Chapter 3: Settling In
Castle was moving around the penthouse in hyper-drive mode, trying to get everything ready before got in after lunch. Her dad and Lanie would be dropping her off and staying for a late lunch to help her settle in. Martha and Alexis could not do anything except watch in amazement as he took the Dustbuster to every nook and cranny of the house. Trying to make sure everything would be spotless for his visitor.
"Richard, I have not seen you clean house this way since you divorced your first wife." Martha teased when he finally stopped to take a breather and down a glass of what looked like orange juice to him.
They had gathered around the breakfast bar as was their daily morning custom. But today was a different kind of morning. There was an excitement in the air and they could all feel it. Castle was looking forward to having Kate "come home." In whatever the sense of the word might mean at the time.
"Gurg! What is this?" He pointed to the concoction that was in the pitcher which he took out of the fridge.
"Pomegranate and cherry juice." Martha proudly explained. "It's supposed to be high in anti-oxidants and prevents arthritis."
"If it doesn't burn my intestines with acid first." Castle spit out the rest of the juice and threw the rest of what was in his glass into the sink.
"Make sure Beckett doesn't drink that. We don't need her back in the hospital." Castle instructed Alexis.
The 18-year old smiled at him. She was happy to see her father so excited about having Beckett while she regained her strength. He had not been that happy in a while. The argument he had with Beckett before she was shot had left him very angry and closed off emotionally. He refused to talk about what happened even with his own mother. Now, that image of her father was just a thing of the past.
He had gone into the hall closet and came out with a box of baby monitors which he planned to place in all the rooms in the house.
"Oh Richard!" Martha started laughing heartily at the scene before her.
"Really dad?" Alexis stifled a laugh.
"You think it's too much?"
"Oh no. Beckett will love being treated like a baby." His mother was being pleasantly sarcastic.
"Thank you mother." he said in all seriousness. "I just want her to know that she is safe here and that even if she doesn't see us, she can always call out for help when she needs it."
"I think the house is big enough for us to hear her holler dad." Alexis jumped off the stool and gathered up her things. "I'm off to Serendipity with Ashley. He's picking me up downstairs in a few minutes." She kissed her father on the cheek.
He looked at her with disappointment. "I thought you were going to help me prepare the house."
"You're doing a great job dad, and grams is here if you need help." the frown on his face was not erased by her encouraging words. "I will be home in plenty of time to help Beckett settle in." She smiled at him before heading out the door.
"Isn't it enough that she's moving out to be with him in January? Can't she spend her last few months with us?" Castle addressed his mother who was already unwrapping a baby monitor.
"Richard, you have to accept that Alexis is growing up faster than you are comfortable with. The woman is finally separating from the child. Just be happy with whatever time she chooses to spend with us."
"She said we'd be the father-daughter version of Grey Gardens." he moped.
"Come now Richard. Let's see how we can hide these baby monitors from Beckett." she said in an effort to distract his thoughts. "You know she will poke you to death if she ever finds out you did this."
Jim Beckett knocked on the hospital door before entering. "Katie?"
"Almost ready dad." she responded while Lanie helped her get into her red synthetic leather jacket.
'We weren't expecting you this early Jim." Lanie said as she helped her best friend into a nearby chair. The short activity of getting dressed took the wind out of Beckett, leaving her feeling lightheaded.
"Yes. Well the town car that Castle sent to pick us up was early." he explained while he gathered his daughter's things at the door.
"A town car? First he insists on paying for this room, then he puts me up at his house, now a town car?" Beckett sounded irritated at first. "That's sweet of him." She allowed a slight smile to cross her lips at the thought of Castle's obvious affection.
"Ohh girl, I was gonna knock you upside if you said anything other than that. Castle is going all out for you." Lanie teased. "I guess it really pays to become a best selling pulp fiction writer's muse."
Beckett rolled her eyes at her friend before leaning back into her seat.
"I know why. He said he loves me." she thought to herself, still unable to accept what Castle was offering to her. "But I should not take advantage of him because of it. "
The trip to Castle's house was uneventful. There was an uneasy silence between Beckett and her dad. He knew what he wanted to tell her but refrained, mostly because he felt she was still too weak to hear what he had to say. For the meantime, he was going to do what Castle asked of him. He wasn't going to abandon her. She needed him and he would try to be there for her.
The buzz at the door made Castle jump from his seat where he was enjoying a bit of Scotch after freshening up for his guests. He had hired a catering service for lunch and they were almost done with the lunch set up.
"Here we go kiddo!" He heard his mother's encouraging voice coming down the stairs.
"I'll get the door! Alexis, Beckett's here!" Castle almost slipped over the area rug in his haste to beat his mother to the door.
"Kate! Welcome home!" He smiled brightly at the people standing at his doorway, motioning for them to come in.
She looked a lot less paler than before but still weak. Her statuesque figure was nowhere to be found as she seemed to be leaning forward in an effort to lessen the pain that she was feeling. Her breathing was still heavy. Castle was immediately at her side and assisting her to the recliner he had purchased just a few days before specifically for her use.
"Thank you Rick." she whispered. It still hurt her to speak sometimes. She tried to sit up straight in the chair but her chest just hurt too much.
"Hey guys!" Alexis came down the stairs with Ashley on her heels. He had decided to stay for lunch at the insistence of Castle after they had come back from Serendipity and then announced that they had lunch plans so Alexis would not be home to greet Beckett.
"Ashley, how about you show Jim and Lanie where Kate will be staying?" Castle pointed to the bags near the door.
"Let me help." Alexis quickly volunteered.
"Lunch is ready." Martha announced. "Do the bags later."
"This is quite a set up Castle laid out for you here." Lanie threw herself onto the bed beside Kate. They had just finished a hearty lunch with Beckett excusing herself before coffee to rest. Ashley and Alexis had gone off to spend the rest of the day together. Martha had received a call from her architect asking her to come down to the school. That left just her, Lanie, Castle, and her dad in the house. The two men were in Castle's office sharing a cup of coffee.
The room had a queen sized bed, 32 inch flat screen and a Mac on the desk fronting a picturesque window view of the city. The down pillows and bed made the two women feel like they were in a 5-star hotel rather than a bedroom in one of the most expensive penthouses in New York.
"What's the number for room service?" Lanie joked.
"Lanie, I need to talk to you." Beckett's serious tone changed the mood in the room immediately.
"About?"
Beckett tried to plop over on her stomach to talk to Lanie. A move which immediately had a sharp, breath stealing pain shoot through her whole body. She propped some pillows against the headboard instead.
"At the cemetery... I've been having these dreams. Seeing images. I can't tell which is real and which is something my brain might have made up."
"What images?"
"Castle running towards me, crouched over me, I felt paralyzed with fear and pain... then..." she bit her lower lip, trying not to smile as she recalled a memory which she was not sure was real.
"Then?" Lanie prodded her.
"He was crying. Asking me to stay. Not to leave him. I think Castle said he loved me."
Lanie's hand shot up to her mouth in surprise.
"I... I'm not even sure if he said it or if I imagined it all." Beckett tried to nip her friend's excitement in the bud.
"Well ask him!" Lanie suddenly sat up in bed.
"You know I can't do that!" Beckett thought she had raised her voice but she actually had not.
"Why not?" Sometimes Beckett's pride really irritated Lanie.
"I just can't!"
"What's stopping you?" Lanie stood up from the bed and placed her hands over her hips. Ready to scold her convalescing friend.
"What if he never said it? Can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?"
"I could just slap the two of you silly sometimes! If you don't ask him, I will!" Lanie jokingly threatened.
"Lanie..."
"Alright. I won't say anything. But you better do something about that memory before not knowing drives you crazy."
TBC
A/N: 3 Chapters into the story and I already have 7 reviews. I'd like to thank everyone who have given me encouraging words. I hope I can deliver a highly entertaining story that you can all enjoy :-) Your reviews give me the inspiration to keep going. Thanks everyone.
