Ok, I guess the writer's block has passed
To baterista9, you're welcome, I think….
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Kate sat straight up in bed, heart racing she looked at the clock. It was just before five and the world was still dark. She was sure something had yanked her from sleep. She glanced over at Castle and placed her hand on his chest. His breathing was steady and even. He even snored slightly with every breath. She was sure she had heard something. She climbed out of bed and grabbed a robe from the closet before exiting the room. Once in the living room nothing seemed out of place. She began to wonder if her mind had been playing tricks on her, but she decided to finish her sweep; it was a cop thing. As she climbed the stairs she caught sight of something in the hall. She screamed louder then she had ever screamed in her life; she needed him to hear her.
"Riiiiick!"
She almost fell up the last few risers in her panic to get to Alexis who was lying unconscious on the floor. She had to hold back the vomit in her throat as she placed two fingers on the side of the teen's neck. Relief washed over her as she felt a strong steady pulse. 'Thank god she's alive.' Kate stood briefly to switch on the hall light. She did a quick scan of Alexis's body and didn't see any injuries. Finally she felt her forehead; she was on fire.
"Kate?" Castle heard her scream; her terrorized voice had broken through the veil of sleep. She wasn't in the bed; he knew that immediately, her voice had been too distant. He stumbled out of the bed and threw on a pair of jeans that had been folded in a nearby chair. His heart raced; 'Nothing scared Kate Beckett, she was made of steel, she never flinched.' Castle couldn't fathom what had caused her to sound so desperate. Once out of their room he could hear her voice coming from up the stairs.
"Kate! What's wrong?" He yelled as he took the stairs two at a time. He froze as his feet hit the hallway. "Alexis!" He fell to his knees with a thud, "What happened? Alexis?"
Kate knew she needed to take charge, he was going to fall apart but she needed him, Alexis needed him. "Rick, she's burning up. Go call 911." When he didn't move she got more forceful. She scooted over to him and grabbed his face making sure he looked at her and understood. "Honey, I need you to go call 911. Alexis needs you to call 911."
Clarity seemed to hit him over the head. He jumped up and rather than run back downstairs to either of their cells, he stepped over his daughter's body; entering her room. He grabbed her cell dialed the three numbers no parent ever wants to dial concerning their child. The operator answered and he found himself unable to speak. Kate could hear the operator's voice asking over and over; somehow the phone was on speaker which worked to her advantage.
"This is Detective Kate Beckett, our daughter is unconscious and seems to be running an extremely high fever; we need an ambulance ASAP!" She was screaming and she could see Castle flinch with each word.
The dispatcher spoke from the other end of the line, "Okay, we have your location from the cell. A bus is on the way. How old is your daughter?"
"Sixteen, and don't even say it because it's not drugs." Kate heard the hesitation from the operator.
"Okay, you say she is burning up. It may help to try to get her cooled down until the medics arrive. Are you able to get her into a bathtub?"
Thankfully the operator was calm because Kate felt herself falling apart and Castle was practically in shock. "Yes, her father is here." Kate nodded to Castle and he understood her command.
He handed Kate the phone and scooped Alexis up in his arms and headed to the guest bathroom off the hall. Kate relayed the instructions from the operator. He did as she said and placed Alexis in the tub and turned the shower head at an angle that would avoid hitting her directly in the face. He turned on the spray making sure to keep it at room temp. Too cold could cause hypothermia and too warm wouldn't help cool her down. He started to crawl in behind her but Kate stopped him.
"No, let me. You need to ride with her and you won't have time to change. Go grab a shirt and your shoes." As he nodded and turned to leave she grabbed his arm. "She's going to be alright, I promise." She wasn't sure how she could make such a promise, but it had to be true. He couldn't lose her. She couldn't lose her.
On his way down the stairs the fear finally hit him and he began to cry. How could this be happening? He finished getting dressed through the tears. On his way through the living room he stopped and hit the call button that connected his loft to the lobby. When a familiar voice answered he somehow found the ability to speak. "Stan, this is Richard Castle. Alexis is sick and the medics should be here any minute. Please give them the spare key and let them up."
"Sure thing Mr. Castle, are you and Miss Beckett okay?"
"Yeah, thanks Stan."
Castle lied he knew he wasn't okay and as he climbed the stairs and found Kate cradling his baby in her arms, he knew she wasn't either. He knelt beside the tub and rubbed his hand over Alexis's forehead. It may have been wishful thinking but she did seem a little cooler than she had a few minutes earlier. Kate was rocking her and singing something in her ear. He saw the goose bumps on her on her body, but she didn't seem to notice. He used his free hand to wipe the wet hair off her face. They sat in silence until the medics entered the loft.
Castle stood and faced the doorway, "Up here." He turned off the water and waited for them to enter.
Once the two medical professionals entered, the room quickly became too crowded. Castle helped Kate out of tub and wrapped a towel around her damp body. She was shaking but whether it was from the cold or the fear he couldn't tell. They quickly relayed the events of the last few minutes then stepped out into the hall to allow them the room they needed to work.
Once in the hall the floodgates opened again, but this time it was Kate that sobbed. They held each other and whispered assurances that she was going to be fine. Finally the medics emerged from the bathroom with Alexis on the stretcher. They had started and IV and connected a heart monitor. However they didn't seem to be rushing.
"Sir, ma'am." He medic was polite. "All her vitals are stable but she does have quite a high fever. We will know more once she is in the ER. Do either one of you want to ride along?" Castle nodded.
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Kate quickly threw on some clothes. She glanced in the mirror and didn't like what she saw. Between the impromptu shower with Castle the night before and then the time in the tub with Alexis, she was a mess. She tried to run a brush through the tangles but decided on a ponytail instead. She packed a bag with some of her things as well as Castle's. Neither one would want to leave until they both knew Alexis was okay. She grabbed her cell phone and texted Lanie, Esposito and Ryan. Her drive to the hospital was the longest of her life. For once she was thankful for valet parking. She often balked at the extravagances Manhattan had to offer, but quickly realized that sometimes there were advantages. She ran down the hall to the ER; for a minute it felt like that scene in Poltergeist where the hall just got longer and longer as the mother tried to run to save her children. Finally out of breath she slammed into the front desk.
"My daughter…. " Kate needed air, "Alexis Castle?"
"Kate!"
She turned and saw him across the waiting room. He looked so scared and pale. She ran into his arms and held him tight. She was afraid to ask; in this moment Alexis was alive, but if she asked…
"She's okay but has been taken to surgery." Rick led her to the seats he had been sitting in before she arrived. "Her Appendix ruptured."
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Kate lay next to Alexis in the bed she shared with the girl's father. It had been three days since the scariest night of their life. Alexis had come through the surgery no worse for wear. In fact she didn't remember ever feeling sick and had no idea how she had managed to end up in the hall. Neither Kate nor Castle had slept much since then. Only after bringing her home today had either of them felt comfortable enough to try to sleep. They refused to let her stay in her own bed at least until tomorrow. Once he got his two girls settled in Castle made his way to the study. The last few days had made him realize that a few changes needed to be made.
"Hey Jeff, yeah she's doing fine, thanks for asking." Castle was on the phone with his attorney. "We were able to bring her home today. Jeff, do you think you could draw up some papers for me?"
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"Hey sleepy head." Castle rubbed Kate's head. He was hoping to wake her up without bothering Alexis.
She rolled over and rubbed her eyes, "Hey is everything okay?"
He pulled her up from the bed, "I need you for a second."
He led her to the kitchen and pulled out a bar stool for her to sit in. He knew what he had to ask her may come as a shock, but after the scare with Alexis he knew it had to be done. He could see Kate's worried expression and he kissed her forehead.
"It's not bad, or I don't think it is." He pointed to the paperwork lying on the marble in front of her. His attorney had dropped them off just a few moments earlier.
Kate saw the legal papers and instantly thought it was a prenuptial agreement. She had been urging Castle to have one drawn up but until now he had adamantly refused. Her heart sank a bit in her chest, but she knew she would sign whatever he asked her to. She wasn't in this for money and she never had any intention of divorcing him, so whatever the agreement said was fine with her. She had to admit, though, she was a little hurt after all his insistence that what was his was hers. She squeezed back the tears and picked up the papers to read them.
It only took a few seconds of reading to realize that these were in no way prenuptial documents. "Rick, no, you don't have to do this." She placed her hands on his cheeks, "What about Meredith?"
"Meredith hasn't had any legal rights to Alexis since she was two years old. I saw to that the moment she walked out of her daughter's life. She never even fought it and it wasn't until Alexis was four that she even asked to see her. Gradually short visits here turned into outings and not until Alexis was thirteen did I ever let her go to California to visit. But never did I have anything legal put back in place."
Kate stared at the documents in front of her, "But adoption? She's sixteen. Does she really need to be adopted? I mean, I'll always be here for her does it have to be…"
Castle interrupted her and pulled her into his arms. "With what we do and with what happened the other night, nothing's set in stone. I may not always be here. What if I had been out of town? I need to know that you can make decisions for her should she need it."
Kate pulled back, she was crying. "Have you asked Alexis?"
He smiled, "Yes and she was ecstatic, well I think she was; she was a little doped up from the surgery at the time." He gave her that smile she loved, the one that had his eyes all crinkled and squinty. "All kidding aside, this is what we both want." A little worry shot through him, "Only if you want it too." Kate nodded and buried her face in his neck. "Good, and because there is no way you can afford her private school tuition on a cop's salary, I have arranged to have you added to all my accounts."
"Castle!" Kate lifted her head and gave him her signature eyebrow lift. They had never really settled that topic of conversation, just pushed it aside.
He jumped up from the stool, "Oh, is that our daughter I hear?" He ran toward their bedroom and gave her a quick glance over his shoulder. "The art of love….. It is mostly the art of persistence."
