Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Cold Ch. 22

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Previously: "Morning Dean, I'm here to give Sam his examination." Jefferson stated as he walked in to see the youngest Winchester sitting on the couch staring at him with wide and apprehensive eyes.

"Hey Sam, how you doing? The last time I remember seeing you, you were about knee high to a grasshopper." Jefferson stated trying to ease the fear he saw in Sam's eyes. There was no way he was even going to attempt a physical examination until the boy was more ready for it.

"M'okay I gu-guess." Sam whispered as he continued to look at the man warily.

"So how's the hand, has it been giving you much trouble?" Jefferson asked as he nodded his head towards Sam's splinted hand. "From the x-rays that were forwarded to me by Jurgen, I'd say they're probably still giving you a rough time aren't they?"

"S'nothing I can't handle with the pain meds." Sam answered with a shrug not willing to say much more than that.

"Glad to hear it, mind if I take a look at that hand?" Jefferson questioned as he stayed in place waiting for permission to approach. He knew if he pushed too hard too fast, he could lose the fragile trust Sam had in him right now.

Glancing over towards Dean, Sam silently pled for Dean to stay with him as he barely nodded his head assenting to Jefferson taking a look. He breathed a sigh of relief as Dean came over and sat down beside him, reaching out and giving his shoulder a firm squeeze.

Kneeling in front of Sammy, Jefferson took his right hand in his and began to examine his fingers more closely. Sam's fingers were still a little swollen, but that was to be expected from the trauma that had been inflicted and the surgery afterwards. Supporting Sam's hand in his left palm, he used his right hand to gently press on the fingernail of Sam's trigger finger, and then the proceeding other two. "Your circulation is looking good, Jurgen did a fantastic job with the surgery he performed." Jefferson stated happy to see the way Sam's nails immediately pinkened upon release from the gentle pressure. I also need to check the dexterity you have in your hand. Sam, I want you to try and take each finger and see if you can bend it to touch your thumb. It's going to hurt some, but I need to see how much movement you have in your hand right now."

Chewing on his bottom lip, Sam tried to do as the doctor had requested. Wincing in pain, he attempted to bend his index finger but cursed when it refused to move more than an eighth of an inch. "Damn it." He seethed trying to keep the tears in his eyes from falling.

"S'okay tiger, you'll be able to do better next time." Dean encouraged as he reached out to ruffle Sam's hair lightly. "I'm sure Jefferson wasn't expecting any miracles right away.

"Dean's right in that assumption. Shoot, I'm surprised that you were able to even move it at all. Shows just how tough you Winchesters really are." Jefferson replied confirming what Dean had said. Taking a close look at Sam's face, Jefferson was happy to see that Sam was no longer sporting a black eye and that the bruising had faded to a light yellowish green. "I can see the shiner you had is nearly gone, you'll be giving Dean a run for his money with the ladies soon." Jefferson stated with a grin, especially at the look on Dean's face.

"Now wait a minute doc…" Dean started only to be cut off by Jefferson.

"What's the matter Dean, afraid of a little competition?" From the corner of his eye, he noticed Sam smirk a little at the remark and knew that he was playing his cards right. The kid was beginning to relax a little.

"Hell no, I already know Sam is gonna be a winner with the ladies. He is a Winchester isn't he?" Dean crowed with a grin of his own.

"He sure is." John answered as he walked into the room followed by Bobby. "Good to see you again Jefferson. How long have you been here?"

"Just long enough to check out Sam's hand." The doctor replied. "The hand is progressing about as well as can be expected. He has some pain when he tries to form what we call the 'A-okay' sign but that is to be expected."

"What the hell does that mean, the 'A-okay' sigh?" John queried needing to know everything about his baby boy's progress.

"Basically it's the motion you make of touching your thumb with your index finger while holding the other three fingers up in the air. As of right now, Sam is unable to do it, but with therapy, he should be able to remedy that soon." Jefferson replied showing John the motion. "Now if you gentleman don't mind, I really need to check out Sam's other injuries and could use some privacy."

"N-no!" Sam stated emphatically as he drew his knees up to his chest, tension obvious on his face knowing what Jefferson was planning to do. "I'm f-fine, there's no reason to check the rest of me out."

John was about to reply to that when Jefferson held up his hand to let him handle things. "I hope you're right Sam, but I won't know that for sure unless I physically examine you. I promise I'll make it quick, and if things are healing the way they should, you won't ever have to worry about me examining you there again. I know what you've been through and I would be wary too if I were you, but Sam, I've been your doctor on and off throughout the years. You know I wouldn't hurt you for the world."

"I guess." Sam mumbled as he lowered his head.

"Tell you what Sam, Dean can stay if it will make you feel more comfortable. Just give me five minutes or less and we'll be finished with this medical check up. What do you say kid?" Jefferson questioned hoping the youngest of the Winchesters would agree.

"Kay." Sam whispered as he chewed on his bottom lip once again. Might as well get it over with and pray that it never had to happen again.

"Okay, then lets get this over with." Jefferson stated as he grabbed a throw blanket off the back of Bobby's couch and placed it over Sam's lower half once the kid had stretched out with his knees bent. "John, Bobby, if you'll wait in the kitchen, I can get this checkup finished and I'll be in to talk to you two soon."

"Sure Jefferson, we'll be waiting to hear what you have to say." John said as he walked to the head of the couch and reached down to ruffle Sam's hair. "You know if you need me, I'm just a shout away tiger." He said to his youngest before squeezing Sam's shoulder and walking out of the room.

Seeing Dean take up a position by Sam's head and start engaging the boy in conversation, Jefferson quickly pulled down Sam's sweats and checked the superficial gunshot wound to the leg as well as his more private injuries. Applying some ointment to the nearly healed burns. He replaced Sam's clothing and announced that he was finished. Looking at Sam with a smile, He gladly informed Sam that the wounds were healing nicely and he would not be subjected to that kind of examination again.

"Thanks Jefferson." Dean replied as he reached out to shake the man's hand. "And thanks for taking things at Sammy's pace."

"You're welcome Dean, I wouldn't have it any other way since the patient always comes first." Jefferson replied happy that he was able to deliver good news this time. Leaving the brothers alone to talk. Jefferson walked into the kitchen and helped himself to a cup of coffee.

"How's my boy Jefferson?" John asked anxiously wanting to know if things were alright.

"He's fine John. The burns are healing nicely so he'll never have to worry about going through that discomfort ever again." Jefferson replied.

John emitted a huge sigh of relief that at least something was going right in their lives. "It's about time something goes in the kids favor. Uh, earlier in the living room you mentioned that Sam should get the use of his fingers back with therapy. Is there something we should be doing or need to do to help in that area?"

"I'm glad you asked John, yes there is." Sam needs to start doing repetitive movements that will encourage him to make grasping movements. I know this might sound silly, but something as simple as stacking toddler's blocks will train his hands and fingers to start obeying commands from his brain once again. Once he is able to manipulate those, have him move on to working with a stress ball. God knows the kid needs to work out a lot of that. Of course once he starts the therapy, he's going to need some hand and finger massages to help with the pain that will accompany them."

"That won't be a problem, I'll be more than happy to do whatever it takes to make sure he's not hurting." Dean replied as he walked into the kitchen and over to the cupboard. Grasping a glass from the shelf, he poured it half full with apple juice before taking it back into the living room where Sam was waiting for it.

"I've got the other things covered." Bobby informed Jefferson with a smile. "I still have that block set that's up in the closet from when the Winchesters first visited and the boys stayed here for a few months while John trained. Lord knows how many of those stress balls I have lying around. Those things come with the job when it comes to being a hunter."

"Then Sam is off to a good start, just be aware of the fact that there will be times where he gets frustrated and will feel like giving up. It's going to take a lot of time and patience, but Sam will come through it as long as he has your support." Jefferson informed the hunters as he looked them into the eye letting them know how important their support was to the youngster's progress.

"Don't you worry Jefferson, we're behind Sammy one hundred and ten percent. I can handle a few temper tantrums along the way as long as I know my boy is going to be okay." John said with conviction obvious in his voice.

"I'm glad to hear that. Now tell me, we're you able to get Sam to eat anything this morning? That's another vital part to his recovery, getting the nourishment he needs to give him the strength to handle the coming weeks."

"Yeah, he actually managed to eat a pancake and drink a glass of milk. I know it's not much, but it's a start." John replied in answer to Jefferson's question.

'S'good, just make sure you get him to eat some of the more healthier foods like vegetables, salad and baked chicken. The healthier the food is, the more quickly we'll see results from Sam." Jefferson stated.

"Healthier food it is then." Bobby replied knowing just how much Dean was going to hate their meals over the next week or so. Dean lived on greasy burgers and takeout, but that was about to change, well at least until Sammy was healed once again.

"Fantastic. Well then I guess it's time for me to leave. I'll be back in a few days to see how the hand therapy is going and to make sure that things are still up to par." Jefferson said as he drank the last swig of coffee and pushed himself up from the table. Walking into the living room, he had to smile at the sight of Dean sitting on the couch with Sammy's head pillowed in his lap as the oldest unconsciously carded his fingers through Sam's long hair. He was glad to know the brothers were still as dedicated to each other as he remembered. Sam was definitely going to need his brother's support in the coming weeks.

TBC