Title: Reader's Special: Second Edition - One Shot Reward Fic Collection
Author: Disasteriffic Kaz
Info: A collection of 1 Shot Reward Fics for Prompters of my Reader's Special: Second Edition. Features many seasons, hurt/limp/awesome/caring!Sam/Dean/John/Bobby See each chapter for specific info for each 1 shot reward fic.
Author's Note: The Reader's Special: Second Edition went as brilliantly as the first! Prompters of the story were offered a One Shot Reward story of their choice. These are they. None of the chapters contained in this Fic are connected. Each one is a stand-alone one shot per the Prompters request. Thank you to all of you who prompted the Reader's Special! You were fantastic as always!
Chapter Info: For starzskymoon - Just a basic hunt with Bobby, Dean, and Sam. Sam gets stabbed/poisoned/mauled (you know something of the injuring variety), but because of circumstances the guys are stuck overnight in the woods... or maybe warehouse. Sam is critically injured. Dean/Bobby have an anxiety filled night vigil. You know just a wham. bam. limp sam.
A/N: Seeing as I just put up a story set in a warehouse, we'll go with the woods for this one. :D Ok Bobby, so…set in season 2 I think. Back when the brotherly angst was still minimal, comparatively speaking.
Do please Review once you've read. :D Every comment and vote of support helps keep me writing. Not to mention if I've pooched anything, someone can always tell me. :P
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The wind whipped through the forest, shaking leaves loose from the tree tops to rain down on the three men trudging up the low slope of the mountain. The air was cooling but not yet cold and carried with the scent of impending rain.
"I still think we should have waited until after the damn monsoon to come up here." Dean groused and turned the collar of his jacket up against his neck
Bobby smirked back at him and shook his head. "Logging crew's gonna be back up here in the morning."
"Which means more dead if we don't find this thing and gank it. I know." Dean rolled his eyes. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."
Sam chuckled behind him and hefted the duffel bag higher on his shoulder. "You're just pissed we might have to camp out here tonight."
"I'm not camping." Dean said quickly. "Squished in a tent in the rain with my brother and Bobby? Right. Yeah. Not on my list of happy thoughts, thanks."
Bobby chuckled and looked up at the darkening sky. "We need to find this thing soon or we're gonna get poured on."
"Viradha's a new one." Sam said as he lengthened his stride to walk alongside his brother. He ran through the description in his head again; vaguely humanoid with a hideous face and oversized mouth. That in itself gave him pause but the lore had been specific that the oversized mouth contained rows of fangs dripping blood. He and Bobby had spent days researching the creature and still couldn't come up with a clear answer on whether or not the blood or those fangs were venomous. "Try not to get bitten."
Dean snorted and gave him a lop-sided grin. "Betcha ten it tries to bite Bobby first."
"Boy, don't make me come back there." Bobby rolled his eyes as he scanned the forest; amused and irritated at the same time. "Way you ladies are chatterin' back there, damn thing probably already knows we're here."
"I thought that was the idea?" Sam laughed softly.
"I take it back. Wouldn't eat Bobby." Dean gave Sam an amused glance. "Probably not into sour."
He laughed with Sam and didn't duck fast enough when Bobby bent, whirled and splatted an over-ripe crab apple into his chest. "Ugh! That's disgusting!" He brushed the mushy fruit off his shirt with a disgusted face and then reached over to slap the back of Sam's head. "Take a breath idiot."
Sam laughed hard enough to draw tears to his eyes and had to wipe them away. "You asked for it."
Dean tossed bits of the fruit at Sam even as his eyes tracked through the trees ahead of them and narrowed. "Bobby?"
"Yeah I see it." Bobby had caught the movement as well. He pulled his rifle up to his shoulder and slowed his pace.
Sam and Dean pulled their rifles up as well; the humor set aside. "Where is it?" Sam asked and saw Bobby shake his head.
"Dunno. It was ahead of us a second ago." Bobby squinted to see in the fading light. There was a rustle ahead and he tensed. A second rustle came from directly above and he whipped the rifle's muzzle up. "Crap."
"Is it up there?" Dean closed the distance to him, peering up into the thick canopy of leaves.
"How well does this thing climb anyway?" Sam asked and then grunted in surprise as something collided with his back. He went forward toward the ground and then gasped in surprise as he yanked back violently, the straps of his pack digging in to his shoulders.
"Sammy!" Dean aimed above his head and fired.
Sam was released and dropped to the forest floor. He rolled away and came to rest with his rifle pointing up into the trees. "Ok." He said breathlessly as Dean edged over to him and reached a hand down. "Climbs pretty damn well." He took his brother's hand and let him pull him to his feet.
"You ok, boy?" Bobby came around behind him to look and whistled through his teeth. "Good thing you had the pack." He tugged and Sam let it slide off his shoulders.
Sam turned to look and rubbed a hand over his neck. "Wow." The pack was pierced through with claw marks and as Bobby gave it a shake, the front shredded and the contents tumbled out to the ground. "That would've hurt."
A low growl carried through the trees and put them all on the defensive. "We only got an hour of daylight left here." Dean kept his eyes on the trees above them, trusting Sam and Bobby to watch his back. "We need to put ugly down."
Bobby looked up the hill and nodded. "Should be a cave back that way. Maybe we can corner it in there."
"That's likely its den." Sam knelt and hastily shoved the collapsible shovels and can of salt back in the pack. He had to turn the straps the other way and carry it like a bag to keep everything in it.
"Let's move." Dean waited for Sam to walk ahead of him, keeping his brother between him and Bobby unobtrusively. The Viradha's attack made him nervous.
Bobby's nerves twitched with anxiety. He hadn't counted on the thing being able to come at them from above and it had been fast. He wasn't sure he and Dean had even managed to hit the large, furred body before it dropped Sam and sprang back up into the trees. He jerked his gun to the left as the bushes rustled again. "Watch it, boys. Cave's just ahead a quarter mile."
Sam spun to his right as the sound of a hissing growl carried to him. "It's playing with us." He said softly.
"This bitch is not smarter than us." Dean growled and twisted to aim behind them at another rustling.
Sam ran his eyes back to Bobby and a sudden, fearful shiver ran down his spine. He looked up above the older Hunter and his eyes widened. The Viradha was perched in the trees just above him. Bobby's back was to them all and Sam knew he would never make the turn and fire in time.
"Bobby!" Sam sprinted forward as the Viradha released its hold on the branches and dropped toward him. Sam slammed into Bobby's back just ahead of the creature and sent him sprawling into the leaf litter. He brought his rifle up in time to deflect the clawed hand reaching for his chest and grimaced as they glanced off his upper arm instead. He fell backward into Bobby with a short cry.
"Shit!" Dean ran for them; having seen the whole thing in what felt like slow motion. He fired into the Viradha's back as it bent for Sam again.
Sam kicked out at the creature's knee and grinned in satisfaction when it screamed and fell to the earth. The jaws were opened wide with blood dripping from each razor fang as it growled its anger. "Bobby?"
"I'm good, son." Bobby scrambled off his back to his butt and aimed at the Viradha's head.
The creature seemed to sense its impending death. It gave another howl and whipped its head around. Sam had no warning as the powerful jaws clamped around his leg below the knee and he couldn't hold back the pained scream. He heard Bobby's gun fire, then Dean's and finally the Viradha's grip on his leg went lax and he dropped to his back.
"Sam!" Dean slid to his knees beside his brother. "God, Sammy. You ok?"
Sam nodded but didn't trust himself to speak just then. The bite was burning pain all through him. Bobby appeared above him with a scruffy, comforting smile.
"Boy, what the hell were you thinkin?" Bobby patted his shoulder and then moved down to pry the Viradha's mouth from his leg. "Yech." Bobby rolled the creature's head to the side and wiped the blood on his jeans before going back.
"Say something, dude." Dean picked up Sam's right arm with a grimace for the claw marks across his bicep. "You still in there?"
"I'm…I'm ok." Sam closed his eyes and groaned. "Maybe not…ok but…I'm here." There was a sudden, deafening crack of thunder from above them. Sam jerked and moaned as it caused more pain to course through him.
"Easy, Sam." Bobby knelt and gave concerned eyes to Dean.
"We gotta get him out of here." Dean set Sam's arm down and bent to get a look at his leg and hissed between his teeth. "Damn." The Viradha had obviously been trying to take a chunk out of him before it died. Puncture marks ringed his calf as Dean pulled the ripped denim aside and was bruising as he watched. He looked up as the first, fat rain drop fell and made him shiver. It was cold.
"No time." Bobby looked down sadly at them both. The last of the light was fading and with it came the record storm the weather forecasters had called for. "We need shelter. Now. We can take care of him til morning."
"Bobby!" Dean gestured at Sam's chewed up leg.
"We can't carry him down outta these woods in a damn downpour, Dean!"
"Dean." Sam reached out and grabbed his brother's arm. "Bobby's right. We'd just…we'd get lost." He smiled wanly and tried to push himself up on his elbows. "I'll be fine."
"Cave." Bobby bent and collected the pack Sam had dropped. "We'll get him up inside and I'll come back and get big ugly here buried before he regenerates or whatever."
"Dammit." Dean was anything but happy but he nodded. "Fine. Come on, sasquatch." He took his brother's arm, the one that hadn't been clawed and pulled him up until he was standing. "Whoa." He grabbed hold of his shoulder as Sam swayed and would have gone down again. "Gonna need a hand here, Bobby."
"We gotcha, Sam." Bobby slid under his other arm, careful of the claw marks. "Let us do the work and you keep off that leg much as you can."
Sam nodded. "Got it." He gritted his teeth as they started walking or rather, Dean and Bobby walked and he tried to not make them completely drag him.
The rain began to fall in earnest a few minutes later earning a string of Marine worthy curses from Dean; enough to make Sam chuckle weakly between the two men. The drops were cold; much colder than the surrounding air and felt like a balm on the back of Sam's neck. "Guys." Sam felt his head lolling and struggled raise it.
"Almost there, son." Bobby assured him. "You're gonna be fine." In truth, the kid's face was worrying him. If he got any paler they'd be able to see through him and there were two spots of color riding high on his face that screamed blooming fever.
"Rain feels good." Sam muttered and let his head drop again.
Dean tightened his arm around his brother's waist and gave him a little shake. "You're not flakin' out on us are you?"
Sam shook his head. "M'still good."
Dean shook his head to get the water out of his eyes and looked over at Bobby. "How much farther?"
"Just up there." Bobby gestured with his rifle off to their left. Night was closing around them as they came in sight of the black maw of the cave opening and Bobby sighed with relief. They were pretty much carrying Sam now. He wasn't even sure the boy was awake anymore; he certainly wasn't responding to Dean's repeated attempts to talk him.
"Dammit, Bobby. We should have taken him back down to the damn car and gotten him out of here." Dean growled in fear and frustration.
"We'd never find it in this." Bobby stopped just outside the cave and looked up briefly into the pouring rain. The thunder and lightning were almost constant now. "You hang on while I go in and check it out."
Dean nodded and took all of Sam's weight against him, loathe to lay him down on the muddy ground. He watched Bobby jog to the cave and flick on a flashlight before vanishing inside. "Come on, Sammy. Time to wake up." He slung his rifle over his shoulder so he could have a free hand and took Sam's face so he could see it. "Sammy!" He said sharply and was rewarded as Sam's eyes opened mere slits. "That's my boy. Wake up."
"Home?" Sam asked groggily and frowned as he tried to work his way through the cobwebs in his head for what had happened. He jerked when the memory finally surfaced.
"Hey! Calm." Dean steadied him. "You're good. Bobby's checking out the cave. Have you warm and dry in no time."
"Cave?" Sam looked up and saw the dark entrance. "Oh. Right. I remember…I think."
"I sure hope this is blood loss talking." Dean said darkly. "If that bastard poisoned you I'll carry your ass down the damn mountain myself."
Sam snorted softly and smirked. "Think I'll take my chances…in the cave. Less likely…to drown."
"Oh bite me, bait boy." Dean glared but he couldn't help the small smile. If Sam was making jokes he couldn't be as bad off as he looked just then. "Hey Bobby! We're drownin' out here!"
"Keep your pantyhose on!" Bobby yelled and reappeared in the mouth of the cave. He waved them on. "Come on. It's clear."
Dean tugged Sam into motion. The twenty feet to the cave was slow going with Sam fighting to make every step. Bobby grabbed his free arm when they got there and helped steady him. "Over this way." Bobby steered them further in and kept his flashlight on the stone floor ahead of them. "Here. Put him here." He helped Dean lay Sam down against a wall of the cave beside a small depression with a pile of wood in it. "Found some dead wood back a ways in there. This was the Viradha's nest alright." He grimaced. "Trust me, you don't wanna get any further back or the smell'll put us all out."
Dean pulled his own flashlight out of the bag Bobby had set near the wall and clicked it on before turning to Sam's leg. "Gotta get this cleaned up, Sam."
Sam nodded and let his head rest against the cool stone. "S'burning kinda."
"Your leg?" Dean asked and scowled when Sam nodded. He pulled the damaged bag over and upended the contents onto the cave floor, smiling. "Least the first aid kit's still here." He opened the box and pulled out a small flask. "This might hurt." He opened it and slowly poured holy water over the bite wounds. At first nothing happened and hope flared that the burning was nothing more than pain. Dean's hope gave way to fear as Sam twitched, moaned and then tried to pull his leg away.
"Crap!" Sam shouted and came off the wall. Bobby was suddenly there holding his shoulders.
"Easy, Sam. Easy." Bobby soothed and pressed him back into the wall. "Finish it, Dean."
"Sorry. Sorry." Sam gasped. He wrapped his hands around Bobby's arms to anchor himself and fought the urge to pull his leg away.
Dean clenched his jaw, never happy causing his brother pain and started pouring again. The holy water hissed and bubbled as it went into the punctures left by the Viradha's teeth. He braced Sam's leg with his other hand to hold it still while Sam made choked, pained sounds and squirmed in spite of himself. "Sorry, Sammy." Dean kept pouring until the water ran clear at last; no more bubbling and hissing. Sam collapsed back against the wall with a groan in relief. "Ok, buddy."
"I'm gonna get the fire lit." Bobby patted Sam's shoulder and went back to the firewood.
"How you doing buddy?" Dean rested a hand on Sam's neck and gave a squeeze to get his attention.
"Been better." Sam managed finally and gave him pain filled eyes. "Tired."
"No sleeping til we're sure Cujo didn't poison you." Dean ordered. He went back to his leg and pulled the bandages and antibiotic cream out of the kit.
Sam closed his eyes and focused on listening to Bobby get the fire lit while Dean bandaged his leg. He didn't realize he'd zoned out until he startled and looked up to find Dean's hand on his face. "Sorry. Still here."
Dean smiled. "Promise you can sleep later. Gimme that arm."
"It's not bad." Sam raised his arm and let Dean peel his jacket and flannel off of it. "Scratches."
"Yeah, I'll be the judge of that." Dean looked over as Bobby got the fire lit and warm, orange light filled the cave. "That's better." The rain was pouring down outside the entrance and he was becoming inured to the constant rumble of thunder. He focused on Sam's arm and nodded. They weren't bad, just long and no doubt painful. He held up the flask of holy water for Sam and waited until he got a nod before pouring it. Unlike his leg, the holy water had no reaction to the claw marks. "Huh." It didn't fill him with confidence about his brother being poisoned. He'd have felt better if it had reacted to both wounds. He silently wrapped the claw marks and put Sam's arm in his lap with a pat.
"Thanks, Dean." Sam said with weariness in his voice.
"Here." Dean pulled a canteen from the torn pack and handed it to him. Sam nodded and lifted it shakily to his lips; drinking long before letting it fall. "How's the leg now?" Dean asked and handed the canteen across to Bobby as the older man came and knelt beside them.
"Still…still burning." Sam admitted. He shifted against the wall and groaned. "Really, guys. It's burning." He could feel it, as though something uncomfortably warm were in his leg.
"Probably just the wound burnin'." Bobby patted his shoulder. "Don't borrow trouble."
"No. No." Sam's eyes flew open as his breathing sped up and came in harsh pants. He could feel it burning up his leg. "I can…I can feel it…spreading." He put his good hand on his chest as an ache started there.
"Sammy?" Dean took his shoulder and gave him a shake. "Dude, take a breath."
"Trying." Sam stared up at him and tried not to panic. His chest was tightening by the second; each breath requiring more effort for him to move in and out. As he watched Dean's eyes go from concern to fear his head began to swim. "God…Dean."
"Sam!" Dean gave him another shake as Sam's eyes rolled back in his head. "Come on!"
"Balls!" Bobby dove for Sam's leg and hastily un-wrapped the bandage Dean had wound around it. He sat back and rubbed a hand over his face once he had. "Dean."
"What, dammit?" Dean jerked his head around and his eyes widened. "No. Ok, we gotta get him out of here, Bobby!" Dark lines had appeared on the skin of Sam's leg, webbing out from the bite wound.
"Dean, we can't!" Bobby's voice was anguished as he threw an arm toward the cave entrance. The storm was still in full swing; the pouring rain, thunder, lightning that lit up the night for brief seconds and then returned it to pitch black. "We won't see two feet in front of our faces out there! We got no choice, son. We have to wait it out."
Dean dropped his head and took a deep breath to find his calm before looking back up at his brother. He nodded finally.
"Can't."
Sam's voice brought Dean's head up further. It was soft and tired. "Sammy? Can't what?"
Sam rolled his head toward Dean's voice. "Can't." He ran his tongue around a mouth suddenly gone dry and fuzzy. "Can't move…my legs."
"Son of a bitch." Dean said softly. "Hey. Come here." He moved up to sit beside him and pulled Sam over so he was half leaning against his chest and curled an arm around him. "You're gonna be fine, little brother."
Sam gave a watery smirk. "Cause…because you said so?"
"Damn straight cause I said so." Dean said firmly. "You just keep breathing."
"Least we won't run outta water." Bobby said with a small smile. He wrapped the bandages around Sam's leg again gently. "Sam, does it still hurt?"
Sam shook his head slightly. "Doesn't."
Dean listened to him wheezing breaths in and out. "Keep breathing, Sammy." He got a small nod before Sam's head rolled back into his neck. "Sam?" Dean took his face and turned it so he could see and he blew out a fearful breath. "He's out again."
"Storm won't last all night." Bobby assured him. "Few hours the report said."
"Right. Cause weathermen are so damn reliable." Dean rolled his eyes and did his best to reign in his anger; Bobby didn't deserve it. "Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." Bobby scrubbed a hand under his ball cap and stood. "I gotta go back and try and dig a hole for that thing. You be ok?"
"I got him." Dean waved him off. "Watch your back." Dean watched Bobby grab up his rifle and flashlight and take off back out into the rain. He sighed and settled Sam against his shoulder. "You know you're not supposed to let the monsters chew on you, Sammy." He waited, hoping for a snort or an insult but only got Sam's labored breathing in response. The pop and crackle of the fire did nothing to hide the sound. He let his head rest against the stone and closed his eyes; giving in to the weariness. He meant it to only be for a moment and didn't notice as he slipped into an uneasy sleep.
Dean wasn't sure how much later it was when he jerked awake and blinked his eyes open. He scrubbed a hand over his face and then frowned. He was warm. One side of his body was uncomfortably warm and he realized it was Sam.
"Shit! Sam?" Dean gave him a shake but got no response. Sam was burning with fever. "Ah come on, kiddo." He looked around hoping for Bobby but he hadn't returned yet. "Dammit!" He thought for a moment, listening to Sam's wheezing breaths and the steady downpour outside and then nodded. "Ok. Gotta cool you off."
He eased out from behind his brother and knelt. Lifting Sam was no easy task with his extra inches but he staggered to his feet under the weight and turned for the entrance. "Sure wish…you were twelve…again." He grunted and stumbled out into the rain. As he'd hoped it was still falling ice cold from the black skies above. He had to blink furiously to keep his eyes clear. Dean went to his knees next to the entrance and laid Sam down, sliding behind him again to hold him up so he was sitting. The water made him shiver and Sam shook violently in his arms as it began to saturate his clothing. He moaned.
"That's it, buddy." Dean coaxed. "Wake up. Come on." He tipped Sam's head forward to keep the rain from drowning him. "Damn that's cold." The heat from Sam's body was still warming his chest but the rain running in streams between them was quickly cooling him. "Sam."
Sam struggled up out of the blackness that had been holding him; unable to ignore his brother's voice. Confusion swirled through his mind. He was somehow hot and cold and wet all at the same time but he could feel Dean's arm across his chest; his hand on his head and feel the steady thump of his heart against his back. "Dean?" He said weakly.
Dean grinned. "Hey. About time you came back to the party." He used his hand to keep Sam's head down. "Don't look up. Friggin rain will drown you dude."
"Rain." Sam cracked his eyes open and shivered hard. "S'cold."
"Can't put anything past you, college boy." Dean smirked. "You're running a little hot. Had to cool you down."
"A l-little?" Sam fought for air through his tightening chest. "Gotta be…worse than a little for…for you to…sit out here wi'me."
"Shut up." Dean looked out into wet, black night and silently begged the damn storm to end already. "It was getting stuffy in there. Bobby builds a crap fire." Sam chuckled and hunched forward as it turned into a cough. "Easy, Sammy. Take it easy." Dean thumped his back a few times until the coughing stopped. Sam's weight went forward into Dean's arm as he went lax. "Sam?" Dean pulled him in against his chest again and leaned forward; Sam's eyes were closed and he was out again. "Dammit, Sam."
"What in hell are you two doin' out here?"
Bobby's yell made Dean jump in surprise. "Bobby." Dean wiped rain out of his face again. "Fever."
Bobby knelt beside them and put a hand on Dean's shoulder. "He's gonna be fine."
"What took you so long?" Dean asked as Bobby gently picked Sam's head up to check him over.
"Burying the Viradha which is a bitch by the way in pouring rain." Bobby looked up at him with a smirk and let Sam's head droop back to his chest. "And got a travois put together for our boy here." He nodded to Sam. "Well mostly. I wanted to come check on you two idjits first."
"We're good." Dean assured him.
"Let's get him back inside." Bobby went and wrapped his arms around Sam's legs and waited for Dean to struggle up behind his brother.
They settled Sam back beside the fire and Dean resumed his spot between him and the wall. "How much longer, Bobby?" Dean asked and looked up at him with the knowledge his brother didn't have long in his eyes.
Bobby sighed. "Soon. It'll be soon enough, son." He gave Dean a small smile. "I'm gonna go finish the travois. Be back in a few minutes."
Dean watched him leave again and eased Sam's head back onto his shoulder to help his breathing. He was still wheezing but the breaths were slower and shorter now. "Startin' to worry me here, tiger." Dean told him softly. The sound of his brother's breathing, the falling rain and the crackle of fire were all beginning to make his teeth itch with worry. He spent the time Bobby was gone filling the cave with the sound of his voice instead; reminding Sam of things they had done as kids.
Bobby eased back into the cave and slowed. He took a moment listening to Dean and chuckled softly. He cleared his throat to let the older brother know he'd returned and stepped into the light. "How 'bout that time the little snot crawled in bed with me with that damn half-dead Garter Snake cause he thought it was cold."
Dean gave a startled laugh and nodded. "He was what…six?" Dean looked fondly down at his little brother. "Never heard a grown man scream that loud."
"Shuddup." Bobby warned with a laugh. "I didn't scream. I yelled…manly like. Storm's almost done. I figure it's cleared enough now we can get a start."
Dean smiled with relief. "Hear that, Sammy? We're getting out of here." He eased out from behind Sam as Bobby jogged back out and returned dragging a frame of deadwood behind him just long enough for Sam. He barely stirred when they lifted him and laid him atop it.
Bobby carefully turned Sam's head to the side and looked up to find Dean watching. "So the rain don't drown him while we're moving."
Dean smirked and took hold of the travois by Sam's head. "Let's get moving."
The walk back down the slope of the mountain through the forest seemed to take forever with Dean constantly checking over his shoulder that Sam was still breathing. Bobby easily kept pace beside him and watched Sam just as closely. The rain had stopped ten minutes after they left the cave. The wind still whipped through the forest, robbing them of warmth but it was better than being drenched constantly. Dean sobbed in a quiet breath when they finally broke through the trees and saw the Impala sitting just where they'd left her. The rain had washed the sleek, black car clean and left her gleaming in the single ray of moonlight that broke the thick cloud cover above.
"Finally." Dean picked up his pace, fighting through the exhaustion. "How far are we from a hospital?"
Bobby jogged ahead and pulled the back door open. "An hour maybe." He turned to help Dean as he set the travois down beside the car. Together they picked Sam up and slid him into the back seat. "I got a sample of the Viradha's venom too just in case."
"Good thinking." Dean said, relieved. He ran around to the driver's side and got in, gunning the engine to life as Bobby climbed in beside him. "Come on baby."
Dean drove at break-neck speeds; ignoring the frequent groans from Bobby in the passenger seat. To his credit, the older man said nothing about slowing down. Dean's attention was solely focused on the road and listening to the sound of Sam's labored breathing in the back seat. Each pause Sam took made Dean hold his own breath; waiting for the next inhalation before he took one of his own.
When they finally found the town Bobby had directed him too and pulled up in front of the hospital, Dean's nerves had reached a breaking point. He was out of the driver's seat before the engine had silenced and had the back door open, pulling Sam out. His breathing was weakening to a point where Dean had barely been able to hear it over the engine the last few miles.
"Easy, Dean." Bobby came around the car and caught Sam's legs as Dean pulled him clear of the car. They carried Sam between them into the Emergency Room and shouted together for help. Events seemed to pass in a blue after that for Dean as Sam was taken away from them. Questions were fired at them from Doctors and Nurses; all answered by Bobby who told them some weird snake up in the forest had bitten his leg and gave them his venom sample. The grim faces all around as Sam was wheeled away did nothing to help his nerves. Only Bobby's grip on his arm kept him from storming after his brother. He allowed himself to be steered instead to a waiting room.
"He's gotta be ok, Bobby." Dean said softly and let himself be pushed down into a chair.
Bobby sat beside him and kept a firm hand on his shoulder. "He will be, son. You'll see. Sam don't give up easy." He wasn't sure if he was saying that more for Dean's benefit or his own. A little of both, he decided. He'd kept a hand wrapped firmly around one of Sam's wrists as they drove and so had been unable to help but feel the weakening pulse beat by beat as they neared the hospital. He looked over at Dean's drawn face and decided he didn't need to know that.
"He gives up I'll kick his ass." Dean whispered and sat back, resigned to waiting to hear what his brother's face would be.
It was more than an hour later before someone in a white coat finally came for them. Dean had been prowling the waiting area and came close to pouncing the Doctor as he came through the door.
"How is he? My brother. Is he ok?" Dean asked in a rush.
The doctor smiled and took his arm. "Have a seat, please. Dean is it?"
Dean nodded. He and Bobby had filled out paperwork while waiting and were now the Tyler family, party of three. "How's Sam?"
"Mr. Tyler." The doctor nodded to Bobby as Dean sat beside him. "Sam's going to be fine. The next few hours will be rough as the toxin works out of his system but he should be alright by morning."
"Wait. Should be? Is he gonna be fine or not?" Bobby demanded, his voice surly and rough with lack of sleep.
"Will be." The doctor nodded. "I'm sorry. We don't often talk in absolutes. The venom sample you brought us is…odd but we managed to find an anti-venom close enough to do the job. I won't lie. It was touch and go for a while as anti-venoms are almost as hard on the body as the venom itself. He's doing well now though. Sam is stabilized and sleeping peacefully under heavy sedation." He patted Dean's shoulder softly. "You can sit with him if you like."
"Yes. Now." Dean stood and waited impatiently for the doctor to start moving.
"He'll need to stay off that leg for at least a week." The doctor spoke as he led the two men down a hall. "But we can talk more about that tomorrow when he's conscious." He stopped at a door and opened it, waving them in. "There's an empty bed in there. You both look like you could use some sleep yourselves. I'll see about finding another and bringing it down."
"Thanks, doc." Bobby stepped past him and followed Dean into the room.
Sam lay in the hospital bed with his leg raised up in a sling. Numerous tubes snaked from his arm and out from beneath the hospital gown they'd put him in. His face was pale and his dark, shaggy hair stuck to his forehead.
"Hey, Sammy." Dean reached up and brushed the sweat-damp hair out of his eyes and finally took a deep breath; listening the steady beep of the heart monitor beside the bed.
"Why don't you get some sleep, Dean." Bobby gestured to the other bed a few feet away.
Dean shook his head. "You go ahead. I'm good for a while." He pulled a chair over and sat next to Sam's bed where he could keep a hand on his brother's arm. He needed the contact and reassurance that he was actually out of the woods.
Bobby sighed and went to the other bed, sitting wearily on the side. "He aint gonna wake up before morning, Dean."
Dean smirked. "Yeah he will." He watched Sam's face and the slight movement of his eyes beneath his lids. "He's too stubborn to stay out until he knows we're ok too."
Bobby opened his mouth to argue and then stopped, staring as Sam moaned softly and tilted his head toward his brother. "Well, I'll be damned." He said softly and chuckled as Dean leaned over him.
"Sammy." Dean called him and squeezed the side of Sam's neck. "Wake up, Sam." It took several more minutes but finally Sam's eyes cracked open to mere slits. "Mornin' sunshine."
"Dean." Sam's voice was little more than a whisper and Dean might not have heard it if he hadn't been right next to his head.
"I'm here. We're fine, Sammy." Dean assured him.
"Bobby." Sam asked.
"Hey." Bobby got up and went to lean over him as well. He waited for Sam's sluggish eyes to find him and smiled. "You idjit. You're supposed to be sleeping. They gave you the good stuff. Stop wastin' it."
Sam smiled. He turned his head back to Dean and let his eyes slide closed.
"That's my boy." Dean shook his head, amused and sat back down. He looked up at Bobby smugly. "Told you."
Bobby shook his own head, patted Sam's shoulder and went back to the other bed. He rolled onto it and closed his eyes with relief. "Get some sleep, idjit."
Dean grinned and leaned his arms on the side of Sam's bed, letting his head rest on them. He watched Sam's chest rise and fall, no longer able to hear him wheezing and smiled. He let his eyes close and blew out a breath. He let the steady thud of Sam's pulse in his wrist beneath his hand lull him into a doze and sleepily wondered how many gimp jokes he could come up with in a week to irritate his little brother.
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The End.
There are still three outstanding prompters. If your name is on this list please let me know what you want your One Shot Reward story to be!
N Jas J
Avalonemyst
Y. R. Night