Hey, guys! So, I totally didn't realize that it has been over a year since I last updated. Life has been a roller coaster ride and as most of you know, a lot can happen in a year. I almost forgot about this story until I received a review and I am so thankful to 'guest'. I know this has taken forever and I have one more chapter planned after this one and it hopefully won't take me another full year to post it. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural and this story is for entertainment purposes.
Annabel woke up the next morning still holding the tablet in her hand. She used her insomnia as an opportunity to do research about the ghost that was killing people. She found some interesting things about the supernatural in general and was excited to talk to Sam and Dean again.
She got up and got ready. After showering and brushing her teeth, she got dressed in a clean hospital gown and made her way out of her room to find out who the nurse on shift was. She got to the nurses' station and found Janice sitting there.
"Good morning, Janice." Annabel said.
"Good morning, Bells." Janice replied. Janice had bags under her eyes and Annabel remembered what had happened the day before. Meredith, her other nurse, was killed. By a ghost. Annabel's mood instantly deflated a bit. She gave Janice a sad smile which was returned.
"Have you heard anything from those FBI agents about what's going on around here?" Janice didn't know they weren't really FBI so Annabel made sure to keep their cover up. Janice just shook her head.
"No. I haven't seen them since they came the first time. I really hope they figure out what is happening. I know this is a hospital and people die here all the time but not like this." Annabel could see Janice start to get really upset and wanted to keep her mind off of the horrors that were happening to them.
"Well, I'm sure they will figure it out and stop it soon." They shared a smile and Annabel then headed back to her room. She found the phone that is in her room and dials the number Sam and Dean had left for her. It rang a few times before the one of them answered.
"Hello?" She could tell from the voice that it was Dean that answered. She smiled while talking.
"Hey, Dean! It's Annabel."
"Oh, hey, kid. What's going on? Was there another murder at the hospital?" Sam looked over at Dean when he heard him talking on the phone. They shared a concerned look and Dean waited to hear what Annabel had to say.
"What? Oh, no. I was just um…after you guys left yesterday I got really curious and did as much research as I could on my own." Dean went to interrupt her but she stopped him. "Wait. I know, I should just leave it alone and let you guys deal with it-"
"Yeah, you should, Annabel. This is dangerous and it's not a game. You could get hurt." Annabel rolled her eyes.
"In case you didn't already know Dean, I'm already dying. So, I'm not too worried about getting hurt. On your other point, I know it's not a game. I want to help. Do you guys even know who the ghost is yet?"
"I do care if you get hurt regardless of what your current health situation is. And of course we know who it is. We are just finishing up some research before we kill it." Annabel got a smirk on her face and replied.
"Yeah, well, I bet you hit a snag with finding where Dr. Blake Harding was buried." Dean put the phone on speaker when Sam prompted him too and they both gave each other shocked looks when they heard that.
"How did you know that?" Sam asked into the phone.
"Oh, hey, Sam. And I looked it up. He wasn't buried he was-" Dean interrupted her.
"Cremated. Yeah, we know that. We meant how did you know who the ghost was? And how did you know we needed to know where he was buried?" Dean said.
"I told you. I did some research last night after you guys left. I found some site called the Ghost Facers or whatever and they said in order to get rid of a ghost you need to salt and burn their bones." Sam and Dean share an exasperated and incredulous look at hearing that. "And as for knowing who it was, it wasn't that hard finding out who it was. He's the only person I could find who died in this hospital from being choked by someone which is how the people here are dying. I just don't know why. I mean I knew that doctor and he would never hurt a fly." Sam and Dean raised their eyebrows at that information.
"Wait, you knew this guy?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, he was a doctor on this floor. I had a couple appointments with him until about a year or two ago when he was killed by one of the patient's guardians. This little girl passed away here and her father blamed Dr. Harding. He came in and choked him to death. It was pretty big news. But why would the killings start now? I mean he died almost two years ago." Annabel explained her brief history with the doctor and felt pity for the man. He was a good doctor and an even better man and didn't deserve to go out like that.
"People who die a wrongful death can sometimes come back as a vengeful ghost but it takes time for them to gain the strength to effect anything on the physical plane." Annabel nodded her head along with what Sam was saying.
"That makes sense. But if you can't salt and burn you're supposed to find something that could keep them here, right?" Annabel asked.
"Yeah." Dean replied. Annabel walked over to the door and looked out and down the hall. Her eyes narrowed in on a glass case on the wall. She turned back around and walked towards the window in her room.
"Well, I think I know what it is."
Annabel was a ball of jitters all day. After telling Sam and Dean about the doctor's coat sitting in the glass case out in the hallway, they told her that they would take care of it and for her to rest. But how could she rest? She knows what object is keeping Dr. Harding there and she knows how to release him from this horrible fate he was put in. Sam and Dean said they would be there in the evening but what if something happened before then?
Checking the time, Annabel notices that it's almost time for Sam and Dean to get there. Having enough of just sitting on her bed in anxiety, Annabel got up and out of bed. Her body groaned in protest. She had been putting a lot of stress on her body the past couple of days and her deteriorating health was causing some issues. Annabel ignored the pain and continued out of the room. She can rest after she makes sure no more people die a premature death here. She checks to make sure the coast is clear and is glad that the nurses' station is around the corner. She heads towards the glass case intending to just grab the white coat so Sam and Dean don't have to worry about it and sighs in relief when she realizes that the glass case doesn't have a lock on it.
She thanks whatever power out there for making this easy and opens the glass door to grab the coat. She doesn't see the boys rounding the corner to her room and looks up when she hears Dean yell her name. She notices something behind her and turns to look at it. She jumps in fright when she sees Dr. Harding, or more accurately, his ghost standing behind her. Out of the corner of her eye she sees the boys running to her but doesn't have time to say anything before she is tossed into the air. She is stopped by a wall and her body burst into pain.
Sam and Dean ran up and while Sam went for the coat, Dean took a swing at the ghost. Sam takes the coat and runs to grab a trash can but before he can grab one he is thrown into a wall and then the ghost takes his head slamming in into the wall, effectively knocking Sam out. Annabel who was wincing in pain saw what Sam was trying to do and went to grab a trash can as well. While the ghost was busy with Dean Annabel threw the coat in the trash can she found. She was trying to find the salt and lighter when she hears Dean yell her name.
"Annabel, look out!" Annabel feels hands grab her throat and is being chocked by Dr. Harding. She sees Dean running toward the opposite end of the hallway where he was thrown and points at the trash can, indicating for him to finish it. Annabel starts losing consciousness when the grip from her throat is finally let up. She falls to her knees and looks up at to see the ghost has been stopped.
'Rest in peace, Dr. Harding.' Annabel thinks. She looks over to see Dean making his way to her after checking on Sam who was just waking up.
"Annabel, are you ok?" Dean looks so concerned and it warms Annabel's heart.
"I'm peachy." Her voice comes out raspy but she smiles along with it. Dean helps her up and together with Sam, they make the walk back to her room.
"You know what you did was stupid right, kid?" Dean starts reprimanding her and she would have rolled her eyes if she had the energy. Annabel went to respond but her body started to hurt too much and she started to fall over. "Woah, Annabel? Annabel!" Dean caught her before she could fall and noticing that she couldn't walk, picked her up and took her the rest of the way to her bed. "Sam, go get a doctor."
Sam walked out to find a doctor and Dean stayed with Annabel. She opened her eyes and looked at Dean.
"Sorry. I guess I just exerted myself too much."
"We told you to let us handle it."
"I know. But how could I just sit here when I knew what was happening and what to do to help it stop?" Before Dean could answer, Sam comes back in with a doctor and they are ushered out of the room so Annabel could get checked over. Annabel was asleep before the doctor could even finish his examination.