This is what I have so far. Its a work in progress. Some of this are memories of both Ellen and Derek.
God Called In Sick Today
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Ellen stood in the doorway and stared at Derek as he lay on the floor of his living room. Looking around, she found a blanket and covered him with it. “Derek….I’m here. Listen to me ok? Everything is gonna be fine. You’re gonna be ok.” Slowly, she pulled out the needle from the IV and tossed it aside. Grabbing the first aid kit, she started to bandage him up as best she could. A small needle fell against her knee and she picked it up. It contained Morphine and Ellen knew there was more at the Roadhouse. She kept it on hand to help patch up hunters who came in injured and couldn’t explain Wendigo wounds to a local hospital.
Leaning close to Derek’s ear she whispered. “Derek, I’m going to give you a shot of morphine. It’ll help with the pain so we can get you back to the Roadhouse.” Her lips ghosted against his cheek as a tear slowly slide off hers and landed on his face. She didn’t know if he heard her or not but she wanted him to know what she was doing. Deep down, she knew it was to steady her nerves more than his but it was working so why screw around. After giving him the shot, Ellen pulled scissors from the bag and started cutting away at his t shirt. Groaning and holding back a sob, she slammed a fist into the floor. His arms, chest and 90% of his upper body were a mass of bruises. Running her fingers over his ribs she could feel each one that was broken. The thought that he might have a punctured lung crossed her mind. She watched his chest rise and fall evenly and he wasn’t wheezing as much and didn’t appear to be gasping for air.
As her hands slowly moved down his arm to check for fractures, Ellen nearly had a heart attack as Derek grabbed her arm and gripped tightly. “Derek. It’s me…its Ellen.” Moving slowly so she was in his line of sight, she kept talking low and steady. “You’re ok. They’re dead. Lucian and the pack got ‘em.”
Derek slowly opened his one good eye and stared hard at her. “You….you don’t listen very well.”
Ellen covered his hand with hers and smiled softly. “Yeah well…you know me…stubborn and bullheaded.” She fought back the tears as he slowly closed his eye and began to relax. His fingers still held her arm but not with the force they did before. A male voice in the background brought her attention to the doorway.
“Ellen, we found the keys to his hummer. We’ll put him in there and take him to the Roadhouse. I’ll have Pierce follow in your truck.” It was Lucian. His voice had a bit of a growl in it but she ignored it and nodded.
“Thank you Lucian….thank you for helping.”
The sudden knocking at the door made her jump. Looking up she saw the woman that Lucian had sent over to help with the bar. Anna was her name? Wiping her face with her hand quickly, Ellen smiled at her. “Hi Anna. He’s still resting.” She made no move to get up from the chair she’d occupied since getting Derek settled into her room. She fought hard until Lucian and the rest finally agreed with her.
Hell, she even thought of closing the bar until he was up and around but she knew that was impossible. Other hunters needed her and she knew that Arie would need her too. Sam was recuperating slowly in the hospital and Arie had stopped by to make sure she ate and to bring some of her herbal salve for Derek’s wounds. “Ellen, I made out the order for the vendors and they’re on the bar next to the phone. There’s enough left over’s in the kitchen. You really need to eat. I can sit with him while you’re gone.”
Ellen knew she was trying to help but she was afraid that if she left Derek’s side something would happen and she wouldn’t be able to help him. She kept thinking back to Bobby telling her that Bill was gone….killed on the hunt he’d gone on with John Winchester. She’d never got to say goodbye to him and she was not going to make that same mistake again. God forbid Derek didn’t make it, she would be there so he wasn’t alone. Sighing heavily, Ellen slowly got to her feet and ran a hand over his forehead. It was cool to the touch…no fever…that was good.
“Ok. I’ll be gone 5 minutes tops. Call if anything changes.” Backing slowly to the door, she hurried to the kitchen and leaned against the cool door of the refrigerator. The tears fell unchecked and Ellen slowly slid to the floor, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. After a few minutes, she stood up and went to the sink to wash her face. No sense in losing it now. Derek needed her to be strong and she wasn’t about to let him down. Grabbing a couple bottles of water and a plate of left over fried chicken, Ellen hurried back to her room.
Closing the door softly, her eyes fell to Derek’s form as he slept; he hadn’t moved. She did her best to smile at Anna as the woman got up and crossed the room and stood in front of her. “You make sure you eat that. Lucian will have my ass if you end up sick.” She looked back at Derek and sighed.”He’s pretty tough Ellen. They beat him bad but he hung on.” Turning she gave Ellen’s shoulder a squeeze as she walked out the door. “I’ll lock up and turn off the lights before I go.”
Ellen placed the food on the nightstand and checked Derek’s bandages. Everything was fine, the bleeding had stopped but she knew he had a long way to go. Moving the chair closer to the bed, she smiled as she spoke to him. “Do you remember the first time you came into the Roadhouse? It has to be fifteen years now that you’ve been coming around.”
Ellen was just getting ready to close the bar down for the night when a stranger walked in. She stopped wiping down the bar and watched him. He was tall and well built. His clothes told her he was a hunter; the boots, jeans, shirts. All trademark hunter garb. “Just getting’ read to close up.” Ellen hadn’t seen him in the bar before so she was a bit careful. Her hand came to rest on the shotgun she kept under the bar as he slowly walked up to her, his eyes darting around taking everything in as he walked.
He smiled as he reached the bar and sat down. “I’m looking for Ellen Harvelle. I was told she ran this bar.”
Pulling back slightly, Ellen narrowed her eyes on him before speaking. “You’re lookin’ at her. Who sent you and what do you want?”
“John Winchester sent me actually. Told me the Roadhouse was…accommodating to our profession.” He smiled and held his hand out. “Name’s Derek White.”
Well that sealed the poor guys fate right there. John Winchester was not welcome in the Roadhouse anymore then a troop of demons led by Lucifer himself. Her eyes never left his face and she ignored the outstretched hand. “I suggest you leave the way you came. I’m not fond of John Winchester or anyone that might associate with him.”
His hand slowly lowered to the bar and he sighed. “He said you’d be a bit upset. I only met him a few days ago on a hunt. Seems his oldest boy thought he could take on a nest of vampires on his own. I’m sorry to of bothered you.”
“Wait! The boys are ok?” Ellen may hate John Winchesters guts but those boys meant a lot to her. Wasn’t their fault they had an idiot for a father. “You said the oldest, Dean, he’s ok? Sam’s ok too?”
Derek paused and looked back at her. “They’re fine. Dean, he got a little banged up but nothing that would leave a scar. The youngest boy, Sam, he didn’t get a mark on him. That brother of his watched out for him good.”
She smiled and relaxed after hearing the boys were ok. “I’m sorry. Please, have a seat. I’ve got some left over’s in the kitchen; fried chicken mostly.” Ellen pulled a beer from the cooler and set it on the bar. He had helped the boys, which gave him brownie points in her book. She watched as he sat down again, popped the cap on his beer and took a long pull.
“Chicken would be fine, thank you Mrs. Harvelle.”
Ellen stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder at him. “Call me Ellen.”
“Ellen”
She didn’t move at first. It was just the remnants of her dream. Without opening her eyes, Ellen knew she had fallen asleep in the chair. Oh that was so not good. Before leaving, Lucian and Nathan had pulled the old rollaway bed in her room so she didn’t have to sleep far from Derek. Sleep. She hadn’t done that since they’d found him. Way to go. Falling asleep on the job.
“Ellen”
There it was again. This time she knew it wasn’t her dream. Her eyes shot open and she saw Derek looking at her. “Derek.” She nearly choked on his name. Don’t fall apart, don’t you dare. Getting up slowly, Ellen moved to the bed and slowly sat down on the edge.
“Water. Please.” His voice was gravely and barely above a whisper. He flicked a glance to the water glass on the nightstand and back to her.
“Just a bit now. Not too much.” Ellen had put a straw in the glass so he didn’t have to lift his head. After a couple sips, she put the glass back and her hand gently touched his forehead. “No fever. That’s good.” She smiled at him and gently took his hand.
Derek took a slow careful breath and let it back out. “How….how did….you find….me.”
“You weren’t gone that long. I took a chance you were still at home so I called Lucian Saint Ryan and had him send over a few of his men to your house. They took care of the men that did this.” Ellen couldn’t look him in the eyes. Lucian had told her that two of the men got away, David Burke, a Lycan and Jack Cohen who was possessed by a demon.
It made her sick to her stomach to think they’d gotten away. Ellen made a mental note to ask Arie about putting some charms and wards on Derek’s property. She had come too close to losing him and the thought made her sick. She’d gone too long without telling Derek how she felt about him, too worried about getting hurt again. Enough was enough.
She felt Derek’s hand squeeze hers and she looked up at him. “Sleep. Go…to sleep.”
Shaking her head, Ellen bent down and gently kissed his forehead.” I’m fine. I’ll go to sleep after you do.” Ellen sat by Derek’s side long after he’d fallen asleep. Some of the swelling had gone down on his face and the bruises were started to turn shades of purple and yellow. She’d have to get more ice for his eye later. One of Lucian’s pack members was an ER doctor. He said he would send him over in the morning to give Derek a going over. Lucian himself had gone over Derek thoroughly to make sure there was no internal bleeding before allowing him to stay at Ellen’s. She smiled when she remembered what Lucian had said.
“It’s a good thing he’s got muscles of steel or he’d be in worse shape. They helped protect his gut.” Even though he had a pretty good tan, Derek was still covered with bruises from his face down to mid thigh.
Ellen stood up and leaned over to turn the bedside light off. Pausing, she dipped her head and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re safe sweetie. I love you.” Would she ever be able to tell him she loved him to his face? Maybe one day but, not just yet. Turning quickly, Ellen made her way into the bathroom and changed into a tank top and pajama bottoms. Leaving the bathroom light on and the door left ajar, left enough light so she could see Derek if he needed her during the night. Crawling under the covers, sleep quickly consumed her and she didn’t see Derek watching her.
Derek lay in the dim light and watched Ellen sleep. He’d been in and out since she’d found him at his house. He was aware of being lifted and carried by 6 men and placed in his hummer. Derek had recognized Lucian and Nathan but the others he didn’t know or remember. The next time he’d woke up was in Ellen’s room. She’d been putting ice on his face and checking bandages. He wanted to tell her he was awake but he was too weak and quickly fell back to sleep. When he finally found his voice, the look of relief on her face was more than he expected. He wanted to talk to her, to get up but he barely had the strength to lift his head off the damn pillow. He wasn’t one to be coddled or looked after. He started taking inventory of his injuries, starting with each foot then moving up. His knees were sore but he couldn’t sense any injuries. Slowly, he rotated his hips one at a time. The left hip protested but it wasn’t too bad. Next his fingers and hands. The groan of pain from the movement was loud enough to be heard across the room. Derek tilted his head to make sure Ellen still slept.
Exhaling slowly, he flexed his elbows then rolled his shoulders. He knew his ribs were broke, he could feel the bone grinding as he moved. Exactly how many was another question. The Lycan and the demon had really done a number on him and he’d resigned himself to death only to be pulled back by from the brink by a feisty red head who just didn’t listen. Right now, he didn’t mind the last part but, he was going to have a talk with her about it later. Derek lay back and relaxed as much as he could. He was going to get out of bed and move around. He knew it was too soon but Derek White was not known for his patience.
Rolling onto his side as slowly as he could, he gritted his teeth thru the pain and took fast shallow breaths. He kept his eyes glued on Ellen to make sure he didn’t wake her up. Knowing her, this was the first time she’d slept since they found him. With one arm wrapped protectively around his ribs, Derek pushed off the bed with the other. The pain nearly blinded him as it stole his breath. He was standing…he was up but damn it hurt. His eyes flicked to the open door and he knew it led to the bar. He needed something stronger then water to drink, though mixing booze with pain meds wasn’t the smartest of moves it was a good enough excuse getting him moving.
Leaning against the door jam, Derek had to stop and rest. Glancing back he groaned and rolled his eyes, a whopping 8 feet of progress. Way to go White at this rate it will be Christmas by the time you get to the bar. He looked down the hall at the storage room and knew Ellen kept her extra stock there. Huffing loudly, he figured it would take him an hour to get there and back to bed and he knew Ellen would be up by then and the tongue lashing he’d get was not something he looked forward to. With a sigh, he hung his head and slowly turned to go back to bed. After just one step, his eyes fell on a pair of bare feet. Shit. Slowly he raised his head and followed the pajama pants up to crossed arms then to a tank top then to meet a pair of very angry eyes. Oh shit.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Standing as straight as he could, he still felt like a little kid who got busted sneaking cookies. “Taking…..a walk.” Each word burned like fire but he wasn’t about to tell Ellen that.
She rolled her eyes at him and huffed. “A walk. Seriously. Well then you can walk your stubborn ass right back to bed.” Ellen moved next to him and gently wrapped an arm around his waist.
“I’m…..not a…”
“Yeah I know. You’re a big boy and can take care of yourself. You’re doing a real bang up job aren’t ya.” She was not going to give up.
Closing his eyes, Derek let her help him the short distance back to bed. Laying back down was harder than getting up. He refused to show how bad it hurt but the sweat pouring down off his face was an indication that did not get by one Ellen Harvelle. As he lay back down, Derek was practically hyperventilating. He gritted his teeth as she propped a few pillows behind his back so he was sitting up more than laying down.
Standing back, hands on hips, Ellen glared down at him. Derek looked up at her and attempted a smile. He noticed her face soften and his smile turned into a pained smirk. Got ya, he thought. He shifted slightly and watched as she pulled the chair closer and grabbed a blanket from her bed. Great, she’s going to sleep in the chair.
After getting herself settled, Ellen gave him the most disapproving look she could muster. “You know, this isn’t the first time I’ve had to patch you up White.” Oh hell…she was using his last name. Yep, he was in trouble. Taking as deep a breath as his ribs would allow, he let his head fall back on the pillows.
“Was about ten…years ago.” He began as the memory came back to him. He’d been on a hunt and the damn head blood sucker got the jump on him and stabbed him pretty good before he was able to stake the bastard. It was a clean in and out wound thru his side but it was bleeding real good and the pain was just beginning to get to him as he drove up to the Roadhouse. He had slapped on a couple more gauze pads and put on his jacket to cover it up. A few shots would dull the pain enough until he got home.
Edging out of the hummer, he hissed as he twisted. “I really hate vampires.” He mumbled as he stood as tall as he could and walked into the bar. It was midweek and the place was all but deserted. He could hear music coming from the back rooms. Smirking, he shook his head and headed for the bar. Dr. Badass must be entertaining again. Derek slid into his usual spot and let his head fall for just a minute to catch his breath. He was about to grab a bottle when Ellen walked out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel. She smiled when she saw him at the bar and he smiled back.
“Well Derek White. How are ya sweetie?” She tossed the towel on the end of the bar and walked towards him.
“I’m good Ellen thanks. Can I get a bottle and a shot glass?” It wasn’t his usual but he didn’t think she’d catch on.
Ellen frowned briefly then nodded. “Sure thing.” She pulled the bottle and set it down with a clean shot glass. “Rough hunt?” She pointed to his face and leaned against the bar.
Downing his first shot, he nodded. “No rougher than any other hunt.”
Ellen glared at him for a minute and he began to squirm. Damn woman could bore a hole in steel with that look of hers. “I’ll fix ya a plate. Stay put.” She turned and walked into the kitchen, the doors swinging behind her. Derek counted to five then groaned, a hand going to his side. He peeked under his coat and saw the bandages were stained red. Perfect, he thought, just freaking perfect.
He was on his fifth shot when Ellen came back out with a cheeseburger and fries. His mouth began to water as the smell reached him. She set the plate down in front of him and took the bottle away. “You eat that and you MIGHT get this back.” She smirked and moved away to clear tables. As Derek tore into his food, he heard a door slam and then Ash’s voice rang out asking Ellen about food. Derek racked his brain trying to remember just how and when Ash made the bar his home. The mullet wearing genius was a permanent fixture at the Roadhouse and a fountain of information.
You know I love this already; So finish it. :P LMAO
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