Disclaimers and warnings see Chapter 1

Chapter 36 Rescue

Dean watched, his chest tight with fear, as water pushed its way around the cabin windows as the boat sank lower. He could see the dark water all around the glass of the cabin now and he had a slight moment of panic, before his hunting instincts took over, and he calmed himself with a few deep breaths.

He wasn't going to lie down and die. He had to get back to Sam. He tried to get up but the pressure was keeping him on the roof of the craft making him feel like a beetle on its back as his struggled to right himself.

Dean saw a flash of red light. Sam had begun reading the last verse of the rite and had lit the herbs. ' Keep going Sammy' . he thought as he tried to get his limbs to move. One of the glass panels of the cabin began to leak and the pressure in the cabin reduced only to let more water into the small room. Dean's eyes searched around in the red glow of the cabin for anything that would help him.

Dean saw the red change to a fiery green as water poured from under the door and the room filled faster. He struggled to find a way out, his efforts hampered by the boat rocking and bumping him. The room was half full of water and pushing him toward the floor / ceiling when he finally made it to the upside down door and pushed at it with all his might but the pressure behind the door was too much.

Sam would be freaked if he didn't get back to him, he had promised; now he had to deliver. 'This could be my dumbest move' he thought as he grit his teeth and reached out with the crowbar and smashed one of the small windows. The water gushed in, filling the last of the space as he took a deep breath, and dived out through the window still clutching the crow bar. Just as he cleared the window the green light disappeared and he was left in the dark again.

Dean could barely see that the boat was sinking bow first because of the heavy fishing gear on the back. Which meant he would have to swim down to the deck to save those guys not up to the surface, as his survival instincts were telling him. Dean looked between the slowly sinking ship and up to where Sam would be on the boat topside waiting for him. He sighed mentally and swam for the deck using his lean body to flipper through the water.

Sam finished the exorcism and threw the bowl down with his stuff and ran to the bow yelling for Dean. "Dean, you get your ass the fuck back here NOW!" Sam screamed as he leaned over the metal looking into the water.

Greg was just being pulled up on board and saw the panic on Sam's face and went to him. "I'm sorry Sam, I really am. Dean was just trying to help me get some men out who fell in the fish hold. I only just got off before it rolled. I'm really sorry."

Greg had to yell to be heard over the wind and rain of the storm but compared what it was like a few minutes earlier it was relatively quiet. Greg had worked with both the boys and liked them quite a lot so he was upset at seeing Sam distressed about his brother. "No! He's not gone he can't be. Dean get back here!"

Sam turned and made to leap off the bow but Greg and Doug grabbed hold of his arms pulling him back. "It's my brother". He screamed at them as they held him firm. "I need my brother. Let me get my brother. Dean, come back!"

Sam struggled in their arms and Greg finally had to let go but Doug held firm. Sam tried to punch him off him, but he was quick, and held Sam to him tight so he couldn't swing again. Doug let Sam go and he ran up and down the deck with Doug as his shadow, holding onto his belt in-case he tired to jump again.

Sam's eyes were not leaving where the boat went under, the water not showing what it had taken. The other crew members were silent their heads bowed in sorrow, those that had been rescued with blankets around them shivering with cold.

Sam worked himself up to quite a state, his heart pounding, and his mind in overdrive repeating 'Not Dean' over and over, until he dropped to his knees, hitting the side of the boat with his hands screaming for Dean to come back. Doug tried to hug him but Sam lashed out at anyone that came close.

Sam punched and screamed until he was exhausted, then his breath hitched in his chest as it tightened, and he felt hands on his shoulders trying to steady him. But he was beyond seeing now. The only one who could call him back from such a state was under the water.

Sam made to leap over the rail into the water again, but Doug and Peter were ready, and held him down. He almost got over but two more frightened crew members came to help out almost getting punched out in the process. As they pulled Sam back from the rail, his head swung wildly, and connected with metal and his body slumped as darkness took hold.

Sam was out less than a minute and woke confused, pulling himself slowly, and unsteadily to his feet. He stared silently at the water, he knew it had been too long. Dean had been under the water at least ten minutes. It looked like their luck had finally run out. Sam's tears flowed and mixed with the thin line of blood as other boats from the small fleet edged forward to find out what had happened.

Dean swam along the deck finding the fish hold, which was at an angle as the ship sank, and used the crowbar to pull the door open. He swam in to find the two crew members huddled in one corner where there was a pocket of air. They were panicked and frightened, knowing the boat was sinking. They grabbed hold of Dean and were in danger of drowning him but he managed to calm them down.

Dean explained to the men they could still get out. The door was open and all they had to do was swim out, but they seemed to be going into shock, and it took Dean a few minutes to get through to them.

Dean talked the two men into coming out with him but it was hard work,they were both scared, and worried about how deep they were. They were worried about decompression sickness but Dean assured them that scuba divers got that and they would be free diving, their only problems would be shallow water blackout and hypothermia, and the hypothermia would actually help them get back up. He knew these guys knew this stuff but hypothermia and panic was causing them to forget, he tried to keep them calm as he encouraged them knowing they had to at least try to get out.

Dean knew he had hypothermia by how cold he was feeling, he was shivering, and he was having trouble concentrating. He got them to take a deep breath and helped them out of the hatch gripping both their arms. As soon as they cleared the hatch, the fishermen panicked again, and stopped swimming not knowing which way was up. Dean looked in the direction he knew was up and saw a very small dot of light. It seemed a hell of a long way away but Dean turned them around, got them going, and helped them swim laboriously for the surface.

It wasn't long before his lungs were burning for air. There were a frightening couple of minutes when the guys seemed to give up again and this time Dean had to manhandle them to make them swim again. He was pretty much doing it for them and his strength was waining quickly as he kept kicking for the surface. 'Damn these boots are heavy.' he thought as his mind started to lose its grip and it became harder to think. He fixed his mind on getting back to Sam, it was helping him break the fog hanging over his brain.

Dean finally saw lights of the fishing boats clearly above them and stopped the guys just before the surface and squeezed their noses with very shaky hands, trying to equalize them before breaking the surface. He didn't even know where he picked that up or if it was even relevant but he did it just in case.

When they broke the surface both men clung to Dean like he was a life raft, all panting hard. Dean dimly saw what he thought was a boat and paddled slowly towards it. He feet very lethargic, drowsy and cold, knowing he would have to hurry,and get out of the water. The two men were starting to sink dragging Dean under, but he pulled out everything he had left,and yanked them up swimming as fast as he could.

Sam was staring out at the water in a daze unconsciously spinning his ring around his finger,his mind blank,and in shock at what had happened so quickly. Why was it always Dean? Life was so unfair, everything was going so well between them then Dean had been plucked away from him. Damn it to hell.

Doug had come to console him but he had pushed him away, refusing to believe his brother was gone. He just couldn't be. Sam continued to search the water closely looking for any sign of his brother. Dean wouldn't give up he promised. So he would keep looking for him.

Sam started at the choppy water at first unaware that he was seeing a black smudge rising out of the water ,then the floodlights from the boats hit the smudge,and he could see Dean's stark white face. He shook his head sure it was a sign of shock but when he looked back there were suddenly three heads in the water. Dean seemed to be dragging two men towards the boat. The waves clashed over their spluttering faces and suddenly Sam snapped out of his stupor, surprised but elated. Dean had come back to him as promised, and he shouted at the others for help.

Dean heard shouts and yelling and one of the men was pulled from his arm, he pushed the other man forward, and the weight was taken from him. He suddenly became very heavy and dipped below the water. He finally ran out of strength and was unable to pull himself up. His breath hitched and he pulled in water but was unable to breathe and became dizzy and confused as he struggled before he was dragged up fast, coughing, and spluttering out of the water.

Dean felt himself being pulled up, dizziness making it hard to concentrate and shortness of breath making his head swim further. Dean felt the deck of the boat on his back and Sam looming over him yelling something at him. He groaned and Sam rolled him onto his side and he threw seawater up onto the deck.

Sam started to pull his clothes off but he was too cold and tired to care by this point. He was back with Sam as promised. He lay there with his eyes closed until Sam yelled in his ear not to go to sleep "open your eyes" so he kept his eyes half mast as Sam worked on him, shivering hard with cold.

Sam's hands were everywhere as he was talking quickly and loudly to him "God Dean, you do that again ,and I will kill you. I swear if you're trying to give me a heart attack, you're going the right way." Sam had a big smile on his face as he spoke the words harshly in Dean's ear making him more confused. Was he happy or upset?

Dean was way too pale and cold but his lips,ears and fingers were blue and Sam's hands shook badly as they pulled Dean's clothes off. Dean's eyes blinked slowly as he fought to stay conscious. "Come on big brother, stay with me."

Once Sam had Dean in his underwear, he was wrapped in a blanket, and suddenly picked up making another wave of dizziness flow over him. Dean could see Sam's face close to his. Sam was carrying him somewhere and it felt like he had help with his lower half.

He vaguely recognized the cabin and other crew members, working on the other men. Sam set him down, then pulled off his own wet weather gear quickly, and lay down with Dean. Someone piled blankets around them. Dean struggled very weakly at Sam's closeness in front of the crew, but then Sam was talking to him. "It's ok Dean. I'm trying to raise your core temperature, you've got a good dose of hypothermia. The others are getting help too."

Dean was too tired and cold to look at the others; he used the last of his energy to move closer to Sam, searching out his warmth. Dean felt Sam open his jaws and hold them open with his hand and something slide under his tongue. He was too exhausted to care and closed his eyes with nothing left to open them again. "Come on Dean open your eyes, come on".He felt very cold but at least he had stopped shivering.

Dean could hear the words, but couldn't respond. Light flooded into his eyes as one eyelid was lifted then the other. "His pupils are dilated and his temperature is thirty one. Keep a close eye on him, his respiration, and pulse are really slow. We will be docking in less than twenty minutes, there will be paramedics waiting." "Ok thanks". Dean heard the words like they were coming from a long way away. Possibly through a straw.

Sam pushed himself as close as he could to Dean's cold skin. He felt like he was lying on ice. "Thanks' for coming back Dean, you always keep your promises. You have to hang on a bit longer for me De. I love you babe." Sam whispered in Dean's ear and felt the slightest of nods against his shoulder. Dean tried to whisper back to Sam but felt himself floating down into darkness.

TBC