I know I said I would finish this story before the new episodes started, but work got in the way…you know the thing that pays for my TV and cable so I can watch Supernatural :-)
But here it is – the completed story. Hope you like it.
Thank you tomygirl for your reviews – I don't mean to make you cry, it is all Sam and Dean's fault :-)
And thank you to my new reviewers, tracer2032, Ghostwriter and tvbatina – I really appreciate the positive feed back.
Standard Disclaimers Apply
When Sam reached the road outside the motel, he took a couple of deep breaths and slowed his pace to a walk. He had been walking for about fifteen minutes when he heard someone call out his name.
"Sam?"
He turned around and was surprised to see a car had pulled up behind him. At the wheel sat Kat, the girl that he and Dean had rescued from the asylum the previous day.
"Do you need a ride somewhere?"
Sam hesitated for a second, but he knew he would be able to reduce the distance between Dean and him if he was in a car.
"Only if it not too much trouble. Just until the highway."
"Sure, no problem. I was going to see Gavin, but after last night, I think a little longer wait will do him some good."
Sam opened the door and got in.
"So, where is Dean? Is he working on another…job?" she asked tentatively, not exactly sure how ghost-hunters worked.
"Sort of…"
"And you didn't go with him? I thought you were partners, that you worked together."
Dean probably thought we were a team too, Sam thought guiltily. Trying to hold back his emotions, Sam said,
"He went ahead, I am following him."
Sam then turned his head to look out the window. Seeing the look in his eyes, Kat knew she had said something wrong. She decided to leave him alone with his thoughts as she drove. As he blindly watched the passing streets, Sam tried to figure out what he would to his big brother when he found him. How could he apologize for shooting him, and the things he had said to drive him away?
Take it one step at a time, he told himself. First I have to find him.
A flash of black at the passing gas station caught his attention.
"STOP!"
Kat slammed on her brakes and looked around. She could not see what had caused Sam to yell out. The thought then crossed her mind that perhaps he had screamed because of something she was not meant to see. After the adventures of last night, Kat could now imagine ghosts were wandering around each corner. She looked over, trying to find reassurance in Sam, but he had already left the car and was running towards the gas station. It was then that she noticed the black Impala parked in front of the store. Kat pulled into the station just as Sam rushed into the store looking for his brother. He did not notice the stains of blood on the ground outside the door.
Quickly scanning the inside of the mart Sam knew Dean was not in there. Something was wrong. Dean would never abandon his car - it was his baby. He turned towards the lady behind the counter.
"Excuse me, but I am looking for my brother. His car is parked outside…the black Impala, but I can't seem to find him."
The kindly old lady looked up at Sam. Something in her eyes made him fear what she was about to say next.
"Oh, oh dear. Was that your brother? Blonde hair? About 6 feet?"
Sam could feel himself start to panic. Alarm bells were ringing in his head.
"He collapsed outside. I called the paramedics, they took him to the hospital…"
Sam could not hear what the lady was saying anymore. Hospital? Sam had put his big brother in the hospital. He had shot him full of rock salt, and had made him leave before he even had a chance to get a full night's sleep. Hot tears started flowing down his cheeks as he headed out the door. He almost collided with Kat as she was entering. One look at Sam's face, and she knew something horrible had happened.
"Sam? What's wrong?"
"I need to get to the hospital. Dean…"
Sam could not even get himself to say out loud that Dean was hurt. Because if he did, then this crazy situation would be real, and not just a bad nightmare that he was having. Kat lead Sam back to her car and drove to the hospital. Sam's tears did not abate the entire way and he had even given up trying to wipe them away. Sam had failed his brother. After all the years that Dean had taken care of him, and all times that Dean had risked his life to protect him, Sam had repaid his love by shooting him.
"I am sure he'll be ok."
Sam wanted to believe her words, but he knew that his big brother was not someone who easily succumbed to his wounds. If Dean was in the hospital, it was bad, really bad. As they approached the hospital, Sam was out of the car and inside the ER even before Kat had a chance to stop the car.
Attempting to wipe the tears from his eyes one more time, he ran up to the reception desk.
"I am looking for my brother. He was brought in here a little while ago…they said he had colla…collapsed at the gas station."
The words came out in a rush, and Sam was not sure the nurse was able to follow what he had said. She looked up and her eyes softened when she saw the very scared-looking young man in front of her.
"What is your name?"
"Sam, Sam Winchester. And my brother is Dean."
"I don't have a Dean Winchester listed. But we did have a young man brought in. I think the call came from a store nearby. He was unconscious and we could not identify him. About twenty-four years old, blonde hair?"
"Yes, that's my brother. Where is he? Is he ok?"
"He was taken upstairs to surgery. Second floor. I think he is in post-op right now. Ask for Dr. Richardson."
Sam mumbled a thank you and ran towards the stairs. He did not have the patience to wait for the elevator. He reached the top and headed to yet another reception desk.
"My name is Sam Winchester. My brother was brought in here a little while ago. They told me that you did not have his name, but he was brought up here for surgery. The nurse downstairs told me to ask for Dr. Richardson."
"One minute. Let me call the doctor."
Sam waited and listened as the nurse called and explained that the brother of the boy he had operated on was here and gave the doctor his name.
"His office is just around the corner. Take a left at the end of the hallway. Third door on the right. He will be waiting for you."
When Sam turned the corner of the hallway, he saw that the doctor was waiting at the door for him. Dr. Richardson looked more like a kind grandfather than a surgeon. He motioned towards Sam and invited him into his office.
"Dr. Richardson, how is my brother? Is he ok?"
"Mr. Winchester, your brother is in a stable right now. But his condition is still critical. If you would please have a seat, I need to ask you a few questions about your brother's medical history."
Sam sat in a chair across from the doctor. He could not understand what was going on. Dean was in critical condition? He thought the shotgun had left bruises and perhaps even broken ribs, but Dean knew how to take care of those. Had he not bandaged them right, had one of the ribs punctured his lung?
I should have helped him take care of his wounds last night. I should not have Dean be stubborn and do it himself.
Even though he knew Dean would not have accepted his help. His brother had always been strong, been able to tend to his own wounds. But Dean was upset last night, and maybe he had not been careful, had not bandaged himself properly. Sam's feelings of guilt deepened as he thought about the asylum again.
"Mr. Winchester…"
"Please call me Sam."
"Ok. Sam. Do you know why your brother was brought in here?"
Yes. I shot him.
Sam knew he could not tell the doctor the truth, he could not have the police get involved. His brother was supposed to be legally dead. In his panic Sam had not thought to give a fake name. He berated himself again, Winchesters were taught not to panic. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself enough to look the doctor in the eye and lie.
"No. I don't. I did not know he was hurt until I was told he was in the hospital."
"When your brother was brought in here, he was having trouble breathing. There was a large amount of blood in his lungs. He also had some bruising on his chest. But those bruises were superficial, they did not explain how he had ruptured major blood vessels. We tried to surgically repair the damage, and we have managed to stem the bleeding from the major arteries for now, but we have been unable to determine what caused it. He still has minor internal bleeding, that we cannot control. We were hoping if we could find the cause of his condition, it would help us treat him…because it is only a matter of time before another vein deteriorates."
"I don't understand. You can't stop the bleeding? But…how is that possible?"
"I wish I could give you answer, Sam. But we have never seen anything like this before. For lack of a better description, it is like the blood vessels in his body are all slowly disintegrating. I tried to research the symptoms and have found one other instance of something like this somewhere in Louisiana, but there was no listed cure, or remedy. His condition is a medical mystery. We are trying to do our best to help, but I am not going to give you false hope. His prognosis is not good. Do you have any information about your brother that might help us find an explanation?"
Sam felt like his heart had stopped. Like he could not breathe. His brother was dying, and there was nothing the doctors could do. Dean had some freak medical condition, and there was no cure. Suddenly, his brother's words echoed in his head,
"How many times in dad's long and varied career has it actually been some freak medical thing?"
Something clicked in Sam's head. The doctor had talked about another case in Louisiana.
"I was working my own gig. This voodoo thing down in New Orleans."
Something had happened to Dean there. He knew it. That's why Dean had come to ask for Sam's help to find dad. But that meant his brother had not found a way to fight it. Dean had given up. His big brother had come to Sam to say goodbye. As he thought back on the last six months he had spent with his brother, hunting, arguing, and doing a thousand other stupid things instead of looking for a way to save him, Sam felt his mountain of guilt suppressing him. How could he have been so blind? And why hadn't Dean told him?
Because I had just lost Jessica, and he did not want me to worry about him. Damn it, when was Dean going to stop protecting me? But I am not going to let him die. I could not save Jessica, but I will save my big brother.
Sam was going to find a way to fix whatever curse lay upon his brother. He was not going to lose the only person who had always been there for him. He would not let Dean give up. He looked up at the doctor, who was watching Sam with concern.
"Can I see my brother?"
"He is still sedated. But he should wake up in a couple of hours. They should have moved him to room 303. You can see him there."
Sam rose and headed for the door.
"Sam, are you ok?"
"I'm fine. My brother is not going to die. I won't let him."
And with those words, he left the room.