We walked a million hills - Chapter 6
Title: Trinity Verse II. - We walked a million hills (6/?)
Author: scyllaya
Rating: R
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Dean/Castiel/Gabriel
Warning(s): cursing, graphic injuries
Spoiler(s): AU (characters up to S5)
Word Count: ~ 2 800 (this chapter) WIP
Summary: Dean, Castiel and Gabriel live the life they wanted to have. Their biggest problem should be synchronizing their crazy schedules, unfortunately life is never that simple.
Disclaimer: Nearly all names and characters in this story belong to CW/WB and Kripke. I’m making no profit whatsoever. It’s just for fun!Most places and establishments in the story are real, but I’ve never visited any of them, so I have no true knowledge about them. People (OCs) in the story are not real! Any resemblance to real life is just a coincidence.
AN: Second story of Trinity verse. Title from: Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World
Unbeta-ed. Trinity Verse I: Broke our Mirrors
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Chapter VI
Dean spent the next hour going all around of what remained of the building and the church, lending a hand where he could, but mostly just trying to make sure that the EMTs and doctors could do their jobs properly, trying to prevent any of the scared or panicking injured to do something stupid. Some were angry because the doctors only went to the more seriously injured first, so those with lighter wounds had to sit around and wait without any medical attention. Dean knew that it sucked, but there was nothing to do about it. He wasn't really that much of an expert in first-aid, but some of the docs were really grateful for his help, even if he did nothing but held bandages with the right pressure or helped calming people down. Gabriel fucking demanded it from him to know shit like this, and here it was, he was right about it being vital, Dean was never gonna hear the end of it.
Almost the entire PD was about, detectives and uniforms alike, they needed everyone to be out and help things along. Fortunately it seemed like all hospitals sent at least a few doctors out to help out the paramedics. Luckily the NDMS teams and DMATs also arrived at this point, they had even better equipment for situations like these. The chaos was still too big and the rest of the building that was still somehow standing was way too unstable from what Dean overheard and they just didn't know how many people may be buried under, nor that how many of them could be still alive. They managed to get most of the people out of the church, but even there they couldn't tell whether everyone was out or not. It would take days until they could move the bigger beams and cement blocks.
Dean was not squeamish about blood and dirt, especially not about the latter, but now that he was helping the medics he started to feel like he was getting over his limit of twisted bones, bleeding wounds and torn skin. But yeah, Gabriel asked him to help out so he was going to suck it up, and people needed all the available help so if he was capable of doing something he was gonna do it, no question. He almost threw up at one point when a godawful stench hit his nose, he couldn't smell anything but blood and dirt for a while but this was even more horrible. The paramedic told him after the injured man was taken away that some organs have been lacerated when the man got injured on his abdomen. He could keep the content of his stomach inside with great effort, but he was still wondering how the fuck Gabriel was working on the ER dealing with injuries like this 50 hours a week. Hospital shows did not show a proper picture of what was part of the job.
'Dean!' he turned around at the sound of his name and saw that Pete Colainn was jogging towards him, he was too wearing the same medical coverall Gabriel did and the same type of medical bag was hanging off his shoulder and if it was possible he was even more bloody and dirty than Gabriel was when Dean last saw him a while back.
'Need something?' Dean asked right away, because they didn't have time for chatting that was for sure.
'Yeah damn, I found someone, but I need an extra pair of hands and it's pretty hard to find those around here.'
'Sure man, I'm here' Pete turned around and started hurrying back towards the direction he came from, Dean right behind him. They had to climb over a blocks of cement and two broken steel beams on their way. Pete seemed pretty determined on their way, not saying a word and Dean didn't questioned him either. They finally stopped after a few minutes of walking and Pete crouched down next to a hole that looked like it used to be a window.
'Hey! Amanda! Can you hear me? I'm back, are you all right?' he yelled down.
'I'm here...' came the shaky female voice from down under.
'Ok, I want you to move to the side as much as you can, I'm going to get down and help you climb out if it's possible' Pete told the woman, the turned back towards Dean. 'You gonna have to help me get down and hand me my bag once I'm in' he said. Dean looked at the hole and the debris all around them.
'You sure know what you're doing?' he asked. Yes, there was someone down there, but maybe it would've been better to call an NDMS team to get her out.
'They just found a dozen people buried under this fucking building on the other side, there's no one else here so just help me' Pete told him and Dean shut up. Pete dropped down his bag and waited. Dean found a place where he could fit his foot and hold onto a metal bar. Pete held onto his arm as he turned around to climb in. He was a pretty skinny guy, now that Dean looked at him properly and around Gabriel's height so he was not that heavy. He tried to help him descend as much as he could leaning over the hole and the darkness inside. Then Pete let go of his arm and Dean heard a thud after a little sound of shuffling.
'You okay?' he yelled down immediately.
'Yes, I'm fine. Give me my bag' Pete called out so Dean did that. 'Thanks' came the answer. 'Stay here Dean, I'm gonna check how badly hurt Amanda is, and if she's fine enough you will have to help me get her out!'
'Got it, not moving' Dean yelled back. After that Dean didn't hear much as Pete and the woman were talking quietly as she was checked over.
He didn't know how much time passed, but it was the first minutes of silence and relaxation he could get in a while. After this was over he would sleep for days, he wasn't here for that long and he knew that he will be here for long hours, maybe deep into the night, but he already felt drained. Not physically tired, but in every other way. All the cries of hurt and anger of people, all the blood and agony, the dirt and noise... it was a lot. Gabriel looked so confident and certain as he moved from one injured to the next, perfectly in control, aware of what had to be done and Dean was absolutely sure that Castiel would take all what was happening here just as easily. He really had steel nerves or what the hell, usually nothing unfazed him, he was trained for dangerous and chaotic situations. Dean was a freakin' SWAT guy, he was used to danger sure, for bullets to be flying over his head, not for to be covered in dust and blood while people cried for help everywhere around him. But he was going to do what needed to be done dammit. He was not someone to loose his nerve, he won't start now, most definitely not while he knew that Gabriel was out here saving lives working his ass off.
'Dean!' Pete's voice tore him away from his thoughts and his body jumped into action right away.
'I'm here!'
'Amanda is not seriously injured. I'm going to help her climb up as much as I can from down here, but you have to reach in and pull her out, okay?'
'Yeah, got it' he confirmed and settled to the hole again.
'Okay, be ready' Pete told him from somewhere down, it was so freakin' dark down there that Dean couldn't see a damn thing. He waited, trying to see anything until suddenly a mop of dirty red hair and a face showed up. Dean reached down immediately and grabbed hold of the woman's forearm tightly. She reached up with her other hand holding onto Dean's arm and he in return reached down with his other arm, his legs secure as much as possible.
He felt when Pete couldn't push on her anymore as all her weight suddenly settled on his arms, but she was not that big so even if it was pretty hard to pull her up he could manage. He was sure that she scraped her knees and legs as she climbed over the edge, but she was already covered with bruises and scratches. At least she could move on her own.
'You're okay' Dean tried to calm her as she sat down to the ground. 'Pete!' Dean called down, he was wondering how he was going to climb out.
'Take her to the paramedics' the doctor said.
'I gotta help you climb back out first' Dean told him.
'No, just go. I think I heard something, I'm gonna check if there are more people here' he said.
'What? Hell no! Are you out of your mind?!' Dean yelled down. 'Get the hell out of there and leave it to the NDMS team!'
'Who knows how long until they have any free people for this' Pete answered. 'I'm here now so I will help, I think I heard someone so I have to check!'
'No fucking way Pete, this shit can collapse on you!' Dean warned.
'I'm not gonna leave people in here!' the doctor yelled back. 'Take Amanda and tell the NDMS team that I'm here, they will come when they can, I'll be fine!'
'Pete!' this was just not happening. 'Son of a bitch.' He turned back to the red-head. 'Amanda, listen to me' he waited until her eyes locked on him. 'You can walk, right?' he asked.
'Yes' she answered, she was shaken up, but seemed fine.
'Okay, I want you to stand up and start walking in that direction' he pointed with his hand. 'Just find anybody. Firemen, police, medics it doesn't matter. Tell them that you were under and that they have to come here, okay?' she was hesitant. 'Listen, the guy who just got you out is down there, we need more people in case there are more people there. Can you do this for me Amanda, walk there and call for help?'
She nodded now, more firmly and Dean helped her stand up. Still shaky, but she started walking, she only looked back once.
'Un-fucking-believable' he cursed as he turned back towards the hole. He loosened his belt and hooked it on the iron bar he held onto before. When he checked that it was stable he held onto it and lowered down over the edge. Not as secure as when he had proper equipment and he couldn't see jack-shit. He was willing to descend down on a side of a building instead of this any given day.
He held onto the belt as long as possible and tried to find footing on the cement and metal under his feet. It was not easy, but Pete could climb down on his own fine and Dean was taller. He let go and landed relatively easily. It was not that deep, that he knew.
'Pete!' he called. No answer. 'Pete! I can't see shit, answer me dammit!' he held out his hands and moved a bit further inside, he watched his head as he had no idea how high the hole was.
'What the hell are you doing here?' came the answer finally and Pete showed up holding a flashlight in his hand, more dirty than he was before he got down here.
'You said you heard people' Dean told him. 'How are you gonna move anybody all by yourself, genius?' Pete rolled his eyes at him before he reached into his bag and gave Dean a smaller, but still good flashlight.
'Watch your step' he warmed. 'Gabriel's gonna skin me alive if I get even a scratch on you.'
'But only after he kicked my ass for getting down here in the first place' Dean told him, because bloody hell Gabriel will be so fucking pissed when he hears about this.
Pete walked slowly, carefully and Dean followed him in the same manner. He had to bend down a little not to hit his head after a little while.
'Anybody in here?' Pete called. 'Hello!'
'You sure you heard something?' Dean asked.
'Shh' Pete hushed him and moved even deeper. Then he suddenly stopped, fell silent before moving forward quickly, Dean didn't see what caught his eyes, but then he could direct his flashlight in the correct direction. It was... probably a body. Pete was already down on one knee hovering over the shape by the time Dean moved closer. The first thing Dean noticed was when his next step caused some sort of a wet squishy sound, as he looked down with the flashlight it was only to see that they were standing in a pool of blood. The person pinned under the debris had to be dead. There was just too much blood, one metal bar went right through him... it was a guy, his head was so bloody that Dean couldn't see the face and when he noticed that the skull was cracked open and it wasn't just blood pooling around his head he had to turn away, move back. He tried to breath through his mouth, but he got dizzy nonetheless. Yeah it was his job to shoot people when it came down to it, but someone's brain splattered around in the dirty pool of blood was just not for him.
'Dean' he had to lean to the wall, or whatever the hell it was. A steady surface. 'You doing okay?'
'No, not really... I bet he was not the one calling out' he managed to say.
'Probably not' Pete answered. 'Get back to the entrance, there's more air there.'
'I'm good, just one second.'
'Dean...'
'I said, I'm good' he told him sternly. He was not some swooning girl, he could handle it dammit.
'No need to play tough, y'know' Pete told him. 'You don't have to handle it.'
'Sure I do' Dean answered, and Pete actually snorted.
'You pass out on me, I will not drag your sorry ass back out' he said.
'Everyone ever tell you that you're an ass?' Dean asked in return.
'Certainly' Pete told him. 'Blame your man for it.' The doctor stood up from the body and directed his flashlight in another direction. 'I really think you should get back to the entrance.'
'Not a chance' Dean said as he straightened up again.
'Suit yourself' Pete said as he started walking deeper, Dean followed.
'You know it's pretty fucking stupid of us to be down here, right?' Dean said after a few moments of silence. He had to bend down even more now.
'I told you to stay outside.'
'I'm already down here so nothing to do' Dean answered. Pete sighed, but dropped it.
'Y'know Gabriel would've never came down here' Pete said after a short while.
'Why would you say that?' Dean asked with a frown that the other could not see of course.
'Well, for one it was pretty fucking stupid as you so brilliantly pointed it out, he wouldn't have risked it' the doctor started. 'And second, this would not have been his job. Gabriel doesn't do anything that is not strictly his responsibility.'
Dean's frown deepened.
'Aren't you guys like... friends or something?' Dean asked after a beat of silence.
'Hmm... I suppose' came the answer.
'Than why are you talking shit about him right now? And to me of all people?' It was not surprising that he started to get a bit annoyed. Pete chuckled quietly.
'Yeah, sorry about that. We had a... little misunderstanding earlier today. I think I'm still pissed at him.'
'What about?' Dean asked. The conversation was good, it took his mind off of what he saw earlier.
'Nothing unusual... he's just hard to deal with on some days.' Dean stayed quiet for a moment.
'It doesn't feel like you're talking about Gabriel at all, dude. How the hell could he be difficult?' Dean asked incredulously. He was pretty strict about medical stuff, probably that's what Pete meant.
'Oh trust me Dean, I am talking about him.'
'What the hell is that supposed to mean?' Dean snapped at him because seriously, he had a limit and no one, absolutely no one was allowed to talk shit about Gabriel in front of him and he didn't like Pete's tone one bit. The doctor stopped and turned towards him with a sigh. He was opening his mouth to reply when a deep sound of a crack interrupted him. The sound made a cold shiver run down Dean's spine and the way he couldn't tell where it came from exactly, above them or next to them, was unnerving.
Pete glanced around quickly as some dust fell from the debris above them.
'Okay, let's get out of here' he said. Dean nodded, best idea he heard all day. He turned around and took two steps before the sound of the crack came again, much louder, much nearer. Too sudden, too fast, something hit him on the head, he heard Pete yell, but the darkness reached him first.
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AN: Stupid LJ attack. I had this chapter done for a while I just couldn't post it :P
And sorry about the lack of Castiel again, there will be plenty of him later. Tell me what you think, leave a comment and let me hear your thoughts. :)