"Baby?" With rising panic Dean killed the engine. "C'mon, wake up."
He shook her shoulder but only accomplished to let her head roll to the other side, freeing Sam's hand but doing nothing to calm Dean down.
"Shit." He muttered and fumbled at the door to get out of the unfamiliar car. Sam in the back seat did the same but they were both slower than Bobby, who had come running as soon as the car was in sight.
"How bad is it?" Bobby asked through the suddenly open door on the passenger side, he barely managed to grab Baby by the shoulder to prevent her from falling out of the seat. "Wow, she's heavy."
The last words were muttered, his eyes fixed on the gun shot wound in her leg.
"Let's get her inside." Dean had finally gotten out of the car and was now at Bobby's side. "Take her legs but be careful." He instructed Bobby who knew better than to object.
Sam hold the door open for them and together Dean and Bobby carried Baby inside. Earlier Dean had acted without thinking but he had to admit carrying Baby was easier with Bobby's help.
"Where?" Dean asked.
"Couch."
The strain on the leg, hell moving alone, must be painful but Baby didn't even stir. Maybe it was a good thing if she slept through what was coming next but Dean didn't like it one bit.
The couch was already prepared with a plastic sheet and the supplies they'd need, and some they'd hopefully never need, lay on the side table. Bobby had even gathered two extra lamps so they had proper light while they fixed her up.
Dean nodded in agreement and carefully they laid Baby out on the couch. The plastic crunched under her, it reminded Dean of hospitals. Or those body bags he'd seen in too many morgues.
Her chest moved with her shallow breaths but Dean had to lay his fingers on the pulse point at her throat just to make sure her heart was still beating.
"How long has she been unconscious?" Bobby asked while he cut her jeans to get access to the wound.
Dean was at a loss at that question but Sam apparently had paid attention and could give Bobby an answer.
With sure hands Bobby cleaned the wounds, confirming that the bullet missed the big artery, Baby would have been long dead otherwise, and it had missed the bone as well so they didn't have to worry about bone fragments.
"She's lost a lot of blood." Bobby said. "But the wound doesn't look too bad." He sounded sure and Dean believed him.
They all had seen worse injuries, Dean had suffered worse injuries, so his head knew this wasn't that bad. Still, he had a bad feeling in his gut. Baby wasn't completely human. They didn't know how this would affect her. And it worried him that she didn't wake up through the process.
Bobby taped the last bit of bandage and then sat back with a satisfied look at his handiwork.
"Good as new." He said with a reassuring smile at Dean before he went to wash his hands.
"She's going to be fine." Sam obviously felt the same need to reassure Dean and he gave his brother a little smile while he packed away the things Bobby had used. "I get her some water and painkillers."
Sam left, more to give Dean a moment than anything else, Dean had no doubt that but accepted the gesture gratefully.
"You can wake up now." Carefully he draped a blanket over her still form and set down on the edge of the couch. Her face looked calm, almost peaceful, but he didn't like the color. Too gray with a fine layer of sweat. "Baby?"
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, her skin was cold to the touch.
"Here." Sam was back with the promised glass of water and one of those orange pill bottles. Bobby had a full cupboard of them and Dean had never bothered to ask where he got them and had taken them without question every time he was in too much pain to care anyway. Bobby was one of the few people who could slip a pill in his mouth without getting it spit back at them so now Dean didn't even look at the label to check what was in the bottle.
"You know she's not human." Sam said, standing awkwardly at the end of the couch. "Remember how she couldn't walk or talk after she got turned?"
Dean smiled at that memory. He'd called her Bambi back then because of her askew legs.
"She has her body under control just fine now." Dean reminded his brother without lifting his eyes, his gaze was fixed on her face and he listened to every shallow breath she took.
"I know that." Sam rubbed his face but when he continued his voice was soft. "But this is the first serious injury she got. Maybe her body doesn't know what to do, you know, maybe it has to figure out how to deal with the pain and the damage."
"Maybe." It made sense, Dean had to admit that, and for sure Sam had thought thoroughly about his theory before he voiced it, however, it sounded like Baby was in much more pain and distress than she should be.
"She'll wake up." Sam patted his shoulder and then left him alone once again.
"You are going to wake up." Dean said low enough for only her to hear. She didn't answer and Dean accepted it with a nod. "Okay, I'll just wait here."
He made himself more comfortable on the edge of the couch and placed a hand on her not injured leg.
"I'm here, everything is going to be fine." He reassured her. From the kitchen he heard mumbled voices, too low to understand the words and he was glad that Bobby was pestering Sam with his questions and not him.
After he'd fixed up Baby Bobby had left them alone, despite the question he for sure had and Dean respected the old man even more for that.
He could guess the questions now targeted at Sam anyway. Were they sure this was really Baby? Had she shown violent tendencies? Was she completely human?
The last question Bobby could probably answer himself because he had noticed that her weight didn't match her figure but so far Bobby hadn't seen the eyes and Dean doubted he had noticed the fingerprints.
"They're talking about you." Dean informed her. "Bobby is a little suspicious but he's a hunter, what do you expect? Once he gets to know you, he'll love you."
Dean sat at her side for long hours, talking to her and sometimes just letting her know that he was there with a touch. If Sam was right and her body had to figure out how to deal with the injury he wanted at least to be there for her.
Baby didn't wake up but at some point she became restless. Small whimpers escaped her dry lips and she frowned with a deep crease between her eyebrows and Dean didn't need to be a doctor to read the signs of pain.
"Here, this will help." He'd crushed two of the pills into the water earlier and now coaxed the laced water into her mouth. She still didn't wake up but somewhere in the depth of her mind she must have registered that her body needed fluids. Badly. She drank greedily but crunched her face even more at the bitter taste.
Dean had held her head to prevent her from choking and used the chance to fluff her pillow before he eased her back. The fabric was damp from her sweat but he had nothing else at hand so he lay her down again.
She was sweaty all over, he now realized, and she had changed from clammy cold to sweaty warm. Even without checking her temperature Dean knew she had a fever but a quick check with the back of his hand at her forehead confirmed that it wasn't that high. Yet.
"You can't do things half-way, don't you?" Dean asked and tucked the blanket tighter around her body. "Your last name really is Winchester, isn't it?"
She leaned into his touch when he brushed her cheek and Dean let his hand rest there for a moment.
"You should eat something." Bobby's voice startled him and his first impulse was to draw back his hand but Bobby had seen him already so there was no point in pretending he wasn't a big softy. And Baby welcomed the touch.
"How's she?" Bobby set down a tray at the side table without saying a word about Dean mother henning his human car.
"She's a fever." Dean said with a sigh. "Sam thinks it's because her body doesn't know how to react." It was too early for an infection from the gun shot. Or so he told himself. "Got some water and pills into her."
"That's good." Bobby put a plate with a sandwich in Dean's reach and added a beer. Dean couldn't help but smile at that. "Eat, boy. You won't be any help to her if you don't take care of yourself."
Dean hadn't noticed it but it was already dark outside and Bobby had turned on the lights. His stomach on the other hand was clearly aware of the fact that Dean had skipped breakfast and every other meal since then.
"Thanks, Bobby." Not losing contact with Baby Dean took a bite of the sandwich.
"So this happens if a werewolf bits a car." Bobby had a closer look at Baby, probably his first real look, earlier he'd had only eyes for the wound.
"Any idea why it effected her?" Dean asked with his mouth full and washed the bite down with a swig of beer. "Never heard of anything like this before."
Bobby scratched his head and sat down in a chair.
"Did some research after you called."
"And?" Dean prompted when the older hunter didn't continue.
"And nothing." He adjusted his cap. "As far as I can tell, this shouldn't have happened."
"It did happen." Dean felt anger spiking up but he bit it down. This wasn't Bobby's fault.
"As far as I can tell, it never happened before." Bobby shrugged. "But don't forget, she's been a hunter's car since the eighties. I don't know half the hunts you or John took her to so I've no clue what Chemical X was."
Dean thought of all the weird stuff the Impala had witnessed over the years and nodded in understanding. This was probably a one in a million chance, which may be a good thing because otherwise they would have to hunt down half-eaten steaks or something.
"Wait." Realizing something Dean stared at Bobby. "Did you just made her a Powerpuff Girl? How do you know Powerpuff Girls?"
Caught Bobby cleared his throat and reached for his cap again to pull it farther down his face.
"Question is how do you know?" Bobby shot back.
"Try being stuck in a motel room with only three channels available for weeks." Sam had loved the cartoon channel and if it made his little brother happy, Dean would even watch Powerpuff Girls with him. And Buttercup was kinda cool. For a little girl.
Muttering under his breath Bobby left and Dean couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the grumpy old man watching Powerpuff Girls.
"Hey, Buttercup." Dean stroke Baby's face again and this time her eyelids flattered. "Time to wake up."