A/N: Wow, didn't I say this was gonna be a short story? Guess it got away from me! But there is only one more chapter next. And that's the big talk between Sam and Dean.

This chapter did not turn out the way I wanted, and I don't like it. But you can only re-write things so many times before you simply give up. So, think of this as a transition chapter to the big angsty brotherly moment that will be next.

As always, thanks for reading! And thank you to all my wonderful reviewers. You guys rock!

Chapter 4:

Dean closed the distance from the window to Sam's side in two steps. Sam was moving his head back and forth in short turns and moaning. His face was scrunched up and his eyes were fluttering.

Dean grabbed his hand. "That's it Sammy. Wake up."

Sam turned his head toward the sound of Dean's voice. "Come on Sam. Wake up." Dean encouraged.

Dean held his breath as he watched his brother fight his way back to the world. When Sam's eyes finally opened he thought he would collapse right there on the floor. But he held on. He could see the confusion in Sam's eyes immediately.

"It's okay Sam. You're in the hospital. You're okay."

Sam blinked a few times, his eyes roaming around, taking in the room. He swallowed a few times, wincing. As he turned back to Dean, he winced and gasped as he felt the pain that wasn't there in unconsciousness flare up.

Dean didn't miss it. He squeezed Sam's hand. "Hold on Sammy. I'm gonna get a doctor. I'll be right back."

The last thing Dean wanted to do was leave his brother's side, but he knew Sam needed the doctor right away. He made his way to the hallway and then to the nurses station and told them Sam had woken up. The nurse smiled brightly and told him the doctor would be right there.

No sooner had Dean re-entered Sam's room and was going to his side, Dr. Colby and a couple of nurses were rushing into the room.

"Mr. Baker, we need you to wait outside for a minute." One of the nurses told Dean.

Dean's eyes widened. "What? No...why?"

The nurse gently took a hold of Dean's arm and began leading him away, "Just let us check your brother over. Let the doctor do his job and then you can come back in, okay? We'll take care of him, I promise."

Dean bit his tongue and nodded sharply. With one last glance at Sam over the doctor's shoulder, Dean exited the door. But he didn't go back to the waiting room. Instead he leaned up against the wall right next to Sam's door. His ears straining to hear anything.

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Almost twenty minutes later Dean still stood, standing against the wall with one foot up tapping against it. If he had the habit of biting his nails like Sam did, he was sure he wouldn't have any left. What was with doctors always leaving the family hanging for so long? Didn't they realize the torture that was? Did they just love adding more drama to a situation or what? Dean rolled his eyes.

The door finally opened and the nurses exited followed by the doctor. Dr. Colby looked surprised to see Dean standing there and not in the waiting room.

"Mr. Baker! Thought you'd be in the waiting room."

"I wanted to make sure I was here when you left, so I'd be well informed." Dean snapped out. His anger at waiting causing his tone to be harsh.

Dr. Colby frowned. "Of course." He cleared his throat. "I would like to do some more x-rays on Sam, make sure the swelling is going down." He smiled. "But Sam is awake and everything looks good. His reflexes are responding, his motor skills are good, and the neurological exam I gave him went well."

For the first time in the last twenty four hours Dean felt a wave of hope go through him. He smiled slightly, "So he's going to be okay? Like, totally okay?"

Dr. Colby smiled. "He's still a little groggy right now. The incidents of the last twenty four hours are a little blurry for him still. He's in some pain, which I've given him medication for, and he's got a recovery process ahead of him. But, all in all, as long as the swelling continues to go down, I can say that Sam is going to make a full recovery."

Dean smiled widely, "Thank you Doc. Really. Can I go back in now?"

Dr. Colby nodded. "Of course. Just remember, Sam is still a little out of it. He probably won't be able to hold a conversation real well and he might fall back asleep. But he is on his way to recovery. Try not to tire him out."

"Gotcha Doc." Dean said as he made his way back into Sam's room.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Dean opened the door. As soon as he stepped in, Sam's eyes immediately went to him. Dean suddenly found himself standing still, at a loss of what to say. He could feel the lump forming in his throat and his heart began to beat faster. He had so much to say, needed to apologize to his brother, but in typical Dean Winchester fashion, his brain didn't know what words to use and his mouth couldn't form the words.

And looking at his brother, who was now propped up in bed, eyes alert and on him, Dean didn't have the heart to bring up anything that would stress Sam. He decided to play it cool for now, until Sam was feeling better. If the last day was still a blur to Sam, then Dean had time to rehearse what he wanted to say. Right now he just needed to reassure his brother that everything was going to be okay. Dean forced his feet to move. As he approached Sam gave him a lopsided smile.

"Hey Sammy. How are you feeling?" Dean greeted, not being totally successful at keeping the quiver out of his voice.

Sam swallowed, "Okay." His voice was a little rough.

Dean placed a hand on Sam's arm. "Doc says you're gonna be fine man. Just gotta take it easy for a while."

"Got pins in my leg." Sam said, his speech beginning to slur. Dean figured it was probably from the pain killers.

Dean forced out a laugh. "Yeah, now we gotta worry about you setting off metal detectors."

Sam huffed a little, his grin a little more lopsided. "What happened?"

Dean's brow crinkled. "You don't remember?"

Sam shook his head, then winced at the pain and simply said, "Kinda blurry."

Dean bit his bottom lip. "You took a fall man. But don't worry about that right now. You look tired, get some rest. We'll talk some more later."

Sam gave him a curious look, acted as if he was going to say something else, but in the end agreed. "Yeah, I'm tired." He closed his eyes.

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The next time Sam woke up the sunshine was gone and the room was dimly lit by the yellow lights. His eyes searched the room looking for his brother, but Dean wasn't there. He felt a moment of worry but he forced himself to relax. His brother was probably just getting coffee or something.

As he lay in the quiet room he took the time to do a mental inventory of the last day and a half. Everything that happened at the house was still a little bit of a blur. He had bits and pieces of memories. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn't get his mind to replay what happened that caused him to be where he was.

After a few minutes of trying to remember the pounding in his head increased and he gave up trying. With a sigh he looked down to his leg. The sheet had been moved to the side and he could see the huge cast that went from the tip of his toes to above his knee. That was gonna be a bitch for a while. His entire body was starting to ache again. He tried to shift and get comfortable and found that was a mistake. His entire body flared with white hot pain. He clenched his jaw and tried to breathe through it. He wondered if it was almost time for more medicine. Right now he would be more than happy to be put out of his misery with something strong. He wanted to stay awake and talk to Dean, but if the nurse would give him something to knock him out, he wouldn't refuse.

After a while, when no one came into his room Sam hit the call button for the nurse. Not more than five minutes later one walked in. She was an older lady, her hair in a tight bun, and she was all smiles.

"Hello Mr. Baker. How are we feeling this evening?"

"Not good." Sam replied.

She nodded. "It's about time for another dose of pain medicine. No worries, we'll have you floating in la la land before you know it." She said with enthusiasm.

Sam let his head fall back and sighed, "That sounds good." As the nurse injected the medicine into his IV he asked, "Do you by chance know if my brother is here?"

"He was honey, but he left a little while ago. He did give us strict orders to call immediately if you need something though."

Sam frowned. Okay, so he wasn't a baby, but he couldn't help but wonder why Dean wouldn't be there with him. Yeah, so his brother probably needed to eat and sleep, cause he knew Dean, and he probably hadn't done any of that. But still, he couldn't help the little twinge of disappointment that he wasn't there.

The nurse must have sensed something because she said, "Oh honey, that boy has been here the entire time. Pacing, badgering the doctor, keeping an eye on you. You just slept through it is all." She patted Sam's arm. "I think he just needed a little fresh air. He said he'd be back soon. Now you just close your eyes and rest."

With the medicine kicking in, Sam didn't have a chance to argue or worry about it anymore. He was suddenly getting that floaty feeling and was drifting off.

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On his way to Sam's room Dean stopped at the nurses station to get any updates. He was informed by an elderly woman that Sam had woken up but was now asleep. He nodded and turned to walk away when the nurse spoke again.

"He asked for you. Wanted to know where you were?"

Dean's jaw clenched. He gave her a curt nod and continued on. After Sam had first woken Dean stayed to make sure he really was going to be okay. Sam had still been groggy for those couple of hours and they didn't have any type of real conversation. But Dean knew that the next time Sam woke up he would be more alert. And he wasn't ready for that yet. He wasn't ready to have the conversation he needed to have with Sam. Not yet. So instead, he stayed for as long as he could, until he saw the signs that Sam was stirring and waking up again. He felt guilty as hell. Leaving his brother to wake up to an empty room. But there was just no way he could look his brother in the eye right now. He was an asshole. He knew this. But he had a plan. And until Sam was completely coherent, he couldn't get into it yet.

He walked in and pulled the chair close to Sam's bed. He wasn't too worried about being quiet. The meds Sam was getting knocked him out pretty good. Sam had been here a little over a day now, but to Dean he was already looking a little better. At least his color had returned to his cheeks, and he looked as though his sleep was peaceful. Dean sighed and got as comfortable as he could in the hard chair. It was going to be a long night.

(Flashback)

This was officially turning out to be the longest night of his life. And the most boring, and the most obnoxious, and the most crap he'd been subjected to in a long time. He was going to go crazy by the time the night was over. But of course, he wouldn't miss it for the world. So here he was, bunched up in between middle aged moms and dads in a stuffy auditorium with his eyes trained to the stage ahead of them.

Dean shook his head. He would never understand his little brother. Never. The kid was a genius, no doubt about that. But he could also kick ass, handle weapons, and could have been a hell of a sports player. But what did Sam choose to do instead? He chose drama. Who else besides geeks choose to take drama?

But when Sam had so enthusiastically told him how he had gotten the lead part in the play, Dean couldn't find it in his heart to tease him. Instead he totally promised to be there opening night to watch his brother shine. How could he say no? Of course, that didn't mean that Dean wouldn't file this night away for another time when he could use it against Sam.

The play was stupid. Dean had no idea how anyone found the plot or anything else entertaining. But when Sam walked out on stage and did his thing, Dean found himself buzzing with pride. And he would never admit how he stood at the end for a standing ovation. Never.

(End Flashback)

"I hated sitting there with all those soccer moms and dads in business suites dude, but you were great. I guess I never really came out and told you that." Dean whispered to his brother, brushing his hair off his forehead. "But you were awesome. That doesn't mean that someday I'm not gonna tell your kids what a goof you were, but you were great."

Dean swallowed hard and sat back down in his chair. This was going to be a long night.

-TBC-