Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.
Thanks to criminally charmed, reannablue, DreamInInk, doyleshuny, Olive-Pizza, SayLo, emebalia, twomoms, L.A.H.H, BranchSuper, hotshow, SPN Mum, sammynanci and Nouri for review and to Cheryl for the beta.
Interlude: Lady of Mercy Hospital, Baltimore
The ICU was quiet. The monitors attached to Sam were beeping rhythmically. Dean was studying them carefully like he understood what they meant, like he'd know if something was off.
Fuller glanced from Dean to the figure lying in the hospital bed.
"Dora?" he asked quietly – and a little nervously; he knew his question would probably annoy her.
"Yes?"
"Are you… sure… about the abuse?"
Dean smirked at that, and Dora turned to scowl at him. "I can't be sure until we get a statement from Sam, of course, but his older injuries are consistent with it. Especially because I couldn't find medical records to match them."
"But… Dora…"
"What?" she snapped.
"He's… Well, I thought he was a kid, the way Dean was talking about him, but he's an adult."
"Domestic abuse isn't limited to children."
"He's built like He-Man."
"Got girly hair like He-Man too," Dean intervened. "He's got a point, you know. Look at Sam. You really think I could get the jump on him?"
"I think if the abuse has been emotional as well as physical, he might not try too hard to save himself. Maybe you've managed to lower his sense of self-worth enough that he thinks he deserves it." Dean's eyes blazed, but before he could say anything, Dora went on, "If you want to stay here, I suggest you control yourself." She glanced at Fuller. "Can you stay here with him? I'll go find Rob."
"Sure."
She left the room. Fuller kept a wary eye on Dean. Sam was big and muscular, but Dora had been right about victims sometimes letting it happen. And if he was Dean's brother, the instinct not to fight back might be ingrained.
Dean wasn't paying attention to him anymore. He was lowering himself into the chair by the bed, reaching out to brush stray strands of hair off his brother's face, and murmuring something too soft for Fuller to hear. His expression was intense, but whether in affection or in threat Fuller couldn't tell.
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