Actions Have Consequences or Rewards.
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: This is Totally AU; Beckett has found a new love, Castle is hiding a deadly secret, Takes place after the punch to the stomach in Headhunters.
Taking Literary License to fill in the blanks.
I don't own Castle; I use the characters for amusement purposes only, except the ones I create.
Also, we take liberties with the timeline from Canon and use events to make this a more believable fiction, thanks.
**************************************************************************/
Chapter 13
Presbyterian Hospital
PET SCAN LAB 8:30 AM NEXT DAY
Rick had resigned himself that the cancer was back, so the test was only a formality, at least in his eyes, but he had to go through it before his appointment with his Oncologist, Doctor Lee Xang to determine the next steps. He hated drinking the liquid, but played the mind game with himself, trying to convince himself that it was fine scotch, the taste had to be acquired for it.
He had gotten most of the required bottles down before he was called back to enter the machine by a young lady, who paid little if any attention that his gown left a lot to be seen from the rearview. He had it on reversed but they made him change it, something to do with the scan. Oh, what the hell, it wouldn't be the first time his ass was hung out, in more ways than one.
The test went as expected, although the room was a little louder than normal, one of the techs explained they were scanning multiple patients at the same time and apologized for the noise.
"No Problem, I was just wondering if the machine was functioning properly or what the source of the noise was, I was beginning to think it was in my head" he laughed,
"No Sir, Mr. Rook, it's the room, we're actually conducting six scans, usually I think you are the only one, or perhaps one of two in here. I understand where the concern came from, you were right to tell us of anything you think is off, so thank you for that." The young redheaded technician said.
"Very well Mr. Rook, it appears that the doctor is satisfied with the images, you may get dressed and wait in the room to your left, the doctor will call you shortly" as he hurried to another section of the room, he was the supervisor apparently,
Rick had almost forgotten the pseudo name he used for hospital visits to maintain his privacy. He went into the room, changed back into his casual clothes, and entered the main room to wait for the doctor to speak to him.
XxX
Presbyterian Hospital
PET SCAN LAB 7:45 AM NEXT DAY
Kate had arrived early for the appointment, hoping to get the entire mess over with and allow her to get back home and make some plans. She had been lax in following Rick's advice to do so, she knew she was Alexis's legal guardian should something happen to him, but now what? He wasn't talking to her, and well, he had to know so he could provide for his daughter.
"Good Morning, Miss Beckett, we're ready for you," her thoughts were interrupted as her name was called, she gathered the robe to expose as little flesh as possible, not that anyone was looking, hell they saw tits and ass every day, why did she think hers were so special.
She entered the chamber and started reciting her favorite lines of poetry to reduce her stress. The room was loud, and the aftertaste from the liquid she had been forced to drink was on the verge of making her barf. She thought of other things, other times, strangely they always went back to times she was with Rick or Rick and his family. She was lost in a memory of a movie night when she was staying with the family when the machine stopped making noise and the kind nurse, called her name again.
"Detective Beckett, we thought you may have fallen asleep, many of our patients do when they think of alternate places to ease their mind. You did great, the images are what the doctor wanted to see, so please get dressed and go to the outer room, they will call you back shortly" she said, trying to help Kate keep her balance, after jumping up so quickly.
She walked through the door, found the small locker she had stored her clothes earlier, and proceeded to re-dress. She hadn't worn a bra, what the hell, if they saw the Wah Hoo, what was a little tit to go with it, besides, there had been zero interest in any of the men. She had worn flats; heels didn't seem appropriate when you were going for tests to determine if you had cancer or not. I'll know soon enough she thought, as she entered the door, and found a seat as far away from everyone as possible.
There was a man sitting closer to the door who looked familiar, BUT he had on expensive sunglasses and a NY Yankees hat pulled down, so it was really hard to get a quick look at him. She picked up a magazine, fairly new for a waiting room in a medical facility, and started to leaf through it until she heard a name called, then chills went up to her spine and she almost passed out.
"Mr. Rook, Mr. Richard Rook," the nurse called out, the man in the baseball cap rose slowly and followed the nurse. Oh God, it was Castle, he was here, for the same reason she was, Oh God, please no, don't let the cancer come back. It had been a surprise the first time, this time the man walked almost like he had accepted life's cruel blow and wasn't ready to fight anymore.
She hadn't recovered yet when the same nurse called her name, "Detective Beckett, Kate Beckett," and held the door open as she rose and walked slowly towards the gateway to the rest of her life. She walked past the office where Rick sat, still with his sunglasses and cap on, but his body language, sent her a message, he had seen her, at least she thought he had.
She walked into the office directly across from where he was sitting and found the patient chair. She wanted to look out the door so badly, but she resisted, he had made his choice, no matter what happened, if he was happy without her, then she would let it go.
Then her world got rocked off its axis, as he walked to the men's room, not looking into her room. On the way back, he took a glance and then he stopped dead, "Kate, Beckett, is that you?" he called out softly, as he took a few steps toward her,
"Hi Rick, I would say it's nice to see you but not under these circumstances, how have you been. Shit, never mind, that was stupid, I me"
"Kate, it's OK, I've been fine, well until recently, and you? I know you're not here for a tooth filling, how are YOU?" he asked, true concern showing for the first time since she could remember,
"I guess I'll find out soon, I was forced to take some tests then the next thing I know I'm on the phone with the OB-GYN telling me to come here, something looked irregular on my tests. I guess, I haven't gone for the screening in five years, so something serious may be wrong, I don't know, but I'm sure the doctors will tell me soon." She said,
"Kate, I'm sorry, I mean, I"
"Stop Rick, you don't have anything to be sorry for, it was me that lied, I can only imagine the hurt you felt hearing my conversation with that petty thief Lopez. I've seen Doctor Burke several times since then, I think I finally get it from your perspective.
"He made me play role reversal in an exercise, and I was so angry with him, I didn't go to the next three sessions. He finally came to my apartment and asked me if I was still hurt, or angry, which one. I had to admit I was hurt, then he told me that was how you felt, hearing what you did. I never put it together, Rick, I'm so very sorry." She had tears in her eyes,
"You know Kate, if you have time, Remy's isn't far from here, we can celebrate or commiserate depending on the news after our appointments, that is if you would like to grab something to get the taste of that liquid out of your mouth" he suddenly turned shy,
"I'd love it Rick, and I don't know about you, but I could sure use a friend, one who has had my back through thick and thin right about now. I have a ton of making up to him to do if he'll let me." She said, tears, in her eyes,
"You don't have to make up anything Kate, but I like the idea of getting my best friend back if she'll forgive a stubborn ass, who acted to hurt back rather than find out why, I'm so sorry, Kate."
She couldn't stand it any longer, she rushed to his arms crying and he held her, gently rubbing circles on her back and whispering. "We'll get through this Kate, no matter what it is, we'll make it together, OK? Believe me, I've got you, I'm not leaving I promise." As he kissed her head, suddenly realizing the height difference when she wasn't in heels.
She pulled back just slightly, and cupped his face in her small hands, "I love you, Richard Castle, I have forever. Please forgive me" and then kissed him like he had dreamed of for years, He kissed her back and only the sound of the doctors' Ah Hem got them to break apart.
"Excuse me, Detective Beckett. I hate to interrupt such a tender moment, but it's time to discuss your findings. Hello Mr. Rook, good to see you again." Doctor Lee Xang said, with a smile.
"Hello Dr. Lee, I guess I better go back to the waiting room, Kate, will you wait for me?" he asked,
"No, I mean Rick, can you stay, I mean I'll sign the HIPPA form if you need another one Doctor, but I'll feel much better with my best friend with me, good or bad news" She had a tear in her eye, Rick gently wiped away, as the Doctor smiled,
"Sure, Rick, would that be OK with you? The Doctor asked,
"Of course, if Kate needs me, I'll be there at least as long as I'm able, he said, with a sad look,
"Hey, as you said, Rick, We're gonna be all right, both of us, I just know it, hold my hand babe, I need you now"
They entered the office, the nurse had discreetly added a chair next to the patient chair for Rick, he realized the Kate had not let go of his hand since they broke the kiss, he sat down, expecting her to take the seat next to him, she surprised him by sitting in his lap.
She turned to look into his eyes, "Is this OK Rick?"
"It's perfect babe, I got you, I won't ever let you go, I promise" she kissed him quickly and they turned to the doctor.
"Well Kate, your OB-GYN is a good friend of mine, and if he has one fault, he will always error on the side of caution. I reviewed the labs with him this morning, and when I saw your films, I knew that the results he had read were caused by something other than a tumor, you can breathe you don't have cancer.
"With that said, you do have a problem with your right breast area, there is a condition you do have known as Fibroadenomas. That's a fancy name for the most common noncancerous solid breast tumors found in women ages 15 to 35. Fibroadenomas don't increase cancer risk and sometimes go away on their own.
"I don't like the odds of sometimes, and when you have a multiple number of these tumors, it can increase your risk, later in life. I understand you haven't been on your birth control for over 16 months, and have not had intercourse in almost 14 months, is that accurate?" Dr. Lee asked as gently as he could,
"Actually, no it's not, I did have intercourse 15 months ago, it was a huge mistake, and I was on the pill then, it was three times, then I quit taking the pill the next month and I haven't had sex since. I didn't have the man I loved in my life at the time." She blushed as she held his hand tighter,
"Kate, it's a long time ago, I'm not angry, or hurt, it's OK Babe," as she buried her head into his shoulder and wept.
Rick picked up on it, and asked, "You said you didn't like the odds of sometimes, Dr, what are you suggesting?
"I'm glad you asked that Rick, it's an out-patient procedure, we'll place Kate in a twilight stage of sleep as we go in with an endoscopic tool, that removes the tumors, then cauterizes the area, limiting the surgery to between 4 and 8 stitches total, with total recovery in about 10 days." He said with a smile, "Of course we'll send the tissue to the lab just to be sure, but I would bet my house and boat it's not malignant.
"What about the cervical cancer Dr. Lee, what caused that reading to be so off?" Kate asked,
"Well, they were comparing cells to that of your last test, I think 5 years ago when you were in a relationship with an FBI agent, and actively taking hormonal Birth Control, once you stopped taking it, it sent false positives to the screening criteria we had, but I assure you, your second test when adjusted for your new sexual behavior is normal. One thing, Kate, you CAN'T wait this long going forward,"
"She won't Dr. Lee, I assure you," Rick said, as she continued to weep on his shoulder, still holding tight to his hand, she couldn't believe her good fortune, no cancer and she was with the love of her life, oh GOD, he might have cancer,
"Dr. Lee, we can schedule the surgery once we know about Rick, can we shift to him, Rick, do you mind if I stay?" She asked sheepishly,
"Try to leave and see what happens, you're not leaving my side, Babe."
"OK, let's move forward with Rick's test results shall we. Now before we start, I want you both to know that the results show only cells, not a tumor, it hasn't progressed back to the size of the original resection done on your kidney, Rick. There is a presence of cells, we'd like to do a needle biopsy, I'll warn you, it hurts like a motha, but it gives us the most accurate reading of what is really there.
"I'm guessing worst case, we have to do a cleanout, endoscopically, no large incisions this time. I can do it using our robotics and give you a cleaner and better outcome. I do advise some form of chemo again, I'm sorry, and if needed a few weeks of radiation. Let's get that mass out of there, and see what we're dealing with, then formulate our plan, how does that sound.
"I'll need radiation and chemo Doc?" Rick looked depressed,
"Babe, you won't be alone, I'm staying with you, until you're healed, that is if you want me to. I need to take care of you as you always did for me. I'm on leave until I go back, Gates gave me up to 4 months, then if I need to, well we'll address that then, OK, please Rick, let me do this?" She locked on his eyes pleading with him,
"Kate, are you sure, I mean that's a lot of responsibility, I mean I"
"It's what partners do Rick, we take care of each other, at work and in life, right?" she looked at him, and he could swear she was almost proposing,
"Exactly, it's what partners do"
"Dr. Lee can you call Kate at my loft number, she won't be home much in the next few days, in fact, use her cell, we may go to the Hamptons just the two of us to plan our Kick Cancers Ass program,"
"It would be my pleasure, and I think the Hamptons is a fantastic idea, for you both." He smiled,
"Now I think you owe your lady a trip to Remy's if I overheard you correctly," he smiled, as Kate kissed Rick and for the first time in almost a year, felt something more than dead, she was happy. No matter what came their way, they had each other, that's what counted.
"Do you feel up to it Kate, I me"
"Hey, you're not getting out of this, come on Babe, there's a milkshake calling my name" she scrunched her nose, the tell that she was happy. It had been a long time since he had seen that, and it warmed his heart. It was like he was falling in love again for the first time, perhaps he was, this was so much better than he could have ever hoped for.
XxX
Two Hours Later,
Kate had stopped by her apartment to pack a bag, she wasn't about to leave him, not after him being out of sight and contact for over a year. They entered the loft, and it felt like home to her all over again. She stood in the hallway for a second, her eyes closed, just smiling,
"Babe are you OK? Are you sure this isn't too fast for you? You know we can move at your speed, don't rush,"
His words were silenced with her lips on his, a gentle kiss, the sweet I love you and I never want to be away from you type kiss. "I was remembering the last time I spent time here, this time it's gonna be even better," she said, her eyes, twinkling,
"Why is it going to be better?" He kissed her back, as they stood eyes locked on the others,
"Because I can do this anytime, I feel the urge, which is every minute, of every day," she kissed him as though she wanted him, and he returned the passion. She was almost over the edge with just his kiss, God, that man could use that tongue,
"Rick, I have a confession to make, I mean, I don't want any more secrets between us, so I'm going to tell you. I called Franny a few months ago, I didn't ask her any direct questions, I just wanted to know if you were doing OK, and she told me that you were fine. She also asked me when I was going to get off my ass and come and get my man, that you had never stopped loving me. Is that true Rick? I mean I don't have the right to"
This time he stopped her words with his own kiss, and she reached down took his hand, and gently led him to his bedroom, "Are you sure Babe? You don't have to prove anything to me? I know you love me, and I hope you know I never stopped loving you. I tried, I did, but I couldn't.
"You were in every bird's chirp, every baby's laugh, every sound the wind made blowing through the trees, you were in everything I experienced Kate, I love you, I'll always love you."
"Show me Babe, but please be gentle, until,"
"I will Babe, I will now relax, this is my turn." He worshiped her body, and proved to her that his tongue was indeed a weapon of lovemaking, she was over the edge within minutes, and he wouldn't stop until her body was shaking with sheer excitement. He held her so gently, as she began to kiss him back.
"Your turn now, I like this kind of punishment, so I'll be bad again tomorrow if you punish me the same way"
"Always Kate, Always, my love, my body, my heart is yours. I love you, and I can't stop saying it out loud,
"I know Babe, I know, I love you too, just promise me, you won't ever let me go back to that ass I was, promise?"
"I promise, I swear on this", as he started another round, and she enjoyed the act as well as knowing no woman in the world could feel as loved as she did, and she would Always.
The End
A/N: Thanks to all who followed this journey, I hope you enjoyed it. The message is still clear, take care of your body and it will take care of you. As a caretaker of a Cancer Survivor, PLEASE get tested regularly, the world would be a far less happy place without you,
Now to the story, and my reviewers telling me it was over, it would never work, and for Rick to grow a pair, and move on. First I followed the general outline from Canon, Fact number 1, Kate lied about hearing, Fact number 2, Rick heard her in interrogation and acted like a petulant child both in Canon and this story. That is the overall story ark, I had to deal with to keep some semblance of the Canon version.
I added some characters, and also introduced an event that, in my experience, makes people forget the petty actions or the treatment they had received, they only want to be with their true love for as long as they have. Marlowe said it was always designed to be a love story, but in my stories, as in life, I have more than 47 minutes to deliver the script of the week, we all know in real life, many obstacles are placed in our way.
My biggest peeve was that the inconsistency between episodes, and even seasons, made the viewer assume many things. To those fans who gave up on the story, I'm sorry you didn't stick around to see the end, by now, most readers know, there is ALWAYS a twist coming, and unless I warn you, repeatedly about not being Caskett, it's not wrong to hold out hope, no matter how bleak.
For those that posted the rude, vulgar, and demeaning comments that were deleted, thank you for showing the type of person you are. It's easy to sit behind a computer screen and throw out insults, it's another to log in and have a respectful discussion, even if you disagree. I have enough support to not allow your cowardness to impact the way I write, or what I write about. At this stage of my life, you can't call me anything worse than I already have been called, so save your energy.
I will say that the fandom has lost many writers, more in the last year or so than I can recall, most much better than I will ever be, because of the constant insults to them for what? Trying to preserve in some form, the memories of a show that brought millions of us together from around the world.
I wish each of you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, for those that celebrate, and a Happy Holiday season to all who celebrate in other ways, Thanks for your support, throughout this year.
Tim
