Hi friends! I was a bit evil last chapter with that ending I must say, but I couldn't resist. :D But I confess, this isn't a death fic so we're OK! Thanks again for everyones reviews and adds, it's been swell! XD

This is just a little chapter in comparison to the others, but chapter 7 is already on the way so it's all good :)

The nurse ran back into Sam's room and slammed the door. Bobby was in too much shock to notice Dean fall back against the wall and slide to the floor. It finally hit the two men just how serious Sam's condition was. Dean was rocking back and forth, mumbling "no" over and over again. Bobby was staring through the small glass panel on the door as his friend Dr Matthews used the defibrillator to try and shock Sam's heart back into action. There was a lot of commotion in the room and Bobby tried to figure out what they were saying, but the room was well sound proofed.

"Please let him be Ok," Bobby said out loud.

"Ok? Bobby his frigging heart just stopped!"

"I know Dean, but that doesn't mean they can't start it again. He still has a chance…"

"Face it Bobby, it's hopeless. He's going to die, from a stupid infection! After everything we've been through! If you exist God you are a bastard!" Dean started to scream at the ceiling, tears streaming down his face. Bobby felt like crying too, but Dean was a mess and one of them had to be strong right now. So he sat down next to the broken man and wrapped an arm around him. "You can't give up Dean. He's going to be fine, I just know it."

xxx

Ten minutes passed, which to Bobby felt like months. Dean was sobbing next to him, convinced that Sam was gone. But Bobby refused to believe that the boy he classed as his own son was dead.

Just then, Charles walked out of the room and Bobby stood, dragging a distraught Dean to his feet. He looked at the nurse, silently asking for the verdict.

"It's good news. We were able to stabilise him. Unfortunately he is still quite poorly. We think the infection may have reached his lungs as his breathing is weak. We intubated him so that should keep the oxygen flowing. The doctor is trying to figure out what caused the heart to stop. You can come in, Dr Matthews is with him."

Dean and Bobby both let out a shaky sigh of relief. Sam wasn't dead, he was Ok. Dean wiped his eyes and ran to his brother's side. Bobby nodded a thanks to the nurse and followed Dean into the room. Dean was hugging Sam's unconscious body, thanking him for not dying.

"He sure is strong," Dr Matthews told them. "I wouldn't expect anything less from a hunter. You lot don't give up without a fight."

"Damn right we don't!" exclaimed a relieved Bobby. "So tell me straight Frank, how is he?"

"He's still pretty sick. As far as I can tell, the infection has spread to his lungs, which explains the lack of oxygen. Sepsis weakened the heart, but the inflammatory response of the immune system has caused a fluctuation in blood pressure. Initially his blood pressure would have been high, but then it has lowered to a dangerously low level. Sadly, this put a lot of stress on his heart and it could no longer handle the pressure, so it stopped working. We were able to start it up again, and now we have enough oxygen flowing around the body and the stress on his heart is reduced. Sepsis often causes organ failure, but Sam's organs are still just functioning. The damage to his lungs should be reversible and if we successfully clear the infection he should make a full recovery. But we are still in the 'golden hours' of infection as it were, so I can't say for sure how it's going to go."

"Are any of his other organs affected?"

"We don't think so. We took blood and urine samples to check renal functions as the two most commonly affected organs during sepsis are the lungs and kidneys. But his urine looks normal so if I had to make an educated guess I say that they were functioning well for now."

Bobby nodded, still bemused at the events of the last 15 minutes.

This time, Dean had listened to the medical information. He needed to know what exactly was wrong was his brother. He finally spoke up. "What can we expect in the next few hours?"

The doctor and Bobby were shocked to hear Dean's voice, but the doctor replied. "I can't say. Hopefully the antibiotics will have a chance to clear the worst of the infection and Sam will be out of the danger zone. Worst case scenario – he will have multiple organ failure, which would be fatal. I wish I could give you an estimate of his chances, but it varies between patients, and it also depends how far sepsis had set in before he was first given a dose of penicillin."

"So we just have to hope he gets better?"

"I'm sorry Dean, but we've done all we can here. As we have explained before, it is up to Sam. We can help if things go wrong, but ultimately he has to fight this."

"Thanks doc," Dean returned his attention to his brother, mumbling quietly into Sam's ear. Bobby couldn't hear what Dean said, but guessed Dean was begging him to wake up and be Ok. Frankly, Bobby shared the same wishes as Dean.

xxx

The next few days were much the same as the ones that preceded them. Sam had yet to wake him from his coma-like condition, and Dean rarely left his side. Bobby returned home every so often to wash and bring food for the two of them. Dean would only leave Sam to use the lavatory or wash in the tiny bathroom attached to Sam's ward, and only when Bobby was there to keep an eye on his brother. There was always a doctor or nurse supervising Sam, but Dean wanted someone he could trust there at all times, and only he or Bobby fit that description. He wasn't questioning the abilities of the medical professionals – he just wanted to make sure Sam had someone he was close to around when he woke up. Dean had developed a habit of talking to Sam about anything and everything, as there was a slight chance Sam could hear what was going on around him. The results of the Gram stain test had confirmed that the organism responsible for infection was in the Staphylococcus family. That had sparked major concerns for Dean as he had read a lot about MRSA in the news. He had heard about a drug called vancomycin that is used to treat MRSA and asked Dr Matthews to give it to Sam, but the doctor explained that it is only a last resort treatment for bacterial infections if all other antibiotics failed, and he didn't want to risk Sam developing a resistance, leaving him defenseless. Dean became more worried as the days went by.

It had been five days since Sam had first fallen ill. At around 3pm, Bobby had gone home to shower and find dinner for himself and Dean. Charles was sitting in the corner of Sam's room, reading a magazine. This was technically his day off, but the hospital was too busy to allow an on duty nurse or doctor to sit with Sam, so he volunteered to stay. He had grown fond of the bizarre trio, and was amused by Dean's ever increasing repertoire of nicknames to insult his size. Even though he had to monitor Sam's condition, he tried to give the brothers enough personal space and attempted to block out Dean's words, whilst still listening to the machines around the youngest. Dean, meanwhile, tried his best to ignore Charles. He would never admit it, but he had great respect for the man, and the insults were Dean's way of showing affection. He was relieved that Charles took it all in good humour. But right now, Sam needed his full attention, so he blocked out the nurse's presence. He had spent most of the day reminiscing about their childhood, telling Sam stories of what he was like as a toddler. The lack of response from Sam made Dean more and more agitated. Dean grasped Sam's hand and leaned into his face.

"Come on Sam, wake up. I mean I know I've spent many years calling you Princess, but did you have to turn into Sleeping Beauty?" He laughed, and prayed that Sam would playfully punch him and put on the bitch face. But there was nothing.

Dean turned serious. "Please Sam. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I can't do this without you man. You were right – I'm not Ok. I miss Dad so much, but I know you do too. Let's face it, you're always right, college boy. If you think the two of us need to talk about it, then we will. I promise. But how can we if you won't wake up? I miss you kid. I can't lose you as well. You're the only thing that's keeping me going. What am I gonna do if I lose you? You can't die…" Dean choked on the lump forming in his throat and just managed to stop the tears coming. If Sam could hear him, he was not going to cry. He would talk about things, but he would never cry. Not in front of Sam. He always had to be the strong one, and he was not going to lose it now. As Dean composed himself, he felt a gentle pressure on his hand – the hand holding Sam's.