Spill The Sickness

Because learning about viruses in Biology equates to more inspiration

A/N: I am absolutely overwhelmed by the response I've gotten to the first chapter. I just wanted to thank all of you guys for wanting to read this. It just fuels my desire to write more. Anyways, on with chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I do not own Castle or any of its characters

Rick ran out the front door, almost giddy with anticipation. He knew just what he was going to do to make his sick girlfriend feel better. Taking the stairs two at a time, he couldn't help whistling to himself. Despite having a very sick and presumably unhappy Kate Beckett in bed, he was sure that this was going to be a great day. Stepping out onto the street, Rick made a beeline for the nearest drug store. He praised Kate's choice in location, as the nearest drug store happened to be owned by an old close friend of his. He had befriended Tony, the pharmacologist, years ago when he had been doing research for Derrick Storm. It just so happened that Tony wasn't directly needed for research; rather, Castle had found himself with an unfortunate rash after trying a duct tape escape plan. Tony was calm and patient, and listened as Castle recalled his 'incident' in great detail. He gave Castle a cream that smelled like mint and cleared the rash up within the day. Ever since then, Tony had been the family choice whenever anyone got sick. No matter what the illness was, Tony managed to have a cure.

Rick walked into the pharmacy, quickly spotting the shiny, bald head behind the counter. "RICKY!" the short man called. He quickly ran out from behind the counter and practically skipped over towards Rick.

"Tony my friend, it's been way too long! How have you been? How are the kids?" Rick asked, unable to contain his smile at seeing his old friend.

"Rick, it's been nearly a year! No reckless escape attempts lately?" Tony asked with a wink. "The kids are good, Margaret is opening up her own law firm next week and Adam is happy at home with baby number two. How is your life? How are Martha and Alexis? And hey, are you still shadowing that detective friend of yours?"

"Martha and Alexis are great Tony, and they're actually not why I'm here. As it so happens I finally managed to snag detective Beckett and we've been together 6 months." Rick couldn't contain the glee from spreading across his face. "She's down with a cold, and I was wondering if you had anything for me that would make her feel any better."

"It's about time you got with her Ricky. I could tell as soon as you started talking about her that you were smitten. I'm proud of you kiddo. As it so happens I do have some lovely little treats perfect for getting rid of that stubborn winter cold."

And so it began. Tony walked through the aisles, chatting happily as Rick listened and perused the stock. "Here, we have tissues with lotion and aloe, perfect for preventing that stubborn and persistent red nose." Tony said as he gestured to his right. Rick grabbed 2 boxes as they pressed on.

As they made their way through the pharmacy, Rick found his basket getting full. By the time they had finished, he had: 2 boxes of deluxe tissues, a pack of coffee flavoured lozenges for sore throats, an aromatherapy candle that Tony swore relieved congestion, a chilled face mask – "does wonders for the red eyes my boy" – and a package of daytime cold medicine to relieve runny noses without causing drowsiness.

"Tony, you are a saint. I thank you so much. Kate will certainly appreciate all of this."

"Ah, Rick, it's no worry. After all, it's what I do! Let me know if it all works out, and I'm expecting an invitation to your wedding!"

Rick just laughed. "See you around Tony, give my best to your kids."

"You as well dear boy, drop by anytime!"

And with that, the portly, kind little man disappeared back into the shelves behind the counter. Rick gathered up his bags, sighing nostalgically as he looked around the cluttered yet organized pharmacy. If this got Kate smiling, or at least feeling better, he would make sure that Tony got all the proper credit. Pushing open the door, and hearing the slight ding of the bell, he walked out into the cool November air.

Alright, sickness relief had been taken care of. Next order of business: food. Grinning gleefully, he pulled out his cellphone. Having never dealt with a sick Beckett, he wasn't 100% sure what her sick comfort foods were. He began scrolling through his phone, looking for people who might know a bit better. Finding a number that may provide some answers, he pressed dial and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hey bro, what's up?"

"Hey Esposito. How's fighting crime today?" Rick asked

"Oh you know, same old same old. Catching bad guys, being a badass, a typical day at the 12th. Where's our girl Beckett at?"

"Actually, that was exactly what I called to take to you about. Kate is sick with the cold and I'm wondering if you know what her comfort foods are. I have an idea but I don't want to get the wrong thing."

"Oh so it's Kate now?" Esposito leered through the phone. "Sorry bro, couldn't resist. Honestly, Beckett never gets sick. Even when she does, she's in here drinking coffee and pushing through it. She must be really sick if she isn't here. I got no idea what she eats anyhow, that should be your responsibilities as boyfriend. Give her dad a call, he's probably dealt with sick Beckett enough."

"Thanks Javi, are we still on for Call of Duty on Friday?" Rick asked.

"You know it bro. Prepare to get your butt kicked."

"Looking forward to it. See you later."

"Bye bro" Esposito replied as he hung up the phone.

Scrolling through his contact list, Rick quickly came upon the number he was looking for. After the disastrous meet the parents dinner, Rick had decided to spend a bit of time with Jim one on one, in an attempt to smooth things over after that day. Even though their parents seemed to bond over them being missing, Rick and Kate still felt some tension. As a result, Rick had met up with Jim a few times and the two were on amicable terms. Rick dialed and waited.

"Hello?" the gravelly voice on the line asked.

"Hi Jim, it's Rick. Look, I hate to be a bother, but Kate is sick with the cold. I'm trying to find some things to make her feel better. I already bought medicine, but I'm wondering what foods Kate loved to eat as a kid, or when she felt sick."

There was a brief pause at the end of the line before Jim replied. "Hey Rick, thanks for taking care of Katie. I'll let you know now that she is stubborn when she's sick, even more than normal. She hates asking for help, so thanks for helping her anyways.

"As a kid, Katie loved to eat ravioli. Whenever she'd have a bad day, Johanna would whip up a batch of homemade ravioli. When Chef Boyardee came out, we switched to that, far less work, but ravioli was always Kate's go-to food when she was having an off day. Beef mini ravioli is an absolute must. I bet she hasn't had it in a while, but it will for sure make her day.

"Kate's sick food has always been, and probably always will be, Eggo waffles. I have never seen someone eat an entire box of those bad boys until Katie got strep throat when she was in the 6th grade. When her throat was hot or she was running a fever she would eat them while they were still frozen. When she was cold, toasted with butter was the way to go. They could be plain, chocolate chip, blueberry or whatever, but whenever she was sick I found myself running to the nearest grocery store to pick up those cheap quality pieces of cardboard that they pass off as waffles. But for whatever reason, Kate loves them, so we'd buy them for her when she got sick."

"Jim, thank you so much for the help. I'd love to chat more but I have to go, I don't want the grocery store to close before I can buy food. However, next Thursday, I'm having my writer friends over for poker night. I'd be honoured if you would join us."

"Thanks Rick," Jim replied "I'll let you know if I can make it."

"Alright, talk to you soon Jim. Cheers." Rick said, ending the call and placing his phone back into his pocket.

Next stop: grocery store.

A/N: I have been struck with wicked inspiration on this story, I'm about to start writing chapter 3, I'll have it posted (hopefully) by Friday night. As usual, let me know if I made any mistakes/you have any corrections. Criticism is love people.
Until next time