Chapter 11: Knight to Bishop Check…..
Dean ran outside 15 minutes later and scanned the crowd for Sam, Cas was right behind him.
"Dean you are injured and unable to heal yourself unless we leave the perimeter of the bracelet."
"Why do you think I'm out here Cas" Dean shot back, he took 8 more steps and then he felt it come back to him, a rush of power filing him up. Dean wasted no time sending out feelers to see if he could sense Sam, once again it was like Sam's essence had disappeared from the radar.
"Damn it Cas, I lost Sammy's presence again!" Dean felt distressed; the last thing he remembered was that Sammy was hurt. Not just the cut on his hand, but the injured knee and the swelling he saw on his upper forehead where he saw the demon slam him down face forward. Before he took the demon knife and slashed its throat he noticed something was terribly wrong, Sam was frozen in fear. He'd just knocked out Bael, who had taken a cheap shot at Dean, which had ended up hurting Dean's shoulder. When he got to Sam he saw how pale he looked and he was shaking, Sammy looked like he was about to be sick.
Although Sammy looked like he was about to throw up, he gripped Dean's arms tight. Dean saw the hurting scared look in Sam's eyes, he had called Cas to get the kid out fast but someone had snuck up on him while he was distracted and clocked him hard with a hard object. Damn, now Sammy is out there hurting. Dean looked over to Castiel, who had the same look of concern on his face.
"Anything Cas?" Dean asked.
"Maybe" Cas replied.
"Maybe?! What do you mean maybe?"
"I am scanning people's minds and I see flashes of Sam walking around, but it keeps disappearing, because the barrier that Sam placed is still up."
"I might be able to help with that, if your intentions are good" they heard a voice with a southern drawl. Dean looked over and saw the red head from earlier, Madge was her name if he recalled.
"Do you know where Sammy went?" Dean asked hurriedly.
"Honestly not really, but I saw him walk that way", she pointed left, "but I can remove the bracelet from my bar and I think that will help both you pick up his trail?"
"Why are you willing to help me now?" Dean asked suspiciously.
"Well, call me crazy, but I believe what you said before about wanting to help him, and honey I saw that boy's eyes when he was here earlier. They were scared, lost and confused, reminded me of my youngest Tommy when he was lost at the beach. But you better not hurt him or so help me, I'll find way to kick your ass myself!" she threatened.
Dean chuckled, she really did remind him of Ellen, remembering Ellen caused a slight pain in his chest. She was the only one that could get Dean to jump and feel like he couldn't lie to her.
"Alrighty lead the way" he switched the topic in his head before it became too unbearable, they'd lost so many people and he didn't need to dwell on it.
Madge hesitated a bit but remembered the trembling lips when Sam sat on the stool in her diner. When he'd hugged her good-by, he'd felt so thin and, there were tremors running up and down his back. But somehow he had the strength to stand straight and walk over to a black sedan, which was when she'd lost track of him. She always trusted her gut feeling and she felt this man did not mean any harm to the boy. In fact she recognized that kindred parental spirit connection with him and the same look of fear, worry and concern a parent has for a child. She made up her mind, maybe she didn't have the whole story but she had a feeling it would be all right. They might even visit later on down the line for some pie and coffee.
With her mind made up, she walked into the bar with Dean and Cas close behind. She walked up the counter of the bar where the silver bracelet was embedded. "Hmm, if I remember right, Sam told me to hold my hand over it and say, um, 'something come to me'?"
Dean sighed "You need to say it in Latin, 'Veniat ad me'."
"What?" Madge was confused.
"All, spells, incantations or rituals are normally in Latin, depending how old they are" Dean explained.
"Right" Madge said like it all made sense "Can you repeat that one more time?"
Dean did and Madge copied it. When she spoke the bracelet rose up to her hand.
"Wow, this the everyday norm for you guys?!" she asked, her eyes wide as she held the bracelet in her hand.
"Pretty much" Dean answered a little distracted "See anything Cas?"
"No Dean, I am sorry there were a lot people busy not paying attention to their surroundings. I only can see him walk by and turn the corner."
"Which way?"
"To the left of the diner area" Cas replied.
They both walked over. Dean spotted the black Sedan - the one missing from the bunker garage. He walked up to it and saw that the driver window was open … no not open, upon closer inspection, he saw that it was broken. He put his hand on the door and closed his eyes to concentrate. Abaddon and other knights of hell thought the only way to see things in the past was by seeing through others' eyes, but Dean had discovered it could be done with inanimate objects as well. They have a trace, an imprint or echo of the person's essence left behind if they'd touched it. Dean sees these images in black and white.
He saw Sam try to open the door but it was locked. He got mad and raised his arm slamming it at the window. It barely cracked but Sam dropped to the ground rocking back forth in pain. Then saw Sam get backup, an angry determined look on his face. He threw a right kick to the window and, again, dropped to the floor. He saw him in pain again, breathing in and out fast. Well, at least now knew how Sam got a bloody foot, which he'd found out about when walking into the garage. He'd seen the med kit out and touched it to see Sam bandaging his foot .
Dean fast-forwarded though the scenes; he knew what had happened in the bunker and wanted to find out everything up to the present time. He saw Sam sitting in the driver's seat looking very tired and about to collapse. He saw him jump back against the driver side of the door, someone was in the car with him and whoever it was surprised Sammy. Whoever it was, was able to cloak themselves from Dean's remote viewing and muffle the conversation a bit. He saw Sam get mad, exasperated and then slump, agreeing with whoever was in the car. He then saw Sam get out of the car and walk somewhere but couldn't see where. He did hear a door slam though.
Dean removed his hand and turned to see Cas staring at him, waiting for an answer.
"Sorry Cas, I got nothing just bits and pieces of a conversation, so at least I know he's not alone, someone is helping him. Someone who can block out my viewing capabilities and an angel's too?" Dean questioned. "You are right, I could not see anything either" Cas confirmed.
Dean sighed and looked around and then he saw a video camera on the corner of the building.
"Madge does that work" Dean said as he pointed to it.
Madge looked to see that he was pointing to one of her security cameras and she smiled at Dean.
"It sure does, in fact I got 10 more around the place inside and out."
"Cas, we might just find out who is Sammy's partner in crime is" Dean smiles.
"I don't believe Sam is involved in any delinquent activities or misdemeanors" Cas replied confused.
Dean rolled his eyes "It's a figure of speech Cas, I didn't mean … you know what? Never mind. Let's see what the cameras have captured."
Dean and Cas followed Madge inside the diner.
It was three hours later and Crowley was actually concerned about the big Moose curled up in the passenger seat next to him. It couldn't be all that comfortable sleeping like that, no wonder squirrel always pulled into motels for the night. Watching the young Winchester boy was giving Crowley a crick in his neck. He didn't know how Dean managed to drive whilst watching Moose.
They had another six hours to go and he figured it wouldn't be comfortable for Sam to sleep that long curled up. Besides, he wasn't really sure what the kid planned to do once he got to the cabin in Arizona. He decided to find a hotel for the boy so he could stretch and sleep, then he could teleport them from the room to the cabin. He'd dispose of the vehicle during the night.
"Moose can get some sleep in a decent bed and" … he cut his train of thought off, "wait a - bloody god damn minute, what the hell do I care if Moose gets a good night's sleep in comfortable bed?!"
He didn't even know why he was still driving the car to a destination with Sam Winchester in the passenger seat. He didn't even strike a deal with the kid! Maybe Dean was right, the last time they spoke they figured that maybe both of them are just getting old for this game. Crowley sighed and whipped his smart phone out, letting go of the car's driving wheel. It kept driving as Crowley searched for a hotel in the nearby vicinity.
Bingo, there was one in Santa Fe New Mexico an hour away. Crowley looked at the time, it was 1 am. He could easily warp them over there, but he was trying to stay under the radar from a certain angel and squirrel. It was the reason he'd put hex bags inside the truck and re-did the sigil on Sam's hand. So he drove to the Rose Wood Inn. It wasn't the 5 star accommodation he was used too, but it was a hell of a lot better than the flea bag motels the Winchesters seemed to appreciate.
Besides, he wasn't stupid. He knew Dean would have the suspicion that he was helping Sam, which was why he was trying to stay under the radar and why he obscured his image on the cameras he saw in the diner parking lot. Without visual confirmation Crowley could still plausibly deny that he was helping Sam. They might have gotten the visual on the truck but no license plate to follow and he went the wrong way on purpose before taking a side road back to the highway.
As Crowley pulled up to the inn, he looked over at Sam once more. "Wow" he thought "never knew a Moose could drool so much" noticing the large wet patch on the kid's arm. Crowley looks left and right, then pulled out his smart phone out. Shrugging he took a photo, which would come in handy if he ever needed some black mail material. He put the phone away and pulled up to the main entrance. He walked in, came back out card key in hand, then drove the truck to the back of the inn, last bungalow on the left.
He turned to face Sam. "Hmm", this will be a bit awkward" he thought so he did the only thing he could think of to wake the boy up. He teleported them inside the room. Without a car door to support his weight, Sam flailed on the bed he'd landed on and fell promptly to the floor.
With his hair messed up over his face, he scrambled onto his feet, but yelped and fell flat on his face again since his legs were numb from having had them curled up close to his body.
"Not very graceful today are we?" Crowley asked amused at Sam's display of clumsiness. He stopped short of teasing more when Sam looked up through his bangs, eyes glazed with tears. The vulnerableness of the hazel eyed kid froze Crowley.
Sam's mind was a complete muddle when he found himself flailing and falling down. The tears came naturally as pain seared through his body. His automatic reaction was to seek out the one person who was always there to offer immediate comfort. When he heard a voice that wasn't his big brother he froze and fear crept in, not knowing for one brief minute who, what and where. Then, 'slam', it all come rushing forward.
He sniffed angrily and wiped his hand over his eyes before getting up slowly to make sure he could stand.
"Crowley, what the hell!" he huffed.
"Sorry Moose, I'm not the type to gently shake you awake, thought just transporting directly into the room would be better for both parties involved."
Sam looked around "Where are we?"
"Santa Fe, New Mexico"
"What?! Why?!"
"Forgive me for noticing you needed a break from being a human sized ball."
Sam looked confuse. "Never mind Moose" Crowley sighed.
"No, not 'never mind' Crowley. This stop will put us way behind schedule, we are supposed to be in Flagstaff!"
"Relax, we are five hours away and I can get us there in a flash. I just thought you might appreciate a night's rest instead of spending five hours bunched up in a truck."
Sam felt so tired and the bed did look inviting. He slumped and rubbed his hand over his face.
"All right, did you ward the room?"
"What do you take me for, a moron?"
"Just asking" Sam answered annoyed. "Look I'm going to take a shower and get ready for bed, what are you going to do in the mean time?"
"I am getting the truck away from this area and dumping it out south east. It should throw them off the trail."
"Okay sounds good" Sam said reaching for his duffel bag. He pulled out the stuff he bought at the store.
Right before he was about to walk to the bathroom he saw Crowley staring awkwardly at him. Sam raises his eyebrows in question.
"Not that I care, but are you good?" Crowley waved his hand at Sam.
This confused Sam "Why?" What was Crowley hinting at?
"Will you be all right cleaning up?" Crowley blurted out feeling uncomfortable.
"WHAT!" Sam gaped "Why would you even asked that?!"
"Stopping for a rest was not the only reason we needed to pull over … you've kind of … while you were sleeping" Crowley waved his hands up and down hoping Sam got the hint. He noticed the kid's face scrunch up still not getting it. Finally, exasperated and embarrassed for himself and Sam he just blurted it out "You're wet Moose!"
Sam's eyes went wide "I'll see you later" he whispered snatching his duffel bag before practically running to the bathroom and slamming the door.
Crowley watch the door slam "Well, that went well" Crowley sighed "Better get going."
Sam leaned against the door not daring to believe what Crowley had just said but as he stood there he started to become aware of the lower half of his body. There was wetness on his skin and a heaviness between his legs. Saggy material around his butt.
He could feel himself start to get upset, his breathing got heavier with each breath he took. His body had betrayed him again. He felt even worse that it took him so long to notice. Why didn't he wake up in the truck when it happened? Worse, why didn't he wake up before it happened so they could stop and he could relieve himself the normal way?! He couldn't believe that he'd just let go while he slept - and continued sleeping in his mess! Tears pooled in his eyes and he sniffed loudly.
"Get a grip" he scolded himself. "So what! So I had another accident? I'll just shower" but he couldn't make his legs move. He told himself to calm down, it wasn't a big deal. First things first he needed to dispose of the disgusting diaper.
He looked down at himself before slowly raising his hands to take off the jacket. He told himself not to look in the mirror, to keep going. Next, were the pants which were easy since they were just pull-up pants like sweats. He tugged them down carefully, wrinkling his nose in disgust when he saw the wet spots on the inner side seams. He was shocked and grossed out at the entire front wet patch of the stupid onesie and could clearly see it went around toward the back.
The diaper material stuck out the leg holes too much. He reached down to quickly unsnap the onesie but pulled his hand back. It was really wet and gross. What the hell? He'd touched dead bodies, organs and monster's guts before, why couldn't he touch a wet onesie? Sam steeled himself and rolled his shoulders before reaching down. "GAH, gross, gross, gross" he muttered shaking his hands before walking to the sink to wash them.
"That does it" he decided. He stalked to his duffel bag and opened it up pulling out the silver hunting knife that was given to him on his 16th birthday by his dad. That was when he was allowed on his 1st werewolf hunt, much to Dean's opposition. The knife was probably never meant to be used like this though. He pulled at the materiel around his abdomen and pushed the knife through and forward. At the loud "rrrriiippp" he thought "Oh god, yes" and continued pulling all the way across his middle around the back carefully.
The lower half of the onesie dropped to the floor and he pulled off the top part like a regular shirt. The diaper had overflowed (which meant he'd used it more than once whilst sleeping) and it had started to sag. He quickly slipped the knife at the side tab and easily swiped through. He heard a loud squish and plop as it fell and stepped quickly away from the disgusting thing.
As Sam stood naked he took a deep breath feeling more like himself than the past few days. "I'll feel even more human when I shower" he thought as he walked to the shower and turned it on. He stepped inside ready to enjoy the hot spray on his body. The water hit the back of his head and cascaded down his shoulders and back. He felt a slight sting on his butt before turning to face the water. Suddenly he hissed and jumped back.
"That burned!" he thought. Even worse it stung really bad, "what the hell" he thought as he stepped back gingerly into the spray. Once again he felt the burning sensation. He quickly stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel hanging on the bar to dry himself carefully, especially his lower half where the burning painful sensation was radiating from.
He removed the towel and carefully looked to see his whole groin area was red, really, really red and enflamed. "What the….?" He bent forward more and saw that it went further back. Sam could clearly see how it went past his sack and spread between his front thigh folds. His butt also slightly burnt too. He went to the mirror and tried to see his backside. He huffed when he couldn't see; he realized he needed to use the full length mirror in the bedroom.
Sam walked over to the bathroom door and slowly opened it before sticking his head out. He quickly scanned the room. Great it was empty. He walked towards the mirror and turned around. Yup, the same redness was slightly spread on the lower part of his bum. Sam huffed again and chewed his lower lip wondering. "What the hell is this? Did I catch something? I've never seen anything like this. If I have to guess it looks like an allergic reaction to something." It didn't itch, it was a burning sensation and he felt it more even after the shower.
"Great, one more thing to add to my pile of stress and grief, can't I just get a break?! Well, standing around looking at my butt and groin is not going to help" he thought. He hadn't even enjoyed the shower. In fact he felt worse since he didn't get to cleanup, his hair was half wet making him feel like a wet dog. He thumped his head against the mirror before pushing off. He wasn't going to get any answers standing there. He walked back to the bathroom and turned on the shower again deciding to just wash his hair quickly. Then he'd go look up his symptoms on his laptop.
He stepped carefully under the water and proceed to keep his back to the water spray. It still burned some but not as bad as the front. After being repeatedly burned, flesh torn and muscles peeled in hell, this soreness should be a piece of cake. Of course, the kid in him wanted to squirm and shy away from the water so he had to fight through that.
Sam grabbed the shampoo and quickly squirted some onto his hand. He immediately started washing his hair and then rinsed. He hissed, again, through the burn as water slid down his back with suds but also his front. He allowed the water to go down his front, but not hit it directly, it just cascaded down his shoulder and abs. It still stung like a sonovabitch, but he muddled through. Next he applied the conditioner. As much as he'd have liked to leave it in for five minutes, after thoroughly combing it in for three, he couldn't. So, he did the next best thing, he left it in while he scrubbed his body quickly with the body soap and washcloth.
He gritted his teeth as he went over the inflamed parts then finally stick himself completely under the water, to rinse of the conditioner and soap. He shut the water off and dried himself quickly, patting the burning area dry. The area felt worse but at least he felt clean, so he consoled himself with that. He took another look down there and sniffed, wishing for a second that Dean was here. He'd know what to do, he'd get Sam to relax, to let him see and he'd fix it, like he always does, when he's hurt or sick.
"Get a grip Sam, geeze it's not like you've not been on your own before" he thought. "Yeah and look how that always turns out" his mind whispered. "Shut-up" he told himself … "oh great, now I'm losing my mind … again". He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked out of the bathroom. He went over to the bed and put the shopping bag down before pulling out a white tee and grey sweats. He pulled everything on quickly, minus boxer briefs because he didn't want to wear anything too close to the skin of his groin area, figuring that might irritate it more. He walked over to his messenger bag and pulled out his laptop, setting it on the table.
He looked over at the diner bag, realizing that he hadn't eaten anything for hours. Normally that wouldn't bother him, he could go longer without food. He would just eat a power bar and continue going, but for the last three days his tummy been getting fed by Dean.
This meant, once again he felt hungry like he always did when Dean was around making sure that he ate to a schedule.
He opened the bag and pulled out the see through container, noticing right away the lettuce had wilted a bit because of the grilled chicken. He wrinkled his nose at that but shrugged his shoulders, oh well he'd had worse. He pulled it open before grabbing and opening the ranch dressing cup putting it on the side. He picked up a piece of grilled chicken and dipped it in the dressing before doing the same with a veggie. He might not eat the lettuce but the other veggies were still good to eat.
He turned on the laptop as he chewed on pieces of chicken and veggies. Once he got the search engine up, he typed in the symptoms, area and description of his skin.
A lot of STDs results come up right away … "Ew no", he muttered. He's not like Dean, who seems to bed a female in every town they land in. Except when he was soulless three years ago, but couldn't be held accountable that. Besides, after he gotten his soul back and was filled in by Castiel on what he'd done, he'd immediately gotten tested for everything under the sun and followed it up every three months to be on the safe side. Of course, when his memories of that soulless bastard came back, he saw that he'd used protection every time. At least "it" cared about self-preservation. God, he hates himself every time he remembers that time and damn, how Dean hated that version of him too. "Well", he reasoned "it's in the past, nothing I can do about it now."
The uncomfortable sensation below his waist brought him back to the present.
"Okay, let's see how to narrow it down" he thought. "Other than describing the symptoms and the area … well, it looks irritated so maybe it's an allergic reaction. Allergies tend to have rashes on the skin … hmmm, maybe…" he typed rash in genital area. That brought less results but one stuck out immediately and Sam felt his face grow red. "Diaper rash," his pulse quickened a bit, but he quickly clicked on the link.
He briefly read and then groaned … "really? That's what this is?! Freaking diaper rash because I sat in a wet diaper for three hrs!"
"Huh" someone said over his shoulder. Startled, Sam practically jumped out of his seat, being taken by surprise. He tuned around quickly to see Crowley still leaning over, reading from his laptop. Sam saw red, reached over and slammed his laptop shut.
Crowley barely blinked. He merely gazed up at Sam, who stood leaning against the table glaring at him.
"I take it a new problem has arisen" Crowley asked as ran his gaze below Sam's waist line and back up to his eyes.
"None of your business" Sam told him coldly.
"Well now Moose, since we are partnering to help one another, I believe an open communication relationship should be established from the beginning."
Sam stayed silent and glaring.
"Very well when you are ready to talk to me, call me."
Sam found himself alone in the room. He slumped in his chair and sighed. He re-opened his computer and started reading up on symptoms and treatments to his, new predicament. "This is all Dean's fault" he growled in his mind, "and Crowley, and the stupid angels and everyone else".
The treatment was pretty simple: keep it dry, air it out and apply ointment. He started researching the best ointment on the market. He typed in diaper ointments and blinked at the results: 360,000. "You gotta be kidding me for diaper cream!" he moaned. "Okay this can't be that hard, Dean does it for Christ sakes" he reassured himself.
He typed "best brands" and narrowed it down to a couple of hundred. He started to read a couple and then exclaimed "What the hell is all this crap?!" He took a deep breath "I went to college I know how to narrow research".
He found the top ten brands that hospitals and doctors recommended, and decided to get the top five brands.
Next, he looked for a 24 hour pharmacy and checked if they had delivery. The Walgreens was about a mile away. He selected all five brands and clicked on immediate delivery before quickly making a change to the order. He added talcum powder since he needed to keep the area dry, and completed the order. It would take around an hour for his delivery arrived.
He entered his credit card information and hit send. It wasn't so hard, he'd show them that he could take care of himself. He walked over to the bed to lie down and stretch. He turned to his side and yawned, he'd just take a short power nap until his package arrived. He'd specified on the delivery driver's instructions to call and knock loudly on the door, that would wake him up. He closed his eyes and sighed tiredly.
Crowley stood outside scrolling through his phone. He keept stopping on one particular number "Dean/Squirrel." He tapped a calculating his finger to his lips before looking back into the room, where the "Big Baby Moose" was currently residing. "Hmmm" Crowley made a decision and put away his phone "I'll give Moose the time he needs to see if he can take care of what he promised, or until the big baby gets himself into trouble again." Then he'd call Dean.
For now, it looked like Sam had everything under control. Crowley rolled his eyes heaven wards. How did he always get "Winchestered" in his dealings with the two of the biggest morons this side of the universe he'd ever met?
Sam startled awake to a loud knocking at the door. He was poised with his Taurus pointed at no one in particular, when he heard it again. He looked at the digital clock on the bedside: 3 am. He slid out of bed and silently walked to the door. He peeked through the peephole to see a guy wearing a jacket with the "Walgreen" logo on.
Sam sighed, hiding the gun behind his back since he couldn't slide it into his pants because he was wearing sweatpants. He opened up the door a little. The guy looked at him "Uh Mr. Sam Newman?"
Sam shook the last cobwebs of sleep from his mind and gave the delivery guy a tired smile "Yeah sorry, give me a minute." He closed the door enough so he wouldn't be seen as he put the gun on the end table by the window and grabs his wallet. He quickly opened the door wide and signed the clipboard. The delivery guy made an imprint of the card and Sam gave him a 10 dollar tip in cash.
Sam shut the door and walked over to the table where he up ended the bag making the contents fall out. He looked at the boxes confused. He picked one up and scrunched his nose at it as he read the side.
Sam rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe this was happening to him. "Of course it is, I'm Sam Winchester. Kid who either gets choked, kidnapped, or - let's not forget the most infamous one – possessed. So, of course, I have a diaper rash, the universe just hates me like that" he thought wryly.
His shoulders slumped in defeat. He might as well get this over with. He walked over to the bathroom door before stopping and looking at the bed. He hesitated, he just needed to spread the cream where he felt burning and he'd need to wash his hands after. Bed or bathroom? Mind made up, he marched into the bathroom, grabbed two wash cloths and wet them under hot water before squeezing out the excessive water. He grabbed one of the larger towel and headed back to the bed. He laid the large towel on the bed, stepped back and grabbed the waistline of his sweats. He hesitated a second before pulling them down, leaving him completely bare from the waist down.
Sam crawled onto the bed to lie down on the towel. He put the two wash cloths next to him. He grabbed the tube next to him, uncapping it and squeezing out some onto his hand. He rubbed his hands together before sighing loudly as he laid his head back. He looked at the ceiling as he reached down to the affected area.
It burnt as he rubbed the cream all around. He squeezed his eyes shut, this was the embarrassing part, before lifting his right leg so he could reach (gaw) between and up behind his butt. He pulled his hand back quickly and grabbed the wash cloth to wipe both hands. For the first time, he really felt for all those poor babies and toddlers who had to lie there and have this gunk smeared on them. He felt stiff, like he couldn't move, afraid he'd spread it more. He felt really gross, he couldn't pull his pants back on because the instructions said that he needed to let the area breath. That should be about 10 minutes, then he'd toss the sheet over himself, it wouldn't be the first time he'd slept naked.
Sam looked over at them time: 3:20 am. All he needed to do was wait, the stuff should start immediately working. According to the box, it was supposed to start soothing the burning sensation immediately. It was more tingly than soothing, maybe that meant it was working? Damn, he should have left a book or his laptop next to him so he could have something to do while he waited.
Sam started doing mathematical equations in his head like he used to do in Stanford to help him fall asleep or relax. By the time he'd gotten to solving linear equations in one variable steps, he felt himself start to doze. He reached blindly next to him and pulled the sheet over himself and promptly fell asleep.
Something woke him up, first he felt the sharp sting on his skin, then he felt the damp, cold wet spot. He sat up quickly and hissed at the burning pain which seemed to have ratcheted up more. He noticed the towel he'd fallen asleep on, it was soaked and he could smell a strong ammonia scent waft up. He jumped off the bed and couldn't believe it, he was in denial even though he could see it with his own eyes!
"S'ok" he told himself "it's not a big deal, I just need to … need to." He couldn't think as the first wave of overwhelming emotions crashed into him, because the burning sensation wouldn't stop and the horrific scene wouldn't stop playing in front of him.
He felt the moisture beginning in his eyes and then the first drop of tears rolling down his cheeks. A sob wanted to escape but stuck in his throat. He took a deep breath and let out a shuddering hiccup. "No" he told himself "get a grip, it's not that bad." "I can't fix this…." a tiny voice said, but he answered with "stop, just walk to the bathroom. One step at a time. First, cleanup and remove this gunk which seems to be burning instead of helping. Then, the bed…"
He forced himself walk into the bathroom and turn the shower on. He gingerly stepped in, this time his back to the shower head as he recalled his butt hurt less like that. However, he quickly jumped back, it burned worse than before! What the hell? When he faced forward it felt like fire and ice, plus needles stabbing his skin the entire groin area. He stumbled out of the shower and gripped the sink.
Great, now he was half wet and felt even more sticky since he couldn't wash the white cream off completely. He grabbed another towel and tries to wipe up the remaining cream. He stopped the moment it made contact with his skin "IT HURTS!" he cried as he dropped the towel. He looked down to see that the redness looked worse than before, like broken blisters that had ruptured and mix with the white crap! He wanted it off! Like now! However, both the water and towel made it hurt more. Plus, he still smelt like pee and his only bed was wet with his piss, because his body didn't seem to have any control. He slumped down to the cold tiles and wrapped his arms around his legs, which he pulled up close to his chest.
His breath shuddered and finally, the tears he'd been holding back burst out.
He felt miserable, alone and cold. Trembling, he reached for his left hand and started rubbing back and forth at the black sigil Crowley had redone. He watched through red rimmed eyes, hiccupping, knowing that if he removed it there would be no going back.
Right now, he didn't care. Right now, he needed the one person who has always fixed everything for him, who has always made him feel better when he thinks it's the end of the world, who has always been his 'one constant'.
"Dean" he hiccuped forlornly, as big fat tears landed on his hand. He used them to make the mark smudge more. Finally, the black smudge opened sloppily.
Sam felt him even before he came into the bathroom. He hadn't said a word, but Sam didn't need to look up to know who was standing there..
Sam felt warm calloused hands lift him up with ease from the floor. He just tucked his face into the hallow of Dean's neck and let out more tears with sobs. He heard the water for the tub start up and tensed before whispering to Dean "No bath, it hurts."
"I know Sammy, you need a cool bath for this part." He felt Dean's hand grab the hem of his shirt and pull it off as he held Sam steady on his lap. They were sitting on a chair and he briefly wondered when and how did Dean get a chair. Then he remembered, of course, Dean's new powers.
He was sitting completely naked in Dean's lap, but honestly he didn't care. Dean had seen him naked on more than a couple of occasions. Being a hunters, the could get hurt enough to be unable to move without assistance, and Dean and Sam had more of those than they could count. Not to mention Dean had taken taken care of Sam since he was 6 months old. So, he wasn't embarrassed just stubbornly independent since Dean had taught him how to tie his own shoes and how to use utensils on his own.
But it wasn't his fault, he'd learnt by watching John and Dean! If someone called him stubborn, it was because they'd not met 'my way or the highway Dean'. He startled from his thoughts as he felt himself being lifted again and gently placed in the tub. He tensed a bit from pain, but just like his brother had said, it actually felt nice and cooling on his burning skin. He let his legs completely relax; as he did he heard his brother hiss in sympathy.
"Aw Sammy, I'm sorry" immediately Sam curled his legs to hide his embarrassing shame.
"Nu uh baby, gotta see how bad it is and I need to clean up all the ointment you put on."
"No, Dean please, the washcloth hurts too much" Sam whispered.
"I know, I'm not going to use the washcloth. It's not the first time I've dealt with diaper rash" Dean informed Sam.
Sam looks at Dean and saw him pour some natural hypoallergenic baby wash into the palm of his hand. He rubbed his hands together to lather it up and reached reaches down Sam's tummy towards the affected area making Sam jerk back.
Dean stops and told him to relax "I've done this a million times up until you were five."
"Yeah Dean, when I was five! Wait five?" Sam looked confused.
"Remember, you wore pull ups for long trips during the day from 3 to 5 years old, but still wore diapers at night time, because you would not stop wetting the bed? On occasion you'd get a rash, not because you wore them too long, you just were very sensitive with certain brands of diapers and types of detergent soap, which I had to keep reminding Dad not to buy."
"I took until I was 5 to learn to use the toilet properly!?" Sam found that hard to believe considering their dad would not have put up with that.
"Was not your fault Sammy, we never stayed long enough in one place for you to actually learn. I mean you kind of got it by 3 but dad didn't want to stop every hour for you to go when you were learning. He thought the best option was pull-ups while we were on the road for long periods. But, that would bite us in the ass, as you got comfortable just going, hence the bed wetting at night. The year you turned 5, during the summer we stayed with Pastor Jim for two months, by the end you'd learned."
"Wait, why don't I remember that? I think I would remember wearing diapers to bed at night when I was 4 and 5" Sam argued.
"Contrary to what you believe Sammy, you were a very happy baby and child. It wasn't a traumatizing experience, so maybe it was natural for your mind to lump it in with all your other toddler memories, before you turned 8" Dean rationalized.
While he was talking to Sam he had already began lathering Sammy's groin area and inner thighs, by the time he finished speaking he was finished washing the affected area, and the rest of his body. As expected, Sam barely noticed until Dean reached over to pull the plug. Sam, blinked in surprise.
"Told you baby, not my first rodeo" Dean smiles at him. Sam was stunned, Dean had distracted him long enough to wash off the cream, and fully wash his body thoroughly and quickly, without causing him any pain or embarrassment. He felt a warm towel being draped across his shoulders then he was picked up and wrapped up in it. He leant into Dean's chest and whether he wanted to admit it or not, it felt comforting. Even though he was still in pain, he felt calmer now that his big brother is there.
Dean walked back into the room and he felt Sam tense up when he was about to be lowered onto the bed. He glanced at Sam's face and saw it was burning bright red. Sam dropped his gaze from Dean.
"What's wrong Sammy?"
"M'sorry about the bed…it's not.." Sam mumbled as he turned away not finishing his sentence. Dean was confused for a second before sitting down on the bed with Sam on his lap.
He gently turns his face towards him "S'lright Sammy, I cleaned up before I came into the bathroom" Dean smiled reassuringly.
This just made Sam feel worse because Dean had seen the bed and the mess. It made Sam's lip tremble a bit more.
"Aw Sammy, not your fault, accidents happen ok?" Dean tries to make him feel better. Sam just shook his head "no." He wanted to tell Dean that big boys didn't have accidents, - wait "big boys" where did that statement come from? - but he just sniffled and took the comfort his brother gave as he hugged and rocked him.
"Okay Sammy, I'm gonna lay you down to see how bad the rash is." Dean cradled Sam close to his chest as he got up and gently laid him down on the bed. Sam quickly looked down at the sound of a rustley, crinkly sound to find that he was on a changing mat, under which was a white square padded cloth.
"It's an absorbent mat" Dean responded to Sam's curious gaze. Sam cringed and before he could ask 'why', Dean again answered "you won't be wearing any diapers while you have that rash, so it's to prevent any more accidents."
Sam's face couldn't possibly get any redder, but it did.
"Thought we were going back to the bunker" Sam mumbled.
"We are, but it is almost 5 am. We need to take care of this and you need to sleep" Dean explained as he grabbed some stuff from a bag Sam hadn't noticed. He pulled out a tub of green stuff.
"It's Aloe it will cool down the rash, which by the way, is now an allergic reaction to whatever you put on yourself" Dean told Sam.
"It's one of the brands I searched online for, it's one of the top 5 brands doctors and hospitals use" Sam pointed to the blue and white tube on the night stand. Dean picks it up and saw the word "Destin." He shook his head, Sammy couldn't have known, it's not like Sam took notes while he was just a babe in arms growing up.
"You are allergic to this brand" Dean told Sam "and, almost to all these brands." Dean walked over to table where Sam had dropped the other ointments.
"So I have a diaper rash, with an allergic breakout to the ointment?" Sam asked miserably. Great he could banish demons with a Latin exorcism, but he couldn't seem to take care of himself. He felt tears gathering in his eyes, he seemed to cry easily these days.
Dean walked over to Sam quickly "Oh hey, don't cry Sammy. You didn't know." He gently stroked Sam's hair and noticed how bad the rash really was. He felt bad for his baby, knowing it must hurt like hell. He had blisters covering some of the rash since Sam had left the Destin on for an hour to burn his skin more. He had been going to let it heal the old fashion way, he didn't want Sammy to depend on fast healing for every little bump or hurt, not to mention it would be a lesson learned since he'd been naughty.
But just like when Sammy was little (still was on the inside) he could not stand to see his baby cry or look so miserable. Dean decided on that he'd heal him just this once and sat next to Sam. He re-grabbed the bag next to them, pulled out one of Sam's pacifiers and held to his lips.
Sam didn't even bother to give him a look or fuss, he just open up. He looked through teary eyes at Dean. His eyes shone with trust, the same trust Sammy always felt when he needed Dean to fix something. Dean ran his fingers through Sam's hair again before holding his hand over the rash. The mark began to glow and healed the rash in less than a minute.
Sam looked on in wonder as Dean removed his hand. He half sat up to look at his groin. The blisters and redness was all of gone. Sam smiled up at Dean around his pacifier, dimples coming out in full force.
"Thank you" Sam said shyly.
"You're welcome" Dean chuckled "Okay a baby boy, let's get you ready for bed." Dean pulled out the rest of the baby stuff out. Sam lay back down completely and watched as Dean grabbed a diaper. He gave his big brother a scowl but didn't protest as he felt it slide under him. Before closing him up, Dean put diaper cream and baby powder on. He then slipped a red onesie over Sammy's head, pulled it down and snapped it shut.
He picked some white ankle socks. Before he put a sock on his right foot, he took a look at the bandage Sam had wrapped around the ball of his foot. A red stain had soaked through. Dean arched an eye at Sam causing Sam to look everywhere but Dean.
"You know, we are discussing this when we get back Sammy" Dean sternly told Sam. Sam looked off to the right and made a small sound. "Sammy, look at me when I am talking to you."
Sam hesitantly looked at Dean, eyes wide and pleading. "Oh no baby, puppy eyes are not gonna work here. You know very well what you have done and you been warned of the consequences, should you choose to disobey" Dean was still gentle but authoritative with his voice.
Sam found himself feeling guilty, like a naughty child. He sniffed at Dean as a tear escaped down his cheek. Dean unwrapped the bandage to check the damage. It wasn't that bad, just three cuts that didn't need stitches. He cleaned the wound and re-wraps Sam's foot with a clean bandage.
Sam allowed Dean to treat his wound and move him this way and that as he dressed him for bed time. He huffed a couple of times but didn't fuss. He didn't want to give his big brother a hard time especially Dean made the "owie" in his front and back area go away. "Wait, did I just think 'owie'? I must be really tired and not able to have coherent thoughts" he decided as he yawned around the pacifier. He looked up at Dean with blinking eyes. Dean smiled fondly at his baby brother.
"Okay Sammy, time to go to sleep." Dean picked the blanket up from the bottom of the bed and pull tucks Sam in. Sam was so tired he didn't complain. He felt safe, warm and comforted. He allowed his eyes to close and drift off to sleep.
Dean watched Sam until his breathing evened out indicating that he'd fallen asleep. He sat in one of the comfortable arm chairs in the room and let out the deep breath he seemed to have been holding.
When he'd felt the connection to Sam open up, a part of himself came alive again. He'd been ready to arrive in anger and grab the kid to haul his ass over his shoulder kicking and screaming. However, before he could teleport from where he was with Cas, he'd heard and felt the despond cries of his little brother calling to him. It had stunned him for a minute but he'd heard Sammy's voice say "Dean please."
He'd let Cas know that he'd found him and his response had surprised him "I know, your aura, not the mark but your aura, started to glow again brightly and fiercely. Go Dean, I'll call Hannah and clean-up here." Dean and Cas had still been at Madge's Diner since they had no leads and were cleaning up the mess the fight had caused, needing to re-write all the customer's memories.
When he arrived inside the hotel he saw immediately the wet bed and the other items on the table. He'd picked up one of the tubes and knew right away what might be wrong. He'd seen the bathroom door ajar and could hear sobbing coming from the other side. Dean had wanted to march into the bathroom and take the kid with him, but knew that even though Sam had called him, if he did that he would be taking two steps back with Sammy. So, first he cleaned the bed to erase Sammy's humiliation, it was probably one of the things the kid was crying about, and he'd already guessed the other was probably a rash from the ointment tubes scattered on the table.
When he'd walked into the bathroom to see the state Sammy was in it'd broken his heart. His baby looked so lost and forlorn. His instinct had naturally taken over, knowing what to do. He knew how to sooth and calm a crying Sammy.
He sighed feeling a bit better now that Sam was in his line of eyesight again. He'd been gone a for a full day.
He heard Cas as he appeared "How is Sam doing?"
"Other than exhausted, hurt, and a little hungry? I'd say peachy" Dean said sarcastically. Just as he felt the anger start, it dispersed quickly as Dean took a deep breath and released.
"I'm sorry Cas, it's just that in one day, Sammy managed to cut open his hand, a foot, has possibly a bump on the back of his head I still need to check out, and he had a severe diaper rash, because he couldn't take care of it himself properly. Some big brother I am. I know that Sammy still needed time to adjust and I went and left him with two people he barely even knows, let alone trusts. Of course he was going to pull a disappearing trick."
"Dean, you shouldn't blame yourself. I should not have requested your help, knowing you were busy with Sam. I am as much to blame for Sam's current injuries. I forget how much trouble Sam can get himself into when one is not with him."
Dean actually smiled "You don't know the half of it. Dad and I wondered why Sammy was such a magnate, not just for supernatural trouble but normal trouble as well. Besides it's not your fault either. You were dwindling in the grace that was given to you. If it ran out you'd have died."
"Let's just leave it at he is safe now, so win, win" Dean finished.
"Are you going to head back to the bunker soon?"
"Not right away, he needs to get some sleep, seeing as he didn't sleep much. I'll wake him in five hours, then he needs to eat. We'll come back to the bunker after that. You should tell the others they can go home since we found Sam and assure them he is okay. But I think its best if he doesn't need to worry about others being there when I get him back home" Dean told Cas.
"Of course Dean" Cas looked again at Sam before leaving.
Dean began to clean up the stuff Sam had dropped on the table. He grabbed the trash can and threw away the tubes of ointments Sam had bought. He was sure that Sam had gotten hurt in the fight earlier when he saw the bottles of Tylenol and Aleve (headache and muscle pain relievers). He put those in the duffel had brought from the bunker and noticed the name of an outlet store's plastic bag inside it.
"Huh, where did Sam get the cash to pay for all of this?" he wondered. He knew Sam had no money on him and he hardly ever hustled pool or poker, that'd always been his job. Between the dragon hoard they'd found four years ago and the treasure trove of money in the bunkers accounts, they hadn't had to do any hustling or credit card scams in a while. Except for fun, well it was fun for Dean not the ones who lost. Maybe Sam had found some cash in the bunker?
He folded Sam clothes, the long brown jacked that Sam had dropped on the floor was the last thing to be picked up. Since it was upside down a credit card fluttered out from the top pocket. He picked it up and saw the name "Sam Newman" .
Now he knew how Sam had bought the stuff he had. However, wasn't aware of this alias, where had Sam gotten it? He didn't know how to feel about it; mad, upset or damn proud that the kid was able to scam a credit card this fast. Dean tapped the card wondering if he should … why not? Holding the card between his finger and thumb, he closed his eyes. Suddenly, the memories on the card rushed forward. Just as suddenly he dropped the card. Bobby, he'd seen Bobby give it to Sam when he was still being hunted by the 'Hellucifer' nightmare and struggling to keep reality in check.
Since then it hadn't seen the light of day until Sam had used it at the department store and the online pharmacy. He picked up the card again and slipped it back in the jacket pocket. Bobby gave this to Sam and he wasn't going to take that away from him.
He finished cleaning up and putting things away before sitting next to Sam on the bed. He kicked off his shoes and turned the TV on with low volume. It was 6 am and he still had another four hours to go before Sam woke up.
He made himself comfortable.
