92 Days
by Castlefan6
Authors Note: This is Totally AU; Beckett has left the hospital after her shooting, This describes the activity of each, during those 92 days without contact, both in the hospital and out. It blends some Canon dialog, courtesy of Dust Jackets Dot Com, then goes quickly and completely AU. What were each up to during this time, 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.
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Chapter 1
12th Precinct
10:50 AM One Month After Beckett's Shooting.
Kevin and Javi weren't too happy with the new Captain, she's just given them a deadline to show progress on Kate's case or she's marking it COLD and turning it over to the Cold Case Squad. It's a slap in the face for every police officer who had served in the field, but this Captain had spent her entire career in Internal Affairs, trying to find dirt on the "Real Cops" as most officers distinguished between the two.
"Ryan, Esposito, my office now" bellowed Gates, known throughout the precinct as Iron Gates, what lady wants to be addressed as Sir rather than Mam?
"Sir, you wanted to see us," Ryan said as kindly as possible, as they appeared in her doorway just a few moments later.
"No, I wanted the Good Humor Man, I called for you, didn't I? She bellowed, "Get in here and close the door, take a seat at the table." She pointed to the round table she had brought in that seated 3 to 4 people, she wanted to be in your face during updates.
"Yes Sir" Esposito led the way, figuring the quicker they got this over with, the quicker they could get away from this, this, vile piece of human trash that somehow had been named to replace Roy Montgomery as Captain of the 12th precinct.
"Where do we stand on Beckett's shooting?" What are the new leads we have?" she asked? Not beating around the bush, just cutting to the chase of the matter.
"Well Sir, we're working on some potential leads, some of the people don't want to talk, so we're trying to go soft,"
"Bull Shit, Ryan, that was the update for the last two weeks, you either have a lead or you don't. I'll ask you again, do you have any new information or leads in the Beckett shooting case?" Gates spewed, apparently already angry at something or someone.
"No Sir, but we're close" Esposito tried his case,
"Well, it's been a month, look, no one likes a case to go cold, especially when it's a Cop's shooting but how long can I keep working Karpowski's team 80 hours a week, she and her team are all exhausted. No one said a word before you get your panties in a bunch. They would all drop from exhaustion first, so this is my decision.
"You have two more weeks, either you have something we can move the case forward with, or I'm sorry, it's going to the CC (Cold Case) Squad, am I perfectly clear?" she looked over her glasses like a pissed off nun in an all-Baptist grammar school.
"Perfectly Clear Sir" Espo gritted through his clenched teeth, as they couldn't wait to exit the woman's office,
The first thing they did was mark themselves out for an early lunch, they decided perhaps Castle might be more available from the Haunt since he had been banished from the precinct just two days ago by Attila the Hun. Everyone was surprised when he didn't return with Mayor Weldon by his side, something was up between Beckett and him.
As they drove, they argued, as always,
"I'm telling you Javi, he's different, almost like he's done with her, I don't know what she did, but somehow she more than pissed him off this time," Kevin said,
"You're nuts Honey milk, this is mom and dad we're talking about, he's crazy about her, and well, if she would just admit it, she feels the same about him. Why do you think she kicked that motorcycle doctor to the curb two weeks ago?" Javi asked,
"She did? Who the hell knows this Javi? It doesn't do a damn bit of good if Rick still thinks she's with Dr. Motorcycle Boy, hell he probably thinks she's getting special attention from him at the hospital as well." Ryan said, pissed that Javi had information that he hadn't shared
"Well, she's not at the hospital, she checked herself out the day before yesterday, to a and I quote, "rehab facility that is currently undisclosed" according to the hospital records, she called Lanie, she's at her Dad's cabin."
"Is Josh with her?" Ryan asked,
"No, don't you listen to anything, I told you she kicked him to the curb two weeks ago. That stunt when she was in surgery pushing Castle was just his frustration of getting dumped coming out, not about caring about our girl" Javi said,
"You stupid ass, don't you think Castle would be thinking the same thing I'm thinking, what the hell is wrong with you and Lanie, you keep silent when you should share information, and you blab your big mouths when you should keep them shut.
"I swear, you two are made for each other. Let's see if we can get in touch with Rick. If I didn't know this working six feet from you, then I know for sure he doesn't and it might change the way he's feeling about her. How the hell would you feel if it had been Lanie doing what Kate was doing? Sometimes I swear you don't have one brain between the two of you," Kevin was pissed.
Brian, the General Manager, and Rick's right-hand man at the Haunt greeted them with two beers brought to the booth that was always reserved for members of the 12th. They never paid a check, for food, or beverage and Rick and the staff always made sure they wanted for nothing.
"Hi Guys, what will you have today?" He asked, knowing that Javi always ate, regardless of the time of day,
"Hi Brian, how's it going, can we get two cheeseburger platters, and say have you talked to Rick lately, we were trying to get in touch with him, but it doesn't look like he's answering his phone," Kevin said,
"Sure thing," as he handed the order slip to a waitress walking by, then turned back to the guys, "He didn't tell you guys? He's not home, and won't be home until and I quote, "get some things worked out once and for all" whatever that means Kevin, I have no idea," Brian replied,
"Well, when did he leave Brian, I mean was it recently?" Esposito pressed,
"Yeah, it was two days ago, he was in working on the books, then went to visit his partner in the hospital. Funny, he didn't visit for long, he came back and signed a bunch of checks in case I needed anything past my spending limit, placed some orders that he wouldn't normally do for a few weeks, and then told me I was in charge, to look after the place"
"I asked him where he was going, and for how long, how would I contact him if I needed him," Brian said,
"What did he say, Brian, I mean, don't make me turn this into an interrogation," Javi raised his voice,
"Easy Javi, Sorry Brian, we've had a bad morning, so what did he say, and ignore what Espo said." Kevin smoothed things over,
"He just told me he was going somewhere to think, he wasn't sure for how long, and to just treat the place as my own, he had confidence in me," Brian said,
"Did he say he was turning off his phone, I mean, or any hint where he was going, maybe to the Hamptons?" Kevin pressed,
"No, I asked if I could call the landline in the Hamptons if I needed him, he just said, he wasn't going there, and if I needed him, and to be sure it was a matter of life or death to call Paula, she had a way to contact him," Brian said as their food arrived, along with another refill of beers.
"Thanks, Brian, that was very helpful we appreciate the help," Esposito said,
"Well, if you do, tip your server, the last three times you skipped out on her without the tip. Rick doesn't care about the free food and booze, but you need to take care of the wait staff," Brian looked at him square in the eyes,
"You cheap bastard, did you take the tips I left, you were supposed to add to them, not steal them, Esposito, now cough up a $50 that I saw in your wallet, you owe her that much or more" Ryan embarrassed his partner, and Javi knew when to back off. He pulled out his wallet and reluctantly laid down the bill.
"Javi if you take that, I swear, I'll break your arm with that baseball bat" Brian looked at him, and he meant business.
They finished their meals and beer in silence, Javi from embarrassment, Ryan from being so pissed off he wanted to kill his partner and the ME both. How stupid were they? No, not going there, breathe, just breathe he told himself until they stood up, he didn't take his eye off Javi, neither did Brian, and the bill stayed on the table.
They got into their car, and decided not to antagonize Gates but get back from lunch close if not on time for a change. They went to the small conference room and pulled up Paula Hass's contact information. Before they dialed, Kevin looked over at Espo, "You keep your mouth shut, you understand? This is our only contact with Rick, and if you piss her off, we'll be retired before we hear back from him."
"What, I know how to talk to people I me" he let his voice trail off, knowing this was one argument he had lost already,
Kevin dialed the number, and soon heard the nasal tone that couldn't be mistaken for anyone in the world but Paula, "Paula Haas, what do you need Detective Ryan, I'm guessing it's got something to do with Rick."
"Hi Paula, yeah, well you know Rick was working the case with us, till"
"Till that bitch of a captain threw him off the case, you guys are really screwed up, calling a civilian for help on a police case involving the shooting of a cop. I always heard that was the worst thing a criminal could do, so what do you need?" She threw out, in a shrill tone, not kind, or even pretending to try to be.
"Well, we really need to speak with Rick, I know he doesn't know what all that is going on with Beckett, and I'm afraid he might have gotten the wrong impression." Ryan tried, biting his lip,
"Oh, you mean the fact that she checked out of the hospital two days ago, she was supposed to call him in a few days the last time he saw her?" Paula said,
"When was that, Paula, last week?" Esposito asked,
"Are you stupid Esposito or do you just act that way on purpose trying to get laid, Rick hasn't seen your Detective since three days after the shooting. She had her Dad call and ask him to come, which of course he ran out of a very important business meeting to run to her side.
"Hell, he changed shirts four times only to be dismissed after five minutes. He told her he would call her, she said not to, that she would call him in a few days." Paula was angry, at Beckett, at the NYPD, at anyone that had been involved with hurting Rick.
"So, when did she call him last," Espo asked before Ryan could tell him to shut up,
"You are a MORON, aren't you Esposito, did you miss the part where I said he hasn't seen or talked to her since she asked to see him three days after the shooting." Now he had done it, she was already mad, but she was on fire now,
"He didn't mean to make you mad, Paula, we are just under a deadline for Beckett's case before the Captain is going to send it to the cold case files. We thought if Rick had any idea, anything at all, we're desperate to get a lead" Ryan said,
"Well, Rick's not in town, and his phone is off, so what do you want me to do about it? It sounds like a mess internally at the NYPD, how can I help with that." Paula asked as Ryan ran his finger across his throat to Esposito signaling to shut up let him talk.
"Well, we talked to Brain at the Haunt and he said you had a way to get in touch with him, and we'd appreciate it, well we would really be grateful if you could ask him to call us when he can," Ryan responded,
"Well, I don't talk to him every day Ryan, if he calls, I'll ask him to call you. I don't think that other buffoon knows how to tie his shoes, without an instruction pamphlet," she responded,
"OK, Paula, whatever you can do, as I said all of us at the 12th, not just me and my partner but all of us would really appreciate anything you can do," Ryan said sincerely,
"As I said, Irish, I'll do what I can" click went the line, and Javi was pissed off and started to yell.
"She's got some nerve talking to me like that, and you, hell you, backed her up" he screamed,
"You are a moron, if you keep pissing her off all she would have done was hang up, so suck it up Mr. Special Forces, and shut your mouth. Now, all we can do is wait for Rick to call, hopefully, while we go over this file again."
XxX
Three Months Later
TWELFTH PRECINCT BULLPEN
Beckett is back for the first time since her shooting and she's hesitant. She takes a second to look at her mom's ring, then at her empty desk. She's brought out of her thoughts by clapping. She looks around and smiles. Everyone is clapping for her and her return. Ryan and Esposito join the applause but quickly stop in favor of talking to her.
"Hey, Beckett. What are you doing here? Didn't think you were back until next week." Ryan said,
"Yeah well, two months of listening to crickets in my dad's cabin was driving me nuts," Beckett replied with a hint of a smile,
She starts to unpack her bag, and her thoughts go back to an earlier time.
FLASHBACK
XxX
Beckett
Days One - Three
Kate remembered she was facing the sunshine, giving the eulogy for her Captain, Roy Montgomery, she even recalled the words she had said,
"Roy Montgomery taught me what it meant to be a cop. He taught me that we are bound by our choices, but we are more than our mistakes. Captain Montgomery once said to me that for us, there is no victory. There are only battles. And in the end, the best you can hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you're very lucky, you find someone to stand with you." She glanced at Rick, locking eyes for just a moment until HE looked away, Wait, what he never looked away.
She had to continue the eulogy, so she said, "Our Captain would want us to carry on the fight. And even if there is
Then suddenly she felt two sensations, something very heavy tackling her, and a burning sensation in the middle of her chest, she was looking up into the eyes of Rick, who had blood on his hands, hell it was her blood, she had been shot. She struggled to stay conscious, but the last words she heard were Rick's sweet voice.
"Kate, shh… Kate. Stay with me, Kate. Don't leave me, please. Stay with me, okay?"
She's trying, focusing as hard as she can on him, but it's too much. She's been shot and she's scared and she can't stop the tears from escaping her eyes. She's trying to speak, trying to stop the pain, then she heard the clear baritone, and the words she would never forget,
"Kate, I love you. I love you, Kate."
She fought to respond to tell him she felt the same but she can't get a sound out, and the pain, God the pain, it feels like she's breaking into pieces. Her eyes drift closed. Castle still holds her, she can see him from above, it's like she's drifted towards the sky and has a birds-eye view of the scene.
Then she hears the noise, a lot of noise, people yelling, screaming, and she can see Rick and Lanie putting pressure on her wound, as others push the crowd back to allow the ambulance into the cemetery. Finally, she feels herself being loaded onto the cart, and lifted into the bus, she heard Rick, he said something loud, but he and Lanie climbed in with her and the EMT.
She remembered hearing Lanie's voice scream at someone, "This is my friend, you understand me? She's, my friend. And then the man's voice responded,
"Then let us save her life."The man replied
She knows she's in a different room, but she can't see herself like at the cemetery. There are doctors and nurses all yelling out instructions, then she hears a voice that sounds oddly familiar,
"Stop compressions. We have a rhythm. Let's check for breathing". Who is that, she knows the voice,
The nurse pulls the mask off her face and Josh stops short as he recognizes exactly who he's working on just as she realizes who the voice belongs to, Josh. What the hell is he doing here, we broke up two weeks ago, she thinks,
Josh, to his credit, continues on, "Her breathing is shallow. Let's get her to the table. One, two, three…"
"Page Dr. Kovacs, tell him he has to take over."
Who is she? Was asked by another doctor, or someone in the room,
"She's, my girlfriend, or she was till two weeks ago, I still can't operate, get Kovacs in here, STAT."
Kate is beginning to float above now, she can see herself on the table, she sees Josh hand the instrument to another man all cloaked up, as he walked out of the room. She looks down one more time, then everything goes black.
XxX
Castle
Days One - Three
Rick was outside in the hall with the remainder of the friends and family doing what they could do, wait. All of a sudden, he saw a man about his size in scrubs approach him, screaming, he finally recognized the man as Josh, Kate's boyfriend.
"Snipers? At a funeral?" he headed straight towards Rick,
"I tried to get to her. I tried –"
He can't finish before he's being pushed back into the wall, hard by Josh.
Rick bounced off the wall, his head took a wallop and a knot began to form almost immediately,
No amount of coaxing, by anyone would make him seek medical attention until almost four hours later when the doctors walked out and called "Family of Kate Beckett" he could only watch as others went to see the woman he had just told, as well as half of New Jersey of his love for her.
Lanie finally got him to see the E. R. Doctor, and as she had thought he had a concussion and sat with an ice pack on his head, the boys tried to get him to press charges against Josh, he refused. As soon as he was cleared from the concussion protocol, he did what he did best. He bribed the information of where Kate's room was.
As soon as he verified it was indeed her room, he called Mike Sanders, his chief of security, and had 24/7 protection coverage placed on her room, as well as Mr. Beckett, and his own family. Somewhere out there is a sniper, and a damn good one, that had to be captured. This guy knew his stuff and had only missed by a millimeter, probably because Kate was on her way down, who knows, or the wind was off.
He returned to the police station with the boys, so far, the Acting Captain, Swartz was allowing everything to flow as it always had. That was about to change, the next day Iron Gates made her grand appearance. The first thing she did was call Castle into her office, and tell him his services were no longer needed, she didn't care what arrangement had been worked out with the Mayor, and Montgomery. This was her house, and she didn't have room for a writer who was trying to play cop.
Everyone in the station was taking bets on how long it would be before Mr. Mayor called the Captain and read her the riot act, they waited but it never came. Rick didn't call the Mayor, he didn't call anyone, he just went home to his office, took a shower to wash off the stink of the police precinct, and all that it had come to represent to him, pain and suffering.
He had to get away from what was hurting him and now was a perfect time. He wasn't a cop, maybe he would slow down the investigation into whoever shot Kate, that's the last thing he wanted to do. He could supply the resources to guard her in the hospital since the imbecilic Gates had pulled all NYPD there back to work on street patrol.
He had promised her Dad he would protect her, even though he tried he had failed. He placed two calls, one to Lanie, the other to an old friend who he had got started in the home security business, a former crook himself who only wanted someone to take a chance on him. Rick had and the gamble paid off big time, Norman Jessup had become one of the most sought out security consultants in New York.
Lanie agreed and Jessup scheduled his crew to be on site within one week, Perfect Rick thought, I won't even be here, so I can't get blamed for snooping. Now, for the next agenda item, he quickly reviewed the entire next Nikki Heat manuscript, and sent it to Gina, with authority to change everything and or anything EXCEPT the ending, that he wanted to stay as it was.
Now, all he had to do was find a place to disappear to, and the reason, he was crossing ideas of his pad, when his phone rang,
"Rick?"
"Yes, this is Rick Castle, who is this and how can I help you?" he replied,
"I'm sorry Rick, this is Jim Beckett, Katie's Dad,"
"Oh yes, Hi Jim, is everything OK? Nothing wrong with Kate is there?" he asked, gingerly, not knowing how much the father even knew about him,
"Oh, no, actually, she's awake, thank you for the security, by the way, I feel much safer, and she's awake. She asked if you could stop by tomorrow morning, she'd like to see you, that is"
"Oh no, what time, I mean, I'll be there," he fumbled,
"Well, anytime after 9:00 AM is usually good, she's a bear till she gets her decaffeinated coffee in her, don't get her started on that." He laughed,
"Sure, thing Jim, I'll be there, and thanks for calling" as he hung up the phone, well, at least he would get one more chance to talk to her, maybe,
TBC
A/N There is more dialogue from Canon than I normally include but I didn't see a way around it, I promise it gets less and less as we progress.