Johnny Angel Ch. 15

Disclaimer: See chapter one

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait. I have family visiting from out of state and have been pretty busy.

Previously: Smiling his thanks as Bobby pulled over a couple of chairs for the two of them, Dean sat down to watch over his baby brother, ready to jump at a moments notice if Sam needed him or became distressed.

Sam hadn't been asleep for too awful long when Dean noticed that there was a slight change in his baby brother's breathing pattern. Glancing up towards Sam's face, it was obvious his brother was dreaming by the way his eyes moved frantically beneath closed lids, and if the lines of worry that creased his forehead were any indication, the dream most definitely wasn't a good one. Reaching up to lightly brush a hand through Sam's chestnut colored locks, he whispered soothing words in hopes of mollifying Sam before the dream could get too bad. "Shhh, s'okay Tiger. I'm here now and I'm going to take care of you."

"No, please, can't ta-take it any-anymore," he heard Sam mumble, his sibling unable to comprehend that he was safe now as dreams of hell assaulted his subconscious while he slept.

"Shhh, you're safe now kiddo. As long as I'm here, nothing is going to hurt you," Dean voiced softly as he began to stroke Sam's cheek with his thumb, hoping the added contact would calm his baby brother down.

"I'll do anything, just please don't use him, don't use Dean's face anymore," Sam cried as tears slipped beneath his closed eyelids.

"Sonuvabitch," Dean swore, climbing onto the bed and pulling Sam close to him as he looked up at Bobby with pain filled eyes. "Why did they have to do that to him? Why did they have to use me to hurt him?" Dean queried as a lone tear slipped from his doleful green eyes and rolled silently down his cheek.

"Hell Dean, you know as well as I do that Lucifer would use anything he could to break the kid, especially after Sam put him back into the cage he'd fought for so long to get free of," Bobby answered somberly, even though he knew Dean wasn't really looking for an answer to his question.

"Yeah, I know you're right Bobby, but it still hurts like hell ya know," Dean stated with a sigh. He couldn't protect Sam from being tortured then, but he could definitely keep it from happening now. Tugging Sam's head to rest against his chest, he began to sing to him softly as he carded his fingers through Sam's hair.

Smiling as felt Sam begin to relax against him a few moments later, Dean kept up the comforting motion until he was sure Sam was sleeping deeply and wouldn't be waking any time soon. After everything Sam had been through with the PT, his baby brother needed the sleep to rebuild his energy level for the next round of therapy he would have to undertake later that evening.

Watching as Dean, did what came natural to him…taking care of Sammy, Bobby couldn't help but be astonished by the way Sam still responded to his big brother's touch. Dean could always reach Sam in a way that no one else ever could, not even his own father.

"Ya know, even after all these years, it still amazes me the way that one gentle touch from you can calm your brother so easily," Bobby stated as he tugged off his ball cap and scratched his fingers through slightly oily hair. He knew would have to get a shower soon and change into some clean clothing before he started smelling ripe. "Even your Daddy was envious of the way Sam always responded to you so readily."

"He was?" Dean questioned with astonishment, glancing at the hunter who was basically a surrogate father to him and Sammy now.

"Yeah, the stubborn fool would never admit it aloud though, but I could see it in his eyes," Bobby answered, remembering a conversation he had had with John in which the deceased hunter had admitted he wished he knew how to talk to his youngest the way that Dean did. He hated arguing with Sammy and just wanted things to be the way they used to be when Sam was little and his baby worshipped him.

"It wasn't his fault that him and Sam didn't get along as well as they could have. He did what he had to do for us to survive," Dean responded with a shrug of the shoulders, not really knowing what to say to Bobby's admission.

"Yes he did," Bobby replied as he rubbed his hand through the beard on his chin. He had no doubts John fostered that strong bond between his children knowing that the hunt could one day get him killed and that his children would only have each other to rely on. Knowing that Dean didn't like the so called chick flick moments that they seemed to be having right now, he cleared his throat and said, "I don't know about you, but I need a strong cup of coffee. I'm gonna go down to the cafeteria and get me some. You want me to bring you back anything?"

"Nah, I'm good, thanks Bobby," Dean replied, thankful for the chance to spend a little bit of time alone with his brother, even if he was sleeping. Watching as Bobby left the room, he settled back against the head of the bed and took comfort in just having his younger sibling beside him, something that he had thought would never happen again after witnessing Sam falling into the fiery pit of hell.

~~Supernatural~~

Later that afternoon as the brothers and Bobby sat talking, they heard the door to Sam's room open and looked up to see Dr. Alison entering carrying a dinner tray in her arms.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation gentlemen, the doctor stated as she placed the food tray on the small portable table and pulled it over to Sam's bed, "but it's time we start reintroducing Sam's digestive system to foods once again. We're going to start with a liquid diet and then slowly move to soft foods."

Lifting the lid off of the small tray, Dean inwardly grimaced as he plastered a fake smile on his face. "Hey Tiger, this looks pretty good," he said as he noted the chicken brother and plain yogurt that was placed on the tray.

"Then you eat it," Sam immediately retorted, feeling a bit nauseous from just the smell of the broth.

"Nuh uh kiddo. You've got to start eating if you're going to rebuild your strength and get out of this place," Dean retorted. He knew how important it was for Sam to take these first few steps in the recovery process.

"Dean, I really don't want it. Just the smell of it is making me nauseous," Sam pleaded, turning on the 'puppy dog' expression that had always worked so well on his brother when they were growing up.

"I can give you something for the nausea Sam," Alison rebutted as she walked over to the small medicine cabinet in the room and pulled out a clear liquid filled vial after unlocking it. She wasn't about to let a case of nausea keep Sam from attempting to eat his first meal since coming out of the catatonic state. Grasping a syringe, she removed the sterile wrapping and then plunged the needle into the vial to remove some of the liquid and then walked back over to Sam's bed.

"This should help you to feel better," she informed the youngest Winchester as she injected the Compazine into the I.V. port in his hand.

"Thanks Doc," Bobby said, gracing the doctor with one of his most charming smiles. It was obvious this doctor really cared about Sam's well being and he and Dean could never begin to thank her for all she had done for Sam.

"You're more than welcome. I'll just leave you gentlemen alone now so Sam can eat," Alison said before leaving the room. She knew how uncomfortable Sam would feel if it came down to his brother or Bobby having to feed him and she didn't want to put her patient through that embarrassment.

"Okay Sammy, what do you say we get some of this food into you," Dean voiced as he lifted the spoon and dipped it into the bowl, preparing to life it to his brother's mouth.

"I'm not a baby, I can do it myself," Sam grumbled as he struggled to lift his hand up to the table. Panting in relief as the appendage moved, albeit slowly, he wanted to scream a few moments later when he realized he couldn't yet wrap his fingers around the spoon. "Damn it, I'm frigging useless," he cursed as tears filled his blue-green eyes and his hand flopped back down to the bed.

"Hey, Hey, calm down kiddo," Dean soothed as he grasped his brother's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "You can't expect to be able to just jump back into your old life after being out of it for so long Dude. Let me help you."

"He's right Sam, Don't be so hard on yourself ya idjit," Bobby responded, knowing damn well how Sam had felt because of the time he had spent in the wheelchair. He had never felt so useless in his life and there was actually a time when he had thought about ending it all. But then he would remember the things he had to live for and it gave him the encouragement he needed to go on.

"Tell ya what little brother, how about I help you to do it yourself?" Dean asked as he took Sam's right hand and helped him to lift it and wrap his fingers around the spoon before wrapping his own fingers around Sam's. He knew the repetitive movement of lifting his arm to his mouth would help with his therapy while at the same time giving Sam a little control himself.

"Yeah, 'kay," Sam agreed after a minute or two, thankful that Dean was helping him to retain what little he had left of his pride.

"That's my boy," Dean stated proudly as he began the process of helping Sam to feed himself. He wasn't sure Sam would agree and was afraid his brother would slip into a deeper depression than what he was already facing with his limited mobility.

Continuing to help his brother until exhaustion took over and Sam began to nod off in the middle of the meal, Dean placed the spoon back into the nearly empty bowl and then pushed the small table away. At least Sam had managed to eat most of the broth and keep it down.

Lowering the bed enough for Sam to rest comfortably, he pulled the blanket up over Sam and then tucked it in around him. "Sleep well kiddo, he whispered, you're going to need all the rest you can get for this evening's therapy.

Watching as Sam slept, he wondered how much of a fight Sam would put up when he tried to give him his first bath tonight.

TBC