Chapter 23

Sam was apprehensive as he followed the nurse down the long hall toward Dean's room. His body was so tense, he thought it might snap.

"You need to prepare yourself," the nurse spoke kindly to Sam. "Just remember that he's still alive and every hour he is, is a step in his favor."

"Alright," Sam nodded. "A family friend is coming today, will he be able to see Dean too?"

"We prefer only family and one at a time, but I'll leave a note to allow your friend a few minutes."

"Thank you." Sam placed his hand on the handle and drew in a deep breath as he squared his shoulders and prepared himself to see his brother. With a gentle push, the door opened on well-oiled hinges allowing him entrance.

The room was dimly lit by recessed lighting, soft beeping from the equipment by the bed, a hissing from the oxygen receptacle in the wall at the head of the bed were the only noises to greet him. Knowing he couldn't delay further, Sam walked quietly to the bed and looked down at his brother.

Dean was as pale as the white sheets on the bed. His face and arms were covered in a smattering of multicolored bruises. An IV was in one arm and a blood pressure cuff was positioned on the other. His face was gaunt, and the skin was tight against his cheek bones.

"Dean, I'm here," Sam whispered to his brother as he pulled a chair close to the bed to sit down. He lowered the bed enough that he would have better access to his brother. Dean's hand was cold as he grasped it with his own and pressed it to his forehead. "The doctors are doing all they can to help you bro. Just hang in there…"

It was all he could do to not break down but knew that wouldn't do anyone any good. He had to be strong for Dean, his brother needed him right now. Sam's lips moved as he silently prayed for Dean's recovery. He couldn't lose his brother too. That might be too much for him to cope with.

Sam looked up when a nurse stepped into the room and went to the other side of the bed, pressing buttons to check Dean's vitals. The blood pressure cuff inflated around Dean's arm and the machine began to beep as it slowly deflated until the reading showed on the monitor.

Sam watched closely and checked the readings thinking they were not normal. He looked at Dean when he twitched in his comatose state and his body jerked.

"What's happening to him?" Sam asked the nurse.

"It's his body going through withdrawals from the drugs," she explained. "He's being given medicine to flush everything out of his system and given fluids to replace what he's lost. It's going to be a rough few days for your brother I'm afraid."

"Does this procedure always work?"

"Each person is different so I can't say. With your brother's other injuries, it will make it harder for him to recover. The doctors won't know if there will be any permanent damage until they wake him up."

"Oh, I see," Sam mumbled as his mind began to go over this information.

"If you need anything let me know. My name is Sadie, I'm the day nurse."

"Thank you Sadie, I will." Sam straightened the sheets around Dean's body and felt his forehead, thinking he seemed warm, but decided it might be because of the detox he was going through. He looked around and checked a cabinet to find another blanket. Sam carefully spread it over Dean's prone body before sitting back down. He took Dean's hand again and rubbed it between his own.

"I came as soon as I found out you were missing. I had enough leave saved up to get out early. My team was disbanded since some were getting out and coming back to the states. I didn't want to head another team. We had grown very close, and it wouldn't seem right starting over with new Marines. I trusted each one of them and they trusted me. It was my job to plan the missions and bring my team back in one piece. I've gotta admit, I grew a lot while I was over there."

Sam looked at Dean's face and noticed how pinched it looked like he was in pain. His heart broke to see him like this, and an ache began to build in his chest. He rubbed his arm to let him know someone was with him. Sam didn't know if Dean could hear him, but he remembered reading somewhere it was beneficial to talk to coma patients. Doctors thought they could hear the person on a subconscious level. He planned on staying with Dean as long as he was allowed. He didn't want to leave him alone in his present state.

Spn

It was midmorning the following day when the door for Dean's room slowly opened and Bobby slipped in. He quickly surveyed the room, seeing Sam sitting next to Dean's bed holding his brother's hand with his head bent forward napping. He looked over at his brother, noting the damage to what little he could see of his skin.

Sam seemed to sense someone was in the room and jerked his head up, moaning softly from a stiff neck. He blinked quickly to clear his vision and saw Bobby standing there.

"Bobby…" Sam croaked out, coughing lightly and clearing his throat.

"Hello son, how's your brother doing?" Bobby questioned as he stepped closer to the bed.

"There's been no change that I can see. At least he's not gotten worse."

"That's a positive thing. How are you doing?" he asked going to Sam's side and laying a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm f…" Sam started but his voice cracked, and he couldn't continue. He sniffed and fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Don't be fibbing to me Sam. You're far from fine. You've just lost your daddy, and your brother is fighting for his life. That's gotta have taken a toil on you. Have you slept any?"

"Not really," Sam admitted as he rolled the sheet between his fingers.

"Eaten anything?" Bobby asked. "Don't bother answering me. Sam, you've got to take care of yourself if you plan on taking care of Dean. At least go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I'll stay with Dean until you get back."

"I don't…"

"I'm not asking boy, I'm telling you. Now get. I'll call you if there's any changes."

"Okay," Sam finally gave in. He got up and shuffled from the room in search of the cafeteria. He knew Bobby was right, but he had no appetite and didn't know if he could keep food down right now. His stomach was in knots and churned with acid.

The cafeteria wasn't busy, and Sam looked over the selections deciding on something light, choosing some soup and crackers. He got a ginger ale and paid for the purchases before taking a seat near a window. He crumbled the crackers in the soup and stirred it before taking a bite. Once he saw it was going to stay down, he slowly ate more and sipped his ginger ale.

He rubbed his forehead trying to ease the annoying headache that was building behind his eyes. Knowing he should take something before it got worse, Sam got up and bought some Tylenol and shook three pills out. He washed them down with the ginger ale and ate a little more soup before stopping. Once he had thrown away his trash, Sam found a restroom and used it before heading back to Dean's room.

Bobby looked up when Sam stepped back into the room. He got up to take the other chair so Sam could sit by his brother's side.

"Don't guess it will do any good to tell you to get a motel room," Bobby surmised.

"I'm staying here with Dean. He needs to know I'm here."

"Well, I'm going to the one down the street and getting a room, you'll need a place to shower at least."

"Thanks Bobby," Sam said shyly.

"I'll bring you some food and drink back this evening and give you a break. That is, if the doctor will allow it."

"I'll be sure everyone knows," Sam assured him. He was happy to have his support and his company during this trying time.

"I'll be back later."

"Alright." Sam didn't take his gaze from Dean's face as Bobby left them alone in the room. Dean's eyes were moving erratically under his lids like he was dreaming but it wasn't pleasant ones. "I'm back Dean. You're not alone, you need to work on beating this. You're strong and can come back to me. Why don't I put some music on," he asked pulling his cell out. "I'll see if I can find something you will like." Sam pulled up his music and scrolled through the list before stopping on a song. He let it play adjusting the volume low and laid it near Dean's head.

Spn

Four days had passed, and the doctors were going to bring Dean out of the coma. He had been detoxed from the drugs and were going to let him wake on his own. He was still stable, and each day he seemed to get a little stronger. Sam only left his brother's side to run to the motel to shower and change clothes. Bobby kept him supplied with food and drink and relieved him so he could have a break.

Sam was using lemon flavored swabs to wipe Dean's chapped lips and inside his mouth and jumped when Dean mumbled something and spit the swab out.

"Dean, hey man, are you waking up?" Sam asked him, cupping his face and watching anxiously as he rolled his head letting out a soft groan. "That's it bro. You're safe, I found you, and got you out of that hell hole."

Dean wrinkled his forehead and cracked his eyes for a moment before letting them fall shut again. His lips parted like he wanted to say something but couldn't. His breathing evened out and he weakly gripped Sam's hand as he went to sleep.

"Get some rest bro. I'll be right here when you're ready to wake up." Sam leaned back in the recliner but kept a firm grip on Dean's hand. He watched his chest rise and fall and thought his breathing was stronger and he wasn't sweating or trembling anymore. The doctors thought he was making good progress and seemed hopeful he would continue to improve.

Since Dean had been in the hospital, Sam had barely slept, catching a short nap here and there. He was running on fumes and kept himself going with strong coffee and sheer will.

It was in the early morning hours and Sam was resting his head on the bed at Dean's arm. He had dozed off from exhaustion. Something was happening as he tried to get his addled mind to process it. He could feel someone rubbing his head and jerked up to see Dean looking at him through half closed eyes.

"Dean," Sam slurred, wiping the drool from his chin. "Hey, welcome back," he said in a soft, caring voice.

"S…Sa…" Dean tried to get out and grimaced in pain.

"Here, try sipping a little water. Not much, just wet your mouth," Sam cautioned him. He picked up the insulated cup and held it so Dean could capture the straw and sip some water but pulled it away before he over did it. "I'll call for the nurse," he continued pressing the call button.

"Sammy?" Dean asked again unsure if he was dreaming or hallucinating.

"Yeah, bro, it's me. You're safe and in a hospital. We rescued you."

"We were kidnapped," Dean started. "Dad, how's Dad? Can't remember…Drugged me."

Sam looked away and wouldn't meet Dean's gaze. He didn't know if he should tell him about their father or wait until he was stronger. He was afraid Dean might relapse from the news. His hand was squeezed again and pulled on slightly making him look back to his brother.

"He didn't make it," Dean whispered. "Sammy don't lie," he insisted in as strong a voice as he could that made him cough several times. "Damn, that hurt."

"Yes, can I help you?" the nurse asked as he walked into the room.

"Dean has woken up but is still kind of out of it," Sam told her.

"That is wonderful. I'll page the doctor and let him know. He should be by to see him." The nurse checked Dean's vitals and IV before leaving.

"I got there as quickly as I could," Sam started explaining. "I wasn't soon enough…The doctors couldn't save him…" his voice trailed off as his throat tightened up and his eyes filled with tears.

"Can't blame yourself," Dean told him. "Was tortured…Body gives up." He closed his eyes feeling so weak and drained. Just this short conversation had done him in.

Sam sensed his brother's distress and knew he needed to rest.

"Try to rest some more. We'll talk more later. I'll be here when you wake. I'm not going anywhere."

"You too," Dean mumbled as his mind shut down. He couldn't deal with all this right now. His body and mind were in too weakened a state to process and come to terms with it.

Sam sat back in the recliner and placed a hand on Dean's arm, so he'd have physical contact with him. He breathed a sigh of relief that he had woken and hoped that was a good sign he was on his way to recovering. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as he let himself drift into a light sleep but was always aware of his brother.

A/N: Dean has woken up and learns his father's death. Will the brothers be able to deal with their grief and loss? One more chapter to go. Thank you to any guests who have left reviews. I do like reviews/comments. NC