Chapter Two: Medicine

All night, every half an hour Dean would stir awake overwhelmed with the same feeling of being stuffed up, sticky with sweat and dizzy with a fever. He would barely catching a glimpse of his surrounding only knowing he needed one thing and that was kleenex. Stretching out his arm he would pat against the side table bumping into his cell, his gun, his alarm...ah the kleenex. Yanking out one usually three or four would follow thanks to horrible cutting of said soft tissue. Bunching up the others he would stash them beside his head for easy access when he woke up again. Taking the lone kleenex he first sought after he hacked up the mucus that was lacing his throat and sinus before crumpling it in his hand, tossing it over the edge of the bed and sleeping again.

This was how it was all night and Sam was getting less sleep than Dean. He stayed away to watch him, to make sure his brother was alright. Each time Dean scrambled for a kleenex Sam would hand him three or four then go back to searching on his laptop. His tired eyes dropping each time he found his attention slip from what he was doing. It was usually like this on most nights only this night he was taking care of his brother too. Soaking his face with a cool cloth, moving the blankets off when he got to warm, taking his temperature and coaxing medicine down Dean's throat when his brother coughed and hacked – a sure signal the dosage from before was all used up. He'd slip a cough candy into the side of Dean's mouth nestling it between his brother's teeth and cheek letting him suck on that to ride away a sudden bursts of coughs when the three dosage limit for medicine had been used up.

It seemed forever before the early morning hours finally came through. Sam got up and out of bed around ten am and grabbed him and Dean some coffee before coming back. Still Dean slept on, still ridden with fever and hacking uncontrollably. Maybe coffee wasn't a good idea.

Sitting down beside his brother on the bed Sam ran his fingers through the short locks feeling the fever that had grown at least a few degrees over the night. "Dean?" His brother groggily turned his head away, obviously not ready to face the day that was coming. "Dean, I have some water for you. You can go back to bed after." Still no response. Pulling on Dean's shoulder Sam moved him onto his back and frowned at the moist sheets underneath. His brother's chest laced with sweat. Taking the cloth he had used all night he wiped Dean dry before throwing the blankets away. "Dean?" He set a hand to his brother's face, thumbing the bristle covered cheek. "C'mon man. You're worrying me."

Dean groaned as he lifted an arm to shield the sun from his eyes, opening the tired green hues he looked up to Sam. "Five more minutes." He grumbled as he turned on to his front only to be pulled back again.

"You can sleep all you want but I want you to have some water and medicine, you're going to feel worse if you don't."

Swatting at Sam's attempts to pull him into a sitting position Dean grumbled. "I'm not sick Sam, just tired."

"Not sick?" Sam picked up the thermometer. "How come you were running fever of 105 Dean?"

Smirking Dean looked over the thermometer then his brother's eyes. "Do I really have to answer that?"

A sigh accompanied the roll of his eyes as Sam dropped his arms. "Can you stop praising your appearance for once and just let me take care of you."

"No." Turning on to his front Dean snuggled into the pillow again.

"Dean...you're not going to get any better."

"Medicine is for quitters."

"No." Pushing Dean on to his back Sam took a seat on his stomach to keep him still. "Medicine is for those who don't understand the meaning of healthy living."

"Look who's talking, you're a lot more sick than I ever am, now get off sasquatch."

"So you admit you're sick."

"I'm not sick."

"Dean...just take the medicine."

"I don't need it."

"Take it!"

"Piss off." Turning on to his side Dean effectively knocked Sam off the bed and on to the floor, his lips turning into a smile at the heavy thunk.

"Dean."

"I told you to get off."

With a heavy frown Sam stood back up. "Take it."

"No."

"Dean...please. You're really worrying me."

"Look Sam, if I am sick – which I'm not – my body will fight it off naturally."

"Naturally? So running a fever and passing out is natural, hacking and coughing up flem every five minutes is natural?"

"What do you think they did before there was medicine?"

"Why are you so against taking some flu medicine? You take painkillers."

"Yeah, Sam...for pain...pain I can't live with without risking a heart flutter."

"A heart flutter? What about the damage to your liver? What about the damage to your lungs, vocal cords and scarring on the inside of your nasal cavity? It's just a couple of pills Dean." Holding out the white oval shaped pills Sam kneeled beside the bed. "You're pale Dean, your face is white, your lips are practically blue...your eyes aren't even green anymore – they've died to dull grey...I'm worried about you...please take the medicine. If not for your own body then to set my conscience at ease?"

Dean stared at his brother for a long moment, his neutral features holding firm. Sam was stricken with worry, his eyes were droopy and he looked more sick than Dean felt. With a sigh he reached out and picked up the two pills. "Fine. Give me the damn water." Clenching his hand around the medicine he struggled to sit up. As Sam reached out to help him Deanswatted him away. "I'm not five, Sam!" Resting his back against the headboard he took the water as Sam handed it to him and swallowed a good amount before collecting some in his mouth. Dropping the pills in he swallowed, handing Sam the glass.

With arms crossed Sam looked down to his brother not believing for a second that he actually took them. "Let me see your tongue."

Dean cursed mentally as he pulled of an insulted look. "You don't believe me?"

Cocking a brow Sam clenched his jaw slightly. "Dean." Holding out the water again Sam watched his brother.

With a curse Dean took the water back and took another gulp. Tilted his head back he shifted the pills from hiding under his tongue. After swallowing he stuck his tongue out to show Sam that he wasn't hiding them under his tongue or at the edges of his cheeks. "Happy?"

"Very." Taking the glass Sam set it aside. "Now get some sleep."

"Now get some sleep." Dean mimicked silently as he shifted back down to lying on his front.

XxXxXx

Dean couldn't estimate how long he had been out but he didn't need to, he knew it wasn't long enough. His throat was sore and felt swollen making swallowing a difficult and painful task. His limbs were stiff and aching, a reminder of rigamortis to him. His eyes were watery but dry, his tongue felt like it was coated with fur or a heavy powder of some sort. His body was covered in sweat but he couldn't get rid of the cold shivers that ran through him...and if all that wasn't enough his head felt like someone kept knocking him with a sledge hammer.

Turning in bed he looked to Sam, his baby brother was sitting on the bed across from him with his laptop open, his fingers resting on the keys and head laid back as he slept, it was comical to see Sam in such an unpleasant manner, mouth wide open like a chicken in the rain. If Dean had been feeling better he would have taken full advantage of the situation...but unfortunately. "Sam..." Dean groggily mumbled as he pulled the blankets tight around him, his legs lifting to his chest and his arms curling around his torso. "Sammy..." He grunted again getting a twitch from his brother.

Sighing to himself Dean gripped the edge of the bed and pulled himself closer. With his leg falling off the edge his entire body soon followed as he landed with a heavy thumb, sheets still twisted around him. Groaning again he struggled to free a hand lifting it to Sam bed and pulling on the sheets. Curling the sheets into a fist he yanked roughly pulling them around his body as well and bringing Sam down onto the floor with an even heavier thunk then Dean. The elder Winchester hiding a snicker as he heard Sam grumble back to the world of the wake. "Thanks Sammy, needed another blanket."

Rubbing the sore spot on his head Sam shifted to a sitting position, his eyes going over his messy bed and Dean's messy bed before he looked to his curled up brother on the floor. "Dean?" Rubbing his head again he tried to figure out what he was doing or how he ended up on the floor. Forgetting the thought for that moment he pulled his laptop closer to the edge of the bed and looked over the article about the youth snatcher they were attempting to hunt. Closing the laptop he looked down to Dean. "What are we doing on the floor?"

"It happens to be softer than the bed." Turning so he was looking at Sam Dean frowned at him. "What do you think I'm doing on the damn floor? I fell."

Rubbing his head again Sam looked around. "And me?"

Dean turned his back to Sam. "I don't know..." Hearing Sam shift to his feet Dean curled even tighter trying to keep his shivering down.

"How you feeling?" Sam's hand pressed to Dean's forehead and instead of knocking it away, like he always did,Dean pulled it closer setting it to the back of his neck in hopes of warming up. "Dean...you're really warm." Taking a fistful of the sheets Sam pulled on them.

"Stop it!" Dean barked as he jerked his shoulder to break Sam's grasp. "I'm freakin' cold!"

"You're cold?" Frowning Sam grabbed the thermometer and slipped it past Dean's lips getting another glare. "Not sick huh?"

"Mayee jus a'ittle."(Maybe just a little) Dean mumbled with the thermometer stuck under his tongue.

"Right." Slipping the thermometer from Dean's lips Sam looked to the temperature his eyes furrowing in worry. "Dean, your fever is rising...you have to take the blankets off."

"M'fine, Sammy." Dean retorted as he pulled the blankets over his head.

"No Dean you're not." Yanking the blankets off Sam fought with Dean to keep them off. "Dean! Listen to me! You're not cold, you're too warm and your body keeps sweating to cool you off...it's not going to work. You need a cool shower."

Dean frowned again. "That means I'll shrink."

"Shrink? Dean what..." Sam sighed in annoyance. "Shrinking is that last of your problems right now. Not like you're having sex with anyone right now anyways."

"I could always get lucky."

"Not covered in bodily fluids." Slipping his arms around Dean Sam lifted his brother to his feet.

"Dude, don't be gross." Pushing Sam back as Dean made it to his feet he stumbled a few steps as he walked. "And I can bathe myself." Dean's tough moment was cut short as he fell forward colliding his skull against the bathroom door effectively pushing it open and falling over.

"Dean!" Rushing to his brother's side Sam looked to the bump, finding it was small he chuckled. "You're lucky you have a thick skull."

"Shut up." Grasping Sam's arms Dean was lifted up again only to be rest down against the wall as Sam ran the water. "Dude...you're not bathing me."

"What do you propose I do Dean? If I leave you alone you could fall in and drown."

"I'm not three."

"Doesn't matter."

"Dude, c'mon."

"Look Dean. Until you're able to register the fact that you can't even walk three feet without cracking your head on something you're not doing anything by yourself. Not like you don't have anything I haven't seen before."

"Dude!"

"My own Dean! Not yours. C'mon, take of your clothes and wrap this around your waist." Tossing a thin towel at Dean Sam started to find the right temperature for the water to take care of Dean's fever. By the time he had found it and filled the tub Dean had undressed himself and was covering his hip and thigh area with the towel. With a quick look over his brother Sam determined the best way to get him into the tub and once he was in he drew the shower curtain so Sam could only see Dean from the chest up. "There...now you can bathe and I can watch you and make sure you don't pass out again."

"Yeah...whatever." Dean groaned as he slipped down the tub so his feet were planted on the opposite end and his knees were bent, the water splashing on his chest and neck. He cursed the fact that Sam was right, the cool water felt really good and Dean had stopped shivering. "I hate you."

"Yeah, I know." Handing Dean a cloth Sam took a seat on the toilet cover. "Clean up...you smell."

"You're no bed of roses yourself." Grabbing the shower gel Dean pulled it past the curtain. "You seriously going to watch me?"

"Yeah."

"That's gross."

"And life saving. Hurry up." Sam looked away to take a peek out into the room before looking back to Dean. Cocking his head to the side Sam felt his stomach clench as he leaned in; his eyes widening slightly. "Dean?" Moving to the side of the tub Sam took his brother's limp head in his hands, the dull hues were closed. "Dean!!" Grabbing the cloth Sam pressed it firmly to Dean's face brushing away the soap that fell around his brothers eye's. "Dean, wake up! Dean!!" No response. "No...Dean..."

XxXxXx

Sam paced the foot of Dean's bed, his brother clad in a pair of black boxer-briefs with a thin blankets pulled up to his chest, he was lying on his back with his arms and legs spread away from one another. Still Dean was sweating, still panting and still sick. Sam didn't know what to do. It didn't matter what he gave Dean, it didn't matter how many times he cooled him his brother wasn't getting better and Sam wasn't about to leave him to get more medicine. Finally as a desperate attempt he called Bobby.

With phone glued to his ear Sam waited for a reply. "Bobby..." Relief elevated in his voice as he ran a hand through his thick hair. "...Bobby...I need your help." Sam explained the situation about Dean, about the fever and the hunt. He hadn't talked to Bobby in the longest time, probably since they were kids but he needed help and Bobby was the only other person he could think of besides his dad.

"Well Sam, the only thing I can suggest is a doctor." Bobby replied through the phone, his own worry lacing each word he spoke.

"We can't go to a doctor Bobby...Dean is supposed to be dead; killed in St. Louis. I can't just take him into a public building like that."

"You don't have much choice Sam. If Dean isn't getting better on his own then he needs something that will help. A doctor is the only one who can prescribe anything that will help. I'm heading there now so I can help you with Dean but you get him to the doctors as soon as you can. I'll try to get a hold of your daddy and let him know what's going on with his boys. Call me if you need anything."

Nodding into the dead line Sam sighed and snapped his phone shut, his eyes going over Dean's sweat soaked body. "I promise Dean...I'll take care of you."

Yes the hunt will still continue but it won't be as attention grabbing as Dean's condition. The story is basically going to be circling Dean. I'm pretty sure I got the right location for 'Skin' but I will change it if I'm wrong. I can't remember when Sam and Dean had met Bobby in the first season but I'm pretty sure I'm bringing Bobby in a little too soon...ah well. Review if you would like me to continue.