Author's Note: Okay, so I can't say I'm completely happy with how this chapter has turned out, but I think it's about as good as it can get. The last little bit doesn't really flow as well as I'd like with the rest of the chapter, but I wanted to give you guys something since I start back to school tomorrow and may be a little hard-pressed to update frequently. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Please note that I've also changed the first chapter to be a little more clear on his injuries.

Showered and no longer dressed in clothes that told a macabre tale, Kate returned to the hospital. It was nearly 10 A.M., making it over fourteen hours since everything had changed. In the first two hours she'd been gone, Rick Castle's heart had stopped twice, but since then his pulse had been growing stronger. The repair to his pulmonary vein was holding. The survival rate had gone from less than ten percent upon arrival at the hospital to nearly seventy percent once he survived the surgeries alone. Upon hearing this news, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from Kate's chest. Things weren't perfect, but he would probably be okay.

About two hours previously, the two women had been allowed in to see Castle. Martha's was very obviously upset, an oddity for a woman who always seemed to embody a flamboyant sort of strength. Alexis was calm, but the puffiness around her eyes belied that she had been crying not long before Kate arrived. Once there, she somehow managed to convince an exhausted Martha to take Alexis home so they could both get some rest, but not before Martha made sure her son's visitation list included Kate Beckett's name.

She sat in the waiting room for an hour before she could gather enough courage to see her partner. When she finally walked into the room, she realized that nothing could have prepared her for the sight awaiting her in his hospital bed. He could have been sleeping for how serene his face looked, but the numerous wires and tubes dismissed any fantasy that she might have ever held. An IV of blood slowly fed into his body, replacing part of the 3 pints he had lost before arriving at the hospital. Another tube connected him to life support and obstructed his mouth from view. She didn't analyze the rest but took his hand in her own. It was cold and lifeless. She choked back the tears threatening to fall and squeezed lightly.

Beckett was silent for a long time before she finally figured out what to say. She told him about how the shooter was currently in lockup and that Esposito had called earlier to assure her that the guy was going away no matter what. She talked to him more than she ever had before, harboring the hope that maybe he could hear her—that maybe talking would make a difference—but more than that, she touched him. She couldn't help it. She stroked his hand and arm, brushed her fingers through his hair, did whatever she could to stay close to him as if his and her life depended on it. "It's weird, you know… talking to you, but you don't say a word. I never thought I'd admit something like this, but I miss you already. You better not die on me, Castle. You…" She paused, looking out the window to get her bearings before her eyes settled back on his face. "I can't lose you."

Alexis and Martha came back around five, but neither of them looked well-rested. They immediately asked if there was any change. When Beckett shook her head in reply, it seemed they could not decided whether it was good or bad news.

"It was strange not to see him in his office working or in the kitchen," Alexis commented to Kate. "It doesn't feel right."

"Yes, I'm afraid that without Richard, home just isn't home," Martha continued along the same track.

"I miss him already," Alexis said, using the same sentiment that Kate, herself, had used only hours before.

Kate took the girl's hand in hers and met her eyes. "He'll be back soon enough," she told her, forcing a weak smile, "and you'll wonder why you ever did."

Alexis returned her gesture with a watery smile. "Thanks, Detective Beckett."

"Please, call me Kate."

Martha's hand reached out and grabbed Kate's free one. She looked over to the older woman. Martha mouthed the words "thank you" and she nodded slightly, knowing exactly what they both must be going through.

They sat there for hours, the three of them sharing stories about Rick Castle. Laughter was only occasional, but the talk allowed them to cope with the facts of the present. Esposito, Lanie, and Ryan joined them around nine to help hold the vigil. Ryan could only stay thirty minutes, but he said he wanted to show his support. Esposito and Lanie stayed an hour longer, enjoying some of Martha's tales of a younger Castle and his adventures of caring for Alexis as a small child.

"Yes, he was quite clueless when it came to Alexis at first. I remember the calls asking about what to do when she was sick or crying." Martha rolled her eyes at the memory. "I would tell him that when he was a child, I would just make another martini and ignore him. Of course, that wasn't true, but what can I say? It got to a point where I couldn't go two hours without him calling me!"

Beckett had to admit the woman could tell a story. She knew where Castle had gotten the talent now. It continued like this for a while, and when Lanie and Esposito had to leave, Lanie gave her a quick hug. "If you need to talk, just give me a call, okay?"

"I will," she replied.

Esposito added, "The Captain told me to tell you that if you show up at the precinct before Monday, he'll have you thrown out." He looked her directly in the eye. "We can take care of anything that happens before then. You need to be here."

Beckett nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

"Always," he replied. "You take care."

As they walked away, she realized that she had somehow managed to surround herself with a group of amazing people who cared, and couldn't help but smile.

The victim was a young African-American female with very piercing blue eyes. She was also very dead. Beckett found those lifeless and open eyes unsettling as she looked at her in the crime scene photos on the murder board, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together in a way that made sense.

"You know, I did a little research… You know how rare blue eyes are in people of African descent? Less than one percent," Esposito commented as he walked into the room.

They had yet to identify the woman from the crime scene. "Well, that should help us get an ID. No word from missing persons?"

Ryan shook his head. "Nothing yet. I've already had our guys expand the search beyond the tri-state area. We might get lucky."

Beckett nodded, turning away from the board and grabbed her coat. "Keep on it. I'm going to head back to the scene…see if anything sticks out."

Jane Doe had been found in a room at the St. Mark's Hotel. CSU had already done a sweep but that didn't mean there wasn't a clue. She doubted it, but she had to try.

Her cell phone rang with a number she didn't recognize. "Beckett," she answered.

"Kate, it's Martha. Sorry to bother you at work, but I wanted to let you know that he's awake."

The world seemed to stop for a moment. It had been nearly a week now since Castle had went down. He'd been in a coma, but the doctors had not been worried, telling them that it was normal after a trauma like that. It had been a waiting game ever since, with Kate calling or stopping in at the hospital every few hours to make sure there was no change. She had returned to her apartment every night since Saturday, knowing that it was just important that she be somewhat rested as it was that Castle recover. Of course, it hadn't helped her state of mind that she'd had really nothing to do until the homicide the day before.

Recovering from the initial thrill of shock at the news, she exhaled and closed her eyes. Leaning against her desk, she replied, "Thank you for letting me know. I'll be there shortly." She hung up and quickly answered her team's questioning looks. "Change of plans. Castle's awake. Let me know if anything shakes out with the case."

He was awake. For the first time in the last week, she actually felt like smiling. A giddy anticipation and nervousness bubbled up in her chest. With her new destination decidedly better than before, she headed for the elevator. Perhaps this day would turn out well, after all.

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