A Deadly Game and a Secret
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: This is one story I've seen requested but never read a completed fic before. Rick has been recalled to active duty; the Hamptons are just his guise to hide the true story. The only ones who know the truth are Gina and Roy. Based loosely off 2-24, A Deadly Game, for the beginning then completely AU.
Also, we take MANY liberties with the timeline from Canon and use events from other Canon episodes to make this a more believable fiction, thanks.
Chapter 8
Air Space Over in Route to Germany
11:17 PM
/_/
Lanie was trying to get some rest, not sleep, she knew that wouldn't come with everything that was spinning in her mind. The flight was a little over 7 hours, and transportation would be waiting for her when she arrived in Germany at approximately 4:58 AM New York time, meaning it would be 10:48 AM in Germany, with the six-hour time difference.
She remembered the look on Kate's face first when she told her she was coming, then the look when she showed her Gina's text, it finally hit home to her that Lanie wasn't fooling around. She was going to the man she had deep feelings for, God, she had held back for so long and now she had Gina's blessing. She was excited about that but worried to death about the condition she would find Rick in, God, she hoped she could stay strong.
She made a list of things she had to do, people she had to call, Gina being top of the list, then Roy, then Kate. She felt bad in one way for Gina, she could feel the love coming from her voice, almost like the wasted 3 years she had spent on Esposito, a man nowhere near Rick in any way. She had feelings for Rick the day she met him but fought them, it wasn't right, even though she had already told Javi to take a long walk, she could tell Kate cared about him.
She had heard the story about Brad Decker, Maddie and Kate so many times, she wasn't about to become the next version of her, nor give Kate any reason to think she would act on the flirting that both she and Rick had done, often. She remembered his blue eyes the first time she locked on them, how they had sent shivers down her spine.
He always seemed to go the extra mile in complements for her as well, hell when she was depressed about her parents not being able to come to New York to visit because of the cost. What did that man do? He sent them a year of First-Class Flight's, once a month at their timetable.
That was the first time she kissed him, really kissed him, between her tears in front of everyone. His lips were so soft, she hoped it meant something to him, it certainly did to her. But there was Kate. She wouldn't betray her friendship, but that didn't stop her from warning her she was going to lose him time and again. She even told her, "let me know if you really don't want him, I'll take him any day Kate, but stop hurting him. Either you're in or you're out, make up your mind."
That had been a few weeks before she found out he had left for the summer, then she heard Kate repeat the response to her see you in the fall question, and she had to sneak away and cry. Kate had done it, she had chased him away not only from her but all of those who cared about him. She deserved the response she got from everyone, she had acted like a selfish bitch, and she needed to pay the price, friend or not.
The last several weeks had been tough on Kate, she had been smacked in the face with a dose of reality she hadn't seen since her mom's death. This time, she was the one who instigated and caused the treatment, and well she could see contrition in her, finally. For the first time she had said, it was her fault, but hopefully, it wasn't too late. She loved Kate, truly she did, but she had blown so many opportunities with Rick, so many times when she had stepped back, not anymore.
She was half asleep when the sound of the landing gear being lowered, jolted her to full alert. She had no idea of what to expect, but, well she was here, now she had to see Rick. The limo was waiting as promised and the 35-minute ride to the hospital gave her a chance to freshen her makeup, the little she wore, and comb her hair.
They pulled up to the main entrance of the hospital and were met with a group of three men and one lady. "Miss Lanie, welcome to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, I just wish it was under better circumstances. I'm Rolf Garret, an employee of RCE here in Germany. Miss Gina called, and arranged for Heidi Klaus, to accompany you when you needed an interpreter."
Lanie looked at the young lady, she looked about as old as Alexis, "Thank you Rolf, and Heidi, it's good to meet you" the young lady actually smiled and curtsied as she bowed her head slightly. "Now I'd like to see Rick please," Lanie said,
"Of Course, Miss Lanie," Rolf replied, as they walked into the main entrance to the hospital. Lanie could tell that this man was connected, all of the staff almost saluted him, as they approached the main desk.
"Excuse me, is the supervisor available please?" He asked in a kind tone,
"Yes Sir," but before the girl could move the door opened, and Lanie heard "Hello Rolf, is this our VIP from the states we've been expecting?" a middle-aged woman said,
"Yes, Ingrid it is, this is Dr. Lanie Parish, she's the official representative of Mr. Castle and Miss Gina, so she is to be afforded all the same privileges as Miss Gina would be, in other words, as far as the floor nurses are concerned, she is the same as his wife. Please be sure to pass that along to all of the staff, we don't want any incidents where I will need to be involved do, we?" he asked but it was more of a statement.
"Of course, Rolf, I'll see to it. Good afternoon Dr. Parish, here are your credentials, and should you have any issues, any at all, please call me at this number. It's my direct mobile, and I answer 24/7." As she extended her hand for a handshake, along with her business card.
Lanie took the card and grasped her hand in a firm handshake, "Thank you all for the courtesy, I certainly appreciate it, and also for speaking in English, it made this conversation so much easier." Lanie smiled,
"You're very welcome Dr. Parrish, and most of our staff are bi-lingual, many are actually U.S. Military personnel as well, "
"Please just call me Lanie, no one ever calls me doctor back in New York, and I might forget to answer," she smiled, the other lady broke out into a wide smile as well. "Of course, Lanie, I can see we are going to get along famously." Ingrid said, "Don't be afraid to use Heidi to interpret anything you don't understand that is spoken in German or Dutch, she's one of our best." She smiled, as Heidi blushed,
"Well, I really would love to see Rick, several people including Gina are waiting for an update on his condition," Lanie said,
"We'll show you to his suite, right this way, please. Lanie, your badge will access the doors and bypass the need for security 24/7 if you choose to leave to go to your room across the street. I know you want to see your loved one now, then decide how to handle all of the details. Our staff took the liberty of checking you into your room, the penthouse, your luggage is already there" Ingrid said as she began to walk down a hallway.
Lanie made a mental note to get something nice for Gina, she had knocked down every obstacle she could think of, and the penthouse? All she needed was a shower, and a place to change, she wasn't planning on leaving Rick anytime soon.
They walked to the elevators, and Ingrid said, "Lanie, please test your badge to see if you can access the call for the lift?"
Lanie stepped forward, held the back of her badge to the electronic sensor, then heard the whirl of the elevator coming down to the floor, when it arrived, Lanie inserted the card and hit 5, the floor Rick was on. The elevator moved quickly and swiftly and the doors opened to what looked like a row of suites, all privacy curtains blocked who was in the room.
She held her breath and hesitated for a moment, till she heard Ingrid say, "It's OK Lanie, he's right around the corner, room 5, come on, you've come this far," as she gripped her hand. Lanie took a deep breath, chastised herself silently, 'Girl you deal with dead people, he's alive, pull yourself together, Rick needs you,' as she walked into his room. The first thing she saw, was the machines, she knew what each was for, but having a machine breathe for this man, brought her to tears.
"Lanie, it's not as bad as you think, Dr. Carson will be here tomorrow to discuss removing the last bullet, and patching up the hole it caused in his heart wall. We're keeping him sedated enough so that he doesn't wake until then. The surgery for his tendon has been done, and it's was a huge success. Dr. Reynolds said that with therapy and exercise he should regain a minimum of 95 % function of the entire hand, arm, and shoulder. That's great news, Lanie, take the win for now." Ingrid encouraged her.
"How did his heart withstand the surgery on his elbow?" Lanie asked, still frightened that something was going to go wrong
"Dr. Reynolds discussed it with Gina, Rick was on a bypass machine to avoid any risk of his heart dislodging the bullet and allowing it to do more damage or worse. Dr. Carson observed via satellite and was pleased with the end result. He shared your concern about the surgery placing stress on his heart and causing more damage or worse." Ingrid said,
Lanie let out the deep breath she had been holding, "Thank you, that means a great deal. So, Dr. Carson what is his specialty, and how do you know him and his reputation?" Lanie asked,
Rolf answered, "Well, Dr, Carson has operated on some of the most prominent figures in the US, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower, General James Mattis, and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., just to name a few. He also served as the head of the clinical faculty of Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Corrigan Minehan Heart Center. He will be here at 9:00 AM our time tomorrow to discuss the surgery with you and Miss Gina by remote call."
"Wow, that's quite the client list, that makes me feel much better knowing we have the best doctor possible for Rick," Lani said, as she picked up one of Rick's hands. It was cold, so she rubbed it gently, between her two hands then kissed it gently.
"Miss Lanie, here is my pager, if you need something interpreted just page me, and I should be here within a few minutes, I'm going to let you spend some time with your friend. I know you're tired, so I'll bring dinner in a few hours, just get comfortable, everyone here is at your disposal, if you need anything, please ask." The young girl said as she set the pager on the desk next to Rick's bed and slipped quietly out of his room.
Rolf and Ingrid made an exit as well, and finally, she was alone with Rick, well not the way she would have liked it. She took out the satellite phone and called Gina to give her the update.
"Hey Lanie, I hope you're not too tired from that long trip, how does he look," Gina asked, fighting tears in her voice,
"Actually, once I got over the shock of the machines, he looks better than I thought he would. He has a bit of a fever, I called the nurses station and they added an antibiotic to his IV, but his arm is stabilized from the surgery yesterday." Lanie said,
"Oh, thank God, I was so afraid but they told me the longer we waited to do that the more the chance he wouldn't regain mobility in the hand or arm. Dr. Carson worked on him the last time, that's the only reason we got him, and he promised me they took steps to safeguard any more damage to the heart. "Gina said, tears in her voice,
"Yeah, they did Gina, Dr. Carson is referred to as if he were a God, I didn't realize he had worked on Rick before," Lanie said,
"He was actually retired for a full two weeks until I called him, and he agreed one more case, he heard about what Rick did, and he's been a big supporter of the troops," Gina said,
"Thank God for that Gina, I don't think Rick could be in better hands, he'll be here tomorrow at 9:00 AM so I'll let you know what's going on, and Gina, (long pause) thank you, they told me I was to be treated as if I was you or his spouse. I appreciate that, it took a lot of red tape out of the way, and also Heidi as an interpreter, I haven't needed her yet, but thanks again." Lanie said, tears in her voice,
"You're welcome Lanie, look Alexis will be home and I have to straighten my face, so call me, if I don't pick up it will go to a recording device, if it's an emergency just hit 911 after your message, and it will flag me down. I know Rick's in good hands now, so thank you, I'll talk to you soon, "and the line disconnected
Next, she called Roy, from her personal cell, and told him the same as she had told Gina, he was appreciative to be kept up to date, and now the hard call, the one to Kate.
She picked her cell phone up, and paced for a good five minutes, no matter what she said Kate was going to be hurt, she wasn't there, and well, someone, especially me being here for him has got to hurt. She finally pressed the speed dial and heard a breathless Kate answer before the phone completed one ring.
"How is he Lanie, how are you?" she rushed out,
"I'm fine Kate, and Rick, well he's better than I expected. He had surgery yesterday on his tendon, and the doctors think after rehab he should regain almost full use of the hand, arm, and shoulder. They have him sedated, they don't want any movement to jar the bullet from its current location until Dr. Carson, former dean of Harvard Medical School, and well a God arrives here tomorrow at 9:00 AM local time." She almost let it slip that Rick was a former patient of Dr. Carson when he was wounded the first time. She was sure he didn't want anyone to know, especially Kate.
"How does he look Lanie, is he in pain? What about his color? I mean"
"Kate, stop, he's pale, even though the tan he got in North Carolina, but that's to be expected. I took his temperature when I first got here and talked to the house Doctor who added an antibiotic just in case. It was only a few degrees so really, normal but I wanted to take every precaution." Lanie said,
"Look, I'm going to go shower, eat some dinner, breakfast, or whatever the hell it is, and come back. I have access to him 24/7 thanks to Gina, so I'm going to sit with him tonight. There's a really comfortable couch in his suite, so I'll probably grab a few hours of sleep there.
"I'll let you know what's going on when I can, but Kate, (long pause) don't expect me to be updating you on the hour, I'm here for Rick. I promise to keep you up to date on the urgent changes as soon as they happen, other than that, no news is good news, understand?" She said as kindly as she could,
"No, of course, Rick is your main concern, I understand" Kate replied her emotion in her voice she couldn't hide,
"Look, I'm sorry Kate, you're hurting, I know it, I saw it, and now I heard it, but I'm sorry, I'm here for him and we'll see if anything happens from that. He's been so lost in love with you he hardly noticed anyone else, but Gina said, this last time was different, don't get your hopes up, he may be finally over you Kate. If he is, then, I, well, I"
"Lanie is you're asking if I am OK with it, look, I'd rather see him with you, I know how much you love him, you have for a long time, but you never acted because of me. Now's your time, win his heart if you can, be happy. Hey, I gotta go", then the line went dead.
She was over him, like hell. Lanie knew in her heart that her friend was perhaps just waking up to see the damage she had done, and the prize she had tossed away like garbage. With that realization came the hurt, sad but really nothing she could do about it now. She took Rick's hand, and whispered in his ear,
"Hey, you probably can't hear this, but I'm here Rick, Lanie won't leave you until you're ready to travel on your own. You probably know this, but well, I love you, and I'll fight anyone that mistreats you again. Now stay still, I'll be back soon, and then we'll get that last bullet out of your neck so you can start working to go home.
"I'll be here, I promise, I'll be back in a little while" she leaned down and kissed his cold soft lips, as much of them as she could, all chapped from the breathing tubes. She would fix that when she got back, she knew a great way to apply lip balm.
She made her way to the desk and was directed to the tunnel that led to her hotel, hell she never had to step outside the building. She paged Hedi, not knowing if the same master of the English language would be displayed at the hotel, and in less than five minutes, the young lady appeared.
"Hi Miss Lanie, are you ready to go to the hotel? You should eat and get some rest, your boyfriend won't wake up until after Doctor Carson arrives and is prepped. You should eat and get some rest; you must be exhausted." The young lady said,
"Thank you, Heidi, first, please just call me Lanie, the Miss, makes me feel so old, and I know you're right, but I want to be with him as much as I can," Lanie said a tear in her eye,
"Then at least eat dinner with me, then you can shower and come back to his room, the couches are comfortable, and if you need it, they actually pull out into sleepers. The blankets and sheets are in the closet next to the small one for the patients, so you should be comfortable." She said, wrinkled her nose, which reminded Lanie so much of another young lady so many miles away who had the same habit of wrinkling their nose.
Lanie pulled her into a hug and together they walked across the street through the tunnel and Lanie checked in and received her keys. Hell, she was in the penthouse, Gina had gone all out for her on accommodations.
"There's a good place that serves American cuisine just around the corner, it's one of my favorites, care to try it?" Heidi asked,
"Sure, that sounds good," Lanie said as they made their way into a place similar to Remy's back in New York. She had the cheeseburger platter and a strawberry milkshake, and was very grateful that Heidi could communicate, no raw onion on her burger. The meal went quickly then Hedi showed her to her room, and reminded her to page if she needed anything.
A quick shower, God that felt good, and a fresh set of clothes, touch up of her hair, and the lip balm and was back out the door. She wasn't going to spend any more time than necessary away from him, even if he would be sound asleep.
TBC