A/N: I haven't written a Castle one in a while… so I thought I might as well get back into it. =) This takes place at the end of season 3. I'm sure it's been done to death, but *shrugs* what can you do?

Hi guys… did you miss me? *sniggers* okay, so you don't even know who I am and you're not interested in me, you're interested in the story. I get it. Onward then…

Castle refused to leave her side, even for a moment, even when the paramedics were working on her and they ordered him away, he remained. The very thought of leaving her made him physically ill. As they loaded her on the gurney and rolled her towards the ambulance he was one step behind, his hand reaching for hers.

"Sir, you can't come!" a uniformed paramedic stated as she pushed the gurney into the back of the ambulance.

"Like hell," his voice was dangerously stubborn, and as he locked eyes with the paramedic, she could see that he didn't intend to back down. "I'm her partner!"

"Alright," the woman replied. "But you stay out of the way. You hear?"

Castle just nodded and climbed into the back of the ambulance, instantly reaching for Kate's hand, and squeezing it gently in his own, as he found some sort of block to sit on. The ambulance took off, the siren's buzzing loudly.

"Kate, you hang on, do you understand me? Don't you give up! I'm here!" he demanded.

Kate didn't even flutter her eyes, as one of the paramedics poked and prodded her. Castle was too engrossed in the idea that she was going to die, to take any notice of what the uniforms were doing to her.

They ambulance pulled to a stop and all of a sudden the doors opened and Kate was being wheeled out of the ambulance and into the hospital. Castle ran alongside the gurney, until a hand grabbed him by the shoulder, stopping him from going through one of the double doors. He tried to fight them, twisting and turning to loosen their grip, but the grip was strong, and he was somewhat weak from worry.

"Mr. Castle, you can't go into the surgery," a man informed him.

Castle shook his head. "She needs me!" he stated. I need her, he thought silently.

"I will come and let you know what's happening as soon as I know," he compromised. "There's a waiting room just there, Mr. Castle," he said pointing. "Go and sit down, get yourself a coffee and I'll be there as soon as I can."

Castle shook his head. He didn't want a damn cup of coffee. He wanted to be with Kate. But the doctor in scrubs turned and headed through the double doors, leaving Castle alone, lingering by the door.

You would have thought since he was friends with the Mayor, he could have had some sort of leeway when it came to the hospital staff.

Castle dropped his shoulders in defeat as he wandered over to the chairs in the waiting room, and flopped down in the hard plastic chair. He buried his head in his hands and groaned. If she died, there was no way he would ever forgive himself. He should have tried harder. He should have taken her out of the city and whisked her away to Martha's Vineyard. At least, she would have been safe there.

"DAD!" a voice called.

Castle snapped his head up to find Alexis running down the corridor towards her father.

He stood from the chair just in time for her to throw her arms around him. "Oh, dad," she sighed. "She's gonna be okay. Kate is strong. She's been through worse."

Why did people always say that? A bullet wasn't invisible. It killed people. Police officers died in the line of duty every day, for heaven's sake they had been at the Captain's funeral when she'd been shot. Kate wasn't invisible and she wasn't immortal, though at times she thought she was.

Castle kept his thoughts to himself, trying desperately to be positive. "Yeah," he nodded unable to say anything else.

A few steps behind Alexis, was his mother Martha, Ryan, Esposito and Lanie.

Esplanie, he thought, as he watched Lanie and Esposito cuddle closely, seemingly supporting each other in their time of tragedy. Hadn't he said something about that to Kate a while back, when they had been discussing "Temptation Lane" character shipping. Kate had explained what shipping was. Castle remembered going home that night, and wandering if Castle was some cop show on TV, if people would be barracking for Kate and Castle… Caskett… he had called them. It had a nice ring to it, he thought, though he never dared mention his thought to Kate. She would have only rolled her eyes and laughed at him.

Castle wrapped his arms tightly around his daughter. He couldn't lose Kate, not now, not when he had spent the last few years building a friendship with her, a friendship strong enough to break down the walls of protection that she had built around her. No, he wouldn't accept a life without her.

"Has the doctor said anything?" Ryan asked.

"No," Castle answered. "He suggested I get a cup of coffee."

"Why do doctors do that?" Martha challenged. "As if they think it's going to take the worry of waiting away…" she sighed with annoyance.

Finally, Castle thought, someone who gets it.

"Beckett is going to fight this, Castle," Esposito stated. "She won't give up."

"I hope so," he said desperately.

"Javier's right," Lanie said.

Castle released Alexis and slumped back down in the chair. He knew the wait was going to be long, and he wasn't going anywhere until he knew that Kate Beckett was alive and stable.

I have an idea… don't know it's been done, but it's a little angsty. If you trust me, I will finish the story with fluff and love… cause who could resist Caskett. =)