Fire In My Bones

20. In My Time of Dying

The demon-possessed truck driver stepped out of his truck and walked over. John, Dean and Maura were unconscious. Sam swallowed, barely awake. The demon pulled the driver's side door off its hinges and Sam pointed the Colt at him.

"Back," Sam demanded. "Or I'll kill you, I swear to God."

"You won't," the demon said. "You're saving the bullet for someone else."

Sam cocked the gun. "You wanna bet?"

The demon smiled before black smoke poured from the man, who collapsed. Sam uncocked the gun and dropped his head back in relief.

"Oh, my God!" the man cried.

"Dad?" Sam called.

"Did I do this?"

"Dad! Dean? Maura? Dean! Maura!"

The next morning, a rescue helicopter arrived on scene.

The four were being loaded onto stretchers. John, Dean and Maura were still unconscious, Sam was awake.

One paramedic looked over Dean. "Significant passenger side intrusion. Unresponsive. BP is 180 over 60, heart rate 95."

Another looked over Maura. "Significant intrusion. Also unresponsive. BP is 175 over 55, heart rate 90."

"Tell me if they're okay!" Sam cried.

"You have to stay still!" a female paramedic told him.

"Are they even still alive?"

HOSPITAL

In his room, Dean sat up, worked his jaw, and got out of bed. He was wearing a white T-shirt, hospital pants and nothing else.

In Maura's room, she sat up and moved her head from side to side. She was also in a white T-shirt and hospital pants.

He went into the hallway. "Sam? Dad? Maura? Anybody?"

Dean noticed Maura who was staring at him and the two went down the stairs to the front of the hospital and found a nurse's station. "Excuse me. Hi. I, uh, I think my friend and I were in a car accident, my dad, my brother and her friend, we just need to find them." The nurse was unresponsive. "Hello?" He snapped his fingers before going upstairs, panicked, and found himself intubated on his bed, dying.

Maura ran to her room and found herself in the same state.

Sam entered Dean's room. He stopped at the door and stared at his brother's body, breathing heavily. If he was reacting this way to seeing his brother, he couldn't imagine how he'd feel seeing the girl who was a good friend of his.

"Sammy!" Dean exclaimed. "You look good. Considering."

"Oh, no," Sam said.

"Man, tell me you can hear me."

"Sammy?" Maura called in a desperate tone. "Please tell me you can hear me."

"How's Dad? Is he okay? Come on, you're the psychic. Give me some ghost whispering or something!"

The doctor entered. "Your father's awake. You can go see him if you like."

"Thank God," Dean mumbled.

"Doc, what about my brother and friend?" Sam asked.

"Well, they sustained serious injury; blood loss, contusions to their liver and kidney," the doctor informed. "But it's the head trauma I'm worried about. There's early signs of cerebral edema."

"Well, what can we do?"

"Well, we won't know their full condition until they wake up. If they wake up."