This chapter explains why Sam has been acting OOC, and I promise that the couple of chapters will explain Dean.
Thanks to Celtic-Spaniard for giving me some much needed information.
Kaewi and PizzaPixie: Most of the time, this is how people who attempt suicide are treated in a hospital setting. It's horrible, but it happens all the time.
Everything seemed fuzzy around the edges. Something was wrong. He remembered being in that hallway, something came over him and he felt pain, the car ride home and thoughts that he couldn't control, and then... Oh, god! Dean! He sat up, breath speeding up, reaching out for something solid. In an instant, there was a hand penetrating the thick fog around him. "Sammy. Come on; wake up."
He struggled to wake up, and finally opened his eyes, realizing that his brother held his hand. "Dean...what's going on?" His voice had a scratching sound to it, and his throat felt so dry, like someone was stabbing him. Dean handed him a cup of water that had been waiting on the table for him to wake up. They knew he would need the water, because of the tube that had been put down his throat.
"Well, you thought that it would make you super-healthy if you took all your pills at the same time. Guess that plan really fell through." Dean said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Sam knew better, though. It was a clever cover-up of his emotions.
"I'm sorry, Dean...I don't know what happened," Sam started, but was cut off by his brother.
"If you ever do anything like that again..." Dean shook his head and was quiet for a moment. This wasn't helping. The psyche consult people hadn't come down yet, and for all he knew, he was making things worse. Sammy could have meant to kill himself, used this situation for an easy excuse. "What were you thinking?" He demanded, needing to have answers, to have the only person still there in his life tell him that killing himself had never been his intention, his idea.
"I don't know. It was in my head, my thoughts, but they weren't my thoughts. It was me doing it, but I couldn't move my own body. I don't...Dean, I would never. I swear, I would never try to kill myself. Not after all you've done to keep me alive." His voice was trailing off, unsteady and unsure and he still felt cut-off from everything around him. He was shaky, and felt cold. Everything had almost ended for him, and Dean would have thought that he wanted to do this. He closed his eyes in grief for his own life, and felt a hand cup the side of his face.
"Look at me." The voice demanded. He opened his eyes and looked into his big brother's determined eyes. They were close, and Dean had a look on his face that he had rarely seen before. It was dangerous; it meant business. "I am going to find out what is going on, and I am going to kill it. It's going to be okay. This woman will not hurt you again as long as I'm around, got that?"
Sam still shook, cold and unsteady, breath unstable. He felt weak, and shivered a little. When he closed his eyes again, he felt the blanket being pulled up around him tighter. A hand grabbed his own hand and he heard a voice say "everything's going to be all right. I won't let anything hurt you." He felt a little bit warmer and decided to let his eyes rest, staying alert of all the things that were happening around him. They had no idea if that was the end of it, or if Rachel would try to attack him again once he let his guard down.
Grief settled over Dean as he sat with his baby brother. He looked so weak, so fragile, and every time he shivered or sighed heavily, Dean was reminded of his failure. He could have lost his brother so easily, and he would have had to live with the guilt of knowing that he wasn't there to stop it. This was not a suicide attempt; it was an attack. This was just like all the other people that had died. The only difference was that this woman had made this personal to them. She tried to take his brother. Trying to take his mind off of the anger these thoughts produced while he was still near his brother, he smiled and stifled a laugh at a very different thought. They would never be able to explain this to the doctors. When the psyche consult came, he would be taken upstairs and watched like a hawk. At least he would be able to make sure his brother was protected while figuring this thing out when Sammy was safely tucked away in the psych ward. He chuckled out loud, thinking about how Sam would work his way out of this one, first by trying to lie to the doctor and then dealing with the other crazy people upstairs.
"Why are you laughing?" Sam's weakened voice asked. Dean startled, thinking that he had gone back to sleep.
It only took him a moment to recover. "Just picturing you trying to explain this when the shrinks come and talk to you is all."
"Dean, they won't... you have to help me get out of here. They're gonna keep me. They'll never understand. We can't even tell them. They're gonna keep me." Sam pleaded, aghast. This only made Dean laugh harder, lightening the mood for him.
Sam tried to get up from the bed, tried to even lift himself up into a sitting position, but found it impossible. He laid back down and willed the dizziness to pass, all the while trying to keep his panic at bay. "Dean, I'm serious. You gotta help me get out of here, Dean. I can't be here."
Dean put his hands firmly on Sam's shoulders, keeping him in place. "Relax, Sammy. You need to calm down. The longest that they can keep you is two days. It's going to be okay."
"No, Dean. Please. I don't want to stay here. I can't be in the hospital again." Sam was frantic, desperate not to be here. There was terror, pure and complete that took over him. The last time he was in the hospital, he almost died. It was an irrational fear, but what fear ever really stemmed from something rational?
"It will just be for a little while, Sammy." Dean said, starting to sense just how upset Sam was.
"No, I already wasted enough time in the hospital. I don't want to be here again." Dean stopped for a moment, froze in his place. He understood. With all that Sam had gone through, he would never want to be in a hospital again. His hands were completely tied this time, though, and he didn't want to have to explain why he needed Sammy here. There was no way his brother could help him after what his body had been through, not to mention that the bitch may not be done. Sam also would never want Dean to go after her by himself. Too bad. This woman was going to burn in hell and he was not putting his brother in more danger in the process. He would not and could not bury his brother.
Dean started making soothing nonsense words in his throat for a few seconds, the better part of a minute, until he knew Sam was a little bit more calm. "Sam, look, I know that you don't want to stay here, but I promise that everything will work out. You'll just stay here for two days, forty-eight hours, and then I'll come and get you and we'll leave. I promise that you will not have to stay here any longer than that as long as you stay calm. Please, Sam, just calm down." He was so sick of the chick-flick moments, but this was a desperate situation.
Sam took a deep, calming breath, trying to reign in his emotions. He looked at his brother, and said "If that's what you think is best." His eyes looked up at Dean with total trust, and Dean felt something break. This was his fault. He should have been watching his brother better, making sure that he wasn't going under the woman's power. None of this should be happening.
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to leave any type of review that you would like, as always. I am working on another story that stopped being a one-shot, and there will be another chapter up of that soon, as well. Remember, May 18th we find out whether we get another season.
Happy hunting.