Charlie IV

Chapter 15

Kate was still grinning wide as Rick drove them home. Getting into bed last night and then out of bed this morning had been a real adventure.

She hadn't wanted to sleep in her pants so Rick had to pull them completely off her this time. She had kept her panties and while Rick was in the bathroom washing up and even taking a shower – something she couldn't do – Kate had unbuttoned and removed her top and her bra so that all she was wearing were her panties. She pulled the covers up to hide just how naked she really was.

Then Rick had come out and turned off all the lights. With the blackout drapes pulled it had gotten really dark so she didn't see much when Rick took off his clothes and got into his bed.

However, come morning, it was another story completely. Kate got to see him wearing just his boxers as he got dressed. Then came the fun part. She just couldn't get her bra fastened behind her back and eventually her arms got too tired to keep trying. So she was forced to get Rick to do it for her. Then came the really fun part. Getting her pants back on with Rick keeping his eyes closed.

"Are you still grinning over there?" Rick just knew she had had fun with him over getting her dressed.

"Me? No! Not me." Kate bit her lower lip to keep from grinning even wider. Then suddenly she couldn't keep it in and started laughing. Being put on the toilet had been embarrassing but watching Rick trying to get her dressed with his eyes closed had been fun.

Now she looked and saw him glaring at her so she laughed even harder.

"So where are we going on this date you owe me since you're buying."

"I'm buying?" She didn't remember that being part of the deal.

"I'm glad we agree. So where are you taking me for our date?" Rick began grinning himself this time.

"Since I'm buying it sounds like McDonald's," Kate told him coolly and burst out laughing again when she saw the face he gave her. "For one thing, I don't know anything about Laurel so I don't know. Movie maybe?"

"With popcorn and a Coke?"

"That's the most expensive part!" she complained. "But sure. …May I have a loan, Mr. Castle?" Kate smiled and batted her eyes at him.

"Are you going to keep calling me that?"

"Only until we get home. …Mr. Castle." Kate wasn't worried that her face was going to break from smiling this wide. She was having too much fun. "So what is your new book called, Mr. Castle?" She was clearly having too much fun with his secret name.

"I'm not sure I should tell you. It sounds like I'm paying for our date and you're having way too much fun at my expense."

"I'm sorry. I'll stop. …Eventually." Kate grinned wider at him. "So what's it called?"

"Not until I get the kiss you owe me."

"You're driving so I can't kiss you," Kate pointed out. He would wreck them if she even tried. "I'll owe you a second kiss. Deal?"

Rick thought that over. "Two kisses. And it's called In a Hail of Bullets."

"Let me guess, another murder mystery?" Kate inquired.

"You said you liked the first one."

"I did. I really did. So what's it about?" Kate asked hoping to get some inside information. After all she had personal access to the writer himself.

"Inside information? Not a chance. I like you but I don't like you that much. Besides you're having far too much fun at my expense."

Kate thought about that. "P-L-E-A-S-E!?" She tried to look sweet and bat her eyelashes at him.

"No." Rick didn't even look at her to see her looking sweet and batting her eyelashes at him.

"I'll get you to talk. I have my ways. …Mr. Castle." Kate grinned really wide at him. She was going to have fun with that name till they got home. She knew a secret so she was going to bleed it for all she could.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Kate tried to help Rick take her out of the truck and into her wheelchair; she let him push her to the front door. They hadn't quite reached it when the door opened and out leapt Charlie who couldn't make up his mind who was supposed to pet him so almost no one got to pet him. Charlie was yipping and whimpering and wanted both of them to pet him at the same time and barely stood still long enough to even feel a finger. He went inside with everyone else and followed them into the kitchen.

"Charlie heard your truck and went nuts, but he's been a really good dog. We took turns throwing the tennis ball out back. My arm got tired before he did." Jo would pet him but he was presently sitting next to Katie who was petting him like always as was Rick so he looked to be in heaven.

"So how was your trip?" Jo questioned them both.

"Longer than I expected. I hadn't really planned on spending the night. I thought sure it was just a simple drive down and drive back," Rick apologized.

"Just so long as your both home safe." Jo was unconcerned.

"Rick pushed me down what seemed every street of the French Quarter. We ate dinner outside on a patio and did a lot of window shopping. It was fun." Kate left out the bookstore for now.

"OH, mail!" Jo handed over Rick's only piece of mail. "Someone called Black Pawn again. They must like you." This was number two that Jo remembered.

Rick ripped it open to look and didn't see Kate looking up at him as he read. "Share with the class?" Kate teased him since his being Richard Castle was still a secret.

"It's just information. I'm going to go HIDE this in my room." Rick made a point of telling Kate he was hiding it. "We didn't stop for lunch." Technically Rick didn't have money for lunch. He hadn't anticipated paying for a hotel room.

"I take it his truck made it," Jim asked his daughter.

"It did fine. Can I have a shower and a change of clothes, Mom? I'm almost wearing the same thing I wore yesterday."

Jo put out a hand to either side. "Lunch, shower? Lunch, shower?" Jo tried to figure out which weighed the most.

"Unless you want me to stink up the kitchen? Shower."

"I know how to make sandwiches, Jo," Jim volunteered, "and we have chips and drinks."

"Shower, then," Jo confirmed. "But I want to know everything." Her daughter had spent the night in the same room as Rick so she was full of questions.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Hi, Charlie!" He had apparently left Kate and came to him. "Have you played ball yet?" Rick got him to bark and race to find a tennis ball since he wanted to play.

"How was the trip?" Jo queried as she helped her strip to get in the tub while it filled. Her wheelchair wasn't meant to be in a shower and all the showers in this house were tub-shower combinations anyway. Besides Katie liked hot baths.

"Pretty good."

Jo was annoyed with her; she wasn't talking so Jo was going to have to pull teeth or something. "How was Rick?"

"Rick was sweet. I had to pee and he had to get my pants off and my panties down with his eyes closed and then get me on the toilet. If it hadn't been so damn embarrassing it would have been funny.

"OH, and then came getting ready for bed. I didn't want to sleep wearing clothes so he had to strip me with his eyes closed again and then in the morning I ran out of strength trying to hook my bra behind my back. But he was sweet," Kate admitted to her mother. She would never, ever tell her dad any of that.

"So he closed his eyes the entire time?" Jo wanted to know if she needed to bend Rick's ear for taking advantage of her daughter.

"Yup, it was funny."

"So what was so special about New Orleans?" Jo waited for an answer as she lifted her daughter and helped her down into the tub.

"It was all about a book. After that you'll have to ask Rick. But that was a nice bookstore and it was filled with books. They even had tables in the middle with books piled on top. The owners work the store themselves.

"The trip was nice, really nice." Kate got busy washing while her mother left her.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

Jo joined her husband in the kitchen. "Where's Rick?"

"Outside throwing the ball. Knowing Charlie the way we do he'll be out there for hours. Why?" Why did his wife need Rick. What had Katie told her that she needed him for?

"Katie wouldn't say why they went to New Orleans. Just that it was Rick's story to tell."

"And you want to intrude into his life. Did Katie say he did something he shouldn't have?" Jim would give him more than a piece of his mind if he had.

"No, actually Katie said he was sweet. I just want to know what's so special about New Orleans is all." Jo sighed heavily. "And you're right it's his life." Jo would hold her tongue for now.

"Over a month till the house is done and our business. We haven't gotten any new news about either," Jim reminded her.

"I want so badly to go see the house. BUT we promised not to so they could show us when they were done with it. Just they said something about rot so just how much rot was there?" Jo wasn't cut out to wait like this.

"Well if they need more money they would call. They know our all in budget so they have 4 grand if they need it." Jim points out.

Jo got the green seedless grapes out and helped herself to one of them. "Looks like you're just about done. I'll go get Katie while you get Rick." Jo left him to get Katie out of the tub, then dry and dressed.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"Where is everyone?" Jim inquired as Jo entered the living room and sat down next to him.

"Katie's still sleeping off her PT visit. Charlie's in her room watching her sleep and Rick is in his room typing. What he's typing I have no idea but he's typing." Jo snuggled in nice and close and felt his arm go around her.

"One more month," Jim reminded her.

"Our handouts are being printed after we finally agreed on something." Jo poked him since he had been difficult for no reason.

"Our one lone billboard will be up in a month after we agreed on what it will look like," Jim added.

"I'm still not sure I'm happy with my picture," Jo complained. It was the one she had finally agreed on.

"You had 30 different pictures to choose from, Jo. It looks nice. You look like a lawyer." Jim liked her picture. "Are you sorry we're in Laurel, Mississippi?" It was too late now but he wanted to know.

She shook her head. "No, it was necessary. I know we had talked about maybe moving to New York City but it was just talk. Maybe earn more money but this will work. If we're careful we can take over this town. We will be the lawyers everyone needs."

Jim had a sudden idea. "You know, we should talk to the mayor and to the city council as well."

"We do?" Jo raised her eyebrow at him since she didn't know what he was thinking.

"Cities need lawyers, too. Somebody gets hurt in a park and wants to sue. A city-owned building has a problem and someone gets hurt and they want to sue. We need to choose, do we sue the city or do we defend our city?"

"OH, I SEE!" Jo got it now. "You know me, I would want to sue the city, but we live here and this isn't LA. We sue the small town we live in and that would be bad. If we can become this city's lawyers do we alienate the people that live here?"

"Not if they don't try to sue the city and come to us to sue them. I think it'll be fine," Jim assured her. "I can call the mayor and make an appointment. We just need to figure out how to pitch us to get them to use us."

"We're renting now but they need to know that we're moving to our permanent home in a month. Get him to talk to Jim and Emily perhaps," Jo suggested. "It's going to be a big house when Katie and Rick with Charlie finally move out one day. We'll become empty nesters." Jo wasn't sure she was ready for that day yet.

"Depends on where Katie moves to ultimately. New Orleans is close. Just a 2 hour drive down the Interstate. If Rick's truck can make it we can make it," Jim asserted.

"Katie is going to want to go to college, maybe. She's going to miss an entire semester and if she isn't walking well enough, maybe an entire year. I don't know how she's going to feel about that. No word from the LA police, I suppose?" Jo twisted her head around to look at him.

"None. I'm starting to think they never will find them or if they're even still trying." Jim leaned into his wife since he could use a little of her strength. Their daughter had been through a lot and no one was paying for it except them.

Jo groaned since he was probably right on both counts. "These two are busy. Think maybe we could squeeze in a quick drive-by of the house?" She knew they'd said they wouldn't peek. Though they weren't going inside to peek, just a quick drive-by the house to see what they were doing.

"I'll get the keys." Jim let go of her and got up to find his wallet and the keys.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"JIM!" Jo waved her hand at him to go slower as they passed the house. "The windows are gone. The roof is gone!" She meant all the shingles and some of the plywood and they could see exposed roof joists.

"They said there was some rot and the roof needed to be replaced," Jim reminded her.

"There's a hole in our house!" Jo exclaimed. "Someone's looking. Drive, drive!" It was time to make their escape and go back home. "Drive to the office instead of home. We're out looking so let's look."

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

"We lost another roof!?" Jim had parked this time and they were out looking at the space from the outside. They didn't dare try and go inside.

"They said it was shot. I think this qualifies as being shot," Jim offered.

"I know, but our house doesn't have a roof and now our office doesn't have a roof. What's wrong with this picture?" Jo couldn't believe this. Yes, she had listened but hearing and seeing were two different things. "They can fix this?" Jo saw nothing but a big mess from the outside.

"Do you cook or takeout?" Jim queried since dinner was coming up soon.

"Takeout. I've lost any enthusiasm to cook. Not even to try and teach Katie how to cook." Jo kept looking at the mess that was their future office. "I'm thinking pizza. Nice and simple. We can get two medium size ones. One can be half Hawaiian for Katie and the other half can be ours. Rick can have the other one. Meat Lovers or Supreme. He's a growing boy."

"He'll grow to be fat if we keep this up," Jim pointed out.

[:] o-0-O-0-o [:]

It was a week later and Kate was finally out of her room but only because Rick was pushing her out into the living room where everyone else was including Charlie.

"How do you feel, Katie?" Jo asked.

"It hurts," Kate groaned as Rick stopped. She just sat there in her wheelchair with her hands in her lap. That lasted right up to the point where Charlie sat next to her and Kate didn't notice that she was petting him.

"What part?" Jo asked patiently.

"All of it. I thought PT was supposed to help, not make it worse." Why was it mandatory when everything hurt so much after he was gone?

"No pain, no gain," Rick muttered as he made his way to the kitchen to find something to drink.

"Oh, shut up or I'll tell them your secret," Kate threatened.

"Rick has a secret?" Jo stared at her daughter.

Rick rolled his eyes as he walks back. "I have lots of secrets. Let me think. I was thrown out of every boarding school I ever attended save for one. That was the last one. I lost my virginity when I was… No, that's not a secret. Almost everyone knows that one."

"I don't know it. Tell me," Kate pleaded.

Rick smiled at her. "Only if you tell me yours."

"Yes, Katie, do tell." Jo smiled expectantly at her.

"I have a big mouth and I'm keeping my secrets, so forget it. Both of you. Make that all three of you." Kate glared at Rick. "I suppose you want to know my bra size too?"

"Nope. I saw that after you took your bra off in New Orleans." Rick grinned at her. He was lying, of course, but she didn't need to know that.

"Katie? You have something you want to tell us?" Jo was enjoying this very much.

"Thirty-five B! Is everyone happy now?" Kate sat there and pouted. "And you can forget me telling you my pantie size. Or my shoe size, or hat size, or any other size."

"How about ring size?" Rick teased her.

"WHAT!" Kate was sure her blood pressure had just shot through the roof. It didn't help when her mother laughed at her.