"Are you sure you want to try this?" Rick asked as the brunette nodded and forced a smile onto her face before sitting up and moving her legs to rest over the edge. She could do this! She wanted to try and she was going to do this. "I'm here Kate, you can do this," he smiled, watching as she lifted herself off the bed and forced herself onto her feet, panicking covering her face when she began to wobble. Tightly wrapping his arms around her body, Rick watched as she slowly looked up with disappointment covering her face. "You're allowed to wobble," he whispered before she nodded slowly and remained in his arms. "Just follow me, I won't let you go Kate," he declared, stepping backwards slowly as she bit into her lip. Nervously, Kate moved her left foot, taking her first step in twelve years before the other foot followed and a laugh left her lips.
"I did it, I actually did it" she said in excitement as he nodded and took another step back, the younger woman slowly following him again. "Let me try by just holding your hands," she insisted as he stared down at her feet nervously. He currently had his arms tightly wrapped around her body and was practically holding her up and he was terrified she'd fall again if he let go of her. "Please, I can do this," Kate whispered, the writer nodded before he stepped away and clung onto her hands, the brunette biting into her lip before she attempted to step forward, her body fighting her as she began to fall again into the writer's hold. "I just want to walk Rick," she moaned as he slowly helped her towards the bed again she rested back against the headboard. "I want to be able to walk across the room, it's not like I'm asking to run the marathon."
"I know Kate and you're getting there, you're just not strong enough yet but you will be soon. You couldn't even stand up with help last week and look what you did today," Rick smiled as he sat down beside her before gently brushing her hair away from her face while he stared at her. "I have a meeting this afternoon Kate," he declared as she watched him in silence before finding his hands again. "My publisher wants me to talk to me about the newest book and some press events," he explained as she collapsed back against the headboard and shut her eyes. "But I've arranged for someone to come and spend the evening with you," he explained.
"Who?" Kate immediately questioned, concern covering her face at who he had have invited to spend time with her that evening. He was the only person she'd really spent time with since she'd woken up and she was nervous about meeting someone else. She didn't know much about what had happened since she'd been in a coma and she was nervous to meet someone new.
"My daughter," he admitted as she bit into her lip nervously, worried about what his daughter would think about her. "You'll love Alexis Kate, I promise. I've told her lots about you and she'd like to spend time with you and well, I thought you might like to spend some time with another woman for an evening instead of me," Rick explained as she nodded slowly, forcing a smile onto her face before she laced her fingers with his. "I'll have my cell phone on me though if you need to talk and I will come back if anything happens but I have to go to this meeting or Paula will murder me," he smiled as Kate nodded slowly, still holding onto his hand. "I'll come back afterwards though to collect Alexis and I might even bring dinner, I won't be too late."
"Inviting yourself to dinner now are you Mr Castle?" Kate questioned as a small smile covered her face while the writer shrugged. "I'd like that and I would love to meet your daughter, thank you for inviting her," she said quietly before she relaxed and shut her eyes while Rick watched her. "She doesn't mind coming here does she? She doesn't have anything better to do," she began as he laughed and shook her head.
"No, she offered when I said that I had to leave early today. She's excited to get to know you," Rick explained. "She might have to do some work while she's here though," Rick added as Kate nodded slowly before opening her eyes and staring at the older man. "You're going to get there soon Kate," he said quietly as confusion covered her face at his statement. "With the walking and everything, you'll get it and then we can get you out of here and into the real world."
"We?" Kate asked quietly before they fell silent, the two of them glancing down at their linked hands.
"I'm not just going to leave you once you get out of here Kate," he stated as she smiled weakly at him. "I'm going to help you get your life back Kate, I'm not just going to disappear when you're discharged," Rick explained before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead, glancing down at his watch as he moved away.
"Thank you."
XOXOXOXOXOXOX
"Alexis is on her way," Rick said quietly as he slid his cell phone back into his pocket and stared at the brunette who was currently reading another one of his books, a nervous smile covering her face when she shut the book and turned to face him. "She's going to love you okay," he announced as he moved out of his chair and sat down on the edge of the bed as she relaxed back against the cushions and stared at him. "Why are you so nervous?" he asked, finding her hand as she glanced down at her book, not knowing what to say. She didn't want to look like a complete idiot but she knew he would find some way of getting out of her before he left.
"You're the only person I've talked to since I woke up, what if I scare her or something?" Kate questioned. "I don't know what to talk about. I've been in a coma for twelve years, for the majority of her life," she ranted as Rick remained silent, taking in everything she was saying. "I don't know what to say to her. I can't decide books or films…"
"Kate stop worrying, she knows that you've been in a coma and she's fine with it," Rick declared as she shut her eyes in frustration. "She's not difficult to talk too; she'll talk about everything really."
"But we have nothing in common," Kate insisted, her eyes opening to glance at the writer who was still holding onto her hand tightly. "Maybe you should tell her to go home instead; I can stay here on my own."
"I'm not leaving you here on your own Kate," he insisted as she shut her eyes, knowing that he was desperate to make sure that she was happy. "I would cancel the meeting but I have to go or Gina and Paula will come and kill me and we wouldn't want that," he explained before leaning forward and gently pressing a kiss to her forehead, the two remaining close as they slowly fell silent. "You're going to be perfectly fine, Alexis will talk about anything you want," he whispered before a knock at the door rang around the room and he moved away, smiling when a young redhead entered the room with a large grin covering her face as she approached her father and hugged him. "Alexis, this is Kate. Kate this is my daughter Alexis," he introduced as the two women looked at each other for a moment with small shy smiles covering their faces. "Right I have to go now," he stated, grabbing his bag while Alexis slowly moved towards the chair and sat down, watching as her father quickly hugged the brunette before waving at her and moving towards the door. "You can call my cell if either of you need me," he called over as Kate rolled her eyes.
"Just go," Kate responded quickly, Alexis smiling at her as Rick disappeared from sight finally. "Thank you for coming," Kate blurted out when she glanced across at the redhead who suddenly blushed at her. "You didn't have to come by the way; I can cope with being on my own."
"I wanted too come, dad was worried about leaving you and he thought you might like someone else to talk too," Alexis admitted as Kate bit into her lip, knowing that Rick was too concerned about her. "He talks about you a lot at home as well so I thought I might as well come and meet the woman he's been keeping my father occupied," she laughed as Kate began to blush. "All he says is good things about you I promise; I don't think I've ever heard him say something bad about you."
"Being in a coma for twelve years could be seen as a bad thing," Kate suggested as Alexis shrugged at her comment.
"That wasn't your fault," the teenager smiled as Kate nodded slowly before they both fell silent for a moment before laughing. "What's it like?"
"What?" Kate questioned.
"Waking up to find that twelve years have just disappeared," Alexis explained as Kate bit into her lip, not knowing what to say. It was hard to describe, explaining what it was like to wake up to find that twelve years of your life were gone and you had to learn to walk and learn about what's happened in the world. "We don't have to talk about it, it's just I've never met anyone who's been in a coma before."
"It's fine Alexis, I guess that's what's going to interest people now," Kate sighed as Alexis stared at her in amazement. "It was bizarre, just waking up to find this stranger in my room telling me that I'd been in a coma and twelve years of my life were just gone," she admitted before shutting her eyes. "I remember when your dad took out his cell phone for the first time and I was just amazed by all the things he could do on it."
"I can imagine," Alexis laughed as Kate nodded. "Have you seen the angry bird's game yet?" she questioned as Kate shook her head.
"Angry birds?" the brunette questioned as she glanced across at the younger woman who was smiling at her.
"Dad's obsessed with it, it's a game. Whenever he's bored, he plays on it," Alexis explained as Kate relaxed back. "Dad has this habit of going over the top with things," she stated as Kate's eyebrows rose. "He was arrested once."
"What for?" Kate questioned in shock as the redhead bit into her lip. "You can't stop now, not after telling me that."
"He got really drunk once when I was a baby, he went out with my mom and her friends and he was dared to steal a police horse," Alexis explained as Kate shook her head in amazement. "So he did but he also managed to steal the horse naked and he was arrested," she blurted out before they began to laugh together.
"How long was he in jail for?" Kate said quietly as Alexis bit into her lip.
"The whole night," Alexis said shyly. "Mom ran off with her friends when the cop turned up and my gram was called when he was brought in. She was babysitting me and she told the cops to keep him there to sober up. Apparently in the morning she turned up with me to bail him out and dad was completely hung over and he just walked over and took hold of me," the redhead whispered as Kate stared at her in amazement. The more she learnt about the writer who had been spending every day with her, the more he amazed and confused her.
"Your dad clearly loves you," Kate commented as Alexis stared at her. "He's extremely proud of you Alexis; he never stops talking about you and the amazing things you've achieved. I haven't known him that long but you're his proudest achievement, I think anyone can tell that," Kate admitted as the redhead watched her lie down in the bed and shut her eyes for a moment.
"Are you okay?" Alexis questioned as she moved the chair closer to the bed.
"Yeah, I just miss my parents," Kate said emotionally as Alexis bit into her lip. "I just miss everything to do with my life. I miss my parents, my friends, just the person I was twelve years ago," she blurted out before shaking her head and opening her eyes to see the concern that was covering Alexis' face. "Sorry."
"It's okay, you must feel lonely," Alexis commented as Kate shrugged. "Have you tried to contact any of your friends?" she questioned as Kate shook her head.
"It's been twelve years, they've probably moved on. They'll all have careers now and some of them will be married with kids," Kate stated as she remained silent, Alexis watching her in amazement. "And my dad has just walked off and disappeared and I haven't heard from my mom," the brunette explained before biting into her lip while tears ran down her cheeks. "You're lucky to have a dad like yours."
"I'm sure your dad will come back, it's probably just the shock."
"He's drinking, I know that," Kate sighed to herself before shaking her head and turning away. "I'm going to try and get some sleep," she whispered as Alexis nodded and watched as she shut her eyes before she dug her book out of her bag and relaxed into the chair as silence filled the room.
XOXOXOXOXOXO
"Hi pumpkin," Rick said quietly as he entered the room with the take out Chinese to see his daughter curled up in the chair with her book, a small tired smile covering her face as her father leant down and gently pressed a kiss to her forehead. "How has she been?" he questioned, glancing across at the sleeping brunette before resting against the side of the chair.
"We were discussing you and she got upset because of her parents," Alexis responded as Rick shut his eyes. "She just shut down and went to sleep, we were laughing and having a good time and the next second she's crying," the redhead explained as Rick slowly moved towards the bed and sat down on the edge before glancing down at the sleeping woman. "She might want to eat; she hasn't eaten since you left."
"Okay," Rick smiled before shaking the brunette slightly, laughing when she grabbed the blanket and pulled it over her body again before swearing under her breath. "I brought Chinese," he said as she groaned again and turned, glancing up at him as he smiled at her. "I thought that would wake you up Miss Beckett," he declared as she slowly sat up while Alexis moved and took the take out of the bag. Sharing the meals amongst those around her, Alexis watched as Kate opened her carton and held onto her chopsticks.
"Rick," Kate whispered as he nodded, his mouth full of noodles as her smile grew, even though she was determine to remain serious. "Have you found anything else out about my mom yet?" she questioned as Alexis and Rick stopped eating, hating how they were lying to her. Alexis could see why her father was so traumatised by lying to Kate. She looked terrified and desperate as she asked about her mother and she could see the guilt covering her father's face. "If you've found something, please tell me."
"I'm still looking Kate, I promise," he declared as she nodded and slowly returned to her meal.
"How was your meeting?" Alexis blurted out, desperately trying to change the conversation as the writer smiled and began to explain all the decisions that were being made about his book tour.
"You're going on a tour?" Kate questioned in shock as he turned to face her, panic covering her face as he put his meal down on the table and moved to sit closer to her. "When?" she said nervously, annoyed at how weak she sounded.
"Not for another month Kate," he stated as Kate returned to her meal slowly, not knowing what to say. "We'll talk about it later okay, I should get Alexis home," he explained as he glanced across at his yawning daughter as Kate nodded in agreement. Finishing his meal, Rick quickly binned the cartons that had held their Chinese before he collected his daughter's bag and watched as the teenager pulled her coat on before smiling across at the brunette.
"Can I hug you?" Alexis asked as Kate nodded, smiling when Alexis' arms tightened around her body. "I can come and visit whenever you like, if you want me too of course."
"We should have a girl's night if I ever get out of here," Kate whispered before Alexis moved away and approached her father. "I'll see you tomorrow Rick," she added as he opened his mouth to speak, to insist that he was going to come back. "You should get some proper sleep, I'm fine and I'm tired. I wouldn't be very entertaining."
"I'll see you tomorrow then," he smiled, moving towards the bed before he gently pressed a kiss to her forehead, not moving away as quickly as he should. "Are you going to be okay?" he whispered as she nodded and relaxed back. "Tomorrow I'll see whether I can break you out."
"Break me out?" she asked.
"In a wheelchair, we could go out somewhere for a couple of hours. I could just take you on a drive," he suggested as she nodded in excitement. She was desperate to get out of the hospital room and even though she couldn't walk, it didn't mean she couldn't go out. There was nothing physically wrong with her, she just needed to get used to walking again. "I'll talk to the nurse on the way out."
"Thank you," she responded, watching as he slowly moved away from her and walked towards Alexis again, the two Castle's waving at her before walking out of the room, leaving her alone in the silent room.
I've become a terrible updater but I have A Levels for the next month and they take priority unfortunately.
Please review, I love hearing from you and it's the only thing getting me through my exams. Writing stories seems to be the only thing I'm good at at the moment and well, I like to hear your thoughts and your ideas. Also if there's anything you want to see, please tell me. Ideas are always welcome!