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When Dean wakes up something isn’t right. His head is throbbing but he doesn’t remember drinking all that much the night before. He and Lisa had just sat and caught up with TV recordings once they’d put Ben to bed.
Eventually he pries his eyes open and it’s white. His and Lisa’s room isn’t white. It’s eggshell. There’s a sharp twinge in his hand as he flexes it and when he looks down he can see that there’s a needle stuck in his hand. Confused, he sits up, bad move. Everything hurts, like a switch had just flicked. His ribs feel stiff and his head pounds, his leg is a dull ache.
He’s in a hospital. How, he doesn’t know. Last thing he knew he was watching TV with Lisa. With his other hand, Dean grasps for the red button that he hopes will call someone to help him out.
Within seconds, a blonde haired nurse comes in and smiles when she sees him.
“You’re awake, that great,” She says cheerfully before letting herself have free reign over his body, checking and monitoring and writing things down.
“What happened?”
“You were in a car accident.” She explains simply. That wasn’t right. He wasn’t in the car, he was sitting on the sofa with his wife.
“No.” He rejects. She looks at him with concern then and jots something else down on the paper.
“Can you tell me your name?” She asks.
That’s a stupid question, of course he knows his name. “Dean Winchester.”
“What year is it?”
“2012. Where’s Lisa? Is my wife here? Is Ben okay?” Dean asks, maybe they’d gone for an impromptu drive.
“It’s 2016, Dean.” She tells him. That’s impossible though. “Can you tell me what you remember last?”
“I was watching TV with my wife.” Dean recites and now he realises there must be something wrong if she’s asking that and he got the date wrong.
“Okay, that’s okay.” She reassures, noticing a spike in Dean’s heart monitor. “I’m going to get your doctor and he can explain what’s going on.”
Three days previously
Cas picks up the phone on the third ring, it’s not usual to get phone calls after hours at the garage.
“Hello, Winchester Classics Restoration, Castiel speaking,” He answers like he answers any other call.
“Hello? Is this the next of kin for Dean Winchester?” A voice says. That alone makes Castiel’s stomach drop and he puts down the pen that was in his hand. Initially, Cas nods but quickly remembers that he’s talking to someone who can’t see him.
“Yes.” He replies, trying to keep his voice free from worry.
“Mr. Winchester is in the hospital, he was in a car incident this afternoon.” She explains. Castiel drops the phone.
“Hello? Hello?” Castiel can hear the voice on the other side but he’s off his chair and heading into the garage before anymore can be said.
“Benny!” He calls and the man comes out from behind a car.
“What’s up?” He says, but then sees Castiel’s ashen face. “Cas?”
Castiel wraps his arms around the burly man and presses his face into his chest. “Dean’s in the hospital, he was in an accident.” He cries.
“Okay, okay, angel, c’mon.” Benny strokes down the smaller man’s back and takes them back into the office. He sees that the phone is still on the counter and picks it up. “Hello?”
“Hello, is this still Castiel?”
“No, this is Benny Lafitte, I’m Dean’s next of kin as well, which hospital is he at?” Benny takes over confidently.
The woman on the end of the phone gives him the details and then Benny is dragging a panic stricken Cas to his truck while trying to keep his own panic at bay.
Present
Dean understands now, knows that he has something called retrograde amnesia, and that he can’t remember the last four years. He knows that the ring that was on his finger when he came in, isn’t Lisa’s and it belongs to a set of three.
He didn’t believe it at first. Not one guy, but two that he loves. It took him a while to work it out, get his head around it. Hell, the last thing he remembers was that he had a wife, so you can’t blame him that it was a little shock that he now had two boyfriends.
He sees them though, every afternoon. They’re nice people and he can definitely see why he was with them.
Dean remembers the first meeting with them, how upset Castiel was when he told him he didn’t know him. He didn’t mean to upset him, his brain clearly wasn’t working right. Benny on the other hand seemed to be taking it better, but he looked to be the guy who bottled up his emotions until someone can’t see him. A bit like himself.
They’re both perched on the end of his bed at the moment, Cas is straight faced looking at the set of cards in his hands, and Dean is watching Benny’s face carefully, there’s a small twitch at the corner of his lips.
Dean wins the round. And the next. Benny jokes that he always wins anyway, so it was no surprise that he still had it in him. It goes quiet then.
“I want to get back what I lost. I left four years behind in that crash. That’s a lot to catch up on. I clearly loved you both. And judging by the ring on the table, I love you a lot. I don’t want a knock on the head ruin it.” Dean tells them, sitting up straighter.
Benny smiles and Dean’s pretty sure there’s a tear or two in his eyes. “I’d like that too, Dean. You know, the doctor suggested that showing you stuff from the years you lost might trigger something. Even if it doesn’t, I wouldn’t mind repeating our first date together.” Benny chuckles. There’s a snort from Cas as well, which turns into a giggle.
“I am missing out!” Dean interjects among the laughter.
“Chief, you really are.” Benny turns to Cas. “Reckon we should let ‘im know, or keep it a secret?”
Cas purses his lips, a smirk still there. Dean scowls at them both. “Oh! Look at that face!” Cas teases. “We are definitely keeping it a secret!”