Chapter Four

Sam exited the bathroom to find Grace sitting by Dean mopping his brow. He'd rolled onto his right side toward her and looked up at Sam with weary eyes.

"Hey man, you're supposed to be asleep."

"I think he's feeling nauseas again."

Sam sat on the end of the bed with his hand on Dean's knee, rubbing his thumb in small circles.

"Where'd Nicki go Grace?"

"I sent her home to Jason, there's nothing she can do here but worry and her man needed feeding."

Dean mumbled something from his place in the bed, Grace leaned forward, careful to not jostle him.

"What's that honey?"

"Don't let her cook soup."

Sam couldn't help the laugh that escaped while Grace looked on in puzzlement. She was about to speak when Dean's body tensed.

"Sam honey."

"I got him Grace."

Grace moved to let Sam pull Dean into a sitting position, he supported his sibling while Grace kept the bucket under him. Dean emptied more bile and saliva from his stomach, the water from earlier, he was certain he felt the cold of the ice cube as everything inside his body seemed to force itself out.

Sam kept his arm around Dean, his right hand supporting his brother's head , he could feel his stomach muscles cramping. The heat from Dean rolling through Sam as he looked at Grace worriedly. She held the bucket and soothed Dean with a hand on the back of his neck.

How much more could there be? How much longer could this go on?

She felt the heat from him and nodded to Sam that she knew. They had to cool him down.

As the heaves subsided Grace handed the bucket to Sam.

"Where's the thermometer honey?"

"On the side there Grace, by my bed."

One second, two seconds, they both waited impatiently while the instrument read Dean's temperature. Sam kept Dean upright but his head had fallen back onto Sam's shoulder.

"Ok Sam, we've got to cool him down, he's at 103.8."

"God that's high."

"It's ok, we can get it back down honey. I'm going to go back to the main house and get another bucket. I won't be long ok?"

"Ok Grace."

Sam looked down at the flushed face pressed against his shoulder, his eyes were closed yet his breathing was still fast.

"How you doing brother?"

"Sammy?" The broken tone of his brother's voice broke Sam's heart. He held him closer and ran his free hand over his brother's hair.

"Yeah man, it's ok. You're gonna be ok."

"Is it over?"

"You tell me bro."

"Don't feel so good."

"Think you're gonna be sick again man?"

"We should leave."

"What? Dean no. We can't leave, you're sick."

"Not fair."

"What? On Grace? Dean come on man."

"Sorry Sammy."

"For what?"

"You having to do this."

"Do what?"

"Look after me."

"I'm sure it's only fair man, you looked after me when I had that bout of food poisoning in Boston when I was twelve."

Dean laughed weakly against Sam.

"That was gross, you had it from all angles."

"Yeah, thanks for reminding me. But you looked after me anyway Dean. So please let me look after you now ok?"

"'k. Is Dad here?"

Sam tensed behind Dean, they hadn't met up with John in over a month, the phone calls once again becoming few and far between. Their father's idea of sticking together and fighting side by side seemed to be very different from Sam's.

"He's not here Dean."

"Was here."

"What?" Sam peered down at Dean, his eyes were still closed and he seemed to be heating up even more.

"Dad was here, said I had to keep you safe, he'll be home later Sammy."

"Shhh Dean. It's ok."

Dean began moving forward, trying to pull himself off of Sam, he grunted in his effort and almost sobbed when he finally made it fully sitting only to be pulled back onto Sam.

"Hey man where you going?"

"Got to get Sam's dinner."

"Dean? Dean are you with me man?"

"Where's Sam?"

"I'm here man, it's ok Dean. I'm here." Sam twisted his head round to look down at Dean, at the same time twisting Dean's head carefully to look up at him.

"Sammy?" Dean asked , his face contorted in confusion.

"Right here. I'm ok. You need to rest ok?"

"You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah man I am."

Grace came back in as Dean settled once more against Sam's shoulder. She was carrying another bucket, this one with luke warm water and two clothes hanging from the side.

"How's he doing?"

"He's getting hotter. I think he's getting a little delirious too."

"Ok baby, we're gonna cool you down ok?" Grace lifted Dean's face and he smiled weakly at her.

"Ok, Sam sit him further up will you?"

Sam did as asked, he managed to move over so that Dean was leaning against his left shoulder, giving Sam room to help Grace cool him down. Together they pulled the soaked t-shirt from the sick man. Dean immediately fighting the movement. He ached all over, he was tired and now they expected him to move around? Why couldn't he sleep? All he wanted to do was sleep and get away from the misery prevailing through every fibre of his being. Had he been more aware, Dean Winchester would have fought to keep the whimper in his throat from escaping.

Down to just his boxers he looked up at Grace and knew she saw the tears in his eyes. Yet he didn't care. He needed someone to know his misery, someone to take it away. He wanted Grace to make it better. His heart ached every time they visited her. The need for her to hold him in her arms and soothe all the worry and pain away. She was so much like how he remembered his own mother. So full of the confident ability only granted to mothers to take away anything that caused discomfort or worry to the children in their care. He knew Sam felt the same, yet Sam could still enjoy Grace's company without the impending end to their visit looming over him like the reaper.

Every time they left, it reminded Dean more and more of what had been ripped from him at such a young age.

Grace smiled back, her own eyes diving into his and holding the misery at bay, she ran a hand down his cheek . She nodded behind him and Dean felt Sam rub his arm. Both of them soothing him before bringing the luke warm cloths to his skin.

Dean bucked as Grace ran one cloth down his arm. Sam at his other side with another cloth. It was cold. Too cold. Stop it! It's hurting! It's too cold! Weakly he shook his head back and forth.

"No, no , no."

"Dean? Man what's wrong?"

"It's ok Sam, keep doing what you're doing." Grace pulled Dean's head up toward hers, again catching his eyes and holding them with her own. "Dean baby, you're too hot. You have to trust us. We need to cool you down ok?"

"Too cold."

"No honey, no it's not. It feels colder because of how high your temperature is. You understand?"

Dean closed his eyes as Sam ran the cloth along his chest. Another small whimper escaped him.

"Dean honey, you trust Sam?" a weak nod. "You trust me?" another weak nod. "Then let us help." A resigned sigh.

He became putty in their hands. Unresisting to any instruction. Through either exhaustion or delirium Sam didn't know. He just knew his brother trusted him completely, and that's all he needed to know. With his left arm keeping Dean from falling forward, Sam ran the cloth over his brother's back, rubbing gently against his shoulders, easing the ache the best he could. He gently rubbed small circles across the small of Dean's back. Allowing him to fall against him once more. Running the cool cloth across his chest again, down across his belly and then down each arm. Grace washed his legs, keeping the fever from taking over the two of them kept up their attention until Dean had cooled down and fallen into a fitful sleep.

Sam laid his brother back gently and grabbed a fresh t-shirt from his bag, together they had him in fresh clean clothes. Sam changing his boxers while Grace took the buckets back to the main house to wash them out. She returned to find Sam changed into dry clothes and Dean looking a lot less flushed than before.

"Sam honey, Doc Jones called. He's been caught up with another family so won't be here until morning. I told him all Dean's symptoms and he thinks it's a combination of a stomach bug and a virus. He says we've done all the right things but we need to keep him hydrated through the night."

"I can do that Grace." Sam's appearance betrayed the confidence of his words, he was exhausted. The bags under his eyes doing nothing to convince Grace that he didn't need sleep. He kept one hand on his hip as if trying to keep himself upright.

"No baby. We do this together ok? I want you to bring Dean into the main house, I've two spare rooms so you can get some sleep and then take over from me. Ok?"

"You're not giving me a choice really are you?" Sam smiled at Grace and was bathed in return by her smile , warming his soul and assuring him everything would be ok. How did she do that? So naturally. So fully.

"I'll bring your bags Sam, you bring that lump."

Grace motioned to Dean who was again awake and watching the exchange through heavily lidded eyes. She gathered their things and held the door open.

Sam bent forward and hooked his right arm under Dean's knees, his left around his shoulders.

"Can walk."

"Dean you can barely sit, so just be quiet and enjoy the ride."

"Let me walk?"

Sam lifted Dean gently into his arms, the weight of his brother settled as he shifted him slightly and walked out of the room. Dean's right arm was around his neck, his hand gripping weakly against the collar of his shirt, Dean's other arm limp in his lap as he closed his eyes against the movement. He was being carried again but he didn't care.

He felt safe. He felt protected.

He felt loved.

He allowed his head to fall into the crook of Sam's neck.

Sam held on tight as they made their slow way down the path toward Grace's house. The boys had never stayed there. Grace wanting them to feel they had their privacy and a room of their own to come and go as they please. As they walked Sam felt Dean's grip tighten on his shirt.

"You ok?"

"Cold."

Sam felt the shivers as they made their way through Dean. It was late night and although only a short walk even he could feel the cold night air seeping through his clothes.

"Almost there."

"How's he doing?"

"He's cold."

"Well soon he's gonna be tucked into a nice warm bed fast asleep. You both are." She pointedly looked at Sam with a no-nonsense frown.

"Yes Grace." Came the simultaneous reply.

Grace held the door to the reception open, again holding open the second door into the main house. Sam carefully walking through, not wanting to add bruises to Dean's list of ailments. He glanced down at his brother, almost asleep in his arms. Dean's grip on his shirt weak but noticeable. It felt strange carrying his brother like this, but a part of Sam also felt proud that he was taking care of Dean. Protecting him.

"Sam honey you be careful on the stairs now."

Sam smiled and nodded to Grace as he began the ascent. Grace kept looking back, checking to make sure he wasn't about to stumble. The stairs led up to a long hallway, to the left Grace's room, a bathroom and a long window looking out onto the freeway behind the motel. To the right the two guest bedrooms and another bathroom. Albert, her late husband, had always said a women needed her own bathroom so he had insisted on there being two in the house. He was convinced that the root of all arguments between couples was the fact that one inevitably took over the bathroom space and was never as tidy as the other.

Dean moaned weakly in Sam's arms. His only way of communicating to his brother that he'd had enough. Time out now Sammy. Game over. Let me wake up and it's all been a dream. Sam pulled Dean closer to him as they made their way to the first guest bedroom, directly opposite the bathroom. Dean tightened his grip on Sam's collar, his left hand gripping onto the arm Sam had around his back.

"Sammy?"

"Almost there Dean."

"So tired."

"I know man. You'll be asleep soon though, I promise."

"I'm the one that's supposed to make the promises." Dean whispered.

"Oh really?" laughed Sam.

"Yeah."

"Why's that?"

"I'm the big brother."

"Yeah, well tonight, I'm the big brother."

Dean relaxed his head back into Sam's neck and watched as Grace pulled the covers down on the bed and motioned for Sam to lay his precious cargo down. Part of Dean didn't want to let go, but the bed looked so warm and comfortable, holding the promise of sleep within it's depths. He let go as Sam carefully placed him on the soft mattress, rolling from Sam to settle onto his left side. He felt the covers being pulled up, felt the presence of someone sitting behind him, a hand on his shoulder, someone else in front of him. He felt all this while his mind drifted and his tired body finally gave in to much needed sleep.

Sam rubbed this thumb in slow circles on Dean's shoulder. Grace carefully placed another bucket on the floor in front of the now sleeping man. She placed her hand on his forehead, satisfied he was cooler than before she looked pointedly at Sam.

"What?"

"Time you went to sleep young Winchester."

"I just want to sit with him for a bit."

"No."

"Come on Grace just half an hour."

"No, it's not fair."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam in bewilderment.

"It's my Dean-time now so back off."

Sam laughed as Grace pointed toward the door and the other bedroom.

"Who am I to deny you Dean-time."

Grace filled a small bowl with water and pulled a chair in front of Dean. She gently wiped his face and neck. All the while talking to him, about Sam, about Albert and Nicki. Her brother and friends. She talked gently as only a mother can. Soothing with the very presence of her voice. Dean didn't so much as hear the words but he felt them, deep within his soul. Again reminding him of what it was he'd lost out on for all these years. Yet the voice broke through that yearning, broke through that pain and lulled him deeper into sleep.

Sam listened from beneath the covers of his own bed, both doors open allowing the sound to carry. Was this what it was like? Was this a mother? Jess would often soothe him into sleep, talking about anything and everything, gently coercing him toward slumber.

As Sam drifted off he wondered if every woman was born with the ability to soothe even the most broken of souls with nothing but their love and sound of their voice.

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What can i say? Your reviews are like gold to me. Thank you so much. For all those that only read, thankyou for taking the time.

Apparently there are many sick!Dean obsessives out there! Should i leave him alone now? Or torture him just a liiiitle bit more?