Hey guys!
Once again, I want to thank each and every one of you for reading my story and sticking with me! I want to let you all know, that I do read every single review and even though I don't get the chance to write back to everyone, I do take what everyone says to heart! As corny as that sounds...Haha, anyway, thank you all so much!
P.S. I know I said that this takes place sometime in the first season, so I know it's kinda random for John to be popping in ahead of schedule. But it was a spur of the moment decision to bring John into this fic, so I apologize that this story doesn't exactly coincide with what actually happens in the series.
Enjoy!
John stood at the doorway of Sam's room, tense and alert. Dean looked over his father, seeing the exhausted look in his eyes like he had been driving all night.
When Dean's face came into view, John's expression softened as he took in the state of his oldest son. Deans' green eyes were rimmed red, with dark circles forming underneath. His eyes betrayed no emotion except despair and guilt. His face was pale and his expression displayed pure shock.
"D-Dad...Your here." Dean whispered as John took a step inside the room and pulled his oldest son into an embrace. "Dad, me and Sammy have been looking for you everywhere."
"I know. I'm sorry, but it's good to see you son." John responded, keeping his hand on Dean's shoulder as he took a step back. His gaze moved to the single bed placed in the middle of the room as he made his way towards his deathly still youngest son. "Oh Sammy..."
"Dad, it's all my fault. Me and Sammy were hunting a witch a-and she got the drop on us. The bitch put me under this spell or something and...and I-I don't know-" Dean stammered, following in pursuit of his dad before stopping at the bottom of Sam's bed.
"It's alright son, just calm down. You can tell me what happened later. But what about Sam? What'd the doctor say?" John questioned, sitting down on the chair by the bed.
"Uh, well," Dean started, rubbing the back of his neck. "The doc takin' care of Sam is Doctor Harrison, and he said that-" He broke off when a thought hit him, making his stomach churn.
"What? What is it Dean?" John asked anxiously, abruptly standing up when he saw Dean's expression change.
"Dad, you can't be here."
"What? What are you-"
"The doc thinks that you abused me and Sam. He thinks I did this to Sam!" Dean exclaimed, motioning to his baby brother's beaten body.
"Why the hell would he think that you did this?" John demanded furiously.
Dean clenched his jaw tightly as he wordlessly held up his hands, showing his dad his bruised and cut knuckles with a guilt ridden look in his eyes.
"Shit." John cursed under his breath as he examined Deans' hands.
"There's that, and all of Sam's scars. I mean, we couldn't just tell the doc that Sammy got all those scars from hunting friggin' shapeshifters and spirits. So now he thinks that me and him were both abused by you and-"
Dean stopped talking when the door opened and Bobby came walking back into the room, two coffee cups in hand. Bobby halted at the door, his eyes mirroring the previous shock Dean had.
"John Winchester..." Bobby breathed, setting down the cups. "Son of a bitch...Never thought I'd see you here."
"It's good to see you too Bobby." John sighed, smiling tiredly at the old friend.
"Wish I could say it was under better circumstances though." Bobby sighed as he shut the door behind him. "So how's Sam doin'? Any change?"
Dean silently shook his head as he ran a hand over his face and made his way towards the window.
"Dean told me that the doctor thinks Sam was abused." John said quietly to Bobby.
"Well can you blame the man? Sam is covered in scars, John. If you were him, what would you think?" Bobby pointed out reasonably.
"So what'd we do now?" John questioned, glancing at Sam once again before flickering his eyes to Dean.
"I think it's best if you weren't here when the doc comes back. Why don't you just get a room at a motel nearby and I'll call you if Sam wakes up." Bobby proposed.
"When." Dean cut in quietly, continuing to stare out the window.
"When what?" Bobby asked in confusion. Dean took a deep breath and turned around so he faced the two older hunters.
"When Sam wakes up. Not if."
"Look Dean, you gotta face the reality of the situation. No one knows the exact extent of what Sam's body went through. But there's always the chance that Sam won't-" Bobby began, but was cut off by the older brother.
"What?" Dean scoffed incredulously. "That Sam won't wake up?"
Bobby sighed as he shared a look with John.
"Sam's gonna wake up. I'll make sure of it." Dean continued in a low voice as he made his way over to his baby brother and sat in the chair by the bed.
"Can somebody tell me what the hell happened?" John demanded, becoming sick of not being in the loop.
"I'll explain everything once we get you outta here." Bobby replied.
"No, Sam is my son and I want to know what happened to him." John retorted obstinately. "Well?" He snapped when no one responded.
"John, your one stubborn ass, you know that." Bobby barked back. "I think we ought to get our priorities straight here. If the doc comes back while your here, he will have you arrested for child abuse. Now, your no use to anyone in jail. So why don't you swallow your damn pride, and think of what's best for both of your sons!"
Silence took over the room, besides the beeping coming from the heart monitor connected to Sam's body. Dean glanced at his dad and Bobby, sensing a silent showdown going on between the two as they stared at each other, neither backing down.
The older brother returned his focus to Sam and studied his face. One of Sam's eyes was swollen shut and there were several bruises covering his face. There was a cut on his lip as well as one above his right eye. But the injury that made Dean sick to his stomach was the bruising on Sam's neck. Two handprints were clearly visible beneath Sam's chin, bruised onto his skin from when Dean had tried to strangle him.
Dean swallowed the bile that rose to his throat as he shook away the image of Sam pleading for him to stop.
"Fine." John spit out after a long moment. He made his way over to Dean and stood behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Dean, your brother is a fighter. God knows, he's a fighter." He muttered lovingly, thinking back to the endless fights he and his youngest son had shared. "He'll pull through. I know he will."
"I know." Dean responded in a soft voice, as John clapped him on his shoulder.
"Can I have a minute with Sam?" John asked in a quiet voice. Dean glanced up at him before focusing back on his brother. He was torn. He didn't want to leave Sam's side, but he knew his brother would be safe with his dad. Dean nodded wordlessly before standing up.
"I'll be back in a minute Sammy." Dean whispered to Sam, patting his arm gently before making his way out of the room, Bobby right behind him.
John sighed aloud as he sat on the edge of Sam's bed. He softly brushed the hair out of Sam's face, careful not to touch any of his injuries.
"Sammy, I know me and you don't exactly get along or see eye to eye. But...you know I love you." John stopped talking as a lump grew in his throat when he remembered the last time he had spoken to Sam. "I'm sorry Sam. I'm sorry that I made you grow up into this life. I'm sorry I trained you like I was your drill sergeant and you were my soldier. I'm sorry for everything I said to you on the night you left for Stanford. And I'm sorry for not being a father to you. I-I should have supported you...I should have told you how proud I was of you that you got a full ride. I'm so proud of you Sammy...I just hope you know that. And when you wake, I'm gonna make things right. I promise." John whispered.
He gently placed a hand on Sam's cheek before leaning in and planting a kiss on the top of his head. John softly ruffled Sam's hair before standing up and shooting one more glance at his son.
"Wake up soon, kiddo. Dean's just about losing it without you." John finished before making his way out of the room and into the hallway where Dean and Bobby stood. "Dean, I'll be back as soon as Sam's awake, okay."
"Yeah, okay dad." Dean nodded as John shot him a small smile.
"Dean, I'm so proud of you for watching out and protecting your brother while I've been gone. I hope you know that."
"Dad, no, this is all my-"
"I don't care what you did." John cut in, sensing the guilt rolling off of Dean. "But I know it wasn't you that hurt Sam. You would never hurt your brother. You need to forgive yourself Dean. I know Sam already does."
Dean was quiet for a moment before he swallowed the lump in his throat.
"Okay." Dean whispered for his dad's sake, even though he still blamed himself.
"I'll see you soon, son." John continued, giving Dean's shoulder a squeeze before making his way over to Bobby. "So you wanna tell me what the hell happened?" He asked with expectant eyes. Bobby sighed and rolled his eyes, nodding his head to the side.
"Come on, I'll walk you out." Bobby said as the two hunters made their way down the hallway. "Oh, and John?"
"Yeah?"
"Sorry for threatening to shoot you full of buckshot." Bobby apologized with a smirk.
"It's okay." John replied with a soft smile as Bobby began to explain what had happened.
Dean watched as his dad and Bobby disappeared around the corner before making his way back into Sam's room. Exhaustion began to creep up on him, but he quickly pushed it back. He grabbed one of the coffee cups Bobby had brought in before and took a long swig, enjoying the burning sensation it gave him down his throat. Dean made his way over to Sam's bed, taking a seat in his plastic chair. He placed the coffee cup on the table by the bed and leaned back, watching Sam's face for movement.
"Sammy, you gotta wake up, man. Dad's back. We can finally start being a family again." Dean urged, leaning forward and placing his elbows on his knees. "Please Sam..."
Sam's eyes remained shut and his face stayed motionless. Dean squeezed his eyes shut tightly and pushed back the tears that unwillingly sprung to his eyes.
"Come on, Sammy. I need my pain the ass brother back." Dean continued, laughing once humorlessly. "Sam, I'm sorry. I should have fought harder. I should have protected you. This is all my fault, man. You gotta wake up, kiddo. I gotta make this up to you somehow. Please Sammy, I need you." He finished, grabbing Sam's hand. "It's my job to keep you safe, and I can't when you won't wake up. Can you hear me, Sam? Come on little brother, I need you."
It was so soft, Dean barely felt it. The small movement of Sam's hand, squeezing Dean's. Dean shot up from his seat and took a firmer hold of his brother's hand.
"Sam, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand." Dean said, leaning forward and waiting to see if Sam responded.
Again, but stronger this time, Sam squeezed back. A smile broke out across Dean's face as he let out a sigh of relief. He grabbed the remote next to Sam's bed and pressed the help button.
"Come on Sammy, open your eyes."
The nurse Dean had talked to before, Ruth, came walking in.
"Can I help you honey?" She asked in a kind voice.
"Yeah, Sam squeezed my hand. I think he's waking up." Dean explained quickly. Ruth shot him a small smile as she made her way towards the bed. She checked the chart hanging above the bed and nodded.
"His vitals are good. Since he squeezed your hand, it means there is a part of him that is still conscious."
"So is he gonna wake up?" Dean questioned.
"Sweetheart, I'm sorry, but I don't know. It's all up to him now."
"What'd you mean?"
"Well, Sam is still very much alive, but his body isn't letting him wake up. He needs to find the strength in his mind to overcome his body's' shutdown or..."
"Or what?" Dean demanded. Ruth gave him a sympathetic look before continuing.
"He'll never wake up again."
There you have it! Sorry it's so delayed! Thank you all so much for reading! I love you all!
Please review!