Temporary Heroes

Chapter 2

Author's Note: Wow, I'm overwhelmed and thrilled with the reviews and private messages! I'm feeling a little pressure now…..Oh, and I guess I should have mentioned this story takes place sometime in season two.

oooOOOooo

Love and pain
Only for the foolish
Once again
Try to hide what's there inside
I'm the same, temporary hero
Who's to blame

Temporary Heroes written by N. Trevesick and J. Clee;

performed by Pat Benetar

oooOOOooo

Sam was asleep when Dean walked into his room. The computer was on the bed next to him, but it had been shut down. Dean was glad to see he hadn't fallen asleep while researching. Moving quietly, he packed it away in its bag and then settled in a chair next to Sam's bed. A nurse came in a few minutes later to check on the patient. Dean liked her; she had let him stay with Sam when he was first admitted, even going so far as bringing him a blanket and pillow. She'd had a reclining chair moved into the room when it became clear that Dean would be spending a lot of time there.

"He's doing much better," she said, smiling at Dean. "The doctor is talking about releasing him in a couple of days."

"That's great news." Dean couldn't help but notice the nurse held a slight resemblance to his mother. She looked to be about the same age as his mother would have been as well.

"Can I get you anything? We've got fresh coffee at the nurses' station."

"I'm fine, thanks."

"That contraband for your brother?" she asked, nodding toward the bag that held the pound cake. Dean had left it on the bedside table.

"Uh, no. Of course not."

She smiled again. "I'll make sure he gets some milk to wash it down."

Dean returned the smile. "Thanks."

"We'll be bringing dinner in soon. See what you can do about getting him to eat. The doctor is concerned that he's not eating more."

"He's never been much of an eater," Dean said.

"Well, if he wants to get out of here, he's going to have to at least fake it for a few days," she walked toward the door. "But I'd better not catch you eating any of his food."

"Yes ma'am." Dean was surprised by how comfortable he felt with this woman.

Left alone with his brother, Dean leaned forward and watched him closely. He had a silly urge to brush the always too-long bangs out of his eyes, but he didn't do it. After a few minutes he sat back in the chair and relaxed. Sam was getting better and would be released soon. He could stop worrying. He could; but he wouldn't. He'd spent most of his life worrying about Sam and it wasn't a habit that would be easily broken.

Dean had just started to doze when he heard a slight whimper from his brother. Immediately alert, Dean sat up and moved to his side. Sam jerked awake a moment later, wincing at the pain it caused.

"Easy," Dean cautioned as he sat down on the edge of the bed. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Sam said, trying to control his breathing. "What time is it?"

"Almost 5:00."

"You talked to the old woman?"

"Yeah. She knows people who have seen the same kind of shadows you saw. She's going to see if any of them will talk to me."

"Anything else?"

"Not a whole lot. She said she's seen ghosts, but it's the shadows we're interested in, right?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded. "You need to move."

Dean stood up and tried to help Sam as he got out of bed, but he was waved off. He sat back on the chair while Sam made his way to the bathroom. Dean felt almost a physical pain watching his brother move. It was obvious that he was hurting.

Sam was just lowering himself into a chair a few minutes later when the dinner tray was dropped off. Dean sat across from him.

"Did you find anything on the computer?"

"Not really. I checked a few local paranormal sites and there are stories and rumors about the hospital, but we both know all hospitals are full of ghosts."

"And you think the shadow you saw was some kind of spirit?"

Sam nodded and he pushed around the chicken on his plate. "I think it was trying to show me something in that ward."

"If Marcy doesn't come through, I'll figure something else out."

Sam nodded again, still playing with the food.

"Okay, Sammy, what's the deal? I know hospital food isn't any good, but why aren't you eating?"

Sam didn't say anything.

"Dude," Dean looked at him.

"I don't feel good, okay? My whole body hurts. My head feels like it's going to explode."

"Well, no joke, Sammy. You're in a hospital with busted ribs and a head injury. Did you tell the nurse? You can get more pain meds."

"I don't want more pain meds," Sam said quietly.

"Why not?"

"I just don't."

"Sam," Dean began softly. "It's stupid to hurt when you don't have to. And if it's so bad that you can't eat, that's just going to make it longer before the doctor releases you. I'm kind of starting to miss your snoring."

Sam smiled crookedly. "I don't miss yours."

"Nice. Hey, I brought you something." Dean retrieved the piece of cake from the bedside table and sat back down across from Sam. He saw his brother's interest. "But you have to eat some of your dinner first."

"I'm not six, man."

Dean showed him what was in the bag. "Then stop acting like it and ask for more pain medication."

"Can't I just have the cake?"

Dean couldn't help but smile at the juvenile tone to his brother's voice and he pushed the bag toward him. "I'm going to talk to the nurse. Do you feel like eating anything? I'll can go out and find –"

"I wouldn't mind some real soup. Not that broth crap they brought for lunch."

"I'll be back," Dean said as Sam took a bite of the cake and then reached for the glass of milk that Dean knew had been added by the nurse he liked so much.

He stopped at the nurses' station and Marie, the one who looked like his mother, glanced up from the computer terminal and smiled at him. "Hey. Did you get him to eat?"

"Not exactly. He's in a lot of pain and –"

She nodded. "I'll get him something right away."

"Thanks. He said he'd like some real soup. Would it be okay if I brought something in for him?"

"I think I can look the other way," she smiled again. "He's not technically on a restricted diet, but we're adding things slowly since he hadn't eaten for a while. Any kind of soup should be all right. There's a grocery store not too far away that has a deli and they make the best minestrone."

"Thanks."

"Take a left out of the parking lot and you'll see it on your right in a couple of miles."

Dean nodded and walked toward the elevator.

He found the grocery store with no problem and picked up a sandwich for himself in addition to the minestrone for Sam. As he was driving back to the hospital, Marcy, the volunteer from the children's ward called to tell him she'd passed on his number to one of the nurses who had gotten transferred from the night shift. She had agreed to talk to him and said she would call the next day.

Back at the hospital, Dean was relieved to find Sam more relaxed. He ate all of the soup and even a couple of bites of Dean's sandwich. Dean told him about the phone call from Marcy, but the drowsiness from the pain medication had started to affect him and Sam's reaction was less than enthused. Dean helped him back into bed and sat with him for several minutes even after he'd fallen asleep.

---

Dean wasn't used to being left to his own devices and wasn't sure what he wanted to do. The idea of going back to the motel room alone didn't appeal to him, but he knew there was no point in sitting at the hospital. He thought about going to a movie, but that didn't seem fair to Sam somehow. He pulled into a parking lot and called Bobby to give him an update on Sam's condition and to get his take on the shadow spirit.

Bobby told him that he had heard of similar manifestations before, though he'd never come across one himself.

"Remember not all spirits are out to hurt people," Bobby cautioned. "They're not all pissed off ghosts. Technically a spirit and a ghost are different, anyway."

"I know," Dean admitted. "So, you think this thing that Sam saw was really trying to show him something?"

"It's possible. Talk to that nurse tomorrow and see what she has to say. I'll check my books and see what I can find."

"Okay. Thanks, Bobby."

"So, how you doin', kid?"

"I'm all right. I'm not the one in the hospital."

"Yeah, but I know how you get."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dean asked. He wasn't angry; Bobby knew him well enough to know that he'd give his right arm to keep Sam safe and hated having to be away from him.

"You know damn well what that means," Bobby said gruffly. "Stay out of trouble."

"I will."

"See that you do. Call me after you've talked to someone who has seen the shadow," Bobby's tone softened. "Or, if you need anything."

"Thanks, Bobby."

After ending the call, Dean considered his options and ended up at a bar not too far from the motel. He did a little drinking and a little flirting, but ended up leaving alone.

oooOOOooo

"What do you want me to tell him?"

Marcy looked at her friend. "The truth."

"What do you think he can do? He's just a reporter."

Marcy took a sip of tea from a bone china cup. "He's no reporter."

"Then what is he?"

"I don't know exactly. But he's someone who can help us."

"How do you know?"

The old woman nodded toward a matching cup on the counter across the room. "I saw it in the tea leaves. I knew he was coming."

"You and your tea leaves," the other woman scoffed. "No one reads tea leaves any more."

"I do. And they've never led me wrong. Meet with him as soon as you can and tell him the truth." Marcy looked at her steadily. "The whole truth."

"Why couldn't you tell him? You know as much as I do."

"It's your story to tell. I'll come with you if you want, but you need to talk to him."

The other woman sighed. "I'll talk to him. But I'm not promising anything."

oooOOOooo

Dean got to the hospital just as visiting hours started. He found that Sam was feeling better and glad to hear he'd eaten all of the scrambled eggs provided for breakfast. As they slowly walked to the patient recreation room, Sam told Dean that he was scheduled for another CAT scan later in the day and if it showed no problems, the doctor said he would release him the next day.

The recreation room was at the other end of the long hallway, but Sam had a hard time walking even that far and ended up leaning on Dean for support. It surprised Dean that the doctor would consider releasing him when he was still in so much pain, but they had both checked themselves out of hospitals in worse shape before. Besides, they knew more than basic first aid and it wasn't necessary to sit in a hospital bed for ribs to heal.

They were alone in the room and settled on chairs with a view of a pond outside.

"I'll bring back some clothes for you after I meet with the nurse Marcy put me in touch with. I asked her if she'd be willing to talk with us both, but she didn't want to talk about it in the hospital."

Sam nodded, obviously in pain. Dean looked at him closely. "The doctor is sure you're ready to go tomorrow if the CAT scan is clear?"

"You know how rib injuries are. They hurt like hell."

"You're taking pain medication?"

"Yes," Sam said, sounding somewhat exasperated.

"Doesn't seem to be helping much."

"It's probably almost time for more." Sam put his head on the back of the chair.

"I'm telling you right now, Sam, if the doctor lets you go tomorrow, I'm going to keep you drugged up until you've completely healed."

"You realize we're not leaving town until we figure out what's going on here, right?"

"I figured. But you're in no shape to do much more than sit in the motel room and research."

Sam looked dejected. "I know."

"It won't be for long. Once your ribs have healed you can start working out again and you'll be back to your annoying little brother self in no time." Dean grinned at him. "Of course, you're pretty annoying when you don't feel good, too."

"Nice, Dean. I'm suffering here and you're making jokes."

"Maybe you wouldn't be suffering so much if you'd take the pain medication like you should be."

Sam scowled at him, then looked toward the window. "Is it cold outside?"

Dean talked to him about life outside of the hospital and when he was feeling a little better, Dean helped him back to his room. A nurse came in a few minutes later with another dose of medication and it wasn't long until Sam was asleep.

oooOOOooo

Dean walked into the same coffee shop where he'd met Marcy the day before and after ordering, he sat at the same table. It wasn't long before she and another woman joined him. Marcy introduced Joanna Sweeney and they spent a few moments engaging in small talk.

"Dean," Marcy said, glancing at her friend. "We know you aren't a reporter."

His expression remained neutral. When he started to speak, Marcy held up a hand. "Don't bother trying to convince me; I have it on good authority."

"Tea leaves," Joanna muttered and Dean looked at her.

"Tea leaves?"

"I read tea leaves," Marcy said. "I don't know what you are, but you're not a reporter. I think you're someone who can help us, though."

"Help you?" Dean was confused. "What do you mean?"

The women exchanged a look and then Marcy spoke. "There's something going on inside that hospital."

oooOOOooo

Sam heard whispering. At least it sounded like whispering. Maybe if he didn't know he was in a hospital it would have sounded like rats scurrying instead. He lay still, listening and trying to figure out the source of the sound. He didn't think Dean was there and he didn't sense anyone else in the room with him. Maybe it was the orderly who was supposed to take him for the CAT scan.

He opened his eyes, but the darkness was complete and he couldn't even make out shapes. That wasn't right, he knew. It was daytime. Wasn't it? Even if he'd somehow slept through the entire day, it was never completely dark in a hospital. He should be able to see light coming from the hallway if nothing else.

He could still hear the whispering. He moved his hand, searching for the bed railing to assure himself he was still in the hospital. He felt the cold metal and decided the pain medication had caused whatever was happening. That had to be it.

Sam closed his eyes and waited. The noise seemed to be all around him and when he felt something light touch his skin, he opened his eyes again. The blackness was still absolute, darker than anything he'd ever experienced before. He felt hands on his arms and he panicked.

oooOOOooo

After leaving the coffee shop, Dean sat in the Impala and dialed Bobby's number. He told Bobby every unbelievable thing the women had told him and had just ended the call when his cell phone rang. He listened to the voice on the other end, already heading toward the hospital before the nurse had a chance to request that he come. He called Bobby again.

---

Marie called his name as Dean rushed past the nurses' station on his way to Sam's room. He didn't want to stop, but forced himself. She came out from behind the desk and put a gentle hand on his arm.

"Sam isn't in his room," she explained. "He's having some tests done."

"How long will they take?"

"It shouldn't be too long. I told him that we'd gotten in touch with you and that you were coming. That calmed him down enough so that we didn't have to sedate him."

"He was getting better. What happened?"

"The doctor will be able to explain everything once he's seen the test results. You can wait in Sam's room if you like, or in the waiting room. Can I get you anything?"

Dean shook his head. "No. Thanks."

He walked into Sam's room and looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except that his brother wasn't there. He was supposed to be able to take Sam out of here tomorrow; he'd been sure the CAT scan would show nothing and the doctor would release him. Now this….

Dean turned to the door as Sam was brought back into the room. He wasn't even sure how much time had passed.

"Is my brother here?" Sam sounded scared. "Dean?"

"I'm here, Sammy," Dean moved closer to the bed and put his hand on Sam's shoulder. "I'm here."

Sam reached out for his brother and grabbed the bottom of Dean's coat. "Dean…."

"It's okay, Sammy."

"It's not okay, man, I can't see!"

"Sam, listen to me. You have to stay calm, okay?" Dean glanced at the orderly as he finished securing the bed and walked out of the room.

"Dean…."

Dean felt the tug of his jacket and heard the fearful tone of Sam's voice. He sat on the edge of the bed keeping physical contact with his brother.

"We'll fix this, Sam. Okay? You hear me? We'll fix this."

"Are we alone?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I felt something, Dean. Before? I woke up and couldn't see anything and I felt something touch me. And I heard voices; it sounded like people whispering. Dean, something was in here. I know it."

"What did it feel like?"

"At first it was just a light touch; almost like a feather. But I felt hands, too. Dean, if I can't see, how am I going to hunt or –"

"Let's just take this one step at a time, okay? Has the doctor talked to you yet?"

"No. He's supposed to come after he's looked at all the tests. Dean, you have to keep hunting. You have to find the thing that killed Mom and Dad. I'll live with Bobby or something, but –"

"Hold on, Sam." Dean's voice was firm. "Now, we're going to listen to what the doctor has to say and go from there, okay? And if you think I'm going to abandon you –"

"You have to do it for Mom and Dad, Dean." Sam sounded frantic.

Dean could see his brother was becoming agitated and his tone was unmistakable. It wasn't any wonder with what had happened in only the last few hours. He hated the way Sam's eyes didn't focus and he knew that Sam was afraid. His entire life, such that it was, had started to crumble. Eyesight was an important sense and without it, Sam wouldn't be able to hunt. He wouldn't easily be able to research; he'd have to learn to do things all over again.

The older man shook those thoughts off. This condition was temporary. It had to be. He turned his attention back to Sam, hearing the shallow breathing and seeing the sheen of perspiration on his forehead. He didn't need to look at the monitor to know his heart rate was up.

"Sam, listen to me okay? You have to listen to me here. I want you to take a deep breath before you hyperventilate. I know it's hard, but you have to relax, okay? I'm here. I'm going to stay here. I'll be here when the doctor comes and tells us this is just temporary. Whatever it is," he touched the side of Sam's face gently. "We'll tackle it together, okay?"

"I'm scared, Dean."

Sam was generally open and honest. He didn't often hide his feelings or hide behind the same types of walls that Dean did. Still, Dean knew it wasn't easy for him to admit fear. He put a hand on top of Sam's and felt as Sam slipped it inside of Dean's. He remembered when Sam was little, they would walk hand in hand. When Dean felt too old to hold his father's hand, he still would hold onto Sam when they were in public. Even at home, where ever that happened to be, if something scared Sam, he wanted to hold someone's hand. Usually it was Dean's because their father spent so much time away. It had been a long time since they'd held hands, but it felt comfortable and Dean didn't pull away.

"I know you're scared, Sammy. But what have I always told you?"

"What?" Sam asked, clearly trying to relax.

"Nothing bad is gonna happen to you as long as I'm around."

Sam squeezed his brother's hand and lay back against the bed. "Tell me about the nurse you met with."

Dean was surprised. "What?"

"What did she tell you?"

"Are you sure you want to do this now?"

"Why not?" Sam smiled sadly.

Dean took a deep breath. "Her name is Joanna and she's been a nurse for about a hundred years. I'm not so sure she and Marcy have told me everything they know, or if they're even telling me the truth."

"Marcy is the volunteer?"

Dean nodded, then remembered that Sam couldn't see him. "Yeah. Get this – she reads tea leaves."

"Seriously?"

"That's what she says. That's how she knew I wasn't a reporter."

"A report….whatever. What did she say about the shadows?"

Dean noticed that Sam seemed a little more relaxed. He was still holding fast to Dean's hand, but he didn't seem as anxious as he had.

"At first she thought they were just another form of the ghosts she'd been seeing."

"The ghosts didn't bother her?" Sam sounded surprised.

"That's another weird thing. Marcy and Joanna go from hospital to hospital following this shadow thing."

"They're hunters?" Sam's tone was disbelieving.

"Not exactly. Not like us or the hunters we know, but I guess. In a way."

"So, they've been following the shadows. What do they know?"

Dean was about to respond when the door opened. He felt Sam tense and he squeezed his brother's hand. "It's the doctor, Sammy."

He didn't relax. Dean shifted so that he was still touching Sam, but could also see the doctor. He didn't like his expression.

"How are you feeling, Sam? How's the headache?"

Dean looked at his brother.

"It's better," Sam paused. "What did the tests show?"

"Well, unfortunately, nothing conclusive. The most likely explanation, and easiest to treat, is something called papilledema."

"What is that?" Dean asked.

"It's a swelling of the optic nerve caused by an increase in fluid pressure within the skull. It sometimes happens due to a head injury. The visual examination wasn't definite; there's some swelling that wasn't there before, but we also did a CAT scan and an MRI. There's no damage to the brain and that's the good news. As I said, the tests aren't conclusive, which is somewhat unusual. I'd like to start treatment for swelling; intravenous corticosteroids. We'll watch closely, but once the swelling is relieved, the vision should return."

"See, Sammy? It's just temporary." Dean encouraged.

"We'll take it one step at a time," the doctor cautoned. "There could still be another underlying cause."

The doctor said and spent the next few minutes talking about other possible causes for Sam's condition. "A nurse will be in soon to start the IV. I guess you'll be enjoying our hospitality for a little longer."

"Thanks, Doc," Dean said. Once they were alone, he patted Sam's leg. "The news wasn't so bad."

"Finish telling me about Joanna."

"Sam…."

"Tell me!" he demanded angrily.

Dean knew the news from the doctor wasn't as positive as he'd tried to pretend. Dean also knew that Sam was scared and while he wanted to know what was going on in the hospital, he also needed something to keep his mind off of what was going on with him.

"They first discovered the shadow 10 or so years ago when they were both working in a hospital in New Orleans. They've been moving from hospital to hospital ever since, following its trail. Or maybe just following stories; they're not sure if it's the same shadow or not. The only thing they know for sure is that patients who report seeing it get well unexplainably."

"That's not what happened to me," Sam said unhappily.

Dean had thought of that. He recognized that the old women had some useful information, but he didn't think they'd put all of the pieces together correctly. His brother's condition was proof of that.

"I know, Sammy," he said sympathetically. "I got a start from the old biddies, but I don't think they know as much as they think they do."

"Or maybe they just haven't told you everything they know."

"You think?"

"Like that's never happened."

"Good point."

"You have to admit that you aren't at your best with old women. You read the young, hot ones much better."

Dean looked at him and saw the hint of a smile on Sam's face.

"Yeah, maybe." He looked toward the door when it opened.

"Dean?" Sam whispered.

"It's okay, Sam. It's just me. Marie. I'm going to get your IV started." Her voice was soothing and she explained each step before she did it. Dean could see that she was putting Sam at ease and he was grateful for that.

Once she was gone, Sam settled back against the pillows. "Dean?"

"I'm still here." He sat down on the edge of the bed.

"You gotta work on this case, Dean. I know you don't like doing the research, but you're good at it. You –"

"Right now I think I need to hang out with my pain in the ass little brother."

"I'll be okay. I'm tired. I'm just gonna go to sleep for a while."

"Are you sure? Really sure?"

"We have a responsibility to –"

"Sam, my first responsibility is to you. I didn't tell you this before, but I called Bobby and he's on his way. I don't want you to worry about this case – hell, those two old women are probably nuts anyway."

"What about what I saw? What I felt?"

"All the more reason that I hang out here."

Sam held a fistful of blanket, but Dean could see he was trying to appear calm.

"Dean?" he asked after a few moments.

"Yeah?"

"The doctor didn't seem too sure about the diagnosis."

"The medicine will work."

"What if it doesn't? Without sight, I'll be a huge liability to you."

"You'd never be a liability, Sam. Just give it some time, okay?

"What if it has something to do with the shadow?"

"Then I'll fix it."

Sam nodded and closed his eyes. He was asleep a few minutes later and Dean sank into the recliner with his brother's laptop. At first he tried to research the job, but he quickly turned his attention to the conditions the doctor talked about. All he found was bad news and a bunch of maybes. He wasn't sure which was worse – a physical cause or a supernatural one.

TBC