DISCLAIMERS: I don't own anything that you'd recognize.

SUMMARY: Kate has a conversation with the headmaster at Ari's school while Castle continues his therapy and has a humorous, interesting conversation with his physical therapist. The topic? Beckett, of course.

A/N #1: I want to thank everybody for the great reviews and words of encouragement for Chapter 6. This chapter is going to be lighter because I can't deal with more exhaustion right now.

A/N #2: I also noticed that I was misspelling Neiman's name in the previous chapter.

Chapter 7: She's really with You, Dude?

January 4

"Can I talk to daddy before I go to school? He always kisses me and tells me to have a good day on the first day of school," Ari was standing in between Kate's knees as her mother deftly braided her long hair into twin pigtails.

"As soon as you have breakfast, I'll let you call daddy. Okay? Now turn around and let me look at you," Kate instructed as Ari turned to face her.

Kate smiled at the sight of her tiny little girl in her blue Marlowe prep blazer, white shirt, and dark blue skirt. In New York, the hunt for the perfect school started at conception. When Kate had discovered that she was pregnant with Ari, she had also learned how wonderful it was to be married to a best-selling author. She was able to jump to the front of the line. It also didn't hurt that Alexis had been the valedictorian of her senior class. Marlow Prep was a self-contained school for grades Pre-K through 12th. Ari currently attended kindergarten and Jack was already assured of a place in pre-K when the time came.

"Do I look all right?"

"You look gorgeous," Kate hugged her tightly. "Come on, let's go downstairs so that you can have breakfast and talk to daddy."

"I talk to daddy, too," Jack announced, walking into the room in his Thomas the Tank pajamas.

"You can talk to daddy tonight. While Sissy's eating her breakfast, you need to get dressed so that you can go to Helen's."

"Come on, mommy," Jack whined, looking and acting exactly like his father which made Kate laugh.

"You can talk to him tonight, son. Come on, let's go," She hauled him into her arms and made the trek downstairs with Ari behind her. "Your cereal is on the breakfast bar, Ari. Can you pour your own milk?"

"I'll be careful," Ari climbed up onto the barstool and carefully lifted the carton of milk, splashing some into her cereal bowl.

"Good job," Kate praised her as she sat down on the sofa and began to get Jack dressed to go downstairs to the sitter.

"Daddy lets me fix his coffee sometimes," Ari said between spoonfuls of cereal. "Why don't you let me fix your coffee?"

"Because you're little and I don't want you to get burned."

"Mom," Ari rolled her eyes in a perfect imitation of her mother, "I'm always careful."

"Good morning, Katherine, babies," Martha's voice was bright and cheery as she made her way downstairs.

"Good morning, Martha," Kate smiled, tugging Jack's shirt over his head.

"Gram!" Jack called out, with a huge grin on his face.

"Good morning, Martha," Ari imitated her mother.

"Ariel Johanna," Kate's voice was calm, but had a definite warning edge to it.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," Martha slipped an arm around her granddaughter's shoulder and squeezed her.

"Martha, I'm going to take Jack downstairs to Helen's real quick. Ari, hurry and finish your breakfast if you want to talk to daddy before you leave to go to school," Kate took Jack by the hand and left the loft, leaving Ari and Martha alone.

"So, that's why you're in such high spirits," Martha walked into the kitchen to fix her coffee.

"Daddy always tells me to have a good day on my first day of school."

"Ariel, your daddy is going to be home very soon," Martha assured her. "He's getting better every single day."

"I'm glad, because I know mommy misses him a lot."

"We all do," Martha kissed her on the forehead.

"Ari, are you finished with your cereal?" Kate walked back into the apartment a few minutes later. "You can't talk to daddy if you aren't."

"I'm done!" Ari dropped her spoon into her empty bowl.

"Good girl," Kate took the bowl and put it in the sink before taking out her phone and looking Castle up.

***CCC***

"Five more reps, Rick," Terry, Castle's physical therapist said as his patient grunted under the strain of the heavy metal elliptical bar.

"Have you added more weight to this bar?"

"Not yet. It's still 30 pounds, the same that it was the last time you were in here. Don't tell me you're going to wuss out on me, are you, Rick?"

Castle glared at his therapist. Terry stood 6'4", weighed about 250 and looked like he could stand-in as a stunt double for Mr. Clean with his bald head and huge muscular arms. He was about to utter a retort when he heard his cell phone ringing. "Can you check to see who that is for me?"

"You brought your phone to P.T.? Seriously?" Terry reached down and picked up the phone from the bench at Castle's side. "Dude, is this your wife?" He showed Castle his phone and Kate's smiling face on the screen.

"Yeah," Castle smiled, dropping the bar. He hit the 'answer' button. "Hey, Kate."

"Hey, Castle. I'm going to put you on FaceTime. Someone wants to talk to you. Hold on."

"Hi, daddy," Ariel's smiling face appeared on the screen.

"Hey, baby girl," Castle's grin was huge at the sight of his daughter on the screen.

"Rick, you have five minutes," Terry told him.

"Who was that? Daddy, why are you all sweaty?" Ariel made a face.

"That's Terry. He's just being mean to me, that's all."

"Why is he being mean to you? Is he mean to you like Tyson?" Ariel's eyes clouded over.

"No, baby. No. Nothing like that. He makes me exercise a lot so that I can get better so that I can come home to be with you, mommy, and Jack. He's not a bad man, Ariel."

Terry frowned, listening to the conversation. "Rick, may I?" He held his hand out for the phone.

"Really? You're going to cut into my five minutes?"

"Just for a second." Castle reluctantly handed Terry his phone. "Hi. What's your name?" He asked Ariel.

"Ariel. I don't want to talk to you. My daddy says you're mean. A bad man hurt my daddy. I don't like mean people!"

"Terry, give me the phone," Castle wrenched the phone from his therapist. "Ariel, it's okay. Take some breaths. Are you getting ready to go to school?"

"That's why mommy said I could talk to you. You always tell me to have a good day on the first day of school."

"You're going to have a wonderful day. You're going to be with your friends again. Do you think that you can draw me something pretty to hang in my room?"

"I'll make you a rainbow picture!" Ariel's face instantly brightened at the thought.

"Rainbows sounds great, Ariel."

"Ari, we have to go or we're going to be late. Tell daddy goodbye, so that I can talk to him real fast."

"I have to go, daddy. Daddy, how many days will there be until you come home?"

"I don't know. Mommy and I are having a meeting with the doctor in three more days. I should know when I'll come home then. I'll talk to you tonight before bed, okay?"

"Okay. I love you, daddy. Don't let that man be too mean to you."

"I won't," he smiled. "I love you, too. Let me talk to mommy."

"Hey, Castle," Kate's smiling face came on the screen. "I'll see you this afternoon. I have to get Ari to school, and talk to them. I love you."

"I love you, too. Kate, she's going to have a great day."

"I know. Tell your P.T. guy not to push you too hard."

"I'll talk to you this afternoon," he ended the call.

"So, how did an old geezer like you rate a hottie like that for a wife?" Terry teased when Castle put his phone aside.

"Pure charm," Castle grinned.

"Pure bullshit is more likely."

"Kate would be the first to agree with you."

"So, how long have the two of you been married?"

"Seven years in May. Kate's the most frustrating, challenging, maddening woman I've ever met in my life."

"Yet, you're crazy about her."

"Yeah, I am."

"Rick, I didn't mean to upset your little girl. She looks like a sweet kid."

"Ariel was with me in the car that night. She's still having a rough time dealing with it."

"I'm sorry to hear that. So, does Kate have any sisters?"

"Sorry, dude. She's an only child."

"So, what does she do? Does she stay at home spending the royalties from your books?"

"Not even close. She's a homicide detective."

"No way!"

"She's my inspiration for my Nikki Heat series. That's how we met. Someone was murdering people using my books for inspiration. I helped with the case and got the idea for a new character. The rest, as they say, is history."

"You married your muse," Terry smiled.

"And she still inspires me every day. I have a grown daughter, but Kate and I have two kids together. Ariel and a son named Jack who will be two years old on Saturday."

"Kids keep you on your toes. Speaking of which, you need to get back to work. You're not my only patient, you know."

***CCC***

"Ariel, welcome back," Miss Kathy, Ariel's Kindergarten teacher, welcomed her student back with a warm hug. "Why don't you say bye to your mommy and join the others in the reading circle?"

Ari turned to Kate, her unique blue-green eyes huge with fear and worry. "Ari, I promise that I will be right outside when you come out of school," Kate smoothed Ari's braids over her shoulders. "Miss Kathy and Miss Beverly will make sure that you stay safe. Remember that you promised daddy a rainbow picture."

"I know," Ari finally smiled before throwing her arms around Kate's neck, hugging her hard. "I'm going to miss you, mommy."

"I'll miss you, too, but school will be out before you know it. Have a good day. Have fun. I love you," Kate unlatched Ari's arms from around her neck.

"I love you, too," Ari finally turned and went to the small circle in the far corner of the room.

"Mrs. Andrews, Mr. Kennedy, and Dr. Jimenez are waiting for us in the conference room," Miss Kathy motioned for Kate to follow her.

"You called in the school psychologist?" Kate was surprised.

"Mrs. Castle, we all saw the news footage and we read the reports. We want to support you and your family in any way that we can. But our primary focus is making sure that Ariel's well being is seen to."

Kate followed Miss Kathy into a conference room where Mr. Kennedy the headmaster of Marlowe Prep, Mrs. Andrews, the principal of the elementary school, and Dr. Jimenez, the school psychologist were present. "Mrs. Castle, please have a seat," Mr. Kennedy instructed her. "We were all distressed to hear about Ariel's and your husband's tragic accident. Tell us how Ariel has been since the accident."

"She has good days and she has bad days. When she has bad days, they are very bad," Kate warned them. "My stepdaughter, son-in-law, and my mother-in-law are still in the process of discovering what sets her off. I have been warned by another psychologist that we might start having behavioral problems with her once her father comes home from the hospital."

"What are some of the things that we can avoid in the classroom?" Miss Kathy took out her notepad to take notes.

"Sudden loud noises. I don't know how she's going to react to the school bell ringing. I've also noticed in the last couple of weeks that she gets edgy when too many people start talking around her at once. I think this is because of all of the people that were there after the accident. Before . . . before she was taken."

"What do I do to help Ariel when she becomes upset?"

"Urge her to take deep breaths. It's also best to take her away from the group to try to calm her down. Ari's also concerned about her leg. She has healing wounds on her leg. They're not very pretty to look at. She's going to be wearing pants or tights in the winter. But she's still self-conscious about it."

"Mrs. Castle, would you like for me to start talking to Ariel?" Dr. Jimenez asked.

"No," Kate said, more sharply than she intended. "I'm sorry. Ari won't talk about the events of that night."

"I still think that we should schedule an appointment when your husband is released from the hospital. I've worked with traumatized children before, Mrs. Castle. I worked with children following both World Trade Center bombings."

"I'll contact you when Mr. Castle is released. I might need your help, anyway. The FBI wants to question her. They have their own person, but I don't know how much experience he has in dealing with children."

"I'll be happy to assist you with that."

"Should we contact you or Mr. Castle if there are any problems with Ariel?" Mrs. Andrews asked.

"Only if Miss Kathy or Miss Beverly can't control her if she does have an outburst. If she's able to resume her normal routine, Ari should be fine. Please don't ask her any questions about that night or the bad man who hurt her daddy."

"We'll try to schedule a meeting with the parents of Ariel's classmates—"

"Please don't," Kate held up her hand. "Children overhear their parents and they can often be cruel. I don't want Ari being treated differently because of the accident. She's fine and I just want her to be treated like you'd treat the other children in her class."

"If we have any questions or concerns, we will contact you immediately," Mr. Kennedy closed Ariel's file folder, indicating that the meeting was over.

***CCC***

"Sir?" Capt. Gates looked toward her doorway, surprised to find Det. Javier Esposito standing there. "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

"What's on your mind, Detective?" Gates asked after Espo had come in and closed the door behind him.

"Sir, we're concerned about Beckett. She has to spread herself pretty thin between Castle, and the kids. And now the FBI is turning up the heat about wanting to question Ariel."

"Where have you heard this, Det. Esposito? Because I haven't spoken to anyone from the FBI regarding Ariel Castle," Gates slowly removed her glasses.

"I heard from a reliable source that Agent Shaw has talked to Beckett. Apparently, her bosses are anxious to put this whole thing to bed."

"Well, I can assure you that until they get the okay from me, they're not getting anywhere near Beckett's daughter. They can call the president for all that I care."

"Captain, Beckett's exhausted. She shouldn't even be here."

"And you're a physician now, Det. Esposito?"

"No, sir. I'm just a friend who's concerned about another friend."

"And I'm noting your concern. Now, if there's nothing else, I'm sure that you have work to do."

Gates couldn't hold back the small smile that flitted across her face after Esposito left the office. After all of these years, she still found their loyalty to one another heartwarming. While she would never replace her predecessor, Roy Montgomery, she now felt much closer to her team than she had upon first arriving so long ago.

As a wife, a mother, and now a grandmother, she'd noticed the fatigue that was constantly a part of Beckett's features. Kate had already asked for three weeks of leave starting that weekend, but Gates had decided to start her on her leave a little early. Esposito was right; Beckett needed the rest. Especially since Castle would be coming home from the hospital soon.

But she wasn't aware that the FBI was looking to talk to Ariel Castle. This disturbed her a great deal. She picked up the phone and dialed the number for the New York field office. "Agent McMurphy please," she said when the phone was answered. "Tell him it's Capt. Victoria Gates, 12th Precinct Homicide."

"Capt. Gates?"

"Agent McMurphy, it's come to my attention that you plan on questioning Ariel Castle. Is this true?"

"Yes, we would like to question the minor. There are gaps in Mr. Castle's story and they can only be filled by the child—"

"Her name is Ariel," Gates snapped in irritation. "You do realize that Ariel Castle was severely traumatized by Mr. Tyson and Ms. Neiman?"

"We will have our psychologist in the room when we interview her. Agent Shaw has also requested that we wait until Mr. Castle's release from the hospital. We're hoping that the child . . . excuse me, Ariel . . . will be more willing to talk to us if a parent is in the room with her."

"Agent McMurphy, she's five years old. While it may not be illegal for you to question her without a parent, don't you think it's a little skeezy? Don't force me to place a call to the DoJ and turn you in on an ethics violation. We will call you next week with a date and a time for the interview. In the meantime, I want you to stay away from Det. Beckett and her family. This includes Special Agent Shaw. I don't appreciate her bullying tactics."

Gates had no sooner ended her call to the FBI when she saw Det. Beckett stroll by her office window on her way to her desk. She got up and walked to her door, watching the detective place her purse in a drawer before sitting down. "So, did you get Ariel off to school all right?" Ryan asked.

"Yes. Although she insisted on talking to her daddy first. Castle was in the middle of P.T. and made a comment about his therapist being mean to him. He had to talk his way out of a meltdown in record time."

"But he was able to steer her away?" Ryan looked at Beckett, who nodded. "Well, that's good, isn't it?"

"This time. Ari is like watching a roller coaster. Some days we can avoid the meltdowns, other times it's like re-living the Terrible Two's all over again."

"Det. Beckett, may I have a word?" Gates called from her office.

"Yes, sir," Kate glanced over at the boys, who simply shrugged. She walked into Gates office and closed the door. "Is there something wrong, sir?"

"I just got off of the phone with Very Special Agent McMurphy of the FBI. He has agreed that they will interview Ariel when we tell them its okay. So, you will not be getting any more threatening visits from Agent Shaw."

"Sir, Jordan wasn't threatening me. Her bosses were putting the pressure on her. I understand what that's like."

"I know that you're taking leave starting this weekend, but I think that you should take it effective immediately," Gates pushed a form toward her.

"Sir, I can wait a few more days."

"Beckett . . . Kate, you're exhausted. You're putting in a full-day here, you're going to the hospital to spend time with Mr. Castle, and then you're going home to spend some time with Ariel and Jack. It's not going to get easier when Mr. Castle comes home. In fact, it's probably going to get more difficult. Men make the worse patients. He's going to turn into a third child."

"He already does that, on occasion," Kate smiled. "Sir—"

"Det. Beckett, this is an order. Take a few days off for yourself before Mr. Castle comes home. Take long bubble baths, read a good book, get your hair and nails done. You have to keep in mind that if you don't take care of yourself, then you're not going to be able to take care of your family."

"You're right," Kate took a pen from the captain and scrawled her name at the bottom. "Tell the boys to call me if they need fresh eyes for anything."

"Tell them yourself. Let me know when you want the feds to talk to Ariel."

"Yes, sir." Kate left the office, stopping by Esposito's desk. "Did you talk to Gates about me?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Its okay, Javi. I'm not upset. I'm starting my leave effective right now. You guys are on your own."

"Kate, call us when Castle comes home."

"I will," she smiled. "I'll make a huge welcome home dinner for everybody. You're both still coming to the party Saturday, right?"

"Are you kidding?" Ryan grinned. "My kids are super excited about it. Jack's going to love their gift."

"It's something noisy, isn't it, Kevin?" Kate grimaced.

"Could be," Kevin gave her a cheesy grin.

"I'll see you guys on Saturday."

"Bro, what did you get Mini-Castle?" Espo asked after they watched Kate get on the elevator.

"A Bat Mobile. He can drive it. It has lights and sounds. He's going to love it."

"Yeah, he and Big Castle are probably going to fight over it."

Ryan simply chuckled as he went back to the files on his desk.

***CCC***

Castle was propped up against the raised back of his bed, his broken leg propped on several pillows and his laptop balanced precariously on his good leg. At first his broken wrist had hindered his ability to write, but he'd finally managed a satisfactory workaround. While he wasn't doing any writing as of yet, he still had correspondence that he had to answer.

He was answering email when someone knocked on his open doorway. He was surprised to find Gina standing there. He closed the lid on his laptop, placing it on his tray table and sliding it to one side. "Rick, is it all right if I come in?"

"Sure. I know that I owe Black Pawn several chapters, but as you can see—"

"Rick, I'm not here as your publisher right now. I'm not even here as your ex-wife. I'm here as a friend who's concerned about what you and your family are going through. Although I would like to discuss a possible future project with you."

Castle fought to contain his irritation. Leave it to Gina to always have an ulterior motive. It had been that way when he was married to her and it looked like it was going to continue being that way now. However, in his bored state of mind, he'd welcome anybody who wanted to visit, including his bloodsucking ex-wife. "I want to thank you for the flowers."

"You're welcome. We received a lovely thank you card from Kate. So, how are you feeling?" She made a face at his hip to toe bright blue cast and smiled at the way that he was dressed. "I see that you haven't lost your flair for fashion."

Castle grinned as he took in what he was wearing, a pair of green jogging shorts and a 'Marvin the Martian' t-shirt. "When they changed my cast, they asked me what color I wanted. Kate liked the blue. She says it matches my eyes."

"Do you know when you're being released?"

"Well, we have a meeting with my doctor Thursday morning. I'm thinking it'll be sometime early next week."

"And how is Ariel?"

"Ariel's fine as long as we keep her mind off of what happened. Unfortunately, I've learned that the feds want to talk to her and to me."

"I'm so sorry. That has to be so devastating for you and for Kate."

"Yeah, it is. Gina, why are you really here?"

"Rick, Paula and I were talking. I realize that it's probably way too soon, but maybe you could write an account—"

"No!"

"Rick—"

"Are you crazy? You're damn right that it's too soon! Not only is it too soon, but I'm not going to exploit my family's horror for the all-mighty dollar."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. But true crime does sell, Rick. I know that there would be a huge audience for your story."

"You don't get it, do you? This isn't just my story. The answer is no and that's the end of it."

"I'm sorry if I've upset you," she stood up. "Call me when you get back home."

It took Castle a long time to get over his agitation following his ex-wife's departure. Writing about Nikki Heat was one thing. That was fiction and Kate understood it. There was no way in hell that he'd write about their ordeal at the hands of Jerry Tyson and Kelly Nieman. He'd never exploit his family's life in that way. Why didn't Gina understand that this wasn't just about him?

He had finally calmed down completely when Kate arrived for her afternoon visit. She stepped up to the bed, kissing him warmly and placing a sheet of manila drawing paper in his hands. He smiled when he opened it. The picture was of a pair of swings and a huge rainbow over the whole top of the page. Ariel had even scrawled her name in large, uneven letters at the bottom of the page. "She told me that these are our swings," Kate smiled.

"This is perfect," his voice was choked up with emotion.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It's just been one of those kinds of days. Can we get out of here for a little while?"

"Do you want to go get something from the vending machines and sit in the sun room?" Kate helped him sit on the side of the bed and handed him his crutches.

"That sounds great," he slowly hauled himself to his feet and began swinging himself out of the room, with Kate at his side.

When they arrived in the solarium, Kate helped Castle get settled before going over to the vending machines, buying them sodas and candy. "What happened, Castle?"

"I just want to come home, Kate."

"Hey, you're going to be home in a few days," she reached for his hand.

"I'm going to miss Jack's birthday."

"I know and I'm sorry. What else is going on?"

"Gina came by earlier."

"Castle, you're on pain medication. She can't seriously expect you to turn in chapters, can she? I thought she was cutting you some slack."

"No, it isn't about the latest Nikki Heat book. Kate, she wants me to think about writing about our ordeal with Tyson."

"Please tell me you're not considering this," she stared at him.

"No," he was quick to shake his head. "I told her that I wouldn't do that to you; to our family. We've been through enough. We need to heal."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Castle," Dr. Walker entered the room, walking over to the vending machines.

"Oh, look. It's the guy who doesn't like kids," Castle quipped, glaring in his doctor's direction.

"I'll have you know, Mr. Castle, that I happen to love kids. I have eight of my own, including two sets of twins. I just don't feel that they belong in a hospital, unless they're a patient. You're going to be going home soon. You'll be seeing both of your kids then."

With that, the doctor turned and left the room. "Wow, eight kids," Kate let out a low whistle. "Ari and Jack are enough to wear me out. Could you imagine chasing after eight kids?"

"I just want to chase after our two again."

Kate hated it when Rick was sad. She knew that a lot of it was the side effects of the different medications that he was on. Dr. Walker had already warned her that his moods would swing wildly from one extreme to the next. But she also knew how badly he was missing the kids. Except for videos, he hadn't seen Jack since the day of the accident and he hadn't seen Ari since the one day she'd been allowed to bring her to the hospital. "You want to know what I miss?" She moved closer, her breath hot in his ear. "Making love with you."

"I miss that, too," he finally smiled. "We may have to invent some new positions."

"Rick?" Terry, Rick's P.T. therapist walked into the sun room. "I thought that I saw you with your hot young wife."

"Excuse me?" Kate's head whipped between Castle and the therapist.

"Tell me something," Terry sat down as Kate gave Castle an irritated look, one that he knew all too well. "Are you really happy with him? I mean, look at him. He's an old man. I, on the other hand, am a young stud."

"Kate, this is Terry. He's my physical therapist," Castle said, by way of introduction.

"I have news for you, Terry," Kate got close to the therapist's ear. "I'd rather have an 'old man' like Rick than an egotistical 'young stud' like you any day."

"All righty then," Terry rose to his feet. "I guess that I'll be seeing you in the morning then, Rick. It was nice meeting you, Kate."

"Your therapist is an asshole, Castle."

"He saw your picture come up when you called me this morning. He started ragging me about me being an old geezer with a hot, young wife."

"You're not an old geezer," she kissed him, brushing her fingers over his jaw. "You're my everything."

"What're you and the kids doing tonight?"

"Well, we're having dinner with my dad and Aunt Teresa."

"Thank her for all of the stuff she's been posting on Facebook featuring the kids."

"I will. I'll be able to come up here in the morning after I take Ari to school. Capt. Gates started my leave early."

"Do you think that you can bring me a coffee and a banana nut muffin?" He looked at her with puppy dog eyes, which never ceased to make her think of how the kids looked at her when they wanted something. "The coffee here tastes worse than the coffee in the precinct before I gave you the awesome coffee maker. I can't believe that I just used the word 'coffee' three times in one sentence. Wow, they should really consider cutting my meds."

"I'll bring you a coffee and a muffin. Come on, let's go back to your room and cuddle," she watched him get to his feet and walked by his side during the walk down the hall.

Once they were back in his room, he placed his crutches by his bedside and climbed into bed, lying back so that Kate could lay on the bed at his side, feeling his arm come around her, holding her to his chest, stroking his fingers down her back. "Did Ariel have a good first day back at school?"

"I think it was okay. Miss Kathy reported that she didn't like the school bell, but I warned them about that. Dr. Jimenez has offered to assist us when she has to talk to the FBI. However, I asked them not to talk to the other parents. I don't want Ari treated like she's a freak. Gates told the FBI that we'll let them know when they can talk to Ari, not the other way around."

"Have I told you lately how much I like Capt. Gates?"

"I think that she finally likes you, too," she smiled against his chest.

"Well, it took her long enough."

"Speaking of people who like you, Dr. Burke has promised to get back to me by the end of the week with the name of a therapist for you."

"Great. Thank you. Kate, can you ring my nurse? My leg is really hurting right now."

After he took a pain pill, he went to sleep. Kate sat at his bedside holding his hand, stroking his fingers as she watched his features gradually relax as the pain dissipated. She hadn't told Castle, but the meeting on Thursday wasn't only with Dr. Walker, but also with an orthopedic doctor. She wasn't sure she was ready to hear the possibility of more bad news. And she knew that if she wasn't, Castle definitely wasn't going to want to hear anything.

A/N #3: I'm going to have to step into high gear if I want this story finished by the deadline. I might start posting two chapters a week.

A/N #4: The name of the FBI agent that Capt. Gates talked to was taken from the character that Dana Delaney played on 'China Beach.' If none of you have never seen this awesome show that aired in the late 80's/early 90's, check it out. It's finally on DVD. I will be watching S-1 by the end of the week.

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