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 9 – The Missing Link

As Dean rounded a bend in the river, his heart stopped as he saw a figure laying on the bank in the distance. "SAMMY!" Dean yelled as he ran towards the figure.

But there was no answer from the unmoving form on the bank.

Dean ran towards his brother's prone figure, hoping that he wasn't too late. He couldn't be too late…he should have never fallen asleep. Dean quickly knelt next to his brother and gently turned him over. Feeling for a pulse, Dean sighed with relief as he felt the faint but solid pulse beneath his finger tips. Dean began to check Sam for other injuries. He lifted Sam's shirt and noticed that there seemed to be more bruising than before, especially on Sam's left shoulder. He then began to check Sam's head. As he felt around the back of Sam's head, his hand came back with blood on it. "Damn it Sam…what the hell happened to you this time?"

Dean sat back and took in the rest of Sam's appearance. It looked from the cuts and scrapes on his hands and the torn pants that his brother had probably fallen and even crawled to get this far. Looking back, Dean could see the staggered foot prints in the river's bank. It looked like Sam had been coming from the forest rather than the river this time. "Ok Sam, it's time for you to wake up for me!" Dean tapped Sam lightly on the cheek, hoping to wake his brother.

Sam moaned and slowly opened his eyes. He blinked at he saw his brother's angry face appear above him. But wait, now there were two Deans and both look ready to kill him. He swallowed quickly as the nausea hit him next. Sam desperately tried to roll, but his ribs and his arm screamed at the movement. "Dean…please…help!" Sam gulped as he felt the contents of his stomach coming up.

Dean realized the problem and gently helped Sam sit up and turn his head to the side. Sam continued to vomit long after the contents of his stomach had been emptied. The tears were running down his face as the pain in his body and the spasms took their toll on him. As the spasms finally calmed down, Dean helped Sam stand and placing his brother's good arm over his shoulder, began to head back towards the car.

"Come on Sam, you need to stay awake man…I think you have a concussion and I need to get you to the hospital." Dean said as he saw Sam's eyes beginning to close again.

Sam snapped his eyes open. "NO! please Dean, I'm ffinnne!"

"Sure you are, that's why I'm carrying most of your weight and your eyes are having trouble focusing. We don't have a choice here Sam, we need to make sure there isn't serious damage to the thick head of yours…then I'm gonna break your neck!"

Sam sighed, he knew that Dean had every right to be pissed. But Sam was scared, once again he had woken up in the forest with no recollection of how he had gotten there. "Dean? Ah…how, how did I?"

"What's the last think you remember Sam?" Dean asked cautiously

"I was working on the computer and got up to get ready for bed…then…I…I…don't know! God Dean, what's happening to me?" Sam looked fearfully at his big brother.

Dean saw the look of fear in his brother's eyes and the anger quickly disappeared. He just wish he knew how to stop this from happening. "I don't know Sam, but I'm going to make it better…I promise!"

It took Dean over an hour to get Sam back to the car. By that time both boys were near exhaustion. Sam had stopped talking and appeared to be just barely conscious. "Here you go Sammy, now remember, you can't go back to sleep until the nice doctor has a look at you!"

Sam nodded, but regretted the action as the pain lanced through his head from the movement. He tried to breath through the pain, but it was getting hard to keep his eyes open. "Sorry Dean" Sam whispered as Dean got into the driver's seat.

"What for Sam?"

"No help to you…totally useless, can't even remember where I went. You should just leave me at the hospital." Sam's eyes began to close as the darkness began to claim him once again.

"No way Sammy, you hear me. We are in this together…Sam?" Dean sighed as he saw his brother slump forward unconscious. "Aw Sammy…I mean it, we'll get through this, just hang on for me ok?"

An hour later, Dean finally saw the doctor coming from the triage room. He had spent the last hour trying to put the pieces of what they knew so far together. He knew that they had to be dealing with a spirit and that if they could find her bones, he could solve the problem. He remembered the map he had seen earlier and wondered if Sam had found a place to start looking. Maybe that was why he hand wondered off…but Dean knew that was just wishful thinking. Something was drawing his brother to Ghost Hollow and that something was going to pay for hurting his little brother.

"Mr. Carson?"

"Yes, Doctor. How is Sam? Dean always hated this part, the second of silence before he would find out if his world would be saved or destroyed.

"He has a nasty cut on the back of his head that required stitches. As you know he did have a broken rib, but luckily it didn't puncture his lung. His shoulder is pretty badly bruised and will most likely be stiff and sore for the next couple of days. He is conscious now and is demanding to be released. I would really like to keep here for at least 24 hours to make sure that there is no complication from the concussion."

"Can he go back to the motel with me?" Dean knew that if Sam wanted out of the hospital, not much would keep him here.

"Yes, but he should remain quiet and in bed for at least the next 24 hours. I will give you some pain medication that will make him sleepy and allow him to rest. After that, he should take it easy for the next 3 to 4 days."

"Can I see him now?" Dean asked, wanting to see Sam for himself.

"Sure, follow me. I'll have the paperwork sent in for his signature along with the prescriptions."

A short time later Dean had gotten Sam back to the motel room and even managed to convince his brother to lay down. Sam had been really worked up about something earlier…but Dean didn't want Sam to suffer any more pain on top of the pain from the head injury. Dean sat and watched Sam sleep for a few moments, wondering once again how he could help Sam when Sam couldn't tell him what was going on.

Dean returned to the table and began to go over the things that Sam had done prior to his impromptu walk on the wild side last night. Dean had stopped in the office to extend their stay for a couple more days and was glad to hear that the police had found the car and that they had written it off to a kid joy riding. "If only they knew how old the 'kid' was!" Dean smirked as he continued to read the articles that Sam had printed off. His eyes were drawn to the map that Sam had been working on. "I'll be darned Sammy…it looks like you may have found the area to search!"

Sam moaned in his sleep, but didn't answer. Dean shook his head. His brother thought he was useless and yet, he had managed to put some more pieces of the puzzle together. Dean started to read through the accounts of those who had died once more. Based on what they knew now, Dean began to see a pattern. Getting excited, Dean quickly began to tape the pictures in order of death on the wall. As he sat back, he finally realized why Sam was being affected and not him. For once it wasn't his brother's freaky powers that were drawing the spirit to him…it was because he couldn't be with his true love.

In each case, the person who had died or gone missing had suffered the loss of a lover. Some through death and others like Brett, due to outside conditions that made it impossible for them to be together. Dean looked at Sam as he heard the confirmation of his guess coming from his brother's lips.

"Jess…NO! Please come back, I need you." Sam cried in his sleep.

Dean walked over to his brother and placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder. "It's ok Sam, I've got you. We have a place to look now thanks to you and after you are feeling a little better, we're going to find that ghost and send her on her way."

Dean reached over to wipe the tears from his brother's face and smiled as Sam seemed to lean into his touch, taking comfort even in his sleep from his big brother's presence. "Just sleep Sammy…I've got your back!"

Dean pulled the chair over beside Sam's bed and continued to read the information that Sam had found. He didn't plan on sleeping again until this was all over.

TBC

Raven524: Here you go…another chapter done and on it's way. And just in case none of you are keeping track…only 3 more days until season 2!