Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, but I do love playing around with them.

A special thanks to AlElizabeth for beta'ing my story.

A/N: This is a special story for a special person! :) Today is her birthday, and I could not do something special for her on her special day! :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ITSMECOON! :)

Stray

Summary: One stray thing can change a life upside down.

Sam-14; Dean-19

Chapter 1

It's been a normal day. Sam was walking back to the school from his soccer practice. Dean was standing by the Impala in front of the school.

"Dean," Sam called out.

Dean looked up and saw Sam walking towards him with a tired smile on his face. He figured Sam would be tired from all the workouts and drills that his team had done today in practice. Of course Dean never left the side of the field until the practice was over. He decided to wait at the car while the team went to the lockers to change from their uniforms to their regular clothes.

"Sammy," Dean said looking up from the magazine he was reading.

Sam was tired. But he had fun. He saw joining the team as good exercise as well as making new friends. He saw his brother leaning on the place they've called home for all of his life. Even though he was tired he couldn't help but to smile at him. He loved his big brother. Even when he would get on his nerves or be overbearing, he loved him.

Dean stood up straight from the leaning on the car when he saw Sam. He took a few steps when the unimaginable happened.

BANG!

A shot rang out. Dean instinctively ducked to the ground. He stood up to hear tires squealing away from the parking lot. Dean stood up and watched the car leave. Once the car was gone, Dean had one priority; Sam.

"Sammy!" Dean turned towards the field and what he saw made his stomach churn. "Sam..."

The expression on Sam's face was one of pure fear. He really didn't feel anything. Not really. Just something hit his chest hard. He looked to the only place, the only person, that would let him know everything was going to be alright.

"D'n," Sam gurgled out. He gasped and coughed and something wet and red spittle out of his mouth. Sam looked down and saw red. When he looked up again, Dean was right in front of him. Their eyes met and for the first time in Sam's life Dean looked genuinely scared.

"D'n," Sam's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and collapsed to the ground.

Dean caught Sam on his way to the ground. Dean opened up Sam's now blood-soaked button down shirt to see where the blood was coming from.

"Sammy stay with me," Dean voice was panicked, but the mantra continued. "Come on, Sammy, stay with me. I'm gonna take care of you. My pain-in-the-ass little brother."

Dean saw all the blood and knew that he had to get to the hospital. He scooped his baby brother in his arms. With one arm around Sam's shoulders and the other under his knees, Dean picked up his too-small-for-his-age baby brother and carried him straight home. Talking to him all the way 'home.'

Once he got to the Impala, their true home, he carefully laid his precious bundle in the front seat. He had thought of putting Sam in the back, but he just didn't have the heart. His baby brother had just been shot and he was too scared, even if he would deny it if someone asked but he needed to feel Sam breathing. Even though it was labored, if he was taking in breaths that meant that he was still alive. Dean crawled over Sam; he just didn't have the heart of strength to take him out of his sight. When he finally got in the driver's seat, the sound of the V8 engine came to life. Dean drove the car out of the parking lot and headed to the nearest hospital. One hand on the wheel and the other holding a bloody rag on Sam's chest while his head lay on Dean's thigh.

"It's gonna be alright, baby brother. I will always make it better." Dean spared a glanced down at his brother. Even though he was still breathing, labored, Sam's face was becoming ashen and pale. This put a whole new worry for his Sammy and his foot made the gas pedal go all the way to the floor.

"Just a few more minutes, Sammy."

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The Impala drove straight to the front door of the Emergency Room. Slamming the car into park and shutting it off, he, very carefully, pulled Sam out from the driver's side. Cradling his brother to his chest, Dean rushed into the hospital screaming for help.

Two nurses and three orderlies came running towards Dean one wheeling a gurney, the others running along side it.

"What happened?" one of the nurse asked trying to pry Dean's hand from the young boy.

"I-I..." Dean stammered. "He w-was shot. He was com-coming back... from pra-practice."

Another nurse walked up to Dean and tried to pry his hands off of Sam so that they could put him on the gurney. She felt Dean's hand tighten around the small boy.

"Listen," she said soothingly. "We are going to take good care of him." Dean just looked at here. "What's his name?"

"Sammy... Sam," Dean corrected. He knew how much Sammy didn't like people using his nickname.

"How old is he?," the nurse asked.

"Fourteen," Dean said.

"Well," Her voice never going higher than a whisper. "We need to get him to the back so that we can help him. Is he your sibling?"

"He's my brother," Dean whispered out, nodding. "I'm supposed to take care of him." Cradling his baby brother to his chest.

The nurse looked at Dean and could see the hurt and anguish in his eyes. Her heart broke for him. She could tell that he was completely broken up about his brother.

"Well, let me take him," she said reaching for Sam again. "Let me try to save him."

She could feel the grip on Sam loosen. Quickly she took Sam from Dean's arm and placed the small boy on the gurney. She turned back and faced Dean. She could tell that the shock was about to hit him and hit him hard. She watched as they wheeled Sam through the double doors. Once the doors closed, the facade of being strong seemed to melt away from Dean. He looked down at his bloody hands and his hurt and rage seemed to bubble over. Someone actually had the nerve to shoot his brother. Some one had the audacity to hurt his baby brother. So much he wanted to leave so that he could find the asshole that had the nerve to pull the trigger on his baby brother, but his feet would not move. He could not leave the hospital before know full well if Sammy would be alive or dead.

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Dean paced up and down the carport, when his phone rang.

"Hello," Dean's voice sounded weak and tired.

"Dean."

"Dad. Where are you?"

"You know where we are. It's still the same place," John words, although were not harsh, still sounded like he was agitated. "What's going on, Dean?"

"You've got to come back."

"What do you mean? Why would I come back? What's. Going. On?"

"Someone shot Sammy," Dean gasped out.

It was instantly quiet on the other line. Dean knew he was going to be blamed for this. He braced himself for the screaming comeback that he knew his dad was going to give him.

To his surprise, John didn't yell or blame.

"Dean," John voice was low and surprisingly calm. "I want you to stay with you brother. I'm on my way back to you. I'll call you when I get into town."

"Yes sir," Dean's mode of solider snapped back when he heard his father's orders.

"Dean," John's soothing voice broke Dean's wall. "It's going to be alright. Sammy is going to make it."

"Yes sir," Dean said and hung up the phone.

Dean walked back into the hospital and to the family waiting room, and did one of the hardest things he would ever do. He waited. Waited for his father. Waited for the doctors. Waited for his baby brother to come back to him.

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It had been three going on four hours since Dean sat down in the family waiting room for word on how Sam was doing. Dean was lying on the couch. His eyes closed. When John walked in the family room, he knew he would probably find Dean like this. He was never good at taking care of himself when something was wrong with Sammy. John had ordered Dean to take a nap after he called about twenty minutes ago when he got into town, and that's how he found Dean.

It was another hour when the doctor came into the waiting room. John shook Dean's shoulder. Instantly, Dean woke up and was on his feet the moment he saw the doctor in the room.

"How is he?" Dean asked not even giving his voice time to recuperate from not talking for so long. "How's my Sammy?"

John looked at his son and then the doctor.

"He's alive, but..."

TBC

A/N: Please be kind and leave a review. I would love to know what you think of my new story! :)

Many hugs and kisses to you all

Mandancie :)

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