Chapter 8

Revelations

When the trio returned to Castle's it was nearly 10. Since Beckett was staying she would need a place to sleep. Castle hurt to much to lie flat and chose the sofa as his bed. He'd be half down and half up. He doubted he would find a comfortable position for a number of days. He was certain he could not lay down flat and ever get back up again. At least not without help.

He whispered to Alexis, "Pumpkin can you go pull the sheets off my bed so Beckett can use my room." She nodded and disappeared.

Beckett was standing still with her back to him. She was looking down at something in her hand.

"Castle, where did this come from?" She turned showing him an 8x10 picture in a black frame.

He was sitting on the arm of the sofa. He took the picture, "I've never seen it before, it has to be from Alexis."

Beckett moved to his side and studied the photograph with him. It was the one Tom had teased Alexis about her Dad being in love. Castle and Beckett were lost in each others gaze.

In a soft voice Beckett suggested, "Looks like we were having fun."

She had to restrain herself from reaching out and lassoing him with her arms. She felt gratitude and something deeper as she listened to his labored breathing. In all honesty, it was not 'fun' that she saw in the photograph, she would not speak it out loud. If pressed, she'd describe what she as love, and that scared her.

Castle interrupted her thoughts, "Beckett I can't lay down. Alexis is checking my room for you, so please take it and I'll use the sofa."

He'd eased himself down on the cushion, and cautiously leaned back relying heavily on the arms for support. Beckett watched and winced as she saw him struggle, but didn't think she could help.

"Castle I didn't come her to kick you out of your room." She protested.

"Beckett, there's no why I could lay down and then get back up. A bed is out of the question for me tonight."

She considered and decided he was right, "Fine, but I'm leaving the door open, if you need anything, call me, I'm a light sleeper."

"Good, don't worry I'll be fine. Heaven knows you need some sleep too."

"Hey wait!," he added, "We haven't eating anything. How about something to nibble on?"

She smiled, "That's right, we haven't eaten, something would be good."

Alexis returned, and said "Detective your room is ready?"

"Alexis, please just call me Kate or Beckett if you feel more comfortable...and thank-you for making me feel at home."

She smiled at Beckett,"I heard Dad suggest something to munch on, lets see what we have in the frig."

Beckett reached out and offered her hand to help Castle stand-up straight. He took it and immediately groaned as she tried to pull him up, "Oh...that's not a good idea." He sat back for a moment.

"I guess my arms are connected to my ribs, sorta. Let me see if I can push myself up with me legs."

He pulled his feet back so they touched the edge of the sofa, carefully scooted forward. He then stood straight up, "Hey that worked pretty good."

They ended up with tuna sandwiches, chips and some cookies. Castle roamed while he ate, declining to sit at the table.

When they were done, Alexis cleaned up the few dishes, and said she was heading to bed to read.

"Beckett, there are towels in the bathroom in the wall cabinet. You're welcome to shower. I'll clean-up when your done."

"A shower would be wonderful."

While she showered Castle rested on the sofa.

She came to check on him. He looked pathetic to her. He looked up, "I think I'm going to need some help getting these clothes off." He looked embarrassed at even having to ask.

"If you could pull off my shoes and socks it would really help. "

"I think I can do that." By the time they were done, she'd found a robe for him in his closet. The hospital had given him a scrub shirt. She helped him out of it and the elastic bandage around his ribs. It would need to be redone before he slept. But he wanted to shower first.

She gasped when she saw his side. In just a few hours it had turned dark red and nearly black in some spots.

"Oh Castle, you're such mess. I'm so sorry." He could see her brows furrow despite the nose bandage she wore.

"Beckett, this is not your fault."

She wasn't buying it, "Well how many times have you come home from the subway looking like this?"

He started to laugh, but caught himself. "Please don't make jokes."

Once they got on the robe, she pulled off his pants. He gingerly made his way to shower. "I'll be right here if you need me?"

XX

It was midnight when he settled on the sofa. She had pulled the pillows from his bed and left them for him to use to get comfortable.

"Castle, if you need me, call, I'll hear you."

"Nite Beckett, or should I say Florence?"

"If you need anything." He waived her off.

Around 4 am she was awaken by a groaning sound. At first she thought she was dreaming, but the realized where she was and slipped out of bed. She headed to the main room.

Castle was twisting and softly moaning as he moved. He'd slid down on the sofa and looked like he was stuck. Beckett sat on the coffee table and spoke softly, she put her hand on his arm, "Castle, Castle wake-up."

He stopped twisting and his eyes fluttered open, "Beckett, what time is it?" He groaned as he tried to move.

"Oh man, my side is killing me."

"We need to get some more pain meds down you."

"Yeah, the pain is...oh man," followed by a long humming groan, "Yeah, I waited too long."

He was sitting straighter when she returned with the two pills for him. He continued to groan softly as he tried to find a comfortable position. She watched in silence.

Finally he gave-up on his attempt at a half-sit, half-laying position, "I think I'll just sit up...it seems to be the least painful position I can find."

"Beckett, thanks for the pills."

"I'm sorry I bothered you, go back to bed."

She didn't move off the coffee table, "I think I'll sit here with you for awhile."

She moved cautiously to the other end of the sofa, which was not that large, they were only about three or four feet apart. She was trying to be careful not to jar him.

"You know, you make a pretty good nurse Beckett." He said into the dark.

"Thanks, Castle I try."

"There's a candle on the coffee table, could you light it?"

"Castle you need to get some more sleep."

"I think it will be awhile before I can go back to sleep, my ribs are really pounding."

She bent over, found the lighter and lit the small candle. It seemed bright and shadows danced around the walls, "Is that better?"

"It is, thanks. I wanted to be able to see you clearer."

"You mean with bed head and a bandaged nose?" In a humorous tone.

He looked at her closely, " Bed head, bandaged nose, and, you forgot...black eyes." He smiled at her sheepishly.

"You gotta be kidding me! Are they really black?" Now with exasperation.

"Just a little."

"How about we blow-out the candle Castle."

"You can if you insist, but I prefer the view."

"Of me, like this?" Pointing her fingers to her face and hair.

"Of you...period." His voice barely above a whisper.

She was quiet for a few seconds. Then she looked up at him, he could see her eyes were glistening and then a tear leaked down her cheek.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you Beckett."

"Castle, can you call me Kate?"

"Kate..." but his voice was thick.

"Kate, I didn't mean to upset you, you can blow out the candle."

She slid closer to him, still trying to not shake the sofa and cause him any more pain. "Castle, I want to tell you something and I don't want you to freak."

"You couldn't tell me from your corner?" He smiled trying to lighten the moment.

"No, I have to be as close as I can."

"Speak Detective"

"Castle, I'm going to marry you."

The quiet room, seemed to get even quieter. He said nothing. He couldn't think of what to say. He watched the beautiful, but beat-up woman before him, and wondered why she would say such a thing. They had know each other for less than a month. Yeah, they got along well and he liked her, but he knew she was out of his league. He was a single Dad, with a teenage daughter, and an OK job. He knew he had nothing to offer this beauty. All of it added to his confusion.

He decided on humor, "Did I take the Vicodin, or did you?"

She smiled at his response, and put her hand on his. "It was you who took the the medication, and this is not Vicodin inspired."

"Kate, I've never had someone say something like that to me before. It's...a little...a..."

"You can say weird, I get that." She looked down at her hand on his, the light danced around the room.

"Trust me Castle, I've never said that to anyone...ever." She stammered, "In fact, I never would have dreamed of saying something like...until I met you."

"I almost told you on the Saturday when we picked out Alexis' dress, I knew it then. But there were other issues and it wasn't the right time..."

"I understand the timing and the fact that you had a boyfriend..."

"Yeah, that was a...complicating issue," She looked away.

"Back to the subject, what did you know Beckett?"

"I knew Castle, that my searching days were done...I'd found what I was looking for."

"Does that sound lame or what?" She looked back down again.

"Beckett, Kate, is this because I got in front of a foot for you?"

"No, and yes!"

"Not just that you got kicked, but that you never even considered your safety in protecting me...even if it meant being hurt."

"But there was a lot before then. I saw the way you treated and cared for your daughter. The way you treated Alexis and me, like we were the most important people in the world...and you didn't even know it." Her eyes were leaking again.

"I also saw the way you honor Orletha. The way you look at her, the concern you show. But you also listen...you listen intently to her."

"Kate, I'm flattered, but honestly I'm just an ordinary guy."

"I don't have much, besides my wonderful daughter, and she's really just on loan to me. She's growing up so fast. Soon she'll be moving on to her own life." He was quietly considering that certain future.

"You can have any man you choose. I was going to say a doctor, but...we'll you know what I mean."

She remained silent.

"You can have much more than a glorified bookkeeper...who paints and writes poetry."

"Hush, Mr. Castle. You are not ordinary, by any standard. I didn't say a word about your home, your job, the money you make did I? It was all about your heart."

"In a very short time, I've found you to be extraordinary." She squeezed his hand for emphasis.

"Rick, never believe less than that about yourself."

She got up and walked around to his side of the sofa. She rubbed the back of her hand on his cheek and bent to kiss his forehead, "Extraordinary."

She went back to her corner of the sofa and sat, pulling her legs up under her. "That's really all I had to say."

"You know I won't remember any of this in the morning." He smiled at her.

"I'll remind you." Extending her leg and pushing against his knee gently with her foot.

XX

At 9:30 Alexis Castle came out of her room. She saw her Dad's bedroom door was open. She walked into the family room and found him asleep against the corner of the sofa. It looked as though he had failed at propping himself up. He'd slid down so his head rested on the arm of the furniture.

As she walked over to check on him and was surprised to see the Detective also asleep on the floor, next to him. She was sitting and leaning back slightly twisted so her her head laid on the cushion and his leg. She was holding his right leg like it was a life preserver. A blanket covered her Dad, another Beckett.

Alexis smiled to herself and wondered, Why'd I change the bed? She thought surely they could find a more comfortable way to sleep.

She returned to her room to read for awhile, letting them sleep a little longer.

At 10:15 she heard her Dad moan, " Oh man, what happen to my body?"

She could hear them start to move about. She got up and was about to walk into the room when she heard him say, "Beckett, I had a dream last night, a crazy one."

"Tell me your dream, Mr. Castle." Her voice soft, sleepy and contented. Alexis thought how pleasant the exchange was between them, so comfortable, she smiled to herself.

Her Dad spoke next, "Don't laugh Beckett, but you told me you were gonna marry me."

Alexis froze in her tracks, then heard Beckett yawn and talk at the same time, "You weren't dreaming Castle...I am."

XX

Breakfast was leisurely than normal since the two subway-warriors were moving very slow. The most difficult part of the morning was getting Castle off the sofa. No matter which arm they held, or where they pushed from, every movement sent electric shocks of pain straight to his injured ribs. It was a loud event.

Once upright he swore he'd never sit down again. Alexis and Beckett smiled sympathetically at him. After bacon, eggs and bagels they turned to the task of clean bandages for each and re-wrapping Castle ribs.

Castle had not been seeing shadows on Beckett's face in the middle of the night, for now in the bright morning light, both eyes were blossoming into full shiners. She removed the bandage that had covered her nose. There was still a lot of dried blood, but after the cleaning was done. She decide she'd go for open air for a few hours. Her skin already itched from the adhesives.

Castle's cut above the eye had required two stitches and now needed only a medium size bandage. When done he turned his attention to his guest.

"Beckett, your poor nose is hammered." Castle grinned over his assessment. "And your shiners, make you look so tough."

"Castle, is that you or some medicine-head guy talking." Now she smiled.

"Wow, I guess I should adding cranky to the list." He smiled, trying to avoid any unnecessary movements.

She offered a frown, "You know what, I'm going to take this cup of coffee and go sit on the sofa for a few minutes. Alone."

After she left Alexis glared at him, "I think you ticked her off Dad," whispering as she cleaned off the table.

Castle had sat on the edge of his chair, hoping it would make it easier for him to just stand straight-up. His plan was to rely completely on his legs to stand, and thereby avoiding another more pain. It worked pretty well. He made his way across the room to where Kate was sitting. She held a cup of coffee in one hand and their picture in the other.

"You like that picture, Beckett?"

" I do. I like that smoldering look in your eyes Castle." She didn't even turn to look at him.

"If there's any smoldering going on in that picture, it's the tall dark-haired beauty." She still avoided eye contact.

"If I were to name the picture, it would be "Beauties and the Beast."

She stood and walked over to him. She gently placed her hands on his chest. "Really? Well I like that beast. So be careful what you say about him, or you'll have to contend with me."

Alexis watched the exchange and smiled. She didn't know what she'd missed in the middle of the night, but something big had changed.

After finishing the kitchen, she announced she was getting cleaned up and going to run a few errands. She asked if she could get food or anything else from the store for later in the day.

Castle turned to her, "Kate you don't have to baby-sit me, if you need to go home, I'll be fine."

Beckett turned to Alexis shook her head, "I have a few things I think we might need." Alexis smiled again, Kate had ignored her Dad, she loved that.

"I'll make a list," she turned and picked up a writing pad and pen.

"Castle, for the record, I'm not leaving."

Turning again to face him, she added, "Just in case they come back for you."

Castle laughed and then groaned, "Damn you Kate, stop doing that."

"Doing what?" She asked, feigning innocence.

"Making me laugh, it hurts too much." He was quiet, and looked tired even though he'd only been awake for a couple of hours.

"Beckett, I need to rest, maybe you can help me try to lie down on my bed." He sounded exhausted.

She thought for a moment, "Sure" and added, "Maybe if you sit on the edge and then lower yourself down onto your left side, it won't hurt as much."

Though not easy, they were able to get him situated and he seemed comfortable.

"Do you need anything Castle?"

"No, I took a couple of pain pills after breakfast, I think I'm good." She started to leave the room.

"Beckett, can you sit her for a few minutes?"

"Of course." She gently got onto the bed and laid on her side so they could face each other.

"Kate," he paused and closed his eyes. She could tell by his tone they were about to continue the midnight discussion.

"What Castle? Just say it."

"I've been alone for most of Alexis' life. My focus has been on her, on making sure things were good for her, that she had a stable life." He paused to rest again.

"During those years I simply opted not be in a relationship." Again he stopped.

"It sounds like a but is coming" she said.

"Yeah, there is more. It's about being safe emotionally for her. I've dated some but she seems to always react one way or another. It's almost like she's being territorial. Wanting to feel secure with it being just me and her."

"But also the women I dated, they were...you know in my league."

Beckett set up and glared at him, "In your league? Why would you say that?"

She didn't stop, "I could pretend that you're implying...that I'm below you Castle...but I know that's not what you mean!"

He huffed, "It's not just league, it's you, your a professional Beckett and…"

"And what Castle? What?" Anger seeping into her voice.

"Look at you! Then look at me…We don't fit." He said with a tone resignation.

"How do we not fit?" She did not restrain her anger.

"You shouldn't be kissing frogs Beckett, you belong with a Prince."

"That is so stupid! No wonder you're alone."

She turned, sat up and put her feet on the floor leaving her back for him to talk to, but said nothing.

"Kate…" But she remained silent and still.

"I looked at you...yeah, whenever I looked at you... and my heart would speed up."

"I never spoke to you because, I knew it was a fools errand."

"I could tell your boyfriend was a doctor, he looked and acted...different...someone more…" He didn't finish the thought.

After a pause, "If Orletha had not introduced us, we would never have met… unless you arrested me." He tried to smile.

Turning to look at him, "Castle, where are you going with this?" There was no humor on her face.

"My heart is safe in this box I've made...you make it hope for things...I can't have Kate."

"You are so wrong!" She stood and walked out of the room.