Two Brothers 17/?
Chapter 17
Sam gave me the deer in the headlights expression.
"Luis." He breathed out a mixture of embarrassment and pain. "Close the door, would you?"
"What are you doing?" I hissed but closed the door.
"Sorry, Luis." He finally managed to get the second leg in and drew the jeans up his thighs. For the rest he would have to stand up and he didn't look quite ready for that. "But I have to go."
"Go?" I stepped closer so I would be ready if he toppled over. "The only place you're going is right back in this bed. Dean is going to kill me if he finds you up and about."
Sam came up to an almost standing and closed the button of the jeans in grim determination.
"Where is Dean?" I had a quick look around but nothing indicated that the other man was somewhere near. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.
"I don't know." Sam dropped back to the bed and fished with his foot for his boot.
"You don't …?" Okay, uneasy had just become an icy rock deep in my guts.
"I … dammit." Sam cursed when the boot slipped out of his reach and feeling pity for him I knelt down and put the boots on his feet. Why I did that and didn't just push him over to lay down already, I don't know.
"Thanks. Get my bag." Sam patted my shoulder. "Was sleeping, didn't hear him calling. Left a message, he went after that thing alone."
I was about to grab his bag but froze at those words. Sam hadn't just said what I thought he'd said, had he?
"That was four hours ago." Sam stood up and this time he didn't seem to be close to face-planting. "He isn't answering his phone."
Okay, that was bad, really bad.
"You are in no condition to go after him." I reminded him but Sam just took the bag from my numb hand and staggered towards the door.
"Just pretend you haven't seen me." He almost pleaded and reached for the door knob.
"Sam." I hold him back with a hand on his arm and it was scaringly easy to physically hold him back like that. "We should call the police."
Now he snorted and shook off my hand. Thinking about it he was right.
My brother went after a Manticore and now he isn't answering his phone, yeah, that would make an awesome 911 call.
"Can't you call in somebody else for help?" I tried again despite his earlier confirmation that there was no one he could call. He didn't answer but he set his jaw and reached for the door again.
"Okay." I rubbed my face. "Sit down before you fall down while I get a wheelchair."
"Uhh?" Sam had to brace himself at the closed door to steady himself and I hurried to drag the chair over. I only had to hit the back of Sam's knees with the edge to make him collapse in the chair which didn't convince me that he was ready to get out of bed let alone out of the hospital and on a rescue mission.
"Look." I circled him to look him in the face and put my hands on his shoulders to hold him down when he tried to get up again. "I get that you want to go after Dean, I do, and I know that I can't make you stay. You would just sign out AMA and go anyway."
"Then let me go." Sam grabbed my wrists and forced my hands off his body. "Dean's been out there for four hours. I have to find him."
"I get that." I had the feeling Sam wasn't quite there but I wasn't sure if it was because he was worried about Dean or if this was his head injury. "But you're not going alone. You understand? I'm coming with you."
"You … what?" My words needed a second to sink in. "No, Luis. It's dangerous, you can't."
"I can." When I had made up my mind I had no idea but no way I was letting him go on his own. Not in his condition. "You stay put while I get a wheelchair."
Sam didn't really have the energy to protest and he seemed to realize that being wheeled out by a doctor was way quicker and less exhausting than sneaking out by himself.
We didn't speak on the way out and my mind swirled around the possibilities. Dean was in the woods, reception wasn't good out there, so he could be fine. But by now it was dark, he would have come back as soon as it got dark, right? Maybe he got lost.
I nodded to myself, yeah, that was the explanation. Dean got lost and would find his way back in the morning. I tried to ignore that little voice in the back of my mind that insisted that Dean may not look the type but for sure he knew how to find his way around in the woods. And Dean had to know that Sam would come after him if he didn't come back.
I tried to not think about the condition Sam had been in when Dean had brought him in either. Instead I headed for my car and stopped the wheelchair at the passenger side door.
"By the way." I hold the door open for Sam when something occurred to me. "You don't have a car. How did you intent to get away from here? With a taxi?"
"Plenty of cars around here." Sam said with a smirk and sank in the seat with a hiss of pain. I wasn't sure if I was more worried about his patched up midriff or his cracked open head, both on its own was reason enough to stay in bed.
"You wanted to steal a car?" For a moment I just stared at him. He was serious. "Do you even know how to hot-wire a car?"
"Dean taught me when I was ten." Why wasn't I surprised?
I pushed the wheelchair out of the way to close the door and rushed around to get in the car but I didn't start the engine just yet.
"Here." I dug out some tablets and a bottle of water I'd snagged from the nurse station when I got the wheelchair. "Take two."
While Sam swallowed the tablets I started the car and left the hospital behind. Maybe for good.
"Okay, where to?"
continue to chapter 18
back to Masterpost