A Whiter Shade of Pale Ch. 6
Disclaimer: See first chapter
Author's Note: Please remember that I have no medical knowledge whatsoever and any medical information comes from searching Google. All mistakes are my own.
Previously: Reaching out to card his fingers through Sammy's chestnut colored hair while Dean stroked his brother's palm with his thumb, John said, "We're here for you Tiger, and we'll be here until you are ready to wake up."
Sitting at Sammy's beside an hour or so later as the sun rose over the horizon and cast its' first golden rays into the room, John emitted a jaw popping yawn as he watched his two children sleeping. Sam had yet to fully awaken from his surgery and Dean had finally given into his own exhaustion and fell asleep approximately forty-five minutes ago, slumped over the side of Sammy's hospital bed. Looking at his eldest, John knew Dean would most likely suffer the effects of a sore back with the way he was laying, but he just didn't have the heart to wake his oldest son only for Dean to be burdened with worry for his baby brother. Tugging his rough calloused hands through disheveled hair, he wished he could get his hands on a strong cup of black coffee. He really needed a good caffeine jolt right now, but refused to leave his slumbering children. Glancing up at the sound of soft footsteps entering into the room, he smiled as he saw a student nurse approach.
"I just came to check Sam's vitals," the young nurse voiced softly so as not to wake the sleeping boys. Pulling Sammy's chart from the holder at the bottom of the bed, she walked over to check the readout on his heart monitor and then noted his pulse and blood pressure on the chart.
"How's he doing?" John inquired with a whisper as he watched the nurse place the chart back into its' proper position at the foot of the bed.
"About as well as can be expected with everything he has been through," Janice, the student nurse, answered with a smile of her own. "Is there anything I can get for you?"
"A cup of java would be nice," John replied with a hint of pleading to his voice.
"Coming right up," Janice stated with a smile before exiting the room to do as asked. The angst filled father really did look like he could use a string cup of coffee.
Janice had no sooner left the room when John heard the rustling sound of movement coming from Sammy's bed. Striding over to the bed quickly, he immediately noticed the way that Sammy's hands clutched at the sheets as if he were in pain.
"Sammy, I need you to wake up for me son," John encouraged, immediately taking note of the fact that Dean was now wide awake also and looking at Sammy intently.
"Come on sleeping beauty and wake your ass up. You don't want me to have to kiss ya do you?" Dean stated with a smirk, though worry was evident in his eyes.
"Ha-Hate to tell ya De'n, but I'm not a girl and you definitely aren't Prince Ch-Charming," Sammy retorted with a grimace as he finally opened his blue-green eyes to see a lone tear trailing down his big brother's face which caused him great concern. "You 'kay?"
"Me? I'm not the one who's laying in the hospital bed kiddo," Dean voiced affectionately as he sat on the edge of Sammy's bed and carded his fingers through his baby brother's curly chestnut colored hair. Feeling the burden of guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders, he knew he needed to bare his soul and apologize for letting his baby brother get hurt. "Sammy, I'm sorry."
"Sorry for wh-what?" Sam questioned with astonishment, grimacing once again as he tried to shift himself in the bed to find a more comfortable position. Dean had nothing to be sorry for that he could remember.
"It's my fault you were hurt," Dean responded ashamedly as he pressed the button on the morphine pump to administer Sam some much needed pain medication since the kid wasn't doing so for himself. "If I had been there…"
"Dean, s'not your f-fault. There's no way you could ha-have known what was going to happen. I wa-was the one wh-who…" Sammy's voiced trailed off as exhaustion and the medication set in and sleep claimed him once again.
"He's right, ya know," John voiced as he grasped Dean's chin to look him in the eye. "It's time you stop blaming yourself for Sammy getting hurt. It's obvious he doesn't."
"But…"
"No buts about it Dean. I know you think Sammy's welfare is your sole responsibility, and I'm partially to blame for that, but you know he wouldn't want you to think that way. Sammy loves you and he wants you to have a life of your own too," John informed his eldest.
"I know that Dad, but it's just, I should have been there. I should have kept him from being hurt."
"You're here now and that's what counts," John voiced gruffly as he placed a hand on Dean's shoulder in comfort. "Besides, once we get Sammy better and get him the hell out of here, we'll make that bastard who stabbed him pay for what he did."
"You've got that right," Dean enunciated strongly, just as the nurse returned with his dad's coffee, causing Dean to look at his father with envy. "Any chance I can get a sip of that?"
John thought about refusing the request, but then handed the cup over since it was obvious Dean needed the caffeine too since he was running on less than n hour of sleep. Turning his attention to the nurse, he said, "Sammy woke up for a few minutes."
"That's wonderful news. I'll be sure to let his doctor know," Janice informed the small family before taking her leave once again.
~~Supernatural~~
Walking into the room later that afternoon to check on his young patient, Dr. Brad Spencer was pleased to see Sam awake and attempting to eat the raspberry flavored jello and chicken broth that had been brought to him for dinner by one of the candy stripers.
"Hello Sam," the young doctor dressed in blue jeans voiced as he strolled over to the bed and patted his young patient on the knee. "I'm Dr. Spencer, but you can call me Brad. How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess," Sam answered hesitantly as the doctor motioned for him to lay back so he could check his stomach incision for any redness or puffiness around the stitches.
"Just okay? That doesn't sound very convincing," the doctor intoned as he checked for abdominal distention. "Are you experiencing any sharp pains in your abdomen when you move?"
"Yeah, he has," Dean informed the doctor before Sammy could have a chance to deny that he was hurting earlier. Sure, the Winchester way of handling pain was to suck it up, but he'd be damned if he was going to let Sammy suffer pain needlessly. "He grunted in pain every time he shifted in the bed earlier."
"Hmmm, has there been any nausea, diarrhea, or rectal tenderness or fullness?" Brad questioned, placing his palm on Sam's forehead to check for a higher than normal fever after coming out of surgery.
'No Sir," Sam voiced, his cheeks tingeing a bright red in embarrassment upon the doctor's questions.
"Doc, is there anything we should be concerned about?" John queried with concern as he watched the doctor closely for signs that something was wrong.
"I'm not sure. The pain Sam is feeling is most likely from the trauma to his abdomen, but I want to keep him in the ICU for at least another 24-36 hours for observation. I don't want to chance missing any complications that could arise from the abdominal leakage," Dr. Brad Spencer answered, just to be on the safe side.
"Sure Doc, whatever you think is best," John agreed wholeheartedly. He wasn't about to take any chances with his son's life either.
"Hey Doc, is there anything we should watch for? I mean other than the diarrhea and nausea?' Dean inquired, needing to know what to look for should some kind of complication develop.
"Basically, you two know Sam better than we do," Brad stated thoughtfully as he considered Dean's question. "If anything seems off to you or if he becomes chilled or weaker than you would consider normal after a surgery like the one he's had, then let the nurses know right away. It could be a sign that there's something wrong"
"You can count on it doc," Dean stated, reaching out to discretely check Sammy for fever while brushing the kid's bangs aside. He had let Sammy down by not being there for him when Sammy was injured, so he would make sure to be extra vigilant with his younger sibling's health now.
'Oh great, just what I need, Dean's really going to mother hen me to death now," Sam thought as he rolled his eyes at Dean's penchant for being overprotective when it came to him.
"Looks like your sons are very close," Brad voiced softly as he graced John with a wistful smile. "You're a lucky man to have such fine young boys."
"You've got that right," John agreed wholeheartedly, glancing fondly over at his children. When it came to his sons, he couldn't ask for any better. Of course there were times that he felt like wringing their necks a time or two when the two squabbled endlessly on their long road trips, but even then, he wouldn't trade his boys for anything else in the world.
"Okay, I'll leave the three of you in peace to get some rest. If you need anything, just push the call button and somebody will be right with you," the doctor stated as he prepared to leave the room so he could finish his medical rounds.
'Okay, thanks Doc," John voiced, reaching out to shake the doctor's hand. Escorting the doctor to the door, he sat down in the far corner of the room so he could keep a close eye on his boys, yet allow them the privacy for Dean to coddle their youngest while Sammy half-heartedly protested the treatment. Finally, things seemed to be going their way for a change.
TBC