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Authors Note - First of all I just want to say that this idea is not mine and that I take no credit for it. The storyline and quotes are taken from the Australian soap called Neighbours. I believe the episodes were called 'A difficult truth' and 'An eye for deny' According to a website, the writers of these episodes are Jeff Truman and Linda Stainton, so they are the talented ones. All I have done is transfer this story into the Supernatural world. I hope it works.
Baby Dean's Ordeal
---FLASH BACK---
It was five in the morning and John and Mary were fast asleep in their bed. Their four and a half month old baby son, Dean was in the room beside theirs, asleep in his crib. He had been very fussy and grizzly all day and it had taken Mary and John a good hour just to get Dean to sleep. John was now very grateful for the rest he was now having because he had to get up for work in another hour.
John started to roll over onto his side when suddenly, the silence in the room was filled with the distressed sounds of crying. John and Mary both woke up and sat up slightly. John frowned, and rubbed his eyes.
"I'll get him," he said, groggily.
"No, no. I'll go. You have to go to work later," Mary replied, her voice still thick with sleep.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Go back to sleep."
Mary smiled at him before she stood up. On her way out of the bedroom, she grabbed her dressing gown and pulled it on.
"Dean, sweetie, what is it?" She asked softly, "You can't be hungry yet."
Dean only cried in response .She placed a soft palm against the baby's forehead. She frowned and her eyes went wide as she felt the heat radiating from her son's small head. Dean was burning up.
"John!" Mary screamed.
"What is it Mary?" John asked, as he stood up.
"It's Dean, he's got a fever." Mary replied, "He's burning up John."
John quickly got out of bed and hurried over to his wife and son. He placed his hand on Dean's forehead to confirm what Mary was saying. Mary was rocking Dean lightly in her arms, trying to calm him down.
"Don't worry, Mary," John said softly "I'm sure he's just fine."
"Then why does he feel so warm? Can we just go to the hospital? Please?"
"Yeah, of course," John replied, "Just give me two seconds to get dressed."
Mary nodded and then looked down at Dean.
"Shh, baby. Everything’s gonna be okay." She tried to sooth. But even the sound of his mother’s voice wasn't going to calm Dean down.
While Mary tended to Dean, John quickly pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt. He pulled his work boots on ('cause they were closest) and then re-joined his wife.
"Why don't I take him while you get dressed and I'll meet you by the car," John said, holding his arms out.
Mary nodded and kissed Dean's forehead before carefully handing him over to his father. John walked outside and down the stairs to the kitchen, where his keys were lying on the kitchen table. He picked them up and made his way outside.
"Hold on Dean," he said in a soft voice, trying to sooth the distressed baby, "You're gonna be okay."
By the time John had finished placing Dean into his car seat, Mary came running out of the house. John got into the driver’s seat while Mary, who was too worried about Dean to take her eyes off him, got into the back beside the car seat. John drove carefully but as quickly as he could. He tried not to show it in front of Mary but this really scared him. His boy had to be all right. He just had to be.
---END FLASH BACK---
"...When we got to the hospital the doctor was sure you just had a cold or something." John said, as he stayed seated by his son's bed. "But, ah, she wanted to run some tests on you, just to make sure."
"Well what happened next?" Sam asked, "I mean it was just a cold right? Dean was fine."
John looked over at Dean. Dean was looking back at him but his eyes weren’t completely focused. John shook his head slowly.
"By the time we took you home, Dean, it was around 11 o'clock. And I went to work." John answered, "Mike's wife, Kate, went over to the house and stayed with Mary for a while. For the next day, you were a little better. You weren't burning up as much, and you'd stop crying enough to let us think that everything would be fine."
"But it wasn't was it?" Sam asked, "Dad, what happened?"
John sighed and shifted slightly in his chair.
"The next day, Mike had given me the day off," John said, "Mary and I were having lunch while you were sleeping in the bassinet and then we got a phone call from the hospital..."
---FLASH BACK---
"Yes. Thank you." Mary replied into the phone before she hung up.
John looked over at her, his expression flickering between worry and absolute dread.
"Well?" He asked gently.
"Dean's test results have come in." Mary replied, "They need us to go down."
"It's probably nothing." John tried to sooth, "They never give results over the phone."
"Something's wrong," Mary said, as she walked over and looked down at the sleeping baby, "I can tell."
"Oh Mary."
"No. John really I can tell. There’s something wrong."
Doctor Perry looked at the couple with their baby before she explained the results to them.
"What's going on?" John asked
"Dean's condition is not what we first thought," replied Perry, "Or hoped."
"So what is it?" asked John.
"He has an abnormally high count of immature white blood cells." said Perry
"Couldn’t that just be his immune system fighting some infection?" John asked, as he looked down at Dean.
"The number Dean's producing indicates a much more serious condition. The most likely explanation is some form of Leukemia."
"You got that from some tiny blood sample?" Mary asked.
John looked over at his wife and saw her eyes shining with the tears that she was trying to hold back. He reached over and grabbed one of her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"The test is very reliable," Perry assured them.
"Well, yeah but you can’t be absolutely certain." said John, turning his attention back to the doctor.
"To make a final diagnosis we need to do another test," said Perry, "A bone marrow biopsy. I can arrange-"
"No." Mary said suddenly.
"Mary-" John began
"No. He doesn't need anymore tests." Mary replied, stubbornly
"If I didn’t believe it was necessary I-" Perry began
"He's just got a little cold," Mary said, quickly interrupting Doctor Perry, "I can’t believe your turning it into this."
"There might be a chance that-" John began to say. He was trying to be reasonable and brave for Mary and Dean but his insides were doing flips and his gut felt like it had tightened over 100 times.
"With respect," Mary said, looking at Perry "I think I know my son better than any doctor." She rose from her seat, with Dean still in her arms "And this hospital owes me a big apology."
"Mary-" John called out
Mary had opened the door of the office and turned around to face her husband.
"No, John I'm taking Dean home," she said before walking out
John stood up and looked at Perry.
"I'm ah, sorry." John said
"It's okay. Very understandable under these circumstances." replied Perry "But please try to talk to her. The sooner we find out the truth about Dean's condition the better."
John nodded and walked out after Mary.
"Oh John, not Dean, not our baby boy," Mary said
"Shh. I know." John said soothingly as he rubbed Mary's back.
"What are we going to do?" Mary asked as she pulled back.
John still had his arms around her, but now they had plenty of room to look down at the baby, who was still fussing slightly in his mother’s arms.
"Mary, I don’t like it anymore than you do. But we need to be sure." said John "If we leave now and don’t get the tests, and if something is wrong then...Dean will need to get treatment."
"I know."
Mary nodded. John kissed her lightly and then kissed Dean's head. He grabbed one of Mary's hands, gave it another squeeze and then led her back into the hospital.
Doctor Perry led John and Mary into a small private room of the hospital. It had a small cradle, ready for Dean. John stood behind Mary, who was still holding Dean.
"First we need to confirm my diagnosis," said Perry "Then we establish what type of Leukemia Dean has and what course of treatment to follow. To do that we need to perform a bone marrow biopsy." She knew that she had told them this before but she needed them to completely understand what was going on.
"Then let’s do it." said John, rubbing Dean's small arm.
"We usually recommend the family isn’t present during the procedure." Perry strongly told them.
"Well I won’t be leaving him for anyone." Mary replied.
"Same." John added.
"The biopsy can be very difficult for the child, and therefore for the parents." said Perry
"What do you mean?" John asked
"Under these circumstances a general anesthetic is out of the question." said Perry "Do you understand what that means?" she asked
Mary and John looked at each other with fear in their eyes. Yes they understood what it meant but they both would have rather been clueless. Without an anesthetic, little Dean was going to feel everything they did to him. He was going to be in pain and there would be nothing they could do to help him.
Dean was now laying quietly in the small cradle, Mary and John sitting beside him. John had one arm around Mary's shoulder and his other hand stroked Dean's stomach. Mary was holding one of Dean's hand's in her own while her other hand stroked his head. Mike and Kate were sitting on the other side of Dean, in plastic hospital chairs.
Mike and Kate were doing their best to be supportive and to offer advice about what John and Mary should do but at the end of the day it was something that only the Winchesters could decide.
"Why don't you go for a long walk outside?" Kate suggested, "Let the doctors handle the nasty stuff. Then come back when it’s all over."
"There’s nothing you can do to help." Mike added, "It'll only distress you."
"Dean won’t know any of their faces," said John "He'll think no one cares."
"Oh, yes I guess a familiar face might be a comfort for him." Kate agreed, "We can stay with him if you want. So you won’t have to...um, see it."
"Well I can’t abandon him." said Mary "Not now."
"Yeah. I couldn’t live with myself either," replied John. He turned to Mike and Kate and smiled briefly "So thanks for the offer but..." He turned and looked back at Dean "We'll do this. Together." He said and reached up and grabbed Mary's hand, the one that was holding Dean's.
Kate and Mike nodded.
"I'll go tell the doctors that we've made our decision." said John
Mary nodded.
John stood up and kissed Mary's head before he left.
"The doctors are okay with it," He announced. "They gave us the go ahead so we'll be with Dean."
"You're very brave." Mike said to them.
"No." Mary said, shaking her head. "He's brave. We're just along for the ride." She said as she ran her fingers lightly through Dean's hair. She looked at him in complete awe.
"Now if it gets too much, you can always come out." Kate said, as she stood and walked over to John "There’s no shame in that."
"Where Dean goes, we go." John said firmly "And we stay. No matter what."
John stood behind Mary and placed a hand on her shoulder. Mary nodded and looked up. Out of the small window in the door, she could see some doctors and nurses gathering.
"I think they’re gonna want to get started." Mary replied, gesturing to the door.
John, Mike and Kate all looked over and nodded. Kate hugged John and then Mary, and said a soft 'Bye' to Dean. Mike patted John's shoulder.
"We'll be waiting outside." Mike said.
When Mike and Kate left, John sat back down beside Mary. They both turned their attention to their son.
"Oh, he has no idea." Mary said softly, stoking Dean's soft brown hair.
"What if he blames us for letting this happen to him?" John asked suddenly
"Oh shut up John!" Mary snapped angrily as a tear rolled down her face. She turned and looked at his pain filled face and sighed. "Sorry." She whispered.
John nodded.
"We're okay aren’t we?" He asked, "I mean he knows how much we love him."
"Yeah he knows." Mary replied, "He knows because we're here with him now. He knows we love him so much."
Mary turned and hugged John, just as the doctors came into the room.
Dean had of course taken the test hard, but he did better then the doctors thought he would. Most young infants cried constantly during the procedure but not Dean. Dean took it well. It was as if he knew his parents were there with him. Watching him and showing him how much they care.
"He was so brave wasn't he?" Mary stated more than asked as she smiled down at her sleeping son. "John?" She asked when she got no reply
"Braver than me." John finally replied
"Well that just proves how strong he is." said Mary "Strong enough to beat this."
"It's Leukemia, Mary-"
"It hasn’t been confirmed yet." Mary replied stubbornly
"Come on, we both know they wouldn't do these tests unless they were sure." John said, sadly. He shook his head and took a step back. "I don't know if I can cope with this."
"John." Mary began as she stood up and quickly moved to his side. "Ssh. Hey. We are gonna get through this." She said, stroking his cheek "Together. We will I promise."
Mary pulled John into a tight hug. John held onto Mary just as tightly as she held onto him.
Kate and Mike stood and met John and Mary.
"She's been talking us through the results of the biopsy." John said "And...Dean, our baby..." He paused
"John?" Kate asked
Mary looked at John and then turned to their friends.
"It’s confirmed." She said hopelessly. Saying what her husband couldn't "He has Leukemia."
"It's curable right?" Kate asked
"Sometimes." John replied
"Okay, so how do you fix it?" asked Kate
"Um, they start with chemo therapy and then they'll have to do a bone marrow transplant." Mary explained "But first they have to find a suitable donor."
"I've already told them they can use mine." John replied, as he looked down at Dean.
Dean spat the pacifier out of his mouth. Luckily it was attached to the blanket with a clip and a ribbon so it did not fall to the ground. John picked it up and placed it back near Dean’s tiny mouth.
"Um, but uh Doctor Perry said that there’s not a guaranteed that your marrow will...will suit." Mary reminded John "So we're both being tested for compatibility."
"What if both of you don’t suit?" Kate asked
"Then we find someone who will." replied Mary
"Well I don’t know if it'll help but they can test me too." Mike said
Mary smiled at him. "Thanks. They said the more choice, the better."
"Then count me in too, Mary." said Kate.
---END FLASH BACK---
When John had finished his story, he wasn't able to look at either of his sons, especially Dean. Instead, he looked out the window and tried to will his tears to stay back. He didn't want his boys to see him cry. He hadn’t thought about those horrible weeks in so many years. It was just too hard.
Dean's eyes were wide with shock, and they had a glazed over look, but that was the only part of his face that was showing any emotion.
Sam was now leaning against the wall, staring at his father, tears in his eyes. He couldn't believe that Dean had been so sick and that he had no clue about any of it.
"Y-you mean Dean had Leukemia?" Sam asked
John nodded his head slightly "Yeah."
"How could he have had Leukemia?" Sam asked "And why the hell didn't you tell us this before, Dad?"
John finally turned and looked at his sons.
"Because I didn’t want to remember it," John snapped "And because it happened, and there was nothing you could do about it."
"So? You should have told us." Sam said angrily "Dean nearly died! He was sick and it never occurred to you that he might want to know about this?"
"Sammy, everything worked out, okay." John replied, his voice raising a little
"How?" Dean said suddenly
"What?" Sam asked, looking at Dean confused.
"How did everything work out?" Dean asked
"When the doctors took blood samples and everything from your mother and me, they had to test to see if we matched with you." John explained "And during this they ran some more tests on you. One day, after you had been in the hospital for about a week, the doctors...They discovered that you were fine. There was no trace of any dieses in your system. None."
"Are you saying it just vanished?" Sam asked
"I don’t know. All I knew then was that Dean was sick and then he wasn’t." said John "And now I think that whatever it is that saved him, is the same thing that saved him this time and so many other times"
"That’s it? I wasn’t sick anymore? I wasn’t dying?" Dean asked
"No, Dean you weren’t." said John "The doctors ran some more tests on you just to be sure but after they didn’t find anything they sent you home. And you were completely healthy. But you did have us worried. Until you were three, your mother would panic if you so much as sneezed. It was one of the scariest times of my life."
"This still doesn’t make sense." said Sam and rubbed his hands over his face.
"When else did it happen?" Dean asked, needing to know.
Sam turned to his brother, tears still in his eyes. He couldn’t help but think about what his life would be like if Dean had died as a baby. He wouldn’t even know him, wouldn’t have a big brother. Would he himself even be alive today? Dean had saved Sam's life so many times, not to mention their father’s. It was hard to say where they'd all be today if something had happened to Dean.
"Well?" Dean asked when he got no reply.
TBC
Next Chapter - The Other Times
Authors Notes - The next chapter is going to be a long one but only so I can cram all of the flash backs into it. Otherwise there will be too many chapters featuring flash backs and I want to get right into the story. Will update as soon as I can.
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