Set Fire To My Heart

Chapter 4: Out of the Pan...

Castiel groans as he shifts in his bed. He hears a constant beeping noise. Well, that's new, he thinks. Slowly, he opens his eyes and is confused at so much white paint on the walls. He reaches up to touch his face and is surprised to find something over his mouth. Castiel blinks rapidly, as panic begins to percolate inside his body. He yanks at the device on his face, and the beeping speeds up as his heart rate quickens. A woman rushes into the room, putting hands on his arm and attempts to lay him back on the bed.

"Sir. Sir! You're in the hospital. You were in a fire. You're safe now. Please don't pull at the mask. You still need some oxygen because the smoke slightly injured your lungs," the woman says in a monotone and calm voice. "We ran some tests on you. Your lungs sustained some damage. Luckily, it's not as bad as it could be, and we believe you won't need medication in the long term. Unfortunately, it will take quite a bit of time for recovery. We estimate six months to a year at the earliest. Two years at most," the woman continues to explain.

Castiel looks at the woman, listening to her the best he can, confusion still muddling his thoughts. The last thing he remembers is a green-eye angel in his dreams, then darkness. "The angel. Do you know where he went?" Castiel asks, his voice sore and scratchy.

"Angel, sir?" The nurse asks, her face pinched with worry. "There were no angels, only the EMTs, and a firefighter pulled you from the building. Mr...?" She tries to get him to recall his identity.

"Novak. My name is Castiel Novak. I'm sorry," Castiel apologizes, feeling his cheeks heat slightly, embarrassed.

The nurse smiles. "It's okay, Mr. Novak. I'm going to need you to get some more rest. I think you'll be discharged in a couple of days, assuming that you can breathe on your own after a couple of tests. I'll be back in a couple of hours to administer them," she nods, backing out of the room and to the nurse's station.

There is a commotion down the hall, and some raised voices as words float into Castiel's room. "No, you don't understand! He's my boss! I need to know if he's okay. He doesn't have anyone else to check on him," the angry voice says.

Castiel smiles and touches the button on the side of his bed. The nurse peeks her head into the room.

"Yes, Mr. Novak?" She asks.

"The angry woman outside. You can let her in. That's my employee. I'm sure she's worried about me, and she isn't going to stop until you let her through," he attempts a laugh that ends in an aching cough.

"I understand, sir. I'll let her through. Try to rest. I don't want you to get worked up and cause more damage, you understand?" She levels her eyes with his. A smirk across her lips as she disappears on the other side of the door. The nurse approaches the station and the agitated woman. "Hello. Is it fair to assume you're here for Mr. Novak?" She asks the woman in question.  

Samantha narrows her eyes and lets out a huff, crossing her arms over her chest. "I had thought I made that clear," she snaps before she sighs, running a hand through her hair, trying to calm herself. "I'm sorry, yes. I'm here to see Castiel Novak. He's my boss, a great one at that, and he doesn't have anyone else. I won't be too long. I just wanna make sure he's okay. Please?" Samantha pleads with the nurse.

The nurse nods slightly. "I understand. He was caught in that fire for some time before being pulled out. There have been some sustained injuries to his lungs, but nothing that he cannot overcome. With rest and some at-home breathing treatments, Mr. Novak will make a complete recovery. Now, please follow me. He requested your presence," the nurse smiles, nodding towards the nearby room.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Samantha smiles weakly and follows the nurse down the long hall of rooms. "Thank you. I'm sorry for my outburst. I was just terrified for him," she stuffs her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"Here," the nurse points to the room. "I'll give you some privacy. Please do not get him excited, and I recommend that you don't touch him. He is still susceptible to foreign biological invaders," the nurse warns and turns away from the room.

"Sure thing," Samantha mumbles to herself, and she walks into the room. She blinks a few times as she takes in her boss lying in the hospital bed. Her eyes dart around briefly, looking at all the equipment before settling back on him, giving him a small smile. "Hey, Boss-man. How ya holding up?" She asks, taking a seat on a nearby chair.

Castiel smiles. "Well, I'm in the hospital. I guess a fire got me. Maybe I should have let you clean up after all," he jokes. 

Samantha lets out a weak chuckle and nods. "I'm sorry. I'm so glad you're okay. When I saw everything on the news, I just..." She has to blink the wetness in her eyes away quickly and sighs. "I'm just delighted you're okay, Castiel," she nods, looking down at her lap.

"I'm fine. My voice is gonna be a little smokier than usual. Hey. Can I ask you a favor?" Castiel looks at Samantha.

Samantha looks up at him and nods. "Of course, anything you need," her brows furrow in curiosity.

"Find out who pulled me out of the store. I want to thank them for saving my life. I don't know who it was, but I know they had green eyes. He looked like an angel," Castiel shakes his head. "He was incredibly handsome," he gushes.

Samantha smiles, a twinkle coming to her eyes. "I think I can do that," she winks. "I can head to the station tomorrow morning and ask around," she nods. "Want me to drop off some clothes and stuff for you with a name tomorrow?" She asks.

"No, I'll just get my clothes washed here. I don't think they're going to keep me long, so even if I can't get them cleaned, a little smoke smell won't be so bad," Castiel jokes. 

Samantha laughs softly. "You got it. If there is anything you need, I'd be happy to help," she smiles. "You've been so great to me, and I don't mind," she pushes up from the chair. "I'll come to check in on ya tomorrow around lunchtime with the name of your green-eyed angel," she winks.

"Thank you, Samantha. By the way, the store is going to be out of commission for a while. At least until I can get the cause of the fire investigated and the insurance company to accept my claim. Please don't worry about your paycheck. I will make sure you are taken care of until we open again," Castiel nods. "Please enjoy this time as a paid vacation, okay?" He looks at his employee with stern eyes.

Samantha smiles and shakes her head. "That means more to me than you know," she takes a breath. "And if your nurse weren't probably standing by your door, I would hug you," she laughs, running a hand through her hair. "But my offer stands. Anything I can do to help, just say the word, Boss-man."

"Just prove to me that angels exist, and I'm not crazy. That's all I ask," Castiel says, leaning back against the pillows.