Hello, all, happy Friday! This is the last chapter that I've already got completed, so from now on all of the chapters I post will come up once I've finished and edited them. I hope you enjoy!
Dean wasn't expecting the door to open another time. Maybe it was just Chuck coming back in to check up on him. But the sound of a familiar exuberant voice made him grin. He closed his eyes, sucking on the ice chip (because by now he didn't really need them for his throat, but they were easier to keep control of than a bottle of water, so he was far less likely to spill it), and waited for Gabriel to come into the main part of the room.
"Dean-o," Gabe cried dramatically, making Dean snort with mirth. "You're awake! My shop has been so lonely without you or Cassie coming in to get coffee." Dean still hadn't opened his eyes, too busy snickering to really face his worry of finding out what his husband's brother looked like.
When he did open his eyes, he was pleasantly surprised. Gabriel didn't look as ridiculously annoying as his voice suggested. In fact, if he wasn't heels-over-head for Castiel, he probably would have flirted with the man at one point. "Hi, Gabe," Dean said lowly, smiling at the man and shaking his head at the familiar antics. "Sorry to slow down your business. I figured this was worth a break from your coffee."
"Not to fear, my famous friend," Gabriel assured in what Dean assumed was supposed to be a 'heroic' voice. "I snuck you some coffee and muffins, like old times."
Dean's grin brightened at the words. "Lemon-poppy seed?" At Gabriel's nod, Dean laughed softly. "You're the best brother-in-law ever, dude." There was a pause as Gabe fished the bag out of his coat pocket, making Dean grin as he watched the sight. "So why didn't you ever tell me that you look like such a dork?" Dean's tone was fond as he raised an eyebrow at the man, taking the bag and opening it up, smiling at the card that was in there as well. "Thanks, Gabe."
"Me? A dork? I don't know about that, Dean-o, I think you need that shiny new vision of yours checked," he teased, patting Dean's shoulder. "And you're welcome, kiddo. It's the least I can do for my favorite brother-in-law. And my best customer," Gabriel added with a wink. Dean was so glad that he could see all of this now, but it was a little overwhelming at the moment. He'd gone so long without all these facial cues that he wasn't quite sure what to do with it, and it didn't help that Gabriel was a very open-faced person.
"Of course I'm your best customer, you're the only one other than Cas that doesn't care if I load my coffee up with sugar and flavorings," Dean replied with a huff of a laugh before biting into the muffin. It made him miss Castiel, and brought the song 'Frank Sinatra' to his mind, the one he and Cas had first danced to.
"That is true," Gabriel acquiesced. "I bet you're looking forward to seeing him, huh?" Dean grinned in response, nodding as he took another bite.
"I mish hiom," Dean said with his mouth full, shrugging a little. "But," he added after he swallowed, "I'm kind of glad he's not here, seeing me without hair." Dean chuckled a little, then frowned as he blinked hard and rubbed at his eye. "I think it'd be weird. I mean, I know he's already seen me, but I feel like the first time I see him I should be all dressed up, y'know, and look nice for the occasion or something."
Gabriel didn't miss the way Dean rubbed at his eyes, and he sighed, patting Dean's shoulder at his words. "Cassie already loves you," he assured. "He loves you for who you are, not what you look like. He'll be more ecstatic that you can see him back, now, than he'll care about what you're wearing or what your hair looks like. Besides, it's been a few days, it's already growing back. It's kind of stubbly, actually," he mused.
Dean had to laugh at Gabriel's response. "You think it'll look better by the time he gets back?"
"It'll be fine, kiddo," Gabriel assured. "I'm gonna head out. Don't think I didn't notice you rubbing at your eyes. It's okay to admit that they're achey, no one expects you to be fine in a single day." He laughed softly at Dean's sheepish smile and bite of the muffin. "Just focus on getting better. I'll let you know as soon as Cassie's coming home, it shouldn't be too much longer."
"Thanks, Gabe," Dean said, closing his eyes to take some of the strain off. It had only been an hour or so since Chuck left the room, and he was already having to take a break. It didn't feel good, to feel so weak. "Do you wanna send Chuck in? Um, I think I want to talk to him about how long it'll be this... draining."
"No problem, kiddo," Gabriel assured. "Do you want to talk to Cas today when he calls?"
Dean nodded in response. "I always want to talk to Cas when he calls," he hummed, eyes still closed. "Thanks for the muffin, Gabriel." Dean peeked through his eyelashes to see Gabriel nodding when he didn't respond, and the simple movement made a smile tug across his lips. It was so good to be able to see again.
Dean listened to the door opening and shutting before a gap of silence, which he filled with humming the tune of one of his songs. He fell silent as the door opened again, and Chuck's voice echoed in the room. "Hey, Dean," he greeted, "How's your head feeling?"
"I've got a little bit of a headache, doc," Dean hummed. "I didn't expect it to be this... Straining on my eyes." Dean kept them closed and rubbed at them with one hand. It made them hurt a little less.
"That's completely normal," Chuck assured him. "It'll take some time for your eyes to get used to the input again. That's why babies sleep so much, you know. Because their bodies are still growing, and their eyes need time to adjust to the light."
Dean made a soft sound of understanding. "You think I'll be able to walk around any time soon?"
"Yeah, within a week or two," Chuck assured. "It'll be tomorrow before I let you turn the lights on in here, though. We'll see about getting you a prescription for glasses, too. Your husband should be in by the time your glasses are finished."
Dean smiled at Chuck's words. "That's... that's really good news, doc." He nodded, opening his eyes a bit and grinning wider as he looked over the doctor's face again. "You got a bit of scruff goin' there."
Chuck put a hand to his chin and smiled back at him. "Ah. I've been meaning to shave a bit."
Dean grinned back at the man. "I dunno. It kind of suits you. Makes you look less scrawny, I think."
"Of course you'd be into guys that are anything but scrawny," Chuck teased in return. "We're gonna check your eye responses now, make sure that they're responding correctly. You've got to tell me right away if you notice any deterioration in your vision." The man moved forward with a penlight in his hand.
"Ah. Light's gonna hurt a bit, isn't it?" Dean was making a face, but opened his eyes, doing his best not to flinch back as the light shone in his eyes.
"Yep. Your pupil responses are good," Chuck mused. "So you have no problem registering lights, it's just the details that are a little blurry?" Dean nodded, closing his eyes again. "Alright. Try and get some sleep, when your husband calls I'll let the phone in here."
"Thanks, doc. I think I'll take you up on that offer." Dean knew that there was a difference between a coma and a good sleep, so he was looking forward to feeling a little less tired. He was looking forward to being able to hear Cas' voice again. It was nerve-wracking, him not being here. It had been three years, but he hadn't been deployed since Dean proposed. Dean didn't like not having Castiel close to him. With a huff, he laid back on the bed, eyes already closed, and sighed, thinking about how nice it would be to have Castiel pressed up against him so he could sleep more comfortably.
After a few moments of not being able to fall asleep, Dean groaned, rolling onto his side and taking one of the pillows before wrapping his arms around it and trying to fall asleep again. This time it worked, though Dean was still wishing that it was Castiel, and he fell into a light sleep, low light still glowing through his eyelids in pleasing color.