Thanks for the reviewers. To the guest who commented on NYS law-you are indeed correct (Although it is a contested issue as I understand it- with separate laws defining "human" age differently). However, there are other legal factors at play here. You are welcome to send a message and we can discuss, but to do so here would spoil the plot for those not familiar with US and State law (even if it is just my interpretation of it). :) In other words, to avoid spoiling just message me (I hope you do). If you work with the law I would appreciate your thoughts; you'd be great to bounce ideas! Thanks!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
After the procedure was completed Kate was returned to her room. Lanie and Castle arranged for her to be dressed in her own pajamas, even though they were much too big for her body now. "I want her comfortable, secure." He spoke.
"It's the least I can do, considering…"
Lanie considered him once again. It was clear that Kate was not the only one who would need therapy to recover. It was likely that the entire family would need to work through this trauma together.
As they dressed Kate, they used care to keep her feet warm.
"She'll need the extra help to regulate her body temperature as she builds body fat back up," Lanie spoke as she bundled her friend under blankets. "Most victims of prolonged starvation actually have lowered body temperatures for a time, and Kate is certainly no exception to the rule." It was true, Lanie had read Kate's chart.
Alexis smiled softly, sadness behind her blue eyes, from where she stood next to the medical examiner, leaning in to kiss Kate's forehead as they bundled her up.
Alexis had been devastated to learn about what had happened to Kate, carrying no small amount of guilt over her own anger towards the detective in the days that followed the wedding. Nevertheless, once Beckett was found Alexis was present, offering any help she could. The red-head rarely left the hospital. She decided to take time from her classes that week to devote herself to caring for her father, who was more concerned about Kate's health than he was his own.
Alexis made sure he ate and brought him a fresh change of clothes, convincing him to take a quick shower and shave, "You'll want to be freshened up when she wakes, dad." Alexis pressed.
Less than an hour later, Castle held Kate's hand as Lanie and Alexis worked together to wash and dry the detective's hair, wanting her to be clean and comfortable when she finally opened her eyes. Her hair had thinned considerably, but she'd had a lot of it, and what was left was now clean and fresh; pulled back into a French braid that Alexis had carefully woven.
Now they simply sat, keeping silent vigil as they waited for her to open her eyes.
Kate could hear voices, they were clear from the other side of the door and she was curious. She didn't recall them planning to have company. Nevertheless, there were multiple voices coming from the loft. Some she recognized, others she didn't.
Kate inserted her key into the lock, preparing herself for the company that Castle was obviously keeping. She pushed the door open, a smile plastered on her face to greet their guests, but found complete and utter silence. The room was empty and there was no person to be found.
It was disorienting, to hear so many voices from the hallway but to find complete silence on the other side of the door. Kate shrugged her jacket off and set her keys on the end table.
"Hello?" She called out. The detective could have sworn that there were people in the loft, and quite a few at that. She briefly wondered if they were hiding, playing some sort of trick on her.
"Anyone home?" She called again, this time standing in the center of the living room. She could see that there was nobody in the kitchen and Castle's office was empty too. The bedroom door was closed as well, indicating that she was alone. Kate peered up the stairs and tried to gain a glimpse of the hallway above. She was only met with silence. There was no one in the loft.
Beckett moved to the bedroom door, reaching for the handle. Her hand paused suddenly as she heard a familiar voice behind her. It was a voice she hadn't heard in a very long time.
"Don't go in there quite yet, Katie."
Kate turned, disbelief on her face as she took in her mother, standing next to the kitchen counter as if she belonged there. She didn't trust her own senses in that moment, surely she wasn't staring at her mother.
"but… how?" She blurted, trying to control her racing thoughts and overwhelming emotions.
Johanna Beckett simply reached out for her daughter, "come here. It's ok."
Kate couldn't understand why, but she sensed that she was safe. She could feel her mother's love and went with the pull she felt towards the woman standing in front of her. A few quick strides later and Kate was in her mother's arms, no longer daring to question the miracle that had occurred.
"Shhh… the woman stroked her back. I know, sweetheart." Her words were comforting, a soothing balm to her weariness. Kate found that she couldn't let go, needing the comfort so dearly. Finally, her mother pushed her back slightly, just enough to look into her eyes but not so much as to break their contact.
"Look at you." Johanna took her daughter in, "so grown up, so strong. I'm so proud of you Katie."
Beckett wiped the tears from her face as she smiled at her mother's words.
"The dress is beautiful too." The older woman commented.
At that moment Kate looked down at herself. She was no longer in her work clothes, but wasn't wearing her wedding dress either. She looked over to the mirror on the wall and gasped. The detective recognized the dress, simple and elegant, one from photographs of a time long ago. She looked back to her mother,
"I'm wearing your wedding dress." She stated in shock. Her mom simply nodded with a smile.
"Katie, it doesn't matter what you wear. The feeling you have, that I'm standing right behind you- trust it. I'm always with you, admiring your strength and passion, proud of the person you've become, and so relieved to know you've got Rick."
"Castle." Beckett stated, "Mom, you would have loved him." She smiled, feeling warmth welling up inside her. Johanna simply nodded in agreement,
"I do love him." It was a simple statement, and one that reminded Kate once again that her mother was, in fact with her. She was reassured that Johanna Beckett had never truly left.
"It's just about time that you go back to him." Johanna stated, taking her daughter in wistfully once again. Kate nodded, turning to look at the bedroom door, somehow drawn there. Before she could respond, Beckett felt a slight tugging against her dress. She looked down to find a child, a little boy sitting there, a goofy and familiar smile on his face.
Kate took a step back, staring at him and trying to make sense of it all. The detective figured that he couldn't have been any more than a year old, with bright blue eyes and golden-brown hair that curled at the edges. The adorable boy smiled at her before he turned and reached for Johanna, who scooped him up.
Beckett looked back to her mother, confusion on her face as she waited for some sort of explanation.
"He's going to stay with me for right now, Katie; but I promise when it's time he'll come back."
Kate nodded slowly, not understanding her mother's words but once again feeling pulled to the bedroom door. She turned to look once again at her mother, a small but happy child in the woman's arms and a loving smile on her face.
"Go ahead, love. I'll always be right here."
Kate smiled and nodded, feeling a sense of comfort as she made her way to the door, pushing the handle. She turned back once more, only to find that Johanna was gone. The detective sighed wistfully, feeling more of an urge to cross into the bedroom than to question where her mother had gone.
She heard voices, the steady rhythm and beeping of machines, felt much warmer than she had in days. She tried to wrap her mind around the voices, all of them familiar. The radio? She wondered to herself. It was the only source of sound she'd had.
The next sensation she was aware of was a gentle stroking, warm and steady fingers against her hand. That's new. The thought occurred to her as the confusion set in a little more. She tried to open her eyes, but found the glaring lights to be painful. She let out a whimper with the sensation.
"Kate!" She heard her name, she recognized the voice.
"Castle." She replied, listening as the room erupted with laughter and sighs of relief. She still couldn't open her eyes. She wanted to shrink away from the laughter, to make it stop.
"Dream?" She wondered aloud, speaking to hear the sound of her own voice and afraid to hope. She'd had such difficulty distinguishing reality from her dreams as of late.
"Open your eyes, Kate. You're not dreaming. I promise." She felt his breath on her face, felt his kisses on her brow. Beckett could even feel the stubble on his chin. He needs to shave. The thought crossed her mind, having no real place in her current mindset. This was more real than before. She could smell him, feel his breath on her face. Plus, in none of her dreams had it been so bright, so painful; so hard to see.
"Bright." She finally let out, prompting another voice, one she recognized to be Martha.
"Oh, my- yes!" Moments later the lights were dimmed.
Kate tried again, opening her eyes slowly, testing the waters. Her heart sped with the anxiety of the moment, and she shut them again. She was filled with the fear that she would open them to find herself back in that room; alone once again.
"It's ok. You're safe, we've got you." His whisper came to her ear, tickling her skin slightly and reinforcing through her senses that this was not a dream. The smooth strokes of his fingers and his soft words of comfort gave her the strength and courage to finally open her eyes.
She sighed in relief, tears welling as she looked at him, raising her arm to stroke his cheek. He hadn't disappeared. She'd reached out for him in the past and he'd gone away, only to be replaced with cold emptiness. However, this time he remained- his skin firm and warm under her touch.
Soon Kate found the movement of touching his face, the reaching, to require altogether too much strength and soon she rested her arm again at her side. "You're here."
Castle laughed with joy, leaning in to kiss her lips softly. He pulled back moments later, but she would not let him go. Her fists grasped the front of his shirt as she stared at him, unwilling to look away. "You're here." She repeated. Castle smiled, moving himself around the tubes that were connected to her body and coming to rest in the bed alongside her.
"I'm here." He cradled her gently, allowing her to adjust to the feel of his body against hers. Soon she molded herself to him, attempting to closer than seemed physically possible; seeking out her anchor, her rock.
Kate didn't take notice of anyone else in the room until she was securely in his arms, wrapped up in him; safe to take on the world once again.