A Castle will Rise.
Prologue
Abandoned Industrial East River Area
Manhattan, New York
The flashing of red and blue lights flashed in the growing darkness of the evening as top brass, officers from the 12th and other units gathered around the murder scene of Captain Victoria Gates, and Detective Anna Johnston. Lanie Parrish was there as she clearing and checking the bodies for transport to the morgue. Kevin Ryan, and Javier Esposito stood off to the side as Lanie performed the final checks and nodded to her team to collect the fallen officer.
"Ryan, where's Beckett?" Esposito whispered as the bodies were loaded onto the gurneys. A police official called the assemble group to attention to render the final salute as the bodies were moved to the coroner van. As the van doors closed the group broke as Lanie came over to Esposito. "Lanie have you heard from Beckett?"
"No. I haven't heard from her sinc….." Lanie started to say as new activity swarmed the area.
"10-13 officer needs assistance. 595 Broome Street." The call went out over the radio.
"That's Castle and Beckett's address." Ryan said as they took off running towards the car they had picked up from the precinct. Lanie jumped in the backseat as Ryan sped off with two other units from the 12th responding as well.
Even in early evening traffic was heavy, but they arrived within 15 minutes of the call. They saw an ambulance parked and the area roped off. They saw a stretcher being loaded on and that is when Lanie gasp. Richard Castle was the one on the stretcher as paramedics worked to get him strapped in and on the way to the hospital.
"Let's go." Kate ordered as she climbed aboard after her husband. Ryan looked over as he saw Martha and Alexis in tears as the paramedics were finishing the last minute things before leaving.
"Kate!" Lanie called out as she stood on the back of the ambulance.
"Lanie, it was a drive by. One round to the chest, sounds like a lung." Kate said through sobs, fear, determination, and anger all in one. She then saw the rest of her team. "Ryan, Espo, put Martha and Alexis in a squad car with another unit following them. It was a drive by hit."
"Got it." Ryan said after the shock of the moment passed and Beckett called out to them. Ryan went over to Martha and Alexis. "Martha, Alexis come on, we'll get you to the hospital. Please."
Martha and Alexis were too shocked to realize what he had said, so it took them a moment and then they nodded. Ryan led them over to a 12th Precinct squad car and placed them in it and talked to the officer. "Mitchell, you drive them, and have Sanders follow you."
"Kate, we'll act as rolling roadblocks." Esposito called out over the noise of the scene. Ryan ran to the car as another unit from the precinct volunteer to act as the other road block, as the last paramedic boarded.
"Got it Espo." Kate yelled as he caressed her husband's face and had a new wave of concern was over her.
"Good, let's go." A paramedic called out and the doors closed to the ambulances which started off towards the hospital.
The rolling road blocks got out in front of the ambulance to start closing off intersections and opening holes in traffic for the ambulance to make it to the hospital. Other units joined in as well as they raced in and around to open the road up. Within 15 minutes the ambulance arrived at Bellevue hospital with the trauma team waiting for them outside.
"40 year old male, gunshot wound to the right chest. Possible pneumothorax to the right lung." One of the paramedics said to the team as they were unloading Rick from the ambulance. "Pressure 100/55 and falling, pulse is 45."
"Any allergies to medications?" A member of the trauma team asked as they were rushing him through the ER towards a trauma bay.
"None that we know of." Kate said following the team pushing her husband towards a trauma bay.
"It's Richard Castle." A nurse stated as she finally recognized the person on the gurney.
"The author?" Another nurse asked and took a quick glance back towards Kate. "That's his wife then."
"Right now, he's our patient." The doctor scolded them as they arrived at the trauma bay. They lifted him off the stretcher and moved him on to the gurney. "Alright the full work up. Type and match his blood. I want x-rays and someone get the sonogram as well. Detective I need you to wait outside ok?"
"Doctor I want to….." Kate started to say before the doctor walked over.
"I know you do, but we need the space to work and get him stable so we can save him okay?" The doctor told her, and Kate all she could do was nod.
A nurse escorted Kate out of the trauma bay and towards the waiting room when a voice called out. It was Alexis. "Kate. Where is he?"
"He's being worked on right now Alexis. Let the doctors work." Kate told her as she wrapped Alexis into a hug as tears came to the both of them.
"Kate what happened?" Martha asked as she came over to join the hug.
"A SUV came up the street. Rick must have seen the gun and next thing I know I was being pulled down by him as gunfire started." Kate said as they continued to hug for a moment before a small cough by the nurse broke it up. They started walking towards the waiting room "Next thing I know I saw him lay there with blood on his shirt and around his back. I called it in and…."
Alexis saw that Kate was breaking down. "Kate it wasn't your fault. You did were just doing your job."
"Alexis is right sweetheart." Martha reassured her daughter in law. She gave her a quick squeeze as they arrived at the waiting room. "I call your father darling."
"Oh sh…." Kate cursed into her hands when she heard the news. "With everything that is going on I forgot."
"It's ok, I took care of it." Martha again reassured Kate, and patted her back.
"Beckett." Kate heard Esposito voice call out from across the waiting room. She saw Lanie and Ryan right behind him. They hugged each other.
"What happened?" Ryan asked after a moment.
Kate motioned the police officers that escorted Alexis and Martha to stay with them. Kate then led her team back to quiet corner of the waiting room. "We were on our way out to respond to the officer down call. A black SUV came up the street and opened fire on us. Rick pulled me and him to the ground. One round hit his chest, I think in the lung."
"If there isn't too much damage, he'll be fine Kate." Lanie reassured her friend, with more confidence than she felt.
"I hope so Lanie, because I can't lose him." Kate said leaning her head on her best friend's shoulder. She looked at Ryan and Esposito. "Who went down?"
Ryan, Esposito, and Lanie all looked at each other for a moment before Ryan answered. "Captain Gates."
"What? How?" Kate asked almost in shock.
"It appears she was meeting a former investigator of hers from IA. We don't know what about." Esposito told her as he looked over his notes. "Detective Anna Johnston was the on duty IA detective and informed dispatch she was taking a call."
"Thank god for that call because if dispatch hadn't sent a car to check on her, we would haven't found them for a while." Ryan said as he tossed a glance over to Martha and Alexis. "They were ambushed and it looks like the shooters were using AK's."
"That's what they used on me and Rick." Kate told them. Ryan and Esposito looked at each other and Beckett, who thought about it before she spoke. "We have to find those SUV's…."
"Too bad we are off the case." Esposito told Kate as he leaned against the wall. He saw the look on her face. "Came down as we enroute here, the commissioner is turning this over to the FBI, so there is no cause for questioning the job that is being done. The Feds are bring somebody up from DC."
"Who?" Kate asked looking at Esposito now with her hands on her hips.
"Don't know, but the Captain's murder scene has been sealed off by the Feds, and your building as well." Ryan added to the conversation. "They won't be here till the morning."
"Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle's family." A doctor called out breaking Kate from her concentration. She moved quickly towards her family with Lanie, Esposito, and Ryan right behind her. The doctor shrugged off the extra people and looked at Kate, Alexis and Martha. "Your husband is stable. We were able to get him stabilize and a chest tube inserted to help relieve the pressure. He's on the way to surgery right now to repair the damage and close the wounds. We'll find you once he's out of surgery."
"Thank you doctor." Kate, Alexis, and Martha said to the doctor. All three hugged and shared a collective relief for the moment.
"Martha, you and Alexis head upstairs, I'll join you in a minute." Kate said to her family who nodded and left with their escorts in tow as well. She then turned to Ryan and Esposito. "Ryan go to the precinct and secure our investigation and get the summaries written. We may have to turn over the investigation, doesn't mean we not going to stop investigating.
"Right." Ryan responded knowing it was a fine line they be walking, but it would be worth it.
"I'll see if I can get the video feeds to us before the feds get their hands on them." Esposito told Kate as he pulled out his phone to call Tory.
"What are you going to do Kate?" Lanie asked already knowing the answer.
"I'm going to wait to see how Rick comes out of surgery." Kate replied to her friend as she saw the elevator close that carried Alexis and Martha. Shen then turned to her best friend. "Then I'm going to hunt the bastards down that did this."