When Two Worlds Collide Ch. 21
Disclaimer: See Chapter one
Previously:"That goes for me too boy. You just take care of yourself and don't worry about your idjit of a brother, I'll take care of him." Bobby informed Sam as he grasped his shoulder and gave it a light squeeze as the gurney was pushed by.
Watching as they pushed Sam past the locked doors of the isolation unit, Dean felt a shudder run through his body knowing that he couldn't get to Sammy without being admitted by his attending physician or nurse. He now had to rely on the goodness of people he knew nothing about and it scared the crap out of him. Taking a shaky breath, he lowered himself to the sofa in the waiting room and cursed the lock barrier that stood between him and his baby brother.
"Dean, I know your upset son, but you have to remember this is for the sake of Sam's health." John voiced, noticing how disgruntled Dean was.
"I know that Dad, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. Those nurses and doctors don't understand Sammy and his actions like I do. They won't know when he needs his back rubbed or a few soothing words spoken into his ear. They won't know when he needs someone by his side or just wants to be left the hell alone. But most of all they aren't me, they can't take care of him the way I can." Dean informed his father with barely suppressed emotion.
"Dean, Sammy was sleeping when they wheeled him into the isolation ward. Maybe he'll sleep the whole time until we are allowed to go back there to visit him Ace." John stated as he tried to relieve Dean's fears, before his anxiety got the better of him.
"Yeah right. Since when has luck ever been on the Winchester side Dad?" Dean retorted with a roll of the eyes.
"Dean, you've got to look towards the future in this situation. Right now it's painful and about to eat you up inside being separated from Sam, but just think, in a few weeks your brother will be back to being the healthy teen pain in the ass he has always been." Bobby encouraged, seeing that John was struggling with the situation nearly just as much as Dean was.
"I know you mean well Bobby, but I've taken care of Sammy my whole life. How can I be expected to just sit here now and trust other people to do what's always been my job?" Dean asked as he scrubbed a hand through his short cropped hair.
Bobby found himself at a loss for words upon hearing Dean's statement. Dean had always been Sam's caregiver since the first time he had met the boys when Sammy was still just a toddler in diapers. Not knowing what else to say, he sat down in the seat next to Dean and gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. If nothing else, he could sit there and commiserate with Dean until they were allowed to see their youngest once again.
~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural
Standing by the glass door and watching over her latest patient, Nurse Jackie Alison felt her heart break for the young man lying on the bed in the room. It was obvious the teen was suffering and no matter what she had tried to do earlier to help, nothing seemed to ease his suffering, even in sleep. Hearing a soft whining sound coming from his room, she thought, "I have to try again, I just can't stand here and watch him hurting the way he is."
Washing her hands in the antiseptic soap, she scrubbed them thoroughly before donning a sterile gown, mask and gloves. Pushing open the door, she walked in and made sure it shut completely behind her since a positive pressure isolator was being used to sterilize the air as much as possible in the room. Making her way to her patient's bedside, Jackie saw that the young man's face was covered in a light sheen of sweat. She wasn't sure if it was from the nightmares he was experiencing, or the low grade fever he had been running since entering the room. Opening one of the sterile gauze packages, she began to gently mop his sweat soaked brow with it while whispering what she hoped was soothing words.
"Try to calm down sweetie, getting upset will only make things worse for you." She voiced with concern as she gazed at the heart monitor to check Sam's blood pressure and pulse.
Tossing and turning on the bed, Sam panted for breath from the nightmares he was having when he suddenly felt something gently swipe across his forehead. Needing to know if it was brother, he opened his eyes to see what he thought was a woman since her face covered partially by some type of mask. Closing his eyes again, he turned his face away from her and let out a sobbing breath as a wave of nausea assailed him. Damn, but he felt sick.
"Shhh, you're going to be okay, just give the medicine time to work." Jackie pleaded as she continued her gentle ministrations.
"Please, I ne-need Dean." Sam begged, turning his head back towards the nurse as tears filled his blue-green eyes. "I just need my br-brother to make it all be-better."
"I wish I could get him for you sweetie, but you're not allowed any visitor's until later tonight or tomorrow. Dr. James will be in soon to start the bone marrow transplant and the room needs to be as sterile as possible once it begins." Jackie informed her patient as she brushed the sweat soaked bangs from his forehead.
"I ca-can't wait that lo-long, please get my br-bother." Sam beseeched as his fingers weakly clenched the blanket covering his body.
"Maybe if you could get some sleep without having to dream, the time would go by faster. I could ask the doctor to give you a light sedative to help." Jackie offered as she tucked the blanket around her young patient who was beginning to shiver lightly.
"Dean? Dean please, I need you." Sam implored as he called out in a weak voice hoping that his brother could hear him. Suddenly feeling his stomach cramp with ferocity, he felt the urgent need to use the toilet at the same time as bile starting rising up his throat. "Please, I have to…."
Sam was unable to get anymore words out as he started heaving forcefully into an emesis basin that Janie quickly placed under his mouth. Tears rolled down his reddened cheeks as he realized that he had also unintentionally evacuated at the other end.
"S'okay Sam, there's no need to be embarrassed. It's an expected situation with bone marrow patients. You're body is just too weak to hold it in." Jackie stated as she waited for Sam to quit heaving and then buzzed for some help. "Well have you cleaned up in just a few moments."
"Dean." Sam whispered brokenly as exhaustion overtook his weakened body and he slipped into a restless sleep once again, unaware of the other nurse who slipped into the room to help Jackie with her ill young patient.
~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural
A few hours later found Dean pacing the floor in agitation as he walked from one end of the room to the other. He was thankful that the other people who were there earlier had left, leaving the room to just him, his father and Bobby. Glancing towards the locked doors, he prayed they would soon open and allow him admittance into the isolation ward. His nerves were starting to get the better of him and knew he would soon explode if he didn't see his brother.
Running his hands through his short cropped hair, he tried a deep breathing technique to calm himself down. The last thing he wanted was to get kicked out of the hospital when he had yet to see his Sammy. "What the hell is taking so long? Why haven't they come and got us yet?" He questioned aloud, though he didn't really expect an answer. Sammy had been away from his sight for over five hours now and he could swear he heard his brother calling out for him.
"Dean, calm down. You aren't helping things by getting upset." John grumbled, nearly at the end of his rope himself over the long wait. He couldn't stand sitting there, not knowing what was going on. He would have though the doctor would have kept them informed as to Sammy's progress.
"I can't help it Dad, Sam needs me, I know he does." Dean retorted as he leaned back against the wall and sighed forlornly as his gaze once again drifted to the locked doors.
"Dean, you're going to driver yourself crazy at this rate if you don't stop borrowing trouble." Bobby said as he pulled off his ball cap and ran his fingers through his slightly graying hair before placing it back on his head. "You've got to pull yourself together son. Sammy's going to need you to be strong for him when they finally do allow him to have visitors."
"Yeah, I know you're right Bobby, it's just, I feel useless you know. I should be in there taking care of him. It's my job." Dean replied, even though the other hunters in the room knew how he felt where his baby brother was concerned.
"I hear ya boy, but this time you've got to let somebody else do the job until Sammy's well enough to become your responsibility again." Bobby counterargued hoping to get through to Dean.
"I know Bobby, I do, but…" Dean trailed off as he watched the doors swing open, praying that it was time for them to go back and visit. Waiting to see Sam's doctor walk through, he was disappointed when it was only a couple of nurses who were so involved in conversation, they failed to notice anybody else in the room.
"I know, it was so sad to hear that poor boy crying out for his brother." The blond nurse said as she walked beside her friend. "I don't know how Jackie can stand his heart wrenching pleas."
"Me either. Whoever this Dean is, he must be really special." The other nurse responded just before they rounded the corner and walked out of sight.
Feeling his angst level rise sky high, Dean started moving quickly towards the doors, ready to kick them in if need be to get to his brother, but found himself restrained forcefully however just before reaching his target. "Damn it, let me go Dad." Dean seethed as he tried to break the hold his father had around his chest, pinning his arms to his side.
"Not until you calm down Ace. You're going to get us all kicked out of here." John said as he struggled to keep Dean from getting lose.
"Didn't you hear them? Sammy's crying out for me. I have to get to him." Dean refuted anxiously as he once again increased his struggles to get free from the firm grasp of his father.
"Son, if you don't calm down right now, I'm going to put a choke hold on you." John warned as he fought to restrain his oldest son. He knew if Dean got free, he'd be through those doors in a heartbeat and they would all be kicked out of the hospital.
"Dad, please, Sammy needs me." Dean openly sobbed as his knees buckled and John lowered them both to the floor.
"Just a little while longer Dean, you've just got to hang on a little while longer." John declared in a soft voice as he held Dean close and tried to ease the suffering of one of his children.
TBC Please know that I'm not trying to make Sam "a wimp" in this chapter. Bone marrow transplant patients suffer psychological stress at being isolated from their loved ones.