Castiel x Reader Heart Monitor

Heart Monitor

The reader is stuck in the hospital after being injured on a hunt, and wakes up to a concerned Castiel at her bedside.

...

You weren't sure what you noticed first when you woke up- the obnoxious beeping of the heart monitor, the thin sheets that barely protected your exposed skin from the chilly AC, or the plastic prods forcing air into your nostrils. But you were confused when you opened your eyes and you were met with darkness. It took a moment for your eyes to adjust, the moonlight from the window aiding your vision.

You saw the outline of a person perched next to your bed. From what you could see, the person was fairly tall and short-haired.

"Dean?" you murmured sleepily, rubbing your eyes.

The person leaned forward, the moonlight revealing his baby blue eyes and slight facial hair.

"Oh," you breathed. Your voice was nearly inaudible. "Hi, Cas."

"Hello, (Y/N)," said Castiel. "How are you feeling?"

"Kinda woozy," you chuckled. "Must be all the drugs."

Cas cupped your shoulder. "Are you in pain?" he asked with a tone of urgency.

You squirmed a little, testing out how you felt, and drew in a sharp breath when pain struck your upper body. "My ribs and back have seen better days," you admitted, wincing. "I'm okay, though. Nothing too bad. Where are Sam and Dean?"

Cas hesitated before saying, "Visiting hours ended a while ago. They almost stayed in the waiting room, but they went back to the motel after I promised to watch over you while they were gone." He blinked, reaching into his pocket. "They gave me your cell phone and told me to call if you woke up."

"Hey, don't," you protested, trying to sit up. You grunted in pain, and Cas immediately put his hands on your shoulders to push you back down gently, a look of concern on his face. Without a word, he pressed a remote and the upper half of the bed began to elevate so you were sitting up. You sighed. "They're probably asleep."

Cas shook his head and began to dial on your phone. "They'll sleep easier once they know you're alright." He held the phone up to his ear. "Hello, Dean. She's awake... Her pain is severe, but we can fix that when she is discharged... Yes, of course." He handed the phone to you.

"Dean?" you asked.

"Hey, kid," your older brother sighed with relief. "What hurts?"

"Just my ribs and my back," you explained coolly. "Nothing serious."

"Don't worry, the second you're outta there, Cas is gonna heal you." His voice became slightly uneven. "(Y/N), I'm so sorry you got hurt. I wish Sam and I could be with you right now."

"Well, I'm not alone," you assured him, glancing at Cas with a smile.

Dean chuckled sleepily. "Is your favorite angel taking good care of you?"

You furrowed your eyebrows. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

You heard a few muffled sounds, and a second voice on the other end.

"Give me the phone!"

"For Christ's sake, Sammy, back off."

"Put it on speaker."

You waited, biting your lip. "Sammy?"

"Hey, (Y/N)." Sam's voice was thick with sleepiness.

"You sound wrecked," you remarked.

Sam gave an incredulous laugh. "You're in the hospital, and you're worried about me, right now?"

"Always am. It's my job, you know." You felt oddly proud of the constant worry you felt for him. Perhaps because despite all the panicking, you managed to take decent care of him, and he often did the same for you. "By the way, that thing is dead, right?"

Your brothers chuckled, a hint of darkness in their tone. "Long dead, kid, don't you fret," Dean assured you.

You sighed with relief, and the action caused pain to clap in your ribs. "And you two are okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Sam replied. "Quit your worrying and get some rest, alright?"

With your insomnia? That was less than possible. "Love you guys."

"Love you, too," your brothers chanted before ending the call.

You handed the phone back to Cas. "Thank you."

He put the phone back in his pocket. He wouldn't meet your eyes. "Of course." He took your hand gently in one of his, and with the thumb of his other hand, he traced your name onto your skin. "(Y/N), I..." His voice nearly broke. "I am so sorry that you have to suffer such pain. If it weren't for my incompetence, you wouldn't have to be here, right now. I could have healed you, or prevented you from getting hurt altogether. I can't believe that I-"

"Castiel," you scolded lightly, "don't beat yourself up." You layered your free hand over his, stroking his wrist. "Please. I'm alright."

He raised your hands to his face, bringing them so close to his mouth that you could feel his breath. "You have no idea what it's like to see you like this," he argued into your knuckles. "And I can't help you."

"It's okay, really," you insisted. "I wouldn't want you to waste your grace on me, anyway."

At that, Castiel finally looked up at you, his eyes layered with hurt and confusion. He lowered your hands back into your lap and now reached up to cup your face, leaning closer so his lips barely brushed yours.

"(Y/N) Winchester," Castiel whispered into your skin, "you are not a waste of grace."

His soft lips moved gently against yours in a kiss that nearly took your breath away. Your hands went to his hair, fingers carding through the brown strands. He made a small noise in the back of his throat when you tugged a little, and the sound made you kiss him more desperately, trying to pull him closer to you.

Castiel stopped suddenly, pulling back and keeping a firm grip on your shoulders so you wouldn't try anything. He was breathing somewhat heavily, and it made you feel less self-conscious about how flushed your face probably was.

He cleared his throat. "The... heart monitor," he said, glancing at the machine in question. It was beeping rapidly, enough so to a point that Castiel was obviously concerned about it.

You chuckled nervously, feeling slightly embarrassed. Castiel's kiss had affected you quite strongly, a result of months of pent-up feelings that you'd tried so hard to control. But one touch, one look from him could melt you and make you want to confess everything that you felt about him. Now that he'd kissed you, there was nothing holding you back.

"Castiel, I love you," you told him. Immediately, you regretted it. How, why would you do that? Just because he kissed you, it didn't mean anything significant. You looked down and continued to drown yourself in your insecure thoughts.

Until he tipped your chin up with his hand, and made you look at his face, which was like coming up for air.

He looked grateful, wonder-struck, and dizzily in love. His eyes were soft and almost incredulous, and his hand returned to holding your face, stroking your cheekbone.

"I love you as well, my beautiful human," he murmured. He pressed a sweet kiss to your forehead, then pulled back. "Please rest, I'll be here to watch over you."

You complied as he pressed the remote on the bed, lowering you back down. You closed your eyes, and settled back into the sheets. And with your angel beside you, his fingers running through your hair soothingly, and the memory of his lips on yours, you knew you'd sleep easy.