Disclaimer: Winchesters, no-ot mine.

A/N: Here's a little action and a little more Dean. (...with his eyes open this time)

"How to Save a Life"

Chapter 4

Dean pushed his way back to the surface, out of the darkness that had been holding him for who knew how long. He blinked in the dim light, trying to focus on his surroundings. He turned his head searching for Sam, hoping that part hadn't been a dream. Everything felt disjointed and surreal. Like reality had fractured and mixed with his dreams. He needed some answers to sort this mess out.

The room was empty. Maybe he had dreamed Sam after all. He sighed and closed his eyes.

Quickly they popped open again as he remembered a doctor looking at incisions on his abdomen.

Carefully, he pushed back the blankets and lifted his hospital gown. There were two gauze covered sites, one high up on his left side and the other, lower, just above his hip on the right. "Great!", he mumbled wondering if they had taken something out or fixed something. He moved the gown and blankets back in place and stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. He jumped when the door swung open and then hissed in pain.

Sam hurried to his side. "Hey bro., you O.K.?" , he asked in concern.

Dean turned his head to look at his brother. He relaxed slightly, this was good, Sam was really here.

"I'm fine, you just surprised me with your grand entrance.", he answered with a small smile. It was good to see his little brother again.

"You need something for the pain?", he asked in concern.

"No, do not call a nurse to knock me out..."

Sam opened his mouth.

Dean interrupted him, "and no ice chips. Answers. I need you to give me some now." He demanded sternly.

Sam acquiesced, pulling the uncomfortable chair up once again to the bedside in defeat. He was a little, make that a lot, put out that Cas had not "poofed" back in time to rescue him from this. It was sure to be an uncomfortable conversation, or possible interrogation. "All right." Sam tried once more to buy a little more time, "You sure you don't want a few ice chips? I'm sure your throat is dry again. I bet you're glad to get rid of the oxygen cannula. They did that this morning while you were still asleep and they took out the catheter too. I know that will make you happy.", Sam ground to a halt.

Dean wasn't about to admit to a need for any ice chips or how happy he was to not even remember the joy of having a stupid catheter put in or taken out, until he got some information. "Sam.", he gave him glare for good measure. "I just want you to talk to me and for the love of God, quit stalling."

Sam leaned forward and met his brother's eyes. "Yeah, I know... it's just that this, this thing I have to tell you about, is, uh, well... it's pretty freakin' unbelievable and ... well weird. I don't even know very much, Cas was not in the sharing mood before he disappeared.", Sam muttered and then ducked his head for a moment, waiting...

Dean closed his eyes in exasperation. "Sam, I'm fast approaching the end of my patience. You are making it worse. You don't understand, I'm going crazy here. It cannot be as bad as some of the scenarios I've been imagining." Opening his eyes, he raised his eyebrow in invitation for Sam to continue.

"Yeah, I don't think even you could imagine this scenario." he mumbled before raising his head and beginning the story with the middle of the night phone call and ending it with the exchange of demon blood. He tried to keep it simple, because really he knew very little; but couldn't help heaping all the blame on the absent angel. After all, he had started this, with the whole angel blood thing and more or less ordering Sam to give Dean some of his "demon" blood. When he wound down, he noticed his brother's incredulous expression. Dean remained silent. Sam waited a few more moments before asking quietly, "Dude, you O.K.?".

Dean took a deep breath and let it out slowly before speaking. "So, let me get this straight. I have angel blood in me, that I have had since I was a baby, but no one bothered to share that little secret with me? I was infected with some sort of demon swine flu? and to top it all off, now I also have demon blood flowing through my freaky veins? Does that about sum up this whole "Where No Man Has Gone Before" mess?" Do I look okay? No, I am not okay!, His voice had risen to a raspy shout by the time the tirade ended, pale face now flushed in anger.

Sam quickly stood, grabbing the cup and offering a spoonful of ice chips along with a nod and a shaky, " Okay." He knew things were really bad when his brother started quoting Star Trek.

Dean opened his mouth to accept the ice chips, trying to calm down. Not even his wildest scenario had come close to this apparent reality. Ignoring the whole angel/demon thing for the moment, he concentrated on why he was in the hospital with two holes in his stomach. Taking a deep breath and blowing it out, he asked in a quieter tone, "The demon thing that made me sick... what happened and how long have I been here?"

Setting the cup down, Sam ran a hand through his hair and answered, "Well, I wasn't there when you got sick and Cas didn't really offer any details except that it was an unknown form of the Croatoan virus and it was killing you. He did tell me that you were in a lot of pain, not able to breathe on your own and bleeding internally. That's why you have those incisions, they operated and tried to stop the bleeding, but they couldn't do anything to get it under control. You were in a , a coma when I got here. I had to do it Dean. I knew you would hate me for it, because you hate that part of me, but I had to ... to try and save you. I had to...", Sam pleaded for understanding.

Dean stared at his little brother. He looked all young and lost, a little more like the Sam before this whole apocalypse thing started. Dean blew out a breath. He wanted things to just be normal again, well, Winchester normal. For him and Sam to be brothers again and just hunt or whatever. Demons and angels, each with their own agendas and trying to put the Winchester boys right in the middle of their big tug of war game, was getting really old. Sighing tiredly he said softly, "I know Sammy, I know. I'm not mad at you, and I don't hate that part of you. I hate that they put that in you and it caused you pain and you know all that ...stuff. O.K.? I, I'm just glad you came when Cas called you. I've missed you, you know? So, none of that "poor guilty me" drama. Got it?"

Sam smiled in relief and love for his big brother. Even with all the junk they went through, even when Dean was hurting or right in the middle of a crisis, his brother always did his best to look out for him. "Yeah, Of course I came. You're my brother and I missed you too." he paused and asked with a smirk, "Was that too much chick flick for ya?"

Dean smirked back and answered , "Naa , I'm already sick."

Sam grinned, "Great. So, no guilt for me, but maybe some for the stupid angel."

"Oh, lot's of guilt for the stupid angel.", Dean agreed. "So, what is the newest addition to my blood going to do to me? Am I going to go all Wolverine or something? Which might be a little cool, by the way...", he pursed his lips in contemplation and then shook his head and continued, "but , yeah, I mean did the angel blood affect me before you guys mixed in the demon stuff ?" Dean asked in confusion.

"Uh, I'm not sure what the whole "mixing the blood thing" is going to do. Even Cas wasn't sure. He, uh, thought it ... might even kill you... so... that's about all I know." Sam's voice sort of stalled at the end.

"Cas thought your blood would kill me and he still wanted you to do it?", Dean was starting to get loud again.

Sam tried to head him off, " No, I mean yes, but it was your only chance. Cas said he had searched for another way and come up with nothing. We didn't know what else to do, we were running out of time. Jeez. You were dying Dean... we were kinda... out of options.", Sam sat back down in the chair and hung his head , "I didn't know what to do...". He trailed off miserably.

Dean scrubbed a hand down his face , "O.K., last resort. Got it." , he said reassuringly. "No guilt. Remember Sammy?, He waited until Sam raised his head and met his gentle gaze, before continuing. "Now what about the angel blood before, why couldn't I tell I had something wrong with me?", Dean asked.

"Well, that's another thing Cas wasn't very forthcoming about. He said something about you healing differently and that's why you survived a lot of damage over the years, but that's about all he would say. He started to explain something else and then just cut himself off and then he just "poofed". You know?"

"Yeah, love that angel "poofing". Hmmm.", Dean replied distractedly and seemed to focus inward as he tried to asess this information. He felt like his whole world had suddenly become an alien place, full of the great unknown.

The room fell quiet as both brothers contemplated the next course of action.

Dean was the first to break the silence, "Sam would you please, just answer my phone before it drives me insane.", he growled.

Sam gave his brother a puzzled look.

"It's in my jacket pocket.", he added, when Sam didn't move right away.

Sam got up and went to the closet. Opening the door he searched the jacket hanging inside until he found Dean's phone. His non-ringing, totally silent phone. He turned back to his brother and held up the phone. "Dude, your phone is not ..." , he was interrupted with a loud guitar riff causing him to nearly drop the now, loudly,ringing phone.

He looked at his brother, who was giving a "duh" look and then back to the phone. Okay, weird. Glancing at the caller I.D., he read.-B.S.- flashing on the screen. A chuckle escaped him, leave it to his snarky brother to insult someone without saying a word. He pressed the talk button and answered. "Hey Bobby."

He wondered if Bobby was aware of the less than stellar way he was listed in his brother's phonebook, he would definitely have to find out.

TBC Thanks for reading. Appreciate all the reviews.