"Javi, come on, it's noon. I know you're up." Beckett knocked again after Esposito ignored her first few knocks. She waited a moment and was about to knock again when the door finally opened. Beckett blinked at how disheveled Esposito looked.

She had seen him passed out on Castle's couch after a night of drinking and she'd seen him the next morning after he'd spent the past hour puking his guts out in the bathroom. But he never looked like this. It had only been two days since she saw him last, but already he had a 5 o'clock shadow and large bags under his bloodshot eyes. He looked exhausted, but he held a half full beer bottle in his hand.

"Whaddya want, Beckett?"

"I came to talk to you...but it looks like I'm a little late." She nodded her head towards the door. "Can I come in?"

Esposito shrugged his shoulders, but stepped aside so she could walk in. His apartment was a disaster. There were empty beer bottles littering ever tabletop and she had to step over broken glass by the kitchen.

The couch was the best spot for them to sit as long as they avoided the spilt beer. Once she was seated next to him, she sighed. "Javi, did you get any any sleep last night?"

"'M fine."

"No, you're not. Look at you. It's like you don't even care anymore." Beckett tried to meet his eyes, but he kept avoiding hers.

"I don't. What's the point." Esposito fell back against the couch and took a long sip from his beer.

Beckett furrowed her eyebrows and asked angrily, "What's the point? I don't know, Javier, maybe because there's people in your life that care about you. I do, so does Castle and don't you think for one moment Kevin doesn't."

"Uh-huh," Esposito said with his voice full of doubt.

"Espo, when we went to see him yesterday, do you want to know who he was looking for the moment we walked in? You."

Esposito looked up and for a moment, he let the hope show in his eyes. "Me? Why?"

"Because he misses you, Javi. He's your best friend." Beckett really needed less stubborn and thick-headed friends.

"I'm just gonna give him some time, he doesn't wanna see me right now right." Esposito went to put the bottle to his lips again, but Beckett took it from his hand.

"He does want to see you. And you want to see him, too. If you wait any longer he may just rot to nothing in that hospital." Beckett placed the bottle hard on the table. "He's giving up because you're giving up on him."

"I'm not giving up on him, Beckett! I'm giving him a chance to get better!" His hands curled into fists. He tooks a deep breath and closed his eyes, attempting to calm himself.

Beckett felt her like her heart was squeezed with an iron fist when she saw tears fall down Javier's cheeks. She moved closer to his side and put her arm around his shoulder. She pulled him into a hug even though he remained rigid in her arms.

"Kate, I can't even look in the mirror at myself...how can I expect him to look at me?" Esposito asked, pulling back to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I think you're being a little too hard on yourself because Kevin doesn't care about anything that happened that night. He just wants to see you again." She rubbed his back, giving him a small smile when he finally met her eyes.

"Beckett, you didn't see what I did and you can't understand how hard this is. I can't go back in there and look him in the eyes after what happened."

Beckett bit her lip; Esposito didn't know she and Castle had watched the video and she planned to keep it that way. "But, Kevin does know and he wants you by his side."

Esposito's face softened. "Really?"

She nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips. "Trust me. He looks like a kicked puppy lying in that hospital bed looking up every time someone walks through the door hoping it's you."

Esposito's lip upturned the slightest, but it fell just before he asked, "And you think I'll be able to help?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "I know you'll be able to help him." She sniffed the air and made a face. "But first, you need to take a shower and clean yourself up. You smell like stale beer and puke and you look like you haven't slept in weeks."

Esposito chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I feel like it." He hesitated standing up. "You're positive he wants-."

"Go get ready, Javi," Beckett interrupted him.

He nodded once before he walked down the hall to his bathroom. Beckett took a deep breath, she knew it wasn't going to be this easy once she finally got Esposito to the hospital. But, they weren't leaving until Ryan and Esposito were talking to each other again.

Castle walked through the hall leading to Ryan's room with a box of munchkins in one hand and his draft he was reading to Ryan yesterday in the other. He smiled to each nurse that he passed by until he was outside his friend's room.

He knocked on the door with his elbow before walking in. Ryan still looked too frail laying in that bed, but his eyes looked brighter than yesterday. It was the small victories.

"Hey, Ry," he greeted with a smile and dropped the box of munchkins on the table next to Ryan's bowl of cereal.

Ryan pushed himself up straighter and gave Castle a small smile of his own. "Hey, Castle." He peeked around him as he walked up to his bed. "No Beckett today?"

Castle didn't let the slight disappointment in Ryan's voice worry him. He knew Ryan was a daddy's boy and enjoyed his company. "Nah, she's talking some sense into your idiot partner."

Ryan visibly deflated and Castle immediately worked to get his mind off of Esposito. "So, did you eat your dinner last night?" Castle asked as he pulled Ryan's tray closer to him. "And don't lie to me."

Ryan sighed. "Castle,-."

"Yes or no," Castle said, opening up the small milk carton to pour into the bowl of cornflakes.

"No, but I wasn't in the mood to eat last night."

Castle raised his eyebrows. "You haven't been in the mood to eat since you came home. But you've got to eat something because you were skinny before this, but now it's like you're trying to be the first human-toothpick."

Ryan made a face. Whether at Castle's comment or the fact he was now holding a spoon of milk and cereal, Castle didn't know. But Ryan kept his lips shut tight. "C'mon, you liked the oatmeal yesterday, right? This is even better."

"I'm not a baby, Castle, you can't make me eat," Ryan said quickly, probably afraid Castle would try to stick the spoon in his mouth mid-sentence. Castle would only use that as a last resort.

"Yeah, but there's no way you're feeding yourself with your good arm in a sling." Castle moved the spoon closer to Ryan, eyeing it to make sure he didn't spill milk all over the blankets. "And I'm older, so I'm in charge."

"It doesn't work like that when we're both adults."

"Yes, it does." Castle nodded his head, but kept his hand steady.

"No."

"Uh-huh."

"Nu-uh."

When Ryan was busy mocking him, Castle stuck the spoon in his mouth with a smug grin. "Uh-huh."

Ryan glared, but still he chewed and swallowed the cereal. Once Ryan had the taste of the cereal, his stomach wasn't satisfied and it grumbled loudly. Castle watched his eyes dart to the full bowl of cereal.

"I told you it's good." Castle filled the spoon up again. "After your cereal I brought donuts you can have and I can finish reading you my book."

The next few minutes were quiet as Ryan ate spoonful after spoonful without a word. Castle didn't want to lose Ryan's sudden appetite, but when Castle saw on Ryan's face that something was bothering him, he paused his feeding.

Ryan finished chewing his cereal and swallowed before spoke up, hesitant at first. "Hey, uh, Castle, can I ask you something?"

Castle put the spoon in the bowl and gave Ryan his full attention. "Sure."

Ryan's brow furrowed. "I don't want to sound like an ass...but, why are you here?"

Castle's heart stuttered, afraid that Ryan was about to try and kick him out again.

"I know you stayed at the 12th for Beckett and me and Espo are just two guys you happened to meet along the way. And I consider you my friend- one of my best, actually. But, you're Richard Castle, you've got tons of friends and Beckett. Why are you wasting your time in this room making sure I eat and reading to me and keeping me company. I'm nothing special- I'm just me."

Castle blinked, trying to comprehend what Ryan just told him. He thought that Castle didn't consider him a friend, just someone that worked with his wife? Castle didn't ever think about it before, he always just assumed that the boys knew they were the brothers he never had.

Now that he thought about it, he never really took the time to tell Ryan and Esposito how important they were to him. At the precinct, he was always following Beckett around without a second glance at the boys.

Castle sighed. "I've got tons of 'friends', most of them just because I have money. But, you and Javier are crazy if you think we're friends." He saw Ryan's face fall and he quickly finished his thought, "You're crazy because you're not my friends, you're my family."

Ryan's eyes widened and he stared at Castle. His mouth opened, but he couldn't form any words. He ducked his head with a soft smile, but when he looked back up, he whispered, "You really mean that?"

"If I didn't I wouldn't be back here trying to get your stubborn ass to eat and reading you my crappy drafts of books I will never publish." He waved his manuscript with a smile.

"Thanks, Castle," Ryan said and Castle knew it wasn't for reading or feeding him.

"No problem," Castle put down the bowl of milk with a few cornflakes left and picked up the munchkins. "I think you've had enough to be spoiled with dessert." He put it on Ryan's lap, not missing how the box caught his eye. Castle made sure Ryan was able to pull one out of the box before he turned to his book.

He continued from the spot he left off yesterday. He didn't think it was one of his good works, but Ryan seemed to enjoy it as he continued to snack on the munchkins. Castle continued to read even after Ryan stopped eating after the third munchkin.

He was so silent that sometimes Castle had to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep. But every time Castle peeked over his pages, Ryan was always staring right back in rapt attention.

Ryan finally spoke up as Castle turned the next page of his notebook. "You're my family, too, Castle."

That stopped Castle for a second before he turned the page. He didn't say anything, but he continued reading with a large smile across his lips.

Sorry this so short. Next chapter, Esposito finally goes to see Ryan. (Took you long enough, dummy) And after this I think there's only 2 chapters left.

Until next time,