AN
I apologise for such a long wait for the chapter but life has its way of catching up and ripping everything to pieces on me. Now I know I left the last chapter at a cliff hanger, and I warn you, that this doesn't completely coincide at the moment, but in later chapters the ending and what happened then, gets explained. But for now, its another few weeks later scenario, where Jo and Ellen get avoided like roadkill on a hot day.
Again, sorry for the wait. But enjoy!
Eight Weeks Later….
Waking suddenly with a jolt, Sam wiped the cold sweat that had broken out in his sleep away from his forehead and blinking it out of his eyes. Ever since Dean's accident he had been having vivid nightmares, how the hunt had gone even worse. Instead of a blind Dean it was a dead one, or one who hated and blamed Sam for everything that was going on. Shaking in the cold night air, he pulled the blanket around him some more, swinging his long legs over the side of the bed.
This was only the third night Sam had started sleeping in the spare room upstairs, Dean had demanded he stop sleeping on the sofa downstairs to baby him. Whenever Sam protested that Dean might need help during the night he would counter how much easier he was getting around now, and how rarely it was he woke in the night anyway, due to pain medication.
Feeling like a child with the blanket clutched around his body, Sam silently headed down stairs. He paused on the bottom step when he heard muffled noises, senses instantly going on alert. A few moments later he relaxed a little, his heart breaking a little when he realised what the sound was, and not knowing what to do with himself. If he went downstairs he knew his brother would kill him right there, but if he didn't he would feel guilty for leaving his brother to cry alone in the dark.
It was very Dean like, to face the pain and depression on his own. Sam struggled internally with himself, wanting more than ever to take his brother up in his arms and assure him everything would be okay. Instead he made himself aware of by stumbling loudly from the bottom step, tripping over the hem of the blanket he was now clutching to himself, and hitting the ground with a loud thump. Breath winded from his body, Sam gasped and coughed in shock.
'Dean?' Bobby flicked the light on his bedside on quickly, pulling on a pair of sweats he kept by the bed as fast as he could, hopping in to one leg as he headed for the stairs. When nobody replied he moved faster, taking the short staircase two at a time. The amount of times he and Sam had made this impulse run to Dean's side in the night was growing fewer and fewer, which only made tonight even more of a shock. Bobby had even helped Dean assure Sam that he would be fine downstairs on his own. Boy was Sam going to give it to him now.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, blinded by how dark the rooms were, he grunted in shock when his foot connected with something firm that seemed to fold under his slight kick. Flailing for balance, Bobby wondered how Dean dealt with total darkness as he went down hard, next to something else that was gasping, trying to breathe.
'Dean?'
'Bobby?' Sam gasped, still struggling to draw in breath.
'What's going on?'
Sam and Bobby crawled to their feet, panting from the shock they had both received in the dark. Bobby padded over to the light switch, his bare feet making more noise then he realised in the dark as he hit the overhead light, flooding the room with too much light, making the two men curse and shade their eyes in more shock.
'What on earth were you doing on the floor you damn idjit!' Bobby cursed at Sam who was heading over to Dean's room, eyes shaded against the light, blanket abandoned where he had fallen from the bottom step.
'It's okay Dean,' He heard from the room. 'Me and Bobby just fell over in the dark is all.' The sound of squeaking bed springs alerted Bobby that Sam had sat down on Dean's bed and made his way over, standing in the doorway while he rubbed his thigh bone.
'Gotta give you more credit kid.' Bobby mused as he continued rubbing the bruise he could feel flowering across the skin. 'Ain't no easy feat making it through the dark, think ya fool brother learnt that lesson the hard way too.' Sam shook his head in embarrassment, cheeks flushing.
'What were you both doing?' Dean grumbled, clearly annoyed that they were disturbing him at this time of morning.
'I needed something to drink.' Sam said coyly, he didn't know whether to tell Dean what he had heard or not. Dean had hidden any sign that he was crying from his voice, and his face looked clear of any tear streaks.
'Idjit was lying at the foot of the stairs in the damned dark!' Bobby cursed gruffly. Dean laughed then, lightening the mood at the rare sound. Before long they were all laughing, Sam wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to regain his breath again when a stitch broke out in his side.
'What time is it?' Dean asked sleepily, yawning around the words as the laughter died down. He reached a hand down to his thigh and started rubbing it, he wasn't used to being awake so long at this hour.
He knew that his brother had heard him crying. He was ashamed for it, but glad Sam hadn't brought it up. Normally he would have drifted back to fitful sleep before waking up to the pain. It had taken a week to convince Sam he didn't need him to sleep downstairs for him, he swallowed at the thought of having to convince him all over again. He didn't need a babysitter twenty-four seven. Giving up on rubbing the missing section of muscle, he sighed dejectedly and laid back down against the pillows.
'Nearly four am, God we should all get back to sleep. Dean you have your first appointment with the Physio tomorrow morning, remember?' Dean nodded, even though he really hadn't. He wasn't looking forward to it, it had taken so long to get used to the instructor at the other hospital. But now he would have to do it all over again, and fight through new pain as he moved up a stage in his rehabilitation.
Dean couldn't help but think how much easier this would all be if he just had his sight, he wouldn't feel like such an invalid if he could see the railings he was leaning on, or the person he was working with, the courage or disappointment on their face, or even better; how hot they were. That was something he missed the most, being able to see a person's features or their smiles. A woman's company…
'You okay Dean?' Sam asked softly as he reached over and pulled the covers back over his brother's body and tucking them in a little, making sure they wouldn't travel too far away from his reach.
'Just tired Sam, I should get some sleep for tomorrow.' Dean sighed. 'Oh, and bitch, don't even think of sleeping on that couch.' He threatened before drifting into a pained sleep. Sam and Bobby stayed in the room for a few minutes just watching him; they both knew the shit they would get in if Dean knew they had done it. But Sam knew how much it had helped Dean when he was in the hospital. Especially when he would run small circles on the top of his hand and soothe him softly, it seemed to make the pain ebb away a little, letting him sleep a little sounder.
'You should get some sleep too Sam, going to be hard on you too tomorrow, both of us dealing with his hard ass. You know he's going to deny every inch of pain tomorrow's going to bring when he gets home.' Bobby was right, Sam stood with a nod and left the room, casting a longing look at the sofa before Bobby took his arm and led him up the stairs, going as far as putting him to bed, just to make sure he would stay there, waiting till it looked like he was sleeping deeply enough.
Turning towards his own room, Bobby yawned widely but knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep. Shutting the door quietly, he put the ceiling light on and approached the liquor bottle he had on the desk in his room, before settling on the cold wooden chair, dragging the book he had been reading the night before towards him. Dean would kill him for looking at the book, but he didn't care. Sam had been doing the same thing for weeks now, searching for a way to bring back Dean's sight. Bobby thought he may have found the spell they were looking for, but he hadn't told Sam yet.
There was no use in getting the boys hopes up, tonight he had wanted to tell them both that there may have been a flicker of hope for Dean, that he wouldn't always have to bump around the dark like they just had. But he had bit his tongue, kept it greedily to himself until he knew it would work.
Reading over the same passage several times, he drew the book closer with interest. It wasn't just any normal spell they would be working, it would require a summoning and taking part of the demon for payment. Bobby knew there would be a catch, there always was with this kind of lore. He would need payment for Dean's eyes. They wouldn't come free.
The summoning looked like a difficult one. It would take a few contacts to get all the stuff they would need. With a deep swallow of guilt he thought about Ash, and then Ellen. What had happened two months ago, in his own house? It would make things too hard of he couldn't go through Ash, he would have to buck up and face the music if he wanted Dean to have his sight back, and so would he and Sam.
Running a hand through his sleep matted hair Bobby downed the last dregs of the cheap scotch in the bottom of his glass with a grimace before standing up like the rickety old man he denied he was and trudged back over to the bed. Sinking in to the covers, he paused for a moment, listening to the carried moans of the two boys he had come to claim as his own sons as they slept.
Bobby fell asleep to the thought that he could help Dean, reciting the ingredients he would need over and over until he fell in to a restless sleep, being chased by chicken feet and blind eyes that rolled under his feet and tripped him over, while a demon mocked him from a corner.