The man at my bedside
Chapter 1: New job
Castiel Novak enters the room, he follows the head nurse of the centre. He is nervous, it's his first day in his new job. As a 22 year old, former trouble maker, he had taken his time during his youth to find out what he wants. What he wants is to take care of people and that is what he is doing here, right now at St. Michaels long-term care facility in Lawrence, Kansas. Castiel thinks he has a right to be nervous, new town, new people, new job. Away from his family (wisely chosen) and facing his first patient.
Mrs. Cunningham, Castiel´s instructor for the first few weeks leads him to the bed at the window. A young man, around his own age is laying in the bed. Hooked up at a ventilator, heart monitor and several other machines to keep him alive.
"Mr. Novak, meet Dean Winchester, our longest resident." Castiel takes a second to understand her words –longest-, before his thoughts could come out of words, she continues. "Dean is here for the past 16 years, there was a fire in his home at the age of 4, mother died, father and brother survived, he suffered from smoke poisoning and never woke up again."
"How is he still alive?" He knows he shouldn't ask, not his business, he will get to meet all the patients of this wings, will listen to all their stories and become their caretaker but why did she start with this young man, who had been a little child as he arrived at this place.
"The doctors have no idea why, he grows up in this bed, never woke up from his coma, no change in the last 16 years, he is just here. His father hadn't given up that his son could wake up one day as he is still there." Sadness fills her eyes. Mrs. Cunningham is in der early fifties, she had seen many people come and go, but the fate of the small child that arrived early in the morning at a rainy November day all this years ago let her question this world.
They take care of Dean´s daily hygiene program while Mrs. Cunningham tells him everything he needs to know about taking care of the man. Minding the wires, moving to prevent sore pats on the skin. The daily physical training to keep the few muscles that the man has in shape. She tells him a bit about the family. The younger brother, now 17 years old who takes extra courses to get a scholarship. The father who works as a mechanic and brings the smell of motor oil and sweat into the room every time he visits and how this smell stays for a few days. Clean and ready for the day both of the caretaker check every connection of the machines and get ready to go to the next patient.
"The most important thing you have to remember is that these people, however you see them, without any willingly function cell in their bodies are still human. We treat them as such and most importantly we talk to them like it. The most of them can´t give us their consent to their treatment and care. We have to work with what consent we got from their next in kin, so we talk to them." She finished and Castiel looks down on the sleeping man.
"I hope my inexperience didn't course you any form of uncomfortable. See you later Dean." Castiel thinks that sticking to the first name base is more personal, something the people here really need. A look to his instructor told him he did right, and both walk over to the next bed, where 62 year old Ralph Morris is waiting for them. While Casiel listens to the new patient's story, brain injury and coma, six months ago, his thoughts return to Dean, and for some reason he sees a small, smiling child with blond hairs and green eyes inside his mind.