A Hard Road Ch. 13
Disclaimer: I don't own anything recognizable in this story. Nor am I making a profit from it.
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. It fought me tooth and nail to get it written.
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As the day rolled around to celebrate Sammy's first birthday, John awoke early eager to pack up the things they would need for their picnic in the park. He needed to make sure he had enough diapers packed for Sammy as well as something for his baby to sleep on when he got tired. He would need an extra set of clothing for his youngest and a teething ring or two since Sammy's eye teeth had finally started trying to come through for the past week. He also needed to pack the food that they would be having for the small celebration. He was planning on taking some hotdogs to put on the grill along with some chips and potato salad. He would pick up the cake he ordered along the way. He wanted the day to be special for his youngest and tried not to dwell on how much he was missing Mary on this special occasion. She would have planned a big party for Sammy complete with streamers, balloons, and the works like she had done with Dean. Oh how he wish Mary could have been there to spend the day with them.
Knowing that he had to get started, John climbed out of the bed and pulled on a clean pair of blue jeans and his olive green USMC tee shirt. He had just pulled on his boots when he heard the sounds of gurgling coming from the crib. He walked over to see Sammy sitting up in the crib and biting down on one of the teethers that had been placed in his crib the night before. He had drool covered fingers as he held on to the toy that helped to sooth his teething pain. "Hey there tiger" John said as he reached into the crib to pick his youngest up. "How's my birthday boy doing?"
Sammy smiled and snuggled into his father's embrace as he tried to wrap tiny hands around his daddy's neck. John didn't mind the feeling of slobbery wet fingers encompassing his neck, he enjoyed spending cuddling time with his toddler. It wouldn't be too long before Sammy grew up and he would miss these cherished moments of love so freely given by his baby.
"Let's get you changed kiddo" John said as he lay Sammy down and made quick work of changing his diaper and getting him dressed into shorts and a tee shirt. It was supposed to be a warm day and he didn't want his youngest to get overheated while playing at the park. After he had gotten Sammy ready, he woke Dean up to get dressed and took Sammy downstairs to prepare his breakfast. Once everybody had finished breakfast, they quickly loaded up into the Imapala and headed towards town so that they could pick up Sammy's cake.
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A few hours later, John was seated at a picnic table watching his boys play in the sandbox while Bobby was grilling some hot dogs. He couldn't help but be proud of Dean for the way he was being so attentive of Sammy. There was so many things that Dean could be playing on right now like the monkey bars (jungle gym) and the slides, but he chose to play with his baby brother instead. He watched as Sammy filled a bucket with sand and then Dean dumped it over to add to their castle, which was beginning to look quite impressive for as young as his boys were. As he continued to watch, John could have sworn he heard the whispering sound of Mary's sweet voice urging him to go play with the kids, the words sounding so real that he glanced around to see if somebody else was talking. Finding nobody, he gave a small body shiver and shrugged it off to his mind daydreaming until he felt a tug on his hand and that same voice saying "Get up and go play with them John, they won't always be this little and give my baby a birthday kiss for me." John's eyes teared up as he realized that Mary hadn't missed Sammy's first birthday, that she was there in spirit.
Never one to let his wife down, John stood up and wiped his eyes before going over to join his sons. "Mind if I play?" he asked as he pulled off his shoes and climbed into the sandbox with his boys.
"Da, Da" Sammy said as he toddled his way over to sit in his father's lap. He handed John the little shovel he was using and then used his tiny hands to scoop sand into the bucket. John bent down to kiss Sammy on the top of the head for himself and for Mary. "Thanks tiger" he said as he took the shovel and helped Sammy to fill his bucket.
A few moments later after they had finished the castle, the sound of Bobby's voice came booming across the play area. "Come and get it" John helped his boys to brush the sand off of their hands and clothing and they walked to the small bathroom to wash up for lunch. By the time they arrived at the picnic table, Bobby had everything set out and ready for their little party. John popped the top off of the Elmo cake and placed a number one candle on top. He quickly lit it looked at his boys. "Dean help your brother make a wish and blow out the candle" John said as he saw the excitement in Sammy's eyes at seeing his favorite Sesame Street character on the cake. John watched as his boys blew out the candle. He didn't know what his boys had wished for, but he got his knowing that Mary was there to watch over them in spirit.
Since Sammy was the birthday boy, John fixed his plate first and put a large piece of cake on it along with a hot dog cut up into tiny little pieces so Sammy wouldn't choke. He knew Sammy would make a mess with the cake, but that was okay since it was his special day. As he turned around to fix Dean's plate, he heard his oldest starting to giggle and turned back around to see Sammy smashing both of his hands into the bright red frosting of the cake. He then proceeded to pick up a handful and put it into his mouth. Needless to say, Sammy had icing all over his face. John just shook his head and laughed at the sight, His baby sure was a red covered mess.
After lunch was finished and Sammy had been cleaned up, it was time for presents. Dean asked if he could give Sammy his present first. John was taken by surprise since he hadn't known that Dean had gotten one for Sammy. He figured Bobby must have bought it for him but found out just how wrong he was as Dean helped Sammy to tear the paper off. He immediately recognized the stuffed teddy bear that Dean had treasured since he got it on his second birthday. John felt a huge lump in his throat as he heard Dean tell Sammy about the present.
"This is a special bear Sammy. His name is Sweet Dreams and he will make all of your nights special. I know because Mommy told me when she gave him to me. All you have to do is hug the teddy bear and he makes everything all right again. I'm too big for him now so he can't help my dreams but he can make yours happy." Dean watched as Sammy pulled the bear close and hugged him tight. "De bear" Sammy said as he hugged him once more and then tried to give it back.
"No Sammy, you're supposed to keep him" Dean laughed as he hugged his baby brother.
John felt like his present was insignificant after the heartfelt gift that Dean had given to Sammy. He handed over the wrapped gift and Sammy immediately tore into the paper with some help from Dean. John had to laugh though as Dean said "This is awesome Dad. Me and Sammy came play with the animals in the sand. John had bought Sammy a Little People Animal Farm set knowing how much Sammy would love the animals and the sounds that they made. The last gift came from Bobby which was a See-N-Say spinning toy that would help Sammy to learn his letters and some rainbow blocks to build with.
After Sammy had taken an hour long nap, the boys ended the special day by playing on the swings. John had picked Sammy up and placed him in the special swing for toddlers, one that Sammy could safely sit in while Dean pushed him back and forth. John and Bobby sat on the bench watching the boys as Sammy giggled in delight as Dean pushed him back and forth. As the day turned to dusk, John decided that it was time to leave and loaded his sleepy children into the car for the long drive home.
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Arriving back at the house, Bobby helped John to carry his sleeping boys into the house and up to their room. Bobby placed Sammy in the crib while John placed Dean on the bed. He hoped that Dean was tired enough to sleep through the night without being awakened by a nightmare. After kissing the boys goodnight, John left the room to go back down to the kitchen where Bobby was now making a pot of coffee.
As John sat down at the table, Bobby poured them both a cup of the steaming hot brew and sat down himself. "Sure was a wonderful day" Bobby said as he sipped his coffee. He couldn't remember the last time he had taken a day off just to have fun.
"One of the best" replied John with a smile. Not only had he spent the day with his boys and a good friend, but he had spent it with Mary too in a way as he sensed her comforting presence at times throughout the day. The men were just about to head off to bed when Bobby's telephone began to ring.
"Singer here" he replied into the phone as he listened to the voice on the other end. John could tell from the things that Bobby was saying that a hunter was on the other end of the line. He wondered what kind of hunt the men were talking about as he listened in to Bobby's side of the conversation. It was obvious the other hunter needed help when Bobby replied that he would see what he could do and hung up the phone.
Turning around to face John, Bobby said "That was Joshua. He needs some help with that demon that we were researching for him the other day."
"You mean the Pishacha demon?" John asked remembering just how nasty the demon was.
"That's the one" Bobby replied. "Turns out the demon has been haunting the grounds of a crematorium in Rodchester. The demon has driven another crematorium worker insane and Joshua is going to need some help trapping the damn thing and sending it back to hell.
"So when do you leave?" John asked taking another sip of his coffee.
"That's just it, I can't leave. I promised a customer that I would have his 66 Corvette ready for a car show no later than Saturday. I guess I'll have to call Caleb and see if he can handle the job" Bobby replied in answer to John's question.
"Wait a minute Bobby, Do you think maybe I am up to handling this hunt with Joshua. I can help him with the devil's trap and you were just saying the other day that I needed to get out and meet more hunters.
"I don't know John. This isn't a simple salt and burn that you will be participating in. This is going up against an actual demon and a nasty one at that."
"Come on Bobby, this is what I've been training for" John said as he tried to convince Bobby that he was ready for the hunt.
TBC Will Bobby agree with John and allow him to participate in the hunt?