Oh where, Oh where has your big brother gone?

Disclaimer: as per the first chapter, nothing changes much anyway!

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Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post this update but I had to finish up three assessments to hand in this week and one was an essay on schools of theory in literature ... now I know what I prefer to write but if I want my Diploma well I guess I do have to prioritise!!!

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CHAPTER 27

'So what do you want me to do?' Dean asked trying to sound nonchalant about it all, 'theft? Hmm nah that's not your style ... beat up someone for you? Nah you like doing that yourself, so what is it Deci?'

'Deci? Hmm I am not sure I approve of your shortening my name, it smacks of insolence and familiarity but I digress, it is such a small task it barely rates a mention.'

'So don't mention it.'

'When you mentioned theft well you were closer than you thought.'

'Out with it, time is money.'

'I need a particular dagger for a ritual and there is only one person who has it.'

'Who?'

'Now this is where it gets interesting, you see Dean I want you to steal it from your father, without his knowing of course. Remember I will be watching and you will be on a very short leash. If you even attempt to leave behind a message or try to contact John in anyway, I will revoke your privileges and well let's say poor Sammy will be blind for life.'

'You wouldn't.'

'Just do as I instruct bring me back the dagger and you can spend the next day watching your brother's healing process.' Decebal waved his hand at the monitoring equipment, 'surely one little dagger is worth it.'

'Dad will know.'

'Will he? He is still recovering from his own injuries and young Samuel ... poor Sam his surgeon is a very good friend of mine, and well complications do arise in such delicate surgery.'

'You ... you are controlling what happens to Sam in the hospital?'

'Yes, delightful isn't it.' Decebal gloated happily, 'actually it was my idea for the surgery. His eyes would have eventually cleared without intervention but well adds to the spice of the story doesn't it.'

'You're sick!'

'Nope just someone who enjoys what they do.'

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John watched as they wheeled Sam back into his room, gauze pads covering his eyes with a bright white bandage wrapped tightly around his head holding them in place. What made John shudder was when he saw the ventilation equipment surrounding Sam and the thick tube that down his throat and taped to the side of his mouth, the only sound was the soft hissing as each the machines fed him oxygen. Two IV poles on either side of his bed contained different fluids. One supplying necessary fluid with his medications mixed in the other supplying much needed blood, replacing the amount Sam had lost.

'Doctor what's going on? Why the ventilator?'

'I am sorry Mr Mitchell, there were complications during surgery, and Sam stopped breathing a couple of times and had to be resuscitated, we had to intubate him in recovery when he stopped breathing again.'

'But it was just to fix his eyes.' John said unable to tear his gaze away from his youngest born.

'Sam was already in a weakened state Mr Mitchell, unfortunately his resistance is very low and well, he has to want to live, to fight for it.'

'You think he let himself ... no my son wouldn't do that.' John shook his head, Sam was the more sensitive one of his two sons, he carried the weight of the Winchester family on his shoulders, and John knew that, even though he and Dean wanted to protect Sam forever he carried the emotional baggage for the three of them. It would be so easy for Sam to give in; too easy. 'How, how long will he be on the ventilator?'

'That is up to Sam himself, the faster he wakes the better but for now, all we can do is wait.' The doctor said and then left John alone with Sam.

Sighing deeply John wearily sank down into the overstuffed chair and closed his eyes his exhaustion catching up with him. He needed Dean so badly; Dean knew how to get through to Sam he always did even when they were children. Sam didn't have to say or do anything Dean just knew what he wanted and was always there to protect his baby brother.

John tried to excuse his own failures as a father on the demon that took their mother away from them, but deep down he knew that there was no one else to blame except for himself. Sam was too much like Mary and it hurt to look at the boy, those smiling eyes and the dimples and her own intuitiveness though John was loathe to admit it hers was as strong as Sam's.

The fights were the only way John could see of distancing himself from Sam, being confronted with Mary's son every day, unlike Dean who was the same as his father. Too much probably, sometimes he found himself wondering what would have happened if he and Mary were able to have had a third child. Who that one would have turned out like.

Movement from the bed brought John out of his reverie, Sam was thrashing about in the bed pawing at the tube in his throat, quickly John pressed the call button before going to Sam's side, 'it's okay Sam calm down the doctor will be here in a minute to take it out.' John stared up at the door still no one had answered the buzzer. 'Hang in there Kiddo I'll be right back.'

John hurried as fast as he could to the door and into the hallway, this was so wrong where were all of the nurses and doctors? He could hear the choking sounds coming from Sam as he tried to fight the ventilator.

'I need help here.' John yelled repeatedly until finally Gloria appeared from the lifts. 'AH thank God Gloria I need help.'

'What is it Mr Mitchell?'

'It's Sam he's waking up and fighting the ventilator.'

'What? What's he doing on that machine?' The nurse looked stunned as she hurried into the room behind John, 'what happened Mr Mitchell? I have been off duty since yesterday morning.'

'They operated on his eyes, the doctor said that he had to be intubated after he stopped breathing more than once after the surgery.'

'They did this after surgery?' Gloria asked confused as she gave Sam a cursory examination, 'okay I will be right back I just have to get the things I need to remove this.' Gloria sniffed disdainfully.

'Will you be right to remove it?'

'Yes, yes I am fully trained, I will be right back.' Gloria gave John a reassuring pat on the arm and hurried away.

A short time later Sam lay quiet in his bed, breathing on his own once again, the ventilator equipment gone and now the only monitor beeping was the heart one.

'He looks much better now.' John whispered giving Gloria a shaky smile, 'thanks.'

'I am so sorry Mr Mitchell this should never have happened; I don't understand where the other nurses got to.'

'Well I am glad it was you.'

'Thanks Mr Mitchell.'

'Please call me John.'

'Okay then John, well I had better go and see to some of the other patients and then I will be back to check on Sam.'

'Thanks again Gloria.'

'Just doing my job.' Gloria smiled blushing prettily as she left the room.

'Dad?' Sam's whisper sounded hoarse and raspy. 'Dad you there?'

'I'm here Son; you gave us a bit of a scare.'

'Scared myself.' Sam said then started coughing, long rough hacking coughs, his throat irritated from the tubing, felt raw and very itchy. 'Dean?'

'We'll find him Sammy, but we're gonna get you well first.'

'No, no Dean he ... ' Sam started to cough again, his breath taken away with each spasm. Weakly he let out a sigh and seemed to have drifted off again.

'Sammy?' John whispered laying his hand on Sam's he sat down again and rested his head against his youngest child's arm on the bed. Too weary to hold his head up any longer.

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Dean glanced around the car park once more before making his way over to his father's truck. How John had found it and brought it, here Dean didn't understand but it was there, alongside it was his baby, the impala.

The familiar sight of the two cars gave Dean a tiny thread of hope to cling to, easily he picked the lock to the secret weapon compartment in his father's truck and found the ornate dagger. Sighing heavily he slid it into his jacket pocket, and then started to replace everything to the original places when he stopped himself and deliberately put the other daggers back in the wrong order, praying that his father would realise it was him and then relocked the compartment and started to move away from the cars, his heart breaking at the sight of the impala sitting there and he couldn't even sit in it.

'Well done Mr Winchester, now get in the car the Master is waiting.' A voice came from a car skidding to a stop in front of him, the backdoor already opened for him. As he reluctantly climbed into the car he glanced up at the hospital, Sam and his Dad were there, so close, so fucking close.

Before he realised what was happening handcuffs snapped over his wrists and a gag tied tightly across his mouth and knotted at the back of his head, roughly he felt himself pushed down onto the floor of the car wedged behind the front seats. A hand slid in and pulled the dagger out of his jacket pocket and then he found himself in darkness as a thick black blanket dropped over his face, muffling his protests even more than the gag.

They drove for what seemed like hours before Dean felt himself dragged out of the car feet first. Unable to stop himself he landed on the ground with a thump, feeling the breath knocked out of him. Disorientated once again he felt them lift him and carry him inside. The blanket shifted just enough for him to catch a glimpse of the interior of the house. The bright white walls and ceiling above him, the hallway seemed to be very long from one end to the other, before they locked a door behind them effectively locking him out of the main part of the house. Then they turned and went down a flight of stairs carelessly bumping Dean on the steps on the way down. Finally, they reached another door opening into the room he had occupied earlier. Back where he had started from.

Roughly the dropped him onto the floor and pulled the blanket aside, then without speaking to him removed the cuffs and the gag before leaving through the same door. Dean sat for a moment and waited for the fogginess to leave before he slowly got to his feet.

Lurching forward he found the connecting door and just as Decebal promised it was unlocked. Relief flooded his abused and broken body as he lowered himself onto the chair and flicked the monitors on again.

As everything came into focus he saw Sam lying in the bed but this time he his head was swathed in thick white bandages, John slept next to him resting his head on the bed next to Sam's arm. Another wave of relief hit him, they were okay, both of them were okay, and it looked like Sam had gone through the unnecessary surgery.

Annoyed Dean scrubbed at the tears prickling his eyes, he was not going to show weakness now, Sam and Dad need me, they need me to survive and be strong. The thought wove its way through his mind and became his mantra; he had to be strong to save them and himself.

'Hang in there Sammy.' He said touching the screen lightly.

'Dean?' Sam's head moved slightly as he heard his brother's voice.

'Sammy? You okay?'

'Yeah I guess ... what about you?'

'I – I'm fine, Sam did they?'

'Dunno the doctor wants to take the bandages off in a few days and see.' Sam shrugged painfully, 'I should wake Dad.'

'No, no let him sleep I don't have much time I can hear him coming again.'

'Dean ... I'

'Yeah I know Sam, me too.' Dean smiled sadly and flicked the switches off just as he heard the outside door unlocking.

'Ah Mr Winchester you did extremely well for your first job.' Decebal said as he swept into the room, 'who were you talking too?'

'No one why you hearing voices Deci? Oh don't tell me you hear things go bump in the night too?'

'I am not going to ask you again Dean answer me.'

'Fine I was ah talking to Sam if you must know.' Dean answered defiantly, 'why can't a guy talk to his brother these days.'

'You were talking to the screen?'

'Yeah what of it? Actually I get a more interesting conversation with the screen than I do with you.' Dean quipped though unable to dodge the resounding slap as Decebal's open hand connected with his cheek.

'I will not have such impudence Dean perhaps I should take away your reward as punishment.'

'No, no I promise I'll behave, just let me watch Dad and Sam a little while longer ... please.'