Smile, The Worst is Yet to Come

Part 4

Bobby was reading over some papers in his study when Sam burst in. The swift action caused the homeowner to jump but he restrained from berating the man that was standing in the doorway with an apologetic smile. Dean was out in the yard somewhere playing with car parts but Bobby had assumed that Sam had been loitering around him.

"I was going to pop into town to get some groceries," Sam said with a smile, "We've been eating you out of house and home. Is there anything that you want?"

He scratched his whiskers and swallowed, thinking, "Have you asked Dean about this trip?"

Sam seemed confused for a moment but quickly recovered and answered, "Yes, of course."

"What did he say?"

"He say that I can go..." This was beginning to annoy him, not that he let it show. Recently, they had both been treating him like a child and Sam had just about had enough of it. He could drive to the nearest Goddamned town without dying, for christ's sake.

"Just pick me up some milk then." Sam rolled his eyes at the ordinary request. As if he wasn't going to pick up milk anyway?

"Sure thing." He tapped the doorframe of the study as he left.

Within minutes, Bobby could hear the engine of the Impala grumbling to life from out the front of the old house. He rolled his eyes at Sam and how his behaviour seemed to switch so easily. Dismissing any further thought, he returned to his papers to continue reading.

----

It was over an hour later when Bobby stretched and listened as almost all of his joints seemed to click at once. He chuckled at his own body and the treacherous curse of ageing.

The old man wandered into the kitchen where he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and leant against the back door casually. He could see Dean in the distance with his head under the hood of an old junker. Searching for parts, Bobby assumed.

At his leisurely pace, it took the hunter a few minutes to make his way out to the other man. The younger had headphones in and was clearly listening to one of his rock tracks as suggested by the way he tapped his fingers against the old metal and bobbed his head to the music. Tapping his shoulder caused the young man to jump.

"Ergh!! Oh, Bobby." He took a moment to steady his breathing, "Careful man, you could give someone a heart attack." Looking over at the house, Dean asked in curiosity, "Where's Sam?"

A crease formed in Bobby's brow, his lips parted as he thought over what he was about to say, "He went into town, you know that... Right?"

"You let him go into town alone?!" Dean cried, appalled.

Raising his hands in a surrendering gesture, Bobby argued, "He said that he'd asked you!"

"We're talking about Sam! Of course he didn't ask me!" Sam's stubborn independence always seemed to get in the way at the worst times, "Come on, get your truck. We'll have to go and find him."

They couldn't just let Sam drive around South Dakota in the state he was in. That would be practically suicide for the overtired, sick young man. They raced to the truck and set off in the direction Sam took an hour earlier.

~~ An Hour Earlier ~~

"So, Mr MacHoven, what are your symptoms?" The doctor leant forward as she flicked her long hair over his shoulder. Normally, Sam would be all over her; a smart, beautiful woman, what's not to love? But today, he really wasn't feeling himself. Flirting wasn't in the picture.

"A constant cough, a heavy pressure on my chest, I've been constantly tired and this morning, I couldn't keep my food down." He admitted grimly.

She straightened in her chair. A professional attitude seemed to fall over her.

"Have you been having headaches and have you been eating regularly?" She asked as she rapidly typed into the keyboard.

He seemed shocked that she knew, "Occasionally but they've been mild so I tend to just ignore them till they pass. I eat when I'm hungry but that's not been so much since I've felt ill."

She turned to him on her spiny office chair, "Mr MacHoven, I'd just like to run a few tests before I set a diagnosis. When can we book you in for a blood test?"

He swallowed, it sounded serious if they wanted to do tests, "It might sound odd but do you have any free space in the next thirty minutes?"

She frowned but clicked into the data base, "Maybe I can get sister Jebeoh to fit you in before Mrs Frederick..." She played with the idea before coming up with a firm decision, "We will try and get you in for twenty minutes time, is that okay?"

"That's fantastic!" He smiled.