Sorry for the long wait; moving is so stressful. .

Thank you all sooo so much for the reviews, they are probably my favorite thing about posting these fanfics, and I apologize for waiting to incredibly long before I got this incredibly short chapter posted.

I did my best to make sure my scenario is medically correct, but forgive me if I messed up.

Hope

"Sir, can you hear me?"

"What do you think could have done this?

Dean heard mumbled voices surrounding him.

"Animals maybe?"

"Whatever it is really did a number on the other one. It looked like his side went through a paper shredder."

He felt one of his eyelids being pulled open and a bright light blinded him.

"Sir, can you hear me?"

Dean nodded slowly.

"You're at Luray General Hospital. My name is Doctor Creed." The doctor examined his other eye. "Do you remember what happened to you?"

Dean nodded again. He remembered falling asleep during a hunt. He remembered letting his brother get hurt. Dean looked around in confusion. Where was Sam?

The white-coated man beside Dean's hospital bed asked him a series of questions: if he knew the date, how many fingers were being held up, his name, and finally, what had happened to him in the woods. For the last two questions lies came easily, a sure sign of neurological health. The doctor prodded his injured shoulder. "Please try not to move. I am almost finished with your sutures."

"Wait, what about Sam?" Dean asked, "Where is my brother?"

"The young man you were with? He is recovering from his operation." Doctor Creed answered.

Dean's face visibly paled. He knew that the Night Prowler had injured Sam, but he had thought it would only take some stitches and a blood transfusion to fix him. "How badly was Sam injured?"

"Your brother's intestines were torn, and we had to perform surgery to repair the tears." The doctor explained. "It was a delicate surgery, but we were able to repair the damage to Sam's small intestine." He announced with a smile.

Dean exhaled heavily in relief. "So he's going to be okay?"

Doctor Creed nodded, "He has an infection from fluids that leaked into his abdominal cavity, but we've started him on antibiotics and that should clear it up... so yeah, he's going to be fine."

Dean's face broke into a smile that outshined the doctor's. "When can I see him?"

"Well, since you seem to be doing alright now, I'll have a nurse take you to post-opp. in a few minutes." He answered. "Just, take it easy for a few days."

"…You've got one advantage that Max didn't have."
"Dad?" Sam asked incredulously, "Because Dad's not here, Dean."
"No, me." Dean answered, as though this was obvious. "As long as I'm around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you."

Sam's unconscious body was a testament of that broken promise. Dean collapsed into the chair beside Sam's bed. His shoulder disagreed with the movement, but he didn't care; Sam's wounds were worse.

The bruise around his eye was an angry, violet color that was a contrast to the pallid skin of his face. Dean already knew what injuries lay hidden beneath the thin white sheet. He sat silently through the visiting hours, hoping that Sam would wake up. Eventually he was forced to accept the fact that he would have to leave the hospital without his younger brother.

As Dean drove the Impala from the lot where it had been towed, the only thing he could think of was Sam. It should have been Dean lying in that hospital bed. He was the one who had fallen asleep, and he should have been the one to suffer for it, not Sammy.

After Dean arrived at the hotel, he sat on one of the beds and looked at the other one. The one that had been Sam's. Dean sighed and rested his head on his hands. His mind replayed that moment in the cabin when that thing had had its claws all over Sam. He shook his head and tried to clear the image, but it was replaced with a vision of Sam bleeding onto Dean's gray t-shirt. When sleep finally came to him his dreams were full of blood and laughter

After Dean had succumbed to exhaustion, he had slept for one night, but Sam remained unconscious for three agonizing days. Dean had kept a careful vigil over his brother the entire time. He had insisted that the nurses show him how to change Sam's dressings and bandages and spoke at length with his brother's doctor about Sam's prognosis. For a while Sam's body continued to deteriorate and his little brother refused to regain consciousness. Yesterday, however, Sam had begun moaning and murmuring softly. The doctor said it was a sign that he was had moved into a lighter sleep phase. Since that time Dean had restlessly paced beside the hospital bed waiting for Sam to awaken. He was nervous because he knew that Sam would remember being captured by that monster. Sam would find out that his own brother had missed an opportunity to save him because he had not been vigilant. He had been sleeping, of all things. How would he be able to trust Dean to have his back after this?

Dean froze, breath bated, watching his brother. He did not move at all, afraid that if he did the fragile illusion would be dissolved, and he would find his brother unconscious once more. But it wasn't a mirage, Sam had finally woken up. His sleepy eyes focused on Dean. "Hey" he said, voice gravelly from lack of use.

"Sam." Dean smiled for the first time in days, his guilt momentarily forgotten. "How do you feel?"

Sam groaned and answered, "Like road kill." He rubbed eyes and glanced at his surroundings. "How long have I been here?"

"Three days." Dean lowered his gaze as he spoke. When Sam gingerly placed his hand on his bandaged side it was not lost to Dean although his brother tried to hide his grimace of pain. "Look, I should've-"

"Dean." Sam said slowly, "Don't beat yourself up over this; our job, it's dangerous. We get hurt."

"But it didn't have to happen. I screwed up and it could have gotten you killed." Dean shook his head in frustration. "I mean when I think what it must have been like. When that thing had you…"

"Well it wasn't so bad, Dean." Hazel eyes met green ones. "Because I knew you would come back for me."

So you've read this whole story despite my inconsistent posting, thanks for making it all the way. Please let me know what you thought of my first fanfiction. :D

In case anyone cares:

The creature in this story is inspired, in part by, the urban legend of El Chupacabra- The Goat Sucker. First reported in Puerto Rico, the Chupacabra is infamous for draining an animal's blood through two circular or triangular puncture wounds at the base of the neck. The legend describes it as being a bipedal, four-foot tall creature with glowing red eyes. I took liberties with its height because of the role that I needed the character to play. The other part of my inspiration came from the film Pan's Labyrinth which is why the Night Prowler can control plant life. Even though I didn't particularly like the movie, I thought the faun was just too creepy to ignore.

Luray Caverns is a real place and is somewhat of a tourist resort in Virginia. I doubt it is infested with vampire bats though. ;) For the probably nonexistent people who want to know: The dogwood (the tree Sam waited under) is Virginia's state tree. Thanks for reading, Caio!

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