So I had this sitting on my hard drive all summer and then there was the premiere and I suddenly knew how to finish it. It's really completely pointless, but I like it.

Castle isn't mine

Waking Up

There is something on his face. Feather light, ghosting over his skin. Sweeping over his cheekbones. Settling on his lip. Over and over, round and round in a pattern he can't follow. Hypnotizing in its order. Disconcerting in the fact that it's almost nonexistent. But he can't seem to open his eyes to see what's doing it. He's sliding away again and can't manage to hold on to the feeling of wings fluttering against his face.

Sounds fill his ears. There's the hum of electronics, his computer, he must have fallen asleep at it. A solid tone sounds rhythmically but he can't place it, or reason the space between the sounds. There are people speaking around him, he can't make out the words, but they aren't talking to him. Except one. It's quiet and repetitive and he can't quite make out what the words are, but they leave him feeling warm and fuzzy even as he slips away again.

It's dark when he can open his eyes, at least he thinks it is he can't make any precise details. It must be the middle of the night, but he's not really sure. It's not his bedroom or office, in fact, it's eerily familiar. There does seem to be some light just enough to navigate the room. There's a human shaped lump on the sofa but he can't make out who it is under the blanket.

He's in a hospital. The tug of what he can only assume is drugs is pulling him under again. He doesn't get a chance to think of why he's here before he drifts.

It's a pair of lips on his forehead that bring him back to the hospital room. It also sends him spinning all of the senses syncing up for the first time in he doesn't actually know how long. And it seems that they're all bent on protesting. His head is throbbing, his throat is cracking at the thought of talking and the rest of his body is just complaining he can't even pin where the hurt is coming from.

"Hey Castle," She's perched on the edge of the bed looking a little worse for wear, but very much there.

He feels his hand come up to his face but he's not all aware of the motion. "What happened?" He rubs his forehead.

"We got you the antidote." She tries to smile but she's just too tired for it.

"Antidote?" he struggles to remember, it does click after a moment. "Oh... well that's good. Wouldn't want to die, it would put a damper on our wedding." His brain is telling him that wasn't totally coherent and definitely not the right thing to say, because now she's crying. Tears streaming down her face in a way he really hasn't ever seen and that jars his mind into gear. "Shit, sorry brain's not quite working." Tugging on the hand she has next to his ribs. "Kate, come here," he tries to get her to lay down with him.

"Castle..." she practically chokes on it. "I should let you rest."

He's insistent though pulling on her hand again. "I didn't break any bones, and you need sleep too."

She huffs but fails to come up with an argument because that's all she wants to do. Rather than just laying down on top of him though, she stands and toes out of her heels that she's been wearing for far too long. Then she lifts the thin hospital blanket, and has to nudge him to slide over because his brain really isn't working that fast. Then she's stretching her long legs out against his under the blankets, her cold toes pressing against his shin even as she settles her head on his chest dropping the blankets back on top of them.

"That's better," he coos. There's a part of his brain that tells him he sounds ridiculous, but he can't seem to control his mouth.

He is rewarded when she burrows her face into him, a smile against the hospital johnny. "Yeah, this is better," she mumbles into his chest, he can feel her relaxing tension just flowing out of her body.

They're quiet for a long moment in the quiet hum of the hospital room. "How long have I been out?"

She snuffles, and hooks her arm around his waist, fingers worming under his back. "Two days. We got you the antidote Monday afternoon, it's Wednesday night now."

No wonder she looks so tired, she hasn't slept in days now. "When can you spring me from this place?"

"Tomorrow at the earliest. That's only if you have coherent moments that are longer than 15 minutes."

He lets himself drift for a moment, anchored to the room by her weight against his side. "Castle, don't do that to me ever again."

"Get accidentally poisoned in the middle of a federal case? I can do my best." He runs a hand up and down her back pleased to feel her melting into him, drifting off.

"I love you." She says, and then she's gone and he lets himself fall back asleep hoping that the next time he wakes he'll be able to understand better what happened.

There's a nurse in the room the next time he wakes up, Kate's still dead to the world against him and he can hear the disapproving cluck from the nurse. "I tried to tell her you'd be fine you know. But she wouldn't go home and sleep, she wouldn't even let me bring her a cot. These beds really aren't meant for two."

He smiles, "I think we're doing fine."

She rewards him with a broad smile, "Yeah you are. Just wake her up in the next twenty minutes, before the doctor comes around. Stay awake through that and they might even let you go early." Then she winks at him and leaves the room.

He lets Kate slumber for a few more minutes before sliding his fingers under her dress shirt teasing awareness into his fiancée. Eventually she wrinkles her nose and looks up at him, "Hi."

"Hi."

"How are you feeling?" She asks, her fingers wandering aimlessly over his chest.

"Better, doctor will be here in a few. The nurse thought it would be better if you were awake for it. Said I might be able to go home today."

She processes that information for a long moment. "Ok getting up now," and then she leverages herself out of the bed and lands lightly on the hospital floor. Moving in the direction of her jacket searching for her phone, only to realize that it's dead and dropping it back on the chair.

"How are you?" He asks because he's genuinely worried about her, she's never slept through anyone talking or without moving all night for as long as he's been with her.

She come back to him now, slipping her hand between his. "Better now that you're ok. You had me worried for a while there."

He lifts their joined hand and pressed a kiss to her hand when the doctor walks in. "Ah, Mr. Castle, you're awake. Let's see about sending you and your lovely fiancée home today shall we." He smiles jovially in their direction and Kate's fingers tighten around his just briefly in relief.

How's everyone doing out there? Everyone survive? I certainly lost the ability to can for a while and it's been ages since that happened. Excited for next week?

Babyrose.