Sorry it's been so long since my last update! Don't hate me.
They waited for what felt like hours, barely saying two words to each other. Sam was caught up in thoughts of a world without his big brother, and John was already planning a hunter's funeral, blaming himself for everything.
Finally, a doctor approached them. "Family of Dean Winchester?"
They anxiously stood, looking at the man with apprehension. "Yeah, that's us." In all the panic, John had completely forgotten to come up with an alias. They held their breath, expecting the worst.
"He's going to be okay." The doctor said with a smile.
"Thank God..." John put a hand on Sam's shoulder, leaning against him slightly.
"Any permanent damage?" The younger Winchester asked. He was glad Dean would live, but his eyes were still guarded. He knew better than to assume things would work out in their favor.
"No, he'll make a full recovery. He's lucky you had the knowledge to make him throw the majority of the pills up. And you got him here in record time. We were able to pump his stomach, and we've got him on IV fluids to get the rest out of his system."
Sam felt like he could breathe again. He put a hand over his mouth, holding back a relieved sob.
"Can we see him?"
"Of course. He'll be unconscious for a while longer, but I'll take you to his room." As they followed the doctor down the hall, he cleared his throat. "While we were treating him, we noticed that your son has some other injuries. Do you know where he got them?" He directed the question at John.
"He was mugged a couple nights ago." He lied easily. This wasn't the first time they'd had to fabricate a story.
"They aren't your typical defensive wounds." The doctor said suspiciously.
"Yeah, he decided to fight back instead of protecting himself." Sam said honestly.
"Hm," The man nodded. "That makes sense, considering his suicidal state of mind."
Sam flinched at the reminder.
They reached Dean's room, and John had to take a moment to collect himself. His son was way too pale, surrounded by tubes and wires with monitors beeping steadily. Without them, one might assume he was dead. The way he was lying so still...
"When can he leave?" Sam asked in a hushed voice.
"I'd like to keep him overnight for observation. The hospital also has a 24 hour mandatory psychiatric hold for suicide attempts, so you'll be able to check him out around 11:00 tomorrow."
"Thanks." They hovered in the doorway, just watching. Every time the doctor reminded them what Dean had done, Sam felt sick.
"But I would recommend admitting him to our psychiatric ward." The man added. "We have an excellent staff, specially trained in-"
"No." John interrupted. "Thanks, but I know my son. Being cooped up in a place like this would only make things worse."
"Alright." He shrugged. "I'll have the nurses bring in some pamphlets for therapists in the area."
He walked away before they could tell him not to bother, that they'd be leaving as soon as Dean was well enough.
They walked into the room and John sank into a chair by Dean's bed. He swallowed hard, reaching for his son's hand. "He's still so cold..."
"Whole hospital's cold," Sam shivered. "It's kinda creepy."
"I hate hospitals." John said absently.
"I think everyone does."
They were quiet for a few minutes, listening to the reassuring sound of the heart monitor.
"What are we gonna do, Dad?" Sam asked, running a hand through his hair.
"What do you mean?"
"Maybe we should admit him."
"What? Are you crazy, he'd hate it!" John glared.
"He'd hate it even more if we missed our shot at the demon because of this." Sam pointed out. "That's the whole reason..." He trailed off.
"You're right." Their father sighed. "We definitely can't leave him alone. Not after this...But I still don't like the idea of leaving him here. This is Dean we're talking about; he'd probably find a way to escape."
"True." Sam hadn't even thought about that, but if anyone could break out of a psych ward, it was his brother. "We could call Bobby."
John laughed. "He promised to shoot me if he ever saw me again."
Sam smiled faintly. "I'm sure you deserved it."
"Hell, I know I did."
"Still, he's always been there for me and Dean." Even when you weren't. The unspoken words hung between them.
"Alright. Why don't you give him a call?"
Sam nodded, taking one last look at his unconscious brother before stepping into the hallway and dialing Bobby's number.
"This is Agent Willis, FBI."
Sam grinned. "Hey, Bobby. It's Sam. Sorry, I think I dialed your 'FBI' line instead of your cell."
The older man chuckled. "An easy mistake to make. How've you been, Sam?"
He hesitated. "Not too good, actually."
"What's going on?" He could hear the concern in the older man's voice.
"It's Dean...he's in the hospital."
"Balls! What happened?"
Sam swallowed hard. It hurt to say aloud. "He overdosed on a bunch of pain pills."
There was a shocked silence. "Bobby, you still there?"
"Yeah. How...? I mean, were you guys on a case? Did he get cursed or somethin'?"
"No."
"Aw, hell."
"Yeah," Sam ran a hand through his hair.
"Is he gonna make it?"
"Yeah, he'll make a full recovery."
"Good." Bobby sounded relieved. "Is there anything you two need? Does yer daddy know?"
"Yeah, my dad is actually here with us."
"Now that's a miracle right there." Bobby chuckled dryly.
"Tell me about it." Sam mumbled. "Anyway, there is something you can do for us. Is there any way you could meet us at the hospital and take Dean home with you? We're in Toledo, Ohio."
Bobby seemed taken aback at the request. "Yeah, I mean, guess I could. Got nothin' going on for the next few days. But can I ask why? He needs you, Sam. Especially now."
"I know." Sam admitted guiltily. "But Dad and I have a lead on the demon that killed Mom and Jessica. This could be our only chance, and-"
"I expected this from your father, but from you? Sam, there are more important things than revenge!" Bobby said angrily.
"Trust me, I wanna stay here and look after Dean. But he would never forgive himself if we missed this chance because of him. You know that."
Bobby sighed. "Alright. But for the love of God, you'd better come back in one piece. If anythin' happens to you or John..."
"I know."
"Okay, well I guess I better pack my bags. I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Thanks, Bobby."
He hung up the phone and headed back to the room. Dean hadn't moved, and showed no signs of waking up. John sniffed, and Sam looked away as his father discreetly wiped tears from his cheeks.
"What did Bobby say?" He asked gruffly.
"He'll do it. He said he'd be here tomorrow morning to take Dean home with him."
"Good." John nodded. He scratched absently at his beard. "On second thought, are we sure Bobby's house is the safest place for him? The man has more weapons than an armory. And they're all over the house. The entire place is basically booby-trapped."
"Dean would say it's 'Bobby-trapped'." Sam chuckled softly, and his father cracked a small smile. "But you have a point..." He thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, this is the best place for him. I trust Bobby, he'll keep Dean safe."
John nodded. "You're right. I just..." He trailed off. He didn't even need to say the words. Sam knew what he was thinking, because the same thing was going through his own mind.
Jesus I'm so fucking worried. This is all my fault. What if he tries again? What if we can't stop him next time? How the fuck did this happen?
"I know," Sam patted his father's shoulder. He walked over to the opposite side of Dean's bed and sat down.
His brother was so pale. So still. He looked dead.
Sam needed him to wake up soon. He needed to ask him what the fuck he was thinking. To tell him they needed him, and that he'd better not pull something like this ever again. But mostly he needed to say sorry. To apologize for not seeing what was right in front of his face. For not realizing how much Dean was hurting all along.
He tiredly rubbed his eyes. Their life was such a train wreck. Could they ever make this right?
Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you have time... :) I'm hoping to get the next chapter up within a week. (for real this time)