-1Bar Fights and Bullets
Chapter 27
Bobby watched wordlessly from where he sat across the room from Dean, who was currently still placed in the center of the sofa. The younger man's face was contorted slightly , his brows creased together in the middle, his bottom lip drawn into his mouth. It was obvious he was in pain, even as he tried to hide it, tried to mask it, just as he had done all his life. His hand was mindlessly rubbing and massaging his thigh.
Looking around, the worried man noticed Sam's eyes glued in the same direction his own had been, John on the other hand was in full hunt preparation mode as he shifted through their supplies making sure to restock any and everything that looked remotely empty.
Dean swallowed hard and rolled his neck from side to side as he tried with everything inside of him to stay focused on the boring ancient text in front of him. He had definitely over worked himself, pushed harder then he should have, and his body was currently screaming at him like a nagging old woman beating him with a wooden rolling pin.
After a good twenty minutes of watching the middle Winchester Bobby couldn't take it any more all the shifting and rubbing, the discomfort etched into Dean's feature.
Rising to his feet he quickly crossed the room and booted Rumsfeld Jr. a ten month old rottweiler puppy off of his comfortable sleeping arrangement on the sofa's matching ottoman. "Down boy." He whispered giving the dog a small shove before pushing the thing closer to Dean.
Dean glanced up raising a brow at the commotion. "Bobby I'm fine."
"Like hell you are…. Here try this." The older man kneeled down and lifted Dean's legs up on to the soft brown cushioned object. For a brief second his breath hitched in his throat at how small… how atrophied the legs in his grasp were. But he refused to let his discomfort show as he cleared his throat, "You are just like your daddy boy, you never know when to stop pushing."
"You think this is bad?" Sam shook his head in his brother's direction, "You should see what he did to his chair since he refuses to use it anymore. It's currently a heaping pile of metal in the corner of our living room."
"I told you I don't need that thing anymore, I can get around on my own now!"
"We can see that." Sam huffed before going back to his reading material.
"Shut up bitch."
"Bite me jerk."
"Boys that's enough." John finally spoke up from in the kitchen where he was still standing over the duffel bag checking it's contents.
"Let me get you a little something for the pain I know your trying to pretend your not in."
"Bobby… I'm fine really…"
"Yeah, and I'm the queen of England."
Dean rolled his eyes as Bobby disappeared into the kitchen.
"We don't baby him Bobby… He brought this on himself." John whispered making sure to keep his voice extra low not wanting to chance being heard.
"What are you talking about?" Bobby couldn't help but look offended as he glanced back at his friend of over twenty years, "When have you ever known me to baby either one of these boys… or anyone at all for that matter."
"Never…" John answered honestly before continuing, "But that was before Dean's 'accident.'."
"Johnny, the boy is in pain, you're his father you should have been the first to pick up on that… All I'm doing is trying to make him feel a little more comfortable, I'm not babying him." The obviously older of the two men leaned up into a near by cabinet and retrieved an orange prescription bottle the label reading Medazalam and handing it to John. "Besides I think I found a way for us to get out of here without much argument from the peanut gallery."
John looked down at the bottle and shook his head, "How the hell did you manage to get these? Their like the gold of tranquilizers"
"You think you and your boys are the only ones who master disguises and false identities? I always keep this place as stocked as possible you know how I feel about hospitals, the less I have to see the inside of them the better off I'll be."
"This is true." John extracted two pills from the bottle and grabbed a water out of the fridge before making his way into the living room and toward his son, if anyone was going to force pills down Dean's throat it was going to have to be him.
Picking up the beer bottle that was thankfully only one forth or so of the way gone… a definite sign that Dean was in fact in more pain than he would ever let on… John placed the bottle of water down in it's place. "Take these." His tone left no room for argument as he held out the two small tablets.
"But dad I'm Fine!" But that didn't stop dean from trying.
"Take them, they're mild muscle relaxants that's all. They are just going to take the edge off." John's face remained as unreadable as a book written in ancient Egyptian as he smoothly lied to his son without so much as flinching.
- It took less than half an hour for the Medazalam to begin working John and Bobby were outside loading the car when Sam heard a long and drawn out breath escape his brother's lips and looked up to find the older man staring curiously down at his lap.
"Dean?"
"mmm?" Dean's finger's were currently stroking the page of the book in front of him, and he found himself more than a little preoccupied by the tickling sensation against his fingers… it was unlike anything he had ever felt before. And the colors…there were colors, hundreds of colors that seemed to replace the black and white text on the pages he had been reading before. Colors that danced like ballerinas right before his very own eyes.
"You alright man?"
Dean's entire body was rubber as he tried to bring his head up to look in his brother's direction only to find it flopping back unwillingly against the back of the couch and rolling over to the side. Heavy, everything was so heavy. "Sssssammmmmmm." His word was drawn out worse than a drunken slur as he blinked back the rainbow psychedelic colors that how now moved to decorate Bobby's walls. He wished he could touch them but his limbs weighed at least two tons, which made moving an impossibility.
His tongue flopped halfway out of his mouth and he began moving it around like a tranquilized worm on a hook it moved sloppily from side to side the sound of his own voice quite amusing he tried again. "SSSS-AAAAAA-MMMMM-EEEEEEE" before grunting and chuckling in the same breath.
Sam also found this situation quite amusing as he set the book he was reading down and climbed to his feet heading over to his brother's side.
Dean's eye lids were drooped to half mass his entire body devoured by the cushions surrounding him. "Time for bed." The younger man concluded as he slipped the book off of his brother's lap and set it on the floor.
Small unintelligible noises protruded from Dean's lips as Sam hoisted him up a little his body falling limp as a rag doll against the taller man's chest. "nnnnnnoooo.."
"Sorry buddy, but there's no room for argument here."
"nnnnnnnoooo…." The tranquilized man repeated finding his brothers shirt to be soft and welcoming as his head rested against it, he rubbed his check against the silk like fabric.
"Oh lord…" Sam mumbled to himself placing his hand behind his brother's neck for fear it was going to snap back and his head was just going to roll off… "Dean you with me?"
"soooooofffffft."
"I'll bet." the sober man was having more than a little trouble trying to manage the situation one handedly.
John was the first to re-enter the house followed closely by Bobby both men stopping in the doorway momentarily to watch the scene unfolding in front of them
Sam still attempting awkwardly to hoist Dean against himself with one hand while trying to resituate the couch with the other.
And Dean, Dean was more than a dozen sheets to the wind…. squirming slow and lax against his brother's body mumbling incoherent words the only thing any of them seemed to be able to make out was something about a white rabbit.
"I think your tranquilizers did more then their job." John whispered.
"Maybe two was one to many."
"How many do you take?"
"One." Bobby shrugged, "But I figured he's younger and more athletic…."
"A little help here." Sam growled glancing to the two figures he could now feel watching him from the entry way his nostrils flaring only slightly as he did so.
John snorted shaking his head and took a few steps forward placing his hand on Dean's head and pulling it back out of his brother's shirt carefully, his son appearing as though he were going to suffocate in that position.
"Hey sport." John whispered kneeling down a little and taking the weight off of Sam and on to himself.
Dean blinked at his father as it took a second for him to figure out who the strange man even was… "Daaaaadddddd…" his head lulled forward on to his father's shoulder. "ttttttttiiiiiireddddddd."
"I know. You're gonna go to bed right-" John didn't even have time to finish his statement as he heard soft slumber sounds coming from the face buried against his neck and smirked to himself. "Well… He's out cold."
"Good…" Sam huffed stepping back from the couch before helping Bobby and John reload his brother on to it. "Let's never give him those again… that was scarier than any hunt I've ever been on."
John offered his youngest a sympathetic smile. He knew that even with everything that had gone on in these past months, with how much Sam had seen and been through, it never got any easier on him to see his brother…. His hero in such a helpless and uncontrolled state.
"We should head out…" Bobby whispered
"Are you sure it's okay to leave him?" Sam's voice took on a protective tone as he looked down at the man sleeping peacefully next to him.
"He's out for at least eight hours Sam, he'll be just fine…. Won't even know we left until we're long since returned."
Sam nodded a little even though a look of worry still remained in his eyes. "Okay."
- Dean felt something warm and wet against his face and smiled to himself at the tender touch of soft kisses along his jaw line and up to his lips… "Mmmmm hey baby don-"
The words died off on his lips as soon as his eyes opened wide enough to see where such loving kisses were coming from…
There was Rumsfeld, tongue still hanging out of his mouth bathed in drool… The over whelming smell of puppy breath almost immediately devouring the now disgusted man's senses. With a loud irritated snort he pushed the dog off of him and on to the floor, wiping at his face profusely.
"Rumsfeld! Damn-it GET OFF ME!" He barked sitting up and grunting resisting the momentary urge to send the dog flying into the wall… He should of known it was to much to ask to wake up next to a hot chick and find his entire life had been nothing more than a horrible nightmare….
Speaking of waking up, Dean thought to himself as he looked around to find the house empty… When the hell had he fallen asleep… he couldn't remember anything… The last thing he could even begin to recollect was his father handing him some pills and water…
Running his hands over his face Dean looked up toward the clock, it was damn near four am, which meant he had slept well over nine and a half hours… or so he assumed from his last known memory…. His father, Bobby and Sam had obviously taken the opportunity of his slumbering to escape on to their hunt.
"Should be our hunt." Dean whispered quietly into the empty house, "I should be out there with them…." He could feel the anger once again rising inside of him at the whole situation.
He had been left here alone… And they were out there doing his job… without him… He had been tricked.
His hand shook as he reached down and picked up the half full water glass before chucking it across the room and watching as it satisfyingly slammed against the far wall and shattered into over a hundred tiny pieces. "DAMN-IT!"
He did not come here for a sleep over on Bobby's couch, he came here to prove himself… to help…. And this is how it ends up? This is how they thank him? Thinking they are protecting him?
- Bobby frowned from outside the door of his house hearing the shattering of glass fallowed very abruptly by the loud and angry voice of his eldest 'nephew' "Uh oh." Glancing over his shoulder he grimaced at the two men behind him, "I think it's safe to say sleeping beauty has awoken."
"Sleeping beauty?" Sam scoffed a little, "Don't you mean Oscar the grouch."
"You want me to go in first?" John offered up already stepping forward,
"Oh please, you act like I've never delt with one of your boy's tantrums before…" Bobby countered back before pushing the door open and stepping inside to find Dean leaning over the sofa scooting along it in an attempt to reach his walker on the far side.
"Sleep well?" Bobby's voice was very nonchalant as he spoke
"Piss off." Dean quipped looking up his eyes burning with anger.
"Oh come on now…I told you how it was going to be, you didn't really think I was going to let you go out on this hunt with us did you? You would have gotten yourself killed… and I sure as hell didn't want that on my conscience."
"So you drugged me?"
"You were in pain… I relaxed you…."
"You drugged me…" Dean's gaze shot up to meet his father and his brother ready to attack them with the same hostility as they entered the house. "And you two…" any and all arguments inside of him dropped to the pit of his stomach as he laid eyes on his little bother. "Sammy?"
Sam's left eye was already nearly swollen shut his lip busted open, his face appearing as though someone…. Or something had used it for batting practice.
"I'm fine Dean." Sam sounded fine…And Dean knew he had had injuries a hell of a lot worse, but Dean had been there for those… had seen them happening….
"Come here let me take a look at you."
"Dean…" Both Sam and John said at the same time.
"I said let me take a look at you." Dean growled rising to his feet slowly still unconvinced.
Watching as Dean's body wavered and he leaned into brace himself on the couch Bobby stepped forward and took his 'nephew' by the waist and the arm helping him in Sam's direction…
Dean's frown deepened as he moved in closer catching sight of his brother's battered face in the light, "You were the bait weren't you?"
"I'm faster Dean…." Sam tried to reason as he winced Dean's thumb lightly brushing over his bruised eye.
"Bullshit." The angered man spat snarling in his father's direction. "How dare you let this happen to him, how dare you use him as the bait knowing he hasn't had as much field time as the two of you."
"Dean. I've had plenty of field time alright, you and I have been hunting for years…"
"Doesn't matter Sammy, Dad and Bobby are more experienced than you…"
"Dean." John's voice held a warning tone.
"I should have been there to protect you." He brought his eyes back to his brother and completely ignored his father's reprimand. "No more hunts without me and that's final before you end up worse off than I am." The guilt of the entire situation was once more finding it's way into Dean's heart as he turned slowly bracing himself against Bobby for support. "Never again."
None of them said anything after that, the air between them thick with Dean's raw emotions, there was nothing else that needed to be said…. They knew exactly what Dean meant, exactly how he felt, and how much he was beating himself up for his brother's injuries.
"In to the bathroom Sammy." He called out minutes later from down the hall, "Let's get you cleaned up."
Sam looked in his father's direction and frowned a little, "Dad…"
"He needs this Sammy, you know how your brother is… Now go on go let him help you get cleaned up."
Sam exhaled loudly as he made his way toward the bathroom passing bobby along the way who gave his shoulder a tight and comforting squeeze.
"Sit." Dean grunted pouring alcohol on to a swab of gauze, "And take your shirt off…. That ones definitely headed for the trash…" He added nodding toward the blue button up now decorated in Sam's own blood.
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" he looked his baby brother up and down with weary eyes.
"No, Dad and Bobby were there pretty quick to back me up before things got bad."
"Can you kneel?"
Sam rolled his eyes and kneeled down in front of Dean who was placed on the closed toilet seat, the only place to sit in the small under sized bathroom. "Look at you…" He grunted under his breath as he pressed what he was sure to be the first of many cloths against his brother's face.
"C'mon Dean, it's not that bad… You and I both know I've seen worse…"
"Still I can't believe they used you as bait…"
"You used me as bait once too!"
"Yeah and you spent a month in a cast for it!"
"You have to stop doing this man…" Sam winced as the cut on his cheek burned with the alcohol.
"Sorry… stop what? Stop worrying about you? Not going to happen man."
"No, you have to stop treating me like I'm a kid."
"You are a kid, you're my kid brother…"
"I can handle myself Dean."
"I can see that…" Dean shifted a little on the toilet seat and frowned bringing his free hand down to rest in his lap he squeezed himself a little and shifted again…
"Dean?" Sam eyes subconsciously came to rest on his brother's hand, "Are you alright?"
"I'm the one worrying about you right now…"
"I'm serious…"
"So am I… I'm fine, let's just finish getting you patched up"
Sam swallowed a little and looked back toward the older man's face… "Yeah fine." His tone was less than convinced. "If you say so…"
Only a few short minutes had past when Dean found himself shifting again no longer able to ignore the burning tingle in his groin he placed another used gauze on the sink, "Sam… uh…." His cheeks reddened almost instantly with embarrassment, "Can you excuse me for a minute…"
"What is it?"
"I just ummm, I think…I need… some privacy."
Sam's face shifted into confusion, "Dean what's the matter?"
"Nothing…" Dean exhaled grabbing himself a little harder this time, "I just… I think I need to…. go…." He whispered more than a little unsure, it had been a long time since he had felt any sensation 'down there' let alone THIS sensation as he resisted the urge to begin doing a grown man version of the pee pee dance… When the hell had his bladder become so weak?
"Go?" Sam eyed his brother suspiciously his expression clueless…
"Yes Sam…GO"
"What do you- Oh… oh shit…. You mean…"
"I need to take a leak!" Dean swallowed grunting through gritted teeth.
Sam never though those words would cause him to want to smile, resisting the urge he rose back to his feet, "Do you ummm… I mean can I help?" He tried not to sound so eager or belittling
"Come on man! I still have some dignity!"
Sam sighed apologetically helping his brother to his feet, "Alright well uh, just keep one hand on the counter and use the other to do your business… if you need… I'll uh be out in the hallway…"
"Fine"
Both men were more than a little uncomfortable, never once had they pictured themselves having this sort of conversation.
Sam made sure Dean was hoisted up properly and in no immediate danger of plummeting head first into the porcelain god as it was so often referred to before exiting the bathroom.
Leaning back against the wall beside the close door he smiled to himself, this was a good thing a very good thing, and he didn't care how it sounded or looked to the outside world… he was uh…. Happy for his brother's sudden step in the right direction.
"Where's Dean…" John's voice cut through Sam's admirable thoughts of his brother a few seconds later as his father made his way down the hall…
"In there…" Sam whispered pointing toward the bathroom.
"Is he huffing and sulking…"
"No dad he … He's going…"
John's eyes widened a little and he nodded, "Oh?"
"Yeah but let's you know… not make a big deal about this alright? He's a little embarrassed…"
John nodded understandably, "If um if you need something… or he needs something just holler alright? I'm gonna go try to catch some shut eye before we leave."
This was taking a hell of a lot longer than Dean remembered it ever taking before but still he had no complaints as he finally finished and just for good measure reattached his bag before zipping himself back up and leaning over to flip on the faucet. "Sammy?"
"Still here…" Sam answered without a second of hesitation, "Everything alright in there?"
"Yup."
"Good."
"Now get your bean pole ass back in here so we can finish you up."
Sam smirked and shook his head before heading back into the bathroom, something's would never change…. His brother thankfully was definitely one of those things.
So there you have it, I thank you so much for the reviews to my last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one just as much if not more, and as always I want to know exactly what you are thinking… I hope I did this scene tactful enough I thought over it long and hard, I also thought about not doing it at all.. But we know to Dean Winchester this aspect of his recovery is very important. So anyway yeah let me know what you think and I promise it won't be to long before the next chapter is up as you can tell it has become longer than I planned I just hope you all continue to bare with me through it.