January 24

Chapter 8

Sometime around dawn Dean's eyes cracked open. John jerked – not awake for he had been awake all night – but from his chair. He drew his legs from his son's bed and leaned forward.

"How you feeling, sport?"

Dean answered him with a blink, trying to focus some seconds later and making as if he was about to sit up.

"Hey, hey. Easy, kid. Don't move just yet. You might tear open the stitches."

Simply his nature, the younger hunter seemed to want to defy John, but eventually the boy complied. Dean wetted his lips and cleared his throat.

"Sam?"

His voice was so parched that John immediately fetched a glass of water from the side table—the act effectively distracting him from wondering how Dean was to know Sam had been with him. His son welcomed the cold reprieve as he sipped from the straw, but he repeated his question afterward.

Sam's never far from your mind, is he, thought John. He had sent his youngest kid to the motel where he and Dean were staying to catch some rest because he never thought Dean would have known that his brother was here anyway. It had not been easy either to persuade Sam to leave, but John promised he would call the boy the moment Dean was awake.

"He'll be here soon, Dean. Now you get more rest, okay? Your body is still healing."

Dean had been dreaming. He had back in the park, in the middle of the night, and his cry had torn into the night as someone or something slashed his back. Then all of a sudden his cell phone rang and in such an inexplicable way, he managed to answer it.

It was Sam. And Sam knew what happened even before Dean told him. In fact, he was the one who told Dean to get away from the woods in the park. Then Sam dragged him away for he could not walk by himself. However, Dean was in so much pain that he couldn't go on. He gave up when they reached the clearing where he finally blacked out. Yet he knew nothing would attack him for Sam was with him. He was safe.

Strangely though, not once had his dad appeared in his dream.

"I'm gonna call your brother but I believe he's dozing off in the motel now. You want to leave him a message?"

Dean gazed at his father, eyes shining both with bliss and helplessness, emotions pouring out raw and free. He shook his head. No, he couldn't talk to Sam like that. Not after what had happened to all of them, Sam leaving and all. He even didn't know if he could talk face to face with his younger brother.

After some time debating with himself, Dean came to a decision that the other option his dad had given him was much better. Rest. Sleep. Giving energy back to his body to face Sam later.

Sometime around eight Dean's eyes cracked open again, and they were met with the most beautiful sight he had ever seen, at least in the past year. A smile. Sam's teary smile. His brother had always been such a girl.

"Hey," Sam greeted him softly, and Dean, despite anything, suddenly wanted to lash out at him. He always hated this awkward situation, didn't Sam know that?

But Sam shoved a box under his nose and hollered a "Happy Birthday!"

What the--? The box smelled like apple pie, though.

"Sam …?"

"Come on, Dean." His brother opened the lid and Dean found he was right. It was apple pie, one healthy round of apple pie. He hated apple pie and the kind of life it represented. But this time…

"I couldn't get anything else. This is the only thing the diner has first thing in the morning," Sam rambled on. "I hope you like it, though. They said it was good."

Dean took a glimpse at his dad who stood there, not upset but bright with smiles. Everybody was smiling. God, kill him now.

"I'm sorry I'm late for your birthday, Dean." Sam sobered up, speaking gently. "But I'm glad I wasn't late to – to save you…"

"Sam." Dean's voice cut him in a full warning. "What did I say about chick flick moments?"

His younger brother smiled sheepishly and thrust another thing toward Dean. A small sharp knife.

"Cut the pie," he cheered. "The birthday boy must be the one to do that."

fin

AN: I want to say thanks to everyone who reads, everyone who comments, everyone who puts this in their alert, everyone who makes this as their favorite, and someone who includes this in a C2 community. I'm so happy and I feel honored. I didn't mean this to be a series yet you all have persuaded me. Thank you so much.