Johnny Angel Ch. 31

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

Author's Note: A huge thank you goes out to everyone who read and reviewed and to the reviewers I couldn't reply to directly.

Previously: Watching over his slumbering brother for just a minute, Dean knew without a doubt that he was right where he belonged, by his brother's side and that he could never go back to that life he had made with Lisa. Swiping a hand through his blonde locks, he knew he had a call to make and just hoped that Lisa and Ben wouldn't be hurt too bad by what he had to say. There was just no way in Hell he could ever leave Sam's side now that he finally had him back again.

Pulling his cell phone from the front pocket of his jeans, Dean took one more quick glance at Sam to make sure he was sleeping comfortably and then quietly made his way out the door, making sure to keep it slightly opened so he could hear Sam just in case he needed him since Bobby was in the kitchen preparing them a late meal.

Flipping the phone open, he scanned down the lighted dial until he reached Lisa's name. Hesitating for just a second, he finally pushed the send button that would connect him to the woman he had spent the last year with. Placing the phone to his right ear, he heard it ring three times before the ringing stopped and Lisa's soft voice filtered through the small cell phone.

"Hello"

"Hi Lisa, it's me," Dean stated as he gripped the phone in his hand.

"It's been a while Dean," Lisa voiced tentatively, unsure of what to say. "I thought you would have called before now."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that. I know I should have called you sooner but I've been kind of busy taking care of my brother," Dean replied as he sat down on the top wooden step that provided access to Bobby's front porch.

"Is he alright?"

"Yeah, he was catatonic for a while, but he's woken up and everything is getting better," Dean informed Lisa.

"So does that mean you're finally coming home?" Lisa asked with a slight quiver to her voice. Dean had been gone much too long for her liking.

"Well, that's what I'm calling about," Dean replied as he fingered the hole in his frayed jeans. "I'm, uh, I'm going to be staying here at Bobby's with Sammy. He needs me and I just can't leave him right now."

"Dean, Ben and I need you too. We love you and want you here with us," Lisa retorted softly. "Your brother is an adult now Dean and he needs to learn how to take care of himself; to let you lead your own life."

'Damn it Lisa, that's not fair. Sammy hasn't even asked me to stay. You have to understand, he's my baby brother. I've taken care of him his whole life. I can't let him down now," Dean retorted angrily.

"Dean, this dependency you two have with each other, it isn't healthy. I want you to come back home," Lisa iterated strongly before giving Dean an ultimatum, one that she knew would get him back home to her where he belonged. "If you don't come home now, then I want you to stay gone forever.

I'm sorry Lisa, but Sammy is my top priority. He always has been and always will be," Dean apprized the woman he had shared a bed with and loved for the last year. "So, I guess this is goodbye.

"I'm sorry too Dean, we really had something special going on between us and you're just throwing it all away ," Lisa voiced sadly. "I hope you're able to live with yourself years from now when you finally realize what a huge mistake it was to stay with your brother instead of making a life with Ben and me. Believe me when I say this Dean, you're going to regret your decision one day"

Just as Dean was about to make an angry retort, he heard a crashing sound coming from inside the house and knew without a doubt that it had to do with Sam. Nimbly pushing himself to his feet, he quickly said, "Sorry Lisa, I gotta go. Sammy needs me. But just so you know, I could never regret staying with my baby brother if I lived to be a thousand years old. Sammy means more to me than you ever could. I hope you have a nice life." With those words, Dean hung up the phone and swiftly made his way inside to the one person who meant more to him than anything else in the world.

~~Supernatural~~

Knuckling the sleep from his eyes as he woke up, Sam gave a jaw popping yawn before glancing around the room to see no one else in sight and, quite frankly, it kind of surprised him. Neither Dean or Bobby had let him out of their sight in so long that he thought he was destined to be mother-henned by the two of them for the rest of his life.

Feeling an urgent need to use the bathroom, Sam pushed himself to his feet with a slight grimace and then winced at the pain it put on his weak knees. "Suck it up, Winchester," he thought to himself as he took that first unsteady step towards the stairway that he knew would lead him to the upstairs bathroom. Of course, he also knew those few steps up were going to seem more like a mountain when he got to them, but damn it, he had to go. Taking a few more shaky paces as he braced himself using the back of the sofa for support, he could feel the sweat breaking out on his brow and silently cursed himself for not realizing sooner just how much the trip back to Bobby's and the incident with the two hunters had taken out of him.

Drawing in a deep breath as he reached the end of the sofa, Sam took just a moment to wipe away the sweat that was now running down his forehead and into his eyes causing them to burn. Hesitantly taking a few steps forward without the aid of the sofa, he knew he had made a huge mistake as his legs violently trembled then gave way, causing him to fall unceremoniously to the floor. Of course, Winchester luck prevailed as always and he took out Bobby's favorite table lamp with him on the way down.

Glancing up with a contrite look on his face as Dean and Bobby came rushing into the room, Sam graced them with the look that Dean had affectionately dubbed his 'puppy dog eyes' look.

"Sam, what in tarnation are you doing boy?" Bobby grumbled worriedly as he rushed over to pick up the porcelain pieces that lay scattered on the floor before Sam could cut himself on a sharp piece.

"M'sorry Bobby, I didn't me-mean to break your lamp," Sam voiced remorsefully as he hung his head towards his chest. He knew it was one of the lamps Bobby treasured from his days of being a married man.

"Hell Kid, I ain't worried about the damned lamp, ya idjit," Bobby gasped as he took in Sam's doleful eyes. "You and that crazy brother of yours over there mean a hell of a lot more to me than some inanimate object."

Swallowing the lump in his throat that formed upon hearing Bobby's declaration, Dean kneeled down beside his stunned brother and began to unconsciously rub circles on his sibling's back to comfort him. "Sammy?" he queried anxiously.

"I, uh, I had to pee," Sam murmured abashedly in answer to the unspoken question.

"Why didn't you call out for help?" Dean asked, as he watched Bobby place the larger pieces of broken porcelain onto the coffee table. He waited for Sam to answer, but no answer was forthcoming.

"Cat got your tongue, Sport?" Dean prodded after his brother remained silent far too long for his liking.

"I'm just tired of being helpless," Sam finally answered dejectedly as he slumped back against his brother. He felt like a burden ever since he had woken and the feeling didn't sit well with him.

"Sam, it doesn't mean your helpless just because you can't do things for yourself right now. You've got to understand that you were catatonic for quite a while. It's going to take some time for you to rebuild your muscle tone," Bobby voiced, reaching out to give Sam's shoulder a light squeeze before leaving to get the broom so he could sweep up the slivers of pottery left behind from the busted lamp.

"He's right ya know Kiddo," Dean voiced, hoisting his brother to his feet and wrapping a supportive arm around his waist. "You need to stop being so hard on yourself. And besides, when has a Winchester ever been helpless?"

"Yeah, I guess, you're right," Sam replied as he allowed Dean to help him up the stairs and down the small hallway to the bathroom.

"You got it from here?" Dean queried as he stopped near the open bathroom door.

"Yeah," Sam answered with a slight blush, placing a hand against the wall for support. No way in hell was he allowing Dean to help him to do his 'business'.

"Okay, make sure you leave the doc unlocked," Dean ordered as he backed up to lean against the opposite wall in case Sam needed him.

"Perv," Sam stated with a small grin before walking inside the small room and closing the door behind him.

"Laugh it up little brother," Dean groused with a wide grin of his own. With that small remark, he knew he was finally getting his brother back. Waiting until he heard the sound of water running, Dean opened the door and walked inside to the sight of Sam washing his hands.

"Okay Tiger, lets get you to bed," Dean stated, wrapping a supportive arm around Sam once he had finished washing his hands. You need to get some rest before our late dinner. Not only that, but we need to get some therapy in for you tonight also."

"Dean, I'm not a baby," Sam whined ineffectively due to the yawn that escaped despite his best efforts to hold it in.

"Didn't say you were Dude," Dean retorted as he led Sammy to the room they always shared when staying at Bobby's and helped him to lay down. "Get some rest Sasquatch, you're going to need it."

TBC

Author's Note: A huge thank you to all of you who sent up prayers on my brother's behalf. He came through the surgery fine and is now on the road to recovery.