A/N: Posting this chapter early since the eclipse is tomorrow, turning off my computers to be on the safe side. Enjoy. NC

Chapter 6

When Nitro felt Sam calming, she let go of his hands and grabbed a washcloth to wipe the suds from his forehead before they ran into his eyes. She knew how that would burn and hurt and Sam had had enough pain and hurt for now and didn't want to cause any more. She listened to the one sided conversation, holding her breath waiting for Sam to answer his brother. Nitro knew it had been a long time since Sam had seen Dean and wasn't sure how he was going to react.

The last memories Sam had was of being beaten and sexually assaulted by one of the guards before he passed out in a cell in Mexico. Bright lights hurt his eyes when he finally pried them open enough to see a hazy dark shape. He could feel his body being held in a sitting position and his head titled backwards with someone doing something to him. Sam struck out as hard as he could, trying to get away from whoever was holding him. He felt someone grab his wrists and weight applied across his lower body holding him down as he panted hard from the exertion.

Terror and panic gripped him fearing he was being attacked again. A voice broke through his panicked thoughts calling his name and he stopped struggling, letting his eyes stop jerking around and try to focus on the stranger that was in front of him. But yet as his vision partly cleared, there was something hauntingly familiar about that blurry face and those green eyes. He squinted hard and looked again, zeroing in on those green eyes. His brain worked hard to catch up to what he was seeing as he slowly raised a hand and tried to get his mouth to work. He tried to work up enough spit to dampen his parched mouth and pry his sandpaper tongue from the roof of it, but all he managed was a weak, hoarse gurgle that didn't sound like much.

"Hold on," Dean said turning to the sink to unwrap a glass and fill it half full with cold water. He turned back to Sam holding the glass in front of him ready to give him some water.

Sam's eyes locked on the glass with the clear liquid in it and he lurched forward clamping both his hands around Dean's trying to pull it to his mouth. Had it not been for Nitro's quick reflexes, the brothers would of toppled backwards to the bathroom floor, but she fisted a hand full of Dean's T-shirt and jerked Dean toward her until he was steady again before letting go.

"Thanks," he mumbled to her as he struggled with his brother to keep them both from falling. "Easy bro, you can have some water, just not so..."

Sam tilted the glass upwards letting the water gush into his mouth. While most went down his chin and soaked his chest, he was able to get a few swallows down his raw throat before some went down the wrong way sending him into a fit of coughing and wheezing. Dean pulled the glass away and out of his grasp, handing it off to Nitro before pulling him forward over one arm and smacking between Sam's shoulder blades to try and help.

"...That happens," Dean continued with a sigh. "C'mon you gotta breathe," he encouraged listening as Sam finally got a wheezy, raspy intake of air into his lungs.

Sam coughed hard again until he could pull a short breath in and clear his lungs. Putting up that fight had taken everything out of him and he sat limply and despondent in the chair just trying to catch his breath. The glass came back into view and he put one hand over the one holding the glass and allowed it to guide the glass to his lips.

Dean started to stop Sam from holding Nitro's hand until she shook her head no and allowed him to do it. Nitro would allow some to touch her, but she had to instigate it herself. Dean nodded his thanks knowing she was doing this for him.

"Let's try this again, but a little slower this time," she said softly as she tilted the glass slightly to let a small amount of water run into Sam's mouth. "That's it Pup, just a little, don't want you getting sick now do we?" she continued, talking soothingly to him. "Alright, that's enough for now. Let's see if we can finish getting you cleaned up?"

Sam looked back at the guy holding him up and brought his hand up to rest on Dean's arm. He looked into those green eyes he remembered so well growing up and wet his lips before he was able to get out one syllable.

"D..." he finally got out in a raspy, rough voice before his eyes went out of focus and glazed over and closed as his head fell slowly forward on his chest and the darkness claimed him once again.

"Is he alright Little Wolf?" Dean asked cupping his cheek and looking closely at his brother, looking for signs of consciousness.

Nitro checked the pulse in his neck and felt his respiration before answering in a calm, assuring voice.

"He's fine, the exertion zapped what little strength he had. It's good that he woke up, but you can probably expect this zoning in and out until he's gained some strength back. Let me get the water going again and finish up with his hair," she assured him starting the water again and waiting for it to get to the right temp before stepping back into the tub and picking up the shower head. She switched the water flow and moved back to Sam rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. Nitro got the conditioner and squirted a generous amount on Sam's head and started working it into his hair. She shut the water off again and used her fingers like a comb.

"Dean look in my bag and get me my wide tooth comb and scissors. I'm afraid I may have to trim some of these rats nest out," she told him accepting the comb and scissors.

"Hair can grow back, do whatever you need to and maybe trim his beard a little. No use trying to shave him."

Nitro worked on Sam's hair for another twenty minutes until she could run the comb through it with ease. Once she rinsed it out, she took a towel and dried it as best she could. She leaned over and flipped the lever allowing the water to start gathering in the tub. After stepping from the tub, she positioned herself in front of Sam and combed his scraggly beard before trimming it up. She stepped back and cocked her head to check her handiwork and turned to Dean with a 'what do you think?' look.

"Looks good for now. If you'll take the chair back to the other room, I'll finish bathing him," Dean told her reaching down to pick Sam up so she could move the chair.

"Alright," she said picking up the chair.

"I'll have you look at his back after I get it cleaned."

"Shadow is getting me some more peroxide, they should be back soon," she told him. "Gunny...Please ask if you need help, we're family here and family takes care of each other," Nitro continued before pulling the door closed except for a four inch gap so she could hear if he called.

There was no doubt in Dean's mind she meant what she said and knew she was right. They might not know his little brother, but he was their family now too, and that comforted him to know he was not alone in this. After joining up, Dean was a loner and didn't join in with the others for nights on the town or drinking. He worked hard to be the best Marine he could by training harder, studying harder, working harder, and being sure whatever was required of him, he went above and beyond.

When he was assigned his team, things changed for him. He had others besides himself to watch out for and they earned his trust and loyalty as he did their's. Each viewed the other as a team member, close friend, as family. Dean allowed them into his life and would always consider them family forever.

spn

Nitro sat the chair back at the table and looked toward the door when several quiet taps alerted her to someone was there. She pulled a hand gun from her bag and stepped to the door to unlock it. Shadow and Trace stood waiting outside with bags in their hands.

"I think we got everything," Trace said stepping in and sitting his bags on the table.

"And a little extra." Shadow added putting his down beside the others.

"There's clothes here and we got some bouillon crystals, crackers, Jell-O, what kid doesn't like Jell-O, right, and some kind of protein crap Shadow found since we figured he won't be eating solids for a while. There's peroxide in there too and extra large gauze pads, tooth brush and paste and those other things you asked for."

"You guys did good, now go get some rest and we'll see you later. Oh and bring me a large salad with grilled chicken and ranch dressing when you bring food and a root beer."

"Noted," Shadow replied. "C'mon let's go grab some sack time."

"Call us if you need anything," Trace told her before they left for their room next door.

Nitro looked through the bags pulling out navy sweats and the Depends briefs and baby wipes she had Shadow get. Right now Sam was not able to go to the bathroom and was still going in and out of consciousness so he needed these. She took the Depends along with the sweats, toothbrush and paste and sat them inside the bathroom.

"Gunny, you need to use these for Sam until he's more alert," she called to Dean from the doorway. "And see if maybe you can brush his teeth, might make him feel better."

Dean turned to see what she was talking about and saw the package and turned his head sideways to read the front, Depends. He frowned and used his foot to pull it toward him for closer inspection. Ok...Adult diapers...he thought looking down at his unconscious brother thinking, Dude...You gotta do what you gotta do. He also saw a pack of baby wipes and thought for a moment about their use before wrinkling his nose hoping his little brother wasn't shy.

She found the peroxide and bandages and laid them aside for now and put some of the drinks in the small fridge to chill. Nitro turned down one of the beds for Sam and sat on it waiting for Dean to let her know she was needed. An instinct woke deep down in her soul that she had never felt before. She felt a special closeness to the young man and wanted to protect Sam from the evils of the world.

Maybe it was because of what he had been through and the tragic loss he suffered at an early age. Maybe she saw a little of someone else in him and didn't want to lose this time. Now his father was gone too and she didn't know how that news was going to affect him. Would it push him over the edge of no return or could Gunny keep him grounded and help him cope? She wanted to talk to Gunny about the self harm Sam had inflicted on himself so he could understand the reasoning and meaning behind it. He didn't know it, but she wasn't leaving them just yet, no matter what he said. Everyone on the team knew how stubborn she could be when she set her mind on something.

spn

After Nitro stepped from the room, Dean sat Sam in the tub of warm water, briefs and all. He fixed a folded towel behind his neck for comfort before grabbing a washcloth and soap. Once the cloth was soaped good, he started with Sam's arms and began to gently wash them. He got under his arms and between his fingers as he watched the clean water start turning a brownish, reddish color and a greasy film formed on the top. Once he got the worse of the dirt, blood, and grim off Sam, Dean was going to run more water to wash his back and finish cleaning him.

He watched the water level as he searched his bathroom bag for fingernail clippers. When the tub looked half full, he shut the water off and started clipping Sam's ragged nails and cleaning the dirt from under them. The more dirt he removed from Sam's body, the more bruises, in different stages of healing, began to show all over his body. He was looking like a patchwork quilt that had been torn in places. He had been beaten numerous times, but they had been careful not to inflict enough torture to break any bones. Dean figured if he had broken bones then they couldn't work him in the fields to harvest the drug crops. He clenched his jaw and drew in deep breaths wanting to kill those bastards all over again for what they did to Sam. He lovingly brushed his damp hair from his face thankful he was still alive and safe now.

"Sammy...Bro...Hey...I'm gonna try and brush your teeth sport," Dean told him patting his cheek to see if he would stir before putting paste on the toothbrush. He gently pulled down on Sam's chin to open his sagging mouth and started brushing his teeth slowly and carefully. "I remember doing this when we were kids, you never could stand still so I got foam all over your face," Dean reminisced his lips twitching into a half smile. He used a finger to carefully push down a little more on his lower jaw so he could brush his tongue. "Alright, now let's see if we can rinse," he said turning to get a glass of water. "Sammy don't swallow okay, just let it run out. I'm going to rinse your teeth." Dean moved Sam's head a little to the side and poured some water into the side of his open mouth trying to keep it from going down his throat. He moved his head the other way and did the same. As a final step, he wet a clean washcloth and wiped it over his teeth and tongue hoping he got most of the foam and paste out. "Now let's get the rest of you clean."

Dean washed his chest and stomach before moving to his legs. He cut his toe nails before washing his feet and working his way upwards. He reached to remove the too large briefs, slipping them over his hips when Sam splashed water as his eyes fluttered briefly and he whimpered in fright trying to get away.

"It's okay little bro, I'm not going to hurt you," Dean told him placing a hand on his chest to stop him from trying to rise up. "I'm just cleaning you up." He started to hum to him waiting for him to relax before continuing. He watched Sam's body ease back into the water with the humming and finished taking off the briefs leaving them in the water. After quickly cleaning the rest of his body, but his back, Dean let the dirty water out before running more. He leaned Sam forward, supporting him with an arm across his chest as he looked at his back. Dean soaped the cloth again and began to gently rub it over the whip marks removing the dirt, dried blood, and pieces of the shirt that had dried into the wound. He rinsed and repeated the process with each stripe mark across his back. New blood seeped from some of the deeper whip marks as he finished cleaning the last one.

"Little Wolf!" he called for her.

"Yes?" she asked sticking her head in the door.

"You wanna check his back and clean the wounds with peroxide?"

"I've just been waiting for you to ask," Nitro said picking up the items and coming back into the bathroom.

"I've cleaned them the best I can..."

"You did good; let me pour some of this over them to finish cleaning them."

Nitro knelt by the tub and opened the peroxide. She tipped the bottle and let the cold liquid run down Sam's back soaking the lacerations and watching it bubble in some of the areas. They sat and waited for the bubbling to stop and she poured more until there was no bubbling. She checked each one seeing if any stitching needed to be done and was happy none were that deep. Dean let the water out and Nitro dried Sam's back applying strips where needed. After they put ointment on the whip marks, she would cover the worse places with pads. Dean was careful getting Sam up out of the tub and sitting him on the commode so he could dry his body and slip on Depends briefs and sweats.

"You need to lay him on his stomach or his side," she told him. "There needs to be some ointment put on them and his...His bottom needs to be checked. I can do it..."

"No, I will," Dean stated laying Sam on his stomach on the bed. This was his brother and he was going to take care of him and nurse him back to health. After that, he didn't know, that was still up in the air right now. He could only think about the present, not about the future.

"Put these gloves on first," she said holding out latex gloves for him. "Start with his back and go ahead and put it alone each laceration, then his bottom. The abuse looks fresh so he didn't endure it very long, for that we can be thankful."

Dean pulled the tight gloves on to his hands and picked up the ointment tube, squeezing some on the tip of his finger. Dean was careful as he smeared the white cream over the whip marks working his way down Sam's back. Nitro followed Dean and put pads on the deepest wounds and taped them down. Once he was done with the back, Dean stopped and drew in a breath as he reached to pull his sweats and briefs down over his bottom, exposing it. Dean looked at the redness, bruising, and scratches across his butt cheeks and a rage washed over him that he tried to control.

"Remember Gunny, we got them, they paid for what they did to him," Nitro whispered when she saw and felt the anger brewing in him. "It's over now." She watched the anger dissipate as his eyes cleared and he blinked rapidly knowing he had to finish up.

Sam seemed to know something was going on and started to move trying to pull himself away from Dean. He whimpered and sobbed softly not knowing Dean was only trying to help. He tried to pull himself away by fisting the sheet to try and move. He wasn't coherent enough to be fully awake as he faded in and out of consciousness.

"Easy Pup, it's okay," Nitro cooed to him. She slipped onto the bed and tried to turn him on his side. "Help me Gunny. I'll hold him."

Dean helped position Sam so he was on his side with his back to him and Nitro pulled him into her arms as she began to hum softly into his ear while rubbing his arm to comfort him. She nodded for Dean to continue now that Sam calmed a little. She could still feel him trembling in her arms as Dean bent his legs slightly allowing him access to his bottom. He tried to be as gentle as possible as he squirted more cream onto his finger and rubbed it around his raw anus and pressed gently to get his finger inside with the cream. Sam sobbed into Nitro's neck and stiffened his entire body until Dean was done.

"All done Pup. We only did that to help you heal," she told him as she brushed his hair from his face. She watched Dean pull his briefs and sweats back in place before stripping off the gloves and throwing them away. "You rest now Pup. You're safe, I won't let anyone hurt you ever again," she told him with such conviction it made Dean stop for a moment to look at her. He had never seen her like this before and wondered if her mothering instincts were kicking in for his brother.

"You can have the bathroom first," he told her as she slipped from the bed.

"Well since I got half a shower earlier, I shouldn't be long," she teased him only to get a bitchy face from Dean. She grabbed some clean clothes and stepped into bathroom closing the door behind her.

spn

After covering Sam's body with a blanket and tucking him in, Dean stretched and popped his back in relief. He went to the closet and pulled out a duffel with money in it and set it on the table. He pulled a knife out and cut through the plastic holding bundles of hundred dollar bills and began to make three stacks across the table. Dean didn't bother to count it as he divided it up into neat stacks and snagged three plastic bags from a small pile in the floor and put each stack of money in a different bag, folding and tying them shut. He knew his team wasn't expecting any payment, but wanted to give them something for their help. He sat the three bags on the dresser as Nitro stepped from the bathroom combing her damp hair.

"Your turn Gunny, I saved a couple of towels for you."

"Thanks, you're always taking care of one of us."

"Who else will?" she shrugged. "Is Pup still okay?"

"He hasn't moved since we put him to bed," Dean said looking over at Sam's sleeping form.

"Get a shower and lay down, you look like you're 'bout ready to drop in your tracks," she insisted. "I'll take care of Pup for you, don't worry and I need to check your arm too. It looks like the bandages need changing."

"You're right, I am pretty wiped out," he said with a sigh going to his bag for sleep clothes and looking at the bloody bandage on his arm. He looked one more time toward the bed before stepping into the bathroom to get a hot shower. He dropped his sleep clothes on the counter and stripped out of his dirty ones before turning on the water in the shower. Dean pulled the bandage off his arm and dropped it in the trash. He left it as hot as he could stand and stepped under the spray letting it beat on his head and neck. He leaned against the wall of the shower with both hands planted against it breathing deeply as he tried to control the emotions raging in him. There was so much spinning around in his head it felt like it was going to explode. He could feel the pounding with each beat of his heart making him feel lightheaded and sick. Dean knew he couldn't lose it now; he had to be strong for both of them. Hoping the shower and some sleep would alleviate the pain; he quickly finished his shower and slipped on his clothes before heading back into the bedroom.

"Sit, let me see," Nitro commanded holding out a chair by the table. She had the items needed already laid out on the table ready to use.

With a resounding huff, Dean did as he was told and dropped into the chair to let her doctor his arm. He knew that tone of voice and knew it wouldn't do any good to argue with her. He sat still while Nitro checked the laceration, cleaned it, and re-bandaged it before stepping back to let him up.

"Go lay down," she whispered softly guiding him toward the free bed. She didn't get any resistance from Dean as he let her lead him to the bed. He sat down and swung his legs up onto the mattress and tried to let his body relax knowing he needed the rest.

spn

The light was fading and darkness wasn't far away when knocking had Dean sitting up in his bed ready for a fight. He saw Nitro rise quickly from Sam's bed where she had been propped against the headboard and go to the door with gun in hand. She had been watching over them while they rested.

"It's us," a muffled voice said from the other side of the door. "Got food."

She opened the door to admit Shadow and Trace with bags of food and drinks. They headed for the table and sat the bags down and began to take out food. Dean got up and looked at Sam for a moment to be sure he was okay before heading for the bathroom. When he came out the food was laid out on the table and an empty seat was waiting for him. He took the seat and looked at the food placed there for him trying to determine if he could eat or not. Dean picked up a large tea and took a swallow of the cold, sweet liquid first to wet his throat.

"You gotta eat Gunny," Shadow said noticing Dean hadn't touched the food yet.

"I found you a nice cabin, two bedrooms, two and a half baths in the southeastern part of Colorado. It's isolated like you wanted. The nearest town is an hour and half away and the nearest neighbor is about seven miles away by road but four miles if you go across the lake. I put a deposit down on it and will wire the remainder if you approve," Trace explained as he waved a French fry around as he talked. He gave Shadow a sideways look and a subtle unspoken message passed between them that Dean didn't see, but Nitro did. She looked between the two wondering what they were cooking up, but didn't say anything.

"Sounds good. Go ahead and wire the money," Dean approved with a nod. "Take it from one of my accounts."

"Will do," he said popping the fry in his mouth. "The motel has a couple of computers hooked to printers so I'll print you out all the details and directions for the place. The realtor will leave the keys in a lockbox on the door for you since I didn't know when you would get there."

They all looked toward the bed when groaning and mumbling got their attention. Dean started to get up, but Nitro beat him and went to the bed mumbling something to Sam. She went to the fridge and got a Gatorade and looked around for a straw until Shadow handed her one.

"I'm gonna see if he can drink something," she told them going back to the bed and holding the drink for Sam, trying to get him to drink. They could hear the pitch of her voice change as she urged the young man to sip the drink.

"That's interesting," Trace mumbled under his breath as he watched Nitro stroke Sam's head, smoothing out his hair.

"She's always taking care of us; guess she's got a new project," Shadow shrugged. "You know how she can be if one of us gets hurt."

"I need you two to do one more thing for me," Dean said as he finally picked up a fry and bit it in half. "I asked before, but this time it won't be a problem."

"Whatever you need Gunny."

"Will you take the Chevy back to her owner? He's a family friend lives in Sioux Falls and runs a salvage yard, Singer Salvage."

"No problem, we'll be glad to," Trace said looking over at Shadow a secret passing between them.

"I've got something for you guys." Dean got up and picked up the three bags he had prepared earlier. "For your troubles and help," he said sliding a bag toward Shadow and Trace and the last toward Nitro's empty seat. "This'll give you time to decide what you guys want to do and you won't have to worry about money for a while."

"I got him to drink almost half a bottle before he zoned back out," Nitro said sitting back down at the table. "What's this?" she asked looking at the bag by her plate and noticed that the other two also had like bags.

"Something for your trouble," Dean shrugged. "Shadow and Trace are going to return the borrowed car, I'm sure they can give you a ride..."

"Why do I need a ride?" she interrupted him before he could continue.

"The mission's over, you guys can go back to whatever you were doing before I called," he told them. "I'll take my brother and head for the cabin."

"Like hell you will," Nitro growled. "You still need my help. I am the medic of the group and Sam still needs medical care, besides who's going to watch him when you need to get supplies? You gonna take him out in public? You don't know how long it'll be before he's able to even walk, let along take care of himself. Oh no Gunny, you're stuck with me," she stated firmly giving him a death stare daring him to contradict her.

"I can't ask that of you Little Wolf, you've done enough."

"You told us we're family and we take care of our own. Besides, I have nothing else pressing I need to get back to. I just need to make one call and I'm good. Now that that's settled, you need to eat."

Dean sat there a shocked look on his face listening to her bark at him and ordering him around. What she said made sense, but he would not take advantage of his team. He knew they had their own lives now and didn't want to interfere in it no more than he had to.

"Eat or am I gonna have to feed you?" she questioned sternly.

"I'd do as she said Gunny, feeding you might get ugly," Trace suggested hiding his smirk behind his sandwich. They all thought Nitro was the toughest of all of them and treated her with the respect she deserved. It didn't matter she was a female, she could hold her own with the best of them.

"Okay, okay...I give..." he conceded holding his hands up for a moment before picking up the sandwich and taking a bite. As soon as the flavors hit his taste buds, his stomach growled loudly making the others laugh. He didn't realize how hungry he was until he started eating and chuckled along with their laughter as he chewed his food and swallowed.

"We'll head out in the morning and return the car for you," Shadow told them changing the subject.

"Should we give Sammy one more day before heading out?" Dean questioned Nitro.

"Probably wouldn't hurt," she said forking a bite of salad and chicken and putting it in her mouth. "Gunny, why don't you try to get him to drink some more after you finish eating. The more we can get in him the quicker he'll start recovering. Sam's drifting back and forth right now. I'll give him another shot of antibiotics in a few hours to help fend off further infection." Nitro didn't want Dean to feel she was pushing him away from his brother and knew he needed to feel useful and wanted to care for him.

"I'll do that," he nodded sipping his drink before eating more fries.

"You might even try a little Jell-O if he seems awake enough."

"Not green I hope."

"Naw dude, green sucks," Trace grimaced. "I got the good stuff," he said nodding his head and smiling knowingly.

Gunny looked at him like he had lost it, Shadow just shook his head in embarrassment and rolled his eyes and Nitro just looked at him with arched eyebrows before giggling at his antics.

"What?" Trace asked not sure what they were making fun of.

"Nothing bro, I'll explain it to you later."

"Can I borrow someone's cell?" Dean asked to have three cells thrust at him. "Thanks," he said taking the nearest one. "I'll be right back." Dean got up and stepped from the room to make a call. He heard the ringing at the other end and hoped Bobby was home.

"H'llo," a familiar gruff voice answered.

"Bobby, it's Dean, I found him," he said quietly.

"Thank God! How bad is he Dean?" Bobby asked cautiously.

"It's bad, but he's alive," Dean sighed. "I'm sending your car back with a couple of friends I served with. They'll be heading out in the morning and it'll probably take them a couple of days to get there. I'm taking Sammy to a cabin I've rented. He needs time to heal and we need time to get to know each other again."

"I don't need to know where you take him, but will you call if you need me?"

"Of course. I don't know how long it'll take..."

"The doors always open to both of you son, just get yer brother healthy and come home when you can."

"Thanks Bobby, that means a lot."

"There'll always be a place here for both of you whenever you need it."

"I'll be in touch," Dean said hanging up as a lump caught in his throat from Bobby's kindness. He leaned against the Impala and looked out at the night sky watching the stars in the heavens while he gathered his thoughts. He stayed out there for nearly thirty minutes before taking a couple of deep, slow breaths and heading back inside. "Thanks," he told Shadow handing back his cell. "I let Bobby know you're bringing the car back. He can be a little cantankerous and ornery but he's a good man and helped my family out when they needed it."

"Don't worry; I'll keep Trace in line," Shadow assured him only to get a ketchup coated fry tossed at him from Trace.

"Speak for yourself," Trace pouted, insulted by his remark.

"Awe you know we love you anyway," Nitro cooed to Trace.

Dean chuckled as he picked up the Gatorade bottle and got a Jell-O out of the fridge to see if he could get Sam to eat some. He walked over to the bed and sat the things on the nightstand so he could move Sam over in the bed to sit down.

"Hey Sammy think you can wake up for me?" Dean asked him softly as he rubbed his shoulder and patted his cheek. "Got ya something to drink and a little Jell-O if you think you can eat some." He watched Sam's eyes flutter and heard a soft groan from him as he rolled his head and opened his mouth slightly a few times.

"Here bro can you drink a little?" Dean asked as he placed the straw between his lips waiting to see if he would drink any. He watched the straw and saw Sam pull some liquid into his mouth and swallow. His eyes partly opened once but fell back closed. "That's good bro; this is a little Jell-O you don't have to chew or anything." Dean kept up the one sided conversation as he put a small piece of Jell-O in Sam's mouth and watched closely to be sure he didn't choke before giving him another bite. Not wanting to give him too much, Dean put one more bite in his mouth before letting him drink some more. "You did good Sammy. Drink a little more and I'll let you rest," he told him watching closely as Sam swallowed some more Gatorade. "Let's make sure that stays down and I'll give you a little more later." Dean adjusted Sam's blanket over him and ran a finger down his cheek and frowned when Sam pulled away from it. He mumbled something Dean couldn't understand as he tried to turn over. "Hold on bro, let me help." Dean moved the pillows from behind him and rolled Sam to his stomach first and then got him up on his side putting the pillows back to keep him off his back. He made sure Sam looked comfortable before stepping away.

"We're gonna head back to our room, watch a little TV or sleep," Shadow said gathering up trash and getting up.

"Yeah, I could do with a little more sleep," Trace commented doing the same. "You know where to find us."

"See you in the morning," Dean replied.

"Night guy,." Nitro called while cleaning up the other trash.

Dean turned on the television and adjusted the volume before quickly flipping through the channels finally stopping on an old movie. He stretched out on his bed and watched Nitro go to the closet looking for a blanket and pillow.

"The bed's big enough; no need you sleeping on the couch," Dean told her patting the other side of his bed. "Might as well be comfortable."

"Didn't want to intrude," she said hesitating in joining him.

"We've been through too much together for you to ever think you're intruding. Now settle down and let's watch this movie," Dean insisted.

"You're right, this is by far much better than some of the places we had to sleep," she finally agreed sitting down at the foot of the bed to take off her boots before crawling up it and settling down beside Dean, far enough away that they didn't touch. In less than fifteen minutes they had both drifted into a light sleep as the low noises of racing cars filled the room.

A/N: Before you ask, yes Sam and Dean will have there one on one in the last chapter and decisions will be made. It looks like this short will only be 10 chapters, 11 at the most. Thank you to all who have followed, favored and left reviews. Thank you to the guests who have left reviews too. Reviews are always welcome, please take a moment and leave one. NC