Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Andrew W. Marlowe, though they have found their own way into my heart.
"Exactly, when is Alexis coming back?" Beckett asked, altered.
"We are supposed to have lunch together," Castle admitted, shrugging with guilt.
"But Castle, what TIME?!" she growled.
"Lunch time?" he answered sheepishly.
Kate groaned and tried to move from under him, but as she did, she took in a sharp breath. The movement had obviously triggered some pain.
"Ouch…" she hissed, squinting her eyes.
Castle immediately rolled off her, worried. "Are you alright?" He propped himself up on one elbow, searching with his eyes where she was hurting and reaching one hand toward her. "Where does it hurt?"
She took another couple of deep breaths through clenched teeth. Then she blinked and her gaze met with Castle's baby blues. He was hovering over her, concern written all over his face.
"I'm… okay," she said between short, shallow pants. "Just... a bit sore."
"Kate, where does it hurt. Let me take a look," he insisted, his fingers brushing her hair back from her forehead.
"First… When is Alexis coming back?" she asked again.
"Fine. You stay here and don't move. I'll text Alexis to be sure, OK?" Castle waited until she nodded, then he got out of bed, put on his boxers and padded to his office to get his cell phone. It lay on his desk, where he'd tossed it the night before. He quickly texted Alexis asking what time she'd be home. Then he walked back into the bedroom and sat down next to Kate's waist.
"Okay. Where does it hurt?" he asked softly, handing Kate his cell phone.
"Lower back," she indicated.
Castle motioned for her to turn over and lie down on her belly.
"God," he muttered under his breath when he brushed her long hair to one side, exposing her back. Kate turned her head to glance up at him from the corner of her eye. Anger, sorrow and grief washed over him and settled on his face. His hands closed into fists automatically, his knuckles turning white.
"Is it that bad?" Beckett wanted to know.
Castle studied the damage on her back for another minute. "It certainly looks bad to me. But you might think I'm just overreacting," he murmured with a touch of sarcasm.
His fingertips traced lightly across the shades of blue and purple surrounding Kate's left shoulder blade. He slowly continued down to her ribs —briefly lingering on the wrinkled surgery scar— and down to the bruise he had spotted earlier, the one that went from her stomach and covered part of her side. His caress travelled further down and to her lower back. Kate winced when Castle's thumb brushed over a tender spot.
"Sorry," he whispered.
Small bruises covered the length of her spine, resembling the series of dots you have to connect to make a drawing. It was as if a mould had been cast out of the flesh covering her spine. Each vertebra was tinted red and slightly swollen.
Beckett watched as Castle's face grew darker and darker, a deep crease appearing between his brows. His lips were pursed into a thin line and he kept shaking his head from side to side almost imperceptibly.
Now that she was aware of her injuries, the discomfort was more intense. But the gentle touch of his fingers felt good, though; every soft brush caressing away some of the pain.
"Castle, it's not your fault," she told him a moment later.
He looked into her eyes and sighed. "It doesn't mean that we… that I don't have to deal with the guilt of the aftermath. And it doesn't diminish the fact that you're still hurting."
Castle's cell phone beeped next to her and she handed it to him.
"Alexis won't be here until noon, so we still have an hour," he said as he read the message. "I'm gonna get you some ice and some Tylenol for the pain." Standing up, he started heading for the door.
"Castle, I have to go," she called after him.
Turning around, he said, "Just the Tylenol, then." And he disappeared out the door.
Beckett slowly pushed herself up and sat on the edge of the bed. She snatched her panties from the floor and slid them on. A minute later, Castle came back carrying a glass of water in one hand and a small tube in the other. He sat down beside her, handed her the water and two pills and watched as she downed them.
"I guess you wouldn't want to take a shower together, would you? Mine is big enough for two," Castle said, with a crooked smile on his face and a touch of hope in his tone that he wasn't able to disguise.
Kate chuckled and set the empty glass on the nightstand. "You guess right, mister," she said, glancing sideways at him. "Besides, I think you'd get distracted from the task at hand." She didn't mention that she most definitely wouldn't stop him if he did.
He faked offense. "You wound me with your assumptions."
"Right," she snorted, "Like it isn't one of your too many fantasies, uh?" Beckett arched her eyebrows and bit down on her lip, expectant. Castle opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out. "Yeah... I thought so."
She put her hand on Castle's knee and started to get up, but he stopped her.
"Let me rub some of this stuff on your back." He held up the tube in his hand. "It has a cooling effect. You'll feel better and I'll feel better, too."
Beckett pondered for a second and then nodded. Minding her bruised stomach, she bent forward and rested her forehead on her knees.
He stood on his knees on the mattress behind her and gently applied some gel on her back, the cooling effect immediately soothing her sore muscles.
"Done," he murmured a few minutes later.
Kate rose to her feet and tentatively rolled her shoulders and stretched her back. "That does feel good," she smiled.
"See?" he grinned proudly.
Kate started picking up her clothes, which were scattered all over the floor, and found everything except for one piece. She turned around in a circle trying to find her missing bra.
"Looking for something?" came Castle's voice from behind her back. He had her lace bra dangling from one of his fingers and a smirk plastered on his face.
Beckett crossed over to him and snatched the bra from his hand.
"So… Do I get a cup of coffee, Mr. Castle?" she asked with a wicked smile.
"Absolutely, miss. One steaming cup of coffee coming right away." He pulled on some sweats and a T-shirt and left the room.
All dressed, Kate padded barefoot into the bathroom and washed her face and tried to fix her mass of tangled hair, but it was in vain. Defeated by the rebel strands, she pulled her hair into a loose bun and moved back into the bedroom. She sat at the foot of the bed and put on her boots. Then, after taking one last look around to make sure she wasn't forgetting anything, she exited the bedroom and crossed the living room to the kitchen. The air smelled of coffee and...
"Castle…" she scolded. The man was standing by the stove, making her breakfast.
"I don't care what you say. I'm not letting you leave without eating something first," he stated.
Beckett sighed and sat down at the counter. Castle soon placed a dish in front of her. He'd made her toast with jam and he'd dressed the plate with a strawberry sliced and carefully opened into the shape of a flower. And, of course, there was her coffee. He moved around the kitchen and sat down next to her, his own coffee and toast in his hands. Kate sipped from her mug and moaned, satisfied, as the warm liquid slid down her throat.
He inconspicuously nudged the plate closer to her and said, "Have some."
She fished one of the two toasts and took a bite. "Oh, my god. Castle, this is so good!" she mumbled as she chewed.
He grinned proudly. "It's homemade raspberry jam. Made it last week." Castle took a mouthful of his own toast and swallowed it down with a gulp of his coffee. He then placed his elbows on the countertop and rested his chin in his palms, watching Kate while she ate, with a contented smile on his face.
"I think… this is as creepy as you… watching me do paperwork. If not more," she said between mouthfuls. Neither of them showed any discomfort at the mention of her work.
"You're adorable," he answered with a small smile. "And you have some…" He leaned in and licked the jam at the corner of her mouth. "Delicious," he whispered over her lips.
Thank you very much!