Chapter 16
The next week seemed to go by quickly. The Mylar balloon, which had danced so happily in the corner, now lay exhausted on the hospital floor, having expended all that it had to bring joy to Sam. It had been a week of healing, a week of family, and a week of fun…at least for Dean anyways…
Having no interest in chess and finding a modified version of poker a bit too difficult, the boys had settled for endless games of checkers to entertain themselves; anything more was too complicated for someone strung out on pain meds. Even still, much to Dean's delight, Dean would beat the pants off of Sam every time, that is if he'd had any pants in the first place. Sam was truly off his game and, growing tired of Dean's incessant gloating, eventually lost interest in playing.
"Wanna play checkers?" Dean questioned, trying to bait Sam into another humiliating tournament.
"No"
"Aw, c'mon, Sammy"
"No"
"Afraid your gonna lose……AGAIN?" Dean teased with a smug smile on his face.
"You know, I actually think you're enjoying this!" Sam said as he looked amusingly at his brother's Cheshire Cat grin.
"Course not, Sam, how could I?" Dean teased with a 'who me' look on his face as he glanced up at his playful brother and attempted to get him to reconsider.
"I'll give you a chocolate candy bar if you play…." He continued, waving one of the many bars stacked up on Sam's night table under a pile of empty wrappers.
Dean tried to use Sammy's collection of chocolate candy bars to bribe him to play and, at first, it had worked. Sam figured it was a fair price to pay- chocolate for a gloating Dean. Eventually, however, Sam, having won the heart of the same cute little volunteer Dean had gotten to know, was receiving his own daily supply of chocolates thus rendering Dean's bribes… ineffective. The older sibling was quite disappointed at the unpleasant turn of events.
"I thought you loved me" he stated as the pretty girl returned with a candy bar for each boy.
She smiled at the both of them and then handed Sam and extra bar.
Sam smiled and held up his candy bar, gloating this time in Dean's face as the girl hurried on to her next visit.
"And no, I don't want to play checkers." He declared with great pleasure.
"Fine, whatever, just don't blame me if you're bored." Dean answered curtly tossing yet another candy wrapper on the overly trashed night table.
Over the course of the week, the boys moved on from checkers to penny soccer, from there to triangular paper football, Styrofoam cup basketball, and of course day time TV. They always migrated to the channels that carried shows about ghosts and ghost hunters and spent hours poking fun at the ridiculous stories dramatized before them. The staff thought it a bit weird and tended to avoid the two during those shows.
"Shotguns don't work on spirits, you idiot" Dean would holler back to the TV like a rowdy football fan during the Super Bowl Game.
"Dean…" Sam called quietly attempting to hush his over enthusiastic brother.
"Well at least use consecrated iron rounds…jeez!…"
"Dean!" his younger brother beckoned glancing out at the nurses' station to see if anyone was looking.
"Well….. they shouldn't write shows about things they know nothing about!" He retorted.
Still the episode continued on. A few smiles crossed Sam's lips. Dean continued to grow frustrated with the show's believability or lack there of.
"Ah, man, ghosts don't leave footprints! –Come on!" he shouted loudly.
"DEAN!"
"What? WHAT!" Dean hollered back surprised by Sam's correction.
Sam cocked his head to the side and gestured over to the nurse's station just outside his door.
Dean leaned over his tacky orange chair, tipping it slightly so he could look out the door and see what Sam was gesturing to. The staff seemed frozen in place, staring at the elder brother…with a look of "He's crazy" splashed across most of their faces.
Dean flashed his classic "gotta love me" smile and embarrassingly leaned his chair back to the floor to look at Sam.
Sam gave him one of those eyebrows up in the air, head shaking kind of looks.
"Yeah, yeah, okay" he frowned and quieted down.
For the next few minutes the show moved along with a few laughs from Sam and a couple snorts from Dean. Sam enjoyed watching Dean try to contain his comments. Unfortunately, moments later, Dean lost his struggle with self control.
"I swear, Sammy, when have you ever seen a Wendigo with a full head of hair!"
Sam rolled his eyes and smiled knowingly at his brother; for all his quirks, Sam sure did love him…. Even enough to change the channel whenever he saw the fabric softener teddy bear pop up on the screen in a desperate attempt to keep Dean from getting upset about the darn thing.
Mingled throughout the fun, the brother's shared quiet moments talking. Sam did most of the talking while Dean sympathetically and supportively listened, acknowledged his fears, countered Denton's thinking, and helped his little brother move on.
Day by day Sam grew stronger physically though emotionally he seemed to ride a bit of a roller coaster. Denton's ruling that he was a "Supernatural" and that he would one day be a monster, periodically cropped back up, but Dean in his newly adopted "caring, sharing" kind of way always seemed to put things in the right perspective for Sam
The week finished being a mix of fun, family, and reflection. Both boys were healing…physically and emotionally, their bond of trust growing stronger daily, helping each other continue forward towards the future, leaving the past behind.
After meeting all of the doctor's final requirements, having many of his railroad tracks removed and being able to be freed from the intravenous fluids that seemed to incessantly pump through is veins, Sam was given permission to be released….the next day that is.
Sam, upon hearing the good news, finally convinced his big brother to take care of himself for a change, to go back to the motel and get cleaned up. Dean had noticed that the female staff members were looking disgustingly at him. He would have done it sooner, but he'd been at this brother's side every day and he felt uncomfortable leaving him, concerned that he wouldn't be there should his little brother need him. Finally pride won out over purpose and Dean conceded.
Sam also insisted that Dean sleep at the motel as well.
"What's the matter, little brother? Ya sick of me?" Dean asked pretending to be offended.
"Just don't think your chair'll survive another night." Sam teased as he gestured to the torn vinyl cover and splintering leg.
Truth was, Dean deserved a night in an actual bed. While Sam really appreciated his brother's vigil at his bedside, it pained him to see his brother sprawled out uncomfortably night after night on his account. The tacky orange chair just really wasn't a good fit for his 6 foot 1 brother and Sam's bed barely contained his oversized body so Dean joining him there was out of the question. Though the motel beds offered little more comfort than Dean's tacky hospital "bed", at least his brother could stretch out. Sam assured Dean he would be fine for one night.
Dean glanced down at his beloved 'home' and looked back at Sam. He hesitated, but, realizing he needed to get some clothes and supplies for Sam's homecoming, obliged.
"Yeah, alright," Dean agreed after Sam's continual urging, "but you better not go anywhere while I'm gone."
"Like that's gonna happen." Sam answered back. "Oh… and Dean?"
"What!"
"You might want to get a hair cut as well."
"Jealous, little brother?" Dean teased, "Afraid of a little hair competition?"
Sam gave his brother an annoyed look.
"Get a hair cut…." Dean muttered chuckling under his breath and shaking his head. "Never thought I'd hear that from you, Sammy. I didn't think you believed in haircuts!" he teased as he walked out of the room and into the corridor.
"Cute!" Sam hollered trying to reach his brother's ears.
Dean poked his head back into Sam's room and said, "Always was, always will be……
He ducked his head back in again and added, "Was born that way, but you already knew that."
Sam rolled his eyes and pointed towards the door.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm outta here."… "And Sammy, try not to miss me too much" he winked.
Upon Dean's leaving his hospital home, an entire team of gloved and masked individuals descended on the overused chair and the trashed nightstand beside it and sterilized them both. The nurse Sam had come to know as Sarah, had smiled and winked right after Dean had left…and Sam was pretty sure she had ordered the Hazmat Team.
That night, Dean called three times, mostly with stupid questions. Sam smiled knowing that the only reason his brother was calling was to check on him. Each time Sam said the same things….he was fine… yes, still alive… no, no problems or pain… no, he couldn't lock his hospital room door, and yes, the windows were salted and locked.
Sam always thanked Dean for his call and hung up. The truth was Sam was actually glad Dean had called. It was the first time he had been alone since….. well, since he had been taken, and he was feeling a bit on edge. It was going to be a long night and he would be alone, alone in his head. He just hoped Denton wasn't planning on making any appearances in his nightmares.
A gentle rain began to pitter patter on the window pane outside of Sam's hospital room. The lights from the parking lot reflected off the tiny water droplets as they gathered together and dribbled down to the window sill below. After listening to the soothing rhythm and watching the raindrops playfully racing each other to the bottom, Sam eventually fell asleep.
Somewhere in the middle of the night, the rain stopped and a storm began.
"Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamy"