Authors Note: Had some things in mind and wrote them down. I'm not completely finished writing (almost) and I don't think it will be more than 5 chapters long.
Hope you enjoy!
Healing
Chapter 1
Laying on the hard ground, back pressed into the cold stone she concentrated on breathing. Her eyelids getting heavy, drawing to a shut. A giant stone pressing onto her head. A rope tightening around her chest, making breathing harder.
Slowly reaching her left hand up to loosen the rope her fingers came in contact with nothing. There was no rope around her chest, no stone on her head – nothing.
But there was not nothing. She felt something warm on her face. Thick liquid dropping out of her nose, running down the nape between her cheeks and her lips. A small amount coming to an rest on the corner of her mouth.
The liquid had a bitter iron-like taste on her tongue. Blood.
Blood. Blood wasn't a good sign. It was far from good. What had happened to her? Why was she lying on the ground, bleeding?
She was getting really tired. All she wanted was to finally sleep.
No, stay awake, she thought, praying her eyes open. She was going to be okay, she was still here. The noises around her mixing together into a big turmoil. Screaming, people running around, sirens. Sirens. That was a good sign, right? There was help.
She wanted to move her head; watch what was happening around her. But her head was pounding, her neck not moving.
What happened? She woke up this morning. Rick woke her up this morning. They hadn't seen each other in a few days. He woke her pressing kisses to her bare shoulder, running his fingers under her tank top. She came home late last night and he was asleep. Then he woke her. She was mad because she had one more hour to sleep. He promised to make it up to her. And now she was here. How?
The pain.
"Beckett!" someone shouted and she tried to figure out who it was. Whose steps walked towards her and who was it kneeling beside her now?
A warm hand on her shoulder, not squeezing. Just holding.
She was exhausted.
"Beckett. It's gonna be okay," Esposito. It was Esposito. Then she saw his face. Hovering above her, concerned wrinkles forming on his forehead. She opened her mouth; wanted to say something, anything but he just shook his head, "Don't talk. The ambulance will be here soon. Just stay awake."
The breathed out a sound, something that should sound like, "Okay," not knowing if he understood.
Her mind was running in circles, her body aching. She wanted to take a deep breath but there wasn't enough air.
Castle. Where was he? Last thing she remembered was sharing a bed with him. Where was he now. He wasn't hurt, was he? He couldn't be.
"Castle," she breathed heavily, "where-," not enough oxygen in her lungs to form a proper sentence.
"Book signing. Remember? He's at a book signing. I'll call him, Kate, as soon as the ambulance is here," he explained. He was talking slowly and the use of her first name started to scare her.
Book signing? Which book signing?
Right, right. The book signing. She was working a case, he was signing books. That's why they hadn't seen each other in four days. Last night she went to his place instead of hers. This morning they finally had an hour to themselves. And then she went to work.
A case.
They must have caught a case and something happened. Something must have went wrong.
Sirens. There were loud sirens, coming to a sharp stop next to them. Doors slamming, people running. Then there were hands on her. A person asked her questions but everything around her was a chaos. She couldn't concentrate.
She just wanted to be in her – his – bed again, feeling his hands on her skin, making her forget the pain.
Damn, she was tired.
/
He was exhausted. Four days in a row he sat in different book stores all around the city reading and signing his new book.
His hand was heavy and he swore all the smiles made his cheeks sore. But he was home now and that had been the last signing at the moment. He had to go on a national book tour next month but he was not thinking about that, yet.
All he wanted tonight was cook some dinner and hope that Beckett would come home early. It would still take a few more hours but he just hoped she didn't catch a case. This morning was the first time in four days that he had seen his girlfriend. He simply needed to spend time with her.
He was startled when his phone rang and even more when he checked the caller's ID.
Javier Esposito.
Popping another piece of the chocolate cake Alexis made into his mouth he answered, "Esposito my friend. Can't handle a case without me, huh?"
"Hey Castle," he said and his usual cockiness was no where to be found in his voice. But what could he hear? Was that concern and maybe... fear?
"What's wrong?" he asked, swallowing the cake. He did not have a good feeling about his. Not at all.
"Something happened," the voice on the other end said slowly.
Something... what?
Kate, no. It must have been Kate. It couldn't be Kate. Why would he call him otherwise?
Alexis was in class. She sent him a text just five minutes ago. And his mother, his mother was in her room, practicing lines.
It had to be Kate.
"Where is she?" he asked, already pacing the room, grabbing his keys from the counter.
Images flashing into his head. Images of something that happened almost two years ago. And then he saw her again; laying on the floor, blood running out of her body. Life running out of her body. But this time it was different, he wasn't there. He couldn't save her.
He needed air in his lungs but he couldn't breathe.
"On her way to the hospital," Esposito finally answered.
Hospital.
On her way to the hospital. That was good. That meant she was still... there.
"What... what happened?" he stuttered, "Has. Has she been shot?" he felt the tears forming in his eyes.
"No, no. It was a car accident. Listen Castle, you need to calm down. She's gonna be alright. She's tough," he tried to soothe him but all he could think about was Kate being hurt, afraid and alone.
"Don't tell me something you can't promise," he exclaimed, suddenly angry. But not with the man on the other line, with himself. He should have been there.
He was already out of the door, pressing the button on the elevator nervously before he decided to take the stairs. Running he hang up the phone; not interested in any reassuring words.
/
Running down the corridors he just needed to get to her, see her chest rising up and down as she breathes, hazel eyes telling him that she was fine.
Reaching the waiting area he saw them; Ryan, Esposito and Lanie. They were talking in silence but when he entered the room they all looked at him. Starring in between their faces he waited for answers. Something. Anything.
It was Lanie who spoke up first. Her eyes were red like she had been crying but she was calm as she talked to him, "They're running tests right now. But she didn't lose consciousness which is a really good."
Nodding he tried to let her words sink in. She didn't say anything about surgery or phrases like, 'they do everything in their power'.
That must be good, right?
"What happened?" was all he managed to say as he slumped down in the chair next to Esposito, head falling into his hands. Just 30 minutes ago he was happily at home, excited to spend the evening with her.
"She was hit by a car," Ryan said, shaking his head like he couldn't believe it himself.
Hit by a car, "How?" he asked breathing out.
"We were going after a lead. Trying to hunt down a suspect. Beckett followed him in an alley. Seems like that asshole got a partner. He came out of nowhere," Esposito explained.
That couldn't be true. God no, that couldn't be true.
Shaking his own head he tried to work through the confusion. A hand pressed onto his shoulder.
"She could talk and was awake. She will be fine," Esposito insisted.
He nodded slowly. He had to believe that she was going to be fine. Or else he was going crazy waiting. He couldn't stand this uncertainty again. Not again. Not after last time.
What if-
No, he wouldn't go there this time. Couldn't go there.
But what if this time he'd really lose her? He was starting to feel sick.
"Jim," he suddenly said. He hadn't thought about Kate's father at all since he got the call. He needed to know.
If it was Alexis, he would want to be there. He needed to call him. How could he survive that again? He lost his wife already, his daughter almost.
"I called him," Lanie answered interrupting his thoughts, "he said he'd come as fast as he can. Should be here soon."
He nodded, processing the information. Guilt shot through him at the thought that he was glad that he wasn't the one who had to call Jim Beckett. He should have been the one.
"Detective Beckett?" a middle aged man asked into the room and the four people stood up. With a slight smile on his face he walked in their direction.
"Hey, I'm Dr. Anderson," he said, his gaze wandering over each of their faces before he continued, "Well, Detective Beckett was really, really lucky."
He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Really lucky. That must mean something. He wouldn't say that if she was in a critical condition, would he?
"She suffered a minor concussion and that's explains the confusion you mentioned earlier," his eyes lingered on Esposito for a second before continuing, "We did a CT and MRI and neither showed signs of a severe brain injury. She has a sprained neck though and has to wear a collar for a while to prevent her from further injury. Gladly her spinal cord stayed uninjured. Otherwise she has two broken ribs and will get some nasty bruises on her hip and torso. Also her back might hurt for a few weeks, due to the hard impact and the neck injury. But with physical therapy there shouldn't be any lasting damage at all. Again, she was really lucky."
They continued starring at him, all waiting for the but. It never came. Slowly they seemed to realize that Kate was fine, or was going to be fine. Sounds of relieve escaping them. Lanie hugged Esposito and Ryan clapped his back.
And he knew; they all where thinking back to Montgomery's funeral. They all thought about the sniper. It was all to familiar to push that memory aside.
"If you want to, you can see her," Dr. Anderson said then.
"I need to call Jim," Rick muttered. He wanted to see her, badly. But as a father he knew that every second of worry was killing him a little more.
"I will," Lanie said, "You go and see your girl. We're checking with her later," he smiled gratefully at her before he followed the doctor to her room.
"You're her... husband?" he asked on the way.
"Yes, I mean, boyfriend," he confirmed wishing the doctor would just walk a little faster. He needed to see her to believe that she was okay.
"I'd like her to stay at least 48 hours for observation and she probably needs some help when she's released," he explained watching him questioningly.
"Of course, that won't be a problem," he answered. Of course it would be a problem. Trying to help Katherine Beckett was going to be more than a problem. That maddening stubbornness of her was driving him crazy sometimes.
"Here you go," the doctor said, pointing at the door to his left.
"Thank you," giving Rick a short nod he turned around, walking back down the corridor.
Rick stood in front of the door, taking a deep breath. Just seconds ago he couldn't wait to see her but right now he was afraid what he would find inside. He knew that she was going to be fine but a small voice inside his head told him that everything was just a lie. That she was far from fine. That she was in some other room, cold, lifeless.
His knuckles hit the door for a short knock before he slowly opened the door.
There she was; lying in the bed. She was pale, but she was awake, watching him enter. Her lips pulling up into the tiniest smile.
His former restraint gone, he took three large steps into the room until he reached the bed. Dragging the chair closer he sat down, taking her right hand into his at the same time. Pressing his lips to the back of her hand he closed his eyes, inhaling her scent, feeling the warmth of her skin.
"How are you feeling?" he asked turning his head to the side so he could look at her. He remembered the last time he visited her in a hospital.
Her eyes weren't as bright as in the morning, her hair in a messy bun. He wondered if a nurse did this, so her hair wasn't in the way as she was checked out.
"Like I've been hit by a car," she said. Her voice quiet and exhausted. He closed his eyes in return. Usually he would have laughed at such a joke – even made it himself – but right now it just didn't feel right.
"Too soon?" she asked, slender fingers brushing over his cheek.
"Too soon," he answered. Leaning forward he pressed his mouth to her temple. "God, I was so scared."
"I'm fine," she tried to assure him. Shouldn't he be the one there for her? But he still couldn't shake that feeling off he had since he got the call.
"And how are you really?" he mumbled.
He saw her biting down on her lower lip before answering, "My whole body is aching, my head is killing me. But I got pain killers and I'm fine. The nurse said I was really lucky."
"You were," he said, pressing another kiss to her temple, letting his lips linger for a moment longer this time. Everyone kept repeating how lucky she was, he wondered just how much.
A knock on the door interrupted them. A concerned looking Jim Beckett entered the door. A bouquet in his hands. He must have stopped to get her flowers after he heard that she was going to be okay.
"Katie," he said.
"Hey Dad," she mumbled.
"I'll leave you two alone," Rick said. Getting up he pressed a last kiss to her head before he released her hand. "I'll be back."
"Go home, you must be tired-," she started but he just shook his head, touching her cheek with his thumb.
"Don't be ridicules, I'm not going anywhere until I'm dragged out of here," he explained.
She just smiled at him.
On his way out he pressed a hand to Jim's shoulder, the older man giving him a reassuring smile.
Authors Note: What do you think?