Author's Note:

Thanks again to gloriajv, glo1196, Feedthebirds, and caskettismagic14 for their reviews! I really appreciated them, and they mean a lot more than I can really express into words, haha. :P

I also want to say thanks to everyone who added this to Story Alerts – that made me really happy too. Here's another chapter for all you great people, starting from the point of view of someone a bit unexpected.

Massive chapter.

Each one is getting bigger than the one before it. I think I might have to cool my jets a bit. Sadly it won't be like this.

Chapter 5: Rise and Fall

Josh's POV

"Dr. Davidson, there's something wrong with our phone. It's not working!" Lulu wailed, holding the portable in her left hand, and pointing at it with her right. My god, she was incompetent. I would have to find a new receptionist as soon as possible.

"I'm a little busy right now, Lulu," I said through gritted teeth. She knew better than to bother me when I was on level 7.15 in Angry Birds. It was my first break in who knows how long. Today was the first day I could shut off my phone, book all the other doctors solid, stay in the country for once, and just take a morning in my office, all alone, without interruption. I guess that was just a little too much to ask.

"I would call someone to come fix it, but..." Lulu looked at me with wide eyes, and threw her hands up in the air, and then put them on her hips in a defiant stance. "...we have no phone!" She was the mouthiest receptionist I've ever met. This would be the last time I hire someone half my age, even if they were good-looking.

"Here, take my cell. You'll have to turn it on. You can do that on your own, right?"

Lulu rolled her eyes, and walked back to her desk with my phone, muttering something about quitting the second her university tuition was covered.

Whatever. I went back to Angry Birds.

Castle's POV

I got in the car, and dialled my phone while I did up my seatbelt. Josh's cell phone number. Just one more try. It gave me the shock of my life, when I actually heard it ringing.

"Hello?" A female voice was on the other end. A young female voice. Huh?

"Uh..." I started, unsure of what to say. "Is Josh there?"

"He's a bit busy." She said, a little bit snippy.

"Who's this?"

"I'm Lulu."

Lulu? Who was Lulu, and why was she answering his cell? Whatever. I had more important things to think about right now. "Um, Lulu, I tried to call the office, but the phones are off. Is there any way I can reach him? It's an emergency."

"Yeah, the phones aren't working."

"Well, can you put me through to him? It's an emergency."

She sighed. "I'll try. Give me a sec. Yo, Boss!"

In the background, I heard snippets of an angry Josh Davidson. "Dammit, Lulu!" - I swear to God" - "Fine, give me the damn phone!" Sounds like the guy wasn't the angel he was said to be.

"Josh Davidson. How may I help you?" He asked pleasantly, an immediate contrast to how he was in the background a few moments ago.

"This is Richard Castle."

"Oh." His tone was immediately less civil. "What would you be calling me about...Ricky?" The way he emphasized my name was quite patronizing. I did not enjoy being patronized, but I was here on a very specific errand.

"I'm on the way to your office, and you really should come with me when I get there." It was getting a bit hard to drive while on the phone. This was so not how it was supposed to be in the movies.

He stammered for a few seconds. "Um, why? I'm extremely busy right now, and, no offence, but I really can't be bothered right now."

Oh, how rude! I cleared my throat and let him have it. "Listen, Josh. I'm not coming over there because I want to spend quality time with a man who hates my guts. I'm coming over there because Kate's in trouble, and she needs you right now. So man up, and be ready to leave when I get there."

There was a long pause, and I imagine if I was seeing his face right now, it would be turning all kinds of amazing colours.

"Um, what? Did you say Kate's in trouble? What's wrong?"

I swerved as I almost drove into a parking median. "Listen, I can't talk right now, but I'm coming to get you. I'll be there in ten. Be ready and waiting in the parking lot, okay?"

"Okay."

He was waiting there for me when I got there. Good.

I pulled up beside him, reached over and opened the passenger side door so he could get in.

"Get in!" I barked, when he didn't make a move right away. The traffic was starting to pile up, and I wanted to be back at the hospital as soon as Kate was out of surgery.

Josh quickly got in the car, and shut the door behind him. When I started the car again and got back on the main road, he decided it was safe to ask me some questions.

"What's wrong with Kate?" He asked, incredulously. Did he seriously not believe me? I sensed a bit of fear in him, but I don't think it was fear for Kate. You'd think he thought I was going to drive him to an abandoned alley and slit his throat.

"She's in the hospital." I swallowed, and watched the road. "She was shot at Montgomery's funeral this morning. She's in bad shape, but surgery should be finished soon."

"Oh my God..." His eyes widened in shock, and he put his head in his hands. "Wait, this morning? It's like four o'clock now. Why were you there? Why didn't you call me right away?"

I took my eyes off the road for a second to glare at him. "I said it was at Montgomery's funeral. I was there. She got shot. Lanie and I were there with her on the way to the hospital. Her dad's there now, too. And none of your phones were working, remember?" I said the last part with a slight accusatory tone.

He shut up, and then started moaning. "Oh my God...oh my God..."

I wanted more than anything to beat him up for it, but Kate wouldn't want there to be conflict between us, and he probably felt bad enough for being unavailable AGAIN when Kate needed him.

"Do they know if she'll live?" he asked me.

"Not yet," I said quietly but gently. "They told us she had around a 70% chance of survival. We'll know in about half an hour, when we get back to the hospital."

"70%. That's not bad."

Not bad? It's still a 30% chance too high that she would die. Anything higher than a 0% chance of Kate dying was too high for me. But I took it easy on him, and just said "Yeah."

"Kate's brave. And strong. There's no way she'll let this thing lick her." I told him. I was starting to believe it. I was starting to hope stronger and stronger by the minute. I really believed she would be okay, and the thought of being able to hug her when she woke up was enough to make my heart beat faster and faster.

"Maybe," was all Josh chose to say. "I can't wait to see her."

And then I realized that when she woke up, things would be no different than before. She would be with Josh. I would still love her. I loved her enough to not want her to ruin what she had, if she was happy. I would have to accept that she probably didn't love me back, or if she did, she sure wasn't going to act on it.

"I'm going to propose to her tonight. When she wakes up." Josh said, looking me right in the eye through the rear-view mirror.

I almost crashed the car. Um, WHAT?

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, and forced myself to say "Congratulations."

"Thanks," he said with a smile. But it wasn't a very nice smile. It was the kind of smile you give a person after you've taken the last cookie, and you get to eat it in front of them.

We didn't say another word after that. I was bringing him to the hospital. I was bringing him to see Kate. He would be alive when he got there. That's all that was expected of me. That's all I had to do.

I walked with Josh towards room 419, and was immediately greeted by a red-haired girl running at high speed down the hall, towards me, and hitting me really hard with an "Oomph!" I was winded for a second, and looked down and saw that it was my darling daughter Alexis embracing me. Lanie stepped outside the door, looked at Alexis and mimed a phone, with a smile. She'd called Alexis for me. I mouthed "thank you" and put Alexis down so I could talk to her.

"For someone this skilled in physics, you'd know that hugging someone at high velocity is quite painful. You trying to kill me, baby bird?" I said with a wink.

"Sorry Dad, but there's good news!" She said brightly, with big blue eyes wide, and bouncing up and down excitedly.

"Is it about Kate?" Josh and I asked in unison.

"Yes! A paramedic dropped by and said that apparently they're about 99% sure they removed all the bullet pieces, so they finished surgery early. You're just in time. They're bringing her down any minute, and it looks like she'll be okay!"

"YES!" I said, excitedly, picking Alexis up and hugging her tightly again, like I used to do all the time when she was small.

Alexis and I went inside room 419, and I saw that Ryan and Esposito were there as well. They would tell me later that they had attempted to find the shooter all day, but had had no luck. They wished they had been here with us, but were thrilled that they got to see Beckett when she got out of surgery.

I saluted them with a smile, and wrapped her, Lanie, Mr. Beckett, Ryan and Esposito in a tight group hug. Finally all our waiting, all our terror, all our dashed hopes, all of it was finally dissolved into pure happiness and relief. I let the tears of happiness roll down my cheeks, and this time, waiting for Kate was pure excitement instead of dread and anxiety.

They brought her about fifteen minutes later on a gurney, and even though there were tubes and IVs sticking out of her, and she looked so small and fragile, they assured me that her condition had improved considerably. Despite the tubes and IVs that made her look tiny and weak, she still was stunning. Her beautiful, long-lashed eyes were closed and she looked completely at ease, with her brown hair spread out on her pillow like a princess'. She was dressed in a white hospital gown, and there was a thick dressing wrapped around her middle. Kate was now upgraded to fair condition. She would likely be in pain when she woke up, but her indicators and vital signs were quite favourable. They told us happily that she would survive, but would have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks while she recuperated and they watched her for any signs of infection or sepsis, in case of that1% chance that there was still a bullet fragment inside her.

"We were afraid she wouldn't make it for a while, but she proved us wrong." one of the paramedics – the same one who had brought her in – remarked with a smile, as they brought her in, and transferred her gently to her hospital bed. "She's quite the fighter."

"We know," Lanie, Mr. Beckett and I said at the same time. We all smiled and sat in chairs a few feet away from Kate so we didn't crowd her. Josh stayed right beside her bed, and held her hand.

"How long until she wakes up?" asked Alexis.

"That's up to her," the paramedic said, encouragingly. "She's in a drug-induced coma, so that her body can heal. Right now she can't feel any pain. Sometimes it takes up to a day to regain strength, sometimes only a few hours. We can call you when she wakes if you want, but it would be good to have someone here in case she wakes up and is frightened because she doesn't know where she is. She's going to be in a lot of pain when she wakes up."

"I have to work tomorrow..." Josh said uneasily. "I'm the head surgeon at the other hospital on the –"

"–I'm afraid we'll have to go back tomorrow too," Ryan said, regretfully, cutting off Josh.

"Dead people don't wait. Especially without the Captain," Esposito said sadly. But then he looked at Kate and smiled. "But at least now we know our hermana will be okay." He reached out and smoothed Kate's hair.

Hermana. The Spanish word for "sister." I clenched my jaw so I wouldn't cry. The 12th precinct really was more of a family than a collection of coworkers.

"Me too, unfortunately," Lanie said. "I'm sorry, Kate." She kissed two of her fingers, and gently touched Kate's cheek with them.

"We'll visit her again right away on our breaks, and after work," said Ryan. "We'll be here every moment we can."

Alexis grimaced. "I want to be here, but I have my physics exam tomorrow morning."

"I'm staying with her." I spoke up, and looked over at Mr. Beckett. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

He smiled and nodded at me. "Thank you. I'm not leaving this place until Katie wakes up."

"Is there any way we could transfer her over to my hospital?" Josh broke in. "I can keep an eye on her very easily that way."

The paramedic shook his head. "I don't recommend moving her more than it is absolutely necessary. Intense stress could cause the wound to reopen. Katherine Beckett needs to stay here until she is discharged."

Josh nodded, but wouldn't look at any of us. He seemed bitter.

"Visiting hours are over shortly. If you're not staying overnight, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave." The paramedic said regretfully.

Everyone got out and said their goodbyes to Kate, thankful that it was really just a temporary goodbye and that they would see her when she woke up. Josh lingered longer than everyone else and looked at me with the biggest stink eye I think I've ever seen. I'd driven him over, so he needed to get a ride back to his clinic (and his car) with Ryan and Esposito.

"You let me know as soon as she wakes, up, okay...Ricky?" he said, his voice filled with poison.

"Of course I will," I said peacefully. "I give you my word."

"Scout's honour?" he said, with the air that he was mocking me.

"No, I actually mean it this time."

And with that, he got up and walked out, catching up to Ryan and Esposito.

Once everyone except Mr. Beckett and I left, we both turned to Kate, and prepared to say our own goodbyes. Mr. Beckett kissed his daughter on the top of her head, rubbed the top of her head, and gently slid a loose bracelet on her wrist. It was clear glass that caught the light with all colours of the rainbow. There were charms on them, and when I leaned in closer, I could see there was a heart, an angel, a bird...

"It was Johanna's." Mr. Beckett explained. "Spirit charms. Each means something different. Love, health, freedom. It was hers ever since she was a child, and she treasured it all this time. Kate had her ring, I had this. That's all we have of her jewellery. I think Kate should have it now. Johanna will keep her safe."

"That's beautiful."

Mr. Beckett nodded with a smile.

The paramedic returned, just as I was preparing to say my goodbye. I didn't even know where to start, so needless to say, I was almost grateful for the interruption.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Didn't you say visiting hours were ending?" I asked, slightly confused.

The paramedic smiled, and stepped closer to us, and said quietly. "George said that you guys were exceptions."

I cocked my head, still not understanding.

"I can't believe you guys drove all the way up from Canada. That's incredible. We don't want you to have to stay in a hotel, so George talked to Maud, and they filed a 'Special Overnight Request form' for the two of you, since you have come from so far away. We're permitting you to stay here in the hospital with Katherine until she wakes up. We do have space for you, of course, so it's really no trouble. Just don't tell anyone that we did this for you, since this is completely an exception."

Wow, Georgie, I definitely underestimated you. I was now willing to do just about anything for him now.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words were coming out. Luckily Mr. Beckett found his voice.

"Thank you so much, sir."

"I'll be back in a bit with some beds for the two of you." And with that, he disappeared.

Once he left, Mr. Beckett ruffled my hair. "'Special Overnight Request form?' Hahaha!" he guffawed.

"You're really a special guy, Rick. Katie's lucky to have you looking out for her."

"No, sir. I'm lucky to have her." I said modestly.

Long after Mr. Beckett went to sleep, I stayed up with Kate, in case she woke up in the middle of the night. I held her right hand in my hands. The one with the bracelet. I traced each charm with my finger, invoking their powers. Heal Kate, tiny charms, heal Kate.

I watched the gradual rise and fall of her chest as the ventilator breathed for her. She was alive, even if she didn't look it. I reached out and put my hand gently on the part of her stomach that wasn't covered by the dressing, so that I could feel her "breathing." So I could feel that she was in fact, alive. She seemed completely pain-free, sleeping peacefully for the first time in months since we started tracing her mother's killer. I sighed in relief.

I caught a glimpse of something shiny out of the corner of my eye. It was on her left ring finger.

When I saw what it was, I couldn't believed it.

Josh had already slipped the engagement rock on her finger.

He'd "proposed" to his comatose girlfriend.

I couldn't decide if it was cliché, or just tacky.

When Kate woke up, there would be a lot of drama that she would have to deal with.

I didn't want to add to that drama. I would let her do whatever would make her happy. If catching her mother's killer, and being with Josh were things that would make her happy, then so be it. But I would be there for her no matter what.

Author's Note:

I thought you guys, like Castle and the 12th peeps, needed a bit of good news. I hope you liked this! :)

Yes, I made Josh a jerk. I couldn't help it. I honestly think that he's shown that he's unavailable, that he puts himself and his career before Kate, and that he feels threatened by Castle, enough that he's become bitter and competitive when it comes to Kate. But now that he's proposed to Kate...uh oh! Next chapter "Ch. 6: What Are We?" coming up tonight or tomorrow!

It will be Jim Beckett's POV again. Feel free to review and tell me I didn't write Josh properly. I don't know very much about him, so I would really appreciate feedback, and knowing whether I overdid it a little, like I'm afraid I did.

I know "Kate Rises" fics are a dime a dozen, but I just can't kill her off. So don't expect any twists. Drama, yes. Twists, no. I know Castle would be ashamed of me.