Author's Note: We're in the homestretch, just a few more chapters to go! Thanks to everyone for tagging along on this journey, my first-ever multi-chapter Castle fic. It's been a blast. Posted today to celebrate #CastleFanficMonday.

Bellevue…

As doctors had expected, Richard Castle regained consciousness within a few hours after the antidote was administered. And while he was groggy and disoriented upon awakening, a full night's rest meant he was much more like himself when Kate returned to visit him the next day. Alexis had wanted to come, but a meeting with her graduate advisor took precedent.

So while Castle still looked a bit ragged, his face instantly lit up when he saw his fiancée walk into his room. He sat up a little straighter in his bed, clearing his throat and hoping against hope that he could blink the bags out from under his eyes.

"Hi."

"Hey you," Kate smiled and ducked her head, taking her spot in the chair beside Castle's bed and linking her hand with his. Their fingers interlocked, fitting together perfectly. "How you feelin'?"

"Well, the pink elephants aren't chasing me anymore, so there's that," Castle cracked with the ghost of a sideways grin – one that went full bloom when he saw Kate laugh. He tightened his grip on Kate's hand with a swallow, the grin now gone. "What happened?"

"You were poisoned," Kate said, her thumb lightly trailing over her fiancé's hand. "Rankoff got the drop on you while I was in the box with Bracken."

"So Bracken really was a pawn."

"More or less." Kate leaned in and squeezed Castle's hand. "But they're both in custody now, and they're both looking at a lot of years behind bars."

Castle chuckled, all the while trying to ignore the itch in his hand where the needle leading to his IV was buried. "I'd let the boys drive my Ferrari for a week just to see the look on mini-Bracken's face."

As Kate and Castle shared a quiet laugh, Dr. Easton walked into the room with a silver clipboard clutched under his arm. His studious expression softened when he saw his patient sitting somewhat upright and laughing, albeit quietly.

"Mr. Castle. I trust you're feeling better."

"I am." Castle swallowed, his thumb brushing over Kate's knuckles. "Just tired of being the target of toxins and poisons."

Okay, so it had only happened twice – only being a relative term – but Castle was getting tired of the physical toll it took on him, the emotional toll it undoubtedly placed on Kate, and the fact that he had this occasional habit of waking up in a hospital bed wondering what the hell was going on. Truth be told, there were nights Castle couldn't sleep because he was afraid of waking up in a hospital bed. Again.

"Well, it's a good thing you were rushed to the hospital as quickly as you were," Dr. Easton said, glancing down at his clipboard. "That was a potent neurotoxin in your system, Mr. Castle. It started by attacking your respiratory system, because of how it was administered, and by the time you got here, it was already attacking your nervous system."

As if on cue, Castle felt the muscles in his left arm spasming. He clenched his fist in an attempt to stave off the sensation, glancing down at his wrist.

"That's perfectly normal, Mr. Castle. The antidote is still working its magic. Barring the unforeseen, you should be back to normal by this time tomorrow."

"Normal," Castle repeated, his eyes moving from the doctor standing in the doorway to his hand clasped in Kate's. She squeezed his hand in response, which made Castle raise his gaze to meet hers. There was a sheen in his eyes, as if there were tears in them that hadn't yet decided to fall. "Normal would be nice."

"Thank you, Doctor," Kate said, hoping to make it clear they wanted to be alone.

Fortunately, Dr. Easton took the hint with a gracious smile before ducking out of the room, no doubt consulting his clipboard in preparation for visiting another patient.

"We're getting there, babe," she whispered, her free hand moving to brush through Castle's unkempt hair. She kept a vice grip on his hand, even as her palm started to sweat. "Everyone who took you from me has been dealt with."

"What if someone else comes after us?"

"Then we'll deal with them, just like we have everyone else."

"Here's what I don't get," Castle said, "how did Rankoff manage to get into the precinct?"

"He was wearing a disguise." Kate shrugged. "Guess everyone thought he was just another uniform."

"Yeah, well, no offense," the writer cracked, "but for a police precinct, security is suspect."

A comfortable silence fell over the pair, Kate watching nurses and doctors scurry along the hall, tending to patients, filling out prescription requests, answering phones and the like. Their hands were practically glued together, and when Castle turned to look at Kate, she let the smile take over her face, glad that the ordeal appeared to be over.

"So," she squeezed her fiancé's hand, "what now?"

"Marry me."

Kate blinked. "Castle, you don't have to ask me again."

"Don't I?" He swallowed and sat up a little straighter. "It's been three years, Kate, and so much has changed. Mother's gone, Alexis is already a college graduate…"

"We haven't changed," Kate argued.

"I know." Castle brought their conjoined hands to his mouth, placing a soft kiss against her knuckles. "I just don't wanna wait anymore."

"Neither do I."

A tired smile crept onto Castle's face. "So that's a yes?"

Kate's smile grew, and she leaned over to give her fiancé a soft kiss, one that deepened and lengthened when he reached up to caress her cheek. Once the kiss broke, their foreheads touched, and Kate sniffled.

"Yes."

Holding…

As much as Detective Esposito wanted to be at the hospital, to be there for his friend, someone had to stay behind and finish the paperwork processing the charges being pressed against Dmitri Rankoff and James Bracken. The FBI was also on-board, but giving the NYPD the lead on the case, which was a pleasant surprise.

The necessary paperwork had been completed and filed. Detective Ryan had been sent home to spend time with his wife and daughter, and Captain Gates was on her way to the hospital. Esposito would head that way himself after one last check of the…

"What the…?"

At first, the holding cells appeared to be empty, but as Esposito approached the bars, he saw James Bracken prone on the cold floor, his head leaned up against the divider between his cell and the next. All the color had left James' face, his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his hands splayed out with palms upturned.

James' tie was wrapped around his neck, slipped between the bars.

"Medic!" Esposito called out as he fished for the key, turning to look over his shoulder. "Need a medic in holding!"

Opening the cell and pushing his way inside, Esposito dropped to his knees and pressed two fingers against the pulse point on Bracken's wrist, even though he already knew there would be no pulse. Cursing under his breath, Esposito took in his surroundings, even as hurried footsteps approached.

Glancing into the next cell, Esposito frowned. Rankoff was also prone on the ground, body awkwardly contorted. He wore the same colorless, blank expression on his face, and his mouth hung open and foaming. Aside from that, there were no outward signs of duress.

Esposito exited the cell once paramedics arrived, shaking his head and fishing out his phone while they did what they had to do. Storming back to the bullpen, he cradled the phone against his ear.

"Yo, Beckett," he glanced over his shoulder. "We got a problem. Rankoff and Bracken are dead."