Title: Making Sure
Summary: Season 11. Tag to "Red Meat". And takes place in the same general time frame as my recent fic "No More Dying, Okay?" Dean checks in on a sleeping Sam.
Cool hand on the hot forehead. Fever. Not bad, but elevated from last hour. Antibiotics still struggling to steer infection elsewhere. Dean had checked in every hour on the hour this late morning; making sure that his brother was comfortable and not backsliding. Sam was finally sleeping hard, heading towards noon now.
Fever increased, Dean pulled Sam's bed comforter down and lifted the tee shirt off his stomach to check the bandage. A few blotches of serous liquid and the yellow from the iodine, but no sign of any bleeding outside the packing. Stitches holding nicely. He'd check the incision directly once Sam woke, looking for any inflamed areas around the wound.
Tee shirt down, comforter in place, Dean lay his hand again on Sam's forehead, face and neck. A tinge of worry now for the warmer skin, but not surprised. They'd both suffered nasty wounds before and had dealt with infection. So, Dean knew the drill. But with the all too recent memory of his little brother lying dead on the floor…he figured he was allowed a bit of extra anxiety.
Sam stirred at the touch, groaning. His eyes fluttered before they fell quiet again. Dean's hand moving from forehead to shoulder as he leaned closer to Sam.
"Easy, Sammy. It's just me."
Another groan, then silence as Sam reacted to his brother's voice.
"Rest, little brother. I'm here. You're okay."
One final touch to Sam's forehead, slight fever holding, Dean left Sam to sleep. He'd return in an hour and again after that until Sam was awake and in the clear.
Making sure Sam was okay.
Taking care of his little brother.
Again.
His job.
And the thing he did best.
The End