He's my son
Chapter 11
John Winchester woke to an empty room, he glanced over the other bed that occupied the room was empty. John knew without a doubt exactly where Dean had taken off to. He shook his head at how predictable his eldest boy was when it came to dealing with Sam. Although considering the situation John couldn't blame Dean for wanting to spend so much time with Sam.
Speaking of which, John wished he knew what he could do to help Sam, even if it was just the words to say to comfort his boy while he went through chemo. It had only been one day since Sam had started and seeing how hard the effects hit Sam afterwards, hurt John more than he was willing to admit. No parent wanted to see their child suffer, John most of all. He might not always get alone with Sam but that didn't mean he wished to see him hurting. Sitting up, his threw his legs over the side of the bed, he glanced at the clock at the bedside table. It was eight thirty which meant visiting hours started at nine and Sam's chemo started at ten thirty. He had a little bit of time to get a shower and grab a decent breakfast, which apparently he would have to do without Dean.
Getting up he wondered into the bathroom for his shower, and just as he was coming out somebody was pounding on his door. He knew automatically it wasn't going to be Dean because once Dean was at his little brother's side, he wasn't leaving, it would take a tornado to move Dean and even then it wouldn't be very far.
Sure enough it was Caleb, posing to knock again as John opened the door.
"Dean up already?" he asked.
"Dean's with Sam already" John said moving back so the younger man could enter the room.
"Why doesn't that surprise me" Caleb muttered rolling his eyes, "He's going to be lucky if they don't stop his visiting rights for that one."
"I doubt any hospital would be that cruel" John remarked as started the coffee maker.
Caleb sat down in the chair by the window and watched his older friend wonder around the room.
"I want to know how Dean knew to go to Sam last night, kind of strange that he just took off without telling anybody where he was actually going"
"I don't think so, if you'd seen those two together there is nothing strange about their bond whatsoever, and that's the way I've always wanted it to be. Because I know Dean will take care of Sam if I'm not around." John replied pouring himself and Caleb a cup of coffee. "Besides it doesn't surprise me that Dean knew something was going on with Sam. I would be more surprised if he didn't know."
Twenty minutes later Caleb and John left their hotel room and met up with Bobby and Jim and drove to the hospital. Like John had suspected Dean was indeed in Sam's room. They were both sitting up and talking when the door opened and Dean turned and looked up to see who had entered.
"Don't think I didn't notice your disappearing trick" John commented as he approached the bed.
"I got a call about Sam" Dean said shrugging before asking "have you ever seen a blonde nurse in here?"
"Not that I can recall" John replied after thinking for a moment. "Most of them have been dark haired but no blondes. I would think you would have remembered that"
"Probably would have" Dean admitted sounding troubled. "I talked to Jackie this morning they don't even have a nurse resembling the one Sam told me about."
John frowned he wasn't liking the sound of this. It would figure that something supernatural would be haunting his son while he was dealing with cancer.
"Maybe it was a nurse that used to work here" John suggested his mind already determined to solve this issue, he didn't want any kind of ghost around Sam. Because of course there was no telling if it was a reaper or not, he certainly didn't want one of those around his boy. Sam would survive one way or the other.
Bobby looked at Jim and frowned if there was indeed a ghost haunting this place, it couldn't be for any good reason.
"I'll go back to the hotel and look into it" Bobby said "whoever it is won't haunt this place long."
Sam frowned he didn't like the thought of being haunted.
"Even if that nurse is a ghost she didn't seem so vengeful to me" Sam commented.
"You know how it goes Sam, ghosts always turn vengeful eventually, and I'm not giving this one a chance to hurt you." Sam didn't like the sound of that; he didn't want this one to be sent away. There was something innately good about this one; Sam couldn't explain it in a way to make them understand whoever she was wasn't here to cause him harm.
A few minutes later Jackie his day nurse walked through the door. Sam groaned as soon as he saw her, making the others in the room chuckle. They couldn't blame him of course; from what they had witnessed chemo was horrible enough to go through.
"I see you know what time it is" she said as she approached with the IV bags in hand. Sam swallowed hard; he had been dreading this all night. But he would go through it for his family.
"Of course, time to prepare myself to be sick for the rest of the day" Sam muttered watching as Jackie tied a tourniquet around his upper right arm.
"Can you make a fist for me?" she asked and Sam silently did as she asked. He wondered if they would be doing this all the time or if they could find a better way than sticking full of holes all the time.
Jackie pressed gently on the center of his arm looking for a vein, once she found it, as gently as she could she slid a butterfly needle into it. taping the needle down she hung the bag full of life saving medicine up on the silver pole that was attached to the bed.
"You're all set" She said as cheerfully as she could. She hated seeing kids as young as Sam, sometimes even younger than that, have to go through such rough treatment. She could be as gentle as possible but that still wouldn't change the effect the chemicals had on the body.
"See you when the bag is empty" she said softly smiling as she turned and walked out the door, struggling to hide her tears. The job was really starting to get to her lately.
Sam sighed and leaned back against his pillows. Day two had just begun. He stared up at the ceiling, wondering just how his father had come to the conclusion that the night nurse was a ghost. He understood it couldn't have been a demon because there was a devils trap on the ceiling.
"I can hear you thinking from over here" Dean said watching his little brother, the medicine slowly dripping into Sam's bloodstream. "You shouldn't think so much you could damage your brain."
"I think it's likely you damage your brain from NOT thinking enough" Sam countered turning his head to grin at Dean. John rolled his eyes but he was glad Sam was in a good mood maybe that would last throughout the chemo session.
"Hey I wouldn't want to be a geek to save my life," Dean said "They never get the girls." Sam rolled his eyes. He loved his brother but he could really try a person's patience.
While Dean and Sam bickered back and forth John snuck out the door, with the other guys. They all felt Dean had that situation well under control. They had to worry about the supernatural being wondering around in Sam's room. John looked back at Sam laughing at something Dean had said. The sight was good for his heart. He knew by the time this was over Sam probably wouldn't be laughing so much, but if this is what it took for Sam to live so be it. John wasn't willing to let his youngest die so young, and not from something like this.
"I'll be back Sammy, I promise" he murmured as he turned and followed Caleb back down the hall. And a few hours later he did return with not one iota of a clue of what was haunting his son or why. It made him very frustrated, and by the time he was arriving back at Sam's room, none of the other hunters would even approach him.
He walked into Sam's room just in time to see Sam leaning over the bed hurling with all his might.
"I can see chemo is done for the day" John commented feeling bad for his son.
"Yeah" Dean said rubbing Sam's back gently "he's been like this for a little while now. Can't even keep water down." Sam had finished hurling and had lain back down on the bed, seeing his father and still feeling pretty rough. Sam reached out for his father, for once needing the comfort only a father could give. John sent a startled look in Dean's direction, who only smirked. Sam had never once wanted him when Dean was around. Still, knowing his youngest needed him propelled him forward and approached the bed.
Sitting down on it, he scooped Sam up into his arms and held him close. Sam rested his head on his father's chest. John resisted sighing; it had been a long time since he'd felt needed. He reached up and brushed Sam's hair away from his face, as he did, his fingers brushed Sam's forehead. Frowning John looked down at Sam.
"Is he supposed to be feeling warm?" he hoped Sam wasn't getting sick; a cold at this point could kill him because the drugs were affecting Sam's immune system.
"I don't think so" Dean said watching his little brother cling to their dad. Something had to be going on because Sam was never that clingy to anyone unless it was Dean. He reached over and hit the call button for the nurse. He wasn't going to risk Sam's life because they didn't know if it was normal for Sam to be running a fever or not.
Five minutes later black headed nurse named Rachel, who Dean immediately didn't like. She scowled at the sight of John holding Sam.
"A little old to be getting held is he not?" she commented leaned over and touching Sam's forehead.
"He's been throwing up a lot has he not?" she asked not bothering to even look at his chart.
"Yes" Dean admitted though he was ready to commit murder. This person wasn't fit to be a nurse, cause she didn't seem to care about any of the patients.
"He's probably running a fever from having thrown up so much." Rachel said. John scowled, and the look on his face would have sent the other hunters running had it been directed at them. Rachel having finished checking Sam's temperature turned and walked out the door.
"That little bitch" John said startling the occupants in the room.
"I would be running by now" Caleb said as John gently placed Sam back on the bed and headed out of the room. "She crossed the wrong grizzly bear." Dean couldn't blame John for being mad, he was too at the careless way she'd treated Sam, he was fourteen for crying out loud and going through chemo, if he'd needed a little comfort no one could blame him for that.
"Know any lawyers?" Jim asked Bobby "I have feeling if he catches her; he's going to be looking at murder."
"Not that she doesn't deserve it." Dean muttered taking his dad's place on the bed. He didn't like how pale and sweaty the kid was. Something had to be wrong; he hadn't looked like this after chemo yesterday. He prayed it wasn't an infection, something like that could easily kill the kid.
"You're going to be okay kiddo" Dean said brushing away the sweaty hair. His heart ached just looking at him; things couldn't end like this right now.
"Dean?" Sam asked weakly reaching for Dean's hand, and whimpering when he couldn't find it. Dean his heart breaking at the sound coming from his brother's lips reached out and took Sam's hand in his.
"I'm here, Sam, I'm not leaving." Dean looked at Caleb telling him without saying the words to go find nurse someone preferably not Rachel Morris. Caleb nodded and got up and left. Bobby went into the restroom and wet down a rag and brought to Dean.
Dean nodded his thanks and then proceeded to gently wipe down Sam's face. "Where's mom?" Sam moaned surprised Dean because Sam had never really known their mother.
"Now is not a good time for John to be committing murder" Jim commented worried about the youngest Winchester. He knew about the Winchester's history and how they had gotten their start in hunting.
Not even five minutes later Jackie Rose entered the door, she took one look at Sam then stuck her head out the door and hollered for a few more nurses to help and to bring a gurney with them.
That being done she went to Sam's bedside and checked him temperature, she winced at the numbers. This was not good at all.
"Just how high is his fever?" Dean asked bracing himself for the worst.
"104.3" Jackie replied grimly as the two other nurses arrived with the gurney. They helped transfer Sam to that gurney while Dean and the other hunters stood by watching.
"Dean" Sam moaned as they pushed him out of the room, "Don't leave me please, don't leave me." Dean felt tears fall down his face at his little brother's plea, and he turned and punched the wall as hard as he could. He couldn't stand the terror he'd heard in Sam's voice, and he wished he could have gone with Sam but that wasn't possible. They were likely moving him into ICU until whatever it was that was making Sam sick cleared up. Dean had never felt more helpless in his life than he did now. There was nothing he could do for Sam, he couldn't even be with him while he fought this sickness. He was in the process of punching the wall again when a highly agitated John walked back through the door.
"Where's Sam?" he asked gruffly, looking around the room. He spied an obviously anguished Dean breathing hard with bloody knuckles.
"To the best of our knowledge he's being taken to ICU" Bobby replied, hating to see how much Dean was hurting.
"So something was wrong?" John asked feeling like walking right back out the door and tearing into that nurse some more. If something happened to Sam, she wouldn't see the light of day again. He would make sure of that.
"Yeah, he's pretty sick" Jim said moving over to where Dean stood. He placed his hand on Dean's shoulder and squeezed.
"You're brother's a fighter he's going to be okay." Dean nodded but didn't say anything. He didn't quite believe him.
"I guess we should go find the ICU waiting room cause I'm not leaving this hospital without knowing what's going on" John grumbled his heart eaten with worry about his youngest son's condition. He couldn't that stupid nurse thought he would swallow that it's from throwing up so much. He guessed there would be some people who accepted that, he didn't not when he could feel for himself how high his temperature was. Dean followed him out the door, worried about Sam and still pissed at the nurse who had claimed there was nothing wrong. they walked to the nurses' station which had only been a few doors down from Sam's room.
"Where's the ICU waiting room?" John asked the tone in his voice encouraged them to answer right away.
"All the way down the end of the hall make a right" the nurse said breathing a sigh of relief as soon as John had walked off. Dean looked at her and chuckled. His father seemed to inspire fear wherever he went.
"He's really not that bad" Dean said walking off to join John.
"That nurse was quaking in her shoes" Dean commented as they approached the waiting room.
"Good" John said "if that's what it takes to get them to do their jobs right so be it." he found an empty chair and sat down in it heavily. He was tired and stressed, and worry was still eating at him.
"Doesn't mean you need to scare all the good nurses just cause that one was a bitch" Dean said, as he remained standing and paced the floor in front of his father and their friends.
An hour later Nurse Jackie came to find the anxiously waiting family.
"How is he?" Dean demanded not caring about how he harshly he'd asked.
"Very sick" Jackie replied "it's an infection; we're not sure where he picked it up, because we're pretty clean about everything we use around the kids who have cancer."
"Well you screwed something up" John growled ignoring the flinch and the fact that'd she'd been the one who had taken the best care of Sam. One nurse had screwed up so he was going to take a bite of them all until they got their acts together.
"Trust me we're doing all we can to help Sam improve. He's on a wide range of antibiotics; we hope he will start responding to them shortly."
"I guess we won't be seeing him tonight will we?" Dean although he knew the answer; Sam was far too sick for any visitors.
"Sorry," Jackie said quietly "Not tonight, not until he starts responding to the medicine he's been giving." Dean sighed that sounded like their luck. Sam needed him and he couldn't go to him. He nodded, he was pretty tired anyways it had been one hell of a long day, the chemo had started at ten thirty, and he started getting sick shortly after chemo had ended. Then he'd developed the fever that was causing all this chaos. And they had waited what seemed like ages only to be told they wouldn't be seeing him tonight and probably not for the next several days unless things started looking up.
"Fine" John grumbled climbing to his tired feet "but expect to see us bright and early tomorrow." He walked out of the waiting room followed by Dean and the other hunters that had been waiting for them.
Upon leaving the hospital they found a small diner and stopped to eat.
"I wouldn't have thought the day would end like this" Dean said "Sam was just fine this morning," he frowned thinking about what Sam had asked while in the middle of fevered frenzy. Then something clicked.
"This is going to sound crazy, but what if it's mom haunting Sam?"
John felt his heart drop down into his stomach. He hadn't even thought that was a possibility. Could it be true? Somehow he was afraid to hope so.
"How?" John asked "We're so far from Lawrence; I don't know how that would be possible."
"Neither do I" Dean said "but Sam mentioned she was blonde and she looked familiar."
John frowned he wished it was possible that it could have been Mary. How he longed to see his wife again, she was the reason they were even hunters to begin with.
"I don't think it's her," John said "it's just not possible." Dean shrugged. He thought it was her even if it did sound pretty farfetched.
Twenty minutes later they were back at their hotel. Dean was getting ready for bed, when John came out of the restroom and claimed his own bed.
"You can't sneak out tonight, Sam's too sick" John said, smirking at the thought of his eldest trying to sneak into ICU.
"Don't remind me" Dean replied grumpily, he wanted to be near Sam to make sure nothing went wrong. He wanted to be there to talk the kid away from the edge if that should happen.
Later that night at the hospital, Sam lay unconscious, his fever still high, a dark presence had slipped into the unbeknownst to the nurses that were working hard trying to get the fever to go down. The being started reaching out to touch Sam's chest, his intention to take his life. Instead a blonde nurse walked through the door and stood in front of him blocking him from getting the boy's soul.
"You will not take my son" Mary said looking him straight in the eye. "His time is not up; I won't have him taken early. Or do you need me to report to your boss that your taking souls before their time?" the reaper glared at her and disappeared. The angel had won for now. Mary turned back towards the unconscious Sam; she bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead.
"I promise I'll always be here to protect you, you have no reason to fear, so continue being the brave young man you are, I couldn't be more proud." To the night nurses astonishment from that moment on his fever started to drop.
So that's longer than I normally write a chapter but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. thanks for reading and reviewing. Have a great week Liz.