Disclaimer: Nope, still not mine.
Kate kept her eyes closed, afraid to open them. She hated hospitals. They scared her, made her heart pound and sent her entire body into a frenzied panic. Her breathing increased rapidly, fear and panic rolled into one. She tried to keep her heart rate down, for fear of being sedated again.
Flashback- About two hours ago.
Kate opened her eyes, but closed them again almost instantly. The blinding light in the room hurt, and she knew where she was instantly; a hospital. She let a whimper slide through her teeth.
Kate rolled onto her side, and tried to sit up. Suddenly, a whir of beeping erupted beside her and the door at the far end of the room burst open. A doctor and a few nurses hustled in around Beckett, forcing her down again. Naturally, Beckett resisted, and her panic went into overdrive.
"Sedate her, now!" a man's voice had called. Kate felt two latex-gloved hands grip her left arm harshly, and a needle pressed in not long afterwards. She felt herself slipping back down, down into sleep. Her head fell back onto the scratchy pillow as she struggled uselessly against the drug.
Kate flinched as a hand gripped hers, gently, caressing it with care. She settled into the rhythm of the touch- back and forth, back and forth- until her breathing was normal again. She opened her eyes after a few failed attempts, and looked into Rick Castle's face.
"Hey Kate," Castle said, smiling. Normally, he would've said Beckett, but when he was being nice, it was usually Kate. She gripped his hand like it was a lifeline.
"Castle, I-I want to go home." She sounded like a little kid, but she was beyond caring. She wanted out of the hospital and in his arms, like she had wanted for nearly two years.
"I know, Kate, but you're pretty banged up." He said, almost sadly.
"How long?" Kate asked. "How long will I be here?"
"They're not sure yet. He cut your wrist pretty bad, so they're not sure about infection or not. He broke your ankle and a few fingers, and you may have a mild concussion." She looked away. Hearing all of that made Kate want to scream and cry and yell. She didn't even remember Aaron breaking her ankle.
"Kate," Castle nearly whispered, "They're talking that it may be a month."
Kate eye's immediately went wide in terror. She shook her head in denial, her brown hair swaying from side to side.
"I can't stay here that long. I won't…" but Castle cut off Beckett's rant.
"Kate, you will stay here if it's what best for you." Castle said, standing up and looming over Kate.
"Castle, I-" Kate started, but was cut off again.
"Katie," Castle said, taking Kate's perfect head in his hands. It fit so naturally, like it was made for his hands to caress and comfort. "You will stay." Castle demanded. Kate looked down, avoiding his face. He was acting like her father, but that's exactly what she needed.
"And I promise to do my absolute hardest to be with you every second of the way." Castle said to her. And he meant it.
A few seconds later, a doctor walked in, followed by a brunette nurse. He was tall and lean, with blonde, spiky hair.
"Hello, Miss Beckett, it's nice to see that you're up. I'm Dr. Todd. We've discovered that you've got an infection from the cuts you received. We cannot tell at the moment how bad it is." Dr. Todd informed her.
"How long will I stay here?" Kate asked.
"We're still not sure. A minimum two weeks right now. In a few more days we should know for sure." Todd informed them. Then he turned to Castle.
"She'll need somewhere to go after she gets out of here. She'll be on sick leave for two months as well." Kate's eyes widened. Two MONTHS! She though.
"Yes, I'll be taking care of her." Castle said, shooting her a sideways glance. Somewhere in her, Kate knew and wanted to stay with Castle. She just assumed they would talk about it first.
"Ok, that's good. Nurse, please give Miss Beckett her medication."