The Runt of the Litter

Human Care

Note: Thank you to everybody who's read, voted, and commented!

So... I'm cheating again and posting this now because I just finished with it and it IS technically Saturday, even if it is only like 1am.

So, I got hit hard by some writer's block this week-- probably having something to do with the crazy amount of assignments rolling in right now from all my classes. But I wrote one scene of this a long time ago and revisiting it was enough to get me moving and make me write something today. Next week, the chapter will be a requested one, and the week after should be another requested one, if I can write it quickly and well enough, and the week after that might be another requested one (depending, again, on how well/fast I can write it).

This one, though, was born of my desire to do a Cas and Anna bonding chapter. In it, Anna is sixteen. Enjoy!

Human Care

"I swear, Sam, I haven't done anything but sleep and answer your stupid phone call." A pause. "Actually no. But eating would be a good idea." Anna wrinkled her nose at the chastisements that started echoing through the cell phone in her hand. "Don't call anyone! I am. If you want to leave me alone at some point, I'll go back to taking awesome care of myself," she argued, effectively interrupting while Sam was halfway through a sentence. "No, don't! I'm being respectful now. I'm being very, very, perfectly res- Hey, Dean," she said dejectedly, barely resisting the urge to sigh long and loud.

It was one of those days-- well, actually, she was on a three day streak-- where things just weren't going her way. They'd finished her April break from school with a hunt that landed her with several broken ribs and a moderate concussion. Anna had spent the last two days puking her guts up every time she dared open her eyes against the pounding in her skull. The previous night, she'd finally been able to spend half an hour awake without suffering from debilitating nausea. Then she'd been shaken awake in the middle of the night to see Dean's face hovering over her explaining about a hunter that needed help a couple states away, speaking way too fast for her fatigued brain to comprehend.

With barely restrained frustration and misery, Anna curled an arm protectively over her aching ribs and listened to Dean reprimand her for giving Sam so much lip when he was just trying to make sure she was taking care of herself. She silently dwelled on the injustice of her life as her older brother doled out a brief lecture that went from being about respect to being about the responsibility she had to be looking after herself while they were gone.

She'd insisted, however groggily, that they didn't need to call Castiel or Jody or anybody to stay with her while they were gone. She was hurt, yes, but her ribs had started to heal and her concussion was no longer so incapacitating. She'd thrown up halfway through her argument, meaning it was purely miraculous that Dean hadn't just shut her down and started making phone calls.

"I'm going to. I just haven't gotten there yet," Anna snapped into the phone when Dean mentioned breakfast just as Sam had before.

"Mhm. Except that you haven't eaten yet because you're still nauseous from that concussion."

"That has nothing to do with it," Anna insisted, a bald-faced lie.

"You know, I could still call Jody. She's only three hours out. I'm sure she could get a little time off-"

Anna had to take a deep, calming breath that hurt like hell thanks to her broken ribs before she could even attempt to answer Dean. Without the little calming exercise, she surely would have started screaming into the phone, and that would have hurt her ribs way more. "Don't call anybody. I'm fine."