This is another chapter without smut...the smut will return in the next one and you won't be disappointed!

"Is there any hope, Mom?"he asked, holding back his tears.

"Of course."she forced a smile out, looking over his shoulder as he heard a door open.

Turning, he saw Dean walking toward them. Ben tried to hide it, but Dean looked awful. Which was something big to say the least. His eyes were bloodshot, as if he'd been crying. Feeling his mom shift, he jumped off as she stood. Dean smiled at her warmly and bent down and kissed her cheek. She giggled and gave him a big hard hug. Ben turned away, feeling his ears burn with embarrassment. He turned back around quickly averted his gaze as she spanked Dean's butt. Smiling, he gave them a few moments before he felt it was safe to turn around.

Sighing, Dean had walked over and sat in the large armchair his mom had previously been in. Without any hesitation his mom walked over and sat on his lap and leaned against his chest. They seemed perfectly happy, well...his mom did. Behind her, Dean gave him a soft smile that said "Humor her". Honestly, he didn't mind at all, anything that took her mind off her awful condition. Walking over to them, he bent down kissed his mom on the cheek. She sniffed and without warning, pulled him down and he found himself sitting on her lap once more. Below them, Dean gave a grunt with the added weight.

"Hey!"he called, still grunting.

Feeling movement, he turned and watched her bend down and whisper something into Dean's ear. Dean's expression became mischievous and he felt his mom gently push him off. Curious, he raised an eyebrow and began to move back, but was caught off guard. Dean reached out and grabbed him by the arm. Surprised, he was yanked forward and found his chest laying across Dean's lap. He felt a gentle slap behind him. Turning his head, he watched as his mom playfully started spanking him. They didn't hurt at all and by the fourteenth spank, she was chuckling happily. She paused and he began to open his mouth to tell her she still had one left, she looked up at Dean. Turning his head, he found himself looking at a smirking Dean. Raising a large hand, he swung it down and slapped his ass much harder and he let out an "Ow!".

"Dean!" his mom said, sounding a bit surprised.

"Sorry bud." he said with a wink.

"That's alright Mom, I'll get him back later."he said, giving Dean the evil eye.

Dean's smirk dropped a bit, but still kept an air of playfulness. They sat around a table in the corner and brought out some cards and played rummy twice, all the while talking and having fun. His mom went over and pulled out dominoes and they played, which Dean had to explain it to him. After a while, he finally got the hang of it, and began to win. It seemed the time hadn't moved when he heard a door open behind them. Turning, he noticed the doctor look at his watch and tapped it a couple of times. Ben looked at the large clock to the right and discovered it was after 6 pm.

"Sorry guys, visiting time's over. The usual time is 5, but seeing as it's your birthday,"he smiled gently at him,"I decided to give you some extra time. Still, time's up."he said pleasantly.

Sighing, Lisa nodded sadly and hugged Dean and he once again kissed her on the cheek. He stood and walked over to the door with the doctor, giving him and his mom a moment. He didn't want to leave, the time had passed so quickly, and it felt as if they hadn't even spent much time together, though it was well over a 6 hours. He felt furious as tears started to fall. She shushed him and hugged him, telling him it would be alright. Once more she wished him a happy birthday. Wrapping his arms around her, he buried his face in her shoulder, the tears falling even faster.

Finally, he got his emotions under control and took a huge gulp of air before finally releasing her. Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked towards Dean, not looking back, fearing he'd lose it again. Smiling gently at him, Dean opened the door and they walked out. In the corridor, Dean wrapped his large arm around his shoulder and they walked out of the building. Outside, he squared his jaw and grabbed Dean's large hand and intertwined their fingers, not caring if anyone saw them. Surprisingly, Dean's hold tightened, and he leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. At this, he became embarrassed and quickly looked around, hoping there were no witnesses. Luckily, no one was around, and the blinds were closed all along the clinic's large windows.

Reluctantly, he released Dean's large hand and walked to the passenger door of the truck and got in. Dean got in and started the engine. He began to open his mouth to say something, but was cut off as the whole situation broke down upon him. The tears came, and his resolve failed. He hadn't meant to, but he was clutching Dean as he wailed, not able to stop himself. Reaching over, Dean pulled him in, all the while shushing and rocking him. His strong arms wrapped around him, with one stroking his back. For once, he didn't feel embarrassed at all about his sobbing.

"I got you, Ben, I got you. Let it out, as loud and as long as you need to."he soothed sounding a bit stuffy nosed.

His compassion and understanding meant the world to him. He did exactly as Dean said, and just went on and on. Having no idea how long it lasted, his tears finally dried up, and it all came to an end. Starting to hiccup, he sighed and patted Dean's chest, indicating he was better. Dean sniffed and slowly, and reluctantly released his hold. Sitting up, he looked over at Dean, noticing he too had cried along with him, but must have been silent. Reaching over, he used his hand and wiped away a few tears off of Dean's cheek, while Dean did the same to him. Leaning up, he kissed Dean, not sexually, but compassionately, which was returned. They sat there, their foreheads leaning against each other, staring deeply into the others' eyes.

"I love you, Ben, and we're going to save your mom no matter what it takes. I promise to you, it's not over, not by a long shot love."