Author's Note:
I really appreciate all of your reviews. You guys are great readers. I hope that you like this chapter. It's a little longer than the first two and looks like this fic is going to be a little longer than five chapters –and no, they're not all written yet. I'll try to post the next chapter by Wednesday or Thursday. Loving all the Castle fic that's popping up.
Chapter 3…..
"Ryan where the heck are…"
Right on cue, a grinning Esposito pops out from behind the curtain, "Looking good in that hospital gown Detective Beckett."
"Bite me Esposito." She now understands why hospitals don't allow patients to keep their guns.
Montgomery clears his throat, "Detective Beckett"
"Sir. I didn't…" Fumbling for words, Beckett frowns as Ryan and Esposito enjoy a laugh at her expense. All of a sudden, she's wishing Castle had been with her today instead of them.
"It's fine Beckett unlike your head. That's quite the goose egg." The swelling combined with his detective's very pale face does nothing to convince Montgomery that she's ready to go home. He didn't think it was possible but she actually looks much worse than she did 24 hours ago.
"It hardly even hurts Sir." Sitting up way too quickly, Beckett bites the inside of her cheek trying to ignore the sharp pain in her head. She doesn't even remember banging her head on the interrogation table when she fell but from the lump on her head it must've been a direct hit.
Esposito leans over to Ryan, "You sure that table's okay? Didn't think anything was harder than Beckett's head."
"You know Esposito, there's nothing wrong with my hearing." Beckett barely finishes her sentence before pain forces her head back onto the pillow.
"Unfortunately for us, it looks like you've lost your sense of humor detective."
Their laughing aggravates Beckett even more. It's been four hours since she passed out at the precinct. Even exhausted, she's confident she can still tackle Ryan and get a shot in at Esposito at the same time. Only problem is she's not sure she can do it with her right hand attached to an IV pole. Too bad they aren't standing on the other side of her bed. Out of options, she decides to just swallow what's left of her pride, "Sorry Captain. It's been a long night."
"You can say that again." Ryan takes a seat. Next time Beckett lands herself in the hospital, it's Esposito's turn.
"So where do we stand Beckett?" With his patience wearing thin, Montgomery's only willing to let this play out a little longer. It'll be better for everyone if he can convince her to stay instead of ordering her to.
Beckett knows the Captain's probably already made his decision. Never a quitter and always up for the challenge of changing his mind, she plays it cool and confident, "Ready to go. Just need my clothes."
Unfortunately for her, she's not the only one who's ready. Ryan clears his throat and ends up on the receiving end of a Beckett death glare. Her watery eyes make it a little less intimidating but Ryan still turns his chair so she is staring at his back. Impressed as he is that Beckett's managed to get herself together, he and Esposito are already on thin ice with the Captain. Anyway, it's for her own good.
Montgomery turns his attention to Ryan, "Detective Ryan if you have something to say, just say it."
"Dehydration," Ryan speaks quickly, nodding towards the IV pole, "she needs about twelve hours of that stuff. Apparently, working doubles and drowning yourself in coffee doesn't exactly count as proper rest and hydration." Satisfied, Ryan turns towards Beckett with a smug look on his face.
Montgomery is silent. Putting herself and her team at risk is not something he expects from his lead detective. A more aggressive suspect would've taken advantage of her passing out in that interrogation room. One day soon, they will be having a serious talk about how she will be managing her sick time in the future.
Her boss' silence starts to overwhelm Beckett so she tries again, "Sir, they don't even have a bed for me. I can rehydrate at home."
Hearing the exhaustion in Beckett's voice, Montgomery knows it's time to put an end to her delusions of going home tonight, "You'll probably be more comfortable in the emergency room anyway detective. This way it doesn't feel like you're actually staying. "
"What?" The pain in her head forgotten, Beckett pops up in the bed, immediately feeling hot and, for a moment, panic fills her mind making the room spin.
"Easy Beckett," Ryan reaches out to steady her worried she's going to fall out of bed.
"This is exactly why you're staying."
"But sir…." Her face drops as reality sets in. He was giving her the Castle tone. He used it whenever she complained about something the writer was doing or how she didn't want to work with him anymore.
"We're done. Is that clear Detective Beckett?" His words are harsh but necessary. Demons were a terrible thing. Most cops had them and Kate Beckett had more than her fair share. Sometimes you just have to face them head on.
"Yes sir," almost immediately she starts biting her nail. She wishes she was anywhere but here. Wishes Lanie was not at her family reunion. Wishes she hadn't come to work today. Wishes Castle was here instead of California.
"Good. Now get some rest. I'll speak with you tomorrow." Montgomery stops as he approaches the door, "And detective, I expect you to remember that you are representing the NYPD and behave as such." He leaves without waiting for a response shocked to see Rick Castle sitting in the hallway. "You've got to be kidding me?"
"How is she?" While he was waiting for Montgomery, Esposito and Ryan to come back out, Castle's regained his composure and refocused his energies on the mystery that is Kate Beckett.
"Tired. Cranky. Sorta like me right now." Looking at Castle, he knows he's in trouble sometime soon. The man's wrecked and he's not even dating her yet. At least he doesn't think they're dating.
"I'd like to go in and see her now." People freak out in hospitals because they're scared. All Castle needs to do is figure out what is scaring Beckett. Sure he could ask her tomorrow or Monday. Thing is she's not going to tell him then and he knows it. Tonight is his chance. Maybe the only one he'll get to find this particular answer.
The determined look in the writer's eye is not the least bit comforting to Montgomery, "Actually Castle, you had the right idea earlier. Go home. Call her tomorrow."
Castle's own disappointment shocks him but he's not discouraged enough to retreat, "About that. That definitely was not the right idea. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure it was absolutely the wrong thing to do."
Montgomery rubs his forehead wondering if Castle and Beckett are conspiring against him, "Look, Beckett needs her rest. If you go in there, that's the last thing she's going to get."
"Earlier you said it wouldn't matter. What changed your mind?"
Montgomery tries to find the words that will convince the man in front of him to go home, "Trust me when I tell you that there's nothing you can do here for her tonight."
" I find that hard to believe. You hardly ever see people in emergency rooms by themselves. You know why? Because they're scary and they make people anxious and when people are scared and anxious they shouldn't be alone." He may not know what Beckett's afraid of but he finds it unimaginable that the woman who spends so much of her time comforting victims is going to spend the night alone in the emergency room.
The man has a way with words. No wonder he's made a small fortune. "Beckett's good. Her demons only exist in her head. She knows that."
"I have no doubt Detective Be….did you say demons?" Castle squints, his curiosity renewed by the Captain's slip.
"That's all you're getting Castle. Now I think you owe me a drink."
"What? No, I really don't …" This certainly isn't how Castle thought this conversation was going to end and he's not very comfortable with the idea of leaving to go to a bar.
"Humor me or I'll make it an order?" The ability to make people do what he wants is one of Montgomery's favorite perks.
Unsure what to do, Castle looks back at Beckett's room and then to Montgomery. At least for the time being Esposito and Ryan were in there with her.
Montgomery isn't willing to take no for an answer, "She's fine. Let's go."
Still feeling uneasy, Castle reluctantly walks with Montgomery to the elevator.
Back in Beckett's room….
Beckett's sitting on the bed with her knees to her chest trying to will away the chills now invading her body. She hasn't said a word since the Captain left the room almost ten minutes ago.
Esposito looks at the pouting Beckett then Ryan who is shaking his head no, "Look, if you want us to stay."
"Can I have my cell phone back?" A hopefulness returns to her voice as she scoots herself back on the bed, stretching out her aching legs.
Esposito shakes his head, "No way. You already got us in enough trouble today."
"Then you can go." Esposito and Ryan aren't the people she wants to stay anyway. God knows what bets they have going tonight. The only people who'd ever stayed with her in the hospital overnight were Lanie and Will. Lanie was great. Will on the other hand, well, they'd both agreed that would never happen again.
"That's my cue," Ryan leaves smiling and waving, "take it easy Beckett." He barely escapes the pillow that flies towards his head.
Beckett tries to stifle a yawn and wonders if there's something besides fluids in her IV bag, "Don't you have a date or something Esposito?"
Typical Beckett. Instead of leaving, Esposito walks over and drops a stack of magazines on her bed, "Castle was here earlier."
"Really? I thought he was still in California." She tries to feign disinterest, suddenly very interested in one of the magazines in front of her.
Esposito grins seeing his boss perk up at the mere mention of Castle's name, "Got back this morning. He was pretty upset that you were here."
"Well there's something we have in common. So where is he?" As much as she doesn't want to admit it, a visit from Castle would be the best thing that's happened to her all day.
Esposito hates to be the one to cause the smile to disappear from Beckett's face, "I think he left when me and the Captain came in. Said he didn't want to bother you."
"Oh," she kept it short not trusting herself to keep hidden how much she'd actually missed him. It didn't make sense to her that Castle would come all the way down here and just leave. It's not like he's ever worried about bothering her before.
Just for a moment, Beckett lets her mask fall and Esposito can't miss the disappointment on her face. It makes him regret not encouraging Castle to come in with them. He didn't think it at the time, but maybe Castle was just what Beckett needed. She did always seem happier when he was around, even when he was aggravating her.
Beckett's eyes start to burn. Castle's rejection on top of the stress of being sick is pushing her beyond what her nerves can handle today. He had been gone 7 days. Not a phone call. Not a text. It was only a matter of time and she knew it. She wonders what her name is. Beckett silently scolds herself for being disappointed. It's not like she has the right to be.
"Earth to Beckett," Esposito pauses until he's sure he has her attention again, "If you want to see Castle, just call him already."
Beckett hesitates for a moment before holding out her hand, "Ok. Give me my phone and I'll call Castle."
If nothing else, Esposito is amused by her persistence, "You must've hit your head harder than I thought if you think I'm falling for that."
"You can't blame a girl for trying Esposito. Anyway, I'm not calling Castle. I'm sure he has more important things to do tonight."
The hurt in her voice and choice of words didn't slip by Esposito. His boss had it bad. She had definitely softened towards Castle and she liked working with him. He was good for her. She played it straight and Castle, while a good guy, was anything but straight-laced. They shared the same obsession of freaky murders and mystery. Beckett can deny it all she wants, but she is definitely happier since Castle came on the scene. "Call him, don't call him but do me a favor will ya?"
Beckett scoffs holding her arms out in front, "I'm not exactly in the position to be doing anyone favors."
"Instead of trying to be so tough, just try being a good patient. Take the meds and get a decent night's sleep for a change." Esposito's well aware his words are falling on deaf ears but he figures he needs to at least try. Left to her own devices for the night, he really isn't sure Beckett will stay out of trouble.
Beckett cocks her head, "If you don't leave now, that teacher is going to think you stood her up."
Esposito's face lights up, "You know, she knows this is worth the wait."
Beckett laughs, "Get out of here."
"I'll be back in the morning to pick you up." He wants to ask if she's alright, but doesn't bother because he knows her answer will be a lie. The last thing Detective Kate Beckett wants is for anybody to see her as weak.
"I can take a cab. Don't want you to miss that aerobics class." It's the weekend and she's already taken up enough of Esposito's time. They rarely get to enjoy their weekends without her needing him to be her chauffeur.
"It's pilates and don't knock it. You'd be surprised how flexible those chicks are. No class tomorrow."
"Esposito," she waits until he turns back towards her, "Thanks."
Esposito winks at her on his way out. She's probably conning him but seeing Beckett laugh makes him feel a little bit better about leaving. He's only doing it because he knows it's what she wants. Tomorrow she'll be back to being Beckett.
Watching Esposito leave, Kate frowns at the emptiness of the room. Just like that she's alone. ..again.