Well, shit.
Sam wasn't typically one to curse, having grown up around it to a stifling degree, but he thought this situation could qualify easily as an outlier.
It's not like he didn't have just cause to utter a few of Dean's choice words, he'd very likely broken his arm falling off of a ladder, after all, but that didn't mean he was especially proud of his cursing vocabulary.
Jessica worried over his injured arm as she and her roommate Katie helped him up gingerly. The two girls had been some of the only volunteers for setting up banners advertising the upcoming finals and end-of-the-quarter party. Everyone else was busy with either studying or getting some last minute relaxation before testing.
"I don't know how you got lucky enough not to break your neck." Jess moaned, her face riddled with guilt. "I don't know how the ladder collapsed. By all accounts, it's in perfect working condition. I-"
"It's okay, Jess." Sam interrupted with a grunt, clutching his arm to his chest. "I should go get this checked out though, right?" He gestured sarcastically at his obviously busted arm.
The skin was purpling now, with a fragment of bone almost poking through his skin. It was a sickening sight, and, were he almost anyone else, he would have been puking and sobbing on the floor in pain, especially with the way that the bone played against his nerves like a harp every time he moved.
As it was, he merely grimaced.
Jess, being the lovely person she was, she merely rolled her eyes at his annoying sarcasm and began leading him out to the parking lot.
"Hop in." She commanded easily as she pointed at her car. "The least I can do is drive you."
Sam sighed, he was going to argue for taking the bus or a cab, but decided against arguing with the scary blonde female.
"What's going on here?" Jess asked incredulously, peering around at the crowded emergency room.
A passing nurse answered helpfully, "Minor car collision on fourth. One of those 'cars' was a bus heading to a family reunion, so the entire family decided to come and wait in the ER while everyone else got checked out." She shrugged helplessly and added, "Why don't you follow me, Sam? I just got room open."
"I need to head back for class, Sam." Jess interrupted regretfully. "You gonna be okay here?"
"Go, Jess." Sam directed, exasperatedly. "I'll be fine."
"Alright," she replied dubiously. "Make sure to call your boyfriend, okay? I'll see you later, hun." With that, she kissed him on the cheek and, ignoring his raging blush, walked off.
The nurse just laughed and led him into an empty exam room.
He hopped deftly onto the bed, cradling his wrist carefully in his lap as he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open, punching in the familiar number.
"Greg's Mule Barn, head Ass speaking." Sam snorted.
"So you're Greg, today?" he asked.
"Mmm. Yes, since I haven't seen you all day, I decided to name myself." Sam shrugged.
"Anyway, just wanted to let you know I'm at the hospital right now, so if you wanted to swing by…?"
"Sam, what are you doing at the hospital?" The newly named 'Greg,' had a note of alarm in his voice that gave Sam a funny, light feeling.
"Don't worry, it's not life or limb-threatening. I just fell off a ladder and broke my wrist." That didn't do much to calm the slightly hysterical laugh that came through the phone, but neither of them commented on it.
"…'Kay. Be there in twenty." There was a click from the other end and a beep alerted him to the end of his call.
Huh, he must really be worried.
"Sam?" The nurse poked her head in. "A doctor will be in to see you soon and Nurse Macy asked me to pass along a message. She said, 'Next time you decide to get injured, can you not put Dr. Coelum in such a tizzy?'"
Sam snorted out a laugh.
"Tell her thanks."
She smiled and left Sam to sit in the quiet room.
Ten or so minutes later, Sam was fiddling idly with the edge of his shirt, and swinging his feet back and forth. There wasn't much else to do with his arm the way it was, but he was incredibly bored so…
The door swung open suddenly, startling Sam out of picking at his shirt seams.
"Hello there, I'm Dr. Coelum, and what seems to be the – Sam, what a surprise. I didn't expect to see you here!"
This might have been believable if it hadn't been for the shit eating grin on his face with a very well hidden edge of panic in his eyes.
Sam smiled in return.
Greg sat down on the spinney stool that seemed to be in every doctor's office and scooted so he sat directly in front of Sam.
"Let's take a look at the damage, shall we?"
With careful hands, Greg took the damage arm and gave it a focused sweep over. Sam was curious to know what that look was about, but he'd wait until afterwards for questions.
"How's the pain? Any numbness?"
"Manageable." Sam replied easily. "No numbness."
"Well, good news is, it's not an open fracture and it hasn't damaged any nerves, so you probably won't have to get any surgery. We won't know for sure until I can X-ray it though." It was strange seeing the usually bubbly man in work mode. It reminded him a bit of that one show Jess liked to watch on his couch. What was it called again? Harrods… Holmes…
"House." He finished accidentally out loud. Greg looked up at him in surprise, the change of topic sudden.
"House what?" Sam cleared his throat nervously.
"Since I can't give you a first name today, I'll settle for a last name. Today, you are Greg House." Sam finished lamely. Looking a little awkward.
Greg just slanted an eyebrow and smirked.
"Does that make you Lisa Cuddy?" He snarked.
"I certainly do lead you around by the short and curlies." Sam mused. Greg put on an affectation of offense.
"Does that mean you also have lovely breasts?" He replied, barely able to contain his grin. Sam rolled his eyes but allowed a grudging smile cross his face.
"I'm pretty sure that would be Jess' department."
"Where is your lovely limpet?" Greg asked curiously. "You two are like, besties or something. I'd expect to see her at your sickbed."
"I'm not sick," he protested, "and I told her to go to class. She'd skipped too many days to afford sitting here and waiting."
"Whatever you say, Samsquatch." He replied indulgently. Sam swatted him on the shoulder with his good hand as the doctor stood.
"Come on, let's go get that thing X-rayed and patched up. I remember a little birdie telling me you and Jess are in the same Calculus class on Tuesdays." Greg informed him.
Sam smiled ruefully, but hopped down and followed the shorter man through the halls to radiology.
"Hey, Macy!" Greg called happily to the passing nurse. "I got anything scheduled after this?"
"Nope." She replied. "And Dr. Aiber's grateful that you picked up the last twenty minutes of his clinic duty."
"It's an honor to serve." He replied dramatically, giving a little bow.
The X-rays were done quickly and Greg slotted the images into place on the light board for Sam to see.
"What you see here is a simple enough Collis fracture. Won't even need surgery to put back in place." He replied happily. "Let's poke you with a needle full of drugs and push that back into place, yeah?"
Sam rolled his eyes but once again followed, this time to an exam room only a few doors down.
"Poke!" Greg said as he stuck the needle carefully under the other man's skin. "Now, what color cast do you want?"
"What?" Sam asked startled.
"What kind of cast do you want? I mean, I vote for the pink, but that's just cause it looks nice with your eyes, but you might want the camouflage or maybe the dark blue cause you're a rebel."
Sam scrunched his eyebrows up at the strange tangent the other man was going on.
"Uh, blue, I guess?"
"Hmm. Good, I'm done." Greg replied happily.
Sam looked down at his wrist, surprised.
"When did you…? I didn't feel a thing."
"'Cause I got skillz." Greg replied happily, pulling out the cast materials. "Now prepare yourself, cause this is gonna take a while."
Sam watched as the doctor carefully wrapped his wrist and set in for the long process.
The tingly feeling that every brush of his hand against his skin gave him, told him that breaking his wrist was actually turning out to be a good thing.
He'd have to find his way to the hospital more often.
Hopefully not injured, though.