When they reached the Impala, Dean couldn't help but smile as he saw Sam curled up in the passenger seat, his jacket pulled tightly around the top half of his body as he slept. Dean opened the door, the noise making Sam stir, and nudging the younger boy, waiting until his eyes flickered open before grinning in greeting.

"Hey, Sammy." Dean said, ruffling Sam's hair gently. Sam smiled sleepily and sat up, stretching the best he could in the tight space. When he finished, he looked at Dean, his brown eyes showing his worry.

"How are you feeling?" Sam asked, getting out of the car. As he stood, Dean sighed when he looked up at his slightly taller younger brother, a scowl crossing his face.

"I'm angry that you're so tall, that's what I'm feeling." Dean said enviously, though a cheeky grin soon appeared on his face as he heard his brother laugh, giving him a warm hug.

"Glad to see you're back to your normal self." Sam replied, rolling his eyes at his brother's antics before opening the door to the back, climbing in. Dean slipped into the passenger seat, letting out a sigh as he got comfortable in the familiar leather seats.

Bobby got in the driving seat, starting the engine. "Not a fight about who drives the Impala? Are you sick?" Bobby asked as he pulled out of the parking lot. Dean shot him a glare, shifting in his seat.

"I just got out of the hospital, Bobby. I don't want to scratch up my baby." Dean replied, patting the door of the car affectionately. He heard a snort behind him and rolled his eyes, knowing that Sam wouldn't understand.

"When do you go back to work?" Sam asked, deciding to change the subject. Dean furrowed his eyebrows, leaning his head back on the rest and looking at the roof of the car.

"I haven't really thought about it. I figured I would just go in tomorrow." Dean said after a moment of silence, earning a grunt from Bobby as he turned onto the freeway. Sam didn't reply, and when Dean turned back, the boy was looking out the window.

"You okay Sam? You seem bothered by something." Dean asked, furrowing his eyebrows. Sam shook his head, giving Dean a nonchalant shrug that convinced the Winchester that his brother was anything but fine.

"Gabriel's being a bit difficult lately and he won't tell me why. He's even beginning to avoid me." Sam grumbled, continuing to stare at the window. Dean smiled, relaxing when he realized it wasn't life threatening before glancing over his shoulder back at his brooding brother.

"Do you want me to have a conversation with him? I'm sure I can get him to...see reason." Dean offered, a small grin appearing on his face. Sam shot him a look, an unamused look crossing across his face.

"Oh hell no, Dean. Don't forget the last time you had a...little chat with him." Sam said with a roll of his eyes. Dean let out a soft laugh, ignoring the annoyed look Bobby gave the both of them.

"Yeah, next time ya bring your boyfriend over, don't have Dean around." Bobby said gruffly, though there was a smile ghosting his face. Unlike their father, their uncle was very accepting of Sam's sexuality and his boyfriend, despite the teen's antics. Bobby would always let them stay over at his house, so John would never find out about the relationship.

"I can't help that he glued Dean's mouth shut. It was your fault that he kept calling him a dick." Sam countered, making Dean cringe as he felt his lips. If he thought about it hard enough, it still stung from the effort of pulling it apart.

"Hey! He started it with calling me gay!" Dean replied, turning around completely so he could face his brother, who just smirked in response.

"He was just telling the truth. He can't help that he was stating the facts." Sam said with a smug look on his face. Dean glared at him, only to become more livid as he heard Bobby let out a soft chuckle beside him.

"I.Am.Not.Gay." Dean said, accenting each word carefully, though it only made Sam start laughing harder. Sam grinned, arching one eyebrow at his brother.

"Please, you're as gay as that rainbow slinky I got you a while back." Sam said with a snort, making Bobby chuckle before he could stop himself. Dean shot both of them dirty looks, narrowing his eyes at Sam in distrust.

"Yeah, well, you're gay." Dean shot back weakly. IT was true, he sucked at comebacks, but he was still going to try to save himself some embarrassment. That is, he was until he realized what he had actually said and knew that Sam was never going to live it down.

"Dean, I'm dating a guy. I am gay." Sam said, rolling his eyes. Dean flushed red, grumbling about being personally attacked and looking out the window, refusing to acknowledge either of their laughter as they turned onto the road that Bobby lived on.

After the laughing died down, Bobby decided to speak up. "When we get home, you should call your boss to see if you should go in tomorrow or wait." Bobby suggested, and Dean nodded, looking at their uncle's house that was coming into view.

"Sounds good, Bobby." Dean replied, waiting until Bobby had pulled the impala into the driveway and shut off the engine before getting out. He heard Sam and Bobby do the same behind him, but he didn't stop as he pulled out the keys he kept with him and found the key that would unlock Bobby's house, unlocking the door and stepping inside.

He was instantly greeted with the smell of dusty old books and booze, but what might seem musty to other, felt like home to him as he took in the familiar sight of research books everywhere before moving over to the phone hanging on the wall.

He dialed the number of his boss, waiting until the line picked up and he heard Rufus' gruff voice before smiling. "Hey Rufus" He greeted in a friendly manner, listening as Bobby and Sam made their way into the house.

"Hey, Dean. Glad to hear you are alive and well. Hope you didn't get too beat up because of your father." Rufus replied, and although he sounded nonchalant, Dean could hear the concern in his voice. Much like Bobby, Rufus had been friends with their father when he was younger, and they had watched the Winchester brother's on occasion.

"I'm fine, Rufus." Dean replied, his hand automatically moving to the scar on his stomach where the doctor had made an incision so they could cauterize his internal wounds. "I was wondering when I would be able to go back to work. Is tomorrow okay?"

Rufus was quiet for a minute before answering. "Tomorrow is fine, but if you need extra time, you can have the rest of the week off Dean. What matters is your health." Rufus replied, his concern more prominent now. Dean smiled softly to himself, his eyes wandering over to Sam as the teen looked at the books lining the shelves.

"I can go tomorrow. I'm fine." Dean repeated, his voice firm showing that he was not going to argue about it. "I'll see you tomorrow, alright Rufus?"

"See ya tomorrow, Dean." Rufus said gruffly before the line clicked off. Dean returned the phone to its place before stretching, looking around and feeling his stomach rumble. He would go eat and take a nap.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was wearing on lunch time as Dean sat grumbling in the driver seat of the Impala, stalling at the drive-thru of a local restaurant as he waited for the line to keep moving. He scowled at everything, even the people walking past, as he waited, rubbing at the sore parts of his torso.

It hadn't been his fault that Rufus had sent him home early, but rather the injuries that his father had caused him. Being a mechanic, he often needed to strain to reach the parts that were farther in the vehicle, but he hadn't expected the searing pain that would shoot through his stomach everytime he stretched to far. It had happened three times before Rufus told him to go home and rest.

But instead, he stopped at this restaurant, needing a burger to ease his frustration. As he finally pulled up to ordering menu, looking over the things he could order. For some reason, he began to think of Castiel, and how lonely it must be at that time.  Dean didn't question it as he found himself ordering food for two, paying and receiving the meals a minute later and driving off.

He headed towards the hospital, intending to visit his new found friend a bit early. Dean was wanting someone he could talk to easy, and Castiel would probably be wanting company, so it was a win-win situation. As he reached the hospital, he pulled into a parking spot, switching off the engine, stepping out of the car and heading through the front doors.

When he got inside, he was greeted with the smell of disinfectant spray, making him wrinkle his nose at the strong smell as he made his way to the patient floor, walking up to the front desk as soon as he reached the right floor.

The lady at the front desk watched him with reproachful eyes, the stiffness of her face making him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He slowly approached, trying to remain as nonchalant as possible. "Is Castiel Novak available for visitation?" Dean asked, trying to remain polite. This woman looked like she would throw anyone out for the simplest of looks.

She turned to her computer, fixing the glasses perched on her nose before nodding, her brown hair wrapped tightly into a bun. "Yes, he's in his room right now. Please remain quiet in the hallway as you're going." She said, seeming glad to have resolved the interruption quickly so she could go back to working.

Dean didn't reply to her, but rather quickly walked off, not wanting to face the stern woman. He made his way down the hallway, all the while keeping out a look for Ellen as he went. It would be nice to say hi. Nevertheless, he didn't see her as he reached Castiel's room, knocking before walking.

"Go away Ellen." Castiel's voice greeted him, the deepness sending the same chill down his spine as it always did. The boy was facing away from the door, curled up almost into the fetal position as he laid there. Dean didn't reply, rather he closed the door softly behind him and walked over, taking a seat. After a few moments of silence, he heard a sniffle come from the boy.

"Gabriel didn't visit again today." Castiel mumbled, not bothering to turn over and see if it was really Ellen who was there. Dean couldn't help but feel sorry for the sick teen. "I don't know why he's been avoiding me. We've always been so close. What's changing?"

"He's scared of you dying. He's trying to distance himself so he won't hurt as much and you won't feel so bad about leaving him." Dean replied, placing his hand on Castiel's arm in comfort. He felt the Novak tense in under him, shocked blue eyes meeting his a moment later as the boy looked over his shoulder.

"Dean." Castiel replied, too surprised to say anything else as he sat up. Dean couldn't help but notice the way the boy shook as he strained to remain in a sitting position and adjusted the bed so the teen could lean against the bed for support, but still remain upright.

"Hey" Dean greeted, giving a small smile. Castiel looked down at his hands, which were fiddling in his lap. The sick teen lifted his head a moment later, smiling softly at the Winchester.

"Hello, Dean. What are you doing here so early? From the way you spoke, I didn't expect you to get off at lunch." Castiel commented, his eyes wandering to the bag in Dean's hands. The Winchester grinned, opening back and pulling out a burger and fries and handing it to Castiel.

"Bringing you something other than hospital food." Dean said with a slight chuckle at the way Castiel's face lit up. The sick teen took the food eagerly, unwrapping it and taking a bite before Dean even finished getting out his own food.

"This is delicious." Castiel commented, eating with a soft smile. Dean watched him out of the corner of his eye, trying not to focus on the way the teen's hands shook as he ate. Dean grinned, taking a bite of his own burger before agreeing.

"I expected as much, they are the best in town." Dean said with a smile. They both fell silent after that, enjoying the comfortable silence that had spread between them. It didn't take either of them long to finish their food, and Dean cleaned up the garbage afterwards.

When he finished, Dean sat down in the chair, relaxing back in it and smiling softly, looking at Castiel. "How are you doing since I last saw you?" Dean asked, concern clearly in his voice despite his gentle smile. Castiel's own smile soon dropped from his face, leaving Dean worried.

"I'm fine. I just have had a little bit of trouble sleeping is all." Castiel admitted, rubbing at his face. It was then that Dean saw the dark circles that was beginning to accent the teen's eyes, barely visible, but still there.

"Is that the only thing?" Dean asked, his voice remaining open but wary, just incase Castiel didn't want to answer. The teen looked away before opening his mouth, only to shiver as his face suddenly paled.

"Cas?" Dean asked, moving closer, only to lunge for the garbage can as he saw the sick teen gag. He pushed it into the boy's lap just in time before Castiel began vomiting up his lunch, his face almost green as Dean rubbed his back.

Finally, Castiel finished, and he laid back, his eyes grainy and residue on his mouth. Dean placed the trash can by the door where he could take it out after he finished, and grabbed some tissues, moving back over to Castiel.

He carefully turned Castiel's head to face him, wiping his mouth with the tissue gently to clean his face. The sick teen stared at him, tears beginning to well in Castiel's eyes as he reached up, grabbing Dean's wrist and making him stop.

"Why did it have to be me?" Castiel asked, his lip quivering as he leaned his head on Dean's chest. "Why did I have to be so sick? Why couldn't I have been a normal teenager with a normal life? Why couldn't we have met in the coffee shop or a the park instead of this depressing hospital?"

Dean ran his hand through Castiel's hair in comfort, listening to the boy cry into his shirt. He felt his heart sting with pain for the boy, making him wince. "You'll be okay." The Winchester whispered over and over again, rocking the sick boy back and forth gently.

What was maybe an hour felt like minutes as Castiel grew quiet and his breathing evened out. Dean looked down, seeing that the boy had cried himself to sleep and laid him down gently onto the bed, where he pulled the covers up to Castiel's chest and glaring at the ceiling, letting out a growling sigh.

"I-I don't do this often, at all in fact." Dean began, rubbing a hand through his hair before clasping his hands together, glancing at his sleeping friend before bowing his head. "I don't know which one of you sons of bitches did this to this poor kid, but you dick with wings need to fix your mistakes. Castiel has done nothing to deserve this."

Dean paused before continuing this. "If you exist, then you know that I'd only do this if it was absolutely important. I'm doing this for Castiel, because he's better than all those you consider holy. So, amen, or whatever."

Dean finished and made sure Castiel was comfortable before he grabbed the trashcan, setting it outside as he headed out of the hospital. He didn't notice Ellen standing there, watching him with sad eyes.