A Torn Family

Chapter 9

After an unfortunate run in with a puddle, a monster, and a taser gun, I had ended up in the hospital. Sam was outside the room, dealing with the cops and the doctors, and all that shit. Dean sat in the crummy hospital bed with me while we flipped through crappy daytime television.

"Just give up, Dean." I grumbled, sounding as awful as I looked. "There's nothing good on."

"It's daytime tv, Kiddo." Dean sighed as Sam walked into the room. "It's supposed to be terrible."

"I talked to your doctor."

"I know." I groaned as I struggled to sit up straighter. Dean used his shoulder to prop me up a little more. "Looks like you boys are gonna leave town without me."

"What are you talking about?" Sam masked his sadness with a fake smile. "We're not gonna leave you here. I'm not gonna leave you here."

"Just don't let Dean get in a car wreck." I grumbled, shifting against Dean's broad shoulder. "I'll haunt both your asses if anything happens to Baby. Also, if anyone asks how I died, don't say I was shocked in a puddle; tell them I was... I dunno... stabbed or something cool like that."

"I don't think that's funny." Sam answered bluntly.

"Sure you don't." I sighed, shifting again. Dean put a hand on my ribs to keep me still. "You're a college boy, you don't get cheap humor. Dean thinks I'm hilarious. Don'tcha Dean-o?"

"It's a little funny." Dean didn't smile when he answered. "It'd be really funny if it weren't you in this situation... Or me, or Sam."

"Tough room." I grumbled to myself. "What can I say, it's a dangerous job. I just drew the short straw. That's it. End of story, carry on. I think there's a QUEEN song about that. And a Kansas song. There's a lot of songs about carrying on."

"Don't talk like that, Sis, we still have options."

"Good idea." I cracked a smile. "Burial or cremation. Personally I wanna be cremated. Maybe find that old field, the one we set off fireworks in that one time. You know, when we were kids, Dad was out. Spread my ashes there. Pretty good eternal resting place."

"I'm gonna step out for a minute." Dean kissed the side of my head before moving out of the room. Sam kept his eyes on the floor as Dean passed.

"I know it's not easy, Sammy. But I'm gonna die." Sam's expression shifted from sadness to anger. "There's nothing you can do to stop it. And there's no way in hell you're putting yourselves on the line to save me."

"Watch me."

"Watch you what?" I called after Sam. "Samuel William Winchester if you do something stupid I will fucking murder your sorry ass. Where's Dean? Someone get my dumb brother to stop my dumber brother from getting himself killed! Sam!"

***

Sam found a dude in Nebraska, some kind of miracle man. I didn't want to go, thought the guy was a fraud, but Dean literally dragged me out to the car. Wouldn't even let me sit by myself, my stupid overbearing brother, Dean sat in the backseat so I could lean on him.

"I still can't believe you boys are taking me to a guy that heals people out of a tent. You are aware of what century it is, yes?"

"It wasn't my idea." Dean wrapped his arm around my waist, and I didn't bother to shake him off. "I don't buy into this shit either, Kid, but we're desperate. I'll try just about anything."

"Maybe it's time for you guys to have some faith." Sam instructed. "I mean, how can you guys be skeptics with the things we see everyday."

"I've seen that shit, Baby Brother." I looked at him, knowing just how awful I must've appeared. "I know it exists. This stuff though, miracles don't just happen. That's not reality."

"Maybe God works in mysterious ways." Some lady with an umbrella cut in. Dean unwrapped his arm from my waist, and I stumbled slightly. I didn't need him to stand, but he had been there. So I had leaned on him a little bit. Sam caught me, and I let him take my weight, even though I was perfectly fine.

"Maybe he does." Dean flirted with the girl. "I think you just turned me around on the subject. Let's get you cured, Kiddo."

"Sure." The pretty lady laughed.

"I'm Dean." He stuck out his hand for her to shake. "This is my little brother, Sam. And that's our sister, Lucy. Sister, not girlfriend."

"I'm Layla." She shook Dean's hand with a smile, ignoring his 'sister not girlfriend' comment. "So, if you're not a believer, then why are you here?"

"We do crazy things for our family." Dean glanced quickly at me. "And our little brother here, apparently believes enough for all of us."

An older lady, probably Layla's mother, came over and guided her inside. I glared at Dean who looked at me innocently. We wandered into the freaky white tent that made me think of death, oh the irony, and I plopped down on a bench in the back. Only for Sam to drag me back to my feet and insist we sit near the front. I shot Dean some convincing, pleading looks, but he shrugged. I couldn't even be mad at him for not helping me. Sam was pretty damn insistent on the whole miracle man shebang. I planned on giving him loads of shit for it with the little time I had left.

Sam pushed Dean into the furthest seat and made me take the aisle. He sat right between us, so that Dean and I couldn't mess around. It was a smart move on his part, I still didn't like it though. I was okay with dying, just as long as I got to spend my last days with my brothers, just goofing around. A dude in a suit and sunglasses stepped up to a microphone, and I concluded he was the miracle man. And the sunglasses hinted at the fact that he was blind.

"Each morning, my wife, Sue-Ann, reads me the news. Never seems good, does it?" There were murmurs of agreement as he spoke, and it wasn't hard to tell everyone but Dean and I strongly believed in the dudes healing crap. "Seems like there's always someone committing some immoral, unspeakable act. But I say to you, God is watching!"

I sighed in annoyance as the crowd mumbled their agreement. Sam elbowed me. Rude.