Saturday, December 14th
Castle calls in to the precinct early, Kate still sacked out on her stomach in their bed. From the office, he watches the measured lift and collapse of her chest and lets it ease some of the clutching panic that has stifled him in its grip since last night.
When Kate got sick, he called his mother and she agreed to keep the kids for the night. It's not that he thinks they'd get in the way, be loud or unruly. Just that Kate hates for anyone to see her sick, and she's meticulous about not letting their children see her that way.
He hates it, but she's determined to be a pillar of strength for them.
The captain offers her sympathies, tells him to make sure Beckett doesn't push herself back to work too soon. It's probably a mistake to make that promise, but he does it anyway. Even if he has to confiscate her keys and her phone and her badge, she's staying here until she can keep something in her stomach.
She stirs, and Castle hangs up quickly and shifts to sit carefully at her hip, lifting her hand to his mouth to press a kiss to her knuckles. "Hey. How are you feeling?"
"Better. Don't think I'll get sick again." She murmurs, her voice a little fissured from the vomiting. Oh God, he loves her, and it's killing him to see her like this.
His wife rolls over slowly and Castle settles a hand between her shoulder blades, lifts her slowly to lean against the headboard. He offers her the glass of water from the nightstand and she takes a slow sip, manages a smile for him. She's too warm when he brushes his fingers at her cheek, the sweat cooling at her nape more than just sleep.
But she does seem brighter, stronger already. "You wanna try and eat something?"
"Mm, dry toast?" Her eyes slip closed and she rests her head back as if her neck can't support it anymore, wiped out already. Yeah, he was definitely right to call in sick to work for her. Even if she kills him for it later.
Castle presses a closed-mouth kiss to her cheek, has to take a moment just to gather in the unspooling of his silly, tender heart. How much he loves her spilling all over the sheets. "Okay, coming right up. You want the laptop? You could watch a movie."
"Don't think I can keep my eyes open. Will you read to me?"
"Of course, yeah. Of course. You need anything else?" He says quietly, cards a hand through her hair. It's a little greasy, kinda gross, but she nuzzles into his touch and he can't bring himself to care.
Kate hums, burrows down into the sheets a little further. "No. Just you."
"You've got me, Kate. You've got me."
When her eyes open to the insistent push of the midday sun through the slats in the blinds, Kate feels a hundred times better. She managed to keep the toast down, and so now she doesn't feel as shaky with exhaustion anymore. Not exactly up to a marathon, but if she goes slow she's able to step out of bed and not feel like she's about to fall down.
In the living room, she finds her husband ensconced on the couch with his laptop cradled to his chest like it's his fourth child. Poor man was up all night with her, scraping her hair back and offering her small sips of water and soothing words of comfort.
He was wonderful. She won't wake him. Instead, Kate goes slowly through to the kitchen and tugs open the fridge door, Castle's shirt hanging heavy over the birdcage of her clavicles, her ribs. She grabs an apple and slices it up, comes back to the couch to sit at Rick's feet with her snack.
Chewing each segment slowly, Kate curls her hand around his ankle and strokes her thumb over the hard plateau of bone. The apple tastes a little off and her stomach flutters, but she keeps it down. Once she's finished, she goes to put her bowl in the dishwasher and when she comes back her husband is sitting up, rubbing at his eyes.
"Hi gorgeous. You feeling better?" He grins, stretches out a hand to take hers and reel her in to sit beside him. Kate drops her head to his shoulder and burrows into his sleepy warmth, hums contentedly.
"Yeah. I'm really hoping you called in sick for me."
Rick laughs at that, curls his arm around her back and hooks his fingers at her hipbone. His thumb circles her skin and she trembles, doesn't quite know whether it's hunger or. . .hunger. "I did, yeah."
"What'd she say?"
"To extend her deepest sympathies to you. And that she hopes to see you fit and well on Monday." He says, kisses the skin just behind her ear and she groans, struggles to put a little distance between them.
"Don't, I feel disgusting. Will you go get the kids while I shower?" She peels herself up off of the couch, has to drop a palm to the arm of the chair so she doesn't fall to her knees. Okay, so she still has to take things slowly.
Castle sees but he doesn't comment, lets her have her moment of tremulous weakness. "Sure. Family movie night on the couch?"
"Sounds good. And also, Rick, could I maybe have some chicken soup or something?" Her stomach is clawing at her insides now, in revolt after the thorough emptying of it she did last night.
Her husband stands up and draws her in for a hug, kisses her cheek carefully. "Of course. I'll see if we have some, and if not I'll pick some up on my way back with the kids. You okay to shower?"
"Are you asking if I need help getting naked, Mr Castle?" She quirks an eyebrow at him, earns herself a bubbling laugh.
There's less of that paralytic fear at the back of his eyes now. She knows it scares him probably more than anything else to see her hurting, see her weak, and so now she tries to give him everything she can as reassurance. "I guess I am."
"I think I'm okay for now. But Castle, later? Definitely." Kate leaves him on that thought, disappearing back into the bathroom without a backwards glance. Mm, yes, once she has her strength back-
Well. She owes him, doesn't she?
The kids are quiet almost to the point of sombre when Kate comes back from the shower, dressed in jeans and a soft sweater and her hair slowly drying in a loose braid. She feels more like a human being now, more like Detective Beckett, and so when the kids catch sight of her she opens her arms to them both.
"Hi guys. Did you have fun at Gram's?"
Bea giggles into Kate's neck, clinging tight to her mother's neck. "We sanged songs and also Gram showed us a movie that she was in a long long long time ago. Gram was so pretty like you, Mommy."
"I know, I've seen lots of Gram's movies. She was lovely wasn't she?" Kate says on a laugh, nuzzling her daughter's cheek. There was a moment of trepidation, but she figures there's no harm in it. If Bea's going to get sick, it's too late to do anything about it now.
Allowing her children to lead her over to the couch, Kate curls up in the corner and delights in the weight of them both against her. The dog jumps up onto the couch as well, rests his head at her feet, and Kate twists to look behind her to the kitchen.
At the stove, Castle is busy stirring something she really hopes to be her soup. Her mouth is dry, her body still shaky and craving nourishment, and it's still a battle to keep her eyes open. "Are you guys hungry?"
"Gram made waffles for breakfast with fruit and syrup. I'm sooo full." Bea writhes around on top of her mother and Kate huffs a breath, wraps her arms a little tighter around the girl to try and keep her still.
"Jackson?"
"I'm full too." Her son says, his voice muffled where he has his face pressed against her shoulder.
Castle comes back with her soup and gestures for the kids to get off of her, handing her the mug and gathering Jack and Bea in against his own chest instead. "Give Mommy a little space, guys. Let her have her soup."
Beckett sips slowly at the liquid, closes her eyes at the initial hum of warmth in her throat. It feels as if the broth curls its way into her extremities, drenching her in lovely heat so the last flickers of tension unlace themselves from around her spine.
"Mm, that's good. Thank you." Kate braves a bigger sip, delighted to find that the only jump of her stomach is one of gratitude.
"No problem. Love you, Mrs Castle." Castle murmurs, poking sock-clad toes against her thigh. She laughs into the rim of her mug, offers him a tender smile.
Yeah, he does love her. Of course she's always known, but sometimes it still does take her by surprise just how much of himself he pours into their family. "Love you too."
"Oh, Kate, before I forget, did Alexis ever ask you to go dress shopping with her?"
Huh? "No, why?"
"She mentioned that she needed a dress for a Christmas party and I said that you do to. Precinct party's on Friday, right?"
"Yeah. You coming with me?"
"Of course. But anyway. I talked her into you two going dress shopping together and she seemed pretty keen, but I guess not." He shrugs, dances his fingers up their daughter's stomach absent-mindedly until she squirms with laughter.
Kate narrows her eyes, frowns at her husband. "Castle, you don't think she's. . .scared of me, do you?"
"I think she's a little in awe of you, Kate. Especially when it comes to things like this. So maybe you could make the first move instead?" He offers. She'd love to kiss him, right now, but the kids are piled on his chest and she still has the mug of soup cradled in both hands and it's just not practical.
"I'll call her later today, then. Sure. It'd be nice to have company, and Lanie's always so busy."
"You know I'd be happy to join you." Her husband leers at her, gets a chorus of groans from both of their children. Kate laughs, shakes her head at him but says nothing. She'd like him to join her, too. She'd just rather not be arrested for public indecency.
"Alright kids, Mommy wants to watch movies. Choose one each, okay?" He tips them unceremoniously off of his lap and they scurry towards the office, hand in hand. Once they're out of earshot, Castle moves down the couch and draws Kate in against his side, kisses her mouth.
It feels like forever since he's done so and she lifts into his touch, hums against his lips and brings a hand up to toy with the soft hair at his nape. "Hi. Missed you."
"Hey, beautiful. I'm so glad you're feeling better."
Kate casts a pointed glance towards his crotch and lifts an eyebrow, presses her mouth into a seam. "I just bet you are."
"That's not what I- Kate, no."
"I know, I know, just teasing." She hurries to console him, presses her mouth against his again. "You've been so good to me."
"You were sick, I'm your husband. It's my job."
"Not. . .not just yesterday, Rick. Always, long before I came anywhere close to deserving it." The grief clutches at her ribs and she struggles not to choke, closes her eyes as her forehead crashes against his shoulder.
He must see it, because he smoothes his hand over her hair and hushes her gently. "Come on now, Kate. Hey, shh. You've always been worth it. Don't get maudlin, come on sweetheart. Movie night with the kids."
"Right, I know. Just- I love you, Castle." She shrugs, their kids coming back before he gets a chance to return the sentiment. But it doesn't matter, because the warm bodies curling up close to hers are testament enough to how much he loves her, too.