The door opened and Castle turned, expecting to see Kate. But it wasn't her at all. Instead, it was two men in HAZMAT suits. Without a word, they put him roughly in a suit and put a mask over his face before escorting him away. He looked around for Kate, knowing that she woud explain what was going on. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Kate couldn't believe this was happening. He wasn't supposed to be in danger anymore, since he wasn't shadowing her. He was supposed to be safe! How could she have let this happen? She had made sure she was out of sight when they transferred him to medical. she didn't think she would have been able to handle it. Right now, she needed to focus on finding that antidote. She needed that man, and she wasn't about to let him die on her. Especially not like had seen video of what this toxin did to people, and there was no way in hell she was going to let him go through that.

"Please, just tell me what's going on," Castle begged. "I have a right to know what's happening." The HAZMAT groupies still didn't say a word, simply stripped him and hosed him down with cold water and some sort of itchy soap before handing him a towel and a pair of scrubs. They then pushed him into a glass room of some sort and shut the door. He heard it suction closed. And then they were gone, leaving him dripping wet and wondering what the hell was happening.

"Go see him, Beckett," Rachel sighed. "You need to see him to work properly, and you know he needs to see you. So, go down to medical, see your fiance', come back, and save his life, okay?" Kate shook her head.

"Rachel, I...I can't."

"That was an order, Kate. Go. Spend at least 15 minutes, be back within 45. Now." Kate simply had no choice but to turn and head toward the elevator to go downstairs to medical. The elevator ride made her think of Castle. Of course it wasn;t THE elevator; the one at the 12th with NYPD embossed on the metal doors and the dirty tile floor she'd once seen him splayed out upon. It didn't have the gun safety poster or the sticker that said "I Love NYC". But it was an elevator, and elevators for them held significance. A place for little confessions and jokes. A place for not asking very loudly. She felt tears prick the back of her eyes and impatiently blinked them back. She had to be strong. She needed to be there for him. She stepped off the elevator and went over to the desk.

"He's over there," said the lady sitting there, gesturing vaugely behind her. Kate glanced in that direction and felt her heart constrict. A glass-walled room. It looked like some kind of observation tank, with no privacy whatsoever. All that it held was a small bed, and nightstand, and, she noticed with some relief, a bathroom with actual walls.

"He'll hear me through the glass?" Kate asked, cursing herself for how shaky her voice sounded.

"Yep," the lady replied. "Loud and clear." BEckett nodded.

"Thank you," she said, and moved around the desk, keeping her eyes on him, sitting there on the bed with scrubs on and wet hair. He looked up as she drew closer to the glass and got up immediately, meeting her at the wall.

"Kate!" he exclaimed. She smiled weakly.

"Hey, Rick," she said.

"Hey. What's going on, why am I in here? They didn't tell me anything!" He said.

"They didn't tell you?" she repeated. he shook his head vehemently.

"No. They didn't say a word!" he enforced. Kate drew in a breath. She really did not want to be the one to have to tell him this. Why the hell would they not have told him? But here they were, and he was depending on her to answer, to explain.

"Okay. That car you were in?" she said. He nodded.

"The man died becasue of a deadly toxin," she explained. "It's highly contaigous and he gave it to you. That's why you're here." He looked stricken.

"Contaigous?" his brains seemed to be working at top speed,whirling and spinning. Suddenly, a look of horror crossed his face. "Oh, god, Kate," he said. "You were around me after that. You were close to me, touching me. Have you been tested?" She wanted to cry. Here he was, facing death, again, and all he could think about was rather or not she had been infected.

"Yes, babe, I did," she replied. "Apparently, I'm immune."

"Good. that's good," he muttered. "What about the medic who worked on me?" he asked.

"She's infected as well," KAte replied. He sighed.

"But you guys are working on it, right? I mean, if there's poison, there's an antidote." KAte nodded.

"We are working on it, yes," she said. "But Castle, the rest of the toxin and the antidote have been destroyed. We think there's another vial somewhere, but..." she trailed off, knowing he would know where she was headed with that.

"More could be made, though, right?" he asked.

"Yes, but it would take too long," she replied.

"How long?"

"Two weeks."

"Then how long do I have if two weeks is too long?" he inquired. She met his eyes and instantly wished that she hadn't. The blue depths looked so scared, so alone. He looked like a child, terrified and small.

"48 hours," she said. "But after about 24, your body will deteriorate and...after 24, recovery will be impossible." He stared at her in shock.

"48 hours?" he whispered. She nodded. Tears were welling in her eyes again and she tried to push them back.

"I'm sorry, Rick," she said. He blinked at her, seemingly still processing.

"I'll let you have some time to process this," she said quietly, but he reached out his hand to stop her, realizing too late that he couldn't touch her.

"No, Kate, please," he called out. She turned back, already a few steps away. "Please don't go yet. I just...I want to spend a little bit of time with you, if you have a few minutes." She nodded.

"Of course. Rachel gave me 45 mintues," she replied, moving back to stand next to the glass. He nodded.

"Kate," he began.

"Rick, don't," she begged. "Please, don't. Don't say goodbye, because I know that's where you're headed with this. don't. We still have some time and I'm going to solve this, because I love you, and I want to marry you, and that wedding is going to happen, okay? You're going to be fine. I can't have you dying on me, alright?" He nodded.

"Okay. KAte?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"I love you, too. And I have complete faith in you, okay? You're the best Federal Agent the world has ever seen. I love you." She smiled weakly back at him.

"Thank you, Rick. I love you, too." She pressed her palm flat against the glass and he mirrored her movement, their palms seperated by the glass wall. The wall. It symbolized everything. The walls, her walls, the time ticking away, the fact that there may never be a time when those hands touched without a thin sheet of glass between them. The moment seemed to last ages. It was only broken by the sound of Kate's phone, alerting her to a text. She pulled it out to see that it was from Rachel.

Come now. We have a lead.

Kate looked back at him.

"I have to go," she said. "Rachel has a lead. I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" He nodded and she could see the fear in his eyes. She longed to hold him in her arms, to run her fingers through his hair, to kiss his head and whisper to him that she was there and that everything would be alright.

"Stay strong for me, okay?" she whispered instead. He nodded.

"Always." With one last look at the man she was trying to save, Kate Beckett bolted from the room, hoping and praying that Rachel's lead was solid. Time was ticking.