Chapter 14-Bruised and Broken

I never make it to my class.

Two of Uriel's friends Zach and Alistair grab me and lock me in the boy's bathroom with them.

Both guys being football players, they were naturally way bigger than me.

Zach holds my hands behind my back as Alistair takes the first blow.

"You stupid faggot, you think you can just get away with attacking Uriel." Zach says as his breath stings my ear.

"We know you are nothing but a worthless" He punches me again. "No good" He punches. "Useless" Punches again. "Faggot!" With the final blow I can feel the warmth of blood flowing down my cheek.

I was stuck there until they were done with me, no one to save me this time.

I heard the sickening crack of bone as I felt my arm go limp and the sudden pain ripping through my insides.

I looked to my left and saw my arm just dangling there, I tried to gauge the damage but my face was already swelling making it increasingly hard to see.

After a few more punches they had stopped to decide what to do next, although I'll never know what that was because at that moment I heard the bathroom door fly open.

Zach had dropped me as I saw Alistair's head collide with one of the bathroom sinks.

Alistair was down and wasn't moving, completely knocked out.

Zach had tried to escape, but I heard a quick banging noise and then it was quiet.

I felt strong hands on me again, but not strong hands that wanted to hurt me.

"Cas, are you ok?" Dean asked.

I was starting to feel dizzy and couldn't respond.

"Shit Cas just hold on, I'm getting an ambulance." He said worried.

I barely heard anything after that. I remember Dean cradling my body for a short period of time, a loud commotion and then I passed out.

When I woke up again, I was in the hospital. Several tubes were connected to me and every inch of my body was sore.

There was warmth on my right side and I turned the slightest bit to see Dean bent over in a chair with his head lying on my bed, fast asleep.

Thinking back to the first day of school this year, I would've killed to even breathe the same air as Dean. Now here I was in the hospital because Dean had found me and from the state of his clothes I don't think he had left.

It was all kind of surreal.

I put my hand on Dean's head running my fingers through his hair…having an excuse ready if he happened to wake up.

"That's nice.." Dean said groggily.

My hand froze, waiting for Dean to push me away but he never did.

He simply sat up and said "I should be the one comforting you don't you think?" He asked with a grin.

I smile back feeling a little uncertain.

I see the blush creep in as he asks "How ya feeling Cas?"

"I'm ok…I feel pretty sore." I say suddenly noticing how scratchy my throat is.

Dean suddenly stands and stretches, then he leans towards me and grabs me into a hug.

His lips to my ear he whispers "I am glad you are still here, I really don't know what I would do without you Cas."

I feel wetness on my shoulder and notice Dean's face as he pulls away and heads towards the door.

"Just gonna go get you some water." He says while sniffling.

I laid there in awe. Did that just happen?

I mean I know Dean and I had grown closer, considering we all hang out together at Garth's house.

The thing that stuck out the most in my head was "I don't know what I would do without you."

Did he really mean that?

My brain was starting to hurt from all the over thinking. So I laid my head back on the pillow and before Dean came back I was fast asleep again.

I woke up again a couple hours later. The hospital room was completely dark except for the bathroom light that someone had left on for me.

I noticed Garth leaning back in the chair, mouth wide open and snoring.

He must've finally convinced Dean to go home for a while since I woke up and everyone knew I was going to be ok.

I tried to roll over and go back to sleep, but my brain was buzzing with thoughts.

I thought about Dean.

I thought about what school was going to be like if I returned this year.

I thought about how fucked up things had gotten.

As I thought about all the shit in my life I felt this over whelming need to cry.

So I laid there, head on the pillow, arms pulled in tight, shoulders shaking and just cried until I was asleep again.

I woke the next morning to a nurse shaking me.

"Good morning Cas. We just need to take some blood, ok?" The nurse asked as she smiled.

I nodded.

I noticed the room was empty, it kind of scared me.

Like I was abandoned, but before I could even think it Dean's grinning face was coming through the door.

I looked up at him and we locked eyes for a second as we both grinned wide.

I couldn't put my finger on it but things felt different between us, less tense.

After the nurse left, Dean sat in the chair next to the bed sipping coffee.

It was such a normal thing, it caught me by surprise how much I wanted this to be every morning.

Of course not me in the hospital but just Dean being Dean if you know what I mean.

Dean caught me staring and asked "What's up Cas?"

A blush crept onto my cheeks as I said "Eh…nothing really, just stuck in this freakin hospital."

Dean smiled at me and went back to sipping his coffee. We were silent for a while, but it wasn't awkward.

Then my mind went to something horrible.

Dean knew about the herpes.

Maybe that's why he is being super nice to me.

My hope faultier a bit as I thought about that.

"Dean can I talk to you about something." I said my own voice betraying me with a slight crack.

"Of course Cas anything." He said with a smile.

"Well, I suppose by now you know about the whole disease business. It's just I…" He cut me off before I could finish.

"Don't you start with that shit you're still Cas no matter what aliment you have. Dude you could tell me you only wanted to have sex with fruit and I would still be here by your side. I don't care about that Cas. You mean to much to me for me to worry about stupid things like that." He said sincerely.

I was speechless. Dean actually cared about me.