Post Hell my E/O challenge refers back to this ever so slightly...please review. reviews make me smile.
disclaimer: i don't own any of the characters. i just get to borrow them and torture them every once in a while. i only own my mistakes and frankly i shouldn't quit my day job.
Light Tugs and Late Night Hugs
Dean looked down on his brother's sleeping form. Sam had been sick for two days now and he only seemed to be getting worse. Of course, a cold couldn't just be a cold when Sammy had it. The kid didn't do anything half way.
Guilt was settling over Dean as he remembered he was the one that told Sam to wait in the car and be a look out while he was checking out a house complete with its own spook. It was the dead of winter, in the mountains of Colorado and Sam had been in the cold Impala for three and a half hours. How could Dean have been so thoughtless?
Sam still looked innocent when he slept. Seeing this, Dean remembered when they were kids and he would watch over his baby brother sleeping while waiting for their father to return to them. Back then, Dean and Sam could snuggle together in one bed and talk for hours until they drifted to sleep. It had been easier to protect Sam when they could do that. Sharing a bed happened occasionally when it could not be helped, but there was usually a foot wide gap between the guys when they went to bed, even if they knew the gap would shrink to non-existent by morning.
Sam began to toss and turn in his sleep and Dean crouched next to the bed panicked. Dean had no access to his car because the roads were covered in four feet of snow. If Sam got much worse, there would be no hospital trips. He didn't know what else he could do for his little brother.
He brushed sweat soaked curls away from Sam's face. His little brother looked pained as his fever dreams consumed him. Poor Sam. Dean never meant for this to happen. He knew it was his fault the kid was sick. Did Sam know? Probably. He wouldn't blame him if he was angry with him.
Dean sat on the bed next to his brother and leaned back on the pillow. If only he could fix this…
Please be okay Sammy. I'm doin' everything I know how to do. Please get better. Gotta let me know if there is anything else you need Sammy. Dean drifted to sleep next to his brother.
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John walked into Mary's hospital room with his young son's hand in his. His son had bombarded him with questions about the baby, from the moment he had been told his mommy was going to the hospital to give birth.
Dean tugged his daddy's hand and looked up at him. John nodded, knowing his son was anxious to meet his new brother.
The child walked and stood by his mommy's side.
"Dean, this is your baby brother Samuel." Dean gently petted the baby's tummy. Big brother senses were already kicking in.
"Do we have to call him Samuel?"
His mother nodded. "It's his name." Then she thought a moment. "What would you rather call him?"
Without missing a beat he answered, "Sammy."
He traced his fingers over his new little brother's hand.
Mary watched her oldest son run his fingers over her new child's soft skin. It was as he already knew what to do. She looked to John and he smiled. John put his hand on his oldest' shoulder.
"You can call him Sam, Sammy or Samuel. He's your baby brother Dean; he'll love you no matter which one he's called."
The baby blindly grabbed his big brother's finger and tugged. He sensed safeness and love with just that little bit of contact. He tugged again.
"Sammy." Dean whispered. Baby Sammy's eyes opened for the first time and stared up at Dean.
"John! He opened his eyes! He opened them for Dean." Mary looked proudly from one son to the other.
Dean beamed after learning he got his brother to do something important.
John noticed Sammy's death grip on his brother. "He's holding onto your finger pretty tight there little buddy. I think he likes you."
The child looked to both his parents. "I love him." Then he became a little worried. What if they didn't like the baby? Would they get a new one? He hoped not, he liked this one. "We are going to keep him right?"
"Of course! Your mother spent too much time making him." John chuckled and whispered just so Mary could hear him. "Besides, babies don't come with receipts." he leaned in and kissed his wife.
Dean leaned in and kissed his baby brother's cheek. "Love you Sammy."
Sam answered by gripping Dean's finger tighter and gave a tiny tug.
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"Dean! Dean!" Sam began to thrash in the bed and nearly took his brother out with his arms and legs.
Dean rolled out of the bed abruptly after being smacked in the face and stomach by his feverish brother's gangly limbs. His brother's sickness was really taking a toll on his body. He rubbed at both his sore face and stomach.
Sam sat up wide-eyed in the bed and looked at his brother. "Y-you're still here?"
"Still here? Where did you think I went? Sammy why do you think I'd leave you?" Dean watched his brother settle back down after he had confirmed he was not alone, leaving Dean's questions unanswered.
With nothing else to do, Dean sank back down in the bed and closed his eyes. Sam thought he left him? He would never leave Sam. Sam leaves him. Dean rolled to his belly and turned his head toward his little brother. Yeah Sam is the one that leaves, but he always comes back.
Dean fell asleep with the soft assurance of his brother breathing next to him that he was not alone.
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"Dean! De!" Sam had a bad dream and woke up very scared and very alone. He hated this apartment. He and his brother had separate rooms. It wasn't fair!
The child crawled out of bed and padded across the carpet to the door. He didn't like it when De couldn't hear him. Six years old was not old enough to be without big brother's protection during the night. He wouldn't even try it again. Nope. He was going to Dean's room and he was making permanent residence there until they moved again.
Sam opened his door and walked down the hall being quiet not to wake his Daddy in the next room. Daddy worked very hard and was always tired when he came home from his trips. Sam made his way to the end of the hallway and stopped at his brother's door.
He hoped Dean was awake. The door was cracked open and Sammy slipped in. Dean appeared to be asleep. That wouldn't last long. The younger brother quietly walked across the room, grabbed his brother's hand, and tugged gently.
"Dean." Tug.
"De!" Tug, tug.
"Hey brother!" Tug.
"Sammy? Why aren't you asleep?" Dean woke up when he began feeling the tugs. He knew that hand like he knew his own and he knew what those tugs meant. He was needed.
Dean flipped on the lamp next to his bed and Sam stared into his brother's hazel eyes. "I had a bad dream."
Dean looked at his baby brother, saw his bottom lip quiver, and was pulling some full on puppy eyes.
"Bad dream. You woke up and realized you were alone, huh?" Little Sammy nodded.
"C'mere Sammy." Dean scooted over and opened his arms. Sam willingly and thankfully dove into the arms and snuggled into his brother's chest. Little brother was scared and big brother was there to save him. He liked that concept.
"Dean?"
"Yeah, Sammy?"
"Will you always be with me?"
"Always."
"Will you always protect me?"
"Always."
"And you'll always be my brother?"
"Sammy, I'll always protect you because I'll always be with you and we'll always be brothers."
"So we'll always be friends?"
"What did you dream about Sam?"
"You weren't there. I couldn't find you. Dad and I looked everywhere and--and you w-weren't there."
Dean saw the tears in his brother's eyes and he wiped them away.
"Well, you don't have to think about that anymore. I'm right here with you. I'll never leave you."
"I love you Dean."
"I love you too Sammy." Dean pulled his baby brother closer to him and they fell asleep.
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Hours had passed and Dean had long since woken up to tend to his sick brother. He just couldn't figure out what he could do to make this better. The older brother had thought back to every time his brother was sick and he and his father had tended to him. How had they made Sam get better those times?
Dean had been trying to force fluids into the kid for an hour and Sam just would not give. Why wouldn't Sam just get better?
The brother decided his sibling was trying to do him in. It had to be all the pranks he had pulled on him throughout the years. The kid was finally retaliating. Why like this? All Dean had ever done was keep his little brother out of harm's way. He put his life on the line just to keep Sam safe and the freak magnet found the one thing Dean could not protect his brother from.
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"Dean, I'm running down to the store to get some cough medicine for Sam. Stay here and protect him."
The older boy nodded to his father's command. He already knew the drill. Don't open the door. Don't answer the phone. Don't open the windows. Don't make any loud noises. Protect Sam with his life.
John left in a hurry and Dean locked the door behind his father. He winced as he heard his little brother coughing loudly from the next room. Poor little Sammy. He was only eleven. The kid didn't deserve this.
Dean went to his brother and wiped the sweat from his brow. Sam was completely out of it. The kid had the worst luck, he just didn't deserve this. He would take Sam's place if he could.
"Hey Sam. You'll be all right. Dad's going to get medicine." Dean sat on the bed and leaned back against the headboard. He began to sweep the gentle sweaty curls from his little brother's face.
"Dean….De…" Sam let out a few pathetic blind cries.
Panicked Dean glanced to his brother. "What is it Sam? Please tell me. I can't fix it if you won't tell me."
Sam had drifted off to sleep again and Dean could feel tears pricking at his eyes. Only this kid could break his heart like this. He pulled his brother close to him. At this point the really didn't care if he caught sick from Sam. It would only mean Sam wouldn't be alone.
The child's breathing was labored and he started up a coughing fit. Sam's face was turning red from exhaustion.
Dean felt a hand attach to his own. He knew immediately what would follow. Tug.
"Yes, Sam?"
Tug, tug.
"Sammy?" Sam opened his eyes and stared into his brother's deep hazel eyes.
Dean wrapped his arms around his brother. "It's okay Sammy, I'm here. I always will be."
The coughing subsided and the child's breathing improved.
The older brother fell asleep with his little brother tucked safely in his arms.
When John came home, he saw his children curled up on Sam's bed asleep. The silence ran through his head and he became worried about his sick son. The kid had sounded like he was on his last leg before he had left. Why wasn't he making any noise now?
He walked closer to the bed making sure both of his children were still breathing. Then he noticed the death grip his youngest had on the oldest' hand. He knew what that meant. He had known it from day one when Dean met his new baby brother. Sam had tugged and Dean had hugged.
Sam would be okay.
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Once again, Dean found himself sitting on the edge of his brother's bed and staring at the falling snow outside the window. His hands clung to the sheet until his knuckles showed white and ached.
What did he ever do to deserve this? Did Sam know what he was doing to his heart? Probably not. The kid just didn't know how he affected Dean. He would never be able to understand. Sam was not just his responsibility, not just his brother, he was his best friend and Dean would be damned if he ever lost him.
"Please Sammy…" Dean whispered, his voice hoarse from endless hours of coaxing his brother to get through his fevers.
The man closed his eyes and bowed his head absolutely at a loss. Without access to his Impala, he would never be able to get his brother to the hospital.
Dean was taken by surprise when he felt a tickle against his hand, then a soft grasp. His fingers wrapped around the ones from his little brother's hand as they gave a small tug.
Turning his head to Sam, Dean said, "Been waitin' for that."
His brother's eyes were closed still and he wasn't sure he had heard him. Without caring about future teasing he would receive, he leaned in and hugged his little brother to his chest.
"What took you so long Sammy? I tried everything."
Big brother's strong arms made Sam feel safe and loved. He didn't think anything could ever change that. Sam whispered in his brother's ear, barely audible, "Been waitin' for this."