Dean could hear the muffled voices in the room trying to break through his conscience. His head was foggy and he could barely make the words out, let alone who they belonged to. He tried to open his eyes, but he felt numb as his body fought him about waking up.

"It's been almost three hours! When is he going to wake up?"

That voice, he was pretty sure, was Claire. It seemed like just moments ago that he was hearing her frantic yells. She sounded so upset and troubled, just like he'd imagined she'd be. He wanted to reach out for her and comfort her, but his senses were still murky and he felt dizzy just lying there, not even moving.

"Soon, Claire, the doctor said it was just a matter of time," someone soothed her and it only took Dean a moment to place it. Sam? What was he doing here? Oh right, Dean had almost died. Of course, he would've been called. But if he had already flown here from California, then how long had it been since last night? Wait, was it even last night anymore?

"Claire, you need to be patient." That voice belonged to Cas. He knew it instantly. Dean felt like he could pick out the rough deep voice he'd grown so fond of in large theatre. His heart thumped off beat from just hearing Castiel, even lying in a hospital bed. "Dean's perfectly healthy. It's normal for him to still be sleeping."

Dean heard Claire let out a frustrated huff and he almost smiled at her impatience. He felt awkward hearing them talking about him like he wasn't in the room, so he tried to open his eyes. At first, everything was blurry and he had an immediate migraine like he had tried to wear someone else's glasses. Then, after a couple of minutes, the dots on the white ceiling came more into focus and the pounding in his head lessened. After he forced the feeling back into his fingers and could move them, he tried sitting up using his elbow to lean on. He rubbed at his eyes as he spoke groggily, "Are you guys just going to keep talking about me like I'm not here?"

"Dean!" Claire's chipper voice rang out first in the small room. But before he could even look at her, Sam's arms were wrapped around him.

"You scared the hell out of me, man," Sam's voice came out shaky and Dean felt guilty for making him worry so badly.

He held him tightly, patting his back, "Sorry, Sammy, but I did warn you that being a nanny was a dangerous job."

When Sam pulled back, he gave him a bitchface, "Yeah, I didn't think you meant this."

Before Dean could reply with a witty remark, he heard footsteps to his left. He looked over and saw Claire standing there staring at him with tears silently flowing down her cheeks. The shock of what happened seemed to have caught up with her and the excitement from seeing him awake died down. His heart squeezed painfully at the sight and he stretched his arms out toward her, "Oh, come here, Claire."

He lifted her into his arms, vaguely aware of Cas's protest in the distance. Claire's small hands fisted into his shirt as she buried her face in his chest, "Dean, I was so scared. You didn't come back."

"I know," he shushed her, "I'm sorry, ClaireBear. But it's okay now. You're okay. I'm okay."

After a couple minutes, she calmed down and her hold on him became looser. A woman Dean hadn't seen before came over and reached her hands out to Claire. She spoke softly when Claire looked up at her, "Okay, Claire, you can't hold on to Dean too long. You might hurt his stitches."

Claire was hesitant, but she nodded and let the woman pick her up. Dean didn't even have a chance to ask who she was, before someone else had their arms wrapped around them. It only took a couple seconds for Dean to realize who it was and he held him just as tight as the man clung to him. He sighed in contentment with how it felt to have Cas in his arms, ignoring the circumstances. He leaned into the embrace, finally feeling that sharp pain in his side but he chose to ignore it, too. "Well, hello to you, too, Cas," he chuckled softly into the man's hair.

"Thank you, Dean," Castiel spoke lowly into his ear, "I can never repay you for what you did." It sent shivers down Dean's spine.

Dean felt his whole body warm at the words and he wanted to close his eyes to better remember how this felt, to have Castiel this close. But the hug was cut short and Cas soon leaned away from him, though he was still close, his hands lingering on Dean. Dean met his eyes as he replied, "Of course, Cas. Don't worry about it."

They didn't look away from each other and Dean could see the sleep deprivation in Cas's face. The dark circles under his eyes and his brown hair messier than usual. He didn't have to ask to know Castiel had probably been here the whole night. The worry in his face and the strong scent of coffee was proof enough. Dean's thoughts were interrupted by someone coughing near them and they broke eye contact. Dean looked over and saw Jess grinning at them. She held out her hands, "Don't I get some Deanlove, too?"

Dean laughed and she came over gave him a gentle squeeze, probably worried about his stitches. He pecked her cheek when she pulled away, "You come all the way out here just to see li ol' me?"

She winked at him, "You know no flight's long enough to stop me from seeing you."

Dean heard someone say in a low voice, "Hey, Sam, looks like you got some competition."

He tried to sit up straighter to see who else was in the room, but winced at the pain and laid back down in defeat. Understanding, Jess found the buttons on the bed and adjusted it so Dean didn't have to strain himself. Dean looked at her grateful and she smiled before walking back over to Sam. Dean could now see Gabriel and the woman from earlier sitting in chairs next to Sam who was leaning against the wall.

Sam chuckled, pulling Jess close to him, "Maybe, but she always comes back home with me, so I don't worry too much."

Gabriel snorted and looked over at Dean, "Hey, Dean-o! How you feeling?"

Dean looked at him surprised, wondering why he was here, "Hey, Gabe. I feel okay, I guess. A little out of it, but alright."

The woman next to Gabriel smiled at him kindly, "It's normal to feel like that after a surgery. I'm Kali, by the way, Gabriel's wife."

Dean smiled at her, "Nice to meet you. Congrats on the baby."

She told him thank you and then the nurse walked in. She grinned widely at him, "Mr. Winchester, you're awake! What a relief. Everyone was starting to get worried."

She walked over to the bed and grabbed the clipboard there, writing on it and glancing at the clock, "How you feeling?"

He shrugged, "I feel fine."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Perfectly fine? Now don't lie to me, Mr. Winchester. I was in the surgery room and I know how bad it actually was. You cannot feel perfectly fine after something like that. So, come on, how are you feeling?"

He sighed, "Alright, my head and my side hurts a bit."

She nodded, a smile playing on her lips, "That's better." She stepped closer to him, reading the machines that were hooked up to him, "My name's Krissy. I'll mainly be the one watching over you while you're here."

Dean frowned at her, "When can I leave?"

She shrugged, "Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow. It depends on how you're feeling as the day goes on."

Dean groaned and Sam met his eyes with a bitchface telling him to be a good patient. Krissy turned to him and raised her eyebrows, "What? Got a hot date planned or something?"

Dean rolled his eyes, "'Well, no, but I don't want to be stuck in this bed forever."

Krissy met his eyes and he felt oddly intimidate by the small woman, "Mr. Winchester, you just got out of surgery not even three hours ago, because you were shot last night. You're in need of some serious rest. And I am not going to let even you jeopardize that. I do not want to hear one word out of your mouth unless it's about your health and not to complain about being stuck in bed."

Dean sighed, but nodded, not wanting to argue anymore with her. She reminded him of Jody and if that wasn't warning enough to not mess with her, he didn't know what was. In the end, she was just looking out for him and even though she was just doing her job, Dean would feel like an ass if he challenged her.

DIVIDER

Thankfully, Krissy had guessed right and Dean was out of the hospital the next morning. Cas insisted that he take a few more days off before he went back to work. Gabriel had already offered to take Claire back to his place for the meantime. He regretfully agreed, only because of the way Cas looked at him. He doubted he'd be able to deny the man anything. Dean didn't know if it was because of what had happened, but he felt like something in Castiel's eyes had changed. His expression was softer when he looked at him and an emotion Dean couldn't place bubbled under the surface. It wasn't necessarily a bad change. Dean felt like something had deepened between them, a bond that felt like it had been there for years instead of months. And yeah, he guessed, risking your life for someone else's daughter could do that to any relationship. But Dean just wasn't used to the way Castiel looked at him, because he hadn't always looked at him like that, had he? Nerves twisted in his stomach when he thought about it and it freaked him out a little. But it also made him feel good and he couldn't explain it. A warm hope builded in his chest, but he tried not to give it too much thought, not wanting to set himself up for disappointment.

Sam and Jess had stuck around, much to Dean's annoyance. He was a fully grown man and he could take care of himself. He didn't need anyone's help. He was perfectly capable of recuperating by himself. But no one else seemed to agree with him. Jess kept the house clean, while Sam cooked everything and made runs to the store. They wouldn't let Dean do anything. Relax. Doctor's orders.

A week passed and Dean was finally about to go back to work. He didn't know how attached he'd grown to Claire until he had gone so long without seeing her. He missed her. He was relieved to finally be going back to the Novaks. But as he came into the den of his living room, fully clothed and about to walk out the door, he spotted Sam and Jess were lounging on the couch.

He raised his eyebrows at them eating cereal and watching cartoons contently, "Shouldn't you guys be, oh I don't know, packing?"

Sam didn't meet his eyes, but Jess smiled up at him, "We're just gonna stick around for another day or two."

Dean sighed and dragged a hand down his face, "You guys, I told you that I was fine. Perfectly healthy."

"Don't be so conceited, Dean," Jess smirked at him as she spooned marshmallows into her mouth, "I just want to go see Bobby and little Stevie."

Dean knew she was lying, but he didn't argue with her, "Yeah, alright. Well, Sam you going to drive me to work then?"

Sam nodded, setting his bowl down on the coffee table. He pecked Jess on the lips, before following Dean out the door. Dean tossed Sam the keys once they reached the Impala and grumpily got in the passenger side.

Sam chuckled at his face as he pulled out into the street, "Why do you look like an upset toddler?"

Dean glared at his brother, "I don't even get to drive my own Baby?"

Sam rolled his eyes, "I need the car to go see Bobby and Charlie."

"Yeah, and don't think I bought that. You've seen them since you've been here. That's not the real reason you're staying here longer."

Sam sighed, "Dean, you were shot and almost died. We were worried out of our minds and though, you made it out okay, we still are. I know we're probably being a little overbearing, but I'm not going to apologize about it."

Dean didn't reply, knowing he'd be the same way if the roles were reversed. But just because he understood didn't mean he had to be happy about it. He was always the one who took care of others. He wasn't used to being on the receiving end. He didn't like it, it made him feel uncomfortable and useless. He liked to keep himself busy, always doing something, anything productive or distracting. But the past week, Sam and Jess had forced him to be nothing but a lump on the couch. He was surprised he had managed to stay sane.

Dean waved Sam goodbye and watched the Impala pull out of the driveway, before walking through the Novaks' front door. He had spent an entire week cooped up in his apartment, but this, this felt like coming home to him. A sense of comfort rushed over him and he stood there for a moment in the foyer just soaking it in. Then, he tossed his jacket on to the couch like he had done so many times before and stepped quietly into the kitchen.

Claire was tugging on Castiel's pants as he stood at the stove, "Daddy, Dean's coming today, right?"

"You bet, pumpkin," Dean answered before Cas could and Claire looked up at him with a wide smile.

"Dean!" she ran towards him and he held out his arms to her. She collided into him and he hugged her tight. He picked her up and held her against his side that wasn't injured. He tapped her nose with his finger, "I missed you like crazy, kid."

She giggled and hugged his neck, "I missed you more."

"Doubt it," Dean chuckled and looked over at Cas. He had been watching them with a fond smile as he scraped pancakes onto a plate. He looked better than the last time Dean had seen him, like he had finally got some rest. Dean almost sighed in relief, he didn't want to be the reason anyone lost sleep.

Dean grinned at him, "Hey, Cas."

"Hello, Dean," Castiel replied with that same smoky voice that sang to Dean in his dreams. He felt his heart skip a beat. It had only been a week since he'd seen him, but it felt so much longer to Dean and it made him wonder how deep he had fallen in love with Cas.

Dean set Claire down in a chair and gestured at the stove, "I would've made breakfast."

Castiel shook his head as he placed the pancakes on the table with the orange juice, "It wasn't a problem. I got up early today."

"Too excited to see me to sleep?" Dean winked at him playfully as he began to cut up Claire's pancakes.

Castiel smiled at him as he poured coffee into his traveler mug, "You caught me."

After Castiel screwed the lid tight on his coffee, he grabbed his keys off the counter. But he paused before saying his usual goodbyes. Dean noticed his expression, like he was trying to decide whether to say something or not. Dean raised an eyebrow at him curiously, "Yeah, Cas?"

Castiel bit his lip thinking and Dean's eyes followed the movement, a warmth rolling around in his gut, "I was just going to tell you that if you don't have to, you shouldn't be picking up Claire."

Dean's eyebrows pulled together. He chuckled, taken aback, "What?"

Castiel met his eyes and Dean could tell that his cheeks were slightly flushed, but his eyes remained focused on Dean, "Dean, I'm sure the doctor told you not to be over exerting yourself and that includes lifting anything too heavy. And I don't want you to pop your stitches, so don't pick her up if it's not necessary."

Dean rolled his eyes as he poured some coffee for himself and then leaned against the counter, "Oh, come on, Cas. Not you, too, man. I thought I had escaped this kinda talk when I left my apartment this morning."

Castiel sighed, taking the few steps needed to be in Dean's personal space. They locked eyes and Dean found it difficult to look away like he always did. Castiel placed his hand on Dean's arm and Dean found it strange that Cas's hand felt warmer than the steaming mug in his left hand. "I know you don't like people it when fuss over you, Dean. But we're just worried about you and nothing you can say will change that. So, please, just humor me?" Castiel smiled at him and Dean felt like he'd agree to anything the man asked.

Dean nodded and looked down at his coffee mug, feeling his face turn red. A couple seconds passed and he glanced back up at Castiel's baby blues. Damn, he really was so beautiful. It made Dean's heart stop and his breath catch in his throat. He gave him a soft smile, "Yeah, alright. Thanks, Cas."

Castiel's smile didn't fade, but he dropped his hand and Dean felt a rush of coldness replace it. He turned away from him and said goodbye to Claire like he did every morning. But he paused in the doorway, looking back at Dean with a warmth in his expression Dean couldn't place, "And for the record, it's good to have you back, Dean."

Dean smiled at him just as sincerely and raised his mug, "Happy to be back."