Work Text:
The man that bursts through the doors is ginormous. Tall, long limbs, like a red wood if he were still. But he is frazzled, panicked, tie askew dark hair wild as he announces to the room.
“Is my brother here!? He’s the firefighter. I got a call! He has green eyes? And a dumb face? And he’s my brother!” He gestures wildly at the room and Castiel steps around the counter hands out , placating.
A small blonde woman jogs in through the door, beautiful blue dress, curls piled on her head as she holds her heels. “Is he here, Sam?” She looks at Castiel, “We’re looking for a Dean Winchester. He’s a firefighter. We were called.”
Castiel nods, “Yes, of course. He’s been moved already. Just a broken leg and some minor burns. I can take you to see him, if you’d like?”
Castiel sifts through the files until he finds D. Winchester room 207 bed 1. “He may be a little drowsy. We gave him some morphine. He might be a little loopy.”
He leads them down the hall to the rooms, Sam has visibly deflated, hands stuck in pockets as his companion wraps a hand around his elbow giving it a squeeze. “All that fuss and he’s fine, Sam.”
“We’re lucky he hasn’t broken out already Jess.” Sam says with a wobbly smile. Castiel smiles back, “I doubt he’d get far. “
Sam rolls his shoulders and Jess smirks, “You’d be surprised. He’s...wiley.”
There’s a crash from inside the room and muffled swearing and they rush into the room.
A man is sprawled across the floor tangled in a white sheet, leg in cast still on the bed. His hands are wrapped in gauze and he’s staring at the ceiling.
“Holy shit, Dean.” Sam and Castiel rush over and Dean turns glassy green eyes to them.
Castiel untangles the sheet. “Mr. Winchester, are you alright?”
Dean drags his hand over his face only to jerk away at the feeling of gauze on his face and probably the pain in his hands. “There was a... Did something fall?”
“Yes. You did.” Castiel hefted Dean back into the bed with Sam’s help. He checked Dean’s eyes and adjusted the I.V.s.
He blinked rapidly before smiling fuzzily at his brother, “Heya, Sammy. And Jessica’s here too! Hey, nurse guy! Sammy’s here!”
Castiel laughs under his breath, “Yes, I see that, Mr. Winchester.” He plumped the pillows up behind the patient’s head
“You have really pretty eyes.” Dean smiles dopily up at Castiel. Sam snorts and Jess giggles.
“Real smooth, Dean.” Sam says as he slumps into the chair by the bed.
“Sammy, I am always smooth. I’m the smoothest. Like jello.” He blinks and grasps at Castiel’s hand, “We should have jello. Can we get jello?”
“I think I can for you and your guests. I’ll have to be very sneaky though.” Castiel says with a wink and Jessica grins at him.
Dean shakes his head wobbly, “No... Sam can get his own jello. Jessica...Jessica makes him jello. She puts fruit in it.” Jessica is laughing into Sam’s hand and Castiel nods awkwardly.
“You and me.. You and I? Jello? Or coooffffeee... You are a nurse? Nurses drink coffee.”
“This is so embarrassing,” Sam says into Jessica’s shoulder. “Like really, he’s usually not this embarrassing.”
Castiel smoothes the sheet down and steps back. “There will be coffee in the morning Mr. Winchester.”
“Will you be here in the morning?”
Castiel looks up from sorting his chart out, “Hm? Oh no. I only work nights. I get off soon anyway. No use for coffee at the end of a shift.” He smiles softly as Dean nods.
“I’mma bring you coffee. First thing. Promises.” Dean mutters and squirms down into bed before his eyes flutter close.
Castiel looks at the couple as they gather their things, “I’ll walk you out. You can come back tomorrow, our visiting hours are 9am to 9 pm.” Sam nods and shakes Castiel’s hand.
“Thanks so much. If he tries to run away or something, give us a call.”
*
Castiel doesn’t always have the same rooms assigned to him so he doesn’t see D. Winchester Broken Left Leg, pins in place, First degree burns to left and right hands, until 2 days later. When he tries to commandeer a wheelchair and escape.
“Mr. Winchester! I must ask you to get back in that bed.” Castiel states stepping in front of the wheelchair impeding his flight.
“Ah, come on Cas. They bumped down my pain meds and I’m all cagey. Just a quick spin?”
He smiles charmingly but the bags under his eyes are practically a neon sign demanding he be put back to bed now. Castiel shakes his head and maneuvers around him to steer him.
“Absolutely not. Where did you even get this chair?” Dean grins and goes to answer but Cas shuts him down, “No. Actually I don’t want to know. You probably stole it from some old woman.”
Dean gasps in mock outrage, “How dare you? I am a firefighter. A defender of the good people of this city. I would never steal a wheelchair from an old woman. I bribed Nurse Statcher.”
Castiel stumbles to a stop outside Dean’s room. “Nurse Statcher? Molly Statcher?” Dean nods.
“Molly works in the nursery! How did you even... How did you even get down two floors! The elevators are past the nurses’ station!”
Dean twists in the seat with a restrained grimace quickly covering it with a smirk. “Sorry to say but some of your coworkers are not as observant as you are. It can’t be helped, I’m quick like a fox.” He winks and Cas rolls his eyes.
“What were you even doing down there?” He careful helps Dean stand from the chair and moves him to the bed. Dean shrugs as he fixes his blankets.
“I was seeing the babies. Babies are cute.” He crosses his arms over his chest as if expecting a fight. Cas adjusts his pillow ignoring the urge to count all the freckles speckled across Dean’s cheeks.
“Don’t you have any nieces or nephews of your own to bother?” He just barely manages not to sweep Dean’s damp hair away from his forehead.
“I keep asking Sam and he just blushes and throws things at me.” Dean murmurs petulantly and Castiel laughs as he walks out the door.
*
Sam or Jessica come to visit Dean a couple of days the rest of the week. He seems happy to see them. They remark on how good he looks and he always replies loudly that it’s all the good work of the lovely and dedicated nurses on this ward.
Most of the younger nurses giggle and blush while the older ladies roll their eyes but smile warmly. Cas learned to school his face around Dean Winchester but he can’t help the sweet hazy glow in his chest when Dean repeats it softly, warmly when Cas comes in to say hi and thank Jessica for the cookies she brought in.
*
Sam comes to collect his brother on his release and move him to stay with him and his fiancee for the rest of the month. Dean gives them all the sad stoic eyes of a king going off to war and waves regally from the wheelchair that Sam, shaking his head in exasperation, pushes past the nurses station.
The ladies lean on the counter grinning, waving, a few dabbing at imaginary tears and waving invisible handkerchiefs. Castiel rolls his eyes but his breath stutters when Dean twists around in his seat leaning wide over the side to look him in the eye and wink before the door swooshes behind him.
*
Two weeks later, Castiel is settling in at work. He’s just sitting down to sort through patient files when a paper cup of coffee is placed in front of him alongside packets of sugar and creamer. When he looks up Dean is leaning heavily on the counter crutches off to the side.
“I think I promised you coffee.” He grins and the crinkles deepen around his eyes. Castiel bites his lip to keep from grinning.
“Yes, I believe you did.”