Dean pulled the impala in front of room four of the motel they were currently staying at in the town of Red lodge.

Sam was feeling somewhat better emotionally after what Dean had admitted to him back at the vampires nest but the physical repercussions of the hunt were still taking their toll on him.

Elliah had been pissed at his friends, Conrad's, death and unfortunately for Sam he had taken Lenore's order of 'not a mark on him' as 'no visible marks'. The hunter winced as he replayed Elliah striking his lower back with a broken off tree limb.

The vampire had bundled him into the car but as soon as they had been out of sight of the farmhouse he had stopped the car, pulling Sam from it and struck him several times around his back and torso with a branch he had conveniently found.

Sam had understood the vampire's anger; they had just killed one of his, family, a vampire that was actually innocent and hadn't done anything wrong but that small understanding didn't stop the pain that was radiating through his body at the moment.

He kept his movements slow to try and keep Dean from seeing that he was in pain for the time being at least. Although the fact that Dean had not yet noticed that his sibling was hurt was a testament in itself to how much Dean still wasn't himself and how the death of their father was affecting him.

Now that Dean had opened the door for Sam to talk about their dad, Sam wanted to get him to open up about the man's death also.

"Hey man, how about we spend another day here and look for a hunt? We can take off in the morning after a night's sleep?" Sam suggested hoping that his older brother didn't read too much into it.

"Not a bad idea Sammy. A shower and a few cold ones would hit the spot right about now. I'll head down and pay for another night." Dean replied easily and then exited the car.

Waiting until his brother had entered the motel's office, Sam gingerly got out of the car. He couldn't stop the pained gasp that escaped him as he did so. Moving as quickly as his body would allow him he opened the motel room door and went straight to the small bathroom.

Sam was thankful that he had brought in the first aid kit when they had first arrived at the motel. Opening the kit he pulled out the small bottle containing the Tylenol taking out two of the pills and swallowing them dry.

The hunter had just replaced the bag under the sink when he heard the motel room door open and he's brother shuffled in.

Sam was hoping to avoid Dean for a while longer or at least until the painkillers had gotten a chance to work but he needed to let Dean have the first shower as he was sure his brother was still feeling the effects of his run in with Gordon.

Exiting the bathroom as steadily as he could manage he headed straight for his own duffle which was thankfully on his bed and not the floor.

"I'm going to grab a shower then I'll go grab us something to eat while you shower." Dean stated as he pulled some fresh boxers, a t-shirt and a pair of jeans from his own duffle.

"Sure, sounds good." Sam replied trying to keep his voice light.

By the time Dean had closed the bathroom door, Sam could feel beads of sweat run down his forehead with the exertion of staying upright. He gratefully sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to keep the whimper that escaped him as quiet as possible.

Taking deep breaths and trying to relax himself he found that the pain was beginning to recede a little. He stayed seated for as long as he dared knowing that Dean wouldn't delay in the shower.

When he heard the shower shut off he let out a deep breath then cautiously got back to his feet and began routing in his duffle for some clean clothes of his own.

It only took a few minutes for the door of the door to open and Dean appeared with a cloud of steam following him.

"All yours now, Sammy." The older brother declared as he headed to the duffle with his dirty laundry.

"Thanks, um Dean… I was hoping when you get back maybe we could have a talk…you know about dad?" Sam ventured cautiously.

"Sam."

Sam immediately recognised the warning tone and he let out a frustrated sigh.

"Dean, we need to talk. I need to talk." Sam said softly.

"Dammit, Sam! There is nothing to talk about. Dad's dead and all the talking in the world ain't going to change that. Now just leave it." Dean yelled aggravated.

"No Dean. We both lost him and it hurts… I'm hurting and I know you are too. I just-" Sam began wincing as Dean turned suddenly causing the younger brother to jerk back.

"Christ Sam, it's not always about what you want. I'm hurting, of course I am but I don't want to talk about it. I want to hunt the evil sons of bitches, that caused this and that's how I want to deal with it." Dean told him firmly.

"And get yourself killed in the process? Because the way you're acting you don't seem to care if you or anyone else gets hurt or worse!" Sam yelled.

"Shut it Sam, I'm not doing this with you. You want to talk about your feelings then go get a damn shrink! Me? I'm going to go kill every evil thing I can find. That's how I'm going to grieve. Now, I'm going to go find the nearest bar and have a few beers and I don't want this brought up again." Dean said leaving no room for arguments.

Sam stayed quiet trying to keep the tears that were brimming at his eyes from falling. He was in pain both physically and emotionally. He wanted to tell his brother exactly how much pain he was in due to his dad's death but he knew that Dean was not going to listen to him. Just then the pain in his back pierced through him like he had been stabbed.

He let out a gasp and decided it was time to tell his sibling about his injury.

"Dean, I'm hurt. I-" Sam tried.

"Sam stop! Will you for one damn minute stop thinking about yourself! I'm going for a drink. If you decide to stop being selfish and grow your man parts back then come find me!" Dean shouted before grabbing his jacket and exited the motel room, banging the door shut behind him.

"Dean, wait please." Sam pleaded but Dean either didn't hear or choose to ignore him.

Sam let tears flow down his cheeks as he collapsed to his knees in pain. He looked across to the table to see his cell sitting on it. The young hunter had been injured his fair share throughout the years but he knew that what he was feeling now was definitely more serious than just bruising.

Holding on the side of the bed he tried with shaky arms to push himself to his feet. Sweat was running down his body and he almost had his lip bitten through from trying to stave off the pain. Once he managed to get upright he began staggering towards the small table and his cell.

He just fell short of the table when his knees buckled and he fell back to floor hitting his head on the tables edge with a sickening crack.

tbc