Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural!

A special thanks to AlElizabeth for beta'ing my story.

A/N: I am so sorry for the lack of updates. My Supernatural muse have been non existent for a while. I hope you like the update. I will try an update a lot sooner with the next chapter. :)

Chapter 2

It was another hour until the doctor came into the waiting room. John shook Dean's shoulder. Instantly, Dean woke up and was on his feet the moment he saw the doctor.

"How is he?" Dean asked not even giving his voice time to recuperate from not talking for so long. "How's my Sammy?"

John looked at his son and then the doctor.

"He's alive, but there has been complications."

"What kind of complications? What's wrong with my brother?"

John put his hand on Dean's shoulder, but Dean shrugged it off.

"The bullet is now lodged in his spine."

"What do you mean? He was shot from the front." Dean was progressively getting louder and louder. "Just take the damn bullet out!"

"We can't. It would be impossible to do so without seriously harming your brother more than he already is. The bullet is only millimeters from his spine. Any surgery would do more harm than good. Sam is paralyzed on his right side."

Dean felt as if he world just shattered. He couldn't believe it. Sam paralyzed? Those words should not even be in the same sentence together. No. No, I won't believe it, Dean thought.

"Take me to him," Dean's voice was quiet.

"He's in recovery now," the doctor said. "Once he's moved..."

"I don't think you heard me," Dean said cutting the doctor off. "Take me... to my... brother. Now."

"Dean," John voice came from behind him. "Just wait. He'll be in a room soon enough."

Dean turned and looked at his father, incredulously. Why wasn't John demanding to see Sam just as fervently as he was? Didn't he care that Sam might never be the same again because of this?

"Once he's in a room," the doctor said. "A nurse will be out to take you to him."

The doctor turned to leave the waiting room. John followed him.

"Doc," John said. "I was wondering if I could have a word."

John and the doctor walked out of the room, leaving Dean standing in the same spot. He was still trying to wrap his mind around his baby brother being paralyzed. After a few minutes, Dean went and sat back down and played the waiting game again. Dean didn't even notice that John walked back in the room. Dean just sat there.

Another ten minutes passed and a nurse walked into the room.

"Family of Samuel Winchester," she called out.

Dean got up and walked over to her. "Take me to my brother."

She sighed, "Follow me." The nursed turned and led the way towards the patients' rooms. Dean and John followed. They walked what seemed like to Dean as a long time. He was about to ask how much further, when she went into a room.

Dean's breathing began to speed up. He was nervous to see what his brother was going to look like. The last time he had seen his brother, Sam had been covered in blood. Dean took a deep calming breath- the nurses would have cleaned his brother up- and walked in the room.

Sam was lying in the bed. Tubes everywhere. His eyes closed. Not that Dean had expected Sam to be awake. Dean looked at his baby brother. He looked so small. There were tubes coming out of his mouth and one coming out of his side. Dean looked at the nurse. He didn't say anything, but the look on his face clearly showed that he would need an explanation.

"His lung collapsed when the bullet pierced it." Dean looked at the nurse in disbelief. A collapsed lung. Sam's paralyzed. Dean looked down at his baby brother. He carded his fingers through his baby brother's fringe.

"They were able to stop the bleeding in his lung. He will have that tube in his chest, if all goes well, only for a couple of days. Once he wakes, we will learn more."

That last statement angered Dean. They'd already had his brother for several hours and they still didn't know everything? These were doctors and nurses for Christ's sake! John could see the anger rising up in Dean. He walked over to Dean and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Dean," John started, but Dean shrugged his father's hand off.

"There is nothing you can say to me," Dean said looking down at his brother. "This is my fault."

"Dean," John's brow creased. "This is not your fault."

"I shouldn't have left the field. I should've stayed with him and walked with him back to the car."

"It was an accident. It could have happened to anyone."

"No," Dean looked at his father. "No. It didn't happened to just anyone. They came in, pointed that gun, and shot. This was deliberate."

"Dean," John said.

"There's nothing else to say," Dean pulled up a chair and sat down beside his baby brother's bedside, looking at him. "But I will find them." John looked at his oldest son. He could see the hurt and anger in Dean's eyes. Who the hell just picks some random kid off the street to kill? What kind of sick person did that sort of thing? Sure, it could have been anyone's kid brother but it had been Sam. Whoever had held that gun decided- made the choice- to pull the trigger- on Sam.

"I'm going to get us some coffee," John said. He patted Dean on the shoulder before walking out of the room.

Dean didn't acknowledge what his father said or that he was leaving the room. The only thing that Dean was focused on was lying in the bed. His little brother's whole life changed in an instant.

"I will find them, Sammy," Dean said not taking his eyes off of his brother. "I'll find them. And then they will die. All of them."

_0000_0000_0000_0000_0000_0000_

The next day, Sam still hasn't woken up. Dean did not and would not leave his baby brother's side. As much as John wanted Dean to go to the hotel that he booked for them, Dean had this conversation earlier. The first thing that Sam sees when he wakes up will be Dean. He was very adamant about that.

John came in the hospital room and saw Dean. He had his head down by Sam's hand on the bed, fast asleep. John looked at his boys and shook his head. Could they ever catch a break, he thought.

"Dean," John called out.

Dean's head shot up. His eyes went to his baby brother. His shoulders sagged a little when he saw that nothing has changed. Sam was still unconscious. Dean looked around and saw their dad standing at the door with two cups.

"Come," John said. "You need to stretch your legs, Dean."

Dean stood up and walked over to John and took one of the cups from him.

"I've told you, Dad. I am not leaving Sammy's side."

"You won't be," John pleaded. "You're just getting a change of scenery. I'll stay with him and if anything happens, you'll be the first to know."

Dean looked at his father as if he grown another head.

"We've had this conversation before." Dean said incredulously. "I. Am not. Leaving. You want to stretch your legs, that's fine with me. Stretch them. But I am not leaving him. He's my baby brother, and I will be here when he opens his eyes. I will be the first thing he sees." Dean's voice steadily getting louder.

Soft moans were beginning to be heard from the bed. At first neither Winchester heard it. But the moans continued.

"Now, if you're done..." Dean stopped mid-sentence and turned and faced the bed. "Sammy." Dean and John rushed to Sam's bedside.

"Come on, baby brother," Dean said in a soothing voice that was only meant for his brother. "I'm right here. Wake up for me, Sammy." Dean had his brother's hand in his; squeezing it just slightly so Sam could feel him near.

Sam's eyelids were fluttering, trying to open but couldn't. Another moan came from the youngest Winchester. Dean sat down in the chair and leaned closer to Sam's ear. He started whispering in his baby brother's ear. John just looked at the interaction between the brothers and was amazed by the way they communicated with each other.

Whatever was being said now, John knew that it was just for Sam's ears, and his ears alone. John respected that between his boys. It was something that they started when they were kids and it continued on as they grew up. John stood there with a small smile on his face looking at his sons. Not because his sons had secrets from him, but while Dean was talking to his brother, tears were falling from his baby's closed eyelids. Whatever Dean was saying to Sam, he was getting a reaction from his brother.

"Wake him up, Dean," John said. His voice quiet, but stern.

Dean whispered a little bit longer and then sat back away from Sam. John looked at his oldest son and saw that he was exhausted. He then looked at his youngest son and saw that his eyes were open. John walked over to the other side of Sam's bed.

"Sammy," John said. Sam eyes slowly met his dad. Even though Sam had been asleep for a least a day, he still looked tired. A small, tired, curl on the side of the youngest mouth brought a grin to John's face. Dean stood back up, still gripping his brother's hand. Sam's eyes left his father and found his brother.

Sam's brow creased. His face scrunched up. His breathing started to heave.

"Hey," Dean soothed out. "Hey, none of that. Just like I said. This is not your fault. It was a stray bullet. We will get through this." With one hand gripping his brother's hand, Dean's other hand was on his baby brother's chest, slowly, soothingly rubbing his chest. "You and me. Always."

Sam slowly nodded. A lone tear streaked down his cheek.

"You and me against the world."

TBC

A/N: Thank you to everyone that followed, favored, and review my story. I hope you continue to support my story. :)

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