Hi, everyone. Please don't kill me for making you wait so long! I do have excuses, one of which being a severely sprained ankle, so please put away the torches and pitch forks! As a peace offering, I wrote a very long chapter (compared to my normal standards). Anyway, thank you for reading and also to everyone who has reviewed and/or put me or this story on alert. It really means a lot! Anyway, enjoy this chapter… considering you had to wait a month, I hope it impresses you. Also, I wrote this while listening to "When Love & Hate Collide", "Miss You In A Heartbeat", "Bringin' On The Heartbreak" and "Rock of Ages". I honestly do not know why I just mention that. Hmmm… -twiandsuperfan
Chapter 11
Then…
The gaze that the brother's shared could only be achieved through true love, and years upon years of experience in every field. Whether it be sadness, joy, or sickness… they both knew that they would always have each other to make it better. So, within the few seconds that Bobby had poured the Pepto into a cup…. Sam and Dean had shared a lifelong string of memories that were still being made. Because, while feelings may only last a few minutes… memories remain forever, with one final glance, Sam took the cup and gulped a mouthful down.
Now…
The results were almost immediate. Within seconds of swallowing the pink liquid, Sam was scrunched into a tight ball. Withering in pain, as lightening shot through his stomach. This was like no other pain be had ever experienced. He had had gunshot wounds, broken bones, concussions, the whole package… but none of these could even to compare to the pain he felt racing through his body now. It was as though someone had decided to ignite a bomb within him, and then, as if that weren't enough, continuously stab him in the stomach. All he could feel was the pain, as that jagged knife stabbed him over and over.
As his fever and pain induced train of thought hit a road block, he realized his older brother, crouched next to him. He sees him lips moving, but cannot make out the sound that should be escaping from them. He can only feel the pain boiling inside of him and the fever cooking him from the inside out. He moans, hoping that Dean will understand his inability to answer the unheard words that pricked at his skin.
Dean does indeed notice that Sam's body is finally giving into the fever and obvious pain that it has endured for so long. He wants to get closer to Sam, comfort him like a big brother should. Protect him, even if the only danger cannot be stopped by his own hands. But his own body is beginning to fail. The blood, still flowing steadily from his side, where the bullet had penetrated his skin, and the chunk of glass, still sticking from its resting place, deep within his upper arm; and Dean knows when his body begins to fight a nasty infection (he's had enough experience to know), and he feels it now.
The sweat collecting on his brow, the nauseating feeling, churning his stomach, the lights blaring into his eyes and pounding his skull, and he knows he's in deep trouble. He's stuck in the depths of quicksand, that is quickly pulling him down, but he also knows that his little brother, laying only a mere foot away, is hurting, and shivering from fever… and he knows that he has to help. He has to grab hold of a vine and hold himself up long enough to help. So, he grabs hold of that vine and hold on as tight as he can.
"Sam, what's wrong?" Dean asked shakily. It scared him how weak him own voice sounded, but fear is quickly replaced with relief when Sam's fever glazed eyes, finally reach his brother's.
"D'n, m-my s-stomach," Sam broke off, suddenly coughing wetly into his fist, pain evident on his face, before continuing. "S-something's w-wrong." He finishes.
"What, Sam? What is it?" Dean questioned, gazing deep into his brother's tormented eyes.
"H-help D'n, please, m-make it s-stop," Sam begged as tears flowed heavily from his eyes.
"Sammy, you have to tell me what's wrong!" Dean replied urgently, as adrenaline took over his body. Sam curled further in on himself and paled, turning his color to a ghostly white. He cried out and desperately reached out his arms, searching for Dean, searching for his big brother's support.
Dean grabbed Sam's hand and was surprised by how hard Sam squeezed on Dean's hand. It scared Dean more than a little and he knew that in that moment, his calm façade that he had been holding up, slipped, revealing the worried brother underneath.
Looking into Sam's eyes, he found tortured eyes gazing back, eyes begging for the pain to stop, begging for it to all go away. Dean had to run his hand along his eyes to prevent the tears from falling, because he hadn't seen such begging eyes, filled with so much pain, since he was deep down in the pits of Hell. And seeing those eyes on his baby brother, his whole meaning to live, crushed him like a building falling from that sky.
"B-bobby? What do you s-suggest?" Dean turned to the old hunter who he'd known his entire life. Who basically called Sam and Dean his own, and knew that this was killing him as well.
"I don't know. Maybe a heat pad or something, but we don't want it to increase his fever either… he can't take pills… I just don't know anymore." Bobby admitted, defeat held thick in his words and face.
"Sammy? You still with us?" Dean brushed his fingers through Sam's long, scraggly hair, trying to reassure and calm his brother.
"Y-y-yea. D'n please, m-my stomach, f-feels l-like na-ils." Sam sobbed without tears, since his body his became dehydrated so long ago… or was that only a few hours ago?
"Ah, crap." Bobby sighed, crouching down next to Dean, and running a hand over his face.
"What?" Dean asked, noticing the worry covering Bobby's face.
"It may be nothing, but Sam, can you try to straighten out? I think I know what's wrong."
Sam obeyed and slowly uncurled himself, gasping, coughing, and moaning the whole time. The hand attached to Dean's was squeezing harder and harder, crushing it through the ripples of excruciating pain sizzling through his sick body. His skin was as white as clouds on a warm, sunny day, but dark circles outline his glassy eyes, and the signs of dehydration played on his sunken features. His lips were tinted blue, as a sign of the oxygen that was no longer fully filling his lungs.
"Good, now I'm going to feel around your abdomen. Tell me if it hurts. And, sorry, my hands are cold… considering I don't have a fever like you two idjits." Bobby chuckled without humor and moved so his hands were on Sam's abdomen.
"Hey, I don't have a fever." Dean insisted, knowing instantly that he was wrong, as the room tilted around him.
"I don't have to stick a thermometer up your ear to know you do. And by the way you're shivering and swaying over there, I'd say it's getting high fast." Then Bobby turned his attention back to Sam. "Just tell me if it hurts."
Sam nodded slowly, and then Bobby began his probing. Stopping when Sam screamed, as Bobby's hand pressed on his stomach.
"D-d-dean!" Sam screamed before curling back into a shivering ball of pain. Dean quickly mover over to his brother's side, wincing himself as his own pain, once again became prominent and his wounds began to bleed faster.
"I'm here, Sammy, I'm here, h-hang on." Dean cooed, desperately trying to help Sam.
"Don' f-feel g-good. G-gonna be s-s-sick." Sam warned, swallowing hard against the liquid burning up his throat.
Dean helped Sam sit up, gasping as the glass and bullet shift, and is more than grateful when Bobby helps Sam the rest of the way, before reaching out a supporting hand to steady Dean as he swayed. Doing a double take as he feels cool, clammy skin, instead of the expected fever warm skin, but before his can think about it too much, Sam leans forward and throws up violently.
Dean nearly passed out when he sees the red liquid pouring from his brother's mouth. Sam moaned loudly, grabbing his convulsing stomach and reaching out for Dean. Dean grabbed the hand and is once again surprised by the strength of the squeeze.
In-between rounds of sickness, Sam manages to whisper four words, "I… l-love… y-y-you… D'n." Before stopping and falling against Dean. His body shaking as another seizure unfolds. Consuming Sam in welcomed, pain-free darkness.
"Sam! No, don't do this to me! Please, Sammy!" Dean begged when Sam went completely slack in his arms, blood still coated his blue lips, creating a purple hue.
Dean hugged Sam in his arms, sighing in relief when he felt Sam's breath warm on his neck. His Sam though was unconscious, once again. His fever way too high, his body severely dehydrated, and throwing up blood. His brother, who may die.
This thought makes Dean collapse. Suddenly, his arms no longer can support him. His breathing became more rapid; dizziness overwhelmed him as the room tilts and spins, making him nauseous. He knows then, that he's lost too much blood, and his body is finally giving in.
Bobby rushed over and gently pulled Sam off Dean, gasping at how warm the youngest Winchester was. He laid Sam beside Dean, and quickly notices all the signs of blood loss.
"Dean. You need to stay with me here. Try to slow your breathing down." Bobby instructs, while grabbing a dish towel from the metal aisle near them.
"C-c-can't." Dean struggled to say. He could hear his heart thumping way too fast, pounding in rhythm with his head.
"I need to slow this bleeding. Just hand in there, okay?"
"Bo-bby, d-don't f-feel t-t-too g-good." Dean whispered, struggling to calm the waves that twisted and turned his stomach.
Dean paled, before taking on a sickly green tint and rolled over, expelling absolutely nothing but useless stomach bile. It burned his throat and the intense heaves pulled at his wounded side, fastening the flow of blood as Bobby tried to hold Dean up and stem the flowing blood.
Once Dean finished, he collapsed beside his brother, gasping for air, but instead getting small, quick pants. He could feel Bobby's hand over his side, and could see him forming words with his mouth, but like his brother, he couldn't hear him, as blackness danced across his vision.
As a final burst of his depleting energy, he takes Sam's warm, limp hand, and gives it a shaky squeeze. Hoping that maybe wherever Sam's mind may be amidst the horrors of fever induced nightmares, that he would be comforted by the fact that his big brother was there. And Dean knows that soon enough, he will be fighting with his brother in those nightmares, side by side, like they always are.
"T-take… c-care of… S-Samm-y… c-call C-cas… get t-to… h-h-ho-spital," Dean shuddered out as a final request.
He then turns back to his brother, the one who he would hold when Sammy fell and scraped his knee, the one would Dean would sing to sleep as Sammy stared at him with big eyes, swaddled in a baby blanket, the once who Dean had carried from the fire that had changed their lives, and the one who he swore to protect with his life… his Sammy, who he would go to Hell for.
"I love you too, Sammy. Don't ever forget that." Dean breathed to Sammy, before squeezing his hand and letting go of that vine holding him up. Dean and Sam's hands hit the ground together, making a thud as darkness overtakes Dean. Once stray tear leaked from his eyes and fell onto the brother's intertwined hands. One last "I love you", silently spread to the other, for even in unconsciousness, they were still caring for each other.
Bobby felt his heart shatter at the scene that had just unfolded in front of him. His hand pressed firmer onto Dean's wound, but he knew that it was no good. The towel had already been soaked in red and looking around, all that he could see was the Winchester's blood.
Obeying Dean's final request, he looked up at the yellowed ceiling tiles… up towards the sky, and screamed at the top of his lungs, with a few stray tears running down his haggard face, "Castiel! Get your angelic ass here! The boys need you, I need you!"
Behind him, the flutter of wings welcomed the arrival of Castiel.
Did it meet your standards? Let me know, and also if you have any requests regarding later chapters, let me know as well. Also, don't forget to check out my new story Slapdash! And I think it's a scientific fact that reviews will help a person get better… so reviews are definitely welcomed! Haha, I hope you enjoyed and until next time… -twiandsuperfan
