"Castle, I just want you to know how much I…."
He watched her fade slowly telling her to stay with him and reassuring her that they were going to get out of this alive. The cold had started to take over her body and he wasn't sure how much longer either of them would last in this freezer.
*One hour earlier*
"How cold do you think it is in here?" he asked shivering slightly.
"Well below freezing." She said sounding slightly fearful. She proceeded to remove her gun from the holster and attempt to shoot down the door.
"Woah what are you doing?" he asked trying to dodge any bouncing bullets. He slowly moved closer to her" That isn't going to help us. That door is made of steel." He said, eyes focused on her face.
She remained stoic. Her face showing no trace of fear, but her shaking hands showing evidence of her steadily decreasing body temperature. "Nobody knows that we are here Castle. I could really use a silver lining here." She said staring right into his piercing eyes.
"I wish I had one." He said moving closer to her. He clasped his hands together and blew on them. "We have to find some way to keep warm until someone finds us." He said with a shiver.
"I agree." She said shyly turning her gaze away from him.
"Why don't we…. Kind of um…. Huddle…uh…" He stammered awkwardly. He slowly walked back to the side wall of the freezer and slid down to the floor. She followed suit and slid close to him. He wrapped his arm around her thin shoulders and she rested her head on his chest.
"You know, this is not how I had planned on spending my night." She said with a soft chuckle followed by a cough due to the intense cold. She pulled the zipper up as far as it would go.
"As much as I am enjoying this," he said pulling her closer to him "I have to agree."
Minutes passed that seemed like hours, and Kate's condition deteriorated. He felt her breathing become more strained, and her shivering become more intense with each passing minute. "C-C-Castle I-I can't feel anything." She said hugging herself.
"It's ok Kate, just stay with me." He said desperately pulling her into his side. "Don't give up. Just think of a really warm place like the Bahamas. We could go there after someone finds us." He said pressing his cheek to her forehead. "I'm sorry this is all my fault. I made you…." He said, but was interrupted by her shushing.
"Shhhh. Castle this is not your fault. We found the bomb. You were right." She said turning ever so slowly to face him. She reached us trying to touch his face, but lost the strength. "I just want you to know how much I….." she forced out before losing consciousness.
He frantically looked at her face and pressed his cheek to her forehead. "Just stay with me Kate. It's ok. Just stay with me." He rocked back and forth, trying to keep himself warm.
They stayed this way for what seemed like forever. Castle began to lose hope that they would ever be found. He reached for her wrist every few minutes to check her slowing pulse. "Kate please you can't leave me. You can't give up!" he said rubbing her shoulder.
That was when he heard a knocking sound outside the freezer. He heard voices approaching quickly, and began to scream for help. "Help! Help! We are in here. HELP!" he yelled as loud as he possibly could. The pain in his lungs was excruciating. Then he heard the voices right outside the freezer.
Ryan and Esposito cut the lock and flung the door open as quickly as possible. "Castle! Beckett! Are you in here." Esposito yelled frantically. He looked to the side of the freezer, and through the fog he saw the two sitting against the wall. He moved as quickly as he could towards them and called for the rest of the team. "Man I am glad to see you two." He said breathlessly.
"She is in really bad shape." He said on the verge of tears. " I tried my best to keep her warm." He said clinging to her for dear life.
Ryan joined Esposito in trying to pry Beckett from Castle's grip. "Dude you have to let her go. We have to get her to the paramedics." Esposito said looking into his eyes. "You did great Castle, but we have to take her to the paramedics." Castle slowly loosened his grip and allowed them to take her.
They guys helped Castle over to the ambulance while the paramedics tended to Beckett. Castle was very stubborn and repeatedly refused medical care until Kate was taken care of. Ryan and Esposito talked some sense into him, but he was still concentrating on how Kate was doing.
When they got to the hospital, Castle and Beckett were put into separate rooms, but that didn't keep castle's thoughts away from Kate. He asked about her constantly, and the doctors insisted that they didn't know anything yet. His condition was much less serious than Beckett's. The doctors had no explanation for it other than adrenalin.
The doctors told him to relax, but he couldn't rest until he saw Kate. They finally gave into his continuous begging, and wheeled him into her room. When he first saw her she looked so pale. His heart ached seeing her so fragile like this. He moved closer to her and grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I am so sorry." He said rubbing his cheek over her hand. He released a small sob, but quickly tried to compose himself.
Then he felt a gentle squeeze on his hand, and he looked up at her face. He saw her smiling softly at him. He smiled and kissed her hand again. "I am so glad to see that smile." He said squeezing her hand.
"I never picked you for the sappy type Castle." She said with a chuckle. He faked a pain in his heart and resumed his hold on her hand. "I didn't say I didn't like it though." She said staring straight into his eyes.
It was then that they both knew they couldn't pretend anymore. They couldn't hide their feelings for each other. They had get it out in the open. However, that could wait until later. Right now they had a bomb to diffuse.