Chapter Four

Dean headed through Walmart with Sam, headed for the kid section. Sam needed something to keep himself occupied until he returned to normal. As they came into view of the toys, Sam smiled and looked at Dean.

"We buy somefing?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, I'm gonna buy you a couple things," said Dean.

Sam suddenly threw himself at Dean, wrapping his long arms around him and hugging him close. Dean blinked in surprise as his brother embraced him.

"You best bwuder ever," Sam told him.

"You're welcome, buddy," said Dean. "Go pick what you want."

Sam took off for the aisles with Dean behind him. Sam paused at a shelf of stuffed animals. Right in the middle was a Welsh Corgi stuffed puppy.

"Look at that, Sammy," said Dean. "They got one that looks like your friend." Sam plucked it from the shelf and held it close. He looked up at Dean. "Yeah, you can get that one."

Sam smiled and started down the aisle again. When they reached the boys' toys, Sam's eyes lit up as he scanned the shelves. He picked up a box with a black muscle car inside.

"You like that, huh?" said Dean.

Sam nodded. "Look like Pala."

Dean laughed. "Yeah, it does." Dean took the small box to carry it as they searched some more.

When they were done, they had a stuffed animal, two toy cars, a Superman action figure, three kids' books, and a soccer ball. They approached the register, and Dean put their purchases on the counter.

"Okay, Sam, let her ring the dog up," said Dean, holding his hand out. Sam clutched the dog closer, frowning. "Sammy, it's okay. You can have it right back when she's done." Sam shook his head.

"Tell you what, sweetie," the woman told Sam. "You can have my bracelet until I give it back. That way, you have something of mine so I won't steal it."

Sam seemed to consider it, then nodded. The woman slid her bracelet off her wrist and held it out to Sam. Sam took it as he held out his dog. The woman raised the scanner and rang the animal up in Sam's hand.

"See?" the woman smiled. "You didn't even have to give it to me."

Sam smiled and held out her bracelet. "Here you bwacet."

"Why, thank you," said the woman, putting her bracelet back on.

"Me Sammy," said Sam.

"Hi, Sam. I'm Jewel."

Sam gasped. "Dat pwetty."

"Thank you," said Jewel. "And you're a sweetheart."

Dean smiled and shook his head. The guy is getting more chick attention as a kid than as an adult.

"Okay, buddy," said Dean. "Ready to go?" Sam nodded as Dean picked their bags up.

Dean gave Jewel a grateful look. "Thank you."

"No problem," said Jewel.

Dean took Sam out to the Impala, throwing the bags into the back seat. He opened Sam's door, surprised to see him climb inside without Dean's help. Dean smiled as he closed the door. He started the car up and pulled out of the parking lot. Sam hugged the dog close and yawned.

"Uh-oh," said Dean. "Looks like it's someone's nap-time…"

Sam shook his head. "Not seepy."

"If you say so," said Dean.

As they pulled into the parking space, Dean looked over to see Sam passed out in his seat. Dean smiled as he turned the car off. He turned and slowly shook Sam's shoulder.

"Come on, kiddo, wake up," said Dean. "I'm not carrying you in."

Sam opened his eyes and looked at Dean. Dean helped Sam out of the car, putting Sam's arm around his shoulders. He carefully put Sam on his bed, taking his boots off. He pulled the blanket over Sam as he hugged his Corgi close. With a smile on his face, Sam fell back to sleep. Dean went and got their bags out of the car, closing the door. He sat and watched Sam sleep for a moment before heading for Sam's laptop. After doing some research for a while, there was a knock at the door. Dean made sure Sam was still asleep, and opened the door.

"Hey, Bobby," said Dean in a whisper. "Sam's sleeping."

"Okay," Bobby said in a low voice. He wheeled himself into the motel room, glancing at the sleeping form of Sam. "How's he doing?"

"Okay, I guess," Dean told him, sitting on his own bed. "He's talking now, but like a two-year-old, you know? Short phrases, barely able to pronounce anything. He, uh…he can do things like take a shower and use the bathroom on his own, thank God. He's making friends—"

"Friends?" asked Bobby.

"Yeah, the manager's dog, the waitress at the diner, the clerk at Walmart…People just seem to love him."

"So, he's doing okay."

"Yeah, I'd say he's about at two, maybe three years old." Dean stood up and walked around to lean over Sam. "Hey, Sammy. Wake up." Sam moaned softly in his sleep, pulling the stuffed animal closer. "Sammy, wake up." Sam cracked his eyes open, looking up at Dean. "Hey, buddy. You think you can get up? Uncle Bobby's here." Sam frowned in confusion, eyes glancing behind Dean. "No, he's over there." Dean nodded in Bobby's direction.

Sam rolled over and looked at Bobby. Bobby smiled at Sam, and Sam stared at him. Sam looked up at Dean, a question in his eyes.

"What is it, Sammy?" asked Dean.

"What do you need, buddy?" asked Bobby.

Sam looked back at Bobby. "Why you in chair?"

Bobby smiled at Sam's small, innocent voice. "I got hurt and can't move around like you can. I have to use this chair to get around."

Sam's face saddened as he watched Bobby. "You sad? I make you better."

Sam climbed out from under the covers and approached Bobby, leaning over him and wrapping his arms around him. Bobby felt tears spring into his eyes as he put his arms around Sam. Sam let Bobby go and sat on his bed, grabbing the stuffed animal and hugging it.

"Feel better?" asked Sam.

"Much better, kiddo," said Bobby. "Thanks."

"Wecome, Unca Bobby," smiled Sam.

"Alright, why don't we go out for lunch, huh?" said Dean. "All three of us."

"What bout Toby?" asked Sam.

"Who's Toby?" asked Dean. Sam held out his stuffed Corgi. "Oh. I thought you'd name him Corky."

"No, siwy," Sam told him as if it was common knowledge. "Dat name of uder dog. Dey can't be same." He looked down at his Corgi. "He name Toby."

"It suits him," said Bobby.

"Fine, you can bring him," said Dean. He didn't dare come in between Sam and his 'pet.' "Let's go."

"Well, look who it is."

Sam looked up at their waitress and smiled. "Jessica!"

"Hiya, Sammy!" Jessica said as she looked at them. "Back again?"

"Well, you know, small town," Dean told her.

"I see you brought two new friends," said Jessica. Sam looked down at Toby in between he and Dean. "What's his name?"

"Toby," Sam told her.

"Well, hello, Toby," Jessica told the stuffed animal. She looked over at Bobby.

"Bobby," he told her. "Their uncle."

"Dean," said Sam. "Can I have burger?"

Dean stared at Sam in surprise. "Sam, you just pronounced all your words right."

"I do it wrong?" asked Sam, face sinking.

"No, no," Dean said quickly with a smile. "You did it! Good job, Sammy!"

Sam smiled and clapped his hands together. "I did it!"

"Yes, you did," said Dean, clapping him on the back. Sam swung his long arms over and hugged Dean, putting his head to Dean's chest. Dean patted Sam awkwardly on the head. "Alright, buddy, you're making a scene."

Sam lifted his head, moving away a little. "What that mean?"

Dean smiled. "It means everyone's looking because you're acting funny."

Sam's smile disappeared as he hung his head, broken by Dean's rejection.

Dean rolled his eyes, kicking himself. Now look what you've done.

"Hey, Sammy, I'm sorry. Come here." Dean reached an arm out, pulling Sam into his arms. Dean enveloped Sam in his arms as Sam wrapped his arms tightly around Dean. Dean could feel sobs hitching through Sam's body, and he hugged Sam tighter. "I was a jerk. You can hug me anytime you want."

"Promise?" asked Sam in a small voice.

"Yeah, I promise, Sammy," Dean told him.

"Love you," Sam hitched out.

Dean smiled as he hugged Sam tighter. "I love you, too." He eased Sam out of his arms, lifting his head. His heart broke when he saw the tears on Sam's face. It hurt even worse knowing that it was him that put those tears there. He wiped his thumbs over his face, clearing the tears away. "You okay?"

Sam nodded as he picked Toby up, hugging him close.

"Tell you what, how about another cookie, on the house?" asked Jessica with a smile.

Sam brightened a little and looked at Dean.

"Yeah, why not?" said Dean.

"Okay, what'll it be?" asked Jessica.

They placed their order, and Jessica went to get it.

Bobby looked at Dean. "That was nice, Dean. You handled that real well."

"Yeah, well…he's my brother," said Dean, watching Sam cuddle the Corgi close. "It's my job, right? I can't let anyone hurt him…especially me. I'm all he's got…and he's all I got." Dean looked up at Bobby.

Bobby smiled at Dean. "That was beautiful, Dean."

"Oh, bite me," Dean told him as Bobby laughed.

Looks like my rule on chick flick moments is on sabbatical until Sammy gets back to normal.

"I'm bored," Sam whined once again.

"Yeah, Sam, we know," said Dean from his spot on his bed.

Sam was sitting on the other bed, toys lain forgotten in front of him. After their lunch, they had decided to relax at the room the rest of the night. Sam had played with his Superman and toy cars before picking up the books and looking at the pictures since he couldn't read yet. Now, he had exhausted his four-year-old imagination to its max.

"Hey, how about we order pizza and watch a movie?" said Dean. "What do you say?"

"Yay!" exclaimed Sam, clapping his hands.

"What kind of movie?" asked Dean.

"Um…" Sam scrunched his face up in thought. "Scary movie!"

"Are you sure?" asked Dean. "It might give you nightmares."

"No, it not," Sam told him. "My big brother protect me."

Dean smiled. "You bet I will. Are you sure?"

"Please, Dean," Sam pleaded, his eyebrows raising and his eyes deepening in longing.

Oh, man. He's discovered the puppy-dog look.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Alright, Sam. Don't come crawling to me in the middle of the night." He looked at the TV Guide. "Hey, look at that. The Shining. We're in luck, bro."

"Yeah…bro," said Sam, trying out the nickname. He giggled. "Bro."

Dean smiled as Bobby wheeled back in from the bathroom.

"Everything go okay in there?" asked Dean.

Bobby glared at him. "Bite me, ya idjit."

"Hey, we're gonna order pizza," said Dean. "Ya want any?"

"Yeah, I'll have some," said Bobby. He watched Dean grab the remote. "What're we watching?"

"Shining!" Sam told him with a smile.

Bobby looked at Dean. "You think that's a good idea?" He gave a pointed look at Sam.

"Hey, he insisted," said Dean. Bobby glared at him, and he raised his shoulders in defense. "He gave me the eyes!"

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Alright, but he's sleeping in your bed when he gets nightmares."

"No, he's not," said Dean.

Within a half hour, they head their two pizzas and the movie going. Dean kept glancing at Sam, watching to see if the kid was getting too scared. Sam would jump at the usual sudden moments in the movie, but overall, he was doing okay. Dean glanced back at the screen to watch Jack Nicholson taking an axe to the bathroom door. Jack stuck his face to the hole he had made.

"Here Johnny!" Sam exclaimed as the same time Jack did.

Dean's head snapped over to stare at Sam. Sure, Sam had seen this movie with Dean when they were kids dozens of time, but at the new mental state Sam was in, his memories were all brand new. Which meant…

"Bobby, he's remembering…" Dean told the other hunter. "Maybe not a lot, but…his memories are coming back."

"And a lot sooner than I expected," said Bobby. "This may only take a couple weeks."

Dean smiled as he looked back at Sam.

Damn, you're one hell of a fighter, Sammy.

Dean woke up to his own alarm the next morning. He sat up on the couch, glancing over at the beds. He had given Bobby his bed, while Sam slept in the other bed. Sam was still sound asleep. Thank goodness he had outgrown the waking-up-early-toddler phase.

Dean got up and approached Sam. "Come on, kiddo, wake up." Sam opened his eyes and looked at Dean. "Any nightmares?"

Sam shook his head. "My Dean kick their ass."

Dean laughed. "I did, huh?"

"Uh-huh," Sam told him as he sat up. "You go like this." Sam clenched his fist and swung it out. "And this." He drove his fist forward. "You save me."

"Of course I did," Dean told him. "That's my job…watch after my brother. Now…" Dean made sure had had Sam's attention. "Do you remember how to take a shower?"

Sam nodded, eager to prove how smart he was. "Soap, water, shampoo, water."

Dean smiled. "That's right. Good!" Sam beamed. "Think you can do all that by yourself this time?"

Sam nodded and jumped up, heading for the bathroom and closing the door. Dean approached the door and swung it open about two inches.

"Hey, I'm gonna leave this open a little, okay?" Dean called. "I wanna make sure you don't get hurt."

"Okay," said Sam.

Dean glanced in to see Sam removing his shirt.

So far, so good.

Dean pulled one of the chairs up to the wall next to the door, grabbing a muscle car magazine. He wished he could look at one of his skin mags, but he had thrown those out this morning so Sam didn't get a hold of them.

"Dean, help me," Sam called from the bathroom.

Dean put the magazine on the floor. "Put a towel around your waist." There was a moment of silence.

"Okay," Sam called.

Dean opened the door and came in. Sam stood by the shower, towel held around his waist. "What is it?"

Sam looked at the faucet. "Don't know how."

Dean nodded and stood by Sam. "Okay, watch me." Dean turned the knob, and the water poured out of the showerhead. "That's how you turn it on. Put your hand out and feel it."

Sam extended his hand into the water and withdrew it suddenly. "It cold!"

"Yeah, it's cold," said Dean. "You want to feel the water before you get in. Since the water is cold, you want to turn it this way." Dean turned the knob clockwise until it faced the 'H.' "Now feel it."

Sam put his hand out again. "That much better."

"You good now?" asked Dean. Smiled nodded, and Dean left the bathroom, leaving the door a little open. As he headed to Sam's duffel to get some clothes, he noticed Bobby looking at him. "What?"

"Nothing," said Bobby, sitting up and scooting over to his wheelchair.

Dean grabbed Sam's change of clothes, slipping them onto the counter in the bathroom. He plopped down in his chair and picked up his magazine. After a half hour, he finally heard the water turn off. He waited patiently until the door next to him opened. He stood up to find that Sam was dry and had every article of clothing in the right place. Dean reached out, checking to see if Sam's wet hair felt oily or gunky.

"Good, Sam!" Dean told him. "You did real good!" As he brought his hand down, he noticed the stubble on his little brother's face. After all, he hadn't shaved in two days. "You're starting to show. What do you say we do something about that?"

Dean led Sam back into the bathroom, pulling out a can of shaving cream and a razor.

"What we doing?" asked Sam.

"This is called shaving," Dean told him. "First off, you never do this without me, and you never play with the razor. You got that?"

Sam nodded. "I be good."

"Okay," said Dean. "Now, when I put this stuff on your face, don't make a mess."

Dean poured some shaving cream into his hand and started applying it to Sam's face. When he was done, Sam giggled at his reflection.

"I Santa!" exclaimed Sam.

Dean laughed as he put a hand on Sam's shoulder. "Okay. Hold still so you don't get hurt."

Dean put the razor to Sam's skin, making sure to leave those dark sideburns that Sam liked. He reached the underside of Sam's chin, tilting his head back to get to it. When he reached his upper lip, he looked at Sam.

"Go like this," Dean instructed. He drew his lips together as if he was smearing chapstick on his lips.

Sam did the same, and Dean carefully shaved his upper lip. Dean took a wet washcloth and cleaned the extra white foam from his face.

"Okay, brush your teeth," said Dean.

He watched Sam brush his teeth, smiling as he finished.

"That's good, Sammy," Dean told him. "I'm so proud of you." Sam walked into the room, heading for his toys. "Hey, Bobby, watch him for a minute, would ya?"

"Sure," said Bobby from his chair, having changed while they were in the bathroom.

Dean grabbed a change of clothes and closed the bathroom door. He hadn't gotten a shower in over twenty-four hours, not trusting himself to leave Sam in the room alone while he was in the shower for fifteen minutes. And he. Felt. Disgusting.

After they had showered and eaten, they dropped Bobby off at the room and headed back to Walmart. Dean wanted to buy a couple of older kid toys for later and some clothes the two of them needed. Dean grabbed a green, plaid button-down and held it up.

"What about this one, Sam?" asked Dean as he turned around. What he did not expect to find was an empty aisle. "Sammy?" Dean dropped the shirt and headed down the aisle. "Sam, where are you?"

Dean turned around, looking for his giant of a brother.

How do you lose someone over six feet tall?

Not seeing that familiar, brown-haired head anywhere, Dean looked back and forth, trying to see what might attract a four-year-old Sam. He spotted the entertainment section with its many big-screen TVs, showing some kid movie about talking race cars. He headed in that direction, spotting something on the floor. Dean rushed towards it, picking the stuffed Corgi up from the floor. Dean spun around, seeing his brother nowhere.

"SAMMY!"