Legalities, as always Sam and Dean and all things Supernatural do not belong to me. They are the property of the CW and Kripke Enterprises. I wish they would share, but I don't think that is going to happen so I guess I will simply play in their sandbox for a bit.
Rating MA: For language and injured Dean and Sam throughout the storyline, they will also be M/M pairing although they are not brothers in this story. Pairings won't happen till later chapters, so be sure to review the warnings before reading.
Plot: This story has evolved from the meeting of Dean Winchester and Sam Campbell on a plane that crashes, to a full blown life story of what happens when you find that one person that you are supposed to be with. But the universe is constantly placing roadblocks in the way. There are other people to help them along the way. But really it is the story of Sam and Dean and they cope.
If you don't like this type of thing, then don't read this story I am sure there are ones that would be more pleasing to you.
Please Review: My muse is one greedy bitch.
This story contains pairings in an AU of the M/M variety...you have been warned.
Chapter 29
Surgeries
Sam had never been so glad to see the inside of the house as when they arrived home and he was able to lie down. He was pulled from his revelry as Dean limped up and lightly smacked him on the shoulder, "Up and at 'em Sammy…we are going to the hospital. Castiel is staying with Ben and Carmen…I'm sure that means that Gabriel and the others will be around as well. But we both need to get checked out." Dean said sincerely as he watched Sam's shoulder's slump at the realization that he wasn't going to sleep just yet. There were still things that they needed to do, and while Sam definitely wanted Dean getting checked out, he was less concerned about himself…damn blood loss. He thought as it occurred to him that he couldn't even feel his lower arm, from the elbow down was completely numb.
"Yeah…I think that's a good idea." His words were slightly slurred with exhaustion. Dean narrowed his eyes at the shift in Sam's mental status…that didn't bode well for the rest of their night. Balthazar had agreed to take them to the hospital and explain that he had happened upon an attempted mugging, where Sam had been shot and Dean had been beaten as the muggers tried to get away. It seemed somewhat plausible, and they had all agreed that this was the best method to get the care they were both in desperate need of. The brit wasn't all that happy about his further involvement, but he was persuaded when he met Carmen and realized that she would be around, so he figured that maybe he should stick around for a bit. Jake had also agreed to stay in the area for a few days, to ensure that nothing happened that might require his special skill set.
Sam had thanked both of the men and then turned tiredly to Dean and gestured toward the door, Dean hugged Ben one more time. "You sure you'll be okay for a few hours kiddo?" he asked as he carded his fingers through his son's freshly washed hair.
Ben nodded, "As long as Castiel and Jake are around…I feel pretty safe dad…go and get yourself and Sam looked at. Sam?" Ben called as he turned to where he thought Sam was waiting.
"What's up kid?" Sam answered as he stepped forward and laid a gentle hand Ben's back in silent support.
"Take care of my dad? ...and take care of yourself." Ben finished as he leaned into Sam and hugged him tightly around the waist. Sam felt his eyes tear up for the second time that night, he wrapped his right arm around Ben's shoulders and hugged him back.
"I will Ben." He whispered and placed a light kiss on the top of Ben's head as he released him and his blue-green eyes met Dean's emerald green gaze.
Dean's face was open at the moment, he was so proud of the men in his life; he watched as they hugged one another and smiled at Sam in response to his glistening eyes.
"Okay enough with the 'chick-flick-moment' let's go." Dean said with a chuckle, which covered the emotions he was hiding, as he noticed Balthazar getting impatient, his face reflecting his distinct discomfort with the whole situation.
When they arrived at the hospital, the nature of Sam's injury got him right into the back rooms…while Dean's had him waiting for a bed to open up. Neither man was at all impressed with being split up, but Sam needed immediate care and Dean needed to wait for an MRI. His battered face got him some strange looks, and Dean started to wonder whether or not these medical personnel had ever seen a guy that was beat up before... Finally a male nurse by the name of 'Jack' came out and brought him up to the third floor for the MRI, the doctor had first mentioned doing another X-ray, but Dean flat out refused. He'd already been down that road before, thank you very much and he knew that there was nothing that they could do for him.
"Now Mr. Winchester, we are going to put you inside the machine, it will make a lot of noise, but don't be alarmed that's just the magnets setting up for the scan. Also…are you claustrophobic?" Jack asked, almost as an afterthought.
Dean thought about that question…he'd never really considered it before. His mind pulled up a memory from so long ago that he had nearly forgotten it.
He was sitting at the table with his father, a glass of milk and a sandwich in front of him. John was glaring at a report card that Dean had brought home…all A's. But for some reason that still disappointed his father.
"No sports Dean?" John narrowed his eyes at Dean's 14 year old self, as he took another deep swallow of the beer that getting warmer the longer he stared at this crap.
Dean looked at the plate and he felt his confidence weaken as he wondered what more he could do. He was the best student in his school, he was on the scholastic teams, he did play LaCrosse, but apparently that wasn't good enough for his father. Dean tutored kids that were having problems in their classes after school and he helped out at the garage down the street, so he could help pay the rent…but none of that stuff mattered to his father.
Dean reached for the glass and missed…knocking the thing over and watching in horror as it spilled into his father's lap. His green eyes growing large as John reached across the table and slammed his fist into his face. Dean's head snapped back with the impact and the chair went over backwards, causing him to slam his head into the floor. Black spots danced in front of his eyes as he tried to stammer out an apology.
John never gave him the chance, he grabbed Dean's hair and hauled him painfully to his feet. Dean grabbed at the hand buried in his blonde hair, "Dad….I'm….sorry." he squeaked as John opened the small broom closet and threw him into the 2ft by 2ft space. Dean had to crouch under the shelves, raising his hands to protect his face as a booted foot came flying at him forcing him to the back of the closet. The toe of John's shoe connecting with his ribcage, there was an instant of panic mixed with alarming pain as Dean heard the distinctive 'crack' that indicated that he had another broken rib. He sank to the floor in pain and buried his head in his knees and folded arms, trying to breathe through the agony and ignore the blood trickling down his neck.
"You'll stay here until I say otherwise!" John yelled as he slammed the door, clicking the lock home.
Dean was instantly thrust into complete darkness, save the small sliver of white light that peaked under the door. His face was throbbing and there was the distinct metallic taste of blood in his mouth. He wanted to throw up as the pain from the rib intensified as he tried to settle into a more comfortable position. There was none.
He stayed in that closet for the rest of the day, about 7 hours…when finally his father opened the door and hauled him out, his legs cramping painfully from the maintained position. There was also the problem with his 'bodily' functions…the closet smelled of urine…so his father had made him scrub it with Clorox and then he had taken Dean out back, stripped him naked and sprayed him off with the hose…it was 52 degrees that day. Dean's teeth were chattering when he finally managed to stumble back into the house, and tripped up the stairs as his legs still refused to work properly. He had managed to wrap his own ribs, as well as he could and then sat on his bed waiting for the moment when his father would remember that he was there…he was lucky that night…John forgot about him in favor of a new bottle of whiskey.
Dean pulled himself out of the painful memory and shook his head at the nurse, "No. I'm not really claustrophobic." Jack nodded and initiated the sequence.
Dean laid quietly wondering what was happening with Sam, he hadn't heard anything beyond the fact that Sam had been taken back. He was starting to get concerned by the lack of information that he was getting.
XXXX
Sam watched Dean disappear as he was taken back into the emergency area and Dean sat, uncomfortably, on the wooden bench…watching with concerned eyes. Sam was concerned about that hip and the fact that Dean hadn't said anything to anyone about for reason that his injury was old and not healing, also made Sam a little nervous. He knew that Dean was tough and that he could fend for himself, but Sam still wanted to be there for him, but this damn arm was still numb and oozing blood down his left side.
The doctor took one look at the injury and told the nurses to call in a specialist, this was going to require a very intricate surgery, he was sent immediately for an X-ray, while the staff waited for the specialist to arrive. It turned out that the bullet was sitting against the scapulothoracic muscle and this was what was impeding his range of motion, the other problem was that it had also lodge near the subclavian artery. This one small fact made the surgeon on call a necessity for the proper and safe removal of the slug. Sam was given pain medication along with NSAID's for swelling, causing his mind to wander; he was thinking of all the things that he wanted to do to Dean once they were both healed up properly…he was so caught up in his daydreaming that he missed the familiar face that stopped at his doorway.
Adam Campbell had been with his fiancé at a dinner party when he got the 'call'; he was one of the most talented orthopedic surgeons on the west coast, meaning that he got a lot of calls where the intricacies were important in the surgery. He was not however expecting that the patient would be his estranged older brother. Honestly, Adam hadn't even known that Sam had moved to the Seattle area, he had lost track of Sam so long ago. It was a fact that had bothered him, on occasion, although not enough to actually seek out his brother. Jo on the other hand had helped Adam do some soul searching when he had talked about the last encounter he had had with Sam, she had explained that no matter what Sam's choices had been, they were still family…and that never changed.
Adam understood, now, that family was 'supposed to make you crazy, that's why they're family', but he had been so young at that time and so stupid that he had missed that integral part of the equation. His blue eyes swept the room, taking the fact that Sam was alone and that he was obviously doped up on medication, he looked at the chart, great…morphine. He couldn't perform surgery until that cleared from Sam's system and they could get an anesthesiologist in. He sighed and brought his right hand up and swept it back through his blonde hair. Ya know, it wasn't even his life style that I had a problem with…it was the shit that dad kept telling me about him. As it turned out, all of that particular shit had been false and it had taken Adam a while to see through the manipulations of his father…and once he had, he was embarrassed enough by his over-reaction to Sam's heart-felt confession that he had never sought to heal the rift between them. He wondered as he continued to look had his brother's large frame if this would be a good place to start.
Adam's eyes wandered up Sam's frame and came crashing into the surprised blue-green orbs of his brother. Confusion was the most obvious emotion playing across his sharp features as he stared at Adam in the white 'Dr.s' coat...and the official clipboard he was holding as well.
"Adam?" Sam asked, his throat tight with the onslaught of emotions he wasn't prepared for and the continued presence of the pain meds in his system.
"Yeah. Hi Sam." Adam knew it was a ridiculous response, but he wasn't sure how to talk to someone that you had hurt on such a deep level. He watched as a myriad of emotions shifted across Sam's expressive face.
"Adam…why are you here?" Sam wondered aloud, he hadn't meant to voice the question, the meds making his choices spotty at best.
"I'm a surgeon now, remember Sam?" he said quickly. "I am going to operate on that shoulder once the medication clears your system"
Sam's eyebrows came together as he tried to connect the 'dots' that he was missing here. Adam was supposed to be in California, at least he had been the last time that Sam had seen him, and that had only been a few months ago…so why was he here in Seattle now?
"I don't understand." He finally admitted and Adam sighed and stepped into the room, laying the clipboard at the end of Sam's bed.
"I am a specialist Sam, I was called because of the nature of your injury and the precise location of that bullet…makes it a very risky surgery. If the bullet is not removed properly, you could lose the use of your left arm." Adam's eyes were soft as he explained the seriousness of Sam's condition. Which led his next question, "Sam…how did you get yourself shot?"
"Adam, that's a really long story and one that I will tell you…but can it wait until I'm not hopped up on meds?" Sam's face was clear of emotions for a moment as he tried to imitate Dean's ability for subterfuge.
Adam nodded, non-committal, although he was curious as hell as to how this had happened in the first place, he did agree that this might not be the time to discuss that particular event. "Okay, fair enough Sam, this surgery carries inherent risks, the bullet is near the artery and could cause permanent damage, so we need to get in there before it can shift."
Sam's eyes then widened as he listened, he wondered if they had told Dean about that and if he had something to do with the fact that Sam was now looking at the little brother that had 'ejected' him from his life due to Sam's personal choices.
"When?" Sam asked in whisper.
"Surgery will be later this evening. I will need to get the O.R. prepped for the specific needs of a shoulder operation, I was also asked to consult on another case…some guy with what looks to be a torn quadriceps femoris in the hip flexor, which is causing problems with the L2, 3, and 4 femoral nerves…" Thus, Adam was sure; it was creating a great deal of pain for the patient. How the doctors had missed that when the guy came in initially, he still didn't know, as soon as they sent him the images from the X-ray and the subsequent MRI, Adam had known exactly what the issue was.
Sam sucked in a breath as he made the connection instantly that Adam had been called in to consult on Dean's case. Suddenly he was feeling desperate to talk to Dean and find out how he was…was he okay? Sam nodded as Adam finished his explanation, he pulled his gaze back to Adam's piercing blue eyes and found the nerve to ask, "Are you okay with operating on me Adam?" he said softly.
Adam's eyes softened marginally at that, "Sam…" he took a deep breath and looked away for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Adam stepped closer to the head of the bed and sat down near Sam's hip, placing a gentle hand on his brother's forearm. "I owe you one hell of an apology…" Sam's eyes narrowed as he tried to accept what he was hearing, a part of him wondering when the other shoe was going to kick him in the head.
"No…Sam just listen...I was young, and dad was filling my head with crap and I took it out on the one person that didn't deserve it." He looked into Sam's face, searching for some chance at absolution. "I'm so sorry Sam…I never meant to drive you away. I just didn't handle anything well." Adam's voice broke as he finished and he looked at Sam's arm and waited for a response from his older brother.
Sam's eyes were swimming in unshed tears as he listened to his little brother come to him with his heart in his hands and ask for forgiveness. He hadn't known that their father was manipulating Adam behind his back and that made him seethe with anger, his father had never said anything to him about that. Sam finally raised his eyes to Adam's and smiled, "I forgive you Adam…" he whispered. Sam knew that there would still be things that they would need to work out, but he could give this one thing to his brother as much as he wanted to be angry about it…he wasn't willing to lose his little brother because of his own ego.
A smile swept across Adam's face as he realized that his stupidity in his youth hadn't created a rift between them that could not be bridged. He leaned in and hugged Sam, careful of his shoulder, "I need to go set up that E.R. now Sam." He said as he leaned away from the man in the bed.
"Wait…so you never really had a problem with me being gay?" Sam wasn't sure he really wanted an answer to that question, but he needed one. His heart squeezed at the thought that his brother might still hate him for that one thing that he had no control over. He couldn't help who he loved...you're not supposed to.
Adam thought about that for a moment and then smirked, "No…actually I don't."
Sam exhaled the breath he had been holding, "Well that's good…cuz your other patient…that's my boyfriend…" he finished.
Adam's eyes snapped back to his in surprise… "Really Sam…what are you doing to this guys…his hip…it's really fucking messed up." His voice was light and there was a hint of laughter as he finished the very real question.
Sam's face flushed at the question, "Nothing. He was in a plane crash a few months ago and then, honestly, it's just one disaster after another." His voice was tight and strained as he finished.
Adam watched the shift in his brother, "Sometime you're going to have to tell me that story Sam." He said as he smiled. Sam nodded and swallowed the emotions that thinking about the accident had brought up.
As Adam stood, he was surprised to see a man sitting in a wheelchair in the doorway, he was blonde with bright green eyes, although the one was still swollen with only a sliver of the iris showing, the bruising around the cheekbone turning a sickly green on the edges, but was still a brilliant purple turning to almost black near the eye itself. All of this did not take away from the man's aristocratic features and good looks. He was currently wearing a hospital gown and a small smile on his face, which made him look younger than his probable thirty-five years.
"Can I help you sir?" Adam asked as his eyebrows rose.
The man snickered, "Na…just here to see Sammy." He replied in a deep voice that held an almost gravelly quality to it.
Sam's head snapped up and eyes widened as he took in Dean's appearance.
"Sammy?" Adam asked as he turned and looked at his brother, the question evident in his face..since when do you let someone call you nicknames big brother?
Sam glanced down in embarrassment, "Uh…yeah…Adam...this is Dean…my uh…partner."
It was Adam's turn to look surprised; he took a moment to gather his words at being surprised, in his brother's room, not only by his other patient, but the fact that he also happened to be…his brother's boyfriend.
Dean's own face lit up in shock, "Wait…Adam...your brother Adam?"
Sam was enjoying the ping-pong effect he had going between the two men and he snickered to himself. Dean glared at him. He just raised his good shoulder in an 'I'm totally innocent' gesture.
Adam rolled his eyes and stepped forward extending his hand to Dean, and watching as the other man sized him up and looked for anything that might indicate that he was there to, hurt Sam. Dean's hand shake was strong, but not bone crushing. It was obvious that he was a confident man and that he was interested in what he could learn just in the simple gesture.
"Yeah…Doctor Adam Campbell. I'm going to be performing both your and Sam's surgeries." He finished, getting himself a surprised snort from Dean.
"Oh really…well then it's really good to meet you." He said as he settled back against the chair again.
"I saw your MRI Dean; you have several significant tears in the quadriceps femoris inside the hip flexor, which is causing subsequent problems with the L2, 3, and 4 femoral nerves. You've been in a lot of pain...pain meds don't fix it?" Both Dean and Sam nodded in unison, their faces reflecting surprise at his accurate assessment of Dean's condition.
Dean's eyebrow's rose into his hairline, "Uh…you wanna dumb those terms down a bit …there doc?"
It was Sam's turn to snort, he quickly smothered the laughter under his good arm. Dean's gaze went to Sam's as he narrowed his green eyes in mock irritation.
Adam watched the exchange…and it reminded him so much of the banter between himself and Jo that he couldn't hold back the laughter that bubbled up in his chest. The interaction between these two men was so honest and open that he could literally feel the 'love' and he realized that he was not only okay with that…he wanted them to be happy. He wanted his brother to be happy and it was obvious to anyone with freaking eyes in their head that these two made each other happy.
"It means that you have tears in your hip that aren't going to heal the traditional way, so we need to go in and fix them." Adam said simply.
Dean nodded, "Okay, wasn't that a lot easier to say than the other stuff?"
Sam rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't irritate the man that's about to slice into your body, Dean." He finished as he pushed against the pillows and tried to move into a more comfortable position.
Adam smiled, "I have to go for a bit Sam, but I'll be back as soon as everything is ready for you both." Dean grabbed his arm as he walked past, "Thank you." He whispered to the doctor, Dean released his arm and wheeled himself forward as soon as he was able to use both hands again.
Sam watched him get closer and he noticed the small lines of pain around both Dean's eyes and his lips. His own eyes narrowing at the discovery, "You okay Dean?"
Dean swallowed the lump of emotion at the sight of Sam, lying in the hospital bed, his arm elevated and wrapped like a mummy. "Yeah…I just needed to see you." He leaned against the bed, placing his head on the sheets and staring up at Sam. Sam's good hand came around gently brushed along his face, lightly touching the still tender flesh and then sliding down to his plump lips.
Dean smiled into his hand, "So…your brother's our surgeon, huh?"
Sam looked into Dean's eyes and nodded, "He's really good Dean. The best on the west coast from what I've been told." Sam wasn't sure why he felt the need to defend Adam...he knew that Dean wasn't questioning Adam's credentials...but he wanted Dean to know how proud he was of his brothers accomplishments and that he could help Dean...was just icing on the proverbial cake.
Dean closed his eyes and leaned further into the fingers running absently through his soft hair. "Mmhmm…" He murmured.
Sam leaned over as much as his arm would allow and managed to kiss Dean on the side of his head over his temple. He laid back against the pillows and closed his eyes, content in where they were and that not only had they saved Ben, but they were both going to be okay…his brother was here and Adam didn't hate him. His life was not perfect, not by any means, but it looked like, for the first time in a long time, that things were actually going to be okay. Sam knew that they had a lot of, what was-it Dean had called them… Ah yeah…'chick-flick-moments' coming, Jesus, at some point I need to deal with my family and their underhanded way of trying to tear me and Adam apart…and I need to get Dean to talk about his own family. There were still things that he needed to know about Dean, and he wanted to be there for Dean as he dealt with those painful memories, that Sam was sure that he never had. Dean had simply pushed down the abuse and figured out how to exist simultaneously with the pain.
Dean lay with his arms on the bed, resting his head against his forearms, wishing that Sam would never stop pulling idly at his hair. His thoughts turned briefly to the memory from earlier, his father had been such a bastard, and Dean just had never realized exactly how bad it had been. As a child he had pushed that pain down, as far down into his soul as he could and he had learned to avoid his father…most of the time. The few times that his father had gotten to him physically after that had been really fucking bad…now…Dean still didn't know exactly what had happened to John Winchester. He hadn't seen his father since he was seventeen and had graduated early and left for college that same night. He had left that shitty house with a duffel bag, the car, and a beating that caused him to limp for weeks, his father had been irate that he was moving and taking his meager contribution to the bills with him. Dean hadn't seen him since.
TBC…
Author's Note: So each of these injuries are real problems with both the shoulder and hip, and they do require surgery to correct. The boys will still need to work on things between each other, Sam needs to talk to Dean about the stuff he did after highschool and Dean will need to talk about the abuse. Plus Ben still had to deal with the kidnapping and have the follow up with his eye doctor. In addition to the trial of the two kidnappers that the FBI was able to arrest, this will involve Gabriel specifically and should be pretty interesting. And so on and so forth, this story just keeps getting more complex.
Please Review: They really help me move the story along…promise.
