The Universe's Mixer

There were things weighing on Jesse's mind. The state of the City seemed wrong, and the fact that Fred had come to ask him what might be going on worried him. He didn't know if he should look into it more himself, or if there were other people attempting to deal with the situation. He didn't particularly like the idea of delving into helping the City that personally in many ways. But in others, he knew that they couldn't survive without it being healthy.

But more than that, Jesse couldn't stop thinking about what he'd done to the Joker. Yes, it was a thing that needed to be done, he'd felt, and it was good for the citizens of the City. Dinah and the rest of them didn't have to worry about the maniac running rampant and hurting people. Then again, it was an act along the lines of what Jesse had sworn he'd never do. And he had left the man that way for some time now.

The rise of Blackgate Prison hadn't escaped his notice, either.

With his brain churning around these matters, Jesse made a stop to get a coffee and some donuts. He had it in his mind to visit Zoe at work and get her to have some nice sugary bad for her food.

He noticed when the door opened behind him, and glanced back to discover a familiar face. Jesse smiled a bit. He'd not seen the younger Winchester in some time. Given that fact, if he'd been less self involved, he might not have assumed that it was the same Sam Winchester he'd met previously.

"Hey there, Sam." he said casually, turning back to face front and debate what he was going to get.

Maxine didn't question the adults who brought her to the hospital waiting room, or the nurses that said Wash wasn't able to have visitors yet. She sat in the waiting room with crayons and computer paper and spent the afternoon drawing pictures.

Eventually she was going to see Wash, or someone was going to take her to Jo and Ted's. None of that mattered, however, because Wash had been in an accident and was hurt. She wasn't panicked by the news. He was still alive, she could feel that much through the Red, but the idea that the person who looked after her could get hurt made her uncomfortable though she wasn't quite able to articulate why.

Maxine didn't cry. Instead she drew pictures of her and Wash in his spaceship and gave the stars smiley faces.

The call from the City's hospital had been a surprise. Maxine had been with Jo for the last few days but Jo certainly hadn't expected anything to happen to Wash during that time. Her heart almost stopped as the nurse gave out as many details as she was allowed to. Maxine was in school and Jo didn't think it appropriate to pull her out of school until she got the chance to see how bad Wash really was. She didn't take her foot off the gas pedal for the entire trip to the hospital, running one red light on the way. She didn't care much. And besides, the City's streets were so screwy that she was sure there were worse hazards on the road than a driver ignoring a stoplight.

Jo didn't know when it had happened, but she and Wash and Maxine were a sort of family. Ted too, really. It wasn't traditional or normal, but she'd never been the traditional type anyway. Family was more than just flesh and blood. The hunters at the Roadhouse had proven that more times than she could count. And she and Wash were in the trenches of foster parenthood together. That counted for something.

Checking in was pretty much a blur, but apparently someone had given consent for Jo to visit even though she wasn't immediate family. That was important. She went to the room indicated and knocked on the half-open door before letting herself in.

"Wash?" she asked quietly as she looked down at the redhead in the hospital bed.