When Two Worlds Collide Ch. 29
Disclaimer: See Chapter one
Author's Note: Don't own Sleeping Beauty or the Ugly Duckling either.
Previously: Quietly exiting the room, John knew he didn't have to worry, Dean would be watching over his youngest tonight.
As Sam awoke a few hours later to the smell of a wonderful aroma wafting through the air, he was thoroughly surprised to find himself in a cozy bed at Bobby's place with a soft comforter tucked in around him, his big brother sitting closely by his side. The last he could remember, he had been sitting beside Dean in the backseat of the Impala as they cruised down the highway, his brother humming a soft tune. "Dean, how did I…?" Sam drifted off, not sure he really wanted an answer to the unfinished question upon seeing the smirk on his sibling's face.
"Dad carried you in princess after you fell asleep on the ride home." Dean answered, sweeping away the too long bangs that fell into Sammy's eyes as the teen pushed himself up in the bed.
"M'not a princess Jerk." Sam replied as he raised his fists to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"Couldn't prove it by me Bitch. You've been doing an awful damn good rendition of Sleeping Beauty lately, except in your case it would have to be Sleeping Ugly." Dean chortled.
"Says the original Ugly Duckling." Sam retorted, throwing back the comforter before swinging his legs off the bed in a desperate need to go to the bathroom.
"Whoa, where do you think you're going kiddo?" Dean asked as he placed his hands on Sam's shoulders to keep him from getting up off the bed.
"Nature calls if you must know." Sam informed his brother with a roll of his eyes.
"Oh, okay, well let me help you up then." Dean said as he wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and hoisted him slowly out of the bed.
"Dee-an. I'm not a baby. I can do it myself." Sam whined as his brother started leading him out of the room. He was amazed at how quickly his brother changed from picking on him to the over bearing mother hen.
"Jeez kid, you need some cheese to go with that whine?" Dean asked as he kept his arm firmly around Sam's waist, moving him forward at a slow pace so as not to overwhelm his brother. Sam hadn't even been on his feet for more than a few minutes at a time over the last month or so and he didn't want to take any chances with him getting hurt in a fall.
Sighing in defeat, Sam leaned into his brother's side, allowing Dean to support his weight as they made their way down the small hallway. Arriving at the bathroom, he breathed a sigh of relief when Dean allowed him to go in by himself, even though his big brother made him leave the door cracked open just in case he required help. Finishing his business quickly, he pulled up his jeans and then washed his hands. Bracing his hand on the wall as he made his way out of the bathroom, he was actually glad to have Dean there to help support him.
~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~
Sitting at the kitchen table a few minutes later, Sam's mouth watered at the sight of the juicy steak and baked potato sitting on the plate his dad placed in front of him. He had been eating bland foods for so long that he couldn't wait to savor the taste of food with actual spices on it once again. Picking up the steak knife to cut off a small piece of the medium-well steak, he was surprised when the plate was pulled away from him.
"What the hell?" He questioned, seeing his father place the plate with his steak on it in front of himself.
"Relax Tiger, I'm just cutting it up for you." John informed his son with a smile, reaching over to ruffle Sam's hair.
"Da'ad, I can do that. I'm not an invalid ya know." Sam groaned with a sigh. Apparently Dean wasn't the only one who would be mother henning him for quite some time.
"Hey Sammy, better enjoy it while you can. I mean, how many times are you going to have Dad waiting on ya hand and foot like this?" Dean snarked as he cut off a decent sized piece of his own steak and popped into his mouth.
"Okay, you idjits quit yer yapping and get to eating. I didn't slave over a hot grill all this time for the two of you to let your food get cold." Bobby grumbled good naturally as placed a bowl of tossed salad in the middle of the table.
"Yes Sir." Dean and Sam replied in unison, both digging into their steaks since John had placed Sam's plate in front of him once again. Savoring the taste as he bit into the steak, Sam emitted a huge sigh of content.
"Glad you like it boy." Bobby said as he spooned out small portion of garden salad onto Sam's plate. "Make sure you eat all of it Sam. It'll help to rebuild your strength."
"Yes Sir." Sam replied with a yawn as he stabbed his fork into the salad while thinking, "Oh no, three mother hens. I am in for it big time!"
Enjoying a little conversation as they ate their meal, the hunters were only about half way through when Bobby nudged John under the table with his foot to get his attention. When John looked up at him questioningly, Bobby nodded towards Sammy with his head.
"We'll I'll be…" John softly stated with a smile upon seeing his youngest slumped in his chair, fast asleep, his fork still held in his hand. Pushing his chair back, he walked over to the side where Sam was sitting and gave his son's shoulder a gentle shake to wake him. "Time to get you back to bed kiddo."
"No' f'nished e'ting yet." Sam mumbled incoherently as his head slumped to his chest once again.
"Yeah, I think you are. Dean get his meds. Sammy is going down for the night." John said as he hoisted Sam up from his chair and then wrapped his right arm around Sam's waist to guide his stumbling baby boy back down the hall to the room he and Dean would be sharing for the foreseeable future. Entering the room, he led Sam over to the bed farthest from the door and eased his son down onto it in a sitting position. Accepting the meddicines from Dean as he handed them over, he coaxed his exhausted son into taking them and swallowing them down with a small glass of water.
"Okay Tiger, down you go." John said as he grasped Sam by the shoulders and eased him back into a prone position the bed. Bending over slightly to unsnap Sam's jeans, he tugged them off gently and then tossed the comforter over his child. "Sleep well kiddo." He whispered as he carded his fingers through Sam's unruly hair. Turning off the bedide lamp, he and Dean made their was quietly out of the room so they could go finish their own dinner.
~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~
Later that evening, as the hunters sat in the living room watching a show on television with the sound turned down low so as not to wake Sammy, Dean figured it would be the perfect time to bring up the idea of a family vacation with his father. He had made a promise to Sam and now was the time to keep it.
"Hey Dad?" Dean called out as he rubbed his palm across the back of his neck.
"Yeah Ace?"
"I was just wondering what you would think about maybe going on a family vacation." Dean started a little nervously.
"Dean, you know damn well that Sam's not ready…"
"I wasn't talking about right now." Dean cut off his father's tirade before it could really get started. "I meant going on the vacation when Sammy was completely healed. Sheesh, I'm not that stupid ya know."
"Sorry Dean, I didn't mean it that way." John apologized sincerely, regretting the way he automatically spoke without thinking. He hadn't meant to hurt his oldest child's feelings.
"S'okay, anyway as I was saying….I thought that maybe we could take a trip to the Grand Canyon once Sammy's ready. It's something we've always joked about. Hell we've even come close to it a time or two, so why not visit the place for a change?"
"Dean, I don't know. I mean, we've already been away from the hunt for so long and…"
"And it wouldn't hurt to take another couple of weeks away. There are other hunters out there Dad to take up the slack. Besides, I kind of promised Sammy that I would talk you into it." Dean murmured.
"You did huh?" Well I guess we better start planning an itinerary then for when your brother's back on his feet." John informed his eldest with a smile.
"Huh?" Dean questioned incredulously. He was sure he would have a fight on his hands to get his father to agree to the trip.
Bobby couldn't help but laugh at Dean's stunned expression. "Well I'll be damned, you've actually left the kid speechless. Didn't think that was even possible where Dean was concerned."
"Ha ha." Dean replied with a roll of his eyes. "Better be nice old man or we won't take you with us on the trip."
"Old man my ass. I'll show you who's old." Bobby retorted as he pulled off his ball cap and started chasing Dean around the room as John laughed heartily.
It wasn't long before the hunters finally became tired and made their own way to bed. Sammy had an early doctor's appointment the next day and they wanted to be there on time.
~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~
Laying in bed that night as he watched his baby brother sleep, Dean found it hard to succumb to sleep himself as his mind thought back on everything they had been through with Sam's health crisis. He had come so close to losing the brother he swore to protect at all costs to something they couldn't even see. Shuddering at the thought of living a life without his baby brother in it, he made a solemn vow to be more vigilant where 'his Sammy' was concerned.
Knowing that he would never get any sleep where he was, Dean climbed out of his own bed and made his way over to Sam's. Sitting on the edge of the bed for just a minute, he palmed Sam's forehead to check for fever and smiled when he found it cool to the touch. "You're going to be okay kiddo." he whispered before scooting in beside his brother and laying down. Wrapping a protective arm around his sibling and pulling him close, he left his eyes drift shut in the knowledge that Sam was safely sleeping by his side.
Checking on his offspring a few hours later, John couldn't help but smile at the sight of his two boys asleep in the same bed. Dean had always been over protective where his younger sibling was concerned and it warmed his heart to see that it was still so, even though Dean was an adult now and Sammy soon would be. Glancing at the empty bed in the room, he quietly made his way over to it and lay down. Like Dean, he really needed to be close to Sammy tonight. As long as he could hear the soft sounds of his children's breathing, he could rest assured in the fact that they were still with him.
"Goodnight boys," he whispered softly before closing his eyes and fading off to sleep.
TBC
