AN: I had a little bit of a hard time writing this chapter, so I'm sorry if it's not very good. I just couldn't seem to find the right words, but I think it turned out alright.
Again, thanks for all the feedback. Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter!
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine.
"I thought maybe you'd like some company?"
Castle gave her a big, toothy grin.
"I would love some company, Kate."
She stood up halfway so she could lean over to kiss him, but she made sure to keep it short. There was no use in getting all hot and bothered if they couldn't do anything about it.
"I do have one condition." Her smile fell at his words, the worry and confusion evident on her face.
"And what's that, Castle?" Her voice sounded more like normal, but he could tell she was still nervous.
"You have to go home tonight." She opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her. "I know, you're fine staying here, but you need to sleep. And not in an uncomfortable hospital chair."
"Castle, I-"
"No, Beckett. You are going to go home. I will still be here in the morning, and you can see me then. If you want, you can drive me home. I don't care, as long as you go home and have a good night's rest."
She mumbled something under her breath, dropping her gaze to her lap.
"What was that?"
When she looked up, he could see that her eyes were misted. She almost looked afraid of the thought of going back to her apartment for the night, and he had an idea as to why.
"What if I have another nightmare? I told you the only reason I slept well that first night was because I was thinking of us, but I won't have anything to distract me this time. What if what happened last night happens again, and you're not there?"
He hated to see her like this—scared and in pain, because of him. He knew the only reason he wasn't having nightmares was because of the painkillers in his system. It wasn't fair to her, having nightmares when it wasn't even she who had been hurt.
Maybe she had been, in a different way.
He may have been hurt physically, but he was beginning to understand the emotional toll it had taken on her. More than anything, he wanted her to be happy, whether or not he was included. If he was the reason she hurt, he wasn't sure he wanted to stay and make it worse, but at the same time, what would happen if he left?
"You'll be okay, Kate." He wasn't convincing even to his own ears. There was no way he could guarantee that she wouldn't have a nightmare, as much as he wanted to. "If you need to talk, I'm a phone call away."
"But what if you're asleep? The phone's not going to wake you up. Hell, me getting out of bed this morning barely woke you up. What if—"
"Kate. Please, just try. For me. If you have a nightmare, you can drive straight here, but I won't be able to live with myself if you lose a night of sleep to stay here with me."
She saw the concern in his eyes, and couldn't bring herself to argue any further.
"Okay."
He breathed a sigh of relief. As much as he wanted her here, he was more concerned for her well-being than his own.
"Thank you."
They sat in silence for a minute, neither knowing what to say. The only thing they could do was stare at each other, each hoping the other would break the silence along with the tension in the room. In the end, it was Castle who finally broke.
"Do you want to play Uno or something?"
Beckett couldn't help but laugh. Of course he would break the tension with Uno.
"What's so funny?" He tried to look offended, but she could see the relief on his face.
"Nothing, nothing. I would love to play Uno."
She stood up and walked over to the bag that sat on a chair in the corner of the room, quickly finding the box of Uno cards.
"Before we start, you should know I once won six games in a row against Alexis, so you won't be able to beat me," he said as she walked back over to her chair.
"We'll see about that."
"I don't understand." Castle dropped his cards dramatically, throwing up his hands in disbelief. "How is it you win every time?"
"Oh, come on, Castle. Ninth time's the charm."
"You know what? No. I'm not letting you win again. Let's play something else."
"What, Castle? Are you afraid?"
"No, I just refuse to submit myself to any more losses."
"Same thing."
"No, it's not. Now if you would be so kind as to grab boggle out of the bag, that would be lovely."
"Lovely?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
He sighed and made a show of slumping his shoulders, careful not to put any pressure on the wound in his side.
"Just… Get the game."
"I see how it is. Pick the game that is made for writers." She gave him a short laugh, then stood up to get the game.
Despite the Castle's supposed advantage, the two were almost evenly matched. They played a few games until Beckett noticed her partner's energy starting to fade.
"Why don't we take a break?" she asked after their fourth game.
"Oh, come on! I was just getting warmed up!" Castle whined, obviously trying to hide his exhaustion.
"We can continue this tomorrow if you'd like, but you're not fooling me."
He feigned confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Really, Rick? I'm not blind. I can see when you're tired."
He looked as though he was going to protest, but instead sighed and slumped his shoulders.
"Fine, I'll admit it. I'm getting a little tired."
She raised an eyebrow.
"A little?" She gave him an eye roll. "Why don't you just go to sleep now, that way when I pick you up tomorrow you'll be fully rested."
"But I haven't even had dinner yet."
"Then get some dinner, and then go to bed."
"You don't want to stay with me? Keep me safe?"
She could see that he was fishing for a reason for her to stay a bit longer, and she couldn't see the harm in staying to have dinner with him, even if it was hospital food. She wasn't really sure she was ready to leave quite yet, either.
"Sure. I'll stay for dinner, but then I'm going home. Can't be tired when I come to get you, now can I?"
