DISCLAIMERS: I don't own anything.

SUMMARY: Everybody waits anxiously after Kate is rescued from Tyson and Nieman.

Shadows in the Darkness

Chapter 12: Waiting for Answers

The afternoon of Kate's rescue

Castle climbed into the back of the ambulance where one of the EMT's was still attending to Kate. "Can I touch her?" He asked anxiously.

"Of course. Just try not to get in my way." The EMT took out a pen light and used it to look at Kate's pupils. Castle startled when she moaned and batted at the light. "Kate? Can you hear me?" The EMT shouted at her. "Her pupils are dilated. They'll do a blood draw at the hospital to see what she's been given. I'm going to start an IV to get her rehydrated."

"What are these marks?" Castle took note of the ugly red marks on her wrists.

"They look like burns. She has them on her ankles, also."

"What in the hell did they do to you, Kate?" Castle whispered, bringing her fingers up to his lips and gently kissing them. "Please wake up and talk to me."

Kate could hear Rick talking, but it was too much effort to open her eyes, as much as she wanted to. She wanted to look at him, touch him, kiss him, and have him hold her. But her eyes were so heavy.

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the EMT's raced inside to a trauma room leaving Castle waiting helplessly on the other side. Moments later, he was joined by Ryan and Esposito. "Did she wake up?" Espo asked as Castle shook his head.

"The paramedic said it looks like she was drugged. They also burned her with something. She has marks on her wrists and ankles," Castle's voice choked as he felt Ryan put a calming hand on his shoulder. "I should call her dad and my mother. I'll be right back."

Inside of the trauma room, Kate's filthy clothes had been cut from her body and one of the nurses cleaned her up before dressing her in a hospital gown. "Okay, people," the doctor began barking orders. "Let's get a tox screen, urinalysis, and a CT scan." He then took out a light and shined it in Kate's eyes, getting the same reaction that the EMT had gotten earlier when she groaned and tried to slap the light away. "Her pupils are dilated and reactive. Mrs. Castle, can you hear me? Kate? You're at New York Pres and you're safe now. Can you hear me?" He repeated.

"Stop," she mumbled, shaking her head from side to side.

"Kate, I need for you to wake up so I can ask you some questions."

"No. Stop."

"We're going to start some additional IV fluids. Hopefully you'll start feeling better in no time. We're going to run some tests to determine what you've been given. Right now, I'm going to go out and talk to your husband."

Kate didn't care where the doctor went so long as he shut up while he did it. When the doctor stepped out of the trauma room, he approached Ryan and Esposito. "Is one of you gentlemen Mr. Castle?"

"No, Mr. Castle's down the hall on his phone," Ryan pointed.

"Thank you," the doctor strode down the hallway just as Castle ended his phone call. "Mr. Castle? I'm Dr. Carson."

"How's Kate?"

"We're going to run some tests to determine what drugs she was given. I also want to do a CT scan to see if she suffered any other injuries. She's responsive to stimuli, but she's somewhat sluggish and combative. This is probably due to whatever they gave her. We've started IV's to try to flush the narcotics out of her system and to rehydrate her. We should be moving her to a room soon and then you can be with her."

"Thank you."

He walked back over to join Ryan and Esposito just as Capt. Gates entered the hospital. "Mr. Castle, how is Det. Beckett?"

"They're still running some tests, but the doctor is fairly positive that she was heavily drugged. They just don't know with what."

"What is the doctor's name?" She asked.

"Uh, Carson."

The captain stopped a nurse that was walking by and flashed her badge at her. "I'm Capt. Gates. I need to speak to Dr. Carson immediately."

"Yes, ma'am," the nurse walked into the trauma room.

Dr. Carson stepped out a moment later, appearing extremely irritated by the interruption. "Are you Dr. Carson?" Capt. Gates stepped up to the doctor. "I'm Capt. Victoria Gates. Det. Kate Beckett is under my command. I want our lab to run the toxicology tests."

"Capt. Gates, I can assure you that this hospital's lab is one of the best in the city."

"As well as extremely backlogged. I can put a priority on the labs so that we can find out what Det. Beckett has been drugged with."

"Very well. I'll have the blood tests sent to the police lab," he sighed.

"When you have the blood work ready, my detectives here will take them to the OCME lab," Capt. Gates looked at Ryan and Esposito.

"Of course. It'll be ready in just a few minutes," he turned and went back into the trauma room.

A few minutes later, a nurse came out of the trauma room carrying three vials of blood, which she handed to Ryan. "Get those to Dr. Parish," Capt. Gates ordered them.

"Yes, sir. Castle, keep us posted, bro," Espo told their friend.

"I will."

It was several minutes later when orderlies came out of the trauma room, wheeling Kate between them on a gurney. "We're moving her upstairs," Dr. Carson informed Castle. "You can follow us up."

"Thank you," Castle fell into step behind the gurney as they rolled it toward the elevator.

They took the elevator up to the sixth floor and down the hall to Room 621. Once inside, the orderlies transferred Kate from the gurney to the hard, narrow hospital bed. They made sure that her IV's were okay before they left the room. "I'll check on her as often as I can. Hopefully the IV's can be removed by this evening."

"Thank you," Castle pulled a chair over beside the bed and took Kate's hand in his.

"I'll come back when I get the results of the CT scan."

"Thank you, doctor." He reached up and brushed Kate's hair from her face. After watching him for a couple of minutes, the doctor finally stepped out. "I thought that he was never going to leave. Kate, please wake up. You're safe now."

Her eyes felt like they were glued shut. But just hearing Castle's voice reminded her of home. Those late nights when she'd come home late to find him in his office writing. He'd pull her onto his lap while they regaled each other with tales of the other's day. Or the early mornings when he'd whisper sweet things to her before she got up for work. She fought to open up her eyes and look at him. She had to gaze into his eyes. She just had to.

Castle was still holding her hand, stroking it when he saw her eyelids flutter. "Kate?" Her eyes slowly opened as he smiled. "Hey," he whispered softly.

"Tired," her voice was slurred.

"I know. But you're safe now."

"So tired, Castle," she was fighting to keep her eyes opened.

"Sleep, Kate. I'll be here when you wake up."

"'Kay," her eyes fully closed and she fell deep asleep once again.

Castle continued holding her hand up to his lips, brushing them against her fingers while he watched her sleep. She'd have several minutes where she'd sleep soundly, followed by moments when it was obvious that her sleep was being interrupted by horrible nightmares. During the nightmares, she'd cry out and lash out with her hands and feet.

Castle was in the midst of calming her during one of her restless periods when he heard a light tap on the door. Seconds later, the door opened and Alexis tentatively entered the room, carrying a small suitcase. "Dad, how is she?"

"She's going to be okay. Thank you for bringing her some clothes."

"You're welcome. Kate's dad is right outside. He rode up in the elevator with me."

"Thank you, sweetie," he stood up and kissed her on top of her head. "Can you sit with Kate while I go and talk to Jim?"

"Yeah," Alexis readily agreed.

"She's having a lot of nightmares. If she wakes up and asks for me, tell her I'll be right back."

"Okay," Alexis sat down in her father's chair.

Castle stepped outside where he found Jim Beckett leaning against the wall. "Rick, how is Katie?"

"She's stable," he replied. "They drugged her with something, but we don't know what they gave her."

"Can I see her?"

"Yeah, of course. Alexis is in there right now, but I know that Kate will definitely be glad that you're there with her."

Castle walked back into the room followed by Jim. Jim felt his heart break at the sight of his daughter appearing so pale in that hospital bed. "Did they hurt her?" He fought to keep his voice steady.

"She has marks on the insides of her wrists and ankles. The doctor thinks they're burns of some kind," Castle explained. "Alexis and I are going to go and get some coffee."

"All right," Jim sat down and picked up Kate's limp hand.

"We'll be back in 15 or 20 minutes."

"Take your time." Jim waited until Rick and Alexis had left the room before he focused his attention on his daughter. "Oh, Katie," he sighed softly.

Kate's eyes fluttered opened and she smiled when she saw her dad sitting at her bedside. "Hi, dad."

"Hey, Bug," he called her by her nickname.

"Where's Castle?"

"He went to get some coffee. Do you want me to call him?"

"No. How's your day been?" She joked.

"Better than yours from the look of things," he teased back. "Do you need anything?"

"Yeah, some water would be great. I'm really thirsty."

Jim turned behind him and poured some water into a plastic cup and inserted a straw before placing the straw to Kate's lips. "Here you go."

Suddenly Kate's eyes got huge in her face and she slapped the cup from her father's hand, sending water flying into an arc all over the bed and the cup clattering to the floor. "No! It's drugged!"

"Katie—" Jim was helpless as to what to do.

"You're trying to drug me!" She kept screaming as Jim reached down and rang the button for the nurse.

In less than a minute a nurse came running into the room while Kate continued to insist that her father was trying to drug her. "Kate, nobody is drugging you," the nurse looked Kate right in the eyes.

"There's something . . . in the . . . water," Kate pointed at her sheets, which were splattered with the spilled water.

"Kate, how about if I get you a fresh bottle of water? One that's still sealed so that nobody can tamper with it. I'll go get it and bring it to you."

"No cups," she insisted.

"No cups. I'll go and get the water right now," the nurse turned to Jim, who was standing in dumbfounded silence. "Her behavior is due to whatever she was given. I'll be right back."

"Why were you trying to drug me?" Kate accused her father, her eyes bright.

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again," he couldn't think of anything else to say to her that would placate her.

Castle and Alexis had just stepped off of the elevator when the nurse walked past them with a bottle of water. "Mr. Castle," she stopped in front of Castle. "I was about to take this in to Kate. She got very upset when she thought her water had been dosed. Assure her that this bottle is still sealed and hasn't been tampered with."

"Okay," he sighed. "Thank you."

"I've also paged Dr. Carson. He should be down shortly."

Castle walked into Kate's room with Alexis right behind him. He could see how distressed Jim was. "Castle, where were you? My own father was trying to drug me! My own father!"

"Kate, no one was trying to drug you. I brought you a bottle of water. It hasn't been opened," he tentatively held the bottle toward her.

Kate took the bottle, examining it carefully before she opened it and took a few swallows. "Here," she offered the bottle back to Rick. "Hold onto it and don't let anyone else touch it."

"Okay."

"I'm so tired."

"Do you want me to stay until you go to sleep?" Castle asked as she nodded.

"Come on, Jim," Alexis put her hand on the older man's arm. "Kate's doctor should be on his way. We can wait for him."

"I'll be back in a little while, Katie," Jim softly kissed Kate on her forehead.

"I want to go home, Castle," she hissed after her father and Alexis vacated the room.

"Soon. They just want to keep an eye on you for a while."

"I can't believe that my own father was trying to drug me!"

Castle was about to say something when the door opened and Dr. Carson stepped in. "Mr. Castle, do you mind if I speak to Kate alone for a few minutes?"

"I'll be right outside," he pressed his lips to her forehead before leaving the room.

"I'll send a nurse in to change your bed and help you into some dry clothes in just a second. I wanted to ask you something first," the doctor sat in Castle's chair. "Did you start to feel strange after you were given water?"

"I kept seeing things," she wiped away tears. "Demons came out of the walls. I didn't want to drink anything that she gave me."

"Kate, you're safe here. The only medications that you're being given are in your IV's and I'll be removing those in a few hours. Nobody is trying to drug you, especially not the people who love you."

"I can't help feeling this way."

"I know. You're going to feel better in a few days as soon as the drugs are flushed from your system."

"I'm so tired and I want to go home," she threw her head back on her pillow and sighed.

"Hopefully you can go home tomorrow. I'm going to go talk to your family and then I'll send your husband back in. Try to get some rest."

Castle, Jim, and Alexis were standing against the wall across from Kate's room when the doctor came out. "I haven't received the results of the tox screen back yet, but there are a lot of drugs that cause paranoia. Please try not to take it personally. Kate's going to be her normal self in no time. Mr. Castle, can we have a few words privately?"

"Of course," Castle followed Dr. Carson down the hall. "Is there something wrong?"

"Kate's CT scan was negative, but there is a lot of bruising on her body, including some bruising on the insides of her thighs."

"Was Kate raped?"

"No. I did a rape kit and it came back negative for fluids and trauma. I'm pretty sure these people did a number on her both physically and mentally."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they did, too."

"She's been asking to go home. As it stands now, I'll probably be releasing her sometime tomorrow."

"I'm sure that made her happy," he smiled.

"Yeah, it did."

"Can I go back in to her now?"

"Yes. I'll check on her again in a few hours and hopefully I can remove the IV's."

When he went back into the room, Kate was once again asleep. He sat down and placed the water bottle on the table by the bed. He rested his chin on his fingers, leaning on the edge of her bed while he watched her restlessly sleep, her arms and legs constantly moving. He hoped that she'd eventually find peace from the demons that were tormenting her.

***CCC***

It was dark when Kate once again opened her eyes, the only light coming from a lamp that was burning beside her bed. She was confused when she realized that she was no longer strapped down. Then she looked to her right and saw Castle slumped in a chair beside her bed, his head at an awkward angle. Her left hand throbbed. She looked at it and saw a band-aid on the back of her hand.

"Rick?" Her voice was hoarse. "Castle?"

Castle jerked awake when he heard his name being called. He smiled when he saw that Kate was awake again. "Hey," he sat up. "What do you need?"

"How long have I been here?"

"Since earlier this afternoon." He was confused. She didn't remember being awake and talking to him throughout the day? She didn't remember accusing her father of trying to drug her?

"You came to get me?"

"Baby, I will always come to get you," his eyes misted over.

"Where are they? Where are Tyson and Nieman?"

"They're upstairs in a locked ward. Kate, you need to rest. I promise that I will explain everything to you in the morning when we've both had some sleep."

"I kept seeing you, Rick. I'd open my eyes and I'd see you."

"You were awake a few times today, but you weren't really coherent. Nieman drugged you, Kate. Lanie's still waiting for tox results, but we think you were given a whole pharmacy line full of drugs."

"You really came to get me?" She reached out and touched his face with her fingers.

"I searched heaven and earth to find you," his voice was soft. "I wouldn't have stopped searching until I found you. Just like you did when I was missing. I love you, Kate."

"When can I go home? Do I have to stay?"

"The doctor is probably going to release you tomorrow." He stood up and toed off his shoes before climbing into bed beside Kate, who melted into him.

"Don't let go of me, Rick," she whispered sleepily against his chest.

"I'm never going to let you go again. I promise," he whispered the vow into her hair.

"I thought I was never going to see you again," she nuzzled her nose into his neck before drifting back to sleep, her hand resting lightly on Castle's chest.

Holding her against his chest, Castle closed his eyes tightly as he felt tears fall down his face. Kate had voiced the fear that he'd been feeling for the past two and a half days. That fear that he was never going to see her again.

A/N #1: Sorry that it took so long to get this out. I'm still battling whatever it is I've been battling for the last four weeks.

A/N #2: I figure maybe one more chapter and the epilogue are left.

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