thanks for reading and for all really awesome reviews so far...bambers;)
Chapter Twenty-One
"Dominic." The Father gently shooed the children away from Dean. A soft smile lingered on his features as a little blond-haired girl tugged at his robes and when he bent down, she kissed him on the cheek. Tousling her hair, he bobbed his head toward the others. "Run along, Morning Glory, your brother Dominic and I have business to take care of," he said with a grin, and she hurried off to play.
"You really love them all the same, don't you, Father," Dean asked, not quite believing a father could love all his children equally.
"They're all my children, why would I love any one of them less?" he replied with a somewhat puzzled look on his face. "I wouldn't be much of a parent if I did that, now would I?"
"An' you don't think there are some who deserve to be protected more than the others?"
"Why would I think that?" The Father quirked a brow as he continued to stare at Dean. "All my children deserve to be protected equally." Turning on his heel, he headed for the door, and motioned for Dean to follow. "Come, Dominic, we need to get you looked over by the doctor, an' then I have something I want to show you."
Dean followed the Father back through the open courtyard to another building. The strong scent of antiseptic cleaner assailed his senses the moment he walked through the doors, and was surprised to find that it was a fully functional medical clinic.
"Father said you would be stopping by here," greeted a young, raven-haired woman with sea-green eyes.
"Dominic, this is April Raine," the Father quickly made introductions as he stood with his hand on the opened door. "She's an excellent doctor, and will make sure you are well taken care of." He turned to leave, but then swung back as if he'd forgotten something. "Wait here for me when you're done. I shouldn't be gone long." With that said, he strode out the door, leaving Dean alone with April Raine.
"I'd just finished preparing the exam room before you arrived, so if you'll just follow me." She led Dean back to the first of two examination rooms and gestured for him to hop up on the table. "Just so you know," she began in a soft, soothing voice, "everyone besides Father just calls me Raine."
"You're a real doctor," Dean asked as he took a seat on the examination table.
"No," Raine laughed as she gestured to the medical plaque on the wall off to Dean's right hand side, "I just had that degree made up for shits and giggles." She rolled her eyes. "Course I'm a real doctor. Near the top of my class, too."
"Didn't mean anything by it." Color rose to flush Dean's cheeks, and he found it hard to meet her steady gaze. "Was just surprised that there would be a real doctor workin' here."
"Would it make you feel any better if I said I moonlight as a stripper in the next building over?" She chuckled even harder when Dean eyed her appreciatively. "Put your eyes back in your head, lust boy, the only person who's gonna be seeing anyone naked around here is me."
"Damn, an' here I was hopin' for a lap dance too." Dean grinned, feeling totally at ease with her.
"You couldn't afford me," she retorted with a playful wink, and further added, "how do you think I paid my way through medical school."
"Aww . . . darlin', now I'm really gonna need a lap dance." Dean's smile slowly widened until he was laughing along with her. It had been the first time in weeks that he'd actually laughed at anything, and was surprised how great it felt.
"You have a beautiful smile, Dominic. It takes away the sadness from your eyes," Raine said as she put on a pair of surgical gloves and went around behind Dean and carefully began cleaning the wounds on his back. A low hiss escaped him as he winced and jerked, under her cautious probing of all the deep cuts. The room began to swim before his eyes, and he had to grip onto the table to keep himself from falling face first off of it.
"I'm sorry, Dominic," came her gentle voice against his ear, "but I have to make sure there's no debris in your wounds."
"'S'okay," Dean mumbled, "I'm used to it."
"Yeah, I can see that. A lot of old scars for someone your age." Raine continued her meticulous quest to make sure she'd taken care of each and every wound on his back, and to her credit, Dean found that he'd never met a doctor as gentle and caring as she was. "Luckily I see no sign of infection, which is a good thing."
"I'm gonna listen to your lungs, so could you take a couple of deep breaths for me?" When Dean gave a curt nod, she lightly pressed a stethoscope against his back. "'Kay breathe in deeply and slowly release." She listened and then moved the scope to another spot. "And again." Dean took another breath and slowly released it. "One more time." Again, he breathed in deeply, and exhaled. "Any pain?"
"M'okay." Although his ribs still ached as he was fairly certain none were broken so he didn't feel the need to mention them to her.
"You're sure? You have some pretty significant bruising, and Father would be angry if I overlooked anything."
"M'fine," he assured, and then winced when she gently pressed her fingertips against his ribcage. "'Kay, so my ribs hurt a bit, but it's nothin' I can't deal with."
"Alright, I'll let it go for now, but if the pain should worsen, I want you to come back here so I can get an x-ray. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yeah."
Raine moved around to the front of the table, and throughly cleaned the injuries on Dean's chest and the puncture wound to his arm. A wistful frown graced her features as she gently applied a salve to Dean's burns.
"I know it probably hurts pretty bad," she gestured to the burns on his chest, "but there are no full thickness burns and no charring of the skin, which is a very good thing. Which probably doesn't mean a helluva lot to you," she cast a sympathetic smile in his direction, "but it means that scarring should be at a minimum."
"Are we just about done here?" Dean asked, wanting desperately to draw the attention away from the word etched into his skin.
"Yeah, just one last thing," she said as she headed for the medicine cabinet in the far corner of the room. "When was the last time you had a tetanus shot, Dominic?"
"Not sure. Couple years ago maybe."
"'Kay, then I'm gonna give you a booster shot. Wouldn't want to have to treat you for lockjaw on top of everything else." Unlocking the cabinet, she searched until she found the tetanus vaccine, and then walked back to where Dean was seated. "This might sting a little, an' you might notice some pain at the injection site for a few days."
A low hiss slipped past Dean's lips as she injected the tetanus shot into the muscle of his arm. After she was finished, she placed a small bandage over the spot, and then wrapped a wide bandage around his chest and stomach.
"I want you to come back here everyday so I can clean and change your bandages, understand?" she said in a no-nonsense manner.
Dean nodded, a cocksure grin working its way across his features. "Is that your subtle way of asking me out on a date?"
"Please," Raine rolled her eyes, "if I were gonna ask you out, the invitation would neither be subtle or involve clean bandages." Taking off her glove and tossing them away, Raine pointed to a bundle of clothes on lying on a chair. "Father said to give those to you. They should fit perfectly, but if not I can get you something else to wear."
Dean hopped down from the table, and lumbered over to the chair and snatched the clothes off of it. He slipped on the black jeans, zipped them up, then pulled the black t-shirt on over his head. After tucking his shirt in, he took a seat and pulled on his socks and boots. When Raine saw that he was struggling to tie his laces, she walked over to him, knelt and tied them.
"Coulda done it myself." Dean scowled, not liking that she would believe him too weak to do something as simple as tying his own shoes.
"I'm sure you could've, but then I would've missed the opportunity to see that smile of yours again. You know the one you're trying so desperately to hide behind that frown." It took all of a moment for his frown to fade away, and a grin to replace it. "See that's the one I was talking about." With a smile, Raine laid a hand on his knee and pushed herself up into a standing position. "Father should be back shortly, so you should probably wait for him in the waiting room."
The Father was already waiting for Dean when he exited the exam room. The older man paced back and forth with a worried look on his face that gradually disappeared after he saw Dean. "How'd everything go, April Raine? Dominic's okay?"
"M'fine," Dean muttered, momentarily taken aback at how much concern he saw etched in the older man's features.
"You're sure?" Again the Father directed the comment toward Raine, although he kept his gaze on Dean.
"He's okay," Raine quickly assured. "Just told him to make sure he comes back here everyday so I can clean and change his bandages." She glanced at Dean and then refocused her attention on the Father. "Also if his ribs continue to bother him, I'm gonna want to do an x-ray."
"Alright, I'll make sure he stops by here tomorrow."
The Father pivoted and headed for the door, motioning for Dean to follow. Dean took up his steps behind the Father, following him through the courtyard. They stopped in front of another whitewashed brick building with a steeple atop it. Dean now realized this was where he's heard the bell sound coming from the day that he'd been branded, and thought it vaguely resembled a church.
"She's really beautiful, don't you think?" the Father asked as he looked back over his shoulder toward the medical clinic.
Dean was uncertain how he should respond. If he said the wrong thing the Father might get angry and send him back to the cellar, and now that he was out of there, he had no intention of ever going back. "Wasn't really lookin', Father."
"Sure you were," the Father playfully chided as he opened the door and entered the building. "Would have to be blind not to notice."
"Yeah, she was pretty," Dean finally conceded, and was somewhat surprised when the Father only smiled in response.
Dean stepped inside and peered around at the rows and rows of pews. Everything in the room from the cushions on the seats to the rug and curtains was a dark burgundy in color. In the front of the room, wide arching stairs led up to an altar, and behind the pulpit there was a stained glass image of the same cross and sickles that had been branded on Dean's arm. Lit candles flanked either side of the pulpit, and also lined the back wall beneath the stained glass.
"This is a church?"
"It's my church," the Father clarified. "An' now it's your church as well."
"Never been much of a believer."
"Don't worry, you will be. You just need someone to help guide you."
Dean strode down the aisle, his hand lightly brushing over the deep cherry wood trim of each pew. He took a seat on the steps leading up to the altar, and the Father joined him. For several minutes they sat in amicable silence, and then the Father cleared his throat, drawing Dean's attention to him.
"As your Father it is my duty to make certain decisions concerning your well-being, Dominic." From the pocket of his robe, he pulled out a plain gold band and handed it to Dean. "You are to give this to April Raine. She will be your wife."
"My . . . wha . . . huh?" Of all the things Dean thought the Father might say to him, he never in his wildest imagination believed the older man would tell him that he had to marry a girl he'd just met. "Don't even know her."
"It's already been decided." The Father's hawklike features hardened, eyes narrowing on Dean, daring him to defy the older man. "You will marry her tonight in my church."
Sweat beaded on the nape of Dean's neck and trickled down his back as his stomach began to churn in protest. It wasn't that he didn't like Raine. She was beautiful and smart and probably everything he could have ever hoped for in a woman he would marry, but she wasn't his choice. Although truthfully, he didn't really think it mattered if she had been his choice as the Father said it had already been decided.
"Wh-what if she says no."
"Believe me, she won't say no, Dominic." The Father's features softened as he gestured to the ring Dean was holding. "You deserve to be loved. You deserve a family. I just want you to be happy. April Raine can make you happy. She will be everything you could ever hope for in a wife." He hesitated for a moment to allow his words to sink in, before he added, "Let yourself be happy for a change, Dominic."
Dean mulled over everything the Father had said, wondering briefly if he'd ever allowed himself to be truly happy. He'd always given everything for everyone else. Yet he couldn't recall a time when what he needed had ever even been considered by those who supposedly cared about him. The Father cared about him, wanted him to be happy, so how could it be wrong to marry Raine if the older man asked him to. And in the end, Dean decided he wanted what the Father offered freely to him. He wanted a home and a family. He wanted to marry Raine, and if he didn't actually love her, he figured in time he would grow to have feelings for her.
Pocketing the ring, Dean smiled and gave a quick nod. "I'll ask her, Father."
"That's my boy."