"Okay, so the doctor says not to get the bandage wet for forty-eight hours, and to watch for signs of loss of consciousness." Steve read from a print out Bumpin' Booty gave him.
"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill," Dean answered, climbing into the standard wheelchair for discharge from the hospital. His response alarmed the parents.
"Dean? How many times have you been injured?" Steve asked.
"Really? You want to know how many times a victim of child abuse has been injured, Steve?" Dean responded, deadpan. The man blushed in return.
"Dean!"
The three turned, startled, towards the door, where Sam could be heard screaming and running down the hall. The boy was flushed, panting as he slid into the doorway of the room.
"Dad! Papa!" the boy leapt into the arms of the closest man, who happened to be Tony. The men looked at Sam, then turned to each other with wide eyes and beaming smiles. Tony hugged the boy tightly, cherishing the moment for all it was worth.
"Where's Dean?" Sam asked, his head buried the man's neck.
"If you'd open your eyes you'd see him," Dean grumbled.
"Dean!" Sam pushed Tony away, confusing the man as to why he no longer held his son, and attacked his brother with a rib-crushing hug.
Steve moved quickly to brace the wheelchair to avoid being run over by the enthusiastic brothers.
"Jeez, Sammy, calm down would ya! I'm fine!" Dean assured the boy, but was hugging him back just as hard.
"I was so scared! No one would tell me anything and they wouldn't let me leave the room and–"
"Shh, Sammy, it's alright! Everything is okay now!" The teen interrupted. "We're going home and everything is going to be just as it was."
"You're better now, right?" the boy sniffled.
"Yeah, Sam. I'm peachy! Now come on, let go. Having my little brother hangin' off me is not gonna help my chances with the ladies."
Tony scoffed. "Because we're passing a stripper bar on the way out of the hospital," he mumbled, earning an elbow in his ribs from his husband. "Ow! Well, it's true!"
"Hey, now that's a hospital," Dean laughed.
"Which reminds me," Steve glanced at Sam quickly before continuing. "We still need to have that conversation we were going to have before all this...happened."
The teen sighed and sarcastically replied, "Sir, yes, sir."
"Though maybe not tonight," Tony said, glancing at his watch. With all of the excitement of the evening, it was now nearing close to midnight. "Bed first. Talk in the morning."
"But I'm still going to school right?" Sam asked.
The adults laughed
"Yes, Sam, your precious attendance record is safe," Dean answered. "Can we go home now?"
"Of course." Steve started to push the wheelchair from the room, hopeful that they never had to return.
"Wait!" Sam shouted, startling the others. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pendant hanging from a string from his pocket.
"The amulet?" Dean asked, reaching to feel the empty space where the necklace once rested.
"I didn't want you to bleed on it, so I asked Papa to take it off before we got here." The younger boy blushed as he gave the pendant back to his brother.
Dean smiled up at the boy. "Always lookin' out for me Sammy."
"Speaking of looking out!" Sam straightened, all traces of embarrassment gone. "What's the damage?"
The teen rolled his eyes and wasted no time putting the amulet back in its rightful place around his neck. "Just a concussion and some stitches, Samantha. Don't get your panties in a twist."
The younger boy nodded matter-of-factly, ignoring his brother's teasing. "Not too bad. That means sleeping checks, though. No complaining when I wake you up! And you have to let me check your dressing!" He glared his brother down until he received an amused nod. "And no training for a couple of days–I mean it! Although," he faltered, "I guess that doesn't matter right now."
Reaching out from his chair, Dean playfully punched his little brother's arm. "Nope, I can lounge for weeks on end, and you can be my errand boy! You just know I'm gonna milk this one, Sammy."
The teen winked at the boy, satisfied with the eye roll and small smile he received in reply.
The two parents shared a knowing and heartfelt glance at the brothers' interaction, grinning at what was obviously an old routine. Their minds, however, were filled with concern and apprehension for the things they knew for certain and the things they could only assume.