A Hard Road Ch. 12
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story, nor do I own the rights to any Dr. Seuss books.
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After almost a month of hard work, John was becoming quite the expert at gathering used or discarded materials needed to make their bullets. He had gathered silver just by scavenging around wealthy people's homes. He couldn't believe how many wealthy people actually threw out their silver jewelry that was no longer needed just because it was broken or kinked in places. He and Bobby had made quite a collection of silver bullets just from the jewelry alone. As for other types of metals required, Bobby's own salvage yard supplied them an almost unlimited resource of iron and copper for making ammunition rounds.
John really enjoyed working alongside of Bobby when melting down the metals into Bobby's kiln since it gave him a chance to get to know the hunter better. He couldn't imagine what it must have done to Bobby's psyche when he had been forced to kill his own wife in order to keep himself alive. He wondered if he could have done the same thing if it had been him and Mary, he honestly didn't think so. Through one of their many conversations, John had also learned that Bobby himself had made the crib that Sammy was sleeping in since he and his wife had been planning to have children before her untimely demise. It made him value Bobby's friendship all the more while causing him to also realize just how hard it must have been for the hunter to take it out of storage.
He and Bobby had just finished making the last of the hollowed out iron rounds when Dean came walking into the outside garage beside a toddling Sammy who was obviously cranky since he had tear streaks on his little face.. "Hey buddy, what's up?" asked John as Dean led Sammy over towards him and Bobby.
"Daddy, Sammy needs his diaper changed" Dean replied as he pointed to the diaper that was now sagging heavily upon the baby's small frame. "I taked off his pants cause he gotted them wet."
"Yeah I can see why" John said as he looked at his watch and realized just how long he had left Dean to watch over Sammy. He felt guilty for not having gone in to check on the boys sooner. It was his responsibility to make sure that Sammy was changed before he got too wet, he was Sammy's father after all, not Dean. John bent down to scoop up Sammy in his arms and then ruffled Dean's hair. "I'm proud of you kiddo, you do such a great job of taking care of Sammy." He then nuzzled Sammy's curly lock with his nose and said "Come on tiger, lets go get you into a dry diaper."
After John had gotten the boys into the house to change Sammy's diaper, he noticed that there was only two more left in his baby's diaper bag. He had forgotten to pick some up when he was in town yesterday. He sighed knowing that he would have to load the boys up and take them into town again. With Sammy being cranky right now, he didn't envy making the trip. He started changing Sammy into a clean outfit when Bobby walked in the house.
"Hey Bobby, the boys and I have got to go pick up some more diapers before we get started on that research you had mentioned about the Pishacha in the garage. I'm sorry man, I'll get back as soon as I can" John was just grabbing Sammy's jacket to put it on him when he heard Bobby speak.
"Why don't you just leave the boys with me John. I mean there is no sense in having to take them out, especially since it looks like it is going to rain" Bobby offered trying to make things easier on John.
"I don't know man. The boys have never been away from me since…" John trailed off in hesitation. He was nervous about the idea of being away from them for even a few minutes. It made his stomach cramp and his heart ache just even thinking about it.
Bobby noticed John's hesitation right away. He could see the man breaking out in a cold sweat at the mere thought of being away from his children, but Bobby knew he would have to make that move sooner or later, not only for his own benefit, but for the boys also. "John I understand how you feel, but Dean will be going to school soon and it will be much harder on him then if he hasn't spent at least a little time away from you. I swear to you man, I'll keep them within my sight at all times."
"Bobby, it's not that I don't trust you dude because I do. It's just…"
"You'll only be gone less than an hour John, and you've got to start sometime" Bobby said as he reached out to take a softly crying Sammy from his daddy's arms. "Now get going so you can get back" Bobby said as he walked John to the door
John glanced back to see Dean looking warily at him as he stepped outside the door. He took a deep, calming breath to steady his voice and then said "It'll be okay champ. Bobby's right, I don't want you or Sammy getting sick if it rains. Watch out for Sammy and I'll be back just as soon as I can okay kiddo." John turned his back and walked down the steps knowing that if he turned around and looked at Dean again, his resolve would shatter.
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"Well, it's just you and me boys" Bobby stated as he turned around to see Dean staring at him intently. He could feel the warning vibes coming off the boy as Dean kept his eyes locked on him. He knew he had to play things just right where Sammy was concerned if he was ever going to get Dean to trust him. He knew without a doubt that the first thing he needed to do was to get Sammy to stop crying and involve Dean in the process somehow.
"Hey Dean, I was thinking that maybe the two of us could cheer Sammy up by playing with him. Can you think of anything that he really likes?" Bobby asked hoping that Dean would have a few ideas of what to do.
Dean eyed Bobby warily for another minute or so before he decided to answer. "Sammy always likes it when Daddy reads us a story" he said wondering if Bobby would actually listen to him. He didn't think Bobby could read as good as his daddy, but it would be worth a try to make Sammy happy.
"Hmmm, I don't have any children's books" Bobby said thoughtfully while scratching his beard.
"That's okay, I have some" Dean offered as he ran upstairs to grab a book out of the collection that had gotten fro Christmas at Pastor Jim's house. He knew how much Sammy liked the pictures in the Dr. Seuss books so he grabbed the book Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? Returning downstairs with the book, Dean climbed up into the chair that Bobby was now sitting in and sat down beside him. "Sammy really likes this one but you have to make the sounds for him" Dean said as he grinned up at Bobby.
Bobby wondered what he had gotten himself into when Dean handed him the book. He just hoped he would be able to do the sounds right and wouldn't disappoint the boys. Opening the book, he read the first page. "Oh the wonderful things that Mr. Brown can do" he read with a smile upon his face, maybe this wasn't going to be too bad. As he delved further into the book, he found himself making sounds such as: mooing like a cow, squeaking like a shoe, and making the dibble, dibble, dop, dop sound of falling rain. The part he enjoyed the most though was when he got to the fish. As he read the part about kissing like a fish, he molded his lips into a kissing fish shape and applied a kiss to both boys cheeks causing them to giggle uproariously. He no sooner finished the book, when Dean asked him to read it again. He liked the way Bobby made the funny faces to go with the noises that the characters made. As Bobby reread the first page, he was delighted to see Sammy clapping his hands in excitement, apparently he wanted to hear it again too.
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John was anxious to get back to the salvage yard to see his boys. The trip had taken longer than expected due to a flat tire that had cost him valuable time. He felt a knot in the pit of his stomach from wondering if the boys were truly okay. He knew Bobby would take wonderful care of them, but he had left Sammy crying and Dean was upset with him too. Would the boys forgive him for not taking them along. He pushed the gas pedal just a little bit harder determined to get back as soon as he could.
John breathed a huge sigh of relief as he returned back to the house. He was so eager to get back inside that he grabbed the bag of diapers and literally ran back to the porch. He quickly walked up the stairs and opened the door only to be surprised at the sight that met his shocked eyes. The sight was a scene of complete serenity as he saw Bobby and the boys sitting together in his recliner, all three peacefully sleeping. Bobby had Sammy resting on his chest with an arm keeping him secure while Dean was snuggled up beside him with Bobby's other arm firmly wrapped around his shoulders keeping him close. John tried to close the door quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping crew but noticed that Bobby had awakened anyway when he turned back around. "Sorry Bobby, didn't mean to disturb you."
"S'okay" Bobby said as he smirked at the look of awe on John's face. He rather liked surprising his young protégé. "You didn't think I had it in me to take care of your little munchkins did ya?"
"I, uh, well, ya know…" John stumbled over his words as he felt the heat rush to his cheeks in embarrassment. How was he to know that such a gruff looking hunter like Bobby would have a way with kids, especially when he didn't have any of us own.
Bobby was about to pick at John a little more when he felt Sammy squirming on his chest. He quickly put his hand on the youngster's back and starting rubbing it in small circles. He held his breath as Sammy shifted a little and raised his head to look around. Within seconds, Sammy once again relaxed into Bobby's chest as he sighed and plopped a thumb into his mouth.
"Ill take him" John offered as he started to reach down and pick his baby boy up only to be stopped as Bobby held up his hand, palm out to stop him in progress.
"Let 'em sleep. They've only been napping about thirty minutes" Bobby said hoping John would listen. He knew from previous experience just how cranky Sammy could be if he didn't get enough rest.
John agreed to leave the boys sleep and went to place the diapers in their room before getting dinner started. As he cooked, he thought about his plans for the upcoming week. Sammy's birthday was quickly approaching and he wanted to take the boys to the park for a day of fun and play. He would pick up a small cake on the way and buy them some ice cream at the park in celebration of Sammy's first birthday. He planned on asking Bobby to join them.
TBC