Strings Attached

Chapter 22

"Oh my god, Castiel!"

Castiel looks around, but his sight is blocked by the two boys next to him. Who are they? Oh, his brothers. Ha, he should know that. What are they doing this close to him? Should he tell them to stop? He has a feeling that's a bad idea. Are they holding him up? Why? Castiel can walk. Ugh, his everything hurts. He doesn't like it. Not at all.

"What?" another boy asks.
Suddenly, there are four people standing in front of him. When did they get here? Castiel looks at them all, trying to figure out who they are. Uh, that's... That's his brother... Um... Sam... Samantha? Haha, no, that's a girl's name. Sam something... Samdriel? No, Samandriel? Yeah, that might be it. And that's... This is too hard. Castiel just wants to go to sleep. He feels himself falling, but the boys by his side catch him quickly and hold him up.

"What happened?" Samdisomething asks.

"We don't know," Lucifer says. "But I'm thinking we may need another trip to the ER, so... Let's go."

"Good idea," the oldest person says.

"Who're you?" Castiel asks.

"What?"

Castiel tilts his head in confusion at his expression.

"Why are you sad?" Castiel asks.

"Just ignore everything he says right now," Lucifer advises them. "Hospital time. Let's go."

They all go outside again — why does he have to go outside now? He was just outside. It's too bright. Make it stop! He wants to go inside! The two boys — the devil and the phone — carry him to one of the big hunks of metal they out Castiel in to bring him here. Why is he going in it again? Isn't this where they were going? Phone sits next to him and Devil walks away.

"Where are you going?" Castiel asks, confused.

"I'm driving a different car," Devil explains. "Dad's driving you."

"I want you to drive!" Castiel protests.

"We're all going to the same place. It doesn't matter."

"But I want you to drive!" Castiel whines.

"Fine, I'll drive!" Devil sits in front of Castiel.

Satisfied, Castiel closes his eyes, trying to block out the throbbing pain in his everywhere. Especially his head. And his back. And his chest. Ugh, he just hurts! A lot! He just wants it to stop! He groans, squeezing his eyes tighter and gripping his head. Now his hands are wet. Why are his hands wet? This is weird.

"It's okay," Phone coos. "It's okay. We're almost there."

Castiel groans again, the pain finally catching up to him. His eyes start to water, and before he knows it, he's crying. Finally, car stops moving, and Devil and Phone get out. They help him out as well, and he relies heavily on their support to get inside the building they stopped near.

Why are people staring at him? Can they feel his pain? He can feel it. Should they be able to feel it, too? What's going on? Who is this? Who are they talking to? Why does this chair have wheels? Where are they going? Why can't anyone he knows go with him? It's just the older guy from the place they just were.

After this, things start getting fuzzy. He can't really tell what's going on. What he does know is that soon, someone is sticking something in his arm, pulling it out, and doing it again and again and again. He hears something about "dehydrated" and "IV" and "missing vein," but he can't make any sense of it.

He just wishes they would hurry up and make this stop. It hurts! Until soon, they stop stabbing him, and then he stops feeling anything at all, and then everything fades into darkness.