Disclaimers and warnings see Chapter 1

Chapter 51 Panic

Sam screamed for Dean as he ran to the car,going straight for the passenger side to get to his brother. But what he found, made his legs give out ,and he was on his knees screaming Dean's name, tears running unchecked down his face. The side of the car was a squashed mess of metal and plastic, the colours from both cars melded together on this flashed past him and lay down on his stomach, calling through what was left of the window. After a moment, his arm went in, and Sam registered Dean's name being called. When Bobby withdrew his arm from the small gap, it came away bloody, and Sam stared in horror, crying harder.

Bobby got up, grabbed Sam, and hauled him to his feet. He pulled him behind him around the car to the undamaged driver's door. Sam helped Bobby yank the door open and pull Matt out ,who seemed to be unhurt just a blood nose and shaken. Sam pushed past Bobby into the overturned vehicle, crawling across the bent roof littered with debris, trying to find Dean in the twisted passenger side. Sam had to push the driver side air bag aside as it seemed to be everywhere.

Sam had to squeeze himself in, as some of the roof had caved in, and Dean was blocked mostly from view, but Sam could see Dean's arm with the tattoo on it, and put his hand in to grab it. He squeezed the tattoo, even though it was covered, and moved his hand down his arm to his wrist, feeling for a found Dean's pulse and breathed a sigh of relief, before calling his name, and trying to find Dean's head amongst the wreckage. Sam pushed his arm through the debris, feeling around trying to find out how badly Dean was injured, not caring that glass and metal were poking at his knees and balancing hand.

Glass and debris fell over his hands as he felt around and he could vaguely hear the tinkling of glass and the ticking of the cooling engine as he searched the wreckage. Sam's hand finally found his brothers face and he smoothed his hand over it ,distressed to feel one side of his face very wet with blood. Sam called Dean's name, keeping his hand on his face, and was rewarded with lashes fluttering open and Dean moving his face slightly before he started calling Sam's name in a slurred voice.

Sam moved his hand back to Dean's hand and squeezed it until Dean's calling slowed down ,then he moved his hand up to the tattoo, to let Dean know who it was. "Sammy help." Dean called, pain and distress in his voice. Sam felt his arm squeezed where his tattoo was and knew Dean was promising to stay with him.
"Dean, helps coming, ok? Calm down and keep still, ok? We will get you out." Sam could hear the paramedics sirens approaching and kept talking to Dean, trying to soothe him as he kept calling for Sam, his voice stressed and upset.

Sam felt something cold and metallic hit his hand "Take it Sammy, look after it." Dean slurred out. Sam pulled out what Dean was passing to him, the bowl of Enita. Sam turned and passed it to Bobby who was leaning in to find out what shape Dean was in.
"Put this in the Impala". Bobby nodded and made off with the bowl. Sam leaned back in and took Dean's hand, calling his name but he got no response, so he tried a hand squeeze, and Dean squeezed back weakly.

The sirens were deafening before snapping off mid whine as the EMT pulled up and the medics set to work. Sam refused to be moved, until they pulled him back to cut the vehicle away from his brother. Even then they had a job of it,Sam pulled against Bobby,wanting to be with Dean. He could see his brother was in a bad state even from where he was, there were three paramedics working urgently over him calling out numbers, making Sam even more frantic.

While he struggled, he vaguely noticed Matt being checked over by a medic,and the driver of the car that had hit Matt's being taken away in another EMT. They finally allowed Sam closer, when they had Dean strapped to a back board, and placed on a stretcher getting him ready for transport. Sam could see numerous cut and scratches all over him and he had to swallow around a lump in his throat, when he saw small plastic shards sticking out of Dean's right arm,and face as he rushed to Deans side.

He grasped Dean's left hand and arm, as he looked down to his face, and was surprised to see two green eyes staring back into his. Ok, one eye was partly obscured by a large bandage that was wrapped around most of his head, but they were open, and searching his. Sam squeezed Dean's hand "Hang on Dean .Ok? You gotta hang on." Dean's pale face frowned at Sam's words as if he didn't understand, then he was being loaded into the EMT,and Sam jumped in with him not letting his hand go.

Once the ambulance was on its way, Sam and Dean were left alone while one of the paramedics drove, and the other used the radio to call Dean's condition in, so the hospital would know what to expect. Sam bent his face over Dean's ear "Hang on Dean where nearly there, just hang on babe." Sam's face came back to Dean's and Dean used his waning strength and his one free arm to run his fingers over Sam's face, then pull him down, so their lips touched lightly.

Sam pushed his lips harder against Dean's and when he pulled back, Dean's lips were moving but he couldn't hear, so he lowered his ear to Dean's lips "Love you Sammy." Dean voice was very slurred and barely a whisper and once it was out, his hand went slack in Sam's,and his eyes rolled to the back of his head as his eyes fluttered shut. Then Sam was being shoved aside as the medic was back working on him, over the sound of shrieking alarms.

Sam stumbled into the hospital, after the paramedics, and was expecting to be told to wait in the waiting room. But this hospital was a little different, and asked Sam to follow them into the ER. Dean was rushed into an operating room and Sam was taken over to a small room adjoining it, where a nurse gave him the relevant paperwork, and actually helped him fill it in. Sam was asked his relationship to Dean and if he could donate some blood as Dean would need a transfusion. Sam gave some blood and the nurse gave him tea and biscuits while he waited, feeling numb, for an update on Dean's condition.

An hour and a half later, a young looking doctor in scrubs entered the room "Sam Hammett?"
"Yes sir".
"Hi Sam. I'm Brett Reznor,Dean's doctor." They shook hands.
"How is he Doctor?"
"Brett please, and your brother is in recovery at the moment, he will be moved to ICU as soon as we deem him to be stable enough."

Sam nodded, knowing the next few days would be very hard. "Dean's injuries from the accident are mainly head injuries' although he does have bruising and cuts on his right side and his shoulder was out of joint but he has a cerebral contusion, bad whiplash and subarachnoid hemorrhage, which is bleeding on the brain. He did have a seizure on the table and we lost him for a minute or so but he is fighting very well for someone with these types of injuries. He is having a little trouble breathing and is on a ventilator, probably until he regains consciousness, and regains his strength. These types of accidents leave people very weak and he has had a transfusion because of the cuts on his upper back and the right side of his head. The intracranial pressure is very high and is what we are most concerned about."

Sam felt battered by the list of Dean's injuries and he was tearing up before the doctor finished. "Sam, we will look after Dean with the best possible care." Brett patted Sam's shoulder gently "We have a fantastic group of staff in ICU he will be well looked after." Brett did his best to assure Sam. "I will have a staff member take you in to see Dean once we have him settled ok?" Sam nodded and Brett patted Sam's shoulder again.

Sam was taken to a very private waiting room close to ICU while he waited to be allowed to see Dean. Sam didn't need the time alone, it gave him time to brood on why it was always Dean that ended up in these situations. Even when they were on the way to a hunt he had been injured. Why was life so unfair?

It wasn't that long ago they had almost lost Dean in another car accident that ended up costing them their father through his sacrifice for his son. What more did they have to give? Sam felt the desperation sink in and he slid out of his chair and sat on the floor with his arms around his knees. Something he hadn't done since he was a kid waiting for Dean to come home from a hunt with their dad.

TBC