Road Less Travelled

Follow up to my story Two Hunters and a Baby, so if you haven't read that one it might pay to and then come back and revisit this one, coz it might get a little confusing.

Disclaimer: Sigh nope still nothing ... hmm what to do??? Okkies I promise I will send em home after I finish playing with my boys!!

Author's Note: Just wanted to say YAY to Channel 10 here in Australia, they are actually going to have Supernatural back before next year. Yep they are going to stream the eps and are only going to be 2 weeks behind, WOOHOO! Finally they have seen the light, and we're spreading the love.

Warning: Mention of rape and extreme nastiness, if you're squeamish don't read for your own peace of mind. But remember you've been warned so don't come running to me!!

CHAPTER FIVE

Swearing under his breath Bobby grabbed his arm and pushed the needle into Sam's muscle, removing it without giving him the full dosage. Immediately Sam started to convulse and then just as quickly he slumped bonelessly against Arian, the drugs controlling him once again.

'This aint gonna last for long.' Bobby said, gauging the remaining amount, 'reckon I gave him bout half.'

'I can help slow the effects to make it last longer but ...' Arian wavered as Sam fed off her energy. 'Rafe.' Immediately Rafe was at her side, pulling her hands away from Sam's face, 'it's alright Arian, time to rest.' He said kissing her gently.

Bobby cleared his throat and let his gaze fall on the occupants of the room, 'who's that?' he asked pointing to the young man cowering in the corner.

'This here is J.T. he's one of the guards.' Lenny answered 'he was very happy to let us know everything, we didn't have to lay a hand on him.'

'The kid's alright Bobby.' Rafe said 'you won't have to worry bout him.'

'Bobby?' Dean lifted his head and managed to push himself upright, 'gotta get Sammy help.'

'Dean...'

'No, no I'm okay they did something to Sam's ears and throat, he – he can't go on much longer.'

'We can't ... damn how do we do this?'

'Call him ... ambulance.' Dean pushed the words out suddenly so tired all he wanted to do was curl up and sleep. 'tell em cult took ... a cult took Sammy an, an we found im.'

'Dean, Dean just take it easy son,' Bobby said as he stood and made his way over to the fallen hunter, 'come on let's get you closer to Sammy.'

'Dad?' Dean blinked then shook his head trying to clear the fogginess.

'Nah it's just me Bobby, Dean come on give an old man a bit of a hand and stand up, there ya go.' Bobby managed to get Dean standing and then guided him over to Sam lowering him down to sit next to his brother.

'Rafe can you call?'

'Already done ambulance is on the way, so are the cops too.' Rafe said locking stares with Bobby, 'they're gonna want to know what's been going on.'

'Like Dean said, Sam was taken by a cult, we found him and there was a bit of a fight with the stragglers that's how Dean got hurt.'

'Bobby I ...'

'You helped us Rafe, that's all the cops need to know, the rest well ... let's just say that when all this is done with then we'll deal.'

'Thanks man I ...'

'Yeah, yeah so get your woman loaded into one of the cars something tells me that the cops aren't gonna look too highly on a supernatural healer, put that kid in with her too to keep him quiet.' Bobby felt better having a plan of action to work on that didn't involve emotions. 'Lenny take the guys and do a sweep of the place but make it look like a cult's been here then disappear we'll meet up again tomorrow I'll message the co-ordinates.'

'Sure thing Bobby, hope the kid'll be okay.' Lenny tipped his cap and sauntered out gathering the rest of the men in the process.

'So do I Lenny, so do I.' Bobby muttered and then he turned and looked at the two brothers, Sam was awake and watching with a quiet air about him that was almost unnerving, Dean sat with his hand resting on Sam's shoulder his eyes closed but Bobby knew that he was still with him.

Rafe cleared his throat when he came back in not wanting to startle the three hunters, 'the ambulance is coming up the drive now, Arian and JT are fine in the back of my van, your guys did a good job Bobby, so we just gotta get these kids to ... fuck Bobby I coulda killed Sam.'

'But ya didn't Rafe and that means a lot.' Bobby said choosing his words carefully, 'still doesn't ...'

'I know for sure Bobby this is not over but for now ... I stopped giving him the drug before ... I could see it was doing more than ... making him docile.'

But, before Bobby could ask, what he meant the paramedics rushed into the room and in seconds chaos reigned supreme.

Dean sat quietly almost detached from the scene unfolding before him, his body felt alien to him, he wanted to step out of it and find a new one. He gazed at his newly healed hand in amazement, the long red scar ran from the front to the back of his hand between the fingers, not even an hour ago, it was sliced open.

'He's stopped breathing.'

'Throat's too swollen, can't get a tube in.'

'Need to do ...'

'We're losing him.'

The frantic calls fell on Dean's ears and slowly filtered through his maudlin thoughts trying to connect his awareness and need to escape into a workable entity he forced himself to refocus his attention. Who were those men? Where was Sam? Oh Gods Sammy? His body jolting back to life with a singular jolt of energy restarting his heart and mind Dean snapped back and tried to get to Sam.

'Dean son, let them do their work.' Bobby said laying a hand on Dean's shoulder.

'No, no he needs me Bobby. Sammy needs me.' Dean heard the desperation in his own voice shuddered but didn't care. He cared about nothing now, except Sam.

With horror filled eyes he watched as they sliced into Sam's throat and inserted a tube, an emergency tracheotomy registered in his mind, the paddles and beeping the next to register for him, they were shocking Sam. 'No Sam you promised to hang on for me.'

'We have a sinus rhythm,' one paramedic announced as they hooked Sam to more machines and monitors. 'Okay we need a backboard and collar, don't want to jar him anymore. We got a relative here?'

'Me, ah I'm his brother Dean,'

'My name is Walt and that's my partner Riley okay ... what's your brother's name Dean?' The closest paramedic turned to face Dean, concern written across his craggy face.

'S-Sam, he ah he was kidnapped by a cult. We managed to track them down but ... they-they tor-tortured him.'

'Sir ... Dean, we have your brother stabilised for now, but can you tell us if you have any idea on the extent of his injuries?' The man kept questioning Dean who stared down at Sam's still body, he looked so peaceful.

'Huh? Um I broken ribs, hand, and arm, they-they did something to his ears and throat ... when he tried to make a sound, he dribbled blood. His ears ... they, they were bleeding. I know that they battered him repeatedly.' Dean spoke in a monotone robotic voice his entire body trembling as the shock of his own assault and Sam's condition started to take hold. He lifted his eyes and stared at the paramedic the man's lips were moving but all he could hear was a loud buzzing, nausea washed through him as the shivers took hold, he could hear his teeth chattering. Dots floated teasingly in front of him, he could see Bobby moving slowly towards him and then the paramedic moved he wanted them to get away not to touch him but the vacuum started to suck him downwards spiralling uncontrollably.

'Dean!' Bobby yelled managing to catch his young friend as he collapsed backwards, 'dang it Dean hang in there.'

'Sir?'

'He ah was injured when we ... we found Sam. Some of the cult members ambushed us.'

'Dean?' Walt tapped the young man's face lightly worried when there was no response at all, 'his hand?'

'Stabbed I think.'

'Okay we got another victim, Riley get on the blower we're bringing in two patients both with life-threatening injuries have them ready for emergency surgery.' Walt took Dean's blood pressure and shook his head as he noted it and then his pulse and respirations. Slipping an oxygen mask over Dean's face, he put in an IV line and after conferring on the radio with the doctor at the hospital administered drugs into the saline drip.

'Ah hate to ask but what happened to his clothes?' Walt gestured at Dean, who still only wore Bobby's jacket tied around his waist.

'Sorry Dean,' Bobby muttered as he levelled his gaze at the paramedic, 'when we came in ... we are found him with a knife pining his hand to the floor and pretty out of it and ah what looked like the head woman of the cult. She was ah ... on top of him.'

'Oh, oh, oh my.' Walt uttered as the meaning of Bobby's words sunk in.

'Forced his brother to watch.' Bobby finished.

'There's really some sick people in this world.' Walt said as he finished making notes on a chart, minutes later both boys were loaded onto gurneys with two warm blankets tucked around Dean, 'Let's get em outta here.'

Bobby stood up to go with them when he turned and saw Rafe talking to the police, during the time the paramedics were working on the boys they had arrived and already started their investigations.

'Go with the boys Bobby, I've got it here.' Rafe said when he met Bobby's enquiring stare. 'I'll see ya at the hospital.'

'Sir we have to get going now, are you a relative?'

'Yes, yes they're my nephews.' Bobby said without hesitation. 'And legal guardian.'

'Are you coming in the bus with us?'

'Yeah I'm coming.' Bobby felt as though he was going to, finally lose it, this was too much but he had to keep it together for now anyway.

The emergency room put the earlier chaos at the compound to shame, a group of scrub clad nurses and doctors ranging from students, to residents to the specialist on call. They all yelled, they all poked and prodded Sam and they all kept shooting worried glances to Bobby. As soon as they Sam whisked away to surgery, they descended on Dean the same loud aggressive way they worked on Sam. Only this time they had to handle a very conscious and a very agitated Dean Winchester.

Bobby finally had to step in and calm Dean down himself, making the young hunter look at him and no one else, he patiently explained to Dean about Sam's emergency surgery and for now, there was nothing for Dean to do except let the doctors do their jobs.

Panting heavily Dean took in what his 'uncle' Bobby said and slowly calmed down enough for the nurses and doctors to back off a little, he focused on Bobby's words not really taking them in but took in his familiar tone of voice and no nonsense demeanour.

'Look doctor can I speak to you for a minute?' Bobby finally looked at the harried looking man staring at Dean as though he was facing the most dangerous man alive.

'Dean I'll be right back just concentrate on staying calm for Sammy.'

Dean nodded his head, not trusting himself to utter a sound, confused and disoriented he panicked when they took Sam away without letting him see him, then they turned their prying hands and intruding instruments on him. Normally he wouldn't let it worry him but his mind wanted to shut down, he couldn't think, or feel anything. He was numb.

'Dean ... he, he needs to be kept calm doctor and he needs some privacy.' Bobby said his voice a low controlled growl intimidating but not overly threatening. 'I'm not exactly sure what happened but we think that he may have been ... raped after having a knife driven through his hand into the floor. The female leader of the cult forced his brother to watch while she ...' Bobby glanced over at Dean, shoved his cap up and down on his head a few times and then turned back to the doctor. 'Look Dean would kill me for telling you but the worst thing at the moment is for him to be poked and prodded like that. He needs privacy and to deal with just you and maybe one nurse and he'll stay calm. Oh that and to make sure you keep him up to date with his brother's condition above all else.'

'Thank, thank you Mister Singer I take it you are the uncle?'

'Yeah that's me uncle Bobby, they're all I have now, their daddy's gone, momma died when young Sam was a baby so it's just me an' them.'

'I appreciate your honesty and candour Mister Singer,' the doctor said sincerely, 'Maggie settle Dean in cubicle three please and you can assist me, Mister Singer can stay with his nephew.'

'Yes Doctor.' Nurse Maggie Newsome nodded her head, glanced at the angry look on the uncle of her patient and then returned to the young man on the bed. He watched her warily as she moved around him taking his obs and then with a small smile pushed his gurney into cubicle three and drew the curtains closed, 'there that's better Mister Singer.'

'Dean, Dean will be fine.' He muttered dully, 'can you tell me how my brother is doing?'

'I can try to find out for you honey but I want you to rest,' she chided him gently, he looked so much like her son Mitchell it made her heart ache, Mitch was the apple of her eye until a crazed woman took him away from her.

'Dean my name is Doctor Lewis Windom and I will be the only doctor you have to deal with.' Lewis came in closely followed by Bobby, 'you don't have to worry about anyone else except me and Maggie.'

'Thanks Doc I appreciate it.' Dean mumbled, still numb, still curious to why they were treating him like a fragile flower. The thought made him laugh harshly bringing three sets of eyes to stare at him all concerned and worried. 'I'm fine just a nasty thought.'

'Okay young man how about we get you checked out and your hand seen too.'

'My hand?' Dean blinked and looked down at his left hand, 'what happened?'

'Dean,' Bobby stepped closer to the bed, worry oozing from his pores, 'what do you remember?'

'Finding Sammy ... an, an then Merci appeared.' Dean's forehead creased as he tried to focus his thoughts on the memory, 'she, she oh God.'

'Hey, hey Dean look at me.' Bobby pushed his naturally stoic personality aside and tried to deal with keeping Dean on an even keel. He couldn't help feeling as though he was drowning.

'She got the drop on me and pinned my hand ...' Dean kept talking locked in the memories, 'she wanted to ... she made Sam watch ... gonna puke.' Dean lifted his head off the table as his stomach clenched and then released its meagre contents.

------------------

Rafe stepped into the closely guarded room and let his gaze scan the occupants before making his presence known. 'Bobby?'

'Rafe?' Bobby coughed and scrubbed the sleep from his eyes before blinking and focusing on the other man. 'What, what time is it?'

'Nine a.m. how's it going here?'

'As you can see the boys in blue are doing a crack up job of looking after us.' Bobby grinned as he stood up easing the stiffness from his joints and cracked his spine, 'dang blasted hospital chairs.'

'How they doing?' Rafe looked at Sam briefly and then over at Dean.

'Sammy came to once since his surgery, they had to patch the kid together again.' Bobby said levelling a glare at Rafe, 'remind me when this is all over to resume our discussion about that.'

'You'll never let me forget.' Rafe said ruefully, 'and I deserve all of it and more, I didn't know it was Sam I swear Bobby.'

'Yeah I know, lot of the worst stuff though was older than what you did. They did a lot of internal damage, he lost a kidney.'

'Fuck Bobby.'

'They did what they could for now, they want to wait until he wakes up to gauge the extent of the damage to his vocal cords and eardrums before they decide if more surgery is needed. They had him in there for fourteen hours Rafe.'

'The withdrawal?'

'While he's under sedation he aint feeling a thing which is one small mercy.'

'What about Dean?'

'They fixed his hand, he should have almost all movement back with time and therapy. The rest well ...'

'Bobby wanna tell me what the hell happened? How did these two piss off demons like Cornase and the wicked bitch from the west?'

For the next two hours Bobby explained about little Mickie appearance, what the boys went through last time, Merci's betrayal. Everything he knew, pausing at times to gather his own emotions and to wipe away errant tears before they escaped. Looking haggard and haunted Bobby finally stopped with the most recent events, taking a long sip of his cold coffee Bobby looked at Rafe locking their stares with one steely glance. 'That's all I know, just when it was all starting to settle down Merci is back and well ... the rest you know.'

'So what now?' Rafe asked standing up he went to the window and stared out over the carpark, looking at nothing. 'What do these boys do now?'

'Well get better and then we regroup, smoke the bastard demons and make sure they stay in hell, then they boys can find Mickie and get their lives back on track.'

'Bobby?' Dean called out his voice laced with pain, 'Bobby where's Sammy?'

'He's right here Dean, in the bed next to yours.' Bobby answered his worry meter spiking again, he had never seen Dean so confused or so ... vulnerable before. It freaked him out.

'Sammy?' Dean reached out with his so-called good hand wanting contact with his brother, frustrated he went to pull out his IV when he noticed the bulky bandage around his entire left hand. 'Get me outta here Bobby.'

'Dean slow down lad.'

'I gotta see him for myself Bobby,' Dean sat up and swayed groggily, 'what if he wakes up and ...'

'Dean what do you think he's gonna do if he wakes up and finds you flat out on the floor?'

'He can't hear or talk Bobby ... help me please.' The rawness of Dean's appeal and the glint of terror in his eyes was Bobby's undoing, 'stay there an' I'll be right back.'

Impatiently Dean waited for Bobby to return from his mystery trip, he glanced over at Rafe but his attention rested solely on that door. Finally, Bobby returned with a wheelchair and Nurse Maggie in tow.

'Deal time Dean.' Bobby grinned mirthlessly.

'Okay young man here are the rules, I will let you up to sit with your brother for a little while if you let me check you first and redo your dressings. Your uncle here has promised me to make sure that you do not stay up for too long, strictly speaking you should be happy that you are in the same room together. ICU has very specific rules and they have already bent them for you and Sam. Don't make me regret this Dean.'

'Promise Maggie, I promise.' Dean gave her a watered down but genuine trademark Winchester smile.

'Sam, hey dude time to wake up princess.' Dean said stroking his fingers down Sam's face, he knew that Sam probably couldn't hear him but he didn't care. He just wanted Sam back.

Sam felt the touch, warmth radiating through his cold core, feather light but still there stroking him evoking the childhood memories that kept him going. Kept him above the rising waters of depression, the one who could make everything better for Sammy. His very own super-hero.

His eyes flickered open and he stared up at the familiar face, a faint smile ghosted on his lips and he turned his face towards the touch.

'Sammy?' Dean blinked unsure of what he was witnessing.

'Dean.' Sammy mouthed his brother's name as his eyes slid shut and he fell asleep dreaming of days long ago, when Dean saved his world.

TBC