ABC MARLOW DISNEY Own everything
I just have a sick mind
Special Agent Katherine Beckett is sitting in the A32 departure lounge at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport getting ready to return home to DC for her next assignment.
She is reading over her preliminary field report
The last week and a half was spent in tracking down evidence on a corrupt federal judge. It was not a particularly difficult case, it just the judge was very good at hiding his crimes behind the curtain of his judge's robes. It can be difficult penetrating a wall like that one but SA Beckett has proven she can still do the job even alone without the collaboration of her two former detective partners. She has gotten better in recent months. At first she missed the banter and theory building that she had with what her bosses called her civilian partner. But that need grew smaller and smaller with each case that went by.
Who is she trying to fool? She misses Ryan. She misses Esposito. But what she is missing the most is Castle. She misses her coffee. She misses his silly theories. She misses the banter and solving the case together. But mostly she just misses him. His arms around her. His kisses. Waking up next to him. But she knows the way she left Castle there is no reconciliation for her. She is paying the penalty for her actions and will be paying dearly for the rest of her life
Her train of thought is interrupted when her tablet receives a text message.
"Agent Beckett, your dad is in the hospital in New York. You are being diverted to LaGuardia. Ticket agent will take care of you…signed SSA Dawson"
Supervising Special Agent Roger Dawson is her immediate supervisor.
Before she can even close the tablet and get up, she hears the ticket agent 'Paging passenger Beckett. Please see the counter agent"
Beckett gets up and steps to the counter "I'm Beckett"
"Yes ma'am. We have an emergency re route for you. Here is your boarding pass" the attendant hands Beckett a document "and transport on its way to take you. Your gate is A3 at the other end of this terminal and the plane is scheduled for departure immediately. They are holding at the gate for you"
"Thank you," Beckett responds as she turns to see a passenger cart arrive to take her to her plane. She travels the distance to the other end of the terminal in record time. Once aboard the plane, she takes her seat and the plane departs to New York.
Katherine Beckett becomes nervous about this trip. Very Nervous. She has not been back to the city since leaving to take this job with the Justice Department. Thinking to herself. It has been what? 6 months? She suddenly realizes that it has been 6 months since she was there. She has talked to her dad almost every other day, but really no one else.
About two weeks after she left New York, she got one call from Castle but she was in a meeting when he called and she couldn't take it. Then when she tried to call him back, he didn't answer. He never called her again after that.
She did text Lanie a couple of times, but she was always busy when the answer from Lanie came back, so it would be sometimes hours or even days before Kate could send a response.
As far as Ryan and Esposito. She did talk to Ryan about two weeks after she left. She felt like he was cool toward her on the phone and didn't really want to have the conversation so she never tried anymore. And since the call with Ryan went so bad, she has not even attempted to make contact with Esposito
She is sitting on the plane thinking about what this trip might bring. Since taking this job in DC, every moment of every day has been tied up in cases. Either she is out in the field, which means in some city or state other than DC. Or she is in a meeting setting up cases. Or at the office doing paperwork to finish cases.
At no time in the last 6 months has she really had a moment to herself even to think. Other than just enough time to go to her small efficiency apartment, take a shower and sleep. Otherwise she has spent every waking moment at work.
When she told her dad that this job is what she wants and that there would not be time for a relationship, she had no idea how accurate that observation would be. She actually has not even unpacked what few personal item she brought with her. Even her treasured elephants are still inside a cardboard box on the floor of her tiny apartment.
After the airplane reaches cruising altitude, she leans her head back against the headrest and immediately is asleep. It feels like it is only a few seconds but two hours have passed and the flight attendant is gently touching Kate's arm "Ms. Beckett. We are here"
Beckett feels displaced for a few seconds but recovers quickly. She stands up, gathers her bag from the overhead compartment and quickly exits the plane.
When she reaches baggage claim she looks around to see if any of her old friends are there to greet her, but no familiar faces are seen. After she claims her bag, she goes to the curb and boards a cab for the ride to the All Angels Hospital where she has been told her father has been admitted for possible heart related problems
Once at the hospital, she immediately finds out what room her father is in. She is told he is in Cardiac CCU. She quickly locates the elevators and heads to the floor. She locates the CCU and asks where his room is. The nurse tells her that he can not have any visitors at this time.
"Excuse me, but I am Katherine Beckett and Jim Beckett is my father" She tells the nurse
"What happened to my dad?"
"Oh excuse me. I am sorry Ms. Beckett. Please follow me" The nurse directs Kate to his room.
"He suffered a very serious heart attack. We are letting his heart recover for a few days until we can do bypass surgery. We are keeping him sedated so he can rest. The cardiac surgeon will be in before the evening is over and you can ask him any more questions then."
Once inside his room, Kate is struck by all the machines connected to her father. With monitors and IV pumps and oxygen tubes she suddenly feels completely helpless looking at the man she always thought of as strong and all powerful now connected to machines that seem to be keeping him alive.
Her father, Her DAD, the man who always gave her such good advice and was always supportive of her decisions be they right or wrong he was always there for her. Now he is lying in a bed surrounded by machines keeping him alive.
The nurse steps back in the room and ask "Ms. Beckett? Is there anyone we can call to come be with you?"
She is immediately struck by the thought. What happens if he doesn't make it? He is all I've got now. I rejected all my friends. I left everyone high and dry. There is not one her old crew around for me now. My former partners at the station are gone. My former best friend is gone. And even my former boyfriend is gone
I am alone in this.
Tears start and she know they will flow and she will not be able to stop them
Kate does not answer the question but turns to the nurse "What exactly happened?"
She was told by her boss only that he was in the hospital. He never said who called the department or even what happened to him
"Excuse me. Who brought my dad in? Was he alone or was there someone with him?"
The nurse responds "The paramedics brought him in. He evidently was having dinner with a friend when he suddenly developed chest pains and collapsed. The person with him knew CPR and kept him going until the paramedics arrived. That is all I really know. We don't have specific information about who was there at the time, Sorry".
Kate thanks the nurse and then returns to her dad's room
Across town the phone rings in Richard Castle's loft. He is at his desk working on the last of his Nikki Heat series of books. He is planning on wrapping her up with this final installment of her story.
"Castle" Rick says into the telephone and then he listens for a moment "Are you sure it's his daughter?" He listens briefly as the woman is described to him "Yes that sounds like her. Thanks. Let me know if she leaves. Goodbye"
Castle presses the end button on his phone then just stares at the small black box in his hand as if looking at it will change something. He finally places the device back on his desk and returns to the story he is writing. This is the final chapter of the brilliant detective and love of Jamison Rook. He has decided that instead of having her die as he did with Derrick Storm, he will have her leave Rook stranded at the alter waiting for her.
To Richard Castle that finish sounds perfect because that is almost exactly what Beckett did to him after he proposed to her and all she could do was to stand up and walk away without ever saying another word to him
.