Chapter Text
‘Wake up, little Suzy, wake up!’ the alarm clock blared, music filling the room. 6.30am. Castiel Novak groaned and threw an arm over his face, his body slowly coming to terms with the waking world and its blinding sunlight streaming through his bedroom window. He rolled over, still half asleep, finding that no matter what position he took, the bed was always comfortable and warm. Why did this happen every time he had to get up? Every time.
As he had fallen into a deep sleep the night before after needing a pill to aid him, it took him a while to remember exactly where, when and what today was. When it clicked, he sat bolt upright, his eyes huge with panic. Oh god, first day as an intern. At a real hospital, treating real people. Was this real life? Castiel glanced around his room, and sure enough, there was a pair of navy blue scrubs hanging neatly at the top of his door. Today was the day. C’mon, relax, he told himself. It won’t be that terrifying. He sighed and shook his head, realizing he couldn't convince himself of that. Castiel had been worrying about this for weeks. At least after today it wouldn't be such a big deal anymore!
Castiel was 26, fresh out of medical school. Always knowing he wanted to be a doctor, he had worked hard and graduated as a valedictorian, to his family’s joy. On the other hand, he hadn't much enjoyed the tradition of ‘vale dicere’ – the act of saying farewell – at the graduation! Public speaking was not his forte – along with being outspoken and stepping outside of his comfort zone. Castiel was determined to change that, disallowing any of those things to stand in his way of finally becoming a good doctor. After his morning shower, Castiel pulled on his scrubs, turning to face the full-length mirror. Huh. They look good. Castiel’s mouth curled up in a hint of a smile, finding that he felt like a doctor already, a warm sensation flooding through his heart. This was the day his career would really take off. Running a hand through his dark hair and scrubbing his teeth and face, Castiel went downstairs for breakfast.
After a rather erratic journey in his white Ford, Castiel locked up the car, grabbed his rucksack and turned to face it. Seattle Mercy Hospital; his place of work for at least the next three years. His nerves had been growing more and more frayed by the minute. Now, seeing this tall and daunting medical building, Castiel’s hands began shaking as he reluctantly approached the entrance doors, passing a few doctors and patients assembled outside, chatting, smoking and drinking coffee.
What if he wasn’t good enough? What if he screwed up? What if… what if he killed someone by mistake? What if he got sued? Castiel paused mid-step, his mind frantic, and dashed over to lean against the concrete wall, breathing rapidly, panting. He was really shaking now. He didn't want to go in there. Once again, panic quickly set in.
“Hey! Whoa! Brown-baggin’ it!” a voice announced. The voice belonged to a very tall boy with coffee-colored hair past his ears, and sideburns. He was wearing scrubs too, underneath a grey hooded jacket. The boy rushed over and produced a brown paper bag. He shoved it over Castiel’s mouth. “Just breathe… calm down, man,” he soothed.
After a few minutes, the panic attack had more or less subsided. Castiel took a final deep breath and put down the bag. “Thank you, Mr-?”
“Wesson,” the boy grinned, extending a hand. “Sam Wesson.”
Castiel thanked Sam once again and braved the walk into the hospital, nearly tripping over a step on the way. He wasn’t normally this much of a klutz!
Strolling down the corridor, Castiel’s eyes tried to memorize everything. Faces, rooms, the gift shop, the elevator. But it all seemed a blur. Two men turned onto the corridor, looking at Castiel as they approached in his direction. One of the men was balding, in a white suit, carrying files. He had a goatee beard. The other was much younger, wore a burgundy suit and very stressed expression. He was carrying a briefcase and seemed to be the older man’s assistant.
“Hey, son. Bob Singer. Welcome to hell,” the older man joked as he passed by, grinning warmly, gesturing around the place. At least Castiel hoped he was joking. The younger man cringed and managed a weak, non-sincere smile. “Get out while you still can,” he suggested, nodding. “Seriously.” He turned into the room the older man had entered, looking grim. This did nothing for Castiel’s worry, so he tried to forget all about it.
After a few hours of signing papers, a lecture on the rules and regulations, group introductions Castiel always hated, and acquisition of schedules, the interns scattered for lunch. Castiel timidly entered the cafeteria. It was rather large, and bustling with people. He quickly made his way over for some tea to calm his nerves, followed by a cheese sandwich. In the queue, he eyed a group of interns who had also begun their first day. It was unfair, Castiel thought, that they were already hanging around together like the popular kids in high school, when he hadn't dared speak to anyone yet. Some things never change. One of them, a girl named Jess, had been kind enough to say hello to him during the introduction. She was pretty, with long wavy blonde hair and a beautiful smile. She was sitting with two boys, one named Michael, as Castiel recalled. He was very handsome, with blue eyes, black hair and an arrogant, know-it-all attitude. The other, blonde boy’s name… Alan, perhaps?
Or was it Adam?
Castiel heard a miserable groan behind him, breaking his thoughts. He turned to see a red-headed girl directly behind in the queue. She was propping her head up by her elbow, her eyes closed, falling asleep right there.
“A-are you okay?”
Hearing his voice, the girl jumped and stood upright.
“Me? Oh, I’m fine! Dandy, actually! I just couldn't sleep last night, y’know, nerves. I need to caffeinate ASAP.”
She introduced herself as Charlie Bradbury, a computer whiz from Chicago who enjoys games, especially the role-playing kind. Castiel had dabbled, but most of what Charlie babbled about was nonsense to him. But still, he was happy to have found a friend, so he reacted with interest to everything she said. Which was a lot. In fact, she never stopped! After they bought lunch, she proceeded to invite Castiel over to her table, where two other guys were seated. He recognized them from the morning. One of the boys smiled nervously as he sat down. He made Castiel look brave in comparison. The other was a baby-faced Asian boy who was fidgeting with his empty coffee cup.
“Castiel Novak,” Charlie stated. “I’d like you to meet Aaron Bass and Kevin Tran.”