Lessons in Pain Ch. 3
Disclaimer: Kripke and the CW own the Winchesters. I am just playing in their sandbox for a little while and will return them. I am not making a profit from this story!
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNNNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
Previously: Dean pulled the comforter off of his own bed and threw it over Sammy before prodding him awake just long enough to take a couple of Tylenol before climbing into bed himself hoping things would be better in the morning.
Dean awoke abruptly in the middle of the night unsure of what had him prodded him from sleep. He glanced around the motel room to see that everything was as it should have been. He could feel a dull throbbing in his ankle and assumed that had been the culprit, that is until he heard the hacking sound of hoarse coughing coming from his baby brother's bed. "Crap" he mumbled as he pushed himself from the warm comfort of the blankets he had cocooned himself into. He immediately felt a slight shiver as the cool air of the motel room assaulted him since he was dressed only in boxers. He winced as he stood up, the pressure of standing causing his ankle to throb even more. Pushing the pain to the back of his mind, he hobbled over to the bed to check on his baby brother.
As he knelt beside Sammy's bed, he could see the sheen of sweat glistening on Sammy's face not to mention the way that his soaked bangs were plastered to his forehead. He gently placed a hand on Sammy's forehead with the palm side down. "Damn kiddo, you're burning up" he gasped as he immediately snatched the blankets away from his baby brother's body causing Sam to groan in discomfort. He had to get the kid cooled down as quickly as possible. He ran into the bathroom and turned on the faucets after plugging the bath tub to fill it with tepid water to cool his brother down.
Returning to the room, Dean gently shook Sammy by the shoulders. "Come on dude, time to wake" he goaded.
"Stop De, Le' me 'lone" mumbled Sam as he tried to push his brothers hands away sleepily.
"Sorry, no can do tiger, we've got to get you cooled down some" Dean regretfully informed his brother hating to disturb his sleep. He reached out and grasped Sam by the upper arms and pulled him into a sitting position. He quickly had to steady his brother as Sam immediately began to waver on the bed. "Easy there princess" Dean voiced as his concern skyrocketed. Sammy was really out of it.
"Alright Sammy, let's get you on your feet" Dean encouraged as he slowly began to force Sam into a standing position. He wrapped one arm around Sam's waist while pulling one of Sam's around his shoulder and started guiding them both forward. Allowing Sam the modesty of keeping his boxers on, Dean led him over to the half filled tub and helped him to sit on the edge. After checking to make sure that the water was the right temperature, he turned the faucets off and grabbed a washcloth of the rack that it was hanging on. "Here goes nothing" he said as he lifted Sam's legs into the tub and then lowered his brother so that he was sitting in the water.
"Nooooo" moaned Sam as he felt his body submerged in icy cold water wondering how in the world he had ended up outside in a freezing river. The last thing he remembered was sitting in the Impala wrapped up in a blanket. He tried to push himself up out of the water but felt hands holding him down. "De-an 'elp me-me" he stuttered out with a feeling of immense fear.
"S'okay Sammy, I've got you" Dean whispered into his baby brother's ear as he supported his younger sibling who was weak from fever. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you kiddo, just relax."
""C-Can't, too c-cold, S'killing m-me" Sam whined as he tried to once again push himself out of the water.
""Just a few more minutes kiddo, I swear" Dean voiced with tears starting to brim in his eyes. He couldn't stand causing his baby brother pain even though it was for his own good.
"Hate me?" Sammy questioned in his fevered delirium.
"God No, I could never hate you little brother. You are the most important thing in my life. You always have been, always will be" Dean replied knowing truer words were never spoken.
"Kay" Sam mumbled as he finally relaxed his struggles allowing Dean to support his weakened body.
Dean breathed a sigh of relief as Sam finally stopped struggling allowing him to pick up the wash cloth and sluice the lukewarm water over Sam's heated skin. Approximately five minutes later, after he felt Sammy's fever had dropped some, he helped his brother to stand and then wrapped a large cottony towel around his waist before reaching under it to pull off his wet boxers. He used another towel to dry Sammy off and then helped him to dress in dry boxers and a pair of jogging pants. After he got his little brother to take another dose of Tylenol and antibiotics, he dragged a mostly asleep Sammy out of the bathroom and helped him to lay down on the bed. Sam was slightly snoring before Dean could even pull a blanket up over his body.
Pulling their tympanic thermometer out of the first aid kit, Dean sat on the edge of Sam's bed and placed the tip into Sam's ear and waited for the beep. A moment later he was relieved to see a reading of 101.2. It was still a little high for his liking, but hopefully the Tylenol would kick in soon and the fever would abate. "Sleep well tiger" Dean said as he brushed the hair from Sammy's eyes before limping back over to his own bed. He dry swallowed a couple of Tylenols for pain and then climbed under the covers. He glanced over to make sure that Sammy was resting comfortably before fading off to sleep himself.
SNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNNNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSNSN
Late the next morning, Sam was awakened by the smell of coffee. He opened his eyes to see Dean waving a cup of steaming black coffee under his nose with a huge smile on is face.
"It's about damn time you woke up little brother. I was beginning to think you were going to sleep the whole day away" Dean smirked as he watched Sammy push himself up with a wince and lean against the headboard.
"Time is it?" Sam questioned as he reached out to take the offered cup of coffee with the steam billowing from the top.
"It's eleven thirty five, you've slept away most of the morning kiddo" Dean answered as he ruffled Sam's sleep mussed hair.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Sam couldn't believe he had actually slept so long since he was always an early riser. He couldn't remember the last time that he hadn't woke up with the morning sunrise.
"You needed your sleep princess" Dean answered as he reached out and placed a palm on Sam's forehead. He was relieved to find that Sam was much cooler than last night and only had a low grade fever.
"Yeah, thanks. So uh, did you leave me anything to eat?" Sam asked just as his stomach rumbled rather loudly.
"Of course I did bitch. Ya think I would let my baby brother go hungry?" Dean questioned as he tossed a white paper sack to his brother. Sam opened the sack to find a couple of sausage biscuits and hash brown from the local McDonald's.
"Thanks dude" Sam grinned as he tore open one of the sandwiches and swallowed most of it in one bite. "So what are we going to do about the hunt Dean? I mean, we are gonna go back out there tonight and take care of that psychotic spirit before she can hurt anybody else aren't we?"
"Hell no Sammy, you're recovering from a pretty bad fever and one hell of a leg wound, not to mention the fact that I sprained my damn ankle last night. The freaking hunt can wait until we're up to it."
"Dean we can't take any chances with waiting. We uh…" Sam grimaced as he grabbed the bridge of his nose. "We've got too…" Sam shook his head as his vision began to go fuzzy on him. "Shit, we can't allow….GUH" Sam moaned out as he began to waver on the bed. The last thing Sam saw was his brother running towards him as his head exploded in pain and scenes started flashing before his eyes.
Flash: Dean lying on the floor with blood seeping from his right shoulder and a look of terror in his eyes. Flash: A woman in dressed in a red silk robe standing over his brother and holding a gold goblet filled with a dark visceral liquid. Flash: Dean screaming out in pain as a cattle prod is shoved into his wounded shoulder. Flash: Dean tied down to a metal slab and gagged with a filthy rag in his mouth. The movie then plays out in low motion as Sam is forced to watch the evil spirit dressed in the red silk robe pull a hack saw off of the shelf beside the metal slab where his brother is tied down. He sees the sheer terror in Dean's eyes as the woman slowly walks towards him lovingly caressing the blade. He hears his brother scream out in pain as the saw is placed on his arm near the shoulder. He gags as the woman begins moving the saw back and forth. Dean screams in agony as blood starts to seep from his shoulder as the skin spits under the relentlessness of the saw. He watches as Dean's body jerks in agony as the saw sinks deep into his arm and a grinding sound is heard when the saw connects with bone. Sam hears himself screaming as his brother's eyes roll back in his head and his breathing shudders to a stop and then Sam mercifully passes out.
Dean knows the moment Sam loses his train of thought and grabs the bridge of his nose that his brother is about to have another one of those damned visions he's been cursed to suffer. He starts running towards his brother as Sam begins to waver on the bed. He arrives at Sammy's side just in time to catch him before he falls off the bed. He pulls Sam into his arms and rocks his brother as Sam begins to ride out the vision. He hates the far away look in Sam's eyes and wishes he could go through the vision for him, spare him the pain that comes with them and the freaking migraine that comes afterwards.
Dean's fears ratchet up as he feels Sam begin to tremble in his arms. He pulls his brother tight to his chest when Sammy arches and screams out in terror before collapsing as a dead weight in his arms. "Son of a bitch, what the hell did you just see?" Dean questions aloud knowing that Sammy doesn't hear him in his state of unconsciousness as he lays his baby brother down gently on the bed. He rushes to the bathroom and runs a washcloth under the cold tap water. He walks quickly back to his brother's bed and bathes Sammy's face and forehead with the cool cloth whispering words of assurance. He feels an errant tear slip down his cheek as he begs Sammy to wake up.
TBC