Saying Goodbye
His hand is too heavy against her cheek but the last thing she is going to do is tell him to move. Her breath catches and she forces her eyes open. He's right there, kneeling next to the bed even though she knows it hurts his knees. All she manages is a low groan before her eyes flutter closed.
"Beckett," he sighs and she feels his fingers curl into her hair.
She coughs, the motion acting as a knife cutting through her throat. She wants to respond but her body doesn't want to cooperate. It comes out as a whimper. The last thing she needs him hearing.
It takes all of her energy to raise her hand up to wrap around his wrist, holding him there. Anchoring her body to the bed for a little while longer. She quirks her lips up to a faint smile and can almost picture him forcing a smile back.
"Love yo-"
"No." He cuts her off gently. "You are not saying goodbye right now, Katherine Beckett."
But she needs to say it. One last time. "Castle, I-" She hates that she can feel the tears slip over onto her cheeks, running along the lines of his fingers. "Love you."
She turns his hand so her mouth can slide across his palm, up to his fingertips them back down to the heel of his hand, worn impossibly smooth from time on the laptop. His pulse is fast under her lips as they linger at the inside of his wrist.
"Kate, I can't do this without you," he practically sobs out, his hand looping over to her shoulders, pulling her as close to the edge of the bed. His forehead touches hers and she can feel the hot lines of his own tears against her skin. "You gotta fight, Kate. Please…"
But she can't.
Instead, she tips her head back, letting her dry lips brush against his. "Love you."
The last things she feels is his mouth trying to breathe life into her body and the scared kick of her son against her chest from his father's arms.