When Harry spoke up, Cas glanced at him and then back at Iris. He wanted to stay by her side all day if it was possible, but realistically, he knew he wouldn’t be able to visit her for much longer. His father had been avoiding him since their fight, but if he didn’t return home before the evening, he was sure the king would search for him. The last thing he needed was to cue Atlas in to his closeness with her by allowing him to find out that he’d insisted on staying by her side at the expense of his own health. If he was going to build a case for himself and pretend like he wasn’t in love with her, he was going to have to behave like he only saw her as the person who had rescued him and nothing more. He let out his breath in a quiet sigh.
“I guess that’s fine,” he relented, casting Iris a subtle, wistful glance. “I just want to make sure she won’t be sentenced prematurely. She saved my life, after all.” It was the best excuse he could come up with that wouldn’t give away how much he actually cared about her. Fortunately, it seemed to be believable enough for Harry.
“I’ll pass on the word if anyone asks,” the guard assured him in his usual friendly manner. “You get some rest, and I’ll stay here to make sure she’s treated fairly.”
“Thanks,” Cas nodded, feeling a little relieved that there would be someone keeping an eye on Iris while he was gone. He supposed this worked out for the better anyway. He couldn’t speak to her openly as long as the guards were around, so he would be able to get more accomplished in the privacy of his own bedroom. As long as the soldiers abided by the doctor’s orders, he had at least two days to come up with a plan to get her away from them. It wasn’t a whole lot of time, but it was enough for him to start working on something before they sent her back to the penitentiary.
Breaking her out of the hospital will be a lot easier than trying to get her out of a maximum security prison, he thought, stepping over to the door where Jacob was already waiting. He would have liked to say goodbye to her before he left, but he didn’t want to come across as too friendly with her, so he merely glanced at her over his shoulder one more time before he headed into the hallway with his bodyguard.
Their walk back to the lobby was quiet, as both men were still tense after their earlier argument. They dropped off their guest passes at the reception desk and made their way to the parking garage in further silence. On the way, Cas idly rubbed his chest, where his fractured ribs had begun to pain him again after he’d been off his painkillers for a while. The injections he’d received would speed up the duration of his healing from six weeks to just one, but he was still going to be sore for a few days while he was recovering. As soon as he got home, he planned to have a light meal and take the prescription pills they’d picked up at the pharmacy to ease the pain.
“I guess that’s fine,” he relented, casting Iris a subtle, wistful glance. “I just want to make sure she won’t be sentenced prematurely. She saved my life, after all.” It was the best excuse he could come up with that wouldn’t give away how much he actually cared about her. Fortunately, it seemed to be believable enough for Harry.
“I’ll pass on the word if anyone asks,” the guard assured him in his usual friendly manner. “You get some rest, and I’ll stay here to make sure she’s treated fairly.”
“Thanks,” Cas nodded, feeling a little relieved that there would be someone keeping an eye on Iris while he was gone. He supposed this worked out for the better anyway. He couldn’t speak to her openly as long as the guards were around, so he would be able to get more accomplished in the privacy of his own bedroom. As long as the soldiers abided by the doctor’s orders, he had at least two days to come up with a plan to get her away from them. It wasn’t a whole lot of time, but it was enough for him to start working on something before they sent her back to the penitentiary.
Breaking her out of the hospital will be a lot easier than trying to get her out of a maximum security prison, he thought, stepping over to the door where Jacob was already waiting. He would have liked to say goodbye to her before he left, but he didn’t want to come across as too friendly with her, so he merely glanced at her over his shoulder one more time before he headed into the hallway with his bodyguard.
Their walk back to the lobby was quiet, as both men were still tense after their earlier argument. They dropped off their guest passes at the reception desk and made their way to the parking garage in further silence. On the way, Cas idly rubbed his chest, where his fractured ribs had begun to pain him again after he’d been off his painkillers for a while. The injections he’d received would speed up the duration of his healing from six weeks to just one, but he was still going to be sore for a few days while he was recovering. As soon as he got home, he planned to have a light meal and take the prescription pills they’d picked up at the pharmacy to ease the pain.