Cas was beside himself. He paced the waiting room of the hospital. A deep restlessness writhed beneath his skin and his muscles twitched. His eyes were red and swollen.

Sam sat in one of the waiting room chairs, leaned over his knees, head bowed. Jess sat next to him, rubbing his back. Ellen sat on his other side, twirling a half-empty cup of coffee in her hands. Bobby stood at the window watching the sleet that was just starting to fall. Jo sat curled up on a chair in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest. Gabriel leaned against the wall, watching his brother pace. Charlie and Dorothy sat side-by-side, their heads leaning on one another, fingers laced.

Dean had been in surgery for nearly four hours. Cas checked the clock every few minutes. He ran his hand through his hair making the tragic mess look even worse, a fresh wave of tears spilling from his eyes as he let out a low sob. Ellen was at his side in an instant, pulling him against her and rocking him back and forth.

"Any word yet?" Jodi, still in uniform, stepped into the room. Charlie and Dorothy looked up at her and shook their heads. She nodded and moved to Sam. With a hand on his shoulder, she spoke to him gently. "I'm gonna need you to come down and answer some questions in a little while." Sam nodded, never raising his head. Jodi looked around at Cas. Her heart ached for him. There would be no speaking with him yet. She sat down in one of the empty chairs near the group.

Not long after Jodi's arrival, a woman in blue scrubs walked into the room.

"Family for Winchester?" She asked kindly. Sam stood, his face stoney. Cas turned hesitantly toward her, his knees going weak. All other eyes shifted between the woman and the two men.

"Uh," Sam spoke, "I'm – I'm Dean's brother, Sam. This is his partner, Castiel. This is our family"

She nodded and motioned for them to sit. Sam returned to his seat and Cas took the one beside him where Ellen had been. The woman in scrubs sat down across from them. Ellen perched on the arm of Cas' chair and the rest of the group pressed close.

"My name is Dr. Visyak," she said gently. Her blonde hair was pulled back from her face, and her steel blue eyes were kind. "I'm the trauma surgeon who worked on Mr. Winchester." No one moved. The air itself stilled, waiting for her next words. "Dean suffered a significant loss of blood. The bullet penetrated his colon and damaged his spleen beyond repair. While we were forced to remove both the spleen and a section of the colon, I am certain that he will make a full recovery." Cas began to sob again as the relief washed over him. Ellen rubbed his back. Sam's lips tightened and he blinked at the tears that stung his eyes, wiping them away with his hand. "We will have to keep him here for a few days, maybe a week, but he should be able to return home soon. He's in recovery now. When he comes out of anesthesia, one or two of you will be able to go see him." Sam nodded. Cas buried his face in his hands.

"Thanks, doctor," Ellen said through a strained smile.

Dr. Visyak stood to leave. When she reached the door, she turned back.

"Is Mr. Winchester aware that he only has one kidney?" she asked, a small smirk dancing around her face.

"Uh..." Sam's brow furrowed, "No. I don't think so. How does that happen?"

"Looks like he was born that way," she smiled. "Lucky, too. The bullet would have caused it significant damage as well, had he had one there. Would have made his treatment harder. As it is, it shouldn't cause him any problems, though." With that reassurance, she left the group to their relief.

Half an hour later, Cas was nearly running down the hallway toward Dean's room, Sam close on his heels. They stopped short outside Dean's room and stepped in slowly. Dean turned sleepy eyes to them.

"Hey," his voice was thick and scratchy, but he smiled anyway. "My two favorite people." Dean's face was pale and sallow. His body seemed almost shrunken, and he looked so vulnerable. Cas couldn't help but imagine Dean as he must have been after the accident; much like this.

"Dean..." Cas moved to his bed and sat down, gently, on the edge of it. He placed a hand on Dean's cheek and Dean turned into the touch. Sam moved over to near Dean's head, sliding his hands into his front pockets.

"Hey, angel," he breathed against Cas' palm "you're all right?" Dean laid a hand on Cas' leg clumsily.

"Yes," he nodded at him, smiling "I'm fine."

"Hey, Dean," Sam said, a small smile of relief tugging at his lips.

"Sammy," Dean turned his groggy eyes to his brother, and furrowed his brow, "you stupid son of a bitch!" Sam's face fell. He looked down at the floor. "...Thank you." With a faint smile and grateful eyes, Dean reached out a hand to him.

Sam's gaze shot up to his brother. He grasped the hand offered to him and pressed his lips together, holding back the tears that threatened to fall once again.

"You okay, too?" Dean's face betrayed his deep concern.

"Yeah, Dean." Sam's voice was hoarse. "I'm okay."

"Good." Dean closed his eyes. "Hey, guess what?" Dean opened them again.

"What?" Cas and Sam both replied.

"I only have one kidney!" Dean seemed so proud. Cas smiled.

"Yeah, that's what the doctor said," Sam nodded in amusement.

"Bitchin, huh?" With that, Dean's eyes slipped shut. Cas and Sam stayed there, unspeaking, for long minutes. The noises of the machines and the chatter of staff in the hallway the only sounds around them.

When Dean's surprisingly firm grip on Sam's hand slackened, Sam laid his arm back down on Cas. He placed his hand on Cas' shoulder and gave it a good squeeze. Cas looked up at him with thanks and relief in his eyes.

"I'm going to go talk to Jodi," Sam said quietly. "Get all this over with as soon as possible." Cas nodded to him. "I'll send her up to talk to you when we're done?" The question was gentle. Sam knew Cas wouldn't leave Dean's side. He also knew Jodi needed statements from them both to move forward with the police report.

"Thank you, Sam." Cas sounded as exhausted as he looked. Sam nodded at him and left quietly.

Dean slid in and out of sleep over the next few hours. That evening, Dean was moved out of recovery and into a room. Once there, Sam returned and Bobby and Ellen were allowed to come see him. Though he slept through much of it, it was a comfort to know they were there.

Nurses and Medical Technicians checked on him hourly, and Cas never moved from Dean's side. He pulled the recliner over next to Dean's bed and curled up in it, facing Dean. He settled in for the long haul.

In the morning, Dean's condition had improved greatly. His color returned and he was awake for longer stretches of time. He was well enough to flirt with the cute little nurse on duty, to which Cas simply rolled his eyes, and reminded him, with a low whisper once she had left, exactly whose cockslut he was. Dean's eyes lit up, and a smile stretched across his face.

"Remind me of that again when we won't be interrupted by the nurses," Dean laughed. Cas leaned in and placed a very chaste kiss to Dean's lips.

"Let's get you healed, first," Cas winked.