Well, not really, but he was getting an idea. “Of course,” he answered. He gave Sam another glass of water to drink and headed back out to the gas station for more supplies.
The clerk raised his eyebrows when he saw Dean again. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
Dean shook his head. “I told you how my brother has one hell of a chest cold right now, right?”
The guy nodded.
Dean sighed. “I think he turned vegetarian while I wasn’t looking.”
“My sister’s a vegetarian,” the clerk said. “She’s been one for years. I used to think it was funny when she realized she’d eaten something with meat in it. She’d get this look on her face. Hilarious.” The guy shook his head. He wasn’t laughing, so Dean guessed there was a point to his story. “Then I found out that chicken broth makes her puke for hours. She says all meat products do that to her now.”
That didn’t make sense. At least not for Sam. “I don’t think that’s the problem,” Dean said. “He’s been throwing up, but he also hasn’t been a vegetarian for long.”
“How long?”
“Since Valentine’s Day.”
The guy shrugged. “Well, there’s some frozen dinners in the freezer that are vegetarian. And we have some tomato soup. That might help.”
Dean bought them, along with some bottles of multivitamins that the clerk gave him for a discount. He tossed down an additional five when he saw a slim book on various vegetarian diets. Sam would like it. He liked books like that.
Sam was sleeping when Dean got back to the motel, but he woke up right away once Dean had heated up one of the frozen dinners. It was rice and tofu and beans in a red sauce, with some green stuff pushed to the side. It looked kind of disgusting, but Sam inhaled it.
Dean looked at his brother, really looked at him. He had shadows under his eyes that weren’t just from a lack of sleep and their rough lifestyle. His cheeks were a little hollow, and his collarbone stuck out through his shirt more than Dean could remember. Once Sam was done eating and laid back in the bed, Dean sat the book on his chest.
Sam picked it up and looked at it, and then looked back at Dean.
“Were you going to tell me?” Dean asked. He knew it wasn’t fair, asking while Sam was still sick, still feverish. But the way they were, it was all too fragile to talk about under normal circumstances.
“Eventually,” Sam replied, and then went off into another coughing fit. “It all tastes like blood now,” he repeated. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his eyes were drooping, and Dean wondered how he was even finding the strength to be coherent.
The fever broke in the morning.
They didn’t talk about it. Winchesters didn’t talk about that sort of thing, they just held it all in until it exploded out and property damage was done. But this thing, the blood thing, it felt like they’d averted some kind of disaster. Maybe it was only the two of them, and maybe it was only Sam. But something had been averted.
When Dean got him some lunch, he had to go to three different diners before he found one that served black bean burgers. Sam looked wary and almost hopeful when he took a bite of it.
“I can eat eggs,” he said between bites. “And milk. It’s called a lacto-ovo vegetarian. More protein that way.”
Dean nodded. “You could have told me about this. I understand.”
Sam looked down. “I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t want to burden you with it. I thought you wouldn’t notice.”
Oh, Dean noticed all right, but it would have been nice to know. He could have made adjustments, could have taken it into consideration when choosing a place to eat. But he didn’t say anything like that. “At least you’re not just eating rabbit food all the time,” he said instead.
Sam looked up at him, brow creased. “What?”
Dean nodded to the burger in Sam’s hand. “That. It’s not meat, but at least it’s real food.”
Sam flashed him a smile at that, and they ate in silence for a while. “Thanks,” Sam said, after some time had passed. “For the book. It’s got some good food plans, stuff that even we can manage.”
“Good,” Dean replied. “Because I can’t fight the apocalypse by myself.”
Sam smiled again. Two in one conversation, that was an accomplishment. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll be there.”
FILLED: To Taste, 2/2
The clerk raised his eyebrows when he saw Dean again. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
Dean shook his head. “I told you how my brother has one hell of a chest cold right now, right?”
The guy nodded.
Dean sighed. “I think he turned vegetarian while I wasn’t looking.”
“My sister’s a vegetarian,” the clerk said. “She’s been one for years. I used to think it was funny when she realized she’d eaten something with meat in it. She’d get this look on her face. Hilarious.” The guy shook his head. He wasn’t laughing, so Dean guessed there was a point to his story. “Then I found out that chicken broth makes her puke for hours. She says all meat products do that to her now.”
That didn’t make sense. At least not for Sam. “I don’t think that’s the problem,” Dean said. “He’s been throwing up, but he also hasn’t been a vegetarian for long.”
“How long?”
“Since Valentine’s Day.”
The guy shrugged. “Well, there’s some frozen dinners in the freezer that are vegetarian. And we have some tomato soup. That might help.”
Dean bought them, along with some bottles of multivitamins that the clerk gave him for a discount. He tossed down an additional five when he saw a slim book on various vegetarian diets. Sam would like it. He liked books like that.
Sam was sleeping when Dean got back to the motel, but he woke up right away once Dean had heated up one of the frozen dinners. It was rice and tofu and beans in a red sauce, with some green stuff pushed to the side. It looked kind of disgusting, but Sam inhaled it.
Dean looked at his brother, really looked at him. He had shadows under his eyes that weren’t just from a lack of sleep and their rough lifestyle. His cheeks were a little hollow, and his collarbone stuck out through his shirt more than Dean could remember. Once Sam was done eating and laid back in the bed, Dean sat the book on his chest.
Sam picked it up and looked at it, and then looked back at Dean.
“Were you going to tell me?” Dean asked. He knew it wasn’t fair, asking while Sam was still sick, still feverish. But the way they were, it was all too fragile to talk about under normal circumstances.
“Eventually,” Sam replied, and then went off into another coughing fit. “It all tastes like blood now,” he repeated. He looked like he wanted to say more, but his eyes were drooping, and Dean wondered how he was even finding the strength to be coherent.
The fever broke in the morning.
They didn’t talk about it. Winchesters didn’t talk about that sort of thing, they just held it all in until it exploded out and property damage was done. But this thing, the blood thing, it felt like they’d averted some kind of disaster. Maybe it was only the two of them, and maybe it was only Sam. But something had been averted.
When Dean got him some lunch, he had to go to three different diners before he found one that served black bean burgers. Sam looked wary and almost hopeful when he took a bite of it.
“I can eat eggs,” he said between bites. “And milk. It’s called a lacto-ovo vegetarian. More protein that way.”
Dean nodded. “You could have told me about this. I understand.”
Sam looked down. “I don’t know. I guess I just didn’t want to burden you with it. I thought you wouldn’t notice.”
Oh, Dean noticed all right, but it would have been nice to know. He could have made adjustments, could have taken it into consideration when choosing a place to eat. But he didn’t say anything like that. “At least you’re not just eating rabbit food all the time,” he said instead.
Sam looked up at him, brow creased. “What?”
Dean nodded to the burger in Sam’s hand. “That. It’s not meat, but at least it’s real food.”
Sam flashed him a smile at that, and they ate in silence for a while. “Thanks,” Sam said, after some time had passed. “For the book. It’s got some good food plans, stuff that even we can manage.”
“Good,” Dean replied. “Because I can’t fight the apocalypse by myself.”
Sam smiled again. Two in one conversation, that was an accomplishment. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll be there.”