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Interlude: Lady of Mercy Hospital, Baltimore

The door shut behind Dean, who'd left after threatening dire consequences if he came back and found so much as a hair out of place on Sam. Fuller should have followed, but something made him stay in his chair.

As soon as he'd gone, escorted to the Waiting Room by one of the nurses, Rob left, and came back with a man Fuller didn't know.

"Sam," Rob said gently. "I believe you've met Lou West?"

Sam stared at the newcomer. "You… What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you, Sam." West looked sympathetic, but Fuller noted he didn't come within ten feet of Sam's bed. "I know how Dean treats you and it's wrong. I'm here to help."

"What are you talking about?"

"Dean hits you. He hurts you, Sammy –"

"Only Dean gets to call me that."

"He doesn't let anyone else call you Sammy?" Rob asked.

"It's not like that!" Sam protested. "He's my brother. He calls me Sammy, and my father used to. That's it. I just – I don't like it if anyone else does."

"But he hurts you," West said. "Isn't that true?"

"NO!"

"How did you get hurt, Sam?"

For the first time, Sam looked uncertain. "I – I had an accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"I fell."

"Where?" Sam paled, obviously hoping desperately for a way out. Neither Fuller nor Rob offered him one. Getting victims to admit their abuse was the hardest step of all, and sometimes you had to push them into it. "Where did you fall?" West asked again.

"Outside. Hiking."

Rob frowned. "Your brother said you took a tumble down the stairs."

"Oh, right." Fuller had to give points to Sam for a quick recovery. "The hiking fall was last week. Sorry, I'm still a bit loopy from the medication."

"You have these 'falls' often?" Rob asked.

"I – I can get clumsy."

"Sam –"

"I want Dean."

"Tell us how you got hurt," West said. "Tell us the truth. Then we'll see about fetching your brother."

"I told you. I fell."

"I said, tell us the truth." West finally went close to the bed, leaning down, making Sam shrink back onto his pillows. "The truth, you little devil-spawn."

"Mr. West!" Rob protested.

"I want Dean," Sam repeated.

"Dean will get here when you get Satan's lies out of your mouth and learn to tell the truth." West's hand found Sam's shoulder, ignoring Rob's outraged protest and squeezing hard. "Tell the truth, demon!"

Sam flinched visibly.

Fuller exchanged a glance with Rob and they acted as one, Fuller going to pull West away from Sam, and Rob hurrying out to tell one of the nurses to bring Dean back.

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