The Family Business - Chapter 3
John’s the first to get seriously hurt. They’d been lucky for so long, walking away from every hunt with nothing more than cuts and bruises, sprained ankles and wrists and the occasional broken bone. But hunting is dangerous and it was bound to happen sooner rather than later.
They’re cleansing a house of a violent poltergeist and they’re nearly done when it puts up one last fight, throwing various objects around the room before focusing all its energy on John, throwing him out the window as Mary shoves the last hex bag into the wall.
John falls two stories and slams onto the driveway, landing on his back. He’s unconscious when Mary reaches him, tiny cuts from the glass cover his face and neck and his leg lies at a funny angle. His breath is shallow and reedy and the blood under his head terrifies Mary. She can’t move him, afraid of hurting him more and instead runs inside and dials 911.
Mary hates hospitals. She’s been both a patient and a visitor far too much for one person. But John needs a hospital and she’s not leaving till he goes with her.
John’s a mess. He’s bruised all over with a broken leg and ribs. The broken ribs caused the most concern, one nearly puncturing his lungs. But as messed up as he is, Mary knows it could have been much worse.
Luckily the hospital is close to home so Mary can bring the boys to visit. They talk about telling the boys the truth but Sammy’s only two, he can’t possibly understand and Mary’s not sure that at six Dean will understand the concept of keeping this a secret. It’s an easy decision to wait.
Instead they tell the boys that John had an accident at the garage, that he fell into one of the car wells and hurt himself. The full leg cast is big and bulky and initially scares the boys. Mary has to nudge them up to the bed. She hoists them onto a chair so they can talk to John up close. Sammy stays tucked behind Dean who won’t stop looking at the leg cast.
“Does it hurt?” Dean’s voice is scared when he asks and John makes sure to look him right in the eye when he answers.
“Nope. We’ll be throwing the football in no time. Just got to let my leg heal first.”
“And the cast will help?”
“The cast will help.” John reaches over and picks up a marker. “It’s tradition for people to sign someone’s cast. Do you want to sign it first?”
Dean takes the marker and slowly signs his name in big blocky red letters. After he hands the marker to Sam. “Your turn Sammy.”
Sam’s hand clutches the marker and Dean wraps his hand around Sam’s helping him scribble on the cast right under Dean’s name.
Dean starts first grade and Mary has a few moments of panic.
Dean had been in pre-school when the demon attacked. Mary had pulled him out for a bit but after everything calmed down John convinced her to let him go back. It helped that pre-school was only four hours a day, three days a week after which John picked him up and took him home or to work.
Before Dean started kindergarten Mary had considered home schooling Dean, wanting to keep him close, to know that he’s always being looked after and safe. But in the end, she just couldn’t do that to him. Yet for some reason first grade seems bigger than pre-school and kindergarten. Dean would be in school five days a week, eight hours a day, alone and unprotected. She doesn’t think a supernatural creature will suddenly attack his school at random but the thought was always there and it wasn’t like she could send him to school with a weapon.
Instead she drew protective symbols inside his backpack and braided a protective bracelet for his wrist. It’s the best Mary can do for right now.
They live close enough that on the first day of school Mary and Sammy walk Dean to the elementary school. Dean holds Sam’s hand the entire way, nervous and excited at the same time. The front of the school is a mad house, kids and parents and teachers crowding the entrance. Mary takes Dean’s free hand and they make their way through the crowd inside to Dean’s classroom. Before letting Dean go Mary double checks that he has everything he needs: pencils, crayons, notebooks, lunch, protection bracelet.
“Looks like your all set buddy. You ready?” Mary’s squatting down so she’s at Dean’s height. He nods, his face very serious. She can tell he’s nervous.
“Sammy and I’ll meet you right outside after school. Do not walk home without us okay?” Dean nods again. “Be good for Ms. Kramer. And have fun okay.”
Mary gives Dean a big smile and he can’t help but smile back. She pulls him in, giving him a big hug before letting go. He turns and hugs Sammy for a long time before walking into the classroom.
Everything is fine until after lunch time when Sammy realizes that his favorite person isn’t home like he normally is. He starts getting fidgety and keeps look over at the door to the garage. When Dean hasn’t walked through 30 minutes later he gets cranky, his eyes confused and upset at the same time. He starts throwing his letter blocks at the wall.
“No. Sammy stop it.” Mary gets one right in the face before she’s able to grab his hand and get him to stop.
Sam’s face scrunches up, eyes accusing, and lets out a wail. “DEAN! DEAN!”
“Sammy! Sammy please. Your brother’s at school. We’ll go get him soon.” He’s not listening to her and it’s moments like these when she realizes just how much she and John rely on Dean to handle Sammy. Scooping Sam up Mary tries to bribe him into silence with juice and cookies, puts his stuffed giraffe in his hands, gives him Dean’s favorite Transformer car…nothing works.
School doesn’t let out for another two hours and Mary wanted to do some research for the hunt this weekend but after thirty minutes of fighting with Sam and listening to him call for his brother Mary decides that getting an early start and taking the long route wouldn’t hurt.
Sam calms down as soon as Mary starts putting his shoes on and once they’re outside he starts to run. Mary gets a hold of him before he can go too far before letting him go again. They play the game the entire walk to the school, Sammy running a few feet ahead and Mary catching him. By the time they reach the school Sammy’s laughing and excited and back to his happy self.
They’re not the only ones who arrived early; Mary recognizes some of the other mothers on her street standing around chatting while they wait for their kids to get out. Mary lets Sam play with some of the other younger siblings on the swing-set until the bell rings. When it does kids start pouring out the front doors, backpacks bouncing on their backs as they run to their parent.
Dean’s one of the first out the door and after scanning the people waiting comes racing over to Mary and Sammy. Sammy meets him halfway and they nearly crash into each other, Dean pulling up at the last minutes and catching Sammy.
“You have a good first day kiddo?” Mary joins the boys who are now having one of those silent conversations that only they understand.
“Yeah. Ms. Kramer has a hamster and she let me hold it!” Dean’s obviously excited and Mary can only hope that he doesn’t start asking for a hamster of his own.
Dean keeps talking about his day, telling her and Sammy about his desk and the story Ms. Kramer read after recess and the friends in his class and what he’s looking forward to tomorrow.
Mary watches her boys, Dean holding Sammy’s hand, walking perfectly in sync, and can’t help but think what an amazing team they’re going to make.
Chapter 4