7
It has been just 4 days short of a month since Rick had his drunken stupor of a breakdown. Since that time all possible items that might have been left by one Katherine H. Beckett have long since been removed, boxed up and sent by FedEx to her current address. The break needed to be a clean one. The bathroom mirror, bookcase, and love seat had been either repaired or replaced. Lanie had kept her promise to help him work through his heartache of his latest divorce. They had been meeting once a week, and to her, it felt like she was more of a therapist of sorts. He would tell her all about how Meredith had cheated on him, how Gina was only married to him for his wealth, and finally Kate.
Curious she stopped him and asked what she had taken from him and after giving the question a lot of thought and told her "She took my soul"
Lanie needed for him to see that all was not lost, that he could find love once again and she had never really taken his soul. This was something that he would never lose. His heart, on the other hand, was another story. Being burned like he was she thought that it would be a lifetime before he would open up his heart to another woman. That's because Kate had managed to strike one last time...
25 days ago...
Lanie heard the newspaper delivery kid drop the paper by her door. Actually, his timing was perfect. She had just received a call for a body drop and she was on her way out when the paper hit the door. She picked it up stuffed it in her bag and locked the door behind her. It was not until later that morning after returning from the crime scene that she was able to sit down and read the first section. When she flipped to page six, her stomach twisted into knots instantly. There was Kate and Vikram in a picture leaving a hotel. There were others but this one was the worst.
The caption read: His muse has flown the coop! Richard Castle can't seem to keep any of his wives happy!
Lanie's first thought was to go over to the loft. She needed to see if he was okay because she knew that he had already read the paper. So she decided to text him instead. Sending him something that she thought was a neutral message.
"Rick, are you okay?"
She placed her phone on the desk and returned to reading the paper. She was so engrossed in reading that an hour went by with no reply from him at all. The article was showing Rick as a man who could not hold on to his wife. This would have been okay now since they were divorced but the pictures were taken when he and Kate were still married. Yeah, this was going to hurt.
Rick was still a little out of it after his last scotch induced rant yesterday. He got out of bed and he forgoes heading for the shower. Food is the priority first. Then maybe 4 Motrin's. His head was almost back to normal. Swinging the door to the loft open he bends down to pick up the paper. Walking back to the kitchen counter he prepares the coffee machine and brews a pot. As he waits for the coffee to finish, he peruses the main articles on the front page. He reads carefully how another ISIS cell was taken down in Brooklyn. Then he checks the weather forecast on page four. Happy with the forecast he turns the page and what he is staring at next is his ex-wife in black and white. It's a small shot of her and a former AG agent. He can barely make out the date in the grainy picture, but from what he can tell it was taken about a month after Kate had left him. Then he realizes that they are leaving from a pay as you go hotel. Well, at least that's why she left him, she had decided that he was not what she was looking for. Damn the headline was right he could not hold onto any of his wives.
His phone vibrates on the counter next to him. He looks down at the display and reads "Rick are you okay?"
Is he?