Welcome to my World Little Brother
Part 2
Sam was about to announce his arrival but he saw what looked like Dean sleeping soundly, he closed the door carefully and tip toed over to the crappy table and set down the bags.
"Sammy close the door," a miserable Dean piped up.
"It is closed."
"C-cold," he pouted lifting his head out from the covers giving up on sleep.
Sam huffed knowing the fever was obviously starting, he looked in the closest bag and took out a thermometer.
"Sit still for a sec," he told his big brother as he lifted his arm and tucked the stick in his armpit.
"Mg! Cold!" Dean yelped.
"Just sit still man, it'll bleep in a minute."
"Sammy its cold, go'way."
"Hang on man," he cooed as his big brother started to rock himself a little.
Dean couldn't take it anymore. The cold metal burned through his armpit and made the cramps in his stomach rip him apart even more. He curled his knees under his chin trying not to move the thermometer too much knowing it would just take longer if he did.
"Dean, you okay?" Sam asked, before he left Dean was grouchy and puking but otherwise seemed not so bad, but right now he looked like he was about to cry.
"Cold."
"I know, anything else?"
"Wanna puke."
"Puke then," Sam told him calmly reaching down and putting the bucket in front of Dean.
"C-can't," he whined arching his back trying to find a somewhat slightly comfortable position.
"Why?" 'Dean didn't have trouble puking before.'
"Don't know."
"Dean? I'm not following, you wanna puke but you can't? Before you were puking and you didn't want to."
"Feel gross, really wanna puke...but no puke is happening."
"Oh," Sam would have slapped himself on the forehead if he had a spare hand.
"S'it done yet?"
"Uh..."
Bleep...bleep...bleep
"Yeah," Sam told him taking the stick away and squinting to read the number. "Not good but not too bad."
"Huh?"
"99.5 Dean, like I said, not good but not too bad."
"Mmm'hhmm," Dean nodded not paying much attention.
"Here, take these off, maybe it won't go up any higher," Sam said pulling Dean's covers off so his boxer clad bottom half was bare.
"Nnooooo!" Dean whined pulling it back on him.
"Dean, man, if you keep covered up now then your fevers gonna get worse and you're gonna feel even colder."
"Don't care, m'cold now."
"Fine, at least take your t-shirt off," Sam told him and he nodded shivering slightly.
'No joke, hell even I could have come up with a dozen then, dang he must feel like shit."
"Here, drink some of this, and try to eat these," he told his supposed big brother handing him a can of ginger ale he let go a little flat by opening it early and a box of bread sticks.
Dean huffed but sipped and chewed anyway pulling a face at the dry tasteless breadsticks vowing to always make sure they had dip in future.
"Dean, you wanna watch some TV?" the younger one asked knowing with the way Dean was right now, restless and feeling gross, he wasn't going to be sleeping anytime soon.
"Ws'on?" he asked pushing up on the headboard and trying to make himself appear a little healthier than he felt right now chewing again taking a liking to the food slowly.
"Ah..." Sam pushed the power button then grabbed the remote and began flicking. "Baywatch?" Sam grinned knowing Dean didn't just like it because of the Hoff.
"Yeah...man Yasmine Bleeth is hot huh?"
CRUNCH! As he chewed with his back teeth again.
"Yeah Dean, I know she's always been your favourite."
"Oh this is a good one," Dean grinned when the running on the beach started.
"Dude, how the hell can you tell the difference between the episodes? They all start identical."
"Bobby bought me the box set for Christmas once."
"Where is it now?"
"Dunno, think it got lost between motel rooms," Dean gave a comical sniffle.
"And you've lived through that?" Sam asked with wide eyes in fake horror.
"Was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," he sniffled again placing his hand on his chest...then cracked a smile.
"Dude what about Gena Lee Norin? She's pretty hot," Sam suggested lying down on his own bed.
"Just cos you like the cute blondes," Dean smirked but it soon wore off when he saw the look of slight pain on Sam's face at the mention of blondes. "Sorry Sammy."
Sam nodded, trying to regain his composure.
"But she is pretty hot I'll give her that, she's just no Yasmine."
"Perv," Sam tossed but it was clear he was still having trouble, Dean could practically hear the pain in Sam's voice, and he had gunked up ears like nobody's business today.
"So ah...I'm sorry about last night," Dean offered knowing Sam had a nightmare, he wanted to help, to calm Sam down and let him know it was a bad dream that time like always, but his flip flopping guts had other ideas, 'damn, I am gonna kick some ass down there,' he cured looking down at his stomach.
"Why? What are you talking about?"
Dean set the things down on the nightstand - starting to feel his stomach flip flop and also needing to give Sam his full attention when talking about that.
"Sam, I know okay, I could hear you screaming from the bathroom, and I'm just sorry I didn't wake you up, like I said I would, sorry man."
"Don't be, not your fault, I just need to get past it, and besides, it's your turn to be the golden boy sissy this week, so shut up and just watch the pretty people run," Sam smirked looking at the screen hoping Dean would soon follow.
"Wow, Sammy not it the mood for a chick flick heart to heart? Huh, think it's you that's got the fever dude."
"Haha, hilarious," Sam bitched despite his huge grin, he was about to say 'says the guy shivering,' but he knew it wouldn't exactly help, he was trying to get Dean's mind off the being sick by means of Baywatch and hot chicks.
"That I am," Dean snorted then looked at the TV as well, "oh Jasmine is just hotting me up all over," he drooled.
"Can we lose the covers then?" Sam asked about to take them off but Dean snatched then back, tucked them tight to his chin and pouted. "And I'm meant to be the girl."
"Don't worry, you are, now shut up, you ugly mugs making me cold again."
"You do realise she's probably old enough to be dad's grandma now."
"Eeeww dude! You're ruining it!!" Dean grabbed the pillow from behind his head and tossed it at his brother with all the effort his weak limbs could muster up. 'Man I hate being sick,' he whined internally when the pillow didn't even reach Sam's bed.
"You throw like a girl," his brother laughing picking up the pillow and putting it up against his own headboard making himself even more comfortable.
"You're just plain mean," Dean huffed when he had to lay his head on the mattress laying completely horizontal which made him dizzier than he would ever admit.
"I learn from the best," Sam smiled not seeing through Dean's mask.
'God I'm dying...uuhhhhhhhhhh!!!!' he cried turning on his side away from Sam and screwing his face up in agony from the dizziness and the pounding in his head, he needed the pillow and he needed it now! He blinked away the tears and trying to force himself to breathe normally for Sam's sake more than his own. 'I can't wait till this is over...I'm in hell,' he pouted feeling the bile and the undigested food that had barely tickled his stomach yet coming up, praying for it to stay down.
~SW/DW~
"Dean?" Sam asked when the show ended, he looked over to the bed and saw Dean's eyes closed and the lines on his face perfectly flat.
He sighed, took the pillow from behind his head and tiptoed over to Dean. He took a quick glance and suddenly felt bad when he saw Dean's hands under his head and part of the covers under his ear as a makeshift pillow.
He lifted his brother's head carefully and put the pillow back where it belonged then slowly set Dean's head down on it. He then noted his hand was clammy from Dean's usually spiked up hair and started to worry.
He picked up the thermometer from the nightstand and turned it on then moved to prop it as much in Dean's armpit as he could without waking him. He tapped his foot anxiously waiting for the bleep then let out a breath when it did but quickly covered the tiny speaker when Dean shuffled and moaned in his sleep.
"101.4, damn," he swore trying to think whether or not to take his brother to the hospital, when Jess had stomach flu he had picked up several leaflets and he distinctively remembered it said in all of them 'if a fever over 101 occurs, seek medical attention.'
'No, Dean would kill me if I, one, woke him up again, and two, if I took him to a doctor, 101.4 isn't that bad. Okay, new plan, if it reaches 102.4 he's going.'
"Mgg...Smm...ssiikkk..." Dean moaned turning a complete 180. He leaped over the other side of the bed and would have fallen off if it wasn't for Sam.
"Whoa, Dean where are you going?" he asked trying to push Dean back on the bed.
"Sskk..." was all he got out before the bit of water and a few other things came back up and into the bucket.
"Aah..." Sam sighed as he rubbed Dean's back hoping it wasn't too gay for him and praying it would comfort him, not make him feel uncomfortable and even worse.
"God being sick sucks," Dean coughed out before letting Sam pull him back up gently guiding him to the headboard
"Yeah, I know man, just lay down okay, I'll clean this out," Sam bit his cheek feeling gross himself after that, doing his best not to look at the sick in the bucket he was carrying. "You okay?" he asked before Dean nodded and he felt slightly better about going out of sight for few minutes to wash the awful smell down the drain.
"Hey S-Sammy?"
"Yeah?" he asked back leaning his head in the door way.
"Could you get me my deodorant?"
"Hang on," Sam smirked, 'always the modest one.' He finished cleaning out the bucket, dropped it back next to Dean's bed then went to get the spray. "Here," he said as he tossed it over.
Dean twisted a turn then sprayed a huge long burst into the air and all round him cringing at the smell in there. "That's a bit better," he said dropping it on the bed and shuffling down a little turning to the TV noting also he now had a pillow, 'much better, thanks Sammy.'
"You wanna watch something again?" Sam asked trying not to choke on the fumes.
"Yeah...t-thanks Sammy."
Sam nodded a 'you're welcome,' then flicked the TV on and looked for some Dean approved shows, when he hit on one with some old western he left it on. He then grabbed his laptop needing to search a little more about stomach flu, it might help to find some light hearted news about the virus to settle his worry - Dean's shivering had upped a notch and he was making no more attempts to ask for extra blankets making Sam worry even more.
"S-Sammy?"
"Yeah?"
"Guess you were r-right about fever goin' up..." he smirked tugging the covers up even more, which just made them come up over his feet making a draft all the way up his legs, 'terrific!'
"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Sam snorted setting his computer down.
"Guess I n-need to take em off?" Dean asked shivering but pushing them down anyway to his hips.
Sam breathed a sigh of relief Dean wasn't being awkward and saying he wanted to leave them on, so he stood and went to tuck the end of the blanket down the bed again to cover Dean's feet.
"Thanks, b-bb-r-rr," he shivered rubbing his hands over his fever ridden but freezing cold shoulders.
"Says here stomach flu should only last a couple of days," Sam stated hoping to reassure them both as he got on his laptop again and started searching further.
"Couple of days t-too long if you ask m-me," Dean told him then went to watch the film leaving Sammy to his geek boy searching.
~SW/DW~
"Ssunn...biisshh..."
"Dean?! Dean what the hell happened?! Are you okay?!" Sam rushed running to the other side of the bed where Dean had just fallen.
"Finnee..." he slurred anything but.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
"Needed the bathroom."
"So why are you on the floor?!"
"Tripped," Dean lied, he actually fell when the world started to spin and he missed the wall where he tried to put his hand.
"Man, you really suck you know that," Sam grumbled pulling him up and practically dragging him to the bathroom.
"I cann take it from hereee thanks."
"Fine, don't lock the door," Sam warned leaving him to it but not closing the door all the way.
~SW/DW~
10 minutes later they were both back in bed, Dean was feeling worse by the minute and Sam was getting more stressed and annoyed by Dean's short temper by the second.
"Sam would you not breathe so loud!"
"Sam would you just go to sleep?!"
"Sam for crying out loud stop watching me!"
"Sam! Stop staring it's practically incest you big freak!"
'UUHHHHHH!!!' Sam punched his pillow and turned on his side away from Dean, hoping to get back to sleep for just a few hours.
"Stop snoring!"
'Kill me now!' were Sam's last thoughts as his eyes shut.
~SW/DW~
It was now day 3 of Dean's bed rest, he had yet to wake up and Sam had yet to give him some pills, a sleeping Dean was better than a sick cranky awake one any day of the week.
"Uh!" he yelped when he felt a hand on him all of a sudden.
"Yeesh Dean, chill man," Sam placing his hand back on Dean's forehead trying to feel if the fever had gotten worse since he checked it this morning when he got up.
"Shit! D-don't scare me like that!" Dean scolded, his heart still jack hammering through his chest.
"Sorry."
"Getoffa me!" he slapped the hands away that were now trying to feel his pulse.
"Dean, your heart rate is like a mile a minute, you okay man?"
"GGiiffoomeeee!!"
When Dean started to thrash and almost gave Sam a black eye he knew something was wrong, really wrong.
"Dean? Look at me, I'm going to take you to the hospital okay, you need to see a doc-"
"NO!" Dean yelled shooting up, not ever wanting to go there again.
"Whoa man, calm down," Sam tried but Dean wasn't having any of it, the thought of doctors and the blood and Sam and what would happen if he had to stay in hospital and would dad be able to take care of him if anything happened and... "Dean, I need you to listen to me, you're having a panic attack, just calm down...breathe...in....out...in...out, its okay man, I'm right here."
"S-Sammy...dad...all my fault...didn't mean to, didn't...sorry dad...I'm sorry sir...I'm sorry...didn't mean to...I can't do this without Sammy...I can't...no! Leave me the hell alone you son of a bitch!!"
Sam held tight onto his flying arms, more for Dean's sake than his own, they were both panicking and it wasn't helping anyone.
"Dean? Dean? Oh god...o-okay, okay I think you're hallucinating...holy shit you're burning up...Dean, Dean look at me, dads not here okay, but you haven't done anything wrong," Sam cooed holding a hand at each side of Dean's face gently, forcing his big brother to look at him. When the glassy eyes didn't respond he ran for the thermometer needing to know the exact number of Dean's temperature, but not wanting to know with all his heart.
He waited for the bleep then just about had a heart attack, "104.4...oh shit..."
Dean was obviously picking up on his brother's distress and was now fighting the hands trying to help him even more, not knowing who it was and where he was, only knowing Sammy needed help.
"You son of a bitch!! Where's my brother?!!!"
"Dean, look at me, I'm right here, it's okay."
He stopped fighting, and had a good look, then went limp as he let out a sigh of relief, "Dad...?" he asked.
"No Dean, it's me, Sam..." he paused for a moment, "Sammy," he corrected.
"Sammy?...s'dad okay?"
"Yeah, yeah Dean, dad's fine," Sam bit his lip and gave a fake smile through the tears, he didn't know it would be this difficult to lie to his delirious brother, and god knows Dean's done it many time for him, he even remembered asking for 'mom' once and Dean promising him she was right there looking after them both, she'd just gone to get some warm blankets to keep them warm and cosy.
"Wiirr is eeh?" Dean was starting to shake again and he swayed his Sam's arms.
"He uh...he had to go out, get you some stuff, he left me to take care of you."
Dean nodded in understanding, then asked, "Hey Sammy?"
"Yeah Dean?"
"C'nn we be a family again? You know...l-like it used to be, 'efore you left."
Sam had two options, sob right then and there hoping it would just all work out, Dean would take care of it all...or he could grow a pair and look after his brother in need, the one that couldn't help him this time, the one that needed the help for once in his whole life since he could remember.
"Y-yeah, course Dean, whatever you want man, you just tell dad when he comes back, but ahh, I need you to do me a favour first."
"Wwhhtt?"
"Um, I need you to stay here, for just a sec, then I'll be back okay?" he promised squeezing Dean's shoulder.
"You're...leaving again, aren't you?"
"No, no god no, Dean I'm just going to the bathroom, you're running a fever and dad asked me to cool you off okay?"
"W'ss it nn'order?"
"Yeah Dean, he said 'Sammy, cool down your brother, he's too hot, that's an order son,'" he mimicked in his best John Winchester voice.
"Hhm," Dean laughed, "sounds like him, when you got a fever," he chuckled to himself releasing his vice grip he had on Sam's arm letting the younger one run to the bathroom to fill the tub up.
He sat there laughing to himself for quite some time, he felt strong arms pick him up and move him but he didn't care, he knew it was Sammy, dad had given orders so he would be okay, he knew his brother would do him proud. He was happy and content, telling himself jokes about Sam's upper body strength and lack thereof, but when sharp piercing needles of frozen ice shot through him he screamed out and tried to pull back into the warm arms again.
"No, no Dean you need to stay in there, it's okay, it's okay I swear," Sam chanted trying to restrain his brother in the luke-warm water.
"C-cold dad."
That was another kick in the chest for Sam, his brother was crying out for their dad. It broke his heart how much he wanted him there, not Sammy, the pain in the ass, selfish, worst brother and son on the planet, he wanted his dad, the one that had been with him for the last 2 years, the one who looked after him and patched him up and was there for him when the whole planet, including himself, shut Dean away and left him alone.
"God...Dean, I'm sorry, I'm so damn sorry."
"S-Sam-mmyy?" Dean asked chattering his teeth.
Sam didn't answer, Sam couldn't answer.
"D-dad w-where's S-Sammy?"
"He's ah...he left remember, but...don't worry son, I'm right here."
"W-want...S-Sammy...c-cold..."
"Yeah I know," Sam said crying alone watching Dean switch from him and to his dad and not make any sense at all in this universe.
"C-cann...I get out n-n-now?"
"Ah," Sam felt his forehead, and it still hurt to put his hand there, "not yet tiger."
"C-c-c-cold...wanna...gitout," Dean rambled trying to push himself up but he no longer had any strength to even keep his eyes open. "Ww'ss wrong wi me dad?...s-scared...no hospitals, CPS...not ever again"
"Yeah I know ace, but you're gonna be just fine, I promise."
Sam wondered what the hell Dean meant by 'CPS not ever again', did they get caught once? Had Dean been to the hospital and gotten taken away or something?
He swallowed back some more tears, pulled Dean forward, he then jumped in behind Dean and sat in the tub as well, keeping Dean to his chest, knowing it was what their father used to do when they were sick and upset, saying it was to show them he was there too, he was in it the same as them, he was willing to freeze his ass off for them in the very same bathwater, just to prove his point of how much he cared about them, sure it was about 10 years ago the last time he did it but still, it was the thought that counted.
"S'okay Dean-o, I'm right here, I'm in it with you, you don't have to be scared."
"T-thanks d-dad," Dean chattered before letting his eyes slip and drifting off.
~SW/DW~
"Dean? Hey man you with me?"
Dean blinked the fog away and tried to remember where the hell he was.
"S'mm?" he coughed needing to sit up.
"Here man let me help you," Sam pulled him up and rubbed his back, also praying he wouldn't choke up the pills he'd been forcing in him for the last 2 days, along with sodas and anything with high amounts of sugar and calories in that was liquid, with an old rub the neck and get the gag reflex going technique their dad taught them long ago.
"What's goin on?" Dean asked when he was sure the obstruction was moved out of the way.
"You've been pretty sick man, scared the shit outa me."
"Sorry," he croaked letting out one last cough and was handed a ginger ale.
"How you feeling?"
"Like shit," he moaned then sipped a little.
Sam laughed at that, he had to laugh at that, it was the first joke Dean had made in days, and it was damn good to hear.
"You okay?" Dean asked concerned about the dark circles under his baby brother's eyes.
"Me, I'm fine, I'm not the one that had a temperature of 104.4."
"What? Hospital?" Dean guessed looking around, he knew his brother, and knew if it was Sam, he would have been straight to the doctors at 101, never mind 104.
"Ah no, motel still...I tried but you wouldn't have it, kept saying 'no hospitals' over and over again and..."
"And what?" Dean bit his lip, he knew what this would be about, what he meant when he was obviously delirious and rambling his mouth off like an idiot 'Damn FEVER!'
"And.... 'CPS, not ever again', when the hell did we run into CPS?"
"Ah...we didn't...you did," Dean whispered hanging his head low.
"Wh...why don't I remember?"
"Cos you were too high on pain pills to even notice, but...me and dad...we almost lost you and ah...I've never been to a hospital since."
Now it all made sense, all those times Dean wouldn't go to the doctors, all those times their dad patched him up without question of a hospital, the time Dean's leg wound got infected and he had a fever so high he almost had a seizure and their dad still insisted on no hospitals, saying it was what Dean would want, it all made sense now.
"Guess the whole childhood fears kinda flared up again, stupid damn fever."
"What happened to me?"
Dean hated to talk about it, he had sworn he would never speak out loud about it ever again, but with the puppy eyes Sam was flashing at him right now, and how scared his baby brother looked at this moment in time, he knew he had to tell him, he owed him that much.
"You were about 13...and um, you were waiting in the car while me and dad went to kill...something..."
Sam gave him a confused look.
"Can't remember what exactly," he told his brother, then went on, "you had to pee, so you unlocked the car and went to this bush...and you fell, broke your wrist and hit your head, nothing too bad, but the week before you got bruised up pretty bad by a spirit, so dad banned you from hunting till they went away completely, and when the docs saw your bruises, they thought me and dad were abusing you so...they took you away for about a week, till dad finally convinced them how we would die before we laid a hand on you and kill who ever did, and we got you back but...that week in that motel room by myself, dad was busy calling all his contacts and pastor Jim for a reference and stuff...he was too busy to tell me we'd get you back, and I didn't really have anyone to talk to or to tell me things would be okay as long as we had each other...worst week of my life," he let out a chuckled as a few tears dropped.
"Didn't you used to tell me that?"
"Yeah but...still...ya know, kinda sucks being an only child I can tell you that."
"...well um...I'm sorry Dean."
"What for?" Dean lifted his head baffled.
"For being an idiot, for going for a pee and not looking where I was going, if I had then you wouldn't have had to go through that, you or dad."
"Sammy, if I'd have looked after you the week before like I was supposed to, you wouldn't have any bruises so, my fault."
"Dean, I know you're my big brother but, you ain't my guardian angel, sometimes bad things just happen, kids get hurt all the time accidentally, not your fault man, it was probably me that dropped my game on the hunt, let it go man."
"After 10 years now you're telling me to forget about it?" Dean smirked, Sam was the funny one sometimes.
"Yeah, let it go, chill, and for what's it's worth, I just got my taste of how tiring it is to look after your brother 24/7 is...man, is it really like this all the time with me? Even when I'm not sick?"
"You're Sammy, you need lots of attention and looking after, if I wasn't here god knows what you'd be doing, falling down drains, tripping up over your huge feet, choking on your food you forget to cut up, man, scary stuff, aren't you glad you got an awesome big brother watching out for you?"
"Actually...yeah, I am, I appreciate it Dean," Sam said sincerely.
"That all you got? I bust my ass off...and all I get is, I appreciate it."
"You want a love song?"
"Nar..I'll pass, think I'm gonna get some more shuteye, make the best of it while it's still your shift."
"Shift?"
"Yeah, being the big brother, I need a break some time you know, that's why I faked it this week."
"Faked it?"
"Yeah, I totally had you goin didn't I?"
"Oh yeah, really, you deserve an Oscar."
"Hey...thanks, for you know..."
"Yeah?"
"Mopping up my puke and what not...thanks."
"You're welcome, just...don't do it again."
"What?"
"Get sick like that, scared the crap outa me."
"Welcome to my world Sammy, welcome to my world," Dean repeated before shuffling down and closing his eyes knowing Sammy had it covered.
The End.
Thank you all!! X x x Mwah!!!
:D