When Dean woke up, he woke to pain, intense, debilitating pain. He gasped alerting his brother to his awareness leading his brother to quickly run to the next room to grab the doctor. Before Sam made it back Dean's gasping had turned into ragged breaths occasionally giving way to a brief whimper of pain. His eyes blinked hazily but often closed again wishing he could go back to his unawareness. Dean's face and body were covered with sweat, his back arching off the bed, straining against hope that he could somehow flee from the pain inside his chest and stomach.
"Sh, sh, sh, sh, sh. Hold on Dean. I'm going to give you something for the pain." He whimpered again unable to form a coherent thought though the agony he was experiencing. It didn't take long for the medication to take effect. Dean felt himself dropping back to the mattress, the pain that had been so prevalent now only visiting his body in ghosts of what it had been. His eyes drifted closed his body worn out and he dropped into a medicated slumber.
Sam watched all of this from Dean's side, watched as he wrestled with the pain, as he gave in to sleep, not missing the tears that had poured down from his brothers eyes. "Why did he have to be in so much pain?" the 13 year old questioned quietly already knowing the reasoning the doctor had given earlier.
"We needed him to wake up, 20 hours is too long for someone to still be under the influence of anesthesia." Rebecca paused looking toward the young boy, "Sam, he'll be better the next time he wakes up. The pain just helped pull him out of it."
Sam sighs before nodding his understanding and resuming his vigil at his brothers right hand side.
Dean woke again an hour or so later this time without the extreme pain. His hand gently graces his kid brothers' head who had fallen asleep precariously perched between the folding chair that he was sitting in and his upper body which shared the edge of Dean's bed.
Rebecca came in quietly, happy to have seen that her charge was awake and looking to be much better than before. "Hello, Dean. I don't know if you'll remember me at all…"
Dean interrupted, "I remember you Doc. Thanks for fixing me up." Rebecca nodded.
"Well the good news is that the bullet that entered into your stomach and exited through your back miraculously missed all vital organs and arteries." Dean nodded knowing that the bad news was still on its way. "Your chest on the other hand was quite the mess. The bullet pierced through the chest wall, breaking a rib, and grazing the lung. The rib exasperated the already grazed lung hence the collapsed lung in the field. The bullet than became lodged on the back side of the lung trapped between the lung itself and the rib cage." Dean nodded again showing that he was following the story. "Long story short, it was a long, complicated surgery and you're going to have a long recovery but you're going to be okay." Dean nodded yet again.
"Has anyone called our Dad?" Dean asked his voice rough and low.
Rebecca nodded, "Pastor Jim did. I believe that he is on his way." Dean nodded again, his eyes drifting to his younger brother.
"How long have I been out?"
"About a day, hence the harsh wake up call." Dean nodded yet again. "Get some rest. Pastor Jim and Caleb will be back soon from finishing up the hunt and Sammy hasn't slept a wink since you were brought in; a couple hours cat nap is exactly what the doctor ordered."
Dean smirked at the pun-ny remark since she was in fact the doctor but quickly realized just how tired he was as his eyes drifted shut and his mind returned to blankness.
About two hours later Dean stirred again, this time feeling a tinge of pain as he adjusted on the bed and opened his eyes. Sam was awake this time and had eagerly leaned forward to look into his brothers eyes. "Dude…personal space." Dean moaned but he was just as happy to see Sam as Sam was to see him.
Sam leaned back on his chair slightly though his body still leaned toward his older brother, "How are you feeling?"
"Swell." Dean responded, Sam rolled his eyes but let the comment go untested. At that moment Caleb and Pastor Jim walked into the room.
"Ahhh, Dean. It's good to see you up." Pastor Jim exclaimed moving to grasp Dean's offered hand.
"Yeah, thanks for all your help, Jim." Jim waved off the thanks while Caleb walked nearer his friends' sick bed.
"You're looking a little rough…" Caleb ribbed gently.
"Yeah, well; I'd still give you a run for your money." Dean teased back immediately breaking the tension that had arisen between the two hunters. Dean was certain that Caleb felt somehow responsible for the hunt and the southern direction it had headed.
"I'm glad you're doing better." Caleb stated plainly, Dean smiled but stayed silent; it was time to let the chick-flick moment die.
"So when is Dad getting here?" Dean questioned lightly trying not to sound too eager or needy.
"He said he should be here within the week. He's glad you're alright but had a couple things to do in order to finish up the hunt." Jim filled in hesitantly, knowing that Dean would be hurt.
Emotion crossed Dean's face albeit briefly before he moved on to another topic. "The witch?"
Caleb took this one, "Salted and burned." Dean nodded glad to hear the job at least ended right.
"Well gentlemen, I'm going to leave you to catch up. I'll be by soon; I'm glad you're getting better Dean."
The boys laughed for awhile keeping the conversation light and moving careful not to deal on heavy topics like the close encounter they had or the parental figure that was sorely lacking from the equation. The boys brought the visit to an end when Rebecca came to give Dean his next dose of pain killers and he could barely keep his eyes open.