AN: I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Many thanks for your awesome reviews! I haven't been this excited about a series in ... FOREVER XP

But, still, I've been on hiatus for a while, but I'm back for good now ;) And, hopin' you'll enjoy this chappie!

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Sam's smarter than he looks

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Without even turning around, Sam knows it's not Dad.

John would never put a hand on his son's shoulder; ask him if he's alright. Nope, he's more likely to chew them out for not acting when the symptoms of Dean's condition first appeared. Chew them out about how important being alert is to staying alive. Tell them just how badly they screwed-up this time.

But it never comes, and that's why Sam's not surprised when he turns and Bobby hauls him in for a hug.

"Gosh… Bobby…" Sam sighs, taking in a shaky breath to calm himself down.

"Bobby called me a few nights ago," the older man says and smiles when Sam's suddenly shocked face pulls back to greet him, "I was practically around to corner… so I decided to drop in, Wakita is practically around the corner."

Dad's here. Dad's here… it's Dad. He's here. "Dad…?" Sam mutters dumbfounded, holding onto John's shirt like the older man will run off at any second, "You… you're here?"

"Yeah," John smiles, "It's good to see you too."

Sam stares mouth-agape at his father. A strange guilt-ridden relief washing over him, the same one you experience when handing over an unbearable sacrifice to someone else to fulfil. "Dad… Dean…. Dad, Dean's sick…"

"I know," John says and leads Sam out the bathroom and towards the waiting area, "That's why I drove over."

"Is he allrig -"

"Winchester?" a nurse calls from the waiting area.

The pair trot forwards, a bit more enthusiastic than probably allowed by hospital personnel, "Yes?" they answer in-sync.

"Dean Winchester's being prepped for surgery, if you'd like to spend a few minutes with him before he goes in for the op?" the nurse says and motions for them to follow her.

The thirty-something brunette struts out towards the room, with only Sam managing to keep up with her pace.

Sam heads inside without hesitation, not even waiting for her instructions –which wrestled a proud smile from John… his stoic rule-following son finally being a rebel –sort of.

"Dean's in here, you'll have about fifteen minutes, okay?" she nods at John and leaves the man to it, as she heads off to the reception desk.

John hovers outside though, not sure about how Dean'll take his presence. Last time they spoke to each other was when he headed off to New Orleans. He'd meant to keep up contact, he really did. But, time flies when you're hunting shit.

"Dean?" Sam pats Dean's hand a few times before Dean's olive eyes finally crack open, "Hey, man…"

The heart monitor, that had been beeping pretty rapidly, suddenly started to slow down. A slow, but steady, beating rhythm setting in.

"I want a cheese burger…." Dean moans, but an involuntary gag-reflex at the mention of food suddenly kicks-in.

"I'll get you one as soon as we get out of here," Sam says and swallows dryly in anticipation of the news he's about to give to his brother, "I got a surprise for you…"

"Morphine drip?" Dean asks hopefully.

"Better…" Sam says and looks back at John.

With a deep breath, John finally walks into the room, trying his best to smile as naturally as he could –only, it came out as a stretched-out grimace. He hadn't seen his sons together in such a long time. He still remembers how badly their last time together had ended. Sam left. Dean stilled. John disappeared.

For a few moments, Dean just stared at his dad, blinking as if sleepy, "Bobby…?" he says, confused by pain and the logic of the situation.

Bobby. Of course it'd be Bobby that Dean would think of first. It struck another shard in John's heart to think that his oldest son would also expect Bobby to show up if he was sick or injured… because his own dad would never drop a hunt to do the same. "It's Dad…" John says, his throat suddenly feeling as if it were caught in a vice.

"Dad…" Dean repeats, the heart monitor's beeps suddenly rising rapidly, "Dad. Dad. Dad –where've you been!? We've been looking everywhere- How did you know-"

"Calm down, Dean… " Sam pushes on Dean's chest, but he knows exactly what Dean's feeling. But, he's also painfully aware that he needs to keep Dean calm before the up-and-coming surgery.

"I'm sorry I didn't call," John says and sits on the very edge of Dean's bed, as if either of his boys would toss him off at any second.

Sam glares at this. Sam was fine to be away from his family, as long as it meant silence from John and little –but valuable- contact from Dean. … But for John to just cut off comms with Dean like that? Even when Dean did everything for their father? Even when Dean was the 'good son'? "Sorry can't fix everything," he snaps under his breath.

"You got something to say to me?" John growls back, leaning forwards.

Dean suddenly yelps and grabs his side, pulling his knees to his chest and rolling over to his left side, "Uuughh- Shit!" he murmurs through clenched teeth.

John's out the door for a nurse; Sam's running a couple of tissues under the tap for a make-shift washcloth; Dean's grinning at his own genius. It worked! Peace-treaty begins!

"Hey –hey – here…" Sam says softly and lowers the wet clump of tissues on Dean's forehead, "Dad went to get the nurses."

"Heheh… gotcha," Dean mutters with a wink, his voice sounds bone-tired but still victorious.

"You jerk!" Sam growls and seriously considers what the hospital's policy is about 'Punching your brother in the face'.

"At least you won't fight over me now," Dean grins and winces as a sharp pain shoots through his side.

"…It's bad, huh…" Sam knows it wasn't all an act, and that this situation was much more serious than he and John had been treating it. They were fighting and Dean was suffering, only, this time it was physical suffering.

"…. Yeah," the fact that Dean doesn't play it down or lie worries Sam even more.

John strides back into the room, the occupant across from Dean reminds John of Pastor Jim, and that reminds him to be polite this time. "Sam, did you fill in the paper-"

-"Yes"

"And did you give the history-"

-"Yeah"

"And the credit-"

"Dad, I've done this before," Sam sends John a sniping glare, but Dean's nudge reminded Sam to be a bit more accommodating, "… you did teach me …"

"… I think I should go-" John starts, but Dean suddenly shoots upright.

"NO! Dad!" Dean's pleading for the first time, his eyes wide in his fear of being left alone again.

The sudden motion sent a shockwave of pain through the older brother's body and he quickly slaps a hand over his mouth and palms the area for a bin, container, something.

Sam's quick to notice Dean's distress though, but the only available container is the kidney-bowl.

As soon as Sam shoves it under Dean's nose, the dry-heaves start. Dean's convinced it's the shape of the bowl that set him off, 'cause how gross is looking at a kidney-look-a-like? It's fine if it's a remnant of a kidney from the zombie you just ghanked, but otherwise?

Then, as if a switch was thrown, the room burst into a flurry of action and then the cart starts wheeling off –with Dean on it- to the surgery ward.

It'll be okay. He was brought in early. We caught it in time. The fever's rising. Fingernails are turning purple. Numbness in the feet. He's a healthy young man, he'll recover in no time. They're still not finished with the last surgery. Do you need to sit down? Just another ten minute wait.

John's got Sam under the shoulders and answers the questions the nurses and surgeon asks.

Dean's not really registering anything at the moment. He nods when John asks a question twice. He asks why Sam turned off the music. He flirts with the IV in his arm and sweet-talks the heart-monitor into giving him her number.

"You're going in now, Dean…" Sam chokes out when the Anaesthetist nods their way.

"You'll be here when I come out, right?" Dean grabs John's hand, 'cause he knows Sam'll be there for him anyway.

Sam's the only one who notices the heart-break in Dean's eyes when John doesn't answer right away. "I'll make sure only hot nurses are in there with you, man," Sam assures Dean with a forced-grin and waves when they wheel Dean away.

The younger brother's the one to make sure Bobby knows what's going on. He makes sure the cafeteria's whipping up a coffee-milkshake in the meantime. He fluffs up Dean's pillows. He checks the doors on the Impala. He makes sure John's got a black-eye by the time Dean comes back out.

But, afterward, they both sit in the chairs next to Dean's bed and wait for him to come out…

Only problem is, it's been three hours already…

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Thanks for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it! Please drop me a pm or review if you liked it!