Next chapter. Hope it lives up to expectation and thankyou so much to everyone for your support. Means a lot!

Disclaimer: Not mine

He still wasn't looking at her and he continued to struggle with her hand as his mind tried to catch up with her words

'Castle?' she asked him 'Castle?' she tugged on him a little too hard, causing him to crash down onto the bed next to her and wincing as the movement jostled her beaten frame. She ignored the pain and fisted her free hand into his collar and he finally stopped struggling, if only to prevent himself from hurting her with his struggles 'Look at me,' she instructed, her voice soft-all the anger gone 'Look at me, Castle. I love you too, okay? I love you,'

'I...wha…' he couldn't quite process her words

'I love you, Richard Castle, and I know you can believe that so don't pretend that you don't. I'm not lying to you, Rick. I really do… I love you,'

There was silence once she finished, an awful moment of quiet that almost dared them both to break it.

Then he kissed her.

It wasn't the same as the last time. Their last kiss had been an act of distraction that had turned into an outlet for their mutual passion. This was an act of passion that was fast becoming an outlet for their mutual love.

She seemed shocked at first but responded quickly, letting her uninjured hand drift up to twine into his hair. His hand left hers and travelled up to cup her cheek, stroking her bottom lip with his tongue until she allowed him entrance. He'd moved himself so he was no longer in danger of hurting her and was now perched right on the edge of the bed near her hip, holding her to him with one hand on her waist but as his other hand travelled from her cheek to her neck she flinched and pulled away, a moan of pain leaving her mouth before she could stop it.

'Oh god, sorry,' he apologised a little awkwardly before removing his hands from her body

'It's okay,' she mumbled, grabbing his face to bring his lips back to her own

'No, Kate,' he pushed her arms away and saw the hurt flicker through her endless hazel eyes before he realised what she'd think he was saying 'No! No, Kate it's just …you're hurt. You should lie down,'

'It's not that bad,' she argued

'That's because there's a lot of painkillers in you right now. I can guarantee that in a couple of hours you're going to wish you hadn't even sat up. Besides, you're dangerously close to pulling those IVs out,'

'Don't need them anyway,' she grumbled and he laughed a little

'Yeah you do,'

'I don't…I'll be fine,' she reached for him again but he caught her hand and moved his other to her neck, stroking it as gently as he could but she still flinched and pulled away

'That hurt?'

'Yes,' she sighed, frustrated

'And I was hardly touching you. Come on,' carefully he helped her settle herself back against the pillows before sitting himself back down in his chair beside her, taking the hand at the end of her plastered arm and twining their fingers together again. As she shifted she couldn't help the few hisses of pain that escaped her lips 'Ouch…kay, maybe you were right,' she breathed

'Do you want me to go get your doctor?' he asked gently, placing a hand on her thigh

'Oh God please don't,' she groaned 'I never want to see another medical professional in my life,'

'Patching up hurt a bit did it?'

'A little but I was in so much pain by then that I didn't really care,' he winced at that, hating how much she was hurting 'So…what is it then?'

She sighed

'They're all just so…so goddamn happy, all the freaking time,' she replied 'They all keep telling me that I'll be fine 'Right as rain in no time so long as you take it easy and keep your chin up,'' she mocked 'they just annoy me is all,'

He was looking right at her with an almost awestruck expression on his face; one that made her stomach do tiny little flips 'What?' she asked , confused

'Nothing,'

'Castle!'

'No it's just…like I said, I thought I'd lost you and now you're sitting here talking and being so…so…you,'

'Huh?'

'You're complaining about being looked after. It's like you've forgotten that you died,'

'I didn't die,' she swallowed uncomfortably, trying not to dwell on the gaping black hole in her memory that was begging the contrary

'Yes you did,'

'So, what, now I'm a zombie? C'mon Castle,' she laughed, cringing at how false it sounded, hoping he didn't notice

'You were dead for nearly four minutes…'

'Clinically dead,' she interrupted 'I was only clinically dead,'

He threw her a look that told her to stop pushing it 'You were still dead, Kate. For three and a half minutes, and believe me, that felt like a life time,' her heart twisted and she turned her body, angling towards him to meet his gaze

'I'm sorry,' she murmured, her eyes softening

'You don't have to apologise,'

'I'm not just sorry for that, I'm sorry for lying to you, for wasting time we could have spent together,' Oh crap, if she wasn't careful she was gonna start crying again, and she was so sick of crying

'It's okay…I lied to you too,'

'Yeah because an evil psychopath was making you,'

'Doesn't mean I didn't hurt you,'

'Yeah well, considering you saved my life I think I can find it in myself to forgive you,' the corners of her mouth flickered into a small smirk

'That's right…I did save your life didn't I? What does that make it 8-10 to me?' he grinned at her smugly and she aimed a playful slap to his arm 'No, I'm sorry,' he schooled his features carefully 'I forgive you too. As long as you promise not to die on me again,'

'Well you can only die once right? So I guess that makes me immortal now doesn't it?' she grinned at him

'No fair,' he whined, making her laugh 'Kate?'

'Hmm?' she was still laughing

'Do you really love me?'

Oh. She looked right into his eyes and squeezed his hand in hers before speaking 'Yes, Castle. Really, I do,'

'But…I thought you said…I mean with your wall and everything. Seriously…if you want me to forget that you said it then I can just…'

'Castle,' she didn't let him finish 'I definitely don't want you to forget, and I don't want to take it back either. I meant it. I mean it,'

'But what about the wall?'

'I…dying sorta…well it made me realise that life is too short to go building walls everywhere,'

'So it's gone?'

'No,' she replied quietly 'Not completely…but almost, and I think I know how to deal with the rest of it,' she smiled as she tugged on his hand to pull him closer until she could cup the side of his face with her hand and pull his lips to hers in sweet and gentle kiss. He moved his hand to her face and deepened the kiss, pulling him closer to her until a loud throat clearing from the direction of the doorway made them jump apart guiltily.

'Well that's new,' Lanie remarked, an amused expression on her face which made Beckett blush as her friend walked over and pulled her into a careful hug 'I'd ask how you're feeling but it clearly can't be too bad,' she smirked

'I'm better than I probably should be, all things considered,' she shrugged stiffly

'Now there's the understatement of the century,' Lanie quipped 'I talked to your doctor, girl, you're lucky to be breathing let alone talking and well…whatever the hell else you've been doing,' Beckett and Castle shared a quick smile before she turned back to Lanie 'And you, Richard Castle, should be in your own hospital bed-the doctor hasn't given you the all clear yet,'

'What?' Beckett's head snapped to him and she flinched again. She really needed to stop making sudden movements-any movements. Castle lifted a hand defensively

'I wanted to check you were okay, and breathing,' he tried to defend himself

'Castle, I'm fine-and that's thanks to you. You should take care of yourself,'

'I'm fine,' he disagreed

'No, Castle, if the doctor hasn't given you the all clear then you should be resting,'

'I can rest in here,'

'Nu-uh,' Lanie chipped in 'If you're in here then you'll be talking and…other things,' she was smirking again

'Well Kate has to rest too, I'll sleep when she does,' he mumbled evasively

'No you won't,' Lanie argued 'If you're in here you'll be watching her whether she's conscious or not. Go to your own room, I promise she's not going to stop breathing if you leave,'

'But-'

'No buts. I can always get Dr Blythe in here and…'

'No! Fine, I'll go,' he huffed, standing up to leave. He gave Beckett a quick kiss on the cheek before heading for the door and she saw that he actually wasn't walking too well.

'I promise I'll be back in a bit, okay?' he said before leaving and she nodded in response before turning back to Lanie, who's eyebrow had made its way halfway up her forehead

'What?' she asked innocently

'Don't 'what' me, Kate Beckett-I've spoken to Ryan and Esposito,'

'So?'

'So they've already got statements from Martha and Alexis and believe me, the unofficial statements are even juicier than the official ones. I know everything,'

'Oh,' Shit. Just what she needed

'Yeah 'oh'. Haven't I warned you before what'll happen to you if you ever end up on my slab?'

'Well yeah but-'

'Yeah but nothing, Kate. You were minutes, seconds, from that happening and you practically volunteered for it,'

'I was doing my job,'

'Sacrificing yourself is not your job, sweetie,'

'I wasn't sacrificing myself. I was protecting people I care about,'

'By sacrificing yourself,' the ME replied

'I didn't have a choice, Lanie,' she countered

'Maybe not,' Lanie didn't sound completely convinced but seemed to be accepting she wasn't going to win 'Just don't do that to me again, okay?'

'I promise I won't. I wasn't exactly planning on it in the first place,' she smiled

'Really?' the eyebrow was up again

'Really, Lanie,'

'Could've fooled me,' she replied, indicating the detective's hair

'Hey that was…a spur of the moment decision that I made when I was upset. Besides if I hadn't done it then you can be sure he would have and somehow I don't think that would have been an enjoyable experience,'

'Hmm, fair enough-but as soon as we get you home we're gonna have to do something about it. Unless you like looking like a Barbie Detective of course,'

'Ugh, no,' Beckett made a disgusted face 'Wait…what do you mean when 'we' go home?' she asked suspiciously

'Oh, honey, do you really think I'm leaving you alone right now? I've spoken to your doctor and he said that you can be discharged in a few days as long as you have someone to look after you at home,'

'Lanie that's sweet but I really don't need looking after,' she smiled at her

'I knew you'd say that which is why I checked-and Dr Blythe says that if you haven't got anyone at home to keep an eye on you and help you out then he won't discharge you for another two weeks minimum-'

'I-'she tried to interrupt

'And the guys spoke to Gates and she said that if you discharge yourself AMA then she'll stick a protective detail on you just to make sure you don't slip over and crack your head in the shower,'

'So you're coming to stay with me?' Beckett replied quickly and Lanie chuckled in response

'I knew you'd understand,'

…

Dr Blythe came by twenty minutes later to check up on her, explaining that she'd had a very lucky escape-a broken arm and a few cracked ribs the only really lasting injuries apart from which she was just very beaten and bruised. The leg that Jerry had jumped on had managed to avoid a break because of the angle it had been at at the time, although the doctor advised to walk on it as little as possible for the next week or so in case there was any unnoticed damage.

'Now we still have a few tests that we should run,' he said as he flipped through her chart 'You weren't breathing for coming up to four minutes so we have to be absolutely sure that there's no lasting brain damage-although I must say you seem surprisingly alert,'

'Trust me, Dr. Blythe, it'll take more than a four minute gap in oxygen flow to the brain to slow her down,' Lanie piped up

'Shut up, Lanie,' Beckett replied, but couldn't stop herself from smiling at her friend

'Well, that said, we still need to do some scans to be sure. But providing we don't find any problems we should be able to let you go in about two days-with the assurance that there'll be someone at home to keep an eye on you,'

'That'd be me,' Lanie grinned- a little too smugly for Beckett's liking

'Excellent,' the doctor smiled back 'Well your testes are scheduled for tomorrow afternoon, I suggest that you try and get some rest now, it's very late and you've been through a lot these last couple of days,'

'Thank you, doctor,' Lanie smiled at him eliciting an eye role from her friend

'Wait!' Beckett stopped him as he reached the door 'Is Castle going to be alright?' The doctor frowned a little but then seemed to catch on

'Mr Richard Castle?' he asked

'Yes,'

'Well, Detective, as I'm sure you're aware I'm not at liberty to share information on other patients,' he started, but seeing the fear that crept into her dark eyes he added 'But I'm sure that Mr Castle wouldn't mind me telling you that he should be good as new in a week or so. No permanent damage,'

'Thank you,' she smiled at him with relief and he nodded in response before leaving Beckett and Lanie alone again

'Lanie you should probably go home and get some sleep,' she murmured, patting her friend's hand. The ME checked her watch and then settled back into the chair

'Not yet. My shift doesn't end for a good few hours yet,'

'Your shift?' Beckett raised an eyebrow

'Yep. Ryan, Javi and I have worked out a schedule so that you're not alone for more than half an hour at a time,'

'That's ridiculous,'

'No it's not. We love you and we almost lost you. Again. We don't wanna be away from you right now,'

Beckett didn't answer, simply sighed, annoyed that she probably wouldn't get even a minute to herself for a good while but touched that her friends were so concerned about her.

…

'So?'

'So what?'

'Don't mess with me, Espo. I haven't even been here twenty four hours and I'm going crazy and you and Ryan cleared off before telling me what happened,' Beckett whined at him

'Hey we saved your life, Beckett, you could be a little more grateful,' he replied, not taking his eyes off of his phone

'Castle saved my life,' she countered

'And who saved his life? Us. If we hadn't saved his life then he wouldn't have been around to save your life. Therefore, we saved your life by default,'

'We-'

'And you'd think that you'd be a little more grateful,' he still wasn't looking at her

Beckett sighed 'Javi?' she asked

'Yes, Beckett?' he turned expectant eyes on her

'Thank you very much for saving Castle's…and therefore my life. I really appreciate it and I owe you like a thousand million drinks,'

'You're very welcome, Beckett, just don't ever do that to me again,' he said seriously, turning back to the phone in his hands 'And yes, yes you do…glad you're okay,' he added, a grin finally spreading across his face

'Now can you please tell me what the hell's going on with the case?' she shot back at him

'Not much really,' he shrugged

'Esposito!'

'No seriously. Tyson's in maximum security lock up, trial's in a couple of weeks-hardly any need for one though I mean there's literally a ton of evidence against him. Everyone who's anyone in law knows that he is 3XK and Gates says that you can testify if you want to but you don't have to since it's gonna be so easy anyway,'

'Wow, right. So it really is over then,' she let out a long breath and swiped a hand over her face

'Pretty much,'

'So what else is going on right now, then?'

'Ryan called while you were still asleep, said we caught a fresh homicide but that there were fingerprints all over the place and the guy they belong to has motive and no alibi. Ryan says he'll probably have a confession by the time I get there,'

'Normal day at the 12th then?' she smiled tiredly

'Well let's wait and see how badly Ryan screws up the interrogation before we confirm that,' he smirked and handed her the paper, turning back to his phone 'Now quiet, I can't get past this damn level and I have to prove to Castle that I'm better than him,' she laughed, but didn't reply, settling into her pillows and opening the paper as Esposito began swearing under his breath by her side.

Just a quick note-in the interests of getting the story finished I decided not to go down the brain damage root. It is perfectly possible that she would have been perfectly fine, but I'm hoping you just took the medicine with a pinch of salt. Anyhoo hope you like it. Let me know :)