This chapter covers the period at the crime scene after Joey's arrest and Castle's hospitalization. Some sweet moments.
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of Andrew Marlowe and the team.
Chapter 53
A calm efficiency descended on the crime scene once the two EMS trucks left, one containing Castle, the other Michael Dupre, as the Brooklyn police back-up units and Manhattan CSU techs got to work on the site.
Esposito and Ryan took Joey O'Conner into custody, moaning bitterly about the effect his rather damp and aromatic condition was going to have on their cruiser's upholstery. Kate was so wired after the dramatic conclusion to the takedown that she was glad to see the back of all of them. She went back inside the building to supervise the collection of crime scene data to ensure that not a scrap of evidence was missed.
Captain Montgomery appeared on scene shortly after Castle's ambulance departed. Kate was standing inside Joey O'Conner's squat, watching CSU photograph and catalogue his belongings, when her boss arrived.
They discovered more Ketamine vials and syringes in a worn, leather wash bag, and Kate found the Parks and Recreation Department embossing stamp, the one that Jemma Nelson had had made up, tucked inside a small, cardboard shoebox that had been stashed in a corner under a blanket. The box also contained a well-handled pile of family photographs and a few newspaper clippings, together with a string of lady's pearls and a man's wristwatch, both wrapped up in yellowing tissue paper.
Two locks of baby hair, one lighter than the other, were pressed between the pages of a battered, family bible. Kate was leafing through the thin, almost translucent pages when a St. Joseph Prayer Card, depicting the Saint holding the Infant Jesus, fluttered out from within the cracked leather covers. She picked it up and inspected it, turning it over with gloved fingers. There was an inscription on the back in flowery, feminine cursive, which read: 'To my darling Joseph. You are my light and my heart. Love Mommy x.'
The date on the card made Joey O'Conner just six years old when his mother had given it to him.
Kate also found a string of light blue, cut glass, Rosary beads curled up inside a small, pink, drawstring pouch, which has been tucked inside the shoebox. The whole collection radiated an air of sadness, with its echo of lives lost, and of a faith strongly held that ultimately brought this family no redemption and no path to paradise. Kate handed the box to a tech and stood up stiffly.
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"Detective," said Captain Montgomery, drawing Kate's attention away from the small pile of wrinkled clothes that she had found neatly folded and stacked in the opposite corner of the room.
"Sir," said Kate, turning to address her boss.
"So, you got your man, Detective Beckett."
"Yes, Sir. We did."
"And you're certain this is the guy – the mastermind who carried out all six homicides?"
"Sure as we can be right now. I've asked Esposito to get him sobered up, and then we'll get him in the box, see what he has to say for himself. But all this stuff here," said Kate, indicating Joey O'Conner's meager belongings, "this should give us enough evidence and DNA to match him to at least a few of the killings where we already have trace. We still need a clear motive for most of them. But it certainly looks like he had the opportunity, and who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and he'll give us a confession to tie him to the rest."
"Well, just make sure this one's airtight, Detective. The minute the media get wind that we have a suspect in custody all hell's gonna break loose. They're gonna be all over this guy's life, poking under every rock, making him out to be the devil himself. So be thorough. Miss nothing. Go by the book, Beckett. Exhaust every angle."
"Yes, Sir," agreed Kate.
"How's Castle? I heard he took a nasty fall."
"He's on his way to hospital right now," confirmed Kate, still desperate to get away to see him, a feeling she was having to tamp down to enable her to focus on the crime scene.
"I also heard you called it in as a 10-13, Beckett. You know the rules…"
"Sir…" began Kate, trying to interrupt her boss.
"No excuses, Beckett. Castle is a civilian; he's not a commissioned police officer. You let your feelings for him override procedure. You broke with protocol, he distracted you from pursuing a suspect, you put another member of the public in danger as a result, and you left your colleagues without backup. Now, I know the back ground here, detective, but on the face of it, if this were written up, it'd just look like you abandoned your job to save your boyfriend's ass. You don't want that on your department jacket, believe me."
"Sir, with all due respect…" Kate protested, angry at Montgomery's assertion.
"With all due respect, Beckett, you nearly dropped the ball on this one, and you almost cost a man his life in the process. I warned you about this."
Kate was stunned, stunned and angry at her boss for his lack of flexibility, and his inability to grasp the seriousness of the situation she'd found herself in. Castle gave up his time, and risked his life for the NYPD free of charge, aside from how it might have helped his writing career. He had her back for god sake. The least the department could do was treat him like one of their own when it counted.
"Captain, I'd have done exactly the same thing if Ryan or Velasquez had been lying down in that hole. What use is capturing a suspect if we lose one of our own? Castle was left in a vulnerable position because he followed an order that I gave him. He could have been paralyzed…could be paralyzed…Sir. So, given the same circumstances, I would do things exactly the same way every time. Man down in the line of duty, cop or not, deserves all the effort we can muster. You think if I'd called it in as a civilian emergency the EMT's would have been here just a quick, because I can tell you that they wouldn't. We waited over half an hour for back-up because there was a fire at some school in Park Slope, and if I put a man in danger, and he risked his life for us…then damn straight I'm going to use every trick in the book to bring him home safe to his family, boyfriend or not, Sir! I made a judgment call, and I stick by my choices. Now I have work to do, before I can go to the hospital to check on my partner and Michael Dupre. If you would excuse me, Sir?"
"Be careful, Beckett," Montgomery warned her in his low, rumbling voice. "The Mayor's not gonna be in post for ever, and Castle's not above being replaced. You're a great detective, but don't lose your edge because your judgment gets clouded by emotion. That's the quickest route I know to being carried out in a box by six of your colleagues, while your next of kin gets presented with a flag. I'd hate to see the day that happens to any of my team. Bear that in mind when you weigh your choices in future. You're dismissed, Beckett."
Kate was left stinging from the reprimand, and from a nagging doubt that maybe her Captain had something when he called her on her handling of today's takedown. The one thing she knew for sure was that there was no way she could have left Castle lying, bleeding on that basement floor without getting him help. Whatever else happened, that just wasn't an option. She just hoped that didn't make her a bad cop.
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Kate took some time out to call Martha. After the dressing down from her boss, what was one more difficult conversation? Castle's mother answered on the third ring, and Kate could barely hear her for the sound of loud music pulsating in the background.
"Martha?" Kate yelled, trying to be heard over the noise. "Martha, it's Kate."
"Kate, darling. What can I do for you?" she asked gaily, sounding more than a little breathless, and Kate squeezed her eyes closed, trying hard not to imagine just what the older woman might be up to.
"Martha, it's Richard. I'm afraid he's had an accident. Is there somewhere quieter you can go to talk?" asked Kate, embarrassed to be shouting down the phone with so many cops and techs around to listen in.
"Sorry, darling. Of course. Just let me go outside. I was in the middle of a salsa lesson...wait did you say Richard's had an accident? Oh dear god, is he okay? Was he badly hurt? He wasn't shot, was he?"
"Martha, calm down. He had a fall…through a wooden floor. He landed on his back. The paramedics have taken him to hospital, but I don't know anymore about his condition just yet. They said someone would call me, but…" Kate took a deep, cleansing breath. "Could you go to Downtown Hospital to be with him until I can get away?"
"Of course, dear. I'll leave right now. What about Alexis? Did you call her?"
"Not yet. We agreed that I should wait until we know a little more since she's still a plane ride away. Martha?"
"Yes, Kate?"
"Can you tell him…just…tell him I'll be there as soon as I can," said Kate, wiping away a tear of frustration.
"Of course I will, kiddo. Now, don't you worry. Just do what you have to, darling. Richard will understand. We'll see you soon."
"Thanks, Martha," said Kate, sounding relieved.
"Oh, and Kate?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you for taking care of my boy."
"I didn't…I mean I'm kind of the one who…" keeps putting him in harms way, Kate wanted to add.
"Darling, Richard has a talent for getting himself into scrapes all on his own. Surely you know that by now. He was getting himself into trouble long before he ever met you, my dear, believe me. But I must say that he has never looked so happy until you came along, darling. So, for that, I thank you. Now, run along, and join us when you can."
Kate came off the phone a little bewildered, hardly expecting to be thanked by Castle's mother when she was the one responsible for putting her son in the hospital. The Castle-Rodgers clan really was a strange little family, and apparently, she was becoming an honorary member. Oh boy.
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Kate walked the CSU techs through the rest of the old building, pointing out anything of significance to the case. She showed them where samples needed to be collected, like the blood and epithelial trace on the broken window; where fingerprinting was required, like on the metal hook and leather belt that O'Conner had used to hang Michael Dupre; or where photographs needed to be taken, such as the drag marks across the floor that would match up with the scuffing to the toes of Dupre's leather shoes.
She spent a good forty minutes combing the scene for evidence before deciding she had done all she reasonably could, and it was time to leave. Finally, time to go and see her partner.
No one from the hospital had called her, and so the period spent going over the crime scene had been a good distraction from worrying about Castle. It had also allowed her to calm down after Captain Montgomery chewed her out, and had given her a chance to put things into perspective.
But it was with a sense of deep relief that she stepped out into the sunlight, and walked the length of the Gowanus canal until she reached the spot where they had left her car parked on 10th Street what seemed like a lifetime ago.
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Kate's stomach was turning somersaults as she joined the Gowanus Expressway on her way back towards lower Manhattan. The sun was sinking lower, casting a beautiful, golden, glow over the curved, blue, glass tower that dominated State Street, but Kate barely registered the view. She stayed on the I-278 until it became the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, taking the Brooklyn Bridge back over the river this time to deposit her out near Gold Street. From there it was just a couple of minutes drive to Downtown Hospital.
Now temporarily released from her immersion in the case, Kate felt anxious and strung out, her worry over Castle's condition rising once again to the forefront of her mind the closer she got.
She was in no mood to be messed around by some officious, bossy, hospital receptionist this time, so she had her badge in her hand when she approached the desk.
As luck would have it, the woman was refreshingly helpful, directing her straight up to the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery on the 4th Floor without any fuss. Kate thanked her and headed for the elevator. Her hands were sweating as she waited for the car to climb the last couple of floors. But she was stopped on level two, when an emergency C-section was wheeled into the elevator heading for the surgery suite one floor below. The panicked looking pregnant woman, propped up uncomfortably under a thin hospital blanket, made Kate feel nauseous and anxious. The woman's face was flushed bright red from hours of pushing, and when another strong contraction hit her right there in the elevator Kate got out, deciding to walk the remaining two floors in her impatience to get to see Castle, and, if nothing else, to escape the woman's blood-curdling screams.
She was a little out of breath by the time she reached the nurses' station. A kindly looking woman in her late forties directed Kate to Castle's room, and she had to stop herself from breaking into a sprint to cover the last few yards. She tapped on the glass, a bright smile all prepared, and popped her head inside, only to be met by a worried-looking Martha, and a large, empty space where Castle's bed should have been.
"Martha?" said Kate, the smile dropping from her face.
"Oh Kate, darling. Thank heavens you're here," said Martha, enveloping Kate in an expansive, bony hug.
"Where's Rick? Martha, what's happened?" asked Kate, her heart beating wildly as her imagination when into overdrive.
Words like subdural hematoma, inter-cranial bleeding, cerebral edema, cord damage, paraplegia, respiratory failure ran round and round her head, making her feel sick and dizzy.
"Tests, they've taken him for tests. That's all they told me. He was gone when I got here," said Martha, her normally youthful, smiling face lined with worry, graceful hands fluttering nervously in the air.
"You mean you haven't seen him? Not at all? So, no one was here with him?" asked Kate, feelings of guilt and panic mounting. "How long ago was that?"
"I got here fifteen minutes after you called, my dear. I dropped everything, as you can see," said Castle's mother, indicating her outfit with dramatic sweep of her arm.
Kate focused long enough to take in the layer of black and red fringing dangling below Martha's light, summer coat, and the spray of red, sequined lace at her throat. She was wearing red, sparkly dance shoes that Dorothy would have been proud of. If the situation weren't so serious Kate would have laughed at the absurdity of her costume in the current setting. But she didn't feel at all like laughing. Not when they had no idea what was going on with Castle.
"I'm going to find someone to talk to. We can't sit around in here without any answers," said Kate, heading for the door.
She had just reached for the handle, when an orderly pushed the door open towards her, and bumped against the wooden frame as he guided the large mobile bed inside.
Castle had his back to the room as the bed glided in, but when the two aide's turned the bed around, his face broke into the widest, most beautiful smile Kate had ever seen, and it was totally directed at her. And his eyes…oh his eyes, sparkling and so blue that she felt she might happily drown in them.
They stared at one another, entranced. Two smiling, grinning idiots, oblivious to the bustling nurse, the officious Attending, even Castle's own mother, who were fussing busily around them, and speaking all at once. Only Kate and Castle couldn't hear them, because they were caught up in a special bubble of their own making, where looks were all that they needed to communicate with one another, and touch was still a recent, treasured gift.
Martha's hand at her elbow brought Kate round from her love-induced stupor.
"Oh good lord, Kate, would you just kiss him before the pair of you combust," she exclaimed, pushing her towards the bed.
Kate blushed and she heard the nurse laugh. Even the self-important doctor cracked a smile at Martha's remark. So, as Kate approached the bed she was acutely aware that everyone was watching them, but for once she didn't care. Because he was here, right in front of her, and he was still wonderfully whole, if a little bruised and beaten up.
She cupped his cheek tenderly with one hand, her thumb sweeping beneath his left eye, smoothing over soft, delicate skin, smudgy, dark circles and laughter lines. Then she leaned down, lacing her fingers with his as she gently pressed her lips to his mouth, breathing with him for several heartbeats before she pulled away. When she finally drew back, there was a smile on her face and here eyes were bright with tears of relief. He smelt like home, and she never wanted to leave home again.
"Castle," she said quietly, stroking his cheek with her thumb as he watched her with a look of worried concern. "I'm so glad you're okay."
Kate stood up, and turned to face the doctor when he cleared his throat, indicating that the time for touching reunions was over.
"Mr. Castle's partner, I presume?" he said, sticking his hand out towards Kate.
"Yes, but please, it's just Kate," she said, shaking the man's hand. "How's he doing?" she asked, squeezing Castle's warm fingers and ruffling his hair.
"We did a head CT and a full body MRI. He has a concussion, and a broken wrist, but thankfully, other than some bruising, his spinal column is intact, there's no damage to his neck, no broken ribs, and his motor function is in full working order, except for the damaged left wrist."
"You hear that, honey? I'm in full working order," joked Castle, wiggling his eyebrows at her.
Kate narrowed her eyes at the suggestive remark, and the doctor cleared his throat uncomfortably, then he carried on talking as if the interruption hadn't even occurred.
"His wrist has been plastered, and we're going to keep him here overnight, purely as a precaution due to the concussion. But he should be ready to go home tomorrow. I advise no strenuous activity for the next couple of days to give his body time to heal. Keep stress to a minimum. We want to keep his blood pressure down. Any symptoms…slurred speech, unequal pupils, headaches, vomiting…call my office immediately."
Kate threw him an amused glance when they doctor mandate rest, and she heard Castle groan.
"It seems like this did its job, and probably saved Mr. Castle from a more serious injury," said the doctor, holding up Castle's Kevlar vest. "But I'm afraid we had to cut it off him," he added, dangling the beat-up jacket from one hand.
Castle' pouted when he saw the state of his Writer's vest.
"Don't worry. We'll get you a new one," said Kate. "It's the least the department can do since you were injured in the line of duty," she added, wincing internally when she thought back to her argument with Montgomery.
Finally the doctor left the room, and Martha swept over in a cloud of L'Air du Temps to kiss and fuss over her son.
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Kate settled in on Castle's right side, while Martha took the left, and they chatted for a while about light, frivolous things – Martha's salsa class, the amorous dance partner with the wandering hands, and the dramatic scene she'd created when she ran out into Broadway wearing her Latin dance costume to hail a cab on her way to the hospital. Traffic stopped and vehicles narrowly avoided colliding, if Martha's version of events was to be believed.
When Castle finally tired of his mother's theatrics, he steered the conversation none too subtly around to the case. Martha excused herself to fetch some coffee, leaving them to talk alone.
"So you definitely got him? He's in lock-up, right?" he asked, toying with Kate's sleeve.
"Yes. He's drying out as we speak, in every sense of the word. He took a dip in the canal. We had to fish him out."
"Eeww! Stinky."
"Yeah, well, trust me, he didn't smell too hot before he took a dip in that toxic bath. How do you feel? Does it hurt?" asked Kate, reaching out to touch his cheek again. "I was so worried," she confessed in a rush of honesty, chewing her lip nervously.
"Not so much. My tongue hurts. I bit down on it when I landed on my back, and my arm was pretty sore before they gave me some wonder drug."
"Does that mean you might lay off with the talking for a while?" she joked, seizing the opportunity for a tease that he'd just thrown her way.
"Such a cruel and heartless woman. You wound me," he said theatrically, laying his good hand over his heart in mock horror.
"And so like your mother, it's uncanny," said Kate, anticipating the wrinkle of distaste that appeared at his nose.
"Please, don't ever say that. We're nothing alike," he whined. "Did I ever tell you my theory that I might be adopted?"
Kate laughed at his ridiculous antics.
"You're like peas in a pod at times, Castle. Sorry, but it's true. No escaping genetics. Besides, I like your mom. She's fun, and a little crazy. I mean who else do we know that could rock a salsa dress in a hospital, and still look stylish, instead of like she lost her way en route to a fancy dress party?"
"I'm not convinced. Still might persuade you to run an adoption search. Anyway, enough of my mother. I bet Montgomery was impressed, right? Did he offer you a promotion yet?" asked Castle, excitedly.
Kate frowned and withdrew her hand from his cheek, sitting back in her chair, the openness in her face closing down.
"He, uh…he had some concerns," she admitted hesitantly, unsure just how much to share.
"Concerns? What kind of…? You did a great job, Kate. You saved Dupre, you saved me, and you caught a serial killer – what's not to like?"
"We don't have to talk about this now. It can wait," said Kate, trying to change the subject.
"Kate. Just tell me what he said," Castle asked firmly.
"You heard what the doctor told us…no stress."
"I did, and do you think not telling me is going to lower my blood pressure?"
"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Kate sighed, shaking her head.
"Kate…just tell me, sweetheart," he said softly.
She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"He chewed me out…for stopping to help you, for the ten-code I used to get Dispatch to send a bus, for almost letting Michael Dupre die and letting O'Conner escape. He said that on paper it would look like I stopped 'to save my boyfriend's ass', as he so delicately put it," said Kate bitterly, running a hand through her hair in frustration, while Castle watched her, his face tense and serious.
"Kate, I'm sorry."
"What the hell do you have to be sorry for?" asked Kate, a flash of anger returning as she relived the conversation with Captain Montgomery in her head.
"For falling through the goddam floor for starters," he said with an embarrassed laugh. "For pulling you away from the job so you could babysit me, for not having your back today. What a chump."
"Castle, that floor was an accident waiting to happen. So don't beat yourself up. The rest of it…those were my decisions. Decisions I'd make again in a heartbeat."
"Kate, you know we can't be partners anymore…not if…"
Castle looked away towards the window, wiping his mouth with a Kleenex, his lips forming into a thin determined line before he tuned back towards her.
Kate stared at him, horrified.
"What the hell, Castle? Not you too?" she hissed, fear bubbling up, disguised as anger. "If, what?" she demanded.
"If…if I hinder you more than I help you."
"Since when has that ever stopped you?" she blurted, the snarky remark sounding harsher than she meant it to.
"Okay. Point taken," he said with a wry smile. "I just meant…"
"I know what you meant, and the answer's no. And, just for the record, you've never hindered me. That was…untrue and unfair. I'm sorry. Montgomery just pissed me off. You've given this squad so much, and he just doesn't seem to see it anymore. It's like he's taking every opportunity he can to find an excuse to break up our partnership."
Silence fell over the small hospital room. They avoided looking at one another, too caught up in their own thoughts, anger and uncertainty bubbling just below the surface. They were having to face up to the one major issue Kate had feared most when their work relationship had progressed to a personal one, only much sooner than she had ever anticipated.
Castle broke the silence first.
"Kate, we don't need the job anymore. You do realize that, don't you? he said eventually, reaching out for her hand.
She looked at him in confusion, failing to understand what he meant, too filled with indignation that anyone should question how she did her job or the choices she made, and that their boss should fail to recognize Castle's worth.
"What are you saying?"
"Job or no job, we'll still be together…at least I hope. That's what we both want, right?" Anxious eyes searched her face.
"Of course," said Kate determinedly, gripping onto his hand.
"So whether I follow you around all day, every day, or not, if Montgomery or the Mayor kicks my ass out of the 12th for good, it won't change anything, because we don't need an excuse anymore, Kate. So, it doesn't matter. Let it go."
"But you're my partner," Kate said obstinately.
"I know, and we'll work it out…with Montgomery, the guys. We'll try. No one said this was going to be easy. That's part of why it took us so long to get here. Neither of us wanted to wreak the way things were. I know that. But you just have to trust that it won't, that it can't break what we have. We won't let it."
"You sound so sure."
"I am. No choice. There's no other way for this to go, partner."
Kate smiled. "Then I guess I just have to trust you, partner?"
"Damn straight," he said fiercely, and then winced as pain shot up his arm.
"Okay, tough guy. Time you took a little rest, while I try to rescue that innocent, young intern out in the corridor from your mother's predatory advances. I have to visit Michael Dupre, before I go back to the precinct to find out whether or not O'Conner's ready to be interviewed. But I'll try to call in tonight before lights out, if you're good."
"Everything will work out for the best, you'll see. I love you, Kate."
"Your optimism's infectious, you know that? I think I do see…yes, and I love you too. Now close your eyes. I'll put Martha in a cab. Get her out of your hair for a while. We can call Alexis together when I come back tonight. How about that? According to the itinerary she sent me they're at The Mall right now, so there's no sense worrying her."
"Try interrupting my daughter when she's shopping, yeah, you're learning fast."
"Not that mall, you idiot. The National Mall."
"Oh. Concussion," said Castle lamely. "Wait. My daughter sent you her itinerary? How'd you get to be so honored?"
"You're just the cool dad, Rick. Guess I'm the fun one," said Kate cheekily, kissing him on the lips.
Her eyes fell closed with the sweep of his tongue into her mouth, hot and needy despite the pain he was in. The fingers of his good hand slipped through her hair, pulling her in closer, fusing their mouths together as Kate braced herself against the bed.
"Blood pressure," Kate mumbled, when she broke the kiss, only it came out as a moan of pleasure, not helping either of them.
"Feeling better already," smirked Castle, kissing her soundly before reluctantly letting go.
"Be good. I'll hear if you're not," whispered Kate, tenderly touching his chin while he held onto her wrist.
"Come back soon? I want to be bad with you, Kate," said Castle, smiling at her delighted grin.
"I'm gonna hold you to that. So save your strength."
"Go. Before I drag you back in here, detective. There's room in this bed for two."
Kate stood up and straightened her shirt.
"Then keep my space warm, Castle. I'll be back before you know it," she promised, blowing him a kiss before sashaying out into the corridor, feeling a hundred times better than she did when she arrived.
