Knight Rider Alpha…..Online.
My Prompt: 8x22 'Crossfire' after the camera pans away and before the time skip.
Disclaimer: All respective characters and themes belong to their respective owners, Andrew Marlowe and ABC Studios.
AN: Italics - Flashback
"He's coding…..some help in here...crash cart now!"
"Her...pressures dropping..."
"This patient needs a cardio-thoracic surgeon, call ahead and have the attending meet us in the OR to operate on him immediately"
"Up to the OR for her as well... let's move people"
Soon the din of chaotic voices faded away, to be replaced by the incessant beeps of machines, the noises coming from the medical monitors seemed to echo like thunder through a private room on the 5th floor of Mount Sinai medical centre.
Inside the room lay a solitary female figure a crisp white sheet folded against her abdomen, with sunlight streaming into the room. A pair of hazel eyes slowly opened, and with a turn of her head, her vision cleared to see an older man sitting in the chair beside her bed.
Her father, Jim Beckett.
Kate slowly returned to a state of wakefulness, but as she tried to speak her was voice croaky and hushed through lack of use. A bolt of pain shot through her body another fine reminder of why she was, where she was.
"D…dad," she said trying to move.
From his seat beside his daughters' bed, Jim picked his head up at the sound of her voice, he quickly stood to his feet and stepped to the edge of the bed as he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Easy…Katie, just lay back…..it's ok!" said Jim with a comforting smile.
Kate settled back down taking comfort as she gripped her father's hand, and then it seemed to all flood back instantly.
Arriving back at the loft having finally put an end to Mason 'Loksat' Wood and his schemes, she walked into the bedroom she shared with her husband, but an extra voice grabbed her attention. She stepped clear of the bedroom and saw Celeb Brown standing over her the man she loved, Castle was down and bleeding and at his would-be killer's mercy, Kate reacted with a deadly instinct as she proceeded to empty the clip of her Glock into the lawyer-turned-killer, who looked shocked as he slumped against her kitchen wall and slid down to the floor quickly bleeding to death.
But in the hail of bullets, he managed to get off a round himself.
Kate suddenly felt heavy, like the floor was dragging her down, as a bloom of red appeared on her shirt, the gun slipped from her grip as she fell and looked over towards her Husband. She had to get to him and he seemed to have the same idea, they both shimmied and shuffled desperately for the other now each sporting a gunshot wound.
As they drew closer their fingers clawed for purchase, it felt like an eternity until Kate finally reached him, she saw his normally bright blues eyes were dulled with pain as if his life was slipping away slowly.
"Stay with me Castle..." she croaked her eyes prickling with unshed tears.
"Kate...Always" he whispered his reply tightening his grip on her hand.
Everything just faded into the distance, it would not end like this.
Back in her hospital room, Kate looked towards her father who in her opinion he looked like hell, she had seen this before in fact and that was the last time she had been shot, but some of her concern was more focused on someone who was missing.
"Dad, where's Rick? I need to know he is ok! Where is he?" she asked in quick succession panicking.
"Katie...Katie take a breath alright, I need to explain something to you..." said Jim with a hesitant edge to his voice.
The fear in Kate was only rising faster "Daddy!..." she cried "...tell me Rick's ok! Please you have to tell me he's alright..." she only cried harder at her final word.
Jim responded by wrapping his arms around his crying daughter, her distraught cries made his heart clench. He knew what it felt like to lose a spouse, it made him crawl into a bottle and ignore the living while he grieved the dead. He wouldn't wish that on anyone let alone his child who was now desperate to know where her husband was, his son-in-law who had been shot as well.
"Kate...Rick's alive" said Jim firmly breaking through Kate's anguished cries "...he's alive Honey, but there were some complications...but he's holding on..." explained the older Beckett.
Kate only began to cry harder at her father's words, she wanted Castle here, she wanted him here right now. It was at that moment a young blonde-haired doctor knocked lightly on the door and then stepped in and stepped to the end of the bed.
"Mrs Castle...I'm Dr Sarah Westbrook, I'm pleased to see you are awake" said Dr Westbrook making some notes on Kate's chart "...can you tell me how you are feeling?" she asked.
Kate sniffed as she wiped the tears that streaked down her face "I feel ok! my side hurts! What happened" Kate asked.
"Well, you were brought in with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, I am pleased to report that apart from two broken ribs and some soft tissue damage. It seems once we removed the bullet, it had missed all of your major organs and vital areas, my prognosis is that you should recover without complications providing you allow your body to heal," explained Dr Westbrook.
Kate tried to absorb the information, but she was desperate to know everything about Rick's condition and where he was.
"Can you tell me about my Husband? I need to know about Rick..." asked Kate trying to sound as forceful as she can, despite the aches and pains she was currently feeling.
Dr Westbrook smiled kindly as she rehung Kate's chart "Well I'm afraid Mr Castle...wasn't as lucky as you were, the bullet penetrated the left side of his chest, which caused severe blood loss and a collapsed left lung. As a result, Mr Castle developed a Hemopneumothorax which thanks to surgical intervention we were able to treat via a chest tube, drain and repair the damage, we have placed Mr Castle on mechanical ventilation and induced a coma to aid his recovery" explained the Doctor.
Tears raced down each of Kate's cheeks as the doctor explained Rick's condition, it was never supposed to be like this. They took down Loksat together it was supposed to be over. But now they were both laying in hospital beds after both being shot, this is what scared her and the reason she felt like she had to fight this 'Demon' alone.
"So Rick's going to be ok?" asked Kate fisting the blanket at her waist.
"With time Mrs Castle he will be, but I will be truthful his injuries are significant along with his current risk of infection..." said the doctor kindly "...So he is currently in our ICU and being monitored".
"Can I see him, he needs to know that I'm here?" asked Kate tears threatening to fall again.
Dr Westbrook assessed the woman in front of her, "I think we can arrange a visit, I will send a nurse down to escort you shortly in a wheelchair that is. But for now Mrs Castle you need to rest it's what's best for both you and your baby..."
Kate's eyes widened "Baby...you mean I'm..." suffered Kate with deer in headlights look.
"Pregnant...Mrs Castle, yes our tests confirmed it..." said Dr Westbrook with a small smile "... it's very early but you are indeed pregnant"
The word 'pregnant' bounced around in Kate's mind. she couldn't believe it, she had not only jumped down the rabbit hole endangering herself, but she had also endangered her unborn child.
Castle's child.
"Is everything ok with...I mean is the baby ok?" she asked still shocked.
"Yes I assure you Mrs Castle...the bullet had no impact on your pregnancy," said the Doctor as she said her goodbyes and departed with the promise to send a nurse to escort her to Castle.
"Oh my God Dad! I'm pregnant..." Kate whispered still shocked.
Jim smiled at his daughter despite the situation there was some good news "That's what she said, Katie" he said with a slight smile as he gently kissed her forehead.
Kate smiled as she place a gentle hand on her abdomen, she was pregnant, she was going to be a mother, she was going to make Castle a father for the second time. Oh, she had to see him now, time seemed to be moving too slowly, he needed to know she was there for him, and he needed to know that their baby was safe.
An hour had passed by the time a nurse arrived to escort Kate to Castle's room in ICU, it took a bit of gentle manoeuvring to get Kate safely into the wheelchair. But eventually, she was seated and pushed out of her room into the hallway with Jim close behind, the ICU was situated on the 7th floor so short elevator ride which seemed too slow for her tastes they reached the ICU department.
Outside of Castle's room sat Martha and Alexis who upon seeing Kate both stood and gently embraced daughter-in-law and stepmother alike.
"Oh, Katherine Darling... it's so good to see you" said Martha almost in tears.
"It's good to see you too Martha..." replied Kate in a no better emotional state.
"Are you ok Kate?" asked Alexis embracing her stepmother.
Kate returned the embrace "I'm ok Lex, I just need your father to pull through" said Kate with a small smile.
"He will Kate, Dad is strong and I'm going to yank his ear off as you showed me for putting us all through this," said Alexis making Kate smile.
"Well, you better put my name on that list too" joked Kate half-heartedly.
Giving her stepdaughter and mother-in-law one final hug, Kate was gently pushed into Rick's ICU suit. Her eyes widened as they fell on the form of her beloved husband who was unconscious and surrounded by machines, leads and monitors and a ventilator tube attached to his mouth and travelling down his throat helping him breathe. His normally well-styled hair was now haphazardly flying in every direction and his skin was ashen in colour, he was normally so full of life and colour but in this darkened hospital room it shocked her to see him like this.
"Rick, I'm here..." whispered Kate as she pushed herself over to his bedside and gripped his hand "... I'm so sorry this happened...but you need to come back to me, Babe! please...I don't know if I can go on if you aren't with me," she said.
Yet more tears flowed from her eyes as she gripped his hand tighter as her free hand drifted to her belly, the same belly where their unborn child was currently growing. She needed him, she would always need him by her side, and their baby needed him.
"Rick...I have something I need to tell you..." whispered Kate "... you're going to be a father again and this baby needs you! I need you! this means you need to come back to me, to us..." said Kate her tears falling in fat drops down her face as she gathered her strength and stood slowly from the wheelchair as she lowered the railing and placed a kiss on Rick's cheek.
Kate sat back down as slowly as she had stood but kept her connection to Rick by running her thumb back and forth over his knuckles, she sat in silence with only the woosh of the ventilator breaking through, soon it was time for Kate to leave as a nurse escorted her back room and her bed.
A week passed before Kate was considered well enough to be discharged, and Kate made it her mission to reclaim the home she shared with her husband before it was defiled by Caleb Brown. With Alexis' help contractors were commissioned to rip up and replace the lofts blood stained flooring and a complete remodel of the kitchen.
Another three weeks passed before Rick's coma medications were eased back, Kate spent most days at the hospital hoping that she would be the first to see Rick wake up, but she made sure to sleep and eat for her baby because she could already picture Rick's worry and concern if she pushed herself too far.
Another week passed before Dr Westbrook authorised the removal of Rick's mechanical ventilation, and with that completed another day passed with Kate by his side Rick awoke slowly.
"Ka...Kate..." croaked Rick his voice barely a whisper from a mix the tube and lack of use "...Beckett..."
In a flash, Kate was beside him gripping his hand tightly "I'm here Rick..." she cried but smiling ecstatically knowing he was awake, he had come back from the brink.
"What happened..." asked Rick looking up at Kate.
"We got shot remember..."
"Are you ok?" asked Rick.
Kate smiled as she leaned down and pressed her lips to her husband's forehead "I'm fine babe! I am more than fine now you've come back to me...I thought I would lose you this time" said Kate as she cupped his face in her hands.
"No...no honey...I'll never leave you, you've got me forever" replied Rick with a dazzling smile.
"Forever isn't long enough with you babe!" said Kate smiling back and resting her forehead on his.
"So it's all over now, is it done?"
Kate nodded "it's done, we're safe now Rick," she said.
"You sure you're ok?" he asked knowing her tendency to hide any sort of pain or injury.
Kate took a seat never letting go of his hand "I'm ok babe, just some broken ribs and soft tissue damage" Kate explained.
"What about me, I remember Caleb appearing and searing chest pain?" asked Rick feeling a little discomfort in his chest.
Kate swallowed thickly "he shot you in the chest babe, you suffered a collapsed lung and a hemopneumothorax, they had to put you on a ventilator because you had trouble breathing on your own, I just wanted you to be ok," said Kate once again tears threatening to fall.
"Kate...I'm still here you didn't lose me" reassured Rick looking directly into her shimmering hazel eyes.
"I know..." Kate said with a watery smile "Babe! there's something I need to tell you..."
"I'm all ears..."
Kate leaned forward and kissed him gently "I'm pregnant..." she whispered against his lips with a smile.
Rick leaned back confused at first but then his face almost split with the smile that bloomed across his face "Kate...are you...oh my God, this is amazing..." he said still grinning like an idiot.
Kate nodded "I know, right! You get to display those amazing fatherly talents of yours again Rick," she said happily.
"Our child will have the world's most amazing mother as well," said the author "but wait...you were shot is the baby ok?" he asked in a panic.
"The baby is fine Rick, everything is progressing normally and all three of us are safe!" she said now referring to them as a 'Three'.
"Three! I like the sound of that" he said smiling.
"I know, so do I..." replied Kate as she leaned forward "...I love you, Rick."
"I love you too" replied the author.
The reunited couple enjoyed the silence that settled between them, happy to just be near one another. Another week passed before Rick was was safely discharged from Mount Sinai, he returned to the loft to the surprise that his ladies had been busy in his absence, Kate and Alexis had completely remodelled the kitchen and the floor has been replaced. Gone was the evidence of Caleb Brown's attempt on their lives.
Eight months later Lily Johanna Castle entered the world, to the happy couple this was the culmination of every struggle, fight and risk they had taken to share the moment that was their daughter's birth. When Lily turned three, Kate found she was pregnant again which later turned out to be twins roughly eight and a half months passed before Jacob James Castle and his identical twin brother Reece Montgomery Castle arrived a little early but still perfect in every way.
It had been seven years since that fateful day but on a sunny Sunday morning, precocious giggling erupted and three bundles of energy raced to the dining table from the home office, The three Castle children were followed closely by their parents as Kate grabbed a stumbling Reece and carried him to his seat. Juice, coffee and muffins were handed around as Rick and Kate sat holding hands and smiling at the scene before them.
"Every writer needs inspiration, and I found mine."
"Always
"Always
Not my best work if I'm honest, but I enjoyed it.
Knight Rider Alpha...offline.