Love Heals All Wounds, A Supernatural FanFic

Chapter 6: An Open Wound

        As Jo worked on finishing her chores for the night, Dean dragged the still knocked out hunters outside of the Roadhouse by their shirt collars. The older Winchester had dropped them just outside the Roadhouse and closed the doors on them, locking up. He had tried to talk to Jo once, but stopped his attempt after he realized that she wasn't in the mood for talking. To be honest, she was feeling rather drained of all energy, including energy for talking. With everything that had happened today, it was a miracle that she hadn't passed out on the floor by now. The blonde walked out from behind the counter and grabbed Dean’s empty glass from the table he had been sitting at.

        Just as she turned to walk back to the counter, Jo ran straight into a solid mass and the glass slipped from her hand. The sound of glass shattering and splintering on the floor was almost deafening to the exhausted Jo. She sighed heavily and ignored Dean’s continuous apologies as she kneeled down to clean up the mess the glass had made. “Jo…?” Dean asked softly, as she pulled a dish rag out of her pocket.

        “What do you want, Dean?” Her voice was flat as she began to use the rag to brush the glass into a small pile on the floor. Jo heard him take in a breath, about to say something, when her hand slipped from the cloth and the end of her hand was sliced by a shard of glass. A gasp of pain escaped her lips as crimson liquid streamed from the cut on her hand. “Dammit,” she hissed, grabbing the towel and pressing it to the cut.

        “Jo?” Dean asked, the worry thick in his voice. “Are you alright?” Jo shook her head in frustration and pushed herself off the floor, heading back to the counter. She grabbed the medical kit and threw the lid open.

        “I’m fine,” she said, her voice remaining flat. Jo grabbed a bandage out of the plastic box and attempted to open the packaging with only one hand. With a huff of frustration, Dean went to her side and grabbed the bandage out of her hand.

        “Go sit down,” he ordered with a firm voice. Jo’s eyes flicked up to meet his, determination heavy in her expression. He held her gaze, “I’ll just throw you over my shoulder if you say no.” Her eyes narrowed slightly and she brushed past him, walking over to the other side of the counter and sat down on one of the stools. A triumphant smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he met her on the other side of the counter, claiming the stool beside the blonde.

        Jo kept her gaze on the worn woodwork of the countertop as Dean gently took her injured hand, removing the bloody rag from her grasp. His rough fingers brushed against her smooth skin in such a tenderness that Jo never expected from the hunter. Slowly, she lifted her gaze from the counter to his hazel-green eyes. Those all that were filled with so much hurt and confusion made her sad. Jo wanted to reach out and comfort him more than anything in that moment, but it was not her place to. Besides, she had made her vow.

        Dean held her gaze for a short moment before glancing down at the medical kit. He held her hand in his while the other opened the plastic lid. He rummaged around a little before he pulled out some disinfectant and a bandage.  The hunter kept his eyes on his work as he sprayed the disinfectant on Jo’s cut and proceeded to bandage her hand. Jo’s eyes followed his movements, her heart hammering in her chest as his familiar scent overwhelmed her from their close proximity. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to examine his face. His expression was blank, but his eyes still held that sadness. She had upset him.

        “Dean,” her voice was almost a whisper. “I’m-”, but she didn’t get a chance to finish. Dean had pressed his fingers to her lips, cutting her off.

        “There’s no need for you to apologize,” he said, his voice more soft than usual. “I’m the one who should be sorry.” He slowly withdrew his fingers from her lips and Jo let out the breath that she didn’t know she had been holding. A small smiles across his lips, “I shouldn’t have tried to ‘save’ you from your mother. I should have trusted you to take care of her like I trusted you to take care of those two morons.” Jo’s eyes widened in surprise, in the few times that she and Dean had crossed paths, she never knew him to apologize, let alone admit that he was wrong.

        Slowly, Dean rubbed circles in the palm of her hand as they held each other’s gaze. “So,” he said, his smiling widening a bit as he broke their for a moment to glance down at their hands before his green orbs flicked back up to meet her brown ones. “Do you accept my apology?”

        Jo blinked in surprise. Almost as if she were in a daze, her lips parted ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath, her lips parted more to respond to his question. However, once again, she was cut off. Someone walked up behind Jo and cleared their throat.

        “Am I interrupting something?” Sam asked, a small smirk plastered on his lips as he leaned against the counter, arms folded across his chest.