Ever have a day where it's just like "why did I get up this morning. I should have stayed in bed." That was every day this week lol
Hopefully this chapter isn't as garbage as my week has been.
Please enjoy
~TH~
Caleb didn't like this. He'd done his job of convincing Deuce to do it, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Dean wasn't strong enough for this. He was the last to doubt the kid, but physically he couldn't make it from the bed to the car without help. It had to have been the Entetee giving Dean strength to even walk all the way into that building and that in itself made Caleb uneasy.
And Dean had been in there for too long. He'd said fifteen minutes and it was more of a threat than protocol. But he didn't care about protocol. None of this was protocol. It was ridiculous. Sending an injured hunter into a fight? Alone?
Okay. Fifteen minutes. That was it. He was going in. The Triad could yell at him later.
Caleb inched the car forward, trying to keep from drawing attention to himself. He came to a stop at the house next to the Castle. The hunter slipped out of his car and began walking as casually as possible towards the steps.
Dean's connection dropped with Caleb only inches away from the jeep. A sharp intake of breath was all that he allowed to show the physical pain it caused.
He let out a curse, pulling out his cellphone as he forwent stealth and took off at a sprint. Mac answered on the second ring. "Get here." Was all Caleb said, before the man even had a chance to say anything. Caleb was nearly to the porch when something changed. He felt the air shift around him but it took him a surprisingly long second to figure out what changed.
The architect blinked, taking a step back to get a full view of the building. It didn't even look like the same place. It was barely habitable and definitely not up to code. What was left of the walls showed nothing but peeling paint. There wasn't much of a porch left, a majority of the wood missing and what was left, rotting. Windows were missing chunks of glass and some were gone all together. Any normal person would be hesitant to even enter the building based on how caved in the roof was.
Caleb realized what had happened. The facade was gone. Things were being seen as they really were, not as the psychic magic forced them to see it.
"He did it." Caleb whispered, in awe. It wasn't that he doubted Dean. That kid could do anything he set his mind to, but the circumstances had concerned Caleb. Apparently they'd been unfounded.
And yet Dean's connection was gone.
If the loss of connection wasn't related to the Entetee's shielding…
The feeling of panic flooded him and he ran up the stairs, ignoring the fact that any step could bring the rest of the porch down. The door was only connected by one hinge. Caleb knocked it in.
He had to find Dean.
Various shouts could be heard once inside. Some of fear, some of anger, some of sadness. The sounds of a crying child came from a closed door. Caleb knew that he didn't have time to worry about other people. He needed to get to Dean.
The large door was different from all the rest. Caleb wasted no time kicking it open. He stopped in the doorway. From where he stood he could see into another room. And he could see Dean unmoving on the floor. Caleb ran forward, closing the distance between them in seconds. Dean looked smaller. The shimmering was gone, replaced by a pale, too thin body. He was collapsed on top of a black shadow and covered in blood and dust. The entire room seemed to be covered in blood. Caleb fell to his knees beside his friend. Dean was still bleeding. A deep cut ran along the boy's arm, blood still pouring from it. The older hunter used his hand to put pressure on the wound, raising it above Dean's heart. The bleeding barely slowed. Panic began to take over. He didn't know what to do.
Everything else could be dealt with later. He needed to get Dean out of there. Now. Dean couldn't die. Not like this. Not after all this time. He couldn't.
Claeb lifted the much too small body into his arms. He'd thought it would be good when he could see Dean's true form. But it didn't. It terrified him. As did the idea that they were too late to fix any of it.
The cries seemed louder as he raced back out of the building, Dean tucked safely in his arms. The Impala pulled up just as Caleb made it out the door. Mac met his son who was maneuvering around the broken porch. The doctor gave his patient a simple glance over on the way to the car. He got in first, allowing Caleb to pass Dean in towards him before slipping in himself.
"Hospital, now." Mac ordered as if it wasn't obvious.
Dean was set up leaning against Caleb who held him still while Mac did his best to dress the arm.
Jim glanced in the back from where he sat in the passenger seat.
"What happened?!" John barked from the front seat. The anger in the man's voice rubbed Caleb the wrong way. He knew it was likely the fear, at least he hoped that's what it was, but it wasn't appreciated. Caleb took a deep breath before answering
"He killed the thing and just about got himself killed in the process." Caleb answered, lightly tapping Dean's cheek. It was cold and clammy. Too cold. The look on his dad's face let him know that things were looking very bad. This may not have been the way to save Dean afterall. It may just be the thing that killed him.
Mac took Dean's arm, holding it above the boy's head. He pressed gauze into the wound, pressing tightly against it. Dean didn't even flinch. There was absolutely no sign of awareness. It was like he was dead already.
Caleb shook his head to clear the thought. "What can I do?" He asked, needing a distraction.
"Hold this." Mac ordered, transferring the bleeding wrist to his son. The doctor then set to work checking over the rest of Dean. He ran a skilled hand along the boy's arms and sides, finally lifting up his shirt. Caleb caught a glimpse before the fabric was dropped back. Skin and bones. Protruding ribs. It was like something out of a nightmare.
"Nothing's broken," Mac reported with a frown. "But there's almost no muscle mass or fat."
"What's that supposed to mean, Mackland?" John snapped, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
The doctor sighed, seeming more annoyed with his friend than anything else. "On its own it shouldn't be fatal. He's not lost so much weight that his body can't function, but it has to be nearing that point. It may be the malnourishment but I don't see that being the only factor. There has to be something else going on."
"Like maybe the fact that he's bleeding all over the upholstery?!" And Caleb really hoped that was concern for Dean he heard in the eldest Winchester's voice, and not anger over blood in his car.
"I don't think so. There is a lot of blood and it needs to be dealt with immediately. But if he was unconscious when Caleb found him, and the cause was blood loss, he would have bled out already. He'd be more than unconscious, he'd be dead."
Caleb recognized the cold, clinical tone his father was using. He'd heard it before, after particularly bad injuries and it still made the icy grip of fear take a stronghold on his heart.
"Do you think it's Supernatural?" Jim asked from the passenger's seat. "Something left over from the Entetee? Either from their connection or some form of curse?"
Mac seemed to consider this. "That does seem the most likely answer. Either that or the shock on the system. It could be a psychic withdrawal. Caleb, did you see any other children?"
Caleb thought back to his maddash through the house. "I heard some kids but didn't see any. I don't think they were unconscious though. There was a lot of crying but I didn't really…" He let the thought thrall off. They knew what he meant.
"It could just be from killing the Entente. There had to be a lot of psychic backlash, not to mention the emotional side of the equation. Killing someone you care for, even in unusual circumstances, can be a horrible shock to a system. And Dean was fragile going in."
The hospital appeared ahead of them as Caleb's heart began to beat faster. Caleb slipped out of the car and Mac helped maneuver the still unconscious Dean into his arms. Caleb carried him in, shouting for immediate help. A bleeding, unmoving child brought immediate attention, Caleb felt the immediate urge to fight against the nurses as Dean was pulled from his arms. Deuce was being taken away and Caleb couldn't help but notice how small the boy looked. Dean didn't look like he could be over fifteen.
Mac squeezed Caleb's shoulder as he passed, but did not stay to talk. The doctor rushed to catch up with the gurney being pushed into the E.R. Caleb stood watching, feeling oddly numb.
John came to a stop next to him while Jim went to sit in the waiting area. After a moment, John turned away, going to the nurses desk and setting to work filling out insurance papers. Jim closed his eyes, clearly offering a prayer. Caleb thought maybe he should join him, but he thought he might be too angry to do so.
Caleb ended up sitting on the opposite side of the room from the two Triad members. Anger was simmering, close to bubbling over. He didn't know who he was mad at. John? Jim? Dad? The Entetee? Dean? Maybe he was mad at himself.
That was probably the biggest truth of it.
Caleb felt responsible.
He should have done… something. He couldn't come up with anything he could have done differently. Except maybe not going on that hunt with Bobby? But how was he supposed to know that?
"Mac?"John stood, bringing Caleb's attention to the man who was coming into the waiting room. The doctor looked tense, worried.
"He's stable for the moment." The man answered, running a hand down his face. "But he's in bad condition, John."
"What does that mean? Bad condition?" Caleb asked, coming forward to join the men.
"He's weak. Severely malnourished. And he hasn't woken up yet."
"He's in a coma?" The panic that the anger had pushed back was again beginning to rise.
Mac hesitated, "I didn't say that-"
"But it's what you're thinking."
"I don't know anything for sure. Hopefully he will wake up soon and be perfectly fine. Until he's awake, we can not know the full extent of what Entetee did to him, both physically and mentally." Mac wasn't the positive type. Hearing the word "hopefully" used when he was in doctor mode was actually more concerning than encouraging.
"Do you think him killing the Entetee sent out a psychic backlash?" Caleb clenched his fist tightly, trying to calm his racing heart.
Mac nodded slowly. "It's possible."
"I want to see him." John demanded, sounding more angry than concerned.
"They're moving him to a room now. As soon as he's situated I'll call for you to come back."
"We need to go back for the rest of the kids." Caleb said suddenly. The words of the Entetee came back to him. As much as Caleb wanted to only think about Dean, he couldn't let the Entetee win this way. The other kids needed to be taken care of.
"It's taken care of." Jim replied cryptically. Then rising to his feet, "Call me if anything changes."
"You're leaving?" Caleb asked, surprised, almost offended.
"No, we are." Jim answered with a small smile.
Caleb was so surprised he barked a laugh. "I'm not leaving."
"It will only be a moment.
"Why does John get to stay?"
"Because whether you like it or not, I am still Dean's father."
Caleb frowned, clenching his jaw. Jim patted Caleb on the shoulder leading him out of the hospital.
"Where are we going?" Caleb grumbled, getting into the passenger side of the car.
"Back to the motel. I'm going to go get Sam and need you to take the car back to the hospital. But first we're going to pick up your jeep."
Caleb had forgotten about Sam in all of the fear of the last couple of days.
"How much does he know?"
"He was told when Dean was found alive, but I'm not sure he knows any more than that."
As they neared the Entetee's castle, Caleb felt his anxiety once again spike. The place was swarming with cops. And the building no longer held any beauty. In a way it made Caleb sad.
Wait. "Dean's stuff is in there- how are we going to-?"
"It's all taken care of. I believe you'll find Dean's belongings in your jeep."
"But how-"
"It's been taken care of."
There was silence for another moment. Caleb's head was beginning to ache. He was tired. He let his head fall back against the seatback.
"How could someone do this though? How could someone hurt those kids?"
"Maybe he truly thought he was helping."
"He knew the kids were dying."
"He also truly believed they were happy."
"But how is it better to die happy than to live?"
Jim pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "I'm afraid that is something we will have to ask Dean."
~TH~
Not sure how I feel about this chapter but it's content lol.
We're nearing the end guys!
Hopefully will have the next chapter up next Thursday.
please leave me lots of good comments to give my brain and ounce of not depression.
Love ya'll
Jamie
