A/N- Oh dear, I'm sorry guys, I kind of left you all on a cliffhanger and then didn't update. I feel so mean. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It has some chick-flick moments and a bit of development in the plot. If anyone has any advice or anything, please review… I love reviews. I think I'm addicted to them. Anyway, I added in a 'flashback' to the last chapter at the beginning of this one so you guys don't have to look back. Enjoy!

Previously:

Dean could feel his mind begin to go hazy at the lack of oxygen, but then he heard something that made him fight to stay alive. Just one word, but it was filled with enough emotion to make a demon cry. One word filled with anguish, pleading.

"Dean!"

Chapter 5

Sam panicked as Dean began to struggle, unable to breathe. He quickly grabbed Dean by the shoulders, holding him down so as not to disturb the surrounding equipment. Dean kept coughing and choking, unable to breathe properly, but Sam didn't want to risk taking off the tube without the doctor's knowledge. Suddenly, Dean stopped thrashing as much, and Sam could see from his eyes that Dean was prepared to give up.

"No. No Dean, don't you dare. Please. Dean!" Sam had tears streaming down his face as he watched the life leave his brother. However, at his last plea, something had apparently sparked in Dean. He once again began coughing, albeit slowly, and Sam felt his racing pulse slow down slightly.

"Dean?"

Suddenly, Sam heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Bobby run into the room, accompanied by the doctor and two nurses.

"Move back!" the doctor barked as the three hurried to Dean's bed. Sam and Bobby moved to the side of the room, giving the medical staff plenty of space.

"Where did you run off to?" Sam asked Bobby distractedly, watching the doctor carefully remove Dean's breathing tube.

"Went to grab a doctor once Dean started struggling. Looks like we made it back just in time," Bobby said gruffly, his eyes in the same direction as Sam's. After a few minutes, the doctor and two nurses stepped back. The doctor approached Sam and Bobby, and for the first time, Sam noticed the nametag on his coat. 'Dr Terrence'.

Doctor Terrence smiled at the two men, gesturing to Dean.

"He's going to be alright. We removed the breathing tube because it seems he can breathe on his own now, but we'll keep the IV in for a while longer."

"Why couldn't he breathe? I thought the tube was supposed to help, not hinder," Bobby asked.

"I've seen it happen before. A patient wakes up and panics when they find something down their throat. Their body rejects the incoming air, and they can't breathe. Unfortunately, it seems Dean really panicked when he woke up," Doctor Terrence finished.

"Will he wake up again anytime soon?" Sam asked desperately. Doctor Terrence frowned.

"He woke up before?"

"Yeah, just before he started choking. He recognised me, I'm positive of it."

The doctor looked surprised.

"Well, I wasn't expecting him to awaken so quickly. Your brother is a real fighter," he said to Sam.

"When he has something to fight for," Bobby said, glancing quickly at Sam. Sam pretended not to notice.

"So you don't know when he'll wake up?"

"It could be any time." Doctor Terrence said as he turned to leave the room.

"Thank you," Sam called out to the retreating figure before turning to face Dean again.

He sighed heavily before going and sitting on Dean's bed next to the once again motionless figure.

"God Dean, you really are killing me here, bro," Sam said quietly. He gently held one of Dean's hands in his own, relishing in the fact that he could feel Dean's body heat, meaning that Dean was still alive. Sam squeezed Dean's hand gently, and was surprised to feel a tiny squeeze back.

"Dean?" Sam asked, astonished. There was no reply, but Sam once again felt that miniscule amount of pressure on his hand. He stared down at their linked hands for a minute before looking back up, a look of relief and happiness on his face. For some reason, Dean couldn't wake up yet, but he was still letting Sam know he was there, still looking after his little brother. Sam leant forward and pressed his forehead to Dean's own.

"I'm still here, Dean. I won't leave, I promise." He murmured quietly. A tiny sigh left Dean's lips, so small that if Sam had been any further away, he wouldn't have noticed it. But he did, and he found himself wiping away stray tears of his face. It wouldn't do for Dean to wake up and see his little brother crying.

It was hours later when Dean opened his eyes again. Sam was still seated next to him, but his head was lolling slightly as he struggled to stay awake. A quick glance at the bedside clock told him it was 2am. Bobby was seated on a chair next to him, asleep, snoring softly. Sam was just about to give in to the calls of sleep when a movement to his left stirred him. He looked up to see Dean's brow furrowed, and a soft groan emerged from his lips.

"S…S'mmy…."

"Dean? Dean, I'm right here. Can you open your eyes?" Sam pressed, eager for his older brother to wake up. Bobby was also stirred from his sleep, and he rose from his chair to stand next to Sam, blinking the sleep out of his eyes.

"Dean?" Sam asked again. Dean muttered something unintelligible before his eyelids began to flicker slightly. Sam and Bobby shared a hopefully look before gazing back down. Dean seemed to be struggling a lot, so Sam laid a reassuring hand on Dean's shoulder.

"Dean, it's alright if you can't open your eyes yet." He said soothingly, but Dean continued to struggle.

Finally, his eyelids opened. He stared up at the two worried faces gazing down at him; his eye's flickering between the two before settling on his brother.

"S'mmy? What's… what happened?" Dean asked blearily, hardly able to get out the words after all his choking and coughing. Bobby quickly grabbed a cup of water lying on the table and handed it to Sam, who helped raise his brother's head to drink the water. Once Dean's throat was slightly better, he began to ask questions again.

"Sammy? How'd I get here? Where are we?" Sam shifted guiltily, and Dean suddenly knew.

"We're at a hospital, aren't we."

"Well, it's more of a medical clinic-"

"Sam, you know any medical place is only in emergencies! As in life or death situation!"

"This was a life or death situation, Dean!" Sam suddenly snapped, the pressure and waiting all getting to him. "You nearly died and you want to know why I brought you to a medical clinic?" Dean glanced, confused, between Sam and Bobby as Sam rose from the bed and stood slightly away, hands crossed over his chest.

"What are you talking about? I didn't nearly die…"

"Yes you did, Dean," Bobby answered, staring sympathetically between the two brothers. "That wound of yours… it's not normal. Something or someone caused you to bleed a hell of a lot more than you normally would, and we nearly lost you."

Dean's eyes once again flickered between the two, searching for the truth in their eyes. Once he found it, he slumped back in his pillow, confused.

"But I don't remember anything."

"You couldn't remember what happened to you before either, Dean. And with the amount of blood you lost, I'm pretty sure your whole body is a bit shaken up." Sam said quietly, his voice shaking slightly. Dean looked at his little brother worriedly.

"You okay?" he asked.

Bobby moved away from the bed and headed out the room.

"Coffee," he called back, but that wasn't the reason he left. He knew the two boys needed to have a heart to heart, and an audience wasn't going to help one bit.

Back in the room, Sam glared at the floor. Dean watched him apprehensively, concerned about him, but also weary about fighting.

"Sam?"

Sam turned to Dean, with tears pooling in his eyes.

"You don't know what it's like Dean. This is the third time you've been in hospital because you nearly died since I got back into the job, and I don't know how much more I can take." Sam's voice was shaking again as Dean just stared at him, eyes wide.

"Is that what this is about?" Dean finally asked quietly. Sam just nodded, unable to speak anymore. Dean sighed softly before patting the spot in his bed that Sam had previously occupied. Sam sat down, feeling like he was six all over again, and Dean was going to explain something important to him.

"I'm sorry," Dean began, looking directly into Sam's eyes. "I… I didn't realise that this tore you up so much, and I'm sorry for causing you all that pain. But believe me, Sammy, I know what it's like." Sam gazed up, confused.

"Remember that time when you got thrown down a flight of stairs by that spirit when you were sixteen? And we had to take you to hospital and we didn't know if you would wake up?" Sam nodded mutely. "Well, I think I felt the same way. I was so afraid that I would lose you, and I vowed to myself that I would never let you be in harms way again. That went out the window, of course," Dean finished with a small grin, which Sam couldn't help but return.

"I know you don't mean to hurt me, Dean. But I just don't understand why it's always you that manages to get severely hurt. You must be pissing the big guy up there a lot," Sam said with a lopsided grin, nodding towards the ceiling. Dean grinned back.

"So, we're okay?" Dean asked quietly after a few moments silence. Sam looked at his older brother.

"Yeah. We're okay," he replied. Dean smiled before shifting uncomfortably.

"I hate chick flick moments," he said after a pause. Sam just laughed.

Bobby then re-entered the room, surprisingly empty-handed. The two brothers looked up at him.

"Weren't you meant to get coffee?" Dean asked, looking at Bobby strangely. Bobby ignored the question, intent on getting out the information he had learnt.

"I just met up with another hunter in the corridor. He's waiting to check if his wife's alright, something about a poltergeist. Anyway, he told me that there's a coven of witches here."

The two brothers just looked at him.

"So?" Sam finally said, echoing Dean's thoughts.

"So? So maybe they're who did this to Dean," Bobby said, exasperated. Sam jumped up, looking excited.

"If they're the ones who did this, then all we have to do is find them and stop them," Sam said.

"Hey, slow down tiger," Dean said, sitting up. "Stop a coven of witches? You and what army?" Sam shook his head.

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we get to it. But just think Dean; if we stop them, they can't hurt you anymore." The happiness in Sam's voice was almost tangible. Dean looked worriedly at Sam.

"Sam, I know you're pissed at them and all, but you can't go in half-cocked to try and stop them. You have to do the research, and treat this like a normal hunt, okay?" Sam just looked at Dean, giving him the 'what do you think I am; stupid?' look, but Dean knew better than to fall for it. He knew that when something threatened their family, Sam turned blind. Just like me, Dean thought sadly.

"Sam, promise me," Dean said sternly. Sam just looked at Dean.

"Dude, what do you think I am, four?" Sam asked jokingly, but the look Dean gave him was serious.

"Promise me, Sammy." He said again, eyes pleading. Sam sighed before giving in.

"Alright, I promise." He said, throwing up his hands. Dean gave a smile of relief before turning his head back to Bobby.

"So, where do you think we should start?" Dean asked him. Bobby looked at him worriedly.

"Well, if it was the witches who did this to you, they've obviously got it in for you, which means we can't leave you alone at any time. So one of us will always be with you while the other does research."

Dean looked slightly annoyed at having to be babysat, but he didn't complain.

"Ok, I'll go research while you stay here with Dean for a while," Sam said, already heading out the door.

"It's 3 in the morning!" Dean said.

"Ok, so I'll go get my laptop and bring it here then," Sam called back.

"Nice to know you enjoy my company!" Dean called out. Sam turned around and gave him a sweet smile.

"Of course I do, Dean. And because I would like to have your company still with me in a few more years, I think I should go get my laptop." With that, he turned back around and walked off, leaving Dean without a comeback.

"Damn kid gets smarter all the time," Dean complained to Bobby. Bobby just chuckled.

"Some help you are," Dean growled, pouting at Bobby.

While Bobby took a seat again, intent on having a quick nap, Dean settled back into his fluffy pillows, feeling tired again.

"Witches. I hate witches," he mumbled sleepily before his eyes closed again, taking him to the land of dreams… or nightmares.