A machine beeped steadily, monitoring Dean's heartbeat as he lay sleeping in a hospital bed. It had been a couple hours since Sam ended Alastair and Castiel was nowhere to be found. After he had disappeared, Sam and Lee drove Dean to the hospital. He still hadn't woken up.
The whole time Sam refused to leave his brother's side, even when Lee to get him to take a coffee break. At the hospital cafeteria Lee sat with her untouched cup between her hands. She could feel death all around her as a shiver rushed down her spine every few minutes.
A dark shadow passed by the open door and Lee took a curious peak down the hallway. The ends of a long trench coat disappeared around the corner in the direction of Dean's room.
"Oh thank God!" Lee cried knowing that Castiel had finally come back. Relief washed over her knowing that he could heal Dean and everything would be fine.
Castiel paused at the doorway to Dean's room. With a glance at the floor, he continued on without a word. Before Lee could stop him, Sam burst out of the room and caught up to him.
"Sam-" Castiel said as he swiveled to face Sam.
"Get in there!" Sam ordered and pointed to Dean's room, "You need to heal him. Miracle. Now."
Castiel bit his lip and struggled to find the words to explain to Sam he couldn't. He didn't understand the politics of heaven. "I-I can't." He stuttered.
"This is your fault-" Sam accused, his voice rising with every word.
"No." Castiel protested fiercely.
" - because you can't keep a simple devil's trap together!" Sam finished. His glare caused Castiel to cringe and look everywhere except at Sam. Lee cautiously walked up to them and felt the tension grow between them. Thick like butter.
"You have to help him," Lee urged after moments of angry silence, "you're an angel aren't you?" Castiel flashed an apologetic grimace before turning away. Before he could leave, Lee grabbed hold of his arm.
He studied her with a frown at her audacity to grab an angel of the Lord. Castiel struggled to be released and her cobra grip tightened. "Angels are supposed to help mankind." Lee reminded him.
"Demons aren't even killing the angels!" Sam said angrily, "Something else is doing the deed. Dean did what you wanted for nothing! You understand that?"
"Perhaps Alastair was lying," Castiel answered sheepishly as Sam shook his head.
"No, he wasn't." He replied flatly. Sam turned and stomped back to Dean's room. Lee watched him leave before turning back to Castiel, her hand still holding his arm. Castiel looked at her and opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it after taking in her look of hurt and disbelief.
Biting back words of disappointment, Lee released Castiel and followed Sam. Castiel stood frozen until he saw the ends of her hair whip around the corner. Looking at his arm, he noticed the imprint of her hand lingered on his sleeve. A cold shiver passes through Castiel as guilt consumed him like a tidal wave. He contemplates doing what they ask, but with a shake of his head he walks away, feeling as though he'd been punched in the face.
And if Castiel was being honest with himself, he wished he had been.
After countless prompting from Lee, Sam finally tore himself from Dean's bedside and went to grab something to eat. Lee stretched and looked down at her watch. A couple minutes past midnight. Sam had only been gone a few minutes. She shivered as the memory of him drinking the demon blood resurfaced.
Lee didn't know what to do. She knew he needed help and she was sure Dean didn't know. But was it even her place to bring it up? Her eyelids began to droop and her head slowly tucked forward.
Across the hospital room, Dean's eyes snapped open. Momentarily confused by the machines and white curtains, he looked around and saw Lee curled up in a chair sleeping. He rubbed his aching shoulders and searched the room for water. He reached for the cup of water on a tray next to his bed, but in his haste he knocked it onto the floor. The sharp clang echoed in the room as it bounced off the floor. Dean swore as the water spilled everywhere and his throat thickened with thirst.
"Dean?" The groggy voice caused him to look up at a half awake Lee.
"Yeah, sorry if I woke you," He said, "I uh, just needed some water…" He trailed off as he glanced back down at the mess on the floor.
"Oh thank goodness you're awake!" Lee rushed over and handed him a water bottle from her bag. Dean muttered a thanks before downing the water. "Sam is out getting' food, he'll be back soon. Are you okay sweet pea?" She asked.
Dean wiped the water that trickled down his chin before answering, "Yeah, of course I'm fine," He shot a cheeky smile before wincing from a furious headache. Lee shook her head and tsked while she cleaned up the spilled water.
"Where's Cas?" He asked and looked around, expecting the trench coat wearing angel to pop out at any moment. "Hoping he could help me with this headache," he joked.
Lee bit her lip," He, uh, he left." The corners of his mouth pulled down as she continued, "I think he had some business to do… he said he couldn't heal you."
"Figures…" Dean sniffed. Lee watched with a frown on her face as he slowly lifted himself into an upright position. Dean looked up at held her gaze for a moment before biting his lip and looking away, "Don't look at me like that."
"Sorry," She whispered. "Do you remember much?"
The steady ticks from the clock filled the silence as Dean refused to look back at her. He clenched his fists before answering, "Everything."
"Oh so you saw Sam, and what he did?" Lee questioned.
Dean snapped his head toward her, "What do you mean? What did he do?"
"He- nothing, he saved you," Lee answered, not wanting to tell Dean her fears about Sam, "What matters is that you're finally awake sweet pea!" She gave a small, comforting smile and patted his arm.
"Dean?" Relief washed over Sam as he returned with a cup of coffee in his hand. Lee watched as he rushed from the doorway to his brother's side. "Thank god you're okay!"
"Yeah, yeah, of course I'm fine," Dean shrugged. Not wanting to intrude on a brotherly moment, Lee excused herself from the hospital room.
"I swear those angels are going to pay," Sam swore once Lee was out of earshot.
"It's not there fault I got careless," Dean huffed and settled back into the pillows.
"No, it is!" Sam said, "They were supposed to protect you! They think they can order us around like we're some sort of pawns and control us like some damn marionettes! I can't deal with that anymore."
"You don't think I feel the same Sam!" Dean shouted, causing Sam to blink in surprise.
"Dean, I'm sorry…"
"Just, for christ's sake I just woke up," Dean sighed in exasperation, "Can I just be given a couple minutes to relax? Is that too much to ask?" The hurt on Sam's face made Dean regret the harshness of his tone, but before he could say anything, Sam left him alone in the hospital room.
"I think you hurt his feelings." The sudden sound of a foreign voice cause Dean to shudder in surprise.
"Dammit Cas!" Dean hissed, turning to the oblivious angel who appeared by his bedside.
"How are you feeling?" He asked cautiously, eyeing the bandages.
"Fine, no thanks to you." Dean retorted.
Down the hall, Lee made her way towards Dean's room with a bottle of water in hand. Hearing voices as she neared the door, she paused before entering.
"Did I break the first seal?" She heard Dean say.
"Yes," She recognized the second voice as Castiel's, "We laid siege to hell and fought our way to get to you before you-"
"Jump started the apocalypse," Dean finished bitterly.
"And we were too late."
"Why didn't you just leave me there?" The room was silent and Lee stood rooted to her spot by the door.
"It's not your fault, it's fate," Castiel explained, "The righteous man who starts it must finish it."
"Well, then you guys are screwed. I can't do it, Cas. Alastair was right. I'm not all here. I'm not – I'm not strong enough," Dean's voice faltered, "I'm not the man either of our dads wanted me to be. Find someone else."
"I'll visit you soon when I get wind of a new case for you," Castiel continued as if Dean had not spoken, "Stay safe Dean."
The room fell silent once again except for the silent tears that fell from Dean's face. Lee griped the water bottle tightly in her hands. The crunch of the plastic alerted Dean to her presence outside the door.
"Who's there?" He called. Lee crept through the door sheepishly, "Oh it's you," Dean tried to discretely wipe his eyes and noticed the water, "Is that for me? I'm still dying of thirst."
Lee could only nod as she handed him the bottle. Dean hungrily drank the water as she stood stiffly next to him. Tossing the empty bottle aside, Dean sat silently and stared at the wall in front of him. Neither said a word.
"How much did you hear?" Dean questioned after what felt like an eternity of silence.
"Hear what Dean?" Lee lied with a small smile, "As far as I know, I came just in time to save you from dyin' of thirst." Dean looked at her and immediately knew she was lying. He knew she had heard the whole thing, but she lied anyways and for that he was grateful.
"So good news!" Sam exclaimed walking in, "Doc says you're just about healed and that you'll be ready to leave later today."
"Good, we need to hit the road," Dean said, "I miss driving my baby," He smiled wistfully as he pictured the black Impala.
"Well boys, I do have to get going!" Lee sighed as she picked up her bag from the chair, "I have business up in Oklahoma I need to get to by tonight."
"Aw can't stick around for a little longer Pocahontas?" Dean teased, "We could use your little sixth sense on some hunts!"
"Yeah we wouldn't mind," Sam added, "Honest."
Lee smiled and shook her head, "No I've got some tribe stuff to do. There's the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival this weekend in Tishomingo."
"Sound fun," Sam smiled.
"Hey wait a minute!" Lee's face lit up and she smacked her forhead, "Y'all should come and visit it! Come on, it's one of the greatest festivals the tribe puts on every year!" She insisted when the brothers looked at her skeptically. "Besides, y'all just need a weekend to yourselves. No demons, no ghosts, no hunting. Just fun, food, and dancin'!"
She grinned from ear to ear, waiting for them to say yes. See her eagerness, Sam sighed in defeat, "Alright, we'll go." Lee squealed as Dean's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Y'all won't regret it!" She claimed as she rushed to give them both a hug, "Now I have to go, but give me a call when y'all get to Tishomingo and I'll show y'all around! Bye sweet peas!" She called before scampering out the door.
Dean turned to face Sam with a look of utter annoyance with Lee's shouts of excitement could be heard from down the hall, "Wimp." He said to Sam.
"Hey, she's right, we do deserve a little rest," Sam protested, "Look how happy it made her," Sam motioned out the door. Dean merely rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
"I'm not really keen on hanging with a bunch of Indians wearing a big feather hat and dancing around a big ass fire." He stated.
Sam frowned, "Chickasaws don't wear those, they wear roaches," He corrected.
"Whatever, same difference," Dean raised his hands in mock defeat, "Nerd." He muttered loud enough for Sam to hear.
"Whatever. We're going and that's that." Sam declared, but Dean had stopped listening. All he could think about was the conversation he had with Cas. The angels have made it his job to solve everything, but he didn't know how. He was broken and weak. Everything was his fault.
Wasn't everything? He thought as Sam continued to lecture him on the diverse culture of the Chickasaws.
Author's Note: Thanks for all the readers, I know it's been a while since I've posted a new chapter! College life is stressful and busy, but I'm trying to keep it updated as much as I can. Reviews are always welcome! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)