"Castle…" Kate gasped and stood at the threshold to absorb the scene. Rick's contorted features could only hint at the horrors his imagination must be summoning, and his thrashing limbs were rearranging the sheets into a tangled mess. Kate moved slowly to the bedside, uncertain as to how she could help. What now? Rick's frightened yelp prompted action, and Kate decided to use the corner of the sheet to gently wipe away some of the sweat that covered his face and neck. The fever must be raging full speed for him to be having such bad dreams. Kate cried out in shocked surprise a moment later when his hand shot out and captured her wrist in an iron clench. "Castle, let go!" He flopped back on the pillow, still asleep and oblivious to the pain he had caused. Tears pricked Kate's eyes and she was one second from fleeing the room, but something dragged her eyes back to his face.
"I don't know what to do." she whispered.
Relax and breathe. Inhale, exhale. Think. Rick has helped me a hundred times and now it's my turn. He's asleep, he has no control over his actions. There was no choice, she would tap into her hidden nurse and make his body comfortable while the nightmare ravaged his mind. Kate continued swabbing until the worst seemed to be over and he was at last resting peacefully. Untangling the bed sheets proved to be the most unsettling task of all, because his state of near nakedness only made her feel vulnerable and voyeuristic at the same time. Kate expected him to wake up with all the not-too subtle jostling, but he continued to snore lightly. Was this a virus, or was it exhaustion, as Martha assumed? Time would tell.
I should leave him alone, but no, Kate sat on the edge of the bed and allowed her eyes to wander and slowly savour his handsome features. Sleep had relaxed the lines on his face, and she noticed the shadow of a beard on his jaw and above that sensually curved upper lip. Thick long lashes rested on pale cheeks, and spikes of bed-messed hair sprayed out against the pillow. Kate closed her eyes. "Let me touch you Kate, let me show you my love." Desire simmered deep within her body and quickly grew into a flame that reflected back to her from his deep blue eyes. His gentle hands spread the fire over her body, and while she burned with longing, his cool lips and tongue soothed her skin. Futtering eyelids opened and her bewildered gaze focused on silent lips that had spoken to her soul without uttering a sound. Incredible…impossible, and yet…she was overcome by an irresistible urge to cradle his head on her breast….no, no, must not do that… her fingertips skimmed over Rick's exposed flesh, finding smooth skin and lean muscle, a faded scar, a bruise. Kate halted her journey and laid her hand gently over his heart. The next time she explored his splendid body, Rick would be awake to enjoy it. This was the real Richard Castle, the flesh and blood man who filled her soul with his eyes and stole her breath with his smile. She pulled the sheet up around his shoulders and stroked his cheek. "you are a masterpiece."
Kate walked from the bedroom on weak rubber legs and promptly fell into the closest armchair. She squeezed her eyes shut and welcomed the waterfall of sparkling stars that dazzled her vision. There could be no more games and no more doubts; they had to talk today. Today - yes it was still Monday. She frowned in annoyance, because there was something important about today, and an elusive thought kept tugging annoyingly from the far synapses of her brain. A glance at her wristwatch jolted her memory and brought a curse to her lips: she had forgotten all about her lunch date with Josh. Where was her cell phone? Had he called? Should she call him? No, there was no point in calling Josh now. He might be worried about her absence at first, perhaps even disappointed, but his infallible logic would assume that she'd been called away on a case. While he waited, Dr. Josh would simply read a journal article and suck back a healthy lunch, and when his hour was up, dash back to the hospital to fulfill his duty as McDreamy of the cardiac ward. Their non-romance was pathetically laughable, actually, and Kate suddenly wondered how she could have missed so many glaring neon signs that graphically described the relationship: Dead End.
With effort, Kate pulled herself up from the deep chair and felt compelled to begin a deliberate snooping exploration of the sophisticated Castle loft. She'd been here many times before, but never alone like this, and it was a guilty pleasure to touch the mysterious treasures that graced his home. Eventually, she breached the room that served as his office and was immediately struck by all the sweet evidence just waiting to be examined - coffee mug, laptop, leather chair, and the ultimate prize, a sweater draped over the printer. Kate pressed it against her face and inhaled his unique scent until she was dizzy. "God Rick, what the hell have you done to me?" Reluctantly, she placed the sweater back over its resting place, and took a look around at the overflowing bookshelves. Ah yes, stories of a certain British spy were shelved neatly on a metal rack alongside his colorful Derek Storm collection. The bright cover of Stormfall caught her eye, so Kate pulled it off the shelf and sauntered out of the office with the book clutched in her hand. Somewhere along the journey throught the loft, a measure of sanity filtered back into her brain, and she decided that a phone call back to reality was in order. Ryan answered in one ring, and Kate noticed that her voice sounded very loud and hollow in the stainless steel jungle of the kitchen.
"Hey Kevin."
"Hi Boss, everything is cool here. Montgomery took that bait, so you're in the clear. How's our writer?"
"He's out cold, and it could be any one of us. We go full speed every day like robots, so caught up in work we forget we're just as fragile and vulnerable as every other person on the planet."
"Whoa, hey Beckett, don't get sentimental on me. We catch murderers, remember? Fragile is not in our vocabulary and vulnerable is for wimps. You want me to come over?"
"No, Kevin, thanks for the pep talk, I'm lucky to have you guys."
"Yup, we're your numero uno guys. Take care, boss. Ryan out."
Ryan was probably joking with Esposito right now about her silly fragility speech. Well, vulnerable or not, she needed some down time before her sexy writer boy woke up and discovered that he had a babysitter. Kate grabbed Stormfall and without a second thought promptly buried herself into the soft, embracing cushions of the expensive leather couch. After she settled in, the silence of the room descended on her, and her imagination wandered. How nice it would be to lie here enveloped in Rick's strong arms, with no cares and nothing to do but love each other. She smiled and began to read.