Cas is a terrible patient.
In the ER he fights the nurse putting an iv into his arm. It takes her three tries, and in the end Dean has to hold him down.
He actually growls at the doctor who examines him. The doctor, a young blonde, actually laughs. “I know it hurts,” she says sympathetically, “but don’t fret. We’ll get that appendix out in a few hours. And you’ll heal up from the surgery in a week or so.” Cas only glares.
When the orderly tells Cas he can’t have a drink of water because he’ll be in surgery in less than an hour, Cas actually says, “Fuck you.” Dean shakes his head in wonder. Sam snorts.
In pre-op a nurse gives Cas something “for your nerves, dear.” When she pats his shoulder Cas tries to smack her hand away, but the drugs have already begun to slow his movements. He opens his mouth to speak–almost certainly to say something rude–but all that comes out is a grunt. “That’s better,” she says sweetly. Dean can’t hold in his laughter. Thankfully Cas is already asleep.
After the surgery–a successful surgery–Cas is groggy and sweet, and Dean kisses his fingertips and tells him he’ll feel better soon. He tries the same thing a few hours later, when Cas is more awake. Cas jerks his hand away and pointedly stares at the wall. Dean sighs.
Cas’s attitude does not improve when Sam and Dean bring him home the next day. The bed is uncomfortable. His pillow is too soft. His feet are cold. He wants chicken noodle soup, and all they have is minestrone. His stitches itch. There is nothing–nothing!–worth watching on Netflix.
Dean kills Cas with kindness. He brings extra pillows, a pair of thick socks. He sends Sam–who is ever so thankful to get away from the scratchy Cas–to town for more soup. When Cas slams the laptop shut in disgust, Dean walks to one of Cas’s bookshelves, finds his copy of The Fellowship of the Ring, and settles carefully on his half of the bed to read aloud. Charlie would approve, he thinks.
Dean is nearly done with chapter two–‘I will help you bear this burden, as long as it is yours to bear..’–when Cas says softly, “How do you do it?”
Dean’s heart leaps; this sounds like his Cas. He treads carefully, says lightly, “What, read this long without losing my voice? I used to read to Sam when we were kids, ‘til he got too smart and wanted to do everything by himself.” Dean grins.
Cas looks at his hands, bites his lower lip. “How do you deal with your body doing things you can’t control?”
Something breaks inside Dean’s chest. “Oh Cas,” he says, carefully pulling the fallen angel into his arms, “it’s–that’s humanity. I’m so sorry. It sounds ridiculous, but you’ll get used to it. And I’ll always be here, okay?” Cas’s breath hitches and Dean can feel the tears soaking through his t-shirt.
“We’ll get through this. I promise. In a few weeks we’ll start working out again, and pretty soon you won’t even think about it.” Dean rubs small, easy circles on Cas’s back. “We’ll have you beheading vampires in no time.”
Cas laughs softly. “Ow,” he groans. “Please don’t make me laugh. It hurts.”
Dean smiles as he kisses Cas’s temple and settles him back onto his pillows. “Okay, angel. Rest. Heal.” He picks up the book. “Back to Middle Earth?”
Cas nods and closes his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. “Friends sharing a burden…”
Dean begins to read.
@yourewelcomeforbeingmyfriend …are you feeling better? Here’s a bit more fluff…and this one I wrote just for you! 🙂
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