West Coast

Chapter Twenty-seven

Cas finally did fall asleep, after putting Hoagie on the floor, the day's events catching up with him. It was a shallow sleep, awkwardly curled up in the chair next to Dean's hospital bed, tense, with his fists tightly bunched and his jaw clenched. He wasn't dreaming, but his heart was still racing in his sleep, and he started violently awake, when someone touched him on the shoulder a couple of hours later.

'Did you have to wake him?' he heard Dean's voice say. 'He's adorable when he's sleeping.'

Cas looked around blearily, struggling to understand what he was looking at.

Dean was grinning at him sloppily, and Cas stared at him.

'What?' he mumbled, confused.

Dean took his hand and kissed it. 'Take your time.'

Cas's eyes travelled over the machines, Dean's face, and over the bruise peeking out from underneath Dean's hospital gown. 'Oh, Dean!' he gasped, remembering what had happened.

'It's okay,' Dean said brightly.

'Here, sweetie,' said Jody, passing him a bottle of pills. She was standing next to him, with her hand still on his shoulder. 'I brought you your meds. You left them at home.'

'Thank you.' Cas rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, slightly dizzy. 'Um - did - did we get any results yet?' he asked.

'Not yet,' said Sam.

Dean played with Cas's hand.

'How are you feeling?' Cas said to Dean.

'I feel great,' Dean laughed.

'They gave him morphine,' Sam told him.

'I see.' Cas pinched the bridge of his nose, while Jody leaned over the bed to give Dean a gentle hug.

'Don't scare us like that again, okay?' she said, tears glistening in her eyes.

'I'll do my best.'

She sniffed, regained her composure, and jerked her head behind her. 'Can I talk to you guys a sec?' she asked Sam and Cas.

Cas stood up, his head swimming slightly, and walked out behind the curtain with Sam.

'What's up?' Sam asked.

'I'm afraid this isn't just a social call,' Jody frowned. 'I caught this guy in your house, going through all your paperwork.' She showed Cas a picture of Chuck, and he sighed. 'You know him?'

'Yes. That's my father.'

'Your dad?' Sam said in disbelief. 'I thought he disappeared.'

'He came back. That's why Dean wasn't at work, I asked him to come home.' Cas's stomach clenched. 'It was the shock that - that- and if I hadn't-'

'Stop that,' Sam said firmly. 'We don't know what's wrong with him yet. Go on Jody.'

'I went in to get your meds, but he ripped up your power of attorney papers before I could stop him. Any idea why he'd do that?'

Cas thought about it. 'He came for my money. He thought I was dead, so he came to see if there was anything left.'

Sam's eyebrows rose so far up his forehead they almost disappeared into his hair. 'Wow, what a guy. Well, don't worry, I have a copy of your papers.'

Cas nodded. 'I imagine he's trying to go for the his being my father, so therefore should have care of me argument.'

Sam snorted. 'Good luck with that. From a legal standpoint, he doesn't have a leg to stand on. He hasn't seen you in over twenty years, he wouldn't have the first idea of what you'd want, and what decisions to make. No, don't worry about it.'