Chapter 12 Gift

The next time Dean woke Sam was sitting next to his bed with a sad look on his face, his hand in Dean's watching him intently.
"What's up Sammy?" He croaked his throat sore and raspy.
"Hey Dean. You're finally awake. Thank god."
Sam stood and hugged Dean a little too enthusiastically hurting Deans ribs and stomach as he squeezed his brother like he never wanted to let go. Dean bit down the pain and looked searchingly at Sam's face, but Sam tried to hide his face in Dean's neck. Dean grasped Sam's chin in his fingers and tilted Sam's face to see tears in his eyes.
"What's goin on? Why are you so upset little brother?" Dean kept an arm around Sam as he questioned him, voice was raspy and he reached for a glass of water.
Bobby stood and helped him.
"Thanks Bobby."

Dean drank some water his eyes still on Sam and he noticed Sam had not answered his question.
"What's up Sam?"
"You've been unconscious for three days Dean, you scared us again."
"Sorry buddy I didn't know I was being so lazy, sorry I upset you."
Sam paled at Dean's words, Bobby noticed and decided he had better explain why Sam was so upset.
"Dean your fever spiked quite high and you had a seizure, day before yesterday. You scared us and the doctor. How you didn't end up in ICU still makes me wonder. Your temperature came down last night just as they were thinking of moving you. Doc says you were hallucinating, they tied you down for a bit. We're glad you're okay that's for sure."

Dean noticed for the first time there were restraints on the rails of the bed. He was glad he had woken up without them on, he may have freaked out.
"Sorry Sammy." He muttered into Sam's hair as he pulled him close.
Sam was softy crying on Dean's shoulder so he knew something else was going on.
"What happened Bobby?' He asked softly over Sam's head.
Bobby sighed loudly. "The idiots that attacked you attacked another person and he's in a coma."
"Oh God." Dean choked out.
"They got one of them and the police think they might be able to arrest the others."
"I'm sorry I kept you waiting Sammy, it must have been hard."

Dean knew he would have been frantic if the tables had been turned. Sam must have been thinking Dean would end up in a coma too.
"You didn't know Dean it's not your fault."
"Well I'm sorry that I got jumped in the first place and all this happened. It was hell being away from you all that time."
"But it's my fault you were there, Dean. You were walking the dog because we sent you. We were wrong, you weren't bothering us. We shouldn't have made you go."
"It' not your fault, Sammy. You couldn't have known what would happen. I shouldn't have let those guys jump me that's all." Dean's voice was close to giving out.
Bobby could see both these stubborn Winchesters blaming themselves for what had happened.
"Now, now you two. Neither of you are to blame; those young punks on the bikes are to blame if anybody is. Don't blame yourself for being taken by them Dean. Not three adults with weapons while you were trying to protect a defenseless animal. They attacked and beat up a twenty year old who was lucky to get away with his life. And Sam, how could it be your fault? It could have happened at any time to anyone. Just try to relax and be grateful Dean's okay now, all right? You're both coming back to my place while Dean gets better and I don't want this bickering over whose fault it was to continue, got it?"
It had been a big speech by Bobby and both boys looked shocked but nodded and agreed. There was a long way to go in Dean's recovery and it wouldn't do them any good to argue the whole time.

The police came the next day and took a statement from Dean about what had happened. Sam and Bobby had stayed with him for support. Sam had looked sad and Bobby angry when they finally found out exactly what had fully happened to Dean. Not that Sam had been giving Dean much room before that but after he became Dean's shadow. Bobby had just about grilled the cops for infomation about the guys that hurt Dean, he would get justice for Dean no matter what.

Four days later Dean had been allowed to leave and go back to Bobby's. Just before they left Dean pulled Bobby aside while Sam was gathering Dean's things from the bathroom.
"So dad was here or was that a hallucination?"
"No. He was here but left to finish the hunt he was on as soon as he knew you were okay. He only stayed four hours." Bobby did'nt look happy.
"And?" Dean knew there was more to it.
"Sam and your dad had a fight and your dad got told not to come back, because he was upsetting you and Sam."
"What did they fight about?" Dean's voice was slightly higher than a whisper.
"Sam wanted to know why he didn't come straight back once he knew you were missing. He called him a crap father." Bobby's voice was as low as Deans.
"Ouch. I bet that stung. No wonder dad went berserk. I have a feeling this is just the start of those two Bobby. I'd better enjoy the quiet while I have it."
Dean sighed heavily and Bobby was struck by Dean's ability to read ahead and see what was to come. He had always had a knack for it. Unfortunately for Dean, Bobby thought he was going to be correct in this instance.
"Like they say kid, you can't pick your family."

Dean's recovery at Bobby's was slow and uneventful; the amusing thing for Bobby was to see Sam mothering Dean like he had been doing to Sam before Dean was injured. Sam wasn't great at it, never having had much practice but what he lacked in experience he made up with in enthusiasm. So much so that Dean had to ban him from following him into the bathroom. Dean was patient with Sam and took it all in stride, allowing Sam to do the simplest of things for him if it made him happy.

Dean read in the local paper that the guys who had beat him and the other guy who had come out of the coma had finally been apprehended. Well they had been found tied to a pole outside the police station knocked unconscious. Dean had his suspicions because Bobby was on the phone quite a lot before they left the hospital, but Bobby feigned low interest in the paper saying only that he was glad they had been caught. Their dad turned up after a week to see how they were doing and Dean could see things were strained between him and Sam. Sam had followed John out to the car when he was leaving and Dean could hear the yelling over the TV and turned it up as high as it would go to drown them out.

The next few days Sam was around Dean a lot less than he had been. Staying outside doing jobs for Bobby in the yard and Dean suspected Sam was sulking. He asked Bobby if he was okay because he wouldn't talk to Dean much. Bobby assured Dean Sam was okay, just doing some heavy teenage brooding.
"That might wash if he was actually a teenager, Bobby." Scowled Dean stomping off on his crutches, suspecting they were keeping something from him.

Dean found out what was going on a few days later when he had limped down for breakfast to find Sam and Bobby looking like Cheshire cats with all Dean's favorites for breakfast.
"What's going on? Is dad picking us up today?" Dean sat heavily in his chair wincing and holding his left side which still hurt a little.
"No why?" Sam replied smirking.
"This looks like a condemned mans meal. You know last meal?"
"Or happy sixteenth birthday?" Sam's smile was huge.
"Oh, I forgot." Dean frowned.
Sam plonked a roughly wrapped, small square box in front of him.
"Happy Birthday, big brother." He got up and hugged Dean who lightly pushed him off when he planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Get off Samantha, you big girl."
"Yeah, he's too old for kisses from his little brother now." Bobby laughed.
"Ha ha, Bobby you comedian". Dean unwrapped his present like he had never had one before Bobby noticed.
"Oh man! Thanks!" Dean enthused looking at the watch Sam had got him.
"I wanted one of these."
He put it on his wrist straight away and liked the look of it sitting there. It even had a small compass on the band and was water proof. Dean jumped to his foot and limped after his brother.
"Okay, you can have a kiss for this." He laughed as he chased Sam around the table on one foot.
"No way man, you said that was for girls." Sam laughed as he ran away from his brother.

Bobby laughed as Dean lost ground on Sam but kept limping along as fast as he could. He looked like he meant business even though he was holding his aching side. Sam tripped over the leg of a chair and went sprawling on the ground, all arms and legs. Dean was there in a second pulling him to his feet then hugging his little brother while he had the chance. Dean thanked Sam for the present, it was cool. Sam looked pleased and went red. Just as Dean was about to turn away for breakfast he turned back and kissed Sam on the cheek, which had Sam running after a laughing, hopping Dean. Bobby put a stop to it after a few minutes when Dean was getting dangerously close to falling ass over and they sat and had breakfast. Sam and Dean breaking into laughter just about every time they looked at each other, Dean still rubbing his ribs. Dean was reading out the time every few minutes during breakfast so Bobby finally gave Dean his present from him. A military style bowie knife, a new pair of boots and a stack of graphic novels. Dean spent the rest of the day being waited on by Sam and Bobby and reading his new books.

There was cake at dinner which surprised both boys, they hadn't had a real birthday cake in a long time. Dean and Bobby had a coffee together after dinner watching TV while Sam sat looking through Dean's novels. All in all it had been one of Dean's better birthdays even through he still had his foot in plaster and was still recuperating. Dean found out from Bobby that was why Sam was so quiet. He had managed to get some money from John for a watch for Dean but Sam had wanted Dean to have a better watch, so he did work around the junkyard for a few days to make up the rest. So the day after his birthday Sam was back to sticking like glue to Dean as he had been before their dad had shown up.

All too soon Dean's plaster was off and their dad was there to pick them up. True to Dean's prediction, Sam had a fight with him and was grumbling in the back seat before they were even out of Bobby's yard.

The end