A/N: I want to thank those who left me reviews with their thoughts. Thank you to those who are following and have favored this story. I hope I have created a possible different path that could have been taken and I have shown the raw emotions that both are experiencing. Please review.

Warning: There are hints of suicide in this chapter, so if this is a trigger for anyone, please do not read.NC

Chapter 2

"Sonofabitch!" Dean swore as he read over the article again he had pulled up from one of the search engines. He knew he had found the creature responsible for the killings and it wasn't good, it was a Rougarou. A Rougarou was kin to the werewolf, but much more dangerous. It could change at anytime, not just on the full moon cycle. It was more powerful with enhanced abilities and senses than the normal werewolves he had been up against. This was more than he bargained for, but it would hopefully make what he had planned easier. Crap, he thought grabbing a beer from the mini-frig and taking a sip. Dean started making a mental list of what he would need and if there was anything he would need to pick up. It was several hours before sunset and he wanted to be ready, this was going to end tonight. No more innocent people were going to die on his watch.

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Sam pulled into the motel parking lot and glanced around looking for his brother's Impala. He didn't see it, so he parked in front of the office and went in hoping to find Dean's room number. After several white lies, he found out Dean had checked in couple of nights ago and was still in room 19. Making sure no one was watching, Sam picked the lock and slipped into the room, letting the door silently close behind him.

Looking around the room, he spotted Dean's bag, laptop and a couple of files laying on what would have been his bed. He paused for a moment as old memories flood his thoughts of all the no named motels they had stayed at during his lifetime. Never once had Dean let him have the bed closest to the door. His excuse, he was the oldest and got first dibs. But Sam knew he was protecting him, if anything came into their room, it would have to come through Dean to get to him. Curious to see what he had found, Sam flipped open the folders and skimmed through the contents. He opened the laptop and brought up the last sites Dean had visited. Sam's face paled while uneasiness inched its way up his spine and his stomach clenched in knots. Holy crap, Dean thought he was dealing with a Rougarou. He remembered hunting one with Dad and it had taken all three of them to take it down. Still Dean had gotten injured, only because he put himself between it and him, protecting him as he always did. This was not good, not good at all. He needed to find his brother and fast before he got himself killed. That thought made him stop in his tracks, wondering if that was Dean's intention, to let himself be killed, but he would be sure the monster died, that he was certain of. Sam scooped the files up and headed back to his car. It was already dark and he knew he needed to hurry. He found the locations of both murders on the map and determined the quickest route to get him to the site Dean had circled.

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Dean silently made his way toward where the last body was found. He was in full hunter mode now and all of his senses were on high alert. He had been trained from an early age to use all of his senses to track his prey. Honed over the years, he embraced the warrior within him. He listened as the stillness of the night surrounded him and scanned the darkness enveloping him. He smelled the silky breeze that played its way across his face bringing a dampness he could taste. Moving again, he watched every shadow and listened to every noise, trying to discern the one out-of-place. The area he was searching was between the two kills, so he hoped his hunch was right, the Rougarou would stay in the area it had marked as its hunting grounds.

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The headlights swept over a black Impala as Sam made his way down the dirt road. He pulled over in front of it and jumped out checking the car for Dean. Seeing it empty, he popped his trunk and grabbed the medical bag and weapons before heading into the woods. He paused at the beginning of the forest and search for that connection again. Feeling a pull, he headed right into the darkness, hoping he was right. Sam had a really bad feeling about this and was sure Dean would not get out this unscathed. He was pissed at him for not calling for help, this was not a one man job and he knew it. What was even worse, he knew Dean would know this too. Adrenaline began to pump throughout his body making him hyper alert and pushing him to move faster, he knew his brother's life depended on him finding him.

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The half-moon slipped out from behind a scattering of clouds and gave Dean a small amount of light to search the woods around him. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing up and he knew he was being watched by someone or something just out of sight, in the ebony shadows. He was looking for that darkness, deeper and blacker than its surroundings He tensed his body, as he turned his head slightly to the left, readying the silver knife he clutched in one hand and his gun in the other. He wasn't expecting to come out of this fight alive, but he was damn sure going to take the monster down with him.

The Rougarou rushed Dean so fast; he barely had time to get an arm up to protect his neck. He felt claws rip through his left jacket arm, gouging his upper arm and raking down the side of his body, as he was knocked off his feet. He grunted in pain, when he felt ribs crack from the assault, but managed to get a leg up between them, knocking the beast to the side long enough to gain his footing. He felt some unknown power course through him pushing him to kill, demanding him to draw blood. The feeling became intense, blocking out all other thought as he tried to draw in a breath and felt the pain shoot through his chest. Dean managed to get a shot off, before it charged again. The shot slowed it down enough for him to side step slightly, not taking the full force of the beast head on. He was batted to the ground, knocking the breath out of him. It was all he could do to hold on to the knife and his gun. He knew the monster could not be killed until it turned human and the only way for that to happen was to cut it with the silver knife.

The Rougarou spun and raked a clawed hand across Dean's shoulder and down his back, ripping jacket, shirt and skin, causing the hunter to cry out from the hot, burning sensation spreading across his back. It backhanded Dean, sending him staggering further into the clearing. Dean was grabbed again and he stabbed with the silver knife, connecting, making a small gash on the Rougarou's arm, only to be struck on the side of his head ripping a nasty gash at the hair line.

The beast howled in pain, as he began to transform back to human form. Bones began to crack and reform the monster's body back into that of a man. Knowing this was the time to strike, with his remaining strength; Dean aimed and fired two shots into the man's heart, ending his life. He fell back to the ground feeling blood seeping from his wounds and darkness clouding his mind as he tried to draw in a raspy breath, wishing he could tell Sammy he was sorry. It was getting harder to breath, but he made no attempt to get up or stop his life blood from bleeding into the soil. He always said when his time came; he wanted it to be in battle. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would. Laying there looking up at the stars, he began to feel numb and coldness started seeping into this body, but his right arm seemed to burn with an unnatural heat. He sucked in a half breath before closing his eyes and giving in to the swirling mass around him.

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Sam heard a shot not far ahead, so he increased his pace scanning with his flashlight for any sign of his brother. He paused for a second until he heard Dean scream and a furious howl followed. He broke through the bushes in time to see Dean fire two shots at a naked man who crumbled to the ground before Dean collapsed in a heap near by. Damnit, he cursed running to his brother's side.

"Dean, man can you hear me?" he cried jerking his jacket and shirt back to feel for a pulse. He felt a warm wetness on his hand and saw by the beam of the flashlight, it was covered in blood. He started checking his brother's body for injuries finding the deep gashes that were bleeding heavily. He had a head wound, possible fractured ribs and he was pretty sure he had a collapse lung. Sam pulled out his vial of holy water and poured it on as many wounds as he could. He fished out Dean's vial and used it on the wounds on his back. Grabbing pressure bandages from his med bag, he began to wrap and tie them so he could control the bleeding enough to get him to a hospital. He listened to his brother gasping for air and wheezing as Dean waded his shirt in one of his fist trying to fight through the pain. He worked faster determined that his brother wasn't dying tonight.

Sam knew he needed to get the air out of Dean's chest so he could breathe easier. He took his flashlight and rummaged in Dean's bag looking for something hollow he could use. Finally finding a straw in the bottom of the bag, he pulled out a sharp knife and jerked Dean's shirt up exposing his chest. Sam had only read about this procedure, but had never actually done it. He steadied his hands as he felt for the right place between two ribs to make the incision.

"Sam…" Dean muttered halfway opening his eyes. "Let me go." he sputtered in a choking voice. "Stop, can't breath."

"No, you're not dying." Sam spat at him madly. "I'm not going to let you."

"Stop…No more..." he started, but darkness drew him under and in to the abyss, before he could finish.

Sam wasn't sure if he was still breathing and didn't waste any more time.

"This is going to hurt Dean, I don't know if you can hear me but you gotta stay still for me." Sam cautioned slipping the knife between his ribs making the cut. He quickly guided the straw in the incision, waiting and watching, allowing the trapped air to escape so Dean could breathe easier. He listened and watched Dean's breathing deepen slightly showing his emergency surgery worked. He wiped his hands and tapped gauze around the straw to hold it in place.

"Hang on Dean, I'm gonna get you out of here."

Dean moaned painfully, but didn't wake up. After tending his injuries as best he could, Sam quickly drug the body of the Rougarou deeper into the brush and then hefted Dean over his shoulder, trying to be careful of the incision he had made and headed for the car as fast as he could. He ignored the wetness seeping down his neck and back as he fought his way through the brush and to the Impala.

Sam leaned Dean up against the Impala so he could search his pockets for the keys. He finally dug them out and got him into the back seat, checking to be sure he was still breathing. Dean's breathing came out in short shallow pants that were getting weaker. Racing to the driver's side, he jumped in and wheeled the car around heading for town.

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"I need help here." Sam yelled as he half dragged, half carried his brother into the emergency room.

An orderly and nurse hurried to him steering him to an open bed in the ER. They helped get Dean onto the bed and pushed Sam out-of-the-way.

"You need to wait out there." the nurse ordered as she began to remove the dressings and cut away Dean's shirt exposing the deep wounds. Sam not wanting to leave his brother, eased to the side and watched as they starting taking vitals and getting an IV started.

"Sir, please, take a seat in the waiting room." a nurse ordered him again. "Let us take care of him."

Reluctantly, Sam found a chair and slumped into it. He looked down at his bloody hands and began to wipe them on his pants trying to get his brother's blood off. This wasn't the first time he had to wait in a hospital waiting room to find out if his brother was going to live or not.

Sam stiffened as he drew in a deep breath, before getting startled when an aide brought over some paperwork to be filled out for Dean. His hands began to shake and his eyes blurred with tears as he tried to read the questions and answer them. He couldn't lose his big brother, not before he could make it right with him.

"We need to notify the operating room." he heard a nurse saying from behind the curtain. "We're losing him! Get him to surgery now!"

Dean was taken to surgery as Sam watched anxiously from the hall. Dean had been incubated and a nurse was steadily pumping air into his lungs. He followed them down a hall and was shown another waiting area for surgery patients. At least he was alone in the room with his thoughts.

Sam berated himself for letting this rift between then continue to grow. What if something happened to Dean in surgery? What if he didn't make it? Sam fell on the couch dropping his head into his hands rubbing his temples. He knew Dean was in bad shape and had lost a lot of blood. His only thought was please let me have gotten him here in time, he couldn't die. The one thought that kept trying to creep into his mind was what if Dean didn't fight to live, what if he gave up? What if Sam had pushed him away so hard that he wanted to give up and die? Questions bombarded his thoughts as he paced the waiting room anxious for someone to give him an update.

Several hours passed as he moved from standing to sitting to slouching. He was crashing from his adrenaline high. His eyes were so heavy as he tried to stay alert, but the combination of stress, no sleep, and worry caused him to drift off. Sam jerked awake as he heard the door of the waiting room open. He jumped up when a doctor approached him.

"Dean Nash family?"

"Yes, yes, I'm his brother." Sam replied.

"He made it through surgery, but we did lose him once on while operating. There was a lot of blood loss. We had to give him a blood transfusion. He had deep gashes on his arm, side and back, fractured ribs, one of the ribs caused a pneumothorax, and a head laceration. Things will be touch and go over the next 24 hours. He has a chest tube to keep the collapsed lung inflated, that will need to stay in several days. We have him mildly sedated and he's on strong pain meds so he can rest. I wish I had better news, but he's young and strong, that's in his favor."

"Please, I need to see him. I need to be there when he wakes so he won't be alone." Sam pleaded. "He needs to know he's not alone."

"He's in recovery now, when they get him set up in ICU I'll have the nurse come and get you. It'll probably be about an hour. We'll keep him there for the next 24 hours and if he is still doing well, we'll move him to a private room." he finally said after seeing how concerned Sam was for his brother.

"Thank you." he whispered, letting his body relax some knowing at least Dean was alive.

He glanced at his watch noticing it was after 3 am and he was running on empty. He shuffled next door and fumbled in his pockets for change to get a cup of coffee.

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"Sir." a nurse called softly to Sam from the door. "You can see your brother now."

Sam rushed to her side tossing his empty coffee cup in the trash. He followed her out of the room and down the hall toward ICU.

"He's in room seven."

"Thank you."

Sam slowly made his way into ICU room seven, letting his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. Dean looked so small and still lying in the bed with tubes and equipment hooked up to his body. He made his way over to the bed, pulling a chair as close as he could and sat down.

"Hey Dean." he whispered taking his hand. He squeezed it gently and looked into his big brother's bruised face. It was pinched and pale, letting every freckle stand out across his nose. Sam brushed tears off his cheeks as he closed his eyes and said a silent prayer.

"I'm here man; you're going to be alright. Please Dean you have to come back to me. You can't give up, you've got to fight." he sobbed quietly, laying his head by Dean's hand on the bed. It felt cold to the touch and Sam wrapped his warm hand around it willing his body heat into Dean's.

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Pain was the first sense Dean felt as he tried to pull himself out of the fog that had enveloped his brain. His body didn't want to respond when tried to pry his eyes open. He could hear the steady beat of machines around him and felt something cool blowing onto his nose. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull himself out of this fog as it overtook his mind once again. Before going back into the darkness, he thought he heard a familiar voice say his name, but couldn't respond. He could feel himself floating away and let the nothingness surround him. At least there he didn't feel the hurt.

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Dean tried to draw in a deep breath, but intense pain stopped him. He batted at the oxygen mask on his face trying to push it off.

"Dean, stop, it's ok, you're in a hospital, stop struggling! You're going to pull the tube out of your chest." Sam insisted as he held his brothers hands down and tried to make him aware he was safe. "Stop it! Dean." Sam tried again as the machines began to beep irately. A nurse rushed in with a sedative she injected into his IV line.

"We may need to restrain him…" she started.

"No! No he's calming down, he'll freak out if you tie him down." Sam told her as Dean began to relax and the machines settled down.

"Ok, for now, but he can't pull out that tube." she cautioned.

"I'm not leaving him; I'll be sure he stays calm." Sam said settling back down in his chair, but keeping a grip on Dean's hand.

"Why don't I get you a cup of coffee." she smiled sympathetically. She had not seem someone so devoted to another in a long time. She knew they were brothers and wanted to applaud his brotherly love.

"Thanks." he nodded rubbing a hand down his face and around his neck. He massaged the tight muscles of his neck and sighed. The kind nurse was back a few minutes later with a cup of coffee. He accepted it with a thankful smile. He opened the sugar packets and poured them into the cup, stirring briefly before taking a sip. So much better than the crap from the machine, he sighed.

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The sedative began to lose its hold on Dean as he pushed back the veil, trying to focus on what his hand was feeling. His mind wasn't cooperating as he moved his fingers, twitching them through Sam's hair. Sam jerked awake and grabbed Dean's hand and squeezed it.

"Dean, hey man, you're in a hospital, so don't panic. They had to put in a chest tube 'cause you had a collapsed lung. Come on man, can you open your eyes for me." Sam encouraged as he continued to whisper into his ear. "Squeeze my hand if you can hear me."

Dean's eyes flickered and opened halfway. Sam saw the movement and smiled as he felt a slight squeeze on his hand. Dean turned his head slightly toward Sam trying to speak.

"It's ok, I'm here big brother, try to rest, I won't leave you." Sam said carding his hand through his hair to calm him. Dean leaned into his hand and let his eyes close. Sam wiped a tear that sneaked out of Dean's eye as he let them slide out of his own. He closed his eyes searching for that thin thread that linked him to his brother. He knew it was there, but it had been dormant for a long time and he didn't know if he could find it. He felt a tiny spark trail down that thread as he swallowed back the lump in his throat; Sam knew his brother still had a ways to go in healing.

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The haze was finally lifting and Dean tried to draw in a deep breath. He blinked to clear the haze in his eyes and bring the room into focus. He heard the gentle snores of his brother from where his head lay on the bed by his hand. Dean smiled to himself as he saw the innocence in his face, but also the lines of stress and fatigue. He shifted slightly and heard one of the machines beep angrily.

Alerted by the alarm, Sam jerked his head wiping the drool and stared at Dean. Tired green eyes started back into his hazel ones.

"Dean, about time you woke up." he smirked. "Thought you were going to sleep the day away."

Dean wet his cracked lips and tried to speak, but could only make a croaking sound. He pushed at the oxygen mask, knocking it aside.

"You need to leave that on, I'll get the nurse." Sam cautioned putting it back in place. "Just lay still. I'll be right back."

Ten minutes later Sam returned with Dean's doctor.

"Mr. Nash, how are you feeling?" the doctor asked looking at his chart. He checked the machines and then turned back to him checking his vitals.

"H'rt..." he managed to gasp out.

"Your throat's going to be sore for a few days, as long as your lung stays inflated; we'll remove the chest tube in a day or so. You'll need to rest so your body can heal. Your brother said you were attacked by a wild animal. It really did a number on you."

"M-m-sk" he tried to say, pulling at the mask.

"I think we can change it to a canula." the doctor nodded going to a cabinet and pulling one out to replace the mask. "He'll be administered pain meds every four hours, let the nurse know if the pain gets worse or the meds are not controlling it."

"I will." Sam said still gripping Dean's hand as he watched his brother carefully. The doctor put an oxygen canula into Dean's nose and adjusted the flow.

"I'll have the nurse bring you some ice chips and write-up an order to move him to a private room later this evening as long as he continues to improve." he told Sam as he wrote in his chart.

"Thank you Doctor."

"Be sure he takes it easy and rest."

"I will."

The nurse came by a few minutes later with the ice chips. Sam took the cup and spoon from the nurse. He slipped a few pieces of ice into his brother's mouth and watched him like a hawk, making sure he could handle them. Dean leaned his head back and lavished the cool liquid as it trickled down his parched throat. Water had never tasted so good as he crunched his eye brows to Sam wanting more. Sam spooned more into his mouth and wiped it as some dripped out the corner. Dean frowned and turned his head, slightly perturbed Sam was treating him like a baby.

"Get over it." Sam chided able to read Dean like a book.

"Bitch." a raspy voice shot back.

"Jerk." he smiled happy to hear his voice.

Dean accepted one more spoon before raising a finger; he'd had enough for now.

"Why don't you try to rest before they move you?"

"S'mmy..." he whispered so softly Sam barely heard him, before closing his eyes. Sam sat down in the chair sighing with relief.

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"We're moving him to room 267. Once we have him settled, you can come in." the nurse instructed Sam as she led him out of the room. Sam waited outside listening to the movement inside.

"Sonofabitch." he heard his brother curse along with some other unintelligible words.

Sam looked up and shook his head smiling to himself. After a few more minutes, Dean was wheeled out of the room and down the hall. Sam trailed along behind them watching a pained expression consume Dean's face with each bump the bed made.

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"We've got him settled and I gave him something for the pain and to help him sleep, that should get him through the night. If you need anything let us know." she told Sam holding open the door.

"Thank you." he replied.

Sam made his way over to Dean's bed and gave him a quick once over. He seemed to be resting easier and didn't have as much equipment attached now. He tossed his jacket in one chair and moved the recliner closer to the bed.

"Sam." a hoarse voice whispered.

"Dean, you ok? Is something wrong?"

"No, go get a motel room, get some sleep." he winced. "You look like shit."

"I'll be fine. You just rest."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"Go. I don't need a sitter." he argued, turning his head away from him.

"And let you try to sneak out of here." Sam argued back, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're in no shape to go anywhere, at least not until your chest tube comes out."

Dean's features darkened, upset that Sam had figured out his plan. He was going to ditch this place as soon as Sam left, that is, if he could get himself out of this bed.

"Besides, I have your car keys and clothes." This just made his frown deepen. "Dean, I'm not stupid, I know you, you'd try to leave and injure yourself worse. So no, I'm staying right here. The question is, do I need to handcuff you?" he continued making himself comfortable in the chair.

Dean huffed madly and tried to reposition himself letting escape a soft moan. "Need help?" Sam asked standing up quickly. Dean glared daggers at him just daring him to help. Sam sighed knowing that look and settled back in the chair.

Dean pushed his pain down; he hated Sam seeing him like this. He was the big brother and he was supposed to take care of Sam, not the other way around. If he could just figure a way of getting him out of the room, maybe he could make his escape.

He began to take inventory of his injuries and how disabled he was. Dean looked over at Sam who had passed out in the recliner snoring and drooling. What he couldn't understand was what Sam was doing here and how he had found him so quickly. They had barely spoken to each other since they had rescued Mrs. Tran and Kevin's ghost went with her since Heaven was still shut down. Sam could barely be in the same room with him and yet he had come after him. He couldn't wrap his head around it right now; his brain didn't want to work. The more he tried to think about it, the more his head hurt, so he dismissed it for now. They must have him on the good pain meds because his brain felt scrambled and he couldn't focus. He let the mist envelope his mind and draw him under into the realms of sleep.

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The next couple of days were a blur for Dean. The pain meds kept him sedated enough that he wasn't able to sneak out like he had planned. Sam was the ever watchdog, making sure he did what the doctor and nurses said. The chest tube was removed and his pain meds were changed to less potent ones by the third day. Dean was beginning to have more awake time and decided he was ready to get out of the hospital. His one road block was his little brother. Sam would not leave him alone long enough for him to disappear.

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The nurse came in with his next dose of medication. "How you feeling?" she whispered looking at his sleeping brother.

"I've been better." he grunted painfully, shifting slightly.

"These should help you rest." she said giving him a couple of sleeping pills. "Would you like some more ice water?"

"Yes." he said palming the pills and sipping the water. "Would you mind bringing my brother some too?"

"I'd be happy to." she smiled glancing over at Sam. She checked his IV and left returning with two cups of ice water. He thanked her and continued to sip the water. Checking to be sure Sam was still asleep; he dropped the pills into the other cup and stirred it being sure they dissolved.

Fifteen minutes later Dean grunted at Sam, "Sleeping beauty, hey." he mumbled touching his brother's hand.

"Yeah, what?" Sam jumped shaking the sleep away.

"I need to take a leak and… I need help."

"Do you want me to get a nurse?"

"No! Just help me sit up."

"Wait! Let me raise the bed up. Easy, watch your arm. Sit here a moment, ok." Sam told him holding Dean on the side of the bed. Dean was panting as he willed himself not to pass out. Sweat popped out on his forehead as tried to catch his breath. "You ok?"

Dean nodded yes and carefully put his weight on his legs. They threatened to buckle before Sam put an arm around his waist and tried to take the brunt of his weight. Dean managed to shuffle his feet toward the bathroom letting Sam guided him.

"Got it." he told his brother grabbing the sink for support.

"Dean I really..."

"Sam! I got it!"

"Ok! I'll be right here." he said pulling the door halfway closed and waited for his stubborn brother to finish. A few minutes later, he heard the water running and peeked in. He grabbed Dean's arm steering him to the bed.

"You ok?"

"Yeah." he winced settling back on the bed.

Sam lowered the bed slightly watching his brother's face judging his pain level. "You need something for pain?"

"No, I'll be ok. Here, had the nurse bring you some ice water too." he nodded to the cup sitting on his tray. He took the other and sipped it watching his brother out of the corner of his eyes.

"Thanks." he said accepting the cup and drinking it.

Dean kept watching as he drank most of the water before he settled back in the chair and closed his eyes. Dean rested for about an hour before looking back over at Sam.

"Sam. Can you hear me?"

He didn't get a response and knew he had thirty minutes before the nurse came back in to check his vitals. He pushed back the covers and raised the bed so he could ease to the edge. He gritted his teeth as he put his weight on his legs hoping they would hold him up. He made it to the closet, grabbing his clothes and slipped them out. He was sweating and in pain by the time he got his clothes on and was ready to leave.

Dean looked at Sam one more time before opening the door to make his escape. He couldn't stay here with Sam. Even hurt, it didn't change what had happened between them. He needed to leave and not look back, find some place to hole up far away from here.

He knew the elevator was below his room and headed that way. Hopefully no one would stop him since he couldn't get but one arm into his shirt and his jacket was hanging over his shoulders. He knew Sam would have parked his car close to an exit and looked at the signs as he stepped off the elevator. Following them to the emergency room, he kept his head down and walked as normal as he could out the door. Lucky for him no one questioned him and he made it to the parking lot. Now to find his Baby.