She's a dreamer
She chuckled and pressed her lips against his and licked the bottom of his lips begging for entrance. "Rick, please." She mumbled, her lips still pressed against his.
"Kate, you need to get to work. Gates is scary enough; I don't need her to be on my back again for you coming in late." He told her, pulling away. She let out a long sigh and nodded, stole one last kiss from him and went to put on her shoes.
"I'll see you after work. In the mean time, I want you to write Frozen Heat. Understood?" She told him sternly and he nodded, "Yes m'am."
She chuckled and opened the door, grabbing her purse with her gun and badge and made her way out. He watched her walk away and closed the door when he saw her go down the hall to the elevator. He sighed and walked to his study room pulling his computer out of the desk and opening it. He sat on his chair and put the computer on him and wrote a few lines of Nikki Heat before resting his head back and closing his eyes. Just a small nap, he thought.
Downstairs, Kate Beckett made her way to her patrol car, got in and started the engine, making her way from Castle's loft to the crime scene. Because of traffic in the city, Detective Beckett made it just as Lanie was putting the body in ME truck. "Wait, Lanie." She called out after her friend, who turned around hearing her best friend's voice.
"Kate, there you are. I thought you were getting your freak on with writer boy again." Lanie gave her friend the look and Kate just bit down on her lower lip and tried to hide her blushing.
"How does it look?" She asked her.
"Like you've got some explaining to do." Kate eyed her friend and pointed down, "The Vic Lanie."
"Oh, COD is multiple gunshot wounds to the upper body but only one was fatal. The one that entered her neck here." She explained pointing just below the victim's right ear. "Is the bullet that killed her. Burn marks around the wound say the shooter was at close range. I'll know more when I get her to the lab." Kate nodded thanked her friend and let her leave with the body.
She looked around carefully around the crime scene and decided to meet up with Ryan and Esposito. After making her usual call around the crime scene, she got in her car and made her way back to the precinct.
Later that evening, after Kate Beckett had broken the news to the victim's husband and son, she sat quietly at her desk looking over the murder board. It was late and she knew Rick would be waiting for her for dinner, but she felt connected to this case somehow. She needed to find the girl's killer, for the sake of the victim's husband and son. It wasn't fair to them and she needed to give them closer.
"Beckett, what are you still doing here? I told you all to go home, it's been a rough day, go home relax and come back tomorrow with an open mind." Captain Victoria 'Iron' Gates walked out of her office and stood in front of the Detective's desk.
"Sorry Sir, I'll go. It's just, I feel as if I'm missing something." She bit her lip and turned around to face her captain.
"Go home, come back tomorrow with an open mind. It's late and I'm sure that writer is impatiently waiting for you to come home." Kate nodded and watched her captain walk back to her office. She took her bag and walked to the elevator, taking one last glance at the murder board.
She walked outside in the crowded New York City and walked a few block until she reached her car that was park in front of a bakery. She looked inside and smiled as she saw two little girls helping their father make some pastries. She watched them for a little before getting in her car and putting her window down, letting the fresh breeze of the big apple into her car. She started the engine and drove off.
She didn't get far, maybe a few minutes of driving before she noticed that she was dead tired. Her eyes had trouble focusing on the road and the darkness of the streets wasn't helping. She took a left and decided to take the long way to the loft, going where there was the most light. As she turned, she saw from far the truck turn the opposite side as her and drive straight towards her. She swerved trying to avoid the truck but it still hit the driver's side, sending her small patrol car rolling upside down until it hit the brick wall of a building.
The last thing Kate remembered before her world went black was Castle calling out her name, begging her to stay alive. Don't die on me Kate, Stay with me. Stay with me, Kate. I love you. I love you Kate.
Someone would have said the scene looked catastrophic, it did. The smashed up, turned over patrol car leaning on the brick wall of a building, the flipped truck with the unconscious man sitting in it, with a pretty bad gash on his forehead. But with the size difference of the cars, anyone with a brain would say the man would make it out fine. As for the woman sitting unconsciously in the car, people would fear that her heart had stopped beating or she'd come out pretty beat up.
People stood crowded around the scene, a few children, and some elder people. Others just coming back from work never expecting to see this. Everyone clung to their phone, each calling 911 to inform of the same tragic accident.
On the other side of town, Richard Castle walked around the house preparing a dinner for his beloved Kate. Today was the day he'd been waiting for, it was the day he was going to ask her to be Mrs. Richard Castle. He had it all set, the candles, the romantic food, the flowers. All he was missing was Kate Beckett herself. He knew she worked late and she had informed him earlier of the case she had just got and she told him she would stay just a little longer to try and find a lead. He told her it was fine, he would have more time to prepare her surprise.
It was getting late and Rick had to admit he was starting to get worried, but Kate was a grown woman, she was probably on her way home and she was just stuck in traffic. He sat on the couch and put on the news and rested his head on the edge of the couch.
He didn't expect to fall asleep, especially not when he woke up at 3 a.m. to his phone ringing. He was confused at first as of where he was but when he saw that he was in his living room; he got his senses together and answered his phone.
"Hello" He said sleepily.
"Richard Castle?" The voice on the other line said, just above a whisper.
"Yes, this is him." He was confused, who would call this early in the morning anyways. He looked around and searched for Kate and figured she might have gone into the bed room for a good night of sleep and not on the couch like he did. Wait, but wouldn't she have woken him up when she got home?
"Rick, this is Jim." He frowned, why would he be calling so early in the morning?
"What is?"
"It's Kate." Rick stood more awake then he's ever been by the broken sound in his voice. What was wrong with his Kate?
"What is it? What's wrong with her?"
"She was in a car accident, a bad one. They say she's bad." Jim tried his best to stay strong. He'd already lost his wife; he didn't need to lose his daughter too.
"I'll be right there. Where is she?" Jim told him where they where and Rick hung up, getting changed quickly and made his way over there as soon as he could.
On his way, he gave a call to his mother, who was up in the Hamptons and a quick call to Alexis who was attending Stanford University. He arrived shortly after his call with Jim and made his way up to the floor Jim has said they were.
"Jim, where is she?" He asked walking up to the man sitting in the waiting room on an old cranky chair with his head resting in his palms.
"I don't know they took her out for scans a few hours ago, haven't heard from them since." Rick sat down next to the broken man and put his hand on his shoulder for comfort.
"When did this happen?" He asked.
Jim shrugged and looked at him, "I don't know the exact time. They said she was rushed in at 10 p.m. but they couldn't reach me until one in the morning. They couldn't perform any major things without my consent so she was in critical stage for a few hours. Then I tried calling you, because I know you and my daughter are, you know an item and I didn't have your phone number."
Rick raised a brow and asked, "Then how did you reach me?"
"The doctors gave me Kate's phone. Wasn't as smashed as I thought it would be." He took it out of his pocket and chuckled as he unlocked it.
"Ever since Katie was 4 she had 4 favorite numbers. When I saw her phone was locked I remembered the numbers she always used as a kid and knowing my daughter I figured she wouldn't have grown out of it." Rick chuckled and smiled picturing his girlfriend as an innocent little girl.
"I think I should call the boys and Lanie, they would want to know that Kate's here." Rick told the older man.
"Rick, you may call them but please ask them not to come straight away. I felt like the world was closing in on me when I was last here with everyone from her team. I mean, please. It would mean a lot to me."
"Always Jim. I'll tell them." He smiled briefly and excused himself.
They weren't sure how long both sat there waiting for someone to come talk to them. They had been here for hours and no one could help them. Finally sometime in the morning, just as Rick arrived with some coffee for Jim and himself, a middle aged doctor came out.
"Family of Kate Beckett?" He called out to the almost empty waiting room.
Rick and Jim got up and turned their attention to the doctor.
"My name is Dr. Monroe and I'm going to be Miss Beckett's doctor for now. Would you like to follow me so we can discuss our options?" Jim and Rick glanced at each other for a few seconds before following the doctor to a room with x-rays on the walls.
"Kate Beckett suffered severe trauma. She has a compound fracture on her left elbow, but nothing that can't be fixed with a cast. She will have a lot of bruises and cuts, that's for sure but what I'm here to discuss with you are the possibilities offered to you with the severity of Kate Beckett's brain trauma. She suffered from swelling and bleeding in the brain and we gave her medication to try to get the swelling down but I'm afraid that if she doesn't respond to it, we'll have to bring her into surgery." He explained to them.
Jim looked more confused than ever, "What kind of surgery?"
The doctor let out a sigh and offered the two to sit down. Rick was oddly quiet but he was just trying to let it all in.
"This surgery is a delicate operation in Miss Beckett's case because of the severity of the swelling and bleeding. If I be honest with you, there's a 60% chance that the operation will succeed."
"And with the other 40%? Are you saying she could die?" Rick spoke up, trying to hold back the tears.
"Yes, that or she might come out with sequels from the surgery. The surgery itself consists of removing the upper part of the skull for an undetermined amount of time, until the swelling comes down and putting it back afterwards. The surgery has risks but it can also save her life."
Jim sighed and looked at the x-ray images of his daughter's broken body. "How long until we know if the treatment worked?"
Dr. Monroe looked at his chart and shrugged. "In this scenario, we're giving it 24 hours; if she doesn't respond then we'll have to get her into surgery."
Jim nodded and glanced at Rick, "Do it. Do whatever it takes to save my daughter. I couldn't bear to lose another loved one. And I'm pretty sure he would die if she did." He told the doctor, pointing at Rick's frozen frame.
Rick was shocked, just this morning they were happy and smiling and he was going to propose and now they were telling him that she could die. The world is small and dangerous, preserve the memories, anything can happen. You don't know how much time you've got with someone. It could all go away. Disappear in the blink of an eye.
"Is my daughter awake?" Dr. Monroe nodded briefly and explained, "She's awake but isn't responding to a lot. The bleeding is blocking her view which is making her temporarily blind."
"Can we go see her?" He nodded and told them the room and walked part of the route with them until he needed to go and check some other files.
"Jim you go in and see her, it's just one at a time. You go and see her, I'll wait out here."
Eventually Jim came out, his eyes red probably from crying. He said he needed to get some fresh air and to go in there to keep her company. He nodded, patted the older man's shoulder and walked in.
Rick couldn't bear the pain. His loved one broken from every bone in her fragile body. He watched her sleepless form on the table. There was wires attached to her body, they were everywhere and he blinked trying to fight the image threatening to stay engraved into his memory forever. Her right arm, from the wrist until half way on her upper arm lay in a careful white cast, placed gently on her chest.
He walked up to her and whipped the tear. "Hey there Kate. Can you hear me?" She groaned a little and mumbled something, blinking her eyes rapidly before closing them again.
"You're going to be fine, I promise. Just stay strong." He sat down next to her and did his best to keep a straight strong face.
"Hurt." She whispered as the tear slid down the side of her face.
"I know it does baby, but you'll be fine. I promise I'll do my best for you to get better."
"Baby." She groaned, trying to lift her arm.
"Kate stay put, you need to move as less as possible."
"No, baby." She groaned again and coughed loudly. Nurses ran into the room as Kate emptied the contain of her stomach.
"That would be because of the brain injury." The nurse explained to him, cleaning her up a little before getting to the door. Her eyes closed lightly and she fell into a sudden sleep. Pain over took her and the only way she could escape it was to sleep for a short amount of time.
"I love you." He whispered pressing his lips on her hand and let the tear fall. He let go of her hand and walked out the room. He couldn't do it, watch her lifeless body on the table. He couldn't. He needed her smiles back, he needed his always back.
He leaned on the wall a few rooms down from where Kate's was and fell down gripping his face in his hands. "Why?" He yelled. Nobody bothered to look at him; he didn't want anyone to look at him. The woman he loved was unresponsive in a hospital bed in between life and death with a life threatening brain injury.
He cried and cried. He couldn't bear the pain. She was supposed to be strong; she was the strongest person he knew. But now, she was weaker than ever, broken.
"Come back to me."
He could have sworn it had been years since he sat on her bedside, there when she woke up, usually never for very long. He didn't want to leave her bed side, but Jim forced him to once in a while. The poor broken man sat there with him and together they grieved their pain.
Lanie, Esposito, Ryan and Jenny had all came back, none for very long, Jim's request, but just enough to let out a few tears at their friend's state.
It was getting late, it was just about 24 hours since Kate's accident and Dr. Monroe came in with some results in his hands.
"I'm afraid to say Kate isn't responding to the medication we're giving her."
They knew what that meant. They weren't stupid. It was either they refused the surgery and put Kate's chance to make it out safely at low or they went through with the surgery, risked her life or give her the possibility to have sequels of the surgery and possibly make it out and everything would be fine.
Rick didn't exactly have a say in this, but he and Jim had spoken about the possibility of things earlier. He glanced at the older man and nodded his head before letting out a long sigh and taking Kate's damp hand in his.
"I love you." He whispered against it. "I hope that you'll be better after this. I promise you you'll be fine."
Dr. Monroe looked back between the broken man kneeling next to his loved one and the father, just as broken as the man.
"Do it, do the surgery. Do anything you can do to save my daughter."