Not While I'm Around

I'm Already There

            “I can’t wait to get out of here. These people are giving me the creeps,” Dean said with a suppressed shudder. All he wanted to do was be with Castiel; to let the angel know that he wasn’t alone anymore.

            “Winchester?” A woman in scrubs and a white coat asked as she entered the waiting room. Sam and Dean stood, making their way to the woman. She was nearly as tall as Dean, with chestnut brown hair pulled back in a bun.

            “That’s us. I’m Dean, and this is my brother Sam,” Dean stated.

            “I’m Dr. Shannon Collins; Dr. Dixon informed me that you would be coming.” Dr. Collins motioned for the boys to follow her. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to see him.”

0-0-0-0-0

           Shannon stopped outside of the room in front of its window. Sam and Dean stood to either side, silent. Sam could hear Dean sniffle as he tried to keep his tears in check, as he tried to be strong for Castiel. It wasn’t long before Sam felt the hot sting of tears on his own cheeks.

            “He’s still unresponsive. We looked over the MRIs that Dr. Dixon sent over as well as did tests of our own. There is some swelling, but nothing too severe right now. As with any head injury, we’re monitoring Jimmy closely for signs that the swelling is getting worse,” She explained as simply as possible.

            “What happens if the swelling gets worse?” Sam asked, his brow furrowed in worry.

            “If that does happen, we’ll have to go in and surgically remove a section of his skull to allow the built up pressure somewhere to go; it’s a very standard procedure.”

            “Give it to us straight doc; is he going to wake up soon?” Dean questioned.

            Shannon paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. She didn’t want to give the young man false hope, but also didn’t want to devastate him. “Unfortunately, there’s no clear cut yes or no answer for that. The scans showed a large area of bruising that coincides with the blunt force trauma. Jimmy is in a coma while his brain attempts to heal on its own. Right now it’s very “wait and see” in terms of when he’ll wake up. But the best thing that the two of you can do for Jimmy is to just be there for him. Sit by his bedside and talk to him or read to him; let him know you’re there. Knowing that you are there will keep his subconscious mind from deteriorating. I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you.”

            “Can we go in now?” Sam wondered.

            “Of course you can. Visiting hours end at 10; a nurse will come and let you know when it’s time to leave.” Dr. Collins nodded. A few short beeps interrupting her before she could finish speaking and she looked down at her pager. “I’m sorry, but I have to go. If you have any questions speak to Nurse Wilson.” She turned and walked swiftly down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

            “Are you sure you’re up for this Dean?” Sam asked as he looked over at his brother. Dean had his forehead pressed against the glass, his eyes closed. He nodded slowly.

            The two of them walked through the sliding doors and into the dimly lit room. A single light above Castiel’s bed was the only illumination, making him look deathly pale. Dean rushed to Castiel’s bedside, collapsing in the nearest chair. His hand hovered over Cass’s cheek, afraid to touch him for fear of hurting him more. Sam followed more slowly and sank down in the empty chair on the opposite side of the bed.

            “Hey Cass, we’re back. Just like I promised we would be. And we’ll be right here when you wake up. We won’t leave … I promise,” Sam said softly. He stifled a yawn, the exhaustion finally catching up with him.

            “I miss you buddy. Get better soon, please. I wish we knew who did this to you Cass. I wish dad and Bobby were still alive to help us track them down. But Sam and I will find them. I promise you that, Cass. Sam and I won’t stop until we track down every last person that knew about it,” Dean remarked, a tear sliding down his cheek.

            Sam stood from the chair and crossed to Dean’s side. “I’m gonna go down to the cafeteria and get us some coffee since we’re going to be here a while. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

            “’Kay Sammy,” Dean muttered. He watched Sam shuffle out the door, exhaustion and worry weighing heavy on the young man’s shoulders. “Cass, I know I’ve messed up in the past and you’ve had to save my sorry ass more times than I died at Mystery Spot, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when this happened. I should’ve tried harder to find you. I should’ve kept you from walking out that door. I should’ve done a lot of things different since meeting you. But I didn’t … probably because I’m an idiot.” Dean ran his fingers over Castiel’s face, mindful of the ventilator taped into place.

**I know that my chapters haven't been super consistant in terms of pages, but I'm trying to post at least 2 page chapters, if not longer. <3 Stacey**