A/N 1:-Thanksto my two wonderful beta-readers'Vonnie'and'Jules'. You're the best :)
A/N 2:-I just want to say how much I've appreciated the reviews and private messages I've received. Thank you so much hotshow, Ani101 , vonnie836, CeCe Away, CBloom2, Cainchan, skag trendy , cindy123 , cold kagome , Dragon Mistress Syal , Sparkiebunny , BranchSuper , Gabi2305 , supernaturalsammy67 , CosmicEssence , sammygirl1963 , epex , AliceAddams13, carocali and Ashe Raine .
Power Surge
"It's Sam, he's having a seizure."
The doctor burst into the trauma room with Dean and John running behind him and immediately moved towards the convulsing teen.
Sam was writhing on the confined hospital bed. His face had turned almost translucent and his eyes were partially open, but only whites were showing. A couple of nurses were holding his arms and legs tightly so he would not accidentally hurt himself. The oxygen mask that had been strapped to his face was dislodged; IV lines were almost ripped out of his hand.
The young doctor quickly re-attached the IV lines on Sam's hand as he was barking orders.
Dean was shell shocked seeing his baby brother's lithe body convulse helplessly on the hospital bed. He could see the doctor was saying something to someone but nothing seemed to be penetrating his already too congested brain. All he wanted to do was run and hold his brother in his arms as he had always done when Sammy was little. To Sam, Dean was a superhero who could do anything, could make his pain go away; could save him from anything bad. But now, he was feeling completely helpless for not knowing how to help his extremely sick and hurting brother. This was not something he could fix with a shotgun or a machete.
Dean watched with blurred vision while the nurse quickly injected something into one of the IV's and his brother's body gradually started to calm down. His face was now slack under the transparent mask and face tilted slightly towards their direction.
After what felt like a thousand hours, the nurses exited the room quietly, leaving only the Winchesters and the doctor.
Without wasting another moment, Dean literally rushed to his brother's side and immediately picked Sam's limp warm hand into his. If possible, Sam's face has gone two more shades paler, and his features were somewhat pinched even in his drugged unconscious state.
"What… what'd just happened?" Dean heard his father question the doctor with a quivering tone.
Sighing, Dr. Chase noted something on the chart and put the clipboard into the rack of Sam's bed.
"Well, what young Sam has just suffered is basically known as partial seizure. It's generally caused by severe head injury or intracranial trauma."
"What?" Dean swallowed nervously. "But Sam didn't hit his head, well recently."
"Yeah, but this kinda' seizure always doesn't happen due to surface injury. Sometimes, very high blood pressure can cause this type of seizure." Dr. Chase pointed at some numbers on the monitor screen behind Sam's head. "See, Sam's intracranial pressure as in blood pressure is hovering around 180/110 which is quite worrisome for a young kid like him."
"So you're saying his increasing BP's causing this seizure and nose bleed?" John asked, trying hard to remain calm in this situation. 'C'mon Sammy, don't do this to us. Don't let this BP crap get you.'
"Basically yes, and not to mention that his high fever's the icing on the cake." Dr. Chase now sounded a little tired and irritated. "Just how long has he been sick by the way? Has he been taking any medication for his BP?"
Taking a deep breath, John calmed himself down and tried not to hit the young doc's arrogant mug. He'd been pissing them off since they met. Seeing Dean also getting agitated, he put a warning hand on his shoulder to prevent the young man from doing something wrong like clocking the doctor in the mouth.
"I told you…"
Before Dean could finish, the doctor quipped again.
"Yeah, I know you didn't realize that he was sick." Dr. Chase stated obnoxiously. "But then again, let me remind you this is not something that happens within a day or two. This kinda condition takes time to develop." He sighed. "He should've been treated earlier than this. I'm genuinely concerned about his BP. This kinda thing can…"
Getting the hint that the little pause meant something serious, Dean asked nervously, "…can what?" His voice was quivering.
The doctor might sound rough around the edges, but the Winchesters could see he was a kind-hearted man. It was clearly shown in his face that he was worried for his young patient and that was what was making him sound like an idjit.
"Can lead to a stroke or a brain hemorrhage."
"Oh no, Sammy." Dean felt like his whole world came crashing down in front of him. 'This could not be happening. Sammy can't have this freaky Intra-whatever-pressure in his huge-like-Texas brain.'He blinked furiously, trying to keep his tears at bay. "He's just turned eighteen yesterday. How could he…?" He trailed off into an incoherent mutter, grabbed one of his baby brother's fever-hot hands tightly between his own and pressed it to his cheek.
"But he's gonna be alright, right?" John asked in a deep congested voice.
"Apparently, he is. We're giving him some ACE inhibitors through his IV which will slow down his rising BP to a relatively normal level and this other IV's providing his antibiotics for his fever. Although his stats are kinda low, if he gets his treatment properly, he'll pull through without any glitch."
"That's good." Dean began feeling somewhat relieved after hearing that proper treatment and care would make his brother healthy and fit like he used to be. "Ya hear that Sammy, your wired system just needs some happy juice and then you'll be up and around in no time. After that we'll be having a serious discussion about how to kick yer ass for hiding something this serious from us. So, get better already, would'ja?"
Smiling softly, Dr. Chase moved towards the door. Before he went out, he turned back and told them, "You can stay with him if you want." Although he had gotten the idea the protective family of Sam Scofield wouldn't budge from the side of his patient but still he went on, "Press the call button if he wakes up or feels any distress. I'll check him again after an hour or so." With that he closed the private room's door and went off to the other side of the corridor.
Logan was pacing restlessly in the confined space of his hidden room. His face was a mask of anger and frustration. He still could not believe what he had seen last night. John's youngest son was one of them? How could he hide something this serious for such a long time?
"Damn it, he was in front of me and I couldn't even detect that little bastard." Stopping his aimless pacing for a moment, he glanced at the psychic kids who were held prisoner and gritted his teeth in utter resentment. "Damn kid, I'm gonna peal his skin off his tainted body. He's gonna…"
His tirade cut off as a shrill of his cell phone interrupted. Cursing again, he pulled the offending object from his pocket roughly and almost barked.
"What! Better be good news Brad otherwise you're so gonna be screwed."
'I found him. He's in St. Patrick hospital.'
"Did you get his medical file?"
'Uh…yes.'
"And, what's the verdict?"
'Umm, he's suffering from severe intracranial trauma and fever.'
"Good. What medication are they giving him?"
'Enalapril.'
"OD it."
'What? But…'
"No buts," Logan snapped on the phone. "Increase the dose of that damn drug but make sure he won't die. I want him to suffer and then I will kill him with my own hands."
'Logan, are you su…'
"Damn it Brad, just f****** DO IT."
'Alright. I'll keep you updated.'
"Just don't get yourself caught. Those Winchesters are way too clever. Keep your ass safe from their clutches."
'Okay. Over and out.'
And then, the line went dead. Logan threw the device onto the nearest tabletop and smirked devilishly.
"Now now, Sammy Winchester 'The Super Boy', you're gonna suffer so much that you'll wish to die." Chugging some raw whiskey in a few gulps, he grimaced as it burned his throat, "…then I'm gonna to fulfill your bloody wish, you son of a bitch."
Brad snapped the phone shut and shoved it into his scrubs pocket. He looked at the male nurse who was now sprawled on the storeroom's floor, unconscious, tied up and only in his boxers.
Tucking Sam's medical file beneath his armpit, Brad, dressed as a male nurse headed smartly towards the drug store area.
Dean was reading a magazine while sitting on an uncomfortable chair beside Sam's bed. John had gone to the motel to clean up a bit and fetch some dinner for them. They had not had a single bite of food since last night. And this morning, Sam's fever had spiked a little and he was having a major headache after he woke up. The nurse had injected some medicine into Sam's IV, and after that he drifted off again. Dean tried to ask him how he was doing, but, his mind addled with drugs and pain, Sam didn't seem too coherent and almost immediately sunk further into a deep sleep, leaving his brother alone again.
The doctor had removed the oxygen mask and put a nasal canula under his nose. Sam's blood pressure level had dropped down some and was now hovering at around 150/100. The last medicine the nurse had injected was about three hours ago and Sam hadn't woken up since.
The doctor had told them that Sam was doing better and he could go home tomorrow. Dean was thankful that Sam had not suffered much from the last power assault. The way his baby brother had killed those ghouls and saved their asses with his mind power, was beyond belief. Sammy had looked so pale and corpse-like while they were driving him to the hospital. Dean was so afraid he was going to lose his little brother.
Dean shook his head dismissively as the negative thoughts haunted him. Throwing the unread book aside, he rubbed his tired face with both hands.
"Oh Sammy, what could have been?"
But something wasn't right. They were sure missing something. Dean could not grab the fact that had been bothering him since Sam was admitted. But something…
His musings cut off as someone entered the room. Dean saw it was the nurse again; holding a loaded syringe in his hand he headed towards Sam's bed.
'Something wasn't right.' Dean's hunter mind was alerting him.
"Didn't you just give Sam the meds a few hours back?"
The nurse seemed startled a bit, but quickly straightened.
"Uh yeah, umm… he needs another dose."
"Wait but…" Before Dean could finish his sentence, Sam picked that moment to wake up from his slumber.
"Uhhh…Deaan!" He groaned as he blinked his eyes open.
"Heya Sammy, how're you feeling bro?"
"Uhhhhh…tired. Whas'… ow…" Feeling a little pinch as the IV roller moved to adjust the drip he turned his face towards the nurse.
The nurse jerked visibly as Sam's eyes met his. Detaching the needle from the IV bag, he quickly headed towards the exit.
Everything was blurry in Sam's vision when he woke up from his sleep. He didn't know what had caused him to wake, must be the thirst, pain or whatever was making him feel like crap. He was feeling completely drained and bone-weary, and he needed his big brother.
And apparently, Dean was there; soothing him, asking how he was feeling. Before he could utter a coherent word, Sam felt a light pinch on his left hand and moved his head towards the source of the pain. His vision was much clearer this time and he saw a rather familiar face looking back at him.
'Wait, I know him. Where have I seen him before?'
Sam was thinking quickly, and the startled look of the man's face was making him more suspicious.
When Sam looked at the nurse's eyes, his own eyes grew larger as he recognized the brutal orbs of the marksman who'd tried to kill Andy and shot him. Sam started to hyperventilate as bad memories flooded his senses. The man's face had been hidden behind a black mask then, but now Sam could see him clearly.
The man sensed that Sam recognized him, so he tried to escape before the boy could speak and identify him, but Sam croaked out weakly, "Dean, that man….he… he…"
Dean leapt from his seat, seeing his brother's face turn almost grey as he started to hyperventilate. He grabbed Sam's arms and quickly asked, "What is it, Sammy? What's wrong?"
Panting harshly, Sam somehow blurted the words from his dry throat.
"He shot me."
Rage flooded Dean's veins as his brother informed him that nurse or the man who had been faking to be a damn nurse had shot Sam; he ran furiously, following the convict towards the hospital exit.
"I'm gonna kill you, you bastard," Dean growled behind the fleeing man who had been knocking the nurses and doctors out of the way to get clear.
Dean ran like a madman and the distance between them was getting closer, but then, the convict pulled an empty gurney from the side of the corridor and shoved it between him and Dean to hamper his forward motion.
But nothing could stop Dean Winchester when he was determined to catch the person who had tried to kill his baby brother. He swiftly jumped over the gurney and kept following the killer. As he was about to catch the man, the killer pulled a gun from his waistband and grabbed a nurse by her throat.
"Come any closer and I'll blow her head off," He threatened the furious young hunter before him.
Dean stopped dead in his tracks as the killer held the girl as hostage. Clenching his teeth he growled, "Let her go."
"I will, only when you step back!" The man shouted.
Dean looked around and saw how many innocent people had gathered around to see the commotion. If he tried to catch the bastard, he would probably start shooting and people would die. Dean could not do that. Reluctantly, he backed off, but remained tense and ready, waiting for the man to step outside the hospital territory. Then, the hunter promised himself, the killer would be dead meat.
Seeing Dean Winchester backing off, Brad dragged the defenseless nurse backwards with him until he crossed the emergency exit; threatening the armed hospital guards too.
Reaching his car, Brad shoved the girl out of his way and quickly climbed into the vehicle. Dean quickly followed him but slammed to halt as he heard an alarm started to beep all over the hospital with an emergency announcement-
"Code Blue in room 346, Code Blue in room 346!"
Dean's heart dropped to his stomach as he heard the announcement. "Oh God, it's Sammy's room. Oh my God." Quickly turning on his heel, he frantically ran towards the room where his little brother was currently fighting for his life.
Flipping his cell phone on, Dean dialed John's number as he kept running up the staircase. Before John could even say anything, he cried, "Dad, come quickly. It's Sam."
Another agonizing waiting room, they had been in for at least forty minutes.
Dean had been a complete mess after he heard Sam's heart had had some complication and he'd coded. He felt faint when he watched the doctors press a couple of defibrillators on Sam's tender chest and his brother's lithe body arch up on the tiny hospital bed. He had almost sprinted across the room, before he was led out by a couple of nurses telling him it would be better if he did not interrupt and let the doctors do their work on Sam.
John had returned to the hospital room within ten minutes after Dean called. He still could not believe what had just happened. Sometime earlier, his youngest son was doing fine and was about to go home the next day, and now he was being shocked by some damn paddles because of a cardiac arrest.
"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch."
John growled as he remembered what Dean told him about overdosing his baby boy. Why would someone want to hurt his baby son who had done nothing wrong in his whole life? He was only eighteen for God's sake, why would someone want to do something this horrible to someone as innocent as Sam? Overdosing his baby with some horrible drug that had led him to a cardiac arrest.
"No no no no no, this can't be happening."
John didn't remember when he had started rambling. He startled when Dean spoke in a tired, worn out voice.
"It was my fault. I should've stopped him before he injected that damn thing into Sam's IV."
Sighing, John sat next to Dean and put a hand on his shoulder.
"It wasn't your fault, Dean. How could have you known that he was a fake nurse?"
"NO." Dean cried hoarsely and shot to his feet. "You don't understand. My gut was telling me that the nurse was bad news, but I didn't listen. I let him screw with Sam's medication Dad! I "The pathetic Dean Winchester" failed my baby brother once again." Fisting his palm tightly, Dean bit his lips as they started to tremble. "Sammy…" his knees felt weak as he dropped onto them and cried miserably.
"Oh no, Dean." John quickly knelt beside his firstborn and hugged him closer. He could feel what Dean had been feeling. Sammy was his world; everything that happened to Sam, Dean took it as if it was his own fault. Sammy was his, and he could never let his baby brother down.
"It's okay Dean. Sammy's gonna be alright. He's a Winchester and strongest among us, right?" As Dean kept his head bowed without answering, John shook him lightly, "Right?"
Nodding unsurely, Dean answered in a low broken voice. "Yeah!"
"That's mah' boy." Smiling sadly, John pushed Dean to a standing position and led him to a nearby chair. But before they could take a seat, the door of Sam's room opened and a very haggard looking Dr. Chase came out.
"How's Sammy?" Both Winchesters asked in unison.
"Well, he's stable now. We'd been able to counteract the immediate action of the drug and given him some medication to detoxify the effect." Running a hand through his shaggy blonde hair, the young doctor continued. "It's been touch and go for a while and he went into an arrhythmic cardiac arrest which slowed his heart rate down to a dangerous level. We had to shock him twice to bring his heart back to a regular rhythm."
Both Winchesters stood still, not knowing what to say after hearing such horrible news about the baby of their family.
"B…but, he's gonna be okay, right?" John somehow managed to ask.
Shoving his hands into his coat pockets, Dr. Chase nodded. "He's a strong young man and it was caught early enough. Although he was given twice the amount, which is pretty serious by the way but still, we've been able to remove the excess drug out of his blood using a dialysis procedure."
Dean was fidgeting now. He nervously asked, "But you didn't answer the question. He's gonna be okay, right?"
Nodding positively, the doctor spoke again.
"He will be, but let me tell you his condition's very fragile right now. We're gonna closely monitor him from now on. Thankfully we didn't have to intubate him which is good news and we have him again on 100% oxygen."
"Can we see him?"
"He's unconscious right now but you can sit with him."
"Thanks Doc." Both Winchesters wanted to be with their youngest without wasting any more precious second, but halted when Dr. Chase called again.
"Ah, Mr. Scofield?"
"Yeah?"
"We have informed the cops and they will be here at any moment to talk to you."
"Cops?" John and Dean looked at each other worriedly.
"Yes, this was an assault on a patient by some fugitive and he even threatened one of our stuff. This is obviously a police case and since he tried to kill your son, so you guys are also involved in this. There must be some solid reason behind why he wanted to kill someone like Sam?" Frowning curiously, the young doctor continued. "And Sam was also admitted with a bullet wound in his arm."
"Uh okay," John replied hesitantly. "Call us when they're here."
Without wasting any more time, John grabbed Dean's arm and quickly strode towards Sam's room, leaving the doctor in the almost empty corridor.
"What're we gonna do now, Dad?" Dean asked nervously, never removing his eyes from Sam's pale unconscious face.
Pacing like a caged tiger, John chewed his fingernail as he tried to figure something out. Facing the cops wasn't an option, he had to avoid it no matter what. Any contact with the cops over the current situation meant his boys' lives were gonna be screwed even more than they already were. And besides, with the bullet wound and assault, Sam's life was again in danger; something the cops wouldn't be able to protect him from. John had to save his boys from this situation.
"Okay," Glancing at his watch, John noticed it was around 8 p.m. and the whole hospital building had become quite empty. Doctors and nurses were worried about the incident that had happened barely an hour ago. The police were already there and interviewing eyewitnesses. They had already confiscated the exit areas and ordered everyone to stay put.
"Okay, Dean. We gotta get Sam outta the hospital right now. But we need something to keep him comfortable."
"But Dad, look at him." Dean was shocked at his father's decision. "Sam's freaking unconscious and needs those damn things to keep him stable. How could you even…"
"Don't argue with me Dean, not right now." John snapped, sounding frustrated and tense. "Do what I tell you."
"But.."
"There's no time for buts, Dean. You know I wouldn't jeopardize Sammy's health for anything. This is for good, trust me."
Knowing his dad won't do anything that would make his brother suffer; Dean nodded at what John told him to do and stealthily left the room.
After Dean went out, John quickly adjusted Sam's heart monitor switches so it would beep after the patient was de-attached from the cords. Joshua had once taught him this trick and now it came in handy for him.
Unhooking Sam from the IV lines and oxygen mask, he gently ran his hand through his boy's soft hair and murmured, "Don't worry Sammy, I'm gonna take care of you. You just hang in there, alright buddy!"
Pulling a wheelchair from the corner of the corridor, John carefully lifted his youngest son and put him onto the chair. Sam's head was hanging low and his long chestnut hair was half-obscuring his face. John had it done within a couple of minutes; now all he had to do was wait for Dean to do his part.
Seeing the handsome man staggering like a drunk towards the nurse's station, one of the nurses asked in concern, "Oh my God, are you okay?"
Dean swayed as if he was going to fall down, but stammered out somehow.
"I think my blood sugar level's low. I…I haven't eaten since…ahhh…" Feigning a collapse, he let his leg buckle as his eyes started to roll up into his head.
"Oh no, Cathy, grab the candy bar from my desk. This young man needs something sweet right now." One of the nurses ordered as she and others began to tend to the handsome young man.
"Who is this, by the way?" Dean heard one of them asked.
"He's the brother of the patient from room 346. Poor boy was worried as hell for his brother." Someone said sympathetically.
Fluttering his eyes half open, Dean spotted his Dad pushing Sam out of the room in a wheelchair. He was heading opposite of the nurse's station as almost every nurse available in the area was looking after Dean and others were doing their work so they couldn't have noticed this little escape. As Dean watched John and Sam disappear into the elevator, he groaned and blinked his eyes fully open.
"Hey, you okay?" A pretty nursed asked and he showed them his most charming smile.
"Yeah, I'm good." Dean answered in a low husky voice which had melted nurse's fragile hearts.
Taking a slow bite of the offered chocolate bar, Dean smiled gratefully at the nurses and started to talk carefully.
"I need to get some real food into me. I'm starving." Seeing the understanding looks at their eyes, he continued. "I need to go to the cafeteria."
The nurses looked at each other, not sure what to do. The one who'd handed him the candy chewed her bottom lip and nervously informed him, "But the police have sealed the exits, I'm not sure if they would allow you to go outside."
"But you know me. It was my brother who the freak wanted to hurt." Using his version of puppy dog eyes to the women who were already starting to have a meltdown, Dean sensed a victory, jutted his lower lip out a little and spoke again. "I just wanna be strong for my baby brother. I'll only take ten minutes, tops. Please."
"Okay, ten minutes, deal!"
After Dean nodded happily, the nurse got up and asked Dean to follow her.
"Deal!" Showing her one of his most charming smiles, Dean followed her down the stairs, mentally calculating what his next major step would be.
John spared a quick glance at Dean who was now feigning a swoon and quickly pushed Sam's wheelchair towards the elevator. Pressing the button a couple of times, he waited impatiently. Time was running through his hands and he had to get Sam out safely from the hospital area.
He sighed in relief as the elevator door opened; thankfully it was empty, Winchester luck had shown mercy on them this time. Pushing the wheelchair into the small room, he pressed the first floor button.
Clamping a gentle hand on Sam's flaccid shoulder, John squeezed it reassuringly as he mumbled. "Its gonna be okay, Sammy. I'm gonna make sure that you're oaky." He was reassuring himself more than his insensate boy who was sitting limply in the wheelchair.
As the elevator doors opened, John was taken aback as a doctor entered and almost instantly, the man's eyes went wide in surprise.
"Who're you? Where're you taking him…aagh…" Before he could finish his sentence off, a solid fist hit the center of the poor doctor's mouth and he slumped boneless against the closed elevator door; unconscious.
"I'm sorry." John murmured a quick apology to the fallen doctor and stripped the white lab coat off his body. "I might need this one." Carefully pushing the wheelchair out of the elevator, he pushed the close button, making sure the doctor was trapped inside the elevator. John maintained a quick but measured pace towards the emergency exit. Mistaking him for a real doctor wheeling his patient off somewhere, some other staff might have noticed him but did not care about what he was up to. John was thankful to whoever was watching out for them, at least for now.
Almost running down the vacant corridor, John came to a halt before a short flight of stairs leading to the exit. The door was closed and John could see a head moving back and forth through the glass panel.
Setting his mind for his next action, John quickly picked Sam up from the chair and carried him down the stairs. When he reached the closed door, he put Sam's body onto the floor, whispering soft words to his unaware son.
"Okay, Sammy. Dad's gonna leave you for a second so he can take care of that security guard."
Next, John knocked on the closed door to get the guard's attention.
Frowning, the man turned around and saw a doctor standing behind the closed door, gesturing for the barrier to be opened. He nodded, and unlocked the door…
With lightning speed, John grabbed the guard's weapon and pulled it towards him; hitting the man's face with the butt, instantly knocking him unconscious.
Grinning in victory, John quickly turned around lifted Sam off the ground where he had left him. But as he crossed the threshold, someone called from the side.
"Don't move."
John's heartbeat almost stopped when he realized there could be more than one security guard at the exit area and now he was royally screwed. He hadn't prepared for this and he could do nothing with Sammy in his arms.
Slowly turning around, John saw the guard aiming his gun at him.
"Okay listen, I…"
"Shut up. Put him down and get on your knees. I'm calling the cops." He threatened John.
"Alright, alright. Don't shoot."
John almost put Sam down onto the asphalt; then he saw a cop was running towards them.
"Hey hey, what's going on?" The cop asked, holding his own gun up.
"Officer, this man was trying to escape with a patient. And he hit one of our guards, too," The security guard informed the cop.
"Okay, alright!" Looking straight into John's eyes, the cop moved closer to the armed guard and shouted, "You're under arrest mister."
Before the security guard could take any further action, the cop slugged him in the head with the butt of his revolver and knocked him down instantly.
Grinning mischievously, the cop winked at an amused John and told him, "Car's over there. Area's cleared, this way."
"Good job, Dean! I'm impressed," John told him with a grateful voice as he followed his firstborn swiftly around to the rear of the hospital.
"I'm the master." Dean, dressed as a cop, answered with a satisfied grin, but startled as a warning alarm began to wail through the hospital.
"They must have found the Doc in the elevator or found Sam's room empty," John muttered as they reached the Impala.
Dean was already settled in the back seat, reaching out to gather Sam safely into his arms. They could hear the whistles and barking of police dogs as the authorities went on high alert. Without sparing another moment, John climbed in the driver's seat, revved the engine and sped towards the road before anyone could suspect him.
40 minutes later:-
John was driving in silence, heading towards the town of Howard. It was nearly touch and go with their great escape; John shuddered at the memory. 'What could have been?' Sighing, he glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Dean was still holding his brother to his chest. Sam's face was horribly pale under the portable oxygen mask that Dean had borrowed from one of the parked ambulances with no guarantee of it being returned.
"What happened to you, Dean? Did the cops get you?" John asked while driving along the lonely highway.
"Yeah, almost." Dean sighed loudly, and rubbed one hand over his sibling's head.
"What did you do?" John asked, despite already knowing what Dean would do in this kind of situation.
"I…uhh… knocked him out and stuffed him into an ambulance." Smirking tiredly, Dean continued. "And then I swiped this mask, thinking Sammy might need some additional help." His voice faltered as he gazed down at his sick little brother.
"How's he doing?"
"Not good, Dad!" Dean sounded so exhausted. Poor boy had not had any time to relax since Sam's graduation party. His body was craving rest, but he was still holding on for the sake of his baby brother.
"We're almost there, Dean. He's waiting for us."
Dean didn't have the energy to ask who had been waiting for them and where. He just wanted to get Sammy some much needed help and himself to collapse and sleep for at least a week.
"'Kay." That was the only word he uttered before burying his face into Sam's wavy chestnut hair.
They were standing in front of a bungalow which was surrounded by a huge garden. But Dean had noticed there were some protection symbols on the garden gate and salt lines at the threshold.
'A hunter's nook, huh!' Dean absently thought as he looked towards his father who was cradling Sam's pliant body and waiting for the door to be opened.
Dean snorted disbelievingly as the closed circuit camera turned towards him, but startled when the door suddenly opened.
A man in his sixties was standing in front of them. He had a messy white beard and thinning white hair which was barely covering his almost bald head. Seeing John as he had been expecting, he gave a very broad, weird smile and welcomed his guests.
"Johnny Winchester, come in. I've been waiting for you."
TBC
More to come soon.