First off all thanks for those positive replies. Second, for those who think it's too cruel I can assure you that, if somebody would have to wander around naked in the snow, there would be a lot more to amputate. I already kept it a little softer. But I like to keep my stories, at least medically, as real as possible.

As for the leg, well I'm not sure yet but you guys gonna find out. I promise.

For Jane and Maura, it' sort of a crossover and I took them from my other story Collision, that's why Jane is in a wheelchair.

If you've got any questions feel free to ask me.

Now another chapter.

Hope – Chapter 3

She looked like a ghost. Pale like a sheet of paper. After he had informed the rest of Kate's condition he had followed Maura up to the ICU. She had told him that he had to dress in a special gown due to her sepsis. They couldn't risk any outside contaminations. He hated hospitals, especially since the fateful shooting four years ago. His thoughts flashed back to that day when Kate had gotten shot and almost bled to death. Well she had bled to death in the ambulance. Lanie, sitting on top of her, trying so hard to keep her friend alive. He closed his eyes took a deep breath and wrung his hands, like he tried to wipe the blood that came with the memory away. And now he stood in front of Kate's room watching her through the window.

"You're not going in?" the familiar raspy voice asked beside him. Rick flinched. He hadn't anticipated that Jane would follow him up here but he was glad that he wasn't alone, even if it was a person whom he hadn't seen in over twenty years. When he and his mother had lived in Boston in his late teens, he had befriended with the brunette. In the two years they had shared together a great friendship had formed. But after going to college in New York and Jane going to the police academy in Boston their contact had simply broken off. Now he somewhat regretted not having more of Jane in his life as he watched her in her wheelchair. What the hell had happened to her?

"I… " he started and then a realization hit him like a train. "The baby…" he whispered. Jane cooked an eyebrow and looked up at him.

"Baby?" she asked dumbstruck, she had absolutely no idea what he meant.

"She is… pregnant. I forgot to…" he broke off and grabbed the handle on the wall. His vision blurred, but cleared shortly after. Jane grabbed him by the forearm to steady him.

"Wow, Rodgers, just…" Jane looked down the corridor. "You go inside to your wife and I'll find Maura or a nurse to give me some information on your baby, okay?" she said squeezing his hand. He looked down on her and just nodded. He watched her wheel away and entered the private room.

The sight in front of him let his heart wrench in most impossible way. There was his Kate, the love of his life, fighting for her life, again. He swallowed hard and sat down in the chair next to the bed. She looked so fragile with the tracheal tube in her mouth. She was covered in special heating blankets to help her back to her normal body temperature. He was glad that he couldn't really see her injured body. He just couldn't take it right now. He was glad to have her back. That she was alive. The steady beeping of the heart monitor reassured him, kept him somewhat calm. He pulled his chair next to the bed and let his head rest in his hands. And finally he allowed him to cry.

He hadn't noticed that someone had entered the room and so he was startled a second time by that soothing dark voice.

"Your baby is fine Rick." Jane said as she wheeled next to him. She laid her hand over his and squeezed it. "Maura wasn't sure if it was from the… from what happened to Kate but she assured me that no harm was done."

Castle drew in a harsh breath and let out a strangled sob. Jane just sat in her chair, giving him the comfort she could and let him cry. It was weird for her to see it from this side, hadn't she been on the receiving end of such grief almost three years ago. She patted his shoulder drawing small circles of empathy. She knew how hard it must have been for Rick not knowing what had happened to Kate, finding her eight days later, on a Christmas Morning, only to realize that she might not survive this.

After his sobs had ceased to small whimpers he sat up, whipping the tears from his cheeks. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. Jane gave him a small smile.

"There is nothing you have to be sorry for. I understand."

He leant back in his chair running a hand over his face. "I thought I'd lost her and now… now I have her back but at what costs, Jane, they had to amputate her toes and fingers and…" he broke of shaking his head.

"I know Rick, I know. My squad is primary on her case so I know her condition." Jane sighed looking at Kate. Jane asked herself if she had looked like this, fragile and broken, almost deathlike. She was interrupted by a knock on the door. When it opened an older looking brunette peaked in.

"Lieutenant Rizzoli?" she asked, now noticing that Castle was there too. "Your wife said I would find you here. We found the abandoned farm house."

Jane turned her chair around and mention for the woman to come in. "Rick, this is Sergeant Benson. I'm her new boss and she and her partner are working Kate's case."

"Olivia Benson." The tall brunette introduced herself, shaking the offered hand.

"Richard Castle, I'm her husband." He gestured to Kate then turned his attention back to the two police women. "You found the place where she was kept?" he asked.

Olivia nodded. "Seems so, Mr. Castle, we got a call one hour ago from the local police that they had found traces of blood in the woods nest to an old farm house." She turned her attention back to Jane. "Amaro and I are going to head upstate to see what we can get." She told her Lieutenant. "Just wanted to let you know that you need to catch a cab later."

Jane nodded and they said their goodbyes. When Sergeant Benson had left the room he turned around to Jane. "Is she good?" he asked. He knew that he couldn't measure every cop in NY with Kate but he wanted the best for finding these bastards.

"She's the best." Jane replied and wheeled closer to the bed. "We're gonna find those son-of-a-bitches who did this to her Rick, I promise, if I could, I would be out in the field helping them, but Amaro and Benson are the best." He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Silence fell over them. But he broke it not shortly after.

"What happened to you Jane?" he asked, never letting go of her hand. It was something they had done before. Giving the other silent support. They had gotten teased for that. But it had been there way of being there for each other. Jane took a deep breath.

"Car accident three years ago. Got t-boned by a truck, was in a coma for almost two weeks nasty head injury too. Well and this" she gestured towards her legs. "I'm an incomplete T12 paraplegic."

Caste just looked at her. He had no idea what to say, or how to react. "But you're still… I don't understand?" he stuttered. Jane just chuckled.

"I had been a damn good homicide detective until then and Maura, the doc who has operated on your wife, our ME." Rick's eyes got wide. From death people doc to living people doc, usually it was the other way around.

"Yeah funny huh, I still gotta wrap my mind around it that she now has living patients. But anyways, well we tried everything to get me back on my feet but nothing has worked so far. So we decided to turn our lives around and came to New York six months ago. After I got my promotion I was assigned to the Special Victims Unit here in Manhattan as their new LT."

Rick was stunned at the information. And impressed at how things had worked out for Jane. He gave her small smile. "Sorry to hear that about your… legs." He said awkwardly.

Jane smiled and shook her head. "Gotten used to it by now. I've dealt with it and made my peace with it." Jane shrugged her shoulders. "But enough about me. I should leave you two alone now. Maura has arranged for you to sleep here. Usually it's against hospital policy but I guess she knows exactly what you need now." She patted him on the shoulder and left the room.

Rick stood up and bent down to kiss his wife's forehead. "I'm here honey. So please Kate, please wake up soon."

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