Highway '74

Panda13216

It had been a stressful week for Haylee Banks. First, she had to go out of state for an auction, and leave her six year old son with some people she barely knew. Second, she didn't even win the auction. Finally, the winning buyer only beat her by a dollar or two. She wasn't sure what to say to her son, that winter had been a terrible one. The Banks family had lost their buyers, their crops, and worst of all, the father and husband of the house.

The weather must have felt her pain for it began to pour rain, and it continued this for the next ten miles. There hadn't been a patch of rain like this in Maine for years now. The state usually got drizzles, or large storms, this one only steadily poured but gave no signs in lightning. The first thing that shot into Haylee's mind was that Colby, her son, had a fear of storms and one that had been going on for the last thirty minutes wasn't a good idea.

She popped her jaw and continued to focus on the journey home. She scanned the wet pavement for animals, not wanting to hit one. It was for this reason that she managed to see a large pile of clothing beside the road.

It startled her so much that her old Chevy Pickup jerked off the road. She made a large U-turn and headed back to where she could've sworn she saw a human being. Haylee shook her head which convinced herself she only saw an elks remaining, or something more likely than a human.

To her demise, her first instinct was correct. She stepped out of her truck and twisted her head. She couldn't decide if he was drunk, or a hitch hiker, but he looked hurt. From the dim lighting she could see that he had claw marks on the sides of his neck and one large lump forming on the back of his head.

She stared at him for a good while letting her brain's ideas tangle with her common sense. She tried to see him better in the darkness. He had dark hair and freckles dashed across his nose. He looked like his face was strained in anger but this only gave Haylee better reasons to leave him there. She decided against her sense. Haylee hooked his arms under hers and began to haul him into the back of her truck.

It took longer than she wished; it was already one in the morning and her son was informed she would be home by eleven which was obviously not happening. When she had the stranger comfortable in the back seat she got back in the front seat and began driving toward the edge of Maine, where her home was located.

She got home hours later. Colby was waiting for her on the stairs his eyes dropping heavily. When she stepped out of the truck he ran up to her, hugged her, and then took immediate notice to the dark silhouette in the back of the truck.

"Who's that?" He asked. He seemed to cower behind his mother; afraid of the stranger in the vehicle. Colby tightened his grip on his mother's arm, his fingernails digging into her bare skin.

"I don't know." Haylee managed to hide her own fear for not knowing who it is because Colby stopped holding her arm so hard.

Neither of them said anything as Haylee opened the door and the stranger became more visible. It was clear he had been in a large fight, but he still had a beauty that reminded her of her late husband.

"Go to bed, Colby." Haylee stated. She did as she had before to the man, hooking her arms under his and partially dragged him out of the truck.

Colby unwillingly walked inside. Haylee could hear his annoyed footsteps going up the stairs. She couldn't tend to this at the moment, for the reason that she had a particularly large person to get inside the house. She grabbed him from across his shoulders and walked him inside. It was hard to find a room where he could stay. The Banks house had always been small and with that only had two bedrooms, hers and Colby's. He'd need to stay in hers because she highly doubted this stranger could fit in her six year olds bed. Another thing is that her bedroom was on the bottom floor, while Colby's was on top.

Haylee maneuvered him to her and her old husband's bedroom. She sat him down on the bed, where he limply fell to the pillow. She could tell this was involuntary because he managed to fall and crush his nose. Haylee pulled his long legs up onto the bed; she sighed after noticing his feet hung off the edge. It would have to do. Haylee then pulled his head to a sustainable position, before she sprawled out his arms.

She couldn't believe she hadn't seen this earlier. He was bleeding heavily; the most injuries were on his torso, legs, upper arms, and neck. Haylee felt a ping of discomfort as she scanned him from head to toe. He must've been in a fairly bad fight to have managed to get away with injuries this bad. The question was, how did he manage to get himself on the side of a highway, far away from the closest civilization?

Haylee was fairly experienced in first aid treatment. She rolled up his jean leggings, stripped him of his thick coat and thin undershirt, leaving him in a black T-Shirt. She ran to the kitchen and came back with a wet rag. She began to wipe down the cuts on his legs. He also had bruises, and long scars running along his thigh. This gave Haylee no assurance that the man was safe to be around. He could be a convicted criminal, but when she looked at his face, he looked innocent. Like a righteous man.

She then moved to his torso. She felt terrible lifting his shirt so she could reach the bruises, scratches, and rips on his skin. It hadn't been long since Jason passed away, and she just couldn't bear it. She flipped his shirt back down and began to work on his arms. Haylee tried not to think about it, but he was good looking, beautiful in fact.

She had only just completed his arms when she noticed the strange necklace he wore. Haylee turned her head but couldn't make out what it was supposed to be. It looked brass, with a long black cord wrapping it around his neck. She decided to ignore it, and move onto his neck. There happened to be a raw area there and the more she examined it, the more it looked like a hand imprint. She attempted to decide she was imagining it for it was three, going on four, in the morning.

The final wiping down process would've been the back of his head. She cupped her hands around his head and when she pulled her hand back to her, there was blood covering the tips of her fingers. She grabbed an extra rag she brought in with her and put it under his head.

"I'm coming back." She whispered to his still face. She came back with a peroxide bottle, a fresh towel, and a roll of gauze. She was lucky she still had this gauze; it was something Jason always liked to have in the house.

She let the peroxide drizzle over the rag. One of the deepest cuts was positioned around his ankle, and she dabbed that one with the rag. He jerked at its touch and fluttered his eyes only enough for her to see he had a stunning set of green eyes.

He fell back into the pillow mumbling a jumble of words over and over again. She leaned in, careful not to let her blond hair connect and disturb him.

"Wh're 'am?" He grumbled once more before his body fell limp once more. Haylee squinted, but even in bright lighting she couldn't understand what he meant. She rolled her eyes, thinking he didn't even know what he was saying.

She continued to cover his body in the peroxide. He didn't jerk up like he had the first time, but he did slightly stir. When she got to his neck his thrashing became more violent. He began to slam his hands onto the bed, and attempt to get away from her. He was big so she had no distinct control over his motions.

Haylee slipped the rag under the thick lump on his head. He didn't thrash, but he did twitch and once again ask, "W'ere S'm?" Haylee still didn't understand his mumbling and continued the task at hand.

She then began to wrap his body in gauze. She started working her way up his body, covering his legs in the white wrapping. As soon as she got to his arms he jerked, suddenly noticing he was slightly incased in a thin layer of gauze. He moved his hand to his stomach and began to pull at the casing. Haylee grabbed his hand and pushed it down. He followed her lead, stopping his pulling. She the continued to go down his arms.

Haylee carefully put a loose layer of gauze on his neck. She didn't want to choke him, or make him in even more pain than he must've already been put through. She then put her gauze around his head, making sure she didn't cover his eyes, nose, mouth or ears.

Haylee took a step back to admire her work. He looked in better states, and he seemed to actually be sleeping. Haylee sat in the chair she had set in the corner. She attempted to fall asleep but she couldn't rip her eyes away from the stranger. The more she stared the more fascinated she became. It was this fascination that lead to her noticing the bulk in his pocket.

Out of pure fascination Haylee walked over and dragged the figure out of his pocket. It was a phone, an old flip phone, but it should work. She pulled it open and first looked for his name. There was nothing of that use to it. She thought he might've had a family, so she checked his caller contact lists. A male/female's, she wasn't sure, name was written on the top, as Sam.

She thought about the things he mumbled, wondering if he had been telling her about a man named Sam, he said things like 'am, which could be this man. Even though it was now six in the morning, she pressed the call button, and waited for an answer. To her surprise, there was an answer.

"Hello?" The voice asked. It sounded tired, actually it sounded a good bit like the others, but sharper.

"Hi, is this Sam?" Haylee asked the obviously male voice.

"Who is this?" The voice on the phone became less sluggish, it sounded on alert.

"I'm Haylee Banks. I found a man on the highway; I think you might know him?" Haylee told him.

The voice sighed. "Dean?" So that happened to be his name. "Where are you? Is he okay?" 'Sam' sounded relieved. Dean must've been fairly important to this man.

"I'm on Baker Street, in upper Maine. Toward the edge, house '65, and Dean is okay, he's suffered some pretty bad injuries." Haylee replied. She smiled, knowing he cared so much.

"Oh, that might take me about twelve hours to get to; can you take care of him until then?" Sam sounded reluctant. He must not be used to asking for help from absolute strangers. Well, Haylee didn't think she was either.

"That sounds fine." She answered. Haylee waited for his reply, but the most she got for a second was a sigh of happiness.

"Thanks. I better be on my way." Sam hung up the phone before Haylee could reply. She put the phone on the nightstand and watched Dean.

Dean woke up only thirty minutes afterwards. He pulled himself upwards before falling backwards. Haylee quickly stepped over and steadied him, keeping both of her hands on his shoulders to make him stay in place.

His eyes looked watery, and they seemed to be going in and out of focus. "'here Sa'?" He asked again. Haylee grinned, knowing she could answer.

"He's on his way, I promise." Dean relaxed at this statement. He fluttered his eyes and tapped his fingers, but in any other way Haylee would've sworn he was asleep.

Dean still attempted to get up, leaving Haylee to hold him down. She would've let him sit up, but the cuts on his stomach didn't really need to be constricted. Haylee was uncomfortable leaning over the bed and keeping a firm hold on his shoulder, but she'd rather not straddle him. He was traumatized enough, not needed her to mess with his wounds anymore.

"Do you remember what happened?" Haylee loosened her hold on his shoulders. He jerked sideways, making her let go of him completely. He pressed himself up on his elbows, before Haylee had to use all of her body weight to push him back down.

"Do't 'member." Dean quietly answered. After that he stopped struggling to get up, but Haylee still refused to release her hands from Dean.

Dean began to thrash wildly and pulled away from Haylee. He cupped his hands over his ears and closed his eyes, breathing heavily. And he remembered.

Dean walked out toward the Impala when he felt a large hand hit him from behind. He turned, only to find that a large hunter waited for him. He pulled Dean toward him and slammed him back. Dean stumbled before kicking him in the shin. Dean grabbed the other man's jacket and threw him backwards. The man responded by pushing Dean into the pavement below. Slamming Dean's head onto the rocks. Dean still fought back, punching him in the gut. The man gave a sinister smile before he took out his knife and began to cut at Dean's torso. Dean pushed him backwards, the man managing to leave a long gash on his legs. In his scramble to get up he made small cuts into Dean's leg.

"This." The man cut Dean's throat before continuing. He pressed his hands on his neck. "This is for my cousin, Tammy. Remember? You and your brother chopped off his head." The hunter began to press in until Dean began to cough up blood, and the world around him started fading.

The hunter heard people saying 'I heard a commotion out here.' Out of pure fear for going to jail, the man pushed Dean into his car and drove off. He then dumped Dean on the side of the road for certain death, before he sped off.

Dean looked at Haylee. She had managed to steady him again, holding both of her hands on his shoulder. Dean wasn't sure what washed over him, but it was heavy. Haylee smiled, warming him with her presence.

"Do you want anything to eat?" Haylee asked sweetly. She looked around the room nervously before continuing. "I have to get my son up. It's eight A.M." She waited for his answer.

Dean slightly nodded.

"I'll get you something then." She walked off and out of the room, hoping he wouldn't get up. "Maybe oatmeal or something soft like that." Haylee muttered to herself.

She returned to the room with some oatmeal, simple but effective with hunger. Dean began to propel himself upward, before Haylee stopped him.

"I'm helping you." Haylee put her hand on the small of his back, helping him sit up without straining his wounds.

She handed Dean his food and walked off, obviously to help her son eat some Lucky Charms or something. Dean ate his food and slumped back down into the bed, still not fully aware of his surroundings.

Haylee walked back into the room. She smiled after noticing Dean had relaxed. She sat next to him on the bed and positioned her hands, preparing herself for any type of moving.

The next few hours were spent with Haylee taking care of Dean, making sure he slept well, if he needed anything she was there. She began to doubt her earlier ideas of him being dangerous. He actually looked the opposite of a threat, more of a courageous man.

Haylee ran to the door when she saw a black Impala in the dirt driveway. She opened the door to find a tall man, at least over six feet, waiting for her. He politely waited to be invited in. Haylee could see the resemblance in him; he looked like Dean, could they be brothers? This man looked younger; Haylee swore to herself they had to be.

"You're Sam?" Haylee asked him. She knew it had to be Sam, but it was safer to ask.

"Yeah, and your Haylee?" Sam replied. Haylee nodded.

"Your brother? He's in the bedroom. Third door on the left." Haylee stepped aside to let him inside. She felt like she could feel his happiness filling the entire room.

She followed Sam as he found his brother. He paused in the door, a small grin spreading across his face. He walked over to his brother and sat next to him. Haylee could tell that there was a sense of gratefulness looming around the room.

"Hey, you okay?" Sam's voice had a tone of worry in it, no matter how badly he tried to hide it.

"M'm." Dean answered. Sam understood his mumbling better than Haylee had. He smiled happily.

Haylee looked around. She saw Colby in the living room, playing with Hot Wheels, but she couldn't drag her attention away from the brothers. The silent emotion rolling between both of them was over whelming. It felt like what she wanted with her brothers and sisters, a sense of need.

After a while of whispered conversations Haylee couldn't hear Sam stood up. "I guess we should get out of your hair." Sam grinned as he began to pick up his brother. Haylee watched in awe as Sam carried Dean out of the Impala carefully missing his bandages and the bruises, strangely carrying him bridal style.

Haylee watched him carefully put his brother in the back seat of their car, and shifted his arms and legs waiting for a limp nod of approval from Dean. Sam finally walked away from the car, and stepped up to Haylee, and Colby, who was cowering behind his mother.

"I can't thank you enough." Sam crossed his arms and shifted his feet, Haylee couldn't understand why, but he looked uncomfortable.

"No it's really-" Haylee began before Sam interrupted her.

"It's a lot actually. If it wasn't for you I might not have my brother now if you didn't stop and get him." Sam looked at the deck of the porch, twisting his feet back and forth.

"It was great, he's nice." Haylee replied. She looked at him and whispered something in his ear, even though she had to stand on her tip-toes to reach his shoulder. "He wanted to know where you were the entire time. He's a good guy."

Sam looked at her with big puppy dog eyes, and Haylee nodded in approval. "Goodbye, Haylee." Haylee watched him get into the car, start up the engine and wave before driving off.

"Goodbye Sam and Dean."

A/N There we go. A really long story for y'all! This took me forever, but I think it came out well, what do you all think? I think it looks really good, and as of now, August Fourth, 2015, it is my longest story, coming in at over 3,000 words! Woo! Victory Dance! So um, see you all later! –Panda <3

Disclaimer: I'm just playing with these beauties in this universe. I don't own them, or their show, or any of the contents.