Payback
About an hour later the Winchester family was sitting by a hospital bed. Dean was stretched out on his side on the bed, hand wrapped around a smaller, pale, clammy hand. Its owner was hooked up to several tubes right next to the hunter. Dean rubbed his thumb gently over the still hand, watching the rise and fall of the child's chest. There was a squeak at the door and Dean spared a glance to see Sam and Bobby walk into the room. Charlie gently handed a resting Balthazar and Gabe to Kevin as she stood from her chair, looking to the two hunters hopefully.
"Did you find them?" she asked, praying for at least some good news. Bobby and Sam couldn't grant her prayers. With worn expressions they shook their heads, explaining that Crowley had already cleaned up shop by the time they had gotten there. The tortured angels Gabriel and Balthazar had told them about were still lost. Sam and Bobby had both given Kali and Benny a call and the two monsters agreed to help search along with a few other monsters.
Dean dropped his head back down on the pillows, turning his full attention back to Castiel and his breathing. The room grew uncomfortably silent and Charlie offered to get them some coffee. Kevin volunteered to help her, handing off Gabriel and Balthazar to Bobby and Sam. Once the two were gone Bobby stole Charlie's chair and set Balthazar in his lap. Sam set Gabriel down next to Balthazar, watching how the two angels wrapped their wings protectively around each other. Once those two were taken care of Sam turned his eyes towards his brother and Cas.
"Has the doctor come in yet?" Sam questioned. Dean nodded, but he didn't say a word. He only continued to watch the little angel. Crowley had had the decency to heal Cas of all outer injuries before he dumped the angel at the hospital. You would never be able to tell he had just been tortured just by looking. Still, even Crowley couldn't heal the real problem with Cas. "Dean," Sam pressed, taking a seat on the very edge of the bed next to Dean. Shakily, Dean brought his hand away from Cas' and gently placed it on the angel's forehead, fingers gently brushing against the soft skin.
"There's nothing wrong with him. All tests say he's perfectly healthy," Dean said in a hushed voice. "But he's not," Dean bit out, and neither Bobby nor Sam needed to see Dean's face to know that he's fighting back an endless stream of tears. "Cas' mind was so…so traumatized by what that goddamn demon unearthed from his head that it locked itself away, but that's not all it locked away. It locked away Cas too and the doctors don't know when the hell he's going to wake up and…and there's nothing we can do. It's all up to him, but –" Sam leaned over his brother on the bed awkwardly, and rested his head against Dean's as his brother broke down. He rubbed a hand up and down Dean's arm, trying to calm his brother as best he could. Dean gritted his teeth, trying to hold back the raw emotions. He had prayed himself hoarse trying to get a hold of Joshua, Lydia, or God. None of them would answer their freaking answering machine though. They were Cas' last hope. Dean's fingers slowly slipped down to where Cas' wings should be. Gabe had used his grace to hide Cas' wings before the little angel was sent to the hospital. Dean thought back to what Balthazar and Gabriel had told them after they were taken to Cas' room. He shivered at the thought of his angels being tortured again when he was supposed to be protecting them. Again he had failed in watching over the angels and now Cas was lost.
When the door opened Dean quickly cleared his eyes and Sam slowly pulled back from his brother. Charlie and Kevin walked into the room with several mugs of coffee, handing everybody one except for Dean. Charlie hovered next to Dean, coffee in hand.
"Brought you some, Dean," Charlie said softly. If Dean heard her he made no move to show it. He only continued to watch over Castiel like he was afraid that if he only looked away for a second that he'd look back to a flatlineing machine and a still chest. Charlie glanced over at Sam, but the younger hunter wasn't in the room anymore. He had forced himself out of the damn room. He took in a big breath of air that he just couldn't when stuck in the stuffy room. Hell, it wasn't only the room. He'd felt like that since the angels went missing. Desperation had wrapped its claws around Sam and his brother and no matter how hard they tried they could never pull free. They'd failed the three again and it was killing both hunters. It had gotten so bad Sam thought they'd all go mad. In a way they had. They'd been so desperate not to have Crowley reject their orders to return their angels that they'd called in a mob of monsters as an extra incentive. Whatever Crowley wanted the angels for had to be huge and why the hell would he just hand over three just because they asked nicely? Bobby had called them crazy and had tried to talk them out of it. He'd tried, but Sam and Dean had still sent the letters through a spell they found in an old book. It worked hadn't it? Kali and Benny had stood with them and pressured the king of hell, Dean and Crowley made a deal for the angel's safe return, and yet they didn't get all their angels back safe and sound.
There were soft footsteps clicking nearby and Sam glanced up to see Cas' doctor stride over to him, a sad smile on his face.
"I was just coming to check little Castiel Winchester's vitals." The doctor glanced at the closed door. "How is everyone taking it?" he questioned. Sam shook his head, eyes drifting to the ground. The doctor stared at him for a moment before gently squeezing his shoulder. "I think I may know a way to make this easier." Sam's head instantly lifted and the doctor smiled a little. "I suggest taking Castiel home. I'm sure everyone would be more comfortable than here and maybe the familiar space will help Castiel feel safe enough to come home?" It was insane to think that something so simple would wake the angel, but Sam couldn't deny the hope the thought gave him. He thought that was a perfect idea.
"Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it," Sam stated. The doctor nodded, telling Sam that he'd get a nurse to bring down the papers once he finished with Cas' checkup. Sam nodded, stepping to the side to let Cas' doctor through. He followed the man into the room, watching as everyone other than Dean looked up at the creak of the door. The doctor forced a smile on seeing all of them and walked over the machines hooked up to Cas. When he was happy with that he turned to the I.V. and then finally to Cas' resting form. The doctor gently pressed two fingers to Cas' neck and pressed a stethoscope against the little angel's chest. Cas didn't flinch from the cold of the object, but Dean flinched on watching the doctor check over Cas. The others understood. Dean didn't want anybody to hurt his angel again. The doctor finally pulled away and heaved a sigh.
"As I said before; everything looks fine. Fine enough for him to be sent home." Everybody's head popped up at that and the doctor smiled. "There are certain things he will be needing, but we will gladly set everything up once the proper papers are signed." His eyes drifted to Dean as if he knew that the hunter was the one to ask permission. Dean's eyes glanced to the machines hooked to Cas for a moment before he gave a small nod. The Doctor gave him a small smile before striding out of the room and leaving the Winchester family alone with the silent beeping of machines.
"Thank you," Sam whispered softly as the team from the hospital exited the angels' bedroom after setting up various machines. They each nodded to Sam, offering hopeful smiles to the hunter before leaving. Sam let out a long sigh and stepped into the bedroom to find Dean standing by Cas' bed, hands clenched tightly into fists. Custos sat by his legs whimpering softly at his master. Sam watched his brother, eyes skimming back and forth between Dean and the sleeping angel. "Dean –" the hunter in question let out an angry shout, hands grabbing at the plugs in the wall and ripping the wires off of Cas. Sam watched his brother with horrified eyes, stepping to grab his brother before he could attempt to rip the IV from Cas' arm. "Dean, calm down," Sam hushed, holding his brother tight as Dean fought against him to get loose.
"I can't do it, Sam! I can't listen to that goddamn beeping every second only to worry that I'll wake up to it going flat!" Dean shouted, eyes flaring with terror and anger.
"Dean….Dean, I know. I know, but Cas needs this stuff," Sam tried to tell the hunter. "Just sit down, okay?" Sam pushed Dean down on the edge of the bed and Dean buried his face into his hands, a frustrated moan leaving his lips. Sam pulled away from his brother for a moment, plugging the machines back in and hooking everything back onto Cas. He glanced at the machines for a moment, but nothing had changed. In all honesty all Cas really needed was the IV. He could breathe on his own and everything, but apparently the rest of this junk was still required.
Once everything was back into place, Sam glanced back to Dean. The hunter's eyes were back to Cas' sleeping form. Dean's hands gently reached out for the angel, stroking the crazy brown hair. Sam let out a small sigh and fished through his pockets until he found what he was looking for. "Here," he whispered softly, holding his iPod out to Dean. "To block out the beeping." Dean took the iPod, sticking the earbuds into his ears and laying down next to Cas. Sam watched his brother for a moment before nodding to himself and walking towards the door.
"Thanks, Sammy," Dean called after his little brother. Sam forced a smile, looking to his brother and Cas one last time before closing the door. When Sam was gone Dean pushed himself closer to Castiel, tears falling from his eyes as he watched the angel breathe. "I'm sorry, Cas. I'm so sorry. I should never have ignored you and now…" Dean closed his eyes. "…I guess this is payback, right?"