Until the End | A Supernatural~Destiel Fic

Chapter 5

Dean had no idea where he was going, or what he was going to do when he got there. But he was out, and that's good enough for him.

He started by driving into town, looking around for a job to apply to.

The auto repair shop he used to work at was hiring a new mechanic, but Dean couldn't stand being there anymore. It was bad enough that the backseat of the Impala still smelled of Castiel from the few hunts all three of the boys went on together.

But being in that car shop would only remind Dean that Cas wouldn't be there to bring him lunch everyday and ask him what all the little pieces were and what all the tools were called, only to forget the next day and ask the same exact things. But Dean never minded.

So he kept going, until he came across a place called Jackson's, hiring a bar tender. He walked in and applied, which was unnecessary: he was already guaranteed a job, seeing as they were short handed as it was.

He started immediately, pouring drinks behind the counter and cleaning up drunk men's spills.

He makes $8 an hour, plus tips; those tips mainly being from women who found him attractive, but Dean didn't accept those compliments like he used to. He took the money, of course. But it just wasn't the same, and it never will be.

~

Dean's shift ended around 9:00 p.m., so he gathered his earnings and made his way back to the bunker.

It wasn't until then that he realized how far away the bar was from home. A good 25 minutes, there and back. He'd actually have to put some effort into this job.

When he got into the car, he checked his phone: four missed calls from Sam. Looking back, he probably should have left a note for Sam so he didn't worry.

He decided to just wait to talk to Sam until he got home.

He was only driving for about 10 minutes before his phone rang. It was Sam.

Dean hesitated before answering. He took a deep breath and hit 'answer.'

"Hey, Sammy." Dean said with his calmest tone of voice.

"What the hell, Dean?! I was worried sick! You didn't answer my calls or tell me where you were going. I thought-. I thought you might have--" That was all Sam could get out before choking on his words.

Dean closed his eyes and sighed. "I know, Sammy. I'm sorry. I just couldn't keep feeling sorry for myself anymore. I had to get out. So I did. I got a job at Jackson's, you know, that bar outside of town?"

Sam was shocked. "Oh, w-wow Dean. That's great. I'm really proud of you, Dean."

Dean smiled. "Thanks, brother. You know, I feel like this is a big step in mov--" was all Dean could get out before everything went dark, and the line went dead.

"Hello?" Sam said. "Dean, ya there? Dean?! Dean!"

~~~

"911. What is your emergency?"

Sam struggled for words as he attempted to string together a sentence amidst everything else flying about in his brain.

The second Dean's line went dead, Sam ran. He ran out the bunker and onto the highway and ran until he was on the main road.

He ran and he kept running while he waited for the all-too-familiar voice of a 911 operator.

"You've gotta help me! I think my brother's been in a car crash...he was talking and his line went dead and I can't reach him," he said before he stopped talking so he could breathe, but didn't stop running.

"What is your location, sir?"

"Interstate 33...westbound...Lebanon, Kansas. Please hurry!" Sam fought back tears that would interfere with his ability to keep running, running towards his brother, his brother who he feared didn't have much time.

"Ok, sir. We are sending help now. Please stay on the li-" The operator could not finish, for Sam had already hung up in a futile attempt to help his balance.

Sam wasn't sure how long he'd been running. All he knew was that he couldn't stop.

He had no concept of time, but rather of reaching his dying brother.

He heard sirens soon enough, approaching from behind him. He wouldn't waste any time signaling them to get a ride...but rather let them get there and save Dean.

The ambulance passed him by and sped down the interstate.

A few moments passed of Sam endlessly pushing himself to keep running, but he could tell he was getting closer, because the sound of the sirens was becoming louder.

He ran as fast as he could, faster than he ever had before, and finally reached the site of the crash...only to stop, dead and cold in his tracks.

The emergency medical team was pulling Dean's body out from the wreckage. The lifelessness his body gave off made Sam assume only the worst.

His body ached from running so far, but he still found it in himself to rush over to Dean.

He could feel the tears forming in his eyes. As he ran and as he cried, his heart sunk.

This is all my fault, he thought. Why did I have to call him? He would be safe and alright if I had just waited no more than 10 minutes.

As he got closer, a police officer and an extra medical associate tried to hold him back, and that's when he broke.

"That's my brother! That's my...my brother!" The two men had let him pass, but it wasn't until Sam reached the gurney Dean was on that he felt as though the greatest force anyone could possibly imagine was on his shoulders, weighing him down and away to the ends of the earth.

Dean had newly formed cuts on his face, and surely on his arms, for glass was sticking out from on top of his leather jacket. His face was purple and blue along the right side where his head hit the dashboard from the force of the collision.

The nurses were discussing about how they had never seen someone be in a crash this severe without dying instantly.

~

Dean was breathing...barely. He had been in the ambulance for no more than five minutes and he was already hooked up to everything in there with a cord.

Machines beeped here and there, causing a pounding in Sam's head that made him throw his head into his hands.

The whole way there, nurses were yelling at each other to hand them that, put pressure on this; their faces wore a constant look of concern, a look that said: I don't think this guy's gonna make it.

Sam didn't dare look at Dean's face. He wouldn't be able to take it, so he just kept his head hung low and, for the first time in a long time, he prayed.

He didn't know who was listening, if anyone was listening at all. But if anything or anyone on this God-forsaken planet cared at all, he prayed to them.

He prayed that Dean would somehow pull through this, through everything that would suggest otherwise. He prayed that he and his brother would be able to look back on this day, together, and say, "Wow...can you believe we made it through that?"

But most of all, he prayed that Dean would be able to put everything that has caused him pain over these long years behind him, that all of the people he has lost, all of the things that have happened to him he would suddenly be able to move on from, and have a better life, because it was what he deserved.

But for people like Dean, for people like Sam, there's no gain in hoping for a happy ending.