Title: Lost and Found

Chapter: 21

~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Sam and Dean reached the hospital, Gwen was in surgery and Ellen and Jo weren’t speaking to each other. Jo’s makeup was streaked and Sam couldn’t tell if it was from tears of fear for Gwen or anger at the argument she’d had with Ellen. Could be either or both. Dean jerked his head in Jo’s direction and went to sit beside Ellen.

Sam cleared his throat, making a motion towards the hallway with one hand. “Jo? Show me where I can get some coffee?”

“Sure.” She got up and led him from the waiting room and down the hall. They ended up in a small café area, Sam buying coffee for both of them. Jo ordered a fancy extra large coffee and he ordered a plain small coffee, along with a sandwich and chips.

Steering her to one table, he sat her down and set the sandwich and chips in front of her. “Here. Eat.”

She ate a few bites. “Thank you for this. Gwen and I hadn’t gotten around to eating when it happened.”

“Wanna tell me what happened?”

“Want to? No. Will I anyway? Yes.” She took the lid off her coffee and sipped it. “You can’t tell Dean any of this, okay? Gwen would kill me and bury me in the middle of nowhere if I did, and believe me, she knows plenty of nowhere places all over the country.”

“Now I’m dying to know what happened.”

Jo’s nose scrunched up and she groaned. “We were bowling.”

“Working a case?”

“Um….” She shook her head. “No…. We were done with the case. See, mom wanted to go see this artsy foreign film that’s been playing all over and neither Gwen or I wanted to, so we went bowling.”

“Ellen likes those movies?” He learned something new all the time about people he knew.

“Yeah.” Jo shrugged and ate a few chips. “She had a friend when I was little who introduced her to them and she liked them. Says they’re a stress reliever.”

“Uh-huh.” His brows rose. “Your mother is a complicated woman.”

“Tell me about it. If dad had been around, he would have teased her mercilessly about it. Ask me her Christmas routines sometime. They’re a real joy to go through because she’s relentless. Anyway….” She offered half the sandwich to him and when he declined, she took a bite out of that side too. “The best part about college towns are the on-campus bowling alleys, or the ones really close to campus. See, with a little makeup, a low cut top, hair down, and a flirtatious attitude, those college boys fall all over themselves to buy us beer and pay for our lane all night.”

He laughed. “You and Gwen use your feminine wiles to get free stuff?”

“Sure. God gave us hips and tits for a reason, Sam. Why not use them?”

“Gwen flirts? Gwen? My cousin Gwen?”

“You act like it’s incomprehensible or something.” She ate a couple bites of one half of the sandwich. “She had one guy practically drooling earlier.”

He sat back in his chair, thinking about that. He supposed Gwen could be flirtatious, he’d just never seen her do it. “So, does Dean know you do that?”

“Duh. I told him all about it. He thought it was funny.”

“Oh. Okay. How did the injury happen?”

Jo heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. “She was getting ready to throw the ball and some drunken frat boy grabbed her. She lost her balance, the ball went straight in the gutter -- negating her thus far perfect score, I might add -- and her ankle snapped in two places. The first snap when she went down and the second when Shamu the frat boy fell on top of her.”

“It just snapped?” That didn’t sound right.

Her gaze shifted to the right a little. “Not exactly….”

“Jo, tell me.”

“It snapped when her butt came right down on it. Her knees are bruised pretty badly from it, too.”

“Wait, she fell straight down?” He illustrated with his hands to Jo’s firm nods.

“Yup. Bam!” Jo slapped her hand flat onto the table to make a cracking noise. “She went down. Bystanders heard her ankle crack. I mean, it was loud. Sickening loud.”

“It’s broken broken.”

“That’s what I told you. It was pretty gross and I’ve seen some gross injuries. I was about puking when the ambulance came. She’s out of commission for awhile, Sam. They’re putting in like two screws and a plate or something to hold it together. Got her in faster than I thought they would, too. I thought we’d be sitting here for days waiting for them to take her in to fix it.”

“Poor Gwen.” Being somewhat immobile was going to drive her nuts.

“I know. She’s sort of embarrassed by how it happened and you know Dean’ll tease her horribly when he finds out we weren’t even on the job at the time.”

She was right. Dean would get a lot of mileage out of that. He’d be making jokes about frat boys and balls for months. “I won’t tell him.”

“Thank you.” She finished the sandwich and started in on the chips.

Sam drank his coffee while Jo ate and when she’d crumpled the bag and sat back to drink her coffee, he asked, “Why’s Ellen mad at you?”

Her teeth grazed her lower lip. “I sort of didn’t elaborate on the phone about the seriousness of the injury when I should have. She thought Gwen was dying and I was trying to spare her pain as long as I could. Came in demanding to see her immediately, refused to wait for an escort back to where we were waiting…. Where I was waiting, rather. Gwen was in x-ray. She told the nurse she was Gwen’s mom so they’d give her access to the records, then grabbed the chart from the nurse and looked at it. Frankly, I’m surprised neither one of us ended up carted out by security.” She drained the cup. “The pain meds made Gwen loopy and she started singing German drinking songs. Did you know Gwen knows German?”

“Yes, I did. She knows a little Spanish, too.”

“Well, I didn’t. That could come in handy. And she’s got a decent singing voice, too.” She aimed and tossed her cup into the trash receptacle. “Shall we go back up and see if there’s any news?”

“Lead the way.”

Sam followed Jo to the waiting room and found Ellen still in a bad mood and Dean stretched out beside her looking like he’d maybe only said two words the entire time he and Jo were gone. Dean looked up, shrugged, and went back to contemplating the toes of his boots, only changing position slightly when Jo sat beside him so he could put an arm around her.

It was another hour before the doctor told them Gwen was in a room, resting comfortably and they should come back in the morning.

~~~~~~~~~~

The waiting room was chilly, but not because of temperature. Dean took that in in a single second and decided to let Sam have a crack at Jo while he tried to get details from Ellen. He sat beside her and was about to say something when she started mumbling about inconsiderate children and feeling foolish. As he wasn’t sure how to answer that, he stayed quiet, waiting for an opening where he could ask what had happened.

That opening didn’t come.

“You children are going to be the death of me,” Ellen grumbled to him.

It was the fifth such refrain in only minutes and he decided it was wise not to point out that they really had been the death of her once already. In her mood, she might not see the humor in it. She wasn’t calming down enough to say anything about what had happened to Gwen -- other than that she was in surgery -- or what the argument with Jo had been about and by the time Sam and Jo returned he’d given up on that venture.

The surgery went well, but the doctor obviously thought they should all let her rest instead of them trooping in to see her. Ellen turned without a word and strode towards the elevator.

“We’re getting food,” she announced in the parking deck. “There’s a place not far from here that the nurse told me about. Grand Café. Supposed to have the best egg rolls in the area. It’s a part of their advertising, I guess.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” Dean muttered as they got into the Impala.

To his surprise and delight, the portions were good sized and that claim to fame for the egg rolls was deserved.

Jo pushed her almond chicken aside. She’d eaten about half of the portion in the serving dish. “We should take something back for Gwen before visiting hours are over.”

Ellen sipped at her tea. “Sweetie, I doubt she’s going to want anything for awhile between the pain, the meds, and surgery.”

Dean pointed his fork at the remains of Jo’s dinner. “You gonna eat that?”

She slid it over to him.

Sam was still working on his own dinner and Ellen had eaten most of her beef chop suey. Without a word, Ellen pushed her serving dish his way, along with the last of the rice in two bowls.

“So,” Dean began, piling the leftovers on his plate, “any of you going to actually tell me how she broke it?” He waited, looking from Ellen, to Jo, to Sam and back again. “What, is it some secret I can’t know?”

Jo cleared her throat and Sam shoved a huge bite of food in his mouth. That left Ellen, who sat back and stretched.

“It was a stupid accident is what it was. Stupid,” she repeated, “and Jo should have told me on the phone that Gwen wasn’t in critical condition or dying. I went in there like an old fool thinking Gwen was at death’s door --”

“I apologized, mom. I wasn’t thinking, okay? I was a little concerned with getting Gwen to the hospital and not puking because it was gross! I’ve seen gross before, but this was really gross. Her ankle was all --”

Sam looked up at her. “Jo, I’m still eating here.”

“Sorry.” She waved a hand. “If I could go back, I’d tell you she only fell while we were bo --” With a sharp gasp, she clamped a hand over her mouth.

“Yes,” Dean asked, leaning over slightly and quirking a brow at her.

“Nothing.”

“Come on, Jo. What, were you like bowling or something?” Her eyes widened a fraction and he blinked. “That’s it, isn’t it. Gwen broke her ankle bowling. Huh.” He turned back to his plate and stirred the contents together. “Accidents happen, right?”

“After telling me not to tell him, you ended up doing it yourself,” Sam pointed out with a snort. “nice.”

“Oh, shut up, Sam,” Jo said and slumped in the seat.

“You told Sam not to tell me? Why?” Dean could guess, however. He’d gotten into the habit of teasing Gwen about anything he could think of.

“Gwen didn’t want you to know,” she informed Dean, setting one hand on his leg. “It was the only thing she kept saying. ‘Don’t tell Dean what happened.’ She wasn’t screaming about how much it hurt, just that you weren’t to know.”

“Why not? Bowling is a fine pastime. Not to mention you can sometimes get dollar beers.”

“Because you tease her. You can’t tease her, Dean. I mean it. She’s embarrassed enough without you making cracks about her heavy ass breaking her ankle.”

“Her butt broke her ankle? That mean she fell straight down? Ouch.” The mental image of that almost put him off the food he’d put on his plate. Almost. He ate a few bites, then asked, “At least tell me there was alcohol involved.”

“Oh, there was.”

“But not from her. The two of them hadn’t started drinking yet. In fact, they’d only been there an hour.” Ellen poured herself more tea. “Drunken frat boys make accidents easy to happen.”

“Nice. How long is she here do you think? A couple days?”

“We should know more tomorrow. I’ll call Bobby then and see if he’d mind if Gwen joined me to watch over the house. I doubt he’ll mind. She can recuperate there in peace without any of you dragging her out on jobs.”

“Ellen.” Sam pushed his plate away with a hurt expression. “We wouldn’t do that.”

Sam might not, but Dean exchanged a guilty glance with Jo. They both would.

“Course you would,” was Ellen’s genial and knowing reply. A good meal and hot tea had revived her good humor somewhat. “As soon as she’s got that cast on, you’d be dragging her out claiming she can use it as a weapon.” She gestured at Jo, Sam, and Dean. “I know how you three think. Gwen’s going to Bobby’s with me.”

Dean grasped Jo’s hand in his. “Well, then this might be the time to mention that I’ve made reservations at a motel in Las Vegas for next week for me and Jo. We could go early, spend a full two weeks instead of a week and a half.”

“Dean?” Jo’s lips parted, the surprise in her eyes making a warmth gather in his chest.

“You thought I forgot it’s been six months, didn’t you?” He hadn’t forgotten, he just hadn’t been able to decide what to do for it. Nothing had seemed right, but this spontaneous decision did.

“Vegas?”

“I figure we can find a lot to occupy us both there. Gambling, shows, tourist attractions, buffets….”

“You made reservations. Actual reservations? That’s sweet.” Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’d love to go to Vegas with you. I want to get Gwen settled at Bobby’s first, though.”

“Deal.”

Ellen bumped her shoulder against Sam’s. “What do you think, Sam? Want to come to Bobby’s and help me answer phones and be Gwen’s nurse?”

“Make sure you get him one of those little miniskirt outfits to wear.” Dean smirked and tried to figure out a way to tease Gwen without letting on that he knew how it had happened. “Really show off his legs.”

Sam rolled his eyes and reached for the check.

~~~~~~~~~~

Over the course of knowing Dean and Sam, Castiel had become rather familiar with hospitals, having even undergone his own stay in one. It wasn’t a period he wished to remember. He strode down the hall towards Gwen’s room, Abigael trailing behind him.

He’d found that she was so quiet sometimes he could even forget she was there. She observed more than anything, asking questions only occasionally. He’d been trying to assess how much she knew and had yet to come to a conclusion. She reminded him somewhat of how he himself had been in the beginning: innocent, naïve. Perhaps he still was a bit of those, but he’d never be fully that way again.

“Why are we here,” she asked in a low voice.

Turning his head, he looked at her as they came abreast of the door into the room. Time for a lesson on family. “Gwen is a part of Dean’s family. Humans visit family and friends when they’re in this place.”

She peered through the door and frowned. “I thought human families were blood relations and marriage. She’s not related to them by either or in any way. In fact --”

“She was told she was a Campbell, therefore, she’s a Campbell and they are related. She’s family to him and since I have met Gwen on occasion and Dean is my friend, it’s not unexpected that I visit her.” Without waiting for a reply, he stepped into the room and to Gwen. “Hello, Gwen,” he said, moving to the bedside and clasping his hands together.

She opened her eyes, blinking several times before smiling in a goofy manner. “Isss doctor Cas…. Hey….”

“Hello.” She would make little sense he noticed, as her painkiller was at a high dosage. His glance slid to her ankle. It was encased in a cast and if allowed to heal naturally, would heal well, yet over time would make her walk with a limp. When she reached her sixties, if she lived that long, arthritis would set in.

“What’re you doin’ here?” She waved a hand his direction.

He blinked, thinking it was obvious. “I came to visit.”

“Sweet.”

“I could heal your ankle for you if you like?”

The question was lost however, as Gwen noticed Abigael. “Whozzat?” She squinted. “She’s pretty.”

“I’m her mentor.”

“Oooh…,” her eyes opened wide, “is she like an intern?”

He considered the definition. “I suppose the word could apply.”

Gwen snickered. “Is her name Monica?”

Abigael stepped beside him, frowning. “No, my name is Abigael.”

“Are you comfortable,” he asked.

Gwen raised her head and looked at her ankle. “Nope. I’m drugged. There’s a difference.”

Nodding, Castiel reached out, sending Gwen into sleep and easing some of her pain. He’d wait until she was coherent and out of the hospital before asking if she’d like him to heal her ankle properly. Drawing a chair to the bedside, he sat in it.

Abigael crossed her arms. “What’s the point of being here, Castiel?”

“Sit.” He made the word an order.

She brought another chair over, placing it beside his, then sat.

“You have angelic patience. We can stand waiting for hours. It’s in our nature.” He gestured at Gwen. “This here, sitting at a bedside, is human patience: waiting for a loved one to get better and not knowing when that will happen or if it will happen at all.” He’d seen Dean and Sam both do that.

“But she’ll be back on her feet in a few months. She’s not deeply injured. You and I know she’ll return to full health naturally and certainly will if one of us heals the injury.”

“Ignore what you know. Let yourself feel the emotional residue present in this room. You can feel it, Abigael. Helplessness, impatience, fear, worry.”

Her stare was long and shuttered, but finally, she nodded, and sat back in the chair.

They remained in silence for hours, keeping watch at Gwen’s side.

~~~~~~~~~~

“When did you make reservations?”

Dean was expecting the question and protested, “I made reservations. I did.”

“When?” Sam opened up his bag and began taking out toiletries.

“Doesn’t matter.” He squeezed a strip of toothpaste onto his toothbrush.

“Was it more than five minutes ago?”

He was unable to help his chagrined expression and the guilty glance at Sam, who laughed.

“Oh, man Dean! You totally didn’t make reservations, did you?”

Pausing in brushing his teeth, he spit out some of the paste and replied, “Hey, I thought about it. That counts.”

“Not when you get there and you don’t have a room.” He pulled out his phone. “Gimme one of your cards. I’ll find you a nice one. Honeymoon suite, right?”

“Yeah, sure.” He dug his wallet from his pocket and handed it over. “Get us two tickets to whatever the hot shows are now, too.” He rinsed and spit.

“You had no plans made for your six months anniversary, did you?” Sam removed a credit card from his wallet and handed the wallet back.

“Wrong.” He wiped his mouth with a towel and tossed it in the direction of the sink, then returned his wallet to his pocket. “I had plenty of plans. That was the problem. I couldn’t narrow them down. I even thought of taking her to Hawaii. Hawaii, Sam. That’s at least one plane one way, maybe two.”

“Hawaii is more of a honeymoon destination I think.”

“Yeah. I don’t know, just when I thought I had it figured out, I’d see an ad for something and change my mind.” He reached for his button down and put it on, rolling the sleeves up. “This is not me, Sam. I’m not indecisive. You pick a direction and go.”

“Which is basically what you did last minute.”

“True. Think she’ll figure it out?”

Sam laughed again. “Dean, I think Jo has you so figured out that even when you’re trying to surprise her you won’t surprise her.”

“At least one of us has one of us figured out. You goin’ with me to see Gwen?”

“Nah. I’ll be seeing her the whole time at Bobby’s. Take her some food.”

The suggestion was a good one, as by now, Gwen would have gotten a good taste of hospital food. Dean picked up a couple things Sam suggested and made his way to Gwen’s room. He rapped his knuckles on the open door. “Supergirl isn’t supposed to break her ankle, you know.”

She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched with the beginning of a smile. “Go away.”

“Is that any way to treat someone who brought you a decent meal?” He held up the bag from her favorite family restaurant. “I even got pie for you and didn’t eat it on the way over.”

“The sacrifice,” she replied, eyes widening. “You’re a prince, Dean.”

“Oh, I am.” Approaching the bed, he set the bag on her lap and lifted the cover off the plate on the rolling table beside her. “Mmm. Lime jello. Sure you want to miss out on that?”

She was already digging her food from the bag. “How did you know I like Stroganoff?”

He replaced the lid and put the entire tray on the empty bed on the other side of the room. “Sam. He also recommended the peanut butter chocolate pie.”

“There’s a slight chance I might have ordered both a few times when we ate together.” She shoved a forkful of noodles and sauced beef into her mouth and chewed, her expression blissful. “Mmmm…. Thank you, Dean.”

“Don’t mention it.” He sat on the end of the bed carefully, turning his attention to her ankle. “Messed it up pretty good I hear.”

“Unfortunately. But I’m being released this afternoon with strict orders to see my family doctor when I get home. Ellen and Jo are picking me up.”

“Actually, it’ll be Ellen and Sam. I’m taking Jo to Vegas for a couple weeks. She’s riding with me to Bobby’s so we can make a few extra plans on the way.”

“Finally getting to the six month, huh?” She buttered a roll. “You know, Jo thought you forgot all about it.”

“She was wrong. I actually made reservations this time and bought tickets to a show.” Well, Sam had. It didn’t feel like it had been six months already. It was like yesterday that he’d taken that gift to her on Valentine’s Day. Dean supposed that was a good thing. “We’re leaving as soon as we get you settled with Sam and Ellen at Bobby’s.”

When she was done, she put the containers in the bag and set it on the table. “I think Castiel came by last night after everyone left.”

“You don’t know for sure?”

“I was a little out of it. Loopy would be the word Jo would use. He had a woman with him…I think. I might have been hallucinating that.”

“A woman? You mean like another angel?”

“Maybe.” She frowned. “I remember he said something about a mentor.”

Dean stretched his legs out and crossed his arms. “What, like he’s a mentor or she is?”

“Sure.”

Interesting. Angelic mentors? Was that Castiel’s idea or Uzziel’s? Maybe he should give Cas a holler, see what was up.