The Evaluation, Chapter 2
by RGoodfellow64
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Disclaimer: I do not now, nor ever have, owned Castle, ABC, Andrew Marlow or Nathan and Stana.
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Kate sat solemnly in the court room, Rick on her right side, her father on her left, with Lanie and her 'boys' sitting behind her. Every now and then Rick's hand would give hers a light squeeze for support, but she didn't really need that to know he was there for her. Always there for her.
Josh Davidson was going to jail. Not only for his violation of the HIPAA code of conduct, which potentially could have gotten her killed, but for violating the restraining order, not once but several times, along with other crimes. Today the judge would hand down the first verdict; it was not expected to be lenient.
Alexis had wanted to come and be there for her but Rick refused. He did not want his little girl to even be in the same room with Davidson, and Kate didn't blame him. The Josh Davidson who appeared three months ago after she found out about his lies is not someone she would want any girl to meet.
She turned to Rick and whispered, "You were right to keep Alexis away."
Rick just smiled and squeezed her hand again, but his eyes showed his appreciation for her comment. He had been shocked at the change in Josh, and had never expected anything like it. She held his eyes with hers and once again there was no one else in the world but them.
Suddenly both felt eyes looking at them and turned away from each other. Lanie, Ryan and Esposito were smiling but she still felt something wrong, she looked towards the front of the courtroom and saw that Josh had been brought in by two bailiffs, his hands and legs in irons to keep him from coming after her as he did the first time they saw each other in court. He was staring at her, and he'd seen the look between her and Rick. She looked him in the eyes and never flinched even though his eyes had a malevolence that she'd never seen till Doctor Konrad and Rick helped her see who he really is.
He was looking at her not as a person, not as a human being, but as a possession, as a thing.
She kept her expression stoic, her detective face firmly in place, and considered him in the same light. How far from what he seemed when they first met.
"Hi. I hope I'm not interrupting...my name's Josh and I couldn't help but admire your bike."
She looked him over and knew that he was admiring more than her bike. This happened quite a lot when she went out for a ride, but they weren't usually so good looking and in shape.
She smiled and put out her hand, "I'm Kate."
He shook her hand and she noticed how soft it was. No calluses. 'He must really take care of them,' she thought. 'Brown eyes, soft, friendly, caring.'
"So do you ride often?"
Kate smiled at the clumsy attempt to get to know her, nothing like the confident manner of Castle.
Castle.
He had been back with the team for only three weeks, sometimes it was awkward but mostly it felt like he had always been there…that this past summer didn't happen.
Castle.
She thought she was over her feelings for him, she wanted to be over them. She had mistaken friendship for more and was rebuffed. But now he was back and she could sense those feelings coming back, even if he was still with Gina.
'He has Gina and I have what, a motorcycle? Lanie tried to set me up with dates this summer but I just couldn't do it. Maybe this guy, Josh, he seems nice, rides a bike and sure looks fine in his leathers.'
'Take a chance Kate,' she thought. Why not?
"Not as often as I'd like, but sometimes you just need to feel the wind."
A big smile. A nice one.
"Want company on your ride?"
'Yeah, he'll do. Let's see where it goes.'
"Sure," she said.
She looked into his eyes and wondered again how he could fool her so well. She was a trained detective with studies in criminal psychology and yet somehow he had managed to put her in a place where he ran her life.
She squeezed Rick's hand again and took the strength he had to give. She felt it from his hand to hers as it flowed through her and helped support her as she continued to lock eyes with the man she never really knew.
"All rise!"
She stood up with everyone else and never let go of Rick's hand. Josh still looked at her and his eyes narrowed as he saw their clasped hands. Nothing else; there was no other change to his expression. His stare reminded her of a snake, eyes without mercy, staring, boring into hers; trying to get past any defenses to consume it's victim.
She stood firm, she didn't flinch, she never has and she never will. She knows now who and what he is, and all her memories of him are, and will be, seen in the light of what lay beneath his mask.
As the judge sat down and everyone else did the same, a memory flashed in her mind. Sitting on the couch with her mother watching a movie, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray', and how frightened she was when the light finally shown on the picture hidden in the attic. Her mothers' arms around her had comforted her then, and now Rick was doing the same.
She squeezed his hand again letting him know how much she appreciated him, how much she needed him in her life.
These past few months since she came back to work were sometimes awkward, but always fulfilling.
Awkward in the fact that she finally let her feelings out for Rick, finally took down the barriers she'd put in place to keep him out.
Fulfilling not only in their new/old relationship, but also in the way she saw her life unfolding. He never held her back, he always let her know how extraordinary she was, how powerful and capable she was.
The old saying of 'If you love something let it go' came to her mind, and she realized that is just what he did. He loved her unconditionally and let her go, and she came back to him. With Rick, she felt freer than she ever did with any man, and at the same time felt more attached to him than ever before. No man had ever loved her like this, and she now accepted it, embraced it, and quietly luxuriated in it as well.
She kept her eyes on Josh and saw him shake off his lawyers hand as he tried to turn Josh to face the judge. He refused and continued to stare at Kate.
The judge spoke to him again, telling him to turn around, but he still stared at Kate, refusing to move. Finally, the bailiffs forced him to sit down, but he kept turning his head to her.
The judge called his name several times and his lawyer finally put his hand in front of his eyes as he kept speaking in his ear. Josh suddenly shook his head and turned to face the judge.
"Dr. Davidson, are you prepared to hear the decision of this court?"
His lawyer stood, pulled Josh up again and said, "We are, your honor."
"Dr. Davidson, this court finds you guilty of intentionally violating the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act, otherwise known as HIPAA. Your violation was intent to sell a patient's information for personal and financial gain, but also meets the requirement for malicious intent to sell, as knowledge of the patient's information could knowingly result in injury or death."
"The Secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services has discretion in determining the amount of the penalty based on the nature and extent of the violation, and the nature and extent of any harm resulting from said violation."
"It is the decision of this court that the maximum penalty allowed by law be imposed and so I sentence you to the maximum of ten years in jail without considering time served. This court also fines you the extent allowed of $1,500,000."
Kate sat speechless, watching as everything he had built up for himself was torn down by his own actions. Josh had built a pretty façade to hide the rot underneath and now it was exposed for all to see.
She felt sick and violated, knowing she had willingly entered the relationship with him, and even more so realizing how much she'd hurt Rick and her friends who knew, but didn't know how, that Josh was no good for her.
And she felt ashamed at how she had allowed him to seclude her from her friends. How easily he manipulated her, and how blind she was.
The judge was still speaking and Kate listened to his words, "Dr. Davidson, the other crimes held against you will be brought before another court by the District Attorney…"
His other crimes. Kate can still feel the adrenalin when he tried to break down her door when he found she left. Without a gun and still recuperating from her injury, he could have easily overpowered her. She smiled.
She smiled because Rick 'knew a guy'.
After she signed the Restraining Order, he said that the key Alexis gave her was probably not the only other one out there. Within an hour a locksmith and contractor was at her door and she had security beyond anything she had imagined was available for an apartment.
"Don't worry Detective Beckett, you need something a whole lot more powerful than a human to knock this new door down! It's solid oak and two inches thick, and I reinforced the surrounding door jam. .You see how I put up new hinges? So not only are the new locks secure, but so are the hinges and the moldings. If anyone wants to break in it will be easier to go through the wall than the door."
She broke out of her thought as the judge concluded, "Dr. Davidson, at this time you will be remanded to the District Attorney's office for other violations and crimes committed, and you will be held without bail until your next court appearance."
His lawyer spoke up saying, "Your honor! This is cruel and unusual punishment for my client, a doctor who has spent his life helping others both here and in under developed countries for Doctors Without Borders."
"Counselor, it is at the request of the District Attorney that no bail be set for your client. He is considered both a flight risk and a risk to others. The alleged multiple violations of a restraining order, attacking police officers as well as a civilian, and attempted kidnapping of a police officer are the reasons stated. This court agrees and will not allow bail."
Kate recalled the conversation with the District Attorney regarding the other crimes Josh will be prosecuted for.
"I understand from these depositions that Detectives Esposito and Ryan along with Officers Harrison and Schmidt had to break up an altercation between Mr. Castle and Dr. Davidson."
Rick shrugged his shoulders and said, "That's correct." But Kate knew it was much more than that. This was the second time Josh had gone after Rick. The first time was outside of the precinct when Josh jumped on him from behind and knocked Rick to the ground. Even so, the officers who broke up the fight let Rick get in a few punches that left Josh in a heap on the sidewalk before they broke it up. Kate smiled as they privately said how they weren't "going to let some dirt bag go after one of their own."
The second time he came after Rick with a motorcycle chain, which caused a slight concussion and the gash on his neck that was still healing. While Rick tried to protect her even though he was close to passing out, it took Ryan placing his gun at Josh's face and threatening to shoot to make him back off. He hasn't been out of jail since.
The District Attorney went on to explain, "In addition, repeat violations of a restraining order can, in some jurisdictions, lead to charges of aggravated stalking and other advanced crimes. These sometimes, and in this case most definitely will, lead to stricter penalties, including increased jail time and fines. Repeat restraining order violations such as Dr. Davidson has carried out can result in top-level felony charges, up to three years in prison, and we have not even begun to look at the attempted kidnapping of Detective Beckett and first assault charge. You don't need to worry Detective, I really don't think he'll see the outside of a cell until he's an old, old man."
Kate shuddered as she remembered the feeling of Josh coming out of nowhere on his motorcycle, driving through a crime scene and grabbing her with his arm. If Rick hadn't been there and grabbed his arm, Josh might possibly have been able to drive far enough away to get a better hold on her. Instead, they all fell to a heap and the uniforms at the scene were able to restrain Josh and arrest him. Unfortunately, his motorcycle careened through the crime scene itself and contaminated some of the evidence. Right then Kate felt like shooting him herself.
The judge was speaking again, "Doctor Davidson, before being remanded to the custody of the District Attorney, do have anything to say?"
His lawyer said, "No your honor" just as Josh said, "Yes I do, your honor."
The judge nodded to him to proceed and Josh turned around, looked at her and said, "Kate, I love you. I have since the moment we met. We are good together, the perfect couple, and you should stop listening to Castle's lies and come back to me. We belong together; you belong to me..."
The hammering of the gavel as the judge tried to stop him from speaking interrupted him. Josh shrugged off his lawyer and tried to move to Kate, but was still in the leg irons and moved only a few feet until the bailiffs stopped him.
The judge called out for the bailiffs to remove Josh from the courtroom while he continued to call to Kate.
"You are mine Kate! No one else can have you! You are mine and…"
His words trailed off as he was dragged out of the courtroom. Kate stood tall and straight, not letting any emotion show on her face, but Rick knew she was angry, she was sad at what had happened and she was upset that she ever thought to be with Josh.
He knew she was questioning every decision she ever made in her relationships, including her current one with him, and he quietly touched her hand with his. He didn't hold it, didn't intertwine their fingers, he merely touched her hand, letting her know he was there. That "Always" means more than a dictionary definition; it's a promise he made with much thought and soul searching, and it was a decision he will keep for the rest of his life.
Although outwardly stoic, her hand lightly brushed his back, and she let him know that she made her decision and planned to keep it…Always. Because it means the same to her as to him, it means the rest of her life she will be there for him as he will be for her.
The judge dismissed the court and everyone got up to leave. Lanie put her hand out on Kate's shoulder and told her to call if she needs anything. The boys just nodded their heads in agreement.
Her father gave her a hug and said he would stop by later in the week for dinner and she kissed his cheek, telling him again how much she loves him.
She turned to Rick and looked into his eyes, seeing all the promise of 'always' in them. She smiled; most of the ordeal over and now, she just had to find out who tried to kill her at Montgomery's funeral. It seemed like a lifetime ago, after the roller coaster events of the last few months with Josh, but she was ready to tackle it, albeit with a lot more caution than before. She had a lot more to live for than she did before.
As she walked to the door she noticed something, or rather someone, was missing. She stopped and turned around to see Rick looking at the door Josh was dragged through, shaking his head. She gave a slight smile and said, "Hey partner. You comin'?"
She turned to go out the door, and smiled as she heard his footsteps hurry to catch up to her.
'Always,' she thought as he caught up to her and took her hand. She squeezed it back and they walked out the door…together.
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Authors Note: This concludes The Evaluation; I hope you liked it. As is usual with my writing, it started to go in a different direction than I originally intended and I have learned to just go with it. Stories have a tendency of getting really testy if you don't.
A very big thank you to Queen for sending me the nicest and most heart warming "review" I have ever received. You are no stranger to words either my friend. Oh, and Arky? Log into Fanfic so I can thank you properly! ;-)
To everyone else who has reviewed and sent me comments on this story, thank you so very much. As other writers have said, and with much clearer prose, reviews are a sweet perfume for us, your words an oasis that tells us our work is enjoyed...and they always are very much appreciated.