Description: Dean has a cold and Sam gets to look after his sick brother.

Warnings: Violence mild – mild hurt/ sick Dean. Brotherly love and comfort. Some swearing.

Medical conditions are broad and not detailed.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything Supernatural related. All towns and other people are made up, any similarity to the living or dead are purely coincidental.

Setting: Season two

Author's notes: Unrelated to any other of my stories.

Thanks to RealFunkyTown for taking the beta on this story. Any mistakes are mine.

Cold

Chapter 1 Ginger and lemon.

Dean Winchester stepped into the shower of yet another cheap motel. He winced as the water ran cold for a second before turning back to scalding. He knew it was no good trying to adjust the taps. These old motel showers just ran how they wanted to run. If anything he was grateful there was any heat in the water at all. He grabbed the shampoo up and squished some onto his palm before throwing the almost empty container back on the vanity. Dean enjoyed the scalding water on his back as he lathered up his hair. He had just returned from a routine salt and burn, but there was nothing routine about it. He had done it on his own after making his brother, Sam, stay in with a sprained ankle. It was tornado season in the tornado belt, which meant digging in thick mud, in heavy rain, hail and wind.

To top it all, Dean had been doing the leg work on this case and was starting to feel like he was coming down with something. There had been too many days of him getting back to the motel so soaking wet, his hair was flat against his head. Sam was meant to be resting his ankle. Dean was thankful he had taken Sam to a clinic and had it checked out because every time his younger, petulant brother whined about Dean doing all the physical work and getting wet he could pull the doctor's orders card out. Dean felt there was no need for both of them to be out in the cold, stinging, wet wind. Plus there was a fair slab of research to do on the case before they had tracked the right corpse down and they both knew that was Sam's forte.

Dean stretched his spine out as he rinsed his hair just as the water decided to have another cold spot. As a rule he never got a sore back so he knew it was yet another symptom that he was getting a cold. Well, hopefully a cold. The flu would send Sam over the edge into mother hen mode and he had been coddling him enough the last few days whenever Dean was at the motel. He even went as far as making him wear gloves, which even though he grumbled at, had been a good move when he was digging in the rain. As well as aches and pains he had the full headache and sore throat and had woken that morning with sore glands that he was determined to hide from Sam. He seemed to have known something was up the night before and made Dean take some Tylenol when he went to bed. Dean had insisted that nothing was wrong but Sam had held firm.

By the time Dean had washed himself thoroughly he had enough of the freezing cold /boiling water and turned the shower off. Dean tried hard to suppress the tickle in his throat which was trying to make him cough but he had ended up coughing enough times for Sam to be looking worriedly at the door when he came out. Dean dressed in sweat pants and a T shirt for bed for a change but left the socks off as to not freak his brother out. It couldn't have worked too well because as Dean slipped into bed Sam stood over him with a hot cup of something while his other hand held out pain relievers. Dean took the offered drugs and then the cup rather cautiously.
"Tea, Sam?"
"Ginger and lemon tea, Dean. Meant to stop a cold fast."
"Smells fuckin' terrible. I don't like ginger." Dean couldn't keep the whine from his voice.

Sam sat on the bed next to Dean with a stubborn look on his face and his arms crossed over his chest. Dean knew that look. Sam was prepared to sit there all night if necessary and all Dean wanted to do was curl up and sleep. He shrugged and sipped gingerly at the concoction. It wasn't too bad. If you shut your eyes and pretended in was something nice. Like coffee. No, not working. Still Dean managed to get the whole cup down making Sam smile as he stood and took the cup to the small kitchen. Dean lay down and pushed the pillows out from under his head so he was lying flat. After a few minutes his body heat mixed with the blankets felt suffocating. He pushed them off until only his left arm and leg were still covered. As soon as he did that Sam came over and sat by his hip as he had the night before. Dean didn't have the strength to tell Sam to go away. He felt exhausted down to his bones after the last few days.

Sam touched his forehead then his neck.
"You feel okay Dean?" Sam sounded worried.
Dean tried to reassure Sam he was okay but it came out sounding like one word as he drifted off to sleep.
Sam watched Dean drift off to sleep after muttering something that sounded like "ImokSammydontworry."
Sam had become concerned when Dean had pushed back his pillow then his blankets. Dean was a blanket and a pillow hog from way back. Sam knew so because of the many times he had to share a bed with his brother growing up. Dean only ever tossed them away when he was sick or in pain. He knew that because his dad had pulled Sam aside when Sam was eleven and Dean was fifteen and Dean was suffering from a bout of pneumonia. Dean didn't generally get sick, seeming to go through flu seasons without as much as a tickle but when he did get sick it seemed to make up for it.

John had taken Sam into Dean's small room where he was confined and shown Sam the way Dean was lying. On his back with the pillows and blanket shoved away.
"He only ever sleeps like this when he is sick or injured, Sam so take heed. Don't make the mistake of thinking because one side is slightly covered he is okay. It's Dean's way of trying to hide when he is too sick to do more. I made the mistake once of thinking he was allright because he was partially covered. You know how stubborn your brother is so if you ever see him laying like this let me know or if I'm not here check him yourself. "

Sam had been a little scared at the sternness in his father's voice at the time but what he had been taught ended up being very true. Sam had observed Dean in this position only ever when he was sick or injured. When he had laid like it the night before Sam instantly became worried. Dean was doing a lot of physical work out in the cold while Sam was stuck inside doing research. Sam had argued stubbornly but Dean refused to let Sam even walk to the diner to get food so there was no way he would be digging graves. Sam tucked the covers back over Dean and went about his nighttime routine before slipping into bed. Once the TV was off Dean's nasally breathing seemed to be very loud. He definitely sounded like he was having trouble breathing through his nose. Sam sighed and pulled the blankets around his ears to get some sleep.

TBC