Not Forgotten

"Alright I'm going," Dean said the second the clock on the dash changed to 10 am and visiting hours started. Sam grunted from where he was slumped against the door.
"Want me to come?" Sam asked and Dean half shrugged as he got out. He stretched and waited a moment to see if Sam was coming. He got out too. They walked inside and Dean rang the bell at the front impatiently. Kate came around the corner and sighed when she saw them.
After three hours of sleep Castiel woke up sweating and moaning only to have the moans turn into whimpers and then cries and then screams. It had taken an hour and a half to calm him down enough to sedate him. He had then stared at the ceiling wide eyed trembling and gasping like he was being drowned. Meg had stepped in for a moment only making matter worse before making them better. He'd almost clawed his eyes out when she came in.
Kate knew it probably wasn't the best for him to have visitors, but she knew Dean and Sam wouldn't leave. Dean had been adamant before, demanding to see Castiel no matter what. It had become borderline problematic until Meg had stepped in and allowed him to see Castiel for five minutes even though he'd been in a completely whacked out state. When patients were in a situation like that the doctors put the patients as high risk and they were not allowed visitors. Castiel had been in that situation. Dean didn't care, and Kate thought that, in the end, the whole ordeal had been more traumatic for Dean.
Castiel was on high risk again. Kate had debated calling the brothers, but Meg advised against it saying they'd show up anyways. She was probably right.
"He can't-"
"I don't care," Dean interrupted. She sighed. "Where's Meg?"
"Right here Dean," she said walking through the double doors. "There's a bit of a probably with dear old Cas today. He's not up for visitors." Kate watched Dean tense and Sam lay a hand on his shoulder.
"Just let us. Just even for a minute," Sam said quickly. He was trying to diffuse the tension and avoid arguments. Meg laughed and flipped through a chart.
"Won't like what you see," she mocked. Kate started backing away. She knew they all knew each other, Meg didn't treat anyone else in such a way nor was anyone else this difficult. But the tension made her uncomfortable, as if there was some underlying complication.
"I don't care." Dean repeated with more force. Meg shook her head.
"Kate," she said and Kate froze. "Take these two back to their precious Castiel."
Castiel was curled up on his bed in the fetal position, hands pressed tightly to his ears, eyes glued to the far wall but unfocused. His shirt was soaked with sweat and his hair was plastered to his forehead. He'd been changed when he'd first been sedated and once more at 8 am when he was uncuffed from the bed. He'd immediately curled up and been that way since. Kate finished explaining what had happened in the night before unlocking the door and letting the brothers into the room.
"Hey Cas," Dean said immediately as he slowly approached the bed. Sam hung back and glanced at Kate.
"I-I can't I'm not supposed to leave," she stuttered and he nodded. She shut the door and held her pager tight. Sam gave her a small smile as if to reassure her that things would be okay, but she had seen what Castiel was capable of. She never felt relaxed in this room.
"Hey Cas, hey Cas it's me and Sam," Dean said in a soft voice and crouched by the bed eye level with Castiel. His eyes remained unfocused. "Come on Cas it's me," he said with a forced smile. His voice was on the verge of cracking. Nothing. He ran his hands over his face before looking into Cas' eyes again. "We came to see you remember?" he said quietly. Cas' eyes then focused almost immediately on Dean. For a brief second Cas seemed to recognize him, and then the terror set in. He started shaking. "Shh Cas it's me," Dean said and stretched out a tentative hand and ran it through Cas' sweaty hair. He cried, but didn't move away. "No, no, no Cas it's Dean. It's me. I promise it's me." Dean voice was wavering as he ran shaky hands through Cas' hair in a desperate attempt to calm the terrified angel. He made a strangled noise and curled tighter, shutting his eyes.
"Dean ..." Sam started but Dean held up a hand. He couldn't leave Cas like this. He had to calm him down or comfort him or something. He couldn't leave him knowing he was curled up in bed crying because he was scared of whatever Lucifer was saying or whatever hallucinations Lucifer was throwing at him.
"It's just me Cas, come on open your eyes," Dean murmured and Cas shook his head. That was progress though and relieved a slight amount of the anxiety building in Dean. "It's just me," he repeated again and again stroking Cas' hair.
"Won't stop," he finally whispered in an almost inaudible voice. Dean almost smiled because he was so relieved. If Cas could answer then he was at least aware that there was someone comforting there.
"I know, but I'm right here. I'm right here Cas and we'll keep you safe. Me and Sam are watching and making sure you're safe," Dean told him.
"Relentless," Cas whimpered but stopped shaking.
"I know and we're trying and we'll find a way to stop it. I promise. I'll make it stop," he reassured Cas. Sam grimaced and stared at the floor. All they had found were dead ends. There was no way to reverse this damage it seemed and yet Dean would not give in. Sam hated hearing the empty promises, but he knew that Dean was convincing himself. He knew Dean well enough to know that Dean found comfort in repeating things as if that would in turn make the fact true. He didn't want to believe there was no way to fix Cas. Dean couldn't believe that.
"Dean we should go," Sam said quietly. It was painful to be here, painful to see Cas like this, painful to know why, and extremely painful to watch Dean like this.
"Give me a sec," he shot back. "Cas can you just look at me?" he said softly. Castiel shook his head. "Please?" He shook his head again. Dean sighed and stroked Cas' hair one last time. "I gotta leave Cas," he mumbled. He'd sit here all day if there weren't other things to do. "I'll be back and I'll call all the time okay? And we'll be back soon, very soon," he said as Cas relaxed slightly. He stood and walked towards the door.
They left the room silently until Dean whirled around. "What?" Sam asked.
"Don't you hear it?" he asked and backed up. The TV in the nurses station was on and there was static. Dean stared at it a moment and then the radio turned on.
"No, no, no, no, no," Dean muttered backing up towards Cas' room.
"What? What's going on?" Kate asked frantically attempting to shut the TV and radio off.
"Meg! Don't!" Dean shouted as she turned the lock. She turned to look at Dean as she pulled the door open. He knocked her out of the way just in time to collide with a glowing Castiel. He slammed into Dean, eyes and mouth glowing, lights dimming and popping. Then it stopped. Cas had Dean pinned to the wall. His eyes turned to normal and terror swamped the clear blue. He dropped shaky hands.
"Not him," Cas said staring at Dean. Dean coughed, the wind had been knocked out of him, his ears were ringing, and his head was pounding.
"No Cas, just me," he said weakly. Cas looked confused and he started shutting down. His eyes unfocused and he started trembling just as nurses grabbed him dragging him limp body off to his room strapping him to his bed. He was staring at the ceiling. Sam rushed to Dean. "M'fine," he snapped brushing himself off. "I'm fine," he repeated. He walked towards Cas, but a nurse stopped him.
"You can't sir. He's on lock down," a nurse said and Sam grabbed Dean before Dean punched the guy or something.
"We'll come back Dean, we'll come back," Sam said quickly pulled him towards the door. Dean let him. Meg smiled at them and Dean glared.
"We're coming back tomorrow," he hissed.
"I expected that much," she laughed.
"Don't go near him."
"Whatever you say Dean," she said and shut the doors to the mental ward behind the brothers.