Castle and Beckett and the team had been working every angle they good trying to catch the suspect in their newest murder case, they finally caught a break and received a tip that their suspect was hiding out in an abandoned warehouse.
Beckett and her team headed out to this warehouse, Ryan and Esposito were taking the back door while Beckett and Castle were going to head in through the front door. Beckett walked in first with Castle behind her, since she was the cop and he was the write tag along it was her job to protect him.
They approached cautiously Beckett had her gun drawn keeping her eyes open for any sign of their suspect, Castle was always alert to his surroundings, Ryan and Esposito approached from the warehouse from the back and they searched the area and couldn't find anything, Ryan reported this to Beckett
"Beckett were all clear here on this end" said Ryan
Beckett finished her search and reported back to them "were all clear here too we must have missed him or else he got a tip that we had found his hiding place"
Castle was looking around when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he seen the shine of a gun aimed at Beckett, he didn't even think he just jumped and tackled Beckett to the ground as the gun shot rang out in the warehouse which was followed by a round of shots from Ryan and Esposito as the suspect fell to the ground
Esposito went over and checked that the suspect was dead, and informed the others that this was infact the case, Ryan called out to Beckett
"Beckett you and Castle ok?"
Castle had tackled him and Beckett to the ground he seen the gun and one thought came to mind and that was to protect Beckett, Beckett sat up and looked down she hadn't felt a bullet hit her but her there was blood on her top, then Beckett turned round to see that Castle had taken a gun shot to the shoulder
Beckett admittedly took out her phone "we have an officer down, I need an ambulance sent straight to 44th and Lexington, I repeat we have an officer down and needs assistance straight away"
Hearing Beckett radio this in Ryan and Esposito ran over assuming it was Beckett that had been shot but was ok enough to radio it in, but when they reached Beckett and Castle the detectives couldn't believe their eyes
Beckett got to her knees and threw her radio down beside her, she took off her jacket and put it to Castle's shoulder as he was losing a lot of blood
"Castle you have to stay with me, they are on their way, your going to be ok they will be here to help you"
Castle looked at Beckett and seen that there was blood on her top
"Beckett have you been shot? Your bleeding you need help" Castle tried sitting up, which caused a sharp pain in his shoulder and he fell back to the ground
"Castle don't move you have to lay still until they get here" Beckett couldn't believe that Castle had been shot and all he was worried about was if she had been shot
"Beckett you need to get checked don't worry about me, you know its hard to kill a good thing" Castle winked trying to make her smile as he could see the worry on her face, he wasn't sure if it was worry as a partner, a friend or maybe something more
"Castle I'm fine that's your blood on my top, I haven't been shot you stopped it from hitting me, while ruining my favourite work top which you can replace Castle " Beckett was trying to remain calm in this situation she had to remain professional and she needed Castle to stay still
Castle laughed a little which caused him to cough because of the pain it caused in his shoulder
Ryan and Esposito came to the other side of Castle, they knew that Beckett meant a lot to Castle and that he would never let anything happen their boss and friend but he had gone as far as to take a bullet for her, but it didn't really surprise them as they knew that Castle had really strong feelings for Beckett as more than a partner or as a friend
"Hey Castle think of the cool scar you'll have to show all the women of how manly Richard Castle really can be, a real life superhero hey man all the chicks will be going crazy" said Esposito
Castle laughed a little, but stopped as pain ran threw his body, he became really pale and felt sick and weak, all he wanted to do was sleep, Castle started to cough and turned his head and coughed up some blood and lay his head back as his eyes started to close
"Hey Castle come on you have to stay awake, you need to talk to us, don't tell us that Richard Castle is stuck for words that will be a first" Beckett held Castle and lifted his head and rested it on her knees gently, she seen something drop on Castles face, and put her hand on her cheek to realise that she had started crying, she didn't even remember starting to cry
Castle just smiled a weak tired smile when Beckett spoke to him he was too weak to talk
The ambulance had arrived, and asked Beckett to move out of the way so that they could work on Castle, but she didn't want to let go of Castle this was her partner she wanted and needed to be there for him, Ryan took Beckett back a little to give them room to work on Castle
"Hey Beckett come on you, it's Castle you know he's going to be fine, he likes getting the attention" the detectives knew that Castle meant a lot to their boss, they weren't use to seeing her like this, and actually showing emotion in front of them
The paramedics put Castle in to the back of the ambulance and asked if one of the detectives wanted to ride with them back to the hospital, immediately Beckett stepped forward
"I'm going with him, Esposito, Ryan can you's phone Martha and Alexis and let them know what has happened and collect them if they need a lift"
"Sure thing boss, we will take care of it all you just go be with Castle"
Beckett got in to the ambulance and sat down looking at Castle, he was barely conscious, the paramedics said this was due to the amount of blood loss, Beckett took a hold of Castle's hand she wanted to make sure he knew that he wasn't alone, in that moment Beckett didn't care about anything other than being there for this man who was her partner and her friend, but was he more? Is that why she still had tears running down her cheeks
When they arrived at the hospital Castle was took straight in to theatre, the Doctor explained to Beckett that the bullet was lodged in Castles shoulder and they needed to remove it and then stop the bleed, as he had already lost a lot of blood, Beckett just nodded she couldn't say much, she wasn't use to seeing Castle like this the journey from the warehouse to the hospital Castle hadn't spoke and Beckett wasn't use to a quiet Castle
A nurse took Beckett to the waiting room closest to the theatre and told her that she would be kept update, Beckett was sitting staring out the window, she couldn't lose this man he meant too much to her, she was still in shock that he had taken a bullet, she could lose him and it was her fault since he was protecting her, Martha and Alexis were going to hate her for letting this happen to him, just as she thought that Martha and Alexis entered the waiting room
They went straight over to Beckett, both Martha and Alexis hugged Beckett, this took her by surprise and took her a few seconds before hugging them back
Detective what has happened to Richard where is he? Martha stood with her arm around her granddaughter as she spoke to Beckett
Please Martha call me Kate and right now Castle sorry I mean Rick Beckett felt strange calling him Rick as she always called him Castle but she was speaking to his mother and this was different so she decided to use his first name "is currently in theatre they need to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding, they said that he has lost a lot of blood but that they are hopeful that he should be ok… I am very sorry for letting this happen to your son
Kate looked at Alexis "and I'm sorry Alexis for letting this happen to your dad, I understand if yous rathered that I didn't wait here"
"Kate dear, my son would want you to be here when he wakes up, and it's not your fault we know what Richard is like we know he doesn't listen to you when you tell him to stay back"
"Dad has never been good at following rules, that's why I have to be the responsible one between us, dad will be ok, hell be out showing off his war wound in no time" Alexis and Martha smiled at Kate
Kate was shocked she was sure that they were going to blame her for what she had let happen Castle, although they couldn't blame her anymore than she was already blaming herself
Martha and Alexis sat down Martha sat holding her granddaughters hand, Martha looked at Kate "Kate dear why don't you go wash up a little and then come back and join us waiting on Richard" Martha knew what this detective meant to her son, but seeing his blood on her hands wasn't going to help any of them
It was only when Martha said to Beckett that she realised she still had Castles blood on her hands, Kate went to the bathroom and she scrubbed her hands, and watched as Castles blood left her hands and ran down the sink, there was so much blood, Kate scrubbed and scrubbed at her hands to get rid of all the blood she started to cry as she scrubbed them even though all the blood was off them, Kate stopped and put water on her face to clean up a bit, just as she lifted her head up she seen Lanie come in to the bathroom
"Lanie what you doing here?"
"Well Esposito rang me and told me what happened and said that you could do with a change of top " Lanie handed Kate a top to put on since the one she was wearing was covered in blood
Kate took the top and went in to the cubicle and changed her top and came back out to Lanie.
Lanie looked at her best friend and it was clear to tell that she had been crying a few minutes before
"Hey girl, Castle is going to be fine, you know he would never miss following you around for anything and plus he hasn't got to kiss you properly so that gives him plenty of reason to fight"
Kate just smiled a little , she didn't know what to say, Lanie took Kate back to the waiting room and joined Martha and Alexis, Lanie sat talking to Alexis as they had become friends when Alexis had done intern work for Lanie they all loved Castle's daughter, Ryan and Esposito kept ringing Lanie for updates as Beckett wasn't talking to anyone at the minute, they said they would be straight over, once they wrapped up the case properly
Martha looked at Kate sitting on her chair staring out the window, Martha went over and sat beside Kate " you know dear, you shouldn't blame yourself, Richard wont blame you and neither me nor Alexis blame you either, we knew there was a risk from the day he began following you. Richard will be glad that he's laying there instead of you
Kate was shocked at what Martha just said "but it should be me laying there not him, I'm the cop its my job, I should have protected him"
"Kate dear, my son will jump in front of a bullet for you everyday if it means that you are safe, you mean a lot to my son, I'm more worried of him getting a broken heart than being shot" Martha put her hand on top of Kate's "let me give you some advice from a woman who's been around a long time, don't have any regrets dear we can never be sure what's round the corner and surely as a cop you know that better than anyone" Martha sat beside Kate in silence letting her think over what she had just said
Beckett sat thinking about everything that Martha had said, she was thinking about her feelings for Castle, she had feelings for Castle as more than a friend for a while now but she was afraid to act on them because of the risk, if they started dating then their friendship would be at risk when their relationship ended, but what if it didn't end what if things worked out with them, Kate knew it wouldn't always be easy but she trusted Rick more than anyone and she nearly lost him today, she thought she had lost him and the thought that he would have died not knowing what he meant to her made her heart break and her eyes fill with tears, it was in that moment that Kate decided that when Castle woke she was going to tell him how she felt and hope that he felt the same way
Kate, Martha, Alexis and Lanie all sat in the waiting room and they were joined by Ryan and Esposito they had to wait a couple of hours before Castles doctor walked into the waiting room
"I'm looking for the family of Castle?
Martha stood up "what ever you have to say about my son you can say here Doctor were all family"
Alexis nodded to give her approval as well
"Well I am pleased to tell you that we were able to remove the bullet from his shoulder, we had a few difficulties with the amount of blood that he lost but Mr Castle is going to be ok, he may be asleep for a while due to the blood loss, if you's have any questions please ask me or ask the nurses to come find me for you" Martha thanked the doctor as he left the room, Alexis hugged her grandmother with delight and relief that her dad was going to be ok, Alexis then walked over and hugged Kate
Martha looked at the detectives and Lanie " you's should go home and get some rest you's have had a long day, me or Alexis will ring yous the minute Richard wakes up" they all smiled and nodded, Ryan, Esposito and Lanie all hugged Martha and Alexis, they knew that Beckett was never going to leave with them so they said their goodbyes and told Martha and Alexis that if they needed anything to ring them, Martha and Alexis smiled and thanked them, It made Martha's heart fill with warmth and delight with the great friends her son had made, she knew that Richard was more to them than just a writer who followed them he was a dear friend to them
Martha looked at Kate as she sat down when the others left "dear you should go home too you've had a long day"
Kate looked at Martha and Alexis " if its ok with you and Alexis id like to stay here until Rick wakens"
"Of course it is dear he will be delighted to see you" the nurse came in and told them that they were allowed to sit in Castles room as he had a private room and wait there for him to waken, Martha and Alexis stood up to follow the nurse, but Kate didn't move, Martha looked at her
"Kate come with us we want you to be there with us and we know its what Richard would want" Kate looked at Alexis she didn't want to be out of line by being there but Alexis smiled
"Kate dad would want you there with us when he wakes up" Kate stood and the three of them followed the nurse into Castles room
They went in and took seats around Castles bed, Kate watched as Martha and Alexis went and kissed Castles cheek and then sat down, Kate sat looking at Castle, he looked so pale and was attached to quiet a few drips and machines, she had never seen him look so vulnerable
Alexis fell asleep sitting in the chair, Beckett went and got a blanket and put it around Alexis to keep her warm, Martha smiled watching Beckett taking care of her granddaughter, Martha soon fell asleep too, Kate quietly pulled her chair closely to Castles bed and took a hold of his hand, she started playing with his fingers as she started to get images of what had happened today in the warehouse, Beckett set Castles hand gently back on the bed as a few tears ran down her cheek
Beckett felt a hand wipe away her tears; she thought that Martha had woke until she looked up and seen Castle looking at her Kate looking at him and smiled
"Rick your awake?
Castled looked at her "Beckett did you just call me rick?
Kate blushed she had been use to calling him rick for the last few hours to his daughter and mum "Erm yeah sorry about that Castle its just been talking to your mum and Alexis so I didn't feeling right calling you Castle when talking to them
Castle smiled " don't apologise I like the sound of you calling me rick
kate smiled "so how you feeling?"
"Like I've been hit by a bus and then reversed over again" both Beckett and Castle laughed a little
"Always have to be dramatic with things you writers. Can I get you anything?"
"A drink of water would be great please, throat feels like I've swallowed razor blades, and its not pleasant"
Kate got up and poured Castle a cup of water and helped him to drink from a straw out of the cup not letting him to move too much
Castle looked at his mother and Alexis sleeping in the chairs with blankets around them " they should have went home and got some sleep them chairs don't look the most comfortable thing to sleep in, mother will make me pay for making her sleep in a chair like that
Kate smiled " they didn't want to leave you they wanted to stay until you woke so that they could see you, and your mum has been great she's actually been the strong one here tonight" Kate looked down hoping that Castle wouldn't see that she had let her guard down tonight and needed someone else to be strong and that she cried a few times "Erm I should go home and let you have time with your mother and Alexis they will be glad to see you awake" Kate turned to walk away but Castle grabbed her hand
"No Kate stay please, I'd like you to stay" Kate turned to look at Castle and knew that she couldn't say no to him, Kate sat back down and looked at Castle, he left his other hand and ran his thumb under Kates eye
"Kate have you been crying earlier your eyes are red" Kate put her head down and then looked at Castle
"I thought I had lost you, and it would have been all my fault since I'm the reason you got shot, I'm the reason Alexis near lost her dad and Martha near lost her son, I'm sorry Rick this is all my fault"
Castle squeezed Kate's hand "Kate this is not your fault you did not make me jump in front of that bullet, It was my own choice, I seen that gun and there was only one thing I was going to do and I would do it again in the same situation, and you should know by now that I don't listen to anything you tell me to do
Kate laughed " your mother has already said that to me"
Castle laughed a little and looked at his mother still sleeping "She's a wise woman my mother"
Castle looked at Beckett " so does a guy get a hug for saying your life" Castle teased Kate trying to keep the smile on her face, because seeing her smile always made him feel better, it made his heart beat that little bit faster and seeing her smile made him want to always kiss her that little bit more
"Castle that's a bit far to go just to get an excuse to hug" Kate teased him
"Hey a guy is starting to slowly run out of ideas how to get a hug from you"
Kate stood up and hugged Castle making sure not to catch on any of his drip wires and to not hurt she shoulder, Kate was sitting on the side of his bed to hug him, so they were not sitting very close as she leaned back from the hug looking at him
Castle smiled looking at her and he raised his good arm up and pushed her hair behind her ear before gently placing his hand on her face rubbing his thumb along her cheek, Kate leaned in to his hand and closed her eyes for a minute before looking at him and taking his hand
"Rick I really am so glad that you are ok, I really don't know what I would have done If I had of lost you, and your mother said a few things to me that made me think about some things" Kate took a deep breath, this was harder to say than she thought it would be but before she could say anything Castle gently pulled Kate a little closer to him, and gently kissed her lips, he knew it was a risk as he wasn't sure what she was going to say to him, but after today Castle knew that he couldn't waste any more time
Kate kissed Castle back, she kissed him gently running her hand through his hair, causing her heart to beat a little bit faster, Castle couldn't believe that he was finally getting to kiss her and it wasn't for a case it was because she wanted him to kiss her, Kate pulled back a little and rested her forehead against Castles, both their eyes still closed not wanting to open them in case the kiss had all been a dream, Castle broke the silence first
"If I had of known that it all it took to get you to kiss me was to get shot I would have got shot 2 years ago" this caused them both to laugh a little and Kate leaned back a little more to look at him, Castle didn't want this to be the last time he got to kiss Kate, he already missed getting to kiss her, Kate stroked Castles cheek and ran her hand through his hair and then rested it against Castles chest
"Well Rick please don't be getting shot again just to get another kiss" Castle smiled and there was a sparkle in his eye that Kate hadn't seen before
"I love hearing you calling me rick, Kate" Kate smiled and leaned in and gently kissed him again
"Its going to take a while getting used to you calling me Kate and me calling you Rick, but you'll still be Castle at work or when in trouble" Kate laughed a little and then blushed a little as she realised she had put her and Castle together without asking him first
"So this mean ill be getting to spend more time with you outside of work and getting to kiss you more and get to show you how much I love you?
Kate smiled " yes it does rick as long as its what you want too, and I love you too
Castle smiled " its all I've ever wanted Kate
Castle kissed Kate this time more passionately, knowing that this was the start of hopefully a long and loving relationship he finally got the woman of his dreams they were both just sorry it took so long
Castle looked at Kate " will you lay beside me let me hold you so that I know when I wake up this wasn't all a dream
Kate climbed in beside Castle on the side of his good shoulder and lay her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her, resting his head against her " it wasn't a dream Rick I'm sorry it took you getting shot to tell you how I feel about you
"Kate I'm just glad that you feel the same way that I have about you for a long time" Castle kissed the top of Kate's head before resting his head against hers again and they soon fell sleep holding each other
Martha woke a while later and seen her son laying in bed holding the woman he was so madly in love with tight in his arms, both sleeping with a smile on their face, Martha smiled
"finally" was all she said as she watched them peacefully