This is another one of those stories that just come to you out of nowhere! I couldn't sleep one night and this is the result. I finished it about 1am, so it probably doesn't make any sense whatsoever!
It's a kind of extended scene from IMTOD, from where Sam was talking to Dean about just getting back to being brothers again.
All speech in italics is from the episode (I had to rewatch it a few times to get it right – such a hardship!) and the only character that belongs to me is the nurse – and I didn't even give her a name.
Reviews are welcomed – keep any flames low as I don't like getting burnt. Big thanks again to everyone who reads, reviews or have put me and/or stories on alert – I appreciate it big time!
Sam walked into Dean's quiet hospital room. The sterile smell almost made him gag as he made his way around to large, solitary bed. He looked down at his to still brother, shaking his head slightly as the machines continued their incessant whooshing and beeping – keeping Dean alive. Sam could feel the ever encroaching shadow that was moving through the room, courtesy of the half closed blinds in the window, slowly wrapping itself around his heart. As the anxiety and fear threatened to take over, Sam gripped onto the bed rail that surrounded his brother. He leaned in to get another close look at this stricken sibling.
"Dean, are you here?" Sam said, looking round to see if he could see any trace of Dean.
"Couldn't find anything in the book – I don't know how to help you," Sam sighed, sadly, just taking one more glance round.
"But I'll keep trying…alright, as long as you keep fighting…"
Sam looked up with a slight smile on his face, "I mean, come on…you can't…you can't leave me alone with dad – we'll kill each other – you know that."
Suddenly Sam felt a huge surge of emotion crash through his body, causing his eyes to start stinging. He had to take deep breaths to try to keep himself under control, "Dean, you gotta hold on – you can't go man – not now, we were just starting to be brothers again…" he ground out as his voice began to shake.
"Can you hear me?" Sam finished in a whisper, feeling a lump the size of the Grand Canyon lodge in his throat, as he watched the mechanical rise and fall of his brother's chest.
In all honesty Sam had thought that he would have been alright at Stanford, without his dad and Dean, after all, he's spent years trying to escape the hunting life. But if truth be told, Sam had missed them both, especially Dean, so much that it had hurt – almost physically.
"Drama queen," he could hear his brother teasing him. He looked down at Dean, half expecting to see him laid there with his trademark grin plastered on his face, but no, his eyes were still closed and the machines were still doing their job.
Two years without so much as a text or phone call. Dad had said not to come back, Dean hadn't said anything, so Sam had, rightly or wrongly, assumed that meant no contact at all. God, how he wished that he'd spoken to his brother more often, and hoped against hope that it wasn't to late now.
The rhythmical beep of the heart monitor, annoying as it was, told Sam that his brother was still fighting – even if it was with a little help.
As the dark shadow covered the room, the automatic lighting turned itself on, causing a warm glow to soften the pale face of the young man in the bed. Sam pulled up a chair and sat down heavily, gently taking Dean's limp hand in his own.
"I wish I knew what to say to you Dean…to keep you fighting…I missed you, you know…when I went to Stanford. I missed everything about you…" he trailed off as the tears once again threatened to make a re-appearance. He took a deep breath and swallowed those tears away. He found himself looking at Dean's hand in his. It looked quite small compared to his large hands. He gently turned it over and traced his finger over the rough, calloused hand that he remembered so well from his childhood, hoping against hope to elicit some response from the still figure. Unfortunately none was forthcoming.
He lowered his head until it was almost touching Dean's hand, "I'm so sorry Dean…" he whispered.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise there was anyone in here!" A voice from out of nowhere interrupted Sam's misery.
He jumped to his feet, startled by the nurse's voice, "It's ok – I was just talking to him, for what it's worth."
The nurse smiled softly at him, "They do say that it's good to talk to loved ones in a coma – it keeps everything familiar. I'm sure it'll do the trick."
Sam smiled at her optimism, "I hope so…I'll get out of your way."
She shook her head at him, " Don't be silly, you're not in my way, I can do all the checks I need right here, no need for you to move," she insisted, as she looked at the connection of the brothers, that hadn't been broken even when Sam had been startled. Sam began to slowly sit back down, not taking his eyes from his sleeping sibling, "He'll need you Sam…when he gets back…now more than ever…"
Sam shot up to the sound of choking – gasping for air. He found himself disorientated, as if he'd been asleep. When had he fallen asleep? How long had he been asleep? How could he have fallen asleep when Dean was…wait, he wasn't gasping for air so that only left…Sam launched himself out of the chair as he saw that it was indeed Dean choking on the tube, panic in his eyes, "Dean! Take it easy – you've got a tube helping you to breathe – you need to calm down…" Sam laid a hand on Dean's heaving chest, "That's it, slow it down, in…and out…" Sam kept on until his brother had slowed his breathing down enough that he could call for help.
Ten minutes later, a tired Dean, minus the breathing tube and an equally tired, but elated Sam were looking at each other, both shocked by the events that had just transpired.
"So I was in a coma until ten minutes ago?" He asked Sam, who nodded his confirmation.
"They didn't think that you'd wake up…"
Dean's eyes opened even wider in bewilderment, "Sam, what the hell just happened?"
Sam shrugged his shoulders but couldn't help the 'cat got the cream' grin that showed on his face, "All I know is that I've got my brother back!"