Chapter 6

"I don't want anymore," Dean snipped as he pushed the tray away. He had only eaten a few bites, but his stomach wasn't cooperating yet. It rolled and growled as the acid churned.

"How about a couple more crackers at least," Sam encouraged pulling a couple from the sleeve to hand to Dean. "You need enough in your stomach to take your medicine."

"You're bossy," Dean pouted but took the crackers and stuffed one in his mouth. He started chewing but it got stuck in his throat. He coughed lightly and tried to reach his drink as cracker crumbs sprayed from his mouth.

"Oops, hold on" Sam fretted as he grabbed the trash can so Dean could spit into it as he coughed harder. Bits of salvia and half chewed cracker hung from Dean's mouth as he coughed again.

"See what you made me do?" he rasped, clearing his throat and sipping his drink.

"Do you feel like taking a shower?"

"I guess," Dean grumbled sniffing his underarm and gagging slightly.

"I'll change your bed while you shower."

Dean eased to the side of the bed and fought the dizzy spell as the room began to spin. He squinted his eyes shut and took a few deep breaths. Once he was sure he wasn't going to face plant on the floor, he slowly stood.

"Let me help," Sam insisted, getting a good grip on Dean's bicep to steady him. "Will you be okay in the shower, or should I say in there with you?"

"I'm fine," Dean croaked out as he focused on putting one foot in front of the other. He couldn't seem to walk straight, and Sam had to guide him out the door and into the bathroom without hitting the walls. "I'll get you some clean clothes. If you get dizzy, sit down in the tub."

"Yes Mom," Dean sneered getting a good grip on the sink counter. He tried to act better than he felt as the ache in his head got worse from the movement. He hoped a shower might relieve some of his pain and stiffness.

"Here you go," Sam offered as he lay clean clothes on the sink. "If you need me, call out."

"I'll be fine," Dean told him, waiting for him to leave before he slumped slightly. He relieved himself, dropping his briefs and kicking them out of the way. He had to sit down on the commode to take his T-shirt off so he wouldn't lose his balance and fall.

Once the water heated, Dean stepped into the tub and grabbed the bar to stay upright. The strong spray of the water took his breath away at first until he adjusted to it. When he ran a hand over his head, he felt the knots where he had been slammed into the wall and grimaced with the tenderness.

A dark, purple/blueish bruise stained the front left side of his body and went around to his back. He shampooed his hair and soaped his body, being careful of his sore spots. When he was done, he stood under the spray and let it beat on his neck and shoulders. Dean could feel his strength fading and shut the water off deciding he'd better finish before he had to call Sam for help.

After drying and dressing, Dean used the wall as support to get back to the bedroom. He found Sam smoothing down the covers on his bed before turning it down for him. His dirty linen lay to the side, and he stepped over them to get to the bed.

"Here you go," Sam said, stepping back to appraise his work.

"Thanks bro," Dean replied taking the last few steps to his bed and sitting on the side. He sighed with relief that he made it without falling.

Sam could tell Dean was trying to hide how bad he felt but didn't say anything. He saw his hands trembling and how pale he looked, and his eyes were still weak. He shook a couple of pain meds out and offered them to him.

"Take these and rest some more. Maybe you'll feel like eating a little more later."

"Thanks," Dean grunted softly.

"I'll be downstairs with Bobby going over some files Jody sent over."

"What's going on?" Dean questioned as he lay down.

"Some people have gone missing in town, and she wants us to check it out. See if it might be our kind of thing."

"Help me up and I'll go with you," Dean said starting to get up.

"Nothing doing bro," Sam sternly said pressing his hand into Dean's chest to hold him down. "All you're going to do is stay in bed and get better. Bobby and I have this."

"But…" Dean whined. He didn't want to be sidelined if this was a possible case.

"No buts dude. You won't do us any good if you pass out and I have to carry you back upstairs."

"At least keep me updated on what you find," Dean said.

"I will as long as you promise to rest."

"Okay."

"Say it."

"What?"

"You know."

Dean eyed Sam's bitch face for a moment before huffing.

"I promise."

"Good."

"Bitch," Dean said under his breath.

"Just don't be a jerk or you might fall down the steps." Sam gave his brother one final glance before turning to leave. He hoped Dean would keep his word and stay in bed. He grabbed all the dirty clothes and linen to take downstairs to wash.

Spn

"How's your brother doing?" Bobby asked when Sam stepped into his office and took a seat.

"Being a pain in the ass, but I think he's a little better, but he's still not eating much and he's still having dizzy spells. I got him to take a shower and changed his bed."

"I'm surprised he's not down here with us."

"I made him promise to stay in bed if I told him what we found."

"Well, Jody did send everything they have on the missing person cases." Bobby sat several stacks of papers on his desk and pushed them toward Sam. "I figure we start with this and see if there's anything that sticks out or seems off."

"Okay," Sam nodded picking up a stack to begin reading the printed pages. He skimmed them the first time and then went back and read them slower so he could absorb everything. After snagging a pad and pen, he started making notes on things he thought were important. They swapped stacks and started the process again with the remaining pages.

When Sam was finished he sat back and rubbed his tired eyes before looking at Bobby.

"I don't know Bobby," he started. "Could this be a serial killer out there doing this? I mean, no bodies have turned up yet, so we don't have that to go on."

"I don't know. Jody's got a good sense about things, so I think we should treat this like any other case and continue to investigate it."

"Okay, well, from the notes and interviews none of the victims knew the other. The only things I can see they have in common is they're between the ages of twenty-six and thirty-five. They were employed, healthy, and lived alone. None had boyfriends, girlfriends, or significant others. All were taken away from their home."

"So, you think they were targeted."

"Could be, but there's no indication of any of them being seen with a stranger before they disappeared. It did note that friends commented the victims did visit night clubs and bars, but not on a regular basis."

"I'm going to call Jody and talk to her to get her take on the cases."

"Alright, I need to go put the clothes in the dryer and I'm going to fix me a sandwich, do you want one?"

"Sure, that'll be fine."

Sam pushed up from the chair and headed for the laundry room first to deal with the clothes and then back to the kitchen to fix them some sandwiches for a late lunch. He mulled over what he had read in the pages sent by Jody and thought about why those victims were chosen and where had they been taken. It had to be an isolated location so not to be seen. There were too many unanswered questions for him to decide yet whether it was their kind of thing.

A/N: Thank you for coming along for the ride. Is it only me but since the time change do the days seem to last so much longer? It seems to drag on and on. Reviews/Comments would be great. NC