West Coast

Chapter Twenty-nine

They had regular tests done. Cas for his brain, and Dean for his heart, and they scheduled their checkups for the same day, so the Dean could drive them.

Cas went first, and they sat down in his neurologist's office, watching him set out the pictures of Cas's brain.

He stared down at the pictures, and finally informed them that there was no change since the last set. Dean deflated at the news, but Cas was delighted.

'Dean, this is good news!' he said, shaking Dean's arm.

'How? He said there's no change, you didn't get any better.'

'No, but I didn't get any worse.' Cas pointed at the scan. 'That's the damage there, you can't heal that, but there's no further degeneration. It's good, Dean.'

Dean glanced at the doctor, who nodded. 'I guess, as long as you feel okay.'

'I do. I feel really good.'

Dean smiled and put an arm around him. 'Then that's all I need to know.'

Cas gave him a quick peck. 'Now it's your turn.'

They wandered over to cardiology, where Dean's doctor was from waiting with images of Dean's heart.

Dean nervously hovered outside.

'Whatever it is, we can handle it,' Cas said, gently pushing Dean towards the door.

Dean squared his shoulders, and pushed the door open.

Dean's doctor beamed when he saw them.

'I take it that means good news,' said Dean, though Cas could still hear the nerves in his voice.

'Great news,' the doctor said, as they all sat down. 'You've done a really great job taking care of yourself, Dean. I'm very happy with your progress.'

'Really?'

'Absolutely! I can see a lot of the damage has been reversed.'

Dean's shoulders relaxed, and he gave a relieved smile. 'Wow, thanks, doc.'

'Don't thank me, it's you that put in the work. Keep it up.'

They stopped for milkshakes that day, and walked around in companionable silence, while Dean glowed proudly at the news, every so often running a hand over the wires in his chest.

Summer came in a blazing heatwave. It made Dean uneasy, working in such heat, so he stepped back from the engine work, electing instead to take on a couple of apprentices and show them the ropes. He enjoyed teaching more than he thought he would.

Cas noticed that his paintings were beginning to pile up, with canvases in almost every corner. He spent days trying to figure out what to do with them, until he remembered Dean's suggestion to sell them.

Sam and Jess helped him set up and run a website, where they showed pictures of Cas's work for sale.

There wasn't much traffic at first, but to Cas's surprise, people began to show interest. He sold his first painting, one of his simpler ones of a spray of violets. It went for fifteen dollars, and Dean took a picture of him lovingly packing it up for shipping.

The website grew, and soon, Cas was taking commissions, though he had Sam set up a program to remind him of them, and Tessa wrote them on a new whiteboard they kept in the dining room.

The orders trickled in, until Cas's work caught the attention of a small gallery in the city.

'And they want me to choose some paintings for display!' Cas said to Dean, excitedly reading the email they sent him.