A/N: My goodness! Thank you again to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed etc! I'm having a really great time writing this story, so I'm glad that you are enjoying it. I would love to hear if there is anywhere I need to improve or if there is something you guys are looking for that I'm not adding. Thanks and enjoy!

Chapter 3

She's jolted awake by the sound of footsteps in the hallway. She just barely manages to get to a seated position before Martha and Alexis come rushing in. Martha runs to hug Kate while Alexis walks to her father's bedside.

"Oh, Kate. Are you all right?" Martha inspects her arm and the small burn on her face.

"I'm okay. Thank you, Martha." She awkwardly slides off of the bed and stands to the side. Martha gives her a knowing look, and she blushes.

"Mother, to what do I owe the wake up call?" Castle groans. Beckett grabs a chair from the other side of the room and sets it against the wall, far away from the bed.

"Oh, Richard. Honestly. We had to wait and hear from Detective Esposito that you were in the hospital, and we were worried."

Beckett blanches. Damn it. She should've called his family. She got so caught up in her own worry that she wasn't even thinking. "Martha, I'm sorry. I should have—"

"Nonsense, darling. You had your own injuries to take care of."

"Well, I'm sorry, Mother. I would have called, but I can't seem to find my phone right now," he chuckles at his own joke. Martha gives him a slap to the shoulder for that and sits down in the chair next to his bed.

"Dad?" Alexis's voice rings out beside him. She sounds so small, and he immediately feels bad for the joke. He turns to where he assumes Alexis is by her voice, and she grabs his hand.

"Hey, pumpkin. I'm okay."

"You're in the hospital."

"Yeah, but I'm fine." He tugs on her arm to pull her closer, but she resists.

"Fine? Seriously? The doctor says you might never see again. You could be blind forever, Dad. That is not fine," Alexis huffs, and he tugs harder until he has his arm around her in a hug. She turns her face into his chest and sniffles.

"Don't worry, Alexis. Everything is going to be okay. It's probably only temporary. You'll see." She nods her head against his chest, and he holds her tighter. Whatever pain this causes him, whatever frustrations he may have with it, he knows now that he can't let his daughter catch on to it. No teenager should ever have to stress about her parent as much as Alexis seems to.

"We've decided to cancel the trip," she mumbles into his chest.

"What? No. You've been looking forward to this trip for months."

"Richard, you can't expect us to leave you alone like this. How will you take care of yourself?" his mother adds.

"I can do it." Two heads swivel to look at Beckett, who has been suspiciously silent up until now.

"No, dear. We couldn't ask you to do that."

"Kate, you don't have to—" Castle interjects.

"It's okay. I've been given some time off, so I don't have to be at work. You should go on your trip," she says with an attempt at a smile.

Martha looks back to Castle for his opinion, almost forgetting that he can't see her. Then she glances to Alexis who gives her a grave look back. Alexis turns to Beckett who is staring at Castle with guilt, nerves, and a tiny glimmer of what she could be mistaking as love.

"All right, well. That settles it then, I suppose. We won't cancel our tickets."

Alexis whips her head to her grandmother in shock. "What—"

"It's all right, Alexis. I'm sure Detective Beckett will take good care of your father. She might be the only person who can stand him when he's sick."

"Hey! I'm the perfect patient." Martha gives him a face.

"I saw that," he quips. Alexis smacks his shoulder. "Dad," she admonishes.

"Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm positively starving. Let's see if this hospital will let you eat some real food instead of the drivel they serve here." And with that, she flits out of the room in a way only hurricane Martha can.

Beckett sits silently, looking at her feet while Alexis and Castle share quiet words on the other side of the room. Suddenly, she needs to be anywhere but here. She stands abruptly, the chair making a scraping sound on the floor that she feels in her bones. With a quiet "Be right back", she's gone.

She heads to the first women's bathroom that she sees and bursts through the door, breathing a sigh of relief that it is empty. She examines herself in the mirror for a moment. The burn on her cheek is not so bad. It shouldn't leave a scar. She looks at the hollowness of her cheeks, the bags under her eyes, and for a moment she wonders if all of the times she chose to work late instead of going home and relaxing were worth it.

Then it hits her. Castle may never get to look at himself in the mirror again.

Her heart starts beating out of her chest, and she frantically turns the tap on, splashing a bit of water on her face before sitting down on the floor with her head between her legs. That's where Martha finds her ten minutes later.

She doesn't notice the older woman's presence until she feels a soft hand on her shoulder. She looks up with red-rimmed eyes and blushes for what feels like the hundredth time that evening.

"Richard told me you stepped out. I thought maybe I'd find you here."

Kate nods and swallows a bit before speaking. "I just needed some air." There is silence for a moment. "I'm so sorry, Martha. This is all my fault."

Hearing the words out loud sends her into another wave of tears. She puts her head back between her knees. Martha hesitates for a moment, and then slowly sits down beside Beckett. "Now why on earth would you say that?"

"Because, I wasn't watching him. I wasn't paying attention, and now he may never see again."

"Kate, I know I wasn't there, but I know Richard well enough to know that he definitely had his part to play in this whole mess."

"But he's my responsibility. I should have considered that our suspect could be dangerous. If I were a better cop, I would have been prepared for it. But, I wasn't." She lays her hands on her knees and cradles her head in them.

Martha slowly wraps her arm around Kate, and she leans into the touch. "Kate Beckett, you listen to me. This is not your fault. From what Richard has told me, you are one of the finest cops in this city, and I will not let you blame yourself for this. Accidents happen, and we just have to stick together and get through it."

Kate looks up at her with teary eyes. Martha takes her thumb, and with motherly affection that Beckett hasn't experienced in twelve years, wipes her tears away. "No one blames you for this, dear."

"Alexis does," she whispers.

"Oh, kiddo. As much as my granddaughter is mature beyond her years, she is still a teenager, and there are some things that she just cannot understand. What you and my son share, whether or not you're willing to see it, is special. Alexis just needs some time to understand that."

Kate doesn't respond, her mind swirling with thoughts. They sit for a moment, Martha's arm around her with Kate's head leaning lightly on her shoulder. Kate's stomach growls and breaks the silence. The two share a quiet laugh.

"I knew I wasn't the only one. Come on. Let's get you some food." Kate gets up and holds out her hands to Martha who gratefully takes them. With a slight groan and Kate's help, Martha is standing on her feet again. "Oof, these old bones just can't do what they used to."

There is more silence for a moment, and Martha waits for Kate to say whatever is on her mind. She ends up muttering a quiet but sincere, "Thank you, Martha." Martha smiles at her and tugs her out of the bathroom.

…

Later, after they've all had their fill of Thai food, Martha stands and stretches.

"Alright, kiddo. I think it's time for us to leave you be," Martha says as she pats him on the hand and stands up.

"What? Come on, the party is just getting started," Castle whines.

"She's right, Dad. You should get some sleep." Alexis kisses him on the cheek and joins his mother at the door. "We'll be here tomorrow to get you before our plane leaves."

Beckett stands awkwardly at the end of the bed.

"Come on, Alexis. Let's give these two some privacy." Martha ushers her granddaughter out the door.

After the door closes, there is silence. "Sorry, my mother isn't the most tactful person."

She chuckles, "It's fine." She walks over and takes his hand.

"Will you be here tomorrow, too?" He squeezes her hand hopefully. She removes her hand from his, and his heart sinks. This is where she tells him he's finished. That he can't shadow her anymore. That they can't see each other anymore. He scoffs internally. That would be true on multiple levels.

He's so distracted by his own thoughts that he jumps when he feels her lips on his cheek and her hand on his chin.

"Yeah, Castle. I'll be here." She pats him on the arm one last time before heading for the door. She leaves with a quiet, "Bye." He hears the door close before he snaps out of it.

"Bye," he whispers back.

…

When Beckett exits the room, she is surprised to find Martha and Alexis waiting for her. Alexis refuses to meet her eyes.

"Dear, Alexis and I were talking, and we think you should stay with us tonight. It's late, you're hurt, and we all have to be back bright and early tomorrow anyhow."

Beckett looks to Alexis to see if she is comfortable with Martha's plan, but the girl still won't look her in the eye. That's proof enough. "Martha, I don't think—"

"Nonsense." Martha levels her with a look and she nods, if just to avoid making a scene in the hospital hallway. "It's settled. Come along, Kate."

They take a cab to her apartment, and she grabs some clothes and stuffs them in an overnight bag. The ride back to the loft is silent. Alexis immediately runs to her room when they arrive, and Kate stands in the living room, beginning to regret her decision.

"You remember where the guest room is, don't you? Unless you'd like to sleep in Richard's bed," Martha says with a wink. Kate can't meet Martha's eyes when she responds, "No, Martha. The guest room is fine with me."

"Suit yourself, dear. Goodnight," she says, giving Kate a strong hug. "Goodnight, Martha."

Kate walks up the stairs to the guest room, reminiscing on the last time she had been here. She almost wishes she were here under the same circumstances, rather than because Castle had been injured.

Well, no. She'd rather be here under very different circumstances, and in those circumstances she would be sleeping in Castle's bed. There's no way that she would admit to Martha that she couldn't imagine sleeping in Castle's bed without him. That night, she falls asleep in Castle's guest room dreaming of a world where she and Castle could be together without walls or boyfriends or ex-wives to get in the way.