Thank you all for following this story from the beginning. I really appreciate all of you making my first story such a success.

I WON'T BE ABLE TO UPDATE FOR THE NEXT 3 DAYS. I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE.

I don't own them, really.

After delivering the news to Kate about her pregnancy, Lanie hung up the phone and packed her bag to go back home. When she got there, Javier was not home yet. Lanie walked into the bathroom and grabbed the sleeping pills out of the cabinet. She hadn't been sleeping well lately and the pills were the only way she could fall asleep. Lanie hadn't seen Javier for a few days, they had gone for almost a week without seeing each other. Javier would work late nights and go to work early, Lanie had an opposite schedule. Throughout their years of 'secretly' dating, they came accustom to this schedule. It was hard at first but they both knew that their jobs were too important to quit. Lanie got the call from Gates three days later.

"Hello?" Lanie asked into the phone.

"Dr. Parish, it's Gates. You need to come into the precinct as soon as possible. I have some news."

"What? What's going on?"

"Is there anyway you could come in?"

"Yeah. Right now?"

"Yes. I'll see you soon."

Lanie rushed to the precinct. Kate wasn't answering her phone, neither was Esposito, Ryan or Castle. She had a feeling that something bad was happening.

After parking her car, Lanie stormed into Gate's office.

"What happened?" Lanie said, shutting the door behind her.

"Please, sit."

Lanie sat down and Gates started to talk. "Maddox is back in town. Two days ago, Detectives Ryan and Esposito went out to find a possible lead on Maddox. When they got to his car, they were kidnapp-"

"THEY WERE WHAT?" Lanie yelled.

"I know this is hard to hear, but were doing everything we can to find them. CSU covered the area and detectives are checking traffic cameras now." Gates said. "We'll find them, Lanie."

Gates continued on and explained everything that had currently happened with this investigation. Gates had called Lanie almost everyday updating her on leads they had found, the prints they discovered and what had happened at Martin Jackson's house.

She tried calling Kate, repetitively, but she wasn't answering. She had been franticly pacing the lab everyday at work since Gates told her the news.

Lanie was just getting ready to leave the lab when Gates burst in the door.

"They found them." Was all she could get out before the medical examiner was sprinting towards her with her arms wide open. Lanie engulfed Gates in a hug and they both left the lab to go to the hospital.

When they got there, Lanie was able to go into Esposito's room. When she walked in, he was asleep. She saw the deep cuts on his wrists that were now bandaged. He was pale and it looked like he hadn't had anything to eat or drink in days. She grabbed the chair in the corner of the room and pushed it right next to his bed. When she sat down, she grabbed his hand and tears started falling down her face like small waterfalls.

Two hours later, Javier finally woke up.

"Hey." He said to Lanie. She had nodded off and was resting her head on the bed.

She sprung awake when she heard him talk. She didn't respond to him, she hugged him instead.

"Have you heard anything on Ryan?" Esposito asked a few minutes later.

"He lost a lot of blood, but they stopped the bleeding and he has a broken wrist. He has to stay here for a while but he will be discharged within the next week." Lanie answered. "And, if you ever go and get yourself kidnapped again, I will personally come find you and kill you."

"Believe me, I do not plan on doing any of this again." He answered after laughing.

They fell into comfortable conversation. Talking about what happened, how they both felt and how much they missed each other. Lanie stepped out of the room to get dinner and to check on Ryan. When she got to his room, he was asleep and Jenny was sitting in the chair next to his bed, just like Lanie had been doing in Esposito's room. The two women hugged and chatted for a few minutes. When Ryan began to stir, Lanie excused herself from the room and went down the street to pick up their food. When she returned to the room, Javier looked scared.

"What's wrong?" Lanie asked, setting the bag down on the table.

"Have you talked to Beckett lately?"

"I haven't talked to her in a while, she's been in the Hamptons with Castle."

"She's not in the Hamptons now…"

"What do you mean?"

"She was there, she was the one who saved us."

"She did what?"

"How is she?"

"Fine, I'm assuming?" Lanie asked, confused on where this conversation was going.

"Has any doctor talked to you about her?"

"Why would a doctor be talking to me?"

"She was...shot. Castle tried to push her out of the way but he was too late."

Lanie didn't answer Esposito, instead she turned around and almost ran to the Nurse's station. When she asked about Beckett, the nurse told her that she was in surgery. Lanie asked for her room number and went to find Castle.

She went back to Esposito's room and found Gates talking to him. Lanie told them what the nurse had just told her and that she was going to talk to Castle. Gates said that she was going to talk to Ryan and that she would be back soon.

After wondering around the hospital, Lanie finally found room 202. She walked in and found Castle pacing back and forth in the small white room.

"What happened?" Lanie asked Castle.

"Maddox shot her. I tried to save her, but I was too late."

"Where was she shot? How many times?"

"I only heard one shot fired, and I think it was to her upper leg. But I don't know. There was just so much blood everywhere. I was just too late." Castle explained.

Lanie could tell that Castle was getting choked up.

"Castle." She said, walking over to hug him. "It's not you're fault. You can't blame yourself for this. You have to be strong, for Kate." She felt him hug her back, even though they never hug each other, this lingering hug wasn't awkward at all. "She'll be fine, Castle. Kate is the strongest person I know."

A few minutes later, a doctor walked in.

"Mr. Castle?"

"Yes."

"We have removed the bullet out of Detective Beckett's hip. It was a clean shot, but she lost a lot of blood. She is coming out of surgery now and will be back in this room within the hour. "

"What about the baby?" Lanie asked, almost reading Castle's mind.

"The baby will be fine, and so will she."

"Thank you doctor." Castle said.

"If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask." the doctor said, turning around and walking out of the room.

"So, now that we know she's going to be okay, how do you feel about...this?" Lanie asked.

"'This' being?"

"Marriage, baby, the whole nine yards."

"Honestly, I've never been happier. Well, except for this whole thing." They both laughed, soon realizing it was the first time they had smiled since they found out Ryan and Esposito were kidnapped.

"How is she taking it?"

"I think she's truly happy. We haven't really had a 'real' baby talk yet, mostly because of..you know..this, but when we have talked about it, she was happy." Castle said with a smile across his face. "When should we be expecting a Lanie/Esposito baby?"

"Don't be putting any money in a precinct pool." Lanie said, laughing. "It wont be for a while."

"That is what we all think."

"Shut up, Castle. How are Alexis and your mom talking all of this?"

"Well.." Rick said, thinking about his answer. "They don't know yet."

"Waiting for a perfect moment?"

"Any moment actually, I haven't seen them since before we went to the Hamptons. Alexis is back at school and my mother has been doing crazy rehearsals for her new play."

Before they could talk anymore, Kate was rolled back into the room. Lanie quickly got up, said goodbye to Castle and walked out the door. Leaving Castle to his thoughts and an unconscious Kate.

Reviews are greatly appreciated :)