Good Morning! Last night I unexpectedly finished another future chapter, so to celebrate, I'm giving you another chapter! I hope you enjoy it!
Just as an FYI, I apologize if any of you have had issues with receiving alerts or posting comments or PMs, my account went all screwy sometime over the weekend and I didn't realize it until yesterday when I got absolutely no email at all, including the alert that my own chapter posted, or stories I follow that I know I have alerts set for. I checked my email settings & everything seemed OK, I checked my account settings on here and found that all my settings had been reset, which included turning off PMs and such. I've changed some stuff, so I hope it all works now, but I'm also hoping the webmaster will get back to me as well. If any of you have similar issues, shoot me a PM to tell me how you fixed it! Thanks!
Thank you for the continued feedback. I'm really happy you're enjoying the Alexis POV and twists. I know I haven't been doing a lot of personal replies, because I've been spending the little free time I've had writing, but I have read every Tweet and comment(even when they aren't sent to my email), and now want to give each of you a warm fuzzy hug!
Just as a reminder, in case you missed my Spoiler warning in the first chapter, from this chapter on, I'll be touching on "Rise" speculation, and beyond, so if you're staying Spoiler free, come back and finish reading in a couple weeks!
Still don't own any of the Castle characters settings etc... but you knew that already, didn't you?
Chapter 4
A police officer Alexis didn't recognize ushered her and several others toward some squad cars, presumably to safety. She tried to step away to see what was going on but he effectively and deliberately blocked her view. Despite her cries that it was her father that was involved, he remained unswayed.
From where she and the others were being barricaded, Alexis could see cops swarming the cemetery, with weapons raised searching for the gunman. Ryan and Esposito stood guard over Kate and her dad who she assumed were still on the ground.
Her grandmother stood with Jim Beckett near the podium where, only minutes earlier, Beckett had been giving the eulogy, and watched as Dr. Parish and several first responders worked on the injured. It looked as if Jim and Gram were holding hands and crying, which only scared Alexis more.
What seemed like hours later, the first paramedics arrived. Three ambulances pulled in as close as possible, but only one stretcher was removed.
Alexis watched their every move, waiting to see who it was for. When they placed the backboard on the ground, everyone but Lanie stepped back to let them work. It was then that she saw her dad kneeling on the ground clutching Beckett's hand.
Now that she knew her father was alive, and apparently unharmed, time went from slow motion to fast forward. Beckett was immobilized, loaded onto the gurney, and rushed to the waiting ambulance with Dr. Parish and her dad in hot pursuit.
Jim and Martha also followed but stopped at the open back doors of the emergency vehicle. After a few minutes, Martha led Jim back towards the crowd hovering between the squad cars. Before they reached her, the ambulance sped away with two police cars, all of which had lights flashing and sirens screaming.
When Martha was only a few feet away, Alexis pushed past the police barricade and rushed into her grandmother's arms.
Alexis tried to speak but only a sob came out. Martha pulled her tight and then stepped back a bit.
"Honey, listen to me. Your father is fine. He wasn't hit," she paused and looked back at Jim who was white with shock and ringing his hands. She lowered her voice before continuing. "Beckett was though, and it looks serious."
Another sob escaped her lips, but even in that moment she didn't know if it was out of relief for her dad or fear for Kate.
"Detective Ryan is going to take Jim to the hospital, and I'm going with him. He shouldn't be alone right now. I may not be going through exactly the same thing he is, but we both saw our children go down today."
Martha cupped Alexis' cheeks in her hands. "As soon as they let you leave, I want you to take the car and go home. Call Ashley or Paige and have them meet you there. You shouldn't be alone right now either. I'll call you as soon as we know anything, OK?"
"No. I'm coming too."
"You're sure?"
"Definitely."
Martha didn't argue. She knew determination when she saw it. "Come on then. Lets not waste time talking about it."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Alexis had never been in a car going so fast through the city before.
Detective Esposito who ended up having Jim Beckett with him, raced through the crowded urban streets with his lights and sirens going full force. Alexis and Martha were riding with Ryan, who was driving his personal vehicle but kept right on his partner's trail.
It only took ten minutes to get to the hospital. In heavy traffic the same trip could have taken close to an hour.
As the group rushed through the sliding doors toward the admissions receptionist, Alexis saw Lanie and her dad dejectedly enter the waiting room from the swinging doors behind the triage desk labeled, "Trauma Unit: Authorized Personal Only Beyond This Point".
Leaving the others behind, she grabbed her grandmother's hand rushed to her father's side. Despite the smeared blood stains across his clothes, he threw his arms around both of them.
"Dad, are you OK? What about Beckett?"
"I'm fine Sweetheart, but Kate's..." He left his words hanging but Dr. Parish finished for him. "Kate's getting the best possible care. I'm sure they'll be out here soon to give us an update."
Jim hadn't got any helpful information from the desk and came up behind them just in time to hear Lanie's answer. The others were just steps behind.
"You're a doctor and you were with her. Can't you tell me anything more about my little girl?"
"Mr. Beckett, I wish I could tell you everything's fine, but I don't know. I'm not a surgeon or a part of a trauma team. They'll be able to give you a more accurate prognosis."
As Alexis watched the exchange, she noticed a change in Jim's face.
"Excuse me Dr. Parish if this sounds rude, but cut the clinical bull. I hope that things aren't as bad as they seem, but as much as I want that hope, I don't want false hope. You're a medical examiner, you see worst case scenarios everyday and know what causes them as well as any trauma unit or surgeon. As I'm sure you know, I lost my wife unexpectedly. No preparation, no goodbyes. If I'm going to lose my little girl too, I just want to know."
Lanie studied him for a second before dropping her eyes to her hands, as if expecting to still see them dripping with her friend's blood. When she brought her eyes back up to the older man's, they were red rimmed and brimming with tears.
When she answered, her words were spoken softly and were full of emotion."The bullet was a thru and thru in her left chest, near her heart. She's lost a lot of blood and I'm positive she has a collapsed lung at minimum. She isn't stable and even with constant CPR, her vitals dropped dangerously low. For a lot of people these might be insurmountable odds, but your daughter is a fighter. People can and do survive injuries like this all the time. People like Kate. Are things critical? Certainly. But don't give up; because she hasn't."
The medical examiner's words brought on a new wave of emotion to everyone in the group, but also hope, because they knew what she said was the truth.
"Thank you for being honest with me. In my opinion, the scary truth is a lot easier to deal with than a sugar coated half truth."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Soon everyone found their way to the seating area, anxious to get an update. Ryan paced along a wall. Esposito hugged Lanie to his his side. Jim stood frozen, staring out the large glass window, and Alexis sat quietly between her father and Grandmother.
Watching the people she was surrounded by, broke her heart, but when she closed her eyes, the images of the shooting repeatedly flashed through her mind. She tried watching the nearly silent TV in the corner but the program on how to barbeque a whole chicken did nothing to interest or distract her. When she looked around at the strangers that were dotted throughout the room she felt like all of them were staring at their group, but dismissed that as paranoia. Finally out of desperation she picked up a Reader's Digest from the table in front of her and tried to find some solace there.
Alexis has just found an article worth reading when she heard her father whisper something beside her. When she turned to him to ask him what he said she found him hunched over, elbows on his knees and his face buried in his hands.
Again he said something, but she realized he was talking to himself. Shamelessly she listened harder to see what he was saying.
Most of the mumbled words were barely recognizable slurs but one phrase was clear. "It's all my fault."
Not embarrassed to admit she heard him, she placed her head on his shoulder and leaned in close to whisper, "It's not your fault. You did everything you could."
Her dad looked at her but didn't answer. Instead, he just shook his head.
This confused her because she knew what he'd done. He tried to warn Beckett and push her out of the way. Heck, he almost took the bullet for her!
Then realization dawned on Alexis. Maybe he even tried to take the bullet for her.
Thoughts and memories swirled chaoticly through her mind. Pieces of what she didn't even know was a puzzle, began falling into place.
She knew her dad liked Beckett and cared a great deal for her, probably as even more than just friends or co-workers. But did he care enough to die for her? Did he love her that much?
Alexis took a long look at her dad. He had his head hung again and couldn't see her, allowing her to take it all in.
He was grieving. More so than anyone else in the room, aside from Mr. Beckett. Even Kate's best friend and partners didn't show the level of pain he did. That certainly said something about how he felt.
Dr. Parish interrupted the quiet that had settled over them, "Has anyone called Josh?"
"Who?" Jim asked the question Alexis had been thinking.
"Her boyfriend." Rick said flatly.
Alexis picked up on her dad's tone, disgust. More questions flooded her. If Beckett has a boyfriend serious enough to call, does she know about how her dad feels about her? Had she rejected him? Was she playing both guys? Or was this something new, that was perhaps making her dad jealous? After all maybe Beckett and this Josh guy really weren't that serious if Jim didn't even know about him.
"We should tell him, I guess," said Ryan. "Anyone have his number?"
Nobody did, but Lanie had another thought. "Isn't this the hospital where he works?"
Alexis couldn't be positive, but she was pretty sure she heard her dad mutter something like "Great. Dr. Motorcycle Boy can pretend to come in and save the day again" before standing and saying out loud, "I'll go see if I can find some way to contact him."
But Esposito stood as well and headed for the door. "Maybe I should do that instead."
Maybe she wasn't the only one who recognized her dad's feelings, Alexis realized.
When the detective came back, a sophisticated looking woman who was wearing a gray power suit and maroon heels entered the room behind him and looked around, before walking toward them.
Jim and Detective Ryan came closer as she approached, and soon they completed a tightly knit group.
The woman extended a hand to Jim first, and then everyone else while making an introduction. "Mr. Beckett?"
"Yes."
"My name is Greta Lipinski, and I'm with the public relations department here at the hospital. I'm sorry to hear of your daughter's emergency today, but please rest assured she's getting the finest treatment in the city."
Jim didn't flinch.
"I've come to speak to you this afternoon, because I wanted you to know that due to the circumstances involved, not only has the NYPD posted their people directly outside of any room your daughter will be in, but our hospital security has been alerted as well."
Jim nodded.
"I'm also aware that because of the circumstances and also because of your daughter's connections with Mr. Castle, here, that the media will most likely try to become involved. I want to assure you that we are quite familiar with dealing with the press, and your daughter's privacy will be top priority, second only to her medical care." The woman paused and glanced around with a practiced look of sympathy.
"Now, if you'd like, I'd can escort you back to a private waiting room that we have for the family of more, sensitive or high profile cases."
Jim looked to her dad. "What do you think Rick? You have more experience with these kind of things."
Her dad looked to Ryan and Esposito who were nodding already. "I think it might be best for everyone."
Mr. Beckett brought his attention back to the PR woman, "Well then, if we can all go, I'll take you up on your offer."
She hesitated momentarily, her eyes roaming quickly over each of them. "Usually it's reserved just for family but,"
Jim interrupted. "We are her family."
Ms. Lipinski didn't argue. "Great! Then follow me."
XXXXXXXXXXX
Beckett's "family" was shown into one of three private lounges that were in a quiet hallway between between the triage area and the trauma unit.
It was definitely more than a step up from the public waiting area. Instead of plastic chairs there were two old but comfortable leather couches. Against the far wall was a tiny kitchenette with a coffee maker and a large basket that held a variety of snacks. The glass coffee table in the center of the room had a stack of current paperbacks and magazines, a desk of cards and the remote to the large flatscreen TV on the wall.
After Greta made sure everything was taken care of and all questions were answered, she left them alone again to continue waiting.
"Javi, were you able to contact Josh?" ask Dr. Parish.
"I talked to a nurse. He had just finished in surgery. She said she'd send him right down."
In one of those "speak of the devil" moments, the door opened and a man in surgical scrubs entered. Alexis didn't have to ask who he was; from her dad's body language she knew it was Dr. Josh.
Jim Beckett asked him about Kate immediately.
"She's um, stable, for the moment which is good." There was an audible sigh of relief from more than a couple people. "They're prepping her to be taken up to surgery in a few minutes. You're her dad, right?"
"Yes. Are you the doctor that's been dating Katie?"
"Yeah. I wish we met under better circumstances, but Kate's told me some wonderful things about you. After she's back on her feet we'll have to do dinner sometime."
Josh reached out to shake the other man's hand.
As Alexis watched the conversation unfold, she was appalled by the doctor's carefree attitude. Maybe being in these life and death situations every day made you forget the enormity of the situations, but how could he be so flippant in the faces of those who feared so much for the life that was at stake.
Jim Beckett didn't look impressed either and ignored the extended palm.
When Josh finally got the message, he dropped his hands and wiped them on his pants.
"When will I be able to see her?"
"Normally, not until she was out of recovery, but I pulled some strings. That's why I came to get you. She's not awake, and you'll need to scrub up first, but you'll be able to see her for a few minutes and maybe even take the elevator up to the surgical floor with her."
"What about the rest of us?" Lanie asked.
"Not until after the surgery, but there's a place outside the OR where you can wait. Although I didn't know everyone," he said rather pointedly at Castle, "Was going to be here, I'm sure there's room. I'll come back and take you all up in a few."
With that, the cocky surgeon strutted to the door and held it for the elder Beckett and then left with a parting glare at Rick.
As soon as the door closed, Alexis could no longer hold her tongue. "Is he always like that?"
"Yes." her father answered at the same time Lanie said "No."
Lanie shot Castle a loaded look.
"He's always seemed a little smarmy to me." Esposito declared. "I'm still not exactly sure what she sees in him."
"You mean besides the fact that he's a globe trotting, motorcycle riding, humanitarian, heart surgeon with a stunning physique and devilishly handsome bad boy good looks?" Ryan quipped, earning raised eyebrows from everyone else in the room. "What? It's true."
"You know, Dear," Martha said. "I've dated a surgeon or two in my time, and there's a reason they've earned the reputation of being arrogant. It's because most of them are. They spend almost all of their waking hours literally, holding life and death in the palms of their hands. I've heard some people say it's a coping mechanism. Personally, I think it sort of becomes a god-comlpex to them, thus creating an air of superiority."
"Exactly!" Rick jabbed
His mother leveled him with a stare. "I've known some writers like that as well."
Esposito tried to hide his smile at the barb.
"Cops aren't immune to it either," said Dr. Parish, completely removing the detective's previous smirk. "But no matter how we feel about him, not only do we need to be kind to him because he's dating Kate but also because he's a doctor here and that may be an asset."
Not long after the conversation ended, the cocky doctor returned.
