This thing is getting out of hand. I need to hurry up and finish so I can go back to my fun murder.
Oh did I just say a murder was fun?
The is definitely something wrong with me
The next day comes and goes with no change in Castle's condition. He is still in a coma. When asked about the situation, the doctors can only say that sometimes a person who has an injury to the brain, it will have to spend a little more time healing before return to conscientiousness
During the daylight hours, Kates has not left Rick's side except to go to the café to grab a bite to eat. She promised that she wanted to be there when he wakes up and that the very first words he hears are Kate telling him that is that she loved him and she wanted to be with him. That she wanted to give all her heart to him
When the day comes to an end she, once again, she changes into sleepwear. And once again she crawls up into the bed with Castle and snuggles into his side. Once again she tells him she wants him to wake up so they can spend the rest of their life together
Just moments after she ways those words to him, she realizes that just admitted that he was her one and done
As she drifts off into sleep a nightmare takes over from inside.
She recalls the Dick Coonan case and in chasing of clues they are told that the man who performed thee hit was the same shadow figure who actually murdered Kate's mother.
Her love for Rick began somewhere in this time when, once again, he acted, not in his interest, but her interest to provide the money to bring the man out
Her and Castle worked through the information to discover that Dick Coonan was, himself the murderer of Johanna
Her dreams take her to Castle being held at gunpoint in the precinct by Dick Coonan. How they had just figured out how he was the actual hit man hired by the person at the top someone who wanted to kill her mother.
She replays in her dream how, in a flash, she had to decide between saving Rick by shooting Coonan or let Coonan kill Castle and maybe get some information from him instead
In a millisecond she made the decision saving Rick by putting a bullet into her mother's killer's chest.
The next few minutes she spent performing CPR on the already dead man trying to keep him alive long enough to get answers.
She remembers how desperate she was and how the only thing that stopped her futile attempt was when Rick placed his hand firmly on her shoulder and pulled her away.
Rick's hand pulling her, this time, became the hand of Martha walking Kate up from her sleep
"Katherine…Katherine darling. Wake up. You are having a nightmare. You were moving around in the bed"
Once more Beckett feels embarrassed being caught in the bed holding tight to Castle "Sorry Martha"
"Don't feel sorry darling. Your presence has been good for Richard. The staff says that you being here has been good for him. While you are here, his brain activity increases and his vitals stabilize, so please keep doing what you are doing and maybe we will get him back sooner"
Kate stands up and tries to brush her hair from her face using her fingers as a comb without much success
Kate then goes into the bathroom to change from sleepwear to street clothes. When she returns to the room there are staff checking on Rick
"Is everything alright?" Kate asks as the nurses are entering data into the computer in the room.
"Yes Kate. We are just making sure all the leads are working" A Technician standing by his head responds "His stats dropped a bit a few minutes ago and we are checking all the leads to see if that is why"
As the medical staff are finishing on checking over Rick, Martha pulls Kate aside "You do know the reason his numbers dropped is because you stepped away from him?"
With a look of worry Kate glances back toward the bed "You really think so Martha?"
"Yes darling. You are having a profound effect on his condition but right now you need some real rest. We can't have you wearing out. Why don't you go home for a little bit? Just sit and relax then you can come back"
Kate does not take her eyes off the sleeping man "I think you're right Martha. I do need to get some more clothes, grab a quick shower. And I forgot my cell phone charger. My phone died last night and I need to get that as well"
"Good. I will be here while you're gone"
"I won't be long…and if anything happens, you call me immediately. OK?"
"Go dear" Martha points toward the door "We will be fine and I will call"
Reluctantly, Kate Beckett takes her overnight and walks out of the room
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
When she gets home she goes directly to her nightstand and gets her charger. This is when she notices there are several messages on her home phone. She presses the play button and receives an onslaught of messages from Lanie, Kevin, Javier, and even Gates checking on the situation. They had all figured that Beckett's phone must be dead, since she had not answered it since yesterday
She once more grabs a quick shower, empties the dirty clothes into the hamper, and loads up more clothes so she can return to the hospital.
Looking around her apartment she notices how empty it is. She thinks about how she has lived a solitary life until one pesky writer showed up and turned her world upside down. She puts a sneer on her face and thinks that as soon as he wakes up she is going to bring him here to fill the empty spot he has wanted to fill and she plans to ride with him all the way to that goal
Returning to the hospital, she finds her friends have all arrived for a visit. But more than just a visit they brought dinner for her, Martha an Alexis as well. They take the food to the ICU waiting area and spread it out like a picnic. They all dig in
After everyone is well into the meal, Lanie notices that Kate has barely touched her food
"What's wrong girlfriend?"
"Nothing" Kate answers while looking at the door then tears appear in her eyes
"Something is wrong"
"What is he doesn't wake up. What if the damage is so bad he never wakes up?"
Martha reaches over to Beckett's arm "Katherine Darling. He has been responding more and more to your presence. I am sure it will be very soon and he will be his old self."
Kate is still blaming herself for Castle's condition but Martha and Alexis have been accepting that he did the drinking all on his own
The evening comes closer and Martha and Alexis again head home to the loft leaving Kate in the room with just her and Rick.
Kate pulls the chair back to the side of the bed and, once more, takes his hand into her own cheek. This has become a habit for her now. She is hoping his sensitive fingertips will begin responding to her touch
She sits beside the bed and watches the screen of the television hanging on the opposite wall. She has not seen any of the network police drama playing on the receiver. She laughs internally with the crime solving occurring in the show
"They make it look so easy" she actually speaks out loud. This makes her think that she might just talk to rick about some of their old cases in an attempt to bring him back to waking
"Do you remember our first date? Yeah, I will admit it was a date. You went to Drago with that bimbo bachelorette and I went with Mr. July. You and I did our usual bantering and theory building and then after we caught the killer you took me to Remy's for burgers. I really do think that was our first date and have to tell you it was the best date I ever went on before or since"
Then the screen talks about a murder in the Bronx where a blond woman was found in an ally.
Kate's mind immediately goes to the 3XK killer. Kate leans into Rick's hand and lays her head on the back of his arm while still holding his hand
"You remember when I went looking for you and Ryan. I found you in a hotel room tied up and Kevin on the floor…"
She turns her head and kisses the back of his forearm "That was the first time I took your hand and held it…like a friend…a lover… might hold your hand"
Kate startles when she thinks she felt his hand tighten on hers. Her head snaps up and she looks directly at his face "RICK! RICK! Castle! Can you hear me? Squeeze my hand if you can hear me…"
There is no movement
"Come on Castle. Squeeze my fingers. I want you to wake up"
There is no movement
Kate stands and rushes out to the nurse's station and finds his nurse and drags her back into the room
…
After several more attempts and several quicks reflex tests there is no more sign of movement
"Kate, I am sorry. It might have just been a muscle spasm. But there is no indication of conscious movement…sorry"
After the nurse leave the room Kate, once more, goes into the bathroom, changes clothes, and returns to the bed. Pulling the covers back, she climbs and snuggles up to Rick
With her head lying softly on his shoulder she begins talking to him "I love you Castle… I love you …I love you"
She leans up to kiss his lips "Hurry up and wake up so I can show you I love you"
She settles back down, closes her eyes and soon drifts into sleep thinking of another time they were moving closer
She is sitting on a couch in LA facing Rick thinking about her former training officer, Mike Royce "I was so in awe of him…...when I first met him. I hung on his every word. Then I realized he was just making up stories to mess with me…" She smiles letting the memories course through her mind. "I can't believe I'm never going to see him again"
A long pause occurs as Castle shifts on the couch looking more directly into her eyes "Do you know what I thought when I first met you? That you were a mystery I was never going to solve"
Even in her dreams, she feels her heart race
"Even now…after spending all this time with you, I'm still amazed by the depths of your strength…your heart…and your hotness,,,"
She realizes her heart just stopped with his words and his looks. He is sitting here waiting for her to react to his statement.
She needs to reach…she needs to move…she needs to tell him she feels the same way.
She is barely able to speak. "You're not so bad yourself Castle"
His eyes are piercing into her soul. She know what he wants. She knows she wants it too
She begins to move toward his side of the couch. She is a mere inch from his lips. Ready to give him what she so desperately wants to give him…
WHEN
She is startled awake by her cell phone. A ring she programmed for emergencies is sounding
"NOT NOW!" Her heart screams as her eyes open
She reaches to the night stand retrieves her annoying device "Beckett" is mumbles thru her addled brain "Yeah Ryan…what is it?"
She sits straight up in the bed "Is Evelyn alright?"
Kate spends the next few minutes listening to a report about a break in at Roy Montgomery's home and the suspect being found shot execution style. Ryan passes the phone over to Esposito who continues to report that they were able discover that the suspect had been paid a lot of money to get Roy's computer and his wedding album was also missing.
Giving the phone back to Kevin who finishes the report "Kate it has something to do with your mother's case"
Beckett closes her eyes and tears begin running down her cheeks.
After several beats she responds "Ryan…I need to finish what I am trying to do with Rick. This is too important"
She takes a deep breath "Go get the files from Castle's house. Alexis and Martha know about what he has been doing. They can get the information for you"
After another pause" Fill Gates in"
She pauses again "We are going to do this right"
I am trying to find closure soon. Maybe three more chapters?