Warnings and disclaimers see chapter 1
Many thanks to rascalflattsgurl43 for the speedy and accurate beta on this story
Chapter seven He was here, right?
Out of all the ways he thought he would next meet up with his brother this would have to be way down the bottom if it appeared at all. Shot by a raging psychopath during a robbery. Sam knew he should call their dad and let him know that he had found Dean but he decided to wait until he saw the Doctor before doing that. He only had to wait an hour before the Doctor turned up and gave Sam the rundown of Dean's condition.
"We are most worried about the head injuries of course," explained Dr. Marshall after introducing himself. "David has a fractured skull that has caused a lesion on his brain. With the swelling, we are quite concerned about damage. Unfortunately due to the blood loss and the amount of injuries, we lost David on the table for a few seconds and this may add to any injuries already in the brain. Dr. Alcot, our chief neurologist, has been in to have a look at him and has run some tests. He will be back in the morning with the results."
Sam nodded his assent that he would be there for that, even though he was still frowning over Dean being lost on the table.
"The bullet that entered his lower abdomen grazed his spine on the way out. The spine is swollen between the disks 23 and 24. We will know more once David is more alert. At the moment, he is too heavily sedated to know what works and what doesn't."
"Do you think he will be paralyzed?" Sam asked urgently.
"It's too early to be making predictions. I can only say he is doing well for someone who has the amount of injuries he has. The other bullet was in the shoulder and the broken arm…" Doctor Marshall took a deep breath. "Most people would give up with that many injuries. David has the full respect of the staff here at how well he is doing. He is very tough, I'm sure he will be up and around quickly."
'Dean isn't most people that's for sure.'
Sam thanked the man and went back to Dean's bedside for a moment explaining to his brother, even though he was unconscious, he was going to call their dad and promising to be back quickly.
Sam made the call outside the side door of the hospital, surprised and relieved when he answered on the first ring.
"Dad, I found Dean. He was shot in a hold up of a liquor store."
"What? Is he okay?"
"Actually, no. He has spine damage and brain damage."
"How many times was he shot?"
"Twice. In the shoulder and lower abdomen. One of the guys stomped on him until he broke his arm and kicked him in the head so hard it dented the metal door behind him."
"And Dean just let it happen?"
"No, he took the two guys down. There were hostages, dad."
Sam could feel his temper rising after only a couple of minutes on the phone with the man.
"What the hell was he doing in there?"
"I don't know. Maybe Dean can tell us when he wakes up."
"He's in a coma?"
"No, he's not even on life support just oxygen. According to the nurses he has woken a few times. The doctor said he is on lots of drugs so it will be awhile before they know his exact condition. I will be seeing the neurologist in the morning."
Sam heard John take a big breath and let it out.
"Okay Sam you did good. What hospital is he at?"
"You coming down?"
"Yeah I can be there in the morning if I take off now."
Sam was surprised John was just up and leaving in the middle of a hunt. He relayed the information, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice. Sam signed off, thinking he may have been too harsh on his father; of course he would want to be there for his son. Sam sat by Dean's left hand for the reminder of the day, getting information from the nurses as to what Dean had been going through on his own. He really hadn't been very aware the few times he had woken, making Sam feel a slightly better about him waking alone, but no less guilty. Dean struggled to a slight state of consciousness twice and Sam soothed and talked to him which seemed to help.
He got to meet Jim and his mother and excused himself to grab some food when Jim's mother bowed her head in prayer. Sam didn't have a problem with the woman praying for Dean but felt awkward as he didn't know the woman. Sam was shown the door at the end of visiting hours; the nurses letting Sam know 'David' needed his rest. Sam took the Taurus back to his neighbor, then walked back to the liquor store and drove the Impala home. He had an uneasy night's sleep, wanting to be back at Dean's side. He arrived with a bag of books to keep him busy right at the start of visiting hours the next morning.
Sam opened Dean's door to see a figure standing looking down at his brother. Dad. John looked travel worn even from the back. Sam faltered on the threshold not wanting to break the private moment between the two of them and not wanting to talk to his dad full stop. He took a deep breath making to go in but just as he did Dean's doctor approached him.
"Sam, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"I have Doctor Alcot here who wants to talk to you about you brother's condition."
Sam didn't even think about including his dad on the conversation. He knew his dad always had what he called an angry attitude and might make the doctor uncomfortable. He followed Doctor Marshall to the nurse's desk. Dr Marshall introduced Sam to an older, shorter man holding a stack of folders under an arm.
They shook hands as the introductions were made.
"As Dr Marshall has no doubt told you, we are concerned about the impact David has had on the right side of his skull level with his ear. We are concerned about the swelling and damage affecting his temporal lobe. Now, temporal lobes allow a person to tell one smell from another and one sound from another. They also help in sorting new information and are believed to be responsible for short-term memory."
Sam nodded his understanding.
"The right lobe is mainly involved in visual memory. Memory for pictures and faces. After the tests we have run so far I would be surprised if David suffered to badly. He may have trouble hearing at first and a little trouble with short term memory."
"How short term?"
"That's the hard part. We won't know until he is weaned off the pain medication and is more alert."
"So it's wait and see?"
'Just like his legs. What is it with these doctors?'
"And more tests."
Sam thanked the doctor for his time and went back to Dean's room. Sam expected to have to explain to John what was going on with his eldest but was surprised to find the room empty. Sam looked in the small bathroom and found that empty as well. He shrugged his shoulders and took the seat next to Dean's left arm again feeling like he had dodged a bullet.
'Well he probably went for coffee after driving all night' thought Sam as he settled at Dean's side. Sam was tense waiting for John to return for an hour holding Dean's hand.
Finally Jacqueline came in to check up on his brother and Sam had to make sure he hadn't imagined him.
"Excuse me. Was there an older guy here earlier?"
"David's father?"
Sam nodded.
"He fixed up David's insurance and said he would be back later."
"Okay thanks."
Sam couldn't help his frown.
TBC
