Author's Note: I've always thought it would be fun to write about Dean with human limitations. It makes me giggle. I don't own Supernatural. The season premiere was soooo good!
***Dean POV***
March 31, Late afternoon
Recovery, Day 2:
Dean woke up to the undeniable smell of "hospital."
His first thought was, "God damn it. The apocalypse."
His second thought was, "Ember. At least that's gone right."
"Dean, you're awake!" said Ember. She was here! "How do you feel?"
"Never better!" he said. He continued to be surprised at how hoarse he sounded. At least they'd taken off the breathing tubes, he discovered.
"You're on a lot of pain pills," she said.
"That's probably a good thing."
Dean suddenly realized he was horribly thirsty. He saw some water on the table, and moved toward it. When he did so, he immediately felt dizzy, as if he had spun around several times and gone flying. It was also very painful, and he let out an involuntary grunt.
Ember rolled her eyes, and picked up the water, holding it up to him. Dean braced himself, then forced his hand up to hold the water himself.
"I wish Cas would've healed you," Ember said regretfully.
"I wouldn't let him do shit for me, especially mess with my insides."
Sam walked in then, a large batch of books in his arms. "Dean!" he said, dropping the books on the table in front of Ember. "Finally! I've been here all morning, but you've been asleep!"
"What did you get?" Dean asked him, looking at the books in his hand.
"A bunch of stuff I put on the waiting list at the local library," said Sam. "I put some more on reserve, too."
"Thanks," Ember said. She looked carefully at the pile of books. "I've read that one," she said, pointing at one of the books Sam laid on the table. "And that one. And that one won't help us, I've pored through it and it's all fiction, and terribly written. But that one might help us. They don't have a copy of that one yet at the Sioux Falls library. It's still on the waiting list."
Dean reached out toward them to gesture for them to pass him a book, but grunted in pain and dizziness again, causing them both to look back at him.
"Dude. You've gotta stay still," Sam said. "You know you just woke up from a coma, right?"
"I think you're due for another dose of pain pills," Ember said. "I'll call the nurse."
"What the hell did Alastair do to me?" Dean asked.
"Well, you weren't kidding about him," Ember said, turning to face Dean and shooting him a sad look. She pressed the "Nurse Call" button on the bedside remote. "The guy's a master craftsman. Knows exactly where to punch."
"Your skull is fractured in six places," Sam said.
"What the hell? He only hit me twice!"
"He's a demon," Ember pointed out, "and a fairly strong one at that."
"This is ridiculous," Dean said. "Give me a book, I'll look through one of those."
Ember and Sam both sent him looks of pity, but Sam obediently picked up a book off the table. Dean reached out to grab it, immediately feeling the dizziness once again. This time, he held back the involuntary gasp. When he looked at the words on the page, however, the dizziness came back in full force. Shortly after that, he could see, out of the corner of his eye, a nurse adjusting his IV again. Then he knew no more.
-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-
The next time Dean awoke, it was dark outside. He saw no one, but he could feel that Ember's hand was in his. Suddenly, she became visible again.
"Hey beautiful," he said.
"Dean!" she whispered.
He turned his head, and felt the dizziness again. "Stop trying to move," Ember whispered.
"I just wanted to see your face," he told her.
She smiled. "I have to admit, Dean, I'm not sure whether I'm enjoying this side of you, or if it makes me uncomfortable."
"Meaning?"
"I guess I got used to you trying to get me into bed."
"I haven't tried to get you into bed in three months," he pouted softly. It was the first time since the incident with the siren (back in February) that either of them had spoken about the incident with Anna (in November) and the dissolution of what they'd had before that. Still, the whole episode seemed so far away by now that neither of them cared.
"I suppose that's true," Ember said. "But I don't doubt you'll be doing it a lot more after the conversation you had with me yesterday."
Dean smiled knowingly. "You mean now that we're a thing?"
"I wasn't sure if you actually remembered having that conversation," Ember admitted.
"I do," Dean said with a hint of his old grin. "And yes, I suppose I will be trying to get you into bed a lot more often." Dean thought a moment, and the beginnings of a new feeling came over him. The pain had subsided for the moment and the dizziness had gone away now that he'd picked a position. "Come to think about it, when is that going to happen?"
"Let's start with you being able to move around without falling over, and we'll go from there," Ember said, her eyes dancing.
Dean grinned again, at least as much as he could muster. "Challenge accepted!" he said.
"Dean, that wasn't a-…"
But Dean didn't get far.
***Dean POV***
April 1, Evening
Recovery, Day 3
By the end of his third day in the hospital, Dean had regained the ability to move around without getting dizzy, as long as he didn't move too fast. Reading or watching TV was still difficult, however, for long periods of time, as he would once again become dizzy. He knew that if he admitted this, Ember would offer to read to him, and Sam would make fun of him and then offer to read to him, so he chose not to admit it. As a result, he was spending a lot of time pretending to read or watch television. Therefore, he was spending a lot of time bored.
"When the hell are they going to release me?" he said irritably to Sam when he came to visit.
"In a couple of days," Sam said for the third time that day. "When they get the final scans back and they can make sure there's no internal bleeding."
"They can't have figured that out after three days?"
"Dean, if Alastair had punched your skull in a millimeter more it would've stabbed completely into your brain, and the only reason you'd ever see me again is to treat your therapy needs," Ember said.
Dean had no answer for that. Instead, he began to formulate a plan.
***Dean POV***
April 2, Morning
Recovery, Day 4
On the morning of the fourth day in the hospital, Dean was awakened by voices.
"I'm not surprised," Sam was saying.
"Idgit," said Bobby.
"They really should've let him go home," Ember said. "He's clearly recovered his danger addiction and his faculties, if not his common sense. I couldn't talk him out of it. Believe me, I tried. But, the nurses got him, in the end."
Dean looked down and, sure enough, he was strapped to the bed with leather straps.
Bits and pieces of last night began to come back to him, as well as a dull ache in his side from where he'd fallen the previous night. He gave a slow grin. "I may have tried to leave last night."
"And how did that work for you, ya idgit?" asked Bobby.
"Still here, aren't I?" he snapped.
***Dean POV***
April 3, Morning
Recovery, Day 5
"Mr. Kavorki, if you try to leave, we won't stop you at this point," the doctor was saying to Dean.
"You tried to stop me the night before last," Dean shot back as he slowly moved around the hospital room, gathering his belongings.
"That was because you couldn't walk straight," the doctor replied. "You made it down to the ER, and the night shift thought you were either drunk or psychotic."
Dean ignored Ember and Sam, who were both sniggering. "But you're saying there's still a chance of internal bleeding?"
"We'd like to keep you a couple more days for observation," the doctor admitted. "You're out of what we consider to be the 'danger zone', but stranger things have happened. You were roughed up pretty bad, there, young man. You've got to take care of yourself."
"I appreciate everything you have done," Dean said, "but I'm going home. If I have to spend one more day in this damn hospital room, I'll bore myself back into a coma."
-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-
Aside from the issue of the apocalypse, Dean felt 100% better. He had showered, shaved, and put on clean clothes. Afterward, he made a beeline to Ember's room.
Life was too short. He had been to Hell, he had been to the hospital, the Apocalypse was imminent, and he was tired of waiting. He was tired of the guilt, too. Ember's words about being a righteous man had made him feel better, and a sense of determination had overcome him. He would stop the apocalypse. And he would do it with Ember, for Ember.
As soon as Ember answered the door, he kissed her. She was warm in his arms, and smelled like shampoo. Her lips were soft, and tasted like candy. She responded readily, and he slipped his tongue into her mouth slowly, cupping her head while leaning her against the wall to support both of them.
Dean wasn't sure how long they stood there, just kissing, before he finally stepped back. He did know it had been the best kiss of his life. Victory, at last. Her hair was frayed, and her lips were pouty and looking thoroughly kissed. "I'm taking you out to dinner," he proclaimed.
In slow motion, her face fell. "Maybe tomorrow, but tonight the guys were hoping we could all go out to dinner. They want to celebrate."
Dean groaned. "Fine. But somebody better spring for steak. And pie! I miss pie."
The dinner they had that night was one that Dean would remember for the rest of his life. He ate a very expensive steak, and he and Ember kept shooting each other "looks" when nobody else was looking. Afterward, the four of them talked late into the night about the coming apocalypse. Dean had been eager to leave the hospital so that he could have more alone time with Ember (in addition to all of the obvious reasons one hates the hospital). He quickly realized, however, that the others had all been eager for him to leave the hospital in order to discuss the latest episode of the unfolding apocalypse in a safe environment (without nurses that might possibly have been demons, and with a decent internet connection, for example).
"Dude." Dean said to Sam when Ember went to throw some laundry into the washing machine and Bobby went to go grab a six pack. "Can't you make some excuse and go to bed so Bobby will follow? You're supposed to be my brother!"
Sam shrugged. "Look, if you're that…" he grinned, "sexually frustrated, just use the Impala or one of the junk cars."
Dean glared at him, because they both knew the truth. You didn't have sex for the first time with a girl like Ember in a junk car. While the Impala might have been a decent option, he would never make the suggestion because he knew that both of them would associate it with their fight about Anna. Sex had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now it had cost him dearly.
At this point, alone time would be happening in the house, or not at all.
Dean finally got his chance after midnight. They had come to a lull in the conversation, and Sam and Bobby both finally decided to go to bed.
"Yeah, I'm going too," Ember said. "I'll come up in a second. Let me grab my things out of the dryer."
Dean waited until Sam and Bobby had gone upstairs before making a beeline for the wash room and putting his arms around Ember from behind, kissing her neck. Ember responded in kind, giggling and circling around in his arms. Though it cost him dearly and made him swoon a little, he picked her up and placed her on the top of the dryer, then flattened himself against it, her legs around him on either side.
Then they were kissing fiercely, and Dean wasn't sure where his mouth ended and Ember's began. He paused when Ember pulled his shirt off, and her hands felt like fire on the flat planes of his chest. He knew she could feel his hardness, and she squirmed against it, making him groan into her mouth. Slowly, he began to pull her shirt up, teasing the sensitive skin on her side, just above her jeans. Meanwhile he sucked at her neck, then kissed down her front to where her breasts were partially visible in her V-neck top.
Just when he was thinking about taking things farther, however, he heard footsteps walk by and realized that Bobby was in the kitchen. Before he had time to react, Bobby came through the door, causing him and Ember to immediately jump away from each other. Ember stood fixing her top, her face red, and Dean offered Bobby a big grin, combined with a shrug. Bobby had his shotgun with him, and Dean knew he must have heard a noise and come after them, thinking they might have been a demon.
"Balls!" Bobby screamed. Then, as if each word cost him a bit of his dignity, Bobby added, "If you want to do that, go get a hotel, or do it in the Impala! Next time I catch you in my house with a shitty grin on your face, Dean Winchester, I'll give you another skull fracture!"
***Dean POV***
April 4, Morning
Recovery Day 6
When Dean came downstairs the next morning, he was surprised to see Sam already wide awake, and the table laid out with pancakes, crepes, eggs, and sausages. Bobby and Ember were nowhere to be found, and Dean knew immediately that this wasn't good. The fact that the food was from a local restaurant meant that Sam had supplied it. The fact that Sam had supplied him with a spread of food meant that something was wrong.
"What happened?" Dean asked, suddenly wide awake.
"Ember and Bobby had to go take care of a situation," Sam said. "They'll be back in a few days."
"What kind of a situation?" was Dean's first question.
Sam sighed. "Some low-level demons kidnapped some of Ember's friends to try to get to her," he answered.
"Her mother?" Dean asked in alarm.
Sam laughed. "Nah, her mother's too good. And her friend Mike shot one of them in the leg when they tried to take him this morning, and salted his door after that. He called Ember at 4AM this morning, and she and Bobby went south."
Dean knew he'd liked Mike. He was still worried about Ember, however. "So what was the situation, then?" He was in the process of getting his coat and scooping up some of the eggs.
"Well, Ember called me again a couple of hours after she was on the road. Another couple of friends had called… two female friends. The demons got to them instead."
"Shit!" Dean swore, scarfing down more eggs.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sam snapped, standing in front of the door and crossing his arms.
"To Indiana," Dean said frankly.
"No, you're not," Sam said. "Why do you think I stayed behind?"
"If you honestly think I'm going to stay here while-…" Dean began.
"Ember doesn't want you to go," Sam said. "Check the note on the table."
So Dean did.
Hi Dean,
I'm sorry I had to bail on you like this, but it was either this or tie you to the bed like they did at the hospital.
From what we've been able to ascertain from Ruby, these guys are pretty dumb. They might have heard about me from other demons, or they might be making a play against Lucifer or Lilith… there doesn't seem to be any apocalypse-related movement, however. I promise, if there's anything suggesting otherwise, both you and Sam can come help.
Please, please, PLEASE, Dean, otherwise, stay HOME. Bobby and I can take care of ourselves. You need to be resting. As it is, you'd be a liability, for both of us. If the positions were reversed, you'd say the same, and you'd be right.
If you do this for me, as soon as I get back, you can have me – any time, in any position.
"Son of a bitch!" Dean exclaimed, and threw the note down on the table, stomping back to his room.