A/N speech in italics belongs to the episode, I might have got some of the speech during the torture in the wrong order, sorry about that! But you'll just have to bear it!
Javier could only sit there helpless as he watched Kevin being dunked again and again in the freezing cold water. He couldn't imagine the pain Kevin would be in; Lockwood described to him how Kevin would lose consciousness's once the cold water hit his lungs. He almost regretted saying he was gonna jerk Lockwood around, but then he figured this was better than watching your friend get shot in the head. He watched as the men pulled Kevin out of the water, he tried to lean forward and see if Kevin was alright, well as alright as he could be. But the leash around his neck restricted his movement. Kevin looked around at him, both of them was checking to see if the other was ok. Then just as quickly as Kevin was pulled out of the water he was pushed back under, this repeated a few more times until when Kevin was out of the water he caught Lockwood's attention, when he said he'd been in Catholic school for twelve years Javier just smirked at him, he made a mental note about teasing Kevin about his maths skills after this, as he remembered Kevin saying he only went to Catholic school when he lived in the suburbs of the city, and he moved to Brooklyn when he was eight. But Javier had to watch as they dunked Kevin and Javier turned to Lockwood and said "yeah Lockwood" just to let Lockwood know that neither he nor Kevin planned on talking anytime soon.
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What seemed like five hours later Javier had enough of watching Kevin being dunked, so he called out to Lockwood. When Kevin told him not to say anything he could only grimace at Kevin he felt proud at Kevin's bravery and realized he couldn't tell Lockwood anything because it would only make it bad for Beckett. So he told a joke. He smiled at Kevin who laughed in return, but the laughter quickly stopped when they heard,
"Shoot out one of his kneecaps" Javier tried with all his might to get to Kevin, he could only cry out in protest; he looked at Kevin's face which had a panicked look, but once Kevin had been pushed to the ground and he was staring up at the barrel of the gun, he stared up at Lockwood, no longer looking panicked and his mouth in a thin line. Javier knew this was Kevin accepting his fate. He then heard a shot fired, when he didn't hear a yell of pain like he knew the shot to Kevin's knee would cause, he looked to see Beckett come storming in. He dropped to the floor and sighed in relief. He got his hands free from the ropes that had bound them and took off the leash around his neck, all in a matter of seconds. While Beckett and Castle took care of Lockwood and his goons Javier crawled to Kevin who was lying, without moving. When he reached Kevin he noticed his friends eyes were closed, he shook Kevin's shoulder and said "come on Kev open your eyes"
"That was a close call" mumbled Kevin, Javier only nodded and kept low until he heard the shooting stop. He heard Beckett call for an ambulance, but didn't hear her come over to him and Kevin. He became worried when Kevin started coughing and shaking.
"He w-was… r-r-right ab-about it b-b-b-burning"
"You swallowed some?"
Kevin attempted to answer but a coughing fit started instead, so he nodded. The warehouse became quiet, but Kevin started panting and Javier knew that if Kevin's breathing didn't calm down he could start hyperventilating. So he turned Kevin onto his side and rubbed his hand down Kevin's back and said "breathe in when my hand is at your shoulders and breathe out when my hand is halfway down your back" Kevin nodded. By the time the ambulance had arrived Kevin's breathing had returned to normal, but his eyes were fluttering shut.
"Come on Kev you need to stay awake"
"I am-m t-t-tired Jav-Javi" chattered Kevin "a-an-and c-c-c-cold-d"
"I know bro but the EMT's are just coming over"
"Oh-n-n-no"
"What?"
"A-a-am I go-going to h-h-hospital?"
"Afraid so Kev"
"J-j-just d-d-d-do me a f-f-favour Javi? D-do-don't c-c-call my m-mom"
Javier laughed "I won't"; he was still smiling when the EMT's loaded Kevin into the ambulance, he went with Kevin and he got worried when Kevin became unconscious. But the EMT's assured him it was noting to be worry about.
He, Beckett and Castle stood in the waiting room for the doctor to come out and let them see their friend. The doctor told them it was only mild hypothermia and they could go in and see Kevin. Beckett and Castle let Javier go in by himself.
He walked into the room and shut the door, Kevin looked up and smiled at him, "hey Javi, you ok?"
"I'm fine you're the one who was half drowned and…" he stopped himself from saying 'and nearly having your kneecap shot out'
Kevin frowned at him "you're not blaming yourself are you Javi?"
Javier avoided eye contact, "if it wasn't for my stupid joke you might not be…"
"Say it Javi"
Javier shook his head still not looking at Kevin,
"Just say it Javi"
Javier snapped his head up and looked at Kevin and almost yelled "fine you wouldn't have been able to walk again because of my stupid joke!"
"But it didn't happen Javi, I'm fine"
"Only because Beckett showed up at the right time"
"Don't blame yourself Javi, just blame the asshole is now on his way to jail"
"He was only going to it because of what I said"
Kevin sighed and leaned back on the bed and shook his head at Javier. Javier sat down on the chair next to the bed; Kevin then said "you don't need to blame yourself every time I get hurt"
"It's because you're my partner and I'm supposed to have your back".
Kevin sighed again "I'm too tired to argue with you right now, but trust me once I've had a rest we will be continuing this conversation." Javier smiled; he knew how stubborn Kevin could be.
Javier just said "I'll be here when you wake up"
Kevin just nodded and closed his eyes, five minutes later Beckett and Castle walked in, Javier turned around and put a finger to his lips to tell them Kevin was sleeping. Beckett and Castle sat opposite Javier on Kevin's other side. Two hours had passed and Beckett's phone started to buzz she quickly ran out the room so not to disturb Kevin, Kevin only stirred slightly and then quietened. Castle went to talk to Beckett, came back in and saw the white board on the wall that was facing Kevin. He smiled and wrote a message on it. Javier smiled and gave Castle a small wave as the writer left the room. Javier sank back into the chair and fell asleep.
When Kevin woke up the first thing he saw was Castle's message. It read:
Beckett and I came to see you but you were asleep. We are doing yours and Esposito's paperwork. So get better quick and hurry back to the Precinct!
Kevin laughed, he woke Javier up. "Sorry Javi"
"Don't worry about it, so you saw Castle's message?"
"Well I am laying front of it!"
"Alright smart ass!"
Kevin chuckled and said "think I should take my time getting to the precinct?"
"Totally bro, it's about time Castle pulled his weight with the paper work"
The two partners laughed at the writer's expense and felt kinda sorry for Beckett who would have to deal with the writer's grumblings about the paperwork. When Jenny came to see Kevin, she had been working late and had Beckett had called her that morning, she walked in to see the two friends laughing.
"What's so funny?" she asked, Kevin pointed to the white board, and Jenny joined in the laughter "Castle is doing your paperwork?"
Javier said "the doctor said Kevin could go home today, and I think Kevin needs to the take the day off and I do to as being taken hostage can be so tiring"
Jenny laughed, she knew what Javier meant, he and Kevin were going to take the day off so Castle would do all their paperwork. She shook her head at the Detective's and said "ready to come home Kevin? You can come over to Javier"
She smiled when Kevin and Javier gave her a huge grin each. At times like these she felt like she was dealing with mischievous children. Javier took out his cell phone and called Beckett; he put it on speaker so Jenny and Kevin could hear the conversation, but signalled to them to stay quiet.
"Beckett"
"It's Esposito, the doctor says Ryan needs to take the day off and I'm not feeling too well either" said Javier in a weak voice grinning at Kevin, who was smiling in reply.
"Well I hope you're feeling better tomorrow…hang on Castle wants to speak to you"
"Hey Castle"
"Ryan I can understand needing to take the day off, but you? You were fine last night!"
"Well Castle I slept at the hospital last night and being taken hostage can be really tiring"
Javier looked at Kevin who had put his hand over his mouth trying to stop himself from laughing.
"If I find out-Hey Beckett!"
"Get well soon Esposito and tell Ryan the same"
"Will do, bye Beckett"
Once Javier had hung up he and Kevin were consumed with laughter again. Half an hour later Jenny, Kevin and Javier all headed to Kevin's apartment to hang out for the day.