It's short but I have things to do and travel plans to finalize. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Chapter30

Alexis answered her father's cell phone because he was in the shower. She saw that it was Detective Esposito calling from the 12th Precinct and took the call in case it was important rather than let his voicemail get it.

"Hi, Detective Esposito. Dad's in the shower. I can take a message if you like."

"Ah, could you take him the phone, Alexis? I need to talk to him right away. It's important."

"Sure. I'll bang on the door and slip the phone into the bathroom. Wait a sec."

Alexis cracked open the door to her dad's bathroom and said that Esposito was on the phone and had to talk to him right away. She put the phone on the sink counter and went back to her room to finish packing.

"Hey, Javier, what's up?"

"Come to Manhattan South Trauma Center right away. Humal wigged out in interrogation and pulled a knife and killed the translator and cut Kate bad. You need to come, Castle."

"On my way. How – how bad?" How could someone get a knife past the metal detectors?

"Come right now, Castle." Esposito only knew that the slash near her throat had bled severely until the paramedics had it under control. When he saw her before they loaded into the ambulance he was shocked at how pale her skin was and how unfocused her eyes were.

"See ya in 10 minutes." He threw clothes on over his wet skin not bothering to dry off and yelled to Alexis that Kate had been hurt and that he was on his way to the hospital.

He took the stairs rather than wait for the elevator. He stepped out into the busy street and stopped the first cab he saw by stepping out in front of it. He gave the passenger $100 to get out and then he got in and gave the driver the hospital name and sat back, terrified he might be too late.

Kate was cold and tried to concentrate enough to ask for a blanket but couldn't. The doctors and nurses were asking questions and she found it hard to concentrate. She could still see the rage on the woman's face as she slashed the interpreter's throat.

Kate had thrown up an arm to block the slash aimed at her and the knife had cut through the sleeve of the leather jacket she was wearing like it was rice paper. She threw herself back out of the chair and onto the floor calling for help. Her arm throbbed and burned and she'd turned her head away from the woman and waited for the burning slice that would end her life.

The woman had hesitated when Kate turned her face away and the movement had bared her cheek, neck and ear revealing the ugly scar tissue and ruined ear.

The woman had muttered something in a foreign language and Kate had turned to look at her.

When the slash came it was more surprise than pain and suddenly she couldn't breathe as the woman's body fell on hers. She never heard the gunshots that killed Sahaya Humal.

"Detective Beckett, you're going to be fine. We're going to run an IV and then start a transfusion. Once you're stable, we'll take you upstairs to the OR and work on your arm and neck. You're going to be fine, I promise."

She looked up into eyes as blue as Castle's and wondered if she'd ever get to see his eyes, feel his hand on her cheek, his lips on hers again? She didn't believe the 'beautiful doctor' for one moment. She knew what had happened and she knew she was dying. Kate recognized the symptoms of hypovolemic shock from her academy training.

But still, his face wasn't the worst 'last thing' to see. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the drugs, the doctor's beautiful face, her last memory.

Esposito had to return to the precinct to write out a statement of what had happened in the interrogation session but refused the order saying that until they knew her status and prognosis he was 'staying put'..

He and Ryan had finished up fairly quickly with the husband and were watching as Beckett and Patrolwoman Tajik began asking the Humal woman questions. Beckett opened a file folder and spread 8X10 photographs of the victims across the table in front of the woman. You couldn't see her reaction because of the garments that covered everything from head to toe.

Officer Tajik had turned away to say something to Beckett when it happened.

The woman had been mumbling under her breath and suddenly stood and drew out a wicked knife from under her garments and stabbed the female officer in the chest and then slashed her throat. Humal turned to Beckett who was momentarily frozen in shock looking at Tajik had thrown up her arm in a blocking motion to ward off the slash the woman directed at her face.

Both detectives hurried out of the observation room and into the hallway leading to the interview room. Esposito burst through the door just as the woman slashed down at Beckett who was lying on the floor. He fired twice without thinking but it was too late to stop the woman's knife from cutting deep into Beckett's neck near the collarbone. The stiff leather collar of her jacket provided some protection but not enough.

Ryan pushed the woman's body off Kate and gasped. Beckett's arm was bleeding badly and her other hand was holding her throat but blood was flowing through her fingers. He jerked Beckett's hand away and pressed his handkerchief against the wound and pressed down hard to try and control the bleeding.

A team of ESU medics appeared there in a heartbeat and started working on Kate immediately after throwing the two detectives out into the hall.

"We need room. Go out into the hall and clear a path to the stairs. We'll be taking her out in a few minutes. Time is running out, guys. Move it!"

Ryan showed up at the Trauma Center waiting room and told Esposito that the Captain wanted him back in the Precinct as soon as they knew she was stable.

"Esposito, we got there as soon as we could. You did the right thing. After you left…they pulled the hood off the Humal woman. Her face…horrible cuts and slashes done to her in prison. They…they cut her lips and nostrils and…the woman was insane, Javier, she had to be."

"Yeah, well, she killed one of ours and Beckett's circling the drain. Just a few seconds sooner and I might have stopped this. A few seconds, Ryan. The time it takes to pour a cup of coffee. A few seconds sooner…"

"Don't beat yourself up. Hey! There's Castle…"