Okay guys, This is a long update. I had some downtime this weekend so, I wrote this. This is totally un-betaed. So, here is my 100% full writing capibility.

Tell me what you think and PLEASE REVIEW!

Shannon

PS: As much as I wish I did, I do not own Castle, Nathan Fillion, or anyone else mentioned in this. All I own is a shattered I-Phone and my laptop.

"Hello. Welcome to Meadow View hospital. How may I help you?" The lady at the front desk said.

"I-I-My parents" Kate said as the shock and realization of everything that was happening was just coming onto her out of nowhere.

"What she is trying to say mam, is that her parents got into a terrible crash and have been transported here." Rick said noticing she couldn't say what she needed to.

"Oh. What's her last name?" asked the nurse

"My last name is Beckett." Kate said

"Okay. Well it looks like both of your parents are in surgery right now. So if you and your boyfriend will go and wait in the waiting room, I will have the doctor periodically check in with you guys." The nurse said with little to no sympathy at all in her voice.

"Okay, and he is not my boyfriend mam, he is just a really good friend of mine." She said

The nurse just looked at her, "Anyways, the waiting room is on the third floor, go down the hallway and it's the second door on the right."

"Thank you" Said Rick as he followed Kate to the elevator.

Ding! Sounded the elevator as it opened it's doors. Kate took a shaky breath because she knew that her mother and father had just recently rode in the same exact elevator not to long ago.

When she entered the elevator she bluntly asked, "Rick, what's going to happen to my parents?" She asked as she held back the tears.

"Kate. Come here." He said as he took her into his arms. As she was crying, he whispered softly into her ears, "Kate, I don't know if they will make it or not. One thing I do know is that they are fighting like hell to stay here with you." He said. "Kate, I can promise you that, because if they were not fighting, they would have just given up when they got hit." He said trying to make her feel better. "Kate, look at me," She looked up into his eyes and he noticed she had some unshed tears. "I will try anything and everything to keep both your parents alive. I promise" He said.

"Thank you Rick." She said as the elevator dinged again signaling that they arrived on their floor.

The third floor smelt like something odd so odd, it was something you couldn't put a name to it. All they both aggreed was that it smelt terrible. As they walked down the hallway and entered the waiting room, they both thought it was odd that they were the only ones in the room. But, then Rick looked at his watch, eleven-thirty, that's when everyone goes to the first floor to eat.

"Hey, wanna sit down?" Rick asked Kate.

"Yeah, might as well get comfortable, I have a feeling we may be here for a while." Kate said.

Rick sat down on the larger, two person chair. And, Kate chose to share the seat with him avoiding having to move if a single person wanted to sit by him or herself. Rick was leaning against the right side with his head against the wall. Kate was leaning against the left armrest reading a very outdated magazine about the impact Steve Jobs made on technology. Even though they were on the same chair, they still were not touching each other.

"Hey Kate, would you hand me the remote? I want to see if there is anything good on right now. Plus, the first people get first dibs on the television." He said breaking the awkward silence between them.

She handed him the remote and he flipped through the channels. He gave up when he saw that USA, the television network, was having a marathon of House M.D. He chuckled at the irony. When Kate recognized the show she said, "Hmph. How fitting, a marathon of a doctor show is the only halfway decent thing on television right now. And it's on the day that I am here."

"Do you want me to change it?" he asked.

"Nah. I actually like this episode, it's one of my favorites. I think it is called Half-Wit or something. Anyways, I love Dave Matthews. He is just a great singer and I love that he acts in this episode." She said with a smile on her face and a little happiness in her voice. Like as if she thought, if only for just a second, that her parents were perfectly fine. That they were not even in the hospital possibly dying but most definitely fighting for their lives.

"This is one of the better episodes." He said agreeing with with her.

After watching about half of the episode, he noticed her shifting in her seat multiple times, as if trying to get comfortable. Then he heard his stomach growl and looked at his watch, twelve-thirty, passed his lunch time.

"Hey Kate, wanna go downstairs to eat? I'll pay for our lunch." He said

"Yeah, I'm starting to get hungry too." She admitted, as she got up and walked out of the waiting room. "But, I am paying for my own lunch."

"Kate, let me pay for lunch. It's the least I could do." He said as he entered the elevator.

"Rick, you drove me to the hospital. I assume that you are probably going to stay with me here tonight. Let me buy my lunch" She said.

"No."

"Okay Rick, I won't argue with you because honestly, I don't feel like it. Next time, I am buying your lunch as well as mine. Deal?" She said.

"Deal." He said as she looked into his eyes and shook his hand.

The elevator dinged and she got out and walked to the cafeteria line.

"Hello mam, and sir. How may I help you?" asked the chef

"Hi... I would like some... uh... chicken tenders." Said Kate.

"Alright, and for you sir?"

"Lets just make it easy. Same as her" Rick said.

"Alright. I will have that ready in just a few minutes" The chef said as he began to make the food.

Meanwhile, Rick grabbed them both a black food try and also grabbed them both a water bottle, because it is the only thing that visitors can take up stairs.

"Order up for Rick!" The chef shouted.

"Thank you sir." Rick said.

"Not a problem." The chef said. "Have a good day"

"You too."

When they got to the register to pay, Kate attempted to take money out of her pocket but Rick grabbed her hand and told her, "Save your money. Remember? You will pay next time. And if you desperately need to spend it for some crazy odd reason, we will spend it in the vending machine upstairs" He said as he got his change from the attendant at the register.

They went to an empty table to the right. There was a small window at the length of their eye level. They ate in a compatible silence.

"Hey, Kate. Ready to go upstairs?" He asked

"Yeah, I just have to use the restroom first alright?"

"Sounds good. I'll clean up our table while you do that" He said.

As she walked to the restroom, she started to think, 'Man, Rick has been a complete gentleman today' When she opened the door, she looked to see an older women. Her gray hair matched her gray scrubs.

"Hello" The older lady said

"Hello." replied Kate

"Okay, this may sound creepy coming from a women of my age. But, during lunch, I saw you eating with this handsome young man"

"Yeah, he's just a friend"

"Honey, I have been on this planet for fifty eight years and I have never seen one friend look at another friend like that."

"Well, he did tell me this morning that he thought I was beautiful." Kate said.

"You really are. And trust me. The way that fella' looked at you like that, well it reminded me of one person." The elderly lady stated.

"Who is that if you don't mind me asking."

"Honey, that one person was a man named Rufus. I was like you and until someone told me that he may have a crush on me, I couldn't even entertain the fact that he may have a crush on me. The way he looked at me was the same as that young fella' you have with you." The elderly lady said, "So tell me, are you dating that young man?"

"No." Kate said

"Well, I am not telling you to drop everything and make a future with him right now, just be open minded. I promise you, it will turn out good for both of you guys." Beep,Beep "Ah, duty calls. Sweetie, just be open with him. Be nice and give him a chance."

"Thank you mam for that advice." Kate said.

"Not a problem. Now go out there before he gets worried" She said with a smile.

As Kate walked out of the restroom, she thought about what the women said and made the decision that she will give Rick a chance. He's been such a gentleman, how could she not give him a chance.

"Ready to go Kate?" He asked

"Yeah." She said

As they walked to the elevator, Rick checked his watch. One-thirty. They hit the button and entered the elevator. Kate was the first to speak up. "Hey Rick, I just wanted to thank you for being such a gentleman through all this"

"What could I say Kate, us gentlemen, we are a dying breed. It's hard to find us anymore in this day-in-age... But all joking aside, It's not a problem."

When they got to the floor, they realized that it was much more occupied than before. As they walked into the waiting room, there was about ten people in there. Not just them anymore. So they went to the same exact seat and sat the same way. Except for this time, Kate had someone sitting on her left. So she couldn't lean against the armrest without bumping into the man causing her to to sit awkwardly.

Buzz. Buzz.

She opened her phone to see a new text message from Rick. 'Kate, you know you can lean against me if you want. If you don't, it's not a big deal, I am just offering' She looked up at him and laughed at his face. He looked worried and confused at the same time. She typed back, 'Maybe later. I'm surprisingly comfortable at the moment.' He typed back, 'Sorry, I shouldn't have ever asked.'

"Where is the family of Jim and Johanna Beckett?" A male doctor asked.

"I'm right here." Kate said as her voice shaked

"Okay Ms. Beckett" He said as he walked towards her. "I'm first going to apologize for not updating you more often"

"It's okay doctor" Kate said

"Please, call me Jayne"

"Okay, Jayne. What's going on with my parents?"

"Well, Ms. Beckett, your father, when he got hit, most of the injury was done to his head. He is still is in surgery because they are still removing glass from his forehead. When at first they got hit from behind, his seat belt saved him from flying out of the car but his head hit the dashboard at a excessive force." He said. Kate looked down and grabbed Rick's hand interlocking their fingers. Her lifeline that is keeping her from breaking down at the moment is Rick being there for her. He looked up at her. And gave her a look of reassurance. "...Your dad also was hit very hard in the intersection, this was where the drunk driver hit him. The guy ran a red light and hit your dad at full force and caused a few broken ribs along with a cracked skull and also a broken foot. Your mom unfortunately took the blunt of the injuries. If they would have only been ran into from behind, I believe that she would have been fine. When the drunk driver hit your dad's car, he ran them into the traffic pole causing it to bury into her chest. It hit her heart so we started immediate surgery. And we believe that we fixed the heart problem. But your mom also has a fractured skull, a broken arm, leg and finally a back dislocation due to the pole in her chest. Your mom is the person we are worried most about. We need to operate on her brain and we need consent to operate since she is unable to make her own decisions." When Rick felt their hands shaking, he looked to Kate and saw her literally trembling with fear. "Now, Miss Beckett, this is a very risky procedure."

"Where do I need to sign?" She asked.

"Initial there and sign fully here." Jayne the doctor said pointing his fingers to two different places. "Now, Ms. Beckett, we advise that you go home, get some sleep, this is a lengthy procedure."

"No disrespect sir, but I would like to stay here instead."

"Okay Ms. Beckett, I will have the nurse get you and your friend some pillows and a blanket." Jayne said.

"Thank you Jayne." said Kate. Jayne then excused himself

She looked to Rick. "What if they don't make it Rick?"

"What if they do Kate. We need to stay optimistic. That's the only way to give them support." He said

"I'm just scared Rick." She said.

"I know." He said. A few seconds later, he saw a few tears drop and he wiped them with the pad of his thumb. "Kate. I know it is scary. We just need to stay strong through all of this. For your parents. I mean I haven't even met them and I will do anything in my power to save them." He said. When he looked down, he realized she was crying even more. It made him cry. How hurt and scared she was about her parents. He gave her a small, light kiss on the forehead and pulled her in for a hug. Then he whispered reassuring words into her ear. "Kate, It's going to be okay. They will do their best to get through this." The nurse walked in and saw Kate crying and went to ask the doctor something.

The nurse entered the room and motioned for Rick to follow her. He got Kate up but she stayed hiding her face in his side. He walked slowly so she wouldn't get embarrassed. They walked down to the last room on the right. It was a small, old patient room with a hospital bed.

"When Doctor Jayne had his two twin sons, he convinced the head of this hospital to let him use this room as a personal room for himself and if his kids or wife come and stay the night. We cannot let patients in this room anymore because the head said he didn't want to get confused anymore. So, Doctor Jayne said you can use this room if you would like." The nurse said

"Thank you very much nurse" Rick said.

"If you guys need anything, I will be right outside this door." The nurse said with a smile exiting the room.

"Okay thank you." said Rick.

Kate then let go of Rick to lay on the bed. Then she realized that Rick hadn't moved since the nurse left.

"Rick." She said grabbing his attention. "I feel pathetic asking this but, will you lay here with me? Everything is just colliding all at once and I need someone right now." Kate said holding back tears again.

"Certainly Kate." Rick said

He slowly walked to the bed and took his shoes off and left them on the side of the bed. The bed was a larger bed, large enough to fit about three people comfortably. The bed was currently in the default upright position so it wasn't really laying, more of lounging.

She cried for hours, and he held her. He didn't do anything for himself. He just held her. She put her arms around him for a bear hug and he hugged her back. He had never felt so worthless. Not being able to solve the current problem. When she finally cried herself asleep, he was currently enthralled by her beauty so he watched her sleep then after about an half-hour, he deemed it creepy and checked his watch. It was now eight- fifty at night. He turned on the television but kept it extremely low. He decided to watch a show called Firefly on the Science Channel. In his opinion, it was in incredible show and made a mental note to record it when he got home.

At around eleven-thirty the doctor knocked on the door and Kate stayed asleep. The doctor walked in and Rick put his finger up to his lips to tell the doctor to be quiet. He didn't want Kate waking up.

"What's up doc?" Rick whispered "Any updates?"

"Everything is taking longer than normal. Dad's normal injuries have been fixed, such as his broken leg. But the shards of glass in his head keep on appearing. It's crazy. Her mom is going more and more downhill as time goes by. She suffered a massive brain hemorrhage and lost a lot of blood. Almost went into cardiac arrest."

"Doc. Can I ask you a question?" Rick asked

"Sure." Jayne whispered back

"Will they live? Her parents that is."

"Honestly. Mom has a 30% chance of living, Dad has a 75%."

"Hmph. Okay doc." Rick said as he looked at the women in his arms. He moved a small piece of hair out of her face, just because he could.

"Alright, I will let you guys alone. We won't wake you guys unless we have to. You guys need your sleep while you can get it." The doctor whispered

"Thanks doc." Rick said, taking his eyes off Kate for about a second then refocusing on her.

"You know. I am a married man. I have two twin boys and an incredible wife that I love more than anything. But, I do have to say she is a very lucky girl to have a guy like you at her side." The doctor said, "Many guys your age wouldn't have the dedication you have towards her. Especially at your age."

"Thanks Jayne. That means a lot." Rick said.

"Not a problem son, have a good night alright?"

"Yes sir" Rick said

And with that, Jayne left to make his rounds.

Rick looked at the girl in his arms. On that night, at eleven-fourteen, on the dot, he made a promise to himself. A promise that he would protect Kate no matter what happens between them. Because, even though it is early in the relationship, he has fallen in love with this girl. He lowered the bed to the laying position and he gave her a kiss on the forehead. As he drifted to sleep, he wrapped his arms around her torso, like how a little kid would cuddle with his or her teddy bear. He put another kiss to the crown of her head and said, "I will try my best honest effort to keep your parents alive. I promise" Then sleep took over him.

If you guys liked it, please please please review. I am really stuck as to what I should do and I may just quit on the whole story.

-Shannon R. (Age 17)