CROSSROADS ☁︎ Supernatural

PART 18 - DEAN

Dean kept checking on Riley's breathing and continued doing that even after they put her into the bed upstairs for some rest. They both stayed by her side except for short breaks to stretch their legs or to call Bobby to share news on their patients.

"I have to change her bandages." Sam came back from his break with the emergency kit in his hands. Dean propped himself up in his armchair and nodded. None of them dared to wake her up however long it was she was sleeping. She hardly moved but she did and that was enough for them at the moment.

Sam lifted Riley's hand as gently as his big hands let him but Riley winced at his touch and hissed in pain.

"Shhh, I'm sorry," Sam whispered to her as she opened her eyes. "It's me. You need your bandages changed."

She checked her forearms. "It's okay," she rasped and tried to get herself up.

"Easy," Sammy helped her to sit, "You can lay ..."

"I've done enough of that," she blinked a couple of times waiting for the pressure in her head to even. "Are we still at Bobby's?" She was checking on her whereabouts and it was a bittersweet sign.

The demon kept her conscious so she could pry some information out of him but at the same time... she felt all of the torture they put her through. Dean wondered how she wasn't running away to hide from them after all he had to do to her to get to the demon.

"Yeah, still Bobby's," Sam reassured her, "we're only upstairs. He says hi, by the way. He's with Dad."

"How is he?" Riley was eager to know. But Sam couldn't get himself to answer.

"Same," Dean finally engaged in the conversation.

Riley was relieved and disappointed at the same time. "I'm so sorry," she said.

"Speaking of... Did you get something out of the demon? Anything?" Dean went on.

She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. It wouldn't let me in."

"It's okay," he sighed sinking back into the armchair. "Just let Sammy change the bandages."

After her bandages were all clean, Riley refused breakfast in bed. She was still sore but so much better than when they were patching her up. There were no hallucinations, as far as they could tell she was in full consciousness. Her feet gave her up few times but they both helped her down the stairs and sat her in the kitchen.

Sliding door wouldn't let her see the scene of the crime, they let no triggers get her back into her misery. The blood was gone and carpet covered the floor again, only the whole floor was investigating board now, full of pictures of mystic creatures.

Bobby brought food last night, so they fed her and let her warm up with a cup of cocoa milk she drunk with a straw because her hands were still too weak to move. Bobby would have it in stock at all times since he made that for the boys while he drank coffee when they were little. Old habits die hard. However pleasant their family breakfast was, they needed to know ...

"I'm sorry, Riley, but we just have to ask ..." Sam brought the inevitable to the table.

"It's okay. Ask away," she said. "I'm just afraid there is not much to tell to help you guys."

So they were asking about the demon, about how she was spending time, what's actually going on while the demon was inside. It obviously changes from person to person but all they cared about was Riley.

"Near to the end I totally blacked out and then there were you guys asking me if I was ... well, me. How did it got out?" She had questions herself.