When Bobby arrived at the hospital, he introduced himself to the nurses as Dean's uncle. It wasn't too far from the truth, and luckily the Winchesters had let them know he was coming. They led him to the room, and he coughed to announce his presence.
"Bobby," Sam smiled and gave him a hug.
John couldn't help the pinprick of jealousy, but he ignored it. "Thanks for coming." He shook the older man's hand.
"Yeah, well, I ain't doin' it for you." He looked past John to see Dean sitting up in the hospital bed. The boy looked fine, if not a little pale.
"Hey, Bobby. Good to see you." He said as Bobby gently clapped him on the shoulder, careful to avoid the bandages around his bicep.
"Yeah, how you feelin'?"
"Good. I'm fine." He lied.
Bobby narrowed his eyes. "For a hunter, you make a terrible liar."
Dean shrugged. "I've had worse."
They couldn't argue with that. Usually when they got hurt, they were able to just patch each other up. But on a few rare occasions, a visit to the ER had been necessary. It was strange to see Dean in a hospital bed. And Bobby didn't like it.
"What happened to you?" He asked.
Dean's eyes widened, and he stuttered. "I, uh...I thought Sam told you." He bit his lip. He couldn't say it aloud, couldn't tell Bobby what he'd done.
"I mean these." The older man gestured to the bandages around Dean's arm.
"Oh," He breathed a sigh of relief. "Happened when Sammy and I were taking out a vamp's nest."
"They got his side and his thigh too," Sam added.
"Good to know." Bobby nodded. He knew he'd probably be helping Dean change the bandages. The wounds would definitely limit his mobility.
"You ready to go?" John asked Sam.
"Yes sir." They'd already packed up their things and were ready to leave.
John squeezed his son's hand one last time. "Be good for Bobby,"
Dean chuckled. "I'm not five." His face grew serious. "Dad, Sam?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't die."
"We won't." John said, although he wasn't sure he could promise anything.
"Same to you." Sam requested quietly.
Dean just nodded.
"Call me if you run into any problems. I'll do what I can." Bobby offered.
"Thanks."
"And do yourselves a favor, get a good night's sleep before you try to kick this thing's ass." Bobby said, observing their bloodshot eyes and heavy shoulders.
Dean tried to swallow the panic as his dad and brother walked out that door to fight the demon without him. If anything happened to them...
"Hey," Bobby got his attention, noticing the look on his face. "They'll be fine. They always are. Your daddy is one tough son of a bitch."
Dean wasn't convinced.
A nurse came in holding a bag that contained Dean's clothes. "Are you ready to be discharged, Mr. Winchester?" She asked in an obnoxiously cheerful tone.
Dean grimaced. "That's my dad's name, but yeah I'm ready to blow this joint."
She handed him the clothes, and he limped over to the bathroom to change. He was thankful to finally be rid of the god-awful hospital gown and regain some dignity, however little was left.
He could hear the nurse talking to Bobby about what to expect when they left. The older man didn't need the lecture on wound care, he'd stitched up more hunters than anyone they knew. But when she started talking about suicide watch and warning signs, Dean was glad to be hiding in the bathroom. He didn't want to see Bobby's face for this.
It was a long drive back to Sioux Falls, and they stopped several times so Dean could get out and stretch. The wounds in his thigh were proving to be the worst, and the bumpy roads weren't helping.
"So," Bobby started, and Dean suppressed a groan. Stuck in a car with Bobby for hours, he knew this was gonna come up. Didn't mean he was ready for it.
"Yeah?"
"Look, I know your dad and Sam have probably chewed your ear off already, so I'm not gonna give you the speech."
"Thank God," Dean said under his breath.
"But you need to know somethin'. If you think this world is better off without you, you're wrong."
Dean scoffed. "The only thing I'm good at is killing things."
Bobby frowned. "And savin' people. Think about all the lives you've saved by killin' things. You're a hero, boy."
Dean's eyes widened. "I'm a lot of things, but a hero? Not one of them."
"Have you seen the way Sam looks at you?"
"What?"
"He's been lookin' at you this way since he was old enough to walk. You're his hero. That boy worships you. Seein' you like this is tearing him apart, and you're a damn fool if you can't see it."
Dean looked out the window so Bobby wouldn't see the expression on his face. He'd never wanted Sammy to see him so weak.
They reached Bobby's house, and the older man helped him out of the car. "So, you gonna lock me in the panic room?" He quipped.
"Don't tempt me."
They took his bags into the house and Dean surveyed the guest bedroom. "I think I remember this place having more...knives. And what happened to that battle axe you had hanging above the bed? I love that thing."
Bobby set the bags down. "Relocated 'em."
"Oh," Dean knew what was going on here. "Fucking hell, you don't need to babyproof everything."
"I didn't." Bobby folded his arms across his chest defensively. "Just this room and the adjoining bathroom."
Dean limped over to the bathroom. Not even a disposable razor.
"Jesus, are you gonna watch me shave too?"
"Yeah, actually I am. And you're not gonna whine about it, cause you lost that right when you swallowed an entire bottle of pills." Bobby glared.
Dean looked down. "Fair enough."
Bobby's eyes softened. "I wanna trust you, kid. I really do. But I'm worried as hell, and I just can't take any chances right now."
"I get it."