Cas felt his injuries with every small bump and shake of the stretcher as it was brought up to the ambulance. He felt himself get pushed in, and had to squint against the harsh direct lighting inside the vehicle. The warmth was comforting though, and he found himself able to relax just a slight bit, knowing they had been found. He felt a newfound appreciation for the humans who chose a life of rescue in these more mundane matters.

He didn't focus on the voices talking to him just yet though, and he strained against a firm hand on his shoulder trying to keep him from moving as he peered out the open back doors, waiting for a glimpse of Dean. He was relieved when not two minutes later a second stretcher was brought up and loaded into the same ambulance, the door shutting behind him. He let himself sink back against the stretcher, hearing the paramedic give a brief summary to what he assumed was the hospital they were heading towards.

"My name is Amy, I'm a paramedic. I'm here to help. Can you tell me your name?"

Castiel looked upwards at the medic as she worked, trying to see what she was doing, though it was difficult between the neck brace and backboard. She was talking to him, but she was setting up an IV line on Dean. "Cas." He replied weakly.

"Alright Cas, well we're only about fifteen miles outside of Chautauqua, and we have a helicopter on standby. They're going to get you two up to Strong Memorial up in Rochester, okay?"

"What?" the former angel couldn't quite make sense of what was being said, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Honey, can you tell me what the date is?"

Cas scrunched his eyes, not sure the relevance, but he figured she wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. "November 12th, I think."

"Very good. Now do you remember what happened right before the accident? Was he conscious at the time you left the road?"

"Yeah…" Cas cleared his throat, fighting to be loud enough to be heard over the blaring siren above them. "Yes. He…" He didn't feel comfortable telling her about the spell or whatever had caused the accident. "There was ice." He finished lamely.

"You guys from around here?"

"No."

"Ice can get the best of anyone." She stopped talking for a few, taking a set of vitals on Dean and relaying it through her walkie. "You know if he has any medical conditions? Any allergies?"

"None."

"He on any medications?"

"No."

"Any drug or alcohol use tonight?"

"No." Cas said firmly, but he hesitated. "Beers with dinner, approximately three hours ago."

"Did you see when he lost consciousness?"

"No… I think his head hit the window. I woke up, he was still… he didn't wake up at any point." Castiel found it hard to organize his thoughts to put them to words. He was usually so concise, but the pounding in his head made it hard to focus.

She nodded, jotting it down. "Alright, let's focus on you for a few." She said, turning her attention back to Cas. He wanted to refuse, insist she continue with Dean who was clearly more hurt, but he knew she was just doing her job. He answered her questions, though they were thankfully brief as she turned her attention to set an IV up on his own arm before working on Dean again.

He was surprised how fast the ambulance arrived at its destination, the rear door opening the instant they came to a complete stop. He tried to hear the rushed report Amy was throwing to a team of medics outside the door, but it was hard to hear over the sound of the helicopter idling on the pad just outside. He shivered slightly at the sudden return of cold air, but he was quickly covered with a warm blanket. He strained to see sideways, as Dean was similarly covered and they were unloaded.

Cas felt, not for the first time that evening, completely out of his depth. After losing his angelic form, just sitting in a room felt like the walls were closing in on him. Here, laying prone, strapped to the rolling gurney, he was completely at the mercy of these people. Good people, he knew, but it did little to help the complete trapped sensation. He wasn't sure where the light was coming from, the vehicle, or the hospital building. They weren't even going inside. He saw Dean loaded onto the helicopter first before they transferred him.

The flight medic greeted him, but Cas only caught a few words of what he said over the noise as they began to take flight. He figured they had the information they needed, as he wasn't asked anything. He closed his eyes, feeling the change in pressure as they left the ground. He hadn't flown without wings ever. He remembered Sam saying something about Dean's fear of flying, and he took a quick second to be thankful Dean was unconscious at this particular moment.

He looked up as the medic moved his arm, checking his IV line before putting something into it. He didn't have a chance to ask what it was, but a moment later he felt his pain start to lift and a warm sense of calm settle in over his chest. Whatever it was took an edge off the blind panic that was threatening to creep in, and Cas let out a small sigh for this slight relief.

He allowed himself to almost drift off and didn't pay attention until he felt the shift and almost falling feeling that accompanied their descent. He was glad when they landed and the flurry of activity picked up again. This time the pain of movement was far less, and he figured he had whatever they added to his IV to thank for that. He glanced over at Dean, but nothing seemed different.

Cas was once again impressed by how quickly they were unloaded and whisked into the emergency department. What he wasn't prepared for was to end up in a room all his own, Dean nowhere in sight. He remained calm though, reasoning that Dean needed far different care than he did.

Cas winced as he was transferred from the rolling gurney onto an ER bed. He blinked as a light was shone in his eyes, and flinched as a blood pressure cuff was yanked around his arm. He tried to focus on individual voices as wires were attached to him and machines sounded out their readings, but it was hard. He closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths, trying to focus.

He opened his eyes again, a firm hand on his arm. "Is there anyone we can call for you two?"

Cas latched onto the soft voice. He tried to nod, but the collar around his neck prevented any movement. "His brother… Sam."

"His name is Dean…?"

Cas closed his eyes, trying to recall what the boys did. They never used Winchester in these situations. Too risky. They were either dead or wanted, he couldn't keep track of which it was this time. "Singer." He finished, settling on their surrogate father's name. He rattled off a phone number he knew by heart.

"And you are?"

A friend. No… wait, he didn't think they let friends know about each other in a hospital. FBI. Their most used aliases. Besides they couldn't exactly ask for badges after a car crash miles from here. "His partner. Castiel… Novak." He frowned. I should have said brother. He recalled vaguely that only family counted in emergency settings, but he was surprised by the apology that he got from her. "I'll call him right away, and I'll see how Dean is doing." Not picking up on the misunderstanding, Cas was just relieved that she didn't deny him information. He turned his attention back towards the other doctors as they threw words around that he only half followed.

Whatever medications they added had the former angel falling in and out of consciousness through a series of tests. He was relieved when the mood in the room shifted, slowing down. The collar was removed, and they rolled him off the firm backboard at last, letting him sink into the comforting mattress, allowing him to move a bit.

A fractured leg and arm, neither requiring surgery. A moderate concussion, three cracked ribs, a variety of bruising, and a pretty nasty gash just above his right knee, but nothing dire. Overnight for observation and pain management. He was sitting in the ER awaiting an orthopedist to come take him for casting when the nurse from earlier slipped in. He looked at her imploringly, wanting any information to put his mind at ease. He had asked, but his team of doctors had nothing to tell him of Dean's condition.

"We called Sam. He's on his way. You can call him when you get settled in your room. Dean is in surgery now… he took a pretty bad hit to the head. MRI showed increased intracranial pressure. They're placing a probe through the skull to keep an eye on it, to make sure it doesn't reach critical levels." She put up her hands as Cas' eyes widened. "The fact that it's just a probe is a good sign… If they're satisfied with what they see, they'll go to work on his other injuries. He has a few broken ribs… Everything else is pretty minor. He's breathing on his own. After you get up to your room his doctor will come talk to you… he'll have more information." She squeezed his hand. "He's in good hands. You too."

"Thank you." He managed, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt comfort in the squeeze of his hand, and fear again as it pulled away. The time spent on his own with his thoughts was agonizingly long.

Once his limbs were stabilized, he was finally brought to a room. He noted that it was a larger room, meant for two beds, but he was the only one there. For this he was thankful. He didn't want an audience to his inner turmoil.

As soon as he had the blessing of the nurse, he was dialing the phone. It only rang once before Sam picked up. "Yes?" Came the expectant greeting.

Tears surprised Cas, he hadn't expected to feel such overwhelming relief at hearing the first familiar voice in hours. "Sam…"

"Cas." The voice on the other end of the line breathed. "What the hell is going on!?"

The angel struggled to control his emotions, taking a deep breath and fighting through it. "Something… there was some sort of spell or something. It blinded us, Dean lost control of the impala. We crashed."

"And Dean?"

"In surgery." Cas replied, feeling a twinge of guilt that Sam didn't know basically anything. "He hit his head… they said something about a probe to make sure there wasn't too much swelling."

"Was he-"

"Unconscious. I don't think he's woken up yet, but his doctor is supposed to find me after they decide what to do with him. She said..."

"Cas?"

"She said he was… it was just a probe… that he was… that it was okay. He was breathing and…" He let himself trail off, not really sure what information was worth relaying. He could hear the near panic in Sam's breathing over the phone. He remembered vaguely Dean talking about a car crash from before they met,one he nearly died in, and he could only guess Sam's mind was back there.

"Okay." Sam said after a pause, and Cas could hear him pacing as he made a plan. "Kevin got me on a flight leaving at five. I should be there by the afternoon. It's what, four in the morning there?" Cas didn't answer, and Sam continued without him. "I called Jodie, and she called a few favors. The car is getting towed to a yard, so no one can stumble on the trunk. The nurse who called...you said Dean's last name was Singer? And Novak for you. I'll make sure we have some ID to back that up. If they ask you about insurance, just tell them you don't have any. We'll sort it out later."

"Sam… I'm sorry."

"Shut up. You know it's not your fault. You just… Keep on top of the doctors, see what they'll tell you. I'll be there before you know it." There was a pause. "Do you know who cast the spell?"

"No."

"Keep an eye out. We don't know who has it in for you guys then." Sam said softly. He paused again. "Cas… how are you?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay. Yeah good, alright. I'll be there as soon as I can be. Leave a message with Kevin if you need anything, but I probably won't get it until I'm there."

"Be careful Sam."

"You too."