DISCLAIMER: The characters of the show CASTLE do not belong to me, they belong to ABC.

Chapter Five

"So you tell me that she's awake?" Kate's attending physician asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Castle answered excitedly. "Is that good?"

"Well let me take a look at her and we'll see..." the Doctor trailed off as they approached Kate's room. The door was open and they could hear laughing from the inside. They entered to see Kate smiling and laughing at something. "Well I see that you are doing much better Miss Beckett," the Doctor continued.

"Yes sir," she answered with a smile, glancing only briefly at Castle. "Though I'm still feeling a little sore."

"Well that's to be expected," the Doctor answered as he checked over her vitals. "Well it seems that you've pulled through the worst of it... we're going to keep you a couple of days to make sure that you're healing alright."

Castle let out and audible sigh and the moment he did so, he caught Kate's eye. There within was an unreadable expression, and all the self-doubt that he had been feeling before came crushing back— especially considering the fact that he knew that he was going to have to fight for her.

But is fighting the best thing? He thought dejectedly to himself as he sat down in the chair by her bed. I mean isn't love letting go? Shouldn't I let her choose? And not try to make her life miserable by forcing her to choose me?

But you love her, another voice inside his head chastised.

Of course I love her

So how could you even think of letting her go

That's right, he agreed with himself. When I thought that she was— he couldn't even bring himself to think of the word. I thought that my world was over. There's just no way that I'm going to let her go without a fight.

"Castle?" asked Kate, bringing him out of his internal musings.

"Uh yeah?" he asked.

"The Doctor said that you could go home," she answered.

Castle looked around the room and saw that her father and the Doctor had gone.

"You uh, need to get some rest?" he asked.

Kate nodded. "Apparently."

They lapsed into silence. Castle didn't move, and Kate didn't ask him to. To both of them the pressure of the silence grew between them and within their hearts until they both snapped at the same time.

"Castle I—"

"Kate do you—"

Both stopped mid-sentence.

"You first," Kate insisted.

Castle shook his head. "No. You first."

Kate sighed and leaned back into her pillows. "I just..." she paused, and Castle could see that there was something weighing heavily on her mind. "I just..." she paused again and looked up. Castle could see her eyes narrow before they widened. "Josh?"

He turned and saw Josh standing in the doorway with a bouquet of flowers. "Hey babe," he greeted with a smile. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Kate smiled and had Castle been paying attention he would have seen how it was a forced smile. "Thanks... the flowers are absolutely beautiful."

Josh grinned. "Pretty flowers for a pretty lady."

"Listen," Castle interjected harshly as he stood up, jealous beyond compare and knowing that if he didn't get out of the hospital room quick, he was going to belt Josh.

"Castle?" she asked, her voice soft.

Castle turned away from Josh and focused on Kate. With a deep sigh, he reigned in his anger at Josh. "I'm really glad that you're alright," he stated with a soft smile which he hoped conveyed all that he was feeling for her. "You have no idea how worried I was."

Kate smiled warmly at Castle. "Thank you," she stated with a smile. "For everything," she added, hoping that he could glean from those two words exactly what she meant.

At that moment, Josh's beeper went off and he sighed loudly.

"The work of a Doctor is never done," he lamented as he placed the flowers beside Kate's bed. "I'll swing by as soon as I'm able love."

Kate looked to Josh and then to Castle.

"Castle could I have a couple of moments alone with Josh?"

Castle nodded, his hopes crashing to the ground. "Sure. No problem," he stated bitterly as he went towards the door. "I'll stay out of your way."

"No, Castle that's not what I—" Kate protested as he left the room. With a shuddering sigh she tried to keep her composure. She had watched her partner walk away too many times and for some reason she felt as though she would never see Castle again.

"Hey babe it's alright," Josh soothed. "Let the writer do what he does..."

"And what is it that he does?" Kate asked, her metaphorical hackles rising.

"He snoops in on people's private moments and then uses them for fodder in his drabbles."

Kate could barely contain her fury. "What Rick does is a hell of a lot more than drabbles."

"Oh, so it's Rick now?"

Kate bit down on her lower lip. "Josh—"

"You know I may not be following you like a lost little dog," Josh stated angrily. "But that doesn't mean that you should indulge his fantasy's the way that you do."

There were so many things that Kate could say to that, but instead she chose the most obvious. "What fantasies."

Josh laughed, it sounded like a scoff, but Kate could hear the bitterness laced within.

"Josh," she asked again. "What fantasies?"

"Oh come now Kate it's not really my place,"

"Josh," she stated evenly. "What. Fantasies?"

"He fancies himself to be good for you."

"Good for me?"

Josh nodded.

"How so?"

"Well he fancies himself to be in love with you," Josh answered. "Though we both know that that's not really true. After all, he's had so many women over the years if the tabloids are to be believed. He's not the stable sort. He's the bad boy, the class clown who's just happy chasing you around, doing something truly exciting for once in his life and—"

"Josh," she interrupted. "Leave."

Josh looked at her and nodded. "Course love, you're tired."

"No."

"You want me to stay?" he asked.

"No," she answered coldly.

"Then what?"

"I want you to leave," she whispered harshly.

"But you—"

"I want you to leave and never darken my doorway again."

Josh's face fell. "Kate?"

"I was willing to let you down easy Josh," she explained. "But you insulted Castle and that's something that I just can't abide."

"Let me down easy?"

"I'm breaking up with you."

Josh's eyes narrowed. "Is it because of him?"

She nodded. "He loves me."

"You don't know that," Josh defended.

"I do," she assured, thinking back to those last moments before she lost consciousness. "He told me."

"He... told you?"

Kate nodded. "And I—"

"You actually love that playboy?"

Kate's eyes narrowed. "Castle is NOT a playboy. Not anymore."

Josh opened his mouth to speak but then shut it again.

"This isn't over," he stated as he stood up.

"Yes," she assured as she threw his flowers at him. "It is."

Kate watched with smug satisfaction as Josh left her room. Now if only Castle were here... she thought to herself. There's so much that I've got to tell him.

TBC

Author's Note: Sorry for the somewhat late reply. I started a new job last week and this chapter got left behind. I do hope that you enjoyed it. Thank you a thousand times to all of you who have reviewed so far and have put this story on your alert list. It means a lot. I hope that you'll take the time to review this chapter and I'll see you all again next Monday.