Summary: AU: Stanford Era: "Dean … Sammy's in trouble." A late night phone call sends Dean Winchester and long-time friend, Caelan Hagan in a desperate search to find Sam before the unthinkable happens; uncovering lies and secrets involving the youngest Winchester, that have been years in the making.

Warnings: Violence, swearing, physical abuse, torture, implied adult themes.

Disclaimer: I don't own the supernatural characters.

Author's Note: Just another possibility on why Sam left for Stanford. Hope you enjoy.

Special Note: Special thanks to Kas3y and Marylouanna for your kind reviews. Here's another chapter just for all you guys who have taken the time out to read this story and to all the people who have this story on their alerts or have put it on their favourite lists. Thanks. It means a lot.

DEMON SPAWN: THE PHONE CALL

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Hospital?! Oh God, no!

Sam's head shot up, his eyes wide and frantic. "No!" he said loudly, stubbornly. "No hospital! Dean … you can patch me up."

Dean took in his brother's wide, panicked eyes, fill of fear, shame, embarrassment and humiliation, knowing how terrified and freaked his little brother was right now to have strangers put their hands all over him. But …

Dean ran a critical eye up and down the length of Sam's body, knowing that some of Sam's wounds were beyond his medical expertise and capabilities. Dean bit his lower lip, not wanting to deny anything that the kid wanted right now, but this …

"Sam … I don't think I can man," Dean whispered, watching Sam's expression fall in disappointment.

"Dee, please," Sam begged, sound like a vulnerable child which pulled at Dean's protective strings.

"Sammy … I don't even know if I can pop your shoulder back in without causing some major damage or pain. Your knee is fucked and I'm fairly certain you've busted some ribs, not to mention your broken wrist … Sammy, I can't fix those types of injuries dude." Dean said softly, pleading for his little brother to at least try to understand where he was coming from. "And then there's the more … delicate injuries … I'm sorry Sammy, I can't fix you by myself. You need to see a real doctor."

Sam hung his head, feeling the tremors of fear racing through his body. He knew Dean was right; intellectually, Sam knew that he needed to be in a hospital and to be seen by a real doctor, but the thought of being in that environment; clinical cold hands assessing him and putting his bones and body back into order; being asked questions on how he had received all of these injuries; not being able to have his brother close at hand, not entirely sure who he could trust …

Oh God, it was going to be a nightmare!

Sam was fully prepared to accept the consequences of his body not healing completely, causing him pain for years to come if that meant he didn't have to go to hospital and have all of those strangers poke and prod at him, demanding answers that Sam didn't know if he could or wanted to give them. Hell, he'd even gladly walk with a limp if that's what it took. But, please, Dean, please no hospital!

Dean glanced over at Caelan over the top of Sam's sunken, despondent head, the kid's tortured sobs tearing at Dean's very soul, looking over at Caelan, a look of desperation and helplessness upon his face. All he wanted to do was to deposit his brother in the Impala, drive as far and as fast away as he could away from this dreaded place, keeping Sam by his side forever in order to keep him safe from the so-called Hunters who had viciously and violently attacked his baby brother for no reason; protecting him, guiding him and looking after him because no one else could do the job required in order for Dean to be able to care for his Sammy. It was his job to protect and look out for Sammy; and Dean was determined to fulfil his job description to the best of his ability. No one was getting near his Sammy ever again without his say so!

Caelan's expression softened at the look of Dean's evident desperation in wanting to do what the kid wanted, fighting with the realistic side of him that knew that Sam required proper medical attention.

Caelan smiled gently as he placed a calming, soothing hand upon Dean's shoulder. "I think I may have a solution to your problem my man," Caelan said, turning to give a cold, calculating stare at the two occupants in the Ferrari before he faced the Winchester siblings once more, letting out his breath in a low sigh, knowing that Dean wasn't going to be too thrilled with this suggestion – hell, Caelan wouldn't be surprised if Dean didn't try to knock him out for this! – but also knowing that it was the only viable option that the two siblings had left.

"What?" Dean asked, both eager and apprehensive at the same time. "What are you thinking dude?"

Caelan gave Dean a cursory glance before he ducked his head down to meet the younger hesitant sibling's eyes. "Hey Sammy," Caelan said softly, his smile gentle and affectionate. "Hate to tell you this kid, but you look like shit!"

Sam offered Caelan a slight shrug in reply even as he instinctively pressed closer to Dean.

Caelan shot another look in Dean's direction before he turned his attention back to Sam, still speaking in that same calm, soothing tone, hoping not to spook or upset the boy too much. "I know that the last thing you need or want right now is to be handled by strange doctors and nurses … but like Dean said, your injuries are too … complex for him to handle alone."

Sam raised wide panicked eyes to Caelan, wordlessly pleading with Caelan to not make him go to a place he really didn't want to be at. Please, not with all of those strangers and …

"Relax," Caelan gently soothed the younger man. "I'm not going to force you to do anything that you don't want to do, and I doubt that Dean has the heart to do that to you either. What if I could promise you that Dean could be with you at all times? Would you be willing to go then?"

Sam considered Caelan's request and the hopeful look within Sam's enormously large hazel eyes almost brought tears to Caelan's own eyes as Sam slowly nodded his consent to Caelan's question. If Dean could be with at all times, Sam would be able to brave all of those nameless doctors and nurses. He just couldn't do it alone … at least, not right at this moment anyway.

Caelan beamed at Sam proudly, knowing how difficult it must be for the young man to be in a strange, unfamiliar place after what he had been though, surrounded by cold and faceless people that he didn't know. This kid's courage never ceased to amaze him!

Another anxious glance toward Dean and Dean was starting to get the impression that he wasn't going to like this idea of Caelan's at all as he gave Caelan a pointed look before turning his attention back to Sam.

"There's a problem though Sammy. In order to get you into a hospital like that and to be seen by a doctor who will allow your brother to be with you every step of the way …" Caelan hesitated, running a quick, nervous hand through his hair before continuing. "It will mean having to ask one of those two fuck-heads over there for a favour … " Caelan indicated Peter and Hank with a jerk of his head, seeing absolute terror enter the kid's hazel eyes before he heard the expected explosive outburst from Dean.

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Shit!

Looks like John did have someone tailing him and someone who had witnessed him murdering Marc; someone who was content to quietly follow John, making a damn good job of not drawing attention to themselves while they patiently waited for an opportune moment to catch John unaware.

Fuck!

Now John's options were really limited. But first thing he had to do was to lose this guy. He needed some alone time if he was going to pull off the plan that had been formulating in his mind ever since he'd heard Marc's confession. Didn't matter that this was Plan D … it was the only viable option that he had left.

John spent an hour driving both defensively and like a mad lunatic in order to try and ditch his tail, all the while trying to drive as if John wasn't aware of the guy following behind him. The last thing that John wanted was to tip the guy that he had been spotted because John had no clue what he would do and he hadn't had a chance to put his plan into effect yet.

Half an hour later saw John parked up in a town, whose name John didn't know or could care less about, heading to the post-delivery box. There, John licked the envelope to seal it, hurriedly writing the name and address of the person he was sending this vital information to, praying that these bastards wouldn't think to intercept the mail – and once they finally did figure out that John didn't have the information on his person – that they wouldn't even consider that John would send it in the mail to this actual person.

It was the last person in the world that John would send valuable information to, not wanting to involve them, desperately trying to protect them. But John knew that this person would be able to keep the sensitive information safe until John could retrieve it again … if he could retrieve it again, John amended quietly.

Depositing the letter and its contents into the mail box, John quickly got behind the wheel of his truck and left this nameless town behind him, still very conscious of the dead body that he had in the back of his truck.

John wasn't stupid enough to think that he had lost his tail for good. The guy was too good at following John for him to have been able to lose him so easily. So he wasn't surprised when twenty minutes later, John spotted the now familiar car in his rear-view mirror, keeping its distance so as to avoid detection, but close enough in order to follow John wherever he went, no matter how sharply he took a turn or tried to evade him.

Instinctively, John's gut was telling him that this guy was more than just a mere "eyewitness" to a murder. With everything that Marc had revealed, it didn't take a genius to figure out that this secret admirer was either a Hunter – maybe Marc's friends Adams and Stewart – or a Hunter who was connected with the organisation that Marc spoke of. Either way, their objective would be the same; to retrieve any information or evidence John might have obtained – the recorded confession and Marc's dead boy – and to eliminate the possible threat that John now posed to them and their secret organisation.

Rounding the corner to come across a lone stretch of road, with no other traffic except the two of them, John wasn't entirely surprised to see that the car behind him was speeding up. Obviously they were ready to make their move as John gripped the steering-wheel tighter, his jaw clenched together in tension, waiting for the inevitable impact to come.

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"No fucking way Caelan! How the hell can you even suggest such a thing? Having to ask them for a favour … taking Sammy to a hospital that one of their father's own? Are you completely out of your fucking mind?"

"His Dad doesn't own the hospital Dean," Caelan replied calmly, his eyes fixed upon Sam the whole time, assessing the kid's body language, trying to make sure that Sam didn't get too … agitated by this idea.

"His sister runs the hospital, abandoning the Hunter's life so that she could gain a medical degree. If I'm not mistaken, she hasn't talked to her parents in years, but she's still close with her brother and has been known to help out a fellow Hunter or two over the years."

Caelan switched his gaze back to the infuriated older brother before him, understanding Dean's fear and overzealous protectiveness, but really … did Dean honestly think that Caelan would send Sam into a potentially dangerous situation?

"Dean, I've meet the woman – even been to see her a couple of times myself – and I know that she will be able to offer you the discretion, sensitivity and medical knowledge that Sam needs. Dean, I wouldn't willingly send the kid into a harmful situation." Caelan concluded, his dark eyes imploring Dean to have some faith in him.

Caelan saw the stubborn lines fix onto his best friend's face, opening his mouth to argue with Caelan's assessment, but before he could even form the words to begin his counter argument, Sam's soft, determined, sure tone of voice stopped Dean in his tracks.

"Okay," Sam agreed. "I'll go to this hospital, but only if I get seen by her and if Dean stays with me." Sam declared, the Winchester stubbornness showing within his eyes. As far as he was concerned, this discussion was over.

"You've got it Sammy," Caelan grinned, nodding in relief. "Dean, get Sammy to the hospital. If, after you've met her, you still don't like her or think it's not a good idea, then you can always leave … right?"

Dean glanced from Caelan to Sam and then back to Caelan again, wanting to rip into his friend for even suggesting that Sam go to a hospital that one of those asshole's sibling worked at … but one look at his brother's haggard and exhausted features, changed Dean's mind. Caelan was right. If he didn't like the situation once they had entered the hospital, then they could always leave.

Dean gave Caelan a tight nod of agreement for his friend to proceed, but Caelan could also detect the this-is-far-from-over look and we-will-discuss-this-once-Sammy's-better look.

"Okay," Caelan replied to Dean's silent looks. "I'll make all of the arrangements you'll need for the hospital, and wait here for Caleb. Once I've finished up here, I'll meet you both at the hospital."

"Okay," Dean said, his voice clipped, tone indicating that he was not happy with this situation as he gently guided his younger brother to the Impala and helped him into the passenger seat before closing the door behind him.

"Caelan," Dean called out, watching as his friend stopped and looked back at him quizzically. "You be careful," Dean told him seriously. "If things go … if it's not in your favour, get out and come find us, okay dude?"

Caelan gave Dean a lop-sided grin before he waved Dean's worry about his safety away dismissively. "I'll be fine man, you just take care of the little dude, and I'll see you both soon." Caelan promised, watching as Dean got into the Impala and drove away with his precious cargo on board; while Caelan walked over to make a deal with one of the fuck-heads who had helped to put both of his brothers in this awkward and terrifying position.

To ensure that Sammy got the help he needed and to keep the promise he had made to the kid about Dean being able to stay with him throughout the whole process of his treatment, Caelan stepped forward and eyed the two occupants in the Ferrari with a cold, calculation expression.

It was time to make a deal.

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Before John could feel the car behind him hit his bumper, a steady stream of traffic from the other side of the road caused his pursuer to fall back. He obviously didn't want any witnesses to the "accident" that he was about to purposely cause.

John breathed a sigh of relief; not that he was scared of having it out with his admirer – in fact, John welcomed it – no, what scared him the most was something happening to him and his boys not knowing what had happened. He didn't want them thinking he had run off and abandoned them. John had to let someone know where he was and what the hell was going on.

Fumbling in his pocket to bring out his phone, keeping an eye on both his pursuer and the road ahead, hoping that his luck would hold out at least until he had gotten this message set; typing upon the keys of his phone in an almost desperate, frantic kind of way, John was able to send out his current location, and an SOS message to his old friend Bobby Singer.

Even though John and Bobby weren't exactly on speaking terms at the moment, John knew that Bobby would put aside his disgruntled feelings toward John and help him out at a moment's notice … because John would do the same for the older Hunter. There was no doubt in John's mind that his boys would be completely safe under Bobby's protection. This was one friend John had never had any doubts about when it came to the safety and well-being of his children.

In fact, that's what the big blow out between the men had been about. Bobby hadn't liked how John had disciplined his boys after a hunt gone badly because of a simple fuck up that Sammy had caused which had just about cost everyone their lives.

Dean had intervened while John was in the middle of disciplining Sammy, which had caused John's temper to spike even further as he'd instinctively struck his oldest son in the jaw, which in turn had Bobby stepping up to give John a piece of his mind on John's "crappy parenting skills" (as Bobby had called it). Not appreciating either Bobby's interference or his unwanted advice, John had packed up, told the boys to get in the car and had left the older Hunter behind, both of them stewing in their own resentment and frustrations.

That incident had happened five years ago; Dean had been twenty and Sammy not long turned sixteen … one month before the anniversary of Mary's death. The two men hadn't spoken since; both of them too stubborn and proud to make the first move and apologize.

But now, with John facing his possible last moments on this earth, he had no doubt that Bobby would come to his aid and keep his boys safe from harm.

John glanced in his rear-view mirror and felt a deadly smirk cross his lips, noticing the Ford Focus speeding up once more as the traffic began to taper off as John pressed his foot down upon the accelerator.

Just because things didn't look too good for John at the moment, that didn't mean that he was going to make it easy on his tail. If the guy was that determined to run John off the road, causing an accident that may result in John's own death, John was damn well going to make sure that the son of a bitch had to work for it!

Now that Sammy was in the custody of his brother's ever watchful care and the taped confession was safely on its way to its new owner, ensuring the protection of both himself and his family, John knew that he didn't have to hold anything back as he felt reckless abandonment surge within him.

"Come on you son of a bitch," John grinned his expression one of fierce determination. "Let's see what you're made of." He challenged his secret admirer, an almost primal satisfaction filling him, knowing that this game of cat and mouse had finally reached its conclusion.

TBC