When Two Worlds Collide Ch. 25
Disclaimer: See Chapter one
Previously: Taking the folder with the results in hand, Dr. Tom James slowly made his way to the waiting room where he knew Sam's family would be. Stepping into the room, he steeled himself for the reaction he knew his words would soon bring. "Gentlemen, we have a problem."
"Wh-What the hell do you mean we have a problem?" John seethed as he clenched his fists in anger upon hearing the doctor's words. "Sammy is supposed to be doing better isn't he? I mean why would you have let Dean in there to visit him otherwise?"
"John, Sam is doing better in the sense that his blood cell and platelet counts are starting to climb and the bone marrow transplant is finally taking hold and engrafting to the larger cavities of Sam's body. But what we didn't count on was a secondary infection taking hold in Sam's body during the engrafting process." Tom placated as he tried to calm the obviously distraught father.
"Wait a minute, you're telling me Sammy developed a secondary infection, even after taking such drastic measures as isolation to keep it from happening?" Dean gasped anxiously.
"Dean, this secondary infection isn't a result of something Sam that was exposed to in the air or anything like that. It's a result of an increased level of bilirubin in Sam's body.
"Bili-what? Speak English Doc instead of that mumbo jumbo so that we can understand what your saying." Bobby grumbled as he entered into the conversation.
"Bilirubin. Bilirubin is a yellowish byproduct that results from the breakup of hemoglobin of dead red blood cells which leads to having too much iron in the body. Normally, the liver removes bilirubin from the blood and then excretes it through bile, but that's not the case with young Sam. To put it bluntly, Sam is suffering from liver disease."
"Sonuvabitch," John swore as he tugged his fingers through his hair, which was sure to be turning gray now from all the worry he'd been going through over the past couple of weeks.
"So, uh, you can treat this latest complication right? I mean, I'm not gonna lo-lose my baby brother am I?" Dean asked, his voice breaking on the last few words.
"Yes, we can treat the liver disease, especially since it is in the early stages, but you all need to understand that Sam is really weak right now. His body might not be able to handle the toll this latest complication is causing." Dr. Tom James answered truthfully. The family needed to be warned just in case the worst came to happen.
"Oh God please, not my baby, not Sammy!" John gasped as his knees buckled and he fell back into the chair behind him.
"John, I promise you we'll do everything we can, but…I've made arrangements for the three of you to go back and visit with Sam. I'm hoping your visit will give him the strength he needs to overcome this latest setback." Tom stated, while at the same time thinking that this could very well be the family's last chance to see their youngest alive.
"But, I thought you said…" Dean started to say before being interrupted by the doctor.
"Because of the severity of the situation, I'm making an exception this time Dean. The three of you can only stay for just a few minutes, so I suggest you say what you need to, just in case…" Tom ended the sentence, not wanting to voice the words that he dreaded saying to any family.
"Ya know what Doc, he's not going to die. Sammy's a fighter and he's going to show you just how wrong you are. You wait and see" Dean voiced, building his resolve. Sammy wasn't going to die because he wouldn't let him.
"I pray you're right Dean, believe me I do. Now, if the three of you will follow me, we'll see about getting you decked out in scrubs so you can visit Sammy." Tom stated as he pulled his ID card from his shirt to swipe thru the card reader to allow them admittance to the isolation ward.
Not needing to be told twice, the three hunters quickly fell in line behind the doctor and followed him through the doors, their need to see the youngest Winchester nearly overwhelming them.
~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~
Arriving at Sam's room nearly twenty minutes later, John gasped at the sight of his youngest son looking so weak and pale lying in the hospital bed with all the wires that were connected to him. "God Sammy, you look awful son," he thought as he noticed that his baby boy's skin had a yellowish tinge to it and that his eyes seemed to be sunken in and ringed in dark smudges, so much so that it looked as if someone had blackened his eyes with a fist or something. Scanning the rest of Sam's body, he couldn't help but notice how much weight his youngest child had lost since getting sick. It was nearly to the point where it was making him look somewhat emaciated. He couldn't believe just how much worse Sam looked after the last time he saw him and it scared him to death to think that Sammy truly looked like he could be at death's door. His musings were thankfully interrupted when he heard the sound of Dean's voice.
"Hey kiddo, I'm back. Did ya miss me?" Dean asked as he walked over to Sam's bed and sat down on the side of it while trying to exhibit an air of calmness, even though he was petrified inside. "You know Tiger, I'm getting tired of you sleeping away all of our time together so you need to get your butt in gear and start fighting this thing. I need my kickass baby brother back so I can tell him how much I love him. Do you hear me Sammy?"
"That goes for me too Sammy. I know I never tell you boys how much I love you, and I'm truly sorry for that, but I do love you, both you and your brother." John stated, looking up at Dean as he did so to reinforce his words before refocusing his attention on Sammy once again. "What I'm trying to say son is that we all need you here with us. You're the glue that holds this family together and we'd be lost without you. So please, you've got to fight this kiddo, if not for yourself, then for us." John stated, pulling himself together as he carded glove covered fingers through Sam's chesnut colored hair.
Standing at the door, Bobby's heart ached for the Winchesters as he watched them beg and plead with their youngest to fight. He knew their hearts were breaking, because he could feel his own grizzled heart shattering inside at the thought of losing Sammy. The Winchesters had become his family and he couldn't love them more if they had been blood kin. He had no doubts whatsoever that if Sam didn't make it, then he would lose the rest of them too. Dean would never survive the loss of his brother and John would throw himself recklessly into hunting until it got him killed.
"Hey Bobby, what are you doing standing over there? You're family too ya know." Dean called out, noticing that Bobby had yet to join them in the room. He could tell the hunter had something troubling him by the look on his face.
"Well, I didn't want to intrude…"
"Dean's right Bobby. You're family. You have as much right to be in here as the both of us so get that fool notion of intruding out of your head and get your ornery ass over here." John told Bobby succinctly.
Striding nervously towards the bed, Bobby reached down to grasp Sam's hand and give it a light squeeze. He wasn't used to this touch feely stuff and he wasn't quite sure what to do. "Hey kid, it's uh, it's your Uncle Bobby. I just wanted to say that uh, well I want you too…oh hell, what I'm trying to say is that you mean the world to me kid so you better get well soon ya damned idjit." Bobby said as a lone tear slipped from his right eye and trailed slowly down his cheek.
"Jeez Sammy, you really do need to listen or I think Bobby here is going to blubber like a baby." Dean smirked, as he brushed his brother's bangs away from his eyes.
"Can it with the wisecracks Dean before I whip your cocky little behind." Bobby harrumphed.
"You hear that Dude, Bobby's threatening to beat my ass. You don't want to miss that do you?" Dean asked as he patted Sam lightly on the arm.
"N-no, wa-want a fr-front row s-seat for it." Sam answered weakly as he opened weary eyes to see his family standing around his bed.
"Sammy, you're awake." Dean gasped, a broad smile lighting up his face.
"Who can sl-sleep with you jerks ta-talking so mu-much." Sam retorted as his eyes shifted from his brother, to the others, and then back gain.
"Sorry about that Sport, it's just that….Sammy?" John queried anxiously as he saw a grimace overtake his son's features.
"So-something's wrong, don't fe-feel so go-good. De-Dean, I'm sc-sca…" Sam's voiced trailed off as his back arched up off the bed and he struggled to pull in air.
"Sammy, no, don't you do this." Dean yelled, as the heart monitor attached to Sam's chest began to blare a warning. "Sammy no, don't you dare leave me" Dean bawled as he pulled his brother into his arms, unaware of the medical personnel rushing into the room.
~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~
Tom had been standing at the nurse's desk talking with nurse Jackie when he heard the heart monitor in Sam's room start to bleat a warning indicating that his patient was in serious trouble. "Damn it, I was afraid this was going to happen," he thought as he started making his way quickly down the small hall toward Sam's room, a team of nurses and orderlies following behind him. Entering the room, he immediately knew that his patient was in ventricular tachycardia by the wavy lines present on the heart monitor attached to Sam's chest.
"Gentlemen, I'm sorry, but you need to leave now." Tom ordered as his team flowed into the room, each already moving to s specific location to perform what would be required of them.
"Sorry Doc, but I'm not leaving." Dean retorted as tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Dean, let them do their job son. They're trying to save your brother." John stated as he placed his hands on Dean's shoulders. We'll only be in the way.
"Dad, please, I can't leave him. Sammy needs me." Dean begged as he looked at John with tears streaming down his face.
"Son, I know it's hard, but you've got to give them the chance to try and save your brother's life." John replied, tears now streaming down his face also. Physically pulling Dean away from Sammy, John and Bobby led him out into the hall and then watched as the medical team went to work on trying to save the youngest Winchester's life.
TBC