"I'm alright," Dean told Sam but let his brother hang onto him anyway. He hadn't been entirely sure he was going to wake up either; it was nice to be conscious though. And bonus, he made it in time to help Castiel.

The bad news was that his lungs hurt like a bitch, in fact his whole esophagus felt like he'd run sandpaper down it until it bled, and then kept going. He swallowed and winced at the feeling, he breathed and winced again. Nothing was going to be any fun for a while.

"So what'd the doc say 'bout me?" he asked tiredly and Sam finally got off him, rubbed his own eyes and smiled, relieved.

"Well mostly we heard that you were stable that was about it."

Bobby furrowed his brow and looked at Sam, "And they were worried about your lungs." He added as if he were making a point, Dean was sure he knew what it was about. Sam didn't want to worry him but Bobby wanted him to know the full extent of what was going on. That way he wouldn't be caught off guard by something shitty happening; Dean wasn't sure which approach he liked better.

"Worried about my lungs, huh?" he rasped and laughed a little, the vibration hurt him but he tried not to let it show. "I'm sure I'll be fit as a fiddle."

"Yeah," Sam agreed, just as willing to jump on the 'getting my hopes up' bandwagon.

Dean looked at the two of them, Bobby looked tired as hell and Sam was trying very hard not to appear the same way. But they were both happy to see him; it made him wonder how long he'd been out for. If he'd been unconscious for a long time then why were just Sam and Bobby standing above him? Jet should've been better by then, right? "Where's Jet?" he asked worriedly, part of him not wanting to hear the answer just in case it was what he was afraid of.

"He's in another room," Sam gestured toward the door, "I'm working on moving you guys to the same one, though now I'll have to include Cas in that."

"He's resting," Bobby nodded, a comforting look on his face.

Dean felt like a weight lifted off his chest, "Thank god… How's he taking all this?"

"You mean his arm," Sam reiterated and Dean nodded, "Well he hasn't said much about it, actually. I've got a feeling this is leading to classic 'Jet avoiding his issue' behaviour."

"Sounds like it already is." He smirked; Jet's situation wasn't great but Dean couldn't help smiling at that news. And yeah, Jet wasn't going to be super happy for a while but he wasn't dead. Dean would settle for that, he could find a way to help Jet cope with the limb loss. But Sam was Jet's boyfriend, it wasn't just Jet who would be dealing with the situation.

"How're you taking it?" He had to ask.

Sam just laughed in astonishment, a very good sound for Dean to hear. "Are you kidding? I'm just glad he's alive."

"Same."

"Make that three of us," Bobby chuckled as he settled into a chair, looking around at the room. "Cas really trashed this place."

"He was scared," Sam's expression fell, "Poor Cas… I can't imagine what he's going through."

"Those nightmares he showed us must've just been bits and pieces," Bobby agreed, "and we got to wake up from them."

"He'll be okay," Dean wheezed, the sound of his voice even made him cringe.

One of the nurses walked back in with a doctor in tow, Sam and Bobby got out of their way. Dean smiled and waved a little, "Hey doc," the doctor's brow creased at Dean's voice and he couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Yeah, I sound like shit."

"Try not to talk too much," the doctor instructed and Dean found himself very swiftly subjected to some medical examinations. Most of them were in the room with Cas but the doctor wanted to take a look to see what was going on with his lungs now that he was up. That wasn't going to happen next to Castiel, Dean wasn't sure what Cas would end up doing. It was all happening so fast and he was barely awake enough as it was, thinking and keeping track of everything wasn't exactly on his priority list.

"We've got Cas," Bobby reassured him, and since he trusted his family without question he didn't make a fuss about leaving the room. Dean was too tired to really pay attention to everything going on. All he knew was that it was all very uncomfortable and he wasn't a fan of hospital gowns.

He heard something about a bronchoscopy but he had no idea what that meant. At least, not until after he was given sedatives and anesthetics through a vein in his arm. The doctor was explaining a procedure where they were going to take a look inside his lungs, something about a tube going down his throat. Dean didn't like medical procedures all that much and just the thought of one made him anxious, his legs were restless and he wasn't sure what to do with himself as he waited.

"So… I just woke up, shouldn't we wait?" He asked as they waited for the numbing in his throat to kick in.

"You've recovered faster than anticipated so it's safe to do this, don't worry about that." The nurse explained while the doctor was out prepping. "It's best that we take advantage of your sudden recovery now so we can see what kind of damage was really done to your lungs. We may be able to treat it sooner, which means you have better odds of not having to use a respirator for the rest of your life."

Dean swallowed thickly, his throat felt weird and he was starting to feel a bit out of it. "Rest of my life?"

"Well there was extensive damage," she explained as she set up the area and equipment. Dean wasn't paying as close attention anymore. He'd done he needed to, Cas wasn't freaking out anymore and both of them were alive. He was tired and yawned, it felt completely weird with a numb throat.

He couldn't remember a lot of the procedure after that, he knew that they talked to him but he wasn't paying as much attention as he should've probably been. He just found himself being wheeled back into his room, Cas was still there and they'd even moved Jet's bed so everyone could be together.

Dean wanted to talk to Jet but his friend was sleeping. On top of that, Dean wasn't quite able to form sentences properly either and quickly joined the other two in their rest.

There was light in the room and Dean swore it was sunlight directly shining onto his face. Someone was an asshole and moved him next to the window or something. He grumbled and felt a rhythmic pain pulse in his throat. It was scratchy at best and he was still wearing the oxygen mask. His mind was a lot clearer than it had been earlier, he could clearly see the room around him, it was more than just people on some untextured floor.

There was the subtle beep of machines and the airy sounds his respirator made.

Oh yeah, he was on a respirator. The mask wasn't just for fun. Dean swallowed instinctively, just because he knew his throat hurt so obviously had to make sure that was still the case. \

Sunlight had poured into the room from the windows, their blinds pulled up and no curtains in sight. Dean blinked slowly in the surprisingly cheery looking room. Castiel's bed was right next to his, their hands were intertwined and judging by the cramp in his fingers they'd been that way all night.

Cas wasn't awake though, he was still on his side, wings splayed out behind him over the other side of the bed. Dean knew Cas would be okay, he knew that Cas just needed to sort out his memories and it'd be okay. He was a little scared to see Castiel wake up though, he wasn't sure what Cas was going to be like.

"Dude," Jet's voice brought Dean right out of his own world, "You look like shit."

Dean couldn't help but smile, "Least I'm not dead," he croaked.

"Eugh, you sound worse." Jet grimaced and made Dean laugh. "Stop laughing you idiot," Jet said through his own laughter, it was contagious.

"Can't help it," Dean sighed, catching his breath from the short chuckle. "You're tone was just too funny."

Jet smiled and leaned back against his pillow, Dean realized that Jet had one of those beds that was controlled by the patient. Actually all three of them did, his own was already partially lifted to help his breathing. He immediately searched for the buttons to press, his remote wasn't quite in reach and he wound up sulking.

"So what'd I miss?" Jet asked as he watched Dean pout at his bed.

"What do you mean?"

"Sam told me you got poisoned so I knew you were messed up. Your boyfriend is also in a hospital bed though."

"Ah," Dean looked at Cas and smiled. "Well-"

"Cas freaked out for a while and passed out, Dean said it was because he remembered everything." Desirae chimed in; Dean should've known she'd be close to Jet.

"Hey kiddo," Dean waved at her and she waved back.

"You got really messed up, huh?" She tilted her head as she asked, a Cas trait if Dean had ever seen one.

"A little." He couldn't help but grin at her in that little hoodie, "Guess it was just as easy as a sweater."

"Shut up," Jet rolled his eyes.

"Seriously, we put Cas in a big trench coat to hide his wings in town."

Jet looked up again with a much different expression than Dean had anticipated. He thought Jet would be pissy at worst or playfully mad about it. But instead Jet just looked surprised, wide eyes and an innocent look that Dean hadn't seen in a long time. "So… you guys ditched the harness thing I made?"

"Uh," Dean found himself unable to figure out the right words to answer with. It almost felt like trying to explain why you took a kid's picture off the fridge.

"Big sweaters hide lotsa stuff," Desirae filled the silence without an issue, "I bet it was uncomfortable for Cas, though."

"His wings would've been restricted, but hidden I guess." Jet's left shoulder moved a little and Dean watched the small shift in Jet's eyes as he seemed to re-realize his left hand wasn't going to do what he wanted it to.

"Cas wasn't comfortable but he had fun," Dean said before he left Jet to linger on that thought too long, "You gave him the courage to go out, you know."

"Nah," Jet smirked and reached over to ruffle Desirae's hair, "These guys weren't ever scared to go out there, we were."

"Maybe," Dean shrugged, "But you played a part, even if you don't think so."

"Yeah, real good job I did with that." Jet's tone slipped back into bitterness as looked down at his left side. "I fucked up and ended up getting three of us hospitalized, I'm missing a fucking arm and you can't breathe worth a shit. And fuck if I know what happened with Cas!"

"It's not your fault," Desirae said before Dean found the breath to be able to do it, "I'm the one that ran into the basement."

"You wouldn't have been down there if I had just let you go to town like I said I would."

"Wait," Dean tried to interrupt their argument and 'who was more wrong' contest but neither seemed to want to hear him at that moment.

"You didn't let me go because I would've outted myself, and you were right but I was mad anyway. It was dumb and I should've listened."

"If I wasn't so shitty at taking care of you it wouldn't have-"

"Shut up," Dean said as loudly as he could and tossed the first thing he could get his hands on. He wasn't thinking when he reached for something in his bed and wound up hitting Jet in the head with the little remote meant for his bed.

Jet looked up at him, a bit surprised but paying attention. Desirae bit her lip and tried not to laugh but a few snickers still got out.

"It happened, get over it," Dean frowned at his friend who just seemed to sink down into his sheets.

"If you weren't breathing at me like Darth Vader right now I'd bitch you out for that comment." Jet muttered and Dean knew why.

"Jet, we'll help you with your arm," He knew that it would set Jet off a little, he could see anger boiling under Jet's surface but it didn't come out.

"My arm's gone, there isn't anything you can do to help."

Dean sighed and rubbed at his temple, "There's more to helping you than getting your arm back. We'll get through this, alright?"

Jet looked up at him and at the equipment Dean had around. "Alright," he agreed after a few seconds that dragged on forever. "It's not gonna be easy, man."

"For any of us," Dean nodded and turned to look at Cas again. "He's gonna have a lot to deal with."

"Are you sure you should be talking?" Jet suddenly asked and almost made Dean laugh again.

"No, but I'm gonna do it anyway."

"I probably would too."

Desirae hopped over to Dean and climbed up beside him, "So how'd you get poisoned?"

"Rae don't ask too many questions, he shouldn't be talking." Jet instructed but she stuck her tongue out at him, he returned the gesture.

"It's cool," Dean waved Jet off before looking back at Desirae, "I was taking care of a clone in one of those cells and it surprised me."

"Did it spit poison or was it like a gas?" She wiggled her fingers as if that indicated a gassy substance.

"A bit of both, it started as a gas but as it went further into my lungs it was like it hardened and burned whatever it touched." He ran his hand down his throat slowly, he could remember the feeling but he would've loved to forget it ever happened. "Did you see Cas rescue me?"

"Yeah, he flew out of the basement super fast." She climbed up to her feet and made a serious face that Dean couldn't find anything other than adorable. "He was carrying you like this and he just –" she leapt off the bed as if she were Cas flying, "- flew by like a rocket! It was really cool but also really scary."

"Sounds like Cas is one heck of a badass," Jet smirked, "You're lucky he was there."

"You too," Dean shot back with his own grin, he missed the light-hearted conversations with his buddy but there was more on his mind than just that. "But seriously man, don't beat yourself up over what happened." He pointed over at Desirae, "You either."

"That's funny, coming from the king of blaming himself."

While Jet had a point Dean wasn't willing to continue on that conversation route, "Just listen to me, okay? There were a lot of factors that went into why we ended up where we were at that moment, no one knew it was coming and none of us can change it now that it happened. If you want to blame someone, blame the monster that started all this."

"But it's easier to blame someone currently living," Jet was kidding around but there was some truth to his tone, Dean wasn't quite sure how much Jet believed his own words. "Alright, alright, you win, dude." He conceded with a slight bow of his head, "No more blaming myself for this shit."

"Me too," Desirae raised her hand, "But you gotta promise not to blame us either."

"I never did," Dean could feel the strain of all the talking he was doing but he didn't want to worry them. His lungs hurt but they hurt whether or not he spoke so he saw no point in keeping to himself. Of course there was always the question of whether or not he'd heal properly, but he'd leave that to the official diagnosis from the doctor when it finally happened.

He noticed Jet was looking at his left side, not daring to move the limb at all. "Does it still hurt?" he asked and immediately knew it was a stupid question.

"A bit, but I'm still on pain meds." Jet sighed and looked away from it. "I haven't stood up yet, just lying down feels weird already I can't imagine walking."

"You did lose a chunk of weight on that side, but I'm sure you'll get used to it." Dean wanted to be supportive, he'd never met anyone with an amputated limb and had no idea what he was doing but he tried all the same.

Jet smiled at him, it was small but still there. "Thanks,"

"You're welcome," he smiled back and looked at the wrapped end of Jet's arm, "So… you gonna put your money into a prosthetic?"

"Soon as I'm allowed, doc says I have to wait for it to fully heal first."

"Can I help pick it out?" Desirae climbed back onto Jet's bed after silently inspecting Castiel for the last few moments.

"Maybe," Jet pulled her over and kissed her forehead, "If you're good."

It was then that Dean realized they were the only ones in the room and it must've been at least noon. "Where's everyone else, by the way?"

"Out to get food that isn't hospital food." Jet laughed, "Sam promised to bring me back something."

"What about me?" Dean pouted and Jet just shrugged at him.

"We don't even know if you're allowed to drink water because of your throat, dude."

He sighed and leaned back, "So that's a no then…"

"Pretty much," Desirae confirmed and he laughed.

"Dee?"

Dean's heart jumped and he looked down at a pair of barely opened eyes. "Cas?" He couldn't believe it.

"Your voice sounds bad," Cas mumbled and slowly sat up, "But you're awake."

"Cas!" Desirae ran to the edge of Jet's bed and leapt across to Cas' with ease. She crawled up onto him and hugged tight. "You're okay!"

Cas smiled gently and hugged her back, "It's good to see you too,"

Dean felt his mouth go dry as every fear he'd ever had about Cas getting his memories back started to bombard him. All the 'what if's and anxious feelings he could account for bundled into his stomach to sit there like a knot.

"Hey Cas, what's up?" Jet called and waved, to which Castiel perked up and waved back. Neither were terribly enthusiastic but it was still a pleasant exchange.

"How're you feeling?" Cas asked with a hint of concern edged into his tone. Jet only smirked and gestured to his missing limb.

"Lighter, mostly."

"Telling jokes is a good sign," Cas pointed out, "You're doing great so far, Jet."

Dean couldn't get over Cas' speech patterns; they were familiar but different at the same time. He was just sitting and listening as Cas chatted with Jet and Desirae, and it wasn't as though Cas was ignoring him, Cas was just caught up with a talkative pair.

"So I hear you remember a bunch of shit now," Jet commented, barely in the know but still willing to strike up conversation about it.

Dean watched a small flicker in Cas' eye and a tense smile pull at his lips, he nodded once and glanced at Dean, "I do."