JESS
Chapter 3
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Supernatural. They belong to Kripke. This is done strictly for fun, not profit. Also, if anything seems familiar, I don't own it.
A/N: Wow. Thanks to everyone for all the great reviews. I was really surprised at how much of a response I got. I guess you all really like to see Sammy hurting. hehe. And don't worry. I plan on writing back to each and every one of you. I just wanted to get the next chapter posted tonight. Also, if I flub some of the medical stuff please forgive me. I tried to do some research and asked a fellow writer (thanks by the way to Salem's Child for the info I hope I do you justice) but some things may still not quite jive. So yeah, mistakes…all my own.
Spoilers: Season 1. So if you haven't seen Season 1…I guess most people have seen Season 1 by now. Hopefully.
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The emergency room doors burst open as the EMT's pushed the gurney through and soon they were surrounded by nurses and doctors.
"So what do we got?" asked one of the nurses as she fell into step next to the moving gurney.
"Male, approximately 23 years old. No visible signs of trauma. Respiratory distress. Oxygen levels are at 85 and falling. Heart rate in 120. Temp is 104 and climbing," Dan rattled off as he continued to push the gurney through the hallway.
By this time they had reached one of the exam rooms and they pushed the gurney towards one of the beds.
"Patient is awake but unresponsive. Also, has full body rigidity," Dan continued as he unpacked the equipment that they had needed for Sam.
The doctor that was looking over the situation gave both Dan and Jerry a funny look. "Wait, what?"
Jerry just smiled as he moved to the other side of the gurney helping Dan push it up against the bed. "Yeah, that's why we brought him in like this. You can't move him at all," he said as he quickly unstrapped Sam and got ready to move him. "Okay. One, two, three."
They quickly transferred Sam to the bed and then moved back to let the doctors work. "By the way, the brother said his name is, Sam. Good luck, Steve. This is an interesting one," Jerry said to the doctor as he moved towards the doors to leave.
"Okay, thanks, guys," said Steve, also known as Dr. Knowles.
The nurses scurried around trying to get vitals and assess Sam's condition finding it difficult because they couldn't budge the covers from his body. Quickly cutting away the sheets they continued with their work.
"Temperature is still rising," said one nurse as she finished taking his temperature.
"Okay, can we get another line?" asked Dr. Knowles.
"Trying. Not sure where though with the position he's in," said Nancy as he agile fingers tried to find a good vein. "Maybe in the foot," she muttered to herself as she changed position.
"Oxygen levels are falling." Another nurse informed as alarms began to go off filling the room with shrill beeps.
"Okay let's try and get a face mask on him. If we can't, make sure that the canula is cranked all the way to 5. I want a full blood panel done. See if we can figure out what caused this. In the mean time, let's start him on some Valium and a broad-spectrum anti-biotic. Maybe the Valium will help with the rigidity. Get some ice in here. We need to get this kid's temperature down before he starts seizing!"
The nurses started working as Dr. Knowles continued to examine the patient. He took in Sam's position and rigidity and frowned in frustration. Even with the position, he could see that Sam was having difficulty breathing hearing the harsh wheezing of his shallow breaths.
"Let's get a shot of anti-histamine, too. Maybe this is an allergic reaction." He listened to Sam's breathing which was shallow and wheezy. He then came around to face Sam and peered down at his sweaty face.
Curled up on his side in a tight ball with his arms pulled in, it was hard to see the boy's face through his shaggy hair. Dr. Knowles leaned down to eye level and pushed his bangs aside to notice Sam's wide eyes staring back at him. "Sam, can you hear me?" he said gently as he continued to look into Sam's big puppy dog eyes.
Sam continued to stare at him not seeming to acknowledge his presence. Catatonic maybe? He took out a penlight to check the pupil response. They were both reacting normally. "Sam, my name is Dr. Knowles. Can you blink if you understand?"
As if it was extremely difficult, Sam blinked slowly. Struggling as if he had two ton weights on them, he opened his eyes again but only to half mast.
Dr. Knowles noticed his struggle and laid a hand on his shoulder hoping that it gave Sam some kind of comfort. He could feel the bound muscles beneath his touch as the heat radiated off of him in waves almost seeming to burn the doctor's hand. "Don't worry, Sam. You're in good hands. We're trying everything we can to help you."
Dr. Knowles held Sam's gaze a bit longer and then turned back to the job at hand. "Have we got a line yet?"
"Finally," Nancy said as she finished securing the line in Sam's foot. Another nurse came in carrying bags of ice which she quickly laid at the back of Sam's neck and down his back hoping to help get his fever under control.
"Muscle relaxants and anti-histamine are in. No response yet."
"Okay, keep the ice coming, Megan. We gotta get this kid's temperature down." Alarms began to sound as Sam's oxygen levels dipped again and Sam's struggle for air became even more audible as he tried to drag a few precious breaths of air into his frozen lungs.
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The whirl of commotion in the ER room seemed to slow to almost a crawl as Sam struggled for air. He could feel his muscles contracting even more and his lungs were refusing to expand even just a little bit as he tried to take even a small breath. He gasped for the little bit of air he could get and could see the edges of his vision begin to blacken. Fear gripped him tightly as he struggled to remain conscious. He knew if he lost this battle, he would probably not wake up again.
The motion in the room slowed even more until everything seemed to stop and Sam wondered what had happened. Everyone was frozen in mid-motion except for him and still he couldn't move. Everything was quiet, his rasping breaths and too fast beating of his heart the only sounds in the room.
And then out of the corner of his eye he saw a new figure appear. Standing by the far wall was the old women he had seen before. As his fear increased, Sam tried to call out but couldn't make a sound.
Within a blink of an eye she was beside him and leaning down to look into his eyes. Still the only sound was Sam's raspy breaths. She laid a cold hand on his bare arm and Sam would have shivered if it were possible. "Don't worry, my boy, I won't hurt you. Yet." She smiled slightly as she then laid a hand on the side of his head. "You still have time, but soon…you will be mine. And then the debt will be paid."
Sam's eyes widened as much as they could at her words. What debt? What was she talking about? Hers? His? Sam wanted to ask her so many questions yet he couldn't get even one little squeak out.
She then gave a wicked smile which made her look even more terrifying as she moved her hand to his forehead and closed her eyes.
Sam felt a great cold settle over him that seeped deep into his bones until he felt like ice. Silently, Sam screamed as his vision faded to white.
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"Heart rate and BP are climbing. Oxygen levels are at 50 percent. We're losing him," shouted Nancy as she glanced between the monitors and Sam's contorted body. She felt useless not being able to help the young man. With his condition, they couldn't do much to help. No intubation, no IV, no possibility of shocking if his heart stopped.
"He's going into respiratory arrest. Heart rate in 170 and climbing," said Megan as she tried to think of something to do.
"Come on, kid. Help us out here!" shouted Dr. Knowles. He struggled to move Sam's body but was getting nowhere except for maybe creating a few new bruises. "Damn it!"
Alarms shrieked in warning to his pending failure and all they could do was stand and watch. Suddenly a screech went off and then a steady tone.
"Heart's stopped," Nancy said almost as if she was holding her breath waiting for it to start again.
Everyone waited in silence hoping that something would change, anything, so that they could help the young man dying right in front of them. The steady tone persisted.
One…two…three……ten……twenty……thir-Beep…Beep…Beep.
"We got a pulse," Dr. Knowles said in astonishment. Then, almost miraculously Sam took a big gulp of air and his body sagged from its rigid position, his arms and legs falling to the table almost as if they were boneless.
Dr. Knowles reached out a tentative hand and touched Sam's shoulder hesitantly. He gave him a small nudge still not sure to believe that this was really happening.
Sam's body rocked with the motion and he tipped sideways towards his back, his head lolling back and forth against the mattress. Motion picked up again in the ER as the doctor and nurses worked in stunned silence.
Sam was quickly laid out flat and a face mask set on high placed on his face as Dr. Knowles began to examine him again.
"BP is 120/60 and heart rate is falling." One of the nurses said in almost awe. "Currently at 90. Oxygen levels are rising at 95 percent."
Sam's eyelids fluttered and Dr. Knowles quickly went to his side.
"Sam? Sam, can you hear me? Open your eyes if you can hear me." Dr. Knowles watched as Sam struggled to open his eyes and focus on him. He pulled back one of his eyelids to check his pupils for reaction and Sam groaned slightly in protest pulling away slightly from the bright light. Dr. Knowles then took out his stethoscope and listened to his breathing as Sam began looking around the room trying to orientate himself.
"Sam, can you tell me what happened?" Dr. Knowles said focusing once again on Sam's face.
Sam blinked a couple times and a confused look crossed his face. "Happened?" he asked hesitantly his voice slightly raspy.
"Yes, Sam, you were brought into the ER. Do you know what happened to cause this?"
Sam's brow furrowed in concentration as he struggled to remember. "A…woman…" he said hesitantly as he tried to get his mind to catch up. Hospital? Why was he in a hospital?
"Did someone do this to you? A woman?'
Sam sighed and struggled to keep his eyes open. Damn he was tired. Suddenly his eyes widened and he lost focus starring at something that only Sam was able to see as a look of pain crossed his face. "Dean……help," he said in a desperate whisper.
Dr. Knowles frowned in concern. "Sam? Sam, what's wrong?" He looked up at the monitors noticing Sam's heart rate starting to increase.
Sam tried to turn his head towards the voice which seemed to be getting further and further away before his eyes rolled back in his head and he began to twitch.
"Sam?" Dr. Knowles pulled back an eyelid to see the eye rolled completely back in the socket. "Damn, it! He's seizing!"
Spasms wracked Sam's body as he convulsed on the table, his muscles contorting painfully as his back arched off the table. Alarms blared in warning filling the room with sharp beeps and then all hell broke loose.
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Dean sat in the reception area with barely contained panic. They had brought his brother in over two hours ago and he still hadn't heard anything. He'd filled out all the appropriate paperwork making sure to include just enough information, but also not enough to cause too much suspicion. Now he just had to wait. He tapped his foot nervously as he stared at the ER doors waiting for some kind of news. He gave a small growl of frustration as he launched himself off the chair. He had to move if nothing else than to just do something.
This was what he hated the most about their life: the waiting. Waiting for information on a hunt, waiting for the thing to show up, waiting to see if his father or brother was going to be okay or not. He especially hated that last one. He had lost too many people in his life; he couldn't lose his brother too.
Dean sighed in frustration as he glanced once again at the ER doors thinking, even though he knew he would never admit it to Sam, he was scared. The thought of being alone was the one thing that terrified him the most, and since their father was missing-
"Oh, crap, Dad." Dean had almost forgotten in his panic that his Dad didn't know about Sam. He quickly took out his cell phone and scrolled down the numbers until he came to his father's number. After only two rings he heard a click. "This is John Winchester. If this is an-" Ah, damn it. Dean closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to the message finish. Why couldn't he just answer, just this once.
"Uh, Dad, I know I've left you messages before, but…" How could he say it? "It's, Sam. He's really sick, and uh…I-I don't know what's wrong with him, but uh…I think it's…not normal." Dean looked around the waiting room making sure that no one could overhear his conversation. "Look if you could just…call me back. Please." Dean swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't sound weak. Not to his Dad. "Just…call me back okay?" He hung up the phone and then began pacing again.
Dean looked again at the ER doors and sighed in frustration as he scrubbed his face with his hands. This just sucked. He hated not being able to do anything. He was supposed to be able to fix this. His was the big brother, damn it. That was his job. That and to take care of Sammy. And the fact that he had no idea of what thing might have a hand in doing this to his brother scared the shit out of him. The thought of actually losing Sam took his breath away and he had to sit down before he fell down. He placed his head in his hands and his thoughts took him back to earlier that night when he had found Sam.
The look of sheer panic in his brother's eyes when he had flicked on the light… Dean racked his brain for some idea as to what might have caused this, but nothing…no beast, no demon; nothing seemed to fit the M.O. As soon as he knew that Sam was okay, he would have to do some research. Maybe his Dad's journal would have the answer.
"Mr. Jackson?"
Dean jumped slightly when he realized someone was standing right beside him and he looked up. "What?" he asked trying to regain his composure while he berated himself for letting someone sneak up on him.
"Are you…Mr. Jackson?" asked an older man in green scrubs. He looked maybe forty-something with short black hair and wire rimmed glasses and he was looking at Dean with some concern.
Dean finally realized that he must be the doctor and stood. "Yes. Yes, I'm Mr. Jackson. Please, call me, Dean." Dean quickly shook his hand and the doctor just gave him a funny look.
"Sir, are you all right?" he asked in concern.
No. Dean paused for a moment and then gave a tense smile. "Yeah, I'm fine." As long as Sam is okay, I'll be fine.
"Are you sure? I was calling you for at least a minute."
Dean fidgeted slightly as he looked away and then scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I was just…thinking. Doc, how's my brother?" Dean quickly changed the subject not wanting to dwell on it any longer.
The doctor paused for a moment and then decided to let it drop. "Well, he's stable. He's still got a really high temperature, but we're working to get that down with ice and medication. He's been having seizures due to his high temperature."
"He's okay though?" Dean interrupted immediately knowing that seizures were something that could get really bad.
"Yes, he's fine now. We did lose him for a moment, but he started breathing again on his own," he said quickly after seeing Dean pale slightly at his words. "The good news, is that the…'muscle rigor'?" he said hesitantly not really knowing what else to call it. "Has finally let go. We gave him some muscle relaxants to help, and after his stopped seizing we were able to stabilize his breathing and start him on a round of antibiotics and fluids. We're also giving him a steady dose of muscle relaxants to help keep him from locking up again. So far, it has been working," Dr. Knowles seemed frustrated with the situation but showed enough confidence that Dean almost believed him and he let out a small sigh of relief. At least Sam was partially out of the woods.
"Do you know what's wrong with him?" asked Dean not really expecting to get an answer.
The doctor gave a large sigh. "Honestly, we're not sure. We've never really seen anything like this. We're doing some tests to see if we can discover the cause. We thought at first that it might be an allergic reaction. Does your brother have any known allergies?"
Dean shook his head as he mentally went through all the times that Sam had been hospitalized. "No, nothing that I know of."
Dr. Knowles pursed his lips in frustration as he mulled over this new information. "Well, we'll discuss this more later. We're going to keep your brother over night at least. See if we can get his fever down and figure out what this is. For right now, he'll have to stay in the ER until we get him a room, but then we'll move him upstairs."
"Can I see him?" asked Dean pleading with his eyes. He really wanted to see his brother and he didn't think that he would be able to breathe properly until he did.
The doctor smiled. "Of course, I'll take you to him now."
The tension in his shoulders lessened slightly as he followed the doctor towards the ER doors. "Oh, thank you, Dr…" Dean suddenly realized that he didn't even know the guys name.
"Knowles, Dr. Knowles."
"Dr. Knowles, thank you." Dean was silent as the doctor led him through the ER doors and past some of the other patients. Chaos ruled in the open room, children crying, and others doctors and nurses moving quickly between rooms and checking on patients. Dean's eyes wandered to a young man with a gash on his forehead that a nurse was stitching and he remembered doing the same for Sam or his father so many times after a hunt. He felt a pang of remorse for the kid knowing how much it would hurt to get the stitches done. He definitely did not envy him right now.
"Now, do realize after the seizures and everything," Dr. Knowles said bringing Dean back from his thoughts as they stopped in front of one room. "He'll probably sleep for a while, but go ahead and talk to him. If you have any questions, a nurse can answer them for you"
Dean nodded absently preparing himself for what he might see. He paused before walking in and then took a deep breath and opened the door.
Dean sighed in slight relief at the sight of Sam. It wasn't as bad as it could be…had been before.
Sam lay flat on the bed hooked up to monitors that beeped steadily and an oxygen mask covered his face. Pale and shivering, yet sweating as the fire of his fever raged through his body, Sam looked incredibly young and fragile. Bags of ice were packed around Sam's body in an attempt to keep his fever from rising any further. A nurse was there with a basin of water and a wash cloth helping to keep Sam cool as the fever continued to rage through his little brother's body.
Dean glanced at the monitors as he came closer trying to figure out what they meant. He'd been in the hospital enough to get the general gist and he knew that Sam's temperature was way too high. 104.5 degrees.
Dr. Knowles said something about being back later and Dean nodded absently as he continued to look at Sam. He quickly looked his brother over and his heart sank at the sight. "Hey, Sam," he whispered softly as he ran a hand through Sam's sweat soaked hair. Dean flinched at how hot he was and frowned slightly. "How is he?" he asked the nurse as he glanced briefly at her before returning his eyes to Sam.
She hesitated slightly not wanting to get his hopes up. "He's better. We can't get his fever down though. It's been climbing steadily since he came in, but we're trying everything we can." She said hoping she sounded hopeful.
Dean nodded slightly and put a hand to the side of Sam's face hoping for some kind of response but received nothing except a shiver.
"Do you want to…" the nurse asked awkwardly and Dean glanced up to see her holding a wet washcloth out to him. Dean started slightly as he berated himself for not thinking of it himself and took the cloth. "Thanks," he mumbled and then began to wipe Sam's sweaty brow.
Sam shivered as the cool cloth passed over his face and Dean had to swallow his emotions down before they spilled out. He hated that something had happened to Sam and he knew that it wasn't something that was going to be solved with science. If Sam would just wake up…
Sam's head shifted slightly towards Dean's hand and Dean stilled the cloth mid-swipe.
"Sam?" he asked hesitantly not sure if the motion had been conscious.
Sam twitched slightly the other direction and let out a slight whimper.
"Sam, can you hear me?" Dean asked as he moved the cloth across his brother's brow.
Sam's hand twitched and he tossed his head to the side again as if he were trying to find something. "Jess?" Sam whispered so softly Dean wasn't sure he'd even heard it.
"Sam, you with me?" Dean asked fearing that he knew what was going on.
Sam's cheek twitched and he threw his head to side again. "No, Jess," he said more forcibly and Dean cursed their bed luck.
"Who's, Jess?" the nursed asked not sure what to make of it.
Dean just frowned and grabbed Sam's shoulder hoping that his touch would ground Sam enough to snap him out of it. He then looked up at the nurse with worry in his eyes. "She was his girlfriend. She died earlier this year in a fire,"
Dean shook Sam's shoulder slightly trying to wake him. "Sam, come on. It's just a dream."
Sam thrashed back and forth even more. "Jess, no. No, don't!" Sam tried to raise his arm off the bed and got tangled in the cords surrounding him.
"He must be hallucinating because of the fever. We've got to get him calmed down before he hurts himself," said the nurse as she reached for a needle and syringe.
"No! No, I can calm him down. Just…please," Dean turned pleading eyes towards her before turning his attention back to Sam.
The nurse hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
Sam's heart rate increased as he became more agitated and Dean tried to calm him down as he held onto his arms to keep him from thrashing around. "Sam, come on. Wake up! It's just a dream."
He let go with one hand so that he could put a hand to Sam's cheek. He could feel the intense heat radiating off of Sam almost burning his hand but he didn't pull away. He shushed and mumbled incoherent things trying to get Sam to calm as he ran a finger across Sam's cheek in calming strokes. Finally, he started humming not even realizing he was doing it until Sam finally started to calm down.
In minutes, though it seemed like hours to Dean, Sam's thrashing quieted until there was only the occasional twitch. Dean continued to hum as he moved his hand to brush through Sam's hair and rub his thumb across his sweaty brow.
Finally, Sam released a heavy breath before his breathing evened out letting Dean know that the nightmare had passed and Sam was asleep again. Dean finally quit humming and sighed in relief as he moved away from his brother to sit in the chair next to the bed.
The nurse, Megan, her name tag said, started checking to make sure that Sam was okay and that he hadn't pulled out his I.V.s. as she kept giving Dean furtive glances. "Metallica?" she asked glancing at Dean with a raised eyebrow.
Dean grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I don't know that many lull-a-bys," he said sarcastically.
Megan just laughed softly and gave him a half-smile. "Fair enough. At least it worked."
Dean nodded in agreement before getting back up and reached over to re-wet his washcloth. He laid it on Sam's forehead as Megan took his temperature again. When it beeped she frowned at the number.
"Not good?" Dean asked worriedly.
She just shook her head. "Still rising. 104.6 We're gonna have to try something else. A temperature this high…" She didn't need to finish that statement because Dean knew what could happen. "I'll be back in just a minute."
She quickly hurried away leaving Dean alone with Sam. Dean continued rewetting the washcloth and swiping it over Sam's face and body trying to relieve some of the heat. "Don't worry, Sam. We'll figure this out and get you better. Just…" Dean blinked several times as emotions swept through him. He would figure this out and then Sam would be okay. He had to be. "Just hang in there Sam. We'll figure this out and get you better in no time. Otherwise, I'll kick your ass."
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A/N: Okay. There it is. Please tell me what you think. I really love to hear from you. Also, if you have any ideas in how I could improve this let me know. I always like a little scrutiny.
A/N2: Okay, Megan, there you go. I hope you liked the part that made for you. Who knows, she may have a bigger part later on. hehe. Until later.