It couldn't be true. On a Monday, of all days. Detective Kate Beckett hung up the telephone and turned a wide-eyed glare to the empty chair beside her desk. How the hell could the unflappable, unstoppable, rock solid Richard Castle be dropped to his knees by a miserable microscopic thingy, and just what did Martha expect her to do about it? The manipulating old lady had twisted her around her finger all to easily, and as a result, Kate's insides were now tied in nervous knots and her schedule for the day was somewhere in the garbage can. Martha was probably gloating. Kate sighed.; it had to happen sometime, the man was only human, after all. The pen she was playing with began to dance a nervous beat against her jean-clad thigh. Kate Beckett, meet Florence Nightingale. The concept had a certain appeal, but her nursing credentials were sadly lacking. With elbows pinned on the desk, Kate stared philosophically at the silver pen dangling between her fingers. A smile slowly raised the corners of her mouth. How difficult could it be? Her febrile patient in bed, casually undressed….would Castle's colossal ego survive? Kate tossed the pen on the desk and jumped to her feet. Monday was a great day for both of them to call in sick, if only she could escape before Captain Montgomery arrived.
"Hey guys, guess what?"
"A body?"
"Good guess Ryan, but this is better."
"Better than a body?"
"Yup. Our illustrious writer is down with a case of the flu, and Martha just conned me into babysitting." The man-giggles and laughter exploded from Esposito and Ryan, right along with the expected sarcastic comments.
"Oh yeah, boss is gonna be queen of the Castle for a day."
"Sweet. It's about time you helped him write a new love scene."
Kate did not appreciate the sly eye contact bouncing between her two male partners, and decided that a quick exit was in order. She grabbed some non-confidential files and stuffed them into her bag. "Are you guys feeling okay these days?"
"I had some bad days last week, but nothing like the plague Castle contracted."
"Oh please, it's probably just a fever."
"So you hope. Yo, Beckett, you want my advice?"
Putting a finger to her chin, she replied, "Hmm, let me think..."
Esposito ignored her and rolled his chair right up to her desk. "You might wanna hold off on the French kissing," he cackled devilishly, and even Kate had a hard time keeping a straight face.
"Careful boys, my blackmail ammunition file is getting fatter." Kate crammed the last piece of paper into the overfilled bag and grabbed her jacket. Ryan and Esposito leaned buddy-buddy and all too casually against her desk, their eyes sparkling with glee. I'll never live this one down.
"Remember, boss, if your toy gets too hot to handle, call the fire department, not us."
"You guys have been taking attitude lessons from Castle."
"We learn from the best. Don't take so much paperwork, you'll be way too busy to do it."
"Enough already! Tell the captain I called in sick, ok?" Kate saluted them, "I'll see you tomorrow, assuming of course, that I don't catch the deadly Castle plague." The smiling boys were feeding the birds by the time Kate clipped away, and she thanked the elevator for a timely rescue from any further embarrassment. Still, she cringed at the raucous peel of laughter that burst from the bullpen just as the elevator door slammed shut. To be fair, Kate really couldn't blame her partners for making fun of her soap opera love life, because she'd been doing the same thing for quite some time now.
Detective Beckett paused in the hallway outside Castle's door and leaned against the wall. What the hell am I doing? This was a bad idea. The knots in her stomach had pulled even tighter during the taxi ride and to his building, and now she was furious with herself for accepting this ridiculous job. Martha had overstepped her boundaries on this one. Her knock was answered before she could ponder the situation any further, so she put on her best face and took a deep breath. There was no turning back now. "Hello Kate dear," Martha smiled her widest Broadway smile and leaned forward to peck Kate on the cheek. "Please come in, I really didn't know who else to call on such short notice."
Why don't I believe you? Kate dropped her bag and jacket on a kitchen chair and turned to face Martha. The woman was draped in a form-fitting, ruby-red dress, and her neck was dripping with strands of glittering gold chains. Wow, a living mannequin. "I'm glad you called me Martha; what happened to Rick? What are his symptoms?"
"Well, we were chatting nicely last evening when all of a sudden he got very dizzy and almost collapsed. I helped him to his room, but then I was up half the night listening to his nightmares. He's got a raging fever going right now, the poor darling."
"Nightmares? I've never seen him sick."
"Ture, he is a strapping fellow, but Richard has been under tremendous strain for some time now."
"Trouble with Nikki?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. She's had him running around the city chasing murderers, diffusing bombs and firing guns at homicidal maniacs."
"Martha…"
"And there was the time he almost froze to death, and did I mention he was kidnapped by a serial killer? Such an ambitious routine takes its toll on a writer, don't you think, detective?"
Kate fidgeted nervously and felt very much like a bug pinned under the magnifying glass as she fell victim to Martha's most penetrating stare. "I suppose it's possible that Rick is tired, yes."
"But he just won't quit. I sense a smoldering fire between you and Richard."
"Uh, well, yes, we.…" Kate was at a loss for words, and decided that she had said far too much already. There had to be a way out of this conversational hole. "Is Alexis at school?"
"Yes, and I'll be just a few minutes longer, so please make yourself comfortable."
How do I get comfy sitting on a cactus? Kate frowned and after a moment of consideration, opted to stay in the relative safety of the kitchen while the energetic matriarch scurried around the loft. Kate was sorting through her files when Martha finally whisked back into the kitchen, and without so much as a hello for a warning, began flinging instructions in every direction. "There's canned soup ready to go, but I suspect the poor boy won't be hungry. If you don't like what's in the cupboards, we have a list of restaurants that deliver. The list is on the fridge. Drugs are on the counter. Richard likes black tea when he's under the weather, and oh, he tends to sleepwalk, so please do watch that he doesn't wander out of the house naked." Martha paused for a breath, "there's a bottle of wine in the fridge for you, dear; don't be shy; it's going to be a long day."
"Thanks, Martha, I suspect it will."
The lithe mother hen nodded, smiled and turned abruptly to breeze up the stairs. Yup, Martha was one of a kind, to be sure. Naked sleepwalking? What other dark secrets was Rick hiding behind that devil-may-care veneer? A long minute later, Martha reappeared with her bags in hand. Kate moved to usher her out, but the old woman lingered near the door and then swiveled around abruptly.
"I had not intended to interfere, but seeing you here has convinced me to selfishly speak my mind, regardless of the consequences."
Hadn't she already done that? Kate said a silent prayer and took a breath. "I'm listening."
"Unrequited love is a tragedy, Kate. I beg you to end Richard's suffering and either love him or set him free."
Kate's breath puffed out in an incredulous rush. "What?"
"His devotion to you is driving him to risk his life."
"That's absurd, Rick makes his own choices."
"Richard cannot make logical choices anymore; he is hopelessly in love with you."
The devastation was absolute, and Kate didn't want to blush, but couldn't halt the blood from rushing into her face. "Why are you telling me this?"
"I like you, Kate, but Richard's heart will break if you don't stop playing games. I am his mother, and I cannot bear to see him ripped to pieces again. He's a good man, and he needs a good woman."
"Yes, he is a good man."
"Richard is waiting for you to love him, my dear. Search deep in your heart, find the spark that will light the fire. I'll call you later."
Martha slipped out the door and Kate stood frozen to the floor, her eyes slowly glazing over with disbelief. Was this really happening? Somehow, her legs must have moved, for she found herself perched on one of the high kitchen chairs. "Unrequited love is a tragedy." Wow, so dramatic, Martha must be thinking of Shakespeare. Kate closed her eyes and wished she could push the rewind button to start the day all over again. "Richard is hopelessly in love with you." Yes, it was true; she had known it for months. "Richard is waiting for you to love him." Why would Rick wait for a cop with a bag full of issues when he had his pick of women all too eager to fall at his feet? Kate decided that her sanity was at serious risk and it was only 9:00 in the morning. "Richard Castle, you have turned my life upside down!" The answering shout came from the bedroom and was so unexpected that Kate nearly fell off the chair. She crossed to the room in a few quick strides.
