A/N: I know this one's a little shorter, but I wanted to publish another chapter today.

If You Dare Challenge - #278 (Churning stomach)

Are You Crazy Enough To Do It - #185 (Rum)

Disclaimer: SPN belongs to the writers. I own nothing.

The sound of the door opening was immediately followed by a piercing shriek. "Dean!" It echoed in his head, ringing and flashing until it finally dawned on him. Sammy. He shivered. Sam, the baby… He was crying. "Baby's cryin'..." he mumbled. His tongue felt like lead in his mouth. "Gotta…" He coughed so violently that spots appeared before his eyes. "Get...the baby…"

"Dean… Dean, I'm right here!"

A wave of cold washed over the older Winchester that sent him into a round of shudders. He tried to stay awake, but he tripped and fell into murkiness again…

He faded in and out of memories; he dreamt of his mommy. She had blonde hair and smelled like lavender. She reached for him, brushing her fingers against his face, and he cried, putting his arms around her so she could pick him up. He was shoved away from her and suddenly he was in a dark motel room.

His daddy was in the corner, clutching a bottle of amber liquid and crying loudly. Even louder were the wails of the baby, Sammy. "Daddy," said Dean, and he tugged at his leather jacket. "Daddy, the baby—"

John violently pushed him away, murmuring under his breath. He continued to sob, taking another swig of his drink and moaning about Mary.

Sammy's cries intensified, and Dean ran to the baby, trying to shush him. The crying seemed to further agitate John; he screamed to Dean, "Shut him up!"

Dean rocked his baby brother and searched the mini fridge for a bottle. He knew babies drank from bottles; he wasn't stupid. But the refrigerator held no milk, and Dean didn't know what else to do. "Daddy, Daddy, there's no—"

"What?" His daddy's red-rimmed eyes focused angrily on him.

Dean flinched. "Nothing, I just—"

John turned away and tipped the bottle back again, shutting his eyes to the cries of his child.

Sammy's little face was turning red with the exertion of crying, and Dean wished his daddy would help him. He cradled the baby, whispering, "It's okay," and thought of his mommy.

Dean awoke roughly to the sound of Sammy crying. He was frantically dialing; he knew John Winchester's number by heart. "Daddy, I need you," he wailed, but his words were broken by sobs. "Dean—he's sick. I-I don't know— Please pick up. Please… He's hurt b-bad, Daddy, a-and... I d-don't know what to do." He continued to call his father repeatedly, his messages becoming more and more desperate. Finally, he put the phone down, crying harder than ever.

Dean tried to open his eyes, but it was too difficult. "S'mmy," he groaned, his mouth dry and cracked. "S'm…" His stomach churned terribly.

"Dean!"

Pain speared through his torso; he wasn't sure if it was caused by hunger or physical trauma. He whimpered, trembling. Why was it so cold? He started to say Sam's name again, but before he could, his body shook with pain, and he slipped away again.

Dean's sleep was fitful and violent; his consciousness danced between tortured dreams of his family and naked awareness of his agonizing physical state. When finally he became partially aware of his surroundings, he sat up, feverish and pained. He murmured his brother's name, but no response came. "S'mmy!" he gasped. He crawled forward and all he could hear was the echo of a baby's cry in his ears. "Gotta...get...baby…" He stumbled forward, some of his pain numbed by his obligation to find his brother… "S'mmy…"

Dean found himself on the street. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten there, but all he knew was that he had to help his baby brother. He groaned and dragged himself forward, following the sound of the baby's crying. He could barely keep himself upright; he tumbled down the stairs after one attempt. He righted himself and used the wall as a crutch, taking one painful step after another in order to find his brother. The pain tore at his insides and buzzed in his ears, but he persisted, trekking forward. Sammy, he thought, gasping as he followed his brother's cries into the frigid air. Sammy.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I'll get the next chapter up as soon as I can.