Chapter 2 - Hospital
Charlie and I arrived at the hospital at four. Her plan was to hit up the ones that were willingly there and then consulting with Ellen about the others. She, like me, didn't want to compromise their treatments. She got her gear and we headed inside.
We split up immediately and I went to find Ellen. She was at the nurses' station in the right wing of the emergency room.
"Dr. Harvelle."
She turned to me and then smiled. "I wondered if I would see you here."
"Victim interviews. I would send that bastard here if I was in the interrogation. I wanted to check in with you first to make sure that everyone is stable enough for that."
"Let me review the charts, some are having x-rays done or other procedures."
"It's fine. Charlie will be asking too because she's trying to get information. She's starting with the willing participants though. Want me to tag along and then come see you?"
"That would be perfect. Willing participants are all the first few doors."
I left her reviewing charts and found Charlie. She and I went to the first room and it helped, the victim was Darla Hamilton, she was 24 and had been staying there for just under six months. Her parents had put her out a few years before because of her drug use. I asked if she saw anything illegal, such as drugs, and she denied it. She hadn't seen many people there at all, mostly staying in her room. She did indicate most of the customers were men but that a few alpha females had come in as well.
The second person we interviewed was the omega he showed me first. It went about as well as expected. She refused to answer any questions concerning her name or anyone she saw at the warehouse. I hadn't expected her to be forthcoming.
We were headed to the third room, another beta, when there was a commotion just down the hallway. A nurse came out holding a towel to her face and it was covered in blood. I jogged down to see if it was an unruly family member or something.
Once to the door I could see several nurses, male and female, along with Ellen sort of huddled around the far corner.
"Ellen?" I asked.
She turned and it seemed her eyes went wide. "Dean! Come in, you may be able to help with alpha voice."
"What's going on?"
"The omega you brought out first, he won't let anyone do anything."
I moved over and for the first time I could see his eyes, but right now they were fully gold. He was crouched in the corner, there was blood running down his arm and he had that trench coat clutched tight to one side.
"Everyone out."
"Dean..." Ellen questioned
"Out, even you Dr. Harvelle."
She blinked but nodded after a few seconds, instructing the other nurses to leave too.
The room was extremely bright with the regular lights plus the sun outside the window. So, I waited until they were all out of the room before I closed the door and the blinds to the one window. I then moved to the main window and turned the blinds down, reducing the bright afternoon sun to something more tolerable.
"I hope that's better."
He made no huge movements but his eyes had tracked me during the whole ordeal. He'd only moved that trench coat to a more central position.
I glanced around the room, trying to determine what caused this. There was an IV pole on its side; the needle still attached lying in a puddle of water. There were two trays that were turned over with needles and tubes lying all over the place. They must have tried to draw blood.
I moved toward him and sat down on the floor about five feet away. "Hi, my name is Dean. I know you didn't get my name this morning. I'm an officer with the Lawrence police department."
The gold remained, bright and alert. The stringy hair falling around his face. They hadn't even washed him off yet? Closer inspection showed his face was still just as dirty.
"Do you remember what I told you this morning? You are safe. It's okay now."
His eyes seemed focused on me, but he still didn't move. I really did not want to use alpha voice on him. It wasn't something many alphas used, unless it was an emergency. The arm that was bleeding wasn't anymore and he just seemed like he needed to calm down.
His smell hadn't changed much and if anything there was now a more sour note as well. The room was slowly clearing of the conflicting scents from the nurses, leaving just mine and his.
A few minutes turned into fifteen before he moved, it was slow and a bit uncoordinated but he moved closer. Scenting the air.
"It's okay. I won't hurt you."
"Alpha..." I barely heard it, it was so low.
"Yes, I'm an alpha. I won't hurt you though. You're safe."
I wasn't sure what I expected really, but I didn't expect him to crawl into my lap. His nose went right to my neck, inhaling deeply. I moved my arms around him carefully and he settled into my lap. Trench coat tucked up tightly next to him.
He was trembling a little bit and where my arm was I could feel he was chilly. I reached and got the blanket off the floor, where it had been flung or dropped, then draped it over him. His face stayed buried in my neck, the deep breaths stayed until they began to slow and eventually they turned rhythmic. He'd fallen asleep.
I heard the door open quietly before Ellen whispered my name.
"Over here, quiet though. He's asleep."
I heard the door shut behind her quietly and a moment later she was kneeling in front of me.
"What happened? He hasn't been bathed or even wiped off. I can feel the cage against my leg as well. Something I asked you to remove hours ago."
"He was unconscious when he first reached us. Made it easy. Once he came to, we had to give him a sedative to keep him calm."
I blinked. "Have you even been able to really check him out?"
She shook her head. "I got to do a brief exam in the ambulance. Mostly looking for life threatening injuries. I quickly bandaged his wrists and ankles, but then we got busy. I ordered a battery of tests and when they came in he flipped out on them."
"Did they scare him?"
"The nurse said he was barely awake. She introduced herself, got her stuff prepared and then he saw the needles and went feral. Her words. He yanked out my IV, turned over the tray, broke one nurse's nose and backed himself into that corner. Then you came in."
"And this cage? That could have been removed at the scene."
Her head lowered for a brief moment. "I couldn't remove it. The lock is sealed, almost like they melted it on it. Either the current or a previous owner did it. In addition, the area around the cage is really irritated and I would rather he be sedated for that.
I clearly heard her words, but comprehending them took a bit. The cage was melted or somehow sealed?! "Sealed shut?"
She nodded. "I would say check for yourself but that may wake him up."
"Perhaps. What did the nurses need?"
"They were going to draw blood, and change out the IV. I was also going to add an antibiotic."
"Is this scent normal?"
"No. Acidic omega scents are usually in one's that are in bad physical and mental states. He's clearly under weight, he hasn't said much to anyone and look where he came from, Dean."
I frowned at her. "Give me a bit of time and then I will come out. Have a beta nurse on standby."
She nodded and headed out, ensuring the door shut quietly. For 30 minutes I let him sleep right where he was. It was probably rare that he'd been able to sleep at all there without fearing someone would hurt him. But the floor was not kind to my ass or legs and after thirty they were beginning to cramp. So I gently rubbed his arm until it roused him awake
"We need to get up on the bed where it's soft and warm. At least I do."
I felt a brief nod before he sat up and I was blown away when he looked at me. The bright gold was replaced with a brilliant blue, like I was gazing into the sky. I'd never seen eyes this blue or this gorgeous.
"Your eyes are gorgeous." The words tumbled out before I could stop them.
He blinked at me but didn't reply. A moment later he moved himself slowly out of my lap and onto the floor. I got up, expecting he would also, but he didn't make any movements to get up.
"Are you alright? Do you need help getting up?"
"Not allowed." His voice was hoarse even at near inaudible levels. But those words seemed to break my heart all over again.
I kneeled in front of him. "Yes, you are."
He was trembling a bit now, either from being cold or scared. I held my hand out until he took it and let me help him up and into the bed. I laid the blanket over him and he still just seemed scared.
"I'm going to step outside the door. I won't let anyone else inside though. Just relax here for a bit. Okay?"
He nodded. I could smell the lingering sour notes but stepped outside the door anyway. Ellen was standing there with an older beta woman who I knew to be the staff psychologist.
"I presume she's been watching somehow?"
She shook her head. "I peeked in once when she came out. But Dr. Harvelle has filled me in on how he came here. How do you feel he is?"
"He's scared but seemed to calm down with me fairly well. I'm not his caregiver and can't really tell Ellen what to do with patients though. He is shaking but it could be from the coolness of the room to fear or even just hunger."
Ellen laid her hand on my shoulder and squeezed. "You may not like this but we both feel like he's responding to you so well, because to him, you own him. He was present during the talk of money. You may get him to do things no one else can because of that."
It made sense really, but usually omegas who came out of places like those latched on to anyone who showed a tiny bit of care. He hadn't done that, instead he'd lashed out at everyone.
"Maybe. From a medical standpoint what do you need?"
"A bath or wash down, his wounds treated. The cage to be removed and that area examined for any skin issues. Normally we see a lot of problems between the penis and scrotum. I would like to get an IV going for fluids and medication. I need to draw some blood work to test for hormones, general panels and a complete std panel. Once that is done I would like to see if he can hold down some chicken broth, I'm not pushing that though."
Well, she wasn't asking for much. I looked at the psychologist. "In your professional opinion, what is the safest way to achieve all that?"
Her warm chocolate eyes showed concern before she took a deep breath. "Ellen described how he calmed down for you and even fell asleep. It may very well be that he believes you own him and therefore he must do it. Until I can observe him I can't be clear on that. But it does appear that you being present will help Dr. Harvelle achieve her goals in a safe way."
It was obvious to me that he did give me some trust and may actually do those things without having any problems. I was about to ask another question when Charlie seemed to materialize out of thin air beside me. Her bright red hair made her appearance known to all of us.
"Before any of you make a decision, I have some information. "
The three of us turned to her and waited. Who knew what she'd dug up and whether it was good or bad.
"So, he has a name now. We can refer to him as Castiel James Novak. He just turned 18 on September 18th."
"He's only eighteen!?" I asked.
I knew he was young but fuck that was barely legal!
She nodded. "It gets worse."
"How?" Ellen asked, astonished.
"Castiel was kidnapped when he was 12. His parents, Amelia and Chuck Novak were killed in their bedroom. Police found a stain at the door that was determined to be urine from a male relative. Their theory was whoever killed his parents, made him watch. At the time, Castiel hadn't presented his second gender."
If my heart hadn't already been broken I am sure that would have done it. Being forced to watch your parents die? Then being forced into this nightmare?! No wonder he was so scared.
The psychologist hummed. "That does change things. We don't want him to latch onto you Mr. Winchester to the point that he can't be without you."
Ellen huffed. "We may be too late for that. Dean is the one who brought him out and he went to Dean, let him hold him and even fell asleep in his lap. For someone to come out of that hell hole and do that indicates he's latched on somehow. It's worse if he does believe Dean owns him, he doesn't know the new rules or boundaries and won't let us do anything."
"Did you get a rape kit or does that need to be done too? Is the District Attorney requiring those?"
Ellen shook her head. "In the ambulance I swabbed his thigh where it was clear semen was. I'm not going to violate him anymore. If he agrees I will, but only if he agrees. I personally don't care what they want."
I nodded, Ellen usually had final say on the victims in these cases. Kits are usually done but if the patient isn't stable enough then she won't. I looked at Charlie. "Is there anything you found that could indicate a mental or physical problem?"
She considered my question for several minutes. "Not really. His prior medical records, which I sent you Dr. Harvelle, didn't indicate any problems. There was no indication of abuse, neglect or any family problems. For all purposes, he was a normal preteen."
"Were there any other reports of missing kids around then?"
"Yes. Four other kids went missing the same week. Parents killed. Some showed signs that the child was present by either having urine or vomit."
Ellen looked sick, the psychologist was a little green around the gills too and I turned toward his room.
"Thanks Charlie. If you find anything else please let me know."
"Will do, bi..er..Dean."
I smirked at her correction but saw her make a hasty retreat. I considered what she'd told me and what I'd seen in him.
I messaged Jody telling her the situation and that since I was needed, she needed to send another officer to finish interviews. I was sure she would lecture me at some point, but she would also understand.
"Alright. Cage first thing. I can sit in or help you, whatever is needed. While you and I do that, I'd like to have a beta or omega nurse gather shower supplies for him and a clean pair of scrubs for me. I will help but not naked. I am sure he'll need a seat as well. Is that agreeable?"
"Yes. Let me get some supplies and Dean, are you sure you don't want him sedated?"
"I will ask him. He may be alright with a local one or he may prefer the sedation. But I would rather give him that choice."
"I agree with him on that, forcing it may upset him. We don't know how long that cage has been on him."
I had my suspicions that it had been on for a very long time. Once she gave out orders I stepped back into the room. He, or Castiel, hadn't moved from the spot I left him. I walked over and sat down, laid my hand on his lower leg.
"So, I was told that your name is Castiel. Is that correct?"
His head tilted to me in confusion for a moment before he nodded. I smiled at him and gently squeezed.
"My name is Dean Winchester. I'm a police officer. I would like to ask some questions before we proceed, is that alright?"
He nodded.
"You are very quiet, is it because your throat is sore?"
His gorgeous eyes drifted down for a moment before he nodded again. I didn't ask why, I could probably guess the reason.
"Alright. So I'll stick to yes and no questions. You can nod or shake your head accordingly."
He moved his eyes back to mine and I gently rubbed that spot on his shin, which felt too small to me.
"Dr. Harvelle and I would like to make sure you are doing okay physically. We would like to remove the cage, but she said it was sealed and she feels like removing it may cause pain to you in that area. She would like for you to be asleep for this. It will only be myself and Dr. Harvelle for this. Are you okay being temporarily put to sleep?"
I figured based on the very wide eyes that his answer was no and the frantic head shake proved it.
"Alright. Do you want any type of numbing agent so you don't feel the pain?"
His brows creased before he shook his head again, but he held up a finger. "Change mind?"
"Yes, you can change your mind about either option if you want."
"You cut."
"You want me to cut the metal?"
He nodded. I patted that same leg. "No problem. Once the cage is gone she'll examine that area to make sure things are okay. After that, we'll get you cleaned up. I'll be in the bathroom with you but I'll be dressed. We can get the dirt and grime off and then attend to any open wounds you may have. Are you okay with that?"
He didn't give me an immediate answer, and seemed a bit afraid. I gently squeezed his leg and he looked at me.
"Castiel, this is not a coy way to hurt you in any way. As I said, I will be wearing clothes the entire time. They will bring a chair for you and I can sit outside and only help if needed. It's more for your safety. If you aren't comfortable with me then I can see if Dr. Harvelle has a female beta or omega that can be there."
He was still quiet for what felt like eternity before he pointed to me. "You."
"Okay. After that we'll get you bandaged up. Dr. Harvelle wants to draw blood and get another IV started as well. Was there a reason you fought them before?"
He nodded. "Hurt me."
"They hurt you today?"
His head shook. "Before. Two did."
"Two of the nurses have hurt you before?"
He nodded. "Not nice betas."
"I gotcha. If she shows you a picture can you point them out?"
He nodded. I sent Ellen a quick text to have her get photos of the several nurses in the room. She would know which ones were in here. I also told her to get the supplies ready to remove the cage and for the shower.
"Do you know how long this cage has been on? If so, hold up your fingers."
He held up five fingers. "Right after I presented, five years ago."
"I'm sorry they did this to you. I'll make sure they go to hell for this."
There was a gentle knock and Dr. Harvelle came in. "Hello Castiel. I am Dr. Harvelle. I'm your primary doctor while you are here. Dean asked me to come help with the cage and to bring some things."
Castiel nodded and the first thing she did was show him the photos of the nurses that were in here earlier. He pointed out the two beta nurses whom he knew from the warehouse.
Ellen sent their information to security. They would be permanently removed from this wing and investigations would occur, but right now they couldn't fire them or arrest them.
"Alright. Dean has said you don't want any numbing or to be sedated, I did bring the necessary numbing agents if you change your mind. If you do, tap my hand twice and I'll stop everything. Okay?"
Castiel nodded and I let Ellen do the set up. I figured he would hesitate a bit but he laid down and let her raise the gown without any questions.
I had noticed the irritation and redness this morning, but didn't realize that it was so bad. The redness was very evident now and so were the small areas that looked torn or seemed to be infected.
Ellen explained she was going to place some gauze pads between his skin and the metal of the cage, so the cutters wouldn't hurt as badly.
As she carefully did this I watched his face. I could tell it was hurting him based on the furrows and scrunched up forehead.
"Castiel? Do you need her to stop?"
He shook his head but fumbled for my hand and I gladly gave it. Ellen briefly glanced at my hand before moving more gauze between the metal and his skin. There was already some blood showing on the gauze she'd placed.
"Alright Dean. Cut the cage as many times as needed. But try not to put much pressure against him. A few places have stuck to the skin."
His hand tightened on mine and I smiled. I laid my hand down on my thigh with his. "Grip my thigh, you won't hurt me. If you need me to stop, squeeze rapidly."
His fingers unlocked from mine and moved to my thigh. I got the cutters from Ellen and she noted two places for sure, if we needed more we would. After those two cuts I tried but the rapid squeezes caused me to back off.
"Too much?"
He nodded. "Pinched."
It took another two cuts to be able to remove it without pinching or causing any undue pain. Even during that I saw the scrunched up facial expressions and the tears that ran down his cheeks.
"All done. I'm going to let Ellen check you out. I'm not a doctor."
He nodded and his hand went back to mine. I squeezed it gently while she checked for anything that may need stitched up.
"Good news. I don't see any problems that some antibiotic cream and gauze pads won't solve. I was worried about some skin infections between your penis and scrotum. It looks a little irritated but nothing bad. You did a good job cleaning your area, despite the cage."
"Hurts when not cleaned." He replied.
She patted his leg. "I understand. During the shower clean this whole area well, but be careful and be gentle. Use your hand only. I'll have the antibiotic cream and gauze pads ready when you get out."
"Thanks, Dr. Harvelle."
"Let me get those and the scrubs. I'll be right back."
I laid the gown back over him and sat down, never letting his hand go.
"Do you feel better now?"
He nodded but I couldn't read his mind. Until he was able to talk to us, we could only guess how he truly felt. Assuming he told us; some victims were never able to recount the trauma.
His hand held mine even as Ellen returned and explained a nurse would be in to change the sheets and that a tray would be brought up as well. He reluctantly let go so I could change clothes and get the items set up for his shower. Once I was changed, the items set up, and the chair placed I went back to the bedside.
"Ready?"
He nodded and I assisted with him turning and even getting up. But once upright he swayed some, his hands grabbing my biceps to steady himself. Not that I minded. I waited but he didn't seem to be gaining his balance and I nudged him back down to sitting.
"Do you feel sick or dizzy?"
He nodded some. "Weak, too."
"Do you think you can make it to the bathroom without falling?"
"Maybe?"
It didn't sound confident at all. I considered my options. Get him a wheelchair or just carry him, instincts lean heavily on the carry option.
"Would you mind if I just carried you in?"
He blinked, clear confusion in his eyes before he shook his head. I did have him stand before picking him up. I made sure the head and feet didn't touch the door frame and gently stood him in front of the chair, helping him ease down.
"Castiel, you can be honest with me. Do you feel like you can shower by yourself?"
He looked around the shower area before he shook his head and then lowered it. I kneeled down and lifted his head gently.
"It's okay. I'll just give you a bath but...I would like for you to handle your groin and backside. Would you like warm or cool water?"
"Warm."
I got the water started and then untied the gown for him. After a test of the water temperature, we got busy getting him cleaned up. I started with his hair, which took a bit of time. Although, getting to run my hands through his hair felt nice. Perhaps it was just taking care of him?
This desire to pamper him, cater him, and make sure he was happy was new to me. To show him that not everyone was evil.
"Feels nice." He said.
"It may take a wash or two. I didn't realize it was so long."
He briefly nodded but his head was relaxing into my hands and I could feel a very slight vibration. I washed it three times before the water ran clear and then twice with the conditioner.
I ran the rag gently over his back, being extra careful where welts or cuts were. I then moved to his arms, hands and chest. Then moved to legs and feet, all the while being careful and gentle.
"Alright, the last area is you. I'm going to step right outside the shower."
I stepped out while he cleaned himself, I busied myself with getting the towels ready.
"Alpha?"
His voice sounded strange so I stuck my head in the shower. "Yes?"
"I'm finished."
I smiled at him, then moved to turn the water off after a final rinse down. I got a towel and started with his hair and got the extra water out before wrapping it loosely.
"Do you think you can stand to dry off or do you want to remain sitting as long as possible?"
"Sitting."
"Alright."
I dried him off as much as I could while he remained sitting, but eventually he had to stand and I just wrapped the towel around him before lifting him up. The room was empty but the nurse had been by. There were clean sheets on the bed, there were new packages of gauze pads and a new tube of antibiotic cream as well.
I stood him up long enough for him to dry his backside and groin. Once he was sitting I bandaged any areas on his back that seemed to need it.
Luckily not many, most were now just bruises.
"He refused to tell me why he did this."
His head turned slightly. "I didn't fight."
"You didn't deserve this though."
I saw the slight shrug and didn't push just yet. Instead I finished up with the bandages and helped him into a gown and back onto the bed properly.
"Alright, your turn to bandage up what Ellen said."
"I...I mean.."
"You can do this Castiel. Just be gentle. I'm going to step into the bathroom and change out of these clothes."
Truthfully, I wouldn't mind touching him for treatment, but I also wanted him to feel like he had some sense of privacy, given he'd had to show more than one person here already! So I did as I said and stepped out. I picked up the dirty clothes and put them in a pile with the rags and towels and added my scrubs to it. Putting my jeans and Henley back on.
By the time I made it out he was leaning back but the gown was still up and the bandages were...well, not quite right.
"Castiel? Everything okay?"
"Hurts."
"I can imagine."
"Alpha...please?"
Really, only one needed adjusting and it was quick. "You did a good job. Let's get you covered up though, your legs have goosebumps."
He seemed so tired already. But Ellen wanted blood work and he needed to eat a little bit. So I called the cafeteria to have the tray brought up and then Ellen.
"Do needles bother you?"
He got this far away look in his eyes. "They used them."
I didn't venture into why they used them, I was sure some sick bastard had used them on him or they had given him sedatives through needles before.
"Ellen won't hurt you anymore than necessary. This lets them give you an antibiotic, fluids and pain medication. Ellen won't give you anything else without telling you. If the IV hurts let us know, sometimes they need adjusting."
"Have to?"
"It would make it easier. They also need blood work. Two sticks and it's over for now."
"You stay?"
I nodded."I'll be right here."
"Okay." His voice wavered and now sounded worse. I got a cup of water for him which he was finishing when Ellen knocked.
It didn't take long for her to get an IV going and get the blood drawn she needed.
He held my hand the whole time, squeezing when needed. His tray arrived right after that and I remained sitting, which was good, as he almost spilled the tea. His hands were shaking and most likely his strength was gone from years of abuse. Did I mind feeding him? Hell no.
After he indicated he was done he relaxed back some. I could tell he was sleepy, it had been a very long day and the last few hours especially.
"You can go to sleep. You are safe here."
"You may leave..."
"You don't want me to leave?"
He shook his head and I swore he was pouting as well.
"Tell you what, I'll stay. I can't promise to stay the entire time you are here. But I will make sure you know when I leave and when I'll be back. How's that?"
"Promise?"
"Yes."
I got a tiny smile and while I promised, his hand still curled around the sleeve of my shirt before he drifted off. I guess I wasn't going anywhere for a while.
My phone lit up about thirty minutes after he fell asleep, Jody's name was flashing so I answered.
"I'm sorry..." I started.
"Stop. What happened?"
I gave her the rundown about him freaking out, how he came to me and has since let Ellen do what she needed. I gave her a brief update about his condition which was stable at the moment.
"You're still with him, right?
"Yes, he's currently holding onto my sleeve, asleep."
"I sent Garth to finish interviews. He's already spoken briefly with Ellen. You have a new assignment."
"Which is?"
"Watching over him. Alastair made some disturbing statements to Benny while he was interviewing him and right now that omega is a key witness. He trusts you and I think you are the best man for it. Your assignment is to keep him safe. Ellen has already limited the nurses allowed into his room to herself and Nurse Greenley. She will send you a photo of the nurse, no one else is allowed to give him anything. Meals will be brought by one of them as well."
I glanced down at the sleeping form, his eyes barely moving behind the lids.
"He made a threat against his life, didn't he?"
"He did it indirectly, but yes."
"Okay. Is Benny free or do you have him working on something?"
"He can be. What do you need?"
"I have an overnight bag packed at home. The usual, change of clothes and stuff. I'll need it and I'll need to talk with Ellen about my own meals."
"Benny or Garth can sit with him if needed."
"I'll see. Thank you Jody."
"You're welcome."
We hung up and I sent Benny a message about bringing my bag and he said he would. I also messaged Ellen and she said not to worry about meals, she'd take care of me.
I then just relaxed because what else could I do?
Benny dropped my bag off around nine, leaving it outside the door because he didn't want to wake Cas and scare him. Ellen brought it in when she brought me dinner a little later. I ate one handed because his hand still clutched my sleeve.
He slept well for almost two hours before the whines began, before the turning and movements. At that point I woke him up because it was clearly a nightmare. I did not tell him about the threat, but that if I had to leave I had two buddies that could sit in. He wasn't happy with that, but compromised that they could sit at the door.
Ellen also brought in another bed for me. And after he'd had some more broth we both tucked in for the night.