Chapter 3 (Revised) - enjoy ;0)
Warning: Mild language and adult content.
"What?!!"
The car swerves slightly ... I quickly gaze up to the heavens through my window.
Lord ... please don't let him kill us before we reach the hospital ... I'd really appreciate it ... oh ... and amen!
"No ... oh god no! ... um ... breathe, that's it ... just breathe Dean, and cough ... you have to cough ... oh god!"
His hand flies to my neck as he checks my racing pulse. Yup, he's panicking.
I cough to humor him ... but it seems to help ... so I do it again.
'That's it Dean ... just cough and breathe ... we're nearly there ..."
My baby roars to life as he steps on the accelerator. I'm battling with every breath as I clutch at my throbbing arm, fighting to stay conscious. Sammy tries to keep me awake by interrogating me to death, getting all the details of my encounter with that thing. He mercifully swerves into a parking spot outside emergency admissions a few minutes later. I'm still coughing on his instruction as he rushes around to open my door. He looks at me nervously for a second ...
"Okay Dean ... we're here ... let me help you ..."
I want to walk in there on my own two feet but I can't move with the pain I'm in. I look up at Sammy ... he's going to have to carry me ... someone just shoot me now. He seems to read my desperate expression.
"It's alright ... I've got you."
He lifts me up effortlessly as another pain shoots up my arm. I can't hold back a groan at the sudden movement.
"Please Dean ... just hang on ..."
I'm trying Sammy ... but it hurts like a S.O.B.
He slams the door with his foot. His foot? Please tell me he didn't just use his foot ... I'm so gonna kick his ass ... as soon as my life isn't hanging in the balance. I try to frown at him, but I cringe instead. He holds my shaking body securely as he sprints to the entrance, bursting through the doors and yelling for a doctor.
"I need help over here!"
There's a rush of assistance as he lowers me carefully onto a gurney, explaining to the physician on duty that I've been injected with some sort of poison as they quickly push me into the nearest exam room.
"What kind of poison?"
"I don't know ... but I think it's affecting his heart."
The doctor asks for a complete blood work-up to be done as he listens to my chest with his stethoscope. Sammy is urged out into the passage to fill in some paperwork as a nurse starts putting leads on my chest. She carefully pulls an oxygen mask over my face as the doc takes a few blood samples which immediately get rushed off to the lab. I feel surprisingly vulnerable without Sam's reassuring presence so I clutch at the sheets while my heart beat races on the monitor next to me.
"Mr ...?"
I don't know which bogus insurance card Sammy is using so I stick with my first name.
"Just call me ... Dean."
"Okay ... Dean ... we're going to run a few tests ... in the meantime the medication we'll be giving you should help slow down your heart rate for now."
I can only nod my head tiredly.
"Okay, give him 0.5 mg of Digoxin and let's get an ECG reading."
He looks at me calmly.
"You should start feeling better shortly ... can you tell me exactly what happened?"
Well doc, this gorgeous chic who turned out to be a supernatural creature, stuck her tongue-thing into my chest and injected me with this toxin, just so that she could feed off my endorphins while we did the hokey-pokey ... ya know, the usual ... so how was your day?
I snort ... setting off a cough ... which doubles me over as I battle to catch my breath. Commotion instantly explodes around me ... can't seem to focus ... can only hear panicked voices ... including Sammy's ...
"What's happening? ... What's happening to him?"
"Sorry sir, you need to give us some room ..."
"NO! He's my brother ... I'm not going anywhere ..."
Things are fading in and out ... blackness threatens the edges of my vision ... but I fight it ... inhaling ... just need to inhale ... and cough.
"It's okay Dean ... I'm here ... I'm here ..."
My heart palpitates in rhythm with my breath ... I'm so incredibly tired ... sweat's pouring off my body ... feels like I've just run a marathon ... but I still manage a smile when a few minutes later I open my eyes to Sammy's worried mug.
He smiles back, clutching my arm like a lifeline.
"Hey there ... how you feeling?"
"Feeble ..."
He snorts as he rests his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly for comfort, while the doc scans my chart ... he doesn't look very happy.
"How's he doing doc?"
"We've got the preliminary results back from the lab ... it looks like your brother's suffered a series of minor heart attacks."
I think Sammy's face just turned paler than mine.
"Heart attacks ... what does that mean?" He starts rubbing his forehead anxiously, while I stare at the doc in disbelief ... heart attack ... oh man ... this definitely sucks ...
"His heart is under severe strain ... a normal heart rate is at about 70 beats per minute your brother is in Tachycardia, that means his heart rate is around 240 beat per minute. From what we can tell, he's suffered at least 5 minor attacks on his way to the hospital."
"... jesus ..."
He breathes in deeply ... looking down at me in stunned shock. I return the look. We both know what this means. Shit ... it's not the first time I've had heart complications ... but this time there won't be a miracle ... no 'reverend le Grange' ... no 'bound reaper' ...
"I'm sorry, we won't know the extent of the damage until we can get him into a normal sinus rhythm and do some more tests. However, you need to be prepared, the prognosis isn't very good."
Sammy does what he does best when faced with a dilemma ... he starts clutching at straws ...
"What about an antidote?"
The doc just shakes his head ... way to inspire hope dude ... his bedside manner seriously sucks ...
"The damage to his heart is probably extensive. I'm really sorry, but even if we give him the antidote now, he most likely won't survive. We'll be more clear after we do a biopsy."
Sammy collapses into the chair next to my bed.
"No ... please ... there must be something ... anything you can do!"
Tears are welling up in his eyes and I have to turn my head, swallowing the lump in my throat ... damnit ... I can't go through this again ... I can resign myself to death, it hangs over me daily and I've done it before ... but it's Sammy who I know from experience wont let go ...
"We can only make him as comfortable as possible ... I'm really sorry."
Sammy swallows convulsively, squeezing my wrist.
"How much time does he have?"
"The medication we've been giving him doesn't seem to be working ... it's having no effect on his heart rate or breathing."
Oh friggin fantastic.
"At this rate ... he'll probably suffer from a stroke and eventually go into congestive heart failure ... the next few hours are critical."
I look over at Sammy, he's covering his face dejectedly with his hands. What the hell do I say to him? The doc leaves quietly as I reach over to brush my fingers through his hair.
"Sammy?"
He sniffs loudly ... rubbing furiously at the tears in his eyes.
"Shit ... sorry Dean ..."
He chuckles half-heartedly.
"... didn't mean to ..."
He stands up. There's a determined glint in his eyes. Ah crap ... that's so not a good sign.
"I'm going after her!"
If the toxin running through my system doesn't give me a serious heart attack, then Sammy definitely will.
"No Sam! You're not! Ya hear me? You're not going after her by yourself ... you call Bobby ... and you wait for back-up!"
"We can't Dean, there's no time ... I'm going, I have to ... I need to try!"
SHIT!
"Sammy please ... just for once, let it go ... I know its hard, I do, but it's not worth it ... it's not worth risking your life over, besides you heard the doc ... there's no hope ... it's already too late!"
He starts shaking as he glares at me angrily ... I know I won't win this fight.
"Dean! I'm not just going to sit here and wait for you to die ... if there's a chance, no matter how small ... I'm taking it! I don't care what the doctor said, I'm not giving up."
I sigh wearily ... I need to discourage him somehow ... but he's like a dog with a bone.
"You told me that she administers a different toxin to the back of her victims heads ... you said it counteracts the effects of the first toxin ... right?"
I nod my head.
"Yeah ... but she also said that the second toxin stimulates endorphins causing the pituitary gland to swell ... those guys all croaked from massive brain hemorrhages."
A light bulb seems to go off in his head. He starts grinning at me smugly ... I hate it when he does that.
"Right ... but what if we only give you a small dose of the second toxin ... just enough to cancel out the first one? It's risky and dangerous, I know, but it's our only choice ... it's at least worth a try."
I look at him in surprise ... that actually might work ... but there's a but ...
"Sam, even if this plan of yours succeeds ... my heart is damaged ... there's just no fixing that ..."
He closes his eyes for an instant and takes a steadying breath.
"I know Dean ... but the doc hasn't done the biopsy yet ... he said he doesn't know the extent of the damage ... he's still waiting for the results ... so until I have solid proof, there's still hope ... that's all I have ... and it's enough ..."
I look at my stubborn baby bro. My pride warring with my fears.
"I'm going Dean ... I'll be careful, I promise ... just trust me enough to do this for you ... okay?"
I trust him with my life.
"Okay."
He gives me a quick run-down of his plan ... he's going back to the hotel, he'll try and pick up her trail from there. I warn him about her weird rotating neck trick and he swears on all things holey that he'll be cautious, because if he dies trying to save my ass, he knows I'll kill him.
He looks at me seriously for an instant.
"Dean promise me ... promise me you'll hold on ... until I get back."
... god ...
"Yeah sure Sammy ... I promise ... but before you go ... let's have a hug!"
My throat croaks with teasing emotion ... he chuckles as he gets up to leave.
"You are such an ass!"
"Oh come on Sammy ... just one hug for the road ... don't be a bitch!"
He flips me a bird as he snorts his way down the passage. I anxiously watch him leave, this already feels like a bad plan ... I yell after him ...
"Be careful Sam ... I mean it ... and phone me!"
"Yes mom!"
He's gone. My stomach knots anxiously as I wait for his return. The doc comes in again to check on me, he's scheduled the biopsy for midmorning. I tell him I'm expecting a call from Sammy ... hospitals don't usually allow cell phone's in the ER, messes with their equipment ... but he doesn't object, doesn't even attempt to put up a fight, and lets me keep it next to the bed ... oh yeah ... don't need more proof than that ... I'm definitely a goner.
Sammy lives up to his word though and phones me with regular updates ... he's in the car ... he's at the hotel ... he's in her room ... her stuff is still there ...
"Hold on a second Dean ... I think I hear something ..."
"Sam?"
I wait for his reply but suddenly the shit hits the fan. I hear the phone dropping and the sound of fighting and scuffling ... shit ...
"SAMMY?"
More sounds of thumbs and bumps and crashes.
"SAM!"
I'm sitting straight up in bed ... my already racing heart speeding up double time, but the muffled sound of a silencer in 3 quick concessions has my heart stopping.
"SAMMY?"
Please god ... let him pick up ... let him be alright ... I wait ... the stillness is deafening ... my hand cramps as I clutch the phone ...
"Dean?"
I release the breath I was holding ... feeling lightheaded.
"Sammy ... dude ... way to give me a heart attack man!"
He sounds out of breath.
"That isn't funny!"
I grin to myself, it's a little funny ...
"Did you waste her?"
"Yeah ... had to use the whole can of Raid though."
I snort.
"Nice going kiddo ... you get hurt? Any holes?"
"Nothing a few boxes of Band-Aids won't fix ... you?"
"Oh I'm just dandy, having a rejuvenating avocado face-mask with a complimentary pedicure as we speak ... just get your ass over here so we can get the couples discount, okay?"
He chuckles.
"Yes Dear."
The call ends with a click and I place the phone on the table next to me vowing to never let him out of my sight again. I rub my chest absently as my breath hitches. Shit ... I'm beat ... maybe I should close my eyes for a bit.
I wake up in unbearable pain.
Something's wrong ... something's definitely wrong ... I grip my arm ... oh shit ... I can't breathe ... my heart is wrenching painfully in my chest ... I lean over, grunting in agony, as I press the call button above my bed to alert the doc.
Need to phone Sammy ... he has to understand ... I reach over with my shaky hand for my cell, pressing speed dial. My chest is in a vice-like grip ... jesus ... it shouldn't end this way. He picks up immediately.
"Sammy ..."
"Dean ... thank god ... I've got it, I've got the antidote toxin stuff. I had to drain it out of this gland under her tongue, it was beyond description and completely gross, so I took a few pictures on my cell for you ... I'm on my way ... should be there any minute."
The monitor next to my bed starts beeping in alarm as I struggle for my next breath.
"Sammy ..."
"Dean? ... what's happening ... what's that noise ... are you alright?"
A nurse rushes in ... It takes all of my strength to speak ...
"I'm ... sorry ..."
"Call the doctor ... he's coding ..."
The last thing I hear as the phone drops from my slack fingers is Sammy yelling ...
"DEAN! DEAN! Answer me damnit! ... DEAN! ... NO!"
TBC ;0)
Last chapter up next week.