The Push

Chapter 1

"This is your fault," Josh shouted, shoving Castle against the hard wall of the hospital corridor. Rick's head hit with a sickening crack.

"Dad!" Alexis screamed as Castle slumped to the floor.

Martha turned on Josh. "What the hell did you do?"

Josh looked down in confusion. "I don't know. I didn't mean... I'll get some help." Josh took off at a run as Martha and Alexis bent over Castle.

Jim Beckett sank into a chair with his face in his hands. Footsteps clattered in the hallway as a gurney was rushed toward Castle. A doctor shined a light in Castle's eyes. "Pupils uneven. We need someone from neuro." Alexis and Martha followed the gurney as it was rolled away.

"Mr. Beckett?" a doctor inquired several minutes later. Jim rose unsteadily to his feet. "We removed a bullet from your daughter's chest. Her condition is critical. We'll know more within the next 24 hours. She's been taken to ICU. When she's settled, I'll have someone take you up there, but until she's more stable you'll only be able to see her for a few minutes at a time."

Jim nodded. "Thank you. I understand."

Though chief of surgery Cousins was standing behind his desk, Josh Davidson still topped him by eight inches, but it was clear where the power was. "What the hell were you thinking, Josh? Attacking someone in the halls of the hospital? It was witnessed by several members of the N.Y.P.D. and a report has already been filed. There's no way we can keep this in-house. Damn! We'll be lucky if the Castle family doesn't file suit. There's no way we can defend one."

"So what are you going to do" Josh asked.

Cousins leaned against his desk and shook his head. I'm going to have to suspend you, Josh. I have no choice. You'll have a hearing with the Board, but it's more than likely they'll vote to fire you, to minimize the hospital's liability. If there are criminal charges, your firing is guaranteed. If I were you, I'd do my best to make peace with the Castle family. His mother is not going to let this pass. Neither is his firebrand of a daughter. Neither one of them is even willing to leave the hospital until Richard Castle wakes up, and Kitchner in Neuro isn't sure when that's going to happen. The steady stream of police and even a medical examiner that's been here for Detective Beckett, has been in and out of Castle's room as well. If you don't do something about it, this whole matter is just going to get messier with every minute that goes by."

Castle's eyelids fluttered. "Kate!"

"Go get the doctor!" Martha instructed Alexis. "Kate's alive, Richard. She's stable now. The doctors think she's going to be all right. We've all been worried about you."

"What happened?" Castle asked. "Did I get shot too? No. I remember telling Kate that I loved her, and then we were in the ambulance. Her heart stopped and Lanie was doing CPR. Her hands were covered with blood. After that I don't remember anything."

"Yes, the doctors said you might have some short term memory loss. Kate's motorcycle thug boyfriend threw you against a wall. You've been unconscious since. It's been two days."

"I need to see Kate," Castle insisted.

"Yes, well, we'll see what the doctor has to say about that."

"Javi, are you telling me that Josh threw Castle against a wall and Castle was unconscious for two days?" Kate demanded.

"That's what happened," Ryan confirmed from behind his partner.

"Where's Josh?" Kate asked.

"The hospital issued a statement that he's on suspension, while what he did is being investigated. But there's really nothing to investigate, Kate. Castle doesn't remember, but," Javi looked back at Ryan who nodded in agreement, "we all saw him do it. Yesterday, Josh tried to make nicey nicey with Martha and Alexis, but they both looked like they wanted to kill him. One of the big ass doctors was there and got them to calm down. Josh said something about going back to Haiti."

"I can't believe Josh did that," Kate exclaimed. "Castle tried to save my life. If it hadn't been for him, I might have taken another bullet, and he told me..."

"Told you what?" Javi prodded.

"Never mind," Kate replied. "That's something Castle and I need to talk about."

"You should get your chance," Ryan interjected. "I heard him trying to talk the doctor into letting him come down here." An aide wheeled Castle through the door into the ward where Kate had been moved from ICU. "Speak of the devil."

Castle looked around. "What the hell, Kate? Not even a private room?"

Ryan shook his head. "N.Y.P.D. health plan, Bro, the bean counters always go for the cheapest of everything. I'm surprised the gold on the badges doesn't turn green."

"The bean counters aren't going to make this call," Castle declared. "Kate almost died at Montgomery's funeral. She deserves better than this. I know a guy."

Kate's pale face brightened. "I'm sure you do, Castle. But I'm fine here, really." She reached out and brushed his temple with her fingertips. "How are you?"

"Other than having the mother of all headaches and not being able to remember anything after I was with you in the ambulance, fine," Castle replied.

"But you remember what happened before that?" Kate questioned.

Castle reached for her hand. "I think you could decapitate me and I'd still remember that." Kate looked up at Ryan and Esposito. "Could you guys excuse us for a while?"

Ryan pulled at Esposito's sleeve. "Um yeah, we've got the case to work on."

"Right, the case," Esposito agreed, as they backed toward the door.

Kate turned to the aide behind Castle's chair. "Could you excuse us for a few minutes, too?"

"I'll be right outside," She told Castle. "Five minutes. You know the doctor didn't want you down here very long."

"I know," Castle acknowledged, muttering "Nurse Cratchit," under his breath.

"You sure you're okay, Castle?" Kate asked. "Didn't sound like it."

"Says the woman who just had a bullet nick her heart. Don't worry about it. They're just afraid I'm going to sue the hospital. They want to make sure nothing else happens to me. So what did you want to talk about?"

"I think you know, Castle."

"When I told you I loved you." Castle let out a breath. "Kate, that particular thunderbolt hit me when you walked up to me in my book party and flashed your badge. But you acted like you couldn't wait to get rid of me, and then there was Tom, and then Josh, and I tried so hard to keep you from getting yourself killed, and you threw me out. I couldn't say anything - until I thought I was out of time."

"And until I thought I was out of time, I wasn't ready to hear it," Kate replied. "So what do we do now?"

"You wanna go steady? We could exchange hospital bracelets," Castle suggested.

Kate would have laughed if the pain in her chest had allowed it. She settled for a smile. "I guess we'll just have to figure it out as we go."

Castle pressed a kiss into her palm. "I can live with that."