Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Castle.

Summary: post season 3 beginning of season 4 "Beckett, you're staying with me."

Castle POV

"Kate, stay with me, Kate."He whispered. "Don't leave me, please. Stay with me Kate, I love you. I love you, Kate." He resisted the urge to shout NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO as her head limped to one side.

They rushed her to the hospital; he ran down the hall after the EMTs but was forced to stay in the waiting room. "She's my girlfriend!" He protested.

Soon after, Martha and Alexis ran in. "Dad!" "Oh, My God." Both women hugged him.

"Where's my Katie?" Jim Beckett walked through the door. Where's my daughter?"

The angry surgeon who happened to be Beckett's ex boyfriend walked into the waiting room and picked a fight. Castle blamed himself. He shouldn't have put her in that danger, but he finally told her how he felt.

"She suffered cardiac arrest…. We have to watch her closely."

A few hours passed. "She wants to see me?"

He walked down the hall and opened the door. It pained him to see her there. The hospital propped her up with pillows.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see Montgomery lying on the hanger floor… Listen, I need to tell you something….."

"Shhhhhh, rest. Do you remember anything?"

"Not really, I was standing on the podium, and then everything went black. Listen, Castle, this is important."

"You don't remember being shot or me trying to save your life?" He probed.

"No, but the boys mentioned it. Although I do remember you saying something… that you couldn't live without me?"

"Close, I said for you to stay with us, and…" he couldn't quite say it.

"And what?"

He bent over and gently kissed her. "Let me take care of you. I can write from the loft, and you know your dad has a few cases on his plate, and he's not retired yet. I shouldn't have pushed you into digging up the past. I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you."

"Dad thought I'd stay with my grandparents for a while, but, let's face it, it would be Mom all over again. "

"That side of the family, huh?"

"Yah. I spent most of my childhood there during the school year. Mom and Dad were both working so late and their cases would always endanger our family, so they shipped me off to their house. But that's too far for me to travel. Let me rest and I'll talk to Daddy."

"Okay."

"But, Castle, you still didn't answer my question."

"Oh, I think you know." He winked and exited the room.