A/N: Thank you for reading my story. Reviews are appreciated. NC

Chapter 8

The Impala's tires were eating up the road as the day wore on and they ran in and out of rain. The day was still overcast and dark looking but for the moment no rain was falling. Nitro was slumped in the passenger seat tapping her hand on the side glass to the music playing on the radio. Dean had found a couple of truckers who were setting a fast pace and signaled if he could join them. One of them blinked his lights and eased back slightly so Dean could switch lanes and get between them. He got his distance even between them and cruised toward Colorado between the two semis. He settled in and blinked his lights in thanks as he paced himself with the big trucks.

They had been traveling between the trucks for nearly two hours when cries and strangling noises from the back seat had Dean looking for a place to pull over and had Nitro diving over the seat to the back to check on Sam. She had him unbuckled and raised up talking softly to him by the time Dean got the car stopped.

"He okay?" Dean asked quietly as he watched Nitro rest Sam's head on her shoulder and started rocking his body as she spoken softly.

Sam was trying to fight the monsters in his mind and couldn't seem to catch his breath. His mind was clouded with pain and fright and he couldn't understand yet that he was safe as he fought weakly against the person holding him. Soothing words starting piercing the thick fog as a female voice whispered to him to calm and breathe. She kept encouraging him to breathe in and out, that he was safe now and to stop fighting. It took nearly ten minutes for what she was saying to begin to sink in and for him to stop the struggling he was doing. Her voice was soothing and calming to him but he didn't know who she was or how he came to be with her. All that he could piece together was he wasn't in that stinking, damp cell anymore.

"I think so, hand me my water," she requested, holding out her hand.

Dean looked around in the front and finally saw a water bottle propped in the wheel well on her side. He leaned over and snagged it, passing it back to her. She opened it and held it to Sam's lips letting a little trickle into his mouth. Dean could see the muscles in Sam's throat responding as the tried to swallow the water that didn't run out of his mouth.

"Should I get him a Gatorade or whatever that other crap is from the back?"

"We can try, let's do Gatorade this time."

"On it," Dean said getting out and going to the trunk. He opened it and fished around in the ice chest for a cold Gatorade before closing it and getting back in.

"Straw?" she asked accepting the drink and swapping it for the water.

"Just a sec..." he mumbled looking around until he found one and opened it for her. "Here ya go."

Nitro accepted the straw and eased Sam back from her enough to see his face. She slipped the straw between his lips and mumbled encouragingly for him to drink. She smiled as he began to drink from the straw and tried to capture the bottle with his hands so it wouldn't be taken away.

"Easy there Pup, take it slow now...Don't over do it," she cautioned Sam not sure if he was hearing her or not. His eyes were partly open but seemed glazed and out of focus and she was sure he wasn't seeing her. She let him drink half the bottle before carefully prying it from his hands. "I think that's enough for now sweetie, I'll give you the rest when we stop in a couple of hours." Nitro eased Sam back down onto the seat and wiped his mouth with a finger before pulling the blanket back over him. She kissed his forehead and thought it still felt hot and sweaty. "Still a bit hot, I'll give him some meds when we stop," she told Dean as she brushed strands of hair from Sam's face as he settled back down.

"It'll be a couple more hours and we'll stop for gas and grab some food and to switch off driving," Dean said. "Can he wait that long?"

"Yes, should be 'bout right," she replied climbing back into the front seat with him. "I think he'll be okay now. He seems to have settled back down."

Dean looked back into the back seat at his brother seeing he had gone back to sleep. He nodded before starting the engine back up and pulled back onto the interstate, pressing on the gas hard to get back up to cruising speed. He knew the trucks were long gone now and settled in the middle lane on a speed just above the speed limit. They drove on without further incident for several more hours before looking for a suitable place to stop. He saw a sign for a truck stop ten more miles down the road and figured it would do; they could get gas, stretch their legs and get something to eat all in one place.

"I'm going to get some broth for Pup and see if he can stomach it," she commented seeing the sign Dean saw and knowing that was where he was stopping.

"Alright, thought we'd get takeout and walk around some."

"We about halfway there?"

"Think so. You can go in first and I'll sit with him."

"Alright," she said running her fingers through her long hair and quickly dividing it into sections and braiding it. She slipped a tie around the bottom to hold it and tried to make herself presentable. "How do I look?"

"Why, you got a hot date Little Wolf?" he asked arching an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, I got a hunk waiting at the truck stop," she chuffed knowing he was teasing.

spn

The motion and the rumbling of an engine brought back old memories of before his Mom was killed. Sam lay in the back seat in a trance like state as he saw Dean and him in the back here fighting over some toy and their Mom telling them to behave and their Dad add he'd stop the car if they didn't quiet down. His brother gave in and let him have the toy which he really didn't want any more, so he gave it back. Sam picked up a couple of green Army men and started playing with them and eyed the ashtray in the armrest. He took one of his men and twisted and shoved it into the opening, jamming it tightly. He sat back and smirked at his accomplishment and glanced over at his brother who was involved with a puzzle book.

The scene fast forwarded to another time they were going to a soccer game and he was the starting forward. Dean had played the night before and they had won and he hoped to follow in his footsteps. The rocking motion of the car was soothing to him and made him feel safe. A change in the motion of the Impala had him stirring slightly and he felt her stop and the engine turn off. Sam tried to pull his mind from the thick cloud of fog that surrounded it. He could almost hear the soft whisper of words but couldn't understand them yet and didn't have the strength yet to completely break free.

spn

Once the Impala was stopped at the pumps, Nitro got out and called over the top of the car to Dean, "I'll be back as soon as I can so you can do your thing."

"That's fine; I'll be parked over in the back away from everyone. Gotta see if he needs changing," he told her as he went around to the back to pump the gas. "You need cash?" he questioned before she got too far away.

"I'm good," she said giving him a wave as she walked toward the entrance to find the restrooms.

Dean watched the dials roll quickly by as he filled the tank thinking this would be the last time they would need to stop before getting to the cabin. Trace had worked it out with the realtor to leave the keys in a lock box on the door knob so she wouldn't have to meet them after dark since her office was in the town over an hour away. He had memorized the directions to the cabin and didn't think he would have any problem finding the place. One thing he liked was that the road was gated and should stop any unwanted visitors from wandering in. He wanted isolation and privacy so Sam could have a chance to heal without having to worry about intruders.

Dean knew the road ahead was going to be a tough one for the both of them. He still had the unpleasant task of telling Sam about their Dad. That in itself may set him back no telling how long. Now that the mission was over, Dean's mind could slow down and that gave him time to think about other things. His mind started playing out scenarios of how his brother was going to react to him? Would he even want to be around him? Would Sam allow him back into his life? What would he want to do when he was able to leave? And the most important one of all...Could he ever forgive him for leaving and being gone for so long? The pump clicked off loudly startling Dean from his thoughts and he shook his head trying to rid his mind of them as he pumped a little more into the car before stopping. He hung up the nozzle and slipped back into the car to move it to the other side of the parking lot away from the flow of traffic.

"Alright Sammy, let's see if we can get you changed..." Dean mumbled to himself as he got out and opened the back at Sam's feet. He opened the package of Depends and pulled a clean pair of briefs out and looked for the wipes that had slid under the seat. "Okay Sammy, I'm just gonna slip your sweats off." Dean laid the blanket over Sam's lower body and started to pull the sweats over his hips and down his legs.

The movement of the car had stopped and Sam could hear a voice talking to him, but it seemed so far away. He tried to focus on the words but his mind wasn't interpreting them yet. The fog pushed in on him, keeping him off balance and unable to punch through it. Sam could feel someone touching him and then it felt like his pants were being tugged down. Instant terror exploded in his mind and he lashed out with an arm and bent his legs to kick out. "¡No! ¡No! ¡No me hagas daño! (No! No! Don't hurt me!)" he cried out weakly as he fought. "¡No! ¡Por favor! (Don't! Please!)" he begged in such a pitiful voice.

"Hey! Hey! Sammy it's okay calm down," Dean insisted trying to catch his flaying arms and dodge his legs. He glanced around to be sure no one was paying attention to them as he tried to control his brother. "Sammy! Sam you're safe, estás seguro." he told him kneeling in the back and using a hand to hold Sam down. He got the other under his neck to hold his head still and whispered again, "Estás seguro. Estás seguro., (You're safe. You're safe,)" Dean pleaded hoping to calm him.

Someone was speaking English to him and then Spanish as he tried to fight off his assailant. Finally two words penetrated his jumbled mind, 'estás seguro', you're safe...Sam felt a hand gently cup his faceand he blinked slowly several times trying to clear his vision, but it remained blurry and out of focus. His hand latched onto the arm that was touching his face and worked his mouth to try and speak but couldn't seemed to form the words. He could feel the trembling of his body as he stilled and tried to stop the tears from leaking out of his eyes. A finger wiped a tear away before it could drip from his cheek. He felt the hand move again slowly and carefully as they finished pulling his pants off. He could tell his briefs seemed wet but didn't understand why as they were pulled down and something damp wiped him. Sam jerked and tried to pull away but he felt a warm hand rubbing across his stomach for a moment before something was pulled up his legs and under his bottom to rest on his hips. It wasn't a few seconds later that he could tell his pants were being replaced also and adjusted around his waist. Someone was carefully moving his body to make him more comfortable and repositioned his head on a pillow.

"There you go bro, gotta feel better now. We're almost there and you can rest all you need, no ones gonna bother us or ever hurt you again," Dean told him in a quiet, assuring voice as he pulled the blanket back over his lower body.

"Okay Gunny, it's your turn," Nitro said as she looked into the car to see them. "Everything okay?"

"Sammy got a little jumpy when I changed him, but he's calmed down now," he said straightening up and popping his back. "Damn these cars weren't meant for large people."

"Go get you something to eat and walk around, I got this," she said shooing him toward the truck stop. "They had some nice broth and I'm hoping he'll be able to drink some."

"Alright, I'm going, but I won't take too long," he said starting to walk away but stopped when he heard what she said.

"Hey there Pup..." she cooed climbing in back with Sam. "Got you some nice broth here. It'll help build your strength back up. Let's get you sitting up some."

"Roll the window down and I can pull him up from out here," Dean suggested moving to the other side of the car. He waited until Nitro had the window down and reached in to grab Sam under his armpits and slide him up, leaning his body forward so she could reposition the pillow.

"That's good, thanks," she nodded shifting Sam slightly so he would be more comfortable. She took the cup and added an ice cube to cool it as she stirred it with a straw. Nitro tasted it first to check the temperature before putting the straw to Sam's slightly parted lips. "C'mon Pup, try some."

There was that different voice again, talking soothingly to him. He turned his head toward it and felt the straw being placed between his lips as one had been over the past few days. It was automatic now to drink from the straw and began to draw whatever was offered to him into his mouth. Warmth was the first sense as he let the liquid coat his taste buds. This was different than what he had been given before and he swallowed the warm liquid in several small gulps. His stomach clenched as the first mouth of broth hit it and he grimaced, squinting his eyes for a moment. Sam took a slow breath waiting to see if it was going to stay down.

"You're right it's different than what I gave you before," Nitro chuckled when she saw Sam grimace. "Just take it slow and easy. We wanna keep that down."

Sam didn't answer her as he swallowed a couple of times before attempting another mouth of the broth. He swallowed again slowly to let his stomach get use to food again even if it was just broth.

"How 'bout we try a cracker in some broth?" she asked breaking a cracker up and dropping it into the broth. She let it sit a moment before spooning a piece out and placing it in Sam's mouth. She watched him closely to be sure he didn't choke as he chewed once and swallowed the soggy bite. "Was that good? Think you can try another?" she offered putting another bite in his mouth. She watched him open his eyes a little trying to focus on her as he opened his mouth again for more. "Like that do you?" she chuckled giving him more. She heard a grumbling and rolling noise coming from Sam's stomach and frowned for a moment looking up as Dean strolled toward them.

"So how's he doing?" Dean asked as he got back in the driver's seat with a bag of food and drink.

"Ummm...Gunny...I think you might better see if they've got a small trash can or bucket in there. Just in case he pukes. Don't think I want to smell that the rest of the way to the cabin."

Dean glanced at Sam and heard the growl of his stomach deciding that was a good idea. He jumped back out and hurried to the store hoping Sam wouldn't start puking before he got back.

"How 'bout a few sips of ginger ale?" she suggested reaching over the seat to snag the keys and getting out to get one from the ice chest. She opened the bottle of ginger ale and put a new straw in it offering it to Sam.

Something was going on around him. Sam could sense movement and voices but still couldn't quite see who they were. He saw a shadow beside him disappear for a few moments before returning and another straw was put to his lips. This time when he sipped a cold, crisp, tart taste assaulted his taste buds and he swallowed quickly wanting more. The coldness hit his stomach and after several long gulps, he paused feeling something different now. Before he could stop it or realize what was happening a loud burp puffed from between his lips, followed by several smaller ones.

"There you go Pup, that'll maybe settle your stomach so you can try a little more," Nitro praised him.

"Here...Am I too late?" Dean asked passing a small trash can back to her as he dropped in the driver's seat.

"We're good, gave him a little ginger ale. I think he'll be okay now," Nitro said accepting the plastic can and sitting it beside her in the floorboard.

"They had a small pack of bags so I got some."

"Smart thinking Gunny. Go ahead and eat, your brother's doing better now," she said offering Sam another soggy cracker to eat. She was only going to give him one more not wanting to press her luck since Sam's stomach seemed to be calming and he didn't act like he was going to throw up.

"Are you good to drive the next leg?"

"Of course. Think you can take a few more sips Pup?" she asked offering the straw to him again. Nitro let him sip more of the ginger ale before recapping the bottle and picking up the trash. "I'm gonna leave him sitting up until we're ready to go. Let him digest the food before laying back down."

Dean could only nod since he had a mouth full of food and couldn't speak. He looked back at his brother and saw his eyes were at half mast and he was staring off into space. He burped again and rolled his head sighing contently letting his eye lids slowly close and then open again. He did that several times before they finally remained shut and soft snores drifted from his lips.

Nitro had gotten out and was walking around the parking lot and heading back their way, stretching as she took her steps. She nodded back to several truckers who tilted their baseball caps to her being polite, but never slowed her pace as she circled the parking lot. She was tuned in to the movement and sounds around her scoping out any threats that might be present. She did this no matter where she was or what she was doing. Old habits were hard to break, but she decided it was a good habit to have and didn't try to stop herself from doing it.

Nitro never assumed anything or took anything for granted in her life. She believed there was a reason for each situation she ended up in and chose not to panic over any of them. Panic never solved anything and most of the time only made it worse. She zeroed in on the Impala and saw Dean watching her as he finished eating. She knew the road ahead of them might be an extremely hard one for both the brothers and hoped she could be the cushion that would bring them together again.

spn

They were back on the road again and the gentle rocking of the Impala had already put Sam back to sleep. He woke briefly as they moved him back down onto the back seat and got him settled and this time he didn't freak out as bad. His breathing and heart rate increased as she shifted him but it slowed back to normal once his body settled on the seat. Dean kept an eye on Sam to be sure he was okay and not looking like he might throw up. He watched the world race by from the side window and kept track of the road signs that they passed. Nitro was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel along with the music playing on the radio. She flipped on the wipers as the rain started coming down harder. They had been running in and out of the storm for the past hour, none of the downpours lasting very long. The air had cooled down with the rain giving a slight chill to the surrounding area. Dean turned around and adjusted Sam's blanket over him not wanting him to get a chill.

"We're about an hour out now before our exit," Dean said after seeing the last mileage sign.

"Alright, what am I looking for?" Nitro asked, not liking surprises.

"We'll stay on 70 here until Limon and pick up Hwy 71 south for about forty miles where we'll get off onto Saddle Run Road and take that for about thirty miles southeast to Buffalo Ridge. From there I'll guide you in."

"Got it," Nitro said going over the directions in her mind as he told her. She didn't have a photographic memory, but it was close. She saw clear skies ahead and hoped it would be clear when they got to the cabin. She planned on dropping Dean and Sam off at the cabin with the bags and going into town to get supplies and a wheelchair and shower chair. Nitro was sure it was going to take Sam a couple of weeks or more to be on his feet and Dean didn't need to carry him around during this time. The wheelchair would allow him easier mobility to be moved around the cabin. She drove on in silence sensing Dean wasn't in the mood to talk.

spn

"There, turn onto Sunset Road on the left," Dean pointed. "The driveway is six miles down on the right."

"I see it," Nitro said slowing the Impala down so she could make the turn onto the road. She followed his directions checking the odometer so she'd know when six miles had been driven. They had met only a few cars this far out and she drove just under the speed limit so they wouldn't miss the driveway.

"It should be around the next curve," Dean said ten minutes later sitting up in the seat to see better.

"That must be it," she replied seeing a driveway just ahead. She signaled the turn and eased the Impala onto a gravel road. They went thirty feet and saw the gate blocking the driveway. Nitro stopped and let Dean get out to open it so they could drive through. "Leave it; I'll be going back out when I drop you two off."

"What are you planning?"

"I'm going into town to get supplies and some other things we need. I'll go ahead and get enough for a couple of weeks so we won't need to go out for awhile."

"Add some beer, jerky and Jack to your list."

"You got it," she said driving slowly down the driveway as it curved and twisted for a couple of miles before dead ending at a circular driveway in front of the cabin. She parked as close to the door as she could to make it easier to unload the car.

"Let me get it opened up and lights turned on," Dean told her getting out and going up the three steps to the front porch. There were rocking chairs sitting on the porch and a swing at the end. He found the lockbox and punched in the combination to retrieve the keys. The door opened easily and silently admitting Dean into a large foyer. He stepped inside and did a quick survey of the place. To the left was a large family room and next to it the dining room and kitchen. To his left he saw a small library/study and on down were doors that had to be the bedrooms. Straight ahead he saw sliding glass doors that led outside to a large deck. Dean looked around and found light switches turning them on as he walked into the family room and kitchen. He went down the hall to check out the bedrooms finding one had a king size bed and the other had two full size beds and each had their own bathroom.

"So how's it look?" Nitro asked stopping in the foyer to look around.

"Not bad," he replied going back to the kitchen and finding a note on the counter. "The realtor said she turned on the hot water heater and water for us. If there's any problems with anything to call her and she'd get it checked out."

"Good, let's open a few windows and turn on these fans to get some air circulating," she suggested.

"Right, it does smell a little musty."

"Did you find the bedrooms?"

"Yes, you can have the one with the king and we'll take the other one," he said flipping switches until he found the right one for the ceiling fan in the family room. The place was furnished with a country theme, but the kitchen was modern looking and he found a laundry room off the kitchen with a washer and dryer and a half bathroom. There was a full size fridge, microwave, coffee pot and toaster and inside the cabinets he found everything they would need for cooking. The family room had a television with DVD player attached and a shelf of DVDs beside it. There was a gas fireplace against one wall but he didn't think they would need it yet. "Looks like it's got pretty much what we need."

"Good let's get the bags and your brother inside so I can go shopping."

"Alright," he answered following her back outside waiting for her to open the trunk and picked up the ice chest deciding to drain what water he could out of it before taking it inside. Nitro grabbed bags in both hands and headed inside depositing them in the bedrooms before going back for the few bags of food. Dean got the weapons bag and the bags containing the money before closing the trunk back. He put them in the closet of the bedroom he would be sharing with his brother.

"It'll be easier to move him with the blanket. You grab the end at the head and I'll get the legs and work him out of the car."

"Okay, on three, one, two lift," Dean instructed as he picked up his end of the blanket to guide it out while Nitro got the other and slid across the seat supporting Sam. They got him out and into the house. Dean walked backwards toward the bedrooms maneuvering his brother into the bedroom and looking quickly at the bed before deciding which one to put him on. He moved to the one farthest from the door and laid him down, letting the blanket fall around him. He watched Sam grumble and stretch now that he had room before settling down. "I'll see if he'll drink something once I get the stuff put away in the kitchen."

"Gunny, I know you said you'd never own one, but being out here with no phone is not good. I picked up a burner and Trace fixed it so it can't be tracked. Our numbers and Bobby's are already in the contact list. It's only for emergencies," she told him holding out a simple cell waiting for him to take it. "I'm off; I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Take care of her and no drag racing," Dean warned with a twitch of a smile.

"Wouldn't think of it," she giggled heading out to the Impala and driving away.

Dean headed to the kitchen and started putting away what few things they had and stored the ice chest in the laundry room. He turned on a radio sitting on the bar and found a station worth listening to so it wouldn't seem so quiet in the cabin. He unlocked and opened the sliding glass door to check out the deck and found half of it was covered with a gas grill and picnic table sitting under the covered part. There were deck chairs on the open side that were positioned to look out at a lake that stretched out below the cabin. It was quiet except for the night creatures that were starting to venture out now that darkness was creeping over the land. He stood there looking out into the trees breathing in deep breaths of clean, fresh air. He would do a perimeter check in the morning to get the lay of the land and be sure everything was to his liking. Dean headed back inside and locked the door behind him. He went back to the kitchen and got a water from the fridge before taking a seat at the counter to listen to the music.

spn

Nitro had been gone about two hours when Dean was brought to his feet by an animalistic scream from the bedroom Sam was in. He ran at full speed for the room and was by his brother's side to see what was wrong. Sam was withering around on the bed, crying out and fighting unseen demons as Dean began to talk to him.

"Sammy, bro it's okay. No one's going to hurt you," Dean tried to assure him as he made a grab for his flaying arms.

"No! No! Don't!" Sam screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice cracking with the strain. He struck out with his elbow catching Dean in the face causing him to bite into his lip.

"Stop it!" Dean yelled at him as he tasted blood in his mouth. He got Sam's arms trapped in his hand but was slightly off balance as he leaned over him and got a knee into the stomach sending him tottering backwards to land on his butt.

Sam felt his arms being captured and started to fight that much harder. He yelled hoarsely as the shadowy figure loomed over him and kicked out with as much force as he could connecting to a body and getting his arms free. Sam rolled from the bed and pushed himself into a corner of the bedroom, panting hard as he tried to catch his breath.

"C'mon man, let's get ya back in bed," Dean said after he pushed himself from the floor and walked toward Sam. He could see the lacerations on Sam's arm had broke open and was bleeding. "Look you're bleeding..." Dean had to jump back as Sam kicked out again at him as he stared wildly around him making frightened, whimpering noises. "Sammy it's okay...Don't you know me..." Dean tried again speaking softly to him but couldn't get close as he threw a book that had fallen from the nightstand. "Okay, Okay...What if I sit right here..." he asked easing down onto the floor beside the bed and leaning back against it.

He was fifteen feet away from Sam and wanted so much to pull him into his arms and assure him everything was going to be alright. Dean watched Sam freaking out and felt helpless to do anything. He was afraid Sam would hurt himself worse if he tried to get him up. He touched his tender, swelling lip and wiped blood from his chin. Sam stopped kicking and trying to fight once Dean sat on the floor and stopped talking to him. Dean's heart broke by his brother's reaction toward him. He had a feeling Sam wasn't really seeing him as his eyes darted around the room. He felt sure Sam was lost in the nightmare that had been his world for too long.

The tall, shadowed, stranger moved toward him again and Sam lashed out feeling something under his hand that he threw. He was weakening and didn't know how much longer he could hold out but he wasn't letting anyone hurt him again. He'd as soon die first. Sam didn't know what happened to him, his mind was so jumbled with images and memories he wasn't sure what was real or not. He couldn't think straight and only knew he had to stay conscious as the room spun. Black spots swam in front of his eyes as he fought to not pass out. When the other one didn't move anymore, he drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, unaware of the blood running down his arm. His body was so tense it was trembling in quick, jerky movements. He had hoped the blurry man would go away, but he sat down across from him and watched his every move. He knew he wasn't strong enough to fight his way past the stranger and only hoped he wouldn't try to hurt him.

spn

The house was quiet but for the soft music playing from the kitchen when Nitro let herself into the cabin. She looked toward the family room and kitchen but didn't see Gunny, so she headed for the bedroom. When she stepped into the room, her eyes fell on the empty bed, and then she saw a head sticking up over the bed that was Gunny's.

"Gunny?..." she asked moving toward him as her eyes scanned around for his brother. She knew he wouldn't be sitting there if something had happened to him.

"Think you can see if he'll let you help him?" Dean asked dully as he pulled himself from the floor and turned to leave.

"Whoa!" she exclaimed grabbing his arm to stop him. "What happened?" she asked seeing the blood on his face and the beginnings of a bruise near his mouth.

"He freaked out...Wouldn't let me near him...He just...I don't know..." Dean growled in frustration and anger with a feeling of hopelessness invading his soul as he threw his arms in the air.

"You go unload the car and I'll see what I can do," Nitro instructed seeing he wouldn't be useful right now.

"Looks like he tore open the wounds on his arm. I'll get you your kit."

"Gunny, don't let this discourage you...We're not really sure he knows you yet or if he even knows he's free. You know it's going to take a little time for him to come back. Be patient with him," she told him before he stepped from the room.

Dean didn't say anything as he headed to the other bedroom to get her first aid kit. He knew she was right, but it still hurt none the less. It was hard to face that his brother thought of him as a stranger that might hurt him. He could hear Nitro talking gently to Sam trying to coax him from the corner. He returned with her kit and left to do as she asked and unload the car. Maybe it would take his mind off the rejection he was feeling right now. He knew it wasn't going to be an easy road ahead and he tried to keep from feeling discouraged and heartbroken, but it was hard, harder than any mission he had been on. He could face down the worse of the worse, but when it came to his brother...He was lost at what to do to make this right. He guessed only time and patience would give him the answers he needed. He just hoped he could live with them.