[Death's Door]
INT. VEHICLE - NIGHT
"Bobby?" Sam called. "Bobby? Hey, hey, hey, hey. Hold on."
"Sam, Dyl, is he dead?" Dean asked.
"I'm checking." He felt Bobby's neck for a pulse.
"Is he dead?!" Dean and Natalia yelled.
"Just drive, Dean! Bobby!"
Dylan shook his uncle. "Come on. Please."
"You gotta talk to us, Sam, Dylan!" Natalia cried.
"All right, he's breathing," Sam told them. "There's a pulse."
Dean entered numbers on his cell. "Keep him upright. Stop the bleeding."
Dylan narrowed his eyes. "We're not idiots, Dean! We know first aid for a damn bullet to the head!"
Dean spoke into the phone. "I need the nearest trauma center."
"Hold on. Hold on," Sam and Dylan said.
"What's the address?!" Dean glanced back a moment. "All right, Bobby, hang in there."
The vehicle skidded as Dean accelerated.
Dylan clumsily reached for Natalia's hand and gripped it tightly, already fearing the worst.
"Bobby!" Sam called. "Just hold on!"
EXT. FOREST - DAY
"Well, I guess we found Phil," Dean and Natalia said.
Bobby frowned. "Wait a minute. Something's not right here."
"Yeah, no kidding," Dean replied. "There's a corpse in a tree."
"Something bad's about to happen."
Natalia gestured to her gun. "Yeah, well, danger's kind of on the W2 - that's why we got the guns."
Blood dripped onto Bobby's hand. There was a bloodstain on Bobby's cap. He put his fingers to his head and saw more blood on his fingertips when he lowered his hand.
"Or something bad's happened already."
INT. OLD HOUSE - DAY
Bobby, Dean, Sam, Dylan and Natalia entered. Bobby removed his cap and touched his head. There was a small amount of blood on his forehead.
"Balls," Bobby muttered.
"Y-you want to tell us what's going on?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, what's going on with your head?" Dean wondered.
"I got shot in it!" Bobby yelled.
"You what?"
Dylan looked at his uncle. "We've been with you all day."
"Yeah, I think we woulda noticed if you took a bullet," Natalia said.
"I didn't take one here. I-I took one out there, i-i-in the real world," Bobby told them.
"You lost us," Dean stated.
"Look, Bobby, you - you want to sit down, seriously?" Sam asked.
"No, there's something I gotta tell you," Bobby replied. "I-I... Dammit, I can't get at it."
"Well, it -it's okay, take your time. We're - we're right here."
"No, no, not you you. Real you. Out - out there, in the waking world. Numbers. Numbers. Where's paper?" He walked towards the table, on which there was a pen and notebook and wrote. "I didn't have time fore to tell you what..." he wrote '454895' in the notebook, "... they're cookin' up. You need to know." He put the piece of paper from the notebook in his jacket pocket.
"Well..." Karen began.
INT. BEDROOM - DAY
Karen was sitting on the bed in a nightgown. There were candles on the bedside tables. Bobby was standing in the doorway holding a glass of red wine. Five-year-old Dylan, who was being watched by his aunt and uncle, ran past with a toy airplane.
"... you just gonna stand there or hand it over, Bobby?" Karen asked.
Bobby frowned. "What the hell? Karen?"
"You were expecting Farrah Fawcett?"
"No. She always calls first. Dylan, go to bed." He paused. "That's what I said the first time this happened."
"What are you talking about? Gimme!" She held out her hand.
Bobby looked down and noticed the glass of wine. "Oh." He gave Karen the glass of wine. "This - this is just like it was. You're beautiful."
"Quit sweet-talkin' and come here." She took Bobby's hand. "I feel like we haven't talked in ages."
"I know just how you feel."
"Listen, I have something I want to say to you. No excuses this time, okay? Just sit, Bobby."
Bobby sat on the bed. "I know what this night is. I remember this."
"I've thought about this a lot. I really..."
Karen and Bobby simultaneously said, "... sat with this..."
Karen hit Bobby lightly. "Don't make fun of me." Dylan ran in and settled himself on Karen's lap, smiling cheekily.
"I wouldn't. Hi, Dyl. I guess bed is pointless. But right now I gotta..." there was the sound of thunder. "I don't remember a storm coming in the night this happened."
Bobby went to the window and saw a full moon and a sky full of stars. The stars disappeared and the reflection of the moon in the window faded. Bobby saw a Young Boy running from behind a shed towards the house.
"Mother Mary. I've got a messed-up fruitcake," Bobby muttered.
"What, Bobby?" Karen asked.
"Uncle Bobby?" Young Dylan called.
"Nuthin'," Bobby replied. "I gotta go. I'm sorry, darling. I'm sorry, Dyl.
"Bobby, wait! Don't go," Karen begged.
"Don't leave me!" Young Dylan cried.
EXT. STREET - NIGHT
Bobby looked around at lightning and heard thunder. He was behind Rufus who was standing outside a building wearing a pest control uniform. Bobby was wearing the same uniform.
"Number-one trick, is act like you know what you're doing, Bobby," Rufus said.
"Rufus?" Bobby called.
"What, I can't give you advice now? All of a sudden you know everything? You know, I can always go wait in the car."
"No, wait. I-I need your help. Bad."
"Yeah, damn straight you do."
"No, listen to me, Rufus. I'm gonna die!"
"Oh, now that's a realistic view of the mortality rate on a ghost hunt." He held an EMF reader, which lit up and made noises. "Whoa, whoa, Nellie, red line. All right, baby boy, here we go."
"No, Rufus!"
Rufus entered the building. Bobby looked around. It was raining. The building was a church. The Young Boy ran down the street.
Rufus opened the door of the church again. "Are you coming, Bobby? I mean, we're not getting any younger here!"
"Coming," Bobby replied, looking down to see the Young Boy in front of him.
The Young Boy clasped Bobby's arm. "God's gonna punish you."
Bobby heard the sound of breaking glass and looked behind him to see a broken glass of milk on a tiled floor. When he turned back, the Young Boy was gone. Bobby entered the church.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
Six people in red robes were standing at the front of the church. Rufus walked towards a door at the side. The six people formed a line and held hymn books as though they were about to sing. There was thunder, the ground shook and Bibles fell from the pews. As Bobby watched, the members of the choir disappeared. The lights went off.
A man holding an old-fashioned watch on a chain walked up behind Bobby and said, "Hello, Mr. Singer."
Bobby turned and saw that the man was dressed in a dark suit. There was a flash of lightning.
The man swung the watch on its chain and caught it in his hand before saying, "Your time's up."
"So you're a reaper, huh?" Bobby asked. "You know, I've heard of you guy grabbing reapers in broad daylight and in their sleep, but I never heard of a reaper showing up in a guy's custard."
"You're in a coma, genius. This is what happens. I climb in your "custard" and fish you out." The Reaper took a step towards Bobby and held out his hand. Bobby took a step back. "Oh, you think you can lose me."
"Gonna try."
"I've got places to be, Singer, don't waste my time."
"Might as well - while I got it."
"You're prolonging the inevitable."
The Reaper flipped open his watch, which was ticking. He flipped it closed again and the ticking sound stopped. Bobby ran for the door Rufus went through.
"I can find you anywhere!" the Reaper told him. "Even in this gin-soaked maze."
Bobby walked around a corner. He was dressed in his usual clothes. Someone tossed two DVDs onto a coffee table: 'Chuck Norris American Hero Collection' and 'The Delta Force'.
"I'm just saying - look, you can't really compare," Sam said.
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Sam, Dean and Natalia were sitting on a couch. Dylan was staring admirably at the girl he was in love with.
"Nat and I don't even know you right now," Dean replied. "That's not even a contest."
Dylan walked up with a beer. "It depends on the criteria."
Natalia frowned at him. "Survival is the only criteria that matters."
Dean grabbed one of the DVDs and got up. "And when the crap hits the fan, it's not about who has skill. It's about who's the bigger badass. Bobby, will you please tell Sam and Dylan that Chuck Norris could kick Jet Li's ass?"
Bobby looked around the room and walked towards the kitchen.
"You grab me a beer while you're in there?" Dean asked.
"And me?" Natalia added.
Bobby opened the sliding doors to the kitchen.
"Bobby?" a woman called as she set plates on the table. "Bobby Singer, you had better be washed up when you come down."
The woman, Bobby's mother, looked at him. Behind Bobby, Dean and Natalia were standing near the TV, the elder of the two opening the DVD case.
"You're filthy," Bobby's mother said. "God, what is wrong with you? It's like you want him to get mad."
Bobby slid the kitchen doors shut.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
Rufus tossed Bobby a shotgun. "Bobby, heads-up! Whew! Poor thing. Gets left at the altar, kills herself, and then gets buried in the crypt. Now she's going after men who break their girls' hearts. Poignant, am I wrong?" He handed Bobby a flashlight. "Why you out of breath? Did you go for a jog up there, man?"
"I need your help, Rufus," Bobby told him.
"Yeah, clearly."
"No, listen to me."
"I want you to grab a torch, man. As soon as I open up her coffin, showtime's coming pretty quick."
"No. Will you listen to me, you son of a bitch? There's a damn reaper coming for me."
"There's a damn reaper coming for all of us, Bobby." He looked at the names on the crypt and stopped at Lara Coggins, 1925-1954. "All right, let's put this damn ghost to bed. I got plans for Purim." He hit the crypt with a sledgehammer.
INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Bobby was being wheeled on a hospital bed.
"Page the neurosurgeon on call," the doctor instructed. "Tell OR to put electives on hold."
Sam, Dean, Natalia and Dylan were following behind Bobby's bed. Dylan was gripping Natalia's hand tightly.
The doctor continued giving directions. "Move trauma 2 to bed 7 as soon as it's clean."
INT. HOSPITAL TRAUMA ROOM - NIGHT
"Gunshot wound to the right frontal area, no exit wound," the nurse informed. "Breathing spontaneously. Respiratory rate 18 and shallow. RST at 120. BP 90 over 60. GCS 5."
"Push 80 grams of Mannitol over 30," the doctor said. "Prep for intubation."
"Air entry clear to bases."
"Let's get a central line in here now."
"What's happening?" Sam asked. "Please just tell us-"
"Get them out of here."
"Sorry. You need to stay out of their way," the nurse told them.
Another nurse cut open Bobby's shirt.
"That's our uncle," Dean and Natalia said.
"You got to stay back."
"What are they doing?" Sam questioned.
"We need to get him stable."
Dylan looked at the nurse. "Okay, when are you gonna remove the bullet?"
"If we can get the swelling down, if it's in a place we can get to, if-"
"If he even lives that long," Sam finished.
The nurse pulled a curtain shut across the door to the trauma room.
Dylan shoved Sam and stalked away. He needed some time alone in his thoughts and worry. The idea of being around anyone was too overwhelming.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
Rufus opened a coffin.
"Forget it," Bobby said. "I got to keep moving." He turned to leave, but a ghost appeared in front of him. She was bleeding from a wound across her throat.
"Heartbreaker," the ghost told Bobby, snatching his shotgun and put her arm into his chest. Bobby grimaced in pain.
INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
Sam, Dean and Natalia were standing outside Bobby's trauma room. Dylan had gone to the hospital chapel to pray for a miracle.
"Push 30 more of Mannitol over 10," the doctor said. "CBC and 'lytes. Bolus him with 500 saline."
The nurse frowned. "The vitals were stable two minutes ago."
"Well, he's crashing now."
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
The ghost's arm was still inside Bobby's chest as she stated, "I'll break your heart."
Rufus slashed through the ghost with iron and she disappeared. Bobby fell to the ground.
"Bobby... Come on. You okay?" Rufus asked. "Say something."
Bobby raised his head. "Look out!"
The ghost reappeared behind Rufus. She grabbed him and threw him to the ground. Blood pooled out from underneath his head. Bobby torched the ghost's bones and she screamed as she burned up and vanished.
INT. HOSPITAL TRAUMA ROOM - NIGHT
"Blood pressure 130 over 90," a nurse informed.
Bobby had stabilized. His head was bandaged, there was a tube in his mouth and he was wearing a hospital gown.
Dylan had returned and was sitting silently in the room holding his uncle's hand. He'd begged his way in and the doctor had relented.
INT. CHURCH - NIGHT
Rufus was still lying where he fell.
Bobby spoke. "Okay, Rufus, I need you - Oh, balls. This would be the one job you damn near got yourself killed on. Well, you're gonna be useful, even if I have to carry you."
INT. HOSPITAL - NIGHT
The doctor opened the curtain and walked towards Dean and Natalia. Sam was leaning on the wall nearby.
"He's, uh, stable for the moment," the doctor told them. "Just have to see."
Dean and Natalia looked at Bobby in the trauma room, then slowly turned and looked at Sam. The three had distressed looks on their faces.
Bobby laid unconscious in the hospital bed. Dylan, still holding his uncle's hand, had mixed emotions across his face.
"Rufus..." Bobby began.
EXT. OUTSIDE HOSPITAL - DAY
"Where the hell did you go?" Bobby asked, seeing the Young Boy standing nearby. "Yeah, you! You, kid! Hey, what are you making like a white rabbit all over the place for, you grubby little - enough with the jump scares, kid. Who are you running from?" The Young Boy said nothing. "Wait a minute. I know you."
"Did you think I was dead?" Rufus questioned.
Bobby turned and saw Rufus being wheeled out of a hospital by a nurse.
Rufus laughed and handed the nurse a piece of paper. "Call me, all right?" He got out of the wheelchair. "Don't sit Shiva for me yet, Bobby."
Bobby looked behind him, but the Young Boy was gone. "Listen - after Bridezilla took you out, do you remember what you told me about your near-death experience?"
"I haven't told you nuthin' yet. But now that you mention it, pretty sure I almost crossed over."
"And what did you see?"
"What did I see? What are you so riled up about, paco? All right, all right. I saw a hallway, uh, plaid carpet, uh, the apartment building from when I was a kid."
"And?"
"And I wanted out. I'm not dying on no damn plaid carpet. No, thank you."
"So, what did you do?"
"Well, obviously, Bobby, not being stupid, I started looking for the damn exit door. Y-you know, I swear that's what they mean about your life flashing before your eyes, 'cause every time I opened the door, there was another chapter inside - the good, the bad, the bloody."
"So, how did you get out?"
"Found the right door, obviously."
"Well, how did you find it?"
"Oh, simple - I went deep."
"Deep. Like old?"
"No, deep like... Crap you do not want to think about, so you bury it, you shove other crap over it, and you don't go there, ever."
"So, you're telling me that the way out was through your worst memory?"
"It's an important door, Bobby."
"Okay, this is good."
"What the hell are you going on about, anyway?"
Bobby took the piece of paper from his jacket pocket. "This. I got to find the right door to get this to Sam, Dean, Dylan and Natalia. I'm in a coma, Rufus, right now."
Rufus laughed. "Get out."
"I got shot in the dunce cap, Rufus. I'm - I'm dying."
"You sure?"
"Unfortunately."
"I'll be a prima ballerina. Wait, wait, Bobby. Are you trying to tell me I'm just one of your better memories?"
"Would I make this up?" There was thunder and the ground shook. "Okay. I got to go."
"What?"
"You're coming with me, Rufus."
"What?"
"I need my partner on this. Please."
The thunder and shaking stopped. Bobby and Rufus walked along outside the hospital, past signs saying Lincoln Memorial Hospital.
"Aim for your worst memory," Rufus instructed. "Think. Focus. You got it? The worst, okay?"
"I got a metric ton of worst," Bobby replied.
"Just take a shot. By the way, killer bride - how come she call you a heartbreaker, anyway? I mean, you a family man if I ever saw one."
"Thanks for narrowing things down."
The ground shook again.
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - DAY
Bobby and Rufus entered the bedroom. There was a broken glass of red wine on the floor. Karen was standing barefoot next to it, dressed in a blue robe.
"I can't believe you," Karen said. "I hate you. Everything's a lie. Our whole life, our vows... everything. You knew I wanted kids. I've seen you with our nephew. Why didn't you just sit me down and say... I don't understand. You're a good man. You'd be a good dad. You're great with Dylan. What does that even mean, you break everything you touch?! What kind of excuse is that?!" She stepped on the broken glass. "Aah!" She sat on the bed; her foot was bleeding. "Just stay away from me! You broke my heart, Bobby! You happy? Just go away!" She began crying.
"Just so you know... I'm sorry," Bobby told her. "I never stopped being sorry."
Young Dylan, who'd heard the yelling, walked in and hugged his crying aunt.
"Bobby, I thought you'd want a gang of rugrats," Rufus commented and Bobby shook his head. "So, how long after this..."
"... did she get possessed? Three days. Biggest regret of my life, this fight. You'd think it was when I had to stab her to death, but... no. All through that... I was thinking we never got to get past this. If I'd have known, I'd have said anything she wanted to hear."
Karen was still crying on the bed and Young Dylan was still hugging her.
"Bobby?" Rufus called. "Hey. Try the door. Now."
"Thanks, Rufus." Bobby opened the door and stepped out into the light.
EXT. PARK - DAY
"Balls," Bobby muttered.
"What year is this?" Rufus asked. "'89-ish?"
"What's it matter? I'm still stuck in eternal friggin' sunshine."
"No, I was just thinking, man - you look pretty good there. Must've drank less."
Bobby and Rufus watched Younger Bobby, Young Dean and Young Dylan walk across the park. Young Sam remained with Young Natalia in another part of the grass watching her.
"Hey, Bobby, where are we going?" Young Dean asked.
"Well, Dean, where's it look like?" Younger Bobby replied.
"Dad says I'm supposed to practice with the double-barrel."
Young Dylan grinned. "Uncle Bobby says we won't use guns today."
Younger Bobby ruffled his nephew's hair before saying, "He's right. We're gonna skip the guns today. Here." He gave Young Dean and Young Dylan a catcher's mitt. "Here. Today... you're both gonna throw a ball around, just like regular snot-nosed little jerks."
Young Dylan frowned. "Not nice word."
"You know, for a guy who'd rather break his wife's heart than give her a baby, you make a hell of a nanny and uncle," Rufus said.
"Shut up, Rufus," Bobby retorted. "We need another door."
They looked around and saw a shed behind them.
"Let's go," Bobby told Rufus.
"Seriously, though, Bobby, how come-" Rufus was cut off.
"Dog with a bone, Rufus."
"No, I really want to know, man - why no kids; excluding the nephew you raised?"
"Ain't that deep. Dad was a mean drunk. I figured I'd be just like him. And, hey, look - I was right. No sense passing on the legacy. Thankfully Dylan doesn't seem to have gotten it."
"Man, you're too hard on yourself. You're more of a cranky drunk. You do know that whatever you're trying to avoid with the eye rolls and the grump-a-lumping - that's exactly where you need to go."
"I ain't avoiding nothing."
"Yeah, sure."
"Get off my ass, Rufus."
"Hey, Bobby, I'm trying to help you here, okay? You want to get out of here, or do you want to die?"
"I'm trying. How am I supposed to know what I don't want me to know?" Bobby opened the shed doors.
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Bobby's mother was serving dinner. Bobby's father sat at the kitchen table reading a newspaper. The Young Boy, Young Bobby, ran into the room and sat at the table.
"Hey, look," Bobby's father said. "The crown prince decided to drop by for a late bite."
"Oh, he - he was just washing up," Bobby's mother replied. "So, w-who would like to say grace?"
"Hell with grace. Pass me the biscuits."
Young Bobby reached for the biscuits and knocked over a glass of milk. The glass fell to the floor in slow motion and broke.
"I'm sorry," Young Bobby apologized.
"What is the matter with you?" Bobby's father asked.
"I don't know. I'm sorry."
"You break everything you touch!"
Bobby's mother was on her knees cleaning up the glass. "Let's just have a nice supper."
"A nice supper?"
"Mm-hmm."
Bobby's father swept his plate onto the floor. "There's your nice supper." He drank from a glass of whiskey. "I get no respect in this house."
Bobby and Rufus looked at each other. Bobby slid the kitchen doors closed.
"What?" Rufus said. "Now, you can't tell me that wasn't gnarly enough to go spelunking in."
"That was any given Tuesday night," Bobby answered. "Believe me - it was nothing special."
"No, no, no. You're scared."
"No, I ain't. I just know we're in the wrong place, Rufus."
There was thunder and the ground shook.
"You - Okay, Bobby, you don't have time. That sound was not the weather, and you know it. We can't keep bopping through your greatest hits forever. That reaper's gonna catch up. I mean, if there was some way to stop the damn thing... But it's a reaper, Bobby. You're screwed."
"I know what we're gonna do."
"What?"
"We're gonna stop the damn reaper.
"So, there's nothing else we can do?" Sam asked.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
"I'm sorry," the doctor replied. "We just have to wait. We'll see if the swelling goes down."
"How long?" Dean and Natalia questioned.
"It's hard to say in cases like this."
"Well, he's lasted this long," Dean noted. "That's something, right?"
"Well, yes. Listen - the bullet didn't shatter. Only one hemisphere of his brain was injured. These are all positive things. But... I don't want to give you false hope here. He's far from out of the woods. Most of the time, cases like this..."
"They die," Sam finished.
"Right now it comes down to him. I'll keep you updated." The doctor left, Dylan went to sit at his uncle's side, and a man walked up behind Sam, Dean and Natalia.
"Excuse me," the man called. "Sorry to interrupt. Is one of you Robert Singer's next of kin?"
Natalia opened her mouth to get Dylan, but didn't have the heart to pull him from his uncle's bedside.
INT. HOSPITAL CORRIDOR
The man spoke with Dean and Natalia and said, "We know this is a stressful time."
"Yeah, okay," Dean replied. "No offense - you can skip the garnish. What, did his insurance lapse, or what?"
"We're sorry to ask, but, um, did your uncle ever make his wishes known i-in regards to organ donation? Organs are only viable for a very limited window-"
""Viable"?" Dean and Natalia repeated.
"We're just hoping some good can come out of this tragic-"
Dean cut the man of. "Listen to me. I'm gonna say this once. He's not gonna die. It's one bullet. He's gonna be fine because he's always fine."
"I apologize."
Natalia narrowed her eyes. "Why are you talking to us like he's gonna die, huh? He and I do our job! Do your jobs! Save him!"
"Of course they're doing everything they can."
Dean and Natalia punched the glass covering a sign next to the man's head.
"Walk away from me," Dean ordered. "Now!"
"Go!" Natalia screamed.
The man walked away. Dean and Natalia walked in the other direction and went outside.
EXT. HOSPITAL - DAY
The sign outside the hospital read 'Hammonton Regional Hospital'. Dean and Natalia walked down the steps and shook their hands. They saw a black car parked diagonal across two parking spaces directly in front of the hospital.
"Dick!" Dean called. "We know you're in there. Come on out..." he and Natalia pounded on the heavily tinted closed rear window, "... you dick."
The window lowered, revealing Dick.
"What, did you come here to finish the job?" Natalia accused and Dick smiled.
"Yeah?" Dean spat. "Well, come on. Right here, right now, to in the open, you, me and her, Dick Roman." Bystanders were using their mobile phones to record the confrontation. "See? Deciding to jump a famous guy ain't all upside. You can kill me and her right now - you want to see it online."
"Maybe you two should go check on that friend of yours," Dick suggested. "He can't be feeling too frisky right about now. I'm a very good shot."
Natalia glared daggers at Dick. "We're coming for you, and not just to hurt you - to kill you. Understand?"
"Come on, Natalia, Dean. I can't be killed."
"You're gonna wish you could, then," Dean retorted.
Dic laughed. "That's some conviction. You'd really crush it on the motivational circuit. I suspect you would too, missy."
"You're either laughing because you're scared or you're laughing because you're stupid. We'll see you soon, Dick."
Natalia balled a fist and swung it towards Dick.
Before it made contact, Dean grabbed her by the wrist. She fought him, but he proved too strong.
"Let me go!" Natalia cried. "Let me at 'im!"
"No," Dean replied. "No. Nat, we'll get him. I promise. But right now, Bobby needs us. Dylan needs us."
At the mention of Bobby and Dylan, she eased slightly and slowly lowered her fist.
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
"It's in an old King James Bible," Bobby said, taking a Bible from the bookshelf and leafing through it. The pages all seemed to be blank."
"So, what exactly are we doing now?" Rufus asked.
Bobby put the Bible down on a table. "Well, technically, you're correct. You can't stop a reaper, not permanently. Only their boss can do that, and their boss' boss, and we don't want them involved." He took out another book. "Ah. Now we're cooking with gas." He put the second Bible down on the table and opened it. The pages had been cut to hide a large cross.
"What is that?"
Bobby picked up the cross. "Well, Sam, Dean and Natalia have run up against these suckers a couple, three times. Picked up a few tricks - enough to slow them down a hair, at least."
"All right. Let's work some mojo."
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
Dean was getting coffee from a machine. Natalia was getting a cup of tea. They walked towards Sam, who was still leaning on the wall outside Bobby's room. Dylan was still inside the room with his uncle.
"What did that guy want?" Sam asked.
"Uh, nothing," Dean replied. "Just some insurance mook. Dick Roman was out there."
"What? What happened?"
"Nothing... For now. It was just a friggin' staring contest. That was about it. Though I did have to physically restrain Natalia. What's the update?"
"The swelling's down a little. They took him off sedation. Apparently, he - he started fighting his tube. So they pulled them out, and he's breathing on his own. Dylan's spirits seem to be looking up."
A faint smile crossed Natalia's face. "That's good, right? Is that good?"
"Yeah. Well, doctor said best-case scenario."
"All right, so when they gonna take the bullet out?" Dean asked.
"Dean, t-they're not even - they're not even gonna try that, not yet."
"What does that mean?"
"The words "abrading," I think."
"English."
"Cutting out the dead brain tissue," Natalia mumbled.
"I don't know, Alex," a man said. "I-I don't know."
A man and woman in the middle of a conversation stopped near Sam, Dean and Natalia.
"That's if the doctor even thinks it's worth the risk," Sam added.
"You know, I, uh... You're working..." the woman trailed.
"I don't know," the man replied.
"I'm - I'm-"
"Can I talk to you two?" Sam asked.
Sam, Dean and Natalia walked away from the man and woman.
"What?" Dean and Natalia wondered. "Talk about what?"
"You two know what."
"No, we're not gonna have that conversation," Dean said.
"Well, we need to."
"He's not gonna die."
"He might."
"Sam," Dean and Natalia called.
"Dean, Natalia, listen - we need to brace ourselves."
"Why?"
"Because it's real."
"What do you want to do?" Dean retorted. "You want to hug and - and say we made it through when Dad died? We've been through enough. Dylan's been through enough."
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - DAY
Rufus was putting ingredients into a bowl on Bobby's desk. Bobby opened a closet which seemed to be empty.
"We still need gold ore, hemlock, and mace," Bobby said.
"Mm," Rufus hummed. "So, pretty basic, then, huh?"
As Bobby walked through the house, the light went out in the window as he passed. He opened a kitchen drawer, which was full of odds and ends. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a younger version of himself talking on the phone in the main room.
"No, we didn't shoot rifles as a matter of fact. We threw a ball around." ... "He's a kid, John. They all are. They're entitled." ... "Yeah, I know I ain't their dad." Younger Bobby hung up and threw the phone down.
Young Dylan walked up and handed Younger Bobby a baseball and smiled.
Bobby looked down at the kitchen drawer, which was empty, and asked, "What the hell?" He opened the refrigerator and took out a half-full jar of blood.
Bobby was finishing painting a symbol on the wooden floor in front of his desk. He joined Rufus behind the desk and picked up the cross before speaking the spell. "O theristes, kaleo se Kai deo."
Rufus lit the match and dropped it into the bowl. There was a flash of fire and the Reaper appeared.
"Cute," the Reaper commented. "Got to admit - first time anyone's pulled one on me while actually unconscious."
"Well, get comfy."
"Not so fast."
"Yeah? Sorry. Other business."
"I'm trying to help you, Bobby. You're going to die. Think you can stop it by pinning me like a bug?"
"Well-"
"You've seen the dark coming - people disappearing, things going blank. Look around. Cell by cell..." Bobby looked around at photographs on the bookshelves; while Bobby's face in the photos was clear, the faces of the other people were blurry and indistinct, "... that bullet's killing your brain. You're running out of places to hide. So, understand - this trap won't hold forever, because this room won't hold, because you are going to die."
"You think."
"Come with me. Be done. You've earned it. Or fight me. Stay here. And you know the drill."
"I don't know, Bobby," Rufus said. "I mean, you really want to get stuck, turn into some ghost?"
"I know what I'm doing, Rufus," Bobby replied.
"Yeah, yeah, you're thinking you can help those boys and girl. But how many spirits you meet in their right mind? Some hunter's gonna cut you down."
"Who's side are you on?"
"Bobby... You've helped," the Reaper told him. "You got handed a small, unremarkable life, and you did something with it. Most men like you die of liver disease, watching "Barney Miller" reruns. You've done enough. Believe me."
"I don't care."
"Why?"
"Because they're my boys and girl."
Bobby saw Young Bobby standing nearby and said, "All right. The only way out is through." He looked to his younger self. "So lead the way." He turned to Rufus. "Nice seeing you again, old friend." He looked to the Reaper. "Thanks for the chat."
Young Bobby walked away and Bobby followed.
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Bobby's mother was on her knees cleaning up the plate that Bobby's father had knocked to the floor.
"It's fine," Bobby's mother said. "It'll just take a second."
Bobby's father poured another glass of whiskey before saying, "You just gonna sit there? Get a broom or somethin'." Young Bobby left the room.
Bobby's father stood. "You know why he's like that? Because you let him do whatever he wants."
"It's okay. See? I'm almost done. You just relax a-and have another drink."
Bobby sighed.
"Don't tell me what to do."
Young Bobby was watching from the doorway.
"No," Bobby's mother said. "Wait. Wait."
Bobby's father struck his wife across the face, knocking her down. When she looked up, there was blood at the corner of her mouth.
"I - no!" Bobby's mother cried, looking at her son. "Why do you always provoke him?"
"Because he's a bad kid - that's why," Bobby's father answered.
"Well, that's a load of crap," Bobby retorted. "Who the hell were you to say?"
"I'm your father. And you show your father respect."
"The day he deserves it, you drunken..."
"Shhh..." Bobby's mother said quietly.
"... bully. Punching women and kids - is that what they call fatherhood in your day?"
"Oh, you deserved it," Bobby's father told him. "Believe me. You were nothing but ungrateful."
"I was a kid! Kids ain't supposed to be grateful! They're supposed to eat your food and break your heart, you selfish dick! You died, and I was still so afraid I'd turn into you I never even had kids of my own, though I did raise my nephew."
"Good. You break everything you touch."
Bobby's mother began crying.
"Uh-huh. Well, as fate would have it, after taking in my nephew, I adopted two boys and one girl, and they grew up great. They grew up heroes. So you can go to hell!"
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
The nurse and a second nurse were walking towards Bobby's room.
"Keep the head of the bed up for transport," the nurse instructed. "IV can run off the pump. Just run a TKVO. We'll have to wait for respiratory."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait," Sam protested. "What's happening?"
"He's showing signs of responsiveness. We're taking him up for surgery. If you want to see him, I'd squeeze in there quick. I think the other young man is still in there."
Sam, Dean and Natalia walked towards Bobby's room.
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Bobby's mother was still on the door and there was blood coming from her nose as well as her mouth.
"I'm sorry," Bobby's mother apologized. "I said that I'm - I'm sorry."
"Yeah, yeah, you say that every time," Bobby's father retorted.
"Please just stop."
"No!" Bobby's father shouted. "This time, you listen!"
"Stop it," Young Bobby told his father, standing in the doorway with a rifle. As his parents watched, he cocked the rifle.
Bobby's father laughed. "You're kidding, right? You're not half enough man to use that thing. You leave the adults to sort this out... and I will deal with you later." He grabbed his wife by her hair and dragged her partway to her feet.
"Ohh!" Bobby's mother cried. "Aah! Bobby, just go. Do what he says. Just go."
"No," Young Bobby argued, pointing the rifle at his father. "Leave her alone." He shot his father in the head.
"Aah!"
Bobby's father fell to the ground dead.
"Bobby, what did you do?" Bobby's mother asked. "God is gonna punish you."
"Hey," Bobby greeted, walking towards his younger self. "You did what you had to do. This is where you learn that... they pretty much never say thanks when you save 'em. Now go get a shovel. Bury the old man out behind the woodshed."
Young Bobby left.
"You got the only genetic case in the brain I've ever seen," the Reaper said before a bright light appeared in the kitchen window. "Not so fast, Singer."
Bobby hurried to the kitchen door, opened it and looked out into the bright light.
INT. BOBBY'S ROOM IN HOSPITAL - DAY
Sam, Dean, Natalia and Dylan were at Bobby's bedside.
"Sorry. We need to get moving," the nurse told them.
"Right. Yeah," Sam and Dylan said.
Sam looked at his siblings, then Dylan, then down at Bobby before saying, "Hey, um... Bobby, um, hey..." he took Bobby's hand. "Just... thanks... for everything." He let go of Bobby's hand and gave it a pat.
"All right," the nurse stated. "Please step back."
"Yeah," Dean and Natalia agreed as Dylan took Natalia's hand.
Bobby raised his head and opened his eyes.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait, stop," Dylan protested. "His eyes are open."
"Bobby?" Dean and Natalia called.
"Hey," Sam and Dylan greeted.
Sam and Dylan each put a hand on Bobby's shoulders. Bobby removed the respirator covering his mouth and nose. Sam took Bobby's hands. Dylan brushed his uncle's hair back.
"What - don't talk," Dean told Bobby. "Don't talk. A pen - I-" he grabbed the pen and chart at the end of the bed. "Here. Here, here, here." He handed the pen to Sam, who handed it to Bobby. "What is it?"
Bobby wrote '45489', one less than he wrote on the piece of paper, on Sam's hand while breathing heavily with the effort. He smiled lightly at Sam, Dean, Natalia and Dylan who leaned closer to him.
"Idjits," Bobby said.
Bobby's head fell back onto the pillow and his eyes closed. The monitor he was attached to started beeping.
"Bobby?" Dean, Natalia and Dylan called. "Hey!"
The monitor had flatlined.
INT. HOSPITAL - DAY
"Call a code - trauma room," a nurse ordered.
Sam, Dean, Natalia and Dylan were standing outside Bobby's room as medical staff hurried towards the room and attempted to revive Bobby.
Dylan stepped back and held his head in his hands.
Natalia walked towards him and cupped his face.
In a broken voice, Dylan said, "The only family I had left is gone."
Natalia brushed his cheek, wiping a tear away. "You still got us."
"What?"
"Dyl, you still got us. We're family."
A small smile crossed his lips. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Family don't end with blood." She kissed him softly and he fell into her arms as silent tears fell down his cheeks.
INT. BOBBY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Bobby walked through the house.
"You micro-brewing in there, or what?" Dean asked. "Come on - we got a lot of Chuck Norris to get through. Let's go."
Bobby opened the refrigerator door and took out two beers. Dylan, who'd joined his uncle's side, took out another two beers.
"Nice move, waking up like that," the Reaper complimented.
"Motivation's a mother," Bobby said.
"You know why it's dark out there, don't you? This house - it's your last island, everything else melted by that bullet - gone. This is your last chance to come with me and move on. For your own good, Bobby, let go. They'll be okay without you."
"Last memory, huh?" The Reaper nodded. "Glad I saved the best for last." He walked away.
Dean, who was holding the remote, sat on the two-person couch next to Sam, who was eating popcorn. Dylan, who'd returned, was sitting in an armchair, Natalia on his lap. He'd suggested it since the couch was no longer available, and she'd accepted.
"All right, scoot, jerk-face," Dean demanded. "Show your elders some respect."
"You scoot, ass-hat," Sam retorted, flipping a piece of popcorn at Dean. Natalia started throwing popcorn at Sam and soon, a popcorn battle started.
Bobby walked in and handed the beers to Sam.
"Mm," Sam hummed, dodging a piece of popcorn. "Nat, stop throwing popcorn at me." He set one of the beers on the table in front of Dean who was taking more snacks out of a plastic bag.
"Did we get licorice?" Dean asked.
Bobby sat and watched Sam, Dean, Natalia and Dylan.
Sam, with a mouthful of popcorn, replied, "No, we did not get licorice. We got good snacks. Licorice is disgusting."
Bobby smiled slightly.
"I'm sorry. I didn't quite understand that, uh, Mr. Peanut-Butter-and-Banana Sandwiches?"
"You know what? I stand by that sandwich. Nobody likes licorice. I-it's - it's made of dirt."
Natalia frowned. "Well, then you're wrong. Licorice is great."
Dean nodded. "It is a classic movie food. It's right up there with popcorn."
"Popcorn? Really?" Sam asked.
"Yes."
"You're out of your mind. Dylan?"
Dylan cracked a smile. "Sorry, man. I like licorice. Red, at least."
Sam, Dean, Natalia and Dylan were fading.
"What - it's like little chewy..." Dean began as the four disappeared, "... pieces of heaven."
"Oh, chewy pieces of heaven if you're a girl."
"Then it's chewy pieces of heaven," Natalia replied. "Trust a girl."
"Ugh, seriously?"
The Reaper appeared and said, "Well, Bobby? Stay or go - what's it gonna be?" His watch was open and ticking.