Pain was the first thing that Dean felt as his eyes slowly fluttered open. The last thing that flashed in his mind was a flash of light searing his eyes and a ringing that made his ears ring. Any other details and thoughts were fuzzy in his mush of a mind. As everything started to clear up, he started to look around the bright white room. A hospital. A trench coat on a chair. Sam passed out near the window. The rhythmic beeping from the heart monitor filled the room until Dean cleared his throat to try and get his little brothers attention. Sam jolted awake, eyes widening as he saw his brother had woken up. "I thought you were just gonna keep sleeping, " he spoke in a worried tone, though he was trying to lighten the mood. The patients brows furrowed as they were interrupted by the door opening and Castiel walked in, having taken off his trench coat and suit coat, it made him look smaller. However his muscles were still clearly seen through his white button up. Seeing his friend awake made his face brighten as a thin smile cross his lips. It'd been awhile since any of them had even come close to a smile.
"Ah, Dean, how do you feel?" Cas approached the chair where his coats had been draped, turning it to sit and face the injured human.
"I feel amazing, what do you think? What the hell happened?"
"There was an accident, " Sam's voice trailed off, pulling the other's heads his way.
"I had figured that out by the hospital bed, details would help."
The young brother flicked his eyes to the white tiled floor before he hurriedly stood up, mumbling about finding the doctor as he rushed out the door. The two men were left alone and slightly bewildered. "What has his knickers in a twist?" Dean's brow had somehow become even more furrowed than before.
"Your brother doesn't wear knickers, so there's no way anything could be twisting them, " the angel tilted his head to the side, the corners of his mouth turning up, happy of informing Dean of his misinformation. There was a deep sigh as the bedridden man shook his head.
"That's not what I meant. What's bothering him? It's not like him to run from something as simple as telling me what happened."
"He feels blame for a part of it, guilt as well."
Dean's face fell, confused as thoughts bounced around before they were silenced once more by the creaking of the unoiled hinges of the door. A small man with short blonde hair and dark hazel eyes framed by glasses walked in first, followed by a shorter nurse and Sammy. The nurse began to check his vitals and mess with his IV while Sam took his place back by the window. Cas slipped his hands onto his friend's arm, holding it tightly as the doctor spoke.
"Hello Dean, I'm Dr. Darnel Gress. You were in an accident that has caused part of the nerves in the lower half of your body to become severely damaged. This has caused your legs to be immobile for the moment, however there is a way we could fix them, at least enough for you to walk again. It's a very complicated procedure and it may not even work."
"So you're telling me that even after that I still may not be able to walk. Ever?"
"Sadly, yes. But I'll do the best I can. If the procedure works you'll have to go through weeks of therapy and check ups almost daily to make sure the nerves don't become damaged further."
The doctors patient was quiet as he took in the gravity of the situation. His brothers mouth seemed to be hanging on loose screws as the nurse left. Cas gripped Dean's arm tighter, his smile having vanished. "I'll let the three of you talk for a while and ill be back in a few hours with a schedule."
And with that Dr. Gress followed the nurse out and shut the door behind him. Sam stood, slowly pacing to his brothers side. All of them had seemed to forget how to swallow, feeling large lumps in their throats that prevented any words from coming out. Dean could feel the pinpricks of tears swelling in his eyes. If he couldn't walk, he couldn't hunt. He wouldn't be able to protect Sammy and-
"It'll be alright Dean." The sound of the angel's voice snapped him out of his darkening thoughts. He looked into those blue eyes that seemed to be as deep as the oceans. It was calming, slowing his thoughts and letting him take deep breathes as his eyes blinked the tears away. As he gradually nodded, Sam turned to look out the window over the city they were in. Portland, Oregon. It had begun to drizzle outside, dark clouds looming. After a second he looked back with a seemingly pained smile. With a glance to Cas, he inhaled a deep breath.
"How can you be sure this time Cas? You're not at full power and last I checked most angels hate up. I won't even mention selling souls. How is it gonna be alright this time?"
"With you Winchesters, it always somehow seems to be, " he spoke with empathy, eyebrows in a raised furrow. It was true. Even though it always seemed to go wrong, Sam and Dean Winchester had survived all of it. Demons, Hell, Purgatory, the Apocalypse, even Lucifer himself. Both had always come out with their guns blazing. Castiel's words made Dean smirk as he fiddled his fingers in his lap. His whole body felt numb due to the painkillers running through system, which was probably best. The downfall was how tired he felt. As Sam and Cas continued to talk his eyelids became droopier and droopier till he could barely keep them open. Finally he succumbed to sleep and the voices of his friend and brother drifted off.