Sam is so glum on the way back to the house that Ronnie finally has to ask him why. "We got the Goatman, Sam. We cleaned up and got out of there, reported the site, so parents whose kids' bones are there can have closure. Neither of us even needs a doctor. That makes this a win in my book. What's wrong?"

Sam's voice comes out hoarse. He sounds like he was almost choked to death because by the time they had finished killing the Goatman, they had to pry its dirty fingers from around Sam's neck. "Dean's gonna know…" He rasps out, trying to keep his words to a minimum. "…didn't follow plan."

"Huh. Well, if you care so much about his opinion, why didn't we follow his plan?"

Sam's face pinches into a familiar expression. "That's not the point." His brow furrows. "How 'bout you let me explain to Dean?" As he finishes grunting out the words, Sam starts buttoning his shirt collar. She reaches across him into the glove box and pulls out a tartan scarf, handing it to him, and he wraps it around the bruises on his neck awkwardly.

Ronnie looks him in the eye. "Sam, you can tell him whatever you want, but if he asks me, I'm gonna tell him the truth. I don't understand this weird dynamic you two do. From what you said before, Dean is your only family. You just spent a year thinking he was dead. You get a miracle - your brother back alive – and all you think about is what you gave up? I wish I still had a family."

Sam stares at her a minute and says dryly. "Not like mine. No, you really don't."

The hunt is over, and Ronnie's relieved, and she has come to like and respect her two house guests – as long as they aren't in the same room. When they're together she mostly feels like a referee, and she wants to hand Mary Grace the wooden spoon and watch her smack them both with it. She sighs to herself, vowing to try to get through to them one more time. Maybe at dinner.

Sam's glad Ronnie went quiet because he wants to think. He hasn't really fully processed Dean's return because things have gone so differently than he would have imagined – if he had imagined Dean was going to return. Oh, they hugged – after Dean doused him with holy water and Borax, and cut him with a silver knife, but Dean never relaxed into the hug. It was like holding a live electrical wire with current vibrating through it. And Dean could hardly stand to be touched. Plus Sam can tell Dean hasn't told him everything about Purgatory, just like his return from hell; and even Sam's most gentle approaches to the subject are deflected.

Then there's the fact that Sam knows Dean felt abandoned by him – like he felt when Sam left for college, when he left because of their argument, and when he didn't trust himself after the demon blood addiction – like Dad abandoned him so many times. But that's a problem he knows Dean will deny and get mad about if he brings it up. Abandonment is Dean's biggest issue, made even worse when he had to leave Lisa and Ben. There's not much Sam can do to help him with it. Besides, Sam thinks, I may leave again; I can't promise him I'll stay.

As Ronnie pulls the truck next to the Impala in the backyard, Sam really wishes that he and Dean could just pack up and go. He's finished with this monster, and tired of having his relationship with his brother under a microscope. With a long recovery ahead of him, Sam yearns from the depths of his being that they had someplace of their own, someplace to call home – an anchor from life's buffering like he had tried to establish with Amelia.

Is that really too much to want?

Sam heads into the kitchen of the house expecting to see Dean sitting there waiting impatiently. Dean isn't. Sam passes through the living room to look in Dean's bedroom, where – in a not very likely scenario his brother may be lying down as he's supposed to be – unsurprisingly, Dean isn't there either. He has, however, managed to get help having the original bed returned to the guest room instead of the hospital bed. Sam wonders what else his brother has been planning.

Moving back to the living area, Sam hears voices coming from the office. Dean is talking to Ronnie, Mary Grace, and Doctor Witte. Sam walks into the office slowly, processing the gist of the conversation as he moves. Dean seems to be getting instructions on how to take care of his injuries during the rest of his recovery.

"You are healing really well, but that doesn't mean you should overdo it. The walking cast and crutches should be used sparingly. And keep that cast on at least four more weeks. Besides your leg, your ribs are only partially healed – but there shouldn't be any problems with them shifting. When you get wherever you're going, you need to check a doctor about the head injury. That's nothing to mess around with." Doctor Witte is trying to make emphatic points to Dean, who has already insisted the doctor take the cast off his ribs. "Stubborn's good for rehabilitation, but you need recovery time first."

Sam props himself on the doorframe, realizing his brother has seen the doctor and done his best to be ready to hit the road again. Sam smiles to himself – at least they're both thinking along the same terms there. He clears his throat. "So, I'm guessing Dean's cleared to travel?" Sam's voice is rough, and Dean turns a laser glance on him, noting the scarf immediately and figuring out what it means.

"Hey, Doc, could you check my little brother's neck? Looks like he got too close to the Goatman for his own good." Dean is up on his crutches and moving toward Sam even as he's speaking. "What happened, Sam?"

Mary Grace manages to push Sam into a chair, making him about her height. She starts to unwrap his neck, pushing his hands away when he tries to intervene and muttering about short-eared mules and being calf-eyed. Dean leans against the wall watching with a smirk on his face, enjoying watching his brother's turn to squirm under the nurse's ministrations, but before long his half-smile vanishes and his eyes narrow.

"How did that happen, Sam? Did the plan not work?"

Doctor Witte steps between them. "How about you let me check him over before the interrogation begins? Just to make sure his throat is up to answering questions. And while I'm at it – you sit down. It's too soon for standing up for no good reason."

While to doctor examines Sam, he and Dean have one of those conversations they haven't had many of since Dean's recent return from Purgatory. They are both tired of being in Waco, finished with the Goatman, and wanting personal space to heal at their own pace. They both want to leave – to climb into the Impala and let the only real home they have carry them away. Sam manages to indicate that the only way they are doing that is if he drives, too. Dean finally drops his eyes in acceptance of Sam's caveat, and Sam knows Dean will wait before bringing up Sam's decision to abandon the plan.

Sometimes even complicated concepts can be almost telepathically communicated through their bond.

The brothers listen quietly to the doctor pronounce Sam only superficially damaged, suggesting ice packs and cold drinks for the mild swelling. And while the bystanders might be surprised, neither brother is when Sam says he's going to go get their duffels and will meet Dean at the car. "There's still hours we can drive before bed," Sam tells them. "And we've got places to go."

Leaving with thanks all around, the brothers are relieved when they are enclosed in the big, black car. Getting the Goatman – even with injuries – reminds them that they are both hunters, and are most at ease when they are working together. They also know they are more comfortable together than with acquaintances. Dean puts on headphones and cranks up his music, knowing that Sam, the driver, gets to pick the radio station. By the time Sam pulls onto Interstate 35 heading north, Dean has dozed off – Sam glances over and smiles. This is familiar and easy, but he knows they have 1,800 miles to go before reaching White Fish and Rufus's cabin. Somehow he knows Dean won't give up driving at all the whole way without a fight. That feels familiar too.