A/N: Hello dear readers. I decided to change the pace and post this one shot for your reading pleasure. It's a follow up to Search and Rescue. I hope you enjoy the journey. Thank you VegasGranny for your continued support. I do like reviews/comments. NC
Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of SPN, and this is my own creation. Any errors are my own.
Chapter 1
A cool breeze blew across the yard kicking up leaves that danced in the air. The atmosphere was changing as the first days of fall rolled in, driving away the last of the warm days of summer. All was quiet around the Search and Rescue compound as two figures strolled leisurely toward a large garage.
"How long are you guys going to be gone?" Sam asked his brother as they stepped through an open bay.
"Hey Asa," Dean greeted him before answering his brother's question. "Probably all day, I guess, depends on weather, traffic, and our mood."
"Hi Dean, Sam. The day is shaping up to be a good one for a ride."
"Hey Asa," Sam said. "Then can I borrow the Impala?"
"No," Dean snipped and stopped for a moment. "Oh yeah, yours is in the shop." He stowed his pack in the case on the motorcycle before pulling on his riding gloves and helmet.
"I need to run some errands. Oh, and Mom wanted me to remind you to be sure and take a sat phone in case of an emergency."
"Got one and first aid kit," Asa replied.
"I guess, but you take care of Baby," Dean decided, his voice stern and controlled. "No riding the brakes or picking up loose women."
"I don't…I never…" Sam stuttered in disgust only to have Dean laugh loudly at his discomfort.
"You can protest all you want Sammy, but we know your little dark secrets," Dean continued to tease as Sam threw a few choice swear words Dean's way. "You know where the keys are. She may need gas."
"I'll fill it up on my way home. Thanks."
"Shall we head out?" Asa asked as he straddled his motorcycle and pulled down his visor.
"See ya Sammy." Dean cranked his motorcycle adjusted his helmet before doing a radio check. "You read me Asa?"
"Loud and clear Dean."
"Go ahead and take the lead." With a salute to his brother, Dean put the cycle into gear and followed Asa from the garage and down the driveway.
Sam stood in the yard until the cycles were out of sight. He sighed softly and headed to the house to get the keys for the Impala and his list. Since Dean was going to be gone all day, he was taking some time for himself, and he wanted to search for a birthday gift for Dean. Everyone had a few days off and were tending to personal things.
Asa set a leisurely pace that Dean followed as they drove down the highway toward the mountains. They were going to veer onto a side road that would lead them up the mountain away from civilization. Not many people chose to travel the mountains roads since a better one had been carved out, cutting the driving time and curves to the next town. It took thirty minutes for them to get to the road that branched off the main highway that would take them up the mountain.
"You ready for this?" Asa asked Dean over the mic in his helmet.
"More than ready," Dean replied. When he was on a motorcycle, he felt free and at peace. He loved Baby, but to be out on the road like this was a different experience.
The riders slowed and signaled taking the exit for the secondary road. The road wasn't as smooth, but the motorcycles did fine. It wasn't long before they hit the curves and leaned into them, taking them in stride. That was the fun of riding, maneuvering around the curves and not wiping out. Some were hairy when they doubled back on themselves and there was nothing stopping the bike from going off the side of the mountain but for a skilled rider.
Dean glanced at the side of the road and saw the rocky drop-offs and the forest below them. The trees were just beginning to take on shades of reds, oranges, and yellow as they put on their fall coats. Swaths of different shades of green dotted the landscape breaking up the color scheme. He always enjoyed this time of year seeing the changes Mother Nature made to the landscape.
"We'll pull off at that lookout point up ahead," Asa relayed to Dean after thirty minutes of riding on the secondary road.
"Sounds good to me," Dean said. He didn't mind stopping to stretch just take in the beauty of Mother Nature. He geared down and pulled into the lookout point behind Asa and stopped. He got off and removed his helmet, running his finger through his smashed hair. "Man! Look at that," he sighed as he stepped to the edge of cliff and looking out across the valley below theme.
"Sort of makes you think, doesn't it," Asa agreed.
"Hey, check it out is that an eagle or hawk?" he asked pointing to a bird soaring on the thermals over the forest below.
"Pretty sure a hawk, but one of the larger varieties. It's amazing how they can ride the currents and stay suspended in the sky like they do."
"Yeah, like Sammy when he flies. He's so into that crap. Sammy told me he wants to fly a glider, go up in a hot air balloon and hang glide."
"More power to him. If that's what he likes, he should go for it. And you don't want to go up with him?"
"That is a big no, hell no. My feet are staying on the ground, and I'll fly another way. Baby is all I need to do that."
Asa glanced at Dean's profile and laughed softly. He could always get a rise out of Dean if he mentioned anything about him leaving the ground. He wasn't afraid of heights but was petrified of anything to do with flying in any type of machine.
Dean drew in some cleansing breaths and pulled his cell out to snap a couple of pictures. He forwarded one to Sammy to show him what he was missing and got a thumbs-up reply.
"Okay, let's get back at it," Dean said, brushing his hair down before putting on his helmet.
"You want to take the lead for a while?" Asa asked him as they walked back to the motorcycles.
"Yeah, sure," Dean agreed. He straddled the bike, cranked it before kicking it into gear and slowly pulling away for the lookout point. Once on the road, he set an easy pace as the road continued up the mountain.
The higher they climbed the cooler the air became. They had only met one vehicle going down the mountain as they continued up it. They were lucky the sun was on their backs as it rose into the sky. Halfway up the mountain, they pull off again to take a short break and have a snack and drink.
Dean sipped on a Gatorade as he stood at the edge of the cliff and gazed out across the valley that spread out before him. Several lakes that were nestled among the trees sparked like diamonds from the sun's rays and off in the distance a river wove its way across the side of the picturesque scene. Days that this, relaxing and recharging were what Dean looked forward to the most
Their job was a stressful and dangerous one and everyone needed an outlet. . Their jobs took a lot out of a person when they were in life-or-death situations. Sam had his flying, Charlie played video games and ate junk food, Asa liked to sit outside and read, Bobby tinkered on an old car he was restoring, and John and Mary just spent some alone time together nestled on the couch watching a movie.
"We're making good time," Asa commented coming to stand by Dean.
"Yeah."
"This never gets old, does it?" he asked looking off in the distance below.
"Nope. Remember the last time we were up this way?"
"Yeah, it's been too long. We need to do this more often when the weather is good."
"Agree, there won't be too many more days before it's too cold to ride," Dean sighed.
"We should make it happen before we're too old to enjoy it anymore."
"You're never too old dude!" Dean scoffed. "Look how many old farts are out there on motorcycles."
Asa chuckled at Dean's remark before finishing his drink. He watched Dean pick up a small rock and reared back to toss it as far as he could out across the ridge. They watched it sail outward before gravity took hold and it began to slowly fall toward the Earth, picking up speed to disappear among the forest of trees. He picked up another and threw it watching its decent.
"You know that could be dangerous if there's someone down there hiking or something," Asa said.
"I think the trees will break the rocks' fall before something could happen."
"True, you could be right, but do you really want to chance it?"
"Yeah, guess not," Dean huffed dropping the rock in his hand and wiping his fingers down his jeans leg. "I'm ready if you are."
"Fine with me."
They walked back to their bikes and geared up before continuing their ride. The further they rode, the more isolated the countryside became. The road was getting narrower and steep drops on one side were not for the faint of heart. They had been riding for nearly two hours when the unexpected happened.
Dean was ahead of Asa, and they were rounding a sharp curve when out of nowhere a deer jumped into the road causing Dean to jerk the bike to the side. When he lost traction after hitting some gravel in the road, he went flying off the road and over the embankment plunging into the unknown below him.
"Dean!" Asa yelled as he slid his bike to the other side of the road and got it stopped. He jumped off and ran to where Dean had disappeared and peered over the edge trying to see him. All he saw was a thick forest of trees and overgrowth but nothing else. He ran up and down the road and finally saw what looked like broken branches but no sign of Dean or his motorcycle.
Asa ran back to his motorcycle and got his pack out to retrieve his sat phone and called for help. He quickly punched in the number and waited for an answer.
"Hey Asa," Sam greeted him. "Got the photos; looks like you guys are having a good ride."
"Get the team together, there's been an accident, it's Dean," Asa quickly told him. "Here are my coordinates get here asap. Bring climbing gear."
"I'm on it," Sam replied, his tone getting serious and somber. "I'll alert everyone else."
"Hurry," Asa urged as he looked over the edge of the road. "Time is of the essence."
Sam stomped on the gas of the Impala and headed home. He speed dialed his dad and waited for him to pick up.
"Hello," John said.
"Dad, I just got a call from Asa. Something has happened to Dean. Get everyone together, I'm on my way back. He sent me their coordinates to track them and pack the climbing gear."
"Okay. We'll be ready son." John hung up and hurried to tell the others so they could get ready to move out as soon as Sam got there.
"John what is it?" Mary asked when he rushed into the room.
"Dean's in trouble," he told her. "We need to contact air rescue and get a chopper here to take us to them."
"Oh no!" she cried out as her stress level exploded. "I'll get on the phone now. They owe us a few favors."
John didn't stop her as he headed out to tell Bobby and Charlie so they could grab the climbing gear and have it ready along with a rescue basket. He headed back into the house to see if Mary had found a helicopter for them.
By the time Sam skidded to a stop outside and jumped from the Impala, the others were waiting for him.
"A chopper is on the way and should be here in twenty minutes," John told him. "You, Charlie and me will go in it to find them."
"I need to grab my pack," Sam rushed. "Here's my cell Charlie, it has the coordinates Asa sent me." He passed his cell to her and ran at full speed toward their house.
Charlie accepted the cell and quickly found the text and plugged it into her tablet. She pulled up a map pinpointing the location so she could pass it along to the pilot when he got there.
Sam jogged back to the group with a pack over his shoulder. He couldn't stand still and paced around them as he kept an eye out for the helicopter.
"Call me when you get there," Mary told John as she gazed worriedly into his eyes. "I need to know what's going on."
"It will be okay babe. Dean will be okay," John tried to assure her as he pulled her to his chest and kissed her forehead.
"The chopper is five minutes out," Charlie told them as she shaded her eyes and listened for the drone of the engine.
Less than five minutes later, a helicopter circled the compound and landed in an area near the house. John, Sam and Charlie grabbed their gear and ran for the open door. They shoved a basket into the open bay, climbed on board and Charlie showed him the map of where they needed to go. The pilot punched in the coordinates and nodded as everyone strapped in and he lifted off.
Bobby put an arm around Mary's shoulders as they watched the helicopter slowly rise into the air and veer off to head for the mountains. She leaned into his side as tears filled her eyes because she didn't know what had happened to her eldest son and was worried.
"Why don't we go inside, and I'll fix you a cup of hot tea?" Bobby offered in a gentle voice. "There's nothing more we can do right now."
"Alright. Oh god Bobby, what if something really bad had happened to Dean."
"We can't think like that Mary. We've got to stay positive."
He guided her into the house and to the kitchen where he deposited her in a chair at the table and got to work with making the tea. He got out two cups and waited for the water to boil as he got out the tea bags putting one in each cup. He found the honey to sweeten the drink.
Mary sat at the table lost in her thoughts as she worried and stressed over the not knowing. She didn't acknowledge Bobby when he asked her something and barely registered when he sat the cup of hot tea in front of her. She wrapped her cold hands around the cup to warm them before carefully raising it to take a tentative sip. All her focus was on Dean and prayed that the others would get there soon to help.
Asa heard the helicopter approaching and waved his hands as he pointed a little further down the road at a place it could hover long enough to drop them off. There wasn't room for it to land there but the pilot saw a pull off a quarter a mile further up the road that he could land and wait until he was needed.
John, Sam and Charlie quickly jumped from the side of the chopper, pulling the basket between them and ducked as they ran over to Asa. John waved to the pilot they were good so he could head to the pull off.
"What happened Asa?" John asked as he looked around for his son.
"Freaking thing, a deer jumped out of nowhere when we were rounding a curve and Dean tried to avoid it but hit some loose gravel and well, he went over the edge."
"Oh crap!" Sam whispered as his eyes widened in shock. He looked over the rim of the road and tried to see his brother in the forest below him. It was thick with trees and overgrown that blocked any view of the ground below.
"There's an outcrop of rocks that we can tie to over there and repel down. I have a good idea where he went down, and we can concentrate our search there."
"Alright, Sam, you gear up and go down and see if you can find your brother," John instructed him. "We'll lower the basket after you access the situation."
"Okay Dad," Sam replied. He dumped out the climbing gear and got a harness to put on.
"Asa and Charlie get the ropes anchored for him but be careful. Don't need to have to rescue you too."
"Got it," Asa nodded as they grabbed the climbing ropes and moved to the edge to determine the best way to the outcrop. Asa eased Charlie down and let her anchor ropes so Sam could repel into the trees.
"Okay, I'm ready," Sam said as he shouldered a pack with a first aid kit, water, and another harness. "Comm check, do you read me?" he asked as he positioned the ear bud into his ear.
"I hear you son. Watch yourself down there," John answered.
He stepped to the edge and eased over it using the rope Asa and John were holding to balance until he could hook onto the one Charlie had anchored and thrown into the trees below.
"Be careful," Charlie told Sam before he started down the cliff face. He kept an eye on where he was going, trying to stay close to where Asa pointed to where Dean had gone over. He had to slow when he came abreast of the overgrowth and trees. Branches and briars tore at his clothes and skin like they were trying to halt his progress. He hissed when a briar grazed his cheek drawing a streak of blood.
"I'm on the ground and you can't see anything," Sam relayed to the others at the top.
"Asa says to move to your left and look for the bike," John answered.
Sam kept the rope attached as he played it out and began to struggle through the brush. He didn't want to get lost here and make matters worse. He had bullied his way a little lower where the underbrush wasn't as bad and paused for a moment to get his breath. Sam was surrounded by the forest and couldn't see above him. Little sunlight filtered through the branches casting the area in shadows.
"I see something," he panted when a thin ray of sunlight glinted off metal about a hundred feet ahead of him. He hurried that way and unclipped the rope to tie it to a tree. The shale and loose rocks under his feet gave way, and he went down hard scraping and cutting his hands. He found Dean's motorcycle wedged between two trees. "Dean!" Sam yelled as he frantically began searching for his brother. "Dean!"
After studying the bike for a moment, Sam tried to determine where his brother might have landed and worked his way upward for a short distance until he saw the blue of Dean's jacket in the underbrush.
"I found him! Dean!" Sam called his brother as he stumbled through the vines and bushes to get to him.
"How is he?" John asked, his voice full of worry and concern.
"Don't know yet. I've got to get to him." Sam worked quickly to stomp down the vines and bushes as he worked on his way to Dean's still body that was lying on his stomach with one arm trapped under it. He didn't see any blood, but his riding clothes were covered in dirt and debris. He dropped beside him and began to feel his legs and arms for injury while brushing away the junk on his clothes. Very carefully, Sam eased Dean's body onto his back so he could get his helmet off. "Hey man, we found you. We'll get you out of here." Sam checked his pulse to find it thready and beating too fast. He was sure his left arm was broken and may have cracked or broken ribs. Dean's thick riding pants, jacket and helmet had saved him from other injuries.
"Report Sam, how is he?" John concerned voice echoed in his ear.
"He's unconscious still, looks like a broken arm and maybe some ribs. He's pale and sweaty, pulse is rapid, and his breathing is labored. Send Charlie down with the basket and tell her to make her way about two hundred yards to the right."
"Got it son."
Sam turned his attention back to his brother. He pulled a water out and wet a bandana to wipe his face and neck to try and revive him. He took a collar and positioned it around his neck to immobilize it.
Dean moaned and tried to move but cried out in pain as he tried to open his eyes.
"Easy bro, you had a tumble" Sam cautioned him pressing on his shoulder to keep him still. "Charlie's coming down with the basket and we'll get you out of here."
"Deer…rocks…" Dean grunted in a weak, painful voice. He tried to raise his broken arm and hissed as pain shot up it. It took all his concentration to keep from passing back out as he decided to lay still and let Sam take care of him. His body entire body ached from the fall. His mind was fuzzy and he tried to piece together what happened but only made his head hurt worse.
"Yeah Asa told us. I'm going to mobilize your arm, pretty sure it's broken. This might hurt but hold still." Sam pulled out a splint and carefully put it around Dean's arm and Velcro it tightly. He used an ace bandage to hold Dean's arm against his chest so it wouldn't move. "Here, sip some water," Sam offered gently dribbling a little into his mouth.
"Hard…to…breath," Dean gasped in a hoarse voice pressing his right hand to his ribs.
"Yeah, take shallow breaths and relax bro. May have some cracked or broken ribs. Don't need you puncturing a lung."
"Sam!" Charlie called him from above his location.
"Over here Charlie. You're close!" Sam replied standing and looking for her. He finally spotted her red vest and headed toward her to help with the basket she was dragging behind her.
"Let me help," Sam said once he was close enough to grab the basket. "We'll have to get him out of this underbrush so they can pull him to the top."
"Okay, got it," Charlie nodded as she fell and rolled a few feet before getting her footing again. She mumbled a few cuss words and brushed herself off before continuing to follow Sam to where Dean waited.
The two worked their way back to Dean and carefully maneuvered the basket where they could get his body into it. Sam quickly strapped him in, double-checking to be sure everything was tight before they began to climb out of the underbrush. It was slow going because everything seemed to want to snag or imped their efforts to get free of the underbrush and forest.
"Wait here and let me get my rope," Sam instructed Charlie once they could see the top of the ridge. He hurried back into the trees and got the rope free to use to climb up. Once a rope was tied to the top of the basket, Asa and John began to slowly pull it up, being careful not to get it hung on any rocks or small trees.
Sam and Charlie climbed back up the cliff face and were helped over the top by Asa. The helicopter was back, and they loaded Dean into it. Charlie stayed with Asa while John and Sam flew back with Dean. They were going to mark the location because they knew Dean would want to retrieve his motorcycle.
Charlie rode with Asa back down the mountain and dropped the motorcycle off at the compound before taking Asa's SUV and heading for the hospital. The family was gathered in the waiting room waiting for Dean to be put in a room. The doctor wanted to keep him overnight and monitor him to be on the safe side. He was still out of it enough to not protest this since he didn't like hospitals.
Sam was going to stay at the hospital with him to be sure he behaved and to bring him home the following day if he was discharged. Dean was lucky to only have sustained a broken arm, cracked ribs, a sprained ankle and some major bruising over his body. He was already mumbling randomly about the rescue of his bike as he drifted in and out of consciousness.
Sam assured him his bike would be rescued and to rest so he could start healing. He was already anticipating being shut up with an injured Dean and not looking forward to it. Dean was not a good patient, especially when he was immobilized. It was going to be a long couple of weeks until he was at least able to walk.
The End