Chapter Two:
Four days after Sam Winchester's first appointment Castiel checked his patient list for the day and saw that little Sam was scheduled for an echocardiogram. Castiel hoped that had a good result.
10:00 rolled around and Cas snatched up Sam's file and marched to the exam room.
"Hey Sam!" Cas called and the two high fived. Sam rewarded Castiel with a beaming smile. Castiel noticed another person in the room and turned towards what he assumed was Sam's dad.
Castiel was met with the most intense pair of green eyes he'd ever seen and a face that was much younger than he expected. After doing a double take and clearing his throat Cas reached out a hand which the other man grasped.
"I'm Dr. Castiel Novak. Sam's pediatric cardiologist."
"Dean Winchester." The other man responded, smiling at Castiel. "I'm Sam's older brother and guardian."
Wow. Sammy's doc is hot, Dean mused.
"Sam, today we're going to give you something called an echocardiogram which we use to take a picture of your heart. This is Emma and she's going to take you to get ready, ok?"
Sam agreed and left the room with the nurse hand in hand.
"Dean, I'd like to explain this procedure to you before we perform it on Sam."
Dean nodded, "Yeah I think that's a good idea."
Cas pulled up two chairs, "take a seat." The two men sat across from each other.
"So the procedure we're doing is called an echocardiogram, which basically is a specific name for a sonogram done on the heart. I'll start by putting a gel on Sam's chest and then we use a wand to actually scan the area near his heart. The wand emits sound waves, nothing we can actually hear though, and the sound waves bounce off the structure of Sam's heart and will form a picture on the monitor. We'll hopefully be able to use the picture to identify what's causing Sam's heart murmur."
Dean nodded in understanding, "what is the best case scenario here?" Dean chose his words carefully.
"The least serious thing we could find would be a faulty valve in his heart, such as a valve that doesn't close all the way. If that's the case Sam would just experience increased lethargy and he would tire more easily than most people. But other than that he would lead a typical life."
"Well then that's what we're hoping for." Dean said as both men stood up.
Castiel and Dean walked side by side to the procedure room. The entire stretch, Cas was very aware of Dean's strong, masculine presence.
When they reached the right room Castiel pulled open the door and held it for Dean. In return, Dean gave him a wickedly handsome smile.
"I'm warning you Sam, this gel is cold," the doctor cautioned.
Dean stood by Sam and watched as the doctor performed the process exactly as he explained. However, the man's silence as he looked at the picture of Sam's heart made him nervous.
When Castiel finished he gave Sam a towel to clean of the gel and suggested he go put his own clothes back on instead of the hospital gown.
"So…" Dean started, anxiously.
"Let's step into the hall." Dr. Novak suggested, making Dean even more worried. Castiel had a somber look on his face. "I found an atrial septal defect."
Dean pursed his lips and nodded, "I have no idea what that is."
"It's a hole in the wall that separates the two atria in Sam's heart. Sometimes, this isn't a major health issue, but since Sam is already eight and the hole is a large one it probably won't repair itself and he will require surgery."
Dean was taken aback. He inhaled sharply and ran a hand through his thick, dark blond hair. He took a step back and plopped into one of the cushioned chairs behind him.
I hate this part, Castiel thought. He gently seated himself in the chair next to Dean. He watched a distraught Dean lean forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and put his head in his hands.
Castiel had never been good at consoling people, he always felt bad about it. But something about Dean nearly ripped Cas apart. Castiel placed a hand on Dean's back, trying to avoid how muscular and strong he felt.
"Ah I'm sorry Dean. I've done this surgery many times before, and I'll do everything in my power to make Sam healthy again."
Dean didn't respond. Castiel continued to gently rub Dean's back in consolation. Finally Dean looked up, eyes red and puffy, and locked his eyes with Castiel's.
"Thank you Dr. Novak," Dean wrapped his arms around the doctor tightly. Cas, shocked by the sudden hug, tried to ignore how perfect the embrace felt. He was completely unaware that Dean was experiencing the same perfection.
"You can call me Castiel," Cas said, his lips brushing against Dean's ear as they embraced.
The two men separated their bodies. "Ok, Castiel." Dean gave a half-smile. He liked how the doctor's name felt on his tongue.
The men locked eyes and grinned at each other for a length of time that was probably abnormal. Castiel coughed and rose quickly from his chair.
He's a guardian. Of my patient. This can't happen. Castiel reasoned to himself.
"We'll do a few more check-ups and observe Sam over the next month or so and after that we can discuss scheduling an operation." Castiel explained.
"Thanks again, Cas." Dean said.
I'm in big trouble, Dean thought about the attractive physician, those blue eyes are big, big trouble.