Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural or whatever
Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the follows and favorites, I'm glad that you all thought this on-a-whim story was worth coming back to. That being said, I'm predicting about 2 more chapters just because of the dose of drama I added in this chapter.
Chapter 3: Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop
Cafetorium is a stupid word Dean though as he sat next to the cot on which his brother slept. "It should be a cafeteria or an auditorium. Cafetorium just sounds dumb." Dean said aloud to fill the silence in their little area.
They'd been at the shelter long enough for Sam to get 5 stitches across his palm from an attractive blonde and for his father to register them all, so that they could be given towels, blankets, and food.
"Dad, what are we going to do about the impala? She's our home." Dean asked.
John kept his eyes on Sam. He was carding his fingers through the now dry hair, but he answered, "We'll worry about it later. Nothing we can do until after the storm passes."
Dean sighed and took a long breath, turning his attention to one of the TVs on the wall. The school still had power and they were told the generators were backup, should they need them.
"Now over to our local meteorologist Skip Waters as we get more updates on the category 4 hurricane that is predicted to make landfall tonight." The news anchor reported as a red and blue cyclone zoomed onto the screen followed by bold font reading STORM WATCH.
Dean watched and listened as the meteorologist gave time stamps and location predictions for the coming storm. Apparently the eye of the storm would be heading straight for this area.
"Guess the beach is not happening after the storm either." He mumbled as they showed pictures from the islands the storm passed through in the Atlantic. "Well Shit, we know how to pick a vacation." He hissed sarcastically.
John walked up to Dean and clapped his hand on his son's back. "Sure do" he responded, "Why don't you rest with Sam. Seems like the storm might keep us up tonight." Dean obeyed and headed to his cot, which lay next to Sam and pulled his blanket tightly over his head. Although he wasn't tired he found himself drifting off into a light sleep.
The crash of thunder and the illuminating streak of powerful lighting ripped the Winchesters from their rest. But the reassuring hand of his father held onto their shoulders. "Didn't take you as one to be afraid of a little thunder Dean." Joked John as Dean sat up.
"Am not, but I think I found a new alarm clock sound for us, right Sammy?" Dean looked at him brother. Sam was softly smiling, "Do you mean the thunder or your girly scream?" Sam joked
John let out a hearty laugh, at Dean's expense, as he laid a hand of approval on Sam's back. In hindsight maybe he hit Sam's back too heavily or too hard, because the boy doubled over into a coughing fit.
"Dean, go get him some water, something probably went down the wrong pipe." John instructed as he picked Sam up and sat him back on the cot. The boy was coughing and gasping like there wasn't any air left in the room, but Dean ran to the fountain, ignoring the pull in his soul to just hug his brother.
When Dean returned with the water though he knew it was more than a little spit down the wrong pipe. Sam was becoming violently ill on the linoleum floor of the cafetorium and the blond nurse from earlier, Charity, was sitting next to Sam and John with a stethoscope on Sam's chest.
"Do you know if he took any water in before being rescued from the river?" She asked as Sam to dry heave and shake. John shook his head, he didn't know.
"He slipped and fell into the water, but I don't know. He was fine after coming out of the water aside from he cut and being shaken up." John reported.
"Sam, sweetheart, did any of the river water go into your mouth or did you swallow the water earlier?" She gently asked Sam as she rubbed circles on his back.
Everyone's attention was on Sam, but Sam's attention was fleeting. John looked down at the hand he was squeezing, "Shit! His nailbed is blue! What's happening to him?" John asked as thunder made the building shudder again.
"Carry him the med station." She demanded as she motioned for them to follow.
They ran across the cafetorium as the boy in John's arms continued to weakly gasp and cough. His eyelids and lips were beginning to lose color and tinge blue.
Charity upon arriving at the med station pulled back the sheets on the gurney and pulled out an oxygen tank and mask from behind a curtain, "Lay him down and put this mask on his nose and mouth." John did as he was told and watched as Charity took out a portable pulse-oximeter and attached the watch-like device to Sam's finger and wrapped the cuff around his wrist.
"Let's wait a bit to see if his oxygen levels go up any. I'm going to go look for a doctor. They had to register upon entry in case of emergencies." She said as she dashed to the registration table.
John and Dean sat and watched over the youngest. "His color is getting a little better." Dean noted
John nodded as he rubbed calming circles in his son's palm with his thumb. "You feel better Sam?" he asked.
Sam nodded tiredly before closing his eyes.
Charity returned with an older man at her side. "John, Dean, this is Dr. O'Grady. He's a pediatrician at the local hospital. He'll talk a look at Sam and help us figure out what's wrong."
The man stepped over to the gurney and pulled Sam up gently before whispering some instructions to the boy. "You ready?" he asked as he placed his stethoscope over Sam's chest, "Breathe in and out"
He moved the stethoscope around Sam's body searching for an answer. First the center, then left lung, right lung, he put the stethoscope to his back. "Okay, Sam. I want to squeeze my hand one time for no and two times for yes. Do you understand?"
Sam squeezed two times. "Good," O'grady said
"Sam when you fell in the river, Did you swallow the water? Or did it go down the wrong pipe.?" Everyone waited on bated breath as Sam tried to recall. He squeeze the hand two times. Yes!
Dr. O'Grady continued to ask Sam questions for about 5 minutes before he allowed the boy to lay back on the gurney and rest.
"So doctor, what is the prognosis?" John asked, "Is my boy going to be okay?"
Doctor O'Grady motioned to the curtain, prompting them to exit so that Sam could rest. Once outside the curtain he began, "I believe Sam is suffered from what some call secondary drowning or dry drowning. It means when Sam fell some water entered his lungs. So it's like he is drowning or asphyxiating on the water. He basically suffering from a pulmonary edema. From what I can tell, without having a chest x-ray, it's in his right lung."
"So what needs to be done to fix this? That doesn't sound like it will fix itself" Dean asked nervously
"I understand your concern, but believe me catching it before it turned fatal Is more than half the battle." He supplied, "We have him on oxygen and we are monitoring his levels. That is what we can do now. However, the most dangerous part of this is the illnesses that can arise as a result. We need to monitor him for pneumonia or anything else that could come about. Plus there is the unknown factor, we don't know if there was any bacteria in the water that could compromise his lungs or even infect his hand. So it's imperative that as soon as we as able to, we get this kid in an ambulance to the hospital." O'Grady warned.
"So it's a waiting game" Dean sighed.
"I'm hear with my family, however, Sam will be my main concern. I'll check on him every hour," The Winchesters nodded, "Charity, I want you to start an IV."
The thunder crashed again, and the Winchester knew they were in for a long night. "I hope this storm ends soon" Dean wished as he and his father sat next to Sam in the small curtained off cubicle.
A/N: What do you think? Let me know. Am I reaching too far or nah? You guys know I love to hurt Sam for no reason right?
