Summary: AU: Stanford Era: "Dean … Sammy's in trouble." A late night phone call sends Dean Winchester and long-time friend, Caelan Hagan in a desperate search to find Sam before the unthinkable happens; uncovering lies and secrets involving the youngest Winchester, that have been years in the making.

Warnings: Violence, swearing, physical abuse, torture, implied adult themes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the supernatural characters.

Author's Note: Just another possibility on why Sam left for Stanford. Hope you enjoy. I have no knowledge or training in medical areas. I have tried to keep everything as realistic as possible, but, as medical knowledge is not my area of expertise, just beware that there may be some mistakes in the next few chapters.

Special Note: Thanks to Mimmi85 for your kind words. Here's another chapter just for all you guys who have taken the time out to read this story and to all the people who have this story on their alerts or have put it on their favourite lists. Thanks. It means a lot.

DEMON SPAWN: THE PHONE CALL

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Sam drifted in the void; the void between unconsciousness and consciousness, vaguely aware that something was wrong. He should be fighting to escape this void, to escape from this unknowing state to full awareness, but the reason as to why that was so important escaped him.

All Sam knew for certain was the feeling of uneasy dread that filled him, his mind hollering at him in panic to wake up! Wake up now before it was too late!

Before what was too late?

Images of an unknown figure, standing over his hospital bed invaded his groggy mind. He saw himself try to fight this stranger, but he was weak and couldn't hold out for long until Sam heard a familiar angry, protective voice coming toward him and Sam immediately felt a calmness and a feeling of warmth spread throughout him.

Dean, he thought, that name bringing him hope, love, security, affection … Dean … his big brother was here. If Dean was here, Sam knew that he was safe. He knew that Dean would help him with this stranger who … wanted to drug him or … poison him.

Sam couldn't recall why this person was attacking him. All he knew was that Dean was here and Dean would save him. Sam was one hundred percent confident about that. He no longer had to worry or fear that this stranger would drug him and poison him or drug him and take him away.

Why would this stranger want to take him away? Why was this stranger attacking him? Why the hell was he in hospital in the first place?

Sam's mind couldn't process all of these confusing images; they didn't make any sense to him what-so-ever. But, that didn't matter because his big brother was here. Dean would help him to remember what had happened; Dean would make this nasty figure who was attacking him go away; Dean would –

Dean was in the middle of the hospital room, sprawled out on the floor, urging Sam to run, his green eyes loosing focus, fighting valiantly to stay conscious for Sam's sake … but Sam could see the light … the life draining from his big brother's eyes, blood appearing as if by magic, to surround his brother's fallen form.

No! Dean had been shot! He had to wake up! He had to help his brother before he died!

"Dee …" Sam said barely audible, squinting his eyes open, fighting the urge to fall back into the void as he anxiously tried to locate his fallen and bleeding out sibling.

Sluggishly, Sam's head finally obeyed his command to move and he was able to see Dean lying upon the floor, pale, unmoving. There was so much blood! Too much of Dean's blood upon the ground, gushing out of Dean. He looked … he looked as if he was … dead.

No!

"Nu … oh! Dee …" Sam tried to lurch forward, to rush to his brother's side and help him, but it wasn't until now that Sam felt unfamiliar hands upon his arms, pulling him to his feet.

Oh fuck!

Sam could barely move his head, let alone any other limbs as he was jerked into an upright position, vertigo descending upon him so badly that he thought he was going to vomit or pass out cold. He probably would have fallen flat on his face if it hadn't of been for these two … bastards who had hold of his arms, Sam's weight distributed evenly between the two of them.

Still, Sam would much rather have fallen flat on his face or vomited all over the place rather than have these unfamiliar hands on him. It was too soon. Too soon after … what Sicko and the other Hunters had forced Sam to endure … All Sam really wanted right now was Dean. But Dean was lying in a pool of his own blood, dying; and there wasn't a damn thing that Sam could do about it.

Panic and fear began descended upon Sam as these two strange men began to lead him out of the hospital room, Sam's feet trailing behind him, useless, away from Dean, his big brother, his protector.

"Nooo …" Sam wailed, his voice barely above a whisper as he desperately tried to shrug off these strangers hands and race to his brother's side.

But all Sam succeeded in doing was twisting his upper body slightly, causing one of the men's hold upon Sam's arm to shift upon his previously dislocated shoulder; and all Sam could feel was a blinding, surging, white hot pain go through him at the contact, causing Sam to cry out softly in agony.

"For fuck sake man, hold him!" One of the men hissed irritably as he had to reposition himself to take most of Sam's weight.

"It's not my fault he's as slippery as an eel." The other man complained loudly. "Besides, I thought you'd given him enough drugs to completely knock him out. Does this look like he's completely knocked out to you?"

"Shut up." The first man growled. "Let's just get him out of here before someone catches us. Taking him off those machines is going to alert the nurses' station that something's not right in here."

"If we're lucky, they may think he's dead." The second man snickered, securing his hold about Sam once more before the two of them proceeded to half-drag, half-carry Sam out of the hospital room.

Sam's eyes frantically sort out his big brother, willing his brother to not be surrounded in a pool of his own blood, to not be dying upon the hospital floor, to get up and rescue Sam from the two people who were taking him away from his big brother's warmth and protection.

"Deeaannn …" Sam cried out softly as he was dragged from the hospital room, his eyes losing sight of his big brother, his world slowly crashing down around him.

SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW

Caelan Hagen was in the middle of punching in Elizabeth Cox's number, intending for her to warn the Winchesters of the danger they were in, Caleb weaving in and out of traffic, trying to get to the hospital as fast as they could, when Caelan's phone rang out shrilly, making Caelan almost drop his phone in surprise.

"Fuck!" Caelan swore quietly, trying to get his racing heart back in his chest before he glanced at the display screen, tempting to end the call because he really needed to get in touch with the Winchester siblings, until he saw that it was Elizabeth's name displayed upon the screen.

Caelan swallowed hard, apprehension filling him as he accepted the call. "Lizzie," he greeted the doctor in an even toned voice. "I was just about to call you. I've been trying to get in touch with Dean but he's not answering his phone. I know that you're out of the Hunter's lifestyle, and I'm really sorry to do this to you but … can I give you a message to give to Dean? Or can you tell him to call me back ASAP? It's imperative that I talk to him immediately." Caelan blurted out in a rush, trying to keep his worry and desperation at bay. But the way that he had just babbled on like an idiot just now proved to Caelan just how highly strung he truly was.

Nothing but silence from the other end.

"Lizzie? Are you there? Is everything okay?" Caelan asked in concern.

"Oh God Caelan, I … I'm really sorry but … " Elizabeth's voice was tinged with horror and the way that she was gasping for air suggested to Caelan that she was panicked as well but valiantly trying not to show it.

"But what Lizzie?" Caelan inquired, shoving the sharp edge of trepidation aside, keeping his tone gentle and even, hoping to keep his friend calm as well. "What is it? What's happened?"

Elizabeth took a deep shuddering breath, and when she spoke again, her tone had lost a lot of its horror-filled edge, almost back to the no nonsense, professional tone that only doctors used. "There's no easy way to so this, so … Dean's had to be rushed into emergency surgery before he bleed out."

"What?!" Caelan hissed, his heart pounding against his ribcage, making it hard for him to draw a significant amount of air, vaguely aware of Caleb glancing at him in concern out of the corner of his eyes. "What happened?"

"We're not entirely sure what happened Caelan. I'm trying to gather all of the details as quickly as possible as we speak. I was on my way out." Elizabeth continued, a tinge of guilt to her tone now. "On my way home when I got a frantic call to come back immediately." Elizabeth paused briefly, trying to maintain her professional composure.

"It's not your fault Lizzie," Caelan said, automatically trying to reassure the woman on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I know, I just …" she took another deep breath to get her emotions under control once more. "Dean was found in the room, bleeding profusely, unconscious. If he'd been left any longer, I'm not sure that anyone could have saved him."

Caelan drew in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach at those words. "What … what happened to him?" he managed to get out of his vastly constricting throat.

"It appears as if he's been shot Caelan. I don't know … I'm not sure where he was shot or how badly because by the time I got to the room, Dean was already being wheeled into surgery."

"Okay," Caelan breathed, taking a deep breath of his own, trying to regather his scattered thoughts. "Okay … so, Dean will be fine, right? I mean … after the surgery, everything will be good, right?"

"It's hard to say at this particular moment Caelan. It all depends on how the surgery goes. At the moment though, Dean's vitals appear to be steady and strong."

"Good." Caelan breathed a sigh of relief before another thought struck him. Oh shit, if Dean had been shot, did that mean the kid was okay? "What about the little dude Lizzie? Is he okay? I bet he's freaking out over his big brother being hurt right about now." Caelan chuckled dryly.

Caelan was met by an easy silence this time, which set all of Caelan's protective alarm bells ringing at once.

"Lizzie?"

More silence.

"Sam's okay … right?"

Caelan heard a squeak and then a gulp. "How far away are you Caelan? I think it would be better if we … discussed this in person."

"Lizzie … tell me," Caelan half-demanded, half-pleaded, the panic that he had kept at bay so far beginning to over-run and consume him.

"Sam is …"

Please don't say dead! Caelan silently begged, prayed to whoever may be listening.

"When I got back to the room, Dean was being rushed to surgery and there was a strange man who was knocked out with a gun beside him but … Sam was nowhere to be seen."

Caelan felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach at those words, his eyes closing to try and keep his emotions contained; an empty, cold feeling of failure filling him.

Oh God no, please not again!

"What do you mean?" Caelan demanded tightly.

"Caelan, I'm sorry, but … Sam's missing."

CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH

Sam drifted in and out of awareness, desperately trying to figure out what the hell was going on here. He knew he was being carried somewhere, his head flopping back and forwards, the unusual motion causing nausea to well up within Sam, making it impossible for him to keep his eyes open for long periods as the two men carted him away quickly and quietly.

Sam could hear alarms blaring loudly behind him, hurried footsteps as people ran through the corridors, responding to those alarms. And Sam could feel a soft smile of relief playing about his lips. Instinctively, he knew that these people who were responding to the alarms would be able to help his big brother.

Dean would be okay. Of that, Sam was certain. And it appeared as if the Winchester siblings had finally caught a break – even though both of their situations were dire at the moment. Dean possibly dying, Sam being taken to God only knew where – because as bad as it seemed … it was lucky that the two of them were in the hospital right now where Dean could get immediate medical attention that he would need after being shot by one of the two assholes who were now hauling Sam through the corridors of the hospital.

But … at least Dean would be safe. The doctors could save Dean and Sam didn't have to live with the knowledge that he had caused his brother's death, much like he had caused his mother's death all of those years ago.

And if Dean lived, that meant there was a chance that Sam might be rescued. No matter where these guys were taking him, Sam was confident that Dean wouldn't stop looking for Sam until Dean had found him and brought him back home safe and sound.

Unless these guys were to kill him before the rescue attempt … But Sam didn't dwell on that morbid thought for too long because if they had wanted to kill him, they would have done it long before now … right?

"W … where?" Sam asked, his voice slurring around that one word, desperately wanting to know where they were taking him and what was going to happen to him.

The two men ignored him, their pace kicking up a notch at the flurry of activity behind them.

"Wh-where?" Sam demanded stubbornly, his voice a tad stronger now as he tried to dig his heels in to stop their advancement along the hospital's corridors, but all he succeeded in doing was stubbing his big toe which caused enough of a disturbance to alter one of the men's trajectory as he almost lost his balance, stumbling to the side, losing his hold upon Sam briefly before he regained his composure and strengthened his hold, pinching Sam's upper arm ruthlessly in the process.

"Cut it out Demon Spawn!" he muttered darkly into Sam's ear. "Unless you want me to go back and finish off your brother completely … you need to behave and act like a good Demon Spawn. Are we clear?"

Sam hissed at the tightened grip upon his arm, the man's words almost making Sam's heart stop beating.

No. Dean had to live. He had to!

Sam met the man's steady gaze, glaring at him hatefully before he reluctantly lowered his eyes submissively. No matter what, he couldn't risk his brother's life. Dean couldn't die because of him.

The man smiled in triumph. "Good Demon Spawn," he applauded Sam sarcastically as the two men proceeded to hurry Sam out of the hospital.

SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW CH SW

Sammy's missing?!

Dear God, how the hell did this happen? They just got him back and now … now Sammy was missing. This whole scenario eerily reminded Caelan of the conversation that he'd had with Dean when he'd had to tell Dean that Sammy was in trouble.

What the hell did this organisation want with the youngest Winchester anyway? Was it a revenge thing? Had John pissed them off somehow and now they were taking it out on Sam? What the hell had that kid ever done to deserve this?

And not only was Sammy missing but Dean … Dean had been shot. And where the fuck was John Winchester when his boys needed him? MIA, that's where Johnny boy was.

Fuck! Could this day get any fucking worse?

Caelan quickly ended the call with Doctor Elizabeth Cox, telling her that they'd be there as fast as they could; ten minutes at the most; before he turned to look out the window, quietly mulling over what decisions and actions they should be taking now in order to help both of his brothers survive this horrendous experience in one piece. Because, no matter what, Caelan was determined that both Dean and Sam would be safe come morning.

"Hags? What's happening man?" Caleb's soft, not quite frantic voice pierced through Caelan's scattered thoughts. "Are Sam and Dean safe?" Caleb asked and Caelan could hear the tightness of anxiousness within his friend's voice.

Caelan couldn't help the brief, bitter laugh that escaped him. "No Hawkes, Dean and Sam are as far from safe as you could get. Long story short, Dean's been shot and Sammy's missing."

Caleb gasped, swearing profusely under his breath, his hands gripping the steering-wheel tightly. "Say what? What did you just say?" Caleb demanded, his tone of voice becoming deeper with anger. "How the hell did this happen Caelan?"

"The organisation bet us to the hospital I guess," Caelan shrugged indifferently, but Caleb could see the rage simmering within Caelan's deep brown eyes.

"Okay," Caleb breathed, trying to reign in his turbulent emotions. "So, what's the game plan Hags?"

"We continue to the hospital," Caelan declared assertively. "And we find out how it's possible for one of their patients to go missing while his brother was shot; interrogate the security of the hospital and find out why the hell they did nothing to prevent Dean getting shot or Sammy being taken from right under their fucking noses!"

Caelan paused, his lips pressed into fine lines of determination. "If nothing else, we'll be there for Dean and be able to check the damn security camera footage ourselves. Besides," Caelan turned to Caleb to give him a lop-sided grin. "From what Lizzie said, one of the bastards who attacked the Winchesters got knocked out cold. At least we'll have someone to question if we can't get any satisfactory answers out of the hospital staff."

"Sounds good." Caleb agreed shortly. "You told the Doc we'd be at the hospital in ten right? Well, as of right now, we'll be there in five. I'll drive over these fucking assholes if I have to." Caleb promised.

Caelan nodded in gratitude, feeling slightly calmer now than he did before. Too many times tonight he'd been out of control, the situation feeding into his fear and anger. If Caelan had any chance of getting both of his brothers out of this, he had to stay calm and think rationally. And in order for Caelan to do that, he had to lock down his emotions for now and concentrate on getting the job done, like the professional Hunter that he was.

"It would be more impressive if you could get us there in three," Caelan challenged his friend, seeing a grin smirk across Caleb's features, letting Caelan know that Caleb had accepted his challenge.

Before Caelan could go into any more details about what Lizzie had told him during the phone conversation, Caelan's phone began to ring and vibrate shrilly once more.

"Now what?" Caelan rolled his eyes, exasperated before he let out a sigh both in relief and nervousness. "It's John," Caelan briefly explained to Caleb before he answered the call.

TBC