CH10
Sorry for the delay. Life got in the way. How about 2 chapters for one as a peace offering.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Espo and Ryan got Kate up and onto the sofa in the break room then Ryan went to inform Captain Montgomery that Beckett had collapsed.
Roy followed Ryan to the break room. "What happened?"
"She got a call on her cell, then she dropped the phone and then she collapsed." It's all Ryan knew and he saw most of it.
"Get Dr. Parrish up here and tell her to have Miss Castle stay behind." Roy orders and steps over to pick up Kate's cell phone. Then went into his office with it.
Lanie was upstairs a moment later and looking over Kate and asking what Roy had asked and got the same answer.
"Her heart rate is a little elevated for someone who is unconscious, and her blood pressure is up too. …. You sure you don't know anything else?"
Ryan and Espo both shake their heads.
Lanie checks her over again this time looking for any marks on her body. Snake bite, dart, something, anything. However she finds nothing. It was a mystery, one Lanie didn't feel good about.
Roy was standing at his office door. "Dr. Parrish." Roy calls out.
Lanie steps over and Roy offers her to step inside to sit and closes the door.
Ryan and Espo keep one eye on them and one eye on Beckett.
Then both eyes are on Lanie when she cries out "NOOOO!"
Ryan and Espo could see Lanie sobbing with her whole body shaking. "I don't like this bro." Espo points out the obvious. Ryan was shaking his head. He didn't like it either.
It was close to 30 minutes before Lanie came back out of Roy's office with Roy in tow.
Lanie was still crying heavily and wiping the tears away as fast as she could, but wasn't keeping up very well.
"Ryan, Espo. I want you two to help Dr. Parrish take Beckett and Miss Alexis home. Then I want you two back here. You still have work to do." Montgomery tells them.
"Sir, what's going on?" Espo asks.
"Just get it done Espo and then get back here. …. Now detective." Roy all but yells at him.
"Yes sir." Ryan and Espo help carry Beckett down to one of their cars and lay her in the back seat.
Espo goes and gets Alexis and takes her out her to his car while Lanie went with Ryan and Kate.
"What's going on Espo?" Alexis was in the dark and didn't like it.
Espo shook his head. "I don't know, Beckett collapsed and the Captain told us to take you two home."
"Kate collapsed! …. Why?" Alexis was suddenly scared. Kate was strong; she just doesn't collapse for no reason.
"I don't know Alexis, but I think Lanie does." Espo tells her.
"What makes you think Lanie knows anything?" Alexis was getting more scared.
Espo could see it and decided he had already said too much. "Just something I think I saw, that's all."
Once they were all on the elevator Roy went into his office, then roared and proceeded to break everything that was breakable in his office. Then sat in what was left of it and started crying.
Beckett had lost her mother due to his actions and he had been doing everything he could to make it up to her ever since. Castle was good for her. She hadn't been having any fun until Castle came along. Beckett didn't deserve this.
Ryan didn't say a word and just drove. Beckett was still out in the back seat and Lanie was softly crying with her whole body shaking. Whatever it was, it was bad. Really bad.
Roy snapped out of it a few minutes later and went searching for his phone. He had a call to make. Roy couldn't afford to leave and tell her in person like she deserved, he had an entire precinct to handle. But he felt it should come from him and not someone else.
Ryan and Espo were carrying Beckett to the elevator that lead to the loft. Alexis had caught up with Lanie. "What's wrong with mom Lanie?" Alexis didn't know what she was saying, she just knew she was scared.
Lanie however had heard the words and any other time she would be happy, but she wasn't and didn't know when or if she ever would be again.
Lanie just wrapped her arms around Alexis and helped both of them up to the loft.
Alexis unlocked the door and let everyone in. Inside they found Martha sitting on the sofa crying loudly.
Alexis looks at Lanie and ran for Martha. "Grams?" Alexis was even more scarred now since everyone seemed to be crying.
"Put her in the bedroom guys." Lanie tells them, and follows them inside.
Lanie checks on Kate to make sure she is lying comfortably and goes with the guys back into the living room.
Out here it had gotten worse. Alexis was sobbing openly and shaking in Martha's arms who herself was still crying.
Ryan and Espo turned on Lanie and waited.
"That phone call Kate got told her that Castle had been killed in a traffic accident on the way to the airport this morning. His publisher and the taxi driver were killed too." Lanie started crying again.
Ryan and Espo had their jaws fall to the floor. Castle was dead? This just wasn't possible. It was a mistake. It had to be! Anything else just wasn't possible.
Now they both had tears running down their face. Castle was like a brother to both of them. He may not have a badge but he was a cop none the less. If true they had just lost one of their own.
"How? …. I mean, ….. how?" Ryan finally found his voice.
Lanie could only shake her head since she didn't know. "Montgomery is going to arrange for the body to be brought home to us." Lanie tells them.
"It's not him. It has to be someone else. Someone with his ID on him. Something!" Espo prays.
"We should get back Javi before Montgomery sends someone after us." Ryan tells him.
Espo nods his head, not liking it. "We'll be back after we get off. We can take turns watching over Beckett and little Castle." Espo tells Lanie.
The guys let themselves out while Lanie goes over to Martha and Alexis and wraps her arms around both of them and joins them in crying.
Lanie knew this was going to kill Kate. It was hurting Alexis already. It was going to be a challenge to help both of them, but especially Kate. Her heart was already vulnerable.
Lanie had managed to get both Alexis and Martha upstairs and in their rooms to get some sleep. Their bodies and their minds needed some rest.
The grief stage was just starting for all of them. Next would come denial. It wasn't possible. Just not possible.
Lanie didn't have any clothes here so she had to wait for the guys to show up before she could go home and get some. Lanie planned on staying as long as Kate needed her, even if it meant sleeping on the sofa.
Lanie was sitting at the breakfast bar nursing a glass of wine when the guys showed up.
"How are they doing?" Espo asks as soon as he is in thru the door.
"Kate is still asleep, which is probably for the best. The others are in their rooms hopefully also sleeping. … Anything?" Lanie wanted to hear that they had the wrong guy.
"Chicago PD identified the bodies using the ID's they found on them. Their convinced that it is Castle and his publisher." Roy broke the bad news.
"You should see the Captains office, it looks like a tornado hit it and he hasn't said a word since we got back." Ryan adds.
They all figured the news hit Montgomery hard too. Castle wasn't just a writer.
"They're shipping both of the bodies out to us tonight. They should be here late tomorrow." Espo tells her.
"I'll do it." Lanie would do the autopsy.
"You sure Lanie, this is Castle we're talking about." Espo needed for Lanie to think this thru.
"You really think Kate would want someone else looking him over?" Lanie countered.
Ryan and Espo remained silent, she was right and they knew it.
"I'm going to go home and get some clothes. I'm not leaving Kate, …. Or them." Lanie gathered up her things and headed out the door.
"I'll check on Beckett." Espo offers. While Ryan nodded and went upstairs.
The met back in the living room. "I'm telling you bro it's not Castle, it can't be."
"Chicago PD is that incompetent?" Ryan asks.
"There are good cops and there are bad cops. Every cities got them. They are just taking the easy way out so they don't have to do the paperwork. I'm telling you, it's not Castle." It couldn't be, Espo wasn't going to let it be.
They were still sitting quietly when Lanie came back. "Anything?" Lanie asks as she drops her bag.
"They're all still asleep. I'm going to go get us something to eat. I'll be back." Espo tells them and leaves.
"You think it's really him?" Ryan finally asks, praying that Javi is right.
"I don't know Kev, for their sake, I certainly hope not. This is going to kill Kate." Lanie knew it was going to be bad.
Ryan already knew that. For the first time since he had known her, Kate was happy it was all because of Castle.
Espo was back and they were done eating. "You should get some sleep Lanie, we'll watch them. Someone needs to be awake all night to watch over them. You might as well take the first shift." Espo tells her.
Lanie nods her head and grabs her bag and heads for the spare bedroom upstairs.
The guys have the TV on when Lanie comes back downstairs. It's late, really late. Espo is asleep on the sofa and Ryan can barely keep his eyes open and the TV isn't helping any.
"Wake up Javi and go home Kev, I'll stay up all night watching them." Lanie tells him.
Ryan had Espo up and out the door. They worked out Ryan will be by in the morning to relieve Lanie, then Espo will relieve Ryan, leaving Lanie for the late night shift after she got off work. Lanie would sleep during the day.
Lanie was sitting in a nice big comfortable chair that she had pushed from the living room into the master bedroom so she could keep an eye on Kate.
Lanie would occasionally get up and go upstairs to check on the others; however she found them still asleep just like Kate was each time.
Lanie was back in her chair when Kate bolted upright. "CASTLE!" Kate was disoriented and tears were running down her cheek.
Lanie instantly was on the bed holding onto Kate. "It's alright Kate, I'm here."
"Castle?" Kate questioned thinking it was Castle that had a hold of her.
"Kate it's alright, it's me, you're fine." Lanie tried to sound calm.
"Lanie? …. Where's Castle?" Kate wanted Castle and she wanted him now. Then Kate started looking around. She was home and in bed and she still had her clothes on.
"Where's Castle?" Kate just wanted Castle.
"I'm sorry honey, so very sorry." Lanie didn't really know what to tell her. Lanie hadn't really worked that one out just yet. Now she was out of time.
"CASTLE!" Kate yells out his name. He was just in the other room, right? Where was Castle?
"The phone call. That voice." Kate started breathing heavy working herself up into hyperventilating.
"Lanie?" Kate was well into hyperventilating now. "Lan, … La, …. La, …." The voice said Castle was dead. Kate finally broke down and started sobbing barely being able to breathe.
Lanie tightened her hold on Kate and could feel Kate's body shaking and hear the crying that was turning into wailing in her ears. He best friend was falling apart on her and all she could do was hold her and start crying with her.
It was some time before Kate calmed back down enough for Lanie to let go of her and let her lay down. Kate had instantly curled up into a fetal position and continued to cry softly with an occasional hiccup.
Lanie got up to get Kate something to drink but couldn't get her out of her fetal position to get her to drink it. In fact Kate had ignored her very existence which had Lanie concerned.
Lanie checked on the others thru the night, it appeared they had moved a little. Maybe gotten up to use the bathroom but had gone right back to bed.
Lanie was back in her big chair watching Kate who appeared to be asleep again still curled up in a fetal position when Ryan showed up in the morning to re-leave Lanie of her duties.
"Kate knows Castle is gone, she spent hours sobbing on my shoulder. She's been quiet ever sense. The others haven't left their rooms either though I think they have been up from time to time. Probably just to use the bathroom." Lanie updates him.
"I'll be here Lanie. Montgomery gave me the day off. He's going to let us take turns watching them so long as either Javi or I are available.
Montgomery gave Beckett the next two weeks and then re-evaluate then." Ryan explains. "The bodies should be here in a few hours today. … You sure you want to do this? It's Castle." Ryan questions. Castle meant a lot to all of them.
"And tell Kate I let someone else touch him? I'm not doing that to her. I'll deal with it." Even the pain Lanie was about to go thru was nothing to the pain Kate was already going thru, and didn't know when it would ever go away.
After Lanie left Ryan went upstairs for a quick peek, then checked on Beckett, who was still in the position Lanie had mentioned.
Ryan's heart was breaking for her. Kate was like a sister and losing Castle was going to hurt her a lot.
Ryan next went into the kitchen to find a glass of water, then he saw the coffee machine so he started it instead.
Ryan was just finishing pouring him a cup. "DAD?" Alexis entered the kitchen. Getting Ryan to turn and face her.
"Oh I'm sorry." Alexis saw it wasn't her dad and turned to go back upstairs.
"Alexis, wait." Ryan asked. "Come on, sit." Ryan pats the breakfast bar.
Alexis decided to be nice and sat at the counter. Then watched Ryan open the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice, then searched for a glass, filled it and set it in front of Alexis.
"Thanks." Alexis whispered and sipped it.
"I'd ask you how you are doing, but I can guess. We all loved Castle. And to be honest I'm still hoping Lanie comes back and tells us it's not Castle and that Chicago screwed up. I'm not giving up on him just yet." Ryan tells her not trying to make her feel better. He was really trying to make himself feel better.
Alexis didn't want to get her hopes up but she had latched onto the idea as the only way to get her dad back. "Maybe." Alexis wasn't however going to tell him that.
"Lunch?" Ryan offers. "Or is it more Brunch?" Ryan really didn't know or know what to go get since he wasn't going to cook.
"You want a sandwich?" Alexis offers and moves around to the refrigerator and starts pulling stuff out.
Ryan at least got her to sit back down while he made one for her and one for himself. But them in half and then put it all back into the refrigerator.
Alexis was almost done with her sandwich before she talked again. "How is Kate doing?"
"You can go look for yourself. Lanie told me she woke up and spent the next several hours crying." Ryan explains what he knows. "How's your grandmother?"
Alexis suddenly felt guilty. She hadn't checked on Grams since she went up to her room to cry. Alexis decided to fix at least part of that.
Alexis hopped off her chair and walked for the master bedroom to check on Kate.
Stepping inside as quietly as she could she found Kate still dressed in her clothes from yesterday, unlike Alexis, and she was curled up in a fetal position.
Kate and grams were all she had left if Ryan was wrong. Alexis moved over to touch Kate and got nothing in return. Alexis's tears suddenly started again. She wanted Kate's comfort to make her feel better, but Kate was hurting just as much.
Maybe they could help each other so Alexis kicked her shoes off and layed down and spooned herself in behind Kate and place an arm over her and squeezed herself in as tight as she could.
"I love you Kate, please don't leave." Alexis whispered into her ear and let her tears fall where they may.
Ryan noticed that Alexis didn't come back out so he went to take a quick peek, then went and sat at the breakfast bar and remembered he saw a piece of Tupperware that looked like it held fruit so he pulled it out and was slowly munching on a piece when Martha made an appearance.
"Ms. Rodgers." Ryan noticed her.
"Detective Ryan." Martha greeted him. "Alexis wasn't in her room, you know where she is?" Martha had gone looking for her a little concerned for her.
"She came down a little while ago and ate a sandwich then went into the bedroom with Beckett and never came back out." Ryan explains. "Can I make you a sandwich?" Ryan knew where it all was now.
"Thank you." Martha would take a sandwich. While Ryan was making one she went to the master bedroom to look in.
Inside she found Kate and Alexis were facing each other and Kate had her arm around Alexis holding her tight. They both looked to be asleep. "Please be alright Katherine, we're your family now." Martha's tears started again. She had outlived her only child, something no parent should ever do.
At least Katherine and Alexis seemed to have found each other.
Martha moved back to the kitchen for her sandwich wiping away her tears as she went.
"They're in bed together." Martha tells him.
"Yea, Alexis was spooning Kate last time I looked." Ryan tells her showing that he was keeping an eye on everyone.
Martha smiled, since that meant Kate had responded and now had a tight hold on Alexis. It would take work, but maybe Kate would recover.
Martha knew she had lost a son, but maybe with some work she had gained a daughter.
However that was for the future, for now she was down a son.