Come Together, Sam is injured by other hunters

[maxandkiz]

Hey! Me again!


Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.


Come Together

Title taken from the Beatles song of the same name.

Summary: When Sam is injured by other hunters, how will Dean respond? Will he fall back into his big brother role or will he stay away? Set after episode 5.3 Free to Be You and Me so spoilers up to that point. Though I did change the end of the episode just a little.



Chapter 1




Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.



Salvage yard owner Bobby Singer slowly wheeled into his bedroom and over to his bed. Placing his worn ball cap and cell phone on the nightstand he locked the brakes on his wheelchair and hauled himself onto the bed. After putting his useless legs on the mattress, he quickly threw the battered blue quilt over them. He couldn’t stand to look at them. They were just another reminder of how worthless he was now. The world was going to Hell in a hand basket and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. He was a hunter; he should be out there fighting with Rufus and Ellen and all the others. But he was stuck here in this infernal contraption instead. He couldn’t hunt, couldn’t fight, just had to sit by and watch as his friends dropped one by one. Maybe he should get his gun and…Bobby was startled out of his thoughts by the ringing of his cell phone. Snatching the phone off the nightstand he checked the caller i.d. frowning at the youngest Winchester’s name. He should’ve known. Flipping the phone open Bobby growled, “Sam, you better have a damn good reason for calling me at this hour!”

“Ummm, Mr. Bobby?” a hesitant female voice asked.

Immediately on alert the junkyard owner sat straight up in bed tossing the blankets off as he did. “Who the Hell are you and how’d you get Sam’s phone?” he barked.

“My name is Lindsey. I’m a friend of Keith’s, I mean Sam” the young woman replied. “I so glad you answered. I was starting to think nobody would. I mean, I’ve been going through his contact list trying to find his family. I tried his dad first but he didn’t answer so I started at the top of his contact list. Whoever Dean is he didn’t answer and you were next and I know it’s late but I decided to try you anyway cause I really need to get a hold of his family. The doctors say that they need…”

“Wait, doctors?” Bobby anxiously broke in. “What doctors? What’s wrong with Sam?”

“These three guys came in the bar a couple of days ago looking for K-Sam. They said they were hunting buddies of his. He talked to them for a while and then they left. But one of them came back later with some other friends. He was yelling all this crazy stuff about his friends getting killed and how it was all Sam’s fault; said they were going to make him pay for what happened. Sam tried to fight them off and he was winning but then this guy grabbed me from behind and held a knife to my throat and he told Sam that he’d kill me if he fought and he tried to talk them into letting me go but they wouldn’t and he stopped fighting them and they just kept hitting him and hitting him and I couldn’t stop them.” Lindsey cried. “Some headlights coming through one of the windows must have scared them cause they ran out the back door. There was so much blood. I thought he was, was dead.”

“Lindsey?” Bobby softly called when the young woman didn’t continue. “Is he d-dead?”

“No, no Keith, I mean Sam’s not dead. The doctors said the paramedics got him to the hospital in time. But he was hurt really bad and they said they need his family here. I wanted to sit with him but they won’t let me because I’m not family. They won’t even tell me how he is.” Lindsey explained. “I did get them to hand over his phone so I could call you. You’ll come, won’t you? Please, Sam needs you.”

“You still in Oklahoma?” Bobby asked as he pushed his legs off the bed.

“Yeah” Lindsey replied. “They airlifted him to the Oklahoma City Medical Center because our small hospital couldn’t handle a case as bad as his.”

“Give the doctors my number and tell them I’ll be there as soon as I can.” Bobby assured the young woman before hanging up. Setting the phone on the nightstand he hauled himself back into his wheelchair. He then snatched the phone back up and hit speed dial four. “Ellen, its Bobby. I’m gonna need a ride.”

Two days later

Ellen quietly walked into the ICU room carrying two steaming cups. She handed one to Bobby before reclaiming her seat. Staring down at Sam she sighed. In the two days they’d been here very little had changed. Sam had only woken a couple of times and only for a few seconds. His doctor had been through several times and each time he said the same thing; that with a head injury as severe as Sam’s there was a very strong possibility that he would have some brain damage. That they wouldn’t know how bad until he woke up and they were able to assess him but that they needed to be prepared for it. The idea that the Sam she knew was gone was unimaginable. There was just no way Sam could wake up and not be the gentle giant she had come to know and love. Sam would wake up and be just fine; she was sure of it. Those doctors didn’t know anything, didn’t know him. A little knock to the head wasn’t going to put him out of commission. Sam was a Winchester for pete’s sake. And speaking of Winchesters; “Bobby, did you get a hold of Dean yet?” Ellen asked.

“Yeah, he finally called me back.” Bobby muttered. “Said he’d be here sometime this afternoon.”

“Thank God” Ellen mumbled. Leaning over the railing she gently brushed Sam’s bangs off his forehead. “Here that sweetie? Your brother’s coming.”

“Ellen”

“Don’t you dare tell me to stop Bobby!” Ellen growled. “Sam’s gonna to come out of this! You hear me?”

“I hope you’re right.” Bobby mumbled.

That afternoon

Dean stormed into Sam’s ICU room dropping into a chair when he saw the state his little brother was in. Taking in all the tubes and wires connected to the younger man and the equipment surrounding the bed he reached out a shaky hand and gently took his brother’s hand in his. “God Sammy” he whispered.

“Hey Dean” Bobby croaked.

“What happened Bobby?” Dean asked not taking his eyes off Sam.

“Some hunters found out about him setting Lucifer free; decided to try and take him out.” Bobby explained.

Voices penetrated the fog Sam was trapped in. ‘G’d Sa’my’ “Dean, Dean’s here” Sam thought. His brother’s voice was just what Sam needed to hear. He fought his way through the fog desperate to see his brother. As he got closer and closer to consciousness the voices around him became cleaner.

“Dean, the doctors say that the head injury has more than likely caused some type of brain damage.” Bobby told the younger man. “But they won’t know for sure till he wakes up.”

“Might be better off if he did.” Dean muttered starting as he was whacked on the back of the head with Bobby’s cap.

“Don’t you dare say that boy!” Bobby growled.

“It’s true, Bobby. If Sammy woke up and didn’t remember all the crap that’s gone down the past couple of years, it’d be the best thing for him. He wouldn’t have all the pain and guilt he’s been dragging around and he wouldn’t have to worry about the demon blood or Lucifer or anything. He could be happy again, like he was before he found out what’s really out there.” Dean argued. “He wouldn’t be that person I came back to. He could just be Sammy again.”

“Do you seriously think everything would be alright then, Dean? Do you? You think the hunters are going to leave him alone just because he was brain damaged? And what about the angels, huh? And Lucifer? Think he’s just gonna leave Sam alone?” Bobby gruffly asked. “If your brother is brain damaged, he’ll be a sitting duck. He won’t be able to defend himself when Lucifer or anybody else comes calling.”

“He won’t have to, Bobby. I’d take care of him.” Dean fired back. “I’d look out for him just like I did when we were little. I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him.”

“That supposed to make it alright, Dean?” Bobby questioned. “Cause it doesn’t.”

“You two shut up and Dean sit back down!” Ellen ordered. “I won’t have you talking about stuff like that around Sam. He’s going to wake up and be just fine. You’ll see.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right Ellen.” Dean agreed scrubbing a hand across his face.

“I am right.” Ellen confidently stated voice softening as she took in the fear and worry in the young man’s eyes. “Dean, you look exhausted. Why don’t you and Bobby head out to the motel; get yourself a room and get some sleep? I’ll watch Sam for a while.”

“No, I’m fine.” Dean protested. “Sides, I won’t be here that long. Once he wakes up with all his marbles, I’m going hit the road.”

“Dean” Bobby warned.

“No Bobby, we’ve already been over this.” Dean hissed. “Sam and I can’t be together. End of story.”

“Dean doesn’t want me.” Sam thought as he lay listening. “He wants the little Sammy that followed him around like a puppy dog; the one that didn’t know about hunting. I don’t wanna lose him again. I can’t.” Hearing his brother get up Sam quickly made a decision. Blinking open his eyes he slowly turned his head to the side.

“Sam?” Ellen said. “Sweetie, can you hear me?”

“Sammy?” Dean whispered grasping his little brother’s hand once more.

“Dean?” Sam rasped.

“Bout time you woke up, kiddo.” Bobby said with a grin. “You gave all of us one Hell of a scare.”

Sam smiled at Bobby and Ellen before glancing around in the room in confusion. Looking back at his big brother he asked, “Dean, where’s daddy?”


Okay, what do you think?

[lcaron3]

Great start! Just love it. Can't wait to see where you take this.

Please update soon.

Linda

[FireDancr2]

Tricky, tricky, tricky.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, huh Sam?

You're off to another great start. Can't wait to see more.

Beth

[supernaturalfreak8]

Poor Sammy I wonder what's gonna happen next...Dean better get his act together and be there for his brother...he is family no matter what he's done. I really like this story so far .

[maxandkiz]

lcaron3- Thank you! Finally got the next chapter ready for you.

FireDancr2- Thanks! He's desperate alright. He clearly hasn't thought this through. Dean will hit the roof if he finds out Sam's faking.

supernaturalfreak8- Thank you! You've got that right. Just hope Dean realizes that before he figures out Sam is faking.



Chapter 2



“Daddy?” Dean gruffly repeated gazing at his brother in shock. “What the Hell, Sammy?”

“Dean” Bobby warned. He shook his head giving the younger man a stern look before turning to Sam. Softening his expression he smiled at the injured boy and softly asked, “Sam son do you know where you are?”

“Uh huh” Sam rasped with a slight nod of his head. Closing his eyes he wished the marching band in his head would take a break. It was hard to concentrate with all the pounding and he needed to think if he was going to pull this off. He groaned as the pain suddenly intensified. Hearing Bobby’s faint voice telling him to open his eyes Sam tried to comply. He struggled to lift the heavy lids but they refused to budge. Another wave of pain flowed over him carrying him into unconsciousness once more.

“Sam? Sammy?” Dean called shaking his little brother’s shoulder gently. “Come on man! Open those eyes for me!”

“Leave him alone, Dean. Sam’s out again.” Bobby said. “That’s how it’s been the last two days. At least this time he was awake for a little longer and he seemed more aware.”

“And this is the first time Sam spoke to us. That’s a good sign.” Ellen pointed out.

“A good sign?!” Dean hollered rounding on his friend. “He asked for “daddy”! How the Hell is that good?!”

“Dean, tone it down before you get all of us kicked outta here!” Bobby barked glaring at the boy until he sat back down. “That’s better. Now calm you’re a$$ down. Sam’s fighting to come back from a serious head injury. It’s no wonder the kid’s confused about things. He’ll be alright. You’ll see.”

“Bobby’s right. Don’t go looking for trouble.” Ellen advised patting Dean’s shoulder. “Sam’s going to be just fine.”

“I hope so” Dean mumbled as he reached over and took hold of his brother’s hand.

The next time Sam awoke he winced as the headache from Hell made itself known. Feeling a hand carding through his hair he frowned. He didn’t remember inviting anyone to his motel room. In fact the last thing he remembered was…was…Sam drew a blank. Confused and more than a little freaked he searched his fuzzy brain for some memory. He could tell he was in a hospital from the sterile smell and the beeping of various machines but why was he here? And who was with him? Images of a bar and three men flashed through his mind. “Okay, must have been in a fight.” Sam concluded. But that still didn’t answer the most pressing question; who was playing with his hair? Hearing a voice he focused in on what was being said.

“Don’t you worry about that brother of yours, Sam” Ellen whispered as she brushed the bangs off the young man’s forehead. “He’ll come around. I know he told you that you two can’t be together anymore but he doesn’t really mean it. Dean’s just angry right now. He’ll cool off and you boys will be back fighting side by side in no time. I’m sure of it. He’s been sitting with you most of the day. Took me and Bobby both to strong arm him into going down to the cafeteria to get something to eat.”

Sam tuned Ellen out as the memory of the last time he woke up bubbled to the surface. Dean was planning on leaving as soon as Sam woke up. He didn’t want him anymore. He wanted the little brother that followed him around like a puppy dog. Hurt flooded him as Dean’s words ran through his mind. His big brother had actually wished he was brain damaged. God, had he changed so much, done so many bad things that even the person who loved him unconditionally couldn’t stand to be around him? He couldn’t lose Dean, not again. Between the trickster and Hell Sam had spent more than enough time without Dean. He couldn’t do it again. He just couldn’t. Right then and there Sam decided he was going to do everything in his power to keep his brother from leaving. “If innocent little Sammy is what Dean wants” Sam thought, “then that’s what he’s gonna get.” Decision made the younger brother lay still keeping his eyes closed as he waited for his big brother to enter the room. He didn’t have to wait long.

“How’s Sammy?” Dean asked as he hurried into the room and retook his seat. “Did he wake up at all?”

“No” Ellen replied shaking her head. “I think he might be getting close though. He was frowning a minute ago.”

“Now or never” Sam thought. He shifted on the bed before turning his head and slowly opening his eyes. Blinking to clear his blurry vision he glanced around the room eyes coming to rest on his brother. “Dean?” he croaked.

“Hey Sam” Dean greeted as he pushed the call button. “How’re you feeling?”

“My head hurts.” Sam whined looking over at the door. “Where’s daddy? I want daddy.”

“Your dad’s not here right now, Sam.” Bobby answered. Wheeling over to the bed he tried his best to ignore the boy’s wide eyed stare.

“Uncle Bobby, why are you in that chair? Are you hurt, too?” Sam gasped.

“You don’t remember?” Bobby prodded.

“Nuh uh” Sam rasped rubbing his throat.

“Here you go, sweetie” Ellen said holding a cup of water out for the young man.

Staring fearfully at his friend Sam shook his head and looked back at the salvage yard owner. “Uncle Bobby, who’s that lady?” he questioned pointing in Ellen’s direction. “Is she your girlfriend?” He glanced over at his brother as Dean snorted.

“Sammy” Bobby called. He waited until he had the boy’s attention before continuing. “That’s Ellen. She’s a friend of your daddy’s and mine.”

“Oh” Sam simply replied. Looking back at his big brother he put on his best puppy dog expression. “Dean, is daddy gonna come get us? I don’t like it here.” He sniffed. “I wanna go home.”

Dean exchanged a worried look with Bobby before gazing down at his injured sibling and smiling. “I know, Sammy.” He said as he held down the call button. “I do to but we’ve gotta get you better first. Okay, kiddo?”

“You’ll stay with me?” Sam quietly asked.

“Course I will” Dean replied. “I’ll be here the whole time.”

“Sir” a nurse huffed as she stomped into the room. “You can take your hand off the…” Nurse Hilda stopped in her tracks as she saw her patient staring at her. “Well hello there Sam. You finally woke up, huh.” She greeted. “I’ll just go page Dr. Walters.”

Sam watched the huge African American woman hurry out of the room. “Dean” he whispered once the door had shut, “I don’t like her. She’s scary.”

“Yeah, she is, isn’t…OW! Quit it, Bobby!” Dean hollered glaring at the older man as he replaced his cap.

“Dean” Bobby softly called motioning at Sam who was holding his head in his hands.

“Oh, crap! Sorry Sammy” Dean whispered. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed he gently removed Sam’s hands and started slowly carding a hand through his little brother’s hair. “Shhh, it’s okay buddy. I’m here” he murmured. He continued the comforting motion whispering reassurances to Sam until Dr. Walters walked into the room. Patting his brother’s back Dean stood and reclaimed his chair beside the bed.

“Hi Sam, it’s good to see you awake.” Dr. Walters greeted as he reached for his patient’s wrist. Frowning as the young man flinched away from him the gray haired physician pushed his glasses back on his nose and smiled down at the frightened boy. “How are you feeling, Sam?”

Sam glanced at Dean before answering. “My head hurts” he whispered.

“I bet it does.” The elderly doctor agreed as he took a seat on the side of the bed. “I’ll have Nurse Hilda get you something to make your head feel better, okay?” Getting a slight nod he pressed the call button and turned to the family. “Would you folks mind stepping outside for just a bit so I can examine Sam?”

“NO Dean! Don’t leave me!” Sam hollered reaching for his brother.

Dean rushed to the other side of the bed and sat down beside his brother. “Hey, hey Sammy, look at me, kiddo” he instructed taking his sibling’s flailing hands in his. “You’re okay Sammy. The doc’s not gonna hurt you. He’s just gonna look you over and give you some medicine for your head.”

“You stay” Sam pleaded. “Please?”

“Sorry buddy. I can’t stay.” Dean told his little brother. “But I’m not going far. I’ll be right outside the door the whole time. I’ll even stand in front of that window so you can see me, okay?” Seeing Sam about to object he added, “How about you hold onto this for me while I’m outside?” Slipping out of his leather jacket he laid it over Sam smiling as his brother clutched the jacket to his chest. Standing he cupped his little brother’s cheek. “Be good for the doctor, Sammy.” He instructed before following Bobby and Ellen out the door.

[Bec]

Aww, poor Sam. This is going to be a hard act to keep up. Great update.

[supernaturalfreak8]

wow he is willing to do anything to keep Dean from leaving huh. Even though he's just fine when it comes to his memory, he's acting like he's not...very clever . Great update!

[FireDancr2]

Uh oh, Sam's digging himself a huge hole. Hope it doesn't cave in on him. Man, Dean's gonna be so angry if he ever finds out. One more reason not to trust Sam.

But poor Sam, thinking he has no other options and wanting so much to stay with his brother.

Can't wait to see where you go with this. Nice job.

Beth

[Bec]

Sure hope you can update soon. I really liked this one.

[maxandkiz]

Hey guys!

Sorry not an update yet. Just wanted to let you know that I'm working on this one now. Tonight's the first time I've had some time to myself since my company arrived(unexpectedly) Sunday. I'm hoping to have another chapter ready for you sometime late tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for being so patient!

[maxandkiz]

Bec- Thank you! You got that right. Makes you wonder just how long Sam can keep going before he makes a mistake.

supernaturalfreak8- Thanks! Yes, he will. Just hope he can keep it up. Cause I have a feeling Dean will hit the roof if he figures out Sam's faking.

FireDancr2- Thank you! Yep, that hole just keeps getting bigger with each passing minute. And unfortunately sooner or later the whole thing's going to come right down on his head. Poor guy.



Chapter 3




Bobby backed his chair against the wall across from Sam’s room and stared at the closed door. He’d hoped with all his heart that Sam waking up and asking for his dad that first time had just been confusion from his head injury; that he’d wake up again and be back to normal. But it seemed that wasn’t meant to be and it was tearing him up inside to see the young man reduced to a scared, little boy. The surrogate father had really thought they’d dodged a bullet; that the kid was going to be alright. After all the first few times the littlest Winchester woke, he seemed to recognize him and Ellen. Hell, the kid even smiled at Ellen once. It wasn’t till his brother got there that…wait a minute. It couldn’t be. Surely they wouldn’t do something like that. Would they? Narrowing his eyes Bobby turned his gaze on Dean. If this mess was his doing, wheelchair bound or not he was going to kick the boy’s ass. Glaring over at the man in question Bobby loudly cleared his throat. “Well, it looks like you got your wish, Dean” Bobby gruffly said.

“What do you mean, Bobby?” Dean asked staring at his long time friend.

“I mean, that the head injury evidently scrambled Sam’s brain. He didn’t remember Ellen or me being in a wheelchair.” Bobby pointed out. “And he keeps asking for your daddy. Sam hasn’t called John daddy since he was seven.”

“I know” Dean quietly agreed.

“Bobby, are you sure this is because of the attack?” Ellen asked walking over to the old hunter. “Could Dean’s so called angel friends have done this?”

“Why would they do that, Ellen?” Dean broke in. “Why would they do that now? Why not before Sammy set Lucifer free?”

“They couldn’t do it before. They needed him to break the last seal and he couldn’t do that if he was Sammy.” Bobby stated. “Maybe they did it now ‘cause they think it’ll make it easier to get you to say yes. Or maybe one of them heard that little wish of yours and decided to help you out.”

“I didn’t want this, okay Bobby?! Yeah, I thought about it and it sounded like a good idea for all of five seconds. But that’s it! I’d never wish for Sammy to be like…” Dean broke off as Dr. Walters and Hilda walked out of Sam’s room. “How’s Sammy, doc?” he asked.

“Why don’t we go talk in my office?” Dr. Walters suggested.

“No, I promised Sam I’d stay right here where he could see me and I’m not about to go back on my word.” Dean replied.

“Dean, I gave Sam a mild pain reliever for his headache. He’s already fallen back to sleep and he’ll most likely sleep through the night. He won’t even know you’re gone.” The doctor told the young man.

“Doesn’t matter, I’m not leaving him.” Dean adamantly stated as he glanced through the room window to check on his sleeping sibling.

“Alright, then let’s at least go back into the room. I really don’t want to discuss his case in the hallway.” Dr. Walters agreed.

Dean nodded his agreement and then turned and walked into his brother’s room. Retaking his seat by the bed he checked on his injured sibling before reaching through the bed railing and grasping Sam’s hand. Turning his attention to the physician Dean said, “Okay, let’s have it.”

“Well first let me say that I wasn’t able to do as complete an exam as I would have liked. Sam appeared to be frightened of me and Nurse Hilda and flinched away whenever we got too close. It took several minutes for me to gain his trust enough to let me check him over. And even then he wasn’t completely comfortable with us.” The doctor explained. That said I actually have some good news for you. Physically Sam is doing very well. His injuries are all healing nicely. The knife wounds on his chest and arms are showing no signs of infection. I should be able to take those stitches out in another week. The swelling around his right knee has gone down considerably. He’ll still need to wear the brace for a few weeks and he might need some therapy for his knee and his left hand once it’s out of the cast. His ribs are still tender and probably will be for a while to come but all in all Sam’s making good progress. He is still in quite a bit of pain but that’s to be expected.”

“But” Bobby prodded.

“But as I warned you earlier in the week, there seems to be some brain damage left from the head injury.” The doctor paused for a moment to let that much sink in. “I did a few cursory tests with Sam after I examined him starting with motor control. He could move his arms, legs, hands, and feet when directed. I’m afraid he panicked a little when he couldn’t bend his right knee. I tried telling him that he had wrenched his knee but Sam just looked at me like he didn’t understand and kept crying for his daddy and Dean. Seeing his confusion I adjusted my explanation and my approach. I softened my voice and spoke as I would to a young child. I simply told him that I had put a brace on his knee because it was hurt and that was why he couldn’t move it and he calmed down.”

“What else?” Bobby prodded when the doctor didn’t continue.

Sam’s having trouble with eye-hand coordination and motor skills.” Dr. Walters informed them. “For example, I put his cup on the tray table and wheeled it over to him. I asked him to hand me the cup so I could pour him some water. It took him several tries to grasp the cup and when I filled it and handed it back, he spilled more than he drank which upset him. Nurse Hilda and I both assured him that it was okay; that he wasn’t in trouble. But nothing we said seemed to help. By that point he was starting to tire again and all that crying was making his headache worse. So I decided to cut my examination short. I had Nurse Hilda change the wet sheet while I injected the pain reliever into his IV port.”

“So, you don’t really know for sure that he’s brain damaged?” Dean asked.

“Not with one hundred percent certainty” the doctor conceded. “Which I won’t have until Sam is able to complete the testing. However, from what I’ve observed I’m almost positive that he is suffering from some level of brain damage.”

“What about his memory? Why does he remember some things and not others?” Ellen questioned.

“That’s another troubling aspect of this case.” Dr. Walters replied. “And one that I don’t have an answer for at the moment.”

“So, what you’re telling us is you pretty much don’t know any more than you did before he woke up.” Dean wearily stated.

“Dean” Bobby warned.

“Its okay, Mr. Singer. Your nephew is correct. I’m afraid I haven’t been able to give you any answers yet. But rest assured I will get those answers for you.” Dr. Walters promised. “Tomorrow morning after breakfast I’ll take Sam for some tests. I should have your answers then.”

“Thanks doc” Bobby said as he shook the man’s hand. “I appreciate everything you’re doing for Sam.”

“It’s my pleasure” the doctor replied with a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more patients to see before I leave for the night. If Sam needs anything, just hit the call button. Nurse Hilda will be here all night.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Ellen said as she stood. “I’m going out for coffee anyway. I think we could all use some right about now.”

Bobby waited for Ellen and the doctor to go out and then wheeled over to Dean’s side. “Dean, are you sure this isn’t the angels work?” he asked.

“Positive” Dean replied without taking his eyes off his brother. “With those sigils carved into our ribs they can’t even find us. This is just plain old crappy Winchester luck.”

“What are you gonna do if it’s permanent?” Bobby questioned.

“I don’t know, Bobby” Dean whispered. “I just don’t know.”

The next morning

Sam slowly awoke the next morning to silence. Opening his eyes he was pleased to find that while he was still in pain it wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been the day before. He rubbed his eyes to clear his vision and glanced around the room smiling at the sight of his drooling brother slumped in the chair beside him. “Man, I wish I had a camera!” he thought when he saw Bobby asleep in his chair with Ellen snuggled against his side. “Rufus and Joshua would have a field day with that picture!” Hearing his door bang open he looked over to see a young nurse carrying a tray into the room.

“Good morning” the nurse cheerfully greeted as she set the tray on the table and wheeled it over to Sam’s bed. “Dr. Walters ordered a liquid breakfast for you this morning and he said he wants you to try to eat at least half. Okay, handsome?”

“Don’t worry darling” Dean piped up grinning at the young woman. “I’ll make sure he does just that.”

“Oh, okay” the nurse agreed keeping her attention on Sam. “Bye handsome. See you in a little while.”

Dean turned and watched the nurse saunter out the door. Letting out a whistle he looked back at his brother. “I think she has the hots for you, man. She didn’t even look my way.” He said pumping his eyebrows.

Remembering his part Sam cocked his head to one side. “She can’t be hot. It’s cold in here, Dean.” He pointed out.

“You cold, Sam?” Ellen asked from her spot on the couch. Seeing his nod she got up and headed for the door. “I’ll go get you another blanket. Be back in just a minute.”

“Thanks Ellen” Dean called. Turning back to his little brother Dean scooted his chair closer to the bed. Lifting the lid off the breakfast tray he forced a smile. “Looks, ummm, good, Sammy.”

Sam glanced down at the watery meal on his tray and grimaced. Bobby’s dogs wouldn’t even touch that slop. In face it looked more like something the dogs had barfed up. Holding his flip flopping stomach Sam made a disgusted face. “Yuck” he said.

“Come on Sammy, you gotta eat. I bet the nurses will let you have a popsicle if you eat everything on your plate.” Dean coaxed.

Recognizing one of Dean’s favorite and most successful ploys to get him to eat when they were younger Sam mentally groaned. While he didn’t want to touch the crap with a ten foot pole, he knew his child self would have happily gobbled it up for the cold treat. Resigning himself to a fate worse than death Sam slowly reached for his spoon frowning when he missed the tray entirely. A couple more failed tries later he turned to Dean. “Dean?” he whispered allowing tears to roll down his cheeks. “My hand don’t work right.”

“Hey, it’s okay Sammy” Dean soothed as he took a seat on the bed beside his brother. “You’re gonna be alright.”

“But Dean”

“Not buts Sammy. You’re going to get better. It’s just gonna take a little time, okay?” Dean assured him. Getting a hesitant nod the older brother smiled. “Good. Now let’s get you fed.” Picking up the spoon he scooped up a little of what looked like mush and held it out to Sam. “Down the hatch, kiddo.”

Sam closed his eyes and opened his mouth swallowing the foul tasting mess as fast as he could. His stomach grumbled and gurgled threatening to revolt with each new spoonful. Sam tried his best to keep his breakfast down but halfway through the meal his stomach erupted and everything came rushing back up. Leaning over the bed he threw up everything he’d just eaten and then some. When the retching was finally over, he collapsed back onto the bed and wrapped both arms around his aching ribs.

Dean waited a few moments to make sure Sam was through and then handed the kidney shaped bowl he was holding to Bobby to empty. Retaking his seat on the bed he reached over and filled a glass with water. “Here you got, Sammy. Small sips” he instructed as he held the plastic cup to his sibling’s lips. He let Sam take a few sips and then set the cup back on the night stand. Pushing the call button Dean started carding a hand through Sammy’s messy mop of hair in comfort while they waited for the nurse.

“Something wrong?” the young nurse from earlier asked as she walked into the room.

“Yeah, Sammy threw up his breakfast.” Dean replied. “And I’m not sure he’s through yet. His stomach’s still making noises.”

“I’m sorry handsome” the nurse said as she walked over to the end of the bed and picked up the chart. Quickly reading through the doctor’s notes she set the chart back in the holder and gave the brothers a smile. “Be right back” she told them as she hurried out the door.

“What’s wrong?” Ellen asked as she came into the room carrying a couple of blankets.

“Sammy got sick” Dean simply stated. He stood, took one of the blankets from Ellen, and tossed it over his sibling. Pulling the cover up to Sam’s chin he gently tucked it around his little brother being careful of all the wires and tubes.

“Okay Sam this should settle your stomach and make you feel better.” The young blonde called as she hurried into the room and over to the bed. Uncapping the syringe she quickly pushed the medicine into the port in his hand. “There you go. It’ll probably knock you out for a while, but it should take care of your tummy troubles.”

Dean watched as Sam slowly relaxed and drifted off to sleep. “Thanks, uhh, Melina” he said reading her name tag for the first time.

“No problem. Let me know if you need anything else.” She replied as she walked back to the door. She waved at the young man before leaving.

Dean rolled his eyes at the flirting and turned his attention back to Sammy. It looked like they were in for another long day.

[Bec]

[FireDancr2]

I'll second that....



Great job. But what's wrong with Sam's eye-hand coordination? I get the feeling that's not part of the act. Or is he just that good?

Beth

[maxandkiz]

Bec- Thank you!

FireDancr2- Thanks! You're right! Sam's not faking the eye hand coordination problems. those are real.

Sorry about the long delay on this one. still having trouble with that shoulder. I'm having to type little bits at a time and its taking forever.



Chapter 4






Sam awoke with a groan. His head pounded, his ribs ached, and his throat felt like someone had taken a sander to it while he slept. In all he felt like crap. Opening his eyes he looked over at the empty visitor’s chair and frowned. Where was Dean? His big brother’s behind had practically been glued to that chair from what little he recalled. And while he may not be clear on much the past few days he was certain of one thing: Dean had been in that very chair every time he opened his eyes. So where was he? Had Dean decided that hurt or not he didn’t want to be near Sam and left? Or had he figured out that Sam was faking and taken off? What would he do if Dean had left him for…

“Sam, Sam son take it easy.” Bobby’s gruff voice broke in. “Dean hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s just in the bathroom.”

Hearing a toilet flush followed by the sound of running water Sam slowly began to calm down. Assured that his big brother was just in the adjoining room the young man rested his head back on his pillow, closed his eyes, and focused on regulating his breathing. Dean was still here; his big brother hadn’t left him.


Dean splashed some water on his face before turning off the faucet and drying his hands. As hard as the last twenty four hours had been, he had to admit that he was kind of enjoying being back in the role of big brother. Not that he was happy his kid brother was lying injured in a hospital bed mind you. It just felt good to be needed again. He’d always loved taking care of his little brother no matter what he’d told Sam in the past. And that was one of the things he had missed the most since he’d come back from Hell. Not that that was all Sam’s fault; Dean knew he had been in no shape to resume the role of big brother and protector when he’d first come back. He’d actually been glad that Sam had assumed that role; it had been nice to be looked after for a while. “Yeah, and just look how well that turned out.” his mind supplied. Dean promptly squashed that thought before it could go any further. The past was just that; past. It was time he concentrated on the future and that started with taking back his role of big brother in the Winchester household. That had been his job from the moment their dad had put his baby brother in his arms the night of the fire and it was time he reclaimed it. He knew his little brother was now a grown man but to him Sam would always be that little boy with the inquisitive eyes and impish grin. Smiling at the memory of a small Sammy Dean tossed the towel he was holding back over the rack and walked out the bathroom door. Seeing Bobby hovering over a nearly hyperventilating Sam he hurried over to the bed. “Bobby, what’s going on? What’s wrong with Sammy?” he asked as he took a seat on the bed beside his brother.

“Everything’s alright, Dean” Bobby quickly assured the younger man. “Sam here just got a little upset when he woke up and didn’t see you.”

“A little upset? Try freaked” Dean thought as he gazed down at his trembling sibling. He began running a hand up and down Sam’s arm in comfort. “Hey Sammy” he greeted as his brother’s eyes opened and locked with his. “How are you feeling, buddy? Your stomach still bothering you?”

“De” Sam rasped. Wincing he reached up to grab his sore throat only to yelp as he slapped himself in the eye instead.

“Whoa there kiddo!” Dean exclaimed as he captured the wayward limb and laid it back on the bed. “Don’t think you need another head injury right now.”

“Th-throat hurts” Sam ground out.

Taking the cup of water Bobby offered Dean held the straw up to his brother’s lips. “Here you go, Sammy, small sips” he instructed. Not wanting his sibling to get sick again Dean only allowed him to take a couple of swallows before taking the cup away. “What do you say we ask the nurses about that popsicle now, bro? Think you could keep that down or are you still feeling sick?”

Sam’s eyes lit up at the thought of the cold treat soothing his sore throat. “Popsicle” he whispered with a dimpled grin. “Please?”

“You got it Sammy.” Dean agreed. “I’ll just go ask the nur…”

“I’ll get it, Dean.” Bobby offered as he wheeled toward the door. “You stay here with Sam.”

“I can do that Bobby.” Ellen said as she rose from her spot on the couch.

“Sit your ass down!” Bobby barked. “I think I can manage to get a damn popsicle for the kid. I’m not totally useless, you know.” Grabbing the door handle he yanked it open and sped out into the hall leaving the door to slam in his wake.

“Dean” Sam croaked breaking the silence that the salvage owner’s departure had caused, “Is Uncle Bobby mad ‘cause he got hurt?”

“No Sammy” Dean replied. “Bobby’s just tired. You know how cranky he gets when he doesn’t get enough sleep.”

“Oh” Sam rasped glancing over at Ellen who had reclaimed her seat. He could tell she was kicking herself for upsetting Bobby. Knowing she didn’t mean any harm he attempted to lighten the mood. “Ms. Ellen” he called out. He waited until he had her attention before continuing. “You need to lay down with him so he’ll take a nap.” He told her with the most innocent expression he could muster. “That’s what Dean does when I’m really tired.”

“I’ll do that, Sam” Ellen said as she fought the urge to laugh. She lost the fight as the sound of Dean’s laughter rang through the room. She giggled at the image Sam’s suggestion conjured up. Glancing over at the young man on the bed who was looking at her and Dean like they’d grown two heads only made things worse. She turned to look out the window and tried to pull herself together. But it was no use. Every time she started to calm down that image would pop into her head and another round of laughter would start.

Feeling bad about his earlier outburst Bobby wheeled back into the room and opened his mouth to apologize. He froze as he took in the scene before him. He looked from Dean and Ellen who were both laughing so hard they had tears running down their faces to Sam who looked confused. Rolling over to the bed he cleared his throat. “Do I want to know?” he asked Dean.

“No” Dean replied shaking his head. He glanced over at the old hunter and burst out laughing again.

“Ookay” Bobby muttered. Ignoring the two laughing idjits the surrogate father reached into his shirt pocket and pulled a long wrapped package out. Tearing it open he folded the paper back and held it out to Sammy. “Here you go, sport” Bobby said holding the grape popsicle steady for the injured young man.

“Thanks Uncle Bobby” Sam mumbled around the popsicle. He smiled as the cold treat instantly soothed his throat. Seeing a little of the spark come back into the older man’s eyes as he helped Sam made a mental note to make sure Bobby had a hand in his recovery, too. He wanted Bobby to know that wheelchair or not he was still a very important part of their family. After all, the old hunter had been like a father to him and his brother. He’d never turned them away or gave up on them and he’d be damned if they’d give up on him; or let him give up on himself.

Dr. Walters walked into the room a few minutes later to find his patient awake and smiling. “Good morning!” he greeted. “Looks like somebody’s feeling better this morning.”

“Yes sir” Sam shyly answered as he peered up at the doctor.

“Good” the doctor mumbled as he walked over and took the chart out of the holder at the end of the bed. He swiftly scanned it before replacing the clipboard. Going around to the far side of the bed he took a seat on the bed. “The nurse at the desk said you got sick this morning, Sam. Is your stomach still hurting?” he asked. Seeing Sam shake his head the doctor nodded. “Okay, good”

“Doc, when are those tests you mentioned last night?” Dean inquired.

“The orderlies will be here in a minute to get him.” Dr. Walters replied before turning his attention back to his patient. “Sam, I need you to come with me for just a little while. I need to run a few tests to make sure you’re getting better and then a friend of mine has a game she’d like to play with you. Okay?”

“Can Dean go with me?” Sam softly asked as he turned his puppy dog eyes on the doctor. “He likes games.”

“No Sammy, I can’t go this time.” Dean replied palming his little brother’s cheek. Seeing Sam open his mouth to object he quickly added, “Its okay kiddo. The doc’s not going to hurt you. He’s just going to check you out to make sure you’re doing okay. Then he’ll bring you back to the room. And I’ll be right here waiting when you get back.”

“Promise?” Sam asked starting as the door opened and the orderlies walked inside.

“I promise” Dean swore crossing his heart. Standing he smiled down at his baby brother. “Now be a good boy for the doctor, Sammy. Do what he tells you to. Okay?”

“Okay” Sam whispered. He smiled sadly at his big brother as the orderlies transferred him to a gurney. Sam then closed his eyes as they wheeled him through the door and out of sight.

[FireDancr2]

Ahhh, that was sweet. Dean's remembering what it's like to be a big brother and Sam is getting a chance to watch the others and see where he can help them. I wonder if he can continue to fool the tests though. Hmmm interesting to see if Sam or medical science will persevere. My money is on Sam.

Beth