Disclaimer: Supernatural and all its characters belong to Kripke and the CW. I own nothing.
Previously on Supernatural- Grinning from ear to ear Sam looked up at his brother and proudly stated, "Dean, I moved my arms!"
SPN
"You, you moved y-your a-arms?" Dean stammered, dropping onto the edge of the bed. "Sammy, do you mean you controlled your movements?"
"Uh huh" Sam happily replied. "Watch" Staring down at his right hand, the younger Winchester concentrated with all his might.
Dean held his breath as he watched Sammy struggle to move his resisting arm. The stubborn set of the younger man's jaw told the oldest Winchester that his brother was determined to force the limb into motion. Crossing his fingers behind his back he silently willed the injured man's hand to move, knowing that one intentional movement, no matter how small, would send Sammy's faltering self confidence soaring. And then nothing would stop him from regaining full control. It was just like when Sammy had learned to tie his shoes. The kid had been adamant that he'd never be able to do it by himself. But once he clumsily tied them that first time, the littlest Winchester had tied and untied his shoes for hours until he had the knot and loops just right. It would be the same with this. He was sure of it.
Bobby worriedly watched the injured hunter's struggle from his spot by the couch. He knew that this is what Sam needed. But after the physical exertion from earlier, the kid had to be worn out. The boy barely had enough energy to keep his eyes open as it was. Bobby's brow furrowed as he noticed the sweat beading on Sam's brow and the slight tremors coursing through the younger man. The strain was obviously too much for Sammy's exhausted body. Deciding he needed to put a stop to the littlest Winchester's efforts before the kid hurt himself, Bobby swiftly wheeled over to the bed. The junk yard owner opened his mouth to order the boy to stop only to freeze as Sammy's hand shakily rose off the bed. It slowly and jerkily covered the tiny space between the two boys before dropping onto the elder Winchester's knee.
"Sammy! You did it, kiddo!" Dean whooped, a grin splitting his face.
"But, Dean I only moved it a little." Sammy dejectedly stated.
"That's okay, buddy." Dean assured his sibling. "You moved your arm. That's all that matters."
"Your brother's right, Little Bit" Bobby agreed. "You'll move it more next time. Your body's just worn from that little stunt you pulled earlier."
"Stunt?" Dean questioned curiously. "What exactly did he do?"
"Your brother somehow managed to climb outta bed." Bobby informed a stunned Dean. "Dang near gave me a heart attack when I wheeled outta the bathroom and saw him standing there."
"St-standing? Sammy was…" Dean stammered. The older man looked down at the injured hunter, grinning from ear to ear. "You did all that by yourself? I am so proud of you, buddy." Dean leaned down and gently hugged his brother. Frowning as a sudden thought hit him, he pulled back a little so he could look Sam in the eye. "But what made you get out of bed, Sammy?"
Sammy glanced between his brother and uncle before dropping his gaze to his lap. "I uh, I heard a loud bang in the bathroom and I thought you'd gotten hurt." He confessed.
Feeling both Winchesters' eyes turn on him, Bobby shifted in his chair. "Yeah I kinda backed into the wall on my way to the sink." He explained, turning red. "Sorry I scared you, Sammy."
"You ran into the wall?" Dean chuckled.
"Shut up" Bobby gruffly retorted as he tried and failed to hide a smile. Seeing Sammy yawning out of the corner of his eye, the salvage owner cleared his throat garnering the eldest Winchester's attention. "Dean, I think you better give Sammy that treat you brought him before he conks out on us."
"Oh yeah, I almost forgot." Dean stated. He hurried over to the tray table and wheeled it over to the bed. "Here you go, Sammy."
A dimpled grin spread over Sam's face as he gazed at the treat his brother had gotten him. "Finally, some good food for a change." He thought, watching Dean pull the chicken nugget box and fries out of the container. "Thanks, Dean" he excitedly said.
"Anytime, little brother" Dean replied. Picking up a nugget, he dipped it in BBQ sauce and held it out to Sam. "Now, come on and eat before it gets cold."
Knowing the boys wanted some time alone, Bobby quietly wheeled across the room and out the door. He'd go down to the cafeteria to eat. And then maybe hit the gift shop before heading back. Feeling lighter than he had in months, Bobby wheeled down the hallway. Things were finally looking up for his family.
Three Days Later
Sam wearily laid his head down on his pillow. Between the morning's therapy and getting dressed he was exhausted. The only thing he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep, but that was out of the question. Any minute, the doctor was going to come in and release him and he'd need to be awake to help get himself out of bed and into the impala. Then he'd sleep all the way to Bobby's place. Or he hoped he would at least. His whole body ached from the workout Tony had put him through that morning and he didn't think riding in the classic Chevy was going to help any.
"Sammy, you okay sweetie?" Ellen asked, taking a seat beside him on the bed.
"Yes ma'am" Sam replied resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He was really starting to hate being treated like a little kid. "But this was what Dean wants." He reminded himself. He'd thought that his brother would get tired of having little Sammy around; that he would miss the adult Sam after a while. And it looked like that had happened a couple of days ago. Dean had looked sad that day and he'd kept glancing over at Sam with this odd expression on his face. He'd even overheard Dean telling Bobby that "he missed him". Sam had really thought that his days of being little Sammy were over but he was wrong. Turned out Dean and Bobby were reminiscing about their dad on what would have been his birthday. Sam had still considered breaking out of his little kid image. If Dean missed their dad, he surely missed him too, right? Not. A few minutes later, Dean had actually told Bobby that while he hated the fact that Sam had gotten hurt, he was actually happy that Sam was little Sammy again instead of the hard core hunter he'd been since Dean had come back from Hell. Bobby had whacked him over the head with his cap, of course. But the damage had already been done. Sam had gotten the message loud and clear: his brother didn't want him, he wanted little Sammy. And this was one time Sam was going to make sure Dean got what he wanted. The creaking of the door drew Sam out of his thoughts. Glancing over and seeing the doctor, the young man pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and relaxed back against the bed. He was finally going home.
SPN
"Dean, are you sure you won't change your mind? There's a top notch rehab facility a few miles from your uncle's house. He could get the help he needs and you could still see him every day." Dr. Walters suggested. "We could have him flown there first thing in the morning. What do you say, Dean?"
"The answer's still no, doc."Dean adamantly stated. "Sammy's going home with us."
"Alright, but take this in case you change your mind." The doctor replied, handing the young man the rehab center's business card.
Dean pocketed the card, knowing he'd never use it. "Thanks doc." He said. "So is Sammy good to go, now?"
"Just about. I want to give him a sh-injection of pain medication before you leave. Sitting in the car for a long period of time is going to be murder on his injuries." Dr. Walters told Dean, as he opened the door. "Be back in a minute. I thought I'd give you a heads up before I walked in with the syringe and freaked the kid out."
Sam closed his eyes as the doctor walked out of the room. The last few weeks had been filled with one embarrassing moment after another. But this one was going to top them all. Sighing, he tried to prepare himself for what was to come. It wasn't the shot that bothered him. He might not like them, but he was an adult, he could handle it. But he was supposed to be little Sammy and little Sammy hated needles. Memories of his dad and Dean holding him down while doctors gave him a shot flashed through his mind. This was not going to be fun. Hearing the door creak, Sam opened his eyes and watched as Dr. Walters and Dean headed his way.
Dean nodded to Bobby before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "Sammy, the doctor needs to give you some medicine before we leave, okay?" he asked.
'Showtime' Sam thought as Bobby and Dr. Walters took up their spots on the opposite side of the bed from Dean. "What kind of medicine?" he innocently questioned. Looking up and spotting the syringe in the doctor's hand, the young man widened his eyes and shouted, "NO! No, shot!"
Grabbing Sam's shoulders, Dean gently turned the struggling man onto his side. He wrapped his arms around his little brother and drew him into his chest. "Shhh, it's okay, Sammy" he murmured. He kept a tight hold on his sibling as the doctor lowered the boy's sweat pants and boxers and injected the medication into his hip. "Shhh, it's alright buddy. You're okay." He whispered, rubbing circles in Sam's back as he slowly began to rock his upset sibling. He mumbled reassurances and rocked until the sobbing stopped and the littlest Winchester's breathing evened out in sleep. Dean eased himself off the bed and shakily stood. Staring down at his sleeping brother, he jumped as the door burst open.
"What the Hell is going on in here? We could hear Sammy yelling all the way down the hall?" the newcomer growled as he stormed into the room.
"Josh? Rufus? Vonnie?" Bobby gasped as the three friends made their way to the bed. "What are you guys doing here?"
Joshua stared down at the sleeping Winchester for a few minutes. Finally, deciding that the kid was alright, he turned to his old friend. "Rufus and I got back from a hunt a couple of days ago and found your messages on the answering machine. I figured with the injuries Sammy had, he'd need a vehicle he could stretch out in when he got released so I called Vonnie to ask about borrowing the RV." He explained.
"And once I heard what happened to Sam, there was no way I was staying home." Vonnie added. "I took a few days off work, jumped in the RV with these two, and hit the road."
"Man, am I glad you guys are here." Dean said, walking over and hugging Vonnie.
"So, you wanna tell us what's going on?" Joshua questioned glancing from Dean to Bobby and back. "Why was Sammy screaming like a little kid just now?"
Dean sighed. "One thing at a time, Josh. Let's get Sammy safely tucked away in the RV and I'll explain everything, okay?"
"You got it, Dean." Josh agreed, turning as a nurse entered the room with a gurney.
They waited for the nurse to roll the gurney up to the bed and set the brakes. And then Dean, Josh, and Rufus easily transferred Sam from his bed to the gurney. Taking up positions on both sides of the sleeping Winchester the family of hunters slowly rolled their youngest member out of the room. They were finally going home.