Chapter Nine: When Skies Are Grey
"Dad!" Alexis yelled "Dad!" she yelled again. Having had no response from Rick, she resorted to Quinn's approach to waking up people. "DAD!" She yelled once more, this time loud enough to wake both Rick and Kate and scare the hell out of them.
"What's happening?" Kate asked, completely confused. Why was Alexis screaming in their bedroom? It's gotta be something serious, right?
"Dad, my mom just called." The mention of Meredith was enough to get Rick off the bed. She didn't need to say anything. He knew there was something wrong with Meredith, and bitch or not, she was still Alexis' mother and was a part of her life.
"What's wrong?" he asked. He took Alexis' arm gently and led her out of the room, to make sure Kate could go back to sleep without being disturbed.
"Her assistant called. She's at the hospital." Alexis said. Tears were forming in her eyes as she proceeded to explain the rest of the story. "She… and I…" tears started flowing freely down her cheeks. Rick didn't know what had happened, but he was pissed at Meredith regardless.
"Pumpkin, calm down. I need to understand what you're saying."
"I need to go see her, dad. I have to go."
"I know, I know. Calm down." Rick said, and caressed the small of her back, trying to sooth her. "I'll buy us tickets for this afternoon. Just pack a bag, okay? Everything will be fine."
"Us? No, dad… it's your weekend with Kate and Quinn. I'll be okay." She tried to argue, even though she knew it was pointless.
"You are out of your mind if you think I'm gonna let my baby girl fly to LA alone to visit her lunatic of a mother at the hospital." Rick noticed Alexis' reproving glance and said "Sorry. Sorry. She's gonna be okay."
…
"Kate, I need to tell you something." Rick said. He sat on the bed, next to where Kate was lying down.
"Shit. What happened?" Kate said. He would never have used that tone if it wasn't something worry-worthy.
"I need to take Alexis to LA today. Meredith is at the hospital and she needs to see her mother." Rick told her. He didn't want to do it, and he knew Kate wouldn't like the idea either, but he hoped she'd understand his need to support Alexis.
"What's wrong with her?" Kate asked. She didn't really cared about Meredith, but she also wanted to help Alexis.
"I don't know."
"Okay, you find out and call me. It's almost ten am, so if I were you, I'd get those tickets right now." She warned him.
"You're not upset?"
"Of course I am. I wanted that weekend to be about our family, not about Meredith. But I also understand that you have to take Alexis there." She said. She planted a soft kiss on his lips.
"I'm so sorry. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"Don't sweat it. Leave the car, and we'll meet back in NYC."
"But our weekend…"
"Castle, there'll be plenty of weekends, okay? Now go. Pack your things. Your daughter needs you."
"Thank you." He said. He too, kissed her.
…
"Quinn? It's time to get up." Kate said. She caressed the little girl's hair softly.
"Mommy?" She asked, startled. She was always an easy riser, but after yesterday's night adventures, Kate could understand why she was tired. "Is it day?"
"Yes. Come on, get up." Kate said, helping the little girl sit on the bed. She had her brown hair in a braid, and was wearing a blue butterfly nightgown Rick had bought her recently.
"Where's daddy?" Rick was usually the one to wake Quinn up. Mornings were hectic for Kate, but she always made sure to have breakfast with Quinn after she was dressed and ready, and the little girl was up and ready to eat.
"He had to go somewhere with Alexis, but he'll be back soon." Rick and Alexis had left for the airport about half an hour before, hoping to get better seats. Rick had to pull quite a few strings to get on that flight, and he wouldn't risk losing it. "But we'll have fun, I promise. We'll go to the park." Kate wasn't alone with Quinn very often. They usually had Rick's company or Alexis', or even Martha's.
"But… he didn't say goodbye." She told Kate. She was using her whiny tone, the one both Rick and Kate hated.
"He didn't want to wake you up." The little girl pouted and Kate picked her up from the bed, giving her a hug. "Don't be sad. We can even have ice-cream today, if you want to."
"Yes!" Quinn shouted, from Kate's arms.
…
"Quinn, be careful." Kate said. They were at a playground, and Quinn, at true Castle fashion, was trying to do something mighty dangerous.
"Look, mommy!" Kate watched as Quinn went down a slide that was an easy twenty times her size.
"That's awesome, Quinnie!" Kate said, without any real enthusiasm whatsoever. Taking Quinn to playgrounds was not something she enjoyed, 'because she always felt like danger was everywhere. The bigger kids, the not-so-safe playground toys, and the amount of sand she KNEW Quinn ate out of the sandbox… to distract her overprotective mind, she picked up a book from out of Quinn's diaper bag, one she knew Rick always kept there. It was Dashiell Hammett's The Glass Key, one of her favorites. As she approached the second chapter, she heard a familiar cry coming from one of the teepees. She sat down the book and ran towards the teepees as fast and she could.
"Quinn?" she called. "Quinn?"
"Mommy!" she heard Quinn yell. She followed the low voice until she reached a blue-green teepee, where Quinn was sitting.
"Baby, what happened?" She asked. She sat down on the floor and pulled Quinn to her lap. "Tell mommy what happened."
"A bi-big boy." Quinn told her, her cries still not easing. "He pulled my hair."
"Which boy?" Kate asked. She knew reaching the boy and demanding an explanation was a bad idea. But that little brat had hurt her daughter, and she wouldn't let him do that and get out of the situation easily.
"I don't know… orange top."
"Come on." She got up and picked up Quinn. The two of them walked around the playground until Quinn pointed the boy out.
"That one?" Kate asked.
"Yes. Bad boy." Quinn confirmed.
"Okay." Kate walked towards the young boy with the orange t-shirt. He was a lot older than Quinn, perhaps six or seven. He was currently pulling some other little girl's hair, and Kate couldn't spot anyone who was watching him. "Hey!" She yelled, and the little boy stopped what he was doing to look at her. "You, with the orange shirt. Come here." She gestured towards the boy, but he didn't come. "Come here, NOW!" She was completely out of her mind. How did he dare? Had no one given him an education?
"What?" The boy asked, with a petulant tone that annoyed the crap out of Kate.
"What's your name?"
"Calvin." He answered. "And what's your name, sexy?"
Kate's jaw dropped. What? Was she really being hit on by a six-year-old on a playground? And where did he learn that word? "Listen to me, you little monster. You hurt my daughter, and I saw you trying to hurt that other little girl. If I ever see you trying to hurt anybody else, you'll be sorry." Good god. She had just threatened a six-year-old child. She'd treated him like a criminal. "Come on, Quinn, let's go."
"But mommy, I wanna play." Quinn said.
"I know. We'll play somewhere else. Come on." Kate took Quinn by the hand and led her towards the car. As she strapped Quinn into her car seat, she felt sick. She felt guilty. She knew there were other solutions, but she didn't look for them. She plain and simply scared the hell out of a six-year-old, because he pulled her daughter's hair. And as she took off with the car, a million thoughts raced through her mind.
…
"Quinn, it's time for your bath." Kate said, entering the room where the little girl was playing.
"Noooooo." The little girl said, her exaggeration making Kate chuckle.
"Come on, silly. It'll be quick. We have to go home later." Kate glanced at the clock and saw the time. A little past four. She was planning to leave at six, so that they could be back in town by nine thirty, tops.
"Okay." Quinn stretched her arms out to Kate, indicating he wanted to be picked up.
"Come on. Let's sing the bath song. 'Sing hey! For the bath at close of day that washes the weary mud away! A loon is he that will not sing: O! Water Hot is a noble thing!'" Kate began, carrying Quinn to the bathroom.
"O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain, and the book that leaps from hill to plain, but better than rain or ippling steams is Water Hot that smokes and steams." Quinn continued, skipping a fair share of r's while singing.
"O! Water cold we may pour at need down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed; but better is Beer if drink we lack and Water Hot poured down the back." They both sang, loudly. Kate undressed Quinn, and put her down on the tub, slowly. "O! Water is fair that leaps on high in a fountain white beneath the sky; but never did fountain sound so sweet as splashing Hot Water with my feet!" they finished.
"Yay!" Quinn cheered, clapping her hands. She loved the bath song, which Rick had taught her on the same week she'd arrived home.
"Yay!" Kate mimicked. "Tilt your head back, baby." Kate asked.
"Look, mommy!" Quinn slapped the water, causing it to splash everywhere.
"Aah!" Kate pretended to be upset "You made mommy wet you little monster."
"I soee."
"You know what happens when mommy gets wet?" When Quinn shook her head, Kate said "She turns into the tickle monster!" Kate tickled Quinn's belly.
"No! Stop!" Quinn laughed.
"Okay, okay. Tickle monster is gone. And so are we. Come on, let's get dried."
…
