After the courtship

One

Chapter 1

Jody and Ivy

Ivy folded her arms across her chest as Jody explained that it wasn't safe to tell her brother that she was alive; it was safer for her and everyone she cared about if they believed that she was dead. Two weeks in the ICU, Jody had convinced the doctor to go along with the lie telling Dean, Cas, and Jimmy that Ivy had lost her battle and passed away. Ivy thought the whole thing was a stupid idea.

"We have to tell Dean. He will blame himself," Ivy begged. She was still on a small amount of bed rest while her brain healed.

"Ivy, you know we can't. It's for your safety and Dean's," Jody said in a tone trying to be convincing. Still, deep down, she knew the isolation was killing Ivy.

"But, Dean, he... what's the word? he..." Ivy threw her arms up, giving up on trying to figure it out.

"I know, sweetheart, we will tell him soon," Jody said, rubbing Ivy's shoulder.

"Ok, but if something happens to Dean, I'm blaming you," Ivy said, narrowing her eyes and pointing at Jody.

"Ok fair enough," Jody said, putting her hands up, letting Ivy know that she was on her way to the fake funeral.

Jody headed out Ivy's funeral. Dean and Ivy didn't have any family, so she said she would attend feeling like a hypocrite. Still, these men needed to be held accountable for what they had done to Ivy. Dean was a mess at the funeral. He couldn't even say anything. Their friend Benny shared a few stories about Ivy from when they were kids and how sweet and kind she was, and how no one deserved what happened to her. Jimmy said a few things. He was a mess like Dean. He looked like he had slept in days or gotten out of bed for that matter; he shared what Ivy had taught him and promised that he would live up to her memory. All this was killing Jody. She wanted to break down, tell all of them it was a fake body, the funeral all of it, but she couldn't. Ivy's safety was of utmost importance.

Jody got a call about an OD and said that she specifically needed to go to the hospital. She headed to the emergency room. Jody's heart dropped when she spotted Jimmy and Cas in the waiting area still in their dress clothes. It had only been an hour since everyone left the funeral.

"What the hell happened?" Jody asked softly, walking up to the men.

"I don't know, I.. he didn't say anything he went into the room," Cas said, rubbing his face, "I should think of went with him," he added, his voice thick with worry and tears.

"You couldn't have known; he's gonna be ok. He's a fighter like his sister," Jody said.

"Yeah, that turned out great," Jimmy said sarcastically.

"Look, go be with him. I'll let the doctor know you are family. It will be ok," Jody said, hoping that would be helpful, but in truth, she didn't know what to say. She knew Dean would take Ivy's death hard, but she didn't think he would try anything.

"Ok, ok," Cas said, putting his hands up.

Jody talked to the doctor, who seems optimistic about Dean's recovery. She told him that Jimmy and Cas were the only families Dean had left. They should be able to sit with him. He agreed to say they would help him wake up. Jody took a deep breath, getting into their curser shaking her head as she headed to the house to let Ivy know what had happened to Dean. She wants to avoid the topic altogether, but she knew Ivy would ask about her brother might as well get it out of the way.

Jody opened the front door and closed it before calling out, "Ivy, you up?" she called.

"Here," Ivy called from the living room, "Why they show these on TV?" she asked, watching the news seeing the video of her being wheeled into the room of men waiting for her.