Author's Note: Hi there! Hope your day is going well. Today's prompt comes from maxandkiz who asked for, "Sick Sam (any illness, any reason) with a completely healthy and uninjured big bro Dean taking care of him. Maybe even an appearance by Jody or Ellen for a little mothering?" Thank you for this prompt! I finally get a chance to write Jody. She's one of my favorite characters and she and Bobby had such a great chemistry . . . But I'm rambling. Anyways, please enjoy! This is set in season 7, post Slash Fiction. Please enjoy!

There were days—though these days were few and far between—when instead of something supernatural sidelining them, their own bodies would turn against them. Usually, the two brothers would plow on. It was kind of hard to justify sitting out of a hunt just because they had a cold, especially when people were dying. So, the boys sucked it up and pushed past the sucky feelings that illness brought on. Sometimes; however, one of them would catch the flu and that was a whole different ball game. The flu brought a fever into the equation which in turn caused shaking and disorientation.

Both of which Sam had.

"M'fine," his youngest brother mumbled, shaking as he pulled a blanket around him. They were holed up in Rufus' cabin and Bobby was out getting supplies. Since his house had burnt down, they needed to replenish their medical kit anyways and Sam's sudden illness had given them a chance to do so. "We can g-go h-hunt this." Dean frowned and folded his arms across his chest, attempting to utilize his big brother powers to get Sam to accept the fact they weren't going anywhere until he was better. Even more so, the eldest Winchester was worried and he wanted Sam to get better before they went chasing after the Leviathans.

"Dude, you have a fever of 103 and you're shaking like a leaf," Dean chided gently as he grabbed another blanket and draped it around Sam's shoulders. "You honestly think you could go up against a Leviathan when you can't even stand more than ten seconds?" A flash of hurt went through Sam's eyes and Dean grimaced. He knew Sam was sensitive when it came to pulling his weight. His brother—the smartest guy he knew—thought that he was a burden. Sam thought that it would be better if he just laid down and died because he didn't want to saddle Dean with his hallucinations. What Sam didn't understand—though God knows Dean had tried to explain it to him 20 times already—was that Sam could never be a burden. He was his little brother and Dean liked to take care of him. Yeah, the two of them had had their many ups and downs, but at the end of the day, they were family and family looked out for each other.

End of story.

"I'm s-s-sorry, Dean." Sam stuttered as a nasty wave of shakes hit him. Dean winced in sympathy and wished that Bobby would just get back already.

"Just hang in there, okay?" Dean soothed. "Bobby should be back soon. You want some tea?" Sam nodded his head and Dean stepped into the kitchen. Taking the pot of boiling water off the sink, he poured some into a cup and let the tea bag steep.

"Boys?" The door opened and Bobby stuck his head in. Dean grinned as the gruff hunter met his gaze. "How's Sam?"

"Fever is still going up." He reported and Bobby frowned.

"I, um," He cleared his throat nervously and then stepped aside. "I brought some help." Jody Mills sauntered into the cabin, her hands full with various bags.

"Sheriff?" Dean greeted, confusion in his tone. Last time he had checked, the sheriff had been back in Sioux Falls, which was over a day's drive. He glanced outside through the window and saw Jody's car. She had driven here herself? Why?

"Bobby told me Sam was sick?" Dean nodded his head, still waiting for Bobby to explain why she was here. Jody grinned. "I think I can help." With that, she put her bags down on the table and walked into the other room where Sam was lying on the couch.

"Bobby?" Dean prompted and the older hunter sighed softly.

"I figured we could use some help," He admitted. "I mean, with everything that's happening . . ." His voice faded and Dean waited. "She won't get in your way. She's just here in case you need to get some rest. When was the last time you slept anyways?"

Two days ago when Sam had first gotten sick, not that Dean was counting. Yes, he was exhausted, but taking care of Sam was his job and he wasn't going to just stand by and let someone else—

"—h-he won't stop," Sam murmured as Jody knelt on the floor beside the couch. She moved some of Sam's hair out of his face and tenderly smiled. "I want quiet."

"It's okay," Jody soothed, dipping a white washcloth into a basin of water and then gently dabbing it on Sam's face. "Just hang in there, you hear me?" Sam was telling her about Lucifer and Jody wasn't even commenting about it. Dean's gaze darted to Bobby who simply grinned. He hanged Dean a bottle of medicine and the eldest Winchester nodded his thanks.

"Sammy?" Murky hazel eyes opened and met his as Dean entered the living room. Jody stepped back, giving Dean plenty of room. "Time for medicine." He helped pull Sam up and adjust him so he was lying against the pillow. "Nice and slow, okay?" Sam popped the pills in his mouth and then took a sip of the tea that Dean had prepared.

"Thanks." Sam slurred, drowsiness claiming him. Dean yawned just seeing his brother so tired.

"I can look after him," Jody began quietly. "If you want to get some sleep." He thought about it for a second and then nodded his head. Sleep sounded heavenly and if something went wrong with Sam, Jody and Bobby would get him. Hell, he'd probably wake up and know without anyone coming.

"No thanks."

"You're not going to sleep?" Jody questioned, eyes flashing with something Dean couldn't make out. "How long have you been up?"

"Not long."

"Liar. Now, get your butt in that chair before I make you." He blinked, unsure if he had heard her correctly. "Dean," He met her gaze. "I will knock you out if I have to." She smiled sweetly at him and the eldest Winchester could hear Bobby grumbling in the other room. Had she taken on Bobby before?

And before he could even protest, Jody was up and easing him into the chair before wrapping a blanket around him. Dean was asleep within seconds.

"Lucifer keeps singing," Sam mumbled and Jody nodded her head. "He says you're not real." Dean watched her warily from the kitchen where Bobby was talking—or at least attempting since Dean was keener on Sam than Bobby—to discuss the latest news on the Leviathans. Now, Jody didn't know too much about what exactly Sam, Dean and Bobby did, but they had helped her out and she figured this was one of the few ways she could repay them. It actually made her smile—she hadn't cared for anyone since her son had gotten sick and that had been a lifetime ago. It was nice to feel useful and to actually have a job that didn't involve her arresting someone.

"Now you listen, Sam," Jody began as she dabbed more water on Sam's forehead. His fever had gone down, but refused to break. Jody was beginning to worry and the things Sam told her—things about Hell and about how he was tortured and how he fell into a dark hole—it made her shudder. Still, she had to remind herself that it was just the fever talking. Sam must be one of those people susceptible to fever dreams.

She refused to think about the alternative where Sam was telling the truth and he had been to Hell. Even for Jody, that was too much for her to process. The less she knew about what exactly these boys did, the better. She was walking a thin line, she knew, and at any second, her blissful ignorance could be stripped from her. She knew things went bump in the night. She just chose to ignore them. Maybe that wasn't healthy, but it was how she got by.

"I'm real," She emphasized, holding Sam's palm with the odd scar on it. "I'm not leaving you. Neither is Bobby or your brother." Sam smiled and Jody grinned.

Looks like she hadn't lost her touch yet.

"Thanks again, Sheriff," Sam said with her a small grin. "I, uh, hope it wasn't too much of a problem." Jody chuckled softly to herself.

"Not a problem at all," Jody replied. "I'm just glad you're okay."

After two days of the sheriff and Dean switching off—though Jody only took care of Sam whenever Bobby needed Dean for something or the eldest Winchester was about to collapse—Sam's fever had finally broken. Dean was ecstatic of course, though he hid it under a façade of teasing that Jody could see easily through. Heading to the door, the sheriff stopped as hand held her back. Turning around, she saw that Dean stood before her, a card in his hand.

"If you ever need anything—" She took the card and smiled.

"You two keep Bobby from getting in too much trouble, okay?" Bobby grumbled and Dean laughed. "And take care of yourselves."

"Yes, ma'am." Dean replied mockingly.

With that, Jody stepped outside and headed to her car. It was a long drive back to Sioux Falls, but she was glad that she had come. Sometimes, she forgot what it was like to care for others. Her own grief for her son had broken her and even now, she was still in the process of putting her heart back together, piece-by-piece. It was nice to care for someone else.

"Getting soft, Mills." Jody chided gently as she got into her car.

Still . . .

Maybe going soft wasn't all that bad? And who knew, maybe with the help of Bobby and those Winchester boys, she'd be able to one day fully give her heart to someone else. Not yet, though. She was still too broken to do that, but maybe someday.

Maybe someday, Jody Mills could handle being a part of someone's family again.

With a soft smile, she turned on the car and began the long trek back home.

Author's Note: This turned into more Jody-centric than I had planned, but I really love her character. I thought she and Bobby were great together, but that's another matter entirely. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! Please review if you have a second! Thanks!