When You Fall Down, Get Back Up - Chapter 1

One year ago.

It was supposed to have been an easy hunt. A nest of vampires, and only seven of them at that. It was in a small cottage out in one of the rural areas of Ohio. Dean pulled the Impala up to a secluded space far enough away from the nest so they wouldn't hear her beautiful roar. Stepping out of the Impala into the cool evening air, they opened the boot and gathered their weapons; a machete for Dean, the colt and a sica, which they discovered in an ornate wooden box on a previous hunt, for Sam. Dean pulled his holdall out as well, as it contained many other useful items such as vials and syringes of dead-mans-blood, and slung it over his shoulder.

They began their trek towards the house, stepping over roots and sharp brambles, small rocks and just about everything you could possibly find in a wood as they made their way under the woods' canopy. It was dark here, darker than it was out in the open, at least in the open they had the moonlight to guide their way, here they just had the guide of not bumping into trees. Dean had suggested putting a torch on but Sam had shot down the idea, telling him that the light would be easily seen out here.

The small house eventually came into view and it seemed quiet. There were no lights on, nothing to show that anybody was living there. However, Sam and Dean had vital intel that there was indeed something living here. Sam pulled the Colt out from where he'd placed it down the back of his trousers to be easily accessible and Dean unsheathed his machete, holding it out in front of him with an experienced steadiness.

Crouching behind the low wooden fence that surrounded the area of the house, they made sure they were prepared before Dean motioned for Sam to enter though the back while he went through the front door. It was something they had practiced well in the past. They would go in guns and knives blazing and shoot or decapitate every vampire in sight. It wasn't ideal, but this clan had killed over forty civilians in the Ohio state.

Dean made his way stealthily to the front door, where he waited for a moment, waited for Sam to be in position. He took a deep breath before violently kicking the door down. Wood splintered everywhere but Dean ignored it and burst through the gap. He could hear commotion further into the house as well. Shouts and yells, they weren't from Sam though. They were voices he didn't recognise, so it must be a vampire.

Dean came upon his first victim in a lounge-like area, he was large burly man, much larger than himself, maybe even bigger than Sam. Dean swiped his blade across in front of him, catching the vampire across his stomach. It wasn't good enough to kill him though, vampires needed their heads detached from their bodies to be killed. Either that or a bullet from the Colt in its brain. The vampire jumped back, drawing a blade from goodness knows where and began to hastily come at full force towards Dean. Luckily, Dean was able to dodge most of the blasts, only gaining a small slash to his right shoulder. Dean passed his machete from his right hand to his left, it would be much stronger than his right especially since it was now damaged. He could feel the blood soaking through his short sleeved t-shirt and it felt tense but he tried his best to ignore it.

"Come here, you damn son of a bitch!" He yelled at the guy, stepping forward and slashing the blade higher than the first couple of times he tried. He stepped forward with every single swipe, slowly backing the vampire into the side of the room. At this point, he quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe of dead-man's-blood and plunged in into the side of the muscular man whom he'd pinned against the wall. He felt the vampire go lax and Dean pushed his machete in to its neck, forcing the blade until it went through flesh, then bone and finally the dark haired vampire's head rolled off and thumped to the ground.

That was it. He moved on, the headless body slumped to the ground as Dean moved away to go and find his brother. Sam was still on the ground floor fending off two vampires at the same time. Dean watched momentarily as Sam knocked the smaller one to the ground then kneeling on the downed vampire, he pulled the Colt from the back of his trousers and shot the other one square between the eyes. Sam took his eyes off him instantly and then shot the one he trapped under him in the head as well, at a point blank range.

"Sammy!" Dean called. Sam got up from the floor and looked over at Dean who was heading up the stairs, his gaze didn't seem to be on Sam though. "Behind you!" he warned. Sam spun round quickly and fought the female vampire while Dean ran upstairs to find the remaining three vampires.

At the top of the wooden stairs there was an open landing with a barrier that was just-above waist high. Dean encountered the first of the three vampires here, another female. She was fast and rough. Fliting around and trying to get around Dean who was trying just as hard to keep her in the same place so he could back her up against one of the walls as he had done downstairs. So far, it was not going to plan. Sure, he knew that most of them were stronger and faster than the average human beings but this one, she was quicker and tougher than any he'd seen before.

Dean suddenly found himself entangled within her grasp and he tried to reach into his jacket to grab more dead-man's-blood. It wasn't going too well until he found he'd got her backed up against the oak sideboard that was next to the banister. The force of the action made the bannister creak with unease and Dean pushed harder against it. He just hoped he could get away from her and inject the dead-man's-blood before it totally splintered and fell over the edge. He kept pushing and pushing, hearing the bannister creak and crack louder and louder. Dean final took hold of the syringe and, holding the female vamp tight in his grip, pulled the cap of with his teeth and stuck the needle into the side of her neck. Just in time too, for the bannister gave out one last snap and fell away. Dean threw the woman out of his arms and sliced off her head in one clean cut just as he saw Sam cross the hallway.

"Get out of the way!" He roared desperately. "Sam!" By the time Dean could even move, Sam had been knocked over by the falling sideboard and it trapped him underneath. Dean crashed down the stairs blinded by the image of his brother squashed beneath the cupboard. He forgot about the two remaining vampires who were still in hiding upstairs, no doubt making a run for it now.

"Sammy? Sam?" Dean reached the bottom of the stairs and after constantly calling out his name with no response he was worried beyond anything. He knelt down beside his brother, it looked like it was only his leg that was trapped under the sideboard; Dean couldn't tell if that was a bad or good thing. He hoped it was the latter. "Hey, buddy, wake up," he said gently, shaking his shoulder. Sam didn't move so Dean kept on shaking him and calling his name.

Eventually, after about five minutes, Sam's eyes screwed up in pain and he regained consciousness. "Dean-," he said and before he could say any more the pain from his leg seemed to rush at him at once. "AH!" He howled, he moved to reach over to his trapped leg but Dean stopped him.

"Sam, stop, it-" He didn't know what to say. "It doesn't look good, alright?" He pushed Sam's shoulders back so he was lying down again. "Just keep breathing. You ain't dying on me, little brother." Dean stood up and moved over to see if he could shift the sideboard. He started by removing the dead body with the decapitated head. "Sammy, you still awake?" He checked. Sam grunted in reply.

"Yeah, still here Dean." He poked his head up to look over to Dean. "Quit screwing around and get this lump of wood of me would ya."

"I'm trying, Sam, cool it."

"I would cool it except I don't really wanna lose my leg," he shot back at him. Dean gave him a pained look. That may have been too far. Dean dumped the body unceremoniously off to the side and went back to try and move the cupboards. He picked up one corner of the heavy oak sideboard and used all his strength in him. The wound on his right shoulder smarted at the overexertion and began to bleed again. "Dean, stop, your shoulder's bleeding."

"Sam, I gettin' you outta this," he told him sternly and began to lift again. This time the sideboard moved a couple of inches from the ground. Sam let out another yell and Dean shot his gaze over to him.

"Dean, stop, put it back. It hurts less with it on me. Please, put it back." As much as it hurt Dean to concede to Sam's request he lay the cupboards back down.

"Sam, come on, man. We can't stay here. I've gotta get you out. It's not like we can call an ambulance, not with all these dead vamps around." Dean knelt back down, close to Sam. He wrapped his hands around his face, tried to get him to focus on him. "Come on, it's gonna hurt like a bitch but it'll be fine, Sam." He cut off before he could say the words I promise because he couldn't do that. There was no way this was going to be fine. They had a half mile trek back to the Impala on top of everything. "I'm gonna try again. You gotta shuffle yourself out from underneath. Okay? Sam? You hearing me?"

"Yeah, Dean, I got it." Sam closed his eyes tight, bracing himself for the pain ahead. Dean grabbed hold of the corner of the sideboard.

"Ready?" Dean wondered, Sam shook his head which was hardly surprising. "Going to count to three." He saw Sam nod in confirmation. "One…" he didn't bother to even get to two before lifting off the cupboard. It seemed easier this time. He watched as Sam shuffled himself back, eyes still tight shut and mouth trying to cover up the yelps of pain. Once Dean saw he was clear of the sideboard, he rested it back down and returned to Sam's side. His leg looked horrific, the sideboard had all but crushed the bone halfway down Sam's left lower leg. There was a lot of blood too, running down from the open wound, the edge of the sideboard must've been fairly sharp.

"I can't feel my foot, Dean." Sam whimpered.

"It's gonna be fine," he told him, more for his own sake than his brother's. He gathered up the things he'd brought with him and stuffed everything into the holdall which he slung onto his good shoulder. "Let's get you up," Dean decided and manhandled his brother who was half a head taller and weighed more than himself. He wrestled his arms underneath Sam's and lifted him into more of a sitting position before throwing one of his brother's long arms around his shoulder and lifting him up on to his good leg.

Sam stood up as best he could, leaning heavily on his brother. He tried his best to lift his leg off the floor, but his hip kept giving way and his leg ended up dragging limply behind him as Dean began to walk them towards the front door as it was the closest way to get out of the house. In normal circumstances they would clean up their mess, salt and burn the bodies until there was very little evidence of what happened. Today was no normal circumstance but Dean could come back in a few days once Sam's leg had been sorted and cleaned up. Dean manoeuvred them out of the destroyed front door and they slowly and painfully began to make their way back to the Impala. Trust Dean to park in the most awkward place at the best of times, but there was no way they could have seen this coming when they parked next to a dense wood with uneven and bramble filled floor.

The fifteen minutes it had taken them to get to the house took them over half an hour to get back. Sam had a hard time keeping his damaged leg away from the entangling brambles, which kept catching on his jeans and pulling at his broken leg. Dean gave up on not being able to see and pulled the torch out of the holdall he had taken with him, it wasn't like they were trying not to be seen right now. Their goal was to get to the Impala and get Sam to the nearest hospital. Opening the back door, Dean sat Sam on the edge of the bench seat that stretched the whole width of the car. He left Sam there while he went round the other side. He opened the door and clambered in, pulling Sam in so he was lying down.

"Dean, could you grab a blanket. I'm pretty cold."

"Sure, just no sleeping until we get you to the hospital." Dean shut the door by his head and went to the boot to grab the couple of blankets they stored there in case they never found a motel on their route or didn't have enough money for one. He lay one over Sam then folded a second one to go under his head which Sam lifted so he could place it under.

"You're going in to shock, Sam," Dean told him after noticing Sam shaking a little, the sheen of sweat covering his face and the fact he was cold. Dean rummaged through the boot to find something he could raise Sam's legs on. Three books were the key. He folded another blanket on top of them as well for comfort and a little extra height. He lifted Sam's left leg up – his good one – and placed it on the stack of books first. He debated about his other leg but decided against moving it and possibly making it worse. "Okay Sam, remember what I said?" he asked him. Keep him talking, keep him awake, he was reminding himself.

"What? Yeah, no sleep until hospital. Whatever, Dean." Sam's words were slurred as if he were intoxicated.

"Sam, I'm being serious. Keep talking to me, Sam." Dean glanced in his rear view mirror at the still form that was lying on the back seat.

"Hey, remember when you were like ten, and you jumped off that motel wall?" he said, it was almost incoherent, but after many years of seeing Sam drunk he'd learnt to be able to decipher his speech.

"Yeah, Sam I remember that."

"You jumped off that wall, man,"

"Yeah, I know, it was stupid."

"You thought – you-" Sam stopped abruptly. Dean looked to him in the back seat, saw his eyes drifting closed.

"Sam… Sammy, stay awake buddy. Remember? Tell me what happened on that motel wall eh?" he encouraged. Sam's eyes flickered open again.

"'m just restin' De'," he started. "You, you fought you were ba'-man, dude." Sam giggled a little. "You said I coul- be that ovver guy, Su'man. Bu- I wan't alloed on wall cus, cus, Dean, my leg really 'urts." Sam wasn't doing well whatsoever, Dean was trying to keep it cool, if Dean panics, Sam panics too and that'll just end up worse.

"I know it hurts, Sam, I really do. It's not much further now. We're just driving through Canton now. It's fifteen minutes tops. Think you can stay away for that long?"

"Mmm… 'pose so," he said slowly.

"You gonna tell me the rest of that story to right? I wanna hear what happens next Sam."

"Wha? Oh, da' sai' I cou't go on the wall 'n case I fell off, 'n you fell off and you ha' the mo'el towel roun' your neck like ba'mans cape and I had t'other towel like sup'man. Din' you sprain your ankle. Da' was so 'ngry a' you." His speech was slow, almost forced, almost painful to listen to, but Dean listened, adding in yeahs and mmms every now and then to keep him going.

"Yeah, that hurt pretty bad, spraining my ankle. We're four miles from the hospital now," Dean told him seeing a signpost. He turned a corner and on to Hills and Dales Road NW, they were so close.

"De', can I slee' now?" Sam whimpered. It was obvious that Sam's leg was causing him a huge amount of pain and Sam solution seemed to be, if he slept the pain will go.

"Two miles, Sammy. Hold on for me, a'right," he instructed. An ambulance raced ahead of him. He pressed down on the accelerator and pushed the impala to go faster. He could hear her grumbling at the speed and the handling was becoming more awkward. Dean swerved desperately into the emergency bays where there was an ambulance there already with its flashing lights still going. He opened his door, not even turning off the engine and dashed to find the first person he could.

"Sir," he heard from behind him. Dean swivelled round to see a paramedic in his greens walking towards him and pointing at his car. "You can't park there, this is an ambulance only area."

"No, you don't understand, my brother-" the paramedic cut him off.

"This is an ambulance area only, if you – or your brother – need medical assistance I suggest you park in the car park and go through to the emergency room like everyone else. "

"I – I, he can't, his leg's broken, he's – he's," Dean took a deep breath, a pause, otherwise he was sure his emotions would get the better of him and he would either end up crying or punching the woman in front of him. "He needs to see someone right now."

Dean backed up to his car. Opening the door, the one nearest Sam's head. "Heya, Sammy, how you doing?" he asked, ignoring the paramedic.

"We a' the hos'tal?" Sam wondered.

"Yeah, man we are. Let's get you out." he coaxed. Dean took Sam and pulled him out as best he could and hauled the larger man into his arms, carrying him with one arm under his knees and the other under his back and arms. The blanket that had been covering him in the car remained over him. Sam reached up to put a hand round his brother's neck for more support.

"You gotta help him. Please," he told the paramedic who upon seeing the condition Sam was in asked Dean to follow her into the emergency entrance. Once inside the doors, the paramedic directed him to a bed that Dean could put Sam on while she called for a doctor to help. Dean laid Sam down on the bed as gently as he could but Sam still let out a pained whimper when his leg rested on the bed. Dean adjusted the blanket over him as he was still shivering. "He was hit by a fallin' sideboard and it trapped his leg and it, it's just really, really bad okay!?" he told the doctor.

"Okay, alright, let's have a look shall we?" The doctor seemed relaxed, more relaxed than Dean was. He doctor pulled back the blanket away from Sam's legs and Dean noticed the subtle change in the doctor's expression. "Take him in to the ER." he told the two nearest orderlies that were in the vicinity. Dean started after them as they wheeled him away, but the doctor stepped in front of him. "You're gonna have to stay here. You can't be in there with us. As soon as we get him stable, you'll be able to see him."

"I can't leave him," Dean told him, voice strained from trying to keep his emotions at bay. "I can't."

This was beta'd by the wonderful Aecoris (you should seriously check out her stuff too, it's bros stuff too)