relatively soon. If you would like to visit her, too, you can." The doctor tells Sam.
"Oh, thank God." I say. It seems like she just needs a kiss from her prince charming to wake up. I think about it and my posture slumps. Will she even know I'm with her?
"Doc, What about my brother?" Sam asks.
"Well, he sustained serious injury. Blood loss, contusions to his liver and kidney." The doctor explains. "But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There's early signs of cerebral edema."
"Well, what can we do?" Sam asks.
"Well, we won't know his full condition until he wakes up." There's a pause before he continues. "If he wakes up."
"If?" Sam asks, surprised.
"I have to be honest..." The doc begins.
"Screw you, doc, I'm wakin' up." I tell him, but he can't hear me.
"Most people with his degree of injury wouldn't have survived this long." The doctor continues. "He's fighting very hard. But you need to have realistic expectations, son."
"Come on, Sam." I say to him. "Go find some hoodoo priest to lay some mojo on me. I'll be fine." Sam just looks shocked at the doctor's words once again. "Sam?"
Sam's POV
I head to Dad's room. He's awake, as the doctor said. I tell dad the basics of Dean's condition and that Shelby should be waking up soon. In a break in the conversation he pulls out his wallet, opens it, and pulls out an insurance card.
"Alright. Here. Give 'em my insurance." Dad says, handing me the card. I look at the card and I feel a slight smile grows on my face.
"Elroy McGillicuddy?" I ask him as I slightly chuckle at the name on the card.
"And his two loving sons and daughter in law." Dad adds. I look down to the floor. "So...What else did the doctor say about Dean?"
"Nothin'." I answer truthfully. The worst is all there really is. "Look...if the doctors won't do anything, then we'll have to. That's all." I say as I grow more determined. "I don't know. I'll find some...hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on 'I'm." Where did that come from? It sounds like something Dean would say.
"We'll look for someone." Dad says.
"Yeah." I agree.
"But, Sam...I don't know if we're gonna find anyone."
"Why not?" I ask him. "I found that faith healer before."
"That was, that was one in a million." He tells me.
"So what? What then? We just sit here with our thumbs up our ass?"
"No, I said we'd look." For some reason I feel like Dad's already given up. "Alright? I'll check under every stone." He pauses before continuing. "Where's the colt?" I'm a little shocked at his question.
"Your son is dying, and you're worried about the colt?" I ask him in disgust.
"We are hunting this demon, and maybe it's hunting us, too." He tells me. "That gun may be our only card."
"It's in the trunk." I tell him. He does have a point. "They dragged the car to a yard off of I-83."
"Alright, you gotta clean out that trunk before some junk man sees what's inside."
"I already called Bobby. He's like an hour out. He's gonna toe the impala back to his place." I say. "I had to practically beg him to do that instead of coming here to be with Shelby."
"Alright. You, you go meet up with Bobby. You get that colt and you bring it back to me. And you watch out for hospital security." Dad tells me.
"I think I got it covered." With that, I stand up and head to the door.
"Hey." Dad says to get my attention. I turn to look at him from the door. "Here." He picks up a piece of paper and holds it out to me. "I made a list of things I need. Have Bobby pick 'em up for me." I look at the list I was just given.
"Acacia?" I ask about the item on the list. "Oil of Abramelin? What's this stuff for?"
"Protection." Came the answer. I have a feeling he's lying to me, but what am I supposed to do? I walk towards the door again only to stop myself and turn back to him.
"Hey, dad...you know the demon." I say. "He said he had plans for me and children like me...like Shelby. You have any idea what he meant by that?" I ask him.
"No, I don't." He answers. I figured since the demon was inside him, he might have gotten some hint of what the damn thing is planning. I accept his answer and leave his room. I head down the hall to where Shelby's room is located and peak my head in. It's strange to see her just laying there alone. She does look beautiful, like an angel, even with her injuries from the accident. My brother is a lucky man. I wonder how I'd tell her about Dean if she wakes up before we figure things out. I walk over to the chair on the other side of her bed and sit down before grabbing her hand.
"Hey, Shel." I start. "I read somewhere that patients in comas can still hear and feel things going on around them." I rub my thumb across her knuckles. "I want you to hear this from me...But I don't want you to hear this either." I pause again. "Dean's condition isn't so great. Dad and I are gonna try everything we can, but I seem to be the only one with any faith that we'll fix all this." I feel a slight movement of her fingers and I smile. I bring her hand up to kiss the back of it. "I have to go get some things for dad. I'll be back as soon as I can." I stand before leaning over and kissing her forehead. Reluctantly, I leave her room and head to the junk yard to meet up with Bobby.
Shelby's POV
I hear every word of Sam's, and I'm just in shock. I had tried to grab onto Sam's hand for support, but I only felt my hand twitch slightly. I turn to the orb of light as I feel tears form in my eyes.
"Be honest with me." I tell it. "Is Dean gonna make it?" I ask. There is a long pause. It's like the angel was deciding whether to tell me the truth or not.
"It is a crossroads, child." It finally answers. "It depends on the actions of the ones around him." As I blink, trying to take in the answer, the built up tears finally fall down my cheeks.
"I need him to live." I tell the angel. "I don't know what I would do without him."
"Have you forgotten when you traveled on your own?" It asks.
"That's different." I sob.
"How so?"
"I thought about him every day we were apart. No matter what I did, or who I was with, there was always something that reminded me of him." I sob some more as I sink to my knees. "I always knew he would be there if I felt like talking to him. If he dies...I won't have that. It would be too final. I feel like I have so much more to say to him, to do with him." I don't even try to hold back my tears. "If he's going to die, I need to say goodbye first. If he dies before I wake up..." I say as I wipe away my tears. "I'll bring him back just to kill him again for leaving me." The angel says nothing. "No, I refuse to believe he'll just die without a fight. He'll live. I know it." I try to convince myself.
"If you say so."
Sam's POV
I meet Bobby at the junk yard and as we come up on the impala my jaw drops. Dean's Baby was mangled. It's completely crumpled in on the passenger side. I don't understand how dad isn't in a similar position to Dean. With how the car looks, we should all be dead.
"Oh, man." I sigh. "Dean is gonna be pissed." I say to Bobby. We look at each other before walking up to it.
"Shelby loves this car as much as Dean." Bobby says. "She's gonna be devastated." I nod at his words. "Look, Sam, this...this just ain't worth a tow." bobby looks under the hood as I take a closer look at the mangled half of the car. "I say we empty the trunk, and sell the rest for scrap." I reach into the back seat and see my laptop. I grab it only for it to also be destroyed. I look up at Bobby.
"No." I say simply. "Dean would kill me if we did that." Bobby looks at me with skepticism. "When he gets better, he's gonna wanna fix this." I say as I put my broken laptop on the top of the car.
"There's nothin' to fix." Bobby says as he begins to walk around the wreck of a car. "The frame's a pretzel. The engine's ruined. there's barely any parts worth salvaging."
"Now, listen to me, Bobby," I tell him. "If there's only one working part, that's enough. We're not just gonna give up on..." My words drop off as I look back at the car.
"Okay." Bobby says. "You got it." It's then that I remember the list dad gave me.
"Here, uh...dad asked if you could get this stuff for him." I say as I hand him the list. He looks over it.
"What's John want with this?" He asks me.
"Protection from the demon." I tell him what dad told me. He looks at me with confusion. "W-what?" I ask him.
"Nothing. It's just, uh..." Bobby says as he shakes his head.
"Bobby." I want him to tell me what's wrong. "What's goin' on?"
Dean's POV
I'm standing in my hospital room with dad sitting next to my tubed up body. He's just sitting there. He isn't saying anything. What is he here for? What is he planning with that list of items he sent with Sammy?
"Come on, dad." I say, trying to get him to hear me. "You gotta help me. I gotta get better. I gotta get back in there." He doesn't reply. "I mean, you haven't called a soul for help. You haven't even tried. Aren't you gonna do anything?" As my words become unanswered I get more angry. "Aren't you even gonna say anything?" He stays silent. "I've done everything you've ever asked me." I say. "Everything. I've given everything I've ever had. Now you're just gonna sit there, and you're gonna watch me die? I mean, what the hell kind of father are you?" I begin to hear a rumbling. It starts low and gradually gets louder. "What is that?" I ask as I look around the room before walking towards the door. As I get to the door to my room something rushes in front of me as it goes down the hallway. I look back at dad before looking back down the hallway. "I take it you didn't see that."
I chase the rushing thing down a couple of hallways as I continue to hear the rumbling. As I pass one of the rooms I feel the thing pass behind me. I turn to see it go into another room. I look into the room to see a woman on the ground gasping for breath. She chokes out a cry for help.
"Hey!" I yell down the hall, hoping someone will hear me. "I need some help in here!" Of course, no one can hear me. I turn back to the woman. She can't breathe. As I kneel next to her, her breathing completely stops. What the hell is happening here? I run back to my room but decide to make a detour.
I haven't seen her since all this happened. I need to know for myself if she'll be okay. I need to see if she can hear me. There are so many things I need to tell her, including what I just saw. I step into her room and my jaw drops. her injuries look minor, but she's breathing on her own. She's not connected by a bunch of tubes like me. An IV and the beeping of a heart monitor are the only hints that she's a patient here. I walk up to the chair on the other side of the bed and sit down. I take a deep breath before grabbing onto her hand.
"Hey Babe." I say, trying not to freak out completely about what I had just seen. "I know I'm in a difficult situation right now. I bet Sammy's told you he's gonna try and bring me from the brink of death, but we need to be prepared for the real possibilities here. I know that." I feel tears well up in my eyes. "I don't know what I would do if I never got to see you again." I chuckle as I wipe away the tears that fall. "That makes it sound like you're gonna die. But, you're gonna make it. I know you are. You're the strongest woman I know. Things are getting really freaky around here. No one can see me. No one can hear me, and there's something going around this hospital and killing people. I'm gonna find a way to let Sammy know, but I can't promise anything." I stand up and lean over to rest my forehead on hers. "I want you to know that I love you so much. I hope I'm able to say that to you from my actual mouth, when you can actually hear me." I pull back enough to be able to kiss her on the lips before leaving the room to go back to mine.
Shelby's POV
I feel tears streaming down my face as I hear Dean leave my room. I heard every word, and I feel so helpless. I'm stuck in my own body. I'm trying to wake up, but I can't. The angel keeps telling me I will wake when the time is right, but I want to wake up now. I need to help Sam. I need to tell him what Dean's spirit, I assume, just told me. Something is killing people in this hospital and I can't do anything to prevent it.
Dean's POV
I'm in dad's room, trying to get him to hear me. My words aren't even acknowledged, so I just sit around waiting for Sam to get back. He finally enters the room and I try to tell him about everything I've seen.
"Sammy, tell me you can freakin' hear me, man." I say, but he ignores them. "There's somethin' in the hospital. Now, you gotta bring me back, and we gotta hunt this thing." No response from him. "Sam!"
"You're quiet." Dad says. Sam turns around to face him and he looks pissed. He throws his bag on the ground.
"Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Sam asks him.
"What are you talkin' about?" Dad asks.
"That stuff from Bobby. You don't use it to ward off a demon, you use it to summon one." What the hell is dad thinking of doing? Why's he trying to bring the damn thing here? "You're planning on bringing the demon here, aren't you? Having some stupid macho showdown."
"I have a plan Sam."
"That's exactly my point!" Sam yells. "Dean is dying, and you have a plan! You know what? You care more about killing this demon than you do saving your own son!" I walk closer as I feel the rage shooting off of him.
"No, no, no, guys, don't do this." I say as I try to get in between them. "If Shel was here, she'd smack you both. Come on!"
"Do not tell me how I feel." Dad says. "I am doing this for Dean." I look to him in confusion.
"How?" Sam asks. "How is revenge gonna help him? You're not thinking about anybody but yourself! It's the same selfish obsession!" I bring my hand up to my face in frustration.
"Come on guys, don't do this!" I try to stop them, but they keep going.
"That's funny." Dad says. "I thought this was your obsession, too. This demon killed your mother, killed your girlfriend. You begged me to be part of this hunt! Now, if you killed that damn thing when you had the chance, none of this would have happened!"
"It was possessing you, dad. I would have killed you, too."
"Yeah, and your brother and Shelby would be awake right now!" Dad shouts.
"Shut up, both of you!" I shout.
"Go to hell." Sam tells him. I look around the room as my frustration with their arguing grows.
"Oh, you know what, I should have never taken you along in the first place." Dad says. "I knew it was a mistake."
"I said, shut up!" I scream as I hit the glass of water off the table. The glass shattering on the ground causes them both to stop and look at it then look at each other. "Dude, I full-on Swayzied that mother." Sure, I was able to touch Shelby, but I didn't know I could actually move things. I begin to hear the rumbling again. I start losing my breath and the strength in my legs. I kneel on the ground in pain, trying to fight whatever's happening to me. "Holy cow, what is..."
"Something's goin' on out there." Dad says. He motions for Sam to go check it out. Sam leaves and I find some sort of strength to stand and follow him. I see him at the door to my room. "Shit!" I say as I try to go faster. I finally make it and I look into the room. There are a bunch of doctors and nurses trying to keep me alive. Suddenly, the thing that's been killing people appears, floating above my body.
"You get the hell away from me." I tell it as I walk into the room, past Sam. "Stay back!" It ignores me. "I said get back!" I hear my yell echo through the room. Again, it ignores me, so I decide to grab onto the damn thing. That finally gets its attention. It throws me back into the wall and looks at me before leaving out the door. I chase it down the hall, but it disappears. I walk back to my room. I'm stable now. "Don't worry, Sammy. I'm not going anywhere." I tell him. "I'm gettin' that thing before it gets me. It's some kind of spirit, but I could grab it. And if I can grab it, I can kill it." Sam looks towards me, but he can't see me. He looks right through me, and it's kind of creepy.
I end up searching the hospital for the damn thing, but I can't find it anywhere. I get to one of the open areas and hear a voice.
"Can't you see me!?" The female voice shouts. "Why won't you look at me!?" I pause and look around.
"Now what?" I ask myself. I follow the voice to the stairs I had gone down before.
"Somebody talk to me!" She shouts. "Say something, please!" I was on the first floor as she was walking up the stairs.
"Can you see me?" I ask her. She turns around to look at me.
"Yeah." She breathes. I grow excited as I walk up the stairs to her.
"Alright, just, uh...calm down." I tell her. "What's your name?"
"Tessa." She answers.
"Okay, good, Tessa, I'm Dean."
"What's happening to me?" She asks me. "Am I-am I dead?"
"That sort of depends." I tell her. She leads me to the room where her body is. We both look in on her, and she is on life support, like me."
"I don't understand." She says. "I just came in for an appendectomy."
"I hate to bear bad news, but...I think there were some complications." I tell her.
"It's just a dream, that's all." She says. "This is just a very weird, unbelievably vivid dream."
"Tessa, it's not a dream." I tell her.
"Then what else could it be?"
"You ever heard of an out-of-body experience?" I ask her.
"What are you, some new-agey guy?"
"You see me messin' with crystals or listening to Yanni?" I retort. "It's actually a very old idea. It's got a lot of different names: bilocation, crisis apparitions, fetches. I think it's happening to us. If it is...it means that we're spirits...of people close to death." She looks back at her body before looking back at me.
"So, we're gonna die?"
"No. Not if we hold on." I tell her. "Our bodies can get better. You can snap right back in there and wake up."
Sam's POV
I definitely felt something when I went to watch them revive Dean. It's like he was there. It's hard to explain. Never the less, I try to tell dad about it.
"What do you mean you felt something? He asks me.
"I mean, it-it felt like...like Dean." I answer. "Like he was there, just outta eyeshot or something. I don't know if it's my psychic thing or what. But do you think it's even possible?" I ask. "Do you think his spirit could be around?"
"Anything's possible." Dad says.
"Well, there's one way to find out." I say before heading for the door.
"Where are you goin'?" he asks me.
"I gotta pick something up." I tell him. "I'll be back."
"Wait, Sam." he stops me again. "I promise I won't hunt this demon, not until we know Dean's okay." I nod at his words before leaving to try out my idea.
Dean's POV
"Now, I gotta say, I'm impressed." I tell Tessa as we walk down one of the many halls in the building.
"With what?"
"You." I say. "Most people in your spot would be Jello by now, but, uh, you're takin' this pretty well." I chuckle a bit. "Maybe a little better than me."
"Don't get me wrong," She starts. "I was pretty freaked at first, but now I don't know. Maybe I'm dealing."
"So, you're okay with dying?" I ask her. She scoffs.
"No, of course not. I just think whatever's gonna happen is gonna happen. It's outta my control. It's just fate."
"Hmm." I react. "That's crap." She looks at me with confusion. "You always have a choice. You can either roll over and die or you can keep fightin' no matter what." There's a commotion as doctors and nurses rush down the hall behind us. I look down the hall and follow them as Tess asks where I'm going. "Just wait here." I tell her as I run down the hall. I get to the room and see the thing floating above the girl in the bed. It reaches down to touch her. "Get away from her!" I shout as I rush into the room. It vanishes before I can reach it. The doctors stop what they're doing and all it. They declare her dead. I was too late.
"At least she's not suffering anymore." I hear one of the nurses say. I need to stop this damn thing.
Sam's POV
I'm back from the store. I hope this thing works. Should I try it out in Shelby's room first? Maybe he'll be there with her. But, I didn't feel any spirits when I was in her room. I'll just go to Dan's room. That's where I felt it, so that's where I'll try this. I enter the room and my heart sinks as I look at his condition.
"Hey." I say as I walk up to his bedside. "I think maybe you're around. And if you are, don't make fun of me for this, but, um..." I look to the brown bag I have under my arm. "But there's one way we can talk." I pull the board out of the bag and walk over to the open part of the room.
Dean's POV
"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." I say with my arms crossed in front of my chest. Reluctantly I follow him. He sits on the floor and sets the board up. I hate this idea, but maybe I'll actually be able to tell him what's going on. He sighs before starting.
"Dean?" He asks. He looks around the room. "Dean, are you here?"
"God, I feel like I'm at a slumber party." I say as I sit down across from him. "Alright, Sam." I sigh. "This isn't gonna work." I take a deep breath before placing my finger tips on the moving plastic piece that he has his on. I start to move the piece to my answer slowly. Sam reacts with surprise, and I can't believe it myself. "I'll be damned." He laughs lightly.
"Oh, it's good to hear from you, man." He says. It hasn't been the same without you Dean."
"Damn straight." I say without moving the plastic piece.
"I think I already know the answer to this, but...Is Shelby with you?" Sam asks.
"I wish she were with either one of us instead of being out of the game for now." I say before moving the piece to 'no'. He nods and lets out a breath. I begin to move the plastic piece to tell him what's going on. He looks down at it.
"Dean, what?" Sam says. "H...U...Hunt?" He guesses correctly. "What, 'hunting'? Are you hunting?" He asks. I move the piece to 'yes'. "Dean, it's in the hospital. What are you hunting?" He asks. "Do you know what it is?"
"One question at a time dude." I say as I focus on moving the piece.
"What is it?" He asks. I talk as I spell out an answer.
"I don't think it's killing people." I say. "I think it's taking them...you know, when...when their time's just up."
"The Reaper." Sam says as he reads what I spelled out. "Dean..." I look up at him. "Is it after you?" I move the plastic piece to 'yes' before letting go. "If it's here naturally, there's no way to stop it."
"Yeah, you can't kill death." I agree.
"Man, you're, uh..."
"I'm screwed, Sam." I say truthfully.
"No." He says. "No, no, no. There's gotta be a way." He says as he stands up. "There's gotta be a way. Dad'll know what to do." He leaves my room to tell dad what he just found out. Soon he comes back and sits on the edge of my hospital bed. "Hey, so, dad wasn't in his room." he says.
"Where is he?" I ask.
"But I got dad's journal, so who knows? Maybe there's somethin' in here." I walk over his shoulder at the pages of the journal.
"Thanks for not givin' up on me, Sammy." I tell him as I look at my body just lying there. As I look back at the journal Sam's found a page all about Reapers. What I read pisses me off. "Son of a bitch." I say before leaving my room. I storm over to the room Tessa had shown me before. This time it's empty except for her sitting on the bed in a different outfit.
"Hi, Dean." She says.
"You know, you read the most interesting things." I say. "For example, did you know that reapers can alter human perception?" I ask with a dark chuckle. "I sure didn't." She just looks at me. "Basically, they can make themselves appear however they want...like, say, a pretty girl. You're much prettier than the last reaper I met."
"I was wondering when you'd figure it out." She finally speaks.
"I should have known." I say. "That whole 'accepting fate' rap of yours is far too laid back for a dead chick. But, you know, the mother and the body. I'm still trying to figure that one out." I say as I begin to pace.
"It's my sandbox." She answers. "I can make you see whatever I want."
"What is this, like a turn-on for you, huh? Toyin' with me?"
"You didn't give me much choice." She says. "You saw my true form, and you flipped out. Kinda hurts a girl's feelings. This was the only way I could get you to talk to me."
"Okay, fine." I say. "We're talking. What the hell do you wanna talk about?" She stands from the bed before answering.
"How death is nothing to fear. It's your time to go, Dean." She reaches up a hand to touch my face. "And you're living on borrowed time already."
Sam's POV
Dean are you here?" I ask the room. There's no response. "Couldn't find anything in the book." I tell him. "I don't know how to help you. But I'll keep tryin' alright? As long as you keep fightin'. I mean, come on, you can't...you can't leave me here alone with dad." I say. "Sure Shelby, might be a good buffer, but I don't know what she'd do if she found out you didn't make it. She could run away from us and go out on her own, for all I know. And if dad and I are left alone we'll kill each other. You know that. Dean, you gotta hold on. You can't go, man, not now. We were just starting to be brothers again. You and Shelby were just starting to be like your old selves around each other. Can you hear me?"
Dean's POV
"Look, I'm sure you've heard this before, but...you gotta make an acception." I tell her. "You gotta-you gotta cut me a break."
"Stage three, bargaining." She says.
"I'm serious." I tell her. "My family's in danger. See, we're kinda in the middle of this, uh...war. And they need me."
"The fight's over." She tells me.
"No it isn't."
"It is for you." She can't mean that. "Dean...you're not the first soldier I've plucked from the field. They all feel the same. They can't leave. Victory hangs in the balance. But they're wrong. The battle goes on without them."
"My brother, he could die without me."
"Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. Nothing you can do about it." She says. I don't say anything I just go to stand by the bed. "It's an honorable death, a warrior's death."
"I think I'll pass on the 72 virgins, thanks." I comment. "I'm not that into prude chicks anyway."
"That's funny. You're very cute. But we both know that's not true." Her words make me think about what Shelby was like when I first fell in love with her. She was a fierce hunter, but anything to do with even public displays of affection would make her shy or nervous.
"There's no such thing as an honorable death." I tell her. "My corpse is gonna rot in the ground, and my family is gonna die." I just look at her. "No. I'm not goin' with you. I don't care what you do."
"Well, like you said...there's always a choice. I can't make you come with me." She tells me as she walks towards me. "But, you're not getting back in your body, and that's just facts. So, yes, you can stay. You'll stay here for years, disembodied, scared. And over the decades it'll probably drive you mad. Maybe you'll even get violent."
"What are you sayin'?"
"Dean, how do you think angry spirits are born?" She asks me. "They can't let go, and they can't move on. And you're about to become one...the same thing you hunt." We end up sitting on the bed. "It's time to put the pain behind you."
"And go where?" I ask.
"Sorry." She says. "I can't give away the big punch line." We stay in silence as I momentarily think about taking her deal. Of going wherever she brings me. "Moment of truth. No changing your mind later. So what's it going to be?" I take a long few moments to gather up all the information in my head. Maybe this is the best decision. Shelby will find someone new, no problem, and she can help Sam in whatever he decides to do. I turn my head to look at her and the lights flicker. I look to 'Tessa' and she looks a bit freaked out, which confuses me. I stand up and look to her.
"What are you doing that for?" I ask her.
"I'm not doing it." She tells me. We look at a vent on the other side of the room and a black smoke seeps through.
"What the hell." It looks like what a demon would if they didn't have a body to inhabit.
"You can't do this!" She yells to the smoke. "Get away!" I watch as the smoke crawls up 'Tessa's' body.
"What's happening?" I ask. My only answer is a scream from 'Tessa' as the cloud forces itself into her mouth. It's truly terrifying. When she turns around, I know exactly which demon just possessed her. The yellow eyes give it away.
"Today's your lucky day, kid." Are the words that came out of her mouth. She comes towards me and puts a hand on my head. Suddenly I'm thrown back into my body.
Sam's POV
I feel like I've let Dean down. I've let Shelby down. What's she gonna do? I'm not lost in my thoughts too long before I hear a gasp coming from Dean's body on the bed. I look over and my jaw drops.
"Dean!" I react. I look out to the hallway. "Help! I need help!"
John's POV
I need to see if that yellow-eyed bastard kept his end of the bargain, but I have to stop by and talk to Shelby. I need to air out everything. I step into the room and see her lying there. I smile, knowing she'll be alright. Maybe Dean waking up will cause her to wake up. Maybe they're soul mates, and this'll prove it. That's how I felt about Mary. I sit in the chair and grab her hand.
"How you feelin', Slugger?" I ask, knowing she won't answer me. "I want you to know that Dean will be just fine. You're not gonna like how I did it, but I can't take it back. I traded the colt and my life for him, so I wanted to say goodbye. I need you to watch out for my boys. They're gonna need help through this." I squeeze her hand before standing up. "You're the best daughter-in-law a guy could ask for. I love you, Slugger." I lean over and kiss the top of her head. "Stay strong." With that, I finally move on to check on Dean.
Sam's POV
Once Dean is fully settled, they run a few tests on him. As we wait for the results, I ask Dean about what it was like to be a spirit. He had no clue what I was talking about, so I explain everything that happened from my side. We stop talking when the doctor comes back to talk to us.
"I can't explain it. The edema's vanished. The internal contusions are healed." He says. "Your vitals are good. You gotta have some kinda angel watchin' over you."
"Thanks, Doc." Dean says. The doctor then leaves the room. Dean looks to me. "So, you said a reaper was after me?"
"Yeah." I answer.
"How'd I ditch it?" He asks.
"You got me." I say as Dean looks around the room confused. "Dean, you really don't remember anything?"
"No...except this pit in my stomach." Dean says. "Sam, something's wrong." There's a knock on the door, and both of us look over to see dad standing there.
"How you feelin', dude?" He asks Dean.
"Fine, I guess." Dean answers. "I'm alive."
"That's what matters." Dad says.
"Where were you last night?" I ask him.
"I had some things to take care of." He answers.
"Well, that's specific." I say.
"Come on, Sam." Dean says, trying to stop a fight from happening between dad and I.
"Did you go after the demon?" I ask him.
"No." He answers me.
"You know, why don't I believe you right now?" I ask him. He walks farther into the room.
"Can we not fight?" He asks. I just look at him. "You know, half the time we're fightin', I don't know what we're fightin' about. We're just buttin' heads. Look, Sammy, I've...I've made some mistakes. But I've always done the best I could. I just don't wanna fight anymore, okay?" He says, and I hear a little bit of emotion waver his voice.
"Dad, are you alright?" I ask him.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm just a little tired." He says. "Hey, son, would you mind, uh...would you mind gettin' me a cup of caffeine?"
"Yeah. Yeah, sure." I answer. I look to Dean before walking out of the room.
Dean's POV
Sam leaves and I'm left alone with dad.
"What is it?" I ask him after Sam is out of earshot. There's something Dad isn't telling us.
"You know, when, uh...when you were a kid, I'd come home from a hunt, and after what I'd seen, I'd be-I'd be wrecked." He says. "And you-you'd come up to me, and you'd put your hand on my shoulder, and you'd look me in the eye, and you'd...you'd say, 'it's okay, dad.' Dean...I'm sorry." What is he doing? Why is he bringing this up?
"Why?" I ask.
"You shouldn't have had to say that to me. I should've been saying that to you." He answers. "You know, I put-I put too much on your shoulders. I made you grow up too fast. You took care of Sammy, you took care of me. You did that. And you didn't complain, not once." Everything he's saying is true, but I can't help the feeling of this being some sort of goodbye. "I just want you to know...that I am so proud of you."
"This really you talkin'?" I ask. The last time he said he was proud of me, he was possessed.
"Yeah. Yeah, it's really me." He sniffles a little.
"Why're you sayin' this stuff?" I ask him. He comes closer and grabs my shoulder.
"I want you to watch out for Sammy and Shelby, okay?" He asks.
"Yeah, dad, you know I will." I look up at him in confusion. "You're scaring me."
"Don't be scared, Dean." Then he leans over to whisper something to me I never wanted to hear. As he backs away, I look at him with fear and confusion. Before I can really register what he said he walks out.
Shelby's POV
I need to wake up. I need to find a way to save John. Dean and Sam are gonna be devastated. He can't do this. I fight to wake up, the angel gone long ago. I open my eyes, but I see nothing. I sit bolt upright and unwillingly let out a scream. It's the loudest and longest scream I've ever let out. What is happening? I can't keep this up. I hear glass crack as people rush into the room around me. They try to get me to stop screaming, but I can't stop myself. Finally, the screaming subsides and the darkness fades away from my vision.
"Miss." I hear someone say to me. I look to her. I feel so tired, but I was asleep for hours. How can I be so exhausted. "You need to get some rest." The lady says.
"Hey, hey. Is she alright?" I hear the familiar voice of Sam from the doorway. I look over and see Sam and Dean standing in the door.
"She's fine." One of the nurses say. "We need to do some tests, and she needs some rest."
"Dean." I try to say through a scratchy throat as I reach for him. He looks around at the nurses before coming forward. Once he gets close enough, he takes my hand and sits on the bed. The nurses leave, followed by Sam. "Dean, a-are you okay?" I croak out.
"I'm fine, babe." He says, squeezing my hand. "You sound awful." He chuckles, which causes me to do the same.
"Yeah."
"Was that you screaming?" He asks.
"I think so." I whisper. "It was involuntary. I have no clue where it came from." There is a pause before I ask something I think I know the answer to. "Where's John?" Dean's eyes get misty as he looks down at his lap. "Oh God."
"Yeah, right before we heard you scream they declared it." His voice catches and I feel tears gather in my eyes. I look down at my hands in my lap, and I watch as the tears fall onto them.
"W-what are we gonna do?" I cry. Dean pulls me to him, and I continue to cry into his shirt. It doesn't really smell like him, but just the closeness is enough to calm me down a bit.
"I don't know." I hear his voice waver. He rubs my back to try and console me. How am I supposed to watch out for Sam and Dean, and help them through his death when I need help with it?
Dean POV
As Shelby cries into my chest I rub her back. I stare straight ahead of me at the large window of the room. It has a huge crack all the way through it. People stop and point at it in confusion. What could have caused that? It can't have been her scream. That makes no sense. Sam is on the other side of the window. He's probably thinking the same thing as me. Could this be like Sammy's visions? Is this some strange power she has because of that demon?
A/N: Well, he's gone. What do you think is with Shelby's screaming and blindness? I do have a plan with it, but I don't think it's gonna be figured out by the three of them. They will talk to Bobby about it, so stay tuned. Did you like the angel encounter with Shelby? I'm thinking it'll be an angel from the series, but I haven't decided which one yet. I also wanted to know if you guys like the switching POV. I sort of had to do it with this one, but if you like it I can do it with more. Anyways, I would love to read your thoughts in reviews and comments. I can't wait to read them.