All the mistakes are mine. Please ignore them as much as you can :)
When they reach the doctor's office, John tells Dean to wait outside. There are a few chairs out side the room in a row. Dean sits on the closest to the door. The door to the doctor's office is still open and he can hear his father and the doctor talking.
"How long he's been feverish?" The doctor asks.
"Since yesterday afternoon." Dean hears his father say. "He has been complaining about stomachache too."
"Was he nauseous?"
"He can't keep any thing down. He has been vomiting since last night." John says.
Somewhere in the middle of the examination Sam starts crying. Dean jumps out of his chair immediately. That doctor had better not be rough with my little brother. Dean hears his father soothing Sam and he soon stops crying. Dean sits on the plastic chair again.
Inside room the doctors asks some more questions about Sam, listens to his heart and lungs with stereoscopes while The nurse measures his fever. The doctor soon diagnoses Sam with flu.
"Your son has flu Mr. Winchester. High fevers are common in child's flu, but I'd rather to admit him in hospital. As soon as his fever is down and the danger of fever seizures are eliminated you can take him home." The doctor says reassuringly. "He is also dehydrated from the vomiting; we set him on an IV and give him fever reducers and antibiotics to break his fever and help him fight the infection."
"There is a chance of seizure?" John asks with concern. He is starting to panic a little, because he has never had to deal with a hospital sick child. Sure there were times that Dean has been very sick, but Mary has been always there and they never had to stay in a hospital.
"Don't worry; as long as we keep his fever down he'll be fine. We just have to be extra careful, because your kid is still so young." The Doctor adds calmly. "The nurse will bring a few form for you to fill, so we can admit little Sammy here."
John takes a few moments to gain his composure again before saying his thanks to the doctor. "Ok. Thanks, doctor."
John knows that if the doctor says Sam needs to be admitted in the hospital, he will surely listen to him and won't mess around with his child health. What he doesn't know is what he should do with Dean. The hospital definitely is not going to let Dean stay and he can't be left alone in a motel room. He can't leave Sam in the hospital too, true that there are nurses and doctors to take care of him, but Sam is going to wake up sooner or later and if he finds himself with total strangers in a hospital he won't be happy. John has to find some way to take care of Dean while Sam is in hospital.
"Mr. Winchester these are the forms you have to fill." The kind nurse from before says handing him the papers.
John takes the forms with a weary sigh. "Thanks."
After filling them John returns the paper to the nurse station and gets ready to talk to Dean. Dean is still sitting on the plastic chair as before. He sees his father walking over to him and he doesn't like the look on his face at all. His father looks devastated.
"Dean, listen to me." His father kneels in front of his chair.
"Dad, is Sam going to be ok?" Dean asks before John can continue.
"Your brother is going to be ok, but they need to keep him here to take care of him." John says wearily.
"So when can we go then? Do we have to wait long?" Dean asks.
"It doesn't work like that, kiddo. They won't let you wait here. You have to go back to the hotel; I call some one to stay with you while Sam and I are…"
"No, dad." Dean interrupts his father. "I'll wait as long as it takes, I don't want to go." Dean says firmly.
"We may have to stay here even for a few days." John hopes they never have to stay that long, but he has to be ready for any thing and make Dean ready too.
"If you have to stay here, I have to stay too, to take care of Sam. what if Sammy doesn't like it here and wants to be with me?" Dean is trying hard to convince his father, and even at seven he knows it's not an easy task.
John gently grabs Dean's arms. "The hospital won't let you stay, because you may get sick in here. You don't like to get sick like Sammy, do you?" John is almost sure the fear of getting sick would make Dean to back off, every one hates being sick especially Dean.
Dean's eyes starts to well up with tears, he can't leave his little brother no matter what. He is sick and it's his job to take care of him, that's what big brothers do. They don't leave their little brothers when they are sick just because they might get sick.
"Dad, I won't get sick." Big tears rolled down his still chubby cheeks and leave a wet trail on his face. "I promise, I try not to get sick, because Sammy needs me. He cries whenever he is sick and I'm not with him… He wants me to be with him whenever he is sick."
John is left speechless for a few moments; he knows that Dean feels very responsible for his brother, that is why John trusts him to leave Sam with him alone, but he can't risk having Dean getting sick too. They don't have insurance any more and he hardly can afford the hospital for Sam.
"Sam is sleeping; he won't even notice you are not there. And we come back to motel as soon as he is awake. I take care of him while you are at the motel." John tries to reassure Dean.
Dean looks at his father with wet eyes. "Dad look I got Sam's puppy for him, I can wait in the waiting area like that time that you were in hospital, just call me when Sam cries or wants to see me, I just come and give him his toy, and he won't cry any more. Maybe I can stay with him then." Sure Dean so wants to stay with his brother, but he doesn't want to be a pain in the neck for his father either especially now, he knows his father is tired and worry. So if he accepts to be away from his little brother it's just for his father.
John takes down Dean from the chair and pulls him in a hug. Dean puts his head on his father's broad shoulder and wipes his tears on them.
The nurse from before is in the room with Sam and she hears the father and son's heart breaking conversation. She wonders where the kid's mother is. Little kids shouldn't be alone in times like this; they need the warm embrace of a mother. She looks at the youngest member of the family who is lying with a clammy pale skin, sick and burning with fever. She can't resist brushing the damp bangs from his young sweat face and easing the lines of pain on his forehead by patting it gently. "All the older siblings I've ever seen either hate their younger sibling or are jealous of them… what have you done that your brother loves you so much?" The nurse asks with a sad smile.
If she just could do some thing for this family… she harries outside when some thing occurs to her, John is still hugging Dean. "Sorry I couldn't help over hearing you, this is a small hospital, and I guess we can bend the rules a little bit. I mean I'll talk to Dr. Wilson, maybe your son can stay here for a few hours."
Speak of the devil Dr. Wilson appeared behind the nurse. "Talk to me so who can stay here?" He asks.
"Uhhh…" The nurse tumbles over the words. "Dean here…" She points to Dean. "…Wants to stay with his brother for a few hours, besides they have no one to take care of him at home."
Dr, Wilson looks at Dean; the signs of crying are still clear on his face. "If it was up to me I would let him stay here as long as he wants, but you know that it's for Dean's own good that we won't let him stay." The doctor says with his kind tone.
"Look doctor," John says. "I don't think that would be a problem. Sam and Dean are together all the time. Yesterday Sam sneezed all over Dean's present and planted a very wet kiss on his cheek, so I guess if Dean is supposed to get sick he already has the virus."
"I won't get sick Dr. Wilson, Sammy got sick because he is still so small, but I don't get sick easily." Dean tries to argue logically with the doctor, well according to his own logic.
"Ok," The doctor says with a sigh. "I guess we can bend the rules a little this time too, but young man you have to listen to the nurse and leave here whenever she tells you to. Ok?" He tells Dean.
"I promise." Dean says happily, content that he doesn't have to leave his brother.
"Thanks doctor." John says grateful that the doctor understands their situation and relieved that he doesn't have to be worry about Dean any more.
"You can come and see your brother after we admit him on children's ward." The nurse says with a smile. "For now you have to wait a little longer."
"Ok."
"This is Sam Winchester's prescription, Shirley." The doctor hands the nurse a chart. "All his medication and the right doses, I'll check on him in a few hours, page me if there is any change or if his fever gets higher."
"Sure, Dr. Wilson." Shirley, the nurse says.
JDS
As Sam is getting prepared for the hospital Dean waits in the waiting room for his father to come and get him. He is so thankful the mean lady from before is not there any more. Dean remembers how his mom used to talk about angels and how they would watch over them and take care of them. Although he was skeptical about it, because their mother was killed and there were no angel to take care of her, but he thinks maybe it is a good time to test angels and see if they really help people and keep them safe or not. So he prays and asks angels to make Sam well in a few hours so they can leave the hospital and go home.
Finally after a while that feels like eternity, John comes and takes Dean to Sam's room. Well Sam doesn't have a room, the hospital is just a small hospital in a small town and the children's ward is like a big hall with four small beds. Sam is in the last bed beside the window. Dean practically runs to him as soon as he sees him.
Sam is sleeping on his side, curled up in a small ball like the times that he is sick. He has an IV on the back of his left hand. Because Sam is still so young and he may move his arm a lot, his hand and wrist are practically covered with tape to keep the needle secure in place and he wouldn't rip the needle, moving his hand.
The first thing Dean does is to put Sam's stuffed puppy beside him carefully. A few moments later Sam touches the fluffy animal and pulls it closer unconsciously.
Seeing Sam's flushed cheeks and his fast shallow breathing, Dean can't help asking his father, "Is Sam going to be alright?"
John senses all the worry pouring out of his oldest son. "Of course he is going to be alright. I know he looks sick, but he'll be as good as new in no time…" John corrected himself, "…in a few days, I mean. Now come here." John picks him up and they sit on the chair near Sam's bed. Dean is sitting on his father lap so he still can see Sam.
All they do is to sit by Sam's bed and try to cool him down with cold compress and wet towels. Shirley is the only nurse who works in children's ward and she comes every thirty minutes to check on Sam and another occupant of the ward.
The time passes so slowly, listening to Sam whimpering or watching him tossing and turning restlessly doesn't help it to pass any faster.
Once again Shirley comes to check on Sam, he injects some drug in Sam's IV, adjusts its drip, and checks his fever.
"Any change?" Asks John.
"It's not higher than before which is good news. The drugs will kick in sooner or later." She says reassuringly.
John casts a worried glance to Sam and then Dean. "I sure hope so."
TBC
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