DISCLAIMERS: No, I still don't own 'Castle.'
SUMMARY: Castle and Ariel talk with the FBI.
A/N #1: I know that this experience has affected the whole Castle/Beckett family, as well as extended family. I will start trying to explore how it has affected everyone starting with this chapter. However, I'm also going to try to inject a little bit of lightness into this chapter before I plunge into the meat of it, so to speak.
A/N #2: This is where the rating is going to change, because Ariel is going to use some language that no five-year-old should ever use. So, M-rated for language.
A/N #3: This story has reached 100 reviews on !
Chapter 10: Battling Monsters
January 18
"Does Castle have P.T. this morning?" Esposito asked, holding the heavy bag as Beckett kicked at it hard. They had been having these sparring sessions every morning for the past week, and she usually kicked his ass.
"No," Kate huffed out as she punched the bag with both fists. "Terry called in sick."
"How are things going at home?" Javi let go of the bag when Beckett walked over to the bench and began toweling her sweaty face and arms.
"He snaps at the kids, Javi. Sometimes for no real reason. They're making more noise than he likes or they leave a toy out. The kids are starting to withdraw from him."
"What about you? Does he snap at you?" Espo came over and sat down beside her, pulling out a bottle of water and taking a long drink.
"It seems like all we do anymore is fight with each other. He's even done it to Martha, only she's made it pretty clear that she isn't going to put up with it. I know that he doesn't mean it," she took out her own bottle of water. "He's always apologetic afterwards. I know that he has a lot on his mind."
"Stop making excuses for him, Kate."
"I want to bring someone in to help out when I go back to work in a couple of weeks, but every time I bring it up, Castle gets so pissed off. He keeps telling me how he never used a nanny with Alexis, so he won't have one now. Javi, he was more than 20 years younger then and he didn't have two casts to deal with. Even after the cast comes off of his leg, he's not going to be one hundred percent. How does he expect to chase after an extremely active two-year-old? Martha has her school to deal with. And my downstairs neighbor has her hands full with her own two grandchildren. It isn't fair to expect either of them to look after our children."
"Then, that's what you need to tell Castle. Exactly what you just told me. When are they talking to the feds?"
"Wednesday morning. We have a meeting with Dr. Jimenez tomorrow morning after Castle gets done with physical therapy. Then Friday morning he's meeting Dr. Swann for the first time."
"Who's Dr. Swann?"
"The psychologist that Dr. Burke recommended."
***CCC***
Castle felt like he was going stir crazy. Terry had called shortly after six, telling him that he was sick and wouldn't be available for his therapy session that morning. Kate had left for the precinct, telling him that she was going to be working out in the gym with Esposito. She'd kissed him before leaving with Jack, telling him that she'd be back at around 9:30.
Martha was at the dining table, working on scenes for her drama school students. "Mother, are you busy?" He asked.
"I need to get these scenes done. Why? Do you need something?"
"Yes. Let's go downstairs to get Jack and go to the precinct."
"Richard—"
"I want to talk to Capt. Gates and it would be nice for Kate and me to spend some time with our son. I can't drive and if I use the car service, I'll have to switch out car seats. If you drive us, we can use the car seat in your car. I'd also just like to get out of here for a little while."
Martha looked up from the work that she was doing. She could easily understand how bored Richard had to be. He was used to either caring for Jack or working with Kate. While he spent a lot of time in idleness, since meeting Kate, it really no longer suited him. "What's going on, Richard? This isn't really about talking to Gates or spending the day with Katherine and Jack. So, what's going on?"
"Well, considering that I've been a total rat bastard to my kids lately, I thought it might be nice to spend a day with my wife and my son. You know, give him some undivided attention."
"Richard—"
"Let's get dressed, pick up my son, and go to see Kate," he turned to go to his and Kate's bedroom to change.
An hour later, the two adults and Jack stepped off of the elevator at the precinct to a rousing chorus of 'Hey, Castle!' from everybody in the bull pen.
"Hey Castle, what're you doing here? Hi, Martha," Ryan greeted Castle's mother with a bright smile before turning his attention to Jack, who was holding onto his Gram's hand. "Jack, how ya doing, buddy?" Ryan reached down and scooped the little boy up.
"We're going to see mommy."
"Mr. Castle, Mrs. Rodgers, what brings you here?" Capt. Gates came out of her office.
"I brought Richard and Jack to meet up with Kate when she finishes her workout with Javier. Now that I've done my motherly duties, I have things to do," Martha kissed Richard, and then Jack. "Have fun, you two."
"We will, mother. Thank you," Castle smiled. He waited until Martha had left to get on the elevator before turning back to the captain. "Could I talk to you for a few minutes, sir?"
"Of course. Come on, Jack."
"He's fine. I've got him," Ryan volunteered.
"Det. Ryan, need I remind you that the last time you and your partner were left with young Mr. Castle here, he managed to lock himself in one of the interrogation rooms."
"Jack," Tory Ellis entered the bull pen as Jack's face lit up.
"Tory!" He squealed, holding his arms out to the video tech.
"I'll take him, Ryan. I'm sure we can find some games to play on the computer. Come on, Jack," she reached out, taking him from Ryan's arms.
"Let's go chat, Mr. Castle," Gates led Castle to her office, closing the door behind them.
"Thank you for keeping the feds at bay," he said as he sat down across from her desk.
"Mr. Castle, we're all family. I wasn't going to have them force Ariel to talk to them when she wasn't even ready to talk to her parents. How is she doing?"
"Well, I've got her talked into coming in with me on Wednesday. She compares it to having to eat broccoli," he couldn't help grinning. "Ariel's not a fan of broccoli."
"So I gathered. How are you doing?"
"Well, the casts come off in 21 days and I will no longer be dependent on anyone in my family. Maybe then I can stop being so on edge."
Capt. Gates didn't have an answer for that one.
When Kate got off of the elevator on the fourth floor an hour later, having showered following her workout, she was surprised when she saw Castle sitting by Ryan's desk, with Jack on his knee. "Castle?"
"Mommy!" Jack hopped off of Castle's knee, running over to Kate, throwing his small arms around her knee.
"Mother brought us up here. I thought we could spend some time together with Jack before we have to pick Ariel up at school."
"Yeah, I'd like that," Kate smiled, before bending down and hoisting Jack up to her hip. "This is a nice surprise."
It was a relatively mild day for mid January, so after eating breakfast, they went to the carousel in Central Park. "Get on one of the horses with Jack and let me get some video," Castle urged Kate as she rolled her eyes. "Come on, Beckett. When is the last time you actually laughed with your kids?"
"Sometime before the 19th of December," she whispered.
"My point, exactly. We're not dead, Kate. Ariel and I are still here. You need to stop running away from us. Have some fun with us."
He gave her that infectious grin that she so loved. The one that she saw on her small son several times every day. "I'm not running, Rick. I'm just frustrated."
"So am I. Now, get on a carousel horse with our son and make a fool of yourself."
"This had better not go viral, Castle," she scooped Jack up and got on a white horse with pink decorations. "Wave at daddy, Jack. He's going to make us famous."
"Hi, daddy!" Jack waved his chubby hand as Castle held out his phone and took video. Alexis had loved the horses when she was small. But he and Kate had learned that Ariel was the exact opposite. Anything that moved in a circle made their daughter violently sick. Which according to Kate and Castle, left out all of the fun rides. Ferris Wheels, Merry-Go-Rounds, Carousel Horses. Ariel couldn't ride any of them without a barf bag.
But Jack loved the Carousel Horses at the park. Castle smiled as Kate passed by on the horse, hugging Jack and laughing. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Kate laugh in the last several weeks.
After riding the horses, they went to the duck pond where Castle removed a bag of stale bread from his jacket pocket and handed it to Jack. "Don't get too close to the water," he instructed as he took a seat on a bench with Kate.
"I won't," Jack toddled to the edge of the pond and threw in small handfuls of bread as the ducks swam up to greedily gobble it.
"Kate, even though we can't have sex, we can still be intimate."
"Do you think that's what this is all about, Castle? I watch our babies when they sleep; I listen to them when they're playing. They're half you and they're half me. Jerry Tyson has taken from us and taken from us. In death, he's still taking from us," she took a deep, shuddering breath. "I see you suffering and I see Ari suffering."
"I think that telling our story one last time is going to help," he grasped her hand as he looked at Jack still throwing bread into the water. "I'd like to think that this mysterious Dr. Swann that I'm going to be meeting on Friday is going to help. Kate, we've been through some awful stuff. We've made it through all of that and we're going to make it through this."
"Keep telling me that, okay?"
"Always," his lips brushed against hers.
"Ewww! Mommy, daddy, stop kissing!" Jack climbed onto the bench between them.
"One day, you're going to like girls kissing you," Kate teased him, tickling his neck as he squirmed and giggled.
"No way, mommy!"
"Yes way, James Jackson!"
"Only want to kiss you, mommy," Jack climbed into Kate's lap, cupping her face and giving her a smacking kiss.
"I think that's only okay in Kentucky," Castle remarked as Kate gave him The Look. "What? He has no clue what I'm talking about."
"But I know what you're talking about," she leaned over and kissed him again. "Let's go pick Ari up at school. After we wash your hands," Kate made a face when she caught a whiff of Jack's small hands. "Were you petting the ducks?"
"They're my friends."
"Jack, they're filthy and smelly. Now, so are you," she kissed him once again as he howled in protest.
"Ice cream!"
"Jack, it's too early for ice cream," Kate got up from the bench, adjusting Jack on her hip, watching Castle struggle to his feet. "Are you okay, Castle?"
"I'm good," he finally managed to get up and get the crutches under his arms.
The sky had started to turn gray when they pulled up in front of Marlowe Prep Elementary School. "So much for our nice January day," Castle stared up at the sky.
"Do you want to wait in the car with Jack? I'll just be a few minutes."
"I'll wait," he smiled.
"I'll fix dinner when we get home so you can take a pain pill."
"I'm not in—"
"Castle, it's me that you're talking to."
"Okay. I'll call Alexis to see if she and Brian want to join us."
"That sounds great. I'll be right back."
Castle pulled out his phone and dialed Alexis' number. He got her voice mail, so he left a message. "Hey, pumpkin. It's your dad. Kate, the kids, and I would like for you and Brian to join us for dinner tonight. Call me when you get this. I love you. Bye."
Kate was standing with the other parents when the final bell rang. The doors opened and children came pouring out. She smiled when she saw her own daughter come out of the doors. "Mommy!" Ari ran up and threw her arms around her mother.
"Hi, chunky monkey," Kate bent down, straightening Ari's coat collar. "Come on. Daddy and Jack are waiting in the car for us."
"Why did daddy and Jack come?" Ari asked as Kate took her hand and began walking her to the car.
"Because we were out doing things."
"What things?" Ari stopped walking.
"Daddy was bored staying at home, so we went out with Jack for a little while."
"Where?"
"Ari, does it matter?" Kate could feel her irritation rising. "Come on, it's going to get colder soon."
Castle could see the sulk plastered on Ariel's face when Kate buckled her into her booster seat before getting behind the wheel of the car. "What's going on?" He asked.
"She's upset because we took Jack out on an outing," Kate started the engine.
"Okay. What did you do at school today, Ariel?" He turned to smile at his daughter.
"Where did you go with Jack?" She asked, ignoring her father's question.
"The duck pond!" Jack announced. "Mommy rode the horse with me."
"Jack, be nice," Kate warned. "Ari, daddy and I will do something with you soon. I promise. Are Alexis and Brian coming to dinner?" She turned to Castle.
"I left a message, but Alexis hasn't called me back yet."
"Can we get a hamster?" Ari asked, her anger at her parents dissipating as quickly as it had risen.
"What's a hamster?" Jack wanted to know.
"It lives in a cage and it'll be mine and live in my room. You can't touch it."
"Ariel Johanna," Kate's voice came across as a stern warning.
"Well, he can't."
"We'll talk about this later."
Martha was at the dining table going over lesson plans when the rest of her family walked into the loft. Ariel and Jack both ran over to her. "Gram, I'm getting a hamster!" Ariel's eyes were bright.
"Ariel, mommy said we'd talk about that," Castle reminded her.
"Why would you want a small rat?" Martha looked at her granddaughter.
"Ari, go change your clothes, please."
"How was your day with your husband and son?" Martha asked after Ariel had gone upstairs to change out of her school clothes.
"It was fun," Kate admitted. "It was nice to relax, although I think Castle's paying the price for it now."
"He's trying not to take those pain pills even though he still needs them."
"Hey, I'm right here," Castle hobbled over and sat at the table as Jack tried climbing on him. "Jack, no. Go play."
"I'm going to start dinner," Kate got up and walked over, kissing Castle on top of his head.
"It's still early," Castle pointed out.
"And you're in pain and need to eat something before you can take a pain pill," she reminded him.
Castle was about to say something when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw that it was Alexis. "Hey, sweetie," he answered the phone.
"Hi, dad. I got your message," Alexis' voice sounded strained. "Could we take a rain check?"
"Alexis, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm just not feeling good."
"Again, what's wrong?" Kate glanced at Castle from the kitchen.
"I think I'm coming down with something. I don't want to give it to anybody else."
"Have you seen a doctor?"
"No, not yet. I'm going to try to get some sleep."
"Okay, sweetie. Well, keep us posted on how you're feeling, okay?"
"Okay, dad. I'll talk to you tomorrow."
"What's wrong with Alexis?" Kate asked after Castle ended the call.
"She thinks she's coming down with something. She sounded like she was in pain."
"Did she say what her symptoms are?" Kate asked.
"No, she just said she didn't want to get any of us sick."
"That sounds like Alexis. I'm sure that she's fine, Castle."
***CCC***
January 20
It was bitterly cold the morning that Castle and Ariel were scheduled to talk to the FBI. Kate wasn't sure who was more uptight; her husband or her daughter. "Castle, remember what Dr. Jimenez told us yesterday," she whispered to him. "If he senses that Ari is getting agitated, he'll stop the interview immediately."
"What happens if I get agitated?" He whispered back.
Ari watched her parents warily. She sensed that they were upset and wondered if it was because of something that she'd done. "Mommy?"
"Yeah, sweetie?"
"You can come in if you want to. I don't want you to be mad at me because I didn't want you in there."
"Ari, I'm not mad at you," Kate knelt down. "Daddy's going to be there if you get too scared and so is Uncle Javi. Uncle Kevin, Capt. Gates and I are going to be watching you through the magic mirror. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Det. Beckett?" Kate stood up and glared at Agent McMurphy, who was walking toward her with Agent Avery. "You remember Agent Avery?"
"It's been a long time, but yes, I remember him," Kate and Castle both shook the hand of the agent who had assisted Agent Shaw and the NYPD during the Scott Dunn case.
"So, you must be Ariel," McMurphy knelt down in front of Ariel, who watched him through suspicious eyes. "Dr. Jimenez and Det. Esposito are already waiting for us. Are you ready?"
"Ariel?" Castle looked down at his daughter, who slowly nodded. "Let's get this over with."
"We'll talk to Ariel first, and then we'll send her out so that we can talk with you, Mr. Castle."
When they walked into the interview room, Esposito was sitting at the long table across from Dr. Jimenez, who had several large cloth dolls as well as a toy car in a box in front of him. "Hey, Little Chica," Javi greeted Ariel, who came over and gave him a hug. "You want to sit on my lap since your dad has a huge cast on his leg?"
"Okay," Ariel smiled as Javi lifted her up onto his lap and Castle took a seat by his side, trying to get comfortable.
"He needs a chair to prop his leg up on," Kate said on the other side of the mirror.
"I'll take care of it," Gates left the ob room, and went to retrieve a chair which she took to the interrogation room.
Kate, Kevin and Gates watched while McMurphy adjusted the microphone on the table and entered in all of the necessary information. "Ariel, how old are you?"
"Five."
"Wow, so do you go to school?"
"Don't talk down to her, you moron," Kate whispered.
"Easy, Beckett," Kevin whispered back.
"I'm in Kindergarten."
"Ariel, do you know Dr. Jimenez? He works at your school."
"I talked to him yesterday."
"Great. Now, he's brought some dolls with him so that we can talk about what happened the night that you and your daddy got hurt. Do you think that you can show us with the dolls what happened that night?"
"I was looking at the Iron building when someone crashed into my car."
"The Iron building?"
"She means the Flatiron Building," Castle said.
"Oh, I like that building, too. What happened after someone crashed into your car?"
"Daddy was asleep for a few minutes. I kept telling him to wake up. Then he did."
"What happened when your daddy woke up?"
"He told me to get out of my seat and find a person with a phone so that I could call mommy."
"And did you get out of your seat?"
"No. My buckle wouldn't open. It was stuck."
"Did you tell your daddy that your buckle was stuck?"
"I think so, but I don't remember. Someone opened my door," Ariel's breathing sped up.
"It's okay, Little Chica," Javi whispered in her ear. "They can't hurt you, anymore."
"Det. Esposito," McMurphy shot him a warning look. "Who opened your door, Ariel?"
"Daddy said that the man and the lady were there to help me."
Kate's breath caught as her eyes met Castle's and she saw the guilt written all over his face. He'd thought that they were good Samaritans. "Did they say anything, Ariel?" She heard McMurphy ask as she refocused her attention on the interview in progress.
"I told the bad man and the bad lady that my buckle was stuck and that I needed to use their phone so I could call mommy at work. The bad man took out a really big knife and he cut the strap. I started to climb out of my seat, but the bad man grabbed me really hard."
Castle swiped at his face angrily as he listened to Ariel. Agent Avery saw that he was losing his composure. "Mr. Castle, do you need a few minutes?"
"No," Castle shook his head.
"Ariel, can you show me how the bad man grabbed you?"
Ariel took the largest of the rag dolls and the smallest one, and wrapped the larger doll's hand around the smaller dolls upper arm. "I screamed because it hurt."
"I'm sure that it did. Did he say anything when he grabbed you?"
"I can't tell you," she hid her face in Esposito's shoulder.
"Ariel? Why can't you tell me?"
"Because I'll get the time-out chair."
"Ariel, remember what mommy and I have told you about telling the truth?" Castle put his hand on Ariel's shoulder. "You're not going to get the time-out chair if you're telling the truth. Just this once, you can use bad words."
"He told me to shut the fuck up," Ariel spilled the words out quickly. "Daddy told him to let me go. He told him that the bad man wanted daddy, not me."
"So, your daddy knew who had grabbed you?"
"Hey," Castle gave the agent a hard look. "Save that question for me."
"Ariel, what happened next?"
"The bad man pulled me out of the car like this," she put the large doll's hand around the smaller doll's waist, "and he kind of threw me to the bad lady," she mimicked being tossed over to the larger female doll. "He laughed this mean laugh and told daddy that he knew that I'd be a fighter. He told me that I was just like my mother."
"What was the next thing that happened?"
"I was screaming and he put his hand over my mouth," she demonstrated on the dolls, "and I bit him. He got really mad and hit me hard across my face. The bad lady told him not to do that and he told her to shut the fuck up."
"Nieman was trying to protect her," Kate whispered.
"It doesn't matter. She's still a monster," Kevin reminded her.
"Shh," Gates hushed the two of them.
"Did anybody help when you were screaming?"
"Yes, but the bad man took out a gun and started shooting. A man tried to take me from the bad lady, but the bad man pushed him and pointed the gun at him."
"You're doing really great, Ariel. What happened after they took you away from your daddy's car?"
"This lady got out of her car to help, and the bad man pointed his gun at her and said 'We're taking your car.' She tried to fight with him, but he pushed her down really hard. I heard her scream when she fell into the street. He told the bad lady to get in the car. She got in and held me on her lap really tight. He got in the car and threw a bag between the seats."
"What kind of a bag, Ariel?"
"It looks like the one mommy takes with her when she goes to the gym. It had bombs in it."
"Bombs? Are you sure?"
"I've seen them in the Road Runner cartoons that me and daddy watch. They were red and had things sticking out of the end of them."
"Did the bad man drive away?"
"Yes. I kept crying and he kept telling the bad lady to make me shut up."
"Did she hit you?"
"No," Ariel shook her head. "She kept telling me that everything was going to be okay. She said that I was almost as perfect as my mommy. She had red hair like my Gram and Lex. But I didn't like her."
"I'm sure that you didn't. Did you keep crying for your mommy and daddy?"
"Yes. The bad man was getting really, really mad," she gritted her teeth together to get her point across. "He kept saying that Castle was going to pay. He just kept saying that over and over. The bad lady told him that Castle was already paying. She said 'We have his daughter and soon we'll have the rest of them.' But I just screamed louder, saying that I wanted my mommy and I wanted my daddy. The bad man said that it was almost time. And the bad lady told him that no, it couldn't end like this. She said that I was too perfect. He said that it had to be this way."
Esposito could feel Ariel trembling violently in his arms as she told about what had happened that night. "How are you doing, Ariel?"
"I just want to finish so I don't have to talk about it again," she looked at him.
"Ariel, what happened after he said that it had to be this way?"
"There were really bright lights coming down into the car. The car was going really fast. The bad lady told me and the bad man that she was sorry. I saw the car door open and I got really scared. Then she grabbed my arms," she demonstrated on the dolls, "and threw me out of the car."
"Were you scared?"
"A car almost ran over me when I fell in the street. My legs and my hands hurt. Then I heard Uncle Javi and Uncle Kevin calling to me. They told me to run as fast as I could."
Espo turned when he felt Castle's hand squeezing his shoulder. "Thank you, bro," Castle whispered as Espo nodded.
"And did you run?"
"Uncle Kevin was running in between the cars, but Uncle Javi was on the side of the road. He kept yelling 'Run, Little Chica! Don't stop! Run!' I ran into him and he yelled at Uncle Kevin that he had me. I told Uncle Javi that there was a bomb in the bad man's car. He yelled at Uncle Kevin to hit the deck. I don't know what he was talking about, because there wasn't a deck. My Grandpa has a deck at his house."
Kate, Kevin, and Gates couldn't help but smile on the other side of the mirror. "Children are very literal," Gates whispered.
"I meant hit the ground, Little Chica," Espo squeezed her.
"Oh."
"What happened after you hit the ground?"
"There was a huge explosion and fire way in the sky. It made my ears hurt. Did the bad man and bad lady really go away?"
"They really went away," McMurphy assured her. "You and your family never have to worry about them again."
"Does that mean I don't have to talk about this ever again?"
"You don't have to talk to anybody else about this unless you want to. Okay?"
"Okay."
"Now Ariel, Det. Esposito is going to take you back to your mommy, because we need to talk to your daddy alone. Thank you for being very brave."
"I can stay if daddy needs me to," she turned to look at Castle.
"No, baby girl. I need for you to go with Uncle Javi. Give me a kiss first?"
Ariel climbed off of Espo's lap and stepped up to her father, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Come on, Little Chica," Espo stood up and held his hand out to Ariel.
"Agent McMurphy, can you give them a few minutes? Kate's on the other side of that mirror and I want to make sure that Ariel doesn't hear my interview."
"Okay."
Espo walked Ariel into the ob room where she flew into Kate's arms. "Oh, you were so brave. I am so proud of you," Kate swung Ari back and forth, holding her tightly. "Now, I need for you to take your tablet," Kate retrieved the tablet from her purse, "and go sit at my desk. Daddy and I will be out in a little while."
"Come on, Ariel. We'll buy some stuff from the machines," Espo winked at Kate, who rolled her eyes at him.
Back in the interview room, Castle wearily rubbed his face. "Uh, could I have a few minutes. I have go to the bathroom and it takes me a few minutes."
"Why don't we take a 15-minute break?" McMurphy suggested.
Castle got to his feet and swung out of the interrogation room, going into the ob room where he found Kate. "Are you okay?" She walked up to him as Kevin and Gates discreetly left the room.
"I'm just tired," he sighed.
"One more time, Castle, and you never have to talk about it again. But, our daughter was a fucking rock star," she couldn't help smiling.
"I think she has more Beckett in her than either of us thought," he smiled back. "Well, I'd better go to the john before they come hunting me down."
A short time later, the usual suspects reconvened in the interrogation room. This time, McMurphy recorded the date and time of Castle's interview. "Walk us through the day of the accident, Mr. Castle."
"First off, I wish that you'd stop referring to it as an 'accident.' It wasn't an 'accident.'" Castle made air quotes with his fingers. "It was an attempted murder."
"Call it whatever you want, can you please just walk me through it?"
"It was very cold that day. Usually I'd take my son with me when I picked Ariel up at school. But I left him with my mother because it was so cold. Now I'm glad that I did. I had hired a security detail several months before. One of the guys was always at Marlowe watching over Ariel."
"Was he there the day that Tyson tried to kill you and Ariel?"
"He was there when I arrived at the school but I told him to take off."
"What was his usual routine?"
"He would follow me to the apartment or to Ariel's ballet or karate class. But like I said, I sent him home that day. For some reason, I thought it would be too cold for blood thirsty serial killers," he said sarcastically.
"I read Detective's Ryan and Esposito's report of your interview with them, so I just have a few more questions. Why didn't you tell them that you let your security detail go that day?"
"I was still doped up and it didn't come up."
"You didn't see the car approaching yours in the intersection?"
"Nope. By the time I heard brakes squealing, it was too late."
"How long do you think you were unconscious?"
"I don't know. Five minutes, maybe a little longer. I was still woozy when I heard Ariel screaming for help."
McMurphy turned off the recorder and faced Castle. "Mr. Castle, nothing that happened that afternoon was your fault."
"Are we done here?"
"Yeah."
Castle found Kate in the ob room and she followed him out toward the bull pen. They both stopped, smiling at Ariel playing with Esposito and her tablet at Kate's desk. "Hey Castle," Espo looked up when Kate and Castle approached. "I think the kid here spells better than you do."
"Well, she definitely spells better than you do," Castle volleyed back, removing his cell phone from his pocket and checking it.
Kate saw him frown as he checked his messages. "Castle, what's wrong? Rick?"
"Brian, it's me," Castle said into the phone. "Whoa! Slow down! What's going on? Is she okay? Brian, we'll be there as soon as we can!"
"Castle?"
"Alexis is in the emergency room with a 104 temperature. I need to get to the hospital, but Ariel—"
"Let's go!" Kate scooped Ari up. "We'll call your mother and my dad from the hospital. I can have my dad take Ari and Jack to his house or we can call my Aunt Teresa."
"Mommy?" Ari's eyes flew between her mother and father. "Is Lex okay?"
"She's going to be fine, baby. Come on, Castle!"
"Beckett, call us!" Espo called after her.
A/N #4: It doesn't rain but it pours in my Castle universe.
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