Kate hears the sirens and hopes that it's for them. She desperately tries to grab hold of the moment. Surrounded by crushed metal and shattered glass, folded over in the front seat, shoulder jammed painfully against the dash, something hard and burning pressing down on the side of her lower back. Wait. Hard and burning. What the hell is that?
She manages to roll a little more to the left, so the crumbled dash veers out of sight and the passenger side window comes into focus. She sees it and gasps. A steel rod that does not belong in a Ferrari. It's come through her window and across the front seats. She knows it's crossed over into the driver's side. The driver's side.
He'd insisted on driving. He said he gave her a turn last time. But she knows under normal circumstances, he would always prefer she drive. He covets every opportunity to watch her. Except since last week. Her confession in the box.
She's known since that day that she needs to talk to him. Lanie finds time every day to push her about it. If she could've kept it from Lanie, she would have. Lanie can be a bulldog about certain things. But Espo figured it out. And whatever Espo knows, Lanie knows. Espo, where is he now?
She knows he was following them. Last she caught sight of him, he was rounding the corner just behind them. She didn't see the truck coming, but Castle did. One hand reaching to push her down, the other spinning the wheel in a desperate attempt to avoid the collision. In her memory, she hears the echo of his voice, rough with fear. Kate, DOWN!
He'd unbuckled her before he pushed her down, knowing they were about to be impaled. Always thinking of her safety first. Never a thought for himself. Castle.
The sirens are very loud now. Almost here. And finally, finally, she hears Espo's voice calling out.
"Beckett! Castle!" She's never heard it sound like that. She thinks this is what he must have sounded like in the midst of the fray overseas, serving his country. Even in the confused aftermath of the wreck, it rings clear and strong. "Yo! Guys! Let me hear you!"
She doesn't have the space to take a deep enough breath to call back to him. Her remaining strength is being consumed by her effort to twist herself around so she can see Castle. She's unaware of the small noises she makes as she tortures her battered body. Broken mewling sounds she cannot control. Could care less about. Is he breathing?
She feels his hand brush against her side, near where the rod scrapes against her, at the same moment his voice calls out, thready and weak, "Espo, can you believe I've already crossed Number Three off my Bucket List?"
Author's Note: A giant Thank You to bellelover001 and PenguinOfTroy for being in CastleTV Chat at the right time and taking a moment to beta read for me. My writer's voice tells me the story is not finished with me yet. I'm sure your favorites, follows, and reviews will encourage that voice to speak more on this topic. Thank you for reading.
Disclaimer: We all know who owns these characters. May success continue to follow their creator so they will continue to grace our television screens with new stories for years to come.