Chapter Seven

Sam fought against the dark entity. He didn't know where it came from but he knew what it wanted: Him.

The dark entity had been so subtle, so cunning that by the time Sam realized it was there, it had sunk its hooks in. All he could do was retreat, cower in a far corner of his mind, away from the groping black tentacles.

It wasn't a demon. Sam was almost sure of it. He recalled the time he had been possessed by Meg- the blanks in his memory, the vividness of watching the demon move him around as though he were a marionette- and knew that the entity was not demonic, although it was evil.

Trapped, Sam could feel the entity draining him. It was not concerned with using his body like a puppet, no, it wanted more than that. It was growing stronger as he grew weaker.

Sam did not know how to fight this enemy. It was unlike any monster he had encountered before.

Dean! Sam cried desperately, his call not reaching his still tongue, refusing to pass between his closed lips. Help me!

SPN

Dean squeezed Sam's limp, clammy hand in his own.

Dr. Munroe had run all the tests she could think of but they all returned negative. Samuel's fever seemed to have begun spontaneously. The doctor would have liked to consult her colleagues and perhaps have a specialist come in and look at the young man- and she still could- but for the older brother hovering protectively over his sibling.

Dean Winchester had refused to sit in the waiting room any longer and had demanded to see his brother.

Dr. Munroe could have called security and had the young man removed but she wasn't sure Samuel had much longer and she didn't want to be the one responsible for keeping the brothers apart during such a dire situation.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean murmured to his brother, running his thumb slowly over Sam's knuckles, "You hang in there, you hear? Doc Munroe is going to figure this out, okay."

He couldn't believe this was happening, couldn't believe he had waited to take Sam to the hospital. He had been such an idiot.

Bobby slipped inside the room, coffees in hand and passed one to Dean.

"Thanks," Dean muttered and sat back, still holding Sam's hand in one of his as he drank the hot beverage.

"Heard from the doctor yet?" The gruff hunter asked, sitting down on Sam's other side, gazing sadly at the unconscious young man.

Dean shook his head, "No news is good news though, eh?"

Bobby didn't comment. Dean sighed and set his coffee cup down to wipe a hand down his face.

"How long do you think he's going to sleep?" he asked, seeking an answer from Bobby, who always seemed to have one.

The older man shrugged, "I dunno, Dean. I guess that depends on Sam."

Dean nodded and swallowed. He was terrified of what the fever could be doing to his baby brother. All he wanted was for Sam to open his eyes again but he was also scared of what his brother would be like when he did.

Leaning forward, Dean spoke quietly to his sibling, irregardless of Bobby's presence, "Whatever happens, Sammy, I'm going to be here. I'll look after you, alright? Don't worry. I'm not leaving you."

SPN

Bobby knew something was troubling Dean.

Sure, the young man liked to think he had a grip on his emotions and could hide them but when it came to Sam, that carefully constructed mask slipped and bared the true nature of the big brother for anyone who was willing to get a closer look.

The veteran hunter cleared his throat and Dean looked up from the hamburger he was eating. They were sitting inside the hospital's small cafeteria, picking at their lunch.

"Fess up," Bobby said, "I know something's wrong so you may as well just tell me now."

Dean's eyes pinched, "What do you mean?"

"You have GUILTY written all over your face," Bobby explained, "Now, what's eating you?"

Dean frowned, "Sam's sick. That's reason enough-"

Bobby shook his head, "Don't give me that bullshit. I know there's more to it than that."

"I should have taken Sammy to see a doctor right away," Dean hedged and Bobby sighed.

"Dean, you and your brother have both been through worse than this and have stitched each other up with dental floss before seeing any doctor," Bobby commented, "Don't fool around with me. What's got you looking like you somehow brought this on Sam."

Dean sighed and sat his burger aside.

"I… the night Sam got sick, I wasn't with him," Dean answered, shamefaced.

Bobby frowned, "The night?"

Dean lowered his gaze, "I went out. Left Sam alone."

"Jeez," Bobby muttered.

"He wasn't sick when I left!" Dean exclaimed, trying to defend himself even though he still felt guilty as hell, "He must have gotten bad during the night. He didn't call me."

"Damn it! I should have known!" the older brother berated himself and Bobby's grey eyes swam with unshed tears at the younger man's pain.

"You couldn't have known, Dean," he told Dean but the young man shook his head.

"Sam didn't want me to go," he told Bobby, to the older man's surprise, "We were supposed to hang out, watch crappy cable TV but… I had a date."

Bobby felt the sudden urge to smack Dean upside the head for thinking with his 'downstairs' brain again but he refrained, the eldest Winchester was doing a fine job beating himself up without him.

"I should have stayed with Sammy," Dean muttered and ran both hands through his short-cropped hair.

"You're here now," Bobby told him, "You said yourself you weren't going anywhere."

Dean frowned, Bobby's reassurance not making him feel any better. He felt like a shitty excuse for a brother. Sam would have never done what he had.

Both men looked up at the sound of commotion when a male nurse ran into the cafeteria, calling out for a Dean Winchester.

The older brother stood, his heart hammering painfully in his chest.

Oh no! Sammy! Thoughts of his sibling lying dead in his hospital bed flooded Dean's mind and he found himself almost sprinting towards the young nurse.

"Here! I'm here!"

Dean heard Bobby hurrying along behind him, panting and wheezing as though he was running a marathon.

"Is Sammy okay?" Dean asked the nurse, resisting the urge to grab the man's shoulders and shake him.

"He's awake."

Author's Note:

1. Thanks to Cdw43, Sparkiebunny, cold kagome, L.A.H.H, fallenleader15, mandancie, murphy9202, BranchSuper, SPN Mum, Mutilated Pancake, MysteryMadchen, reannablue, anadylive, 3deliveryfan for reviewing.

2. Thanks to everyone who alerted, followed and favourited.

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