The time waiting for Sam was spent mainly in silence, both makes just enjoying each other's company. They mainly held hands; Dean kept an appropriate distance between them so Castiel didn't tease him again. He didn't know if he could hold back next time.

Sam walked in carrying a blue fabric bag, which he placed at the foot of the bed. "Hey, Cas. How are you feeling?" the younger Winchester greeted as he emptied the bag, handing Castiel the pajama bottoms.

Cas grinned politely at Sam. "I'm better than yesterday," he answered truthfully. "Thank you for bringing my things."

He immediately shimmied into his pants under the covers, settling into the bed again as warmth spread through him. He reached for the book as well, placing it in reach next to his bed so he didn't have to strain.

Dean waited until Castiel was settled back into his bed, which was still propped up, keeping the boy sitting up.

"I guess if everything is fine, I'll take off," Dean said, as Sam took over his chair. "I'll be back later tonight." Dean wanted to lean over and kiss Castie, but he still didn't know where they stood and with Sam there, he didn't know how well his brother would accept the sign of affection, especially when just found out yesterday.

Castiel blushed Dean's way as the man left, a sheepish grin splitting his face.

It was just Cas and Sam now, and the boy was uncomfortable. Sam was giving off an air of frustration and hostility. It was off-putting. "I know I'm the injured one here," he voiced. "But are you all right, Sam?"

Sam just looked at Castiel and inhaled deeply. "I'm fine, Cas." Sam tried to keep his tone low and even, but too many questions were swimming around his head. He promised though, for the boy's sake and not Dean's that he wouldn't bring up what he knew—Dean could tell him.

Cas furrowed his brow slightly, but didn't press the matter. Instead, he yawned and stretched as much as he could with one arm and the many other injuries he had. "I'm going to try to rest," he informed Sam, sleepy tones lacing his voice. "Thank you for being here."

"Sure, Cas. I'll be here if you need anything." As soon as Castiel closed his eyes and his breathing evened out, Sam let out a frustrated that he's been holding in since Dean left. Damn his brother for putting him in this mess. Now he had to pretend everything was fine for the sake of the boy's health.

Sam sat back in the chair, staring down as the black print. Castiel just fell asleep and Sam decided to occupy himself with a book he brought for himself. The silence didn't last long though and soon a quiet whimper came from the bed. Sam looked up from his book and saw Castiel's lip quiver. The boy let out another small whimper and tensed up.

"Cas?" Sam asked, studying the boy for any sign if he had woken.

"Castiel?" Castiel let out a small, pleading 'no' and Sam got up from the chair. "Cas?' He whispered and gently pleaded a hand on the boy's shoulder, who almost jumped at the touch, and yet still managed to stay unconscious.

Cas laid boneless on what he knew to be sticky carpet, breathing strained. His chest felt constricted and he couldn't move his limbs. The stench of copper and sweat filled his nostrils, and the deafening silence pressed into his ear drums. Blackness shrouded him, sending him into a wave of panic. It was then he realized his eyes were just firmly shut, and he needed to pry them open. What he saw was the bloodied face of a man about an inch from Castiel's nose, eyes still open and red dripping from his lips onto the boy's face.

Cas shrieked into lucidity, still pinned by his terror to the hospital bed. He could hear a cacophony of sounds now: the insistent beeping of his heart rate monitor; panicked voices of nurses and patients alike; his own hoarse screams. He couldn't move. People were everywhere, crowding him and pinning him to his bed. His breath came in short gasps, the throes of a panic attack encapsulating him. He screamed over and over.

Shit, Sam though as Castiel continued to whimper. of course, this would happen when Dean wasn't here. He was the closest to Castiel—being in love was pretty high up there; he probably knew how to handle this.

"Damn it, Dean," Sam grumbled and started to shake Castiel's shoulder when the boy let out a louder noise, almost like a cry of pain.

Sam was a little pissed that Dean never once mentioned this to him. After over three months of Castiel under their care, Dean had yet to mention anything about Cas, besides what was written on his files.

Sam wasn't a stranger to consoling boys after nightmare—usually the younger ones, he's had his fair share of late nights. This though seemed different like Castiel was remembering something and not just dreaming.

"Come on, Cas, wake up." Sam shook the boy's shoulder harder, but carefully avoiding moving his head.

Dean's ride home was quick. He wanted to hurry back to the hospital, but he also didn't want it to look suspicious since he wasn't too sure if Sam told Kevin. He couldn't be quick where he was rushing eagerly out of the house, but he didn't want to leave Cas for too long.

Dean made it clear that he wasn't back to stay and luckily the boys stood off. Most of them had migrated to the living room, starting a game on the X-box or something. Kevin was there at the front door to greet him, but Dean knew the younger man wouldn't leave the boys.

"Is it true?" Kevin asked, standing just outside of Dean's room as the man rummaged around picking out new clothes.

Dean didn't need to ask for clarification, he knew what Kevin was asking. Sam probably came home angry and ranted to Kevin—Kevin wouldn't have bothered asking if Sam didn't tell him. Dean gritted his teeth and the door frame of his closet and looked down at the floor. I guess he told you?" Dean asked in response, which was enough of an answer for Kevin. "I'm not going to say anything, Dean. Personally, I think you already have enough shit against you, you don't need me adding to it. Dean turned to face Kevin. He kept his face emotionless and nodded his head in acknowledgment. Kevin took it as a 'thanks' and didn't say anything further. "So how is he actually doing? Sam said he was it rough shape, but he seemed to be okay when he last talked to you. Dean just shrugged his shoulders and dropped a plain green shirt and jeans onto the bed.

"He's tired and has some pretty bad injuries, but I think the pain medication is keeping him from feeling anything. He hasn't been complaining." Kevin nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but Dean cut him off. "I'm going to have a shower and then head back; make sure the boys eat." Dean brushed pass Kevin and crossed over to the bathroom he shared with Sam.

Dean quickly showered and shaved the day's growth off his face before he dressed in the new clothes and headed downstairs. Most of the boys were still where Dean had seen them earlier, but Nigel and James were gone-probably in their room. Kevin was now sitting in the room with them, where Benny and Nick had convinced him to start a game with them.

Dean caught his eye and nodded his head, which Kevin mirrored. Dean left the house without another word to anyone and headed back to the hospital

Castiel managed to open his eyes to the white room around him. He found it empty except for Sam standing by his bed, worried gaze taking in Cas' twitching figure. The boy let out a relieved sob and sank into the bed, not the sticky floor, crying.

Cas still couldn't move, paralyzed by the terror he felt while unconscious. He could turn his head, so he angled towards Sam and sobbed at him, a sloppy thank you said with his eyes. He'd forgotten that Dean wasn't here, which made him feel sad, but he had someone at least.

Hot tears tracked lines down his cheeks and his lips ached where they were stretched over his teeth.

"Don't leave me there," he suddenly hissed out, voice hoarse and quiet. "Please, don't make me stay there. So dark. All dead. The pain." He knew he was rambling, knew Sam probably didn't know about his true past, knew his words didn't make a lick of sense, but he kept spilling slurred words out of his mouth. "Don't make me leave. I can't leave."

"Cas? Is everything okay? You're safe; it's all alright," Sam comfort, trying to give Castiel a reassuring smile. "Do you want to talk about?" Sam didn't know if the boy would be willing to talk to him, but he needed to try. He needed Castiel to realize he was there for him too.

Cas shook his head at first, not wanting to relive the horror. But as his tears dried and his sobs subsided, he realized he'd been reliving it every night for the past year, so maybe telling Sam would be okay.

He nodded slowly, and warned, "It's a lot to take." When Sam just nodded for him to continue, he relayed what he had told Dean so many weeks ago.

Sam sat in the chair, silently, listening to Castiel share his story with him. Sam fought to keep his face impassive, to not reveal his judgment.

Why didn't Dean tell his this? He knew that Castiel had told Dean, if he was telling him now, there was no way he would reveal this to him and not Dean, whom he's been in a relationship with since he came to them. The thought still disturbed Sam and was hard to believe his brother would do that behind his back.

Sam quickly snapped out of his thoughts—it's was Castiel's time and he needed to focus on him. "How long Cas?" He needed to know, to know if there was something he could do.

"How long what?" Castiel's voice was hollow. "How long was I there? Nearly two years. How long have the nightmares been happening? Most night since that night. Some nights are worse than others." It was hard to keep the tremble from his voice, but he thought he did well.

He swiped at a few tears that had slid down his cheeks and sniffed. "I just want it to stop." This time, he sounded defeated. And he felt it, too. If he was still seeing the empty faces of the dead from that night while he was drugged up on morphine, he felt there was no hope for him.

"Did you ever think of getting help? I'm mean; this is something you just can't keep quiet about this." Sam sighed heavily and though about what Castiel had just admitted. He was probably the worst case they've ever had. Many had come from broken homes, drugs and sure, gangs, but no one had ever been around murder. Why would Dean keep this quiet?

"Why did Dean not say anything—why didn't you say anything?" The words were out before Sam could stop himself.

Cas stared, slack-jawed at Sam. It took him a few moments to find his voice, but when he did, it was commanding. "Well, I'm sorry for simply wanting to forget about that part of my life, Sam," he growled. "I told Dean only because I had a panic attack and I did not want to lie as to why."

"Whoa, Cas calm down." Sam sat back, his tone slightly defencive. "I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just saying it's not healthy to keep it in and suffer. These things are not easily forgotten."

"Well, now you know," he snapped. "It's out. Happy?" He knew he was being unfair, but he couldn't help it. He always got a sense of anxiety and discomfort when thinking about that night. That year, really.

After a few tense moments, he turned to Sam and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Sam just nodded and stood up from his chair. "I'm just going to call Dean." Sam pulled his phone from his shirt pocket and walked out of the room.

When Sam left the room, Cas brought his free hand up to his face. He pressed his fingers into his eyes, making colours dance across the black backdrop of his eyelids. When he removed his hand, the colours stayed for a split second and then dissipated. He felt bad about how he spoke to Sam, but he was still reeling from his nightmare. All he wanted was for Dean to be here.

Sam wasn't mad at Castiel, maybe a little irritated, but he understood with the boy was coming from. He needed to talk to Dean, but he'd prefer if it was before he got back so Castiel couldn't hear what Dean would say.

"Hey, Sammy. I'm on my way," was how Sam was greeted when his brother answered his car.

"Why didn't you tell me about Cas?" Sam seethed in a low tone. There was a long paused, Sam assumed Dean knew what he was talking about.

"He asked me not to," Dean answered like it was the most obvious thing in the worlds.

"Damn it, Dean!" He growled, a little too loudly and received an irritated look from a passing nurse. Normally Sam would apologize, but right now he was too pissed. He suddenly felt like a stranger in his own house. Sure, the home was Dean's, but it was Sam's job to provide a home for the boys too and to know them so they could help, and suddenly he was just finding out secrets about Castiel that his brother neglected to tell him.

"I'm his guardian too. How do you think it looked that one of us knows all this shit about him and one of us doesn't?"

"Technically, you just help out, Sammy," Dean stated, matter-of-factly. "You're just here for the summer."

"Damn it, Dean," Sam growled. Now Dean was just making excuses. San sighed and ran his free hand over his face, trying to calm himself down.

"Look, Dean," Sam sighed, "I understand you didn't tell me because Castiel only trusted you with that information, but damn it," Sam paused and ran a hand through his hair. "That boy needs help. How the hell is he supposed to function when he's reliving those memories each night?"

Dean sighed heavily and grumbled something Sam did couldn't understand. "I know, Sam, but he won't do it."

"Then try, Dean. He's going to be eighteen in less than a month and soon he won't be out responsibility. Get him help while we can."

"Fine," Dean snapped. "I'll talk to him. But I'm not promising anything."

"Fine, but you're doing it today."

"Damn I-I... Fine," Dean sighed and Sam smile victoriously. "I'll see you when get here." Sam ended the call and then headed back into Castiel's room.

Castiel read his book for a while, trying to distract himself. But his eyes swam and the words tangled together so he replaced the book after only two paragraphs. He decided to settle back into the hospital bed to sleep was probably a good idea, but he didn't want to have another nightmare. Instead, he took to trying to read all the posters on the walls. By the time Dean arrived, Cas would have the pattern for proper hand washing memorized.

"Scrub soap into palms with knuckles. Spread between fingers. Lather up to wrists. Rinse." He could recite it with his eyes closed, and it's been barely five minutes. Sam still hadn't returned when Meg came in to do his usual checks.

He was in too foul a mood to joke with her, however, and she noticed. "Something on your mind, Clarence?" She gave him the nickname after he made a reference to A Wonderful Life. It stuck.

He sighed and shook his head, looking apologetically up at the woman. She just brushed a sympathetic hand over his shoulder and left.

When Sam returned, Cas apologized again. "Sam, I'm sorry about before. I was just... worked up." He bit his lip in remorse, upset that he and Sam weren't getting along. He didn't want to get his hopes up about his and Dean's relationship, but if they were going to be together, Sam would be a big part of their lives, and Cas wanted to be friends.

"It's fine, Cas," Sam brushed off, "honestly." Sam leaned back in his chair and stretched our his legs in front of him. "Dean's on his way. He should be here soon."

They fell into silence and Sam looked at Castiel, trying to think of something to say. He caught sight if the book in Castiel's lap. "How is the book?"

Castiel glanced at the book, still open on his lap. He closed it and placed it back on the metal table next to his bed. "It's okay," he said. "I'm only half a chapter in so I can't really make a judgment yet."

Silence again. It was getting ridiculous. "Sam," he murmured lowly. "I-I appreciate that you and Dean and Kevin and even the other boys to some extent, have all accepted me without much questioning. But you need to know that I am also capable of listening." He wasn't sure where he was going with it, just that he knew Sam was upset about something and he wanted to prove himself. "S-so if you ever wanted to - I mean, I'm -" He cut himself off, sighed, and tried again. "If you ever need someone to talk to..."

Sam smile at what Castiel was offering. "Thanks, Cas. We're glad to have you with us.

Cas nodded, glad to have gained Sam's approval. He let out a yawn, clenching his eyes closed. As much as he was avoiding nightmares, he was exhausted, which annoyed him, because all he'd done for the last 24 hours was sleep.

"You know," Sam spoke again, studying Castiel as the boy looked at the wall behind the man. "You're good for him."

Castiel turned in shock, looking like he was trying to figure out if Sam really meant what he was thinking.

"He hasn't been this happy in a while. I know he loves this job...he doesn't really look at as a job. But when you came...he was different. He smiled more. Of course, he didn't do it when he knew I was around, but I saw." Sam smiled at Castiel's shocked face. He still wasn't completely fine with the idea of Castiel and Dean being together like that, but Dean was happy, so he would accept it. "You make him happy."

Cas stared at Sam in shock for the second time in less than half an hour. He knew. Had they not been careful enough? Were they seen? Heard? He had to force himself to blink, swallowing thickly.

"Sam, I-" He was cut off by Dean appearing in the room. The boy looked up at Dean and then back to Sam, alternating his gaze between the two of them. "Dean," he let out weakly.

Sam turned to the door and saw a fresh dean. "Hey, Cas," Dean smiled. He wanted nothing more than to go up and kiss Castiel, but he figured his brother was still not ready for that.

"I-I don't -" He cut himself off again, noticing that Dean wasn't worried. Did he know that Sam knew? It was all too much. Cas stared at the wall in front of him, frowning and mouth agape as he tried to wrap his head around this cluster-fuck.

"How are you feel?" Dean noticed Castiel's confused look but figured it formed something Sam said. He didn't want to say anything about the nightmares in case Castiel didn't want him to know. The boy was pretty protective over who knew what.

"I'm-I'm good," he managed to get out after a ridiculously long and tense pause. God, the Winchester brothers would be the death of him.

"Of course you are," Dean smirked and then boldly placed a kiss to Castiel's forehead, feeling Castile stiffen under his touch. Sam cleared his throat but didn't voice any protest. Dean just rolled his eyes and gently nudged Castiel's legs so he could sit on the bed.

Castiel glanced over at Sam as soon as Dean pulled away. The man seemed annoyed, but not mad. What was going on here? If Castiel thought he couldn't sleep before, tonight was going to be one hell of an all-nighter.

"So what were you two up to?" Dean knew what, Sam had told him on the phone, but he wasn't sure if Castiel wanted him to know. The boy had started to hide his suffering from him. He would wake up early in the morning to Castiel curled up, but every time Dean asked, Castiel would brush it off.

"Um," the boy stammered out. "I-I got some more rest." He would tell Dean about his nightmare once Sam had left, wanting to seek comfort in Dean. He fiddled with his sling, pulling at a stray strand that was tickling his thumb.

"So Sammy here wasn't a corrupting influence on you?" Dean teased and his brother just rolled his eyes.

"Really, Dean? You were gone for four hours." Dean just smirked and reached over to take Castiel's free hand, being careful to avoid the IV needle.

Castiel widened his eyes at Dean. He was doing this is front of Sam. He knew that Sam knew. And neither of them were freaking out. But Castiel was.

"Wh-what's going on?" he finally managed. "How-how did you f-find out that..." He frowned over at Sam questioningly, letting Dean continue holding his hand.

Sam and Dean both looked at the boy and then shared a look. They understood what the boy meant.

"It wasn't hard to figure out," Sam spoke, looking to Castiel and then Dean. "Dean was a mess when you were taken here."

Dean made a nosiness of protest, but didn't speak. Instead, he glared at his brother, which Sam just ignored. "You two also acted differently around each other at home, which was more noticeable when you had to be around the others. I had my suspicions for a while and yesterday was just confirming them."

"And you're not - are you m-mad?" Castiel was shaking now. They'd tried for so long to hide what they had and it all came out over something stupid that Castiel did. Would Sam kick him out now? Would he ever see Dean again? He tried to tighten his fingers around Dean's, as that thought invaded his mind, but the needle prevented from putting more than a slight curve in his fingers.

Sam remained silent for a moment, as he was contemplating the meaning of Castiel's words. Dean just lightly ran his fingers up and down Castiel's hand.

Sam watched the act and then answered. "I'm not sure, Cas," he spoke, looking down at his brother's hand connected with the boy's. "Honesty, I'm not pleased with it. But..." Sam cut off and then shrugged, "it's already happened."

Cas nodded, gulping back the lump in his throat and breathing out slowly. "Thank you, Sam." He said the words before biting his trembling lip. It was all too much. He wasn't sure if he was happy or scared, but Dean's grip on his hand seemed to help.

"Sam won't say anything," Dean spoke up, but Sam didn't reply. He just looked at the two on the bed and then at his watch.

"I guess I should head back," Sam announced, looking back up at the two. "I probably shouldn't keep Kevin alone with the boys for too long."

"Yeah, see ya, Sammy," Dean rushed and Sam just rolled his eye.

"Really, Dean? You couldn't wait until I was gone?"

The older man just shrugged and smirked at his brother. "See you later," and with that, Sam was walking out of the room.

Mere seconds after Sam had left, Cas was shifting forward, reaching for Dean where he sat at the edge of his bed. He pulled his hand from Dean's hand and instead twined them into the front of Dean's shirt, tugging the man forward and roughly kissing his mouth. It was all teeth and tongue, but Cas didn't care. His lover was with him. He was warm and solid and grunting into Cas' mouth and Cas could cry from happiness. Sam knew, and it was okay.

Dean placed a hand on the bed for support, leaning over Castiel, and cupped the boy's cheek with his other. He knew they shouldn't be doing this, in a hospital and with Cas still injured, but it had been a while since they kissed like this—with so much passion. Dean let a low growl escape his chest and he nipped lightly at the boy's lip.

Cas mewled in response to Dean's growl, whining against his lips and melting. His shoulders slumped and the rest of his body relaxed. He pulled away, mattress shoving gently at Dean's chest to part their lips.

He relaxed against the bed, letting his body slump into the cushion behind him. It may not have been the smartest idea to move, considering his back was now throbbing, but he would gladly accept it after that kiss with Dean.

"Dean, I thought that was it," he mumbled. "I thought Sam would kick me out." He pressed his forehead to Dean's and breathed heavily. "I thought I wouldn't be allowed to see you."

"Trust me, Cas, I would have been the one in trouble." Dean closed his eyes and let Castiel's breath tickle his face. "Sammy's a good kid and wouldn't have done that to you."

Cas smiled, astounded by their good fortune, and kissed Dean's freckled nose. He pulled his good arm free from where it was trapped between their chests and coiled it around Dean's shoulders. He licked his lips and pulled back, expression serious now. "I had a nightmare," he whispered. "A bad one. Sam had to wake me."

"Did you talk to Sam?" Dean asked, even though he knew the answer. He just wanted to see if Castiel was okay talking about this with him or if it was strictly meant to be kept between them and talking to Sam was just because he wasn't there.

Cas nodded shakily. "I told him everything," he murmured. "He deserved to know." Cas proceeded to tell Dean what happened in the nightmare, how it was more a memory than a dream, the empty eyes above him, the pressing silence. When he finished, he realized hot tears were sliding down his cheeks, and it was all he could do to keep himself from sobbing.

"Cas, you need to tell someone—not someone like me or Sammy, someone who can help you." Dean pulled back so he was sat upright, but he combed a hand through Castiel's hair, gently massaging the crown of his head.

Cas leaned into Dean's touch, grateful for the contact. He nodded sorrowfully, sniffling and taking deep breaths. "I know," he whimpered out. "But... I don't want to do it alone."

"You won't be alone. I'll be there for you and I know Sammy will be. And Kevin won't just stand by, the guy's taken to you becoming his 'cooking buddy' as he put it." Dean smiled at the boy, letting the love he felt for Castiel show. "You're not alone anymore, Cas."

Cas smiled shakily at the fondness that grew in his chest. As soon as Dean told him he wasn't alone, the boy let himself cry. He cried freely, happily, glad that he had finally found some acceptance. He hoped Dean didn't think he was upset.

"You cry too much," Dean commented, but he was smiling down at the boy. Dean leaned over and pecked Castiel's lips. "I love you," he whispered and pulled back.

Cas laughed when Dean teased him and whimpered softly when he kissed him. He wanted so badly to repeat Dean's words back to him, but his attention was pulled to the doorway.

There was a soft knock on the door and Dean looked over and saw a petite older woman, wearing a hairnet and dark blue scrubs, standing at the door. She was obviously from the food services and Dean looked down at his watch to see it was just going on to six.

"Good evening, Castiel," she greeted and moved into the room with a tray of food in her hands.

Castiel quickly wiped his eyes and murmured a hoarse, "hi," back to her

She placed it on the larger tray with wheels by Castiel's bed and adjusted it so it was more appropriate for Castiel.

Once she placed the food down, he thanked her, hoping he wasn't making her uncomfortable by crying.

The lady just said a soft 'enjoy' and then left the room. Dean moved off the bed and back into the chair so he wasn't in the way of Castiel's tray.

Castiel wasn't hungry, but he knew Dean would pitch a fit if he didn't at least try to eat. He lifted the coverings off of the meal, revealing hot pasta with broccoli on the side. He scrunched his nose at it, not feeling like chewing. He lifted his fork tentatively, poking at the greenery but not doing much else.

"Is everything all right?" Dean asked when he noticed Castiel only pick around with his food. He knew they boy probably didn't have much of an appetite with the combination with his injuries, but starving himself wasn't an answer either.

"Hm?" He glanced up at Dean. "Oh, yes. It's just - I..." He let out a sigh. "The idea of chewing is exhausting." He speared a broccoli anyway, trying to appease Dean, and placed it into his mouth. He chewed twice before scrunching his face up and looking around for somewhere to spit.

"Do you want me to go and get you something else, like yogurt," Dean offered as Castiel tried to take another bite of his dinner.

Cas managed to chew and swallow the broccoli, but he didn't want to try that again. "No, no," he assured Dean once he swallowed. "It's fine." This time, he curled the pasta around his fork and slurped it up carefully. This was much easier to stomach and he gladly continued eating.

Dean shrugged watched Castiel eat the food. In his opinion, the dinner didn't look that appetizing, yet it was hospital food—it wasn't supposed to.

Once most of the sticky pasta had been eaten, Cas shoved at the metal table, not able to stomach another bite.

"That was... Interesting," he muttered, trying to be tactful. He looked at Dean, who was staring with a disgusted look on his face. "It wasn't that bad, Dean."

"Do you want me to go get you ice cream or something? You need something wash that down." Dean looked that the dish with some pasta left over and gave it a scrutinizing look.

"No, no, it's fine," the boy protested. "It's just... I miss Kevin's cooking." He shrugged and then reached for the water jug that the staff changed every day. It was farther away than he thought and he managed to knock it onto the floor. "Shit. Sorry." He sighed in frustration. He just wanted the independence of doing things himself, which wasn't possible if he knocked over everything he touched.

"It's fine, Cas." Dean picked up the jug and placed it on the plastic tray. "I'll just go and get some paper towels."

Dean left the room and was back a few moments later. He quickly mopped up the water and left to dispose of the wet towels.

"Do you want me to get you some water?" Dean offered, nodding towards the now-empty jug.

"Yes, please." Cas was staring at his lap, embarrassment flushing his cheeks. He didn't want to make Dean do everything for him, but it seemed like it was the only option until he got better. He forgot about the needle in his hand, preventing him from properly using it. And his other arm wasn't an option either. So, asking Dean was the only option. But, it didn't mean he had to feel good about it.

Dean took the jug and left the room, finding a fountain to fill it up. When he came back, he filled Cas' cup and handed it to the boy.

"Don't be ashamed of asking for help, Cas," Dean said when he noticed that Castiel was still a little flushed. "I'm here to help you. I don't want you to feel ashamed."

Cas huffed a little, but thanked Dean and sipped at his water carefully. Holding the cup was a little awkward since he couldn't actually grip the cup, but he managed.

"I just feel useless," he muttered. "I don't want to be a burden."

"Cas," Dean's tone was disapproving. He didn't like that the boy was being too hard on himself, after all, he just had surgery.

Around eight a nurse came around to kick Dean out, declaring that visiting hours were over. Luckily, for Dean, he was able to claim that he had to stay with Cas. He didnt want to leave Castiel alone tonight, partly because he was selfish and didn't want to be stuck in a house with Kevin and Sam right now.

Even though the boy was barely a minor and about to turn eighteen in less than a month, the nurse allowed it.

The nurse showed Dean how the plastic chair he was sitting in lengthened into a bed. The chair-no bed was a little short for Dean, but he'd suck it up for Castiel.

The nurse left and returned a few minutes later with a blanket and a pillow for Dean. She also explained how a nurse would be by a little later to check up of Castiel and to make sure everything was okay.

Cas had never been more thankful to still be 17. He didn't know how he'd feel if Dean had been made to go home. He was worried, however.

He waited until the nurse was gone before speaking to Dean. He looked down at the blanket, not meeting Dean's eyes. "Dean," he murmured fearfully. "What if I have another nightmare?

"You'll be fine, Cas. Just remember: I'll be right here, so wake me up if you need to talk." Dean smiled, but it dropped as soon as he saw Castiel's still worried look.

"Look," Dean sighed, "just think of it as those nights back at the house when we had to be careful because of Sam." Dean offered Castiel an apologetic smile and stroked his fingers through the boy's hair. "I'll stay up with you as long as I can and I'll right here if you wake up."

Cas nodded and grinned back at the man, cheeks quivering slightly. "I love you, Dean," he said quickly, not sure when he would be able to express it again. "W-will you stay next to me until I fall asleep?"

"Sure," Dean said and moved the bed a little closer. "You should try and sleep soon. You had and exhausting day and you need to rest." It was only nine, but dark circles were already appearing under Cas' eyes.

Cas nodded again and settled into his pillows. He pulled Dean's hand up and hugged it to his chest. After pressing a kiss to his knuckles, the boy whispered, "goodnight, Dean," and shut his eyes, humming contentedly.