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The car ride to the place of the hunt was torture for Sam. All he could do was sit in the backseat, and try to concentrate on the music Dean was blaring to block out the pain while his father drive and Dean sat shotgun.
He almost let out a pained shout when the car hit a particular speed bump and felt like his insides were scrambled, but caught himself just in time. However, he was beginning to think that it was a bad idea to hide it from his father and brother, especially with them heading to a hunt. Thinking about a plan, he decided to come up with a story to stay behind while also helping his family.
Finally arriving in front of a large clearing, John parked the car and the Winchesters all stepped out.
Dean noticed that his brother had gotten out much slower than usual and studied his appearance more closely. Sam was pale and his movements were slow and stiff, almost like he was in pain.
'Sammy wasn't injured in the crash… Was he?' Dean thought to himself. He then moved towards Sam "Hey Sammy, you okay?"
Before Sam could answer, John interrupted them "Boys we don't have time for this. Let's head to the hunt."
Dean narrowed his eyes "What are we even hunting, dad? You haven't told us one detail about it."
"Well son, that's what we need to find out." John replied, checking his duffle bag.
"Are you serious right now? You pulled us from the house because you think it might be a hunt?"
John gave his son a scathing glare that would have had him shrinking back if not for the fact that Dean was mad "Don't give me that tone, boy. I'm your father and you better treat me with respect."
Dean opened his mouth to retort back when a thud sound was issued. Dean and John turned just in time to see Sam fall to the ground, unconscious.
"Sam!" Two voices simultaneously yelled as they ran towards their fallen youngest.
Kneeling down next to him, John pressed his fingers to his son's neck and found a pulse, but it was sluggish. Quickly taking a look at his son, he didn't like what he saw and had a stinking suspicion about the cause.
Gently lifting Sam's shirt, he felt around his abdomen and cursed when he found rigidity and bruise like colors on the left side.
"He's bleeding internally, we need to get him to a hospital now," John told Dean, he sounded calm but Dean could see the panic, shock, confusion, and fear in his eyes.
Dean nodded mutely and climbed in the backseat of the car, accepting Sam from his father and held his brother close as his father got into the driving seat and started driving like a madman to the Sioux Falls General Hospital, the closest hospital in the area.
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As he sat in the surgical waiting room, the only thing on Dean's mind was the scene that repeated itself rent free in his mind when his father had run into the ER with Sam in his arms, screaming for help. He also couldn't forget how Sam's heart stopped and the doctor's revived him then whisked him away for triage and surgery.
That was four hours ago, and there was still no word on Sammy. Dean was surprised that he and his father hadn't worn holes in the ground from all the pacing they had done the first hour of waiting. They had then resorted to sitting down and alternating between glaring at the time, jiggling their leg, and placing their head in their hands.
Finally, the double doors opened and out stepped a doctor with gray hair and a tired face, but his features were kind. "Family of Sam Cook?"
John and Dean were at their feet in a second. "I'm John, his father. And this is his brother Dean. Is my boy okay?" John asked, shaking the man's hand.
Since the Winchester were the only two in the waiting room, the doctor proceeded.
"Mr. Cook, I can't cover up the fact that Sam's condition was and still is serious. He's not out of the woods but yes, barring any complications he should make a full recovery. When Sam came in, part of his spleen had ruptured, causing blood to fill up in the abdominal cavity. We were able to save part of it and remove the damaged part by doing a partial splenectomy, as he will be much more susceptible to infections if the entire spleen was removed, but thanks to modern science we didn't have to do that."
"But doctor, how could have his spleen ruptured on its own?" John asked, still confused.
"After pulling up his file, I saw that Sam was in a crash last week, and that he refused treatment or further examination, opting to sign himself against medical advice. There was also a report that the health clinic had sent today, after the CT scan they did reveal a small tear in his spleen. My guess is that the tear had been caused by the crash and would have healed with the proper rest and treatment, but it only grew worse without them. He's lucky we caught it just in time or he would have lost his entire spleen, and that's when things get dangerous."
John and Dean were silent for a moment, their mind reeling from the information they had just received. Sam was injured in the accident?
"What now?" Dean asked.
" Now we monitor him. I have him on IV antibiotics as well as a blood transfusion to replace the blood he lost thanks to the internal bleeding and surgery. But I do have to warn you, such injuries could result in an infection or another bleed," The doctor answered.
"Bleed?" John repeated, his mouth drying.
"Yes, if that happens, we'll take him back to surgery to take care of it. While it's serious, your boy is young and healthy and should pull through anything. I imagine you want to see him, so I'll have a nurse come get you in a couple of minutes." The doctor assured them.
"Thank you doctor," John said as he and Dean shook the man's hand.
The doctor nodded his head, smiling then left the waiting room, leaving the two Winchesters back to their waiting game.
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Bobby Singer was not expecting a frantic Dean Winchester to call him in the middle of his lunch, sounding so panicked. He also didn't expect said Dean to tell him about how Sam collapsed and was shipped to the hospital.
The grizzled hunter had just finished his hunt, successfully might he add, and was by eating brunch at a local French themed restaurant and cafe, something John would have teased him mercilessly for doing. 'Why don't you raise your pinky while drinking your tea you pansy.' he had told him when he passed by Sioux Falls and saw Bobby eating breakfast at the exact french shop.
So Bobby had paid for his brunch and hightailed it to the hospital where the Winchesters were at. Taking directions, he stood at the doorway of Sam's ICU room and his heart ached at the scene.
Sam was, as expected, sleeping in the bed. But it was unnerving how pale he was, and how two IVs ran into the back of his hand and arm, delivering blood and the other delivering fluids, antibiotics and painkillers. A nasal cannula was present under his nose, but the machines around him were beeping steadily.
But what made his heart ache even more was how John and Dean saw at either side of Sam's bed like a bunch of protective bodyguards, their body language clearly stating 'Don't mess with him.' but their faces told another story. They held guilt, and Bobby had an idea why.
"Alright ya idjits, I still haven't set foot in this room and your waves of guilt are driving me crazy. It's not your fault," Bobby stated as he marched into the room, standing at the foot of Sam's bed.
"How can you say that Bobby? We're supposed to look out for him, yet we didn't even notice he was hurting. Hell, we didn't even ask him if he was really okay after that crash, I mean it's stupid for one to think that Sam walked away from just a bruised face really. You've seen the car," Dean said, voice full of self loathing.
"No, son it's not your fault. It's mine, I shouldn't have treated him so badly for not doing what I said. I practically condemned my baby for his love and loyalty to me." John's voice mirrored Dean's self loathing, only his was deeper and was mixed with disgust.
"Stop it you two. First of Dean, have you met your brother? The boy is a master at hiding things, I get tempted to call him Sam 'I'm fine' Winchester. You were already distracted with your recovery and your car. So stop blaming yourself or you and I are gonna have a talk." he ended threateningly.
Dean almost gulped "Yes, sir."
Bobby then turned to John "As for you, well I can say that you were a jackass to Sam, but that doesn't mean that it contributed to him hiding his injury. You know how stubborn he is, a trait he picked from you might I add, so there's no knowing whether he would've come clean or not. For now, best not dwell on these thoughts and focus on Sam."
"What if he decides not to forgive me?" John asked and Dean was surprised by his father's unnatural act of affection. Bobby was not as he had seen how much John loved his children. He saw how the father's heart broke every time he had to leave them at their Uncle Bobby's when they were kids.
"Come on John, the kid's got a heart of gold, ya really think he wouldn't forgive you?" Bobby asked while Dean snorted.
John smiled slightly at that and stared at his unconscious child. "Yeah, I sure hope so."
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Meemz