A/N1: Hello peoples and WELCOME to the first chapter of my third Castle fic I've titled 'Baby Steps' THANK YOU to all those awesomesauce people who added me and my stories to their favourite author/stories list,s it made me grin like a loon each time I got an email alert. To know my series has a bigger following than I thought made me happy! I hope you enjoy the continuation of Rick and Kate's story, it'll be a rollercoaster ride!

The news of Rick waking up spread around New York like a wildfire and the paparazzi and media attention groups who had started to drop off in recent weeks re-gathered in front of Mercy West, Martha's School, Jim's apartment and the Twelfth precinct. By now Frank and his team had returned to Washington but periodically he and Agents Woodson and Parnell would return to Manhattan to continue working on Johanna Beckett and Rick's kidnapping cases which was soon scheduled to be heard in the federal court.

The Writer drifted in an out of consciousness due to the pain relieving drugs he was being given and it wasn't for a full week after waking from his coma that Kate arrived at the hospital to find him awake and watching TV.

"Hey Writer Man," she greeted him dropping her bag on the end of the bed and leaning down to kiss him. "How's my boy?"

"S-sore," Rick replied, a happy smile spreading across his face. "How you doing?"

"Better now that you're back with us," Kate said with a happy sigh. "I've been so worried about you, Rick."

"The nurses told me this morning that you've been in here every day and often fell asleep and spent the night here." Rick revealed in a soft voice.

Kate turned a bright shade of scarlet. "I only did that twice," she confessed, rubbing his leg. "Can I sit?"

"Sure."

Rick awkwardly shifted over to the far side of the bed and Kate got up on the bed, snuggling up to him and resting her head in the crook of his good shoulder.

"I've been waiting a whole month to do this," Kate murmured. "I'm so glad you came back to me Rick, for the longest time I thought I was going to lose you."

"Hey I'm here," the Writer answered sleepily. "I'd never leave you, Kate. You're my girl. We're a team."

"We are," the female detective agreed. "Um...w-what is–can you r-remember, anything?"

Rick furrowed his brow as he tried to remember. "I remember being in the gym working out and sparring with Karpowski," he replied. "Then things got fuzzy and nothing til a few days ago, that was you helping me drink the water, wasn't it?"

Kate's heart soared. "Yup, that was Sunday night," she said happily. "I was dozing off and I woke up to you choking on your breathing tube. The nurses took it out and Doctor Ray, your neurosurgeon. Examined you, then I helped you drink your water and then you zonked out again when you were given some painkillers. You've been dozy since then."

"Where's 'lexis?" Rick asked.

"She's up in Boston studying at Harvard," Kate replied. "She was going to defer til you woke up but Martha, Kevin, Javi and I convinced her to go ahead and make her way up to Boston to start her college career. She's been coming here every weekend and will I think til you get discharged."

"She was here this weekend?" Rick exclaimed making a face. "Aw man, I don't remember."

"You were pretty out of it," Kate revealed. "You had a pretty bad weekend with pain management so your dose of morphine was increased slightly. One minute you were awake and with it then next you didn't know who I or Lanie was."

"Oh god, I hope I didn't say anything to embarrass myself," Rick groaned. "I do tend to say and do stupid things when off my face on pain killers."

"Nah, you were alright. You just fell asleep in the middle of whatever you were saying at the time, it was kinda cute," Kate informed him with a giggle "the paparazzi are downstairs again along with it seems a correspondent from every media outlet in the state."

"So I'm going to see your fine behind on the box tonight?" Rick asked sleepily.

"Most likely yeah," Kate replied with a little giggle. "You sleepy?"

"Mmmm, bit." Rick replied.

"Sleep then, I'll stay here," Kate promised, resting a hand over his heart. "Love you Writer Man."

"Love you too, Tulip."

Kate was woken a short time later by Dr Ray who peered down at the female detective with a knowing smile upon her face.

"The nurses told me you were zonked out," she said in amusement. "How y'doin'?'

Kate sat up in a hurry and slid off the bed he face flaming in embarrassment.

"I'm fine," she muttered, avoiding the neurosurgeon's eyes. "What's happening?"

"I've scheduled Rick in for a MRI scan and there's some orderly's just outside in the hallway ready to take him up," the young woman replied. "If his results are satisfactory I'm thinking of transferring him up to the neurosurgery ward."

Kate lit up. "Really?" she exclaimed excitedly. "Can I come?"

"Sure, you can sit with me and the MRI technician while the scan takes place. Just turn off your cell in the duration."

Kate turned to Rick and shook his shoulder. "Rick, wake up. Jessica's here to take you up for a MRI scan," she said to the Writer, gently shaking his shoulder then stroking his face. "C'mon lazy bum, it's rude to sleep in front of guests.

The writer opened an eye as Dr Ray let out a great snort of laughter.

"Ha ha," he croaked. "I'm covered in more bandages than a mummy and I'm full of horse tranquilisers, I'm allowed to sleep in front of guests."

"Good morning, Mr Castle. How are you feeling today?" Dr Ray asked as she began examining the Writer.

"Bit muddle headed," Rick replied sleepily as the neurosurgeon began taking his blood pressure. "Like I'm in a fog."

"Hmm, might lower your morphine does then," Dr Ray replied. "How's your pain level?"

"Oh it's great, I don't feel anything!" Rick declared with a little giggle. "Pity, because I'm just in the mood to-" and the writer made a grab for Kate's backside.

"Behave you," the female detective hissed, her face turning a magnificent shade of scarlet as she grabbed the Writer's hand and squeezed it hard. "Not now!"

"I think we can significantly lower your morphine level," Dr Ray declared with a barely hidden smile. "I find when my patients start getting grabby with their spouses, it's time to lay off the narcotics."

"Oh my god, I can't believe we're having this discussion!" Kate groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I've never been so embarrassed in all my life!"

"Oh honey, don't be. I've seen far more salacious things than a butt grab go on in the hospital," Dr Ray revealed with a chuckle. "Butt grab all you like no one's going to hear about it from me."

"Whaaaayy!" Rick cheered just as a pair of orderlies came into the ward.

"Alright Mr Castle, time to go upstairs for your MRI," Dr Ray said cheerfully. "Try and keep your hands to yourself, won't you? I think Kate's going to die of embarrassment if you get too touchy feely."

"Too late, it's already happened," the female detective muttered as the two orderly's manoeuvred Rick's bed out into the hallway. "C'mon Mr Touchy Feely, d'you think you could behave yourself til after your scan."

"Anything for you, detective!"

"So it went alright?" Kate asked Dr Ray and hour and a half later as Rick's MRI scan concluded.

"Yeah, it did. Amazingly well," the neurosurgeon replied in surprise, watching and the orderlies and nurse lifted Rick back into his bed. "There's still evidence of the actual skull fracture but there's no bleeding or unusual swelling anywhere I expected there might be. I mean people with the sort of injuries Rick had normally die before they get in an ambulance, how he survived two days with a subdual haematoma and a cerebral haemorrhage is beyond me."

"Ah, he's definitely the type to amaze anyone he comes across," Kate confessed as they left the booth just as Rick emerged from the MRI room. "Hey you, how's your head?"

"Brilliant," Rick replied, his eyes still a little glassy from the morphine. "Don' like the hat though."

"Well, your scan went well, Mr Castle. I reckon we can take the bandages off tomorrow morning if you're alright with that," Dr Ray told the Writer cheerfully. "Maybe Kate or your friends Kevin and Javier can find something a bit more fetching than a gauze wrap, huh?"

Kate let out an amused snort of laughter. "Frank's coming down from Washington on Friday night. I'll ring him and ask if he can bring an FBI cap for you, okay?" Kate jumped in just as Rick opened his mouth wide to respond. "And I'll have a dig around and see if I can get some NYPD sweats for you. Deal? You have to promise not to get grabby though."

"Well, you're no fun at all." Rick replied dryly as the two orderlies snickered.

"He's a talkative one isn't he, ma'am?" the youngest of the pair said to Kate.

"Oh you have no idea."

Two days later Kate made to leave Mercy West.

"I have to go and pick Alexis up from La Guardia," she told Rick. "You rest up, okay?"

The Writer smiled mid kiss as the female detective leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

"You taste like crown mints," he commented, nibbling on her lower lip and slinging his good arm around her waist to pull her closer. "Mmmmmm."

Kate leaned into the kiss but then reluctantly pulled away. "I have to go and get Alexis," she repeated. "I'll get some take away from that funky new Thai Bistro near the precinct and bring some back for you. We can have dinner together as a family then."

Rick's heart swelled at the word 'family.' "Drive safe," he said brushing the pad of his thumb over her swollen lips. "I love you."

"Love you too, Writer Man."

Kate quickly made her way out of the hospital and to the parking lot where she had parked her father's sedan. She got in the drivers seat then made her way across the River to La Guardia airport arriving shortly after six PM, fifteen minutes before Alexis' scheduled arriving time. The female detective got herself her favourite Grand skinny two pump vanilla latte from a Java Hut stall just inside the main entrance building them pushed her way through the crowd til she came to gate seven the gate in which the youngest Castle's flight was due to land.

Kate's insides soared shortly before twenty past six as a jet sporting the livery of American Airlines taxied into the arrivals gate. She pushed her way through the crowd and stood in a spot where she knew Alexis would see her upon disembarking. Draining the last of her latte and tossing the cardboard cup into a nearby trash can Kate waited til a few minutes later when Alexis emerged from the sky bridge a laptop bag slung over one shoulder and a packed backpack over the other.

"Alexis!" Kate called lifting, a hand and waving to catch the teen's attention. "Over here!"

Alexis snapped her head in the direction of Kate's voice and it up when she saw the female detective. "Kate!" she exclaimed, running over to the female detective and engulfing her in a hug. "I wasn't expecting to see you, Grams-"

"I know she was supposed to pick you up but I asked her if I could do it instead, I haven't picked you up from the airport yet," Kate replied, returning the teen's hug. "How's college going this week?"

"Oh, it's great. I'm learning so much!" Alexis replied enthusiastically as the two women began making their way to the luggage collection area. "We started on trauma psychology this week and all the course work makes so much more sense having gone-still going through Dad's situation. I think I'll be able to understand this unit more, you know?"

"I do," Kate replied. "Still keeping in touch with Noah?"

Alexis blushed hard. "I might be," she replied with a massive grin.

Kate raised an eyebrow. "Might be?" she teased. "That's a yes or no, Alexis. Don't snow me, I know you too well by now."

Alexis broke into a fit of uncharacteristic giggles. "Okay I am," she confessed. "Emails and texts every day, well night, he's kinda given me a nickname."

"And that is?"

The colour of Alexis' blush deepened. "Promise you won't tell Dad," she said. "If he knows Noah has given me a nickname, he'll go all poppa bear on him and give him the 'you hurt my baby girl and I'll kill you talk.'"

Kate laughed and put an arm around Alexis' shoulders. "Sweetie, he's a father to a daughter. Trust me, every Dad the world over gives their daughter's boyfriends the 'hurt my baby and I'll kill you' talk'. My Dad has done it to all of my boyfriends and did it to your Dad over a round of golf. Don't sweat it, he wouldn't mean it literally."

"I know but, well I don't quite know what this thing with Noah is yet and I don't want anything to jeopardise the possibility of it becoming more," Alexis countered worriedly. "I know Dad wouldn't literally kill Noah. I just want to figure out what we have before-"

"I know what you mean," Kate informed the teenager. "But for what its worth, I think Noah's pretty smitten with you and you him."

"Well that I'll admit to," Alexis confessed. "He's a nice guy. Paige reckons he's hot and has a nice ass."

Kate laughed heartily. "Well I'm bias to another man's derriere but I will admit Noah is a good looking young man," Kate said. "So what's his nickname for you?"

Alexis hesitated before she answered the female detective's question. "Cookie," she mumbled.

"Sorry, what was that? I didn't quite catch that."

"He calls me Cookie," Alexis hissed projecting her voice a little more. "Apparently because I'm always telling him I eat them while studying instead of actually having a proper meal."

Kate couldn't help it and burst out laughing. "Oh 'lex, I'm sorry I shouldn't be laughing, she chortled. "But it's so cute."

"That's what Paige and our dorm mate Lara says," Alexis muttered. "Paige actually said Noah and I remind her of you and Dad except because he lives in Washington, there's not all the butt grabbing and kissing when you think no one else is looking."

Kate laughed. "So are you going to visit him?" she asked as they arrived in the luggage collection area.

"I'd like to but I want to keep coming home on the weekends at least until Dad's been discharged from hospital," Alexis replied. "I know he's got you and Grams and Doctor Parish and Detectives Ryan and Esposito looking after him, but for me it wouldn't feel right not coming home on a weekend til I know he's alright. I have thought of asking him to be my plus one to the Frozen Heat launch party when it's rescheduled. It'll be a good excuse to dress up."

"Well when there's a definite date for the party. I'll come up to Boston and we'll go dress shopping," Kate promised he redhead. "Or we can do it when you come back here. I haven't been dress shopping in ages."

"That sounds like a plan," Alexis said brightly as the luggage carousel kicked into gear. "So how's Dad going? How are his test results?"

"Great, he had an MRI scan two days ago and came though it with flying colours," Kate replied happily. "He was transferred out of ICU up to the Neurosurgery ward and had his big turban like head dressing removed and replaced with a smaller padded gauze bandage. And I think next week he's going to start physiotherapy, but that's going to be after meeting with all four of the surgeons who operated on him."

"Oh that's great!" Alexis exclaimed in relief. "So he might be out of hospital soon."

"Possibly, right now it's just a wait and see," Kate replied as luggage began appearing. "But he's recovering at a faster pace than any of his surgeons thought he would and Doctor Arnold, his orthopaedic surgeon reckons by the end of next week the bandages can come off and knee brace can go on."

"Are you back at the loft yet?" Alexis asked spotting her suitcase and yanking it off the carousel.

"No, not yet. I'm still at Dad's," Kate replied as they began heading towards the nearest exit. "It wouldn't feel right heading back to there unless your Dad was with me."

"Would you go back with me then?" Alexis inquired. "Why don't we go back there tonight? I know TriBeCa is further away from Mercy West than you Dad's or Grams' apartment but it's still our home. And I know neither of us have been in there for weeks, so it's doing to need a bit of a tidy up but we can do that together, spend a bit of time together that doesn't involve being worried sick about Dad."

"You really want to?" Kate asked in surprise.

"Yeah, it's home Kate and as much as I love Grams, I would like to be in my own space when I come home to New York," Alexis replied. "Besides I'm worried about you, everyone is. You're at the hospital every day and aren't taking any time for yourself. I think you'd relax more at the loft despite Dad not being there just yet. And I know you love spending time with your own Dad but I reckon you wouldn't mind being in your own space either."

Kate rolled her eyes. "You've been talking to Lanie?" she questioned, dryly.

Alexis grinned. "I may have been," she replied mysteriously. "But whether I have or not is immaterial. I know you want to go home, Kate."

Kate made a face. "Yeah alright, I do want to go home,' she confessed as they got into an elevator that would take them up to the floor Kate had parked the car on. "How about we meet at the hospital tomorrow morning then at lunch go back to the loft and fix it up before we go back to the hospital and visit your Dad during evening visiting hours?"

Alexis put an arm around the female detective's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Sounds good."

Half an hour later after a brief visit to Bangkok Grill, a popular new Thai restaurant by the twelfth precinct, Kate and Alexis arrived at Mercy West Hospital and headed upstairs to the Neurosurgery ward.

Rick was sitting up in bed and perusing a copy of that day's New York Post. "Ah my favourite girls have come to visit," he teased, his still bruised and swollen face bursting into the biggest smile Kate had seen since his return to consciousness. "I smelled you two before I saw you."

Alexis put the bag of food she was carrying down on the bedside cabinet and dove into her father's embrace, hugging him as hard as his healing body would allow.

"So, so good to see you, Dad," she declared, her voice muffled slightly by his shoulder. "You're looking so much better than last weekend."

"I don't remember last weekend, I was too high on morphine apparently," Rick replied his ice blue eyes welling up with tears. "Good to see you 'lexis, I've missed you."

"Missed you too Dad," the teen replied, her voice thick with emotion. "Kate and I bought you some dinner from the Bangkok Grill. Green Curry, Red Curry to prawn Laksa and the curries are with Coconut rice."

Rick lit up. "Green Curry," he said at once as Kate went to his side. "Hey."

While Alexis was busy unpacking the food Kate leaned down and captured Rick's lips with her own.

"Hey yourself," she murmured. "Missed you," the brunette added in a barely discernable whisper.

"In the hour you were gone?" Rick teased. "Attachment issues much?"

Kate rolled her eyes and playfully punched him on his good arm. "I'm allowed to miss you," she declared, her face burning hotly as Alexis gave them an 'I totally heard what you said' look. "So sue me." she added with a furtive hiss

"Dig in!" Alexis announced after everyone had their meal

"I propose a toast first," Rick interrupted as Kate popped his can of soda.

"To?" the female detective inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"To awesome neurosurgeons, general surgeons, facial surgeons and orthopaedic surgeons," Rick replied lifting up his drink. "To every single person who helped me get out of that warehouse. To waking up, to friends, to family and most of all to my two favourite girls...I'm getting better for you two."

The writer's voice caught in his throat and a singular tear ran down his bruised cheek.

"Ow wow Dad," Alexis breathed as Kate burst into tears. "Oh wow I don't know what to say."

"I really do want to be able to get better for you two," Rick repeated, setting his jaw in an attempt to stave off more tears. "You two are the most important people in my life and I want to get out of this antiseptic stinking building so I can be at home and spend more time with you. I want to be able to come up to Boston for a weekend to visit you instead of the other way around. I want to sleep in my own bed and be nearer to my girls and I can't do that here. You're both my motivation to get better."

"Oh you...you...sod!" Kate scolded affectionate grabbing a tissue from the bedside cabinet. "You sure know how to make a girl cry, don't you Castle?"

"Well we're going to do our best to help you get better and out of here Dad," Alexis vowed, leaning forward and patting her father's leg as Kate blew her nose and wiped her eyes. "If you ever have any physio sessions scheduled for a weekend, I'll come along to them and help you get strong again. Kate needs you on the job, and it'd be good to hear your stories from the precinct again."

Rick smiled. "I mightn't be the best patient you know," he confessed sticking a plastic fork into his curry. "Look at when I broke my collarbone. I was a grumpy ass patient then."

"Yeah you were but we love you and will put up with anything you come up with," Kate informed him affectionately. "Really, you're not that bad Rick. Dad's worse when he had his appendix out a few years ago. He moaned and groaned every single minute of his recovery. You just sequestered yourself away in your office and wrote."

"And I'm looking forward to doing that again once I get this off," Rick said, indicating to the heavily bandaged right arm. "I can't even write long hand with it in a sling."

"Well it's been nearly six weeks since it was operated on, it shouldn't be too long til it comes off," Alexis surmised waving a chunk of beef in the air. "What did Doctor Arnold say today?"

"He said if my shoulder looks alright on Monday when he comes around on his rounds he'll remove the bandages and schedule me for physio," Rick replied brightly. "Hopefully then I'll be able to write."

Alexis lit up. "That's great!" she declared happily. "But you know physio is going to be a long term thing, don't you?"

"Uh huh, baby steps," the writer replied. "But a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. I know I'm not going to be back to my badass self in five minutes."

"Oh pfft, your badass self?" Kate scoffed teasingly. "You're too much of a teddy bear to be badass."

Alexis let out an unladylike snort of laughter. "Excuse me, I resent that comment!" Rick exclaimed with a chuckle. "I'm plenty badass, my badassery only rears its head in certain situations. Yours on the other hand my darling detective is out in the open for all to see."

Alexis laughed so hard she began choking on her meal. Kate rolled her eyes and thumped the youngest Castle on the back to help her clear her throat.

"Shut up," she muttered, her face a bright shade of red. "I can go back to Dad's right now you know."

"Aw but then I'd miss you," Rick whined a cheeky grin spreading across his face. "Really really miss you."

"Being a suck hole doesn't suit you, Writer Boy. Eat your dinner," Kate scolded fighting the urge to smile. "Whiner."

"Ha!"

Kate and Alexis stayed at the hospital til the end of visiting hours when a nurse came to administer Rick's evening pain relief.

"Evening Mr Castle, how are you doing'?" the nurse who's name tag identified her as Kelly asked, greeting the Writer in a thick southern accent.

"I'm great because I have my favourite girls with me," Rick replied happily. "Time for meds?"

"'Fraid so, this one is going to make you a bit dopey so it might be time to say goodnight to everyone."

Alexis got up and embraced her father. "See you tomorrow morning Dad," she said. "D'you need Kate or I to bring anything?"

"Nah I'm alright," Rick replied, leaning into her hug. "Just seeing you and Kate is all I need. See you in the morning, kiddo."

Alexis stepped back and Kate leaned down for a hug. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. "I love you so much."

"Love you too, Tulip," Rick replied softly resting his forehead against hers. "til tomorrow?"

Kate pressed her lips to Rick's stroking his bruised and swollen cheeks with her fingers.

"Til tomorrow."

A/N2: There you go peoples, remember reviews feed the beast! :-D