The River

Chapter 13 - Pure Bliss

The rays of sunlight shining through thin curtains warmed the bare skin of my back. My head was resting on Dean's bare chest and I could hear his heartbeat steadily and I started to wake.

I forgot how refreshing it was to have a dreamless sleep, something I had missed out on for weeks without Dean's presence at night. I looked up at him and felt a huge smile form on my face as I found him staring back down at me. He smiled back and leaned in to kiss my forehead.

"Morning, Sunshine," he murmured into my hair. For someone who had let Dean go where nobody had gone before, I thought I'd be a bit more freaked out in the morning. Instead, I felt like we were lying in a bubble of pure bliss.

I heard dishes rattling around downstairs which snapped me out of the peaceful moment. "Oh no," I gasped and tried to quickly get to my feet, holding the quilt around my naked body. I had forgotten we weren't alone and embarrassment was already flowing through me.

It just so happened that outside my perfect fantasy world, my leg was still broken. I had also forgotten that as I attempted to scramble to my feet. The plastered leg slipped out from underneath me and I noisily crashed to the floor.

Dean's booming laughter filled the room as he watched my mishap. Luckily, lying on the floor next to me was my abandoned clothing. I quickly dressed and I could hear Dean doing the same on the other side of the bed. He was still laughing when he walked around to help me up.

I scowled as I took his hand and let him help me back up to the bed. "Dean, I need my crutches," I whispered.

"I'll just carry you again." He was still laughing and I was growing irritated.

"No way! Go get me my damn crutches," I insisted. It was useless because before I could protest, Dean had me scooped up and carried down the stairs.

Bobby was sitting at the kitchen table as Sam was finishing cooking breakfast. Divine smells of bacon and eggs filled the kitchen, which was a big change from the usual smell of stale whiskey.

Sam was scraping the last bit of scrambled eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. Dean set me down at the table across from Bobby. I was still scowling and could feel my cheeks beginning to warm. There was a plate of breakfast in front of me and I awkwardly started picking at the eggs with a fork.

Sam handed Dean the last plate with a smirk on his face. "Next time I'll have to plan to rent you guys a bed and breakfast."

I was mortified but Dean took the plate of breakfast and immediately bit off a piece of a bacon strip. His smile was beaming as he chewed with his mouth open. He playfully backhanded Sam's shoulder before taking a seat at the table.

Bobby was eating his breakfast, trying to ignore what was going on around him. Although there was a slight smile on his face and I could tell he was relieved that prior tensions had turned into a better kind of awkwardness.

Although I was embarrassed as hell and my cheeks had grown blazing hot to show everybody just how embarrassed I was, I couldn't help but smile as I glanced around the table at my new family.

Sam and Dean were joking around and roughhousing at the table. Bobby looked like a disapproving father and told them to knock it off or get the fuck out of his house... Yet somehow, in a loving way. I stared at Dean in disgust as he obnoxiously chewed his meal while sporting his new mustache made with orange juice. It might have been a really fucked up family but I knew that as long as we were together, nothing else would matter.

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"Are you ready?" Bobby asked as he pulled the cord on the saw, causing its engine to stir to life.

I nodded excitedly, nearly squealing with excitement. I was sitting on top of an old picnic table and Dean stood behind me with his arms around my waist. I was using his chest like the backrest of a chair, allowing him to keep me propped up. Sam was sat on the bench next to me, holding one of my hands in his.

"Alright, well here goes nothing."

Dean's arms tightened and I felt his lips in my hair, pressing against the back of my head. He had wanted me to go to urgent care and get it professionally taken off. I won that battle because I had already escaped one hospital and ditched the Callie Van Halen alias they had given me while I was unconscious. It didn't make sense to go through the insurance fraud all over again. Also, I was like 99.9% sure that Bobby wouldn't cut my leg off, or maybe that was wishful thinking. I didn't care either way.

As much as Dean could run his mouth when he was arguing, or being sarcastic, or facing imminent death head-on, he was a man of little words when it came to romance but he showed how much he cared in his actions. That was all I ever needed, even if his protective ways pissed me off from time to time and caused more arguments than enough.

I squeezed Sam's hand in excitement as Bobby carefully lowered the blade of the saw to the chunk of plaster that had encapsulated my leg for the past twelve weeks. It was a slow process but after a while, the cast began to crack, and finally, I was free.

I nearly jumped off the table but Dean's arms held me back. "Take it easy," he warned. "Test it out first."

I decided his warnings probably weren't the dumbest idea and reeled in my excitement. I carefully swung my waist around, allowing my good leg to carry all of my weight first.

Dean kept his arms around me as I slowly placed the foot of my potentially healed leg to the ground. He held me up as I slowly balanced the weight between my two legs. There was a dull ache underneath the jagged scars on my leg that were permanently etched there since shattered bone ripped the skin apart, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle.

Dean slowly let his arms fall as I took a few careful steps, although he stayed close enough that he could catch me if I stumbled. It wasn't going to happen though. I felt strong on my legs and I felt like I could cry from happiness.

I started walking faster and faster, then suddenly I was running. I didn't care how big of an idiot I made myself look like as I ran circles around the picnic table, squealing in delight. I could hear chuckles coming from the male trio as they watched me in awe.

After what felt like hours, I finally stopped and let myself pant for air. Sam and Dean were still standing at the table while watching me and drinking a few beers. Bobby had left long ago to answer the never-ending ringing telephones.

I ran to the boys and threw my arms around both of their waists in a warm embrace. It was so sudden that I accidentally knocked over Sam's beer but I couldn't find it within me to care.

I stepped back and looked at them, my cheeks were getting tender from all the smiling I was doing but I couldn't seem to stop. "We need to go on a hunt!" I exclaimed. "Do we have any leads? I want to go now!" I couldn't wait to get back in the game. I had been laid up for twelve weeks and I didn't want to wait another minute.

"Hold on, I got something to show you first," Dean said, grabbing my hand and pulling me away from Sam. I looked back at Sam and shot him a look but he waved me away and I instantly knew he was in on it.

Dean pulled me to the garage where Bobby was sitting in the front seat of my truck. "What's going on?" I asked but Dean didn't have to answer. Bobby turned the key and with a roar, the engine came to life.

I stood there with my mouth hanging open. Apparently, I didn't care how big of an idiot I looked like today. My truck sounded healthier than it ever did. The engine was purring, basically begging to be driven.

"You got it running," I gasped, letting my gaze find Dean. He still had one hand wrapped around my side and was staring down at me with a beautiful smile lighting up his face.

"Surprise," he murmured and kissed the top of my head.

I reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, pulling his head down so that our lips met. "Thank you," I whispered against our kiss.

I was overwhelmed with pure bliss and I couldn't remember a time in my new life since demons slaughtered my family that I felt this happy. It was a foreign feeling but I let it consume me and I never wanted it to end.

Of course, that wouldn't be the case for a person living this way of life...