Johnny Angel Ch. 35
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: "Okay, well then, I guess I will leave you gentleman alone. I know it is getting late,' Dr. Jernigan stated as he deposited the used needle into the proper receptacle. Walking to the door to exit the room, he turned around and said, "Get a good night's sleep Sam. Nurse Judy will be here in the morning to give you your sponge bath and to fit your right leg with a pressure stocking."
Laying in the bed as his brother and Bobby came back into the room later the next morning, Sam inwardly cringed knowing that he was in for a major ribbing from Dean. Not only had he been given a sponge bath by the nurse, but he was also now wearing the pressure stocking on his right leg and that would be just too much temptation for his big brother to resist. Sighing as he glanced up at the two family members, he couldn't contain the blush that covered his cheeks. "Okay, just go ahead and say what you gotta say and let's get it over with."
"What are you taking about, Dude?" Dean queried innocently as he nudged Sam over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Of course he knew very well what Sam was talking about as he had been tempted to tease his brother unmercifully upon entering the room, but after seeing the defeated look on his younger sibling's face, the temptation disappeared instantly.
"Dean, I know you're dying to say something about me being a girl so just go ahead and say it," Sam groused with an exasperated exhalation of breath.
"What, just because you're wearing a stocking, you think I'm going to pick on you. Is that it Princess?" Dean smirked as he reached over to pat his brother lightly on the chest. He could see Bobby glaring at him for the remark, but he just couldn't resist getting in one little jab.
Giving his brother a quizzical look when Dean didn't go any firther with the teasing, Sam shrugged it off a moment later, grateful for the small reprieve, even if he was surprised by it. "So, when can I get out of here?"
"Well, the doc says you have to stay at least another day or so, just until the get the warfarin levels right," Dean reminded his brother, knowing how tired Sam was from the previous night. "That and he's gotta see the old geezer over there give you the heparin injections."
"Boy, I oughta kick your ass for that remark," Bobby growled as he took off his ball cap and scrubbed his hands through his unkempt hair, "but instead, I think this old geezer will let you have cookin and cleanup duty for the next few days instead. We old geezers need our rest ya know."
"Ah man, me and my big mouth," Dean complained as he leaned back on the bed with a weary sigh. He hated kitchen duty with a passion. "Hey Sammy…"
"Forget it Jerk, the doc said I have to be extremely careful while on the blood thinner. Can't take the chance of cutting myself a knife, now can I?" Sam stated with a grin.
"Bitch," Dean retorted as he crossed his arms in front of his chest and pretended to pout. He could only hope Bobby would forget about the threat once they made it back home.
"Awww, isn't he adorable," Bobby chuckled, causing Dean to glare at him indignantly just as the door to Sam's room opened and a lab technician entered the room.
"Hello gentlemen, my name is Samantha and I'm here to draw some blood from the patient," the shapely young phlebotomist informed the three men in the room as she started inside and carried her equipment over to Sam's bedside where she placed it on the small bedside stand.
"What? Why do you have to do that?" Dean questioned warily as he took a protective stance in front of his baby brother. He didn't care that Samantha was the kind of woman he would hit on in an instant at any other moment. No, this time he saw only a vampire out to take his brother's blood whether Sammy wanted her too or not.
"I'm sorry, I should have explained myself better," Samantha apologized as she wrapped an elastic arm band around Sam's upper right arm to stop the flow of blood and to make it easier to find a vein. "Basically, we have to do what is called an aPTT or coagulation test to check Sam's blood to see if the right dose of Heparin medication is being used to treat his condition."
"How many times will you have to do the test?" Bobby inquired as he stood up and placed a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder to quell the tension he could see building in the young hunter.
"I can't really say," Samantha answered as she swabbed the area below the elastic band on Sam's arm to sterilize the area. "The test will have to be done every few hours until the correct dose of medicine is found. Once that is done, then our patient here won't require so many blood tests."
Biting on his bottom lip as the phlebotomist eased the needle into his arm to stifle the hiss trying to escape at the brief stabbing pain, Sam watched as the young nurse then attached a tube to the needle to fill it with blood.
Finishing up with the procedure, the nurse grabbed a small cotton ball and then placed over the needle site as she removed the needle. Applying pressure for just a moment with her hand, she then applied a pressure bandage over the area to keep it from bleeding. "That should stop the bleeding within the next few minutes. If it doesn't, make sure you ring the nurse's desk right away," Nurse Samantha informed the three men in the room before leaving to take the blood samples back to the lab. Dr. Jernigan had requested the tests results back as soon as possible and she didn't want to disappoint the man.
~~Supernatural~~
Four hours and another blood withdrawal later, Sam found himself laying apprehensively in the bed as he waited for Bobby to administer the injection of heparin. Sure, he knew Bobby had administered injections to him many times, but those had either been in his arm or in his derriere a time or two, so he couldn't help but hesitate at the thought of Bobby injecting the medication into his stomach. Smiling at Bobby as the elder hunter donned a pair of sterilized gloves while Dr. Jernigan observed the elder hunter's every move, Sam hoped and prayed that Bobby couldn't see just how tense he was.
Pulling the non-latex gloves over his hands, Bobby couldn't help but see the dread in the youngest Winchester's eyes about the upcoming injection and it nearly broke his resolve. The last thing he wanted was for the kid to be scared of him. Knowing that he had to take Sam's mind off of what was occurring, he began to babble.
"Hey Sam, do you remember the time that your Daddy dropped you and Dean off at my place for a couple of days back when you were about six years old?" He asked as he located the correct site above Sam's navel and cleaned the area with an alcohol pad before pinching an area approximately three inches wide between his thumb and forefinger.
"Yeah, wasn't that the time that you took Sam and I putt-putt golfing for the first time?" Dean queried, realizing what Bobby was up to. "Man, I had totally forgotten how much fun that could be."
"Yeah, well, as much fun as you and Sammy had, I think it was even more fun for me," Bobby admitted with a twinkle in his eye as he eased the needle into Sam's skin at a ninety degree angle. Of course, he couldn't help but notice the way the doctor's mouth gaped open in astonishment at the way Sam seemed to be so oblivious of what was happening to him.
"Really? Why is that?" Sam asked, totally captivated by the story that was being told.
"Because I never laughed so hard in my life," Bobby answered as he pressed the plunger to inject the medicine slowly. "Every time you swung that club, me and Dean never knew what to expect. You swung so hard at little ball that half the time it flew off the course, ricocheted off a tree, and people had to duck their heads or jump to keep from being hit by the ball."
"That's right, and I think that's when you took to referring to it as crazy golf instead of putt-putt,' Dean chortled as he doubled over in laughter.
"Hey, I was only six at the time. I didn't know what I was doing," Sam defended of himself, suddenly taken by surprise as he watched Bobby dispose of the needle before removing the gloves. "What? When did you…?"
"You always were easily distracted, Kiddo," was Bobby's only answer as he turned to his left and gave the doctor a self-satisfied look. "So, did I pass the test Doc?"
"With flying colors, as the saying goes," Dr. Joseph Jernigan answered with a broad grin of his own. "I must say, I think you could teach some of our medical students a thing or two about bedside manners."
"So, does that mean I can get out of here then?" Sam asked interrupting the two of them, ready to throw back the blankets covering his lower half.
"No so fast there Sam. As I stated earlier, we have to get your heparin injections to the correct dosage and then start you on the warfarin medication before you can be officially released," the doctor explained once again as he patted his patient lightly on the arm. "But if all goes well, I am hoping that we can release you by tomorrow afternoon at the latest."
"That sounds fantastic, thanks Doc," Dean beamed with happiness.
"You're welcome. Now, unless you gentlemen need anything else, I have some other patients to see." Joe informed the three hunters
"Nah, I think we're good, thanks." Bobby voiced as he glanced over at the two boys on the bed affectionately. Of course, the thought ran through his mind that as long as he had those two around, he'd never need anything else because they were his family and as long as Sam and Dean around to liven up his life, there was nothing more in the world he could ask for.
TBC A huge thank you to goldfishie1 one for her help with information on this chapter. Also, I have family visiting from Pennsylvania, so please forgive me if it takes a few extra days to post chapters to my ongoing stories.