Another random ficlet. This was dated 5/13/11 in my binder, and I thought "Hm, maybe I should finally post this." Spoilers for knockout, but I'm sure everyone has seen that by now. Happy reading!

"She cares about you. And unless you're stupider than you look, you care about her, too."

Those words were ringing through Richard Castle's ears. He lay in his bead, hands behind his head, just thinking.

Jim Beckett had come to him asking him to protect his daughter, a woman they both loved more than anything. "She cares bout you..." What on earth could that mean? What had she possibly told him?

He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. Kate's father had asked him to protect her, and he hadn't. He saw that gleam behind the gravestone a moment too late. He let Kate get shot, and then told her he loved her. That was not how he wanted to tell her that- worried that she would die at any moment. After what Jim had said, he was planning to tell her- right after this case cooled off, and it never did. Absolutely everything went wrong.

He picked himself up out of bed, grabbed his keys, and headed to the hospital.

"I need to see Detective Katherine Beckett right away," he told the nurse.

"I'm sorry, sir. Visiting hours are between 10 AM and-"

"You think I don't know that?" It wasn't like him to snap at people for simply doing their jobs, but this was about Kate. "Look, I know the mayor and-"

"Sorry, sir!" The intimidated nurse said. She knew when it was time to stand down. "I'm sure you know the room."

"Thanks," he answered through gritted teeth, as he headed off to Kate's room.

When he walked in, he saw Kate lying in the hospital bed, the same way she had been for the last week. She had been taken into surgery immediately upon arrival, and she had been in a coma ever since.

He pulled a chair to her bedside and plopped down into it. He gently took her hand, sighing when he felt the IV that was still there. "Kate...I'm sorry," he told her, tears welling up in his eyes. "I should've been there for you. And I wasn't." He closed his eyes.

And could've sworn he felt a faint pressure on his hand.

"Kate?" He asked, pretty sure he was imagining things.

But then he felt it again.

Now he was getting excited. "Kate, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand again." He felt it. He brushed the hair off her forehead. "Kate, just try and open your eyes, come on, you can do it." He saw her eyes flutter, but stay closed. "Please, Kate." It was barely a whisper. And then, in a moment, they were looking at each other, blue eyes boring into green. He breathed a sigh of relief. She would be okay.

"Castle..." she groaned, trying to move her stiff muscles.

"Shhh, don't move Kate. Do you remember what happened?"

"I was shot."

Good, he thought. So she hasn't lost her memory. I wonder if that means she remembers what I told her... She started to try and get up. "And that's why you need to stay put."

"Castle, I can handle myself."

"Kate, I let you get hurt once, I'm not letting it happen again." She saw the look of determination in his eyes, so she sank back onto the pillows.

"Okay." They sat for a moment in comfortable silence, Rick still holding her hand.

Rick spoke first. "Do you...do you remember anything else after you got shot?"

She did. Oh, she did. She spent her whole time in the coma mulling that over, hoping she would'nt die so she could say those words back to him. When she heard his voice, she knew it was time to wake up. And to tell him.

She squeezed his hand. "I love you, too."

He smiled, bringing her hand up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "I should have said it much earlier. I love you, Katie."

Her smile quickly turned into a smirk. "So, you've waited this long to tell me you love me. Is it gonna take you just as long to kiss me?"

He got up and moved closer to her. Cupping her face with one hand, he leaned in and kissed her. This one was more slow and tender than their last kiss that was full of frenzy and passion, but full of just as much promise.

There was more to this, but it was going nowhere. So I cut it out so I could post it. What do you think? Comment below!