Chapter 6

Dean had gotten Sam to move to the backseat when he stopped for gas and gave him a couple of pain pills to keep him comfortable for the last leg of the drive to Sioux Falls. Sam had complained, but finally gave in after walking to the restroom and seeing how much that took out of him. He readily took the pills and settled with the pillow and blanket stretched out in the back.

"You okay Sammy?" Dean asked once he was settled behind the steering wheel. He glanced back at Sam to see him snuggled down in the back with the blanket tucked around him. His slight shivering didn't get by Dean as Sam closed his eyes and relaxed. Dean pulled back onto the highway and found a suitable lane to drive in. He popped a piece of jerky in his mouth and let the flavors explode over his taste buds as he chewed it.

The traffic was moving at a steady pace and Dean was making suitable time and would be at the salvage yard in about an hour. He shrugged his shoulders and rolled his head around trying to relieve the tension in his neck and shoulders. He loosened his grip on the steering wheel and flexed his fingers while still steering the car. He would be glad to get to Bobby's so he could relax a little and get ready to leave the following morning.

The rain started again about forty miles from the salvage yard. Dean turned on the wipers and slowed as the road started getting wet and slick. He changed lanes to join the slower moving vehicles and to have more space between the Impala and the other vehicles.

The closer Dean got to the salvage yard, the harder it rained, almost making it impossible to see the road in front of him. Being cautious, Dean moved over again into the slower lane and hit the flashers as he slowed to a crawl as the others around him did the same. He continued, being extra cautious watching for his exit that was a few miles ahead of him.

The rain began to slacken as Dean pulled onto the road of the salvage yard. By the time he pulled through the gates and around to the front of the two-story house, it had almost stopped. He parked and killed the engine and sat there a minute before looking over the seat to his brother who was dozing.

"Sammy, hey man, wake up; we're here," Dean called to him, reaching over to shake his arm.

"Wh…" Sam slurred as he moved to sit up and groaned softly from the pain. He blinked his eyes and squinted as he tried to wake up.

"C'mon dude, let's get you inside and I'll get our things from the car." Dean got out and opened the back to help Sam out.

After Sam got to his feet and leaned against the Impala, they were greeted by Max who raced around the house and skidded to a stop in front of them. He growled deep in his chest as he stood his ground.

"Cool it Max or you won't get any more steaks," Dean told him in a stern voice.

Max's ears when up and he cocked his head when Dean clicked his tongue at him. He didn't move but his tail wagged as he studied the two brothers.

"Max," Tucker called to him from the porch. He had heard the Impala and went out to greet them and see if Dean needed help with Sam. "They're friends, you know that, quit showing off."

Max woofed and went to Dean to let him pet him. He moved to Sam who was still leaning heavily against the Impala and sniffed up and down his leg and butted on his hand for him to pet him. Sam scratched his head for a moment until Dean interrupted.

"You need to lay down," Dean ordered getting a good grip on Sam and guided him toward the front door.

"Need a hand getting him up the steps?" Tucker offered moving to the other side of Sam and lending a hand.

They got him inside and deposited Sam on the couch where he tried to get comfortable and adjusted his body to where he wasn't in pain, at least not as bad.

"Alright," Dean huffed. "I'll get our things since I need to do some laundry and run into town to get some supplies for Bobby because you're going to be here for a while. Where is Bobby anyway?"

"He got a tow job," Tucker offered as he stood to the side listening to the brothers talk.

Max had come inside with them and walked over to Sam to check him out. He sniffed up and down his body before slipping onto the couch and laying his head in his lap.

"I guess I need to thank you for saving me in the woods," Sam told Max as he absently rubbed his head and down his back.

Max looked up at him and woofed softly, answering him.

"You're a good dog."

Max growled softly and snorted at him as he looked at Tucker.

"Oh, he doesn't like being called a dog," Tucker translated. He gave a couple of hand signals to Max who yipped at him and laid his head back down.

Sam looked at Dean and then at Tucker and Max. He could see the intelligence in Max's eyes and was amazed at the connection the two of them had. He spotted the hand signals but didn't know what they meant.

Dean came back inside with their bags and headed to the laundry room to start a load of clothes. Once that was done, he stopped at the fridge to check what Bobby had and looked in a couple of cabinets before joining them in the living room.

"You want some company Dean?" Tucker asked him when he saw he was leaving. "I'll even drive."

"Now you're talking," Dean beamed happily as he rolled his tired shoulders. "We'll bring dinner back too. Okay Sammy, here's your next dose of meds and a drink. Take them in thirty minutes. I'll set your cell to alarm when it's time," he told him putting the items on the end table before digging out Sam's cell and fiddling with it. "Just relax and don't overtax yourself. I'm going to text Bobby that you're here, so he won't surprise you when he gets back and let him know we've gone to town for supplies and dinner."

"Max can keep you company," Tucker added seeing how he was guarding Sam. "Max, protect." He got a grunt from Max as he was reveling in the attention Sam was lavishing on him. "Don't get too spoiled with all the attention," he chuckled as Max pulled one side of his mouth back to growl softly and show his teeth.

"Alright," Sam sighed softly feeling how drained his body was. He didn't think he could make the trip to town anyway. His body didn't want to cooperate right now and was happy to just lay on the couch.

"Let's do this," Dean told him. They headed out and got into Tucker's truck to head into town. Dean gave him directions to the store and sat back enjoying being chauffeured around. "Did you look over the information Bobby gathered?"

"Yes, I agree with him, I think this may be a case."

"You can fill me in when we get back and we'll decide on a plan."

"You've got the lead, I'm just the backup," Tucker stated not having a problem with Dean doing that. He was a calm, easy-going, serious, quiet person who said little, but saw everything. He had been trained extremely well in the Marines and used his skills as a hunter.

spn

The house was quiet as Bobby let himself in. He walked into the living room and found Sam slumped on the couch with his head back asleep. Max was still lying partly in his lap and eyed Bobby as he continued to the kitchen trying to be quiet so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping Winchester. He poured a cup of coffee and quietly went back out to head to the garage and do some work.

It wasn't long before Dean and Tucker were back from town and headed inside with bags in their hands. Dean nodded to the couch where Sam was asleep, his head rolled to the side and face slack. His mouth was slightly open, and drool was running from the corner.

Max didn't move from where he lay across Sam's lap. His eyes followed the two as they quietly walked on into the kitchen to deposit the bags on the counter.

"I'll get the rest and you can start putting things away," Tucker offered.

"Fine with me. I'll get Sammy up when I'm done, and we have the food ready. I saw the tow truck was back. You wanna go tell Bobby we'll be eating shortly?"

"That I can do." Tucker headed into the living room and paused at the couch. He snapped his fingers and Max raised his head to look at him and then back at Sam who hadn't moved. "He'll be okay boy, why don't you go outside and do your business?"

Max whined softly and carefully eased from the couch to follow Tucker outside. He took off around the house while Tucker headed to the garage to deliver the message to Bobby. After that, he went back to the Impala and grabbed the rest of the bags to take inside. He found Dean busily emptying bags and storing the food in the cabinets or fridge.

"This is the last of them," Tucker relayed to Dean sitting them on the counter.

"Good," Dean replied. "You wanna get the food set out for dinner and I'll finish these last bags."

"Sure, are paper plates okay with you?"

"Yeah, it'll make clean up easier." Dean found places for all the food he had bought and stored the empty bags under the sink in a sack. After washing his hands, he headed into the living room to wake his brother.

"Hey, Bobby," he whispered when Bobby came in.

"Dean. How's your brother?" Bobby questioned.

"Better, but still weak and in pain."

"You can tell me what happened after we eat."

"I will. I'll get Sammy settled in bed and we'll talk." Dean moved to his brother's side and sat down on the couch. "Sammy, hey bro, time to wake up," Dean cooed to him as he gave his shoulder a gentle shake.

"Mmmm…" Sam mumbled as he rolled his head and tried to force his eyes opened. He raised his good hand to his face and wiped it feeling the drool on his chin.

"We've got dinner ready. Are you hungry?"

"Not really…" Sam grimaced as he tried to sit up and adjust his body.

"You need to eat something," Dean encouraged. "Sammy, you missed taking your pain meds," he gently chastised him. "Didn't you hear your cell?" He reached and picked up the pills and bottle of water to take with them. "C'mon, Tuck has the food ready and after you eat, you're taking a shower and going to bed. No argument about it either."

"Okay…" Sam sighed knowing it would do no good to argue and a shower did sound good. He let Dean help him from the couch and guide him into the kitchen where he took a seat at the table. The aroma of food hit him, and he swallowed hard.

"I got you a baked potato and soup," Dean told him pulling the containers over to Sam. "And some ginger ale to drink. Try eating something and then take your pain meds."

"How are you feeling Sam?" Bobby asked him as he looked the young hunter over.

"I'm fine," Sam replied, trying to give him a smile.

"Oh son, you know you can't lie to me," Bobby sighed seeing how pale he looked and the tremble in his hands.

"Sorry Bobby," Sam apologized as he looked down at his plate. "I'm still sore and need to be careful how I move. I'm not that steady on my feet either."

"That sounds better. Well, you just take it easy and let yourself heal."

"Eat Sammy, so you can take your meds. You know they don't do well on an empty stomach."

"Okay, okay…" Sam fussed picking his fork up and taking a bite of potato. He chewed slowly and swallowed and sipped some ginger ale waiting to see if it would settle on his stomach. His stomach growled softly, and he burped suddenly. "Excuse me…" Sam mumbled wiping his mouth.

"We did a supply run for you Bobby. You should be good on food for a few weeks," Dean told him.

"Thanks son, I was going to do that tomorrow, you saved me the trouble."

"Sammy, I got some protein drinks for you until your appetite is back."

"Thanks Dean." Sam tried the soup, but the food didn't have much taste yet. He ate part of the potato and some of the soup before stopping and pushing it away.

"That's good Sammy, go ahead and take your meds," Dean instructed him.

"Where's Max?" Sam asked missing the dog.

"He outside eating and getting some exercise," Tucker told him.

"How long have you had him?"

"We were teamed up while I was in the service. He saved my life several times and together we saved a lot of fellow soldiers' lives. When I got out, I got Max out too. By then, we had such a strong connection I couldn't leave him behind and he wouldn't work with anyone else. It would have been like leaving a part of me behind."

Sam looked at Dean thinking how similar Tucker and Max's relationship was to their own. He looked into Dean's eyes and saw he must be thinking the same. He picked the pills up and slipped them into his mouth washing them down with ginger ale.

"Boys, the meal was good, but I've got some research to do," Bobby told them as he wiped his mouth and pushed his chair away from the table. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

"Alright Bobby. Let me clean up here Sammy, and I'll help you get a shower," Dean said.

"You help your brother and I'll do this," Tucker offered. "It's the least I can do since you wouldn't let me pay for dinner."

"Fine with me, thanks. C'mon bro, I'll check your wounds and redress them." Dean got up and waited as Sam eased from his chair and steadied himself with the table before shuffling toward the stairs. He stopped at the bottom and looked up at them, thinking it was a long way to the second floor.

"Need some help?" Dean asked from behind him.

"No, I've got this," Sam replied. He took a deep breath and gripped the railing tightly as he started up the steps. It was slow progress, and a thin line of sweat broke out above his lip before he got to the second floor. He heard Dean let out a long breath behind him as he joined him.

"Alright," Dean sighed. "I'll get you some sleep clothes to put on after your shower. Our clothes should be dry by the time I get back downstairs, and I'll fold them and bring them up when I come to bed." He stepped into the bedroom and rummaged in Sam's dresser for briefs, sleep pants, and T-shirt. When he joined Sam in the bathroom, he had taken his shirt off and toed off his boots. "Sit on the commode and I'll take the dressings off."

"Okay," Sam nodded taking a seat. He watched as Dean started with his arm and carefully pulled the tape loose so he could remove the pads covering the stitched gashes.

Once Dean got the first pad off, he inspected the wound, checking for any infection. It looked good and he moved to the wound on his side and did the same.

"Now, drop the jeans so I can check your leg and then you can shower."

Sam stood and did as Dean requested but grunted when he started to lean over to get his jeans off.

"Here, let me help," Dean offered, reaching down to get Sam's jeans over his feet and tossed out of the way. He took off his socks and reached to remove the pad covering the last of the wounds on his leg. "They're looking good bro. I don't see any infection and they're healing nicely."

"Good."

"Will you be okay on your own or do you need help?"

"No, I'll be okay." Sam hated feeling helpless and didn't want Dean helping him shower.

"I'll be in the bedroom. If you need help, call me. I'll leave the door partly open."

"Okay," Sam nodded reaching to turn on the water. He waited as it got hot and adjusted it before carefully stepping into the tub. Sam balanced himself before stepping back under the spray and letting the water wash over him. It felt good and he stood there for a moment before shampooing his hair and rinsing it. He took a washcloth and soaped it so he could gently rub over his wounds to clean them. He washed his body and felt the energy draining from him. Sam turned the water off and grabbed a towel to dry his body. It was hard since his injured arm throbbed from the movement. He stepped from the tub and sat down on the commode before he fell. After a couple of deep breaths, Sam put on his briefs and called for his brother so he could redress his wounds.

"Dean, I'm done showering," Sam called loud enough for Dean to hear.

"Bet you feel better. Let me get the cream and clean pads and I'll have you all fixed up," Dean told him stepping into the bathroom. He got what he needed from the first aid kit under the sink and expertly doctored his stitched wounds and taped pads over them. "Hold your feet up and I'll get your sleep pants on you." Dean picked up the soft sleep pants and waited as Sam lifted one foot and then the other for him to slip them over his feet and pull them up his legs. He got them settled on his hips and got his pajama shirt, helping him slip it onto his arms and button up.

"Your bed's ready for you bro," Dean told Sam helping him to stand and felt the trembling of Sam's body as he guided him back to the bedroom.

"Thanks," Sam mumbled as he sat on the bed and carefully stretched out. He didn't complain when Dean pulled the covers up and tucked him in.

"Get some rest Sammy," Dean whispered running a hand over his damp hair. He looked at his brother as he relaxed, and his breathing slowed. He stood there a few more minutes before quietly leaving the room and heading downstairs.

A/N: The brothers made it to Bobby's and Dean is getting ready to leave with Tucker. Sam's not liking being left behind and it's hard for him to trust Dean's life with anyone else. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC