Humpty Dumpty

Chapter Four

Sam and Jody looked up as one as the gasp of pain interrupted their discussions. Dean was hunched forward, his good hand reaching for his injured shoulder as he puffed little sips of air through his tightly pressed lips.

Sam leaned over and rested his hand lightly over his brother's as he spoke quietly to him.

"Lemme see, Dean. Move your hand for me."

Dean complied, his eyes closing as he eased back onto his pillows. He slowly let his hand slide from beneath Sam's as the younger man went to ease back the dark flannel shirt from his shoulder, exposing the torn t-shirt beneath. The cougar had clawed from Dean's collar bone across his chest tearing an angry furrow in his skin that disappeared under his t-shirt heading for his ribs but Sam couldn't see the full extent of it for the remnants of the shirt.

"Doesn't look too bad, Bro..."

Sam's voice was reassuringly calm and Jody wondered if he really believed what he said or whether this was another part of the complex pain rituals they had spent way too much time perfecting.

"Gonna need to get your shirt off though and clean it up."

Sam's slid his hand down the old flannel as he spoke, looking to see if he could begin to ease it off of Dean's arm without moving him too much but Jody watched as he stopped abruptly, a look of consternation on his tired face.

He quickly brought his hand closer to the bright desk light that Jody had angled onto Dean's thigh, to illuminate the area as Sam sutured. Sam's hand was red with blood, not just a drop or two but wet with fresh, warm crimson.

She looked nervously into Sam's eyes as he spoke in a low voice, trying to ensure Dean didn't hear him.

"His shirt's soaking with blood."

Jody nodded her understanding.

"It must be coming from his shoulder?"

Sam shook his head, wiping his hand on the towel she proffered leaving garish red streaks on the snowy white cotton.

"I don't think so, his shoulder doesn't look to be bleeding that much. We need to get his shirt off and check him out."

Jody leaned toward the night-stand and scooped up the scissors from earlier, holding then up for Sam to see.

"Cut it off, be easier than pulling him about..."

Sam nodded in agreement.

"Hand me another towel."

The sheriff did as she was bade and Sam took it, folding it lengthways as he stood and leaned close to Dean.

"Dean?"

The elder man's eyes opened quickly, though they fluttered a little.

"Just gonna wrap your leg for a minute while I check out your shoulder."

Dean glanced at his neatly sutured thigh.

"You finished sewing?"

"Not quiet, bro, but I think we need to check that shoulder, it's hurting, isn't it?"

Dean's eyes tracked back to his torn t-shirt.

"Yeah, a bit, but I think...I think it's more my arm, Sam."

Sam looked across to Jody who was on the better side of the bed to easily reach Dean's injured arm. She reached over and lightly brushed at the cuff of the sleeve of Dean's flannel over-shirt, her fingers coming away warm with recent blood.

Sam grimaced and quickly tucked the towel tightly about Dean's thigh, taking care not to pull at the newly placed sutures or the remaining open tear, before moving to join Jody at the other side of the bed where they considered the problem of Dean's shirts.

"How's best to cut it off?"

Jody had the scissors poised but deferred to Sam, assuming correctly that he had more experience of cutting people out of their clothes, although after tonight she felt it would be one she could legitimately add to her C.V.

"Up the arm, from the cuff, slowly, then same with the sleeve of his t-shirt."

Jody nodded and taking hold of Dean's sleeve began to carefully cut.

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The fabric was hard to get through as it was thick to start with and now wet with viscous blood but most of all Jody was conscious that she didn't want to pull on it and hurt Dean. So it took a good few seconds to expose his forearm and thus the first bite that the cougar's vicious teeth had inflicted.

The bite marks were large, the wounds penetrating deep, exposing the dark red of muscle fibre beneath the torn skin. Blood oozed from each puncture to trickle languidly adding bright red to the almost-black of the extensive bruising that stretched from Dean's elbow almost down to his wrist.

Jody was horrified, it looked so brutal; so sore. She looked up, finding first Sam's serious face before she sought his brother's in the soft light.

Dean's face was pale, his eyes heavy and half closed but he still managed a weak smile.

"I think I maybe got...bit..."

Jody smiled back, trying not to show how horrific the wound looked to her in her face.

"You sure did, Dean. She chewed hard on ya by the looks of things."

Sam reached over and took the scissors from Jody's hand and kindly ushered her from her seat on the bed, sliding down in her place.

"Is that the only one, Dean? Did It just bite ya once?"

Sam resumed the dissection of his brother's clothes as he waited a response.

"No..."

Dean's voice held a slight reluctance, maybe a touch of embarrassment.

"I..t...think a couple more on my arm and...maybe...my ribs too."

Sam glanced up as he finished bisecting the sleeves and stood.

He gently pulled the remains of the t-shirt away from Dean's chest and cut straight down the front to the hem. That done he carefully peeled the tattered pieces away from Dean's body, exposing pretty much all of his upper body to the light.

Jody sucked in her breath as she catalogued the hunter's previously hidden injuries. Dean was right there were two clear sets of teeth marks on his upper arm, piercing the rapidly darkening bruises with punctures which were if anything deeper than those on his forearm.

His abdomen too was similarly claw and tooth marked, the worst of the bruising centering over the area where Jody had thought she felt cracked ribs earlier in the evening,

"Jeeze, man, why didn't you say you had all these?"

Sam's compassionate eyes moved from the injuries finding his brother's pain-filled gaze, but Dean just shrugged his un-hurt shoulder in response.

"I'm gonna need to clean them out carefully, Dean. The bites are pretty deep."

Jody watched the brothers, seeing the silent understanding pass between them as the older man spoke.

"No more stitching then?"

Sam shook his head.

"I can close the claw marks on you shoulder and down your chest but no, I think we better leave the bites open. Even without it being cursed up by the witch there's no telling what nasties live in cougar spit..."

He paused, his nostrils flaring in disgust at the thought.

"They're gonna need to drain, so no, no sutures for the bites. I just hope we got enough holy water..."

Sam glanced at the containers that he had brought in from the Impala. Tending to Dean's badly torn thigh had just about used the whole of one bottle. He hoped the other would suffice for the new bites and tears otherwise he would have to bless a new batch as that was all they had in the trunk.

Dean nodded slowly, resignation for what was to come evident in his weary eyes and knowing that a delay would only prolong his ordeal. He shivered slightly even though the room was warm.

"Are you cold, Dean?"

Jody reached up, placing her hand lightly against Dean's forehead. His skin was warm to the touch, perhaps warmer than she expected considering he was sitting half naked.

"Mmm, a bit."

He sounded sleepy and Jody exchanged a concerned 'maybe he has a fever?' glance with Sam. The younger man nodded discretely, his eyes confirming her fears.

"Here."

Jody pulled the throw that she had draped over Dean's feet, up, covering his legs and tucking it in around his waist.

"That'll help a bit."

She smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile, although she didn't feel it.

"You ready to carry on, Dean"

Sam had been filling syringes cases with holy water, laying them out on the night-stand as Jody had fussed with the blanket. He moved now to sit back on the bed, the first one held casually in his hand.

Dean eyed the plastic syringe with trepidation knowing that though the blessed water was necessary to counteract the witch's curses it was also gonna hurt like a bitch when it hit the deep wounds. He raised his eyes to Sam's and had his fears confirmed. He smiled ironically.

"Thought you'd never ask, Sammy."

"What can I do to help?"

Jody's voice broke their stare and both men looked at her as Sam spoke. He raised the syringe.

"It'll hiss and maybe spit when it goes on, probably worse than it did on his leg cause the wounds are deeper, and it'll take a few goes to make sure I've got right down to the base of each bite..."

"So be ready with the towels?"

She grabbed up another towel from the now significantly diminished pile as Sam nodded and positioned the nozzle of the syringe against the bite nearest Dean's shoulder.

"Sorry, Dean...there's no way this ain't gonna hurt."

Dean nodded, holding his brother's eyes for just a moment before turning his head away as Sam took a firm hold of his bicep and began the cleaning.

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By the time Sam was satisfied that Dean's wounds were suitably cleansed Jody's hands had acquired a sympathetic tremble and sweat was running down her back to soak her uniform shirt.

The process had been unpleasant as she had anticipated. Each of the wounds had fizzed and spit as Sam had forced the purifying water deep into each puncture and tear. Dean had born the pain silently initially, but as the minutes stretched to near an hour, his occasional gasps had given way to outright moans of pain and his trembling had become wholesale shaking.

Jody threw the final soaked towel on the floor with the others and watched exhaustedly as Sam reached for the suture kit he had abandoned earlier. She glanced at their patient. He was pale, shocky-looking, and his chest heaved with rapid shallow breaths. She moved to Sam's side, laying her hand on his arm as he applied new surgical gloves, forcing him to pause and turn from the bed to hear her conspiratorial words.

"Sam, are you sure he can take any more right now? Can't we just dress the wounds and let him rest?"

He glanced at the bed and Jody saw him critically assess his brother's condition.

"He'll carry on bleeding if we don't close his shoulder, Jody..."

She looked at the fresh blood beading the long rent that started at Dean's collar bone and trailed lazily across his chest and down his bruised ribs. The beads gathered as she watched to become a tiny trickle of fresh crimson against his pale skin.

"But he's so tired...and he must hurt so bad..."

Sam nodded sadly.

"I know, but if we leave them he's gonna bleed more and I don't think he can stand to loose much more."

Jody glanced at her red striped former-white towels and grimaced realizing how much blood the cleansing process had cost the injured man.

"Okay."

She whispered, bowing to his greater experience in such matters but Sam could hear the sadness in her voice and empathized with her.

"Look, I know it seams cruel, Jody, but this is how it is for us. We're sorta used to it, ya know."

She held his soft hazel eyes for a moment or two before glancing back to the man slumped painfully on her bed.

"I know you are. I just wish you didn't have to be."

Sam could hear the tears in her voice.

"He'll be okay..."

He tipped his head toward his brother.

"He's had worse. I know it looks bad but so long as there's no infection he'll be fine after the soreness wears off. He's tough, Jody. He has to be. "

"I know, I know you both are, it's just..."

Jody broke off as Dean's weak voice drifted from the bed.

"S...m?"

They both moved back to Dean's bedside.

"How're ya doing, bro?"

Sam could see Dean was nearing the end of his endurance. He had slipped down against the bank of pillows and his injured arm hung dead-looking at his side as though he had no energy whatsoever to move it. His eyes were open but dull looking even though they were dilated wide with pain.

"Are...y...you...done?"

The words were whispered between his shallow, rapid breaths.

"Nearly. Just gotta sew your shoulder and a couple more in your leg and then we can dress you up. You can sleep then, okay?"

Dean rolled his head back on the pillow, nodding weakly. His cheeks were pink against the pallor of his face and Jody leaned toward him and pressed the back of her hand to his cheek.

"Dean. Do ya still feel cold?"

She questioned, mouthing to Sam 'he feels too hot' .

"Y...eah...f...freezing!"

Sam nodding his understanding and picked up the suture needle, sitting close on the bed so he could reach his brother's damaged shoulder.

"Okay, let's get the needlework over with and then we can get you warm."

Dean nodded his head once and Jody watched as Sam rested his hand on the beading wound and took his first stitch.

The needle was thin and sharp and the younger hunter was skilled at the task. Dean tried his best to stay still as the suture thread pierced through his sore skin, tugging on it as Sam coaxed the thread through his swollen flesh, but it proved impossible. He flinched as the first stitch was tied off and as Sam approached for the second Dean's trembling was so marked that Sam had to pause.

"S...sorry...S...am..."

Dean panted, trying to bring his shaking under control but failing.

"Can...t...stop...shaking"

"Sam wait a minute. I've got an idea...Give me a second."

Jody was on her feet and through the bedroom door at a run, returning momentarily with a soft blanket in her hands. She dropped the blanket on the bed and bent over quickly unlacing her boots as she spoke.

"Sam, help Dean sit up so we can take the pillows out from behind him."

She toed the boots off under the bed and grabbed the blanket, shaking it out and holding it in both hands as Sam looked at her, bemused.

"I'm gonna sit on the bed behind him and hold him against me. It'll keep him steadier while you suture and I can wrap him in the blanket to keep him warm."

Sam nodded, placing the needle down as he reached carefully for his brother.

"Ready?"

Dean's mouth was clamped shut anticipating the discomfort to come, but he twitched a slight nod and Sam felt him trying to lean forward.

The maneuver was a bit frantic and clumsy but went remarkably well and Sam was quickly settling his brother into Jody's arms, his back to the sheriff's chest as her legs slid down the bed at either side of Dean's. She closed the blanket about his uninjured shoulder and it felt warm and soft on his prickly skin.

"Feel okay, Dean?"

Jody spoke but couldn't see Dean's face so she looked to Sam for a measure of how their patient was doing.

"Umm...better..."

Dean mumbled and Sam nodded for her. She snaked her arms round him, taking gentle hold of his injured hand.

"Dean, I'm gonna hold your hand, try and help you keep your arm still so Sam can finish the sutures. Okay? You understand?"

Jody felt the hunter's short hair brush her cheek as he nodded his head back against her chest.

"Tell us when you need a rest."

Another brief nod before Sam picked up the needle and re-commenced the stitching.

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By the time the last of the sutures was placed Jody's sympathetic tremor beat to the same cadence as Dean's. At each stab of the needle he had jerked in her arms, unable to contain the pain without unconscious reaction. She held him tight, feeling like a co-conspirator in his torture, as Sam had carefully placed the stitches to close the long rent.

He worked methodically, his technique precise so as to keep the scarring that was inevitable to a minimum and all the while Dean's hiccups of pain were the counterpoint to the silence in the room.

Jody was finally able able to release her grip as Sam had placed absorbent pads from her first-aid box over the wounds. She helped hold Dean's arm up as Sam wrapped bandages from his wrist to his shoulder and, after finishing his leg, similarly dressed his thigh.

It was a cruel and brutal business and as they finally slid him down, to lay more comfortably on the blood-stained covers Jody was more tired than she could ever remember being.

"How do you keep doing this?"

Jody whispered quietly to Sam as she pulled the comforter up, tucking it gentle about their patient's trembling form. She wasn't sure if Dean could really hear what they were saying as he had ceased to make any noise other than sighs of pain some time back.

Sam pulled off the surgical gloves dropping them next to the rest of the medical debris as he looked down at his brother's still form. He smiled, his own exhaustion obvious in his half closed eyes.

"It doesn't always end like this, Jody."

She nodded slowly.

"But it does too often?"

Sam blew out a tired breath, glancing at Dean.

"It does for Dean. He has this..."

He paused, unsure how to voice what he wanted to say and Jody filled in for him.

"Sorta death-wish?"

Sam grimaced at her directness.

"I don't know if I'd exactly call it that but he thinks it's his responsibility to save people..."

Jody moved to stand beside Sam.

"Well 'people' are damn lucky to have him...to have both of ya on our side."

She wrapped her hand around Sam's waist and he draped his over her shoulder.

"I think we could both use some coffee and then we can take turns to watch him till morning."

Sam smiled.

"That's be good, Jody."

She slid out of his embrace and headed toward the kitchen as Sam pulled the chair up beside the bed and sat down.

She turned back as she reached the door, watching quietly as the younger man reached out and placed his hand gently on the sleeping man's arm.

And she smiled knowing she would sleep safer because the Winchesters were part of her life.

Story ends

Thanks for reading, if you have time let me know if you enjoyed it.