Dean flat-lined later that morning. Sam was eating breakfast and flipping through a tourist magazine, making comments like, "Been there...there...saw that...been there twice…"

Then, a terrifying sound filled the room; a drawn out beeeeeeep. Sam's head snapped up and he exclaimed, "Dean! No!"

He pushed his food tray out of the way and went towards his brother, who was completely still. The nurse that had helped Dean before, Carrie, was the first in the room. She made Sam get back and she started on Dean. When the other nurses caught up with her, she began giving orders and telling them numbers that meant nothing to Sam. Dr. Markus arrived and Carrie filled him in. Another nurse, Maddie, focused on Sam. She gently, but firmly, made him sit on his bed while someone pulled the curtain in between them and Dean.

"Sam, we need to let them help him. Just sit here and give them room to-"

"He's my brother," Sam said weakly. "I need to-"

"What's going on?" Bobby said from the doorway.

Before Sam could say anything, the flat-line was punctuated with a single beep and Carrie saying, "There he is."

There was the sound of someone sucking in a ragged breath, followed by coughing. Sam squirmed, trying to peer around the curtain. Bobby had moved closer so he could put a hand on Sam's shoulder, keeping both of them from pulling the curtain out of the way. Then, Dean's rough voice grated out, "Sam?"

Carrie reassured him, "Sam is fine. Just let us finish up and you can see him."

"No...no...where's S-sam...where…"

"I'm right here, Dean. It's okay, I'm okay," Sam told him, staying on the bed.

Carrie and Dr. Markus came around the curtain and Bobby asked, "What happened?"

"Last night, Dean fell while on his way back to bed. He seemed fine afterwards, but now he's declining," Dr. Markus began. He glanced at Sam, and added, "We aren't sure what stopped his heart, and we need consent to do some tests."

Bobby nodded. "You have it. If you need me to sign for it, let me know."

"Okay, we'll get those for you."

Dr. Markus went to get the forms and Carrie stayed to make sure the boys were comfortable. They finally pushed the curtain back and Sam saw that they had put an oxygen mask over Dean's nose and mouth. The other nurses began leaving. Maddie and Carrie still stayed. Dean kept asking where Sam was, and the younger brother automatically told him he was there. Finally, Dean mumbled, "Hey, Sammy."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "You good?"

"Yeah."

None of the doctors thought it would happen; Dean slipped into a coma that night. Sam woke up to the monitors sounding alarms and Bobby demanding answers. Before Sam realized what had happened, they were wheeling Dean out of the room. And for almost an hour, Sam and Bobby waited for an explanation. Dr. Markus finally returned and said, "He's back in ICU. He can't breathe on his own and we aren't sure he'll even make it through the rest of the night. So Sam, if you're feeling up to it, I'll let you sit with him. As long as you promise to take it easy."

Sam nodded and the three of them went to the ICU. Dr. Markus made sure Sam got settled in a comfortable chair at Dean's bedside and then took Bobby aside. He warned him, "Make sure Sam stays calm. He's still recovering, even if he looks better."

Bobby smiled sadly. "Doc, I've been taking care of these two for a long time. I know when they aren't runnin' at a hundred percent. I'm way ahead of ya."

The doctor nodded and left them alone. Bobby turned to watch his boys. Sam was leaning forward, gripping Dean's hand and bowing his head over it. The younger brother whispered, "Come on, dude. Just open your eyes. Tell me that this is nothing."

No response. Sam could feel Bobby watching him, but he didn't care.