Chapter 4
The Marshals ended up in a fight with the hospital over the Winchester's care. The marshals wanted immediate transfer to the state prison. Sam and Dean's doctors were very familiar with the prison system and knew that the brothers would not get the care they needed with the antiquated medical equipment and crowded hospital ward conditions the Winchesters would face. They protested strongly, stating medical president over whatever criminal legality the marshals offered. It would be cited as a violation of human rights. The hospital administrator had threatened to get the press involved. The marshals backed down. They didn't need bad press. And they knew public opinion well enough to know that violation of human rights would cause outrage, not matter what the person in question had done. But, they also knew, eventually they would have Winchesters in the system soon enough. And as far as they were concerned, out of sight would be out of mind.
That meant, for the marshals, long boring hours of standing guard over their 'prisoners.' Checking the IDs of every single person who went into the room, no matter how often they went in, no matter how long they had been going in, no matter who they were. This caused protests among nurses and doctors alike who felt like they were being prohibited from caring for their patients properly. The hospital personnel didn't feel like they would have time to stop and have their IDs checked if their patients had health crisis. The seconds they had to stand with the marshal to check and confirm their ID could mean the difference between life and death for the patient.
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Neal paced the floor of his apartment. He needed to come up with a way to rescue his friends. But he didn't know how he could 'rescue' two unconscious people. It would take lots of accomplices. And like Mozzie always said, 'three people could keep a secret, if two of them were dead.' It was hard enough to rescue two conscious people. And it took a lot less planning and special consideration.
Every time Neal believed he had a plan thought out, he would hit a snag. He ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. It was a logistical nightmare. And not only was he trying to pull something on the Marshals, but on Peter, too. Peter didn't really want to see the brothers go to jail. But they were caught, in custody. And there had been plenty of talking, negotiating, and downright fighting between the Marshals and the hospital personnel over when, or even if, to they would be transferred to a prison hospital. The hospital administrator was just not a fan of prison hospitals, having spent a short stent working in one. And he made the argument that the best way for Dean Winchester to wake up from his coma was to have his brother there, talking to him, every day, all day, if needed.
The marshals made the argument that Sam Winchester would be a flight risk when he woke, even with his brother in a coma. But everyone knew that that would not be the case. All law enforcement knew about Sam and Dean told them that the two men stuck together. So, in other words, Sam wouldn't leave his brother behind. And Sam definitely would not leave his injured brother behind. The hospital could care less about the flight risk part. They just wanted to opportunity to take care of their patients without undue interference. And, to them, having to show ID just to enter a patient's room was a great deal of undue interference.
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Progress was slow, but it was occurring. Sam woke up two days after the shooting. He immediately inquired about his brother. He, of course, tried to get up and see for himself. And he was threatened with restraints, or being taken to prison and away from Dean. That calmed Sam down immensely. The doctors and the hospital psychologist explained to Sam and to the Marshals how valuable it would be to Dean to be able to hear his brother's voice. Sam's and Dean's doctors touted the benefits to both brothers to have that communication, explaining how it could possibly speed Sam's recovery also.
It took several days for Sam to feel up to it, even being brought in in a wheelchair. At first their interactions only lasted a few moments. Sam was still very weak, and it upset him for Dean to be so unresponsive. As the days passed their visits got longer, when Sam was able to walk he would sit on the edge of his brother's bed and talk to him like they were having a conversation. Of course, it was all one sided. But the nurses claimed that Dean seemed to be more responsive in general. He seemed to be coming out of it. Then one day Dean just woke up. Sam was talking, and he looked down at his brother. He saw a pair of green eyes staring back at him.
"Dude, do you ever shut up?" Dean croaked out. His throat was dry. The ventilator had just been removed a couple days before. "You've been talking for like…days."
Sam grinned broadly, happy to see his brother awake. "You heard me?"
Dean nodded. It hurt his throat too much to say anymore.
"Do you remember…?" Sam asked, as Dean took in his surroundings.
Dean nodded. "Fed?" He asked about the man standing in the doorway staring at the both of them like a really bored bouncer on a slow night at the bar.
Sam shook his head. "U.S. Marshals, mine's outside the door there looking in the window."
"So 'Chuckles' here is mine, huh?" Dean managed to force out. Dean waved at the man. The Marshal just stood there. He didn't acknowledge anything. Then Dean was hit with the realization. "Shot you!" There was more Dean wanted to know, needed to know, about El, about Neal. But it was not a conversation he was going to have in front of a Marshal.
Sam nodded. There was a lot that needed to be said. That was much Sam needed to tell Dean. But this was neither the time nor the place.
Sam stood up slowly. "It's time for me to go back to my room, Dean. I'm surprised the nurses haven't been in here yet. Anyway, I'll let them know you're awake." Sam turns to leave then he turns back. "Get some rest, I'll see you tomorrow."
Dean nodded. "Later…Sammy." Their short conversation had worn Dean out. But he did manage to stay awake until the nurse finished her examination.
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Sam was very glad Dean was awake but that changed things, for the both of them. Sam had heard the Marshals talking, on more than one occasion, about how they felt the hospital staff was interfering with them doing their jobs. The agents were talking about splitting the brothers up and sending them to separate prisons. They said Sam should have already been transferred, and he would have been if the doctors and nurses had not stepped in. There, too, had been talk early on about when Dean should be transferred. Most had wanted to go ahead and transfer him in his comatose state. They figured the prison hospital would be able to care for him. They just wanted the Winchesters under lock and key, once and for all. It didn't matter to them what condition the Winchesters were in when they were locked down.
TBC