Chapter 12

It was during some point when Dean and Sam were helping Castiel to one of the beds that Castiel finally passed out from the pain and sheer exhaustion. Dean carefully checked him over to make sure he was still breathing and was relieved to see that he was.

"Help me get him out of all this stuff, Sam. I need to close up that cut on his stomach and take care of any other injuries he has. Then we'll bring him to Bobby's. I don't know what the hell they did to him, but we can't leave him like this," Dean said quietly.

Sam nodded and helped Dean remove the fallen angel's clothes. Dean was getting out their med kit while Sam removed Castiel's shirt. When he saw Castiel's back, however, Sam froze and let out a horrified gasp. Dean jerked his head up.

"Oh my God," Sam whispered, his eyes wide with shock.

"What is it?" Dean asked, frowning. He moved over on the bed to look and his stomach dropped at the sight.

Castiel's back was crisscrossed with long scars and wounds in various stages of healing, injuries inflicted from a knife or a beating with a long, thin object. Some of the wounds were months old and healed over, but others appeared to have occurred maybe a few hours prior. Blood oozed out of the fresher wounds and trickled down Castiel's pale back.

It took every ounce of Dean's self-control not to start screaming and destroying everything in that motel room in a rage. They had hurt Castiel. Tortured him. Repeatedly. Castiel's actions over the last few months now made sense. Of course he didn't want to disobey. Not if this was going to be his fate. And then they cut out his grace on top of everything else? It was too much. Dean wanted nothing more than to take Castiel in his arms and beg for his forgiveness. He wanted to apologize for being so blind to what his angel had been suffering through.

Sam could see the storm of emotions in Dean's face. He gently put his hand on Dean's arm, causing Dean to look up at him.

"I know you're pissed, Dean," Sam said softly, "But we have to take care of him now and get moving to Bobby's. He may need more help than what we have here."

Dean took a deep breath and nodded. Sam was right. He had to stay focused. This was not the time to get overly emotional. Castiel needed help and Dean intended to see to it that he got it. He'd worry about coming up with a way to kick the shit out of Zachariah later.

Once Castiel's clothes had been removed Dean quickly looked him over for other injuries. Sam helped him wash away the blood and dirt to make things easier. Dean quickly determined that Castiel had several broken ribs along with his bruised face and the large gash across his stomach. Fortunately, that wound wasn't deep and Dean was able to stitch it closed without difficulty. The ribs, both of the brothers knew, would only heal with time and rest. None of the wounds on Castiel's back required stitches, but Dean covered them with a special balm their father had always used. The stuff smelled bad, but did wonders for healing. They then dressed him in one of Dean's old t-shirts and pants, and then wrapped one of the motel's blankets around him to keep him warm.

Castiel didn't wake up during it all, but occasionally moaned in obvious discomfort. Dean wished he had something to give him for the pain, but knew they didn't have anything strong enough. He could only hope that maybe Bobby would have something stronger when they arrived.

Sam finished gathering up their bags. It had finally stopped storming outside, leaving the air heavy with humidity. After checking outside to make sure nothing was lurking out there they threw their bags in the car. They then went back and together carried Castiel to the car and laid him out in the backseat. Dean had snagged a few pillows from the room in order to provide Castiel with something to rest his head on. Once they were sure they had everything they left the motel and made their way down the highway into the night.

***

They were almost to Bobby's, maybe only another couple hours left of the drive. They had been driving nearly nonstop, switching off in order to let the other sleep, for almost two days. Castiel still wasn't fully awake; something that worried Dean, but there was nothing that could be done for it. As much as he wanted to take Castiel to a hospital Dean knew it wouldn't be safe. Even though things were still calm, the Apocalypse was on them and Dean wanted to be at Bobby's when things finally did start happening.

They stopped at a rest stop in order to stretch and use the bathroom. Sam was inside and Dean sat out in the car with Castiel. Suddenly, Dean heard a pain-filled moan from the back seat. He looked back to see Castiel grimacing with pain and had his arms wrapped around his sides. Dean reached into a bag and pulled out the bottle of liquid Motrin he had bought at one of the last rest stops. He figured that in Castiel's condition it would be easier for him to swallow and was better than nothing. He opened the door and got out of the driver's seat and went to the back, opening the back passenger door. He then gently helped Castiel sit up, although the movement caused Castiel to cry out with pain.

"Easy, Cas," Dean said softly as he sat down next to him. "It's OK, I've got ya."

Castiel's gaze was unfocused at first and he blinked a few times before he seemed to realize who was talking to him.

"Dean…?" Castiel whimpered quietly.

Dean gave him a small smile. "Yeah, Cas, it's me."

Castiel looked around for a moment without moving his head. "Where… where are we…?"

"South Dakota. A couple hours from Bobby's place," Dean replied. He opened up the bottle of Motrin and poured some in the plastic measuring cup that it came with. "Here, Cas, drink this for me."

Castiel looked at the orange liquid. "What is it?" He asked softly.

"Something for the pain. Drink it, it'll help."

Castiel's eyes filled with tears. He shook his head and turned away.

"No."

Dean scowled at him.

"Cas," He said warningly, "I mean it. You need to drink this. We still have a long way to go and you have broken ribs that are gonna hurt like hell."

"I deserve the pain," Castiel replied, the tears beginning to trickle down his cheeks.

Dean swallowed hard, anger burning inside of him. Not at Castiel, though, but at the angels responsible for making Castiel feel this way.

"Castiel," Dean said, trying not to explode, "Either you drink this on your own, or I swear I will force it down your throat myself. I need you to get better and you sitting in my back seat in agony isn't gonna help! So take the damn medicine!"

Castiel looked at Dean, his eyes slightly frightened. He took the cup from Dean's hand, however, and drank it carefully. Dean let out a small sigh and nodded.

"Now that's better," He said while taking back the empty cup.

He nervously moistened his lips as he suddenly realized how close they were sitting together and that Sam wasn't back yet. He could see his brother through the store window, standing in one of the aisles and grabbing food for them. Dean looked back at Castiel who was desperately trying to fight the pain he was experiencing. It frightened Dean to see how weak and pale he looked, but was partly relieved by the fact that he was finally awake.

"What hurts, Cas?" Dean asked gently.

Castiel's breath hitched as he tried to fight back the sobs in his chest. "Ev-everywhere… it hurts to breathe…"

Dean nodded. "I know. It'll be better once we get to Bobby's. You'll be able to lie down in a bed then."

Castiel hesitantly looked at Dean, his bright blue eyes just as intense as ever. Dean couldn't help but be drawn into them.

"Why are you helping me?" Castiel asked his voice barely above a whisper.

Dean frowned. "Why wouldn't I help you? You're my friend and you helped me…"

"After all the lies… after I betrayed you…"

His words struck Dean to the core.

"Castiel… I know what they did to you and I know why you did it… I'm just sorry I couldn't stop them from hurting you…"

Castiel looked like he was about to say something else when they heard Sam open the front passenger door and stick his head inside.

"Hey, guys. Cas, how are you feeling?" Sam said his voice filled with concern.

Castiel swallowed hard. "I… I hurt…" He said quietly.

Sam nodded sympathetically. He then looked over at Dean.

"I got us some food. Do you want me to drive? You can stay back there and help Castiel eat something."

Dean glanced at Castiel and nodded. "Yeah, probably a good idea."

Sam settled himself in the drives seat and soon they were back on the road to Bobby's.

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Hey guys! Thanks for your patience! Hope this was worth the wait. : )

Yeah, so my brain doesn't seem to want to cooperate and help me write this story so you know that means I desperately need your feedback! I have a destination, just trying to figure out how to get there! Feel free to throw out ideas or even things you want to see happen. I take everything into consideration!

Thanks for reading! : )