Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 15 Hospital

Dean could feel the air drop in temperature and crackle with ozone. He was fired on the spirit of Claire Hooper before she had a chance to fully materialize and attack them. So he thought for half a second. Claire was one pissed spirit by now, wanting to get out of the graveyard and take revenge for her death. When she realized the boys were digging her bones up she decided to take her frustration out on them. She materialized in front of Dean fully primed to let go. No warning or villain tells the hero what's going to happen here, just all the power she could throw. Right. At. Dean.

Dean was blown back by the force, smoke still coming from the muzzle of the gun as he landed. Dean felt his back slam against a tombstone which winded him. His arms went slack and his right arm that was still travelling from the recoil of the shotgun suddenly came at his face. He had half a second to try to pull his face out of the way or regain control of his arm. He tried both but all he managed to do was move his head slightly to the right and jerk the weapon slightly as it came down over his nose and left eye with a sickening crunch and he was out.

Sam yelled as he jumped out of the hole and ran to his brother,looking all arms and legs.
"DEAN!"
As he ran past the bag he grabbed a flashlight and the other shotgun. When he reached Dean he was slumped in front of a tombstone but he was already starting to move and grunting with pain.
"Dean, god are you okay?"
Dean raised his head slowly. Sam shone the flashlight on Dean's chest so he could see his face without blinding him.
"Damn, your nose is bleeding pretty good dude."
"Yeah?"

Dean started to struggle to his feet using the tombstone as a leaning post as he rose slowly. His back was feeling sore and heavy, his legs wobbly and glass like. Dean's legs suddenly gave out. Sam slipped an arm around his back and leaned him back against the tombstone while he gathered and reloaded Dean's weapon. After a minute Dean had another go at standing and was able to stay on his feet, for how long he wouldn't want to guess. Sam helped him back to Claire's gravesite and leaned Dean against a tombstone. Dean took his reloaded shotgun back from Sam who looked at Dean's face again assessing the damage. Dean's nose was bleeding freely down his face and neck onto his T shirt but the cut above his eye was small and had almost stopped bleeding. There was a shallow cut on his nose but even though it was red with blood that had run down his face it had stooped bleeding for now.

Sam gently felt Deans nose to assess if it was broken. The bone seemed okay so they just needed to stop the blood nose. Sam put his fingers on Dean's nose and tipped his head forward slightly, but Dean put his hand up and pushed Sam's hand away gently.
"Dean we need to stop the bleeding." He said softly, attempting to put his fingers back on Dean's nose.
"Not now Sammy. She might come back." Dean was gentle with his tone but urgent as well. "I'll be okay. We need to finish up and get out of here."
Dean pulled Sam's hand away from his face and placed the flashlight in it.
"I will cover you, go." Dean raised the shotgun to show he was ready.
Sam noticed Dean's voice was snuffly with the blood in his nose but otherwise clear.
"Okay. I'll be as quick as I can".

Sam jumped back in the grave and went back to work. In a few minutes he heard the cluck of wood as he reached the coffin. Dean heard the shovel hit the coffin and raised himself slowly limping over to the bag. As gently as he could he bent and grabbed a crowbar out then walked slowly to the hole and handed it down to Sam. As Sam set about opening the coffin Dean walked over to the bag and hooked his foot through one of the shoulder straps and dragged the bag to the hole as he limped back to Sam. He unhooked his foot and left the bag with Sam walking back to the tombstone keeping his head raised and the shotgun up. His back was throbbing and now the dammed headache was back screaming at him. His legs were still weak and wobbly.

He sat on top of a headstone and kept watch for Claire again. He felt sure she would make another appearance now they were down to the business end. His mouth felt warm, coppery and salty. He suddenly had to spit or throw up so he spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground, yuk. As soon as he looked back up Claire started to appear and Dean wasted no time firing rock salt at the first sign of her. He grit his teeth through the noise the shotgun made banging through his head. She disappeared but Dean kept the weapon up and she reappeared again close to where she just was. Dean fired again then swapped his gun for Sam's gun and brought it up. Dean saw Sam move up out of the grave out the corner of his eye and then yellow fames whooshed up. Claire appeared for a second over her grave but she was screaming realizing she wouldn't have her revenge. She glowed bright for a moment and then vanished, gone forever.

Dean leaned against the headstone with his fingers pinching his nose to stop the bleeding while Sam filled in the grave. Sam gathered the tools and weapons put them in the bag then pulled Dean to his feet. His nose had stopped bleeding but the front of his shirt was covered in drying blood. He looked woozy on his feet and he had spat out big mouthfuls of blood several times. Sam wanted to take Dean to the ER at least to have his back checked out after having such a bad accident less than two months ago. He was trying to work out a way to get Dean to go quietly as they walked back to the Impala, Dean leaning on the shovel and Sam as he limped along. Sam was just about dragging him as they got closer to the car. Sam helped Dean in the car and put the tools in the trunk. He looked over to Dean to say he wanted to take him to the ER but Dean's head was hanging down on his chest, his eyes closed. Sam scooted over to check on his brother. He checked his pulse and leaned his head back into the seat. His nose had started to bleed again but otherwise he was okay.
"I'm definitely taking you to the ER now." Sam said softly.

The ER visit turned into a nightmare. They got there just before some people involved in a car crash came in and Sam was left holding Dean up in a chair, blood streaming out of his nose for over forty minutes, before they called for him to come into a cubicle to be seen by a Doctor. At least they gave him a cloth to hold to Dean's face but he found it hard going when he had to hold Dean up, hold the cloth to his face and fill out paperwork. He got some of Dean's blood on the paperwork but wasn't sorry even though the nurse gave him a nasty look when she took the forms back. The look said, How dare you put blood on my precious forms.
Sam's look back said, How dare you keep my brother waiting while he bleeds everywhere.

Sam was starting to worry that Dean had been out so long. Maybe the bump on the head was having more effect on him because of his recent brush with death. Sam had put on the forms that Dean had been in a car accident six weeks ago to try and explain his previous injuries. He disclosed as many injuries that had been suffered as he could. His story for this time had been that Dean had hit his head (kind of true)and fallen down some stairs (not true but explained the sore back) because they were using a different ID this time.

Sam had laid Dean in a bed in the cubicle with help from a nurse. When the doctor came in to see Dean his examination was quick and he seemed preoccupied. He didn't talk to Sam or acknowledge he was there. He had a rather harried looking nurse with him who smiled limply at Sam by way of apology. He put smelling salts rather roughly under Dean's nose and patted Dean's cheek so hard to wake him Sam almost stepped in. Dean came to very groggy and disorientated looking lost until he saw Sam. Sam stepped closer to Dean to reassure him and Dean tried to get up reaching for Sam.

The doctor stepped over and pushed Dean back onto the bed but Dean didn't want any of it. He kept pushing to get up and the doctor turned seeing Sam as if for the first time.
"Get him out of here, he is upsetting my patient."
"Sammy?"
Dean had no idea where he was but felt sure Sam could help him out. Sam was always there when he needed him lately and he might be able to get the grabby doctor off him.
"I'm not leaving my brother," said Sam.
"Sammy help," called Dean.
"Now, nurse Collins."
"I'm sorry," said the nurse ",you will have to leave."

She stepped between Sam and his brother but her eyes looked sad at having to say it. Sam stepped forward to help his brother up who was still struggling when two male nurses pushed through the curtain into the cubicle. Sam noticed the call button on the wall glowing red; the doctor had called for help. "Help nurse Collins, get him out of here." He gestured at Sam with his chin.
One male nurse helped the doctor manhandle Dean back onto the bed. Sam could see Dean wanting to fight but his back was too sore to help him, although it looked like Dean may have hit the doctor with his cast as he was shaking his head like he'd been smacked a good one. The other male nurse and nurse Collins grabbed Sam by the arms and escorted him back to the waiting room. The nurse tromped back to help with Dean saying to Sam before he strode off
"I'm gonna call security if you keep it up."
Nurse Collins stayed with Sam for a moment. "I'm sorry, Dr Tuck is really quite good but he has a terrible bedside manner."
"You call that a bedside manner? My brother needs help not some guy slapping him around." Sam was seething.
"He will be alright."

Her parting words didn't comfort Sam at all. He paced the waiting room like a caged lion for two whole hours. He was just about to jump the counter and go get Dean when a nurse called him over. It wasn't nurse Collins. This nurse had no name tag and didn't introduce herself. As they got closer to where Sam had last seen Dean, Sam pulled in a big breath ready to confront the doctor. But Dean was lying on the bed alone much as Sam had last seen him except his boots were sitting on the ground with his belt tucked into them, his chest was bare, his pants undone and his jacket and shirt were balled up with his t shirt on the bench top.

Sam walked up to Dean and looked down into his face; Dean was slow to react but smiled up at Sam softly. Sam noticed Dean's nose was now clean and not bleeding but his chest had goose bumps all over it as well as blood which had obviously soaked through his T shirt. Sam noticed Dean shiver slightly.
"Dean are you cold?" Dean blinked up at Sam before nodding slowly.
Sam reached over for Dean's shirt and laid it over his chest. Dean just blinked up at Sam sleepily. Sam turned to the nurse.
"What's going on? Where's the doctor?"
"The doctor had to go to surgery, but he said Mr. Mason is free to go." answered the nurse.
"But what did the doctor say about his back?"
"He said its just bruising. He hs been given an injection for the pain and has been told he should rest for a day or two."
"Did he do an X-ray or an ultrasound?"
"No, he didn't need to."
"Look, I put on the forms I filled out that Dean's been in a major car accident recently. He had broken ribs severe bruising and lacerated kidney. Don't you think they should have a look to be on the safe side since I had to carry him in here, for gods sake."

Sam was starting to rant; he took a deep breath to try to control himself.
"The doctor gave him a thorough examination and was happy to give him the all clear. He gave him a couple of injections and a painkiller that should keep him comfortable until morning."
"What was in the injections?"
"A muscle relaxant and a sedative."

Sam turned to look at Dean and was surprised to find Dean awake just looking around tiredly. Something felt very wrong here. Dean should be hitting the roof at the display Sam just put on. He should want to get up and get dressed and get the hell out of here.
"So what Deans just been lying here waiting for me to come and get him? For how long?" Sam was starting to get pissed majorly now.
"The doctor wanted the sedative to wear off a bit so that you can take him home. That would also give the painkiller time to do its job."
"What is the muscle relaxant for?"
"Well the doctor felt his stomach and back muscles were tensing up and hurting his back more. Also it would help keep him calm when he woke up. His reaction when he woke up earlier was a little violent."

Her voice was getting smaller the longer she spoke as if she felt Sam might smack her in the face, which is precisely what he felt like doing.
"People tend to wake up violently if they are slapped awake." Spat Sam. He took a deep breath in. "Look I'm sorry. I just want to take my brother home okay?"
"He is free to go."
And she left as fast as her legs could go.

TBC