The Pay-Off For Having Faith

8

Sam was sitting in the hospital's recreation room the next morning, watching his brother approach the nurse's station for his morning meds. The two had been in conversation when a nurse had approached and told Dean it was time for his medication. The young man had scowled at her and muttered, "Piss off, Meg."

"If they help, you should take them," Sam suggested softly, reaching out to brush a thumb over Dean's knuckles. His brother hesitated, studying his face for a moment, before pushing back from the table and standing. He shot Sam another glance, smirked and rolled his eyes, and headed for the nurse's station.

Sam glanced up at the nurse, Meg, as she told him, "Thanks. It's usually a battle to get him to take his meds. He has spells when he believes we're trying to poison him." She shot a fond look in Dean's direction – Sam scowled a bit, shifting in his chair, but plastered the smile on his face again as she looked back at him. If she was kind to his brother while he was in this place, he wouldn't begrudge her of it. She tilted her head as she stared at him, then commented, "He's real fond of you. Doesn't talk with anyone else like he does you, except Cas."

"No?" Sam's eyes shifted to his brother again, and he found Dean's eyes on them. Even as he tipped back the small white cup, tossing the pills into his mouth, that green gaze was on them.

"Nope," Meg shook her head, "He's a sweetheart when he's not in the middle of one of his paranoid spells, but I've still never seen him smile like he does when you're here." They glanced over as a voice behind them remarked,

"That's because Sam is his soulmate."
Dean's angel, Castiel, was standing behind them. Sam raised his brows in surprise: he hadn't heard the other approach.

"Hey, Cas," he greeted, giving the man a smile.
"Hello, Sam," Castiel moved to his side: Sam blinked as the man reached out and poked the end of his nose. His blue gaze moved to Meg and he greeted, "Hello, Meg."

"Hi there, my little unicorn," the woman practically purred, moving to press a hand against Cas's arm, "Where have you been hiding all morning?"

"I was working on focusing my powers," the would-be angel answered, eyes shifting to follow Dean as the man headed in their direction, before returning to her, "Nurse Rhonda is going to want her uniform back. You really should stop taking it."

Meg smoothed down the top to the scrubs which made up the uniform. "It looks better on me. This really isn't even her color."

"Wait," Sam stared at Meg for a moment, "You're not a nurse?" 

The woman shook her head and giggled, resting her head against Castiel's shoulder.
Sam looked up at Dean as his brother reached the table, then back to Cas as the man answered,
"She likes to play nurse. She keeps stealing uniforms out of the nurse's lockers."

Sam stared at the trio for a moment before snorting out a laugh. Dean took the chair next to him, a smile on his face, as Castiel told Meg,
"You should take that back before she gets here for her shift." As they walked away, Meg's arm linked through Cas's, Sam heard her purr, "Going to help me take it off?"

Sam's eyes met Dean's, and he found his brother watching him. He could feel the heat rising to his cheeks as his brother graced him with a genuine smile, Dean's bright green eyes taking him in. He dropped his gaze to the table, shy suddenly (and what the hell was up with that?), as the older man told him, "I like to see you laugh, Sammy."

Dean glanced across the room, and his smile was replaced with a frown. Sam followed his gaze and spotted Doctor Murphy. "You don't like him?" he asked, turning his eyes back to his brother.

Dean shook his head, fingers tapping against the table top, "Liked the real Doctor Murphy. He's been a meat suit for a demon for the past couple of years, though."