Dean was finally released from the hospital nearly three weeks after he was first brought there by Sam and Bobby. Despite Dean's protests, Dr. Carroll had insisted on keeping Dean for observations for a few more days, even though the majority of Dean's symptoms were gone.
Dean couldn't wait to get out of the hospital, so when Dr. Carroll first suggested that Dean's vitals were looking good and that he could be released soon, Dean asked every single time Dr. Carroll visited if he could be released. Each time, Dean's request was met with a no and an insistence that he just wanted to make sure that there would be no lingering side effects after the lengthy hospital stay.
Bobby eventually got annoyed with Dean's constant badgering about being released that he finally talked to Dr. Carroll outside of Dean's room and told the doctor flat out that if he couldn't find anything wrong with Dean, he either needed to release Dean or he and Sam would let Dean sign out AMA. Later that day, Dr. Carroll showed up in Dean's room with the release papers.
"I have to say, I still can't explain it," Dr. Carroll said as he flipped through the notes he had made throughout Dean's stay. "There's nothing that we can find that can explain why all of this happened.
"But everything's fine?" Sam asked. After everything they had just been through, Sam had to be sure that his brother was going to be ok. "He's going to be ok?"
"All of his vitals look good, so unless there is something that Dean's not telling us," Dr. Carroll said, hoping to prompt Dean to admitting that there was some kind of secret that he was keeping.
All eyes turned to Dean. "I'm fine," Dean insisted. Everyone's eyes, except Dr. Carroll's, remained on Dean. Sam, Bobby, and Cas all knew about Dean's strong tendency to lie about how he was really feeling. "I'm fine. I mean, yeah, my wrist is still a little sore, but I'm fine," Dean promised. "I swear. Now, can we please just get out of here?"
Dr. Carroll chuckled. "He's not very patient, is he?"
"'He' is sitting right here and would like to get out of this hospital," Dean grumbled, wishing everyone would just hurry up. He had always hated hospitals, ever since he could remember. He remembered all the times he had spent in doctor's offices growing up because of his empty wrist. Then once his dad had started hunting, hospitals became an even more regular occurrence. Now, he had just spent almost a whole month as a patient in a hospital and he wanted nothing more than to just get out. Even one of the sleazy motel rooms that they normally stayed in would be a welcome change at this point.
"I'm sorry, Dean. But looking at your charts, it looks like everything is ok."
"So, I'm officially free to go?" Dean asked as he started to stand up from the bed. As soon as Dr. Carroll gave the ok, he was going to march his way straight out of this hospital and never look back.
"Just take it easy," Dr. Carroll warned. There were a few more things he had to say before he could let Dean leave. "There hasn't been a lot of medical research done on soulmates, purely because of ethical reasons. I don't know of anyone who has survived this long without having their soulmate. I don't think anyone in the medical profession does."
Everyone in the room went silent. Dean suddenly found something very interesting with the floor and refused to look up. Dr. Carroll didn't need to know about the chaos that surrounded Dean's soulmate. Dean wanted to push everything that happened as back in his mind as he possibly could. Everything that had happened with Michael and Raphael was done and he really, really didn't want to think about that anymore.
Dr. Carroll sensed the awkwardness in the room and continued. "If you feel like anything is changing, I want you to come straight back here or to at least go and see another doctor. There's no telling what kind of effects all that time away from your soulmate will bring."
"I'll keep that in mind," Dean said. "Is that it? Can I go now?"
"Good luck, Dean," Dr. Carroll said, extending his hand.
Dean reached out his own hand and shook Dr. Carroll's. "Thanks," Dean said sincerely. As much as he wanted to get out of the hospital, he knew he had to at least say thank you to his doctor. If it wouldn't have been for Dr. Carroll, there's no telling what would have happened to him. Cas hadn't been able to heal him, and neither had Gabriel, which meant that Dean was forced to rely on the knowledge of human doctors. Thankfully, Dr. Carroll was willing to work with Dean through all of it.
"Yeah, thanks, Doc," Sam said. He, too, also was thankful for Dr. Carroll. Without this doctor, Sam may have had to bury his brother again, but that was a thought that Sam tried to keep as far out of his brain as he could. He didn't want to relive that particular memory any time soon.
"Well, I do have other patients to attend to," Dr. Carroll said. "Take it easy, Dean. I mean it. Nurse Leah will show you out."
"Got it," Dean said before Dr. Carroll walked out of the room.
"Ready to go Dean?" Leah asked.
"I wish people would stop asking me that and just let me leave already."
Leah giggled. "Come on. This way."
Leah led the group down the hallway and out to the hospital parking lot. Sam ran out ahead in front of the group to bring the Impala up the hospital doors.
"Oh, Baby. Did they take good care of you?" Dean asked as he took a step toward the Impala. He reached out a hand and slowly dragged it against the Impala's sleek frame.
After a moment, Sam cleared his throat. "Any time you're ready."
"Yeah. Let's get out of here," Dean said. "Can I drive?"
"Didn't Dr. Carroll just tell you to take it easy?" Sam asked.
"I've just spent way too much time in a hospital. You gotta cut me some slack," Dean protested. "I haven't been able to drive my own car for almost a month. Do you have any idea what that's like?"
"No, because we just have the Impala and you are dead set against me only driving it in emergencies."
Dean smirked. "Sammy—"
"Just get in," Bobby ordered. "I'll meet you boys back in Sioux Falls?"
"Yep. See you there," Sam said.
Reluctantly, Dean got in the passenger seat as Cas got in and slid across the back seat.
Sam put the car in drive, and pulled out of the hospital without a look back. This was one experience he definitely would like to forget.
"So am I missing something?" Dean asked.
"What do you mean?" Sam responded, taking a quick glance over at his brother.
"We're going to Sioux Falls?"
"Yeah, Bobby offered to let us stay with him for awhile and I took him up on the offer."
"Sam, we can't do that."
"Why not?"
"He just put up with all my crap in the hospital. We can't just go and drop in on him like that."
"He seems to think that it would be good for you, and I agree."
"What do you mean it will be good for me?" Dean asked hotly. "I'm fine. You heard Dr. Carroll."
"And apparently you missed Dr. Carroll saying that you should take it easy," Sam retorted. "So that's what we're going to do. We can go by Bobby and just take it easy for awhile."
"Fine, but we're not staying any longer than we need to."
"Whatever you say," Sam responded, not taking his eyes off the road.
Sam, Dean, and Cas rode in near silence for almost an hour. The only sound to keep them company was Dean's music coming from the Impala's radio. Sam had tried to argue that he was driving and he should therefore be able to pick the music, but Dean protested saying ti was his car and that he should be able to pick the music after sitting in the hospital for so long.
"In case you forgot, I sat in that hospital for the same amount of time as you did," Sam retorted.
"Yeah, but you were actually able to leave. I didn't have a choice. They kept me prisoner and forced me to eat terrible food," Dean said dramatically. "And it's still my car, so I pick the music."
"So that rule, what was it? 'Driver picks the music, shotgun shut's his cake hole' doesn't apply anymore?"
"Sam," Cas interrupted. "I think you should let Dean pick the music."
"Ha!" Dean yelled triumphantly as he shoved a tape into the cassette player. "Two against one, Sammy."
Sam smirked, but didn't argue it. He was always going to let Dean pick his music. But Dean was his brother and sometimes, Sam had to mess with him.
"So whaddya think?" Dean asked after they had been on the road for a while. "I'm feeling like burgers and beer."
"You're always feeling like burgers and beer," Sam commented.
"Yeah, but I just spent nearly a month in the hospital. I want some decent food for once. Do you have any idea how bad that food was?"
"I've been in hospitals before, Dean. I know how bad it is."
"No, but this stuff was really bad. I don't know what they did to it, but there is no way that that crap could be considered food."
"Whoa, it must be bad for you to say that. You'll eat anything," Sam joked.
"Very funny. But seriously, Sam. We just passed a sign for a diner up ahead. Yup, it's just that right turn up there."
"We can stop later," Sam said as he tried to continue to stay focused on the road in front of him. "I just want to get us a bit farther first."
Dean was quiet for nearly a minute before he asked again, "But seriously, how much longer til we stop? I'm hungry."
"Glad to know that some things haven't changed," Sam commented. "I told you, we can stop later."
"But I'm hungry now," Dean complained. "I just spent the last month on really shitty food. Come on, Sam. You're seriously going to keep depriving me more? Just pull over somewhere. My treat."
"Yeah?" Sam asked. "With what money?"
Dean muttered something under his breath that Sam couldn't quite catch before he turned and stared out the window silently. He didn't speak again until Sam finally pulled into a small diner just off the highway nearly an hour later. The group ate a quick meal before getting back in the Impala and back on the highway and speeding toward Sioux Falls.
Sam pulled into Bobby's salvage yard and put the car in park. Finally, they were back. Everyone needed to get out of the car and stretch after being trapped in there for the last few hours. It also felt good in other ways, because it now meant that Dean was healthy and he was going to be ok after everything that just happened. Sam and Dean walked toward the house with Cas following close behind, anxious to get some sleep and rest peacefully for the first time in almost a month.
A/N: I can't believe that this is the last chapter. There's is still an epilogue coming, which will be posted very soon. I don't know when exactly, but it's just about done, so it shouldn't be too long.
As always, please consider taking a few seconds and leaving a review to let me know what you think.
And finally, thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the support on this story. I can't believe it's almost over!