Sorry it's been so long XD Almost a month, gasp!

Reasons/excuses:
*I have been sick and I STILL have my stupid cough three weeks after the fact...
*Been working on original stories such as Tasteful, Never the Same, and The Real Bloodsuckers
*My birthday came XD I am 18 now, yay. Though it would have been better if Papaw were there :(
*A stray cat showed up at my house, I now call her Amity and we are slowly integrating her into an inside cat without Dad knowing...
*Laziness...
*Government takes up half my stupid time 'cause it takes forever and is very repetitive. Ends the 23 though.
*Writing camp! Yay! :D I love writing camp XD But it's over now :(
*Several bad headaches in the month since I've last posted. Also neurologist visits and EEG tests and stuff. Fun, eh?

Anyway :D To try and make up for my delay, this chapter is a little longer and hopefully makes you smile. Um...I'm not sure how great it is, but pie is mentioned XD and smiting. And brotherliness at the beginning, maybe? Hmm. Anyway, I'm trying to get my edge back on this story after all that happened with the family and stuff, and thank you all SO VERY MUCH for your wonderful support! You guys are so completely awesome! I would name you all here but that would take up a whole chapter itself O.O That's how many of you wonderful people there are here. Anywho. I'm going to shut up now because I have a feeling I am ranting and boring you...

Onward!

Chapter Seventeen

Castiel never left Dean's bedside, except to occasionally check on Sam. According to John, Sam had woken briefly, taken a few sips of water, and had then went back to sleep after learning Dean was okay. He had only been awake a few short minutes and so Castiel hadn't seen him awake. Only John had…or, rather, John had known he was awake, since he couldn't necessarily see. Dean, on the other hand, had yet to wake, but the doctors didn't seem too concerned about that yet. They kept assuring him that Dean would wake in his own time and that everything was fine. The prognosis was good. Dean and Sam would both be okay.

So why did Castiel feel so damn edgy? His skin felt itchy, like it didn't belong to him. He kept tapping his fingers against his knees as he sat like a couch potato in the plastic chair next to Dean's bed. Occasionally he ran his fingers along Dean's knuckles. Sometimes he squeezed his hand, wanting Dean to squeeze back and wake up, but that never happened. It was too soon to worry, though, according to the doctors. Dean would wake up soon. He would be okay.

It was hard to keep thinking that, though, when he kept allowing his gaze to wander back to the bandaging on his head. Castiel was reminded of before, when the truck had nearly run Dean down with Justin behind the wheel. That had been a scary time indeed, and he felt now much like he had back then - helpless to do anything and desperate for Dean to wake up.

Of course, it was worse now, almost. Because the two had only grown closer in the time since then, and while it had been hard then, it was much harder now, seeing Dean lay there, still and quiet, two things that were completely wrong for him.

There was a soft, faint knock at the door and Castiel moved his hand away, glancing toward the door to see his brother enter the room. He sighed as Jimmy came toward him and stood at his side.

"Mom's getting worried," his twin said softly. "We should probably go. Visiting hours will…end soon anyway."

"I can't leave," Castiel said before he could stop himself, but it was the truth. He couldn't just leave. He remembered Dean's shock that first time in the hospital, how he'd behaved so confused as to why Castiel was even there to see him. He had to stay, to let Dean know he was there and that he wasn't going anywhere. Why did this have to happen, and after they'd finally gotten back to normal? It wasn't fair. "I can't leave," he said again, his voice just a low breath of air this time as he swiveled his gaze back toward the motionless form in the bed.

Jimmy sighed heavily next to him. "I know you think you can't, Cassie, but we have to. Visiting hours will be over soon and we have to get home. You said you didn't want Mom to come up here, right? Well, she's worried and wants us to come home soon. I hate making her worry, especially with how Dad…" he trailed off and looked away. Castiel blinked and glanced at his twin because that was the first time he'd heard Jimmy mention their father since he'd packed his bags and left the house and hadn't returned.

Now, looking at his brother as though for the first time in a long time, Castiel could see the way Jimmy's eyes were open just a little too wide, were darting around just a little too fast. His brother was worried. Not just for Dean and Sam, but for their father and mother as well. Jimmy was also hurt. Castiel could see it, and now that he thought about it…that strange feeling that had been niggling at his chest the past few days, it wasn't his. It was Jimmy's pain. His twin brother's hurt at how their father had left.

Of the two of them, Jimmy had been closer to their father. Castiel had connected more with their mother as the more quiet and shy of the two of them, while Jimmy had been more…well, more. Jimmy and their father had bonded over cars, which was probably why Jimmy now had a car and Castiel didn't even though they were the same age. The fact that Jimmy was a few minutes older had nothing to do with it.

It was making sense, now. Jimmy had been staying away from the house lately. Castiel had thought Jimmy had just found new friends and hadn't wanted to spend time with his brother anymore. Why would he? He'd thought that Jimmy was just tired of being home all the time, when in reality, he just didn't like the thought of the fighting, of their father leaving. It had hurt him, and somehow, for this long, he had managed to hide it from Castiel.

Castiel felt like the worst brother in the world. He had no doubt in his mind that if it was Sam that had felt hurt, Dean wouldn't have missed something like this. Dean was the best brother out there, he was sure.

"Jimmy…" he murmured, sighing, not sure as to what to say. Words had never exactly been his forte, after all. "Look, Dad, he…he'll come back. He…"

Except, he wasn't sure. Their parents had fights before, sure, like all parents. They weren't perfect. No one was. They were human. They had their disagreements. Sometimes they slept in different rooms, one in the bedroom and one downstairs on the living room couch if the spats got out of hand and couldn't be resolved by bedtime. But this was by far the worst of them all. Never before had their father walked out on them. Castiel himself didn't know what to think about it. Maybe he was still in denial that it had happened. Half the time he was able to convince himself that Dad was just working. Sometimes his father went on business trips and was gone for a few days. Sometimes they went days without seeing each other, so that sort of made it easy, but now…

He swallowed and shook his head. Jimmy offered him a faint smile and shook his head, resting a hand lightly on his shoulder. "It's okay," he said very quietly. "I just…I didn't think he'd really leave, that's all. I thought he'd at least call to…see how we were doing, if anything. We're his kids. And Mom…"

Castiel nodded but decided to keep his mouth shut, mostly because he had no idea what to say, or how to make this situation better. It seemed as though everything was going wrong at once and he didn't know how to fix it, or even if he could. What could he do? Nothing. It was out of his control.

"But…" Jimmy took in a deep breath and tightened his grip on Castiel's shoulder reassuringly. "Everything will…it'll be okay. Dean will be okay, Sam will be okay…Dad will be okay. Mom will be okay. We'll all be fine, in the end. Right?"

Castiel nodded. "Right." Because he had to believe that as well, even if his brother was only trying to make him feel better. He willed Jimmy's words to be true.

Castiel returned to the hospital the next day, early in the morning, as soon as visiting hours started at nine. He had Jimmy drive him there but his brother didn't stay, thankfully. He thought Jimmy knew he wanted to be alone to check on the Winchesters. First he checked on Sam, who was sleeping soundly. He itched to go to Dean but he had been with Dean longer and he wanted to spend a little bit of time with Sam as well because he was worried about him too, so he sat down in the empty plastic chair and sighed. The sound echoed around the silent room, the sound only broken by the blips of the heart monitor and the sound of Sam's deep and even breaths. They sounded a lot better than yesterday.

Sam was getting better. That meant Dean probably was too, as the doctors had said, and they would both be okay. Castiel had to have faith, but that was hard when he was forced to watch two people he cared about lay motionless in hospital beds under white sheets in a room void of color.

He wondered when John would be arriving. Probably not until later, though. He had probably managed to convince the doctors and nurses to let him stay past visiting hours, demanding to stay with his sons, or so Castiel thought, and so he had probably left the hospital late.

Castiel really abhorred the hospital. The scent of it alone was enough to make him want to upchuck his food if he had eaten. He hadn't though, today. He had woken, showered simply because Jimmy had wrinkled his nose at him and declared that he needed to bathe or his stench would make Dean wish to remain unconscious, and then he'd been driven to the hospital where he now sat in Sam's hospital room. He wasn't hungry. He hadn't eaten last night either. Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten since Dean had fixed him food yesterday. Was it really only yesterday? God but time flew. So much had happened in so short a time…

He swallowed thickly and tried to keep himself calm. His stomach was churning at the moment, thinking of all that could happen in a mere moment, of what all could go wrong…

Stop that, his mind snapped at him, sounding surprisingly like Dean's voice.

I'm trying, he said back stubbornly.

He wished the Winchesters would wake up soon. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Only a day and already he felt like this, his nerves on edge, his stomach knot of dread and fear, of worry and anxious hurt.

Like magic, Sam's fingers twitched on the bed. Castiel only noticed because his gaze was downcast and thus he'd caught the bare movement. He stared for a moment, unsure as to what he'd seen. Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. Could a day of worry cause someone to have hallucinations? He would have to look this up sometime in the future, he decided. If the Winchesters were going to make this hospital thing something regular, he would definitely need the knowledge.

But then the movement came again, and Sam released a small groan as he tossed his head to the side. Castiel watched, transfixed, as the dark hazel eyes fluttered open and stared vaguely at the ceiling for a moment before rolling his way.

"…Cas?" Sam squeaked after a moment, his voice rough with misuse. Castiel instantly grabbed the cup of water on the bedside rolling table and moved to hand it to him, where he then proceeded to gently - very gently - move a hand around to Sam's back and help him sit up enough to drink the refreshing liquid. Sam swallowed a few sips and then Castiel took the drink away, releasing him and allowing him to lay back down. "Thanks."

Castiel nodded. "How do you feel?" he asked, frowning in concern.

Sam seemed to think about it for a moment, flexing his fingers. "Numb," he decided finally. "Tired." He blinked sluggishly. "Hospital?"

"Yeah," Castiel said.

"What happened?"

"A, um…" Castiel wasn't sure how much to tell Sam. Sam knew about what John had told Castiel, right? Sure he did. "A fire."

"A fire?" Sam looked confused for a moment before his eyes suddenly flew open wide and he scrambled to sit up. Instantly Castiel pressed a hand against his chest to stop him and press him back down before he hurt himself. "Dean! Is he okay?"

"He, uh…" What could he say to that? "They said he should be okay, yes." He would use the doctor's words.

"Should be?" Sam echoed. "What's wrong?"

"A few burns and scrapes, mostly, like you. He hit his head but they say he should wake up soon. They had to sedate him."

"Sedate him?" Sam asked and Castiel could practically feel his panic upping a few notches.

"He had a minor skull fracture," Castiel said, deciding he needed to just come out and say it before Sam took it the wrong way and thought he was hiding something much worse. Sam's eyes widened again and he started struggling. Castiel tried to keep him down as best as he could without hurting him or touching his bandaged shoulder. "Sam!" he hissed angrily. "Stay still! Let me finish!"

Sam finally assented and glared at him. "Tell me," he snapped.

"They got the swelling down and he's fine," Castiel said quickly even though he himself wasn't entirely sure of his own words - the doctor had assured him Dean would be okay, but he wouldn't believe it until Dean was awake and he could see it with his own eyes. "They sedated him for precaution while they fixed him up, that's all. He should wake sometime today. Okay?"

"What else?" Sam huffed, clearly unhappy.

Castiel released his hold on Sam, hoping the younger brother was done with trying to climb out of bed and out of the room. "He fractured his right ankle. He needs to stay off of it for a few weeks."

Sam nodded. "I'll make him. Is…is that all?" he asked somewhat timidly.

Castiel nodded. "Other than a few cuts and burns like you, yes, that's all. Now, as for yourself…you got a third-degree burn to your left shoulder and smaller burns around your torso," he said, practically quoting the doctor. "Also cuts and stuff. You're both going to be okay."

Sam nodded, seemingly satisfied, at least on that matter. "Can I see Dean?"

Castiel blinked. "I don't think they want you out of bed. In fact, I'm pretty sure of it. Besides, your eyes are going crazy on me. You're tired."

Sam scoffed. "You've been…hanging out with…Dean too much," he said through a yawn.

Castiel smiled at the sleepy Sam. "I'll take that as a compliment," he declared.

"Take it…however you want."

"Go to sleep. Your dad will be here soon - and no, before you ask, he wasn't in the fire. He's fine."

Sam nodded sluggishly, his eyes already drifting shut. "But I'm not…tired."

Castiel rolled his eyes. "You give Dean this much trouble?"

"All the…time. 's my job."

"Yeah, well…go to sleep."

Sam didn't say anything else on the matter as his breaths evened out as he drifted into a peaceful slumber.

Castiel chuckled quietly to himself. He hadn't realized how much he'd needed that little bit of normalcy, that little chuckle and slight banter with the younger Winchester, until it'd happened. He felt as though he'd been renewed with hope, like there was a light at the end of the tunnel.

Maybe things would be okay after all.

The door to the room opened and he turned to glance toward it. A nurse was leading John into the room. Castiel stood so the nurse could lead John toward the nearest chair which was his. "Sam woke up," he declared.

"That's great," John said with relief. "He asleep again?" He sat heavily in the chair, nodding at the nurse in gratitude. The nurse smiled and left the room.

"Yeah."

"Dean woke up."

Castiel's eyes flew open wide at the news. "He wh-…he did?"

"Yeah. Snapped at me to check on Sammy for him. I swear, that kid doesn't know how not to be a big brother." John shook his head, smiling fondly. "I think he'd like to see you."

"I…y-yeah," Castiel said, nodding quickly as he moved toward the door. "I'll tell him Sam woke up." He exited the room and quickly moved through the halls, eager to see Dean.

It was kind of interesting when he thought about it, and yet totally like the Winchesters. They'd both woken up at the same time and demanded to know about each other. It was wonderful to know how much they cared.

A smile was widely taking over Castiel's face even before he got to Dean's door. But when he entered Dean's room, saw the way Dean's marvelous green eyes lit up when he saw him, and heard the elder brother's happy "Cas!", the smile damn near broke his face.

"Dean," Castiel breathed happily, unable to talk clearly because of the smile as he moved toward Dean's bed. Instantly he leaned down and pressed his lips to his boyfriend's, feeling the warm swell in his chest when Dean kissed back just as enthusiastically despite the fact that he had been unconscious the last time Castiel had seen him, so still and motionless in his bed and-

But who cared? He was awake now. He was awake and his eyes were shining with that warm, loving glow that was reserved for Castiel and Castiel alone. That hadn't been stolen away from him.

And if that didn't make him happy, he wasn't sure what did.

He threw his arms around Dean's neck, careful of the bandaging on Dean's head. Dean chuckled warmly into his neck. "Miss me?" he asked jokingly.

"Jerk!" Castiel said as he pulled back, still smiling. He was sure his face was going to freeze that way but he couldn't help it at the moment. He was just so happy both Dean and Sam were awake and okay after having worried so much…

"Bitch," Dean replied automatically, smirking faintly despite the somewhat tired look in his eyes.

"How do you feel?" Castiel asked, fighting the smile away. "Do you hurt anywhere? How's your head? Any memory loss? Headache? Blurred vision? How's your ankle?" He rapid-fired questions.

Dean blinked at him. "Whoa! Stop. Hold up. I?" He pointed at himself. "Am okay. First off, no, I don't hurt. Good drugs. Very numb. Floating on a cloud, all that jazz. My head? Is fine. They better not have shaved off my hair or I will smite them with pie. Yes, before you ask, it can be done! I'm just that awesome." He flashed Castiel a smile. "Memory loss? Clearly I wouldn't know if I have forgotten anything because, you know, I've forgotten it. And…headache. Again, no pain. Numb. Vision. Hmm…well. Does two of you count? Because I think I kind of like that. That has potential. And my ankle? What the hell is wrong with my ankle? No one said anything about my ankle." He started to lift the white sheet to peer under it.

Castiel chuckled and stopped him. Dean's usual witty yet joking response left him feeling as though everything was finally going to be okay. Dean clearly felt well enough to joke around and mention pie. Before he could stop himself, he was sitting in the chair next to the bed and leaning forward again, connecting their lips like long-lost magnets that had finally found each other.

"I like your bedside manner," Dean chuckled against his mouth, the sound reverberating off his lips. Castiel almost rolled his eyes.

Almost.

Except he was a little busy kissing his boyfriend.

And there ya go :D My goal was to make people smile but, meh, whatever. My writing skills are rusty XD Too much TV! (Seriously, I have been watching it a lot lately even though I usually don't...but hey, it's summer, c'mon!) Thanks so much for reading, and as always I apologize for any mistakes you may find. All mine. Thanks again and please review!

~Muffy the Dough Slayer~