Chapter Ten:
Few days later.
Beckett came into the hospital, all smiles. Castle was improved and she couldn't wait to get him home, but he was still on life support. His fever broke, what amazing news! When the time came, she was going to force him to take it easy, rest in bed for a while, and care for him the way he deserved to be cared for. She stepped into the lobby of the hospital, the morning sun lighting up the room, adding brightness to a place often associated with darkness.
She hit the button for the elevator and waited with more patience than she had for the entire past week and a half. Suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder and she startled, turning to face the person. She recognized him immediately. "Lieutenant!"
"Detective," he smiled back at her, a megawatt smile that showed his pearly whites. He deserved to be on the firefighters calendar, that was certain.
"I was just helping a car accident victim, saw you… thought I would inquire. How is your partner?"
"He's doing better. A lot better now," she replied while nodding her head and crossing her arms over her chest, a small smile on her face, because yes, finally he was better and there was as much light at the end of the tunnel as there was in the lobby. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Davis. Jonathan Davis." Taking her hand, they shook. "I was wondering, if perhaps you'd be interested in having dinner with me on Friday."
Beckett's eyes went wide and she released his hand. Whatever she had been expecting from this random act of kindness - checking in on her partner and the like - this wasn't it. This was more of an act of selfishness, and his concern for her partner was now just a reason to talk to her in the first place. "Ah… I - I'm flattered, truly, Jonathan…" Already, the hopeful expression on his face was falling. "But, um…" With that, she flashed her left hand and let the engagement ring speak for itself.
Jonathan raised his hands in surrender, backing away. "Understood," he said.
"But thank you… and thank you for saving my fiance's life."
"Just part of the job," he said, and turned around to leave and rejoin his crew on the fire engine.
Smiling to herself, the elevator chimed behind her and she stepped on it. The doors closed, and she watched the firefighter until she couldn't anymore. She felt terrible for crushing the huge smile he'd had on his face, but she was spoken for, and she eagerly looked forward to stepping into the ICU and wandering towards Castle's bed. She knew the route like the back of her hand by now.
He was still unconscious, but the message from Alexis had said the doctors expected him to wake up soon, very soon. When she read that text, she rushed through her shower and the rest of her morning routine. Alexis and Martha had taken off for breakfast and promised they would return in the afternoon after getting some rest themselves. They had worked out a schedule between the three of them, making certain that Castle would have someone with him always. "Good morning, babe," she said, perching on the side of his bed.
Her hands ran over him, up his chest, along his neck, cupping his face. "Come on, Castle. Today's the day. It's time to wake up and come back to me. And we're going going to start seriously planning our wedding. Venues, dresses, guest lists, food, our vows, all of it."
It was about an hour later when she caught the flutter of his eyes, the twitch of his body, the fight against the tube down the back of his throat, dictating his breath at a pace he no longer agreed with. The stool she had been sitting on when wheeling away somewhere when she jumped up and hovered over him. "Babe, it's okay, it's okay. Don't fight it," she murmured, pushing his good hand back down on the bed. When he attempted to move his right, no longer in its cast for ease of access, his cry of pain was muffled. "Be still, babe. Be still. Shhhh, it's okay. CAN I GET SOME HELP OVER HERE?" she called over her shoulder.
It wasn't long before the tube was being removed and he was left consistently clearing his throat uncomfortably. He was checked over, practically from head to toe, and Beckett's patience was wearing thin. After being told to be mindful of the catheter, she winced sympathetically for him.
The doctor wandered off, and Castle turned his head towards her tiredly. She didn't care how tired he was. She was just happy he was awake again. "You do that to me again, and I'm going to shoot you, okay?"
"Okay," he rasped in response, nodding his head. "Hi." Inhaling deeply, it felt good to have control again.
"Do you have any idea what you've been through in the last few days?"
"Think so," he replied, keeping his words limited. Swallowing, he offered her a smile. It was meant to be reassuring, but it wasn't. "No?" he offered up at the look she was giving him. He closed his eyes on an exhale, reveling in the feeling of her hand in his hair. It was comforting, seeing her in a place that was unfamiliar to him, white and sterile.
Beckett shook her head, weighed down by her guilt that she'd been carrying since this all started. She kept it buried deep. "We're going to get you home soon enough." Castle hummed his response. "Wow… sleeping all day must make you very tired," she teased, and he hummed again, falling further away from her. She didn't mind his lack of response to her good humour, hand roaming through his hair, and he hummed yet again, making her smile at his appreciation. She pressed a kiss to his forehead, and let him fall into natural sleep. His breathing evened out.
One week later.
"How does it feel to finally be sprung?" Beckett asked. She stood between his legs as he sat on the bed and was buttoning up his navy blue shirt for him. She sighed as more and more of his skin was being covered up, expertly by her small fingers, but she couldn't wait to get him home and perhaps unwrap him all over again.
"Good," Castle replied, smiling, watching her face, head bowed just slightly, focused on her fingers as they danced from one button to the next until she reached his collar bone and stopped there.
Her hands smoothed along his shoulders, a wry grin forming on her face. "Tucked in or not?"
Her sultry voice sent shivers running up and down his spine. She was so good at that. Getting him into his jeans hadn't been the easiest of tasks, and the whiny side to him had shown itself for a short time, but it was nowhere near as difficult than the time he had broken his knee. There was something else, though, and Beckett could only admit to herself that it worried her. There were moments when he would get this look in his eyes, a look that made her want to take a step back, but she couldn't. She didn't know whether it was just the embarrassment, or something else entirely, but she knew that accepting help him her in this manner was dealing a huge blow to his pride.
"Untucked," he said after a moment.
The mischievous glint in her eyes vanished, and she nodded her head. Understood. She had thought he would have been all over the idea of having her hands down his pants, but there was that look in his eyes again, and it was pulling her heart apart. She hoped he would be able to move beyond it; he'd accepted her help once before when he'd broken his knee, he could do it again.
She ran her hands down his arms, halting at the elbow on his right where the new cast began (already there was a signature on it from his mother), then moved to smooth out the edges of his shirt at his waist. Picture perfect. She fixed his hair, making sure it was parted just right for him. "I love you, Kate."
His tone, his words stopped her movement and her eyes met his and everything was still. He was such a sweet, sweet man, and he didn't deserve this, and she certainly didn't deserve his devotion, loyalty and love. She continued to stand between his legs, hazel eyes locked on target with ocean blue and she swallowed the emotional lump in her throat. "I love you, too, babe," she responded in a whisper, and kissed him. Moments alone like this weren't meant to last, and true to form, the door to his room opened.
"Is he decent yet?" Martha asked.
"Yes, Mother," Castle muttered, rolling his eyes apologetically towards Beckett.
"Oh, good," she said gleefully and stepped in, followed by Alexis who was pushing a wheelchair.
"Oh, no. Guys, it's my arm. Not my legs. I can walk out of here just fine." Even though he knew it was procedure, it felt wrong not to challenge it. He didn't need anyone to 'take care of him', and he was going to fight them tooth and nail.
"Don't argue, dad," Alexis said.
Just as Castle was about to force his point on them, the doctor came into the room, a smile on his boyish face. "Making a break for it, I see?" Michaels asked in good humor.
"As fast as I can," Castle said. "No offense."
"Ah, none taken. So, I just came by to give you your prescription." He handed the prescription slip to Castle who glanced at it for a brief second before slipping it into his pocket.
"Thanks, doc," he said, rising from the bed and headed towards the door.
"Uh, Mr. Castle?" The writer turned and looked at the doctor, who was pointing to the wheelchair. Rolling his eyes, he plopped himself down in the chair more forcefully than was necessary. "I'll see you in six weeks." Beckett smirked at her fiance's childlike attitude.
Six weeks, right. Castle nodded and Beckett took the helm of the wheelchair, pushing him through the corridor. Martha went ahead to bring the car around front.
For all Beckett cared, the nurse could supervise her from behind, but she was feeling rather possessive about who was going to be pushing Castle's wheelchair, and she didn't care who judged her. In the elevator, she rubbed her hands along his shoulders, happy to feel his warmth again. Smiling, more to herself than anyone else, she just continued to massage his shoulders, run her hands over his neck.
The doors opened, and her smile turned into a straight line as she had to grasp the handles of the chair again and push. "Alexis, why don't you sit up front," Beckett murmured, helping Castle into the back seat, not that he needed any help, mind you. She closed the door, passed the wheelchair off to the staff member, and placed Castle's bag in the trunk. Beckett siddled up against Castle in the back seat, resting her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his left arm around her, and it felt so incredibly right. She missed the feeling of him.
Martha occasionally glanced in her rearview mirror to see the two of them, and smiled. Everything was right in the world again. Beckett looked out the window on Castle's side, just as he was, watching the cars pass them by. She had expected Castle to say something about his mother driving his car, but he offered nothing. In fact, he had been silent for the whole ride home. Beckett swallowed down her concerns, convincing herself that he just needed time, that maybe he was just so overwhelmed at the moment that he couldn't make heads or tails.
She could understand that, better than anyone, really, but all she could hope for when it dawned on her was that he didn't pull away. That would hurt more than words could say.
They eventually made it to the loft, after picking up his prescription, and Castle had to reach over awkwardly to open his door. Beckett watched him, and he fumbled for the handle the first time around. She could see the frustration on his face, but he got the door open before she could comment, offer to do it for him. He slammed his door shut, and she sighed heavily. Opening her door, she and Martha shared a knowing smile.
Grabbing Castle's back from the trunk, she carried it effortlessly in one hand, and looped her arm through his while they headed for the elevator. The whirring of the motor was the only sound to fill the contained space until the doors opened and everyone stepped out. Alexis opened the door with her key and everyone stepped inside.
"How about I make us dinner?" Martha said, hands in the air. "We must celebrate!"
"Martha, that sounds -" Beckett was about to say lovely, but when Castle interrupted her, she cut her eyes towards him.
"Actually, mother, I'm not hungry, but you ladies go ahead. I'm just gonna…" he pointed towards his bedroom, or his study, and headed in that direction.
Beckett looked at Martha, an apology on the tip of her tongue, but Martha was quick to silence her. "It's alright, dear. I'll fix him up something."
She resisted asking Martha to make sure whatever she made him was edible when she was finished with it, and followed Castle through his study. "Castle?" she called after him, following him towards the bedroom.
He sat down on the bed just as she entered after him, kicking off his runners. "You okay?" she asked on her approach. The corners of her mouth curled upwards, seeing him smiling at her.
"Yeah," he he answered, nodding.
"You want to lay down?"
"No, Kate... No."
"Then what, Rick? What do you want to do?" He had no answer, merely shook his head. She peppered kisses along his jaw. "You should eat something. Please, babe. For me." Her lips connected with his, and he responded slowly to her.
He waited for a beat, thinking, mulling over the fact that his stomach was rumbling with hunger. "Can we order in?" he whispered, and it earned him a smile.
"Anything you want, Rick. Anything at all."
A/N: Thank you all so very much for the reviews, I appreciate it! Out of curiosity, do you mind if this story goes into M territory in the future? Or would you prefer a more watered down version?