/A little AU where Sam is a vet and Gabriel has a dog xD There's some Destiel in this as well ^^/
Sam Winchester.
Dr Sam Winchester.
Dr Samuel Winchester.
Dr Winchester.
Dr S. Winchester.
Sam stared down at the little list he had made. He didn't want to sound like a prat to his future clients, and at the same time, he wanted to look professional. He doodled uselessly on his favourite post-it pad. It had little paw prints on the edges and had his veterinary clinic's name at the bottom.
"Dr Winchester?" His petite, bespectacled assistant peered around the corner, pushing her glasses further up her freckled nose. Sam smiled kindly at her.
"Just call me Sam, Kasey, c'mon we went to high school together. What's up?"
"We're opening tomorrow and I still need a name for your door, Sam." Kasey beamed at the use of his name.
He held up the list to her and beckoned for her to come inside. He had set up his very own veterinary clinic in the town where he grew up after four years of working at the Lawrence Animal Hospital. Usually, animal hospitals were meant for more serious cases, and Sam could give referrals to animal hospitals nearby. Furthermore, the people there knew him, and trusted him, and Sam figured he'd get by just fine.
"Which do you think is the best one, Kace?"
"Dr Sam Winchester will look awesome, Sam." Kasey smiled at him.
"You're the boss!" Sam laughed.
"Is, um, Dean coming over, Sam?" Kasey asked him, her eyes hopeful. And Sam thought his puppy dog eyes were powerful. Oh, boy.
"Yeah Kace, he is." Sam cast a sly look at her. "Do you wanna join us for lunch?"
"Would I!" Kasey's eyes brightened and then her smile faltered. "Um, I mean, sure!" She scampered out of the room, clipboard clasped to her chest. Sam chuckled. He had grown up with Kasey and he couldn't remember a time when she hadn't had a crush on Dean. His brother simply ignored her, choosing instead to take out the blonde chicks that caught his eye, and parading them in front of poor Kasey. He hated to give her a false hope, like this. But then again, Sam'd never pass up a chance to humiliate Dean.
He helped Kasey prep the clinic to receive clients until lunch, when he got a call from Dean.
"Sammy, I'm outside your clinic."
"Hiya Dean." Sam grinned and waved through the glass to Dean from the waiting room. He gestured for his brother to come in, then hung up. Dean pushed through the door, sighing when the air con hit his slightly red face. Dean was still dressed in his uniform, and he pulled his cap off using it to fan himself.
"Damn Sammy, I hate summer in Lawrence."
Sam rolled his eyes. "You gotta be used to it by now, Dean. We've lived here for what? 26 years now?"
"26 for you, Sam. 28 for me." Dean groaned. "Jesus, I'm getting old."
"Kasey's joining us for lunch by the way." Sam told him in an offhand manner.
"Whaaaa" Dean hissed in a breath as Kasey bounded up to them. "Hey, Kasey." Dean forced an ingratiating smile. Sam elbowed him in the ribs. Classic sibling language for: be nice!
The three of them had a pretty lovely lunch, all things considered. By the time they returned to work Kasey was so happy, she was humming as she arranged the bottles of chemicals and medicines on the shelves. Sam too, was ecstatic. His dreams of owning a clinic were finally coming true and he was pretty damn near in heaven.
Their first day as an official animal clinic went wonderfully smoothly. Sam treated mild cases of the flu and dermatitis, in between the usual check-ups. Things were pretty quiet until the third week. Sam was doing a check up for a rather overly-friendly pitbull who kept trying to lick Sam's face while he was checking his gums, which really slowed things down for Sam. He was still laughing as he finally sent the dog and owner on their way, trying to clean his face of dog drool with a wet wipe.
A resounding knock startled Sam, and he called out, "Come on in."
"Dr Winchester?" Sam turned to see a man at his door with a beautiful golden retriever at his feet. The man was much shorter than Sam, which was usual because most people were shorter than Sam, but he didn't feel like it. He seemed to fill the room almost, with a huge grin that lit up his face and everything around him. His eyes were a flashing mix of green and gold, and they twinkled at Sam merrily, as if sharing an inside joke.
"Yes, what can I do for you?" Sam felt oddly disconnected, and he couldn't tear his gaze away from the stranger's inviting eyes. One long, awkward moment later, the stranger cleared his throat with an amused smirk, and Sam jumped out of his reverie, cheeks flushed.
"Yes, alright, let's get this guy up on the examining table." Sam noted that the dog seemed to get up there with some difficulty. "What's his name?" Sam asked the man standing in front of him.
"Loki." Loki's owner smiled, with some concern, down at his dog, stroking his silky fur.
Sam snapped himself into focus and took inventory. The dog seemed to be about two years old, and lethargic. Not at all the way most golden retrievers his age acted.
He began with the basic questions.
"Are his eating habits normal?"
"He's been eating a lot less lately." The owner supplied. "And he vomits a lot."
Vomiting, lessened appetite.
"His stools?"
"Diarrhea."
As Sam asked questions, he checked the dog thoroughly, taking his temperature and listening to his heart beat. He noted discharge in the eye and significant muscle tremors.
The answer was clear, and Sam felt his heart sink. "I'm afraid your dog has a progressed canine distemper, Mr…"
"Gabriel Novak." The strangers kept his hand on his dog's head, and Loki whined unhappily, feebly licking at his owner's hand.
"I can't do anything for him, but I can make a referral to the Lawrence Animal Hospital. I suggest you go there right away."
"Right." Gabriel Novak nodded, absentmindedly. "Thank you, doc."
Sam reached out a hand without quite thinking about it and squeezed the shorter man's shoulder in a gesture of comfort. The other man didn't even register it, simply gathering the dog's leash and guiding him out of the clinic.
Every dog owner and vet dreaded canine distemper. Vaccination was the only way. Once it took a hold of its victim, it was a sure death scenario. Sam's mind stayed on Loki and his owner, Gabriel for the rest of the week, wondering what had happened.
He got his answer four days later. Sam was walking to the farmer's market at 6am in the morning for some fresh vegetables and meat to cook dinner for his father and Dean. As he turned the corner after buying his groceries, he noticed a familiar figure walking in front of him. Sam's heart lifted before plummeting all the way down into his stomach. There was no dog around Gabriel. The hand that would normally hold the leash was achingly empty.
"Gabriel!" Sam called out before he could stop himself. Gabriel turned around and fixed Sam with a vacant stare before there was a flash of recognition in his eyes.
"Dr Winchester." Gabriel gave Sam a small smile, a shadow of the wonderful grin Sam remembered so clearly.
"Call me Sam, please." Sam waved him off, and glanced at Gabriel, a dull ache in his chest. The smaller man looked tiny in his grief. Where he once used to stand tall, he was hunched and looked every one of his years.
"Gabriel, I'm so sorry." Sam began. "I know it's hard."
"I know I only had him for two years, but he was my best friend." Gabriel said softly.
"C'mon." Sam slung an arm around him. "Let's go make you some breakfast."
"Sam, you don't have to-"
"I'm not taking no for an answer." Sam assured him.
Gabriel sighed, and let Sam guide him over to his car. Soon, they were back at Sam's house, a small one a stone's throw from the clinic. Gabriel followed Sam into the kitchen and helped unpack the groceries.
"You know what?" Sam looked at Gabriel.
"What?" Gabriel smiled up at Sam, his golden eyes sparkling with a piece of the sun.
"You seem to me like a pancakes and maple syrup kinda guy." Sam held up a box of pancake mix.
Gabriel squealed with delight. In the short time Sam had spent with the guy, he realized how refreshingly simplistic and child-like Gabriel was. He had a love for life that Sam hadn't seen since his college days. It was obvious he missed his dog, but it was almost as if he believed Loki was with him in some small way. As Sam flipped pancakes, he watched Gabriel sit at the breakfast nook and run his fingers over Loki's old dog tag. He whipped up two plates pancakes and set one in front of Gabriel, along with a bottle of maple syrup and a can of whipped cream. "Help yourself."
Gabriel laughed and doused his pancakes generously with maple syrup, adding a precarious mountain of whipped cream. Sam was pretty impressed with the way his companion scarfed down the ridiculously sweet confections. "Man, you really like your sweet stuff don't you?"
Gabriel snickered. "Used to annoy my brother to no end."
Sam shook his head. "You and my brother are both going to get a heart attack soon at this rate. Nothing will make Dean eat a salad over a greasy cheeseburger."
The look of horror Gabriel gave Sam made him nearly choke on a morsel of pancake. "Never!"
The two finished breakfast, and Gabriel helped him with the dishes, telling incredible stories of his travels and of his adventures in college. Sam couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed this hard since Jess got into that car accident his last year of college. It felt good, spending all this time with Gabriel. He was really a breath of fresh air, if that air smelled suspiciously like candy.
Sam was sorry to see the last of the dishes get stacked in the dishwasher.
Gabriel stuffed his hands in his coat. "I'd better go."
"I hope you feel better about Loki." Sam told him, walking him out to the porch.
Gabriel gave him a small smile. "I feel better now. Thank you, Sam."
"Anytime, Gabriel."
Sam watched the figure walk away, heartened at how he seemed back to his larger-than-life, energized self. Sam couldn't understand what gave him that restless energy and enormous smile that was so mesmerizing to Sam. "Maybe it's all that candy." Sam mused aloud, as he walked back into his house and started to put groceries away.