Warnings and disclaimer see Chapter 1
Chapter 11 Recovery
Bobby moved the truck and while he was outside spoke to John on the phone to let him know what was going on with Dean. John was on his way but was still about five hours away. Bobby returned to Sam and took him to the kiosk and made sure he had something to eat. They paced up and down for 2 hours before the doctor Kelly came over and spoke to them.
"Well Dean sure has a lot of injuries, the kids black and blue. I would say the people who did this to him gave him a good working over before he got away. The police will be over later when Dean's awake if he can give them a description, I would like to see them charged." Doctor Kelly looked upset as he spoke.
"I'm sorry I hate seeing kids injured like this, anyway let's focus on what we can do for Dean. His main problem is the infection from the cuts and grazes. They have turned infected to the point of being lymphatic which means an infection in the system that drains fluid from the tissues. We have started him on strong antibiotics and intravenous fluids. He also has two broken ribs and multiple bruising as well as a fractured skull. The skull fracture is minor but it will be monitored closely because he has a bad concussion as well, his facial injuries are mainly swelling but we stitched the gash on the side of his head. Blood loss is a factor too, its not enough to warrant a transfusion but we are keeping an eye on it. He is in surgery now, having his broken ankle fixed. We are worried about his fever as it's very high due to the infection but the antibiotics should bring it down soon. His left shoulder looks like it may have been dislocated but it is back in joint now. He will sleep for a while, when he gets out of surgery because of the high doses we are pushing into him but you can sit with him if you like."
Bobby reeled at all the information he was trying to take in. He looked down into Sam's teary eyes, the boy really needed his dad now or his brother. Bobby put his arm around Sam's shoulders.
"We would like to sit with him as soon as we can. His dad will be here soon. He has a job in another state and should be here later today."
"Okay, he can come in when he gets here." Doctor Kelly looked at Sam's teary eyes and bent down to his level."You sure have a tough brother don't you Sam?"
Sam nodded and the tears fell. Doctor Kelly put a hand on the young mans shoulder. "Dean woke up for a second and asked for you before he went into surgery, Sam. He knows you're here and waiting for him. He said to tell you he will keep his promise, does that sound right?"
Sam nodded and smiled slightly,but cried even harder.
Doctor Kelly knew he must be a very tired boy, he looked it. "Dean is in the best of hands, Sam. He has a specialist looking after him and I will make sure he his well looked after okay?"
"Thanks." Sam nodded to the doctor who got up and gave Bobby a tight smile before going in to check on Dean.
Bobby bent down and hugged Sam tight, something the young man would normally shrug off but today he took all he could get.
Sam sat next to Dean's bed with his hand in his brothers, Dean hadn't moved a muscle since getting out of surgery but Sam wanted to be there when he woke. Dean was covered in bandages and his left foot was raised up and covered in plaster to his knee. His face looked a sight the bruises now dark purple and black with tinges of red and his left eye was still swollen and colored. There were more tubes coming out of Dean than he had ever seen and bags of fluid hanging up and too many machines monitoring Dean's condition for Sam's liking. All in all he just wanted his brother to wake up but the doctor said he wouldn't wake up for a long time. Bobby and the doctor had both tried unsuccessfully to get Sam to have a sleep. The doctor even had a bed bought in just for Sam but he wouldn't even look at until he knew Dean was going to be okay, and to Sam that meant talking to him. Sam kept up the patter of talk, taking about anything he could think of just so his brother would know he was there. After a while his head was getting heavy so he lowered it onto Dean's good side and lay with his eyes open still talking to Dean.
Dean felt the blackness fade away and slowly come into the light. He opened his eyes slowly as they were very heavy, one more than the other. As he became more aware he realized his chest felt heavy and his left leg as well. He still felt way to warm but the coolness of the sheet was helping him feel better. He blinked around the room to see his brother's hair sticking up from his chest. He focused on the hair and saw Sam's face staring over his head and his mouth moving. Dean concentrated on Sam's voice but the words were too soft for him to make out. He focused on his right arm and lifted it to Sam's shoulder startling him and making him jump up, knocking Dean's hand back to the bed.
Sam was suddenly in Dean's face talking fast and loud, making no sense what so ever.
"Woe, Sammy slow down." Deans voice was soft, scratchy and slow, the opposite to Sam's.
"Dean, how are you feeling?"
Much slower good. If he could get him to turn the decibels down he would be even happier.
"Better, Sammy. Have you slept? You look tired." Dean's voice was barely a murmur and he felt like he had been chewing razor blades.
Sam's eyes were wide and alert but Dean could see black bags under them.
"I wanted to make sure you were okay first."
Sam went all shy and doe eyed a sure sign he was embarrassed about his actions.
"Come here, little brother." Dean put his arms up slowly in the universal sign for hug.
Dean knew his brother needed one, even in his drug clouded state. Sam went over and burrowed his face in Dean's neck, his arms going around his chest gently.
"I'm okay now Sammy, so I want you to sleep now okay?"
"But Dean.."
Dean was already tired and ready to fall back to sleep, he was panting a bit with effort.
"No buts, if I have to you have to."
Sam was torn he knew his brother needed the rest.
"Okay Dean, just for a little while. Just promise me you will wake up."
Dean saw the stricken look on Sam's face, he must have been worse than he thought.
"Okay Sammy, deal." He croaked.
Dean used the last of his energy to mess Sam's hair with his hand. Sam smiled back then moved over to the other bed, Dean watching, his eyes already hooded and ready to fall back to sleep.
"Goodnight Dean."
"Night, Sammy."
"See you soon."
"You know you will, little brother."
Sam's eyes closed as Dean's did and they were both fell to sleep at the same time.
Bobby looked on as both boys fell to sleep. He had stayed quiet during the boys exchange knowing Sam would be much happier now that he had spoken to Dean. After a few minutes, Doctor Kelly came in to check up on Dean. He noticed Sam asleep on the other bed.
"How did you work that miracle? I thought we were going to have to sedate him so he could rest."
"Actually, Dean did that."
"Dean was awake?" He frowned over at Bobby.
"Yep, spoke a few words to his brother, encouraged him to take a break."
"Man, he's a tough kid. The meds he's on should have kept him out till tomorrow at least."
"Well toughs his middle name doc."
"If it isn't, it should be." He shook his head finding it hard to believe his patient had been awake already.
He checked Dean's temperature and found it still too high. He added more medication to his IV this time to try to knock the temperature down directly. As tough as he was he didn't want Dean to have a seizure in his current state. Then he turned to Bobby and asked him to step outside for a moment.
Once outside Dr Kelly came straight to the point.
"I have some disturbing news. I was just coming up to talk to you about it."
Bobby frowned but let the doctor continue.
"A young man has just come into the ER who has been severely bashed. He was walking to work this morning down the old train line walking track when some guys on bikes attacked him. Thankfully there were witnesses who called the police and tried to stop them. They managed to arrest one of them but the others got away, they are going to try to find and arrest the rest of them. The witnesses are saying the boy was beaten with a tire iron and a baseball bat before they tried to tie him to the back of one of the bikes, as if to drag him." Bobby blanched and went white at the implication.
"Son off a bitch. A friggin tire iron and a baseball bat? These could be the yo ho's that beat Dean up."
"It looks like it and it would explain his head injures at the least, and the m.o is the same, with the rope. The police informed us that this is the forth attack on people on that track in the last month."
"Well, why the hell didn't they put something in the paper or something to warn people?"
"They are saying the other people were not badly injured so it wasn't warranted."
"God damnit. Cops could have saved us some problems couldn't they?" Bobby was extremely angry he didn't know about this problem right under his nose. "How's the kid doing?"
"Unfortunately, not well. He is twenty, so older than Dean, but his injures were all in the head and upper chest region, but we are hoping for the best."
Sometime later Dean woke up sweaty and disorientated to find his dad gripping his hand and talking to him. It several moments to work out what he was saying to him.
"What?" he croaked still unsure.
"I said you did good buddy, getting yourself out of the forest on your own."
"Dad? Is that really you?" His voice a whisper.
"Yeah, it's me sport. How you feeling?"
"I'm fine, dad."
"Yeah, sure you are. You look like you've been for a swim you're that wet." John ran his hand through Dean's hair.
"How did the hunt go?" Dean was panting softly with effort.
"Don't worry about that, concentrate on getting better. I still want to know how you let a couple of kids on motorbikes take you down." He joked.
"They weren't kids' dad they were adults, three of them with a tire iron."
"Sounds like the ones that attacked the other kid." Bobby came up to the bed shaking his head. "Did you get a look at them?"
"At the bikes more that them. It was dark." Dean was starting to drift off tiredly his head lolling on the pillow.
'"I was just kidding with you, Dean. You're tougher than anyone I know getting out of there. Well done son."
"Who are you again?" Dean was shocked at his dad giving him praise for something.
John laughed lightly and smiled at Dean as he stroked his arm.
"Get some rest now, Dean. Just get yourself well again."
Dean fell to sleep with his dad stroking his arm.
TBConcluded
Yeah! One more chapter to go- Thanks to all that took the time to review.
