The Way

Chapter 3

     Deanna sat in the empty bathtub of the current seedy motel they were staying at. She held a full bottle of whisky in one hand, and the other held her knees up to her chest. She stared hard at the bottle contemplating taking a giant swig, and following with finishing the entire bottle by herself. Then reality hit her and she realized she didn't even like whisky. Hell she had never really been a drinker. A lot of it had to do with her always being sick. She finally sat the bottle on the floor and sighed heavily wishing it would be that easy for her to drown he troubles in the bottom of a bottle.

Her mind wondered back a few weeks when her brothers had taken her to a hospital because they found her passed out. Once again they started running tests, but her brothers didn't stay to comfort her. There was work to be done, and they had to keep going. They forgot how Sam had flat out refused to leave Dean when he had electrocuted himself. It had always been like that though. One of them would be in the hospital and the other refused to go despite what the other said, but when she was in the hospital bed she as always alone while there was work to be done. While she was prodded and poked like a science project they were going about their life like she didn't even exist. Perhaps that's what it was. They were prepared for the worst. She wished she couldn't blame them for that, but deep down it hurt that they were so ready for her to be gone.

Ana was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of a ringing phone, and Sam's voice echoed through the motel room calling for Dean to answer it. When he didn't Sam did; voice tired and barely audible. She stood up and walked to the wall beside the cracked door and leaned there. She listened to one end of a conversation that sounded like Sam might actually care about their father. She couldn't believe that no matter how much she wanted.

From Sam's end of the conversation he sounded concerned their father was hurt. She guessed he wasn't when Sam went on to tell him they had been looking for them. Then telling him they were all fine, but she wasn't fine. She was never fine anymore. That seemed like a foreign concept to her now. Being just fine...she knew she wasn't. She was dying; her body was slowly giving out. Most days she would barley breath and when she did it was covered in land hard coughs. She was always tired, and couldn't even eat half the time. Between the pale skin and black eyes she looked like she was already dead. Her father wouldn't know that though because Sam hadn't told him how skinny she had gotten or that the last time she had had a full meal was months ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Dean had told their father he was getting a piece of paper, but for what? She had zoned out. The conversation ended with Dean telling their father that Deana was getting worse, and needed him. When Dean hung up she could hear the defeated breath.

"He's not coming for her is he?" Sam asked sounding disgusted.

"No he...he said it's safer for all of us this way." Dean answered

She heard Sam getting up, and things being slammed. Dean called out his name, but there was a long pause before Sam's angry voice finally answered, "Damn it Dean! His only daughter is wasting away to nothing. I don't know what to do for her Dean. Believe me I have looked. So we are just supposed to do our job, forge she's dying? Forget he had found this thing?"

"We have to Sammy."

The impala rumbled down a lonely highway with Sam in the driver's seat watching the dark road pass by. Dean sat in the passenger seat reading a piece of paper while Deana sat in the back staring ahead trying to make since of the conversation she had heard her brothers having earlier. Part of her wanted to believe they cared, but it was hard after so many years of feeling rejected. She pulled the large blanket tighter around her fighting the chill she had. It seemed she was always cold lately.