Once again I would like to apologize for the lateness. I actually had this written awhile ago but I hadn't had any internet where I was so I couldn't post it! Then when I got home I got really sick and couldn't yeah…. Also sorry for the cliff-hanger last time, yeah I know that was mean lol.

Chapter 14

Kate Beckett was trembling. Nex's proclamation had shaken her and she desperately wanted, no she needed, to see Castle. To reassure herself that he was alright. She dashed down the aisles as soon as the judge announced the session to be in recess. Pushing past the crowd, shoving people aside, a little harder than she probably should have, she finally found Ryan and Esposito.

"Hey guys," she started but her voice died when she saw their expressions. They were the same ones they were wearing when Castle first had gotten shot. Her breath caught in her throat. Without a word Ryan passed over her cell phone that she had given them beforehand, not wanting it to go off during court. Dread filled her soul as with numb fingers she opened up the cell phone.

She had 7 missed calls.

She had 15 text messages.

The latest one from Alexis read:

Kate, please I need you here. Daddy might not make it.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Alexis paced back and forth an occasional sob bursting from her lips. One hour since the doctors had carting him away and they still all had faces of shock and worry. Despite the reassurances, she knew that even the doctors were scared and unsure.

As Alexis paced she tried to fight back the tsunami. She just couldn't believe that her dad's life was threatened again. Anger boiled within her. Why couldn't they just leave him be! Why did it have to be her dad! He was best, most caring, and most gentle, person she ever knew…he did not deserve this.

"Yo Alexis!" her name rang out and she glanced up in relief to see someone she knew. Finally she could share her grief and anger with another person. Even though Alexis did not know him that well she found herself a moment later, hugging him tight and drenching his nice shirt in tears.

Taken aback, Esposito stumbled slightly while she embraced him. "Whoa…" he exclaimed, surprised, as she buried her head even farther into his chest.

"Why, detective, why? Why dad?" she whimpered.

Esposito gulped back a knot forming stiffly in his throat. He wanted to assure her, to tell her that everything would be alright, and to tell her that it was for some purpose. But that wasn't how he felt, so he spoke what he was thinking.

"I don't know Alexis. I don't know."

She nodded, pursing her lips, grateful for his honest answer. However she wasn't ready to let go of him yet. She had always respected the two male detectives that her father had looked up to and admired greatly. In the last week that had been amazingly supportive and she had begun to think of them as protective older brothers.

While Alexis continued to weep softly into Esposito's chest he tightened his hold on the unstable teenager and sat together on the couch as Ryan advanced towards the pair.

"Hey Javi, Lex, what happened?" he asked not even blinking at the unusual sight of them. So much had changed in a few days.

Alexis sniffled and wiped her watering eyes with the edge of her long jacket sleeve. "I…I don't know Ryan. One minute he was fine. He was stressing about Kate being at Nex's hearing…so I called the nurse and he gave him some medicine…after that he said he couldn't breath. Then he began to shake and blood came out of his mouth. The doctors ordered me out and they carted him off to the E.R," she informed slowly becoming stronger and more the tough mature teenage Alexis they knew and loved.

Esposito sighed. "They haven't let us know anything else bro."

Ryan grinned maliciously and shook a small object in his hands. "That's what badges are for!" he smirked and stalked off and began discussing with the nearest nurse, making sure to pull out his small notepad.

Rolling his eyes Esposito gave Alexis a small squeeze. "See it'll be alright kid."

She simply nodded in response.

Quietness settled over them. It was not exactly a peaceful quiet but it was quietness none-the-less.

"Where's Kate?" she mumbled questioningly.

Frowningly slightly he murmured distractedly, "Either at the Court House or with Captain. After what Nex said and what happened to Castle I don't think he's letting Beckett out of his sight…" he ceased talking as he realized sheepishly too late that she probably didn't need to know that.

Weakly she lifted her head off his chest from the couch's worn surface. "What did Nex say?" she asked not really wanting to know the answer.

"It doesn't matter," he replied nervously.

Ryan strode back across the hall then, his features distorted in anger. "That low life, scoundrel, worthless, son of a-"

Esposito quickly covered Alexis's ears, which she merely swatted away. "What?" she demanded as he approached closer.

More hesitant now, Ryan cleared his throat. "Apparently one of the nurses wasn't really a nurse. No cameras caught the scumbag's face, but on his way out someone got suspicious and asked for his id. He punched the dude in the face and got away without a trace. But anyways, he injected a very rare poison into Castle's I.V. that affects tissue in weird ways. First manifesting itself in the throat causing it to close up first and then begins to eat away at its own tissue. It moves its way along, until it reaches some vital organ or the victim dies from lack of air. The doctors luckily were able to open up his throat and clear the blood long enough until someone identified the poison and administered the antidote. Most hospitals don't carry the antidote, but thank heavens this one had recently become aware of a large shipment of the poison coming in illegally from Brazil and decided to be prepared."

"So…is he gonna be okay?" Alexis pleaded ocean eyes wide.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. He is a very lucky guy. No wonder he always won at poker."

Esposito snorted but his tense body relaxed in relief as Alexis's did the same. However now that she knew he was going to survive, loathing seeped into Alexis.

"But how can someone just come into the hospital and do this! It's not right! They should have had better security or something!"" she screeched outraged.

"Hey, Lex, we both agree!" Ryan urged taking the other spot next to her and gripping her hands. "From now on there will be police guarding him every second. Now one will go near your dad from now on. Especially after what Nex announced… at the…" Ryan raised an eyebrow in befuddlement at Esposito as he was making a wild hand gesture that Ryan did not interpret soon enough. "Court...house…" he finished still staring at Esposito curiously.

Furiously Esposito immediately ceased his "no, STOP TALKING" hand motions as Alexis sat up and glanced quickly between them both. "Okay guys," she spoke sternly, "What's up?"

"Nothing," they answered in unison, Ryan finally getting that Alexis did not know about Kate and Rick's pronounced time clock on their lives.

But before Alexis could get a quick-witted word out that would have surely disarmed the detectives into releasing the information that she wanted to know, there was suddenly no need as the hospital's television was broadcasting the very same court hearing just as Nex was being taken away.

"Oh. That's. Just. Perfect," said Alexis indistinctly through her fingers as she hung her head, her fiery hair closing around her features, like a curtain on a stage.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

So far Kate Beckett had tried every way imaginable to get out of her current state as what she saw as nothing short of being in prison. Unfortunately for her no desperate plea, no irate threat, no sly slippery utterance, would budge Captain Montgomery. He insisted in guarded isolation, in a secret place, that she had to be dragged to in complete blindness, for her so called protection.

Kate thought he knew better than that. If she had a weapon, nothing could get to her. At least that's what she had thought until last Thursday. Of course she hadn't had a weapon at that exact moment, but she had a weapon earlier that if only she had somehow managed to hang on to, then her life wouldn't have been put in danger, and Castle wouldn't have felt the need to risk his own…

STOP IT! She bellowed at herself reproaching. It wasn't your fault!

And yet…

She growled furiously placing her light fingertips at the edges of her forehead and began to create small circles. She felt the beginnings of a migraine begin to creep up on her. But she counseled herself to breathe deeply and remain calm. Everything would turn out alright soon. Montgomery had at least promised she could see Castle in about an hour, after things got settled. And Esposito and Ryan had left for the hospital with assurances the situation was probably nothing and that Castle was fine, and if not, they would be there to straighten it all out.

So there was nothing to worry about, she tried to convince herself calmly.

Nothing to worry about.

That was until she heard the gunshots.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~

Castle had almost drowned once. He was five and his mother was with some boyfriend in the front room. He remembered being angry. Today was supposed to be his day alone with her. They were supposed to have gone swimming in the lake by their summer house. Mother was going to teach him how to swim that day.

But when he came down, dressed in swimsuit garb, and overly covered with every floaty device possible, he had seen his mother, locking lips with an extravagant man in a worn tux. Fuming at the ignorance of his mother, Castle had run out of the house, shedding small crystal tears at having his usual special moment with his mother stolen by a stranger.

Anger still clouding his thoughts he arrived at the muddy, murky lake, and started viciously ripping off the plastic, cartoon printed floating devices, and tossing them furiously into the pebbled shore. Crushing them underfoot he threw himself into the water.

At first it was bliss. The water enveloped him in cool embrace, cutting off the sharp hot glow of the sun. However then he began to struggle. Which way was up? His lungs began to scream and unknowingly he opened his mouth in shock, letting the liquid rush into his body, burning everything. Panic encased him and his limbs had flailed, the need for air becoming unbearable. He broke the surface but still he couldn't seem to work his mouth. All he could feel and see was water.

Fortunately a man had been strolling past walking his yellow Labrador and seen the struggling child and rescued him, administering C.P.R.

Castle felt now like he had then. He couldn't breath and his brain screamed for oxygen.

It was given, thankfully and Castle gulped it in, never feeling like it would be enough again. Clarity and sanity returned and as soon as the function was restored he opened his mouth to ask for his daughter.

He didn't hear anything. He tried again and this time felt the pain shoot through his throat and he hissed in pain, which only made it burn more. He felt like he had been drinking acid.

"Mr. Castle. Please don't try to talk. It'll only make it worse. Please drink this," the soothing voice instructed, tipping something onto his cracked lips.

Obeying, Castle drank and immediately regretted it, as it only lit his throat and esophagus on fire.

"Don't worry Mr. Castle, I promise it helps. You were poisoned. This will help repair the damage," the consoling voice continued.

Letting out a long breath, he winced. He wondered at what happened and somehow knew that something dramatic must have happened. Either at the Court House or somewhere else but he knew.

This was too easy and quick of a death for him, he pondered. It was a hint of what was coming. It was a warning and a threat. It was a tease, a test to see if they could get to him.

Call it intuition or enlightened thought or whatever you want but he somehow had a feeling of what was about to come, and he knew that he and Kate's lives were know ticking down on some imaginary clock.

Hey everyone! Remember at like around chapter seven when I thought I was almost done? Ha-ha well here I am, seven chapters more and I'm still not done! Wow I guess I'm kind of getting carried away…But who cares? I'm having fun! Lol

Oh and sorry about the poison thing. I didn't have the patience to actually look up a real poison and be all factual. So I just made something up…but now that I read it doesn't really make sense…eh, I don't care. It's 4 am and I really need some sleep. That's my excuse for its awfulness!

Anywho! Thanks for all the reviews AGAIN! I am so flattered, it's such a boost to my self-esteem, thanks you all!

But hey along with grateful, I'm also greedy. These reviews are awesome and insightful and I WANT MORE!

*Big puppy eyes*

Please?