17

Amazing Grace

I staggered through the streets, trying not to run into anyone. My clothes were wet from my skin touching them, making my body ache and shiver painfully. I cried while I ran, I couldn't help it. All of these people did nothing to help me.

I fell on the hard sidewalk many times, and each one no one offered to help me stand. They treated me as if I were a leper, and that just made me cry harder. I didn't know where I was, or where I was going, but I would do as Saphriel asked and run until I couldn't run anymore.

I started coughing, trying to stumble to a halt. I fell right into someone's chest.

I'd been walking down the sidewalk, headed for the pizza parlor down the street. I saw people headed in the other direction, looking irritated, some shaking their heads.

"He'll run into a cop at some point," one man said. The woman next to him nodded.

"The nerve," she spat, looking disturbed. "I mean who acts that way in the middle of the street?"

"Let's not dwell on it."

I frowned.

What the hell were they-?

"Oh!"

Someone fell face first into my chest. I gasped, knees bending to support the sudden weight. I looked down at the man, who was coughing and shaking violently, his shirt soaked in water and blood.

"Hey, hey, easy," I said.

"I'm s-sorry," he said, trembling arms pushing himself off of me, head bent, still coughing.

"It's alright, it's okay, hey," I coaxed his face up. "Is there someone-" I stopped, looking into those beautiful eyes, my heart stopping, breath ceasing, stomach turned to a block of ice. "Cas?"

"A-Annabelle?" We just looked at each other for a moment. He hugged me as tight as he could, sobbing harshly. "Annabelle…" He moaned.

"Cas!" I hugged him, trying to get my bearings. "Cas, what the hell happened to you?" He just cried. Oh god, that was a horrible sound. It made my chest ache to listen. And his eyes, oh those big blue eyes filled with such horrible agony. It broke my heart.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay," I shushed. "It's alright. I'm gonna take you to a hospital, alright?" He shook his head, hard.

"No, no, no, p-please," he begged. Oh god, don't look at me like that, honey. "N-no hospital."

"Why?" I asked, exasperated. He started crying again. I couldn't take much more of this. "Okay, okay, baby, no hospital. It's alright. Shh… What about the police?" He shook his head again. I was going to kill Sam and Dean. They said he was alright!

"Alright, alright, shh," I held the back of his head, paying no attention to the bystanders watching us. "Okay, okay, I'm gonna get you out of here, alright? Shh…" I waved my arm out, flagging the nearest cab down. "It's gonna be alright, shh…it's okay, it's okay."

I got him into the car, feeling him sob in relief at the warmth that was in it. His face was so hot. He definitely had a fever. At least Dean had told me that part.

He was shaking so hard, terrified.

"Uh," the cab driver said, looking at us in his mirror. "Hospital?"

"No," I said, giving him an assuring smile. "Not as bad as it looks. He's just shaken up." He nodded.

"Police station, then?"

"Huh, what're they gonna do?" I chuckled. He laughed too.

"Good point," he agreed. "So, where to?" I rattled off my address and turned my attention back to Cas.

"Hey," I whispered, meeting his eyes, still beautiful, bright with fever and bloodshot. "It's gonna be alright, okay? You're gonna be just fine." I kissed his forehead, wiping tears from his cheeks. He couldn't stop crying. It hurt to see. His innocence had been exploited, naivety used against him. Poor baby…

I held him close, understanding why he was so cold. He clung to me like he never wanted to let go.

"Shh…" I soothed. "It's okay. We'll be home soon. Shh…"

"I-it's so co-cold," he shivered. I stroked his hair, nodding.

"I know, I know, baby. Shh…"

"I d-don't wanna be cold an-anymore," he sobbed. "It's s-so cold."

"You won't be, sweetie," I whispered. "Just wait a little while longer."

I paid the cabbie and got him into my apartment, lying him down on the bed.

"Okay, honey, I've gotta get you out of those wet clothes."

Oh god, that face. I felt my heart break just looking at this poor thing. He wrapped an arm around his waist, , holding a bit of the shirt in his hand, looking so horribly sad it was surprising that angels didn't fall out of the sky, dead just from that look.

"Baby, what's wrong?" I asked, sitting next to him. Tears leaked out of his eyes, causing my gut to twist in knots.

"D-do I have to?" He whimpered. I chewed my lip, stifling my own tears. God, those eyes…

"Honey, I have to get you out of those wet clothes. You're gonna get even more sick if I don't," I said softly.

"B-b-but, I…I just got them back," he said so quietly I barely heard him. The innocence in his eyes killing me. God, what sick son of a bitch could do this to him?

I couldn't do it anymore. I hugged him close, trying not to hurt him. "Shh, honey, it's okay. I'll get you more clothes, alright? I promise. But I have to clean you up." He nodded, his blistering cheek in my neck.

"Shh…"

I got him into the bathroom, turning on the shower. Judging by how hot he felt, I should probably put him in cold water. But I couldn't do that to him. Not when he was looking at me like that.

I peeled his shirt off of him, gasping.

There was a ragged hole in his shoulder that had to be infected. My wide eyes met his.

"Cas…baby did you get shot?" He shut his eyes, whimpering, his head leaning against my shoulder.

There was another gash in his stomach, not deep enough to do serious damage, but in need of stitches, also infected.

He was decorated with severe bruises. His fingernails were torn, a couple nails missing, like he'd tried to claw his way out of something. His wrists were as raw as his voice, ribs, face and arms bruised. Good god, who would do something like this to someone so innocent?

I touched him gingerly, carefully pulling him into the floor of the shower I let him rest against my chest as water ran over the both of us.

He gasped, his breath shuddering.

"What's wrong?" I asked, frantic. "Too hot?" He shook his head, crying again, this time in relief.

"It-it's so warm…" I shut my eyes, swallowing hard, kissing his cheek. No, no there was no way I could've put him in cold water. I wouldn't be able to take it.

He hissed and whimpered as the water touched the infected wounds.

"Shh…" I still couldn't believe that this was happening. I thought that maybe he'd been in an accident, or that he was so sick he was in the hospital. Not this. Someone had done this intentionally. Someone had purposefully hurt him, tortured him.

Why? Why would someone do this to him? How could they look him in the face and hurt him like this?

"An-Annabelle?" He choked.

"Yeah?" I said, smiling at him. He brought his trembling lips to mine, sniffling. "I-I missed y-you."

I could've died right then and there. My heart took such a hit…

"I missed you too, Cas." I kissed him and resumed getting all of the blood and –oh my god- dirt off of him. Oh God…Sam and Dean…they didn't know…

-Cas TLC next chap!-