Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Chapter 22 Fever

Sam woke up at four in the morning feeling like he was on fire. Dean wasn't in bed but it was clear he had just got up. Sam padded over to the bathroom door where he could see light coming from underneath, he pushed open the door to see Dean on his knees in front of the toilet.
"Dean, are you okay?"
Dean couldn't answer because he was violently vomiting into the toilet. Sam grabbed a wash cloth and ran cold water on it and placed it on Dean's neck. Sam put his hand on Deans back and rubbed what he hoped were soothing circles, feeling pretty helpless as Dean continued to bring up his dinner. When Dean had finished dry heaving Sam helped Dean up and was alarmed by his red face. Dean washed his mouth out under the tap and Sam went off to get Tylenol and cool water for Dean. Dean lay down on the bed after taking the tablets and drinking a little water. Sam took his temperature, 104. Great, Dean definitely had a fever. To Dean's credit he wasn't shaking, much and said he now felt a lot better. Sam wanted to sleep in the other bed so Dean didn't get too warm but Dean wouldn't have it and instead rolled onto his right side and gathered a hand full of Sam's T shirt in his fist, promptly falling to sleep.

When Sam woke later in the morning the covers had been thrown off the bed and Dean was facing away from Sam but strangely he was lying on his left side which he hadn't done since he got out of hospital. His cast was pulled to his chest and his right arm was behind him still gripping Sam's T shirt. There was a clear line of sweat down the back of his T Shirt and sweat on the back of his neck and Sam could see Dean trembling slightly. Sam removed Dean's hand from his shirt and got out of bed and padded around to the other side of the bed. Dean's face was covered in sweat and his face was pulled into a grimace. It didn't look like a peaceful sleep at all. Sam rolled Dean over to his right side, he murmured a bit but didn't wake. Dean's left side was covered in sweat and when Sam pulled the damp T shirt up he felt heat coming off Dean in waves.

Sam covered Dean in just a sheet and went and got dressed. Then he grabbed another clear plastic bag and went for ice. When he got back to the room he covered the ice and put it on Dean's side, Dean grumbled a bit in his sleep but otherwise didn't move. Sam grabbed two wash cloths and put one on the back of Dean's neck and one on his forehead.

Sam took his phone outside and gave Bobby a call. Bobby knew a doctor in the next state that would treat Dean without going to a hospital. Sam didn't feel like a repeat of thier last experience at hospital. Bobby said he would call his Doctor friend and get him to call Sam to set up when he could see Dean. Sam asked Bobby about the false beast but Bobby had heard only vague stuff and confirmed Dean was probably the authority on them when Sam told Bobby Dean had killed one. Bobby sounded surprised Dean had killed one, it was the first time he had heard one had been killed.

Sam spent the morning tracking down where the false beast's last victim was taken and trying to track a pattern. He got a call from the doctor at 11:30 saying he could be there tomorrow morning and to keep Dean as cool as possible and keep his fluids up after Sam explained Dean's symptoms. Sam went out and bought sandwiches back for lunch, finding a disheveled Dean sitting up in bed looking like he had no clue where he was.
"Hey, how you feeling?"
"Wonderful." Dean grumbled. "What time is it?"
"Lunch time."
"Why did you let me sleep so late? And why is there ice in the bed?"
Sam had been placing ice in the bed every now and then to cool Dean down.
"Well you spent a lot of last night throwing up so I was great brother and let you get some rest. How's your left shoulder?"
"Sore. What did you do to me?"
"You slept on it."
"Huh".
"Lunch?"
"Hell yes, I'm starving."
"I'm not surprised."

Dean got out of bed and walked over to the table and sat down with Sam for lunch, after a morning kiss that was. A few bites in Dean's stomach rolled lazily and he stopped eating.
"So much for starving," he said grumpily as he put down the half eaten sandwich.
"Stomach not liking it?"
"Nope, it's not happy."
"Let's check your temperature." Sam grabbed out the thermometer:101.2. "Well at least it's come down a little."
"Good."
"Dean, don't get mad, but I called Bobby and he set us up with a doctor who can come here to see you tomorrow morning. Off the record and no hospitals." Sam waited for the verbal abuse from Dean, but it didn't come.
"Okay, as long as I don't have to go to hospital it's a good idea."
"Huh?"
"It's a good idea Sam."
"Wow you must feel like crap."
"Not now but last night I thought I was going to see the bottom of my stomach come out of my mouth. I swear that was worse than the blood the other night, plus I'm really sick of being sick. Huh." Dean barked a light laugh at his own joke.
"Well you need to take it easy till he sees you."
"I will. I want to get better as soon as I can."
Sam was surprised and looked it."Why Dean? What's so important?"
Dean stood up and went and sat on Sam's knee then leaned down and kissed Sam passionately raking a hand through Sam's hair as he kissed him. When he came up for air looked into Sam's wide eyes.
"Sex, Sam." and went off to have a shower.

Dean's lower back to his groin troubled him for the rest of the day and his temperature remained roughly the same, spiking now and again but he took more painkillers to keep the fever at bay. He could only eat very small amounts of food and drank a lot less that he had been but was going to the toilet way more. Sam was worried but tried not to show it and they spent the afternoon looking at maps and cross referencing with the attacks to see if they could work out where the creature would next strike. Sam kept catching himself looking up into Deans sweaty face. He hated to see Dean sick, but Dean didn't seem too bothered. Sam knew it was all the years of covering up injury and sickness from his father so he could still do the job that made Dean like he was.

Sam could remember one night when he was sixteen and studying for an important test. Their dad wanted to take Sam on a hunt instead of Dean even though it was the night before the test because Dean was clearly sick with flu. Dean had rugged up and left with no complaint. Sam remembered Dean driving him to school the next morning drugged up to the eyeballs on cold medication and after picking him up from school falling asleep on the floor in front of the TV. Sam had to have dinner alone that night because Dean was still out of it. It had taken Dean quite some time to kick that cold and he had felt responsible because Dean went out when he should have stayed in.

After dinner Dean felt he had the area sorted out where it would strike next and according to the timing of the attacks so far when, tonight. Sam didn't want to go out with Dean still sick but like Dean said they really didn't have a choice. Unfortunately it was one of the coldest nights on record for this time of year. A storm had come in the night before had built up and had been lashing the motel all day. The weather channel had been issuing all kinds of warnings so they had to fight rain, fog, wind and hail before they even got to the lonely stretch of forest fifteen miles from the motel. Sam made sure Dean had his warm jacket on and a gun and two silver knives at least ten times as they watched the area from the car.

A little after 11pm, Dean saw a man in just a T shirt and shorts bolting through the brush looking over his shoulder at another man giving chase. The man who was giving chase was naked but looked threatening all the same.
"Looks like we're on, Sammy."
The boys left the car and ran in the direction the men had been heading in. Dean quickly tracked them by the foot prints and soon they were both soon soaked to the skin as hail set in. After running for fifteen minutes they found the man lying on the ground with the naked man standing over him. Dean stopped Sam with his hand before whispering in Sam's ear.
"Don't let him see the knife too early or he won't change back. We can't get him until he's a dog okay?"
Sam nodded to show he understood and moved forward towards the men. The naked man had funny looking talons coming out of the palms of his hands and was slashing at the man on the ground, he was also very shaggy looking. Sam could see he looked like he could turn into a dog with ease, there was that much hair.

Sam followed Dean's lead and pulled out his gun hoping to threaten the creature to turn into a dog. When the boys came closer the false beast stopped his attack and growled at them, starting to slash at them instead. Dean moved in front of the man on the ground raising his 9mm threatening the beast and it backed away from the man. It was obviously unhappy at being disturbed from its hunt but wasn't sure whether to fight the boys for its victim or take flight. As it backed away unsure, Dean leaned down with his gun still raised and checked the man for injuries. He was wearing shorts and a thin T Shirt and he was shaking like mad. Dean thought he might have slight hypothermia, or he was scared to death. He had some scratches on his arms but they looked superficial to Dean. Sam waved his gun at the creature knowing it wouldn't stop the beast but it might make him think twice before attacking this victim or launching a new attack on them. Dean stepped forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with his brother.

The beast slashed at the boys with the claws on its hands, almost getting Sam. Dean avoided it easily and tried moving to the side to threaten it with his gun, but the beast struck out at Sam again, this time scratching his left arm with its claw. Sam cried out in pain and Dean shot at the beast before it took off through the undergrowth. Dean moved quickly to Sam's side and pulled up his sleeve to check the wound and saw it was bleeding freely. Dean quickly sat Sam down with the false beasts intended victim. He quickly peeled his jacket off and threw it over the man then pulled his long sleeved shirt off and quickly wrapped it around Sam's arm as a bandage.
"You okay Sammy?"
Sam nodded starting to get control over the pain. The cut was not large but was very painful.
"Get this guy out off here. I'll stop it doubling back." Dean yelled and ran headlong after the beast.

Sam watched his brothers T shirt clad back disappear into the undergrowth with dismay.
"Dean!" He yelled hoping his brother would come back but knowing he probably wouldn't being so close to the creature and not wanting to risk it turning back on Sam and the other man. He couldn't fault him really. He would have done the same thing but Dean was pretty sick and chasing the beast through the forest was not going to do him any favors as far as his health was concerned. Sam helped the man up off the ground and got him walking back in the general direction of the Impala. He kept the guy talking and found out his name was Gary and he lived close by and had been changing for bed when the false beast had lured him out of his house. Sam walked Gary back to his house and quickly ran back to find his brother.

Dean was tearing along the forest floor hot on the heels of the false beast, he could smell it he was that close. Even if he had not been soaked through before he would have been now, running in the pouring rain in the darkness in just a T shirt. Even as he ran he could feel his temperature dropping .The beast knew Dean was on his tail and led Dean on a merry chase up and down hills and along cliff faces. It doubled back on it self moving slowly closer to the area where they had parked the Impala. Dean was struggling for breath and tripping on deadwood trying to stay upright. It was difficult running flat out let alone try to fathom where the beast was going.

Dean was getting seriously puffed out and his side hurt so bed he had to stop and vomit violently on the ground. Great, just what he needed. He launched himself back into a stumbling run, spiting as he went trying to get rid of the crap in his mouth. He came down an embankment as fast as his legs could carry him, his lower back and groin screaming in pain. When he reached the bottom of the embankment he felt a curious sensation like weightlessness. Then a freezing coldness hit his chest like an axe. The ground had given way to water; he was now swimming for his life.

TBC

A nice cliff hanger for you all !