Hi all!

Just to check: Did yall get notifications that I posted a chapter a couple days ago? I usually get an email from FF and AO3 when I post a chapter but didn't and when I didn't get any usual feedback, I was worried yall didn't know I posted! So if you haven't already, check that you read the last chapter. Otherwise this one will have you confused lol

On with the show!

PS: It's my birthday week! I am now in my season one Dean era lol

Sam sat at a table in the corner, far away from the other patients. After a rough first night and morning group therapy session, it was "recreation time"; whatever the hell that meant. Some patients went outside to the courtyard and some opted to stay inside in some sort of sad game room. There was fooseball and ping pong on one side of the room. On the other side were shelves with books and board games. Everyone was scattered around, sort of doing their own thing, leaving Sam all to his own at a table in the corner.

"Need an opponent?" a girl asked, walking over to where Sam was sitting. He gave her a confused look. She pointed to the box containing a checker set sitting in front of him. Sam blushed, not even noticing that that had been there this entire time. "Or are you one of those people with a split personality disorder?"

Sam half-laughed at the objectionable joke. "Have a seat," he said, gesturing to the other chair.

The girl sat down, dumped out the box's contents and started setting up the board game. Sam couldn't help but notice the big bandages on her forearms.

She seemed to have caught him staring. "Involuntary 51/50 hold," she explained. She rolled up one of her sleeves to show Sam how high the bandage went. "I'm bipolar and had a bad depressive episode. Neighbor called the cops on me and now I'm here."

Sam nodded in sympathy. "I'm sorry."

The girl shrugged. "It's whatever. It's not my first and it won't be my last."

Sam helped her line up all the chips on the board.

"What about you?" she asked politely. Sam winced as he tried to find a way to answer. "It's okay. You don't have to tell me." She made the first move. "Honestly, I just saw you sitting over here by yourself and thought I'd start a conversation. I can tell you're new here."

Sam played the next one. "My girlfriend died. And I had to drop out of college and move home. I'm just having trouble adjusting to the change."

She took her turn. "I'm sorry."

Sam took his. "Thanks."

She jumped Sam's piece. "Wanna talk about her?"

Sam moved a new chip. "No."

She moved hers. "You know they'll make you talk about her in here, right? Might as well anyway."

Sam scoffed. "It's not like they can cut into my brain and force it out of me."

"Ooooo dark!" She slid her piece onto his side of the board. "King me."

Sam smiled, happily obliging. "I'm Sam."

The girl smiled back. "Meg."

When 7pm rolled around, it was visiting hour. One of the nurses knocked on Sam's door and walked him out to the visiting room for families. It felt weirdly like prison; just tables in a big conference room with families sitting at each one. The nurse kindly gestured to a table in the middle of the room where Mary and John sat waiting. "Sammy," Mary whispered, standing to greet him. Sam immediately went in for the hug, feeling like he had missed her his whole life when it had only been one day.

"Hi Mom," he whispered back. Mary released herself from the hug first, running her thumbs across his face. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry.

"Hey Bud, you doing okay here?" John asked, helping his wife and son have a seat at the table.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Are you making friends?" Mary asked.

Sam scoffed. "Mom it's not summer camp."

"Well, I'm sure you're talking to someone!" Mary commended. "Please don't tell me you're locked in your room all day by yourself."

I already do that anyway. "I'm fine," Sam said, faking a smile. "I promise."

Sam looked over at the empty chair on the other side of the table and frowned. Mary and John followed his line of sight and looked at each other once they realized. Mary took Sam's hand and squeezed it. "They only let in two visitors at a time," she explained gently, "but we promised Dean he could come see you tomorrow if you want."

Sam shifted in his chair. "He doesn't have to if he doesn't want to," he said, trying to dismiss the idea.

"Oh, but he does!" Mary continued. "He misses you and he's really worried about you."

"He is?" Sam was surprised. That doesn't sound like Dean...

"He's your big brother. He just wants to know that you're okay."

Sam smiled again, this time genuinely. "I'm okay."

Mary and John stayed the whole hour.

After visiting hour, Sam ran into Meg again. She was waiting for him in his room, holding two cups of Jello and two plastic spoons. "You wouldn't believe how easy it is to sneak these," she said, holding one up towards Sam. He happily took it, rolling it around in his hands and sitting next to her on the bed. "How was visiting hour?"

Sam shrugged. "It was alright. My parents came."

"Must be nice," Meg said. Sam couldn't help but feel like it was a backhanded comment towards herself.

Sam felt like he had to keep talking to fill the awkward energy in the room. "Yeah. I guess my brother might come tomorrow."

Meg didn't say anything. She pulled the top off her jello and started eating it.

"Do you have anyone come to visit?" Sam found himself asking.

Meg shrugged. "I had a boyfriend once. Then he realized how crazy I am and left."

"You're not crazy," Sam defended. "Bipolar disorder is a mental illness that can be treated, right?"

"Well! Look who is conscientious!" Meg joked. Sam rolled his eyes. "Were you a psych major or something, college boy?"

"Criminal justice."

"Close enough."

Sam looked down at the jello in his hands. He peeled off the top, sticking his spoon in and mashing it around rather than eating it. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Because your girlfriend died?" Meg asked with a mouthful of jello.

"What if I said I keep seeing dreams of her dying? About the night she was murdered?"

Meg hummed. She scooted closer to Sam on the bed. "Did you kill her?"

Yes. "No."

Meg scooted even closer. Sam could smell the cherry jello on her breath. "I think whoever killed her is the crazy one," she said in a low voice. "Not you."

Sam was aware of how close she was, and yet he did nothing to stop it. "I miss her."

Meg tucked a piece of hair behind his ear. "You wouldn't if you were crazy." She started to slowly lean in. Her lips were an inch away from Sam's when he jumped from the bed.

"You should go," he said, clearing his throat and heading towards the door to the room. "It's almost lights out and I'm pretty sure you could get in trouble for being in here."

Meg didn't argue. She stood up and walked over to him. "Goodnight Sam. Thanks for joining me for a snack."

And then she left the room.

coffeeaddict13