A/N The inspiration for this story came to me while I was asleep. I hope you enjoy it.
One second Kate was running down the hall after our suspect, the next she was flat on her back. We had come to arrest Jake Jefferies for the murder of his ex-wife. Everything had been going well until Jake decided to bolt. Kate took chase gun drawn and at the ready, I ran behind. I didn't have time to warn her , to tell her to stop before Jake swung the heavy fire door back at her. There was a awful noise of bone colliding with metal before I saw her fall. All I could do was scream her name as she fell to the cold unforgiving ground. I couldn't care that Jake was making his escape in front of me as I ran to her side. I fell to my knees next to her and reached out to fell her pulse. It was weak and thready but it was there, I release the breath I had been holding. She has a line of blood trickling down her forehead from a cut she has sustained. I run my hand gently down her face as I call for the ambulance. She needs to wake up now, I say her name a couple of times as I caress her face. Her eyelids begin to flutter and she lets out a small groan. Her eyes blink open and in a flash they close again. She whispers my name..
"Castle"
"Hey Kate it's me your okay."
"It hurts".
"I know Kate we will get you to the hospital soon."
I hear a commotion behind me, I hope that it is the paramedics come to help. I turn my head slightly and see two paramedics walking towards me with all of their medical kit. A few steps behind them is Esposito and Ryan, they look concerned as they make their way to me. Kate has closed her eyes again, the darkness has overtaken her once again.
The paramedics kneel down next to Kate, but I'm in their way. It takes Ryan and Esposito to move me out of the way. While the paramedics work on stabilising Beckett, the boys talk to me. I don't make eye contact with them all I can look at is Kate.
"Hey Castle how did this happen man?"
Castle is still looking away but he does answer, if some what quietly.
" We had come to arrest Jake and he bolted. We set off in a chase and he escaped through the fire exit. He flung the door back so hard that she didn't have a chance to see it. She went down before I could warn her of the danger. She went down so hard, the noise of bone meeting metal echoes in my head and I can't get it out. I should have been closer, I should of ran faster to keep up, I should of….."
" Castle don't you dare blame yourself, you did everything you could. She is going to be fine, Beckett has got a strong head you'll see."
I suddenly hear a noise that makes my heart miss a beat, it is like the feeling of silk to my ears. She is awake again and saying my name. I leave the boys and head back over to her, as I get closer her green orbs find mind. My chest constricts and I miss a breath. I can tell she is in a lot of pain, but the way that she is looking at me right now has me transfixed to the spot. She is being strapped on to a spinal board as a precaution but she looks so scared. The neck brace being Velcro'd shut, the head blocks being placed on she can't move anything but her hands now. Her left hand reaches out into the empty space next to her, she is trying to find something to hold on something to give her support. I get as close as I can and take that hand into the safety of mine. The deep brow lines on her forehead relax, she gives me the smallest smile. Blink and you would miss it but not me I always see it. Once they are sure that she is securely fastened on, the paramedics lift up the board on which she is laying and place it on their trolley.
They wheel her to the ambulance carefully, I never loosen my grip not once. Her eyes fight to stay open the concussion finally taking it's control back once again. The flow of blood from her cut has stopped but the trail it has left looks like a bloodstained river down her face. They lift her into the ambulance and I have to let go for a spilt second. The warmth of her skin against mine disappears in a second.
"Sir you can't come with us, you will have to follow behind."
This is what the paramedic says as he begins to shut the doors, his colleague has gone to the front and has started the engine.
"I'm not leaving her, I'm her partner we stick together that's what we do."
I'm not leaving her, I need to be by her side for my own sanity. It may just be a concussion and cut to them but to me it is the scariest thing I had experienced since that fateful day. I nearly lost her then, a spilt second in time almost took her away from me. The paramedic seems to either understand or he doesn't want to start a fight because he steps to the side and lets me in. I hear Esposito and Ryan shout that they will follow behind in their squad car as the doors close. I sit next to the trolley in the back and retake my grip on her hand. This causes her to open her eyes….
"Hey Castle."
It comes out as merely a whisper.
"Hey yourself."
"Did we catch Jeff?"
"Yes the boys did, they handed him over to a uniformed officer and came straight back to see you."
"Are they going to question him back at the station? I would do it myself but I have a slight headache."
This makes me chuckle, always thinking of the case first before her self.
" I bet you do Kate, you took quite a hit from that door. The boys are following behind, someone else will interview the suspect."
"They should do it, why are the following us instead I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much."
She tries to shift in the head blocks and she hits the bruised part of her head against the unforgiving plastic restraints. She lets out a gasp at the contact, then a hiss. The medic gives her a gas drug to suck on called Entanox when she finally admits that it hurts.
" They are following us because they care about you Kate. You are like a big sister to them and they hate it when you are hurt. So do I."
The last bit comes out in a whisper and I can't resist leaning forward and brushing a piece of stray hair away that has fallen over one of her eyes. Once again they meet mine and I am mesmerised by them. She begins to close her eyes….
"Ma'am I need you to keep your eyes open for me please."
They flutter open again and she strangely begins to chuckle to her self. I give her a confused look which causes the chuckling to increase. I look over at the medic for help, is this a problem caused by the accident. Does this mean it was more serious than I thought. The medic gives me a sympathetic look and explains…..
"The gas I have given her to suck on is laughing gas, it relaxes the body takes the patient's mind of the pain. Laughing is one of the side effects nothing to worry about sir."
At this I start to chuckle too, I thought she was having a serious problem related to the accident. Before I know it the ambulance comes to a slow stop and the back doors open. I have to release her hand again as she is wheeled into the ER. I know I can't follow her past a certain point so I stand and wait for them to come and get me.
A/N The next chapter will hopefully be up soon, but i need some encouragement. So please review. :D
