Lies We Tell ~ Dean Winchester

XXII.

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Erin

Dean had been unconscious for nearly a day. Despite needing massive blood transfusions and almost eighty stitches he had been labeled a difficult patient when he tried to leave on his own immediately after getting stitched up. The doctors were now wisely keeping him sedated to give his body a chance to heal.

I was sitting in one of the chairs beside his bed with my legs folded up underneath me. The door opened and I turned to see Sam. He had dutifully been manning the chair on the other side of the bed. He handed me a cup of coffee.

"Thanks," I said wrapping my palms around it.

Sam nodded, taking a sip of his own. Exhaustion lined his face, as did the stress of seeing his brother in the hospital again. I remembered what Dean had told me about his last time in the hospital. Sam had nearly lost him. If it wasn't for the deal John made with the demon he would have. It accounted for the low level worry coming off of Sam like static electricity, that no matter how hard I shielded I couldn't ignore.

"I just got off the phone with Bobby," Sam said taking a sip of his coffee.

I lifted my eyebrows. Bobby had been called away suddenly last night. Neither he nor Sam had given me any details. So either it was something they didn't trust me with, or they were worried I was too fragile after what had happened. I probably could have dropped my wall and found out, but honestly I had been too exhausted to care. 

"You know that witch out in Kulm?" He asked.

I nodded.

"She's dead."

I froze for a minute in shock. "Seriously?" I asked breathlessly, remembering her ominous last words. "It was us," I said.

Sam scowled. "You didn't kill her, Bobby said she was torn apart, looked like a wild animal. At least that's what the police are calling it."

Bile rose in my throat. Demons. "It's my fault," I said. Everyone I came across paid the price, I looked down at Dean, even him.

"You don't know that, Bobby said she had all kinds of shady contacts."

I shot him an incredulous look. We both knew why she had ended up dead. Erin Beckett strikes again. I closed my eyes. I was so tired of death and violence and pain.

Sam cleared his throat. "Any change?" He asked gesturing to his brother, even though he had only been gone for half an hour.

I welcomed the distraction from my dark thoughts and slid my hand over Dean's. I shook my head after a moment pulling my hands back into my lap. "Still nothing," I reported for maybe the fiftieth time.

"And you're sure it's just because he's drugged?" Sam pressed.

I nodded. "I would feel if he were dreaming, and..." I worried my lip, uncertain if I should say the next piece.

"And...?" Sam asked.

I trusted Sam in a way, but had only ever gone into detail about my power with Dean. "Well, I can feel ghosts," I told him.

Sam pulled back with a frown. "You can?"

I nodded. "Yeah, if I'm not shielding hospitals are pretty tough places for me to be, but I would know." I promised him gently.

Instead of looking reassured, like I had hoped, Sam looked thoughtful. "You could tell when people were possessed," he pointed out.

"Yeah, I don't get anything from them unless they touch me. Then I can't block the demon."