Prompt 55 - petulant
Title: Intimate Knowlege, Part 7
Author: my_sam_dean
Fandom: Supernatural
Pairing/Character: Dean/Jo, Sam/OFC
Rating: R (NC-17 story overall)
Prompt: 55 - petulant
Notes/Warnings: Deals with personal medical issue
"Why didn't you tell me they were brothers?" Celeste nearly shouted into her phone.
"Well . . ." Jo tried to roll the words around until they felt right. "I knew Dean was good at his job and Sam is a great guy. Just because they're related doesn't mean you can't know them both."
"It would have been nice to have some warning before I went in their home last night."
"You knew Sam had a brother, right?"
"I didn't know he was Dean!" She plopped down on the sofa and laid her head in her hands.
"So Sam knows how the two of you know each other?"
"No!" She clutched the phone tightly. "Dean acted like he was meeting me for the first time. Sam has no clue."
"Dean's not going to tell him because it's not his place. It'd actually be illegal for him to. You can tell Sam in your own time."
"And when, exactly would the right time be for that?"
"Look," Jo tried to send her compassion down the line to the distressed woman. "All you need to tell Sam is that Dean is helping you. Physical therapy can be for almost anything. No one has a right to know the details unless you tell them."
Her words made sense but didn't bring Celeste much comfort.
"Did you want to find a different therapist? I can help you find one if you do."
"No, I'm not going to a new one! It's humiliating enough to have one person see me like that. There's no way I'd have enough guts to see someone new."
"Do you want to stop seeing Sam?"
"It's been so long since I've dated. He treats me special, precious. I don't really want to lose him."
"Did Dean seem mad that you're dating Sam?"
"He actually seemed to encourage it. Am I in the middle of some cruel prank he wants to play on Sam?"
"Don't ever say that! Those boys are closer than any brothers you will ever know. If one of them hurts, they both feel the pain."
"Why does he think Sam and I are such a good idea?"
"Sam hasn't been dating, either. He's never had a girl on more than a couple dates. They just never clicked. He's going to treat you as if you were made of porcelain. I don't think anyone could find a better guy to introduce them to dating again and show them the way it should be."
Celeste had no words to respond to that.
"Celeste? You still there?"
"I'm here. It's just a lot to soak in."
"I understand. Do you feel any better?"
"Yeah. Amazingly, I do. Thanks for ignoring how rude I was."
"It's easy to forget our manners when we're scared. Get some sleep tonight, okay?"
"I will. Thanks, Jo."
"No problem. That's what I'm here for."
Celeste hung up and collapsed on her couch. Although she was tired, she knew it would be a long time until sleep would find her.
*****
“I wasn’t sure you’d keep your appointment,” Dean remarked once we were in the exam room. "Are you alright with working with me, or should I refer you to someone else?”
Celeste's fingers were laced tightly in her lap. “I can’t start over with someone new.”
“I realize you’ve had a difficult time with trust issues in general. You’ve slowly gotten used to me. I’d like to think you trust me.”
“I don’t trust anyone. However, I do believe you more than I would a stranger on the street.”
Those words hurt and Dean had to remind himself how he’d feel if someone crushed his soul. It would be a long, long time before he could say that he honestly trusted someone. Even as it was, he only trusted Sam and Jo.
“Sam’s a nice guy. He’d never hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I didn’t think he would.”
“I’d like to say that I’d be first in line to kick his ass if he was impolite but I think Jo might beat me to it.”
That brought a smile to her face.
“Are you doing better?”
“Yeah. I think I’ll be okay with you.”
“Guess that means we better get started for our session.” He went to grab the linens and asked, “ Are you going to tell Sam that you’ve been seeing me professionally?”
“What would I say?”
“You come in for headaches as well as the other pain. I treat headaches all the time. He’d accept that. Then, you could give him the details later on if you want to. As your relationship grows, you should get more comfortable with the topic.”
She absently nodded her agreement.
Dean sighed, “I feel much better since we’ve cleared the air. If you’re ready, I’ll step out for a few moments.”
“Thanks for your advice for telling Sam.”
“That’s nothing to thank me for. I like being your friend.” Then, with a soft smile, he closed the door.