sorry about the delay in posting, my grandmother passed away and i have just lost track of a lot of things since then...hope everyone is still enjoying!! thanks for all the awesome reviews!! bambers;)
Chapter Sixteen
Dawn carefully tended to Sam's injuries, washing them and cleaning out each and every wound before she began the daunting task of stitching up the cuts that were the deepest. She breathed a thankful sigh that although Sam squirmed in his sleep as she continuously drew the needle through his flesh, he never fully awoke.
As she worked, she mulled over every possible means of escape for both of them. Although they were at the smaller of the two compounds the Father owned, it was still fairly well guarded, but that didn't necessarily mean escape was impossible. But even if they did manage to break out of the compound, Dawn knew without help they would never make it very far. Sam was just too badly injured to travel any distance, and she just wasn't strong enough to help him for any real length of time. She realized she needed help, and that meant leaving Sam alone while she went to find some. Stark fear nearly paralyzed her as she considered the idea, knowing that if she left Sam alone, she might come back to find him dead.
"No," she shook her head, dispelling her growing fears and doubts, "you're gonna live, you hear me, Sam . . . you're gonna live, an' we're gonna make it out of here together."
When she'd finished stitching Sam's wounds to the best of her ability, she cleaned them again, and covered his entire back with a cloth bandage, taping it down so no dirt could get in to cause an infection. Very carefully she drew him into her arms, and gently tapped him on the face, trying to wake him.
"Come on, Sam, wake up for me," she softly coaxed as she brushed the damp tendrils of hair out of his eyes. "Let me see those beautiful hazel eyes."
Sam's eyes fluttered open briefly then closed again. An anguished cry escaped his lips as he arched forward away from her. He writhed around in pain as he softly moaned, and Dawn's heart broke for him. Noticing fresh blood on his bandages, Dawn grasped a hold of him, trying to calm him down, with little success.
"Sam, you have to stop, you're tearing your stitches."
Dawn reached for the vial of heroin in her pocket, thinking that it might help to calm him down, but then hesitated with her hand around the small bottle. She needed Sam coherent, needed him to help her figure out a way for them to escape, and knew the drug would rob him of any logical thought. Her heart twisted painfully as she remembered how Sam had been so sure Dean had been the one whipping him with the chain. He couldn't even begin to see beyond his own drug induced delusions to realize it was the Father who had beaten him so severely and not Dean.
Hatred welled inside her as she thought of the cruel madman who had played upon Sam's worst fears with deft and devastating accuracy. One look into Sam's heartbreakingly sad eyes, and Dawn knew without a shadow of a doubt that it hadn't been the whip that had torn him apart flesh and soul but the thought that Dean had abandoned him.
In truth, Sam's love and need for his brother had proven to Dawn beyond any doubt that he wasn't what the Father had claimed he was, and it broke her heart all the more that she couldn't tell him it wasn't Dean who had hurt him so badly. If the Father suspected she was helping Sam in the very least, she would suffer for it, of that she was absolutely certain. To stanch her overwhelming guilt at being a party to Sam's torture, she reasoned that once they were free, she could tell him everything, and maybe help to repair some of the damage that had been done.
"Sam, you have to listen to me," Dawn removed her hand from her pocket and gently caressed his fevered skin, silently willing him to feed off of some of her strength. He trembled violently beneath her touch, jerking spasmodically, and she knew he was going through withdrawal, and hated herself for getting him hooked on heroin. "Is there anyone at all who might be looking for you? Someone who can help me get you out of here?"
"Jus' leave me alone, Dawn," Sam mumbled dejectedly as he tried to push her hand away, but was too weak to do so. "Jus' wanna be left alone to die . . . it'll make 'im hap-py." Sam's voice hitched in his throat as he turned sad and desolate eyes toward Dawn. "Why'd he 'ave ta hurt me so bad . . . why does he hate me so damn much? Tried to save 'im . . . why couldn't he see that I tried?"
Dawn fought back the overpowering need to tell him the truth, knowing she would be of no help to him if she told him everything. "Sam," she began in a strong determined voice, willing herself to be his strength, "someone has to be looking for you, and I need you to be strong so we can get out of here alive, you hear me?"
"Jus' need . . . need a . . . ." Sam eyed her pocket longingly, his tone beseeching. "Please, Dawn . . . jus' a little . . . please."
"Tell me what I need to know first, Sam, then I'll give you a fix." Dawn's stomach heaved violently as she tried to manipulate Sam into giving her the answers she needed. She tried to reason that what she was doing was for his own good, but the unsettling feeling inside her heart would not abate. He had been hurt and manipulated enough by the Father, and now she was adding to it, and didn't think she was strong enough to endure the pain she saw so clearly etched in his dull lifeless eyes. "Just tell me, please. Someone has to be out there looking for you . . . someone has to be able to help me cause I can't do this on my own."
"D-dad doesn't care . . . never even answered my call." Tears rolled down Sam's cheeks as he trembled uncontrollably. "Pl-please, Dawn." He glanced up at her briefly, and then his gaze quickly strayed to her pocket again.
"Anyone else, Sam. Besides your father, is there anyone else who might be searching for you?"
"No one cares . . . no one ever did."
Hearing the utter sound of defeat in his tone, Dawn grasped a hold of his chin and forced him to look her squarely in the eyes. "Listen to me, Sam. I care," she hesitated, momentarily overwhelmed at how much she truly did care for him. She wasn't sure if it was love she felt for him as she'd never been allowed to experience real love before. The Father made it very clear that his children were to only love him, and no others. Even other family members were to be held at a certain distance so bonds such as love could never have a chance to form. But she did feel something for Sam, had felt that way since the first time she'd met him. There had been a spark of something she couldn't quite define in the pit of her stomach as he smiled at her, and then looked away in embarrassment. "You hear me, Sam? I care, an' if I'm the only freakin' one then that's gonna be enough, you got me? You are gonna live and get out of here for me cause I need you and care more than you can possibly imagine."
"Bobby," he said in a breathless rush as his gaze remained locked on hers.
A glimmer of light and hope filtered into his sad eyes. Uncertainty then filled his soft hazel orbs as he wrapped his hand around the back of Dawn's neck and gently drew her toward him. His lips lightly brushed against hers, and he winced, but didn't pull away. Dawn's heart hammered frantically inside her chest as the kiss deepened, and any doubt that she truly loved him quickly dwindled to nothingness.
Almost reluctantly, Sam pulled away from her, sadness once again filling his eyes as he peered up at her. "I'm sorry . . . had no right to do that."
"Please don't be sorry, Sam, my heart couldn't stand it if you were sorry. An' as I recall, I kissed you back." A hint of a smile flitted across Sam's face but all too quickly was overshadowed with sorrow and pain. "So how can I find Bobby?"
Sam opened his mouth to speak, but then squinched his eyes shut, a low moan escaping him as he writhed in pain. His breath quickened, coming in short panted gasps as he tried to draw in air. More blood leaked from beneath the bandage Dawn had placed on his back, and she silently cursed, knowing that Sam needed to be in a hospital where they could take better care of him.
"Sam," she began in a more desperate manner, fearing he would pass out cold before she had a chance to find out what she needed to know, "I need to know where I can find Bobby. You have to tell me where I can find him, understand?"
"I-if . . . if h-he's lookin' fer me . . . ch-check," if it were even possible, Sam squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, his brow furrowing as he tried to focus on answering her question, "bars . . . bars . . . an' motels an' d-diners . . . anywhere I mighta been last."
"Okay, gotcha. Now what's he look like?"
"Scr-scruffy beard . . . pl-please, Dawn," Sam glanced up at her through tear-filled eyes, then his unsteady gaze shifted once more to her pocket, and the drugs he knew were inside of it, "jus' . . . please?"
"I promise, Sam, once you tell me what he looks like, I'll give you a fix." Dawn's stomach twisted into a tighter knot, hating the idea that she would have to give Sam more heroin. Although she knew the choice was never hers to begin with, it still did nothing to quell the guilt that gnawed away at her insides. The Father said Sam was to be drugged and if she disobeyed the him now, she would never get the chance to help Sam. "Scruffy beard an' what else?"
"Brown hair an' eyes . . . b-baseball cap . . . always wears a baseball c-cap."
Sam trembled, beads of sweat dripping down his face as his body jerked uncontrollably, and Dawn knew in her heart that she couldn't hold off giving him the heroin any longer. "I'll find him, Sam," she promised as she grabbed for the vial in her pocket. "You just have to stay strong for me, okay? We're gonna get out of here together. You and me . . . an' nothin' else matters but that. Got me?"
With a slight nod, Sam faintly smiled as she injected the drug into his vein. In a matter of minutes, his body went lax, his irises narrowing to mere pin-points as the heroin took hold. Dawn carefully cradled Sam to her, running her fingers through his hair as she spoke softly to him. She knew she wouldn't be there when he came down from his high, but wanted nothing more at the moment than for him to have some peace. If that meant having a good drug induced trip she would be damn sure that was what he had. And although the thought of drugging Sam left a decidedly wicked tasted in her mouth, Dawn comforted herself in the knowledge that once they were free of the Father, she could get Sam the help he needed to break the habit. "You and me, Sam," she lightly kissed the top of his head, "we're gonna be okay. That's my promise to you . . . . So you just hang on for me."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX
Dawn left early the next morning, thankful that her position in the family allowed her more freedom than most. She'd been an invaluable member of the family since the day she's become one of them, and the Father couldn't have been more pleased with her. Although he still kept constant tabs on her comings and goings, he knew her job was important for the security and growth of his family, and therefore never really questioned her usual disappearances. Still, she knew she couldn't travel too far in her search for Bobby because she had to meet her brothers at three o'clock, and if she was even a moment late, they would report back to the Father.
Pensively, she bit at her lower lip, trying to decide where to even begin looking for Bobby. Sam had said to check out motels, bars and diners, but there were so many of them that it would really be impossible to cover them all in such a short amount of time. And Sam's description of Bobby literally matched half the people milling around in town.
Without knowing what else to do, she pulled into the first diner on the main street in town, and got out of the car. Once inside the rundown diner, her steady gaze traveled across the patrons, taking note of those wearing baseball caps and then further narrowed down her search as she noticed only three of the five men wearing caps had scruffy beards. None of them appeared overly concerned about finding anyone as they leisurely ate their breakfast or sipped on their coffee, and her heart sank a little more knowing she more than likely wasn't going to find Bobby.
In a moment of sheer panic, Dawn shouted, "Bobby," and a frown creased her brow as several people turned around to see who she was yelling at, but just as quickly turned back. "Umm . . . sorry about that." She blushed profusely as she backed out of the doorway, realizing they must have all thought she was a nutcase.
"Okay, Dawn," she mumbled to herself as she headed back to her car, "wasn't the worst idea in the world to make a complete ass out of myself in there. An' it would make things a helluva lot easier if I could just run into a place, shout Bobby's name and if no one responds, I can move on. Oh, I'm so gonna look like a freakin' loon before this day is over."
So with that thought in mind, Dawn spent the better part of the morning and early afternoon, running in and out of bars and diners shouting Bobby's name. Unfortunately for her, there were more Bobby's in town than she could have ever possibly imagined. And the totally awkward conversations that followed, left her bone-weary and at her wits end. Although she did have to chuckle at the few drunken declarations of undying love she had received, she knew her time was quickly running out, and they hadn't helped matters in the least.
As Dawn glanced at her watch, she realized she would have put off her search until tomorrow as her brothers would be meeting her very shortly. With only minutes to spare, she reached the bar they were meeting her at, and with her heart hammering away inside her chest, she entered the building and looked around. A deep sigh of relief ushered past her lips as she noticed they hadn't arrived yet, and then she took a seat in a barstool at the counter.
The bartender gave her a nod of recognition, and then held up one finger to say that she would be right over. Within a matter of moments, the young brunette bartender, sauntered over to Dawn, and after wiping her hands on the towel tucked into her apron, she placed a glass in front of Dawn.
"Hey, Billy," the bartender smiled as she poured Dawn a glass of wine, "haven't seen you in here in a while. Bank keepin' ya busy?"
"No more so than usual, Kathy." Dawn feigned a polite smile, and turned when she heard the door behind her open. Eight of her brothers entered the building, but none of them even acknowledge her as they made their way over to the pool tables. They knew she was there, and that was all that matter. She watched them for moment as they quickly scoped out the place, looking for their next prey, and then she returned her attention back to the Kathy. Quickly downing her wine, Dawn tapped her glass and motioned at the bottle. "Can I get another?"
"Huh?" Kathy said distractedly, still gawking at Dawn's brothers. "What were you sayin'?"
"Can I get another?" Dawn snapped, her nerves frayed to the breaking point. When she noticed a frown crease Kathy's brow, she plastered a fake smile on her face and tried her best to look embarrassed. "Rough day at work, sorry."
"That's okay, had a lot of them myself." Kathy's smile returned within an instant, and she poured Dawn another glass of wine. She nudged her head in the direction of Dawn's brothers, and lowered her voice so that only Dawn could hear her, "Those guys just really freakin' give me the creeps."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Dawn shivered involuntarily, feeling her brothers' eyes boring into her back.
"Did I tell you that this guy came in here looking for his brother about two weeks ago cause he was missing, an' those guys were here that night?" Kathy leaned over the counter, resting her elbows on the wooden surface of the bar.
"Really?" Dawn tried to looked shocked as she knew that was what Kathy would be expecting. "Did he find his brother?" she asked, stomach churning uncomfortably as she already knew the answer to that question.
"Don't know, never saw either of them again," she leaned even closer as she eyed the men at the pool table again, "but if something happened to them, I would stake my life on the fact that those guys had something to do with it."
Dawn glanced back over her shoulder, and her eye's locked with one of her brother's, and the look of warning he gave her was very clear. She turned back to Kathy, and with a sweet smile, said, "Probably better to keep that kind of gossip to yourself. Never know who might be listening. And if what you said is correct, I'm sure you wouldn't want them after you."
"True enough." Kathy nodded in agreement. "Just wish they would stop coming around here."
At the sound of the door opening then closing, Kathy glanced up, and Dawn looked over her shoulder to see a scruffy, bearded man with a baseball cap enter the bar. He stood at the entrance for a moment, surveying the place. His gaze settled on the men at the pool tables briefly, a harden frown creasing his brow before he looked away. With determined strides, he made his way around the tables and chairs and headed to the bar.
Within mere inches of Dawn, he leaned against the bar, and nudged his head toward Kathy. "Gimme a beer, whatever's on tap." As Kathy turned away to pour his beer, the man yanked two pictures out of his pocket, and tossed them on the counter. "Lookin' for these boys, either of ya seen them?"
Dawn quickly snatched up the pictures before Kathy had a chance to look at them. A shiver of fear raced up her spine, and without having to look, she knew her brothers were watching her with utmost interest.
"Bobby?" she managed to squeak out, her body trembling so badly, she thought she might fall off her chair. "Put them away." She shoved the pictures back into his hand. "Pl-please, for Sam's sake, jus' put them away."
Bobby gave a curt nod, and hastily pocketed the pictures. Kathy handed him his beer, and then eyed him briefly.
"Who were ya lookin' for, darlin?" Kathy asked in her sweetest voice.
Bobby glanced at Dawn briefly, noticed the subtle shake of her head, and shook his head.
"Umm . . . jus' lookin' for a drink." Bobby scrubbed his hand across his bearded face as he looked to Dawn once more. "An' maybe someone to enjoy it with." He lowered the brim of his cap, blushing slightly as he gestured to a corner table. "How about it, little lady, wanna keep me company?"
Kathy smirked as Dawn rolled her eyes. "I'll be back in a bit, Billy. You two enjoy yourselves," she said as she headed on down the bar to help her other patrons, leaving Bobby and Dawn alone.
The moment she was gone, Bobby swivelled in his seat to stare at her. "Where are they?" he muttered in a low tone so no one else could hear.
"Turn back around in your seat, an' drink your beer," Dawn hissed, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. "An' for God sake don't look at me again, unless you want to get me killed."
Bobby quickly complied, and hastily chugged down half the beer in his glass. With the cup still to his lips, he whispered, "Need to know where they are."
"In five minute, I'll get up and go to the bathroom." Dawn glanced over her shoulder and smiled at her brothers, then feign a look of utter helplessness over the situation. She then returned her to Bobby. "There's a window in there, you leave now an' meet me by it, okay?"
Before Bobby had a chance to answer, one of her brother's stalked over, and roughly tapped Bobby on the shoulder. "You botherin' the lady, mister? Cause me an' the boys," he bobbed his head toward the Dawn's brothers who were all brandishing pool sticks, "we don't like yer kind around here."
"Nope," Bobby shook his head, and with arms outstretched, he shrugged. "Jus' asked her if she wanted a drink." He smirked. "Course, she told me she'd kick me in the groin if I didn't leave her alone. so I was just finishin' my drink, an then I was gonna leave."
"Think you should leave now," her brother ordered, and Bobby gave a curt nod.
"Alright, wasn't lookin' for any trouble. Jus' wanted a beer and maybe a little company to share it with." Bobby snatched his wallet out of his pocket, paid for his beer, and stood to leave. "Sorry, if I bothered ya, Miss." He tipped his cap in her direction, and then hastily left the bar.
"You didn't have to do that, Markus," Dawn hissed, "I can take care of myself."
"It's my job to protect you, Dawn." Markus eyed her for a moment, before he lowered his voice and uttered, "Don't want to catch you speaking to another man again, or Father will hear about it."
"Wasn't like I was talkin' to him. He was talking to me, there's a big difference. I know the rules."
"See that you remember them," Markus ordered in a no-nonsense manner.
"If we're done here, can I please go to the bathroom?"
"Fine, but just remember I'm watching you."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." Dawn smiled sweetly as she slid off her seat and sauntered toward the bathroom.
Once inside the dingy one stall bathroom, Dawn quickly locked the door, and then double checked just to make sure it wouldn't open. When she was certain no one would enter, she rushed to the window and cranked it open. Breathing a sigh of relief when she noticed Bobby standing right outside of it, she mentally went over all the things she needed to tell him.
"Where are they," came the older man's gruff voice.
"Can't tell you right now. I don't have enough time." She glanced back over her shoulder, knowing she only had a few moments before her brothers would start wondering why she was taking so long. She swung back to look at Bobby through the partially opened window. "Is anyone else with you who can meet me tomorrow? I can't risk seeing you again."
"The boys' Father."
"Okay, have him come to the bank across the street at ten o'clock sharp. Not a minute later, understand?"
"Gotcha."
"Have him ask to speak with Billy Carter about a loan she turned down." At the sound of someone knocking on the door, Dawn swung around abruptly, fear tightly clenching around her heart. She took several slow calming breaths before finally responding. "Be out in a minute." She hastily pivoted around to face the window again. Her fingers trembled as she gripped a hold of the ledge, trying to gather her courage. "Sam's in really bad shape, an' I need your help to get him out of the compound. Please, just make sure his father is there tomorrow cause Sam's running out of time . . . not sure how much more he can take."
"An' Dean," Bobby solemnly asked, scrubbing his hand over his face, and then tipped his hat, lowering it over his brow.
"Not really sure." She bit at her lower lip as she tried to recall the last time she'd seen Dean. It had been the day that they had branded him. Although he had been pretty badly worked over, he still was strong enough to stand up to the Father. "Only saw him once, but he was in better shape than Sam." She hesitated, seeing the rage building in the older man's eyes. "Really, I have to go . . . just have him meet me tomorrow, please. Tell him, Sam didn't think he would come. Thinks he doesn't care."
Bobby gave a curt nod. "He'll be there."