Disclaimer: Not mine, darn it all!

NOTE1: Thanks for the reviews, favs and alerts. I always appreciate all of them! Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far!

Chapter 14

"How long Bobby?" Sammy asked quietly as he watched Dean closely, holding his limp hand, the one with the uninjured wrist. His butt was going numb from the uncomfortable chair he was parked in, but he had no plans of moving anytime soon.

"How long what?" Bobby asked, acting like he had no idea what Sammy wanted to know.

"How long was Dean been… why was he trying… what's going on? I don't understand." Sammy said, genuinely confused as he tried to put his thoughts into words, glancing at Bobby.

"We need to focus on getting your brother back. Then the three of us will sit down, at home and discuss everything. Okay?" Bobby asked, waiting for Sammy's decision, hoping he didn't want to dig into it here and now.

Sammy nodded and then he frowned as he almost begged, "Okay. Just tell me I didn't hurt my brother since I been back."

Damn puppy dog eyes, Bobby thought as he looked Sammy straight in the eye while he told him, "You didn't hurt your brother." Because, Bobby defended his response to himself, Sammy wasn't here to do anything. It was Sam, his memories and his body, but empty of the Sammyness that Dean, Sammy and Bobby needed. Hell, Dean didn't even know Sammy was back yet.

"Thank God," Sammy muttered, giving Dean's hand a slight squeeze. He leaned in close as he said softly, "Please, bro… I need you to come back to me… I need you. Bobby needs you." He stopped and watched for any movement from Dean, looking for even the slightest twitch.

Bobby cleared his throat as he stated huskily while he stood up, making to move away from the side of the bed , "I'm going to get coffee and something to eat. Maybe the smell of food will wake his ass up. He is our bottomless pit… I mean…" Bobby startled as he realized what he'd said, thinking shit, I said pit! Please don't remember, not right now. When Bobby glanced at Sammy he grinned at Bobby.

"I know… that would be nice." Sammy's smile disappeared as quickly as it had appeared as he returned his attention to Dean.

"I mean, he eats a lot." Bobby finished lamely, standing there shifting from foot to foot before heading towards the door to walk out.

"Dean, do you remember when we were kids and you started the splash wars?" Sammy paused, rubbing his thumb lightly back and forth on the back of Dean's hand as he cradled it in his own.

"Bobby." Sammy said, stopping Bobby's escape to the door. Bobby looked back at Sammy.

"Thanks, Bobby. Thanks for taking care of Dean while I couldn't." Sammy said sincerely, turning back to Dean. He completely missed the pained look on Bobby's face. As tears started to flow Bobby's rushed from the room. Bobby felt the shame like a rushing river of flames through his body. Because he hadn't watched over Dean. He had let a broken Dean walk away and stay gone a year. And when Sam had returned he had betrayed Dean again by not telling him. Not giving him the choice to stay in the apple pie world or being with his brother. God, he had a lot to atone for, he thought as he raced from the room and into a bathroom. Finding the last stall empty he slid down the wall farthest away from the toilet, brought his knees up and his head down and bawled like a baby. There's was too much sometimes and this was the final straw; he let himself cry like a child.

Sammy turned back focusing on Dean, "Remember how mad Dad got that time we soaked him on accident? I guess it was about 6 months after the Splash Wars started. Then he ordered us out of the water and after we dried off he demanded we sit down at the table "to talk." We thought we were in deep shit if the look on Dad's face was any indication. Then he slammed us both with water balloons." Sammy chuckled a little before he became serious once again. "The look on your face. Priceless."

"D," Sammy sighed as he continued, "I need you to be ok… You and me against it all, right?" The silence in the room when he wasn't talking was deafening. He fidgeted, knee bouncing as he stared at Dean. His face was swollen and purpling on the right side of his head, so Sammy had a clear view of it.

Taking his free hand he butter-flied it lightly over Dean's cheek, telling him softly, "Who's going to re-supply my 'Monsters under the Bed' Survival Kit? Or make sure that I remember that 'you pick the music and that I shut my cakehole?' Or that pie is the staple of any diet?"

"Dean, I think I've been gone a long time and that you may have needed me. For that I am so sorry." Tears welled up as Sammy continued his monologue with Dean. "I'm sorry I haven't been here." He held his hand lightly on Dean's cheek letting him feel Sammy's presence as he leaned in close and whispered, "I won't let you go." and then he leaned his head down on the bed and pleaded softly, not even realizing he was saying it aloud, "Please God, don't take him. We need him here." Sammy was unaware of how long he stayed that way, he may have even dozed off. For some reason he felt exhausted, like he hadn't slept in a long time. Suddenly he felt a hand on his back. He jerked and sat up.

"Whoa, boy… it's just me. Here." Bobby said shoving a coffee under his nose.

Sammy's free hand snaked out and latched on to the coffee.

"I even got you one of those girly kinds that Dean always spoils you with." Bobby said, realizing that he never saw Sam the whole year drink one of those. He shook his head; there was so much he should have seen. Dean would have noticed immediately. Hell, he did notice… that was why Sam didn't want him around.

A pained look came over Sammy's face as he took a sip of the coffee.

"Here, I brought you something light from the cafeteria." Bobby held out a bagel with cream cheese.

Sammy shook his head no, sitting down his coffee.

Bobby got that look that said plainly- if you don't take it I will shove it down your throat as he shook the bagel at Sammy until he took it, causing Bobby to smile.

Sammy took a bite and sat the rest on the napkin Bobby had passed to him as he then placed it on the bedside table, next to his coffee.

"You need to keep your strength up, Sammy. Dean needs you to be well when he wakes up." Bobby said then looked away. There was no way in hell Bobby was going to tell Sammy that the Doctor had caught him outside the room to tell him that Dean's brain activity had been decreasing since the surgery. The last time they had checked it was significantly lower than the time before. Because Bobby was sure that when Dean felt Sammy he would make his way back to them. "Just keep talking to your brother; he needs to hear your voice. If anyone can make him want to come back… it's you."

Sammy nodded, visibly swallowing as he held back tears. After he was back in tight control of his emotions he leaned in close once again to Dean saying softly, "Do you remember when I tied a pair of Dad's underwear to the antenna of the impala while he was sleeping? I was like seven, I think. I thought it would make a great surrender flag. Couldn't figure out why you were laughing your ass off until dad came out of the motel and found them. God, he was pissed. I got a two hour lecture on what was allowed and what was off limits. He had a list a mile long, which he kept adding to. You know, I think I wrote it down one time when it got to fifty. Then I started adding the new ones as soon as he thought up one. I carried scrapes of paper around until we'd get to Bobby's and then I would add the newest one to my permanent list I kept hidden in our room at Bobby's. I think I stopped after it got to hundred and twenty something."

Bobby snickered; he remembered John's annoyance at the antenna incident. Sammy's look of confusion had Bobby explaining.

"Your dad showed up later that week at the house, told me about that. I laughed at him. After a few minutes he grinned at me as he told me, "That you boys always amaze him with the things you two would think up to entertain yourselves. I think it might have even worried him a little." Bobby said grinning slightly at Sammy.

"Yeah, he was right to worry. One time while dad was away on a job I think Dean was eleven…" Sammy paused, looking thoughtful before starting up again, "It must have been later that same year when Dean decided to teach me how to make a campfire."

"Sounds like something you needed to know." Bobby said with a hint of a smile. Knowing with Dean that wasn't the whole story.

"Yeah, well it just happened to be in the motel bathtub of the latest dump we were holed up in. But ya know with Dean there I didn't realize until I was a lot older that some of the places we stayed at should have been condemned."

Bobby snorted as he commented, "Hell, a lot of them were."

Sammy chuckled as he agreed, "Yeah but Dean always made it out like we were having great adventures, doing things most kids never would have a chance to do. It wasn't until I was a teenager that I began to even seriously consider that there was something out there besides hunting."

Bobby sobered as he told Sammy, "You boys did a lot of things most grown men have never done."

Sammy nodded in agreement as he absentmindedly rubbed the end of Dean's thumbnail with the tip of his index finger. Sammy and Bobby sat quietly for awhile just lost in their own thoughts watching over Dean as he lay oblivious to what was happening around him.

TBC