Disclaimer: I still don't own Supernatural or its characters. I and am not making any money on this…I'm just having fun filling in the time until September!

Ghost Hollow

Chapter 5 – Battling the River

Sam yelled as his body plummeted to the river below. "DEAN!" Just before Sam disappeared beneath the water he heard a frantic cry from the river bank. "SAMMY!"

But Sam couldn't answer, he was too busy trying not to drown.

The cold of the river hit Sam with its full force as he felt himself being drawn down into its' murky depths. Sam tried to fight the strong currents, but the harder he fought, the further away from the shore he was drawn. As he hit the bottom, Sam instinctively used his legs to propel himself to the surface, breaking the surface he once again tried to aim for shore, but his arms and legs felt like lead and his broken rib was making movements more difficult. Sam heard his brother yelling something at him from the shore, but he couldn't make it out. As he felt himself being pulled under again, he found himself letting go…it would be so easy to just let go.

Dean watched in horror as his brother's body hit the water with a loud splash. He had been heading back to the car along the river bank after following Sam's trail through the woods. But other than getting a faint reading on the EMF, he hadn't seen anything that would tell him what had happened to either Sam or Brett. As he approached the hill just before the bridge, he happened to look up and saw his brother leaning over the edge and then saw him fall into the rapidly flowing river below.

"SAMMY!" Dean yelled as he saw his brother disappear below the surface. As his eyes frantically searched the river, he saw his brother's head pop up above the surface. "Sammy, swim towards me…I'll get you, but you have to swim!"

Dean saw Sam look in his direction and he could see his brother attempting to swim, but the currents were too strong. Dean watched as once again his brother's head disappeared below the surface. "Sammy!"

Dean realized that he had no choice, he'd have to go in after Sam and hope for the best. He quickly took off his jacket and kicked off his boots as he ran down the river bank and dove into the raging river. He saw his brother's head pop up again and smiled as he saw his brother trying to swim once more. "Sammy! I'm here…hold on, I'm coming in to get you!"

"NO! Dean…you'll drown…I can…I can do this!" Sam gasped as he once again started to swim towards the bank, only this time instead of trying to fight the current, he began to swim with it and slowly angled towards the shoreline. But the cold and pain from his rib were too much, causing him to sink below the surface one more time. Sam felt a strange calm come over him as he started to sink to the bottom of the river. Just as Sam was ready to close his eyes and give in, he felt something grab his jacket and pull him back towards the surface.

"Come on Sammy, you're almost there, we just have a few more feet…I've got you!" Dean was swimming towards the shore, keeping his brother's head above the water. He never should have left Sam alone, he knew that something was affecting his brother…but he never thought it would drive him to jump off a bridge.

It seemed like hours, but Dean finally managed to get them close enough to the shore so that they could get their feet under themselves and wade out. "Damn it Sammy…I told you to stay in the car!"

Sam tried to lift his head as Dean pulled him onto the shore and started to head back towards the car, but he didn't have any energy left. "SSSSorrrry…hhhheaaard…argh!" Sam arched in Dean's arms as a white hot pain once again hit him in his head. The tears began to flow as Sam's body was overwhelmed by the pain, the cold and the exhaustion from fighting the river.

"Sam, just hold on…I'll have you back to the car in no time…do you hear me, just hold on!" Dean could see the blue tinge around Sam's lips and could feel the tremors in his brother's body. He could also see the agony on Sam's face as he closed his eyes. He knew that Sam was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't stand the agony in his face. "Sam, don't worry…we'll sort this all out later. Just concentrate on walking ok…I don't think I can carry you up the hill!"

Sam knew that Dean would carry him, but he had to try to help. Taking a deep breath and then wincing as his rib reminded him that it was probably broken, Sam nodded and concentrated on placing one foot in front of the other. He sighed with relief as he saw the familiar glint of black metal in the moonlight. Dean had stopped to grab his boots and had placed his coat over Sam's shoulders along the way. Sam was thankful for the warmth of the coat as his body continued to shiver from the cold.

Dean quickly placed Sam on the back seat of the Impala, grabbing one of their sleeping bags from the trunk, he wrapped it around the shivering figure of his brother. "Ok Sam, hold on while I get you to the hospital to have you checked out."

"NO! Nnnnooo…hhhosspitalll DDeaannn!" Sam ground out between chattering teeth. He knew that his brother would continue the hunt without him if he allowed himself to be admitted.

Dean looked at Sam closely and saw the stubborn set of his jaw. "Ok, we'll go back to the motel, but if after I check you out, there are any serious injuries, we go to the hospital…agreed?"

Sam just nodded his head, too tired to argue any more. He just wanted to get warm and get some sleep. He heard Dean slam the trunk closed and get into the drivers seat. The purr of the engine soon had Sam drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

Dean made it back to the motel in record time. He quickly went to open the door before he returned to get his brother. Sam was unconscious, his body giving in to the exhaustion and pain. Dean was glad in a way because it would allow him to check his brother out without having to argue. Pulling Sam up and placing him over his shoulders, Dean grunted as he carried his brother into the room.

Dean quickly stripped Sam and wrapped him in the spare blanket the motel provided. He had noticed the black and blue marks that were already beginning to form on Sam's back and chest. At first he thought that Sam had jumped from the bridge, but the injuries didn't support that theory. Sam had hit the rail twice before going into the river…but Dean hadn't seen anything on the bridge when Sam fell. Yet, Dean also remembered that Sam had mentioned he heard something. Deciding he could figure out the mystery later. He went into the bathroom and ran a warm bath for his brother. The water would not only warm him up quicker, but it would help with the pain from the broken rib that Dean had felt when he examined his brother's bruises.

"Ok Sam, time to get wet again…you are smelling a little rank!" Dean realized that he probably didn't smell much better.

An hour later, Dean had managed to get Sam warmed up enough that his brother had stopped shivering. He had taped his brother's ribs and gotten him back into the bed, adding his own blanket to cover his brother. Sam still hadn't opened his eyes, but Dean figured that his brother had to be exhausted. "Ok Sam, now that you are all cleaned up, I guess it's time I grab a quick shower. I'll leave the door open in case you need me." Dean paused as he saw his keys on the dresser…he grabbed them and took them with him into the bathroom, leaving the door open a crack so that he could hear his brother. He wasn't going to take any chances with Sam wandering off again. He placed the keys for the car in the medicine cabinet…the last place that Sam would look for them and then got into the shower.

Sam opened his eyes slowly, looking around the room as he realized that Dean must have gotten him back to the motel. He could hear his brother humming his favorite Metallica song in the bathroom. He smiled as he saw the door cracked. His brother was definitely in mother hen mode, but right now Sam was glad. He didn't know what was wrong with him or why he was drawn to Ghost Hollow. But right now, all he cared about was both he and his brother were safe.

"Hey there Sammy…how are you feeling?" Dean asked as he came into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. He could see Sam grimace as he reached for his ribs. "Take it easy Sammy, you have a cracked rib. I taped it, but between that and the bruises you're gonna be sore for a couple of days!"

"Thanks Dean." Sam said simply, letting his eyes convey the depth of his feeling to his brother.

"No problem Sam…now, I want you to take these pain pills, I got you some juice to wash them down. Then you and I are going to get some shut eye…ok?" Dean watched to see if Sam's headache was getting any worse, but his brother seemed to be fine. He had decided that he would avoid discussing what happened until he could figure out what was causing Sam's headaches.

"Ok Sammy…time to go to sleep. Do you want me to read you a bed time story or do you think you can handle it on your own?" Dean smiled as he brother gave him a disgusted sigh before closing his eyes. Dean sat there for a long time watching his brother sleep, before he gave into his own body's need for sleep.

TBC

Raven524: Ok, bonus chapter…and I'm also giving our boys a brief rest! More chapters will follow shortly!