Chapter 8
Nebraska
The Roadhouse
(14-Weeks)
Jo stood up from the stool and let out a frustrated sigh. Ellen watched her daughter pace around the bar as she rubbed her back.
“Jo honey…is your back hurting?”
Jo stopped moving around and faced her mother. She frowned.
“Madison’s been in there with Bobby and his little doctor friend for the last hour and your asking if my back hurts? I’m going in there to check on them.”
Ellen rolled her eyes. Sometimes her daughter could be over dramatic. She opened her mouth to tell her not to, but was cut off by the ringing phone. She sighed and walked over to the bar to answer it.
“Harvelle’s…”
“Ellen…what’s going on? Is everything okay?”
Ellen glared at the phone. She could hear Sam in the back asking about Madison. She leaned against the wall as she spoke in an irritated tone.
“Oh, so you finally decided to return my calls. I got a mind to hang up on you and not tell you a damn thing Dean Winchester.”
She heard his short sigh on the other line.
“Ellen I’m sorry okay? We were in the middle of things on the job and I didn’t realize that you called so many times. If I had I would have answered the second call. Jo’s not answering her phone…she okay?”
Ellen smirked. Of course Dean called Jo before he called her. She could hear the worry in his voice and a part of her wanted to draw it out to get him back for not calling, but she was the adult…so she wouldn’t do that no matter how bad she might want to.
“She’s fine, she must not have her phone on her.”
“What the hell is so damn important then? You mentioned something about Madison? Sammy let go of the phone…cut it out…jeez…sorry…”
Ellen shifted her stance and frowned.
“You should be sorry! Damn it Dean…how could you not tell me Madison was a werewolf? You left her here at the Roadhouse...where a bunch of hunters come… with my pregnant daughter here. Jo could have been hurt.”
“What? No…we made sure Ellen…I swear we did. Is she hurt?”
Ellen sighed and decided to give Dean a break at the slight panic she heard in his voice.
“No, Bobby and Herman are looking at her now. Trying to figure out why she changed.”
“Huh? Who?”
“Madison.”
Ellen heard Dean grunt.
“I don’t care about her I was talking about Jo. Is Jo okay?”
“Fine…not a scratch on her.”
She heard him let out a sigh of relief and then heard the phone being shuffled around as Dean yelled at Sam.
“I told you…I told you that you should have just left her where she was. Madison is NOT cured Sammy…she turned last night…”
His voice got low and Ellen could no longer hear their side of the conversation. She waited until she heard more shuffling before Sam’s voice filled the line.
“God Ellen are you guys okay? I’m so sorry…we didn’t realize…we thought we fixed it when she didn’t turn on the last night of the full moon…”
Ellen could hear the anxious edge to Sam’s voice. She knew the only reason none of them mentioned it is because they thought Madison was cured, but still. Things could have gone down a lot differently than they did. She saw Jo walking out of the back room with Bobby, Herman, and Madison in tow.
“Listen…there ain’t nothing we can do about it right now. We’ll talk about it when you boys make your way back here. Okay?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Jo raised an eyebrow at her mom when she saw her on the phone.
“Who ya talkin’ to?”
“Sam…”
Jo moved quickly over to her mother and put her hand out for the phone. Ellen shook her head. Jo frowned.
“I wanna talk to Dean.”
“I’m on the phone with Sam, not Dean.”
“Mom…”
Ellen opened her mouth, but the noise on the other end of the phone made her pause.
“Gimmie the phone…”
“No…I’m talking to Ellen and I wanna see how Maddie’s holding up.”
“Considering she’s the one who tried to eat my girlfriend and her mother I’m gonna go with she’s fine.”
“Damn it Dean. Why don’t you shut up for once!”
“Let me talk to Jo real quick!”
“No…”
“It’s my phone!”
Ellen rolled her eyes as she listened to the boys arguing on the other end of the line. She glanced at the phone and hung it up. Jo raised an eyebrow and Ellen shrugged as she walked out from behind the counter.
“They’ll call back if they ever stop arguing. What’s the verdict doc?”
Herman had a slight frown on his face.
“I’m not sure why she didn’t turn on the last night of the full moon, but the disease is definitely still in her blood. There ain’t a known cure for lycanthropy. The best I can do is give ya some tranquilizers. On the nights of the full moon take ‘em before the sun sets.”
He shrugged and looked between Bobby and Ellen before meeting Madison’s eyes.
“It’ll knock ya out. That way even if ya do change you’ll be asleep and can be contained until sunrise. It’s something that’ll always be there though.”
Jo’s jaw clenched and Bobby nodded as he pat Herman on the back.
“Thanks we appreciate this.”
“Sure thing Bobby…”
Herman turned to Jo and smiled.
“Your turn little lady.”
Jo did a double take and then took a step closer to Madison as a look of confusion settled on her face.
“Huh?”
“Your momma asked me to have a look at you. See how the baby’s growing.”
Jo made a face and wrapped her arms around her mid-section.
“Uh, that’s okay…I think I’ll pass…thanks though.”
Bobby chuckled and Ellen’s brows furrowed at her daughter.
“Joanna Beth…”
Jo turned to her mother and scrunched up her nose.
“I don’t wanna.”
Ellen rolled her eyes.
“You fight monsters and ghosts, but you won’t let the doctor check you and that grandchild of mine out?”
Jo opened her mouth to argue with her, but Ellen shook her head.
“Don’t give him a hard time. Don’t you wanna make sure the baby’s okay?”
“Of course I do mom.”
“Then get…”
Jo groaned, but followed Herman into the back room. Bobby shook his head and chuckled. Ellen smiled.
“That daughter of mine is a handful and she’s only gotten worse since Dean’s been around.”
Bobby grunted.
“I don’t doubt it.”
Madison stood there awkwardly between Bobby and Ellen. Maybe she should have gone in the other room with Jo. She sighed and they looked at her. Ellen gave her a sympathetic smile and rubbed her arm.
“How ya doin’ sweetie? You holdin up okay?”
Madison shrugged.
“I’m not really sure. Everything’s just kinda coming at me at once. I wish Sam was here.”
Bobby nodded.
“The boys’ll be back soon. In the mean time we need to figure out how we’re gonna handle the situation. I’m gonna hang out here for the next couple a days, see how those tranquilizers work and make sure no one gets suspicious.”
Ellen nodded.
“The last thing we need are hunters that we can’t trust snoopin’ around. It’s bad enough I got every Tom, Dick, and Harry askin’ about Jo.”
Madison watched as a look of concern crossed Bobby’s face.
“You haven’t mentioned that Dean’s the father to anyone?”
Ellen scoffed.
“Course not…”
Madison glanced between them and frowned. She wasn’t sure what was going on. Why couldn’t people know the baby was Dean’s? She’d have to sit down and have a long talk with Sam when they finally made it back from their…job.
Madison cleared her throat and Ellen and Bobby both looked at her.
“I just wanted to apologize again for what happened last night Ellen. I’m so sorry…”
“I know sweetie. Well work this out. It’s not your fault. Besides it’s only three nights out of the whole month…it’ll be okay.”
Madison nodded before motioning to the other room.
“I’m gonna…uh…go see how Jo’s doing with the doctor.”
Ellen nodded as Madison left the room. She turned back to Bobby and sighed.
“Looks like you got a full house.”
They made their way over to the bar and sat down.
“Yeah and it’ll be even more full in a few days when the boys get back. I’m worried Bobby…there’s a lot going on…and I’m not just talkin’ about all this. Ash left a few days ago to check in with a friend of his on some omens he found…he hasn’t checked in and he ain’t answering his phone.”
“How longs it been?”
“Day and a half maybe…something’s stirring…things have been too quiet lately. I know other hunter’s can feel it…something big’s coming.”
Bobby nodded.
“I know, but there ain’t nothing we can do until it happens. We’ll figure things out. Let’s work on one problem at a time. Fill me in on how Sam and Madison started this…thing of theirs…”
Ellen chuckled. It was going to be a long day…
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