Chapter 7
(His daughter wins over her heart before he does.)
.
"Hey! That was my vanilla sprinkled donut."
"Are you hearing yourself, Ryan? 'Cause if you did, you'd have noticed that you sound like a little girl."
"Oh really, Esposito? Well, maybe you should buy your own breakfast next time."
Kate walks into the precinct early the next Friday hearing the usual sounds of mumbled greetings and shuffling papers. She walks past the two members of her crack detective team, stopping to peer into the box of donuts and plucks out the last one. "Mmm. My favourite. Thanks, Ryan."
"I should've eaten at home," Ryan mutters as he glares at the both of them, picking up his coffee cup and heading into the break room.
"Slow morning?" Kate asks Esposito, flipping through some messages on her desk.
"It's turning out to be a paperwork kind of day," he answers. "We don't even have Castle around to entertain us."
Kate ignores the feeling that rushes through her at the prospect of not seeing Castle for another week. His editor had insisted on a two-week book tour through Europe to promote the first Nikki Heat book that had just been released over there; he had been texting her frequently since he had left (she had not been amused when her phone had buzzed at four in the morning only to read a sexually suggestive joke about getting strip-searched as he was in line to get through security at Heathrow).
The morning passes uneventfully and Kate is relieved when her phone rings after lunch, morbidly hoping that somebody has gotten murdered.
"Beckett," she answers.
A prim voice answers her back, greeting her with the name of a school that sounds vaguely familiar. "Are you Ms. Katherine Beckett?"
Kate furrows her brows as she tries to determine the nature of the call. "Yes. Speaking."
"We're calling because you have been listed as the emergency contact for one of our pupils, Alexis Castle."
"I have?" She answers in surprise and then, realising how that might sound, corrects herself, "I mean – yes. I have. I'm Alexis' emergency contact."
"There's no need to be alarmed but Miss Castle was involved in a bit of an accident."
"Oh my god." Kate immediately switches from being annoyed at Castle for not informing her of this emergency contact business to being concerned for his daughter. "Is she all right?"
The woman at the other end breezily brushes aside her concern. "Oh yes, it was a simple mishap in her physical education class. Miss Castle has, however, been taken to the hospital."
Kate doesn't like the sound of this school administrator. Her cavalier attitude bothers her. Kate's tone is chilly when she asks, "If it was a simple mishap then why is she in the hospital?"
"It seems she may have broken her arm," the woman answers. "We tried contacting Mr. Castle but couldn't get through. The school has left a message but thought we should inform you as well."
"Which hospital is she at?"
"New York Presbyterian but I assure you, there is no need to worry, Ms. Beckett."
"Yes, you've already said that." Kate is gathering up her jacket and purse. "Thank you for informing me."
"You're welcome."
"And one more thing…" Kate can't resist.
"Yes?"
"It's Detective Beckett."
She hangs up and makes her way over to Ryan and Esposito's desks. "Hey guys?"
"Yeah." They look up from their computers.
"I have to head out for a little bit. Can you cover for me?"
"Sure thing." Esposito answers. "Is everything okay?"
Kate is already walking towards the elevator. "Just call me if anything comes up."
.
"I'm looking for Alexis Castle." Kate arrives at the hospital a good half hour later and is now standing in front of the Nurses' Station. "She was brought in a little while ago."
The nurse behind the desk glances up at her as she looks for the chart. "And you are?"
"Beckett. Kate Beckett. I'm her…"
"Next of kin," the nurse finishes, flipping through some pages. "Yes, it looks like the school made sure we indicated that on the chart. I'll take you to her."
Kate doesn't bother telling the nurse that next of kin isn't exactly what she is. She's just glad that somebody had called ahead so that she wouldn't have to awkwardly explain herself in order to see Alexis.
"She's just been wheeled back from x-rays," The nurse explains, glancing back at Kate as she weaves them through several corridors. "They have her in a room now, just about ready to set her arms."
Kate raises her eyebrows. "Excuse me. Arms? As in plural?"
"That's what the chart says." She stops abruptly in front of a door. "I'm sure your daughter will explain."
"Oh, she's not my…" Kate starts to say but the nurse has already pushed open the door to the exam room and walked away.
Kate enters the room and spots the redhead immediately, miserably leaning back on a propped up hospital bed and looking away from the door.
"Detective Beckett!" Alexis turns her head at the sound of footsteps. "I told them not to call you."
Kate makes her way over and a look of concern passes across her features. "Alexis, what happened?" She indicates the scraped knees and the cast adorning her right arm, which went all the way past her elbows.
"It's not as bad as it looks, really," Alexis looks down sheepishly. "I just got trampled a little in basketball."
"A little? What were you playing? Tackle basketball?"
"Well, I was running, trying to block somebody, you know? And then before I knew it, I was tripping over somebody's leg and flying through the air." She winces at the memory. "I landed really hard." Alexis looks up at Kate. "They still have to put a cast on my left arm."
"Yeah, the nurse told me you broke both of them."
"Well, I broke the right one and I think I just sprained my left." Alexis shrugs. "I think that's what the doctor said. I wasn't really paying attention because they were cleaning up the cuts on my knees and that stuff stings."
Kate chuckles, remembering the many scrapes and bruises she's incurred on the job. "Yeah, I know." Kate props herself onto the edge of Alexis' bed.
"I'm really sorry you had to come. You're probably so busy. They would have called dad but well, you know… and then to drag you away from work and everything..." Alexis trails off.
Kate places a hand on Alexis' shoulder lightly in reassurance. "Are you kidding? I was looking for an excuse to leave. I've been doing paperwork all day. Plus, I wouldn't have wanted you to be here all alone."
"Well, I would have called Grams to come pick me up afterwards."
"Don't worry about it, Alexis. I'm glad to be here." Kate smiles, not missing the look of relief that had flashed across Alexis' face – Kate isn't sure if it is relief at not having to be alone in the hospital or at not having Martha there making a scene.
There is a light knock at the door and the doctor re-enters. Kate keeps Alexis company while the doctor puts the cast on and they wait for the plaster to set. It takes them a lot longer to get out of there than Kate had originally anticipated.
Alexis tells Kate that she had already texted her dad to call her as soon as he could so that he wouldn't freak out over the vague message she's sure her school had left on his voicemail. Then, she had called her grandmother to tell her what had happened. By the time she and Alexis make it back to the loft, it is well after 7pm.
Martha is waiting for them. "Darling!"
"Grams, I'm okay."
Kate places Alexis' backpack on the floor and watches as Martha fusses over her granddaughter.
"You really should have called me," Martha tsks.
"Grams, you had those rehearsals. And there's nothing you could have done at the hospital. Really." Alexis glances back at Kate. "Besides, the school called Detective Beckett."
Martha looks at Kate as if seeing her for the first time. "Oh! Where are my manners?" She embraces her tightly. "How are you, Kate?"
"I'm well, Martha. Thanks." Kate smiles.
"And Alexis, honey," Martha turns to look at her granddaughter, "You should probably stop saying 'Detective Beckett' and start calling her Kate. She is, after all, your emergency contact at school." Martha has an amused quality to her voice and Kate knows that she is incorrectly assuming things about Castle's relationship with her. "I used to have that honour, you know," Martha continues as she walks into the kitchen.
"Dad only changed it when you moved in with Chet and started doing more theatre again…" Alexis hurriedly explains, "I guess he just forgot to change it back. I thought he told you about it."
"Well, your dad never told me either," Kate says.
"He didn't?" Alexis is surprised.
Kate shrugs. "He probably assumed that you would never get into any trouble."
The ringing of Kate's phone interrupts them. She glances at the number before handing it to Alexis. "Speaking of your dad."
Alexis takes the phone from her and greets her dad.
"Alexis! I've been calling your phone for the past three hours!" Kate can hear his voice from where she's standing.
"Oh yeah, oops. I had to turn it off in the hospital and I guess I forgot to turn it back on."
Kate moves into the kitchen and sits on one of the stools, listening in on Alexis' side of the conversation.
"No, dad, I'm fine. Don't come home," Alexis says, emphatically shaking her head as if Castle could see her doing so. "The school called Kate. You put her down as my emergency contact but apparently forgot to tell her?"
They exchange a few more words and then Alexis laughs. "No, Grams is here. She met us at home."
A pause. "Sure. I love you too. Don't worry about me, I'm fine." Alexis hands the phone back to Kate. "He wants to talk to you."
She brings the phone to her ear. "Castle," she says, her tone unimpressed.
"Uh yeah, hey Beckett." She thinks he sounds a little sheepish.
"So, something you wanted to tell me, maybe?"
He stammers, "I forgot!" Then, "But seriously, how bruised and smashed up is she? My daughter tends to make up for my melodrama by playing it cool and being annoyingly self-possessed."
Kate smiles at this, moving out of Alexis and Martha's earshot before replying, "She's fine now but she'll probably start feeling it tomorrow. The doctor gave her some drugs for the pain and she probably won't be able to go to school for a couple of days."
"So, I do need to take the first flight back there." Kate can almost see the gears in Castle's brain whirring as he conjures up a plan and makes a mental to-do list.
She cuts him off before he can start rattling off flight numbers and times from his computer. "Castle! Stop! I'm sure she can manage, especially with Martha here doting over her. Alexis doesn't need two drama queens making her crazy."
"My mother is leaving for San Francisco tomorrow to workshop her play," he says.
Kate furrows her brow. "Oh. Well, I'm sure she'll reschedule now."
Castle sighs dramatically. "Yes. She's also probably preparing herself to act slightly resentful at letting her understudy take over – something, I will have to hear about for several weeks. Besides, Alexis would feel extremely guilty for making her grandmother stay." Kate can still hear typing in the background. "No, I'll come back. Besides, it'll give me a legitimate excuse to not do this book tour!"
"Castle, your publicist will murder you."
He laughs, "Paula, I can handle. My little girl suffering alone, I cannot."
"Castle, I'll stay with Alexis." Kate doesn't think about why that idea seems so natural.
There's a pause on Castle's end. "You will?" he replies, doing a poor job of hiding his surprise.
"Yeah, of course." Kate can't help but add, "I am her emergency contact, after all."
He knows that it'll be a while before he can live that one down but after he realises that she's serious, he gets that eager and animated quality in his voice. "Make sure to stock up on Ben & Jerry's ice-cream and she loves drinking real hot cocoa when she's sick. Spaghetti Bolognese and mashed potatoes are her comfort foods and she has these fuzzy pink slippers she likes to wear when she's stuck at home all day," Castle is on a roll, "Oh! And if she gets cranky and whiny, stick in one of those sappy romance movies or Firefly – you've never watched it, right, Beckett? She was asking me if I wanted to marathon the show a couple of weeks ago so, I think it's perf—"
Kate's laugh cuts him off, "She's not a child, Castle! I'm sure she won't get cranky and whiny; we'll be fine."
Castle's voice is softer, "I'm just –"
"—I know, Castle," she replies. "I'll take care of her."
"I'll be back in a week," he promises. A pause and then, "Kate?"
Her breath hitches because the way he says her name is exactly the way it sounds when they're in bed together and he's whispering it against her ear. "Yeah?" she says after a beat.
"Thank you."
A/N: Next chapter: more Alexis/Kate bonding (because this chapter was getting too long)!
*Also, random tangent, feel free to bypass: Yesterday's combo of Bones and Fringe? I was heartbroken by the end of those two hours. Amazing. Also, Veronica Mars reunion ftw.
Also, ironically? I started watching Castle 'cause of Bones – because Hart Hanson kept mentioning the similarities on Twitter (that backfired if he was hoping to deter people… that's the ironic part…) and articles kept comparing them and I was all: no way Castle is as good and I'm going to watch an episode so that I have proof to back it up. Yeah. First I was all – I'll casually watch it for Capt. Mal and then I was all... now I'm obsessed! /fangirling
Uh yeah, so… review?