This situation was not going to be resolved within a few hours, even with his entire brain dedicated to unsnarling it. As such, Cas took it upon himself to be productive. Even if Dean decided not to go into rehab, the least he could do would be to make it slightly harder for him to get his liquor when he got home. He did not think that Sam would let him be unsupervised long enough for him to stop at a liquor store, let alone a bar. That would mean what he already had would have to be enough – but Cas intended him to have nothing.
Cas had listened when Dean talked, though he was not sure how much the other man would believe the statement. There were times he was sure Dean was only talking to hear something and because if he talked then he would not have to think that Cas was only there for a few days.
And so he had told Cas all sorts of details, details that he would not forget.
His infatuation with a girl in high school, because she never cared about what others thought. His confusion over his attraction for Cas. Waking up to his father passed out in the bathroom or the kitchen or anywhere he should not have been. The places his father used to hide liquor, thinking that neither Sam nor Dean would know or see.
And so he wondered if Dean would think to use the same places to hide his own, without even realizing that Cas would know.
There was half a fifth tucked behind Cas's things in the closet. A full one in the coat closet. A half-pint was tucked into a pair of boots that Dean never wore. There was a pint pressed between the box spring and the mattress on Cas's side of the bed. Another fifth was under the sink in the bathroom, and another with only a few sips left under the kitchen sink.
He dumped them all with no remorse whatsoever. The smell permeated the air in the kitchen and he wondered why it smelled like home.
He was lost in the thought when there was a buzzing coming from the table and he realized he had left his phone there. The name was Sam W and he felt his stomach clench all over again. Please, do not let it be something bad, he prayed. "Sam."
A beat of silence. "Did you mean it when you said you'd pay for it?"
"Of course. Has he agreed?" He wanted Dean to go to rehab. After that… Cas had no idea. At least afterwards, Dean would be healthy, though. He could figure himself out if he knew that Dean was not in danger of dying.
"Yeah." There was silence on the other end again. Sam must be very unhappy with having to talk to Cas so soon. "We found a place that said they'd take him. I'll send the information. We've already set it up to take him in tomorrow. He'll be gone for a few weeks."
Cas drew a breath. He had a few weeks to figure his own head out. "I will set up the payments with them." There were no goodbyes, Sam just hung up. Cas stared at his phone, wondering if there was ever going to be a time that Sam was no longer angry with him. The chances of it being before he either left Dean or stayed with only him were slim, and he had no idea if leaving Meg for Dean would even help with how Sam felt. He had no intention of letting that actually affect his decision, however. He would decide and he would live with the consequences, not Sam.
There was nothing else for him to do here, so Cas left after calling the rehab facility that Sam had texted to his phone.
The drive back to his house felt surreal, but he could not quite figure out why.
When he walked in, Meg was standing in the living room holding Meredith and looking out the window. She turned to him and gave him a smile that made Cas question when they had stopped lighting up the room. Had it been when he started with Dean? Had he just not noticed because he was always trying to figure out when he would next be able to see him?
He gave her a smile, though, and walked into the kitchen. He wanted a cup of coffee.
The machine was halfway through the pot, refusing to quicken its pace despite his glaring, when Meg came and wrapped her arms around his waist. Distractedly, he patted her hand over his stomach. "I have agreed to pay for Dean to go into rehab." It was going to come out of the money that was his, but it was still a habit to let Meg know when he was spending his money on anything expensive.
"Oh. Is he addicted to something?" Meg spoke into his back.
"He has had a problem with his alcohol consumption for quite a while." He had had to think about it, because he had been sure she would know. She never came to Lawrence, though. She had not seen Dean since before they were married. The only things that she knew about him were what Cas could find about their weekends together that were innocent enough for her to know.
"Guess it's good you're such a helpful fella, then." He could feel her smile, but he was suddenly uneasy.
"Yes, I guess so." The coffee had finished, but he made no move to grab a mug. He had to figure out why he had such an odd feeling.
They stood like that for a few minutes, the smell of coffee in the air and Meg's arms around him. Finally, the silence was broken. "Did he finally ask you to leave me?"
Cas spun around and took a step back. What had she said? "What?"
"I've been wondering if he would." Meg rolled her eyes when he still looked confused. "Next time you start an affair, don't leave your phone out where anyone can look at it and don't come back with bruises on the back of your hips."
Cas's mind was reeling as Meg left to go grab Meredith, who had chosen that moment to start crying.