Rick couldn't believe what he was seeing as the elevator doors slid closed. The acrid taste of bile seared his throat, but he forced it down. He slumped against the back wall of the elevator. Kate was standing in the middle of the bullpen, enveloped in Josh's arms. He pulled her body hard against him with one hand, while the other roamed freely, rapidly closing in on second base.
All this was happening in view of the rest of the homicide team, who were polishing off their celebratory beers in the breakroom. Most astonishing of all, Kate had allowed it, encouraged it even. Well, that message was certainly clear: 'get out of my life and let me get it on with my man.'
After an interminable elevator ride deposited him on the ground floor, he somehow ignored the heart being ripped out of his chest and the indisputable fact that his hopes and dreams had not survived the freezer and the bomb - shared experiences that ought to have cemented their relationship. Dammit, Kate Beckett was the queen of mixed signals. "And the winner is," he muttered bitterly, " - not me."
He knew there was an Irish pub just a block or so from the precinct, and for a moment he entertained the idea of directing his steps in that direction and expunging the pain with copious amounts of John Jameson. No, it's too close to the precinct and I don't want anyone to see me like that.
So, he hailed a cab, and after a short ride he arrived at the loft and let himself in. He was reminded that his support system, Alexis and Martha, were still in the Hamptons where he had sent them after learning about the dirty bomb.
He made his way to the bar and splashed a generous slug of Irish tranquilizer into a highball glass. Needs ice, he thought and trudged to the kitchen. When he opened the door to the freezer compartment, a blast of cold hit him in the face and his hard-won composure shattered into a million razor sharp shards.
The horrors of the day burst from his subconscious where he thought them buried and forgotten. He staggered to his desk and flopped gracelessly into the chair. The spirit burned its way into his stomach as he tossed it back angrily.
Rick had done enough research to know about delayed reactions to stress, but he had never really experienced it firsthand. Anger bordering on fury, the depression of utter defeat, and a despairing sense of failure drove into him without mercy. This was perhaps the greatest crisis of his life, and he was utterly alone, desperately needing someone to understand, to help him process the feelings rushing in like a flood. For the merest moment, he considered calling Kate, and he even went so far as to retrieve his phone and position a finger over the speed dial button.
His brain overruled that impulse decisively; Josh had poisoned that well. He was undoubtedly comforting Kate after her ordeal, and Rick would die before he let that smug bastard know how much he missed Kate. He shuddered to think what they were doing in the name of 'processing'.
Rick didn't want his mother or his daughter to have to deal with this mess. Kate, after years of straddling the fence, leading him on and alternately flaunting other men in front of him, was lost forever. When he had asked her what Josh's return from Haiti meant, she answered, "It means we have a chance." A chance that she and Josh might work out also meant there was a chance it might not. He ruthlessly squelched that thought. I'll be damned before I take Josh Davidson's leavings.
So, who could he turn to? Ryan and Esposito? Hell no. They would only think he was weak and laugh at him. Lanie? No, that was practically a direct conduit to Kate. Montgomery maybe? No, he was on his way to D.C. for a DHS meeting. Nope, all alone. Rick suddenly flung the empty tumbler against the wall, where it shattered into a million little pieces. He buried his head in his hands and sat trembling with rage and sadness for many minutes.
I know, he thought, sitting up suddenly. I'll write it. The next Nikki Heat book is due soon. I'll use this case to finish the book; Nikki will choose another man whom she barely knows and leave Rook alone. Gina will probably hate it, but at least I can vent a little.
He flipped open his laptop and began to type. It would be a gross overstatement to say he was cheerful, but dark thoughts of the murder of a certain doctor or worse were fading away as his fingers flew over the keyboard as never before, pounding out a tale of unrequited love and betrayal.
He had worked for over twelve hours when he stopped for a break. Reading back over what he had written, he was shocked to find that he had used the subjects' real names. He started to delete it but decided it would give him better closure if he left it until he had a chance to read it straight through. Then, he would let search and replace work its magic.
He tilted the laptop cover down until it powered off. He really needed to get this latest chapter over to Gina for editing, but he needed something spectacular to end the chapter. He knew that this was the way he wanted Josh to leave Kate in the book, but in real life, he would never be so lucky. He was still wondering what she saw in Josh. He was never there for her, and she had spent many a night sitting at her apartment, waiting by the phone on the off chance that he got off shift a little early and he would call her.
Maybe he was just projecting his frustration on the page. He had written close to twenty-five thousand words - maybe he could delete the whole thing and start over. He didn't like the ending, which left Kate standing alone, wondering how things had fallen apart so drastically as she walked away from RCI.
Rick was on his way to the kitchen to make some coffee, when a shy, almost inaudible knock sounded at the door to the loft. Changing course from the kitchen, he made his way to the front door, hoping it would be somebody he could send on their way. When he opened the door, he was met with something he'd never expected to see in his lifetime.
"Kate?"
"Rick, we need to talk. And I'd like to do it sooner rather than later."
Rick took in her appearance and could tell that she and the good doctor had had too many rounds of meaningful sex. And if there was one thing that he got mad at, it was the fact that Josh carried out what he initially set out to do in the precinct. He went all the way to home base with her, many times by the looks of what Rick saw standing in front of him. He was reluctant to let her in, only because nothing good could come of whatever she wanted to talk about. He'd been there before with a limited number of other women and now they were at the point where it was time for the 'get out of my life and stay out' speech. He'd heard it all too often.
"Detective Beckett, you can enter my home under two conditions. The first is that you will lose the 'I just got laid' look because it's written all over your face and it really doesn't suit you. And secondly, your boyfriend's cologne and the smell of recent sex is making me nauseous."
"Okay, Rick. But I have a counter offer for you." She used his first name hoping to project how serious she was.
"And what would that be, Detective?"
"I will adhere to your conditions if you let me do the following. I need to take a bath; this way you won't have to smell how much sex I've had in the last six hours and his cologne will be gone as well. Agreed?"
Rick stood there, thinking about her counter offer, and then said, "Agreed. And while you're in the bath I will take your clothes, wash and dry them before you get out."
She entered the loft and could tell that there had been a couple of changes made since she'd been here last. The picture of the subway underneath the stairway was gone. Replacing it a reprint of Van Gogh or it even could be an original Van Gogh. If she remembers correctly it's "Le Moulin de Blute-Fin."
She walks past the open book shelves and into his office. She notices that his laptop has been left closed probably because he had just finished writing. When she's in the bathroom she takes notice of how large the bathtub is. She searches for some bath oils and either Alexis or Martha must use his bathtub because she finds lavender bath oil in the vanity under the sink. She puts in a generous amount and gets the water to the right temperature. Knowing that he's going to clean her clothes she stripped out of everything and places everything outside the bathroom door. Then she retreats back into the comfort of the tub. She eyes water jets that stick out from either side of the tub. Then submerges her entire body into the tub. Sitting down she sees the control panel and decides to take advantage of what the tub has to offer. She looks around and she can tell that this is all him. It's designed and accented with a manly touch. She takes advantage of warm water refreshing it once or twice while she is in it. She's clean and the smell of sex and his cologne is now long gone. She sits up and notices that the towels are on a long rack and to her surprise, they're heated to a very comfortable warm temperature. She pulls one off the rack and dries her body. When she's done, she wraps it under her arms covering her body from her breasts down to her mid-thigh. Knowing that the wash and dry cycle probably isn't done now she moves out into his office. Then she looks at his desk and knows that this is where everything happens when he writes. Knowing that she has an inside scoop on what he's working on next she steps behind his desk and pulls up the lid to his laptop. She takes a seat in his leather high back chair and moves the mouse to make the screen come alive. What she sees is nothing she expected to see. She scrolls back to the beginning of the story that's easily eight to ten chapters in length. So, she starts reading. What she sees on the page in front of her is not what she expected. It's basically their life in written form. By the time she finishes she's in tears knowing that she has treated him this badly because if what she reads here is correct, she was cruel bordering on sadistic towards him. Now she knows just how badly he feels.
A discrete cough from behind startles her and she spins the chair to face him. She started to stand but changes her mind and slips back into the chair when she remembers her state of dress, or more accurately undress.
He motions her to follow him toward the bedroom, but she protests. "Rick…"
"Don't worry, Beckett, your virtue is safe with me."
Kate bristled at the implication, but Rick preempted her by stepping into his closet, returning with an ivory-colored terry cloth bathrobe. "You can change in the bedroom. I don't want our conversation to be contaminated by carnal thoughts."
Walking into the bedroom, she closed the door and exchanged her towel for the robe, sighing at its sinful softness as it caressed her skin. "He has carnal thoughts? About me?" she thought to herself.
When she returned to his office, he motioned her to the desk chair, while he wrestled an armchair into position facing her. "Go ahead," he urged. "Talk."
Kate motioned toward the laptop at her elbow. "I'm sorry I snooped. I thought I might get a preview of the next Nikki Heat book."
"It's okay, not like I haven't snooped at your place a few times. Let's cut to the chase. Why are you here, Beckett?"
She let her head tilt forward and her hair partially hid her face when she answered. "Because I didn't know where else to go."
"Huh, I don't understand - you were obviously with someone last night," Rick stated knowingly.
"I was with Josh…but."
"But what? Where is Dr. Dreamboat, anyway?"
"On his way to Zimbabwe, I imagine."
"What?" Rick sputtered. "I thought he was going to stay here in New York, that you had a chance."
"So did I."
"Oh I see, the good doctor is not available, so you bring in the understudy?"
"No, Rick, please, it's not like that."
"Then what is it like, Kate?"
Her body shook with a sob and she raised her hand to wipe away a tear. The movement caused the neck of the robe to gape open and before Rick could turn away, he caught a glimpse of something that chilled his soul.
"Kate, what is this?" He pointed to a pattern of bruises along her collar bone that looked suspiciously like handprints, very large handprints. "What happened?"
"Josh," she responded in an uncharacteristically subdued voice. "He likes rough sex, and last night he was rougher than ever before. I just wanted to be held, to be comforted after what we went through on our last case. But he said I had to make up for the time he would be in Zimbabwe."
"What else?" Rick grated out.
Kate regarded him solemnly for a few seconds, then slipped the robe off her shoulders, just exposing her breasts. "Damn that rat bastard's soul to hell," Rick snarled at the sight of numerous bite marks that covered what was visible of her chest. Some had clearly drawn blood and might even leave scars. "Anywhere else?"
She nodded. "Everywhere." She started to stand with the intention of baring her entire body, but he waved her back down.
"I'll take your word for it. Anything hurt internally?"
"My ribs hurt, but other than that, no."
"Did he try to…" Rick struggled to mouth the hated word.
"Rape me?" Kate supplied but shook her head. "No, just rough sex."
"Kate, this is not 'rough sex', this is assault and battery. Probably qualifies as domestic violence. I think I should take you to the hospital, and you should report this."
"I'll do it, but not right now. I just can't deal with that again."
"Why did you let him do that to you?" Kate could hear the overwhelming pain in Rick's voice and she knew that she probably didn't have an answer that would satisfy him - hell, probably not one that would satisfy herself either.
"I didn't know you were into the kinky stuff," he continued, trying another tack when she didn't answer him.
"I'm not, not that kind anyway. It started out slow and got worse as it went on. I guess I thought it was what I was supposed to do, him being my boyfriend and all. By the time it got too intense, I couldn't back out. Why are you asking these questions?"
Rick decided to buy himself some time to formulate an answer. Just how many cards should he lay on the table?
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Uh…yes, I guess so."
Rick returned in a few minutes with two steaming mugs of fragrant brew. He handed Kate one mug, fixed just the way she liked it and informed her that her clothing would be dry in about a half hour.
"Kate, I'm just going to lay my cards on the table. I'm sick of all the dancing around and walking on eggshells. All that's bought me is heartache and misery. So, I'm going to ask you one question."
Kate swallowed nervously. "Okay."
"Why not me? What did all the other men in your life have that I don't? What did Dr. Dracula have that allowed him to accomplish in four weeks what I couldn't accomplish in four years?"
"Do I detect jealousy?"
"Hell, yes you do. I'm the one who was always there for you, who always had your back, who put you first, second only to my daughter. What was so abhorrent about me that made me unworthy? What calculation did you come to that accepted Josh and kicked me to the curb?"
Kate found herself struggling to find an answer to his question with anything more than the same old tired clichés.
"You're safe, Rick. And you're right - you've had my back no matter what shit I put you through. You're always there for me when I need you, and if you're up for it, I would like to start something new, now that Josh is out of the picture and my walls have just about crumbled to a pile of dust."
"Kate, that's all well and fine, but you're forgetting one simple little thing. Josh assaulted you last night. And you can say that it was under the guise of rough sex, but it was still assault! No matter what, he needs to be brought back to this country, tried, and sent to prison."
"Rick, there's enough time for us to deal with that later. But now we need to talk about something else. I read what you wrote on your laptop, and I want to know if there is any chance for us having our happy ending? What I mean is, there is no way I would blatantly treat you like that without knowing I was doing it. Was I really that bad to you by flaunting 'Doctor Motorcycle Boy' around you?"
"It was excruciating, to say the least. He just had the worst timing to show up at the most inopportune moments. When there might have been something between us, like a tender moment, he'd just show up. You have no idea how close I was to tell you I wanted to take you back to the loft and make love to you all night long - right before he appeared at the precinct yesterday. We've been through hell together, Kate, you and I have known each other for close to four years, and you've got to know by now that I'm crazy in love with you."
God, she really loved this man. She could see that what he was saying was the truth just by how honestly it came out of his mouth. But she needed to make up for treating him like he was her personal punching bag. She knew that he was good with words and she, well, was more of an 'action speaks louder' type person.
"Can we talk about the book some more?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"You killed Josh," she stammered.
"Yeah, I did. That was probably the rawest, most honest thing I wrote in the whole book. I was completely drained when I finished that scene."
"Why? Rick, why did you have to kill him, especially so brutally Were you really that insanely jealous that he had what you wanted? Should I be worried?"
"No, of course not, Kate. I would never lay a hand on you in anger, or without your leave. You should know that about me by now. I only kill people on paper."
"I know, Rick, you're such a kind, forgiving person; I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you could hate anyone as much as you hated Josh in what you wrote for the book."
"I saw the way he looked at you. To him, you were just a warm body, a piece of meat to be used for his own pleasure." Rick almost choked on the words. "Whenever I was around, he made a deliberate effort to always have his hands on you. Yesterday when I was leaving the precinct, he had his hands on your breasts, right in front of your co-workers. It made me sick to my stomach to see you disrespected like that."
Kate hastily wiped away a tear. "Rick, I can't believe I was so oblivious. I'm so ashamed."
"It was much worse than that. You never missed even the smallest opportunity to point out how I didn't compare to his awesomeness."
Kate opened her mouth to protest, but Rick forged ahead.
"Do you remember 'He saved a man's life this morning, Castle. What did you do?' Even I could understand such a blatant head slap. Josh – Awesome, incredible, brilliant, weakener of women's knees. Rick – third-rate writer, womanizer, annoyer of hard-working detectives, unworthy of any decent woman's attention."
"Please, don't say things like that. You make it sound so horrible." One tear became a torrent.
"Beckett, it was horrible. Every time I felt like I was making some progress between the two of us, you'd sashay in with a new stud muffin, parade him around and turn me into a fifth wheel."
"I can see how you would hate Josh, but why don't you hate me?"
"I tried, believe me, I tried."
"And?" Beckett inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"I failed miserably."
Beckett's heart rate leapt to full gallop, maybe we can salvage something from this mess. A glance at Rick's expression crushed her hope. "You're still angry," Kate said, more statement than a question. "Don't hold back, Rick. If we can't be honest and open with each other - yes, I recognize the fundamental hypocrisy in that statement - then we have no chance at all to salvage anything from this train wreck."
Rick nodded abruptly, but his eyes were still stormy. He had hoped that writing would have bought him some degree of…. not comfort, not acceptance, maybe resignation was the best descriptor to use. "What do you want to salvage, Beckett?"
"The possibility of a relationship together, maybe," she responded tentatively.
"Well, let's see." Rick's voice was hard-edged as if he was losing an internal struggle like always. Don't press her too hard, leave her an out, don't force her to ask and answer tough questions. The hell with that. He had done that for four years, and what had that bought him besides pain and heartbreak?
"Beckett, we've been through hell in the last couple of days. We did it together. We had each other's backs. But the minute we're out of danger, instead of us supporting each other, you run off to screw Josh's brains out and I go home to face the darkness alone. Tell me, is that the sort of relationship even worth salvaging?"
"I was hurting too."
"So why didn't you tell Josh to fuck off when he strutted into the precinct all arrogance and smug condescension, announcing to the world that he had saved our lives? All he did was throw a blanket on each of us. Your average Cub Scout would've known to do that."
"Rick, Josh told me he performed some special procedure on me that saved my life. He said you didn't need anything because you were bigger than me. Your body mass kept you just a little warmer until we could be found, not much but just enough."
"He lied. I asked the paramedics what he did. There was no 'special procedure'; he made that up. My core temperature was considerably lower than yours. That's why you woke up before I did."
"That doesn't make sense. I'm much smaller than you; I should have been in worse shape."
"You were, until…."
"Until what Rick?"
"I don't…"
"Spill it Castle, now, we agreed."
"I gave you my coat. Just before you passed out."
"What?" Kate asked, unbelieving. "Rick, I don't remember having a coat on when I woke up."
"That's because Dr. Dreamsicle tossed it in a dumpster when he realized it was mine. Espo found it while they were searching the crime scene later."
"That son of a bitch! He took your coat off me in the ambulance before I came to?"
"He didn't want any evidence that I actually did something considerate and lifesaving."
"Wait until I get my hands on him! I'm going to strangle him."
"You see, Kate, there you go again. You're out to take on another mission."
"I don't know what to say."
"Just answer my question. Why didn't you tell Josh to fuck off at the precinct?" Rick asked, returning to his original question.
"Castle, I couldn't just tell him to leave. At the time he was my boyfriend. He gave up Zimbabwe for me. I owed him something for all he's done for me." Oh shit, Kate groaned as she realized the import of the words that had just spilled out of her mouth. "Castle, I didn't mean…."
"Yes, yes, you did. You meant that in the Kate Beckett pantheon, Rick Castle ranks somewhere below a conniving, controlling manipulative abuser. Do you know the reason I wrote your character so inconsistent and uncommitted?"
Kate shook her head.
"Because that's what I've experienced for the last four years. One day, you're all touchy-feely and flirty, then the next day you're making out with a guy in the stairwell that you've only known for a little over a week. I'm not even close to discussing a relationship, because, call me weak if you choose, but I can't take any more of this pathetic existence."
Kate chose to remain silent, but her gaze never left his face.
"And, Detective, that is partly why I hate Josh."
"Partly? You mean there's more?" Kate responded with an eyebrow quirk.
"Yes, but it will hurt you and…"
"I know you don't want to hurt me, Rick, but I'm sure it will hurt less if you tell me now than if I find out later from someone else."
Rick took a deep breath, marshaling his strength for what he was sure would be the end of the Beckett era of his life. "He didn't love you, Kate. He was using you."
He paused at her sharp intake of breath and a strangled, "No - it can't be…."
"Josh has worked at hospitals in five different states. Each time he left under suspicious circumstances. No charges were ever filed, but he developed a reputation. The next step in his MO after 'rough sex' is kicking and punching. He is a master manipulator who would have, in short order, convinced you that it was all your fault and that you deserved the abuse he was meting out."
"How do you know this?" Kate whispered.
"I checked him out, a couple of weeks after he came to the precinct the first time."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did, but by the time I found out, you were so into him that you bit my head off and told me to mind my own business. Lanie tried, but you wouldn't listen to her either."
"So you wrote Josh as a scheming vindictive would-be rapist and me as a flighty, untrusting, ungrateful bitch."
"Your words, not mine. But basically accurate."
"Rick, he lied to me! He made you out to be a fraud! Why aren't you pissed off?"
"Because Kate, I can let it go. He's nothing but a gnat. Soon, if we don't think about him, he'll become less and less of a memory. And ten years from now we'll ask, doctor who?"
"So you're suggesting that I just drop it?"
"Can you?"
Kate stood up and walked the short distance to where Rick was sitting. She came a little too daringly close to him, placed her hands on each side of his face and said,
"Rick, promise me that if I just happen to fall off the deep end and go after something that seems like a mission to you, you'll pull me back up?"
Not wanting to get his hopes up again, Rick thought about only one thing that she could say no to. He decided to put it out there just to see how serious she was about them being in a relationship.
"What about your mother's case? Is that a mission that you still need to find closure for?"
She knew that this conversation would end up this way. She really wanted to get vindication for her mother's murder. But she thought that if it will cost her Rick, she might learn to live with what could have been. That wasn't to say that if an event were presented to her, she wouldn't go in and take a look at what it had to offer – but she'd still ask him to come along with her. Now all she had to do was convince him that she was interested in just him, which she was. Her mother's case would take a second seat to him if that would be the deciding factor.
"Rick, what if I get a lead and it has the potential to move her case along? What then?"
"Kate, what I'm offering you is an option of sorts. You'll get one shot to investigate whatever this one lead could possibly be. If it turns out that nothing becomes of this lead, then that's it. But if by any chance there is some way that it could be a way to solve your mother's case, we will take that bit by bit. But we will not be dragged into this again and we do it together. So, think of this one chance as a get-out-of-jail-free card."
"So what happens if it produces nothing?" Kate wanted to know.
"Then that's it. There is no more investigating this case, Kate. This case has taken up your entire adult life; it's the reason that you became a cop. Now here's an original thought. Why don't we try - now just listen to me and go with it for a change - but let's go out on a proper date? I'll take you out to a great meal and maybe afterward we could go dancing."
Kate knew that giving up this case would set her free. But what she needed was some sort of assurance that Rick would not let her fall back into her old ways again if she did decide to give up her mom's case. So, she just put it out there.
"I'll accept your terms for my mother's case. You're right, it has been ruling my life since I became a cop. I changed my career path just so I could do what I thought was the right thing to do. Now I know that I'm never going to forget about her case, but I think I can shelve it for now until something new does come along," Kate said hopefully.
"I'm not trying to take away what defines you, Kate. But this case has been a major part of your life and you have given up way too much - to get where? Everybody associated with this case is no longer alive, and I have a feeling that the same might just happen to you. And I don't want that to happen. Because Kate, you see, I'm in love with you."
Kate pulled him off the chair and moved him closer to her. Then she looked at him from under her eyelashes, stretched up on her toes and brushed her lips against his. His hands automatically went around her waist and he pulled her closer if that was at all possible. The kiss was deep and meaningful and yes, even life-affirming. Before long they had to break if they wanted to keep breathing.
"Wow!" he said.
"Oh, so you liked that, huh?" she asked.
"I did," he replied.
"Well, you better get used to it because there's a lot more where that came from," she teased.
Xx
"Kate, I think this is a good stopping point for this conversation. You need to call the Chief of Detectives and report what Josh did to you. Then, I'll take you to the hospital."
"Rick, I don't…"
"Kate, you promised. How many times have you ranted about women who enable their abusers by not pressing charges against a significant other? How many crime scenes have we walked where a woman had a long history of abuse and then finally snapped and became a murderer?"
She let her head tilt forward with a sigh. "A lot."
"Indeed, a lot. A lot that could possibly have been prevented if someone had just broken the circle. Now go call the Chief of Detectives. You can use my bedroom for privacy if you wish."
With a silent nod, Kate strode across the living room, through the study, and into Rick's bedroom.
Even Rick could tell that her signature confident stride was not as authentic as she probably hoped. He knew her tells; the drop of her shoulders and the weary shuffle in her steps belied her broken record response of "fine" to all his inquiries.
As Kate disappeared into his bedroom, Rick was already fumbling for his phone to call the one person whose presence would increase the probability of a successful conclusion.
"OCME. Dr. Parish speaking."
"Lanie, this is…"
"Castle? Why are you calling me? What's going on?"
Rick braced himself for a full-bore Lanie freak out. "It's Kate."
"What? What happened? Is she all right? Where is she? Let me speak to her."
"She's in the other room right now, talking on the phone to the Chief of Detectives."
"Cavillo?" Lanie shrieked. "Why is she talking to him?"
"She's reporting a crime." Rick held the phone away from his ear, probably saving his hearing.
"Reporting a crime? What kind of crime, who's the victim? Omigod, it's Kate isn't it?" She paused momentarily, just to suck in a few breaths. "Castle, if you don't quit beating around the bush and tell me what's going on, I will hurt you."
"Kate was the victim of a sexual assault last night."
"But after you left the precinct last night, she went home with Dr. Motorcycle Boy." Lanie shivered as the implication sank in. "It was him, wasn't it? Josh hurt my girl." She said in an almost whisper
"Yeah, she showed up at my place this morning. She was beaten up badly. I talked her into filing charges, so she's in the bedroom talking to Cavillo. As soon as she finishes, I'm going to take her to the hospital."
"Take her to Presbyterian," Lanie interjected.
"Okay, but why Presbyterian?"
"They have a Forensic Nurse Examiner; they're specially trained to collect evidence in a case like this as gently and noninvasively as possible."
Rick nodded vigorously. "I think Kate would appreciate that."
"You're a good man, Richard Castle. Despite what they say about you."
"Hey…" Rick sputtered indignantly.
"Hush now and get our girl to the hospital. I'll be right behind you, but first, I'm going to call Cavillo and see if he'll assign a female detective as lead investigator."
"Good idea, she's really stressed as it is. Gotta go, she just hung up the phone." Rick said as he caught sight of Kate coming out of his bedroom.
Kate suddenly hauled up as she caught sight of Rick's face. "All right, Castle, you're up to something." She gave him a glare, but he shrugged it off.
"I have your clothes here," he declared with studied innocence.
Kate snatched the carefully folded stack of fabric and ran to Rick's bedroom. A few minutes later, she reappeared, fully dressed. "All right, Castle, let's get this over with."
With his hand splayed across the small of her back, he guided her gently out the door. A town car from Rick's car service was idling at the curb and the driver hopped out and hustled around to open the door for Kate. Rick opened the driver's side door for himself and slid in next to Kate.
"Good morning Mr. Castle, Detective."
"Good morning, Armando. New York–Presbyterian Hospital, please. Outpatient entrance."
A twenty-minute drive brought them to the hospital. Kate had imagined a long wait in a crowded room with the most uncomfortable chairs. She imagined a painful, invasive exam that stripped her of dignity and self-worth. She had heard the stories about how the exam was worse than the assault itself. How had she let Castle talk her into this anyway?
The reality was quite different. They were met at the reception desk by an early middle-aged woman wearing lilac scrubs. Castle and Beckett both picked up a distinct grandmotherly vibe. Kate's stress level abated just a little as the woman extended her hand for a shake and introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Amanda. I'm the supervisor of the Forensic Nurse Examiner Unit. Please follow me."
Amanda turned to an unmarked door and swiped her ID card. The door swung open and Amanda led them down a hallway lined with doors identified only by numbers. She opened one of the doors and ushered Kate and Rick into a small conference room with a soft, almost homey décor.
Rick sensed that Kate's anxiety receded a bit in the more private setting. Amanda flipped open a folder and extracted a short stack of documents. "There's always paperwork," she quipped as she slid the papers across the conference table to Kate. "Mr. Castle has already given us the basic information: name, address, phone and such. Miss Becket…"
"Can you call me Kate?"
"Okay, Kate. To get started, I just need you to sign an Informed Consent and Acknowledgement of Applicable privacy laws and policies."
Kate quickly examined the documents and signed where required. Amanda gathered the documents back into the folder and stood. When Rick and Kate made to follow suit, Amanda spoke. "I'm sorry, Mr. Castle, but you'll have to stay here."
Rick drew breath to protest, but Kate waved him off. "I'll be fine, Castle."
"I'll take good care of her, Mr. Castle. She's in good hands. This should take less than an hour."
Five minutes after Kate left with Amanda, Castle was already pacing around the room, writing worst-case scenarios in his head. His racing thoughts were interrupted by a peremptory knock at the door. He knew that knock needed that knock. He lunged for the door and flung it open, startling the source of the knocking.
"Lanie! I'm so glad to see you." He gave her a crushing hug for emphasis.
"I'm glad to see you too, Castle. Now, where's my girl?"
"Still in the examination. Amanda said it would take less than an hour." He glanced at his watch. "She's only been gone for ten minutes."
Xx
"Lanie," Kate exclaimed when she found the ME waiting in the conference room along with Rick an hour later.
"What are you doing here?"
"Castle called me. Thought you could use some support."
"You have no idea." Kate sighed. "This has been a nightmare."
"Nice to see you again, Amanda." Lanie addressed the nurse who had followed Kate into the room.
"Likewise, Dr. Parrish."
"You two know each other?" Rick inquired.
Lanie grinned, "Only professionally. Amanda taught an in-service on minimally invasive evidence collection that I attended. So, Amanda, how's my girl?"
"Kate, there are some significant findings in your exam. Are you okay with Dr. Parrish and Mr. Castle being in the room?"
"Yes, it's fine."
"Okay then, there are traces of two drugs in your system. One is GHB, which is legal in the U.S. with a prescription. It is, however, very tightly controlled because the effects can be quite dangerous, especially when mixed with alcohol."
"You mentioned two drugs?" Castle inquired.
"The second drug is a club drug known as Ecstasy. When the two are combined and mixed with alcohol, the mixture is commonly known as 'easy lay.'"
Kate's face drained of color and she drew a couple of deep shuddering breaths. "Josh used a date rape drug on me? Why don't I remember?"
"Loss of memory is a common side effect," Amanda stated. "Abusers sometimes use 'easy lay' to erase the victim's memory, which enables the abuser to continue their activities over a long period."
Kate was clearly fighting back tears. Lanie and Rick slid their chairs next to Kate and each grasped a hand as she fought to regain her composure. "I'm sorry, Rick, I'm so sorry. I'm a cop, I should have known." That realization triggered a fresh spate of tears.
"Kate, it wasn't your fault. You were targeted and taken down by a master."
"Please don't walk away again Rick, please don't leave me, I trust you, I know you'd never hurt me."
"We'll be okay Kate, I don't blame you. We'll work it out, I promise."
Amanda got their attention with a discreet little cough. "There's one other finding we need to discuss without delay."
The three friends tightened their grip on each other's hands and braced themselves for bad news.
"Kate, you tested positive for an STD."
"So Josh not only drugged me and possibly raped me - he gave me an STD?"
"Afraid so."
"Bastard," Rick growled. "Which one is it"
"It's called Lymphogranuloma Venereans, or LGV."
"Never heard of it," Rick responded.
"It's almost unheard of in the U.S., but it's endemic to the Caribbean basin, particularly Haiti."
"Is it treatable?"
"Yes, it responds well to broad-spectrum antibiotics as long as treatment is started early. I'm going to give Kate an injection of Erythromycin along with a prescription for a ten-day course of the same to take orally. That should also take care of the deep bite marks on her chest which can cause a nasty infection."
"Kate, I'm taking you back to the loft," Rick stated firmly as he helped Kate into the town car. "I can't stand the thought of you being alone right now."
"Okay."
Xx
Joshua Davidson thought he had just barely escaped by the hair of his balls. One of his young female groupies at the hospital had called and told him that there were two NYPD officers at the hospital looking for him. He knew that screwing with a New York City police detective could have been fun to start out with, but the way it ended, he was lucky he got out of his apartment without being arrested. His cab to the airport was just pulling away from his apartment when two NYPD cruisers slammed to a halt in front of his building. He was almost home free. He had his trip booked through Doctors Without Borders to Zimbabwe and was sitting at Terminal B gate 12 at JFK waiting for his flight to be called.
He had the luxury of flying in first class. It was a perk for donating his time and skills to Doctors Without Borders. And since he was flying first class, he was on his feet the second the support staff at the gate called for first class to board. He didn't want to be seen anywhere in the terminal by anyone. With the announcement being made, he headed towards the jet way, flashing his boarding pass to the ticket agent as he passed her. There were only two other people in front of him and he passed each to reach his seat first. Stepping in, he quickly found his seat and settled in for the long flight ahead of him. From where he sat, only two rows back, he could see the entrance door. The rest of the passengers boarded the flight and more than once his elbow got slammed by suitcases being rolled down the aisle. He should never have taken the aisle seat, but they were just about ready to close the door and retract the jet way, so he leaned back in his seat, knowing that he got away scot-free.
After ten minutes he noticed that the plane still hadn't pushed away from the gate and he couldn't understand why. It's not until he saw the flight attendant unlocking the door and opening it again that he knew something was wrong. What he saw next almost made him shit his pants. He saw a plainclothes detective, from where he had no idea, but he had cop written all over him. Behind him were two NYPD patrol officers at the ready with automatic weapons present, and behind them, there were two Port Authority cops, also with weapons at the ready. They walked onto the plane and followed the flight attendant, who stopped at his seat.
"Dr. Joshua Davidson?" the plainclothes detective asked him.
"Yes, that's me. What can I do for you, sir?"
"You're wanted for questioning regarding crimes involving a New York City police detective and numerous other women. We need you to come with us, please."
Now he wished he'd taken another form of transportation to get to where we had to go. He was in an inescapable situation. So, knowing that there was nowhere to go, he rose from his seat, opened the overhead bin, and grabbed his gear. Then he was escorted out the door by the two uniformed city cops.
Xx
The next morning at the loft…
Rick balanced the tray with one hand and opened the door with the other. During the night Kate had asked him to stay with her, and he obliged. Three times that night she woke drenched in sweat. Being a gentleman that he always was, he gave her fresh clothes to change into every time. Deciding that sleep was going to be hard to find, he stayed up and watched her. When dawn was just about to make its appearance he very skillfully and quietly left the bed with her in it. Stopping at the door to check on her one last time, he saw that she hadn't awakened, so he slipped out of the bedroom and used the upstairs bathroom to take a quick shower and get ready to make her something to eat. And this was where he was right now, balancing her breakfast in one hand and trying to open the door with the other. Once he did, he took a newspaper and placed it next to the silverware on her tray. He had made her a basic meal of scrambled eggs, bacon, white toast, orange juice, and of course coffee. Moving quietly towards her he could tell when she sensed he was near. She rolled over, not quite awake yet with one eye open and stared at him.
"Where were you, Rick?"
"I know we didn't have anything to eat last night, so I figured you must be starving by now."
Rick motioned for her to sit up and she did. He placed the tray down across her lap and fluffed the pillows behind her back so she was comfortable. He lifted the lid off the plate, and she was amazed at what she saw.
"Rick, I don't know what to say. It all looks delicious."
"Just start eating. That will be thanks enough."
Rick took the paper and opened it to the third page. When he got to the third page, he looked at the picture, grainy as it was, and smiled. He carefully folded back the paper to just show Kate what he wanted her to see. There was the article that accompanied the picture, and it gave him everything he needed to know. He waited for her to finish a little more of breakfast before he showed her what he found.
"Kate, there's something I need to show you. And I think you're going to be very happy when you see it," Rick said.
Kate finished her last mouthful of eggs, placed the fork on the tray, and picked up her coffee cup. She drained what was left. She wiped her mouth and stuck her hand out for the paper he was holding.
Rick watched as her eyes scanned across the article, taking it all in. He knew that she didn't look at the picture first; she just started reading. The article was short, and she was finished with it in less than thirty seconds. He saw, the second she laid her eyes on the picture, that she knew he was in custody.
"When, Rick?" Kate asked looking up at him with pleading eyes.
"Yesterday afternoon. He was trying to catch a flight to Zimbabwe, but Port Authority cops and 113th precinct cops intercepted him."
"Rick, I need to make sure he never hurts anyone ever again. He needs to go away for a very long time."
"I'm sure that with your testimony, and the people who will come forward to describe what he did to them, he will go away for a very long time."
Xx
Time jump eighteen months forward…
He'd seen it before and he knew that she would never give up. He watched her as she listened to the judge read the final order.
"Joshua Davidson, you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers. You are hereby sentenced to 45 years without the possibility of parole. Bailiff, please take the prisoner away."
He noticed when she smiled at him that she had all the justice that she needed. Yeah, it had been a long eighteen months, but in the end, after Josh's lawyer had exhausted all his continuances and delaying tactics, Josh was found guilty of five counts of rape, assault, and possession of a controlled substance.
She watched as the bailiff placed his hands behind his back and cuffed him. He was led away from the courtroom and would soon be headed to a prison upstate. Rick turned around, heading for the doors to leave but he heard her yell out,
"Rick, where are you going? "
"Kate, the case is over. Josh was put away, just like you knew he would be. What's there left to do?"
"You know what's left! You promised me that after the trial was over, we would sit down and talk about us. I know we've been getting closer since this all started eighteen months ago, but now that it's over, I think it's time we take our relationship to the next level."
"Kate, are you sure? I know everything with you physically is taken care of - my only worry for you is about the emotional scars that that jackass put you through."
"Rick, I wouldn't have asked about us if I wasn't ready."
"Okay Kate, let's go." They walked out the door of the court room hand in hand ready to start something new.
Epilogue to follow.