Dead on the Bayou Chapter 4
CHAPTER 4
Sam woke and stretched, hissing when the stitches in his shoulder pulled. He sat up carefully and surprisingly saw Dean still in his bed. Usually his big brother beat him up with complaints that if he didn't Sam would use all the hot water. "Dean?"
"Lemme'lone." Dean said grumpily from under his pillow.
Sam smirked and got up. "I'm taking a shower." He waited but only got a groan in response. "Suit yourself."
Dean listened to him close the bathroom door and gave a low groan of pain as he tried to shift his legs again. He'd been awake for over an hour but had yet to get up. His legs were a mass of ache and pain, refusing to cooperate with him. He pulled the pillow off his head and tugged the covers back, giving another heartfelt groan at the livid bruising on his legs from the Cypress tree. It had come up overnight and stiffened all the muscles.
"Get a grip." Dean told himself and sat up, dragging his legs over the side of the bed. He needed to be up and walking before Sam got out of the shower or he'd try to keep him out of the hunt and that wasn't happening. He leaned down to the end of the bed and got his fingers in the loops of his duffel, pulling it closer. If Sam saw his legs he was done. He pulled out a pair of jeans and managed to get them on without crying like a little girl, though it was close. He heard the shower turn on and took the bottle of Tylenol from the nightstand, dumped four into his hand and knocked them back with a pull from the whiskey bottle. "That'll get me walking." He said to himself and hoped he was right.
Sam emerged from the bathroom twenty minutes later to find Dean leaned against the wall beside the door. "You think I left you any hot water?" He asked amused.
Dean gave him a shove out into the room. "Good thing I don't need one. Just let me piss then it's coffee and crime scene." He pulled the Impala's keys from his pocket and tossed them to him. "You can drive."
"Huh?" Sam asked, surprised and stared suspiciously at him.
"What? I'm beat." Dean rolled his eyes. "Some asshole woke me up twice last night crying like a girl."
"Did not." Sam retorted as Dean laughed.
"Did too." He said and shut the door on Sam's glare.
Sam shook his head and got dressed, convinced Dean was hiding something. He went outside and slid into the driver's seat with a smile. Even if Dean was hiding something, it was nice to be behind the wheel for a change as the engine rumbled to life. His brother emerged from the room a minute later and he watched closely as Dean walked stiffly to the car and dropped into the passenger seat.
"Something you wanna tell me?" Sam asked him but Dean shrugged.
"Get the damn car moving?" Dean said with a grin. "I need coffee." He dropped his head back to the seat and closed his eyes, feigning sleep and hoping Sam wouldn't press him.
"Whatever, dude." Sam sighed and resolved to keep a close eye on him.
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"Crap." Sam said as they pulled onto the lane leading to the Evan's house. Police cars sat in front of the house and officers and others could be seen heading into the woods. "Why are they still here?"
Dean frowned. He'd called an anonymous tip in last night as they left so Mr. Evan's body would be found. "They should've been gone hours ago."
Sam eased up behind one of the cruisers and got out. "Something else must have happened. Come on." He was twenty paces away from the car before he realized Dean wasn't beside him and turned back to find his big brother still in the seat with his legs on the ground and a death grip on the door as he struggled to stand.
"Ok, that's it." Sam strode back and glared down at him. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothin." Dean said angrily and groaned as he got himself up finally.
"Well that's crap." Sam crossed his arms and kept him from walking away.
"I'm a little stiff, dude. That's all." Dean gave him a push and got around him, pushing the door shut. "Can we go talk to Reno 911 now?"
Sam shook his head and followed a pace behind him, watching him walk and silently berated his stubborn brother in his head as they reached the first of the officers. He and Dean both pulled out their FBI badges and flashed them. Sam noted the looks at their clothes; jeans and jackets and wished he'd thought to make them change before they left.
"Agent Gill. My partner, Agent Bob." Dean said and put his badge away. "What's going on here, officers?"
"Feds?" The taller of the two officers said in surprise. "Ok, well we found Daisy Ruben this morning and the body of Michael Evans."
"The missing girl?" Sam asked, stepping closer. "She's still alive?"
"Yeah." The cop nodded and smiled. "Little banged up. Found her down the bottom of a hill. She's at the hospital now."
"She say anything about how she got there?" Dean asked and the cop shook his head.
"Naw, she was out cold." He glanced back at the tree line to a man waving him over. "Paramedics said she'll be fine. Gotta go."
They watched him jog away toward the rest of the cops and Sam shrugged. "Well, we're not searching the Bayou today. Hope the Pookha's leave them alone."
"Let's go see if Daisy's back from Oz yet." Dean said and turned back to the car.
Sam followed and watched as his limp worsened and a sweat broke out on his face. "Dean, you're not alright."
"Shut up, Sam." Dean growled. "I'm fine."
"Uh huh." Sam looked down, remembering his comment about a tree falling on him. He smirked and decided nothing but an abject lesson was going to make Dean listen. He gave no warning as he bent over and wrapped a hand around Dean's leg below his knee, squeezing gently. Dean gasped, the leg going out from under him and Sam was forced to grab him and hold him up.
"That was…bullshit." Dean gasped. His eyes were closed and he was panting.
"Like you wouldn't have done the same to me." Sam chuckled and pulled Dean's arm over his shoulders to help him back to the car.
"That's different." Dean ground out between his teeth and felt thoroughly humiliated.
"I'm going to the hospital and you're going back to the Motel." Sam told him, his tone offering no room for argument. "You can soak the ache out in the tub while I go talk to the girl."
"You're all heart." Dean said with a glare as Sam got him into the front seat and closed the door for him. "I can come to the hospital, bitch."
Sam gave him a look and laughed. "You come into the hospital with me and I promise to turn you over to a Nurse first chance I get and with that limp, they'll probably pounce you anyway."
"Oh that is just evil, Sammy." Dean elbowed him.
"Jerk." Sam tossed back and headed back to the motel with a satisfied smile.
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The Bayou Goula hospital was little more than a glorified clinic. Sam strode in and flashed his badge at the desk nurse. "I need to speak with Daisy Ruben if she's awake."
"Oh. Officer, just let me check with her doctor." The Nurse smiled prettily up at him beneath a fringe of black hair and Sam did his best not to blush as she dashed away. She was back moments later with an aging white man in a white jacket and bald head who gave him a severe look.
"Daisy's only just woken up and I don't want some Federal ass badgering her with pointless questions." The Doctor crossed his arms over his chest and jutted his chin out at Sam.
"Doctor…?" Sam raised a brow at him and smiled.
"Erickson and don't smile at me like we're friends." He glared at Sam. "I've dealt with Feds before and I got no respect for any of ya."
"Doctor Erickson, I promise I won't do anything to upset her or tire her." Sam smiled again, doing his best to defuse the man. "I just need to know if she remembers anything. If someone attacked her…" Sam paused to let that sink in. "We need to know so we can stop it happening to some other poor girl. Please."
The Doctor wasn't taken in and snorted at him. "I'll give you five minutes with her but you mark me, boy. That girl has so much as one tear on her face when I come back in there you aint walkin' outta here on your own."
Sam stared wide-eyed at him. So did the nurse and he nodded. "That won't be necessary." Sam told him and wondered what the guy had had to deal with in the past to be this angry.
"Fine. Follow me." Doctor Erickson turned on his heel and strode back into the hospital leaving Sam to follow or not. His fast stride told Sam he didn't really care. He led Sam down a hall and pulled open a room door, putting a smile on his face as he entered. "Daisy? How are you feeling?"
Sam smirked at the suddenly warm tone of the Doctor's previously frosty voice and the kind eyes he turned on the girl lying in the bed.
"I'm ok. I guess." Daisy said in a tired voice, looking up to see them. Her face reddened slightly as she saw Sam, her mouth dropping slightly open in a little 'oh' of surprise.
"This man is a Federal Agent. He'd like to ask you some questions." Doctor Erickson took one of her hands in his and smiled. "You can say no. You don't have to talk to him if you don't want to. I promise."
"Oh, I don't m-mind." Daisy peeked around the Doctor at Sam and reddened again. "Really, it's ok."
"Hmmph. Alright then." The Doctor patted her hand and set it back. "I'll be right outside. You call if you need anything."
Sam waited until he'd closed the door behind him and went to stand by the bed. "Hi Daisy." He smiled down at her. "I'm Sam. I just want to ask you a few questions. Alright?"
"Uh huh." She smoothed her hair back from her face and stared at a spot on the blanket at her feet, embarrassed.
Sam smiled, thinking Dean would have loved this. "Do you remember what happened to you? How you ended up at the bottom of that hill?" He paused and touched her shoulder gently. "It's ok if you think it sounds weird. I won't laugh."
"Well, there was uh…this cat." Daisy glanced up at him, cheeks red and looked back down. "It was pouring and the little guy was dripping so I tried to catch him, you know?" She smirked at herself. "He made me chase him off the path and then…" Here she stopped and looked up with wide eyes. "You won't believe me."
"I will." Sam pulled a chair over and sat beside the bed. "No laughing, remember? What happened next?"
Daisy took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "Well there was this horse. I mean, I heard it first back on the path and when I tried to go back after it, the cat dug its claws in my jeans." She looked up earnestly. "He didn't hurt me but he didn't want me to go. Then…then it came at me. The horse." She looked around fearfully for a moment and Sam put a hand on her shoulder again to calm her. "It was black and big and there were chains on it!"
"It tried to hurt you?" Sam asked softly and she nodded.
"But the cat…he, I don't know, pushed me or something. I fell down the hill." Daisy shrugged. "I don't remember anything after that. It's totally crazy isn't it?"
Sam gave her his best, brilliant smile. "Not even a little. Other people have seen that horse too."
"Really?" She asked and looked a lot happier. "Oh I feel so much better!" She grinned. "I mean, it was just so weird, you know?" Sam nodded. At that moment the door opened and Doctor Erickson strode back in.
"Daisy, you alright?" The Doctor asked and studied her face for any sign she was upset, instead seeing a happy smile and frowned.
"Oh yes." She looked back up at Sam, smiling. "Thank you so much for listening to me."
"Of course. I'd like to check in on you again, make sure you're doing alright." Sam gave her a smile. "Would that be alright?"
"Oh definitely." Daisy's smile widened as her face reddened.
Sam gave her hand a squeeze. "Thanks for helping us out." He turned to leave and came up short against Doctor Erickson in the doorway. The Doctor stared up at him, eyes calculating and finally he gave a short nod and moved, letting Sam leave.
Rather than leave, Sam waited for him in the hall and smirked at the surprise on the Doctor's face when he saw him still there. "I do have a question for you, Doctor Erickson."
"Oh really?" The Doctor folded his arms, balanced on the balls of his feet like he was going to hit Sam.
"My partner and I were caught out in the Tornado last night." Sam said and nodded at the surprise on his face. "A tree rolled onto his legs. They're not broken but he's bruised enough he's having trouble walking. Any suggestions what I can do to help him?"
Doctor Erickson stared and then rolled his eyes, giving a sigh as if in defeat. "Oh hell, come on." He led the way further down the hall and into an exam room. He rifled through several drawers and came up with a tube of cream. "Have him rub this in for the next couple days. It'll help with the swelling and the pain." He gave Sam a critical look then. "You get hurt?"
"Oh, just some bumps, scratches, that sort of thing." Sam brushed the question off and pocketed the cream. "I'm fine."
"Favorin' your right shoulder." The Doctor said and then grinned at Sam's face. "Just cause I don't like you don't mean I wasn't paying attention. Sit." He pointed imperiously at the exam table but Sam shook his head.
"Really, it's fine. My partner cleaned it up last night." Sam took a step back but the Doctor grabbed his right arm and pulled him back. The motion made Sam close his eyes for a moment and he found himself sitting.
"Open your shirt and don't give me any crap." Doctor Erickson ordered.
"Your bedside manner sucks." Sam said with a short laugh and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt.
Doctor Erickson actually chuckled at that and nodded. "Yeah, it does." He pulled Sam's shirt away from his shoulder and peeled back the bandage over the claw marks. "Thought you said scratches?" He poked gently at the red, slightly inflamed tissue around the stitches and frowned when Sam hissed with discomfort. "That's infected. What gotcha?"
"Not really sure." Sam replied, unwilling to start talking about Pookha's. "I was, uh...unconscious at the time."
The Doctor grabbed his head, yanking it down and ignored Sam's surprised yelp. His hand ran over the back of Sam's head and easily found the lump that had been beating a headache at him since last night.
"Not bad." He pushed Sam's head back up and looked carefully at his eyes. "Minor concussion then. How many fingers?" He held up his left hand and his middle finger with a huge grin and Sam barked a loud laugh.
"Just the one." Sam shook his head and ran a hand through his hair to straighten it while the Doctor chuckled and dug through the drawer again, coming up with a pill bottle.
"Here. Antibiotics. One pill twice a day and next time you Feds get the urge to dodge twisters and play Dorothy, rent the damn movie instead." Doctor Erickson rolled his eyes at Sam. "Now get the hell out of my hospital, Fed."
"Yes, sir." Sam said and hid his smirk as he turned away out the door. He took out his cell as he emerged outside and dialed Dean. They were definitely dealing with two distinct Pookhas; one trying to save people from the other trying to kill them. He listened to the ringing and frowned when it went to voicemail. "Dean, you're right there are two of them. One's helping people and the other's killing them. Where are you? I'm on my way back." He hung up, put the phone away and got in the car with a tingling feeling at the back of his neck.
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Dean tossed one way and then the other on the bed. The bath had loosened some of the muscles but the bruising was bone deep. "Hurts like a bitch." He muttered to the empty room and glared at the yellow star on the ceiling. He was stuck lying around in a bed while Sam was out doing actual work and that was driving him nuts. Worse, Sam was driving his baby without him in it and that made his teeth itch. He glanced at his cell on the nightstand and refused to call Sam for the tenth time and let him know how useless he felt.
"Dammit." Dean sat up and dropped his aching legs to the floor. "I'm freakin' starving." He remembered there was a sandwich shop a couple blocks down from the motel. "I can make that." He told himself and stood then fell back to sit on the bed as pain shot up his legs and into his head. "Ow." He stubbornly stood back up and made his legs work. He could have used another two hours in the tub if the hot water had held out…though he wouldn't tell Sam that. Kid was already enjoying mothering him way too much. He made it to the room door, opening it and supported himself in the doorway for a minute just breathing.
Dean pushed himself off the door, pulling it closed and hobbled down the line of rooms slowly. He almost turned around and went back, considered finding out if the motel owner had crutches but his pride wouldn't let him.
"I am not a damn invalid." Dean growled and stepped down carefully into the grass at the end of the building. The road to his right was quiet and beyond the motel a short field ended at a heavy line of trees. He shuffled through the grass toward the sidewalk and stopped as the soft 'mrow' of a cat reached his ears. He looked toward the forest and saw a black cat sitting ten feet away.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me." Dean backed up a step and the cat looked up at him, red eyes meeting his. Dean felt his shoulders stiffen and then loosen, arms hanging lazily at his sides and couldn't stop himself from following the cat as it headed for the trees. He cursed himself for not putting Sam's stinky crap on his eyes before leaving and tried to ignore the pain in his legs as he was forced into a fast walk, unable to fight the urge to follow.
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