"Hold on, Sammy," Dean murmured to his brother, "Help's on the way."

The hunter looked up at the sound of approaching footfalls and saw six separate flashlight beams illuminate the darkness along the edge of the old riverbank.

"Hey!" Dean called, "We're down here!"

"We found them!" a male voice called out and Dean sinks to his knees with relief, sighing raggedly.

The rescue team, paramedics trained to find hikers and campers lost in the wilderness, descend the old, crumbling riverbank and surround the Winchester brothers.

"I'm alright," Dean insisted as two paramedics- a man and a woman- approach him, offering him a blanket and a thermos of coffee.

"Can you help Sammy?" is the only thing Dean wanted to know.

The female paramedic gave Dean a sympathetic look, "We'll get him out."

W

It irritated Dean to no end that he wasn't allowed to help the paramedics. Whenever he tried he was gently pushed away, told to rest and drink some of the coffee he'd been given.

But De was a Winchester, stubborn as they come, and Sam was his brother and he'd be damned if he didn't help in some way.

Instead of helping to shift the rubble trapping his sibling, he sat by Sam's head, sipping at his thermos of coffee and talking to his brother who had appeared to be unconsciousness again.

The rescue team worked slowly, maddeningly slow in Dean's opinion, but he knows they could not rush what they were doing. They were completely focused on Sam. No one had asked what Dean was doing with a flamethrower in the middle of the forest and for that he was grateful. Awkward questions could wait; all he wanted was to know that his brother would be alright.

W

The team worked throughout the night, carefully shifting the rubble, concentrating on their task.

As more of his brother's battered body was revealed, Dean's heart clenched smaller and smaller.

The ground beneath his sibling was stained a dark red, the dirt greedily drinking in his spilled blood, and more bloomed bright crimson as the pressure was lifted from bones and limbs, quickly staunched by the paramedics, their faces grim in the light of the torches.

Just as the grey sky was streaked with pink, Sam was gently placed on a bright yellow canvas stretcher, a brace around his neck to protect his spine, and lifted by two male paramedics.

Dean stood tiredly, grabbing his brother's ruined backpack and stuffing the flamethrower into it as best he could before following along behind the rescue team members, exhausted and stumbling.

A hand fell on Dean's shoulder and he looked up tiredly, seeing the female paramedic who had first spoken to him. Although she said nothing now, Dean felt as though she were giving him a boost of confidence, letting him know silently, that Sam was going to be okay.

W

The trek through the still-dark forest was longer than Dean would have liked. Shadows still ruled the woods and every one seemed to the hunter to be a savage wendigo, ready to leap from the cover of the trees and tear his small family apart for good.

Dean shook his head, trying to clear away the cobwebs caused by lack of sleep.

The hunter didn't know how he managed to make it to the meadow; he stumbled and tripped over exposed tree roots, his face and clothes slashed at by branches, as he was made clumsy and uncoordinated by exhaustion.

On autopilot, Dean walked behind the paramedics carrying his brother, eyes heavy and gritty with sleeplessness.

The older sibling nearly walked into the paramedic standing in front of him as the group stopped, staring out into a wide meadow, a red Emergency Rescue helicopter sitting among the tall grass.

They'd have to fly out, Dean realized but barely cared, not even his fear of being airborne could make itself known to the weary hunter.

He followed the paramedics as they crossed the field and the rear door of the helicopter was opened so Sam could be loaded inside.

"Coming?" the female paramedic called and Dean looked up sharply; he hadn't realized his brother was already safely secured in the back of the helicopter and they were ready to leave.

Reaching up, Dean took the woman's hand and she helped pull him up into the helicopter, encouraging to take a seat near his brother's head and strap himself in.

As the pilot prepared to lift off, the helicopter shaking threateningly, Dean's eyes locked onto his brother's face.

"It's okay, Sammy," the older Winchester whispered as he grabbed the edges of his seat as the rescue helicopter began to rise up from the ground, "We're on our way to a hospital. You'll be alright."

W

Dean couldn't have said how long it took to fly to the hospital, it may have been only minutes or hours, the entire time he kept his gaze focused on his brother's pale, battered, blood-streaked face, to help take his mind off his fear of flying.

And it worked.

His concern for his sibling trumped the paranoia that always reared its ugly head whenever his feet left solid ground.

Dean looked up, surprised, when the helicopter bumped lightly onto the landing pad atop the local hospital. Unstrapping himself from his seat, the hunter quickly took up position beside his brother, knowing that it wouldn't be long before hospital personnel separated them.

Dean reached out and took hold of his brother's right hand, squeezing it gently.

"We're here, Sammy," he murmured tiredly to his unconscious brother, "The doctor's are gonna fix you up good as new really soon."

Dean exited the helicopter right after his brother, the paramedics carrying Sam on the stretcher still.

Looking up, Dean noticed that more people had joined them on the roof of the hospital. A male doctor of Chinese decent, who looked far too young to have passed medical school and a curvy nurse peered down at Sam, talking to one another. Four porters had also arrived to help transport the injured hunter into the hospital.

Dena jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder- expecting that female paramedic again- he was surprised to see a woman doctor with thick-rimmed glasses, steel grey hair cut in a bob that ended at her earlobes and eyes the colour of warm chocolate.

"I'm fine," the older Winchester stated instantly, his eyes following the doctor, nurse, and porters who were now moving closer and closer towards the doorway that led into the hospital with Sam.

The female doctor smiled, "Humour me."

Sagging, Dean decided that it wouldn't hurt to do as the doctor asked- at least it'd be better than waiting anxiously for word on his sibling- and followed the doctor into the hospital.

The doorway led directly into a large service elevator; Dean felt his heart shudder when his brother disappeared behind the steel-grey doors with his team of medical professionals, leaving the older Winchester to wait on the roof.

"Where are they taking Sam?" Dean asked the female doctor.

"He'll be on his way to surgery," the woman told him, "Don't worry, Dr. Tang is the best trauma surgeon we have."

Dean nodded, not quite sure if he believed that a doctor who looked fresh out of high school was as good at what he did as this woman said he was.

The elevator doors opened and the hunter and the doctor stepped inside. Dean leaned against one wall, his legs trembling at the knees.

"He's your brother," the doctor said and Dean nodded tiredly, "How did you know?"

The woman smiled, taking her glasses off and wiping them with a pink slip of cloth from the pocket of her white coat, "It's not hard to tell. I have a younger sister and more than once I've had that exact same expression you're sporting right now whenever she's been in trouble."

"Oh," Dean muttered.

"So," the doctor continued casually, "What were you doing out in Ogilvie Park? Fishing, camping… hunting?"

The young man's head snapped up and he stared at the woman.

"There's a lot of pheasant and wild turkey out in the park," the doctor explained calmly, "My husband often goes there during season for them."

"We were just hiking," Dean lied, "We'd heard that the area was nice and decided to check it out."

The doctor nodded and scowled before, "A lot of young people go out there to drink and party."

"But it's been dangerous lately," she continued, "The police are saying there's a cougar out there that's been attacking campers and hikers."

Dean knew what she was thinking; why were he and Sam out in the forest if they knew it was so dangerous?

"We're not from around here, Doc," he said, "We didn't hear about any animal attacks."

The woman nodded and smiled when the elevator stopped at the correct level and the doors opened.

"If I didn't know better," the doctor said as she stepped out of the lift, "I'd say you two ran afoul of that cougar yourselves."

Dean followed the woman but said nothing. She must have noticed Sam's torn shirt and the bloody gashes on his side. The doctor was observant; he'd give her that.

They walked down a long hallway that smelled strongly of bleach before the doctor opened a door and ushered Dean inside. The young man paused at the sight of an exam room like the ones found in many clinics.

The woman smiled, "Don't worry, I'm not going to give you a physical or anything. You're dead on your feet and could use a quiet place to rest while you wait for your brother, right?"

Dean nodded. He did need to sleep. He seemed hardly able to keep his eyes open.

"Go on," the doctor said with a movement of her head, "I won't let anyone disturb you."

Dean stepped into the room, deciding that although the doctor was a little odd, he liked her.

"Thank you," he said with sincerity and the woman quietly closed the door.

The hunter peered around the room before walking over to a padded chair set aside for patients who weren't too keen on getting up onto the exam table right away and collapsed into it.

The elder Winchester scrubbed a hand over his face wearily and leaned back, trying to get comfortable though now he wasn't sure if he'd be able to sleep after all.

W

Dean woke with a start, confused and unsure of where he was. Glancing around it took him a moment for him to remember he was in a hospital and in an exam room in particular, waiting for his brother to be released from surgery.

Sitting up in the chair- he had managed to slip down as he slept- Dean fished his cell phone from his pant's pocket and swore when he saw that he had been asleep the entire day!

Standing and ignoring his back as the tense, cramped muscles stretched, Dean stepped out of the room and peered down the hallway.

The hospital was quiet now; although the lights were still shining in the corridor, many patients' doors were closed for the night and Dean didn't see another soul in the hallway.

Glancing up, he spied a dozen signs pointing up and down the hall with arrows, directing visitors to their destinations.

Dean just needed to find a nurses' station.

Deciding that the left looked promising, the hunter took that direction, passing closed-off doors and empty gurneys.

"Hello?" Dean called, hoping there would be a nurse on duty nearby.

He continued down the hallway, angry at himself for sleeping so long and angry with the doctor for not coming to get him when Sam was out of surgery.

Was Sam's surgery over?

He'd been pretty beaten up and Dean wasn't sure how long it would take to help but his sibling back together again.

Dean shook his head, his mind still foggy from sleep and he picked up the pace.

Maybe Sam wasn't finished in surgery yet, Dean thought, or maybe he was out but he wasn't okay. Maybe that was why no one had come to get him, because instead of a hospital room, his brother was laying in the morgue.

Dean skidded to a halt at the end of the hallway. It opened into a circular area with chairs for waiting visitors and patients and had a large nurses' station along one wall.

"Hello?" the hunter said and the woman at the desk looked up, her eyes going wide when she saw his face.

"I'm looking for my brother," Dean told her as he stepped forward, "Sam Winchester? He was brought in here this morning… I don't know where he is now."

The nurse- a girl who couldn't be older than twenty-five- continued to stare at Dean as though he had two heads.

"Nicole," a familiar voice called from down the hallway behind Dean, "It's alright, he's with me."

The nurse- Nicole- nodded and after another curious glance at Dean, returned to her work, with a polite, "Yes, Dr. Gibson."

The elder Winchester turned around and spied the female doctor who had found him the empty exam room to crash in.

"Hey!" he snapped, storming over to the woman, "Is Sam still in surgery? Where is he?"

Dr. Gibson, to her credit, didn't look intimidated by the hunter at all.

"I thought you needed the rest," she told Dean quietly, "Yes, your brother came out of surgery about forty-five minutes ago but when I last checked, Dr. Tang said he hadn't woken up yet."

"Take me to him," Dean demanded, "Now."

Dr. Gibson nodded, "Dr. Tang will want to talk to you himself but I can take you to him."

The young man trotted along beside the doctor as she led him towards the same elevators they had used to enter the hospital and stepped into the lift once again.

"Is Sam going to be okay?" Dean asked, arms crossed over his chest as he waited impatiently for the elevator to descend.

Dr. Gibson gave Dean a sad smile, "I don't know, you'll have to talk to your brother's doctor when we see him."

The older Winchester sniffed irritably, wanting only to see his brother.

When the elevator stopped two floors below the level he had been on, Dean slipped out between the doors before they had even opened all the way.

"Where is he?" he asked, looking down either side of the hallway, "Which room is his, Doc?"

"This way," Dr. Gibson said and swept down the hall to the left, Dean jogging after her.

The hunter's heart had started to pound in his chest again and his mouth had gone dry, all the moisture in his body seeming to accumulate on his palms, which were slick and clammy.

Dr. Gibson led Dean all the way down to the end of the hallway before stopping at the last doorway on the right and peering inside. Opening the door a crack, she caught her colleague's attention and Dr. Tang stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Dr. Tang," Dr. Gibson said, "This is Dean Winchester, your patient's brother."

Dean distractedly shook the doctor's hand before launching into his barrage of questions, "Is Sammy going to be okay? Has he woken up yet? What did you have to do? When will he be alright to leave?"

The young doctor held up a hand, "Thank you, Dr. Gibson, goodnight."

The female doctor bade a goodnight to her colleague and Dean before making her way down the hallway, leaving the two men alone.

"Your brother was seriously injured in that landslide," Dr. Tang said and Dean's heart skipped a beat, "Though not critically, his injuries are still very severe."

"Okay," the older Winchester said slowly, trying to convince himself that his brother was going to be fine.

"Your brother suffered the most trauma to the lower portion of his body," Dr. Tang said unnecessarily. Dean tried not to scowl at the young doctor and instead nodded at him to continue.

"He was suffering from broken ribs, a broken arm and severe blood loss," Dr. Tang said, "The bones in his left leg were shattered and required extensive work to repair. He required a series of pins and rods in that leg to help keep the bones in place and prevent them from shifting while they heal."

Dean cringed and the doctor paused.

"I'm okay," he assured Dr. Tang and the man kept going, "Your brother's right leg was also broken, the damage was not so severe, although his hip was chipped as well."

Dean's face must have gone white because the doctor quickly gave him the good news, "There was no spinal damage or head trauma; your brother is very lucky and I am certain that with physical therapy he'll be able to walk again almost as well as he could before the accident."

"Can I see him now?" he asked and Dr. Tang nodded, opening the door.

Dean stepped into the room and his heart wrenched in his chest at the sight of his brother.

Sam lay still and unmoving beneath the white hospital blankets pulled up to his chin. His face, although smooth with sleep, was purple and blue with bruises, his nose clearly broken, his eyes blackened. The gash on his brow held together with stitches. Sam's left arm rested atop the blanket, encased in a clean white cast. His brother's right leg, hidden beneath the thin white blanket appeared to be too bulky for his body but Dean knew it was just another plaster cast. The left leg lay atop the blanket and the hunter cringed at the appendage's lower half, long metal pins sticking right up out of Sam's skin and held in place by a circular metal frame; it looked to Dean like some sort of Medieval torture device rather than one to help bones heal.

Forcing his gaze back up to his brother's face, Dean stepped up beside the bed, catching sight of the IV stand attached to the right side of the bed, one pouch delivering nutrients to his brother and the other, blood.

The hunter slumped into the seat set aside for visitors and reached out, wanting to take his brother's hand but unsure of just which one he could hold- the one with the cast or the one with the IVs- when he heard a low moan escape Sam's lips.

"Sam?" Dean asked, leaning forward eagerly, whispering.

Another groan from Sam and Dean could see his brother's eyelids fluttering, struggling to open.

Reaching out, Dean lightly touched Sam's right wrist, "C'mon, Sammy, c'mon, it's okay. You can do it."

Slowly two green eyes opened to slits, glassy and bloodshot.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean whispered, rubbing his brother's wrist.

His sibling's only response was to whimper in pain and for tears to well up in his eyes.

"Sam?" Dean asked, his heart skipping a beat, "Sammy?"

Sam closed his eyes but the tears leaked out from underneath the lids and he moaned.

Dean, without taking his eyes away from his brother, reached blindly towards the nurses' call button and pressed it a half-dozen times in quick succession.

"Shhh, Sammy," Dean murmured, feeling his own eyes prick with tears, "A nurse will be here in a moment, just hold on."

The older brother continued to comfort his sibling until he heard soft-soled shoes squeaking on the tile floor outside the door and looked up to see a nurse standing in the doorway.

"Is anything wrong?" she asked and Dean nodded.

"My brother's in pain," he told her, "Can you give him something?"

The nurse nodded once and left the room.

Dean turned back to his brother, lifting a corner of the blanket and gently wiped Sam's face.

"The nurse is going to get you something for the pain," he assured his sibling, "she'll be back in a moment, don't worry."

Instead of the nurse coming back, moments later Dr. Tang stepped into the room.

Dean couldn't help but glare at the man.

"Sam's hurting," he informed the doctor brusquely, "He needs something."

Dr. Tang nodded distractedly as he approached the bed, pulling a pen light from his pocket as he did so.

"His name's Sam?" he asked but Dean didn't answer and he turned his attention to his patient instead.

"Sam? I'm Dr. Tang, I need you to open your eyes for me."

Sam whimpered and moved his hand to grab Dean's fingers, almost crushing them in a tight grip.

"Sam? Open your eyes, Sam."

Dean glared at the doctor.

"Just give him something! Can't you see he's in pain?"

Dr. Tang ignored him and raised the hand not holding the penlight as though he was about to lift Sam's eyelid manually but Dean stopped him with a hand on his arm.

The doctor looked up at Dean and the hunter glowered at him, shoving Dr. Tang away from his brother.

"Get my brother something before you start poking and prodding him," the hunter snarled and the doctor left the room quickly.

"D'nnnn," Sam whimpered and Dean looked concernedly at his sibling.

Hurried footsteps announced the arrival of the nurse Dean had called; she entered the room with a syringe in her hand.

"This will help him sleep and take away most of the pain," she told Dean as she added the liquid in the syringe to the IV line.

"Thank you," the hunter said and returned his gaze back to his brother once again.

W

Dean looked up, rubbing his eyes groggily as the door to his brother's room opened and the nurse from the night before entered with a breakfast tray.

"Try and get him to eat something," she said quietly.

Dean nodded and took the tray from her.

Once the nurse had left Dean reached out and touched his brother's wrist. He would have liked to let Sam sleep for a bit longer but knew his sibling needed to eat.

Sam's eyes opened slowly, clouded and still bloodshot but they quickly focused on Dean's face.

The older Winchester smiled, "Feel up to having some breakfast, Sammy?"

His brother blinked at him but said nothing; he looked tired more than anything else. Dean shoved the moveable table that was attached to the hospital bed by a metal arm until it was positioned in front of his brother.

"Let's get you sitting up," Dean told his brother and pressed the button that would raise the upper part of the bed so that his sibling could sit up.

Once Sam was ready, Dean lifted the lid from the tray of food with a flourish that was lost on his brother and stared down at the rehydrated scrambled eggs, fruit cup, orange juice and toast on the tan-coloured plastic tray.

Dean picked up the plastic fork and raised an eyebrow at his brother; Sam just looked back at him tiredly, his eyes glazed.

Dean scooped some of the scrambled eggs onto the end of the fork and was just about to lift the utensil to his brother's mouth when Sam lifted his right hand.

"You can do it?" Dean asked and Sam took the fork from him with trembling fingers.

The older brother watched as his sibling slowly ate, his movements made uncoordinated with exhaustion and pain.

W

Sam ate all of the eggs and drank all the orange juice, impressing his brother.

"Why don't you get some rest, Sammy?" Dean suggested and his brother closed his eyes instantly, falling asleep within minutes.

Dean smiled and sat back, deciding that he could go for something to eat as well.

Reaching out, he gave his brother's wrist a gentle squeeze before standing and stretching.

He could grab himself some food and a coffee and be back at his brother's side in no time.

Stepping out into the hallway, Dean made his way back to the nurses' station at the end of the corridor and smiled at the familiar young woman behind the desk.

"Can you point me in the direction of the cafeteria?" he asked.

Now that he wasn't overcome with worry for his brother, Dean took the time to appraise the young nurse. She had short, spiky hair the colour of caramel and deep blue eyes. She was wearing hot pink scrubs and a nametag that read 'Tricia'.

"It's on the first floor," Nurse Tricia told Dean, smiling back at him, "Is your brother finished breakfast?"

Dean nodded, "Ate more than I expected."

"That's good," Tricia said and stepped out from around the desk.

"Uh… Dr. Tang isn't going to be coming around anytime soon, is he?" the hunter asked, trying to hide his dislike of the young doctor.

Tricia shook her head, "Unless something's wrong, his job is finished for the most part."

Dean nodded, satisfied, "Thanks."

SPN

Sam opened his eyes slowly, pain radiating out from every part of his body.

He groaned and was instantly aware of a presence looming over him.

No, not looming, hovering.

"D'n?" Sam ground out; even speaking hurt, and rolled his eyes to try and catch sight of his sibling.

"I'm right here, Sammy," Dean's concerned face appeared in Sam's line of vision and he felt a warm, calloused palm on his wrist.

"The… we-wendigo?" Sam asked breathlessly, feeling exhausted already and Dean squeezed his wrist comfortingly.

"It's toast," his sibling assured him.

Sam sighed; glad that at least the monster hadn't gotten away.

"Close your eyes, Sam," Dean instructed, "Get some sleep."

Hm… that sounded nice, Sam thought and did as his brother suggested, quickly slipping into unconsciousness once again.

SPN

Dean sipped at his coffee and watched over his brother with the protective instinct of a mother bear.

Although his brother was still exhausted, the meds Tricia had given him the night before appeared to be still doing the trick and were keeping the worse of Sam's pain away.

Dean was glad to hear his brother's voice again, albeit weak and raspy, it indicated that although battered, Sam was not beaten.

Lifting the coffee cup to his lips again, Dean sighed, knowing that it would be a long road to recovery for his brother but he would be with Sam every step of the way. Everything else took a back seat when it came to his brother's welfare.

Cas and the angels could wait, Crowley could wait, and the Mark of Cain could wait… all Dean cared about was getting his brother back onto his feet.

Author's Note:

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