Not to Disappear

Not to Disappear - Chapter 2

Just as they had predicted, aside from the directions she gave to her house, Maddy was silent in the back of the Impala as they drove. She had wrapped her hand with a bar towel, assuring them that she had plenty supplies back at the house.

Dean found himself slowing down for once on the country roads with the limited light and deep ditches by the side of the road up to the house. It was a relief when he pulled up outside the lightless building. He turned to see Maddy staring at the back of Sam's head, no doubt replaying the night's events in her mind. She had been thrust into a new world she should have been safe from, and now she was questioning everything she knew. Dean had seen that thought-process in too many people's eyes.

"Maddy. This it?" Sam asked.

She snapped back to reality at the sound of her name. She had to look around to see where she was, and frowned. She probably didn't remember leaving the bar. She hadn't been very responsive since.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, this is it."

"Big place," Dean remarked.

"Suppose."

They climbed out, Sam and Dean slowing down to allow Maddy to climb the steps to the porch and open the door. She flipped on the lights and headed straight for a door to the left. It opened onto a set of dark stairs.

"The light's broken so just be careful," she said, leading the way down.

There was another door at the bottom, so small that they had to duck to get through. By the time they were inside, Maddy had turned on the light to reveal a large basement separated up into a small kitchen, sofa, bed, wardrobe, bookshelf, and desk area.

"This is mine," she said, throwing down her bag on the table. "Make yourselves at home. We'll have to stay in here. Jackie will know if we've been in any of the other rooms."

"Jackie?" Dean questioned.

"My mother."

"You don't call her 'mom'?"

"No."

With a small hiss of pain, she shrugged off her coat and laid it over the back of the sofa, wincing as it caught her hand.

"Are you two hurt?" she asked.

"No, we're good," Sam said.

"I'll get you some ice for that eye."

She crossed the room to her wardrobe, digging around to pull out a suitcase. She unzipped it and pulled out a white gel-filled pack. She chucked it to Sam.

"Throw it in the fridge. It'll be ready in fifteen minutes."

"Thanks," he said, sounding a little confused as he did what he was told. "I'll be fine though."

She ignored him, bringing out a light blue box and sitting down at the table with it. With her right hand, she tied up her hair, so that only her brown fringe remained on her face. Dean sat opposite her, curious. Sam also paused in the kitchenette.

Unaware of the attention of the two men, Maddy popped open the box and took out a bottle of surgical disinfectant and a cotton pad. She tipped some of the solution on the pad and held it to the wound on her hand. She inhaled sharply, Dean subconsciously doing the same. That had to hurt.

She just closed her eyes, breathed, then began to clean, dragging the pad through the cut to remove any debris. Once it was sufficiently blood stained and her wound clean, she discarded it and went back to digging in the box with her good hand.

When she brought out the needle and thread, Dean intervened.

"We can do that for you, you know," he said.