Author's note: It seems I've finally gotten over my writer's block. One more chapter and then I think it'll be the end. Hope this makes up for the lack of substance in the last chapter.

Thank you for all the lovely reviews and comments everyone.

Kaze-chan

Chapter 9

"All spades Sammy, read'em and weep." Dean grinned as he showed his brother his hand of cards. Sam folded his own hand and dropped them on the small tray suspended they were using as a table. He was extra careful not to touch Dean's leg. Due of the complexity of the surgery, the Doctor's were unwilling to put a cast on his leg right away. The doctor's wanted to wait a few weeks to make sure there were no infection or other complications; they would then encase it properly. For now, material bandages and a sturdy metal frame held his leg still.

"That's it, you're cheating." Sam leaned forwards to check his brother's sleeves. Though weakly, Dean managed to swat his younger brother's hand away. It had been 2 weeks already since Dean woke up; showing continuous progress each day. At first, he would hardly be awake for more than a few minutes, but now he would spend the majority of the day with Sam. Sam smiled to himself as he sat on the edge of Dean's bed, reshuffled the deck of cards. He had been released from the hospital the previous week, but he couldn't leave his brother here alone.

Now that the boys weren't in any immediate danger, John Winchester had disappeared as was the normal routine. Bobby had gone back to his house to settle a few things but promised to be back in a few days. Honestly, Sam didn't really care if his father came back or not, so long as Bobby did. Dean leaned back against the pillows, pulling his hoodie tighter around him; well actually Sam's hoodie seeing as Dean didn't own one. Sam pretended not to be looking, knowing his brother normally squirmed under his gaze.

He would call Jessica every day and on week-ends she would make the drive to come visit. Dean could easily see why his younger brother was so attached to this girl. She was smart, funny but more of all she was more than the definition of an understanding girlfriend. As Sam passed out the new hand of cards, his long arm accidently knocked the table tray, sending Dean's uneaten apple flying. It bounced only once, hitting Dean's bandaged leg with a rezoning thud.

Instantly, Dean's face contorted in pain as his breathing hitched. "Christ…….shit." Curses escaped in rushed whispers through his clenched teeth. "Fuck Sam……" Dean's face paled and he looked like he was going to loose what little lunch he had eaten. Sam quickly shoved the tray aside, pressing the nurse call button at the same time.

"I'm sorry Dean. Hey Dean, come on…" Sam gripped his Dean's outstretched hand in his, Dean's tight grip instantly digging into his hand. Dean's other hand currently had a death grip around the metal side bar; his knuckles as white as the sheets. "HELP! SOMEONE!!!" Dean's eyes rolled towards the back of his skull. "Dean! Stay with me."

Nurses and doctors came rushing in, pushing Sam aside as they fussed over his brother. Before he knew it, he found himself outside watching them work on his brother. Eventually, one of the doctors came out to meet him; the same doctor that would normally do the afternoon rounds.

"Is he going to be alright?" Sam asked, his voice sounding like that of a child.

The doctor looked back towards Dean's now sleeping form before answering. "Yes, just a minor setback. His leg is very vulnerable at the moment; any small pressure can cause him enormous pain right now. We just need to be more careful in the meantime." The doctor placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder before heading back to his normal rounds. Sam waited until the hospital staff had cleared out before going back into his brother's room. That apple lay forgotten by the wall where it had rolled. If just an apple had done all that; he hated to imagine what else could happen. He shoved his shaking hands into his pockets as he watched Dean sleep. For some reason, it always unnerved him to see Dean either scared or in pain. It was just something he wasn't used too, something that wasn't normal.

That night Dean ran a fever and was plagued with what Sam could only assume was nightmares. Though no doctor would readily admit the cause, Sam knew what it was without a doubt. Come to think of it, he highly doubted their own father knew this. The reason Dean had a dislike for hospital so much was due to the medication they injected into his system; morphine being the worst of all according to Dean.

Though he never actually told Sam this, morphine would always give Dean high fevers and send his unconscious mind down that long corridor where he kept his worst nightmares. The doctors usual response was simply that this was a common reaction among patience; an answer that would frustrate Sam more than anything. It may be a normal reaction, but Dean's nightmares were anything but normal. Usually, Dean was able to maintain his mental barriers, even under extreme stress or pain. But morphine always seemed to seep by, leaving the door wide open for his worst fears to resurface.

When Dean woke up, he was paler than before; leaving the dark rim under his eyes clearly visible. He looked distant, almost like his mind was busy sorting things out. He nearly refused everything Sam tried to get him to eat and did his best to stay awake longer than he could. Sam knew Dean was trying to wait until the morphine had cycle through his system before getting some more sleep; Sam also knew it was lost cause, the dose would be coursing through his brother's system for another 24 hours or so.

***

"You can't be serious John." Bobby took a second to calm himself seeing as there was no use yelling over the phone line. "Dean still needs to stay in the hospital."

John continued packing his things into his bag. "He's been there too long already, they're starting to ask questions." His simple statement temporarily silenced the other man.

"Are you really that stupid?" Bobby barked back, his anger rising once again. "This is Dean we're talking about. Any small complication or infection can cost him the use of his leg!" John didn't bother answering. "You're lucky I'm not standing next to you, or else I may just shoot you in the leg see how it feels."

John's eyebrow arched in irritation as he stopped his packing. "Incase you've forgotten over the years, Dean is my son and I'll decide what's best for him." Bobby let you an exasperated growl before hanging up his cell phone, leaving an angry John Winchester throwing his things into his truck. As much as Bobby was a big help, John sometimes hated the man. The boys had a better father son bond with the other man than with their own father. He checked his watch and quickly calculated he would be at the hospital sometime after dark.

****

Dean was asleep again, his face twisted in some unknown horror and his hand gripped tightly onto his younger brother's, when John shuffled into the hospital room. Sam didn't bother turning to face his father. He was still angry at the man but didn't want to start a fight with him here at Dean's bedside.

"I signed all the paper work, Dean's being released tomorrow morning." The older man stated as a matter of fact, already starting to throw his son's little possessions in a duffle.

Sam took a second to process. " What? Why?!" It was hard for him to keep his voice even.

"There's nothing else they'll do here other than wait." John eyed his youngest sternly. "The longer we stay here, the easier targets we are."

Sam stared at his father in disbelief. "You're kidding right? Dean needs to stay in the hospital." Sam spared a glance at his brother, content to see he was still sleeping. Somehow he really shouldn't be surprised; this was typical John Winchester. Letting go of Dean's hand, Sam slowly got to his feet facing his father. "In case you haven't noticed, his leg isn't healed, it's not even in a cast yet. Come to think about it, you want to bring him where exactly, mmm? Or are you just planning to stash him somewhere on his own and go off hunting like always?"

John returned his youngest son's burning gaze, straightening to his full height. "Last time I checked, boy, you're the one who walked out on Dean; not me."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot how stupid I was for wanting a normal life." Sam replied sarcastically. John quickly grabbed a fist full of Sam's shirt.

"You listen to me." John spoke in a grumble. "I call the shots here when it comes to Dean. Technically, you aren't part of this family anymore by your own choice. And you'd better watch your tone with me." Sam swallowed back his remark, knowing the last thing he wanted to do right now was have an all out brawl with his father.

The two were still staring each other down when Dean stired awake. His muffled mind failed to notice the hostility and the tension in the room, something that worried John a little. "Hey kid, how're you doing?"

Dean blinked back, a little confused at seeing his father there. "Been better." His voice sounded coarse. His tired eyes searched around for something, but when he didn't find it he opted to lean back into the pillows instead. Sam knew what his brother wanted and without a word, headed towards the small bathroom to get a cup of cold water. Dean barely hesitated when Sam handed it over to him. "Thanks Sammy."

"Yeah, no problem." Sam took the cup back from his brother and placed it on the bedside table, easily in reach. John watched his two sons. After a long look at his eldest, John could clearly see Sam was right. Dean was still too pale and tired easily. Dean's hazel eyes wandered up to his.

"What's wrong dad?" Dean finally asked. Sam sat down on the edge of Dean's bed, eyeing his father curiously, his anger far from gone. John's hard gaze shifted between Dean's slightly hazed green and Sam's angry brown.

As much as John hated to admit when he was wrong, he couldn't deny it this time. Dean was far from ready to leave the hospital. And even after he did, they didn't have a home. Dean wouldn't be able to move from hotel to hotel each night and John wouldn't be able to abandon is search for the demon.

"Nothing." John grounded out, dropping the duffle in the chair. "I've got some thing to take car of." Sam and Dean nodded in unison, much like they had when they were children. With one last glare at Sam, John turned on his heels and left.

"Why the hell did I even have kids." He muttered as he passed Bobby in the hallway, half to himself, half to the other man.