A/N: WOW… I forgot that you guys were incredible when it came to alerts and reviews. THANK YOU. You never fail to surprise me. I am forever grateful. I promise to do my best not to disappoint you. =)

"Mr. Castle?" the doctor appeared before him, and he stood quickly, despite his shaking legs.

"How is she?" he demanded. His chest felt tight and his breathing was unbalanced. Alexis stood beside him, gripping his arm for support.

The doctor looked Castle in the eye. "Katherine Beckett is stable. We managed to extract the bullet in her chest. It's a miracle she's alive," he explained. "If the bullet had struck a single inch to the left, she would have been dead."

She's okay, a voice in his head exclaimed, she's really okay. Castle felt the relief seep through his body, removing any trace of terror that had lingered there. She was alive. "Can I see her?" he asked stepping forward, already moving towards the OR.

"Actually," the man said shifting uncomfortably on his feet. "She has asked for Lanie."

Castle felt a stab in his heart. He was her partner. He thought they had built a bond strong enough to at least be the one she asked for when she was alert. He didn't understand how she could have chosen Lanie first. Castle wasn't naïve, he knew that Kate Beckett had some feelings toward him, whatever they were, but it nearly killed him to know he was not the first person on her mind. He was jealous.

He turned to Lanie, who looked as shocked as Castle was. She shrugged, confused that she had been called in, but she moved towards the OR. The doctor explained Kate was now in ICU, and led Lanie in that direction.

Castle fell back in his chair, looking like he'd been soccer-punched. Alexis fell into the chair beside him, unsure of what to say to bring him comfort. It was a low blow, even for Kate, but Alexis chalked it up to the medication she had been laced with.

"It's okay, dad," Alexis said offering him a smile. "The doctors would have her hopped up on medication. She doesn't know what she wants."

Castle nodded, but for some reason he didn't believe her.

It seemed like a long time before Lanie came out, and when she did, Castle noticed that she looked far from happy, and as he looked closer as she approached Esposito, he saw that she looked angry. She avoided eye contact with Castle as she wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, and he folded her into his arms. Esplanie, Castle thought silently.

"You can go in now, Castle," Lanie stated.

Castle was up in a flash and with the doctors directions, he found her bedside. He looked like a man on a mission when he entered ICU. Kate was hooked up to numerous machines. Her face was pale, the usual color in her cheeks long gone, her eyes were open and she seemed alert.

"Hi," he greeted croakily standing close to her bed, as he reached out for her hand.

She pulled back, again causing a stabbing pain in his heart.

"Kate…" he shrugged. He didn't understand what he had done wrong. Before she had been shot, she was telling the crowd of mourners that if they were lucky there was someone willing to stand beside you, and she had looked at him. Castle had read between the lines, and he knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was talking about him, that Kate Beckett felt lucky to have him standing with her, and that he would have done anything for her. So why did she not want to touch him now, why was she pulling away, when she needed him the most?

Kate shook her head.

"Why didn't you ask for me first?" he demanded, unable to hide the pain that was etched across his face.

Kate winced. "Lanie is my best friend."

"And I'm your partner!" he stated matter-of-factly.

"And what exactly does that mean, other than you trying to play hero all the time," she said coldly. Kate winced again, looking sick.

"That's not fair," he said.

"Don't tell me about fair. You got the Captain killed," she accused. "I could have saved him. I was there and you pulled me away. I could have saved him. It's your fault he's dead. You pulled me out."

Castle felt another stab, this one sharper and more painful than the last. "He ordered me. You would have died, Kate!" he stated. "I wasn't risking that."

"There you go again, playing hero. Let me tell you something, you're not a hero Castle! You're just a little boy, who wants to play cops and robbers. And I am sick and tired of it. You're not a cop. You're a writer. You don't belong here."

Castle shook his head. "I do belong here, Kate. I belong with you. I'm your partner. I'm your friend and if you let me-"

"We're done!" she stated. "I don't want you shadowing me anymore. You don't need any more research for your books, you have more than enough. Now go home, and do what you know. Write a book. I don't want you here anymore." Kate turned her head away, her eyes focusing on a blank spot on the wall.

"You're in no position to make a decision this big," he said. "You were shot, Kate."

"I can make decisions, Castle!" she snapped her head around to stare at him, her eyes blazing anger. "I have more important things to do now, and I don't have time to look after you."

"I don't need looking after," he said resenting the comment.

"I told you, Castle. You're just a little boy, who is never going to grow up!"

Castle couldn't understand her sudden change in attitude. Women were hard to understand, and despite living with his mother and daughter, he still couldn't figure them out. But he used to think he understood Kate… until now. "Is this about Lockwood?" he asked bluntly. Was she afraid that Castle would be hurt?

"No," she denied. "It's about the fact that you don't follow orders! I told you we were done, and you still come to the warehouse, and then you got the Captain killed."

"He got himself killed," Castle stated. "I saved you. That is my job."

"Well, I'll put it in words you can understand. You're fired! Now get out, before I call security!"

Unable to argue with her, Castle turned on his heel and stormed out of the ICU, his head lowered and his shoulders slumped in defeat. But what he missed as he left the ICU was the pain etched across Kate Beckett's face, and the tears that streamed across her cheeks.

I know that Kate was a little harsh, but you will find out why in the next chapter. =)

Reviews are welcome, and as my friend says NAG, NAG.