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Chapter 10.

"What happened?" Rick asked quietly, as though unsure whether or not his voice would work.

"There was a complication from the head trauma you experienced. You had a brain hemorrhage, so they had to rush you into surgery. I was only gone for an hour. I came back and they were rushing you down the hall." Her voice broke and she stopped for a moment to collect herself, though not bothering to hide the tears that were running down her cheeks.

"Why were you here?" he asked.

Kate's heart stopped at the simple question. "What do you mean?"

"We had a fight. I told you to stop investigating. You said no, so I said I was done. I thought we were done."

Tears prickled the creases in Kate's eyes. He was alive, but he didn't remember the last two years?

No.

It wasn't fair.

They'd been through too much.

They'd -

She stopped when she saw the familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle, are you actually teasing me right now?" she demanded, willing it to be true.

He let out a low chuckle and flashed the smile she'd missed so much the last week. The one reserved just for her.

"You said brain injury and I couldn't resist," he said as his smile faltered at her face.

She moved forward and smacked his good arm playfully. She couldn't even find it in her to be mad. She was too happy he was alive and smiling again. "You're so damn lucky I'm too relieved that you're alive and know who I am to be very mad." Kate leaned forward to kiss him and buried her head into his neck as best she could. "I was so scared, Rick."

The tears flowed freely, soaking his hospital gown.

He winced as he tried to raise his arm to stroke her back.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I'll do my best not to scare you again."

Kate looked up into his eyes. "Good. Because you promised me always. And I plan on holding you to it. I already told you, I'm kinda looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you, so you have to stay safe."

Rick kissed her hair. "I promise to try, as long as you promise the same thing. I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with you too."

She just nodded. The relief was all consuming. He was going to be okay.

His eyes fluttered shut before he snapped them open so he could look at Kate again. She looked exhausted, as though she hadn't slept all week. Knowing his Detective, she hadn't. She'd been too worried about him.

"Why don't we sleep, Kate," he said, his voice conveying a similar feeling.

Kate rubbed a hand absentmindedly over his chest. "You go ahead, I'm just gonna sit here for awhile."

"Gonna watch me sleep? Because I have it on good authority that it's creepy, Detective." His eyes twinkled with their joke.

She shrugged and grinned at him. "What can I say? It's calming." Kate paused for a moment, then worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"What is it?" concern crept into his voice.

"I just - I need the reassurance that you're alive," she whispered as a lone tear slid down her cheek.

Rick closed his eyes in understanding. He was familiar with the feeling. He'd felt the same way after her run in with Vulcan Simmons. He hadn't let her out of his sight for days. He understood.

He patted the bed next to him and winced as he moved over to make room for her. She furrowed her brow as she watched him.

"Rick, I'm not sure that's such a good idea. I don't want to - "

"Please." His one word and the pain between his own eyes had her halting her protest and climbing into the bed.

She rested her head on his good shoulder and pressed her hand over his heart. His heartbeat was steady, familiar, and comforting. He always knew what she needed.

It was as much for him as it was for her. Rick ran his hand through her hair and whispered, "I love you."

He barely heard her response of, "I love you too," before they both slipped away into sleep.

It was the first time since Rick's abduction and shooting that Kate didn't dream. It was the first time her sleep wasn't interrupted by her own screams or his murmuring. It was the first time she'd been able to sleep in the bed next to her fiancé.

She'd missed his comforting arm wrapped around her body. She'd missed the tiny snore he only did when he was completely and utterly exhausted. She'd missed his warm body pressed against hers. She'd missed him.

Kate woke to the sound of a light tapping at the door. She shifted in the bed and saw Alexis peering through the gap between door and wall. She looked over and saw that Rick was still asleep, so she gestured to the younger girl, indicating she should follow her into the hallway.

"Doctor Michaels called us and said that he woke up," Alexis said quickly before Kate could open her mouth to speak.

She nodded. "Yeah, he did. I'm sorry. I should have called, but I fell asleep..."

"It's okay. I understand how tired you've been. How is he?"

Kate sighed. "Well you know your father. The minute I mentioned a head injury, he ran with it."

At Alexis' questioning glance she hastily continued. "He had me thinking he couldn't remember the last two years. He wanted to know why I was here when we weren't even talking."

Alexis gaped at her. "You're joking."

Kate shook her head. "Nope. He thought he was being funny. If I wasn't so relieved he really did remember, I probably would have strangled him."

Alexis rolled her eyes in a very Kate-like fashion. "He never has been good at timing his jokes." She paused. "You know he was probably just trying to cope with everything, right?"

"Yeah. I'm not mad at him. Don't worry," Kate assured her. "Where's your grandmother?" she asked, just realizing the older woman was nowhere to be found.

"She went to get you coffee."

Kate was filled with emotion at the kindness of her soon to be mother in law. Martha's motherly gestures still caught her off guard, but they were always welcome.

"Have you seen Lanie?" Alexis asked suddenly as she glanced around.

"No. Why?"

"I ran into her in the parking lot. She said she was coming by to check on you and Dad."

Kate looked around the hallway as though her best friend would magically appear before her eyes. "I wonder where she went."

Alexis shrugged. "Maybe she went to talk to the doctor or something."

Martha rounded the corner and smiled at the sight of her two girls standing in the hallway. "Coffees all around, my Darlings. It's a good day today," she said as she passed the drinks to Alexis and pulled Kate into a hug. "My son is awake and doing well. It's a good day."

Kate nodded and gratefully accepted her coffee as they moved to enter the room.

Rick was still asleep. Kate wrestled with the fear that filled her at the sight of him, still in a hospital bed, looking so small and pale. He woke up last night, he would do it again. He was just tired. But the fear was still there. She didn't think it was going anywhere for awhile. Not until she was absolutely certain nothing else would go wrong.

She moved back to her chair while Martha and Alexis pulled two more chairs close to the other side of the bed. The three were quiet, all watching the man who was normally so full of life sleep before them.

"He looks so small, doesn't he?" Alexis whispered suddenly. "He normally looks so big - but now, now he just looks..." she trailed off.

"Fragile?" Martha supplied as she linked hands with her granddaughter.

Alexis nodded and Kate rubbed her eyes to hide the tears. She needed to be strong for them.

He was okay. She just needed to concentrate on that fact. He was okay.

Rick stirred slightly, his hand searching the bed next to him for Kate. She reached forward and rubbed her thumb soothingly over the back of his hand and his eyes opened slowly.

"Where'd you go?" he asked sleepily.

She turned his attention to the other two women in his life and he smiled. "Hey there."

"Hi, Dad," Alexis said quietly and the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I'm okay, Pumpkin. Don't worry," he assured his daughter.

She nodded and buried her head in his chest, careful to avoid his bullet wound and he stroked her hair.

There was a light tap at the door and Lanie poked her head in.

"Hey Writer Man, good to see you awake!"

"Good to be awake," he smiled over at her.

"Kate, can I talk to you for a minute?" Lanie asked and Kate nodded.

She bent over Alexis to kiss her fiancé, "Be right back," she told him.

He looked suspiciously back and forth between the women and gave a half-hearted nod, the pout at not being included evident on his face. Kate kissed him again and whispered that she would fill him in when she could. He smiled smugly.

Kate closed the door behind her and turned to face her friend.

"What's up, Lanie?"

Lanie took a deep breath. "I found something interesting in Tyson's autopsy."

Thanks so much for reading, please share your thoughts! xo Kristen