Sam locked eyes with Dean for a mere moment, seeing the anguish and confusion and anger echoed in their depths, before he looked down, ashamed at himself. The doctor left the room with a soft, 'excuse me,' leaving Sam, Lily and Dean in the room. When Lily excused herself from the room, Sam felt fear well up in him, trying to consume him.

He heard the dull thuds of Dean's footsteps as he moved closer, and felt the fear reach its peak, making his chest tighten. Breath didn't come as easily as it had before, and he could vaguely hear Dean trying to calm him down. There was an oddly reassuring weight on the small of his back, which he soon recognized as Dean's hand. Soothing circles were rubbed on his back, and he could feel some of the panic being released from his body, could feel the gentle easing of breath into his starved lungs.

XXX Dean's POV XXX

Dean watched as Sam had a panic attack... about him! He tried to sooth his little brother as best he could and was relieved when Sam started to take deeper breaths. "Common Sammy, it's okay, I'm here. Your safe." He looked into Sam's eyes only to see confusion, and stark fear burning in his hazel eyes. "What's wrong Sammy?" Dean asked, worried that Sam was going to panic on him again.

"N-nothing Dean, just nerves," Sam's voice was low, and Dean could hear the quiver in it easily with his trained hearing.

"Okay, whatever you say, Sammy-boy." Dean replied softly, knowing that although they needed to talk about what had happened, right now Dean didn't want to hurt Sam any further, or take advantage of his vulnerability.

"It's Sam!" Sam growled at his brother, pretending to be annoyed, but there was no real menace in his voice; the relief that his brother wasn't going to push the subject at least for now, too big. "Jerk," Sam muttered, humor masking the annoyance he did feel at the nickname, Dean so willingly used for him.

"Bitch!" Dean threw back at him, and Sam's lips quirked up in a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dean walked back into Sam's room, after having left for a few minutes to get coffee, only to find his brother asleep. 'At least it's a peaceful sleep, the kid really needs it.' Dean thought to himself, and now that he knew what the source of Sam's nightmares had been for years, he was glad Sam was going to be able to get away from their father. Dean had never been able to figure out why Sam had been so, angry, distant, and so damn fearful of their father, and now that he knew why, he wasn't sure that he wanted to know his father was such a monster to beat his youngest son.

Dean really looked his brother over, noting that it was going to take a long time for Sam to be Sammy again, both mentally and physically. Then he realized that he had never really known the real Sam, only the mask that had been constructed as his protection from his father, and protection for Dean, so he wouldn't have to find out about his father.

Dean knew that physical therapy was the best way for Sam to go with his leg, but he also didn't want Sam to go through the pain it entailed. There wasn't a full leg brace on Sam's leg yet, only a brace that screwed into the bones in his thigh, just below his knee, and around his ankle. An ace wrap hid the mess that was his broken knee. There was white gauze and a lot of bruising where the bone from his ankle had broken through the skin; and other dark bruises were scattered all over the side of his leg.

Dean felt almost sick looking at the leg, and knowing that his brother was the one who had, was and would feel the pain from the damage. He knew Sam had been in pain while talking to him earlier, from the surgery to repair his lung. He also knew that Sam wasn't too happy that he was going to be in a wheel chair until his wrist healed enough to take the weight of his body when he started using crutches. The fact the Sam might not walk right for the rest of his life was a big emotional hit, to Sam and the people who loved him, but Dean was going to help him all he could.

He couldn't take the pain away from Sammy, or even go back and stop it from happening, but Dean could do everything possible to help his younger brother get through this. Just looking at Sam and seeing all the scars, and knowing the pain that Sam must have gone through when he was receiving those scars, made Dean want to kill the person who had done that Sam, and the fact that it was his father that had done it didn't deter Dean from wanting to kill him.

The creak from the door drew Dean from his thoughts, and he looked up to see Lily standing there, looking uncertain as she saw him. He could tell why his brother liked this girl. Lily was smart, there was no denying that, but she was also beautiful, kind, open, truthful to the point that it hurt, and she had a nasty temper when it came to protecting what was hers, or someone she loved.

Hell if she and Sam weren't already a thing, he could see him and her getting together...

Dean knew that when his father finally showed his face, that he was going to break it. Knowing that Lily would do the same thing to defend Sam, just reassured him that things were going to be better for Sam, even though it would take time for him to heal physically and there was nothing Dean could do to help speed that process up; Dean could help Sam heal mentally and emotionally, with Lily's help.

Sam was going to be okay, and with a look to Lily, who nodded; Dean knew both Lily and him were going to make sure of it.

END.

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A/N: Sorry that it's so short, and the ending was abrupt, but I ran out of ideas on this story, and hit a major writer's block, but I figured you guys would like an ending. Thank you for those who read this story, and reviewed, and especially to those who stuck with it this far, encouraging me to finish it.

I was thinking about doing a follow up one-shot, to see what happens when Dean finally comes face to face with his father... But that depends on you guys... If you want it tell me, if you don't, tell me.

Take Care all of you...

OSS