Out of the Lake and Into My Arms
Chapter 4: The Realization
Fandom:
Supernatural
Pairing:
Destiel (Dean/Castiel)
Rating:
PG13
Warning(s):
Mild to moderate language, serious fluffiness

It was the third day since Castiel had arrived at the hospital.

He didn't really like it here. It was never completely quiet, what with the monitors that beeped and the nurses and doctors rushing about in the hallways. He found it hard to sleep after they'd stopped knocking him out with morphine. But Dean said it would be okay, so he decided to trust Dean. Castiel owed Dean that much- his complete trust.

Dean stayed with him most of the time. Sam stopped in occasionally to check up on them or bring Dean food. Castiel needed food now too- he was not as powerful as he once was- and he was not sure what kind of food he enjoyed, other than hamburgers, which he'd experienced when they encountered Hunger during the apocalypse. So more than anything, Dean just liked to talk about meaningless things, mostly, like how the pie in the cafeteria was "fucking delicious, Cas, you've got to try it" and how he had finally gotten "Baby"- meaning the Winchester's 1967 Chevy Impala- up and running again. Castiel simply held his hand and listened to Dean talk and gazed at his emerald-green eyes in wonder.

Sometimes, Dean just sat and held Castiel's hands in silence. Dean hadn't mentioned anything about the months he'd been gone and whenever he got close to the subject, Dean just got very quiet and sad, and his eyes would fall to the floor and a tear would form in the corner of his eye. When this happened, Castiel would brush any stray tears away with his thumb and hold Dean's face in his hand. Often, Dean would push back into his hand, stubble from his cheek brushing against Castiel's palm, and kiss the middle of Castiel's hand gently. Dean was more open and peaceful than Castiel had ever seen him before during this time.

The doctors would come in to check up on Castiel often- maybe once every 3 hours or so. For the first day, they would look surprised at Dean's presence in the room, but by the third day, they greeted Dean by name and sometimes smiled at the two of them together. Castiel was making excellent progress in his healing, even now that his powers were gone. The doctors estimated that Castiel would be free to go in about a week and a half.

The nurses came in more often than the doctors, and they were never as comfortable around Dean and Castiel- at least not the females. Castiel figured this was because both his own vessel and Dean were attractive young men by their standards, and couldn't act around them like they would other males of their age. They were more comfortable when Sam was around, presumably because Sam was available for the taking.

Castiel still couldn't move much, but for the first few days, it didn't bother him. Now it was starting to bug him. Castiel wanted to move. He wanted to leave this small, white room with the beeping monitors and the Devil's number on the door, at least for a little bit. Dean noticed his restlessness. "What's up with you, Cas?"

"I wish to leave this room, Dean." Dean looked a bit surprised. "I want to get out and explore. At least for a short time."

"I'll see what I can do, Cas," Dean grinned.

Within the hour, Dean had Castiel in a wheelchair and was pushing him down the hallway toward the courtyard. On the way there, they passed the nursery where the newborn infants were kept. "Dean, wait," Castiel murmured. Dean slowed down.

"What is it, Cas?" Dean looked at the newborns in their identical cradles labeled with names.

Castiel stared at the infants. "They're each so precious in their own way," he said softly. "I don't have my powers anymore, Dean. But I can still see into their souls. And I can see what they are meant to do in the world. I just didn't think there could be something so… pure, not after what I've witnessed in the world." Dean knelt down to Castiel's level, laying a hand on his shoulder. For some reason, Castiel felt very emotionally affected by the presence of the children. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes- the first time he'd ever experienced it for himself. "I've seen so much evil and darkness, but these humans are so bright- they have so much promise."

Dean looked at Castiel more closely, trying to pick out his reasoning behind saying this. "So… what're you saying, Cas?"

"I'm saying… I think I know what I'm fighting for."