Title: STICKS AND STONES
Summary: Kevin Ryan Whump (A to Z) – starts when he is an officer and continues on as he becomes a detective in narcotics, undercover in the mob, and a detective in homicide.
A/N: The last chapter I finally brought the team together. Kevin, Javier, and Kate have been united into one crime-fighting machine! Let it be known that through the remained of the series it is safe to assume that the team will be a constant presence in Kevin's world of whump. There may be a few solo stories but they will be in the minority and will simply feature either already established OCs (i.e. Spider or Walker) or other supporting characters (i.e. Jenny).
A few people asked why I refer to Kevin, Javier, and such by their first name (even though the show doesn't for the most part). Well, I have two reasons. First, my story series deals with a fair amount of background on the characters so it would only be logical to refer to each character by their first name due to the intimate nature in which I write them. And second, I have been working with these characters for a long time. I feel like I know them personally. And you call your friends by their first name, after all; why is this any different.
The only exception to this name-calling you be Richard Castle. When I finally introduce him into my little universe (in two chapters) I only refer to him as Castle. While some characters, particularly Martha and Alexis, speak to him with familiarity, e will be mostly known as Castle. This is mostly because he is the show's main character and the show is titled Castle. But also because of a majority of the other writers in this fandom also refer to Castle as, well, Castle.
But I digress. Now, enjoy!
Disclaimer: If Castle were mine I would have ended Season 6 differently.
Chapter 10 – J is for Jaguar
Detective Kevin Ryan hated court appearances. Unfortunately, it was the duty of any lead detective to testify, or at least be present, at the trail of someone he or she arrested. In minor felony cases, an officer or a detective could simply hand in a written report with the appropriate collected evidence. But, in major cases like homicide, someone had to personally attend.
As it were, Detective Kate Beckett would usually appear before judge and jury because of her status as lead detective and head of her team. With her proficient public speaking and personable, sympathetic nature she could easily win over those in attendance. It also helped that she was a high-ranking female in the police force; many appreciated her merit and aptitude. But, regrettably, Kate was currently on a well-deserved vacation for a whole week. After a particularly hard triple homicide, Captain Montgomery ordered Kate to take a leave of absence, leaving her court duties to another on her team. After much quibble Javier pulled rank and age on his younger partner, forcing Kevin to drive to the courthouse on a Saturday afternoon.
Despite appearances, Kevin abhorred rhetoric. In high school he had failed his public speaking class, twice. And, while in Narcotics, his ex-partner would always testify in his stead after an incident when Kevin nervously misspoke and allowed the defense to tear down his evidence, allowing a well-known drug dealer to walk. As such, Kevin rarely had to go to the courthouse and he liked it that way. But this time duty called and he was obligated to respond.
While on the stand Kevin tried to keep his responses short and professional, not allowing any bias or opinion slip into his speech. He accurately recounted the evidence and how it led directly to the suspect. When the defense was allowed to cross-examine, the Homicide detective confidently answered all the questions and easily shut down some denials and theories presented before him. He assured the jury of their already preconceived beliefs about the guilt of the suspect. The inquiry by both sides took a little over three hours and when Kevin was finally dismissed from the stand he was exhausted, hungry, and losing his voice.
Kevin stayed for the remainder of the trail until it was released for the day. Everyone in the courtroom stood as the judge exited the room before continuing on their own way. Kevin was anxious to return to his apartment so he could eat a late dinner and go to bed. He had the remainder of the weekend to relax and enjoy himself before he had to be at the precinct on Monday. Consoled with the promise of food and sleep, the young man made his way to the court house's adjoined parking garage. While a valet was bringing his vehicle to him, Kevin paid the attendant for using the garage for the afternoon. The detective threw his jacket, badge, wallet, phone, and worn leather satchel onto the passenger seat as he climbed into the car after thanking the valet and tipping him a few dollars.
The sun was setting over Manhattan when Kevin finally pulled out of the parking garage. Hating to drive in silence, Kevin switched on the radio, finding his favorite station: smooth jazz – his guilty pleasure. Humming along with the soprano saxophone, the young man pulled the car to stop at a red light. When he stopped, inertia brought his badge and phone to slide off the passenger seat and fall to the ground. Just then, his phone began to ring. Kevin sighed and looked at the red light. Deciding to chance it, he bent down and reached for his discarded property. When his hand finally grabbed the noisy device the ringing abruptly ended. Giving a small growl of annoyance Kevin straightened himself in the seat just in time to witness the red light turn green.
Still slightly distracted by his mobile device Kevin forewent looking both ways before pulling out into the intersection. However, his peripherals caught the distinctive glare of headlights. Gripping the wheel, the young man turned his head slightly to the left to see an expensive looking Jaguar run its red light and barrel directly toward him. In the seconds before impact Kevin slammed on the brakes, instinctively knowing that if he carried on the sports car would be likely to strike the front of the car, where both he and the engine were located.
The sound of metal grating against metal silenced any panicked thoughts that raced through the detective's mind. The Jaguar and police issued vehicle crashed into each other with such force that the two spun around in a circle. Both cars came to a stop in the middle of the intersection. Kevin remained conscious throughout the collision and was currently surrounded by a deafening stillness as his brain caught up with reality. The young man attempted to turn and inspect himself and his vehicle but stopped when a shooting pain flared up his neck and into his shoulder. He tried to move his legs instead only to discover them pinned underneath the crushed dashboard.
"Fuck," Kevin quietly swore through the pain.
"Sir? Sir, are you alright?" a female voice called from outside the car.
"I- I think so," the detective stammered in return, struggling to raise his voice.
"Good," the woman responded. "I've already called 911. They should be here any minute! Just hang on!"
Huffing a sigh of relief Kevin allowed his head to fall back to rest on the seat behind him. Another spasm of pain ran through his neck so he balled his fists to prevent himself from whimpering. But when he clenched his hands he discovered that he still held his cell phone. Looking at it he decided to make a call. Uncertain that he could he hold the phone up to his ear with the agony shooting through his neck and shoulder, he pressed speed dial #3 on his phone before putting it on speaker.
~o~o~
Javier Esposito was lounging on his couch watching ESPN while eating leftover pizza. He had had a pretty relaxing Saturday, made all the better with the thought of not having to go and testify in court. Glancing at the clock on his wall, he figured that Kevin had most likely been dismissed by the judge and was on his way back to his apartment. So, not wanting to face another evening alone, Javier picked up his phone and called his partner, hoping that he would agree to come over and play some Madden. After ringing for about a minute the Hispanic finally got Kevin's voice mail. Guessing he was still driving, Javier let it go, reminding himself to call back in about ten minutes. However, three minutes later his phone rang. Noting the name displayed he answered.
"Hey, man. I just called you," Javier greeted. "You got any plans for tonight?"
"Esposito…"
There was something in the young detective's voice that made Javier sit up straight. "Ryan? Hey, Ryan, what's wrong?"
"Been an accident…"
"Christ, bro. Are you hurt? Have you called 911?"
"Yeah… no, I- I don't know," his partner gasped on the other line. "Someone else called them… I- can you- I need you to…"
Kevin didn't have to continue, Javier was already putting on his jacket and heading for the door. He questioned Kevin about where he was and was able to raise a street corner out of him. "I'm on my way, bro. Just stay on the phone."
The Hispanic detective ran from his building to his parked car across the street and climbed in. As he turned on his engine and police siren he began talking to Kevin again. "Are you sure you're not hurt?"
"I'm okay but I'm pinned."
Javier caught the slightest tremble in his partner's voice and wasn't as convinced that Kevin was as fine as he was claiming to be. "I'm about seven minutes away. Think you can hang on until I get there?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
Javier kept up a stream of reassuring chatter with Kevin while he sped down New York's most famed streets. Meanwhile he thought about how touched he was that his partner had called him. Only about eight months ago the two would barely even talk. But then Kevin had saved his life, quite unnecessarily, while also risking his own neck to do so.
The younger detective's actions broke through Javier toughened exterior and he realized just how mean and calloused he had treated Kevin. The next day the two went to a bar and talked. Javier discovered that Kevin really was a great guy who could really hold his liquor. After that the two became fast friends. They joked at crime scenes, spun silly theories about murders, hung out off-duty, and even started playing Madden together on Monday nights. But all of this didn't really matter because Javier was just secretly happy that his partner valued their friendship and rapport enough to call him, before all others, when he had been in an accident.
Though, these thoughts eventually fled to the recesses of his mind when he, as promised, arrived at the crash scene in exactly seven minutes. The Hispanic detective spotted the flashing lights of two squad cars and an ambulance by the entrance of the intersection. Traffic had slowed due to the police presence, so Javier pulled to the side of the road and parked before jumping out of his car and rushing toward the two totaled vehicles. He flashed his badge at the responding officer that briefly tried to detain him.
"Ryan!" he called out, running up to the driver's side door. "Bro, how are you doing?"
"Better if I could move," Kevin lightly joked.
Javier nodded, noting his partner's completely pinned position. He tried to open the to access the driver's side but because the Jaguar had struck the middle section of the car the door had concaved near the handle, preventing him from getting access. Instead, he settled to just talk to his friend through the smashed window until the fire department arrived. Noting that Kevin had barely moved since he had arrived despite his pinned position, Javier lowered his voice and questioned, "Where are you hurt?"
"I'm fine, Espo."
"Don't lie to me, Ryan. You can't move your neck, can you?"
"Well, I can but it hurts," he finally relented.
Just then the sound of sirens broke through the unusually quite din. A fire and recuse truck, followed by an additional ambulance, pulled into the intersection. The NYPD squad cars finally effectively shut down the junction and diverted the traffic that was still trying to circumvent the scene. One of the newly arrived paramedics went to check on the driver of the Jaguar while another approached Kevin's vehicle. The fire fighters worked on disconnecting the batteries on the cars to prevent any chance of a spark that might start a fire.
The EMT briefly spoke to Javier before turning toward the Jaguar's victim. "Mind if I take a look at you?"
Kevin grinned before responding, "Knock yourself out."
The emergency personnel, who introduced himself as Jacob, walked around the car to the passenger's side. He opened the door and leaned over the seat so he could better access his patient. "Can someone pass me a collar?" Jacob called over his shoulder.
A female EMT appeared and passed him the requested instrument. "Here you go."
"Thanks," he responded before turning back towards Kevin. "I'm going to put the collar on now, it should help some with that neck pain. Then I'm going to give you a little oxygen and put in an IV for some pain relief." Once he'd done what he had said, Jacob spoke again. "I'm going to need to speak to the fire chief and sort out how we're getting you out of here, I'll be right back."
Kevin watched as Javier, Jacob, and another man he presumed to be the fire chief talked. It seemed, after awhile, the men had come to some sort of agreement about how to extract Kevin from his most recent disaster. Jacob returned and said, "Alright, they're going to have to cut off the driver's door and then we can assess the best way to free your legs."
Twenty minutes later his door was gone and the firemen had managed to somehow free his legs, which, it had been established, weren't actually pinned, just lacking enough space to maneuver.
Then came the worst part of all, as far as Kevin was concerned. The emergency personnel wanted to put him on a backboard but they would have to be gentle about how they moved him in case he had spinal injuries. Initially they had thought about cutting the roof off his car but, following an assessment of Kevin potential injuries, the fire chief thought that it might be overkill. Between Jacob, Javier and several fire fighters they finally managed to get him out of the vehicle and onto the backboard without too much trouble.
Kevin had remained detached and numb through the whole ordeal due to the shock that had finally set in. He answered any question directed at him but other than that he remained silent. Javier expressed his concerns over this to Jacob and he promised to keep a close eye on Kevin.
The EMT's had just laid Kevin out on the gurney when Javier's cell phone rang. "Esposito," he answered, slightly distracted by his partner's prone form.
"Hey, Espo, it's Beckett."
"Hi, how are you? How's vacation?"
"Boring," the female detective replied. "How about you? You doing anything tonight?"
"Well," Javier began, glancing over at Kevin just as he was loaded into the ambulance. "I'm actually about to head to the hospital with Ryan."
"What? Why? What happened?"
"Ryan was in a car accident. He called me from the scene," Javier informed Kate. He climbed into the back of the ambulance right before the doors slammed shut.
"Put me on speaker."
Javier obeyed. "Okay, you're on."
"Ryan?"
"Beckett? Wha-"
"She called," Javier explained.
Kate spoke up again from the other line. "Ryan, are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah, I guess."
"What hospital are you going to?"
Javier shrugged before looking toward Jacob. Overhearing the conversation, the male EMT quickly supplied the answer before checking on Kevin's IV.
"Did you hear that?" Javier spoke.
"Yeah," Kate replied. "I'm leaving now. I'll meet you there as soon as possible."
"Alright. See you soon, Beckett," the Hispanic detective said before hanging up the phone.
Suddenly, Kevin was overwhelmed with a feeling of dizziness and nausea. Javier, noticing his partner's significantly paler face, quickly ordered Jacob to place an oxygen mask on Kevin's face. Jacob complied and told the injured young man to take deep breaths.
"Is he alright?" Javier questioned, slightly panicked.
"His blood pressure's low, he's going into full shock!" Jacob placed two fingers to his patient's throat. "How long until we get to the hospital?" he asked, addressing the ambulance driver.
"ETA's ten minutes."
~o~o~
Doctor Molly Luka greeted Kevin as he was wheeled into trauma, "Hello again, Kevin! What have you been up to this time?"
"Car accident," the young detective replied, the sound muffled by the oxygen mask that was still on his face.
Jacob gave a run down on his patient's vital signs and potential injuries before leaving him in the hands of the very capable female doctor. Kevin turned his attention toward Doctor Luka, wondering if he was going to be able to talk her into allowing him to remove the uncomfortable neck brace he was in. But he next words out of Doctor Luka's mouth thwarted that idea.
"Alright, the collar stays on until we do some x-rays." The good doctor then efficiently checked the rest of Kevin's body for injuries, paying especially close attention to his legs. A nurse that Kevin didn't recognize took another set of vitals from him before handing them over to Doctor Luka. The results caused her to frown. "Kevin, your temperature is a bit on the low side so we're going to put a warming blanket over you to help with that." She turned to the nurse and gave further instructions, "I want another liter of saline, his blood pressures still low, and keep that oxygen on him until his O2 stats come back up." The nurse nodded and went off to collect some more fluids.
"What's going on?" Kevin managed to ask.
"You're going into shock, these are just measures to stabilize you."
"Shock?"
"Yes, psychological shock. You had quite a scare this evening and your body is presenting the physical symptoms to the psychological stress. Once your vitals level off we'll get some x-rays. In the mean time I want you to rest and let the nurses know if you experience any pain."
"Can Esposito come with me?"
Doctor Luka regarded the Hispanic that had accompanied Kevin into the hospital. "Only if you promise to rest."
"I promise."
The doctor gave a long, suffering sigh and left the room, shaking her head. Kate eventually arrived a few minutes later and argued her way into Kevin's room. She looked frazzled. It was the first time Javier or Kevin had seen her is sweat pants, a t-shirt, a big baggy sweater, and sneakers other then when she would work out in the precinct's gym. Her auburn hair was also pulled up into a messy bun, revealing her beautiful face completely devoid of make-up. Kate grinned when she entered the room and saw the rest of her team waiting for her, but her smile quickly turned into a frown when she saw the state that Kevin was in. The younger detective was partially still clothed in his dress pants, shirt, and tie – his jacket probably still on the passenger's seat of the car – however everything was badly wrinkled and torn. Kevin's usually slick hair stood up at all ends, exposing his abnormally pale, gaunt face. The lower half of his face was covered in an oxygen mask while neck also sported a brace.
"You look awful," Kate stated without thinking.
Kevin only rolled his eyes and responded, "Hello to you too, Beckett."
The senior detective put her hand over her mouth to stifle a juvenile giggle. "You sound funny."
Kevin lifted his hand and removed the mask. "Is this better?"
"A little but your words are kind of slurred."
"I guess the pain medication is finally kicking in," Javier replied.
"Detective Ryan, put that mask back on or I'll get Doctor Luka back in here!" a strident nurse loudly advised from the other side of the room when she noticed what Kevin had done.
The young man grimaced but did as he was told. The nurse was strict enough but a lecture from Doctor Luka was not high on his list of priorities at the moment. And he didn't wish to give the good doctor any excuses to remove his co-workers from the hospital room.
"How are you doing, Ryan?" Kate quietly said.
"I'm fine."
"Fine?" the female detective doubtfully asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "What do you think, Esposito?"
The Hispanic smirked and responded, "I don't think he's fine, Beckett."
"Hey," Kevin weakly protested. "You're ganging up on me. That's not fair. Partner, you're supposed to have my back."
"Well that wouldn't be very advantageous of me, now would it?"
Kevin glared at Javier but it was Kate who defended him. "You're not fine, Kevin," she soothed, purposefully using his first name to get his attention. "You're in a hospital. You were in a God damned car crash!"
"Geez, take a breath, Kate," Kevin replied indulgently.
She forcefully huffed and ran her fingers through her already tousled hair. "Okay, okay, okay," she sighed before looking at him again. "How are you really?"
"Tired, dizzy, and a little scared," Kevin confessed.
Javier gently rested a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder. "Bro, don't worry about it. You're here and alive, that's all that matters. But you need to relax. The doctor says that you're suffering from shock and multiple contusions to the leg."
"Yeah. I just wish I could take this collar and mask off, they're damn uncomfortable."
Just then Doctor Luka reentered the room. "We will be sending you to get x-rays soon enough. And, if you're clear we will remove the collar. The mask can also be swapped for a nasal cannula if you want."
"How's the other driver?" Kevin asked Javier, remembering the Hispanic had had a brief conversation with Jacob about it after they reached the hospital.
Javier glowered, "He's fine."
Noting the blatant disapproval and protective undertone, Kevin scowled. "Espo?"
"He had minor lacerations and a broken nose from where the air bag hit his face. But, if you ask me, that's the least he deserves."
"Care to elaborate?"
"He was drunk, Kevin, twice the legal limit!"
"You're kidding me, right? It was barely even happy hour!"
"That's enough, Kevin," Doctor Luka scolded. "I thought I was clear when I said you should be resting."
Taking the obvious hint, Javier and Kate dismissed themselves. Kate decided to call Captain Montgomery to inform him what had happened while Javier wandered towards the cafeteria to buy some coffee. It was going to be a long night.
~o~o~
Several hours later Kevin was finally released. His x-rays were clear and his vitals had stabilized so there was no need for him to stay in hospital over night. However, he had suffered severe whiplash and some nasty bruises over his legs. He was instructed not to drive and refrain from doing any simple tasks that required him to move his neck. Hence, Doctor Luka ordered that he not stay home alone for the next few days. So after a long heated discussion, it was determined that Kevin would stay at Javier's apartment for the remainder of his recuperation period.
Javier unlocked his apartment door and ushered his partner in, dropping the duffel bag of provisions they had collected from Kevin's place at the foot of the couch.
"I don't see why I have to stay here. It would make more sense if you stayed at my place," Kevin complained as he settled himself into a recliner.
"Hey, take it up with Beckett."
Kevin rolled his eyes at his partner's weak excuse. "Yeah, sure. Hide behind the pretty lady instead of standing up for yourself."
"So you think I'm pretty?" Kate smirked as she let herself into the apartment. In her hands she carried two boxes of pizza, some beer, and what appeared to be a box of cupcakes.
"Anyone who brings me free food is definitely pretty," Javier called from the other room.
Kevin laughed. "Then your mother must be the prettiest thing on the planet."
"Shut up," Javier sneered, throwing a pillow at the younger man's head. "I can kick you out, you know."
"Please do."
"Boys!" Kate interrupted. "Are we going to eat or not?"
"Yes, ma'am," the two responded simultaneously.
Within a few minutes the three teammates were all eating off of some plates that were fetched from the kitchen. As they finished, and the remainder of the meal was cleared away and saved for another time, Kevin groaned, which immediately led his two concerned friends to hover over him, asking what was the matter.
"No, I was just thinking about the fact that I have to contact my insurance company."
"Bro, don't worry about it."
"Don't worry about it? That car was my only means of transportation. It's what I use to get to work, and run errands, and visit my family…"
"Ryan, you won't be able to drive for a while anyway…"
"Geez, thanks for pointing that out, Espo."
Kate butted in and said, "By the time you can drive we'll have it all sorted out. Besides, you have to get full compensation - the other guy was drunk."
"That doesn't change the fact that my car and my body are totaled. I could have been killed!"
Kate perched herself on the arm of the recliner and rested her hand on Kevin's shoulder while Javier knelt in front of the two. "Hey," she whispered. "What happened was an accident. It was out of your control."
Kevin made a move to protest but Kate silenced him by squeezing his shoulder. "Kevin, sometimes bad things happen to good people. I know it's a cliché but whatever happens to you, Javier, anyone on this team, we'll always be there for each other. We're partners, and that's what partners do."
Sighing, Kevin knew he was being irrational. There were dangers far worse than a drunk driver – he was a cop after all. But Kate was right. It was an accident. He would just have to accept that there were some things he couldn't prevent.
"Thanks," Kevin said softly.
Kate nodded before moving to give him some space. Javier turned on the television and flipped through the channels until he found a good rerun of an old cop show. It was painfully clear to Kate and Javier that Kevin still wasn't quite himself as he failed to sarcastically comment on the lack of proper police procedure and horrible graphics. But the main thing was that he was still alive and well, for the most part. They would all get him through his recovery and back behind the wheel, because that's what partners do.
A/N: I know, I know… what a sappy ending! I felt the need to show a little team bonding in a post-accident fashion and not just leave it off in a hospital scene like I usually do.
I feel it is really important to show the team growing closer as a family before I bring Richard Castle into the whole mix. Castle, I think, really disrupts the social dynamic that Kate, Javier, and Kevin have. Eventually, everyone regains their flow and adopt Castle into the family…
The car accident was a little out of my depth to write. I don't really know much about proper procedure, emergency response times, and such for accidents in large metropolitan cities. As such, some of the stuff probably wasn't as accurate as usual; but hey, what can you do?
I have been working on this series for the past several months. About half of it has been already written or all the plots have been outlined.
Some of my plot points slightly contradict with the Castle universe, but none of the major ones (possibly just small side comments or remarks made during the show).
I literally live off reviews.
Coming Soon: K is for Katar