A/N: Okay, so maybe some setting may help with this story. It's not season 5 - it's back to season 1 personalities. (if it's the same hair cut, that's up to you until I come across it in a story - it's probably not). All we know so far is that Beckett has been in a car accident and has broken one leg and one arm. She's a bit banged up when we first start. She's released, but Jim has hired an aide for her because she can't make it around her apartment. That "aide" is Castle because his last book had really bad press/controversy (don't think Storm or Nikki Heat) and now, a year-ish later, people don't like him/care about him. His new publicist forces him to sign up to help out with this aide company, but he get's put on real work duty instead of just PR. It will all be explained, but for now, just try to work with me here :]
- Meg
"Sorry I'm late," he says, rushing to her, a tad out of breath.
"It's okay."
Castle ducks as a ball bounces close to his head on the wall next to him.
"But I see you kept yourself busy."
Kate glares at him. She's not angry, but she's extensively bored. She puts the ball down on the bed and sits up. She lifts her arm so he can fit his around her waist.
It's been three days and they already had a routine down. He will lift as she tries to stand – but ends up having him mostly carry her. Their first stop will be the bathroom and then the closet where he proceeds to listen to the type of clothes she wants – always sweat pants and some form of t-shirt. Then he will shut the closet door and turn around while she gets dressed. When they finish, he will take her to the kitchen and they will make something to eat while she sits on the stool. After, they are over to the couch to talk or watch tv. It's been three days and it seems like it's always been engrained into their head.
"You're not that late, just to let you know."
He only half hears her as they hobble to the bathroom. He almost trips over the stack of books that sprawled over the floor, looking to her in question.
"I tried to find something to do, and my foot didn't hurt as bad, so I thought I could stand."
They look back to the ground and then back at each other.
"I can't," she says, humorously.
Castle kicks the books away and gets them into the bathroom.
"Can you grab – "
He is already getting her toothbrush ready as she speaks and knows to get the towel from the closet when he's done.
Kate's managed to stay standing after he helps her – and waits for him to finish.
"Maybe today we can do something different?" she says, still not seeing his face.
He puts the toothpaste on the toothbrush before handing it to her – even though she can do that herself. He sets the soap near her and the towel and then waits.
"Is something going on?" she says, brushing her teeth.
He snaps back, sees her looking at him with confusion.
"Oh. Me? No."
She doesn't believe him and shows it in her expression before spitting into the sink.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You don't have to lie to me."
He puts his arm around her again and brings her to the closet. She still pesters as he pulls down her sweater and the stretched out, old track sweats from the drawer across from him.
"Is it Alexis?"
He stops to look at her, caught off guard. Even though they've been near each other for three days, he still doesn't know her. But, sighing, he decides to tell her anyway.
"She's going to the movies in a few days, but today - I told her I was leaving and she was on the phone and said something about going to someone's house instead."
"Well maybe she is just going to the movies, but they are meeting up before?"
"Yeah . . . but wouldn't she tell me?"
"She's a sixteen year old girl," she says as she shuts her closet door, "but you know her. Do you think she's going to do anything stupid?"
"No. That's not Alexis."
"Yea, I didn't get that from her."
Kate pulls the t-shirt over her head, realizes that she needs to get her arm in before, and takes it off.
"But why would she lie to me?"
With her shirt on, she leans against the wall and puts her casted leg into her pants.
"Maybe you have to call her."
Castle nods, looking towards Kate's window of her bedroom.
"Okay, ready?"
He turns around to see a fully dressed Kate, hair still messy and one arm over her crutch standing in the doorway.
"Seems like you're getting the hang of it?"
She smiles. At least she thinks she is getting somewhere.
Grabbing his wallet, Castle is about to walk out the door, but is almost run over by Alexis just getting home from school.
"Woah, hey. How was your day?"
"Good. Are you about to see Kate?"
"Yeah."
"What's that?"
"A dvd. It's a movie she was talking about yesterday and I realized that I have it. I'm going to see if we can watch it."
"Remembering things now, are we?"
"Funny. It's just until this whole thing blows over and then she can be on her own."
"What thing? Her or your book…"
"Alexis," he says, giving her a look, "this was never my idea. I thought my book was going to be a hit. I didn't think I was going to be carrying around cripples."
"Watch it, Dad, you could start to like her."
"Oh, you're so funny," he says, mocking her.
Castle kisses Alexis on the forehead and leaves his apartment.
"Can we do something different today?" she begs from her seat on the couch.
"Like what," he says, looking up from his plate.
"I don't know. But I don't think I can watch another movie or sit on this couch for one more day."
"You liked the movie yesterday?"
Kate plays with the food on her plate, which is resting on her stomach.
"Well you can't leave yet. You're still on your medication. Once you're off we can try going somewhere."
Kate slams her head to the cushion behind her.
"I'm going crazy just sitting here. I go to bed, wait for you to get here and then we sit here until it's time for me to go to bed. I feel like a child."
"It won't be forever. You're going to heal."
"Not quick enough," she mutters.
"You never told me about your job."
"I know."
"Well, what do you do?"
"You know what I do. I'm a cop."
"Well you could elaborate a little."
"I'm a detective."
"So you find out...?"
"I'm a homicide detective," she says, answering his obvious question.
And, of course, he already knew that, but he doesn't let her know it.
"How did you get into an accident."
Kate's stomach jerks and drops. Tings go down her chest and into her fingers. A guilt she can't describe overcomes her. She can't bring herself to look up, so she simply stares at her plate."
"I was in a car accident."
He chuckles softly, unaware of her appearance, "I know. What happened?"
"A car spun out of control. Pinned me between the wall and his car."
"Where were you driving that there was a wall."
"I wasn't near a wall. I was pushed to a wall."
He realizes that it's not easy for her to talk about and continues to push food around his plate with his fork.
"Is there something more?" he says, knowingly bordering her willingness.
"Yes there is. Can you help me up? I want to go to the bathroom."
"Are you back so soon?" Martha asks from the kitchen table.
"Yes, mother."
"What happened?"
"What do you mean what happened?"
"Well the past five days you come home well after dinner has ended. Today, you're home by seven. What's up?"
"She was tired. She wanted to go to bed."
Martha doesn't look to her son, but continues to fiddle with the magazine beneath her hands.
"Where's Alexis."
"At the movies."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Richard, I'm sure."
He isn't satisfied, but sits down at the seat across from her.
"How did it go?"
"Normally. We didn't watch a movie. She took her medicine and wanted to go to bed."
Martha flips to the next page, only half glancing at the pictures below her.
"Did you do something wrong?"
"I didn't do anything different."
"Well, then let it go. She had an off day."
"There's nothing to let go, mother . . . but we did have a conversation about her accident. She didn't want to talk about it."
"Well I can imagine it doesn't come easy to her."
"Yes, I know. They never want to talk about it, but this was different."
"How?"
"She couldn't look at me. She looked almost ashamed."
Martha looked to her son, abandoning her magazine.
"Don't go putting your nose where it doesn't belong, Richard."
"Mother, please. I don't even want to be there. I was just interested because we had a long way to go until she went to bed."
Martha doesn't believe him and lets it show in a snarky glance.
"What?"
"Nothing," she answers sarcastically.
It was her first day off of her medication.
Yesterday, all Kate could think about was leaving the apartment. Going outside and smelling the air, seeing the sun in a shape other than the blurred vision through her curtains. But, today, that all sounded horrible. She had been weaned off it for the past couple of days, but still took some to fall asleep at night.
Rolling over in the bed, she saw the neon glow of the clock.
10:30.
She'd have to lay here for another hour or so. He was coming earlier today. She said he didn't have to, but he insisted. Secretly, she was glad. With Lanie back in the routine at work, she rarely visited. Normally it was everyday, then it was every other. Now it's just a phone call. Having Castle come over was the highlight of her day.
If it weren't for the pain, she would take notice to the increasingly irritating itch on the top of her bad foot. But, was making itself more known as her extensive bed rest became too much. Reaching under the base of her mattress, Kate grabs a hanger that she managed to break into a line so she can scratch her foot.
An immense amount of relief comes to her as she itches it, but it's temporary, because pain shoots down from her knee.
Rolling over on her side, she counts to ten and breathes as she tries to let it pass. Being teased with two weeks of painless bliss was making it worse.
Castle knew what was happening. The first day off of the medication is the worst, and the next day is not as bad. It lessens as each day passes.
"Kate, I can always call and see if you can get more medication."
With her eyes closed, jaw clenched, she holds a hand up to say no.
"I think you're going to want it."
"You said first day is the worst, right?"
He nods.
"Well then tomorrow won't be as bad."
"But it will not be good either."
"Castle. If I get more medication, then you can't take me outside. I want to get out and do something."
He knows the feeling. Sitting in the same chair every day was driving him crazy as well. With other patients, he could at least get stories out of them. Kate was different. She didn't say anything more than she needed to.
"Okay, well. You have one pill left. I'm going to let you take it. You can choose either now or when you go to bed, although the latter might be more useful."
She shakes her head and slouches deeper into the couch. He stands to go into the kitchen.
"You might need it. I have a surprise tomorrow."
Thoughts?
These chapters feel a bit rocky to me because I'm just trying to get plot out. I'm trying to get them somewhere - the next one will be better.