Author: DMartinez
Email: Disclaimer: Characters belong to Kripke and the WB, CW. No infringement intended.
Rating: Mature
Category: Supernatural; Dean/Ellen, Dean/Carmen
Summary: Post season 2. Spoilers from Season 3 were utilized (but I was Kripked! still, I like it). Dean finally meets the woman of his dreams but is in no condition to do anything about it. character death!

He was awake and that was a good sign. Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He was awake! He reached forward and touched Dean's shoulder but Dean didn't so much as flinch. It had been nine long days in the hospital. The first three spent in the burn unit. The three days before that, spent steadily slow and wearily marching through rain and mud to find civilization while delirious on pain. Dean hadn't said a word in 12 days. Not since that loud and cracked "Sweet Mother of God!" when the brimstone exploded in all directions."Dean?" Sam tried, shaking him lightly. "Hey man. You with me?" No response. "You in pain? I could get the doctor." He looked to the bandages, which needed a changing. "Or we could just wait until the nurse comes by to change the bandages and let her call the doctor. The wounds are actually healing pretty well. The burn was fierce, but it didn't go… you know… Too deep. They didn't have to… excise much flesh."

Dean's response was to lift his heavy right arm and extend one finger.

"Glad you're still with me, man." Sam wiped at his eyes and tried to let his laugh have some mirth for all the relief that washed through him. "For a while there, we didn't think you were going to wake up."

Dean waved the finger around some more before letting his hand fall and shutting his eyes. He just didn't feel like talking. Anyway, sounded like Sam didn't mind having both sides of the conversation by himself.

"So, I was thinking… you're going to be here for a while longer… while you recover. I can use that time to follow up on some of my research. Ellen is willing to do the running around for me… No one wants to lose you after all of this."

Dean swallowed down a lump. Three months and five days. That's how long he had left before his bill came due. 95 fucking days. A tear stung at his eye. Eye. Not eyes. Because he could feel that the left side of his face was covered in bandages.

"Dean? You okay, man?" Sam sounded panicked. "Nurse! Get a doctor!"

TBC