A/N: I'm no vet. I just go along with what I see in movies and what my friends have done to take care of their small sick animals. Some have lived others have died. You shall see what happens to this kitten as the story goes on. BTW: um, I'm not sure where Sammy is in this ficcy. He was in the original draft but took him out and replaced him with Bobby. Oh well, we can just say that Gabriel kidnapped him and is doing naughty things to him!
Part Two: D is for Dean:
Dean was starting to feel neglected.
Where the heck was Cas?
He hadn't seen him all day and Cas normally came out with him when he worked on some of Bobby's cars so he could learn about them. Cas was a quick learner. Plus, the fixing part went along a lot quicker when he had an extra pair of hands. Not to mention Dean didn't mind at all to see Cas all greased up. The former Angel Dude looked even sexier when he was covered in it, and Dean wasn't scared to admit to say so either. It was added bonus when it got too hot and it wasn't his fault that they had to take off their shirts.
Dean couldn't take it no more. It was almost lunch time. He had to see what was keeping Cas else where when he should be with him. Okay, correction: Cas could go where ever he wanted. It was just that Dean preferred it when he was with him. He wasn't as lonely, and was that so bad? He thought not.
Dean just made it up to the porch when Bobby stepped out. "Good timin'. I was jest gonna call ya in for somethin' to eat."
"Great, I'm starvin'." he admitted, his stomach started to grumble for some much needed food. "Do ya know where Cas is? I haven't seen him."
Bobby motioned him to come inside to see for himself. Dean followed him in and found Cas in the living room with a kitten in his hand.
"Hello Dean." Cas might not be an Angel anymore but that didn't mean he couldn't sense Dean's presence. That one would be hard to miss. He didn't look his way though. He was too focused on the kitten. Cas would say he was feeling much better about the whole situation. He'd been in here since morning and the kitten was doing pretty well. He was a hungry little thing.
"He found it under the hood of one of my trucks," Bobby answered, seeing the question all ready in his hazel eyes.
Bobby hadn't been the only one to notice how sickly the thing was looking. "Can I see ya. Alone. Jest a sec?"
"Sure,"
Dean told Cas that he would be the next room in if he needed them. Once in the dinning room, Dean asked Bobby: "Wat'cha doin'?"
"What?"
"Yer encouragin' him to keep that thing aren't ya?" Dean demanded.
Bobby crossed his arms. "What if I am?"
Dean face palmed and let his hand run down his face. "Bobby, I saw how small and sick that thing looked. It probably won't make it."
"Ya don't think I've taken that into consideration?" Bobby returned him. "I have, but Dean, in case ya forgotten Cas has he way of takin' very good care of things, and that kitten is doin' good. It could make it."
"Al'right, so what if it does make it...? Then what?"
"What do ya expect? We let Cas keep it." Bobby told him.
"Keep it?" Dean asked with frustration. "Bobby, we barely can get by takin' care of ourselves, the last thing we need is 'nother mouth to feed, and where do ya think we would keep it? Motels aren't too fond of animals. 'Member?"
Bobby chuckled.
"What?" Dean snapped. Was he thinking this was funny? He wasn't. If that kitten didn't make it then it would suck. A lot, and how he was going to help Cas then when neither of them could bring that small thing back... Plus, he should get props here. Wasn't this what they called being responsible? He had everything thought out.
Flash back to not so long ago, Bobby could remember once when Dean had found a stray puppy in the garage, just like Cas had done with the kitten. Dean had went to John and begged him to let him keep it. Dean had always wanted a dog. A boy wasn't a boy without a dog. John, as always was a ruthless sonabitch, who wouldn't let him keep it, and have gave Dean the same speech that Dean was giving him now.
And Dean remembered. The scary thing was on how much he sounded like John, and how he hated him after wards. He couldn't do that to Cas. He sighed. "'Kay, if it makes it then Cas can keep it... Where would it stay though Bobby?"
"Ya idjit, where do ya think?" Bobby returned his question with his own. "Look, it can stay here. I wouldn't mind the extra company. 'Sides, might help with some of the mice we got runnin' round here."
Dean smiled. "Bobby, I've said it before and I'll say it again: yer awesome!"
Bobby just smirked and told him: "I know." He looked over Dean's shoulder back at Cas. "Ya should get that boy to eat somethin'. I've been tryin'. He's too damned determined right now."
Dean returned to Cas' side. What his father did, denying him companionship of pet, he wouldn't do for Cas. If Cas wanted, then he would let him keep the thing. If it lived. If it didn't, he would let Bobby handle that one. It would be payback for all of it. What could he say? Payback was a major bitch.
The kitten was resting now, and Dean hoped that's all it was doing. Cas was looking exhausted. That was because one: he hadn't eating much according to Bobby, and he was putting all his energy into the small thing in his hand. It was tiring. Dean knew that all too well.
"C'mon Cas, ya gotta eat somethin'." Dean told him. "Let me hold the little guy fer awhile, then after yer done, ya can have him back 'kay?"
Cas would end up doing what Dean told him to. The kitten must have none that it was being passed on to someone else because as soon as it was in Dean's larger hand, it started crying out again. Cas went to retrieve the kitten, but as he watched Dean do as he and Bobby had done – placing a finger in the milk and giving it to him that way, and seeing the kitten go quiet and drinking again, Cas knew that it would be all right.
Dean laughed as he felt the kitten's mouth on his finger. The whiskers tickled. "There ya go little guy! Drink up!" Dean coaxed him.
Bobby had made them something small for lunch, just a couple of sandwiches. Of course, leave it to Dean to ask for some more. That boy's stomach was a bottomless pit, even more so now that he was out from Hell. They took shifts. One would eat while someone made sure the kitten did. It even found its liking to Bobby when it hadn't the first time it tried.
It went on like this well into the night. Finally, Cas couldn't hold up anymore. As much as he wanted to, he gave into sleep because he learned that was one thing that humans needed. He didn't get much by any means. He was too worried about the kitten.
Dean would let Cas rest. He was use to staying up all hours of the night keeping eyes on some one else. It was his turn with the kitten. Bobby was out on a store run getting more because by the looks of it they would be out before morning. When he'd gotten back, the kitten was asleep, and its original master had called it quits for the night.
"What should we do now?" Dean asked Bobby.
"All we can do. Wait."
Dean wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep but when he'd awoke it was morning again. The first thing he looked for was Cas. Then the kitten. Cas had the kitten in his arms and a smile on his face and Dean could see why Castiel was smiling so. The kitten was much more lively this morning. At the current moment, he was trying to make his way up Cas' arm.
"Well, looks whose up." Bobby made his presence known that morning. The boys hadn't moved from the living room. He smiled when he saw the kitten. Then he glanced towards with a look just oozing with: "I told ya so!"
Dean just gave him an roll and went back to Cas. Cas looked up at Dean. "He's okay."
"'Course he is," Dean replied. "Ya were the one who was lookin' after him."
"I have something to confess Dean, I was... Worried that I wouldn't be able to do this." Dean knew he wasn't just talking about taken care of the kitten, but the human thing, being able not just to take care of himself but taking care of others as well.
Dean let his head rest on his shoulder and whispered. "I knew ya could."
Any doubts now of how Cas felt about becoming human vanished with those words. Leave it to Dean to make him feel like he was worth something and could achieve anything when he himself didn't.
TBC...
