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tommygirlSam noticed that the glass was no longer fogged from Dean’s breath. He’d be damned if that demon took one more person from him, especially not after all the horrible things it said to Dean. Not after the look on Dean’s face that said, “I already know.” Sam grimaced in pain as he pushed himself off the ground, willing his legs to move and ready to cut his legs off if they stood in his way of reaching his brother.
He gritted his teeth against the pain as his muscles came to life and he pulled at the backdoor. “Dean?” Sam gasped out. It was almost embarrassing how raw his voice sounded. Under normal circumstances, Dean would’ve teased him about it.
Sam heard sirens in the distance – for once in his life, a relief to hear – and it helped him hold it together. He would get Dean out of the damn car and then the ambulance would be there to fix his family.
“Dean, man, can you hear me?” Sam said again. He moved closer to his brother, trying to help his brother without hurting him further.
Sam was met with silence as his hand reached out, careful not to jostle his brother too much, and he ran his hands over Dean’s back, checking for injuries. He tried to gently move his brother out of his slumped over position and rest him against the seat. Sam nixed his original plan to get his brother out of the car, a risk he knew considering the smoke, because he was scared of what kind of damage he would inflict on Dean. Sam reached a shaky hand up to Dean’s neck to check for a pulse and he let out a sigh of relief when he felt the thump under his fingers. As long as Dean was still breathing, still fighting, Sam could convince himself that things would work out. Dean would get the help he needed and everything would be okay. As long as Dean was alright.
Sam cleared his throat, swallowing down the bile, as he appraised the rest of his brother’s injuries. He didn’t know what to do. No amount of John Winchester’s medical training had prepared him for the sight of his brother so ripped apart. He was useless in the moment and for all his complaining, Sam longed to have his father barking out orders at him, telling him how to fix things. Instead, Sam was left to the eerie quiet that had overtaken the area. He patted his brother’s arm and repeated, “Dean, if you can hear me, please say something.”
Again there was no response from Dean. Sam glanced around the road and immediate area. He could see the flashing lights in the distance and then noticed a car parked about a hundred yards from the accident. He couldn’t see who was in the car, but he assumed they were responsible for getting help. He wanted to go over to them, thank them, but thought better of it. Who knew if the demon would strike again at that moment, possessing whoever had dared to help the Winchesters? Mostly, Sam was scared to leave his brother’s side, sure that if he wasn’t there then Dean would stop fighting.
“Sammy…”
Sam jumped at the sound of the voice coming from the front seat and he remembered how horrible his father had looked on first glance. He hadn’t even bothered to check on his father’s injuries, more concerned with getting to Dean. Sam reached across the car and patted his father’s shoulder. He said, “I’m right here.”
“What…where are we?”
“A truck hit us. Dad, Dean’s not…I’m not sure how much longer he can hold on,” Sam said. He fought to keep his voice as even as possible – Winchesters don’t lose control – as he provided a quick rundown of Dean’s injuries. He forced his eyes to meet his father’s gaze and asked, “How bad are you hurt?”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. What about you?”
Sam didn’t believe his father, but he wasn’t about to argue with him. He said, “Nothing serious. My head’s killing me, my neck’s sore, and my arm…it might be broken.”
“Good.”
“It’s not good, Dad. Look at Dean. He’s unconscious and there’s blood everywhere.” His father’s eyes didn’t move from Sam and he wore a lost look that Sam had never seen before. “We have to help him, but I don’t know how. I wanted to get him out of the car, but I was afraid to move him.”
His father let out a slow breath, wincing in pain as he did so, and said, “Sammy…”
Before his father could finish his thought, two ambulances and a fire truck stopped in front of them and emergency workers poured in on them from all angles. A young man placed his hand on Sam’s shoulder and pulled him away from Dean. Before Sam could argue, he was maneuvered onto a gurney and had an oxygen mask placed over his mouth. He pushed the mask away and said, “My brother. Is he okay? He lost a lot of blood…”
“I’m sure he’ll be fine.”
Sam tried to ignore the placating tone and asked, “And what about my dad? He was conscious, but…”
“They’re both being taken care of…what’s your name?”
“Sam.”
“Sam, your family is in good hands. Let’s focus on you right now.”
“But—”
“—can you tell me where it hurts?”
Sam rolled his eyes. He wasn’t five years old. He didn’t need a band-aide for his owie; he just needed to see that his brother was okay. Sam took a deep breath as the mask was placed back over his mouth and pointed to his arm.
“Would you tell me what’s wrong with my brother?”
“He’s being taken care of.”
“That’s not what I asked,” Sam replied. He tried to push himself back up, but the man’s arms held him still.
“Look, there’s nothing you can do for your brother right now. You have to let the paramedics do their job,” the man stated. He placed the oxygen mask back over Sam’s mouth and said, “Besides, wouldn’t your brother want you to take care of your own injuries first?”
That only made Sam want to scream. Of course, Dean would want Sam to take care of himself first. Dean was a self-sacrificing asshole who thought his own health didn’t matter. Sam shut his eyes and, off the look on the man’s eyes, nodded. Sam knew the guy was only trying to help him. Sam also knew that there was nothing he could do for Dean at that moment.
Besides, his father was already hollering out commands. Sam was pretty sure anyone with a ten-mile radius heard his father yell at the men to focus on his boys and leave him until they were done. Sam heard one of the men tell his dad about broken ribs and a possible concussion, but his father roared on.
Sam couldn’t help but smile. He’d have to remember to tell Dean about how John went postal on the poor emergency workers. Bet they hadn’t been expecting that when they arrived on the scene.
a. They all survive the trip to the hospital and Sam keeps vigil by his brother's bedside.
b. The demon strikes once again.
