Sorry about the wait being longer than usual. I appreciate all reviews. :)

Last chapter: I heard Ruth cry out. A gunshot rang through the clearing.

A second one followed, then a third. Sam walked through the brush, gun in hand. I smiled for half a second at our rescue, but my smile turned into a grimace as my body acknowledged the bullet lodged into my side.

Sam held the gun up, daring the men that hadn't been shot to even try to get in his way. They all slowly began walking backwards, before turning and running away. Sam set the gun down and ran to my side. He tore of part of his shirt and began to try to stem the blood flow.

"What happened?" He asked frantically. Ruth answered for me as Sam helped me hobble to the car and into the passenger seat. "I went into the bar-" "You did what?" Sam interrupted, starting the car. Ruth ignored him. "Anyway, I went into the bar and these guys surrounded me…" Ruth recounted the happenings of the last hour and a half, only stopping to answer Sam's frequent questions.

Sam looked almost as shaken up as Ruth, his face had turned white. "Hey, Sammy?" I grunted. "Yeah, what Dean?" He was way too obviously desperate to help. I looked at the makeshift bandage. "I think I'm bleeding."

Sam looked down at the bloody shirt wrapped around my wound. "Yeah, I know. We're going to the hospital." I shook my head. "Not that bad. Go back to the motel." Sam sighed, deep in thought. "Yeah, okay Dean."

He was lying. I know Sam, and I can tell when he lies. Did he forget we do it for a living? I moaned and closed my eyes, hoping for a little retreat from the noise and pain.

…..

I woke up with Sam opening the car door and helping me out, Ruth instantly on my other side with a hand to hold. I mumbled something about not needing any help but no one believed it, not even me.

"We need to get our stories straight." Sam broke the uncomfortable silence as we made our way slowly to the ER. "Any ideas?"

"Robbery?" I offered quietly. Sam shook his head. "We'd have to set them on the trail of a fake robber. Don't want to do that."

"Maybe you two went hunting?" Ruth piped up. "Misfired?" Sam nodded. "That's a good idea but Ruth, you should really wait in the car." Ruth looked confused and slightly hurt.

"How would we explain you and your torn dress?" He explained. "Besides, last time you came to the hospital you were 'rescued' and taken to an adoption center. You can take your gun and lock the doors, crank up the A/C, and listen to Dean's mullet rock collection.

Ruth nodded obediently and walked back towards the car. Sam took one arm off of me for a second to give her the keys, and then we began to make our way inside again.

Once in the ER, nurses immediately surrounded me. There was yelling and I was swarmed by nurses. Sam lost his grip on me and the last thing I heard was him yelling, "DEAN!" and another nurse trying to calm him down. Then the blackness rolled in.

….

I woke up to an annoying beeping noise to my left and a tingling in my side. I looked down to find my side in pristine bandages. It ached when I moved, but I wasn't bleeding. Or dying. A definite plus.

Sam walked into the room carrying a coffee and a bagel. His eyes widened and he sat his breakfast down, immediately rushing to my side. "Dean! You're awake!"

"Yeah, and I'm wearing a friggin' dress." I looked down in disgust. "It's called a hospital gown." Sam laughed. I rolled my eyes. "I don't care what this thing is called, it doesn't come with pants."

"What day is it?" I asked, confused. "Wednesday, dude. It's been four days." Wow, I was out for a while.

A nurse walked in the door, looking intensely at a clipboard and chewing on a pen. She looked up and saw Sam and me both looking back at her. "Oh," She sounded surprised. "You're awake." She looked at Sam and motioned for him to leave the room.

"This will hurt a bit." The nurse admitted, putting on rubber gloves with a snap as the gloves hit her wrists.

….

When the nurse had finished messing around with my side she allowed Sam to come back into the room. It had hurt, but this lady didn't know that Sam and I stitch ourselves up on a regular basis.

She smiled at me and left, closing the door behind her. Sam cleared his throat, his way of letting me know he had something important to say. I looked at him expectedly and he began. "Yesterday, the nurse said you might have an infection… Nothing too big or important, but, I-I thought, maybe, Cass might be able to fix it? You know, so we can get out of here faster? Ruth's dying to see you and I won't let her come to the hospital."

I realized how much I missed Ruth. It felt like forever since I've seen her, but I know it's only been a few days. "Okay," I agreed. "Cass, get down here! Now."

Sam jumped as he turned to his left and saw Castiel sitting in the chair next to him. "You need to work on your manners, Dean." He stated. "I'm guessing you want something?" I nodded. "Can you fix Dean, please? We really want to get out of here. Not the biggest fans of hospitals…" Sam explained.

Castiel stood up and walked over to me, reaching out to put his hand on my head when the nurse walked in. "What are you doing?" She screamed, gasping at the sight of the strange man reaching his hand out to her patient, whose eyes were closed, anticipating the pain.

I opened my eyes just in time to see Cass place his hand on the woman's shoulders, her eyes staring blankly as Castiel mumbled something to her. She nodded and trudged back out the door.

"I have properly dealt with the situation," He announced, unexpectedly placing his hand back on my forehead. I grunted in the pain and extreme heat as my side healed from the gun wound. Cass looked back to Sam as I panted under the strain of the pain and healing.

"There is something I must tell you before I leave." He added seriously. "There's an angel." He looked back at me. "His name is Harachel. He is a very powerful angel. He holds a lot of respect in my garrison as well as others. He feels that as long as Ruth is running away or rebelling, you two will constantly go after her."
"So?" I didn't really see where this is going.

"Harachel believes that because you two will do anything to save her, you will die for her. We can't have Michael and Lucifer's vessels constantly dying. It's too much trouble. He wants to get rid of that threat."
Sam and I both still looked confused.

Castiel continued. "He wants to kill Ruth."

I hope you like it! Please review, especially if you liked it a lot or didn't. At all. Or hated it...