We're not calling it Babe 20/?
Chapter 20
Dean woke to a wet snout pressed against his throat and a desperate noise coming from the pig at his side. The fact that Mac hadn't moved and was still lying on his good side next to Dean showed in how much pain he was. Usually he didn't have any qualms standing on Dean's chest to wake him up.
"Hey." Dean said, voice still heavy from sleep. He threw a quick glance over to the other bed but Sam was still sleeping. At least he had only one patient to take care of at the moment.
"You need something for the pain?" Carefully Dean extracted himself from the pig and slid out of bed without jostling him around too much.
Mac squirmed and made another desperate noise.
"Shh, it's okay, I'll get you your meds." Dean hushed him and gave him a quick rub over the head. He didn't want to wake Sammy if he didn't have to. "You'll feel better in a minute."
Dean wasn't sure if Mac would just take the pills or if he had to hide them in a biscuit or something, not that he thought he could fool Mac.
To his surprise Mac took the pills without a fuss but didn't say no to the biscuit either. However, he didn't stop squirming.
"It takes a few minutes before they take effect." Dean sat down on the edge of the bed, gently petting him. It didn't calm the pig down. Quite the opposite. Mac's whining became more intense and he tried to get closer to the edge of the bed.
"Stop moving." Dean muttered and stilled him with a hand on his back. The texture of the bandage covering most of Mac's body felt wrong under his hand and he worried that a touch this close to the wound caused Mac more pain but if he kept moving around like this, he would pull some stitches.
Mac let out a frustrated huff and went still for a moment.
The flush of the toilet was loud in the silence.
"What?" Dean turned around to confirm that Sam was still sleeping in his bed and hadn't sneaked out under his nose.
"Stay here." Dean whispered and reached for his gun. Why somebody would break into their bathroom to take a piss he had no idea but he was about to find out. Gun in hand he pushed the bathroom door open. The room was slightly bigger then their usual hole in the wall but still too small to hide in. Dean made a quick step farther into the room to check behind the door which was the only place a person could hide in here. There was nobody there and the window was closed.
"What?" Dean asked again. Feeling stupid standing in the bathroom with his gun in hand he tucked it back in his waistband. Maybe he'd heard the toilet from the room next door. Shaking his head over his own stupidity, and he was really glad that Sam was still sleeping, Dean stepped back into the main room.
The toilet flushed again.
This time Dean was close enough to see that there wasn't any water running in the toilet and the noise wasn't coming from the right direction either. The sound was just there.
"What the fuck?" Dean turned in a slow circle, ready for an attack from any direction.
From his bed Mac made another noise, more desperate this time.
"Oh. Oh!" Suddenly Dean felt very stupid. "You have to pee."
The noise Mac made at that Dean easily translated to: "Finally, stupid."
That was a problem, though. In his condition Dean didn't want Mac to walk around let alone walk around outside, shifting on the bed alone caused him pain, and of course they had left the litter box at the bunker. Dean remembered that argument. He had wanted to take it with them but Sam had said no.
"Okay, hang on." Dean looked around for something he could use. For a second he was considering some of Sam's shirts just because it was his fault they didn't have the litter box but in the end he carried Mac over to the bathroom and gently put him down in the bathtub. Mac was too weak to stand on his own so Dean had to hold him up with a hand under his stomach.
"Just don't pee over my hand." Dean muttered when Mac let go with a sigh. He had his eyes closed in bliss.
"Thanks for not just wetting the bed." Dean said and Mac butted his head against Dean's arm.
Back in bed Mac just dropped in his nest and was asleep a second later.
Dean smiled down at him for a moment and then went to rinse the tub and wash his hands.
He was back in time to find Sam struggling with his blanket.
"Where do you think you're going?" Dean asked but took pity on him and untangled his legs from the blanket.
"Thirsty." Sam croaked out but now that Dean knew about his need he seemed content with lying back, one arm over his eyes to block out the light.
"Stay put, I'll get you something." Dean replaced the empty bottle on the nightstand with a new one. "How's your head?"
"Killing me." Sam admitted because lying was pointless, they both knew the morning after feeling of a fresh concussion. Sam took the painkillers Dean offered him and washed them down with half of the bottle.
Then he lay there, pondering.
"Bathroom?" Dean asked, knowing the hard decision Sam was facing right now. Did the pressure in his bladder outweigh the pain and nausea of getting up? In the end the bladder always won.
"Hmm." Sam answered without moving his head. It took him a few minutes to come to the conclusion that he was fighting a losing battle.
Dean watched him getting out of bed and slowly making his way over to the bathroom.
"And use the toilet, not the tub." Dean raised his voice at the closed door. Sam didn't answer, his brain probably too scrambled to find Dean's words odd.
When Sam came back, he went straight for his bed.
"I want to go in a supply run." Dean informed him while he tucked the blanket around Sam's feet. "You good for a while? Need anything?"
"Tomato soup?" Sam blinked with owlish eyes at him and for a second he looked like a little kid again. Dean fought the urge to ruffle his hair.
"Of course." Dean promised and added rice to his mental shopping list.
By the time he had his boots on, both his patients were sleeping and it didn't look like they would wake up any time soon.
He made it a quick run nevertheless.
He bought the soup and rice, crackers and more soft drinks for Sam to get some fluids and calories into him without upsetting his stomach too much, a few cans of dog food for Mac and since they had a little kitchenette with a fridge Dean loaded the cart with stuff to make sandwiches.
Dean had left out a meal or two so his mouth was watering at the thought of a good sandwich. With any luck, and he had plenty of that lately, Sam and Mac would sleep long enough for him to enjoy his meal.
When Dean entered their motel room, he instantly knew that his sandwich had to wait.
Mac still lay in his nest where Dean had left him. His eyes were open but glassy and he was panting.
Sam's bed was empty.
"I was gone for five minutes." Dean muttered and closed the door with his boot. He hurried to put the bags on the table and then stepped over to Mac while he glanced through the open bathroom door in search for his brother. A disorientated Sam wandering around outside was the last thing he needed right now.
He caught a glimpse of bare feet and legs in sweats on the floor.
"Are you alive in there?" He asked and got a moan for an answer which sounded just miserable but not as if Sam was in distress. Probably a new wave of nausea, Dean guessed. And judging by the silence coming from the bathroom, Sam was already done with it.
"And what's with you?" Dean sat down on the bed and reached for Mac. He was warm to the touch and whimpering in pain. "Running a fever?"
Dean had read the instructions for Mac's pain meds earlier so he knew that it was safe to give him more. While he fiddled with the bottle Dean heard a cap twisting and the telltale fizzling of a carbonated drink.
A quick look around confirmed that Sam was still lying on the bathroom floor and Dean doubted that he would open something to drink while his head was basically in the toilet.
"Thirsty?" He arched an eyebrow at Mac who tried to focus his gaze on him but failed miserably. "Got it."
Dean grinned, this was way easier than trying to interpret Mac's noises. Not that Mac had any trouble making himself understood with his voice and body language. But now that he couldn't move and every breath hurt, he had to find another way to express himself.
Dean doubted that a sweet soft drink was good for Mac but he guessed it was okay for the same reasons he gave it to Sam, fluids and calories. And Mac had specifically asked for that and not just tab water. Injured like he was Dean couldn't deny him anything.
Mac lapped the drink up with a happy noise and Dean couldn't help but smile.
When Mac was taken care of, Dean stepped over to have a look at his brother. Who was peacefully sleeping on the bathroom floor.
Dean flushed to get rid of the mess Sam had left behind and then crouched down next to him.
"Sam?" He tried to wake him up. "Sammy, c'mon. Back to bed."
It took him a while to rise Sam enough to get him off the floor.
"I need to brush my teeth." He announced once he was upright again.
"Sure." Dean changed directions and dropped him on the closed toilet lid instead. A moment later Sam sat there, looking like an overtired five-year-old with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth.
After brushing his teeth Sam was clearly exhausted and went back to bed without protest but by now he was too awake to go back to sleep.
"How about some soup now?" Dean suggested.
While the soup was heating up, with rice, Dean put away the groceries and checked on Mac.
The pig had fallen asleep again but he was still warmer than usual. Not worryingly high, just a light fever that came with the healing. At least Dean hoped so.
He served Sam the soup in bed and set down on the edge of his own bed facing Sam with his own sandwich.
"By the way." He said around a mouthful. "If you hear strange noises, that's just Mac."
"What kind of strange noises?" Sam set the still half-full bowl aside and stretched out again.
"The toilet flushing when he wants to pee." Dean took another bite. "A bottle opening when he's thirsty, things like that."
"Okay." Sam turned to his side, looking at him with a smile. "You know, our life is weird."
"You're telling me." Dean finished his sandwich. "Try to get some rest."
Dean changed Mac bandages and checked the wound while he was at it. So far it was healing nicely.
After that he stretched out on his bed with Mac snuggled up next to him. Sam had the TV on with the volume low and for a while they watched in silence. Dean had almost drifted off to sleep when Sam suddenly muted the TV completely.
"You hear that?" Sam asked.
Suddenly wide awake Dean sat up and strained his ears.
Then he heard it. A deep grumbling, almost a grunting. Definitely a big animal.
Dean looked at Mac who was still sleeping.
"What is that?" Sam was about to get out of bed but Dean held him back with a shake of his head. He knew what that sound was, what Mac wanted. He had to blink against the tears.
"It's his mother."
Chapter 21
Masterpost