Note: Sorry it took so long. Morning sickness has put me out of commission for a couple weeks.

Disclaimer: Castle and the characters still belong to Andrew Marlowe and ABC.

Chapter 7

Castle had made it to the hospital conscious asking about Beckett the entire time. Pleading for any bit of information. Ryan had ridden with him and was trying to reassure him. At the hospital he was rushed into surgery and quickly anesthetized.

Twelve hours after giving into the sleep that overwhelmed him. Castle slowly began to come out of it. He opened his eyes. At first he couldn't see anything. He closed them again. Then he noticed something warm on his hand. He moved his fingers. The movement woke the young woman asleep with her head on his bed.

"Daddy? Daddy, can you open your eyes?" Slowly his eyes opened and the haze began to clear.

"Oh Richard, its so good to see you awake." His eyes turned to the other female voice. His mother was quickly at his side. "I'll go get the doctor." Martha quickly slipped out of the room and before he could even get the words to form in his head she was back with a doctor.

"Mr. Castle. You are one very lucky man." Castle still couldn't really focus on what he was saying. He shined a light in his eyes and pulled the cover back and listened to his chest and stomach. "Sir. You have a good-sized puncture wound to your lower abdomen. But believe it or not it managed to slide right through without damaging anything. So after a couple days of observation, watching for infection or any complications and you should be fine to get out of here."

Fine. How could he be fine? Beckett had been so worried. Beckett. Where was Beckett?

"Beckett, where's Beckett?" He almost tried to sit up but the doctor pushed him back. The doctor looked over to Martha for clarification.

"Who's he talking about?"

"A police detective, his partner."

"I'm not sure about him. I'll have a nurse check."

"No, no not him. Her. Detective Kate Beckett."

"OK? We'll check on her. No more getting up. You were really lucky but its going to hurt for a couple of days." The doctor wrote a few things on the chart and left.

"How long have I been out?" He looked at his mother and daughter.

"About 12 hours Dad."

"Have you checked on Beckett? You have to know something?"

"Dad we've been too worried about you." Alexis resumed her spot at the bed holding tightly to his hand. His head was still foggy but he simply didn't understand how his family hadn't thought to check on Beckett.

"Mr. Castle, I'm Marie and I'll be your nurse tonight. I checked on Detective Beckett for you. They just resumed the surgery."

"What do you mean, resumed?"

"Sir she came in in really bad shape. They took her into surgery but her body couldn't handle any more. They were forced to stop. She has been getting blood for the last four hours and about 20 minutes ago doctors went back in to resume the surgery. I'll give them a call and check again for you later, OK?"

""Thank you."

"Is there anything I can get for you?"

"No I feel OK."

"OK how about getting some rest." She looked at the other two women as she said it.

Martha knew the woman was trying to get rid of them. "Sweetie, now that your Dad's awake it might be a good time for us to go home and clean up and rest a bit."

"Yes, Alexis you all head home. I'm going to sleep a while and wait for word on Beckett."

"OK See you in the morning Dad." Alexis kissed him on the cheek.

"Mom, before you go. Could I borrow your phone?"

"This is probably against the rules, but you know me." She pulled her phone from her purse and handed it to him. "You didn't get this from me." She smiled and kissed him on the forehead. "So glad you're OK, kiddo."

The moment they left the room Castle pulled out the phone and called Esposito. A couple minutes later Esposito and Ryan rushed into the room. They were beaming and yet so tired.

"Bro, its good to see you awake." Esposito was the first to talk.

"How's Beckett?" Castle was in no mood to talk about himself. He knew there was something that they weren't telling him.

"Castle its' not good." Ryan spoke up this time. "She stopped breathing downstairs and they are worried about how close the metal was to her spine. She's been in surgery for 12 hours. The last four she's just been lying there on the table while they tried to get enough blood back into her to continue."

Tears had escaped from Esposito's eyes and Castle could no longer fight them either. "Is she going to make it?"

"They don't know man."

Castle closed his eyes and covered his eyes with his hand. "This is all my fault."

"What do you mean?" Ryan and Esposito looked to Castle.

"She wouldn't even tell me that there was anything wrong. When she turned to see if they could get the door open I saw her back. I saw the sheet of metal sticking out. Her back was covered in blood and she'd been hiding it. She wouldn't turn around so I wouldn't see. I tried to talk to her but she wouldn't. She just said that she wouldn't let Alexis go through what she'd been through." Castle stopped and composed himself "The EMT's tried to take her out because she would have been the quickest, but she wouldn't let them. They loaded me on the board and as they lifted me up I could see her. She was sitting on a piece of concrete leaning up against the wall. Blood was coming out of her nose and mouth, and I could see it in her eyes…She'd given up."

"Castle we've got to hope. Beckett's a fighter. We saw it last time. Who else gets shot in the heart and makes it?"

Esposito's phone buzzed. "Its Jim. We've got to go. We'll call you as soon as we know."

They rushed away and Castle was left all alone. Thankfully Marie came back in. "Mr. Castle how are you doing?"

"Marie, the love of my life is laying on an operating room table clinging to life. I'm not doing very good." It was strange. He had just told a perfect stranger that Beckett, that Kate, was the love of his life.

"Mr. Castle how about if I go down and get you some information. If I did that would you rest?"

"Marie I would owe you big time."

"OK you take these and I'll go get you some information." She handed him pain medication and a small cup of water. He took them and she left.