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Oneshot number two! This one is going to be the loveable Esposito and Lanie. ^^ Enjoy.

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Lanie Parish was used to hospitals. First off, she worked in a morgue, which, to her mind, was the same thing in a lot of ways. Second, she'd actually wanted to be a surgeon at one point in her life, and had completed her undergrad residency. There was nothing new to her about where she was right now.

Just because she'd been in hospitals didn't mean she wanted to be in one. Especially not to look for her boyfriend.

Huh. And to think, this time last month, she wasn't sure she would have even referred to Javier as her official boyfriend. They'd been too busy enjoying 'fooling around.' What a time to get her to admit that he was, right? Lanie swallowed back the panic that was threatening her, or at least did the best she could at it. Any emotion besides stubbornness was only going to get in her way right now. The M.E. reasoned that she didn't have time for it, crossing her arms tight against the cold feeling as she powered her way down the fluorescently-lit hall, probably looking like the traffic violations she'd made to get here.

Kate - bless that girl for being okay and damn her for not calling sooner - hadn't given her too much information over the phone. Just that the boys had been ambushed and dragged to some warehouse, but everyone had made it out all right, and Montgomery had sent them to get checked out at the hospital, on order, no buts. Later, Lanie would have to pay Kate a visit and make sure that she was picking herself up all right after rehashing her mother's death for the third time. But right now, that would have to wait, because Lanie was going to go insane if it didn't. God bless Kate for 'conveniently' revealing Esposito's room number over the phone: Lanie was immediately a little suspicious that Kate might know something about their relationship, but if she did, she'd at least done her the courtesy of hiding it by slipping Ryan's into the same sentence. Normalcy was turning out to be a great façade for all of them.

After only a few more seconds - way too long, in Lanie's book - the open door to his room was right in front of her. Suddenly, she didn't feel like charging. She felt a lump in her throat, and she felt stupid for feeling terrified of what she was going to find in there. Girl, knock it off this second, she mentally scolded herself. Kate said they were all fine. Just get in there. Giving no more than a second's pause, she did, gently pushing the door aside and slipping in, softly closing it again behind her back.

She saw his. Literally; Javier was on his feet with his back to her, and with a quick study, Lanie didn't notice whether they had him hooked up to anything, so it was a safe bet that they didn't. He couldn't have been too bad off, then, because he was pulling his shirt on over his head, no doubt getting redressed after being poked and prodded and examined for bruises and flash burns and God knows what else. Lanie let herself relax a little, an inaudible sigh escaping her, but it wasn't setting her much at ease just to stand there. She was beside him in a second, gently helping him get his arm back through the red fabric, whether or not help was needed. She was damn well going to do something.

Whether his surprise came from her touch or her sudden presence there, Javier's eyes widened a fraction with it as he looked at her. Then they softened back again, as if they'd been that way all the time. "…Hey." He spoke quietly, as if trying not to wake someone sleeping.

She could have cracked a slap across his mouth then and there. All it took was one word from him, and poof, there went a good fifty percent of her resistance. Again, Lanie managed to swallow back all those crazy emotions - the fear, the worry - that she didn't want, and instead, preempted the question she knew he'd ask next. "Beckett told me," she revealed, adopting his volume for herself. "And it's a damn good thing somebody did. I'd have been down all your throats if I didn't know about this."

"I got it." He was talking about his shirt, and he had a point; her help was kind of for herbenefit in the first place, and once he'd pulled the hem back down to his waist, there really wasn't much left that needed 'helping.' He made no move away from her, though. He'd be stupid to, after the night he'd had - and aside from his team's safety, the one thing he'd wanted was her. To have her standing there was a relief, like an answer to his prayer. "I planned on goin' to see you right after here," he explained, reassuring her. "You would've known."

He was smart, she'd give him that. Still didn't mean I would've known in time…if anything had gone wrong in there…hell, everything was wrong in there… "Mm-hm, sure, I'll believe you." She had to chastise herself for what was probably the weakest attempt at sarcasm ever. Her usual mood-lightening methods were proving themselves pretty useless, it seemed.

Javier knew what she was getting at. He examined her carefully. "You do know everyone's here but the Cap," he questioned, not really as a question at all.

"I don't care."

"They're all right out in the waiting room," he warned gently. "You know they're gonna find out, the longer you're in here - "

"Javier Esposito, I said, I don't care."

She hadn't yelled, but Lanie's stubborn outburst still surprised him. Mostly because of the tears that he noticed pricking at the corners of her eyes. Like her, none fell, but they threatened to.

"Do you have any idea how damn scary it was for me to get that call sayin' somebody took you in? Especially you?" She would never admit it, but she'd been comforted before by his advantages that the others didn't have as much - intimidation, all the extra training from his service - despite knowing that all cops faced the same risk every day; at least it was there... Now, her security bubble was broken, and she was close herself, something she'd never show outside of this room. "I know I'm s'posta to be the 'cool girlfriend' because unlike everybody else I actually understand your job and why you do what you do, but that does not mean that I'm not gonna worry where you are or if you're all right and especially if I hear that you've been held hostage in a warehouse by some psycho who got his leash laws a little backwards."

"Lanie…"

"No, nuh-uh! I get to be a little crazy this time. You can just toughen up and deal with it." Which was exactly what he'd done in the face of his own death tonight, and that was it for Lanie: she stepped forward and slid her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder, forgetting to care whether the rest of the world saw them or heard her or gave a damn. "That, Javier Esposito, was the absolute bravest thing you've ever done, and I am so proud of you and so glad that you're all right - and if I ever find out that anyone does that to you ever again, I will blast their asses to hell myself."

For a fledgling relationship in which neither of them had even said 'I love you' yet, Lanie's speech sure said a lot. Javier held her close as soon as she hugged him, and he couldn't tell whether it was more for her comfort or his own. All he knew was that he definitely shared her relief that he'd come out alive.

They'd stood there for several long moments without any more words, when he broke that pattern, carefully. "…It's okay," he said. "They didn't hurt me. Checkup came back clean; nothin' broken. It wasn't that bad."

Moving back just far enough to look at him, a very weak smirk came naturally to Lanie's face. "Now why do I know you're lying."

"I'm not."

"Mm-hm. So it was easy for you to watch them do what they did to Ryan and not be able to help him." Javier was silent, having nothing to say in response, and from the look on his face, Lanie knew she'd hit the nail on the head. She continued quietly. "Just because you're still walkin' doesn't mean they didn't hurt you, Javier." Eyes on his, after a pause, she added, "…But that was not your fault. Everybody gets caught off-guard sometimes. And I'm here for you if you want to talk about it."

Maybe, in a few days, when the freshness of it all had blown over, he might. And he knew when he did, he'd go to her. Having the option there was almost as comforting as taking her up on it. Javier nodded, and ran his hands slowly down Lanie's arms, threading their fingers. He looked down, resting his forehead on hers. "Thank you."

This, Lanie realized, was what she'd come here for. Not only to comfort herself, but to offer the same to him. Right now, it was all they had. And she noticed for the first time that her fear was gone. "…Anytime." Just like that, the need for words was cancelled out, and Lanie knew the one thing she really wanted to do. Fervently, she tilted her head up and met his lips, showing him exactly what his girlfriend thought of him for what he'd gone through. And that she'd be there whenever he needed.

He could definitely tell. And the soft, slow way he kissed her back said exactly how glad he was to be alive.

When they did eventually part, he straightened up, and Lanie rested her palm against his collarbone, using her first few fingers to carefully curl down the collar of his shirt. "Let me see."

He exhaled, not exactly thrilled with the mark on his neck, how it got there, or the loss of his dignity, but allowed her to examine him the way she'd been trained - at least he was more comfortable with her than the doctor he'd been forced to get checked out by. Sometimes he'd swear they were paid to be cold at hospitals.

"Hmm…" The little humming sound that he always found adorable came unconsciously from Lanie's throat as her eyes traced the thin bruise across his neck. Sure, it upset her to see, but she'd already had that out, and felt better for it, so there was no use in repeating herself. She only frowned a little bit, and her conclusion was the same as the first doctor's. "It's just a minor laceration. Should be gone in a couple'a days." Trying on a little smile - it was easier now - her eyes went back to his. "Has Kate thanked you yet?"

Javier shrugged, but nodded. "She didn't have to. No way were Ryan and I ever gonna tell that d-bag anything."

"I know, I know, 'duty to the badge' and all that, I get you," Lanie said; "I'd still highly consider kickin' that girl's ass if she didn't." Now her smirk had come back. It felt good to again.

"Well, she did," Javier laughed. "Easy, chica, we got our due."

"Ah ah, not all your due; not just yet."

The flirtatious, almost risqué glint was back in her eye, and he noticed it, raising an intrigued eyebrow with a smile as his arms found their way around her waist. "Oh? What else do I have comin' to me, Doc? You had something in mind?"

"I might," she purred, with a grin of her own.

With a quiet sigh of contentment - and exhaustion, and a whole lot of everything else - Javier looked toward the ceiling, then let his gaze fall back to Lanie, pulling her closer against him. "You know what I really want?"

She definitely wasn't complaining either, and wouldn't have moved for the world. "What?"

His look said it all. "I'm thinkin' I really want…to get home, and go to bed. I could probably sleep for a week right about now." Lanie nodded, and he could see right through to the smidgeon of disappointment she was trying to hide, because then he grinned, just for her. "'Course…I don't really want to be there alone. I could definitely use the company, if you're offering."

That easy, she beamed right back. Like you had to ask. "I'm definitely offering."

"Good."

"Good."

"…I'll meet you back at my place?"

Lanie had sort of hoped for a minute there that they could leave together now and not waste any more precious time, but, she knew better. Her guess was less of a guess, and more of a statement. "You've got one more stop to make?"

Nodding again, Esposito picked up the blue standard NYPD jacket - handed to him an hour ago courtesy of the EMTs - from the back of the metal hospital chair to his left, and shrugged it back on. "I'm here 'til they release Ryan. Headin' to check on 'im now. Shouldn't be too much longer."

Lanie nodded back, knowing all too well that there was no breaking the bond between Javier and his partner. She wouldn't want to, either. "Tell 'im I said hi? He's doin' okay?"

"I will. Yeah, he's gonna be just fine."

"Good." Having gotten everything she'd come for, Dr. Parish turned toward the door, looking back with a little smirk over her shoulder. "I'll be waiting." Her tone made it clear that trying to tell her 'don't wait up' right now would only fall on selectively-deaf ears. It made him smile.

"I'll be there."

"Now is that a promise? You do understand I expect you to show up in one piece."

"Yeah, yeah," he grinned at her. "I promise, believe me, that's the intention. Get outta here, Doc. I'll let you have a head start." Lanie shook her head, chuckling to herself a bit as she did as she was told…but was stopped by his voice as her hand found the doorknob, and she looked back around. "And, hey." He was quieter this time. "…Thank you."

Softly, Lanie smiled, knowing he didn't just mean for the banter. "…You got it."

Who knew: maybe tonight, it was dawning on them both that they were more than just 'fooling around' after all.

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^_^ I love those two. I do. And you guys know what else I really love? REVIEWS. Especially from those of you who are awesome enough to tell me what you liked or your favorite parts or anything specific at all. Those make my day. Please consider leaving one real quick? Thanks everyone. More to come. ^^

(Oh - and, as I say on every chapter of all my new stories: if there's anyone [ages 14 and over] interested in joining a free, writing-based Castle roleplaying forum, check out the bolded paragraph in my profile.)

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