Chapter 2

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as he slowed to pull through the gates of the salvage yard. He moved slowly around the driveway to the front of the house and parked close to the porch.

"Hey bro, we're here," Sam called to his brother before getting out. He hurried to the other side and opened the door for Dean, almost making him fall from the car.

"Damnit!" Dean snapped as he braced himself and glared angrily at Sam. He was moving like an old man as he got his feet on the ground and gritted his teeth when he pushed his body upward to stand. He smacked at Sam's hands as he tried to help him.

"Stop acting like a five-year-old," Sam snapped getting a strong grip on Dean's arm to help him. "You're going straight to bed and no arguing."

Dean snorted and bit back the groan of pain with each step he took. He stopped at the door, waiting for Sam to knock. They heard footsteps and gruff mumbling as the locks were disengaged and the door opened.

"Boys, good to see you," Bobby greeted them and looked closer seeing the worried look on Sam's face and the weak, pained look on Dean's face.

"I need to get Dean upstairs and in bed," Sam told him guiding Dean inside.

"You do that and come back down and talk to me."

"I will Bobby. C'mon Dean, slow now, one step at a time," Sam instructed him as he grabbed the waistband of his jeans to help him up the stairs. It was slow going but they finally stepped onto to second floor landing and continued down the hall. "Why don't you use the bathroom, and I'll turn your bed down."

Dean grunted in annoyance but shuffled into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Sam hurried to their bedroom and pulled the covers down on Dean's bed and turned the lamp on between their beds. He went back into the hall and waited for Dean to come out of the bathroom.

"Alright bro, let's get you in bed." Sam guided them into the bedroom and let Dean sit on the bed. He helped him get his jacket and long-sleeved shirt off and then his boots and jeans. Once Dean eased onto the mattress, Sam pulled the covers up over his body and tucked him in. "Try to rest. I'll be up in an hour to check on you." He didn't get an answer but didn't expect one.

Spn

After bringing in their bags, Sam found Bobby in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee at the kitchen table. He poured a cup and took a seat across from him.

"Wanna tell me what happened to your brother?" Bobby questioned him as he looked over the rim of his cup.

"We were finishing a hunt, and it went sideways. Dean was thrown into a rock wall, slamming his head hard and bruised his back and side. I took him to the ER even though he didn't want to go. He was unconscious for a few minutes, and I was sure he was concussed. I didn't want to risk it being serious and forced him to go."

"That was good thinking Sam. I know how stubborn your brother can be and how much he hates hospitals," Bobby nodded his understanding.

"I couldn't get him to stay overnight like the doctors wanted. I did get him to agree to come here and recoup. He's going to be out of the action for at least a week or more, what with the bruised ribs and back. He'll need time to recover from the concussion too."

"You're lucky I just got back from a hunt myself," Bobby said. "How 'bout you? Were you hurt?"

"Just a couple scrapes," Sam admitted, letting his gaze drop to his cup of coffee. He tried not to act guilty that he wasn't telling Bobby everything but was afraid to.

Bobby studied the young man who he thought of as a son and knew there something he wasn't saying but didn't press him. He could see how exhausted and weary Sam looked and didn't want to get into it now.

"Why don't you head on up to bed son. You look ready to keel over. You know you're welcome to stay as long as you want."

"Thanks Bobby," Sam sighed as his body seemed to deflate. He took his cup to the sink and grabbed a plastic glass to fill with water to take with him. He snagged their duffels to take them upstairs and trudged back up the stairs to their bedroom. After checking on Dean, Sam got out his bathroom bag and went across the hall to do his routine. He walked back into the bedroom and pulled his cell out to set the alarm so he could wake and check Dean during the night. After stripping down to his briefs and T-shirt, Sam crawled into his bed and settled into the mattress with a deep sigh. The snoring from his brother lulled him into a light sleep.

Spn

An annoying ringing had Sam moaning and rolling over as he fumbled for his cell to cut the alarm off. He wiped his face and lay there for a moment, before pushing himself from the bed and getting up.

"Hey bro," Sam said to his brother as he sat down beside him. "Wake up Dean," Sam insisted patting his cheeks and leaning back when Dean tried to take a weak swing at him.

"Go…'way…" Dean barely got out as he tried to roll over.

"I need to check you," Sam grumbled cupping Dean's face and making him look at him. "How's the head?"

"Screw you," Dean croaked giving him a sour look.

"You need to take some more pain meds." Sam reached over and got the bottle from his jacket and shook out a couple of pills. "Here takes these." Sam gave him the pills and held the glass of water for him to wash them down.

After Dean swallowed the medicine, he let his head rest back on the pillow trying to breathe deeper and winced with the annoying pain. He felt Sam's gentle hand rest on his forehead for a moment and then rub down his cheek. He leaned into the touch, his way of showing his thanks for his brother's ministering.

"Go back to sleep Dean. Sorry I'll have to wake you in another couple of hours," Sam spoke softly to him. He made sure his covers were tucked around his body before moving back to his own bed and setting the alarm again. He lay back down and tried to clear his mind so he could go back to sleep. He blamed himself for what happened to Dean and couldn't rid himself of the guilt he was carrying.

Sam listened to Dean's breathing even out as he went back to sleep. After doing some deep breathing, he let his mind shut down and slipped into the abyss. He didn't let himself go into a deep sleep so he could listen to his brother in case he needed something.

This went on for a couple more times until it was early morning and Sam decided to stay up once Dean had settled back down. He grabbed clean clothes and went into the bathroom to shower. Once the water was hot, Sam stepped under the strong spray, gasping at first until his body adjusted to the temperature.

The hot water felt good as it loosened his stiff muscles in his neck and back. He rolled his shoulders and let the strong spray hit his head for a few minutes before wiping his face of the excess water. After shampooing his hair and washing his body, Sam turned the water off and grabbed a towel to dry off.

Once he was dressed, Sam headed downstairs and smelled the freshly brewed coffee drifting from the kitchen and headed that way. He needed the caffeine to get himself awake and going for the day.

"Good morning, Sam," Bobby greeted him, looking up from his newspaper.

"Morning," Sam yawned as he poured a cup of coffee.

"How's your brother doing?"

"Okay, I guess. I woke him every couple of hours to check him last night. The last time he threatened to shoot me, so I guess he's getting better," Sam chuckled before taking a seat at the table. "He said it was still hard to breath, but he was lucky no ribs were broken."

"He always was a disgruntled patient and could be short tempered," Bobby agreed nodding his head.

"I thought I'd head into town and do a supply run for you since it looks like we'll be here for a while."

"I have some research to do for a hunter and then I'll be in the garage this afternoon. I'll keep an eye on Dean for you while you're gone."

"Thanks, I was going to see if you could check on him. I shouldn't be too long. Is there anything you need?"

"I'm low on coffee and bread."

"I'll look through the cabinets and fridge before I leave and make a list." Sam got back up and found paper and pen. He started with the fridge and scribbled items down before checking the cabinets. Once he was done, Sam went back upstairs to get his wallet and the keys for the Impala. "I'm getting ready to leave Bobby. Here's Dean's pain meds that he'll need to take in thirty minutes," Sam explained sitting the bottle on the desk.

"Alright son. Don't worry about your brother, he'll be okay. I'm an old hand at taking care of him."

Sam went out to the Impala and got in to crank her, letting her roar to life. She coughed and sputtered once before settling into a steady roar.

"I know, I know," Sam huffed rubbing the steering wheel. "Dean's not well so you'll have to settle for me." He pulled around the house and picked up the road into town. Sam was going to run by the bakery and pick a pie up for Dean to surprise him and hopefully put him in a better mood. Bobby was right, his brother was not an easy patient when he was hurt or sick.

A/N: Thank you for coming on this journey with me. Thank you to any guests who have left reviews. I do like reviews/comments. NC