CHAPTER TWO

Dean rolled his eyes as his phone rang. It would be Sam, no doubt. He'd better have a good reason for taking his sweet time, I'm about to start eating the furniture... The unknown number on the screen was unexpected and instantly troubled him. He hesitated a moment before taking the call.

The woman's voice was alien and cold as it robotically asked him if his name was Dean and if he knew a gentleman by the name of Sam. Alarm bells were already ringing in Dean's head as he told her that Sam was his brother and asked what this was about. The woman informed him that Sam had been involved in a car accident and was currently in the ER at the hospital in the next town. Dean's appetite dissolved in an instant as he snapped the phone shut, not even waiting for her to finish. He bolted out the door towards the motel's reception, barely registering the rain on his face.

Moments later he was trying to force himself calm as he sat shaking in the passenger seat of a cab as it sped towards the hospital. He'd told the driver to hurry but the weather was making it impossible and the roads were dangerously wet. A herd of thoughts were stampeding through his mind and his heart was beating so fast he felt he might be sick. Why had he made Sam go across town for dinner when they could have easily got something to eat at the motel? If his stupidity caused him to lose his little brother tonight he knew it would be the end of him too. Dean didn't even know the details of Sam's condition but already he was fearing the worst, and feeling the guilt.

The hospital was a blur of papers, false surnames and made-up insurance details. Dean paced the small waiting area as his current concern for his brother battled it out with memories still too fresh in his mind from their last visit to a hospital, when they'd lost their father. The smell, the white walls, shiny floors and featurelessness of it all made his stomach churn. Five times he asked the triage nurse if she knew when he'd be able to see Sam and five times he was told to please take a seat and be patient. He was just about to show her how much more patient he was willing to be if he was made to wait a second longer, when a tall male doctor with soft features approached him and informed him that his brother had been moved into a room and that Dean could see him when he was ready. Dean didn't need to be told twice. The tall doctor led the way and the older brother followed, through swinging doors, up one floor and down a long hallway with glaring fluorescent lights.

Sam lay unmoving in a sea of white. The stark sheets did nothing to soften the bruises already spattered across his face. There was a bandage around his forehead, padded just above his left eyebrow, and he was hooked up to all sorts of devices that beeped and blinked random numbers.

As Dean stepped closer to his brother the tall doctor listed Sam's injuries, explaining that Sam had been very lucky the car hadn't hit on the driver's side. If it had, he wouldn't have escaped with only a moderate concussion, cuts and bruises. He'd been given quite a few drugs to ease the pain and a full check-over. He had some swelling around his ribs and left shoulder, and would no doubt be very sore for a few days but was otherwise expected to make a full recovery. Unfortunately the other driver hadn't been so lucky and had died at the scene.

The tall doctor shook his head sadly. "He wasn't even wearing a seatbelt, went straight through the windshield."

Dean felt a weight settle in his stomach at the news of the other driver's death. He was almost too afraid to voice the question that now surfaced in his mind, but he had to know. "Whose fault was it?"

The doctor picked up on Dean's sudden unease. "Not your brother's."

Dean exhaled, relieved.

"The other driver came straight through the red light. There will be an investigation, but I believe there is evidence to suggest the man was drunk. It seems pretty straightforward. It's just a damn shame, and a waste."

Dean nodded soberly. An investigation was something he and Sam could do without, but they'd worry about that after Sam had woken up. The doctor asked if there was anything Dean needed, but the older brother shook his head and pulled a chair to the side of Sam's bed.

The doctor paused in the doorway. "Visiting hours are almost over, but I'll arrange with the nurses to let you stay. Your brother was quite distressed earlier and was asking for you. I think he'll be a lot easier to manage when he wakes if he knows you're nearby."

Dean regarded his brother with mild amusement as the doctor walked away. So, Sam had been giving them a hard time. He shook his head and took Sam's limp hand in his as he watched the rise and fall of the younger man's chest with growing relief. Sam would be okay.

"Way to scare me, buddy," he said. "I'm not even gonna to ask what's happened to my car. You can plead your case when you wake up. But if it's beyond repair, just so you know, I will kick your ass. Just…" His voice trailed off and he swallowed hard, squeezing Sam's hand tighter. It was probably a good thing Sam was unconscious otherwise this would be embarrassing. "Just wake up soon, alright. You're going to be okay."

Sam didn't move, nor did he give any sign to indicate he'd heard Dean's words. Dean released Sam's hand and leaned back in his chair. It was possibly the most uncomfortable chair he'd ever sat in, but that could be forgiven. Sam was in his line of vision once again, and as far as Dean was concerned, that was where his little brother would remain.