Author's note: Thank you for the wonderful reviews!
Spn
"I need some help over here!" John yelled as he entered the ER.
Nurses and doctors immediately surrounded him, placing Sam on a gurney, and rushing him to an exam room.
"Sir, I'm going to need you to tell me what's wrong." A nurse said as the team worked on Sam, getting him out of his clothes, leaving him in his diaper, taking his temperature using an ear thermometer, attaching electrodes on the tiny chest along with a pulse ox meter and the smallest blood pressure cuff John had ever seen.
"Sam, his name is Sam. He's two, started running a low-grade fever in the afternoon and started vomiting straight after then some diarrhea later on. We made him drink some Pedialyte and grape Tylenol, but he just threw them back up. I brought him here because his fever was 102.5 and he stopped peeing." John explained, trying to stem his panic but with no success.
"Temperature is at 102.7" a nurse said.
"Alright start him on a saline drip, kid's dehydrated, and take his diaper, send it down to the lab for a stool sample. Get phlebotomy here, we need blood work done." A doctor barked.
John watched as a nurse ran an IV line in the back of Sammy's little hand, wrapping it in gauze so he wouldn't pull it. Another nurse took the soiled diaper, placing it in a sterile bag, handed it to an orderly, then changed him in a fresh diaper. Another man came who John assumed to be the phlebotomist, as the other nurses and doctors filed out of the room.
Unfortunately, Sam woke up just as the phlebotomist was inserting the needle in his arm. His eyes widened and he immediately started bawling.
John quickly stepped into Sam's line of view and immediately started caressing his baby's face and speaking in a low soothing tone to distract him.
"It's okay baby. Shhh, Daddy's here. It's alright."
The phlebotomist finished his work quickly, retracting the needle and placing a gauze pad on the puncture site then securing it with some medical tape. Placing the vials of blood in a sterile bag, he pulled a wad of cartoon animal stickers from his pocket. He was a father himself and hated when he caused kids pain, so he always found a way to make it up to them.
"What's your name buddy?" he asked the sobbing child, smiling as the father of the toddler scooped him up and cradled him close.
"Sammy, tell him your name tiger." John said as he rocked the toddler, but Sam just sobbed and buried his head in the crook of John's neck.
The phlebotomist smiled "Well, Sammy, since you were such a brave boy today, I have a surprise for you." He said gently.
Sam, curious of what the man had to offer, peeked from his hiding spot, sniffling miserably. "Supise?" he asked in a low voice.
"You got it little man. Do you like stickers?"
Sam's face lit up for a second before he drooped back to his father's shoulders from sickness and exhaustion "Sicktews!"
Both the phlebotomist and John laughed as Sam expressed his enthusiasm, albeit tiredly, for the sticky pictures.
"What do we say to the nice man tiger." John said as he pressed a kiss to his son's forehead.
Sam peeked at the man behind his soft hair, melting the phlebotomist's heart as he saw the softest, most expressive hazel green eyes he had ever seen. "Tank oo nice man." Sam said shyly, clutching the stickers close.
"You're quite welcome," he told Sam then turned to John "The names Mark. If you need anything, call me. I know how overwhelming and scary to have a child in the hospital."
"John. Thank you, Mark." He said as he shook the man's hand with the hand not holding his son then sat on the gurney with Sam on his lap as Mark exited the room.
He was left to the sounds of the monitors tracking Sam's vitals beeping in the room and the soft murmurs Sam was doing as he played with the stickers. John had always been in awe of Sam's wild imagination, he could make a game out of anything, even a scrap of metal that he had found lying around in Bobby's yard. Course, he gave his father, brothers, and uncles a heart attack when they found him playing a game of his own making with said sharp piece of metal.
Just then, a nurse came in, several gowns in her hand. "Hiya Sam! I'm Katie, do you want to pick what you want to wear?" The nurse asked gently.
Sam seemed to trust her because he beamed as she held out several options of printed gowns. John wasn't surprised when he pointed at the "Tigew!" Sam exclaimed.
"That's my personal favorite." Katie whispered conspirately to Sam and winked to which Sam giggled "I tigew!" he told her proudly.
"His uncles, brothers, and I call him tiger." John elaborated.
"I'm sure he's just the cheekiest little tiger. Dad, do you want to help the tiger put on his gown?" Katie asked smiling at the sweet child in front of her.
"Of course." John said as he took the gown from her and helped Sam get into it, tying it in the back, smiling as Sam burrowed back in his arms and closed his eyes, exhausted.
Katie draped a light sheet around the child in John's arms "I'm going to be Sam's head nurse. You'll probably be relocated to the pediatrics ward when Sam gets admitted once his test results come out. That's where I work usually but had to take the shift here due to staff shortages." Katie sighed, then smiled again "If you or Sam need anything, don't hesitate to press the call button."
"Thanks Katie. Actually, could I ask you for a favor?"
"Sure, ask away."
"My family's waiting for us in the waiting room. Could you please let them here? Sam could really use the support system."
"Of course. And don't worry about visiting hours and the number of visitors. We make sure that the child is well surrounded with support here. Your brothers are welcome to stay as long as they'd like."
"Thank you, Katie." John said as he stood up and started walking across the room with Sammy, who was lightly dozing, in his arms.
A few minutes later, the curtain drew back, and Jim, Joshua and Caleb entered the exam room quietly. They took in the sight of Sam in the tiger hospital gown with the monitors attached to him and the IV in his arm, his head on his dad's shoulder.
"How's little bit?" Joshua whispered.
"He's still pretty wiped out but hopefully with the IV he can get better. They ran some tests but still no results." John said as he rubbed the sleeping toddler's back affectionately.
"Poor tiger." Caleb said as he rested a hand on the top of Sammy's head.
Just then, Jim's phone rang, and he quickly ducked out of the room to answer it before it woke Sam up.
"Johnny you better talk to the nurses because we ain't leaving. So they better not preach about visiting hours and that nonsense." Joshua stated as he sat down in a chair while Caleb nodded his head in agreement.
John grinned "Don't worry, they don't have visiting hours in pediatrics here."
Jim re-entered the room "That was Bobby. Dean woke up and apparently nearly hit Bobby when he found out where, and I quote 'His Sammy' went. They're on their way here."
"About time. I would've paid good money to see Bobby's reaction. Taken down by a six year old…" Caleb chortled.
The curtain shifted and in stepped a middle-aged doctor with salt and pepper hair and a kind smile.
"Gentlemen, I'm Doctor Nicely. I have Sam's test results. I'm afraid Sam here has Salmonella poisoning."
The other men blanched; John had to sit down as not to drop Sammy.
"Wait doc, isn't Salmonella dangerous?" Joshua asked worriedly.
"It is, if left untreated. But we caught it early with Sam here and he should make a full recovery in a couple of days." The doctor assured them.
"So what's the next step?" John asked.
"Well the first thing would be to admit Sam to the pediatric ward. There I've left instructions for the nurses to treat it with fluids and fever reducers through his IVs."
"So no antibiotic or specific medicine?" Jim asked.
The doctor shook his head "With salmonella the worst complication is dehydration by the fever, vomiting. By giving him fluids and medications to stop the symptoms through the IV, that's the best treatment for his condition."
"Thank you doctor." John said as he shook the man's hand.
"I'll send in Nurse Katie in a couple of minutes to take you up to pediatrics. Good day gentlemen." He said then exited the exam room.
"Well that's a relief." Caleb said as he sank into the chair next to Joshua.
"Daddy?" a small voice piped up.
"Hey buddy, you need anything?" John asked him, craning his neck to look at his youngest, who's head was still on his dad's shoulder.
"I wan Deanie."
"Dean's on his way buddy." John assured the toddler, but Sam's lower lip wobbled dangerously.
"I wan Deanie now!"
"I'm here Sammy!" came a new voice from behind the curtain.
"Oh thank god." Caleb said with relief.
"Deanie!" Sam brightened up when he saw his big brother come into the room followed by Bobby.
Dean climbed up on the gurney then John lay Sam next to him, careful to disturb any of the monitors and Sam's IV.
The five hunters took in the heart warming scene as the two brothers relished in the comfort of one another.
"These two really are something." Joshua whispered.
John smiled "That they are."
Spn
Only one more chapter to go! If you enjoyed this chapter, feel free to drop a review!