AN: So sorry for the wait... hopefully this will make up for it. By the way: my youngest son and oldest grandson both turned 9 today - Happy Birthday to them!!!

Sam stood staring at the back porch as if expecting something or someone to interrupt his musings – then again that would really have entailed thought, and there wasn't much of that going on at the moment. Instead he stared at the dark house until he finally realized where he was, even if he didn't remember how he got there. Sighing, he walked up the steps and gingerly sat on the swing, ignoring the creaking the rusted chain echoed against the house.

'So this is what I have to look forward to?' he thought to himself as he stared into the night, oblivious to the cold that continued to freeze anything in its path.

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It took longer than anyone really wanted to admit to get the fire under control and everything packed up and ready to go. However that wasn't what was bothering most of the people standing in front of what was the town's only clinic – it was the fact that the doctor was nowhere to be seen, and everyone had been told how ill he seemed to be. Now their concern had switched from putting out the fire, to possible search and rescue.

"Damn it, where the hell could he have gone?" John bellowed once again as he looked down the road he and Jim had just walked along. It had been bad enough that he hadn't been able to stop the bastard from torching the clinic which his youngest son still inside, but how they had missed Sammy walking away from the devastating scene was still a mystery to him.

Jim tightened his coat around him once again and tried not to allow John's anger get the better of him, after all they all had more important things to worry about – like getting Sam someplace safe and warm. "John, you need to calm down, we'll find Sam."

Snorting once John barely looked at the priest before turning back the road. They hadn't been able to find a decent trail since it seemed there had been more people milling about while the volunteer fire department did what they could to stop the fire from continuing its onslaught. Once the search for Sammy began it was obvious that no one could tell where he'd gone since there was so much traffic disturbing everything. It didn't take long to meet up with Dean and the others and knew instantly that they didn't have a clue either.

"This is nuts, no one's seen him and it looked like half of them didn't really want to." Dean yelled as he kicked a snow covered rock across the road.

John knew the frustration his son was feeling, but there wasn't much he could do short of pulling Sammy out of thin air that would help. "Dean, calm down – we'll find him."

Dean couldn't believe what he heard. "What the hell do you care, dad? If it was still up to you then we'd be across the country and not here with him." Taking a deep breath he was about to jump back into his tirade but instead shook his head. "You know what… just go dad. Go back to hunting and leave the rest to us."

Shocked, the others could only stand there and watch the myriad of emotions play on John's face, but before any other response could be made, a car pulled up alongside them.

"Don't tell me you haven't found him yet?" Dan asked as he looked from each man back to the cold night. "Damn it, I was afraid of this." He said softly before he turned abruptly to them again. "Are you sure you looked everywhere?" Seeing the confused looks on their faces he groaned. "Get in and make it quick. If he's where I think he is… well, you'll see – hurry up."

It was as if a challenge had been made and all six hunters crammed into the cruiser barely before the sheriff made a harsh u-turn and sped down the slick road.

It didn't take too long to pull in front of an old house in the middle of the small town. Puzzled, the men looked at the dark building before looking at the sheriff and wondered if he'd lost his mind.

"Look, the doc's not thinking straight – he probably doesn't even remember she's gone." Dan said as he quickly got out of the car and turned on his flashlight. "SAM! HEY DOC, I NEED YOU OUT HERE!"

It didn't take long for the others to piece together the puzzle and quickly follow in the lawman's footsteps, each branching out a bit to look through the windows, the porch, the doorway, but it was Dean's yell from the back of the house that made them all sprint in fear of what they would find.

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Dean finally caught on to what the sheriff said and it didn't take long for him to go around his dad and friends to see if he could find anything to lead him to his brother without all that racket they were making. He didn't doubt that if Sammy could hear them then he'd probably take off again and they'd be no closer than what they were earlier.

It was the gust of wind that seemed to cut through his coat that helped alert him to a possibility – the wind and the tinkling sound of a small chain close by. Turning back towards the house he looked closer and found that while the porch wasn't enclosed, it had enough shadow that someone could be standing there and not be noticed. Climbing up the steps Dean faltered only a moment when he saw the leg come into view, then the body that looked so still in sleep leaning against the arm of the swing.

"Oh my God – SAMMY!" he yelled as he took the remaining steps at a leap. "Come on Sammy – wake up!" he yelled again as he tried to wake his little brother. Not liking the cold feel of his arm, Dean quickly reached for a pulse and had to try twice more before he found one, giving him incentive to breathe again on his own.

"Dean, you find him?" yelled Bobby, worried of what he'd find once he found the eldest brother.

"Here! We're on the porch!" Dean shouted, ignoring the flashlight by his side choosing instead to remove his coat and wrap his little brother in it.

Dan had a feeling this was where they would find him, but he couldn't figure out why Sam hadn't let himself in, or why no one else had thought to look here. "Come on, Miss Millie never liked locked doors, and I doubt anyone thought to do it since she passed."

It didn't take long to get Sam inside and settled on the longest couch in the parlor, but it took a little while to get a fire going inside the fireplace which grated on the hunters' nerves.

"Normally I'd say to call Doc Sam, but I don't think that would work right now." Dan said in an effort to break the tension. He was worried about the man lying unconscious in front of him and knew that they needed to get him to a hospital, but with the way the roads were becoming it would be safer to wait until the highway was cleared.

Dean wanted to hit something, but knew that it wouldn't do any good; instead he took position over his little brother and silently dared anyone to come closer. 'Come on Sammy, you can beat this. Just wake up and get moving.' He thought in the hopes that Sammy would somehow know what needed to be done and instantly follow through.

"Isn't there someone else we can call? I mean there has to be…" John broke off his question when he saw the incredulous looks on a few of his friends' faces. It wasn't until the sheriff spoke again that he remembered exactly why his youngest was here.

"Look, I really have no idea who you think you are, but I'm going to tell you this – if it wasn't for Sam here, most of the people in this town wouldn't get any kind of regular health care. In case you haven't noticed, we're not in the middle of some sprawling metropolis – most of us would just deal with whatever ails us mainly because that's all we can afford to do. The previous doc retired and we're damn lucky Sam agreed to fill in for him otherwise I'd hate to think about what would have happened."

Jim knew that this was a tense moment, but in all fairness he understood where John was coming from. "Dan, you know as well as I do that Sam is going to need to be checked out at the very least, and hospitalized at the most. We're all just worried, that's all."

Smiling, Dan nodded. "I know, I am too. Look, I'll call the hospital and fill them in, then when the roads are cleared we can get him there – just keep him warm."

As Dean watched the other man walk towards another room, he had to wonder just what he and his little brother shared. Trying to squash down the jealousy that he felt raising its head, he turned back to Sammy watch and hoped their mother was watching over the youngest Winchester tonight.

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Sometimes it was a good thing that he had a real good friend at the DOT, it made his request to have the highway cleared quickly a top priority. Now all he had to do was make sure that Sam got the help he needed quickly, because he knew he would never be able to live with himself if he let Brenda or Ms. Millie down.

"Now Danny, you make sure that that young doctor is treated right and proper, you hear me?" Ms. Millie said sternly as she took the sheriff's hand and squeezed slightly, letting him know she meant business. "Promise me now; I know you'll never go back on a promise."

Dan looked at the frail woman in front of him and knew what he had to do. "I promise you ma'am, I will do everything I can to make sure he's taken care of." He said quietly before looking up and into Brenda's wide eyes. He knew right then he'd made a promise to both of them, and it wasn't one he was willing to break.

Now though, looking in his rearview mirror where Sam was bundled in blankets and held in Dean's arms, he could see just how much he'd already failed. There was no way Sam deserved to have his home and clinic burned to the ground, but somehow he managed to not only allow it to happen, but not pay attention when the young doctor had wondered off in shock. As he continued to speed down the road with lights flashing and sirens blaring, he made a new promise – if he couldn't fix this himself, he'd find a way to help his brother do it for him.