Sam gently lowered Dean to the ground and leaned him against the side of the barn, checking his brother’s neck for a pulse. His other hand went to Dean’s chest and was rewarded with a slight rise and fall. Sam breathed a sigh of relief and patted Dean on the shoulder as he checked the wound in his side. There had been a tremendous amount of blood lost, but Sam had managed to pack the wound and slow the bleeding. The packing was still in place, and there didn’t seem to be any new blood flow.

Sam sat back on his haunches, his head falling forward in exhaustion. Silently, he gave thanks to whoever was listening that he had the training to keep his brother alive.

Another deep sigh, accompanied by a shake of his head and followed by a deep intake of breath and Sam stood up to his full height next to his injured brother against the barn wall. He needed transportation…desperately. They were miles from where the Impala was parked and Dean needed a hospital. There were security lights on at this farm, but it didn’t appear that anyone was home. There were no vehicles visible, but Sam hoped one might be found in the barn…an old truck…anything.

Giving his brother one last glance, Sam turned to study the farm house. After a few seconds, he shook his head and, checking for hazards, began walking toward the sad-looking old building. As a child, Sam had always believed that houses had personalities, and he could tell if one was occupied/loved/happy or empty/abandoned/sad. This house definitely looked sad. The screen door hung crookedly and the roof to the porch sagged on one side. As he got closer to the building, he looked around the dooryard and noticed a distinct lack of attention…there were clumps of tall grass, and areas that should have grass had none. He shook his head as he walked, knowing no one would answer his knock. The owners (heirs?) obviously didn’t live here.

Sam carefully climbed the rotting steps and knocked on the door. Not wanting to waste time, he didn’t wait, but went to a window and tried to see in…darkness…not even a light above a stove. He walked back to the door and tried the handle…locked. In desperation, Sam leaned his forehead against the glass window of the door. He really didn’t see any reason to break in…he was sure he’d fine nothing useful. He pushed away from the door and carefully went down the porch steps and back toward the barn and his brother.

He began to take heart as he approached the barn…there appeared to be a small light inside, although it could be wishful thinking. As he changed course to head directly for a window, he spared a glance for Dean…still in the same position and still breathing, thank God. Sam stopped and sank to his haunches in front of his brother and grabbed the back of his neck with his own giant hand. “Nobody home, Dean. I’ll have to see what’s in the barn to get us to town or back to the Impala.” No response. Sam gave Dean’s neck a squeeze and went to the window.

A very tiny light shone from inside, but the window needed some elbow grease. Slowly, vague shapes formed and Sam could just make out stalls on either side, the occasional horse head looking toward him. Judging by the smell and the soft nickering reaching his ears, it was a horse barn. ‘Wonderful, horse’s asses, Dean’s kind of crowd. The cavalry has arrived…’ he thought.

Sam leaned away from the window and looked down the wall to the big barn doors. A smaller door had been cut into one, and he wouldn’t have to mess with opening and closing the others. He walked to the door and, finding no lock, opened it and stepped through.

Sam felt his way to the right along the wall and quickly found a light switch. A dim light came on above his head, more than enough to show that there were, indeed, no vehicles in the barn. Sam sagged in disappointment. He wasn’t overly surprised, but he’d held out a little hope. Sam kicked the wall behind him in frustration and moved to check on what might be of help in the barn.

Several minutes and much muttering later…all Sam had found was horse tack. These were riding horses and not even so much as a sulky or wagon could be found. Sam stood in silence in the middle of the large room, considering. Making a decision, he went back outside to get Dean. The smell of blood was strong on Dean and Sam wanted him inside and away from any chance predators.

Dean had slipped to the side a little when Sam reached him, he crouched down and gently tried to straighten his brother. Dean gave a soft moan as his eyelids fluttered, “Smmm?”

“I’m here, Dean. It’s ok. We’re at a farm, and I’m going to get you into the barn, alright?”

“’kaaay, Smmy?”

Sam sighed, “Yes, Dean, I’m fine. You’re the one who’s hurt, so let’s get you up and inside the barn. Can you put your arms around my shoulders?”

Dean smirked. “…girl!”

“Whatever, dude, just do what you can and I’ll do the rest, ok?”

Dean made a valiant attempt to help his brother get him to his feet, but Sam ended up doing almost all of the work. Dean hung completely limp in Sam’s arms by the time they got halfway to the door of the old structure. Sam let go of his brother’s wrist so he could get Dean’s head to lean against him. Too much heat emanated from Dean’s cheek as he lifted the elder’s face.

“Damn!” Sam said aloud…so not good.

They made it through the door just fine, and Sam gently laid Dean on the floor. He grabbed one of the horse blankets and covered Dean as much as he could, thankful that it was, at least, not the dead of winter…Winchesters couldn’t always have bad luck, could they?

Sam set about to search the barn for anything useful. He found a small room with walls that were wood at the bottom and glass at the top and a closed door. He reached for the door handle with shaking hands. Dean needed him to be in control…Dean trusted him with his life and Sam refused to let his brother down.

With a deep breath, Sam opened the door and felt on the left for the light switch. He flipped it on and found that there was a desk with the usual office-type stuff on top of it and a small refrigerator next to it. There was a coffee pot (empty), but some plastic spoons, paper napkins, and a stack of shop towels.

Opening one of the lower desk drawers and finding a good-sized first aid kit was the highlight of Sam’s day, so far. He glanced through the glass wall at Dean, then opened the not-quite-white refrigerator door. He found some containers of yogurt (yogurt?), cans of soda and beer and not much else. Sam dismissed the sodas and beer and went for the yogurt.

He glanced toward Dean again and then turned to head back to him. Right next to the door, but behind it was one of those coolers that used a 5-gallon plastic water bottle. The bottle had very little water in it, but Sam knew the cooling tank inside held a fair amount, as well. He looked around for more bottles, but only found empties. Sam took the big bottle off the cooler, grabbed a towel and the rest of his finds, angrily kicked one of the empties across the room, and headed back to Dean.

Dean had not moved from the position that Sam placed him in, and Sam quickly knelt next to his brother, placing his burdens on the floor next to them. He gently cupped Dean’s chin in his hand and turned the too-warm face toward his own.

“Dean?” He didn’t hope for an answer, as such, but desperately needed his brother to react to his voice. Patting the older hunter’s cheek, Sam tried again, “Dean? Come on, now. I need you to be in there, man!” Sam was rewarded with a groan and a weak attempt to brush his hand away.

“Thanks, dude. ‘T’s ok, you can rest. I found some supplies, and I’ll try to get you cleaned up a bit. Got some yogurt, too. It’s not much, but better than nothing, huh?” Dean immediately relaxed at his brother’s soothing words.

Sam moved the horse blanket off Dean and began to uncover the wound. He’d used part of his own shirt to press on the injury and the fabric was soaked through with his brother’s blood…Dean’s blood…again.

Sam grabbed the nearly empty water bottle and poured some of the water over the wound, soaked the towel, and began cleaning the area around the puncture. He chewed on his lower lip as he worked efficiently and expertly, the only way he knew. Only Dean could field dress a wound faster. He’d had twice as much practice.

Most of the blood came off without too much work. Good news…the bleeding had almost completely stopped. Bad news…tiny red lines moved out from the hole in his brother’s side…infection.

“Dude, you should’ve sterilized that tree branch before impaling yourself on it. Or just taken a header off the cliff with the rest of our stuff so the first aid kit would be handier.”

Sam tried not to think about the thud of his heart in his chest as he’d tied himself to a tree and rappelled down the side of the cliff to reach his brother. Dean was holding onto the branch sticking into his side to try and take the weight of his body from the wound…afraid that letting go would mean losing his whole side and plunging to his death.

Dean’s scream as Sam pulled him off the branch was probably heard for miles, and when it was over, Dean was immediately unconscious…mercifully, for both brothers.

Sam brought himself back to the task at hand and realized that he’d been working automatically. The peroxide he’d poured over the wound was doing it’s job. Going back into the first aid kit, he found a pressure bandage, no…two of them! One for the entrance wound and one for the exit wound in the back. The peroxide bubbled pink from the small amount of blood escaping the wounds.

Arranging the bandages so that they each helped hold the other in place and helped with the pressure, Sam had his brother wrapped up in no time.

He needed to get some fluids into Dean so that he didn’t dehydrate from the fever and to help his body with the blood loss. Small moans and whimpers were the only sounds that Dean was able to produce and Sam began to talk to him to bring him around.

“Dean. Dean!” Sam patted his brother’s shoulder and gently moved him around as he tried to get the older man to wake up. “You gotta wake up for me, Dean! You need to drink some water and I’ve got something for you to try and eat.”

“Mmmm, no Smmmy.”

“Yes, Dean!” a little more forcefully, now with his voice. Sam didn’t want to risk shaking Dean any harder and causing more pain to the injury in his side. “Dean, I need you to wake up! I need you to drink this water!”

“Mmmmee? ‘Kay?” Dean struggled to find his brother and make sure he was alright.

“I’m fine, Dean. Here, I need you to take a little sip of this water for me, ok?”

Dean’s eyes continued to search for his little brother, but nodded slightly at the request. As Sam put a hurriedly emptied and rinsed yogurt cup up to Dean’s mouth, Dean took a sip and then fell back against Sam’s chest, the action apparently requiring more energy than Dean could spare.

After a second, Dean frowned, “Pish?”

“What?” Sam tried to adjust to see his brother’s face, so hoping he had heard that wrong. “Here, drink a little more, Dean.” Sam slipped a couple of aspirin into his brother’s mouth as he held the cup up to his lips.

Dean nodded, took a larger sip and then licked his lips. Nodding again, he said, “Peesh!”

“Peesh? Dean, what?”

Sam was now able to see Dean’s feverish eyes and they locked for a second. He sluggishly looked down at the cup in Sam’s hand and back up to lock green eyes with soft, hazel orbs, “Peesh.”

Totally lost for a split second, Sam looked back and forth between Dean’s eyes…and then the light came on. “Peach?”

Dean gave a small smile and closed his eyes.

Sam chuckled, “Sorry, man. It’s a yogurt cup, and I tried to rinse it out, but didn’t want to waste the water.”

“S’good.”

“Good! Have some more, then. You have a fever, and your wound is infected, so we have to keep you hydrated. After you’ve had a drink and some yogurt, we’ll get out of here and find a hospital.”

Dean frowned and stared hard at his brother, “You!”

“No, Dean. This injury is more than I can handle. You need antibiotics and a doctor and some hot nurses to look after you.”

Dean’s frown turned into a slow grin, and his eyebrows waggled.

“That’s my boy!” Sam held the cup to Dean’s lips and smiled as he watched the liquid disappear. “Will you try some yogurt? It’s soft and cool, should help a little.”

Dean sagged against his brother again and shook his head, “Tired.”

“Ok, Dean, rest a while and then we’ll try again?” Dean nodded slightly, head falling to the side. Frightened, Sam placed his fingers to his brother’s neck and gave a big sigh of relief as he felt a somewhat stronger pulse…Dean was asleep…or passed out.

Sam sat holding his sleeping brother and looked around the barn. Finally, Sam made a decision that had been swirling around in his brain for quite some time. He’d studied the map of the area long enough to have it fairly well memorized and knew where they had to be. This location should be closer to the car, still too far to walk in a decent amount of time, but…

Sam gently moved Dean back to the floor and got up to walk down the aisle between the stalls. He found a light pull hanging down and pulled it, turning on a strong light from the ceiling. A couple of the horses nickered in greeting, and one came to the door of his stall…a beautiful chestnut gelding that Sam hoped could run quite a distance. In Sam’s mind, the gelding was volunteering for the job, and, as he looked into the horses eyes, Sam began to calm, and reached out to open the door.

The magnificent animal stepped forward and stuck his nose out to Sam, who gently placed his hand on the soft skin. It had been a very long time since Sam had ridden a horse. He, Dean, and their dad had worked a job on a ranch when the brothers were teenagers, and even though it was a supernatural job, it was one of their favorites. They’d both loved the horses and the ranch work…it was dirty, dusty, and smelly, but good. He and Dean had ridden as often as they could and became accomplished riders. Guess it was time to call up that old skill.

Sam got the bridle from the wall next to the stall and spoke quietly to the horse, “You have a very important job tonight, my friend! You need to carry me to our car, alright? My brother’s hurt really bad, and I can’t do anything more for him here. He needs a hospital. The car is only a couple of miles away and you look like you could go for a run. What do you say?”

Sam continued to talk quietly as he placed the bit into the horse’s mouth and brought the bridle up over the top of the animal’s head, making sure everything was comfortable. “Guess I haven’t forgotten everything, huh? What’s your name, anyway? I don’t want to just call you ‘horse’ if I’m going to ask you to do a job for me.” Looking at the plaque on the stall door, Sam saw that it said ‘Chestnut Dream’.

“Chestnut Dream, huh? That’s a fine name for a fine horse. I’ll call you Dream, ok?” Dream flicked his ears around as Sam talked to him, and the young hunter took that as a yes. Pulling forward on the reins, Sam began walking toward Dean, “Come on, Dream, I want you to meet my brother, Dean.”

As the two came close to the prone Winchester, Dream caught the scent of blood and began to shy away. Sam tightened his grip on the reins and spoke soothingly to the horse. “It’s ok, Dream. This is my brother and that scent is the reason we have to make this ride.”

Sam continued to speak soothingly, and Dream responded. Sam shook his head at the foolishness of what he was about to do…he didn’t know anything about this horse. For all he knew, Dream would start bucking as soon as he got on his back…there was just no other choice.

Grabbing a saddle that looked like it would fit the beautiful horse along with a saddle blanket, Sam quickly but carefully smoothed the blanket into place and got the saddle in place and adjusted the cinch. He also had to adjust the stirrups to fit his height…he apparently was way taller than the person that usually rode Dream. The beautiful animal stood patiently and allowed Sam to do what was needed, his soft, deep brown eyes following Sam as he moved about.

Assured that Dream was ready, Sam tied the reins to the door and went back to Dean. He was still sleeping, but if Sam was going to be gone for a bit, he wanted Dean to have some more fluids in him.

Sam wrangled himself back behind his brother, trying to be gentle, but not so gentle that Dean didn’t awaken. Sam still didn’t like the heat that Dean was putting out, but he didn’t seem to be any worse…his breathing was shallower and faster than normal, but seemed about the same as before.

Sam splashed more water into the yogurt container, took a small sip for himself, and held the container to Dean’s lips, “Dean? Dean. I have some water here for you, and you need to drink it. You’re still fighting a fever, and I need you to drink some more. Dean! Open your mouth, Dean.”

Dean let out a slight whimper as he opened his mouth. He remained leaning against Sam’s chest and Sam wasn’t sure if it was from fatigue or the fever, but it did nothing to lessen his worry. He poured a little water into Dean’s mouth and some of it ran out the side, but Dean swallowed and opened his mouth for more…this time keeping most of the liquid inside and swallowing. This process was repeated a few times until the little container was empty and Sam was satisfied.

“Great job, Dean!” Dean panted slightly from the effort of swallowing, but seemed comfortable enough. Sam put the container on the floor and prepared to tell Dean what he was about to do.

“Dean, I’m going to leave you for a little while…but I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Sam said the last part quickly as Dean’s eyes popped open and he began a weak struggle. “I’m going to take a horse and go get the car and come back for you, ok?”

Dean rolled his head to look for his brother as he continued struggling. Sam once again got into a position where Dean could see him and continued talking quietly and evenly. “I’m right here, Dean. I’ve got you, and you’re safe, but I need to get the car. No one lives here. There’s no phone and no vehicles…just horses. I can’t get you to the hospital on a horse, Dean, your wound won’t take a ride like that. Besides, you don’t want to leave your baby out there all by herself, do you?”

Dean quieted as Sam had assumed he would at mention of the car being by itself. “OK, Dean? I’ll turn off the big light. You can take a nap, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

With the struggle and emotions gone from Dean’s face, Sam was taken aback to see that his brother, at that moment, looked far older than his 28 years. Sam leaned his forehead into Dean’s temple and rested there for a moment…regretting all the burdens his big brother had carried all of his life. Dean didn’t pull away from the touch and each seemed to draw strength from the other.

“Saammy?”

“Yeah, Dean?” Sam raised his head and looked at his brother.

“Careful.”

Sam nodded, “I will be, Dean, I promise. I’m going to go, now, ok?”

Dean’s breathing hitched, and one tiny tear slid down his cheek, but there was confidence in his tired eyes as he nodded. Sam patted Dean’s arm and began the process of gently laying his brother down. Droopy green eyes followed Sam as he dug the car keys out of Dean’s jacket and turned off the bright light. The interior plunged into darkness that soon became brighter as their eyes adjusted.

Dean’s eyes were only slits as Sam came back to him one final time. “I’ll see you in a little while, Dean.”

Receiving no answer from his now sleeping brother, Sam stood and looked at the man who, for all intents and purposes, had raised him. In sleep, Dean’s features this time reflected his youth in spite of the crease of pain on his forehead. Sam squatted down next to his brother and placed his hand gently on the fevered brow.

“Hang in there, Dean. I’ll be back,” he whispered.

Clamping down on his emotions, Sam stood in determination and grabbed the reins to lead the horse outside. He stopped in surprise as he found that the sky had turned from pitch black to a pre-dawn dark gray. As he looked around, bushes by the house and trees outside the realm of the security light became individuals instead of large clumps of darkness.

He turned to the horse in relief, “Looks like we’ll be able to see a little bit on our ride, boy.” He took the reins in his left hand, grabbed the saddle horn, stepped into the stirrup and onto the saddle in one fluid movement. He mentally patted himself on the back as he sat in the saddle for a moment to see if Dream had been faking…there was nothing other than the slight movement to adjust for Sam’s weight on his back.

“Thanks, Dream. Let’s go.” Sam gently squeezed the horse on both sides and Dream stepped off into a trot that jostled Sam’s insides too much and brought a frown to his face. He’d always hated to trot…it’d never been as smooth as the “trotters” he’d seen race on tv looked. Using his knees again, Sam caused Dream to step up his pace to an easy lope that Sam enjoyed. As the gray of the sky became even lighter, Sam used his knees again to quicken Dream’s pace.

“What do you say, Dream? Shall we go for it? I need to get to the car and back to my brother.”

Sam leaned slightly forward, and, squeezing with his knees and jabbing with his heels, fell into the easy rhythm as Dream stretched his head forward and moved into a flat out gallop. Sam’s too-long hair flew out behind him, and Dream’s mane and tail were straight out as the horse gave his all. Sam leaned over further and couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. It’d been a long time since he’d felt this kind of freedom; for a few moments, he let himself forget the urgency of the situation and gave himself over to the feeling of exhilaration that swept through him.

He let the wind blow through his mind and his soul as it blew through his hair and took his cares and worries and the horrors of the life he led with it. His shoulders relaxed as the tension leeched from them and horse and rider were one in the moment, both enjoying it. Trees flew by in a blur, and small animals scurried out of the way of the flying pair, but Sam scarcely noticed, so wrapped up was he in the oneness of the situation.

Chestnut Dream was strong and carried Sam’s weight easily…he was also smart and avoided potholes and other obstacles without Sam’s guidance. There was no need to keep urging the horse to his fullest, he just gave it. Sam wondered at the horse’s ability to sustain such a speed, but was very glad for it. In a little while, however, there was a change in the rhythm of the run…no longer fluid, but forced. Sam came back to himself and realized that the magnificent animal was finally tiring.

Regretting the loss of the moment, Sam straightened slightly and pushed into the stirrups as he took more control back on the reins…beginning to slow Dream down a bit. They loped along for a while longer and Sam realized they were almost to the spot where the Impala had been left. Everything came crashing back to him…Dean’s condition and the urgent need to get the car and back to the barn to get him to the hospital, and as horse and rider approached the Impala, Sam gave a deep sigh.

He brought Chestnut Dream to a halt not far from the driver’s side back door and dismounted to begin unsaddling the horse. He’d take the saddle, blanket and bridle back to the barn and turn Dream loose to make it back on his own.

In the east, the sky was becoming a pale blue with a hint of pink and Sam was easily able to see everything around him. His own trip back to the barn should be swift, as well. Placing the items in the back seat, he turned to the large horse.

“You did well, Dream, and I had a blast! Maybe we can do this again some time, maybe in broad daylight and not under the same circumstances, huh? Now, go on home!” Sam slapped him on the rump and the horse just started and rolled an eye at him, but didn’t take off running.

“Ah, so that’s the way it is?”

Sam got behind the wheel of the car and, placing the keys in the ignition, brought the powerful engine to life with a roar…revving it for good measure. Dream startled and took off running in the direction of the barn. Sam hoped the horse wouldn’t run the whole distance and decided that he was too smart for that. He might even find a nice clump of grass to nibble on and end up just moseying home.

Sam slammed the car into gear (Dean would so kick his ass for treating his baby that way), and flooring the accelerator and throwing dirt and gravel behind the car, headed back to get his brother.

Later, Sam didn’t remember much about the trip to town. He focused from time to time on the few ruts and potholes, but mostly he worried about Dean. He had no idea how long the trip took, but for a worried brother, it took unbearably long. Suddenly, they were at the ER and Sam was slamming on the brakes and yelling for help as he ran around to carefully open the door where an unconscious Dean leaned against the window. Nurses, orderlies, and a gurney magically appeared at his side. Hands reached to relieve him of his precious burden. Sam sagged against the car for an instant until it registered that they were taking Dean into the building and away from him. He gathered himself together and ran inside behind the little group.

Before Sam could get too far into the waiting room, he was waylaid by a no nonsense nurse who prevented him from following his brother behind the curtain into the exam area. Sam blinked at the woman, aware that she was speaking, but not really understanding the words. The woman thrust a clipboard at him and pointed to the chairs and then to the desk by the wall. Sam automatically accepted the clipboard and headed to the chairs, falling into the first one he came to.

Unable to sit still, Sam began to walk around the room, casually picking up and briefly looking at the various magazines before tossing them back down. There weren’t many people in the waiting room…possibly due to the hour of the day, so he didn’t have to worry about bothering anyone as he made his circuit. After the first lap around the room, he became more restless and began glancing nervously at the curtain that separated him from his brother. He walked over to the desk and bounced back and forth on his feet, smiling anxiously while waiting for the nurse to get off the phone.

When she hung up, she spoke before Sam could ask his question, “I’m sorry, Mr. Webster, still no word. If you’d just have a seat, the doctor will come to speak to you as soon as he can.” The nurse’s smile did not reach her eyes.

“Uh, ok, um, thanks.”

Sam startled as his brother’s voice came from behind the curtain in a high-pitched scream only used when Dean was terrified for his little brother.

“Saaaaaammmm!”

Recovering instantly, Sam ran for the curtain, not missing a step as he leaped over a chair to get to his brother. As he ran through the curtain, he could hear Dean calling Sam’s name weakly, doctors and nurses trying to hold him down as he struggled to get up and find his lost sibling. Sam unceremoniously pulled a nurse out of the way, grabbed Dean’s arm with his right hand, placed his left hand on his brother’s forehead, and began moving his thumb in soothing circles.

“I’m here, Dean. It’s ok. You’re in an emergency room, and you have to let the doctors and nurses do their jobs to help you. Open your eyes, big brother, and look at me.”

Dean’s struggles began to ease, and his eyes began to open and blink.

“Sam?”

Sam smiled, “Yeah, I’m here. You’re going to be fine, and I’m not going anyplace.” Sam looked at the doctor pointedly, and after a one second hesitation, the doctor nodded. Sam acknowledged and looked back at Dean, whose eyes had never left his face. “I’m going to get out of the way, now, so these nice people can do what they need to do for you, but I’ll be right here…right here, Dean. OK?”

Dean nodded and watched as Sam backed away, but didn’t leave his brother’s line of sight. The staff watched the exchange in silence, and, when Sam nodded to them, went back to working on their now cooperative patient. Dean was soon asleep again, and Sam relaxed a little.

The doctor finally finished his exam of Dean and came to talk to Sam. “It looks like your brother was lucky, and you did some fine first aid work.”

Sam shifted on his feet.

“I don’t think any vital organs were damaged, but we’re going to take a couple of x-rays and prep him for surgery to see how much repair we need to do.”

Sam nodded. “I need to be there when he wakes up. He’ll be confused again and wonder where I am.”

The doctor considered for a moment and then nodded. “We’ll let you sit with him in recovery. We don’t normally do that, but the best interests of the patient outweigh hospital rules. Let me show you to the waiting room.”

OOOOOOOOOOO

Sam leaned slightly forward, and, squeezing with his knees and jabbing with his heels, fell into the easy rhythm as Dream stretched his head forward and moved into a flat out gallop. Sam’s too-long hair flew out behind him, and Dream’s mane and tail were straight out as the horse gave his all. Sam leaned over further and couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. It’d been a long time since he’d felt this kind of freedom; for a few moments, he let himself forget the urgency of the situation and gave himself over to the feeling of exhilaration that swept through him.

He let the wind blow through his mind and his soul as it blew through his hair and took his cares and worries and the horrors of the life he led with it. His shoulders relaxed as the tension leeched from them and horse and rider were one in the moment, both enjoying it. Trees flew by in a blur, and small animals scurried out of the way of the flying pair, but Sam scarcely noticed, so wrapped up was he in the oneness of the situation.

Chestnut Dream was strong and carried Sam’s weight easily…he was also smart and avoided potholes and other obstacles without Sam’s guidance. There was no need to keep urging the horse to his fullest, he just gave it. Sam wondered at the horse’s ability to sustain such a speed, but was very glad for it.

“Mr. Webster? Mr. Webster!”

Sam jumped at the name and realized that he’d been sleeping. Rubbing his eyes, he looked up and saw the doctor staring at him intently. Sam gathered himself from his dream and stood.

“Sorry, I guess I dozed off.”

“That’s quite all right, Mr. Webster.”

“Sam.”

“Sam, your brother’s out of surgery and in recovery. There was no vital organ involvement in the injury and it turned out not to be as bad as it looked. The major problem was the significant blood loss, but you did a fine job at first aid, and even that could have been a lot worse. We’ve given him 2 units of blood so far and also have him on IV antibiotics. I’ll let you go in, now, but you must be quiet for the other patients. Your brother will be fine, but he’ll need to take it easy for a little while.”

Sam nodded, thanked the doctor and walked toward the door the doctor indicated. He poked his head inside and saw a row of curtains and beds sticking out between them. Dean lay on the third bed, and Sam hurried to his side, giving the nurse a nod. She nodded in return and brought him a chair to sit in.

“Thanks.”

“No problem. We’re going to start waking him up in a few minutes, but you can sit right here until we do.”

Sam nodded his thanks again. He stared down at his sleeping sibling and suddenly felt exhausted. Putting his left hand on Dean’s short hair and taking his brother’s right hand in his own, he spoke softly…only for Dean’s ears, “You dumb sonuvabitch! You’ve got to stop doing this! You really scared me this time, bro. You’re going to be fine and I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Sam’s thumb rubbed Dean’s forehead and, even though asleep, Dean seemed to turn into the touch. Sam, not wanting to release his brother, hooked a foot into the chair to bring it closer and sat down to wait.

 

Darkness. A feeling of floating. Dizziness. Fatigue, especially fatigue. God, he was tired. What were those sounds? Voices? He tried to sort through them, but it was too hard. Was someone calling his name? No, not his name. Some other guy’s name. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but it wasn’t Winchester. Good, that meant that he could continue to float or maybe go back into the comfortable darkness. So tired.

Wait, there was another voice. Familiar, warm, beckoning. He wasn’t going to get to float much longer with that voice calling him. It was getting clearer, and this voice was calling him and not that other guy. Dean couldn’t resist this voice.

“Dean? Dean! Come on, bro, they want you to wake up now.”

He was trying, he really was. He could hear the words but couldn’t understand them. He knew who it was. Sammy? Is Sammy okay? What’s going on?

Dean began to claw his way to the surface, to consciousness. He had to get to Sam, to make sure he was all right, to get rid of whatever was threatening him. His eyelids began to flutter, and Sam’s voice got clearer as Dean came further out of the darkness. A small moan escaped his lips as he struggled.

“That’s it, Dean. Keep coming. We need you to wake up now.”

Sammy was closer. Dean’s eyes began to stay open for longer intervals as he tried to find his little brother. There was warmth on his forehead, and something strong but gentle was squeezing his right hand.

“Come on, Dean. You’re almost here.”

Dean felt the warmth on his forehead shift and begin making soothing motions, causing some of his fear and panic to recede as he realized Sam was fine. He knew that touch; it was Sam’s. The tired hunter closed his eyes for just a second more then opened them again, locking on his brother’s face, his head turning into the comforting touch. He squeezed the hand that was holding his. Sam smiled.

“Welcome back, Dean. You’re in recovery. The nurses want to get you out of here and into a room. Something about being tired of looking at your ugly mug.”

Dean closed his eyes again, a single tear escaping as relief swept through him. “Hndsmmme.”

Sam chuckled, “You wish. But take it easy. It’s okay, Dean. You’re in a hospital. You had surgery and you’re going to be fine. No vital organs were involved at all. You lost a lot of blood, but they’re giving you transfusions, so you should feel better pretty soon.”

Dean nodded against Sam’s hand, opening his eyes and taking comfort as his brother continued speaking.

“They’re going to take the oxygen off temporarily until you get to your room, so you can rest some more then, okay?”

A female voice from Dean’s left said gently. “Are you ready, Mr. Webster?”

Dean glanced at Sam who gave him a barely perceptible nod. Dean Webster. Got it. Dean nodded to the nurse.

“Are you feeling any pain, nausea, or dizziness, Mr. Webster?”

Dean shook his head and tried to speak, but his voice came out raspy and his throat was sore. The longer he was awake he realized that the sore throat was really his only discomfort. He frowned and pointed to his throat.

The nurse nodded. “That’s from the intubation tube used during surgery. A sore throat will usually only last a very few hours. I’ll bring you some ice chips.”

In the silence that followed, Dean realized that Sam still had one hand on his forehead and was holding his hand with the other. He shot Sam a ‘get your hands off me and never mention this again’ look that made Sam smile. He closed his eyes and relished the final rub on his forehead from his brother’s thumb, holding Sam’s hand a second longer when Sam let go. Dean regretted the loss of the warmth, but he had an image to maintain. Neither brother spoke until the nurse returned.

“Here you go, Mr. Webster. We’re going to let you suck on the ice chips while we move you to your room, okay?”

Dean nodded without speaking. The ice chips were relieving some of the soreness, so he lay back to let a few of them melt, the cold sliding down his throat.

Sam jumped out of the way as an orderly came to move the bed. Dean laughed inwardly as he noticed his brother suddenly look out of place and awkward, hands stuffed in his pockets. He filed the picture away for future use in teasing his little brother about his size.

The ride to his room was old hat for Dean so he lay against the pillow watching the ceiling tiles as they flew by. He’d made this trip way too many times, sometimes for himself and others, more frighteningly, for Sam. All the hospitals essentially looked the same with a few minor differences. He closed his eyes against the movement and the accompanying slight feeling of nausea.

His room turned out to be a private room as the orderly explained that this facility only had private rooms. Dean was relieved with that news as it meant not dealing with a roommate or sharing the TV. It also meant that Sam could stay as long as they wanted without bothering anyone else.

A second orderly magically appeared to help get Dean from the gurney to his own bed. The task was quickly accomplished by grabbing the sheet and gently pulling him over. Dean held his breath but relaxed with the careful handling.

After settling, Dean looked around in search of Sam, to whom he gave a tired smile.

Sam nodded as he moved closer, pulling a chair with him so he could sit beside Dean’s bed.

A pretty brunette came into the room to check Dean’s vitals and IV. Her name tag read 'C. Anderson'. Dean wanted to give her his best smile but decided that would have to wait. She was all business, and he really just wanted to close his eyes for a bit. After leaving instructions on the use of the bed controls, TV remote, and call button, the nurse left both brothers to relax.

The exhausted patient looked over at the younger Winchester through barely open eyelids. He saw Sam lean forward and pat his arm. The words “Go to sleep, Dean, I’ll be right here when you wake up” came from somewhere far away as Dean slipped off into dreamless sleep.

SSSSS

He could hear sounds again, but they didn’t seem close and certainly not threatening — mostly beeping, voices, other sounds that weren’t quite recognizable. He lay there listening, wishing it would all go away. He was still tired and only wanted to sleep some more. He felt someone move closer. Dean felt his little brother’s distinctive essence.

“Dean? Did the TV wake you? I’m sorry; I thought I had the volume down pretty low.”

The older sibling gave up trying to go back to sleep, opening his eyes to see concerned hazel eyes looking intently at him. “’S okay, Smmmy,” Dean grimaced and closed his eyes again.

There was suddenly a straw at his lips along with Sam’s voice. “Take a sip of this. It’s ice water.”

Dean did as instructed, sighing in relief as the cooling liquid slid down his throat. Giving his brother a grateful smile, he closed his eyes again for a moment. He thought it was very nice here. It was quiet, Sam was there, the ice water felt soothing to his sore throat, and he didn’t have to do anything right now but lie there. Maybe he could just stay like this for a while. He grinned to himself at the thought. Suddenly, his mind’s eye saw his brother standing above him with a saddled horse. His eyes popped open and flew to where his brother was settling back in his chair.

“Hrse?” he whispered.

“What?” Sam was instantly at his side.

“Horse?”

“Oh, yeah. Horse. I had to ride a horse to go get the Impala. Do you remember that?”

Dean gave a nod with a little shrug and immediately regretted it.

“Lie still, man. You’ve had surgery after a nasty fall, remember?”

He gave a tired smile as he closed his eyes. Soon, he was back under.

Together they were walking along the top of a hill, both keeping a lookout for the spirit they were hunting. The sun had just gone down and the sky in the west was beautiful with its last rays of the day. Not expecting too many problems until full dark, the brothers were enjoying some banter as they walked.

“Dude, you so did!”

“Did not!” Sam grumbled.

“Fine, Princess. Whatever you say.” Dean smirked.

Noticing the sunset, Sam slapped his brother’s arm as he stopped and pointed. “Beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah, Sammy, it is.” Dean liked to look at things like this sunset, but they rarely got the chance to enjoy such things. Allowing a few seconds, he then glanced at his baby brother, noticing the peace on his face. Smiling at the rare look, Dean turned to resume their trek. Suddenly, his foot slipped on some loose gravel and he went down, heading for the drop off.

Letting out a small shout, Dean jerked awake from his nightmare, the movement causing his side to feel like it was in flames. “No! Aaahhh!” His face reflecting his agony, he scrunched his eyes as he rolled his head back and forth and tried to move away from the pain.

Sam was instantly beside him, talking in soothing tones and gently pressing his hand on his brother’s arm to try to get him to stop moving. “Sshhhhh, Dean. Try to stop wiggling around, man, you’re hurt. Lie still, okay? You’re in the hospital, and I’m right here. It’s okay.”

Slowly, Dean responded to Sam’s request and quieted his movements. His breathing took a little longer to get under control, however. “’M okay, Sammy.”

“I can see that.” Sam handed his brother a small remote similar to the call button. “This is morphine on demand, Dean. You just push the little button when you need it. Doc said it’d help you get better if you stayed ahead of the pain.” At Dean’s look, Sam explained, “It’s regulated, so you can’t OD. It’ll only allow so much.”

Dean gripped the remote and pushed the button twice with his thumb. In mere seconds, the pain began to recede, Dean’s breathing leveled, and his body relaxed. He let himself go with it.

“What was that, Dean?” Sam’s quiet voice asked.

“Nothing, Sammy, ‘m fine” came the sleepy reply.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

“Gonna slp, Smmm.”

This time, there were no dreams.

SSSSS

Dean awoke feeling much better. It was nice not to have to claw his way to consciousness, but to awaken more naturally. He remembered he was in the hospital and why, but there was only slight discomfort at the moment. He lay there feeling almost content for some reason. No, not content, safe. That was it; he felt safe.

His eyes opened and, blinking to clear them, sought his brother. He had to chuckle at the sight that greeted him. Sam’s freakishly long body was draped over the typical hospital chair in what looked like a very uncomfortable position. His head was back and soft snores were coming from his wide open mouth. What the older brother wouldn’t give for a camera right now.

Trying to keep the laughter out of his voice, Dean tried “Sammy?” Laughter-stifling was given up when Sam nearly fell of the chair as he jerked awake, arms and legs flailing to try to stay balanced.

“Dean? How you doin’, man?”

“I’m feeling better, thanks to you,” Dean laughed. “That was great, dude!”

“Shut up!” Sam rubbed his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll go back to sleep then.”

“Are you still so exhausted?”

“No, I’m feeling much better. Why?”

“You’re not receiving any more blood. The latest CBC showed your level to be normal, so the blood that was lost has been replaced. Your body should be able to keep up now. How’s the pain?”

Dean hesitated and looked at the morphine control. He realized that his throat no longer hurt and his voice was stronger. “It’s not bad at the moment, but I haven’t moved yet either. It’s nice to feel awake.”

Contrary to what some people deduced about him from his drinking, Dean hated not being in control. If he wasn’t in control, he couldn’t keep Sam safe. That was his number one priority, no matter what. Speaking of which, his kid brother wasn't looking so hot himself. “How’re you, Sam? You need to get a motel room and get some sleep, dude. I don’t want you to get sick because you’re all worn down.”

Sam shook his shaggy head. “I’m good. I talked them into bringing in a chair that makes into a bed, and you have a shower in your bathroom. No need for a motel.”

“Sleep okay?”

“I will tonight. It’s not time for bed yet. I was just resting.”

Dean nodded and looked around at what he was hooked up to. All that machinery gave him the heebie-jeebies. He hated hospitals. He let his eyes return to Sam. “How long?”

“Have you been here?” Dean nodded. “About a day and a half. Not bad for what you’ve been through.”

The injured man rolled his eyes and Sam put his hand on his big brother’s arm.

“Look, I know you hate it here because here is a hospital, but you’re going to behave yourself.” At Dean’s scowl, Sam continued, “I promise I won’t let them keep you any longer than necessary. We’ll sneak out if we have to. Okay?”

Dean allowed himself to relax a little at his brother's assurances. It wasn’t just being in the hospital that was the problem for him; it was being in the hospital alone. He wasn’t alone, so he could handle this.

A heavy-set aide tentatively stepped into the room with a tray in her hands. “Anyone for some food?” Dean rolled his eyes again while Sam smiled as he moved the table so it was in front of his brother. The cheerful woman placed the tray on the table, smiling brightly at the brothers before turning to waddle out the door.

Dean watched as Sam took off the lids to expose a bowl of broth, some green Jell-O, and hot tea. Tea? “I want some coffee, Sam.”

“I’ll make sure you get some in the morning. You have to, um, well ‘eat’ this meal tonight. It’s your first meal after surgery. Mmmmm, beef broth!” Sam sniffed.

“You eat it. I want a cheeseburger.”

“I’m not going to fight or argue with you about this. Just do this tonight and I’ll sneak something in tomorrow. Please?”

Dean scowled up at his brother, but caved when the puppy eyes appeared. He knew it had to be this way, but nothing ventured… He should have known better.

An hour later, the tray was gone and Dean was getting drowsy again. He just thought he’d send Sam for some food of his own when a male nurse walked in.

“Mr. Webster, it’s time to get you up out of bed. We need you to begin taking some steps to get your body strengthened so you’ll be ready when it’s time to be released.”

The smile and the energy of the nurse were annoying enough that Dean wanted to tell him to go to Hell, but Sam cut him off.

“Great! I’ll help if you need it.” Sam smiled at Dean but was rewarded with a frown.

Dean watched as the nurse — ‘Dave’, according to his tag — placed a clipboard on the table and set about arranging the various pieces of equipment so they’d be portable for Dean to move around the room. Dave gently helped Dean to an upright sitting position and supported him until he was steady. As Dave reached to pull Dean’s legs to the side of the bed, Dean gasped and put his good hand out.

“WAIT!” Dave and Sam both jumped at the force of the command. Dave actually stepped back a couple of paces.

The older hunter’s scowl was a minor indication of his displeasure at what he suspected. His eyes bored into the nurse as he leaned forward as far as he could before the pain stopped him. “Do I have a catheter?”

Dave blinked at the patient as Sam put a hand up to his mouth to try and stifle the laugh that threatened to erupt from his lips like Mt. Vesuvius.

“Answer me!” came as a dangerous growl when Dave was too stunned to answer immediately.

Shaking himself, Dave managed to get out “Well, um, yes you do, Mr. Webster. You see you’ve been unconscious and the body continues to function under those conditions. We had to— ”

“Take it out.”

“Um, we can’t do that just yet, sir. You see, we need to make sure you can—”

“Take. It. Out.”

“I…”

“Now!” The hunter was fighting for control. He didn’t want to hurt this man, but there was no way he was going to allow this humiliation to continue.

He felt his brother’s hand grip his arm in what was meant to be a calming gesture, but he shook the hand away as he glanced at his brother. “No, Sam. You know how I feel about this.” Looking back at Dave, he raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

Dean was grateful to his younger sibling for letting him go, but also glad he hadn’t moved away. He was beginning to tire, but this was important.

“I’ll have to call the doctor.”

“Okay, then call the doctor. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

Dave turned and hurried out of the room. Dean began to tilt as his strength finally gave out. Strong arms surrounded him and helped him lie back as Sam’s quiet voice murmured in his ear. Dean clung to the voice to keep from losing consciousness. It felt really good to lie back.

Noticing the sunset, Sam slapped his brother’s arm as he stopped and pointed. “Beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah, Sammy, it is.” Suddenly, his foot slipped on some loose gravel and he went down, heading for the drop off. He tried to keep from going over, but the slant was too steep and there was nothing to hold on to.

“Sam! Help me!”

Dean jerked awake to find Sam in his face. “Are you okay, Dean?”

Rubbing his face to clear the cobwebs, Dean said, “Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You passed out. Scared me for a second, but the doc said you were fine. You really used up a lot of energy on that poor aide, man. You got your way, though. The catheter’s gone.” Sam gave a little half smile.

“Sorry I scared you. I know it was dumb, but it was important to me.”

“I know. Why did you call me?”

“What? I didn’t call you.”

“Yes, you did. Just now when you woke up. You said, ‘Sam, help me’.”

“Oh. I don’t know. Just a dream, I guess. Must not have been a good one, though, huh?” Dean didn’t think Sam would take this lightly, but he hoped his little brother wouldn’t push either.

Something flickered in Sam’s eyes, but he didn’t pursue the situation.

SSSSS

Sam converted the chair bed into its ‘bed’ form and lay down. His feet stuck off the end about eight inches, causing the older Winchester to laugh at the sight. Sam gave him a one-finger salute in return.

“Actually, Dean, despite the shortness of the bed, it’s quite comfortable; better than a motel bed. I should sleep like a baby tonight.” Sam gave a contented sigh as he stretched out with his hands behind his head.

“Well, that’s appropriate for my baby brother.” Dean smiled as he received another salute.

The injured man reached over and pushed the button on the morphine dispenser, relaxing as the medication began to take hold. It had been a busy day for him, causing his injury to register its anger at the activity. The bandages had been changed, and he’d received a lecture about scaring the nurses. He’d been poked, prodded, gotten out of bed to walk, and gone to the bathroom and back (with Sam having to help him the last several steps). Dean was bone tired. He wanted to forget about everything and get some really good rest tonight.

“’Night, Sammy.”

“Night, Dean.”

Sam got up to turn off the light, leaving only the faint light coming in around the door and a little light coming in the window from the parking lot outside below. Dean could hear his brother settling down on his ‘bed’ and grinned at the mental picture. Closing his eyes, he was soon sound asleep.

Dean and Sam were walking along the top of a hill, both keeping a lookout for the spirit they were hunting. The sun had just gone down and the sky in the west was beautiful with its last rays of the day. Not expecting too many problems until full dark, the brothers were enjoying some banter as they walked.

“Dude, you so did!”

“Did not!” Sam grumbled.

“Fine, Princess. Whatever you say.” Dean smirked.

Noticing the sunset, Sam slapped his brother’s arm as he stopped and pointed. “Beautiful, huh?”

“Yeah, Sammy, it is.” Dean liked to look at things like this sunset, but they rarely got the chance to enjoy such things. Allowing a few seconds, he then glanced at his baby brother, noticing the peace on his face. Smiling at the rare look, Dean turned to resume their trek. Suddenly, his foot slipped on some loose gravel and he went down, heading for the drop off. He tried to keep from going over, but the slant was too steep and there was nothing to hold on to.

As he lost sight of his brother, he cried, “Sam! Help me!”

Suddenly, there was a white hot pain in his side as his descent halted, and he screamed.

“Dean, wake up. Dean! Come on, man, you’re dreaming. Wake up!”

SSSSS

Four Weeks Later

Dean was cranky. He’d been out of the hospital and living in this motel room/crappy little furnished apartment for three weeks, but he still felt like crap. The wound was healing and the doctors were happy, but Dean wasn’t. He was tired. The nightmares wouldn’t leave him alone. He could hardly even take a nap without returning to the moment he’d been impaled on that branch. Sam didn’t know the nightmares touched even his naps since he’d taken to disappearing for hours at a time — ‘looking for another hunt’, he’d said. ‘Just what you need’, he’d said. Truth be told, Dean was glad Sam was leaving for a while every day. The mother hen routine had gotten way past old as far as Dean was concerned. One day he’d tell Sam about the nightmare. Maybe. Sam knew it was happening, just not the content.

Dean rubbed his hands over his face and went out the front door to the little ‘porch’. There was sunshine and a couple of not-too-uncomfortable chairs. He sat down wearily. The inactivity was beginning to make him a little crazy, but the fatigue was overpowering. They’d driven to the diner for meals, but he couldn’t muster the energy to do much of anything else. He knew Sam was worried, but Dean didn’t want to talk about it. Part of him thought Sam was going out during the day to get away from him. That thought hadn’t done anything to improve his mood either.

Leaning forward in the chair with his elbows on his knees, Dean sighed at the small twitch in his side. He was going to have to get over this nightmare thing in a hurry. It had gone on long enough. He could stand it on his own, but he was making his brother unhappy, and that was unacceptable. He made a vow to be smiling and happy when Sam came home today. Well, maybe tomorrow. He knew Sam wouldn’t believe him today.

The familiar rumble of the Impala made Dean look up as his Baby and baby brother pulled into the drive, coming to a stop in front of him. Dean watched as Sam got out of the car with a smile of greeting as he came over to him. Dean could tell he was being appraised and tried to smile back just like every other time Sam came home. His brother’s eyes flickered enough for just a moment so that Dean knew that Sam was disappointed that ‘the mood’ hadn’t improved.

Without a word, Sam sat down next to his brother. They sat there in silence for a few moments until Dean sensed that Sam had come to some sort of decision.

“So how was your day?”

“Not bad. Just sat around here and did nothing all day. Took a walk. Walked out to the road and back.” Dean made a ‘big deal’ motion with his hand. “Did you find anything for us?”

“Not really, but there’s something I’d like us to do this evening, if that’s okay.”

“Sam…”

“It’s not a big deal at all, Dean,” Sam enthused. “We’ll go grab a bite at the diner and then go for a little drive. There’s something I want to show you. Okay?”

Dean didn’t want to look at his brother. He knew the puppy dog eyes were in full force. He didn’t have to see them; he could feel them. Dean was toast. There just was no defense against that weapon and Dean knew his brother knew that, too. Dean caved.

“Fine, Sam. We’ll go for a bite and then go for a ride in the car like a couple of old dudes that have nothing else to do on a summer evening.”

Sam was excited. He could hardly sit still during dinner at the diner. He watched his brother pick at his food and not even pay much attention to the coffee. Or the waitress. Sam knew that Dean was still having the nightmares about the fall. He also knew that Dean thought he was keeping that little tidbit to himself, but little-brother-instinct was fail-proof. The dark circles under Dean’s eyes, the restlessness and fatigue, the trying to stay awake all the time all told Sam everything he needed to know.

He smiled to himself. Let’s see what we can do about that this evening.

SSSSS

Dean wasn’t hungry. That’s all there was to it; he just wasn’t hungry. He knew he was losing weight, that he needed the nourishment to help his body heal, but he needed rest, too. He wasn’t getting it.

Flopping his fork down on his plate, he looked up at Sam. “Are you about ready to go?”

Sam looked at his brother in surprise, down at his plate, and then at his own plate. “I guess so, but aren’t you going to eat anything? You need to eat to get your strength back.”

“Stop it, Sam. I just don’t want anything!” Dean’s voice was getting louder. Sam looked around the diner at the other patrons as he made a quieting gesture. A few faces had turned toward them, but most weren’t paying any attention.

“Okay, okay. It’s fine. We’ll go now.” Sam threw some money on the table and waited for his brother to get up so they could leave. He’d learned long ago that his big brother didn’t want to be hovered over, and it would definitely be counterproductive right now. He watched his older brother exit the booth like an old man and followed him out to the Impala.

“Let’s just go home, Sam. I don’t really feel like going for a ride, okay?”

“No, Dean. There’s something I’d like you to see before we head back. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

Dean nodded, if only to prevent another appearance of “those eyes” for the second time in one day. He got in the passenger seat and leaned back.

Sam started the powerful engine and pulled out of the parking lot, turning in the opposite direction from the way they had come. After a few minutes of driving, Dean began to sit up and look around. They were leaving the town behind and seemed to be heading out to the country. When Sam turned off the main road onto a less than well cared for lane, Dean could keep quiet no longer.

“Where’re we going, Sam?”

“It’s just a little bit further. We’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”

“Sam, you know I hate surprises!” Dean was beginning to growl.

“You’ll like this, Dean. Look up there!” Sam pointed out the window. Dean looked to see some buildings of varying sizes in the middle distance.

“What is it, Sam, a farm? Are we here for a hunt? I don’t think I’m up for it.” The hunter put his arm over his side protectively as he spoke.

“Yes, dude, it’s a farm; and no, it’s not a hunt. Just hang on a second, okay?”

Dean scowled at his brother, continuing to stare suspiciously at the far buildings as they came closer. An old house came clearly into view. It really looked like no one lived there at all. As they got closer, he saw that the other buildings behind the house were typical farm buildings: a barn, a shed, and a corral; nothing suspicious, really. What did his little brother have in mind here?

Sam expertly brought the big car to a halt in front of the barn as an old man stepped out of the building. He smiled at them as he offered a salute to Sam. Dean’s eyebrows went up as his brother got out of the car and greeted the old man.

“Hi, Jed. Didn’t think I’d be back today, but it seems like today is the day after all.”

“Sam, I told you, any time!” The two shook hands like old friends.

Dean’s eyebrows were up to his hairline as he slowly got out of the car, glancing from his brother to the other man and back again. “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

“This must be Dean?” Jed stepped toward Dean with his hand extended. “Glad to finally meet you, young man. I’ve been hearing about you every day and I feel like I already know you. My name’s Jed.”

Shooting his brother a look, Dean carefully reached out to take the offered hand. Jed grabbed it and began pumping it up and down with glee. Dean flinched and Jed let go immediately.

“Sorry, son. Sam told me about your accident and that you’d be coming out here one of these days. I was so glad to finally meet you, I forgot. Hope I didn’t hurt you too much!”

Sam had moved toward his brother, but Dean waved him off and smiled at Jed. He found that he’d taken an immediate liking to the older man. “Nah, Jed, I’m fine, really. It’ll just take time is all.”

“Great!” Jed gushed. “Do you know which one you want?”

Dean was really confused now, and turned to Sam. “Which what do I want for what?”

It was now Jed’s turn to be confused as he too turned to Sam.

Sam gestured to the corral where several horses were standing at the fence watching the three men. “You get to choose the horse you want to ride, Dean. We came here to ride horses.”

If Dean’s eyebrows could have gone any higher, they would have. It was too much to process and he wasn’t really sure he’d heard right. “What?”

“We came here to ride horses.” Sam repeated, slapping his brother gently on his good shoulder. “I haven’t been going to the library every day, I’ve been coming here to work. I’ve been helping take care of the horses, figuring it was the least I could do since this is where I borrowed the horse the night you were hurt.”

Dean leaned against the car. It was too much for him. His brother had been keeping this a secret all this time. He realized his brother was still speaking and tried to gather himself together to pay attention.

“I wanted to make sure Dream had gotten home safely and do what I could to repay Jed. Dream was here, and after I’d worked for a few days, Jed insisted on paying me. That’s how we’ve had the money for the apartment and everything.”

Sam was beaming at him. Dean couldn’t help but feel a huge swelling of pride that his little brother had really stepped up to the plate on this one. “So Sammy’s been working on a horse farm?”

“It’s been a lot of fun. I couldn’t turn down the money when it was offered.” Sam shrugged at the idea he’d done something special. It had felt good to be the provider, to take care of his older brother who’d taken care of him his whole life. Tossing a hand in the direction of the horses in the corral, Sam looked at Dean. “Which one do you think you’d like to ride?”

His big brother looked at the horses skeptically. “I’m not sure I should ride yet. It sounds wonderful, but …” His voice trailed off as he put a protective hand on his side.

“It’s fine. You know your doctor wants you to get some exercise. I talked to him just yesterday about this. He thought it was a great idea. Which horse do you want?”

“Sam…”

“No. You’re not getting out of this. We’re not leaving until you’ve ridden a horse.” Sam’s voice softened a little. “I know you want to. You know you want to.”

The older brother’s shoulders sagged. He did know he wanted to ride. It had been a long time. He stood staring at the horses in the corral for a moment then looked over at Jed. “It’s really okay?”

Jed nodded enthusiastically. “Of course it’s okay. Any horse you want.”

Dean looked back at his little brother’s hopeful expression. “Which one is Dream?”

Sam fairly jumped with joy as he took hold of his big brother’s arm to draw him to the corral. “Dean, this is Chestnut Dream. Dream, this is my big brother, Dean. You remember him, right?”

The older hunter grinned at the introduction but put his hand out to the beautiful animal that was watching him curiously. Dream stretched his nose forward to be fondled and Dean happily obliged. “Do you want to go for a ride, big guy?” He grinned as his little brother bounced from one foot to the other in excitement. He turned to Jed. “Is it all right if I ride him?”

Jed gave a happy grin. “Of course. I told Sam you could ride any one you want and that includes Dream. Let me get you some tack, and we’ll get him ready.”

Sam took off toward the barn, unable to stand still any longer. “I’ll get it!” he called over his shoulder.

The older men chuckled at the youngest man’s enthusiasm. “Sam’s been looking forward to this.”

“I can tell.” Dean laughed. He realized that it actually felt good to laugh; the pain in his side wasn’t much trouble at all. Maybe this really was a good idea.

A short time later, Dream was out of the corral and ready for the hunter to mount. Jed held the bridle while Sam enthusiastically walked his older brother forward. Dean had to laugh. “Dude! Could you be any more…” His hands waved in the air as he was unable to come up with an appropriate word.

Sam pulled a face. “Do you need some help getting into the saddle?”

Glaring at his little brother, Dean grabbed the saddle horn, placed his foot in the stirrup, and pulled himself up to straddle the magnificent horse. A minor twinge was the only complaint from his side. Sam mounted his own horse, and the brothers took off down the trail at a walk. Riding in companionable silence for a while, Dean decided this was good, but he wanted a little more. He gave his horse a nudge and Dream willingly stepped up his pace. Sam’s horse also moved quicker without being encouraged.

After a few more of these actions, Dean turned to his little brother with a Million Dollar Smile on his face. Sam could have cried from the joy of seeing that look which had been missing for so long. What he didn’t expect was the “’Bye, Sammy” that was tossed his way as his big brother urged his horse forward. He watched in happy surprise as the older Winchester and Dream took off.

Dean leaned slightly forward and, squeezing with his knees and jabbing with his heels, fell into the easy rhythm as Dream stretched his head forward and moved into a flat out gallop. His short spiked hair lay almost flat against his scalp, and Dream’s mane and tail were straight out as the horse gave his all. Dean leaned over further and couldn’t help the smile that appeared on his face. It’d been a long time since he’d felt this kind of freedom; he gave himself over to the feeling of exhilaration that swept through him.

The pain in his side receded until it became as if he’d never been injured. He let the wind blow through his mind and his soul as it blew through his hair, taking his cares and worries and horrors of the life he led with it. His shoulders relaxed as the tension leeched from them. Horse and rider were one.