June 2034 (Castiel is 44 (almost 45), Dean is 46, Eden is 20 (almost 21), Adrian is 17, the twins are 13, Noah is 8 years old).
Noah continued to be a little sick over the next three weeks, which concerned Castiel a lot. The boy had gone back to school but he still wasn't feeling entirely well and his appetite wasn't the same yet. Noah had lost a bit of weight because of this and Castiel didn't know what to do. Dean was still busy at work but he didn't really work overtime anymore, and he figured that Noah would soon get healthy again since his condition had improved somewhat since they last took him to the doctor.
It was a Tuesday morning in early June and Castiel got up from bed to wake up the children while Dean was still getting dressed. The angel went over and knocked on Adrian's door, telling him to get up. Adrian always set his alarm clock in the morning, but Castiel knew how lazy the teenager was this early in the morning so he always knocked on his locked door to wake him up. Afterwards he went to Lily and Isaac's rooms, telling them to get up. He stared in surprise when he entered Isaac's room and saw him already up and getting dressed.
"Jeez, papa! I'm getting dressed here!" Isaac exclaimed and quickly shoved his jeans up over his hips, zipping them up. He wore a green t-shirt which covered his upper body, but his demon-like wings were wrapped around himself as if to protect his modesty. He fumbled a bit with his tail which was only halfway through the tail hole in his jeans.
"What's wrong? Why are you up already?" Castiel asked and stared at Isaac suspiciously from where he was standing in the doorway. It wasn't normal for Isaac to be up when Castiel came into his room in the mornings to wake him up, and he was always the one that was most troublesome to get out of bed. On the other hand, once Isaac was up he was always the most hyper and talkative of them all.
For a brief moment Isaac's eyes looked like that of a deer caught in the headlights, but only a second later his expression became unreadable – something he had most likely learned from Gabriel, Castiel figured.
"Nothing. Just… I had to pee really badly earlier so I had to get up."
Castiel's eyes narrowed a bit and he considered for a few moments if he believed that story or not. Usually when Isaac did wake up early it was often a sign that he was up to no good. Castiel stared at his son for a few moments but he couldn't tell if Isaac was telling the truth or lying to him, but Castiel did remember hearing someone out in the hallway before he got up from bed. After a few seconds the angel sighed. "Alright. Be down for breakfast soon," he told him and left the room again, closing the door behind him.
Lily came out of her room just after Castiel exited Isaac's, and she yawned sleepy and padded across the hallway to get to the bathroom. She was wearing a nightgown, her hair and feathers were ruffled from sleep, and her tail moved lazily behind her, making Castiel chuckle fondly before he went over to Noah's room at the end of the hallway.
The angel knocked on the door before entering, like he always did, and he heard Noah groan in his bed when he entered the dark room. Castiel switched on the lights in the ceiling and watched as Noah rolled over on his side and pulled the blankets over himself to keep the light away.
"Noah, it's time to get up. You have to go to school," Castiel spoke gently and walked over to the bed.
"But I don't want to, papa… I still don't feel well," Noah mumbled under the covers, coughing weakly. His throat was still sore, causing his voice to be a little weaker and hoarse sometimes.
Castiel sighed and went over to pull the covers away from Noah's body, and the boy protested heavily and tried to yank them back over himself but Castiel held on tightly to the blanket. His brows furrowed when he took in Noah's pale face, and the angel reached out and put his hand on his son's forehead. The skin wasn't much warmer than usual so Castiel didn't think that Noah's fever was particularly high.
"Come on. Get up," Castiel said, and waited patiently for Noah to comply.
Noah stared up at him with displeased eyes before slowly getting up. He shivered a bit when the colder air in the room hit his bare arms and legs, and he wrapped his wings around himself. He was wearing a nightgown with Hello Kitty on it which was his favorite, and Castiel smiled and gently brushed his wing against Noah when the boy finally went over to get some clothes from his drawers.
Castiel began making Noah's bed but frowned when he suddenly noticed something unusual lying on the sheets. He picked it up and saw that it was one of Noah's light grey feathers. The angel's frown deepened and he pulled the blanket off the bed and saw five more feathers lying underneath. Noah was too young to be molting, and he wouldn't lose up to six feathers during one night in a natural way, meaning it had to be caused by sickness. It was common for angels, demons, and winged hybrids to lose some of their feathers if they were sick and their bodies were fighting an infection, and Castiel felt a sting of worry in his chest as he picked up the feathers. He glanced over at Noah who was fumbling with the buttons on the back of his nightgown below his wings. "Noah, have you been losing more feathers lately?"
Noah froze and glanced over at Castiel. "Only for a week or so… Why?"
"Nothing. Just get dressed, alright?" Castiel forced a smile and left the room, holding Noah's feathers in his hands as he left. He had only just gotten out the room when there was a loud yelp further down the hallway to his left. Castiel whipped his head around and looked over at Adrian who had just exited his room and was standing in his doorway, completely drenched in water, and Isaac who was standing in front of Adrian and was laughing hysterically.
"Oh. My. God!" Adrian exclaimed and looked down at his water-soaked pajamas. "I am going to fucking kill you, Isaac!" he roared and spread out his sharpened wings in anger. He growled at Isaac when his brother just kept laughing.
"Oh, you deserved it! You tripped me in the garden yesterday and made me fall face-down into the dirt." Isaac was still holding the now empty bucket in his hand which he had used to throw water at Adrian with a moment ago. "And you were going to take a shower now anyway, so what's your problem? I just helped you." He laughed again, and his eyes were tearing up from it. Adrian just growled angrily and spread his wings further, making Isaac jump back but didn't make him stop being amused.
Lily had just exited the bathroom and stared at her brothers with a mortified expression from across the hallway, and Dean came out of the master bedroom as soon as he heard the noise.
"Hey, what's going on out here?" Dean demanded in an authoritative voice.
Isaac immediately straightened up, although he still had trouble not showing his amusement.
"Isaac threw a bucket of water at me! That's what happened," Adrian explained and glared daggers at Isaac.
"It was revenge!" Isaac insisted, glaring back at his older brother.
"I only tripped you yesterday because you were being rude," Adrian snapped back at him.
Castiel sighed, suddenly understanding why Isaac had been up that early this morning.
"Oh for fuck's sake," Dean muttered and rolled his eyes. "You're grounded, Isaac," he said and gave Isaac a firm look.
"What?! What about Adrian? He tripped me on purpose yesterday and he just gets to go free?!" Isaac exclaimed, growling at the unfair treatment.
"Fine," Dean groaned. "Adrian is grounded too, for a week – both of you. And I don't wanna hear any protests," he added when the both of them were about to open their mouths. "And you, Isaac – clean up the mess on the floor and dry it." He turned and headed down the stairs.
Adrian and Isaac shared an angry glare before parting ways. Isaac went to get the carpet cleaner while Adrian went inside his room to get some dry clothes and prepared to shower. Lily stood in front of the door to the bathroom and gave a helpless sigh. She went over to her room to get dressed before heading downstairs.
Noah suddenly appeared behind Castiel, glancing out into the hallway in confusion. "What happened?"
Castiel sighed. "Your brothers were being naughty and got grounded."
"Oh," Noah spoke. He coughed a bit, and Castiel put a hand on his upper back and guided him downstairs.
Molly was already awake and she quickly jumped over to greet them. While Noah was busy talking with Molly in the living room, Castiel went over to Dean in the kitchen.
"Dean."
Dean looked up from where he was standing in front of the opened fridge and was taking things out of it to prepare breakfast, and he turned his gaze to look at Cas who came over to stand next to him. He glanced down when Castiel showed him six light grey feathers in his hand which appeared to be Noah's.
"Noah is losing feathers," Castiel spoke, keeping his voice down so that Noah wouldn't hear him from the living room. "And he still isn't feeling well. I'm worried that he might be more sick than we think…" He glanced up at Dean with a helpless and worried face, and his wings drooped slightly behind him. "Maybe he should stay home today?"
A worried frown formed on Dean's face, and he briefly glanced over at Noah in the living room who was petting Molly and sitting down on the couch to rest. "Does he have a fever?" he asked, turning his gaze to look at Castiel again.
"Not much, I think. His forehead did not feel too warm when I touched it, but he says he's feeling ill. He has not been feeling well for about four weeks now…"
"Well, I can't take a day off at the moment unless I really have to."
Castiel sighed. "Me neither; I've been away from work a lot because of my injury…"
"How about I give Gilda a call later today and schedule an appointment with her, then she can take a look at Noah and see why he still isn't feeling well? I think he can survive another day at school; he's off at 1:30 today, isn't he? And in the after school care he can take a nap if he still isn't feeling well. He should be fine."
"Yes, you're right…" Castiel sighed and glanced over his shoulder at Noah. "I just have a bad feeling in my gut about it…"
Dean closed the fridge and smiled as he brushed his wing gently against the angel's to reassure him. "I think your motherly instincts are making you worry too much," he chuckled. He stepped closer to his mate and wrapped his tail around Cas' leg.
Castiel looked up at Dean and placed his hand on the demon's chest as they stood close to each other. "So what? I care about our children…"
Dean grinned and leaned in to rest his forehead against Castiel's, rubbing their noses together. "I know. I do too, but I think he'll be fine today."
The angel let out a soft sigh. He closed his eyes and moved both his hands up to rest on Dean's sides, enjoying their closeness. "Hopefully you're right…"
Lily entered the room after getting dressed, and she smiled when she saw her parents standing in the kitchen and being affectionate with each other. Noah's coughing caught her attention and she looked over at him with a sympathetic gaze. "Aww, are you still not feeling well? What did you do to get so sick?" She went over and sat down next to Noah, pulling him against her side and rubbed his arm for comfort.
"I don't know…" Noah said a small voice and leaned into her. "I hate it. I wanna be healthy again…"
"I know. Maybe dad and papa will take you to the doctor again soon and see what's wrong."
They could hear Isaac using the vacuum cleaner upstairs to dry the wet spot after cleaning up the worst of it, and they could hear how he cursed loudly at the machine every now and then. He hated cleaning and he especially hated the vacuum cleaner. Molly didn't really like the sound although she was used to it. The dog whined and moved over to lie down in front of their legs, seeking comfort with them as the terrifying noise of the vacuum cleaner filled the house.
They left for school and work as soon as everyone was ready and Adrian had finished showering. Adrian and Isaac shoved each other all the time in the entrance hall, making the other lose balance when he was putting on shoes, and Dean had to tell them repeatedly to cut it out. Noah wasn't very pleased about going to school, but Dean and Castiel couldn't stay home to be with him so he had to go.
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Noah spent most of the day trying to pay attention in school, but he felt tired, sore, and a little warm, and couldn't really concentrate that well. His best friends Abby and Christie seemed rather concerned about him since he wasn't as responsive and talkative as normal.
At 11am they had a small break, and Abby and Christie convinced Noah to go with them outside to catch some fresh air and play with the others. They went to the children's playground at the school, but Noah wasn't particularly in the mood for joining his friends in playing in the sand-covered playground. He stood on the other side of the low wooden beam dividing the asphalt from the area that was covered in sand, and watched as Abby and Christie joined a few others from their class in playing tag.
"Come on, Noah, play with us," Abby grinned and went over to take his hand.
Noah resisted a bit and glanced around at the other children. Some of the kids from the other classes sent him weird frowns sometimes, but mostly only the ones that knew he was an angel/demon hybrid. Most others assumed he was a pure bred angel unless they took a closer look at his wings. Lily and Isaac weren't in this part of the outdoor area since this was the playground for the first to fifth graders, and the older children were too old to play there.
Abby smiled and kept pulling at his arm gently when all Noah did was give her a hesitant stare. He yelped softly when she managed to make him move and he quickly prevented himself from falling. His eyes widened when one of the boys from their class came running over to them, trying to tag them, and he and Abby both squealed loudly and began running.
Noah laughed as he ran around, and he ran between the obstacles in the playground to shake the other boy off him. He almost collided with a few other kids but he managed to avoid them. His heart was beating fast in his chest, and he suddenly started feeling a little unwell while running and kept gasping for air. When he rounded a corner around the big wooden playhouse, he suddenly he ran face-first into Garth who was keeping an eye on the children in the playground, and they both groaned at the impact.
"Whoa! You okay there, kiddo?" Garth asked and glanced down at Noah. His eyes turned even more worried when he noticed the paleness on Noah's face.
Noah glanced up at him, panting heavily from running. He nodded weakly. "Yes. I'm sorry…"
"No problem. Mr. Fizzles forgives you too," Garth grinned before changing his face into one of worry again. "You sure you are okay? You look kinda ill…"
Noah was about to answer when Mick from his class ran over towards him, and Noah squealed and quickly began running again. Garth just stared as Noah ran off, but chuckled to himself when he saw the boy enjoying himself together with the other kids.
Noah had only run for few minutes when suddenly he started feeling even worse. He slowed down, gasping for air, and his head and body felt really hot with fever. His vision blurred and he could barely stand up anymore. He barely had time to panic about it before everything suddenly turned black.
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Castiel was working on a sculpture together with Anna, having an ordinary day at work. He and Anna were chatting every now and then, and Samandriel and Andy came over sometimes to join their chats.
Castiel was chuckling at something Anna had just told him when he suddenly saw her expression change into one of shocked surprise while staring at something behind him. Castiel looked over his shoulder and followed her gaze. His eyes widened when he saw Dean striding through the large facility and straight towards him with a stern and slightly emotional expression on his face.
"Dean, what—"
Dean didn't let him finish and quickly grabbed Castiel by his upper arm, as if about to drag him away. "You need to come with me right now, Cas. They called from Noah's school; he fainted in the playground and an ambulance took him to the hospital. We have to go now," he said urgently and briefly glanced around at Castiel's colleagues who were all staring at them with wide eyes and bewilderment.
So far not many of Castiel's colleagues knew that he was mated to a demon since he didn't want to hear any racist remarks at his workplace. The alpha angels at his workplace despised demons and anything related to demons, so they in particular would not treat Castiel very well if they knew about Dean and their hybrid children. The few demons at his workplace worked in a separate department and usually never interacted with the angels.
Castiel's eyes widened in shock, and suddenly he no longer cared about his colleagues seeing him and Dean together – all that mattered now was Noah. He stood in shock until Dean pulled at his arm again, urging him to come with him. The angel shook out of it and turned his head to look at Anna who stared back at him with wide, worried eyes. "I-I have to go. Please tell the boss that I'm leaving for today?"
Anna nodded and handed him his bag, and Castiel quickly went with Dean, ignoring everyone's stares as they watched him leave with a demon. He could already hear them whispering about it, and he heard Dean growl at one of the younger alpha angels who stood by the exit and glared at Dean as he passed. Castiel averted the other angel's eyes as he passed him, not wanting to see the disgust there, but it wasn't like he ever really talked to any of those alphas anyway.
Dean quickly guided him over to the Tahoe which was parked in the employee parking lot. "Why didn't you pick up for your phone? I tried calling," he asked while they headed over to the car.
"I-It's in my bag, I didn't hear it ring; I forgot to take it out," Castiel explained in a shaky voice. His emotions were all over the place after hearing what had happened to Noah, and he felt his hands shake slightly. He hadn't had this awful feeling in his body since Isaac got hit by a car eight years ago; a deep, agonizing fear that he was going to lose one of his beloved children. He felt tears prickle in his eyes and he was impatient to just arrive at the hospital already.
Dean grit his teeth but didn't seem angry. "Well, things like that happen. At least I know where you work so I could pick you up." They arrived at the Tahoe and Dean quickly unlocked the car and began pulling out of the parking lot as soon as Cas was seated in the passenger seat next to him. Dean's hands clenched tightly around the steering wheel and he quickly started driving towards the hospital. He glanced at Castiel who started to hyperventilate slightly from worry and fear. "Hey, take it easy, Cas. Garth told me the paramedics seemed to have things under control. I'm sure Noah will be just fine when the doctors find out what's wrong with him."
"I know, I just… I need to be with him. Right now." Castiel took a deep breath, cursing himself for ever having let Noah go to school today in the first place.
Dean sensed Castiel's thoughts – not because he could hear them through the bond, but because he knew Castiel's face too well when the angel was blaming himself for something, and Dean caught a glimpse of that when he glanced at him while driving. He moved his tail over while trying to keep his attention on the road and the traffic around them, and placed it on his mate's thigh. "Don't blame yourself, Cas, that's not what Noah needs right now. You gotta stay strong."
The angel nodded, trying to calm himself again.
When they arrived at the hospital they quickly asked in the reception where to find Noah and then hurried up to his room. Castiel rushed to Noah's side when they entered his room and saw him lying on a bed. The boy was conscious but he was confused, scared, and he was shying away from the nurse that was trying to be kind to him. His eyes lit up when he saw his parents enter the room.
"Papa! Daddy!" Noah cried.
"Noah," Castiel exclaimed in relief and immediately wrapped his arms around Noah on the bed.
Dean stood behind Castiel and sighed, relieved that Noah was conscious and alive.
Castiel pulled away from Noah and placed his hand on his son's forehead, feeling that the skin was much warmer now than it was this morning. "You're so warm. What happened?" he asked with a worried frown.
"I was playing tag, and then suddenly everything went really dark…" Noah murmured and glanced up at him. "I'm sorry, papa…"
"No, don't be sorry. It was not your fault," Castiel sighed and hugged him again.
Dean came over when Castiel pulled away, giving Noah a hug as well and comforting the scared boy.
The doctor came in soon after that, telling them that Noah appeared to have a case of walking pneumonia and that his tonsillitis was a symptom of it. Since his tonsils were still infected and swollen, the running and exercise that day had only increased his fever and the swelling in the tonsils, making it harder for Noah to breathe and causing him to faint from lack of oxygen. Dean and Castiel were told that the doctors had to remove Noah's tonsils to prevent this from happening again, but they could first begin surgery once Noah's pneumonia had died down and he was well enough for the operation. It would take about three days before they could operate on him.
Dean didn't take the news very well. He knew that Noah needed the surgery but it was expensive, and they had just spent a lot of money covering Castiel's hospital bills when he broke his wing a few weeks ago. Both he and Castiel felt guilty that they had let Noah go to school that day even though the boy was losing feathers and complaining about feeling unwell, but they couldn't have known that things would take such a bad turn for the worse that day.
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They stayed at the hospital with Noah that afternoon, being there for him while he lay in the bed and was feeling sick. Dean went to pick up the other children as usual and drove them up to the hospital so they could see Noah. He picked up Eden as well after having called her about it, and she was anxious to go see her youngest brother.
Noah's face lit up when his siblings entered his hospital room.
"Aww, Noah, I was so worried about you!" Eden exclaimed and came over to his bed to hug him tightly.
"Yeah, it scared the crap out me when I heard he was in the hospital," Isaac spoke behind her. Lily stood next to him and wiped away a small tear from her eye, smiling over at Noah.
"Apparently this family goes to the hospital a lot lately… Wonder whose turn it is next time," Adrian murmured as he stood next to the twins and waited for Eden to pull back from the hug she was sharing with Noah.
"Don't say that," Castiel scowled at him. Dean chuckled next to him.
Adrian just chuckled and gave his papa an apologetic glance before going over to Noah when Eden stepped away. He smiled down at his youngest sibling and touched Noah's leg which was covered by a blanket. "Hey Noah. How are you feeling?"
Noah coughed weakly and stared up at him. Dean had stopped by at their house to get his stuffed cat Missie, and he clutched the toy against his chest while looking up at his brother. "I wanna go home…" he murmured, pouting slightly.
The others laughed, and Castiel gave Noah a rueful smile, knowing that it would be a few more days before he could go home again.
"Yeah, I know how you feel; hospitals are boring as hell, and the food isn't half as good as papa's. But it's still better than Adrian's," Isaac commented. He yelped when Adrian slapped him across the shins with his tail, and he laughed when his older brother glared daggers at him.
Eden chuckled at them and put a hand on both of their chests, prying them apart. "Easy now. No violence around Noah; he doesn't like it."
"Yeah, no violence at the hospital. And you two are still grounded, so you better behave," Dean added and looked between Isaac and Adrian.
Isaac groaned and scowled at Adrian. "This is all your fault!"
Adrian huffed and put his hand right on Isaac's face, pushing him away with it. Isaac's wings spread out and he growled in annoyance, but Lily held him back before he could retaliate.
Noah smiled at them but felt too weak to giggle or laugh. He closed his eyes and let out a pitiful moan, feeling very unwell because of the fever and soreness in his throat. Eden grabbed his hand and held on to it for comfort.
Castiel stood at the foot of the bed and looked at Noah with worried smile. He turned his head when Dean suddenly stepped up behind him.
"I gotta go call my parents. Stay here with the kids in the meanwhile, okay?" Dean whispered, leaning closer to Cas so the angel could hear him.
Castiel nodded. "Alright."
Dean excused himself from the room and went outside. He found a nice spot in the hallway which was empty from people and finally dialed his parents' number.
John picked up the phone at the fourth ring. "Hello?"
"Hey dad," Dean said, trying not to let his voice reveal the feelings he had right now. He knew his parents cared a lot about Noah and the other kids, and that they wouldn't take the news of Noah's condition very well. He hated telling bad news to people, especially the ones he cared about.
"Hey Dean," John replied, his voice cheering up a little. There was a second of silence before John added, "Please tell me you aren't calling us to tell us any more bad news?"
Dean cringed and turned away from three kids running through the corridor, squealing and laughing. The kids quieted down when their mother roared at them to quit running in the hospital, and he watched as their head lowered in shame and followed their mother into a room further down the hallway.
"Uh, I kind of am…"
"What happened now? Is it Cas again?" John asked, not hiding the hint of worry in his voice.
"No, it's Noah… He's got what the doctors call 'walking pneumonia' and his tonsils are so swollen that he collapsed at school today from lack of oxygen. They're gonna do surgery on him when he's healthy enough for it and then remove his tonsils."
"Jeez, boy. Sounds like you have hospital bills raining down on your roof top," John commented. "How is the boy? Is he alright?"
"Yeah, Noah is fine under the circumstances, though he's very ill. He's a little freaked out about the surgery but we'll be there for him. I just thought you should know about it."
John made a sound of understanding, and Dean didn't have to see his father to know that John was slowly nodding his head on the other end of the phone. "That's gonna be a quite long hospital bill. You sure you can pay it?"
Dean clenched his teeth in frustration and ran a hand down his face. "I don't know… I'll figure it out."
"No, you won't," John said, and Dean was just about to protest when John added, "'cause I'll pay for it – or at least most of it."
"What?! Dad, you can't—"
"It is my grandson who's sick, so I have a right to help paying for his treatment!" John snapped into the phone, cutting Dean off. His voice softened as he continued. "Besides, you've got five children to feed and pay college for, and Mary and I only have you and Sam, and both of you are self-supportive now. Your mother and I still have a lot of money that we've saved up, and if Noah needs that surgery then we're both more than happy to pay for it – you need to save your money for supporting your family right now."
"Dad…"
"This is not a subject that is open for discussion, Dean," John spoke, his voice getting authoritative.
Dean swallowed, suddenly feeling like a teenager again with John using that old, authoritative voice on him that left absolutely no room for argument. Dean might be 46 years old already and John had no real authority over him anymore, but he knew that this was something that his father felt that he needed to do, and he didn't want Dean arguing with him about it.
Dean sighed into the phone. "Alright. Thanks, dad."
"You're welcome, son. Keep me updated, and go be with your family now instead of wasting your time chatting with old me."
Dean chuckled. They said goodbye and hung up the phone, and Dean lingered a bit in the corridor before walking back to Noah's room.
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During the next few days Dean and Castiel took turns staying at the hospital with Noah at night, but they both had to go to work during the day. Noah hadn't been happy that he had to spend the days alone, but he had come to feel safe in the presence of one of the young nurses who was always smiling at him and even played a bit with him when she had time.
Dean and Castiel both still felt bad about having let Noah go to school that day even though the boy had complained about not feeling well. They hadn't imagined that something like this would happen. When Gilda had heard about what had happened when Dean called her, she couldn't stop apologizing for not having picked up on the walking pneumonia earlier. Dean and Castiel both didn't blame her, though – it was a very sneaky disease that displayed itself in different symptoms, so it was hard to discover.
Castiel had gone back to work the next day and had to do his best to ignore people staring at him. He had never wanted his colleagues to know about him being mated to a demon since some of them were a bit racist. When he returned, one of the alpha angels called him a 'demon's whore', but the words had barely left the guy's mouth before Anna threw an open bucket of paint at him, turning him completely blue. Everyone had burst out laughing and the guy had blushed so hard that his red cheeks were almost visible beneath the blue paint, but at least their boss had taken Anna's side in the incident – he didn't like racists and he condemned racism at his workplace. Anna got away with a warning, and Castiel couldn't help but smile at her for the rest of the day.
Three days passed and Noah was finally well enough to go through the surgery. It was on a Friday, and Dean, Castiel, the children were there to offer their support before the procedure.
Noah sat on the bed, trembling slightly since he was anxious and scared about the surgery. Missie was clutched tightly against his chest, and he stared around at his family with wide, nervous eyes.
"Relax, Noah, you'll be fine," Dean promised and leaned down to kiss him on the head.
"But I'm scared…" Noah looked up at Dean with teary eyes, quaking as he spoke. He relaxed a bit when Dean ran a hand through his hair.
"Don't be; you won't feel a thing," Eden told him and offered him a smile for comfort.
"The only thing he needs to be scared of it that some people die during the anesthesia…" Isaac commented behind Eden.
"Isaac!" Castiel chided and growled at him.
Isaac immediately closed his mouth, knowing he probably shouldn't have said that. It was a bad habit he had; opening his mouth without really thinking first.
"You moron. Noah doesn't need to know that," Adrian grumbled and glared at him.
"Yeah, that was unnecessary." Lily glared at her twin and slapped his arm, and Isaac rubbed the spot absently and lowered his eyes a little.
Noah stared at Isaac with wide, shocked eyes, before looking between Dean and Castiel for confirmation.
"It happens very rarely, sweetie," Castiel told him. He stood next to Noah's bed while Dean stood on the opposite side. "You have nothing to be scared of – the doctors and nurses will take good care of you."
Noah seemed mildly unconvinced. "Have you ever tried it?" he asked, glancing up at Castiel.
"No…" Castiel admitted.
"I have, and I'm still alive," Isaac spoke. "I don't really remember it, though…"
"I've tried it as a kid, and I didn't die either," Dean said and offered Noah a small smile.
"See? You'll be just fine," Eden told Noah with a grin.
Noah's nurse poked her head into the room, smiling. "We're ready for Noah now, so just take him down to the operation room on the second floor."
"Alright, thanks," Dean told her, and the nurse quickly disappeared again. He looked down at Noah who gulped slightly. He chuckled, saying, "Ready?"
Noah raised his gaze to look back at Dean. "No…"
"But you still have to go. C'mon," Dean said, urging the boy to get up.
Noah got up from the bed reluctantly. Once he was on the floor, Castiel grabbed a hold of his hand and Eden took his other hand, guiding him towards the operation room on the second floor.
Dean and Castiel went into the operation room with him, holding his hands as the doctors prepared him for the anesthesia and gave him painkillers beforehand. Castiel had brought a small box of yogurt to help Noah swallow the pills, and a nurse had smashed them for him so they'd be easier to swallow.
Noah trembled the whole time, and Castiel ran his hand across the boy's head to comfort him as Noah lay on the surgery table, about to fall asleep from the anesthesia. Noah stared right back into his eyes, squeezing his and Dean's hands, but when the drugs started working his eyelids became heavier and threatened to fall shut. Once Noah's eyes were closed Dean and Castiel were asked to leave the room, and the angel cast one last worried glance over his shoulder before stepping outside with Dean.
The children were just around the corner and couldn't see them, so Dean and Castiel were alone for now as they stood outside the closed door to the operation room. Dean ran his hand across Castiel's back, soothing him as the angel took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
"I don't like this," Castiel admitted in a small voice, staring at the floor.
"I know, but he'll be fine. He's a tough kid, even if he's a submissive."
Castiel nodded and let Dean pull him into an embrace. The angel sighed and rested his head on Dean's chest under his chin, closing his eyes as Dean continued running his hand up and down his back for comfort. He smiled when Dean wrapped his large, red wings around them and brushed his tail against his leg.
"It was nice of your father to offer to help us with the hospital bills. It really relieves the financial concerns I had about this," Castiel spoke, wrapping his arms around Dean's body and leaned closer into him.
"Yeah, he insisted. I don't think we would have been able to afford it otherwise… Our financial situation is kinda bad lately; I think I need to go to L.A. again soon to earn extra."
"If you think that's what we need then you should do it," Castiel said, snuggling his head against Dean's chest idly. "I will see if I can make some personal portraits for people – they are often willing to pay a lot for a family portrait. But it takes time to make one…"
Dean chuckled and slowly pulled away from the embrace. He placed his hands around Castiel's upper arms and said, "Hey, shouldn't you be doing one for our family soon? You haven't done one since Noah was a baby, and that was on the only one you ever did of us."
Castiel blinked, considering it for a moment. "You're right, I should. I don't know when yet, but I think I will definitely do it when our family has expanded."
Dean frowned at him, glancing down at Castiel's stomach before looking back up at his face again, his frown deepening. "What? You want another baby?"
Castiel slapped Dean's arm lightly, scowling at him with flushed cheeks. "No!" he growled. "But Eden will be done with her studies in a couple of years, and when she does it is not unthinkable that she and Jason want to start a family together."
Dean's eyes went impossible wide. "What?!" he blurted. "But she's just a—"
"She's an adult, Dean," Castiel cut him off, giving him a firm stare. "And I think we should go back to the children now… Standing here makes me think too much about what is going on behind that door right now…" He glanced at the closed door to his left, knowing that the doctors were performing a surgery on Noah just behind it at that very moment.
Dean snapped out of it again. "Yeah, let's go…" He guided Castiel around the corner where the children were sitting on a bench, waiting for them. Their eyes lit up when they spotted them, and Dean and Castiel told them that the doctors were operating now.
They waited together, and eventually Dean left to go use the bathroom, leaving Castiel alone with the children. The angel sat between Adrian and Isaac, and Lily and Eden were seated across from them on the other bench in the small corner that was the waiting room. Everyone was kind of worried about Noah's surgery, and they were anxiously waiting for the doctors to come out and tell them that the surgery had been a success.
People passed by every now and then, but the family didn't pay them much attention since they were busy chatting a bit and reading magazines while waiting.
Castiel looked up when someone suddenly stopped next to the benches, staring at them. Dean had just disappeared into the bathroom so it couldn't be him, and Castiel raised his gaze and looked at the alpha demon who was standing there, staring between all of them. The guy was big, slightly overweight, and his clothes were a bit dirty.
"Well, I'll be damned," the guy said, slurred with drunkenness, and Castiel immediately didn't like how this was turning out. "A buncha angel/demon hybrid freaks. Rare sight, but I guess you all came to the hospital to get some treatment for being freaks, huh?" the alpha snorted. He looked over at Castiel, saying, "And you must be the angel bitch that bred them." His lips curled into a mean smirk, and Castiel couldn't help but flinch slightly at the guy's words.
The guy had barely finished his last sentence before Adrian was on his feet, growling and spreading his sharpened wings which were just as sharp as an alpha demon's. "Shut the fuck up and back off!" he growled and glared the guy down. Adrian was just as tall as Dean, although not quite as muscled yet since he was still young, but his wings looked pretty impressive when sharpened and it made the demon guy take a small step back.
"Yeah! Shut up and don't talk to us or our papa like that!" Isaac growled behind him, getting up as well. He stayed behind Adrian who was right up in the guy's face by now.
Adrian's chest rumbled as he continued glaring the guy down, and his wings were spread out to shield his family and to appear threatening.
The guy stared back at Adrian, briefly dumbfounded by the teenager's aggressiveness. His eyes darkened and he growled out, "Don't tell me what to do, you filthy outcross!"
Adrian snarled and grabbed the guy by the shirt, pushing him over to the nearby pall and threw him up against it, still grasping the shirt tightly. The guy stared back with wide eyes, surprised by the action. The demon was too drunk and confused to really fight back, although he did struggle against Adrian's hold.
The others gasped and got up from the benches, watching the scene anxiously.
It wasn't until Dean returned a moment later that Adrian finally let go and stepped back.
"What's going on?" Dean demanded, approaching them as fast as he could, and stared between Adrian and the demon guy.
"He was calling us names and insulting us and papa," Adrian grit out, still glaring at the other demon.
Dean growled and whipped his head in the direction of the other alpha demon, who was staring between him and Adrian with a wary expression and sizing them up. "Yeah?" Dean said, taking a threatening step towards the guy and spread out his sharpened wings.
The guy gulped before backing away, and the two people who had just come to the hallway stared at the scene in confusion since they hadn't been there for the whole thing. The guy backed away, almost bumping into the two other people as he scrambled away from Dean and Adrian. Then he turned around fast and disappeared down the corridor and out of their sight.
Dean huffed and folded his wings behind his back again, and Adrian did the same. He smiled at his son and gave Adrian a proud pat on the shoulder.
Lily sighed now that the guy was gone. "For a moment I was kinda scared there…"
"The guy was an ass," Isaac bit out, crossing his arms.
Castiel gave Adrian a grateful smile for having handled the situation for him, and he and Dean shared a brief, proud smile before sitting down on the benches again and waited for Noah's surgery to be over.
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Noah's surgery was a success and he woke up again soon afterwards in his hospital room. He blinked his eyes open and smiled when he saw Castiel and Dean hovering over his bed, smiling down at him.
"Hey, finally awake now?" Dean grinned.
Noah nodded weakly and closed his eyes when Castiel moved a hand across his forehead in an affectionate gesture.
"I'm not dead?" Noah murmured in a weak voice. He didn't want to speak very loudly right now because his throat was sore and hurting from the surgery.
Castiel chuckled and ran a gentle hand through Noah's hair. "No, you aren't."
"If you were there would be candy, soda, and ice cream all over the place!" Isaac exclaimed, grinning.
Adrian snorted. "No hot girls?" he asked, looking at Isaac.
Isaac scrunched his nose. "In Noah's Heaven? Don't think so… he's a sub, so he's not into girls; he'd like big alpha guys instead. In my Heaven… there probably would be girls. Lots of girls." His lips titled into a lewd smirk.
"Isaac…" Lily muttered, blushing because she didn't feel that she needed to know that her twin brother's Heaven would have hot girls in it. Adrian laughed next to her.
"You're only 13, Isaac…" Eden murmured before turning her attention to Noah.
"I'm 14 in five months!" Isaac blurted, but Eden ignored him.
"How are you feeling?" Eden asked Noah, standing next to Castiel beside Noah's bed. She was standing by his feet while Dean and Castiel were standing closer to him.
"I'm tired and sore… I wanna go home," Noah murmured. He clutched Missie tightly in his hands. "I miss Molly…"
"You will go home tomorrow," Castiel promised.
"Molly misses you too. She keeps going over to your bedroom door, whining softly," Dean told him with a soft smile.
They chatted a bit and let Noah recover from his surgery. A nurse came in to check that Noah was awake before disappearing again. Afterwards they shared some stories about how their day had gone, and Lily said that Isaac had put worms into one the bullies' lunchboxes that day to get revenge after he had insulted Lily and another girl from their class. The teachers didn't have proof that Isaac had done it so he hadn't gotten punished, and Castiel glared at Dean when the demon laughed at it instead of scolding Isaac for it.
An hour later Noah's favorite nurse came in to check on him. She smiled as she entered the room and greeted everyone. She was a young human with dark blonde hair, and she was called Stella. When Noah said he was a little bit hungry she went out to get him something, and Isaac's jaw dropped in jealousy when the nurse returned with a round plate of ice cream for him.
"Since you did so well during the surgery and in the three days you spent here, I think you deserve this," Stella smiled and placed the plate in Noah's lap.
Noah's eyes widened in excitement, and he sat up a bit so that he could eat. "Thanks," he said, smiling at her, before beginning to eat.
Dean grinned, and Castiel gave the nurse a grateful nod when he saw how happy Noah suddenly got.
"That is so unfair!" Isaac blurted, pouting in jealousy.
"No it isn't; Noah had surgery and he needs to eat something that's easy to swallow," Lily argued.
"Actually, ice cream isn't that good since diary can irritate the throat, so he won't be getting more ice cream for today. The coolness of the ice cream does help the soreness in his throat though, but popsicles and cold smoothies are better for him," Stella explained and smiled as Noah happily dug into the ice cream.
"Oh… thank god. I thought he was gonna be eating ice cream non-stop all week long…" Isaac murmured, sighing in relief.
Noah looked up, resting the spoon on his tongue before pulling it out of his mouth and looking at Isaac. "You can have some," he offered. His voice was still low but Isaac had heard him. The young teenager seemed speechless for a few seconds, opening his mouth but closing it again.
"You don't have to share. Isaac can eat ice cream when we come home," Dean said, but Noah kept looking over at Isaac as if the offer was still standing.
Isaac twitched a little. "Thanks, Noah, but it's yours… You need it more than me." He scratched the back of his neck, blushing as everyone stared at him.
Lily gave her twin a proud grin and brushed tails with him. "Wow, Isaac said no thank you to ice cream."
"Someone call a doctor and have him admitted here in the hospital," Adrian said, chuckling. Eden laughed next to him, and the nurse laughed a bit as well.
Isaac blushed. "Shut up!" he hissed, and glared when the others laughed.
Dean chuckled, curling his tail around Castiel's leg as they stood next to Noah's bed. Castiel turned his head to look at him and the two shared a small smile. The nurse left again when Noah was done eating, taking the dirty plate with her.
They spent the rest of the day keeping Noah company before heading home again, but Castiel stayed behind to be with Noah so that he didn't have to stay overnight all by himself. They all looked forward to Noah going home again, hoping that he would make a full recovery and that no one else would get sick again anytime soon.
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Author's notes: Sorry for being so mean to Noah, but he's gonna be alright :) Thanks again to my beta for helping me with all the medical stuff and with ideas!
Thanks for reading :) Please leave a review.