Day 2

Dean woke late in the day and felt surprisingly well rested. He could hear Dr. Boreseren talking quietly to Bobby outside the room. He propped his body up on his elbow and surveyed Sam. He hadn't moved at all since last night. He was relieved to feel the warmth in Sam's hand. Dean wiggled his sore muscles before sliding out of bed.

Bobby entered the room and smiled at Dean. "Good thing you're up, princess. They're gonna take Sam for another scan and see what's going on with his brain. Though, maybe you should stay in there and we could do a two-for-one."

"Very funny, Bobby." He knew he should have a witty retort but he just didn't care. Sam was the only thing that mattered right now. "Anything change while I was asleep?"

Bobby shook his head. "Everything seems stable. They'll know more after the scan."

Dr. Boreseren knocked on the open door and Dean's and Bobby's heads snapped up. They'd been too anxious to talk but the silence was equally painful. "So, the results are encouraging. The edema is greatly reduced." Dean let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "I'll want another scan by the end of the day tomorrow, and if it continues to dissipate, I think he could leave the next morning, even if he hasn't woken up. Bobby has mentioned that you aren't keen on staying here." Her tone was not accusatory, but rather sympathetic. The knot that had taken up residence in Dean's stomach started to unfurl.

"What about the, uh, other activity you were seeing?" Dean asked.

She smiled. "It's less than it was before. Still abnormally high, but I'm not quite as alarmed. Perhaps this is his brain's way of trying to cope with the trauma." You have no idea, Dean thought bitterly to himself. "Either way, I'm very hopeful we will release him in the next few days. He should make a full recovery." If only he could make a full recovery from the goddamn devil. He sighed heavily and the doctor looked him up and down. "How are you doing, Dean? You have also suffered a severe trauma."

Dean waved away her attention. "Just a broken bone. It will heal. Sam's the one I'm worried about."

"I know, but from what Bobby tells me, you keep that one safe. He's gonna need you when he wakes up."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, returning the smile she gave him.

"I'll see you two tomorrow."

Bobby turned to Dean after she left. "He's gonna be alright, Dean."

"Yeah, until he wakes up!" Dean ran his hands through his hair. "Maybe we'll get lucky and he'll have amnesia?" Dean laughed at himself. "Like we ever get lucky." He tilted his head back and allowed it to bang against the wall. "Bobby, God, you should have seen him. Staring at nothing. I haven't seen him that scared since he was little." Dean shook his head in defeat.

"I know what you mean. While you were out tracking down the Leviathan, I caught him shouting at nothing."

Dean grimaced. "What was he saying?" Why do I even wanna know?

"He asked," Bobby paused, trying to recall the words exactly. ""If this is some dream and you got power over it, why don't you just end it?" He was quiet for half a minute, listening. He shook his head then said "Shut up," paused, then shouted "I said, shut up!"" Bobby smiled sadly. "I spoke up and startled him. He didn't even see me at first. Did a double take to where he had been looking. Poor kid just apologized to me, saying he wasn't sure he could do this. Looked freaked out of his mind, flinched once, kept looking over my shoulder."

"I guess Lucifer has no respect for personal space," Dean quipped angrily, the memories of Castiel initially always appearing too close to him enhancing his outrage. Who was he kidding? Sam had been Lucifer's personal space. He banished that thought as quickly as he could. Almost two years on and it was still too much to bear.

Bobby huffed, a little amused. But he frowned and put his head down. "Shoulda known he wasn't okay."

Dean's eyes narrowed as he understood Bobby's meaning. "Yeah, actually, about that. Why the hell did you think you could leave him alone?" Bobby knew this conversation was coming, but he hadn't been quite prepared for the acidic fury in Dean's voice. "He has a head full of Hell and you think it's okay to let him stew? You left loaded guns out. Had I missed one turn or something, Sam could have—" He inhaled sharply and looked away, unable to finish the sentence.

Bobby cringed. "I know, Dean, I know. It was stupid. I guess I was concentrated on the Leviathians and Sheriff Mills called... it sounded like she needed help more than Sam did at the moment."

"I hope she's fucking grateful," Dean spat.

"Don't be mad at her. It was my decision, and Sam's for that matter. He told me to go."

"Oh, sure, listen to the guy with the devil-infested brain, because he's totally gonna be making the best choices."

"Hey, you left too."

"Because you were supposed to be there watching him!"

The older hunter sighed. "Look, I'm sorry Dean. But we got him, it's gonna be okay."

"Yeah, just a little suicidal Sam with some brain injury on the side. Piece of cake." Dean pushed himself up with his crutches and hobbled over to Sam, his back to Bobby.

"Dean—"

"Whatever, Bobby."

Bobby ground his teeth. He understood Dean's frustration, but he was just one man. He couldn't be everywhere at once. Yes, he had misjudged how severe Sam's condition truly was, but it's hardly like he'd gone out for a beer. He was following the hunter mission, saving people. He shook his head. Dean wouldn't see it that way, especially when it came to Sam. He left wordlessly, disinclined to risk antagonizing Dean further.

Dean's thumb rubbed a well-worn track in the blanket over Sam's knee. He knew he could only hold Bobby partially responsible. He was right: Dean had also left. The words of Dr. Boreseren echoed in his mind. "You keep that one safe." Bang-up job he did here. Not only did he let Sam jump into Hell, he hadn't found a way to save him for 180 years of Hell-time, and when he had, it ultimately failed, leaving Sam broken in ways Dean would probably never understand. That had been Cas's fault, breaking his damn wall. Dean sighed. He still couldn't blame the angel for that entirely. Castiel had warned him not to restore Sam's soul. The son of a bitch had been right, but Dean couldn't live with soul-less Sam any more than he could live without Sam at all. That's what had started this all in the first place. If he hadn't brought Sam back, he'd be in Heaven with mom. Who was he kidding? There were a thousand different decisions he could have made to avoid all of this. What was the point in considering that now? The what-ifs would drive him mad. He fought a yawn but decided sleep wasn't the worst option. Better than sitting here staring at his battered brother. He made himself comfortable and quickly dropped into a dreamless sleep.

The aroma of fast food penetrated his slumber. He inhaled the comforting scent as he stretched and looked around. Bobby was holding out a grease-stained bag like an olive branch. Dean smiled and accepted the peace offering. "Thanks, Bobby." He opened the bag to find a burger and fries. Simple, but always appreciated. He took a few bites to sate his hunger before turning to his surrogate father. "Look, I'm sorry about earlier. It's not your fault. I'm just at the breaking point here. I'm not sure how many more hits I can take."

Bobby held up a hand. "I get it. No need to apologize. You're right. I shouldn't have left him alone. This whole situation just sucks balls."

Dean pinched the bridge of his nose. "I hear ya." He looked at Sam and fought the urge to scream. He couldn't do this much longer. Sam had to wake up. They had to save him. "What do we do? What if he wakes up with Lucifer still in tow?" Dean clutched Sam's limp hand as if it were the only thing keeping Satan at bay.

The older man swallowed nervously. He had given the issue a lot of thought but was no closer to a solution than Dean. This wasn't a problem they could easily solve, and the answer sure as hell wasn't in any dusty book. "I don't know, Dean. But we'll figure it out. We always do."

Dean held back a growl. "Yeah like last time? When we let him say 'yes' to the devil and dive into Hell? Brilliant idea, that one." He let out a deep breath, ignoring Bobby's chagrin. "You're right. We'll figure this out. Screw Cas, screw Death, screw all these sons of bitches that think they're better than us! We'll beat 'em Sammy, don't you worry."

Bobby couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. Dean had lost Sam too many times to accept this was his fate. The stubborn Winchester will would win out. It had never let them down before, and Bobby saw no reason to lose his faith now.

The two older hunters sat in companionable silence, each pondering their next move. Bobby was in a chair against the wall, absently looking through a magazine. Dean was sitting in a chair facing Sam's bed, his head tucked into Sam's hip and his left arm laying on Sam's stomach. He felt the tremor as it started in his brother's shoulders and spread instantly to his whole body. He sprang into action, pinning Sam's wrists against the blankets.

"What's happening?!" Bobby exclaimed, rushing to Dean's side. "Should I call a nurse?"

"Some sort of seizure. I think I got it. Here, hold his wrists," Dean instructed, moving his own hands to cup Sam's face. "Sammy," he murmured, caressing Sam's cheek with his thumb. "I'm here. I got you. Big brother's here. You're not with Lucifer anymore. You're free. He can't hurt you anymore. He'll never hurt you again, not as long as I live, Sammy." He carefully moved Sam over on the bed and nestled his body next to Sam's. He pressed his weight against his brother, hoping the physical pressure would be enough to reassure Sam. One hand stroked Sam's long hair, the other gently rubbing his cut. He held his cheek to Sam's, whispering into his ear. "You feel that, Sam? I got you. No one is gonna hurt you." Sam's shaking began to subside. He kept up his comforting refrain. "You're safe. You're not in the cage. I gotcha. And I'm never letting go. You're my pain in the ass baby brother and I can't live without you. Don't you dare give up, because I'm not giving up on you." He laid his head on Sam's chest and was relieved to hear the frantic pace slowing. He continued to smooth Sam's locks until the soon steady rhythm of his brother's heart lulled him to sleep.

Bobby blinked back a few rogue tears. For all of Dean's manly bluster and gruff attitude, the tenderness with which he showered Sam was incredible. He got a blanket and draped it across Dean. Dean needed to heal too; with all his worrying about Sam, that couldn't happen. He crept out of the room silently, satisfied both his boys were as safe as they could be at the moment.