Castle glanced at Alexis as they waited for news on Kate, they had been there now for 3 hours and Alexis had not spoken to anyone. Jim Beckett had turned up not long ago. Lanie and Esposito sat together comforting each other and Ryan sat next to Esposito almost touching him. Castle couldn't help but think that the connection these people shared ran much deeper than he could ever know, it was almost like the presence of the others comforted the other person.

"It wasn't your fault." Jim Beckett softly as he sat beside Alexis.

"But Mr. Beckett, I wanted to speak to her, I wanted to have lunch with her." Alexis replied as she sobbed.

"Alexis, call me Jim. I'm gonna tell you a secret about Katie. She would rather die than have her friends and family hurt. When Katie and Javier were in high school I remember getting a call from my wife, she was in hysterics saying 'Katie's in hospital.' Javier and Katie had known each other since the Esposito's moved in beside us, he was about 10 and she was about 5. Well I got to the hospital and Javier was sitting away from the group waiting for Katie's doctor . I sat down next to him and he looked up at me, his eyes filled with tears and he said 'sorry sir, It should have been me'. She had stepped in front of a car after pushing him out of the way. It's not only Javier she's took an injury for, when she was in college she got stabbed saving Lanie from a guy at a bar, she took a bullet for Kevin, when he first started working with her, for her training officer she took a quite serious beating but she still made the arrest and for your father she saved you. Alexis you have to realise she would have done it even if you had tried to stop her from moving you, she would have found a way. You know she thinks of you as a daughter right? She rings me up and it's always Alexis passed her math's exam or Alexis passed her French exam. She thinks of you as a daughter just like you think of her as a mother."

Alexis threw herself into Jims arms as she gathered her composure. As they walked over to the group, a doctor called "Family of Katherine Beckett." As he stepped out of a door.

"Yo, that's us." Esposito called as the group stood.

"The car caused a lot of moderate damage, she's suffering from 3 broken ribs, a broken arm, internal bruising to her torso area, a lot of bruising and the most serious is the concussion she suffered when her head hit the ground."

"Can we see her?" Lanie asked as she grabbed on to Esposito's arm.

"Yes but one at a time, she's still unconscious."

The group took it in turns to visit Kate: First it was Jim, then it was Lanie, then it was Esposito, then it was Ryan and then it was Castle.

Alexis nervously rung her hands as she waited for her father to return from seeing Kate. She stood as Castle walked closer to her.

"Dad….I've….. got ….. homework…" Alexis stuttered.

"Ok, Lets go then." Castle was perplexed with Alexis' behaviour, normally when Kate was in hospital Alexis couldn't wait to see her to make sure she was ok.

~2 days Later~

Alexis had snuck out during the night to visit Kate. She had managed to dodge anyone that would tell her to go home, she had to see Kate. Standing at the door to Kate's room she held a breath, but when she opened the door she gasped at the copious amount of tubes that seemed to encase the detectives bruised body.

"I'm sorry" Alexis whispered as she moved closer to Kate. She grabbed her hand lightly and held it "You're like a mom to me and I need you to make up, dad needs you to wake up. I need you. And I'm not gonna leave you until you wake up."

Kate slowly woke, holding back her whimpers of pain as her body throbbed in different places. She lightly squeezed Alexis' hand.

"Kate! You're awake." Alexis exclaimed as she looked down.

Kate clamped her eyes shut as her body was assaulted by several different ways of pain. Alexis pressed the call button and a nurse entered the room.

"You shouldn't be in here." She said before whispering "Just say you're her daughter. What's the problem."

"My mom's in pain." Alexis said as she looked down at Kate.

Within moments Kate had been injected with morphine and she was flying higher than a kite.

"You know I love your dad." Kate said as she giggled loudly.

"Yes, Kate I guessed. I'm so glad you're ok."

"You should be asleep."

"I know but I couldn't I kept seeing, that car hit you."

"Climb in." Kate said as she lifted the covers as best as she could. Alexis carefully climbed in beside Kate, minding the tubes that littered her body. Kate wrapped her arms around Alexis, before she softly placed a kiss on the top of her head. "Now sleep."

Within moments Alexis had succumbed to sleep and so had Kate.

~In The Morning~

Castle entered Kate's room and smiled when he noticed that his daughter was sleeping peacefully in the love of his life's arms.

He had been worried that morning when he had gone to wake Alexis up and noticed that her bed had not been slept in.

He thought he'd look at the hospital and he was right.

He looked at the duo and noticed in the presence of each other, they were actually comforting each other, they both had conformation that the other was safe and alive. Kate had conformation that she had protected Alexis and she was safe and unharmed and Alexis had conformation that Kate was alive.

Castle smiled and sat down next to the bed and watched his favourite women sleep. He knew if Kate caught him he'd have to come up with a pretty damn good excuse as to why he was staring at her but he would come up with one when the time came.

He was happy… ecstatic in fact. His daughter was back to normal and the love of his life was alive.

It was at that moment his face fell, he had just realised something. Something that might get him in trouble with Jim.

He was unconditionally and definitely in love with Kate Beckett. It had taken her to save his daughter and get badly hurt for him to realise he could not live without her. He came to the conclusion that Kate was like his air or his heart, either one he could live out.