Elizabeth smiles sadly as her niece rambles through the phone, high off her ass as she's prepped to go in for surgery. Tanya had finally found a competent doctor up in Tulsa and now Lilly's having exploratory surgery to see if they can't find out what's making her so sick.
"Sing to me," Lilly demands, words slurring. "I want Winnie Pooh."
"Alright, baby, are you lying down?" There's a mumbled yes and Elizabeth can hear the doctor laughing in the background. "Close your eyes, Lillybug. Are they closed?" Another mumbled affirmative. "Deep in the Hundred Acre Woods, where Christopher Robin plays, you'll find the enchanted neighborhood of Christopher's childhood days. A donkey named Eeyore is his friend, and Kanga and little Roo. There's Rabbit and Piglet and there's Owl, but most of all Winnie the Pooh. Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh, tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff. He's Winnie the Pooh, Winnie the Pooh—willy, nilly, silly, old bear."
"Thank you, Miss Mayson," the doctor says, his voice mainly static over speakerphone. "Normally we wouldn't allow phone calls as we're wheeling the patients down the hall, but it was the only way to make her go to sleep for the surgery."
"Not a problem, Doc, just take care of my Lillybug."
"Will do, ma'am." The call disconnects and she sets her phone down on the table, pulling on some of her hair that has fallen out of the ponytail as she slept. She picks up her Kindle, going back to the book she'd been reading before the phone call, but not really paying it any attention as she attempts to stay awake. Early mornings are a real pain in the ass.
"How's the munchkin," Dean asks without looking up from Sam's laptop.
"She should be well on her way to dreamland by now."
"It's about time those doctors are doing something for that baby. She's too adorable to be in that much pain all the time." He scrolls down through whatever website he's looking at, seeming to find something interesting.
"Well, this'll wrap it up, I hope." Dean steals Elizabeth's coffee cup right out of her hand, taking a sip before putting it back. "Why don't you find us a case that'll keep my mind off of the surgery until Tanya calls?"
"I think I can handle that job. Let's see…." He clicks the mouse and then leans forward in his seat as he begins to list off possible cases. "A fishing trawler found off the coast of Cali, its crew vanished."
"Nah, I read an article about that this morning and it was proven that a bunch of teens stole someone's boat for a joyride and then abandoned it when it looked like a storm was blowing in." She taps on her news app and shows Dean the article she was talking about, the hunter letting out a disappointed grumble.
"What about the cattle mutilations in West Texas?" Elizabeth shrugs in disinterest and Sam continues to doodle on the motel stationary, looking like he isn't paying Dean any attention. "Hey! Am I boring you with this hunting evil stuff?" Sam has his innocent puppy face on, finally looking away from his drawing for the first time this morning.
"I'm listening," Sam answers distractedly, flipping through the pages he's filled on the little notepad. "Anything else?"
"A Sacramento man shot himself in the head three times." Dean holds up three fingers for emphasis, waving them in Sam's direction before he moves them to cover Elizabeth's view. Sending him a glare, she turns off her Kindle and smacks his hand with it. "Ouch!" He shakes the hurt hand, pouting now and earning no sympathy from her as she takes a drink of coffee. Sam continues to flip the pages back and forth, his brow scrunching as he thinks.
"Wait, I've seen this."
"What?" He gets off the bed to grab Dean's bag, riffling through it like it contains the Ark of the Covenant. "What are you doing?" He pulls out John's journal, taking a picture out of it and comparing it to his doodle.
"Dean, I know where we have to go next."
"And where's that, Sammy," Elizabeth asks, tugging on the hem of her nightshirt. She should probably get dressed for the day, but it's much more comfortable running around in a large tee and panties even if Sam looks nauseated at the sight.
"Back home to Kansas." That was a bad moment for Elizabeth to try and drink, the coffee going down the wrong pipe and sending her into a coughing fit. At least it didn't spray everywhere this time.
"Okay, yeah, sure. Just one question." Sam nods, the old picture and the stationary clutched in one hand. "Are you out of your ever-loving mind?"
"Yeah," Dean adds. "Where the hell did that come from?"
"This picture was taken in front of our old house, right," Sam checks, bringing the photo over to the table so that the other two can see it. John, Dean, Mary, and baby Sam were outside their old house, giving smiles and looking happy. It's the first time Elizabeth's seen John have a genuine smile on his face, and it just doesn't mesh with the picture of John she carries around in her head. It's as wrong as Tywin Lannister smiling. "The house where mom died?"
"Yeah."
"It didn't burn down completely. I mean they rebuilt it, right?"
"I guess so, yeah. What the hell are you on about?"
"Okay, look, this is gonna sound crazy…" Sam picks Elizabeth up so he can steal her seat, putting her back down in his lap. The fact that he can lift her without a problem makes her self-confidence go through the roof. "I think the people who live in our old house are in danger, serious danger."
"What makes you think that," Elizabeth asks, poking the side of his head gently. "You got ESP or something?"
"Well…."
"Holy shit, you're basically Lorraine Warren, aren't you?" Sam shakes his head, standing suddenly and dropping her in the floor so he can start packing.
"Just trust me on this." Frowning, Elizabeth stands up and grabs her bag, rubbing her sore ass on the way to the bathroom. Might as well get dressed as Sam works his way through a rant on why they should make the trip to Kansas. She pulls on a simple black dress and a teal cardigan, sliding on a pair of pantyhose before slipping her feet into some kitten heels. By the time she's run a brush through her hair and applied the barest traces of makeup, the boys are stuffing the last of their things in their bags.
"Pretty spiffed up for a road trip," Dean comments, looking her up and down as she leaves the bathroom. "Planning to meet someone in Lawrence?"
"Nah, I just wanted to feel pretty today."
"She shaved her legs," Sam remarks dryly," and she wants people to notice them." Elizabeth nods in agreement, shouldering her duffle.
"Y'all ready for the newest step in Operation Save John?"
"Operation Save John? And here I was hoping for something more original out of you."
"I like to think I'm original in most areas, ask your brother." She gives Sam a cheeky grin, leaving the boys in the motel room and climbing into the backseat of the Impala. I swear, by the time all this is over this seat will have a permanent imprint of my ass. Sam and Dean come out of the room a few minutes later, stuffing their bags in the trunk on top of the false bottom before getting in. "So, should I tap my heels together three times and think to myself there's no place like home or are you gonna start the car?" Dean is gripping the steering wheel tightly, staring straight ahead. Elizabeth rests her hand on his shoulder, making him jump and let out a small squeak.
"What," he asks hurriedly.
"Are you okay, Dean?"
"Fine, I'm fine. Why? Why do you ask?" There's a panicky note in his voice that lets the others know to keep a good eye on him today. Dean isn't the type of guy that talks about how he's feeling, raised up in John's toxic masculinity to believe that emotions only make things worse.
"You know what, why don't I drive today," Sam suggests, trying to sound casual.
"Uh…. Yeah, okay." They switch seats, Dean putting on his sunglasses and beginning to snore a few seconds after that.
"Maybe I should do this by myself, Dean seems really upset."
"He'd be even more upset if you left him behind," Elizabeth points out quietly so as not to wake Dean up. "We're a team, Sammy, and if you go somewhere, we go."
"We're all in this together?" She laughs at the High School Musical reference, giving Sam a nod. "God, Lilly has ruined my movie taste."
"Yeah, that's her latest hobby."