Sam sat beside the bed in the uncomfortable hard backed plastic chair while Castiel stood in the corner, making himself invisible. Seeing all sorts of tubing protruding from his son made his stomach squirm in the most uncomfortable way. It was the worst thing he had ever seen. He had been human long enough to understand emotions. He felt his sadness mingling with anger in the strangest way. Emotions were clouding his judgement, and that was not good. But at this point it couldn't be helped. Memories of Jimmy's time with Claire uncontrollably flashed through his mind, and they brought him sorrow. The only sound that brought him comfort were the steady beeping and sucking noises that demonstrated that Dean was still alive.

A line was stuck in his arm for an IV, and his head was heavily bandaged. There was a collar around his neck to keep his head upright. But the one that stood out the most was the tube shoved down his throat to keep him breathing. Every time he listened to the push and pull of the ventilator, Castiel was filled simultaneously with hope and despair.

Sam's head snapped up at the sound of heels clicking on the tiled hospital floors.

"Mr. Bruno?"

Sam stood up. "That's me."

"Mr. Bruno, your brother sustained several serious injuries, especially to his head. We aren't sure about the extent of the damage, but we'll be getting the results of the MRI shortly. Aside from head injuries your brother has two ruptured vertebrae in his neck, two broken ribs with severe bruising, damage to his diaphragm, and a punctured lung. We've managed to repair most of the damage to his diaphragm and lung. The ribs will heal with time, and he'll have to wear a neck brace for a while, but he's stable for now."

"Okay. Thank you Doctor."

"Of course."

He knew that Cas was still in the room and had heard everything. He couldn't imagine how he felt about all of that. If he was worried, he figured Cas was panicked. Parents felt everything more intensely, and despite being an angel, Castiel was no exception.

For a long time they both sat there in the quiet. It was a solid hour before the MRI results came back. The doctor came back into the room and Sam stood up.

"There is some brain damage to the prefrontal cortex. We'll know more when he wakes up."

Sam's heart caught in his throat. Brain damage? No...

Sam barely stuttered out a thank you before he collapsed into the chair. What was he going to do now? There was only so much that Castiel could repair. He looked at the Angel who had now revealed himself.

"How much of that can you heal?"

Castiel was quiet. "I can heal it, but it will take time."

"How much time?"

"I'm not sure."

"He'll be okay, right?"

"I think so. He's been through worse and somehow he always pulls through."

Sam relented; The Angel had a point. He went back to staring at Dean for any sign of movement.

A measure of time passed. How long, Sam didn't know. From the corner of his eye, Sam saw Castiel straighten abruptly.

"What is it?"

"Gabriel. He wants me to come back to the cabin. Are you okay here?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

Castiel nodded, then disappeared. Sam went back to watching his brother.

The sun was just beginning to set below the horizon when Sam noticed Dean's finger twitch.

"Dean?"

The finger twitched again. Sam got out of his chair and went to his brother's bedside.

"Dean?" He gently patted his shoulder.

Finally, Dean's eyes fluttered open.

"Dean, thank god."

When Dean first opened his eyes he looked up at the bright fluorescent light with confusion. Where was he? His eyes grew wide with fear.

"Dean, it's okay." He said, calmly. But Dean wasn't soothed by this. The beeping of the heart monitor began to speed up as the panic began to set in. It was then that he realized there was a tube down his throat and began to choke on it. Sam was quick to press the alarm button. Doctors rushed in and swarmed around him, pushing Sam out as he watched.

They removed the ventilator from him after sedating him. The doctor reassured Sam that he would be fine. So Sam went back to waiting.

When Dean woke again, it was with a whimper. When he opened his eyes, he was looking for something- no, someone- who wasn't there. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a noise.

Sam saw the look in his eyes. It was his little boy look. Although he had only known about the situation at hand for a day at most, he could already differentiate between the two sides of his personality. There was an innocence to him that hadn't been there before.

Sam immediately bowed his head and prayed silently. Cas, Dean's awake.

Instantly, Cas appeared in the room and went straight over to his boy. Once Dean saw Cas' face, his whimpering ceased and he calmed down, while Sam watched interestedly.

"What's he thinking, Cas?" Sam asked after a beat of silence.

Castiel opened his connection with Dean and was surprised. His mind was incredibly simple at that point. Almost childlike. The one word that kept repeating over and over again: Daddy. Dean made a cooing noise and reached a hand up to pat his cheek. Castiel smiled.

"He's thinking about me."

"Well there's a shocker."

"His mind is surprisingly simple. Very childlike."

Sam's eyebrows shot up. "Childlike in what way?"

Castiel decided to try something new and tried to open both connections at the same time and link them together. It lasted only a moment or two, but Sam was able to see the innocence in his mind. Dean, likewise, was able to see all the fear and loathing in Sam's, but couldn't articulate a response. So instead he reached out to Sam and held his hand.

Although Dean couldn't see it, Sam smiled in response.