West Coast

Chapter Four

Cas nodded.

'All right, this medication will make you feel quite nauseous at first, but you need to keep eating regularly. You can't lose any more weight, okay?'

Dean frantically scribbled in his notebook.

'I want you to try and regain some muscle mass as well. You've done really well so far, but you were quite physically fit before the accident, so let's try and get you back to that.'

'I was?' Cas said.

'Oh yeah, you were jacked,' Dean said without thinking, too busy writing.

Cas blinked rapidly, stunned.

Dean looked up and turned red as he realised what he had said. 'Sorry,' he muttered.

'Anyway,' the doctor said, filling in the awkward silence. 'Try and think of some gentle exercise you can do. You don't need to overdo it, but you should try and push yourself at least three times a week.'

'You could take Hoagie out for longer,' Dean suggested. 'He won't mind.'

'I don't know,' Cas said. 'What if I... you know... outside?'

'I think you'll be all right if you're with Hoagie,' Dean said. 'He knows when it'll happen. Haven't you noticed?'

'No, I haven't.'

'Yeah, he totally freaks out. I guess you don't know him well enough to notice the difference between that and his regular freakouts.'

'It sounds like a great idea to me,' the doctor said. 'I'm going to refer you to an epilepsy specialist, so you can work out some coping methods. They'll be your point of contact on your meds as well, so keep them informed of any adverse reactions. And Alex will be available if you need any more physio.'

'That's reasonable,' Cas said.

'All right, well thanks for coming in, guys. I'll see you again in two weeks.' He wrote out Cas's new prescription, which he handed to Dean.

'Thank you, doctor,' Cas said, rising slowly.

Cas waited in the car while Dean picked up his prescription.

'You feeling okay?' Dean asked as he sat down.

Cas shrugged. 'What's okay?'

Dean chuckled slightly. 'That's a good question.'

They drove in silence for a while.

'Dean, about what you said...'

Dean blushed again. 'I'm not gonna pretend that I don't think...Look, you're hot, okay? You always have been. That's just how it is.'

'You shouldn't be embarrassed,' Cas reasoned. 'It's nice.'

'Nice?'

'Everyone likes to be considered attractive.'

'Right.'

But it wasn't just that. Cas couldn't put his finger on the exact feeling, but when he thought about Dean's words, his stomach squirmed, and he shuddered.

'Hey, are you okay?' Dean said, trying to look at him and watch the road at the same time.

'I don't know,' Cas said.

'You don't know?' Dean said, alarmed. 'What is it?'

Cas put a hand to his chest to calm himself down. 'I don't know,' Cas repeated.

'Is it bad?'

Cas looked at Dean closely. 'No. It's not bad.'

Dean sighed, relaxing against the seat. 'Don't scare me like that.'