Two Brothers 5/?
Chapter 5
When I checked in early the next morning I found the brothers in the exact same position I'd left them. Sam hadn't moved over night but he wasn't supposed to anyway. Dean sat slumped down in that awful chair which didn't get more comfortable after a few hours, I bet. His head rested in a painful angle on the back of the chair and he had his feet propped up on the corner of Sam's bed. Dean had brought the chair close enough to the bed, though, so that he was still able to hold Sam's hand even while both brothers were asleep.
I got the feeling that Dean wouldn't leave his brother's side any time soon so I left the room without waking him and went to the cafeteria to at least bring him some coffee. He accepted it with a tired smile.
The day was busy but I made sure to check on Sam a few times. There was always a cup of coffee within Dean's reach and around noon he was absently chewing on a sandwich when I entered the room. As far as I knew he'd only left his brother's side for short trips to the bathroom and I made a mental note to thank Nancy for feeding Dean and to scold her for trying to kill him with an overdose of caffeine.
I had cut back the medication but Sam didn't wake up over the day. In the afternoon he was running a low fever and I dismissed the idea of getting him off the vent today. Tomorrow. Maybe.
"Why isn't he waking up?" Dean asked, eyes never leaving his brother's face. The worry was back in his voice and he looked tired and worn out. "Shouldn't he wake up anytime now?"
I checked Sam's vitals again and had a short glance at his file, not that there was anything new but it gave me time to find the right words. Dean wasn't somebody I wanted to agitate. And for sure not in his situation. I could be an ass, I know, but I wasn't cruel.
"He's fighting the infection in his abdomen. With the damage to his small intestine the infection is not unexpected." I explained. "So far he's doing good. The fever didn't rise and the antibiotics are doing their job"
I took in the sight of Sam with his way too pale skin and shadows under his eyes and the tube in his mouth. He didn't look like he was doing good.
"He just needs a little more time to heal before he's strong enough to put up with you again." I gave Dean what I hoped was a reassuring smile but it froze on my lips when his expression darkened. For a second I was sure that I'd gone too far with that little joke and he would kick me out of the room. Without opening the door first. When we'd met last time, during that weekend back in college, I'd been all snotty towards him and worse, I'd accused him of abusing Sam. So yeah, bad move on my part.
I opened my mouth to apologize but he beat me to it.
"He can use his beauty sleep for sure." Dean gave me a watery smile and his eyes shone conspicuously. When my pager went off a second later I took the chance to excuse myself before I got misty eyes myself. Even if Sam hadn't been a friend of mine I wanted him to come around just to see the hurt leaving Dean's eyes.
When I came in at the end of my shift Dean was still sitting in that uncomfortable chair, still wearing the borrowed clothes, still holding Sam's hand and talking softly to him and Sam still failed at responding in any way.
"You should go home." I suggested gently. "Eat something, take a shower, sleep a few hours." I said it and at the same second I knew Dean would stay the night at his brother's side. Just like the last one and every one to come until he was sure that Sam was fine.
"I'm good." He ran a hand over his tired face, by now he was sporting quite some stubble.
Knowing it was a lost cause I changed tactics. "Is there somebody who could bring you some things? Fresh clothes and such?" If they lived around here there had to be friends or neighbors who could help out but Dean just shook his head.
"We're not from here." He said. "We're staying at a motel."
That triggered a memory. After Jess' death Sam and his brother had been on a road trip for a while.
So what are you doing nowadays? Still on that road trip with your brother? Cole's voice echoed through my mind. It was easy to blame all the venom on a dead man but back then Cole had said what I had been thinking too.
"Another road trip?" I asked and it was meant as a joke. It had been a long time since that weekend and we all grew up. Okay, Sam and Dean's life had been a lot more eventful than mine, I knew that, but you can't be on the run forever, right? With them officially dead they were free to settle down somewhere.
"Our whole life has been one long road trip." Dean answered and he wasn't joking at all. That little statement implied so much I didn't want to think about right then.
"How about this? Before I come in tomorrow I'll stop at your motel and get you some things?"
Now he looked at me really hard and I fully expected him to tell me to fuck off. To stay out of his business.
"You know what we do." It wasn't a question. I nodded nevertheless. Ghosts and shapeshifters. I knew.
"Okay." He handed me the key. "I tell you what I need and you get it. Nothing else, no scooping around. In and out."
I wondered what he was hiding in their room, weapons came to mind, but I nodded again and listened to his instructions.
continue to chapter 6
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