Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun!
A Stitch in Time
Chapter 3 – Long Road Back
Dean listened to the one sided conversation his brother was having. For a moment he looked up expecting to see the ghost of their brother Adam standing there. It dawned on him that he hadn't taken care of the bodies. As soon as Sam was able, they would salt and burn the mother but they would give Adam a proper Winchester burial. The poor kid deserved it.
Deciding he needed to get this over quickly, he removed the stitches and began to clean inside the wound. He wrinkled his nose as the puss oozed from the deep wound. He was going to have to irrigate it again with holy water and peroxide. Damn his brother wasn't going to get a break. Taking a deep breath and bracing an arm to hold Sam still he poured the holy water over the wound. He sighed when there was no reaction. "Well at least we know the infection isn't supernatural—now for the hard part."
The hunter tightened his hold and poured the peroxide into the wound. He continued to pour even as Sam struggled and moaned beneath him. He knew he had to keep doing it until the liquid stopped bubbling. It seemed to take forever, but it was only minutes before he was satisfied that the wound was clean. He patted Sam on the shoulder but wasn't prepared for his brother to lurch up. He found himself sitting on the floor looking up at his flailing baby brother.
"NO! Stop—Oh God!" Sam tried to push himself up on the bed using his injured arms. Dean could see blood seeping from the fresh bandages as he continued to try to get away from whatever he was seeing in his fevered state. His brother's eyes were totally unfocused and he knew he wasn't seeing him but he had to try to calm him down before he did more damage.
"Sam—Sam, listen to me." Dean cried as he jumped up and gently tried to soothe his younger sibling. He thought maybe he'd gotten through when Sam's shoulders suddenly slumped, his head lolling back to the headboard as he collapsed.
"That's right Sam, just relax. I've got you." Dean said softly as he brushed the sweat soaked bangs back from his brother's eyes. He could feel the tremors and worried that the fever was getting worse again. If this kept up, he'd have no choice but to bring Sam to the hospital. For now, he'd settle for having his little brother lying down so he could check his wounds and finish fixing the one on his side.
"Come on Sam, let me help you lie down. .." His brother didn't resist as he slowly lowered him back onto the mattress. He checked the arms and sighed. There was a small amount of blood, but not enough to worry about. "Okay, looks like we just need to finish up with your side and then its night night for Sammy…"
Suddenly, Sam blinked slowly a smile curving his lips before a chuckle escaped. "What's so funny Sam?" But his brother continued to chuckle until he was laughing so hard it was clear he was having trouble catching his breath. "Sam, listen to me—you have to calm down!" But his brother continued until he was gasping for air. Dean was just getting ready to slap him in the face when his eyes suddenly rolled up as his body began to tremble.
"Dean!" Sam whispered as a final shudder coursed through his frame before he went limp.
"Sam!" Dean yelled as he quickly checked for a pulse. He breathed a small sigh of relief when he found one. It was a bit rapid for his liking, but at least it was still strong. Deciding to finish up before his brother came to again, he lightly tapped his sibling's shoulder. "Just take a nap while I finish this up Sam—at least you won't be feeling any pain."
He quickly finished cleaning the wound on Sam's side. He decided for the time being that stitching would have to wait. He was going to probably have to clean it out a few more times to make sure the infection was stopped before he sealed the skin again. He placed a fresh bandage over the wound and then gently removed the T-shirt from his brother. He could see the sweat still beading on his face and chest.
"Okay, wounds are treated now its time to do something about that fever." Dean removed Sam's sleeping pants and left him lying in his boxers. He quickly grabbed the ice bucket before he turned to leave. "I'll be right back Sam." He knew his little brother probably couldn't hear him, but he felt better saying it as he quickly left the room. The sooner he got the ice and returned the better he'd feel.
Two Days Later…
Sam blinked at the bright light filtering through the curtains on the hotel window. His eyes moved slowly to the lump on the bed next to him. His brother obviously had finally given in to his body's need for some rest. He raised his arm and winced at the pull of the stitches. It was still painful, but not as bad as it had been. His side still ached along with his head, but even these seemed manageable. The big problem now was his incredible need to pee and then find something to drink.
Slowly Sam swung his long legs over the edge of the bed, using their momentum to help pull himself to a sitting position. The room swam in his vision and he almost toppled but his need for relief was stronger than his need to pass out. He probably should call Dean, but he already felt guilty about tying his brother down to care for him. After all, he was a Winchester and it was past time for him to suck it up and move on.
He leaned forward and slowly stood on coltish legs. Moving at a snails pace, he managed to shuffle his way to the bathroom. He closed the door softly, congratulating himself on getting there when he heard a voice on the other side.
"Call when you're done Sam. We don't need you falling again and breaking open your stitches." Dean's tired voice echoed in the small room. Sam shook his head. He should have known his brother would hear him. He just wondered why he let him walk to the bathroom unassisted. Of course, since Dean had come back from his vacation downstairs, he hadn't been as quick to help Sam.
At first the young hunter thought it was because his brother realized he'd grown up while he was gone. But as time moved on and the wall between them grew, he realized it was probably because his big brother was tired of carrying the load. So he'd taken his Dad's attitude of self-reliance and took care of himself whenever possible. Although, if he was honest with himself, he did miss having someone to share the load with—even if it was to have his big brother going into overprotective mother hen mode. He missed the closeness they had shared and the feeling of protection his brother had given without complaint.
But now he knew he no longer deserved it—he'd corrupted himself past redemption. Once Dean found out what he was doing, the reasons wouldn't matter—he'd be a monster in Dean's eyes and something his brother would feel the need to kill. A tear fell down his cheek as he finished and moved to look at himself in the mirror. The haunted gaze that looked back was so different even he had trouble recognizing himself. He had changed and there was no going back now. He had to see this through not only for Dean but for all the other innocents who would suffer if he failed to kill Lilith.
He filled a glass with water and tried to bring it to his lips. His hands shook so badly he could barely steady the cup. He looked up and stared at himself—he knew what he needed but the question was how? Dean was constantly watching him. A loud knock on the door brought him back from his musings.
"Sam, anytime today would be good…"
"Just a minute Dude, I'm coming." Sam replied as he emptied what was left in the glass and finished washing up. A shower would probably feel good, but he didn't think he had the strength to stand long enough. It was best to give in for now and let Dean take care of him. Eventually he'd be able to get what he really needed for a complete recovery.
He slowly opened the door and gazed into the worried eyes of his brother. Dean glanced at him before reaching in and placing a steadying hand around his waist. Sam was actually grateful for the assist as he moved back towards the bed. It was amazing how exhausting a trip to the bathroom could be.
"Thanks Dean…" Sam sighed as he let his brother help him back into the bed. "Ah Dean?"
"Yeah Sam?"
"How long?"
Dean patted the blanket after he pulled it up to cover his sibling. "A little over 2 days now. The wound on your side got infected. Bobby said it was probably from the ghoul's. Evidently they carry bacteria—who knew?"
Sam laughed softly as he shifted and tried to get comfortable. As he lay back on the bed, he realized he'd forgotten how thirsty he was. The small amount of water he'd drank did nothing to quench his body's need for moisture. His brother sat beside him and looked at him for a moment before he responded.
"I bet you're thirsty—do you think you can hold down some broth? I bought some of the canned stuff yesterday when I went shopping."
"You left?" Sam was surprised. In the past, his brother never would have left him unattended. He didn't know why, but it hurt.
"Only for about twenty minutes Sam. I had to, we were out of fever reducer and you needed it. I grabbed the broth and some of that sports drink while I was there." Dean placed a calming hand on Sam's shoulder. "I never went far Sam…"
Sam heard the apology behind the words. He never really thought Dean had left him, but he was also sure once he found out about the demon blood—he'd walk away and never turn back. He felt his throat tighten at the thought of losing the one constant in his life. He jumped as he felt his brother's hand cup the back of his neck.
"Honest Sam, I won't leave you. I meant it when I said we were in this together. I just—I just needed time to think…" Dean looked down, his guilt was almost painful to see and Sam was not going to allow it to continue.
"It's okay Dean. I understand. Really—if you need to blow off steam you shouldn't feel bad about it. But you have to realize that I still think we need to use Ruby's intel to help us find Lilith. I'm not replacing you with her—I'm just…" Sam watched as Dean stood, his posture stiffened. He sighed as he realized he never should have brought up her name. This was why he didn't talk to his big brother anymore. All it did was lead to arguments and he was tired of it.
He heard a soft sigh as Dean turned back to face him. "So you didn't answer me Sam, broth or sports drink—I got you the girly purple one."
Sam rolled his eyes, glad his brother had fallen back to the Winchester rule of avoidance. If you can't talk about it ignore it. "How about both?"
"Okay, but if you do your Linda Blair impression again—you get to clean up the mess puke boy!" Dean grinned as he turned and went to get things ready.
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Dean flipped channels, his mind churning almost as fast as the flashes of programs while he surfed. While Sam seemed to be getting better, his brother had been unusually fidgety all afternoon. He knew neither of them liked to be in one place too long, but if he didn't know better he would have thought his brother was on something.
Maybe Bobby was right. He wouldn't put it past Ruby to give his brother some kind of brew she'd made up. She seemed to be able to come up with powerful hex bags whenever needed. A concoction to bind Sam to her wouldn't be hard for her. He gazed over at his little brother. The more he thought about it, the more he believed she had done something to him.
His little brother never would have willingly worked with a demon in the past. Of course, when he had been desperate to save Dean from hell that made sense. But he was back and they no longer needed the witch's help so the only thing he could think was she was controlling him somehow. He just needed to be patient and watch until she tipped her hand. Once he knew what she was doing to his little brother, he'd stop her for good this time.
He gazed over as he heard rustling and mumbling coming from the other bed. His brother was never one to sleep peacefully, but it was clear something was bothering him as his mumbling became louder. Dean got up and moved over to the bed. His hand automatically checked for fever and smiled at the lack of heat.
"Shhhh Sam, you're safe." Dean whispered as his hand dropped down to his brother's shoulder and squeezed lightly. There was a soft sigh as Sam moved into his touch and for a moment it was like old times again. At least unconscious his brother still responded to him, still trusted him. But awake was another story.
The older hunter waited a few more minutes until he as sure his brother was resting peacefully before he moved into the small kitchen area. He opened the fridge and pulled out a cold beer. He knew he wouldn't be going back to sleep any time soon. Not wanting to wake Sam, he moved outside and sat on one of the steps leading to the second level of the motel. The sounds of the night surrounded him, lulling him with their chorus. A soft sigh escaped the man's lips as he drank from the cool bottle.
His mind wandered back to the problem at hand. He knew Sam was hiding things from him, he wasn't stupid. But he also knew his brother wouldn't share until he was ready. Just like their Dad, the harder you pushed the more stubborn he'd become. No Dean had learned patience with his father and now he'd use the same approach with Sam.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he looked up into the night sky. "Well Dad, you'd be proud of your youngest son now. He's turned out just like you. Nothing exists but the hunt now, just like you taught him. Hell, you should have heard him with Adam, for a moment I thought it was you talking."
Shaking his head, Dean took another sip of his beer. "You know Dad, there is more to hunting than revenge—there has to be. The one thing you taught us is there is a right and wrong. I'm afraid Sam has forgotten or at least he is choosing to ignore it. I mean he's working with a demon Dad—a DEMON." A fist slammed into the concrete of the step. "I don't know how to get through to him anymore, I'm not even sure I should try…"
"If you can't save him Dean, you'll have to kill him…" His father's dying words echoed in his mind.
"You took the easy way out Dad. But I can't do that; I can't give up on him just yet. There has to be a way to save him and I'll find it. I won't let my brother turn into a monster." He quickly finished his beer and rose to return to the room. He didn't want Sam to wake and find him gone. He took one last look at the stars and sighed. "Yeah, you took the easy way out old man…"
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Sam sat on the edge of the bed, his mind on fire as he looked towards the bathroom door. He could hear the shower going inside. Now was the time to act, before his brother returned. The last three days has been hard with his brother's constant hovering. He knew part of what was wrong with him could be fixed by what he had in the bottom of his bag.
He recognized the symptoms from before. Ruby told him it was just a reaction to the blood but now he wasn't so sure. He wasn't stupid. He knew he was addicted. But he never worried about it because the truth was, he didn't think he'd be coming back from the battle to come. He was the one who was already tainted from birth, so adding more to it didn't seem like such a bad thing. Especially since it was clear it amped up his powers. Look what happened to Alistair.
If he hadn't drank more of Ruby's blood his brother would be dead—again. No, a little demon juice was a small price to pay to keep his brother safe and to end Lilith. He glanced once more at the door before he moved to the end of the bed. He bent over and searched through his bag. He panicked for a moment when his hand didn't find the silver flask. Then he remembered, he'd put it in his coat pocket.
Sighing, Sam staggered to his feet and moved towards the kitchen chair where his coat now hung. The room swirled around him, but he refused to fall this time. He'd tried yesterday but only ended up doing a face plant. Luckily Dean bought the excuse that he was trying for the bathroom. This time though he wouldn't fail. He didn't know how bad it would get and he didn't want to find out.
Slowly he managed to make it to the chair. He sat down heavily on the seat while his hand reached into his pocket. A sigh escaped his lips when his hand returned with the silver flask. Thank God it was full. He had left messages for Ruby, but she still hadn't returned his calls. Luckily they had come up with a way to supply him in case of an emergency.
He slowly removed the cap and looked at the dark red liquid within. For a moment a small voice screamed at him to stop but his need was too great as he poured a small amount into his hand and began to drink. The taste was disgusting, in fact the whole thing was disgusting but he was past caring at this point. If he didn't get better soon, Dean would suspect something was wrong with him. He couldn't have the conversation with his brother—not until after Lilith was gone.
The young hunter sat back for a moment with his eyes closed. In the past the small amount of blood he'd ingested would have made him feel better but as he looked down his hands still shook and he still felt weak. Maybe he needed more because of the blood loss. He took a quick look at the bathroom door before he filled his hand once more to drink. He quickly lapped up the blood, replacing the flask in his coat pocket just in case Dean came out of the shower.
He'd used half of his supply and still he wasn't feeling back to normal. He looked down and smiled as his hands finally stilled. The shakiness of the past few days was gone but he still felt weak. Of course, part of that was probably his body still recovering from what had been done to him. The rest of what he was feeling was actually normal for the type of injuries he'd sustained.
Normal—a soft chuckle escaped Sam's lips as he realized he was so far from normal it wasn't funny any more. His head jerked up as he heard the sounds of his brother getting out of the shower. Time to get his game face back on; he couldn't let Dean know what he'd done. He looked down to make sure no blood showed on his hands as he quickly wiped at his mouth. There couldn't be any signs or his brother would figure it out. A moment later the door opened and his brother emerged followed by a cloud of steam.
"I left you a little hot water Sam. Are you up to taking a shower?" Dean looked at Sam for a moment, his eyes checking him over. It was the way his brother always did before and for once Sam was glad. It meant his big brother was still in there, still cared at least a little about him.
"I'm good…" Sam stood and swayed for a brief moment before his head cleared. "Really dude, I'm feeling better today." He moved slowly towards his bag and smiled as Dean picked it up and put it on the bed for him. It was a small gesture but one he appreciated.
"Leave the bandages off when you finish. I want to check the wounds before I bandage them again." Dean replied as he moved to his own bag to get his clothes.
"Sure Dean—and thanks…" Sam said quietly as he headed for the bathroom. He almost didn't hear his brother's soft reply.
"No problem Sam…"
TBC
Raven524: Well about one more chapter should finish this story up. Thanks for all the reviews! I can't believe how many of you like this story. A big hug to you all!
