Castle almost missed it when he opened his door that morning. He was running late to go to the precinct, even though he hadn't received a call yet. He hadn't seen Beckett in three days because he had appointments and she was going up to her father's cabin for the weekend, so when his phone binged he thought about dismissing the text.

Changing his mind, he decided to check it in case it would be an address for a new case, but his insides turned into ice when he read the three words Esposito had sent him. 'Go to Beckett's.'

The cab drive was short but to the man, it wasn't fast enough. Castle had tried Beckett's phone as well as Esposito's and Ryan's on its way to the detective, but all he got was a vague reply from Ryan. 'Got a case. Go.'.

Castle practically threw a bunch of bills at the driver and jumped out of the cab before it had completely stopped and trotted up the three flights of stairs, not wanting to risk getting stuck in the old elevator. He stopped a brief moment at the detective's door as he tried to catch his breath, and got startled when the door opened before him. "Lanie?"

"Castle?"

"What's going on?" Castle asked as he entered the quiet apartment, immediately noticing bags, bottles and other various items on the kitchen counter. Kate was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Kate?"

Lanie waved him down and gestured for him to follow her. "Shh, writer boy, she's in her bedroom sleeping."

Castle's mind was spinning, and not in a good way. "What happened, why are you here?" The man was itching to go see for himself what was going on but Lanie was already dragging him to the couch, and making him sit so he couldn't see the inside of the detective's room.

"Lanie, you're kind of freaking me out here."

Lanie sighed and sat as well, running a hand through her hair. "My girl is sick and she had me promised I wouldn't call you, but it looks like someone else did. Javi?"

"Yeah. She's sick? Is this the same virus Alexis got, because-"

"This is not Alexis's fault, Castle."

The man shook his head, worry darkening his features. "What is it then, the flu, bronchitis?"

"Pneumonia. She probably would've gotten away with dealing with a regular cold if her lung hadn't been still weak from the gun shot last summer."

His lips pursed, Castle sunk deeper in the couch, absently thinking that the thing was as comfortable as a pile of bricks and made a mental note to convince his partner to buy a new one. "I thought, I thought she was fine now, she doesn't even need physical therapy anymore."

"That kind of healing sometimes takes a long time. Maybe she felt fine, and that she only felt a bit out of breath if she ran for too long or was really tired; sometimes people in hospitals catch viruses that lay dormant until something triggers it. It probably wouldn't have gotten as bad as it is now if she had the sense to see a doctor sooner too." Lanie explained with a low voice even if she knew that her friend wasn't likely to wake up anytime soon.

"Almost six months later? I mean, are you even sure it's pneumonia?" Castle argued, not liking the idea of the woman he loved being sick without even realizing it.

Lanie sighed and glared, an odd mix that the M.E. managed to pull perfectly. "Considering the doctor I dragged her to at the emergency room yesterday decided to keep under observation all night and only released her this morning under the promise that she'd have a doctor around as well as someone with her at all times, yes I'm sure."

Blood drained from Castle's face at the mention of the hospital stay. "What? Why didn't anyone called me!"

"She made me promise, but I need to go to the morgue and sign a couple of papers. I would've ask Perlmutter to do it but if you're here, would you mind staying here with her until I come back?"

Castle frowned, hurt about having being left out. "Why me? Looks like you guys have it all covered, after all she didn't even want me to know."

"Boy, I am going to smack you! Don't you know her by now? There is no one she wants more by her side than you right now, but she's too pigheaded to admit it!" Lanie wanted to hit him, but settled by poking him sharply on the chest. "Are you staying or not?"

"Of course." He immediately agreed. Nothing could keep him away from Kate now that he was there. "Is there anything I need to do?"

Castle was quiet as a mouse as he entered Kate's room fifteen minutes later. He stopped and leaned against the doorframe a few moments, taking in the sight.

Kate was sleeping halfway on her back, halfway on her side, her upper body propped up on a mountain of pillows. She was wearing a dark green tank top covered by a zipped black hoodie, and a pile of blankets were covering her legs and waist. She could have seemed peacefully asleep if it wasn't for a strained look on her face, and the dark circles under her eyes.

Castle walked slowly inside her room, a place he had only entered once or twice before. He took the chair vacated by Lanie earlier and sat down, removing his shoes and placed his feet on the bed; he had set the alarm on his phone for a few minutes before eleven, the time Kate would need to take her next dose of meds and the time he had asked for soup and food to be delivered.

Putting his feet on the edge of the bed, the man then settled on watching his partner and friend sleep.

Kate woke up an hour later when her foot knocked against something foreign and warm. She tried to think about what it could be, having no energy to open her eyes, but even thinking seemed to be too difficult to do at the moment. She wondered why everything hurt and it felt as if an elephant was sitting on her chest when memories of last night came back to her, although they were fuzzy. 'Oh.'

She remembered Lanie, bright lights and a lot of probing and poking, but as she tried to focus on the memories, her mind was slowly getting overwhelmed by the heavy pressure she felt in her chest. She started to breathe more heavily as it reminded her of waking up after having been shot, and she struggled to open her eyes to see where she was.

The familiar look of her room blurred its way into her mind as she finally found the strength to keep her eyes open long enough to take a look around. She sighed in relief and fought back a cough but tensed again as she noticed a set of soft blue eyes staring back at her. "Castle?"

Kate winced at the roughness of her voice and jumped when she felt a hand snaking its way behind her back to help her sit up more fully, before a glass of water was gently being pushed in her hand.

It took all of her strength to lift it to her lips but the reward of feeling the fresh water going down her sore throat was worth the effort. "Better?"

The woman nodded once and sighed as warm hands settled her back in bed. "Hey."

"Hey?" Castle retorted incredulously, his hand having moved from the woman's back to her arm and staying there. "I got a text from Esposito after three days telling me to come over, only to find Lanie already here taking care of you because you've been sick as a dog?"

Kate cringed and closed her eyes, feeling the weight of the day on her shoulders even if she hadn't been awake for more than five minutes. "I'd go for something longer but my brain and mouth aren't too cooperative at the moment."

"Kate." Castle soft voice pushed her back closer to consciousness again, and she lifted one eyelid open to shot the man a tired look. "I'm sorry, I didn't...I didn't want to worry you."

Castle clenched his jaw tighter; he'd roll his eyes if he thought it'd make a difference. "News flash, Kate, you're having a pneumonia. It's not something you get over in three days. I told you you should've seen a doctor last week when you started feeling under the weather but no, you had to try and tough it out."

He was chiding her as if she had been a child but Castle didn't care. She was in for a sea of 'I told you so's' and everything else he might be coming up with. "Did you even think of what could've happened if you didn't have the sense of calling Lanie?"

Kate only groaned and turned her head away from him, knowing he was right but unwilling to admit it. "Look at me, Kate."

"No. You want to look at me, you move." She retorted dryly as her hand came up to rest under her head, sighing heavily in the process.

Castle rolled his eyes and walked to the other side of the bed, mumbling something about her better not make a game out of this. "Happy?"

"Yes."

The writer stared at her in surprise but she had closed her eyes again. "Kate?"

"Castle, if you want to stay I don't want to hear any 'I told you so' or any more chiding, please. Save them for another day."

"Fine." He huffed after a moment, but only because he really didn't want to leave. "How do you feel?"

"Like crap."

His friend's miserable voice broke his heart and he felt horrible for his previous yelling. Remembering what Lanie had said, he gently pressed his hand on her forehead, frowning at its unusual warmth, as he reached for the thermometer.

She didn't even react when he put the digital thermometer in her ear, undoubtedly used to it by now. Castle was shaken at seeing her so quiet and docile and it took everything to resist from climbing in bed with her to cradle her until she was better. He jumped when the thermometer beeped and indicated a fever of 102°. "Kate?"

"Mmmm."

Castle frowned and ran a hand through her hair, finding them slightly damp. A quick check confirmed him that her clothes were clammy as well. "Do you want to take a shower, or a bath? We need to take you out of these clothes."

"Ugh, no bath." Kate turned on her other side but turned back again after a few seconds, settling on her back with a groan. "I hate this."

"I know." He said softly, his hand still in her hair. "Kate?" He called her again when she looked about to fall back asleep. "You really need to change clothes, the ones you're wearing now are too damp."

Kate's eyes opened and stared at him a long moment, her glassy eyes examining him closely. "Okay."

"Okay? Oh, okay." Castle jumped on his feet, ready to take action and eager to help. "Where do I find anything?"

"Tops are on the second drawer, pants in the last one. I think I have a shirt or hoodie left in the closet." Kate mumbled while running a hand on her face, trying desperately to wake up a bit more even though she wasn't sure if being fully awake for what was coming was a good idea.

She heard rummaging in drawers briefly and the closet door opening and closing, and then footsteps leaving her room before coming back. Kate opened one eyes to check on Castle, only to see that he was standing in the middle of the room with clothes in his hands and an odd look on his face. "What is it?"

"Um. It's just, um. I wasn't sure if you um, needed underwear?"

'Oh god, kill me now.' The detective blushed darkly as she considered her options. Did she want Richard Castle going through her panties? She rolled her eyes at herself for thinking yes. Having to have him help her change would be enough. For now. Even sick as hell she couldn't get her mind out of the gutter. "Um. No?"

"No?" Castle repeated dumbly, his jaw going slack. "Okay..."

Coming back to the bed the man put the clothes down and helped his partner sit up in bed, a hand steadying her when she swayed. "Whoa, easy there." Castle took the opportunity to run a quick hand on the sheets to see if they were okay, relieved when he found them dry. "Lanie changed them last night."

"Good. Okay...um. How, um, do you want to...?"

Kate chuckled at the situation and coughed, her hand unconsciously going up to her side to hold her ribs. "Jeez, Castle, we're both adults and yet this feel as if we were two awkward teenagers."

Castle grinned and caught the message. For today, he'd be the responsible one and the one to make the decisions, and hoped Beckett wouldn't beat him up once she'd have recovered. "Fine, detective Beckett. Move your arm."

Answering his request Castle unzipped her hoodie and gently pulled it off her shoulders, dumping it on the ground next to the bed. "Can you...?"

"Yeah."

Moving behind her Castle helped her out of her tank top and kept his eyes straight ahead, somewhat shocked that Kate didn't seem to mind too much about changing in front of him, even if technically the only thing he could see was her back.

But, as his eyes roamed over the detective's spine, something caught his eye. A thin, red line running over the length of the woman's ribs. Castle bit back a gasp when he realized what it was, not wanting to startle his friend and reveal to her what she had just unwillingly showed him.

Castle had never seen the tiniest glimpse of her scars since the shooting and, if this wasn't the way he had expected to see them for the first time, he was still glad it happened.

Noticing she was struggling with her new shirt Castle delicately seized the edge of the shirt and pulled it down all the way, the movement bringing Kate closer to him. Both bit their lips and swallowed back moans as the man's fingers grazed the detective's warm skin, oblivious of the effect it had on each other. She surprised him once again when she leaned into him, sighing deeply. "You're okay?"

He felt her nod against him, but nothing else. "Do you want to wear the sweatshirt or not?"

"Yeah."

Nodding as well, Castle moved back on the bed so he was facing her again. He grabbed the old NYPD sweater and rolled it in his hands so it was easier to pull it over Kate's head when he saw it; where it all began. The new top was cut lower than the previous one so from where he was sitting, Castle had a clear view of where bullet had hit his partner and almost killed her.

Again he didn't say a word, instead helping her pulling the shirt overt her shivering body. He then handed her the sweat pants, ready to help in any way he could but a weak but still surprisingly firm hand on his face forced him to look away while she changed.

Kate looked about to collapsed in bed when she was done but he held her one last time as he reached for a small towel. She looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to when he brought it up under her neck and started massaging her scalp to dry her hair.

Kate all but fell back on him by the time he was done, exhausted and completely relaxed from his impromptu massage. She kept her eyes closed as she felt strong hands lowering her in bed, feeling better and warmer than half an hour before.

She was too tired to protest when Castle left her side, muttering something that made the man chuckle. She never heard his phone's alarm or the front door opening and closing, only stirring when she felt him by her side again. "Kate?"

"Mmm."

"Time to take your medication."

"Ugh."

"Come on, sweetie, I'll let you sleep after." Castle cursed himself for the slip, hoping Beckett hadn't noticed it. He felt her tense in his arms but she entered a coughing fit right after, so the man exhaled in relief. "You're worse than Lanie."

"I highly doubt that." Castle laughed as he watched her take the pills and swallow them with a sip of water. "Are you hungry? I have soup and steamed vegetables from Maoh Sung." He sang song the name, drawing a small grin from the woman. "No thanks."

Castle pursed his lips but didn't insist considering she was already practically asleep in his arms. He gently lowered her back on the bed and brought the covers up, smiling despite the situation. The woman was most likely to revert back to her usual overly independent self once she was better, but Castle was more than happy to take care of her and chip down whatever part of her walls he could while he had the chance.

Kate woke up to the sound of sharp, repeated clicking sounds three hours later. Grateful that she could take a deep breath without hurting too much, she turned on her side to face the source of the noise.

Castle was sitting in a chair next to her bed and was typing almost furiously, his brows burrowed and his lips pursed. The typing stopped as he heard the ruffling of sheets and glanced up, a bright smile on his face when he saw her awake. "Hello, sleeping beauty."

"Yeah, right." She wanted to snort but settled on a weak glare. "You went home?"

Castle did snort this time and looked at her as if she was crazy. "Yes. I left my partner and best friend, my sick best friend, alone at home because I have a death wish coming under the form of a New York's finest medical examiner. No, Alexis brought it for me with a bunch of other stuff."

"Alexis came here?" Kate frowned, suddenly feeling underdressed and self conscious. Her eyes snapped back to the writer when she felt his hand on hers, his thumb stroking it softly. "She was worried when mother told her you were sick so she wanted to come. Do we really need to have the 'Alexis loves you' talk?"

"No." She groused, having been chastised enough already. "I just...I didn't even hear her."

"You, my dear detective, have slept through Alexis coming and going, Lanie, Ryan and Gates calling, and Esposito stopping by as well." Castle told her with a smirk but his eyes were kind, unteasing.

"Huh."

"Huh indeed. So, are you hungry now?"

Kate thought for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I think I could eat a little."

Castle's smile was so bright it made the woman blushed. "It's just soup, Castle, don't need to pull a muscle about it."

"Lanie said you haven't eaten anything in two days, and now you want soup. I will pull a muscle if I want to. Although I'm not sure what are your intentions are about this while muscle pulling thing."

This time Kate choked on her sip of water and turned beet red, her eyes widening as the man leaned on her. "Two can play this game, Katherine."

Castle left a stunned Kate as he left the room to get her soup, stopping in his tracks when peals of laughter from the woman reached his ears.

His smile could've lit the whole apartment.

'Got it yet?'

The text from Kate came as he was finishing up breakfast for his daughter. Staring at the words curiously a few moments, Castle purposefully trotted to the front door and immediately saw the huge travel mug on his rug. Knowing Beckett couldn't have been the one to left it there, he took it and beamed as he read Kate's familiar scrawl on the lid and cup. There were 'thank you's' and 'thanks' written all over it, as well as several '60's.

Castle's phone vibrated in his hand again and smiled as he read the woman's new text message. 'Homemade coffee this morning, sorry. Still counts? Blame Espo if it's cold.'

Cold or not, he was not going to blame Esposito. As he stared at the mug, Castle came to an idea. The man poured the coffee in a cup and carefully washed the inside of the travel mug before putting it aside. He was going to have to find a clear plastic case, something to put the mug in because ne never wanted those words to disappear.

As he contemplated the travel mug while drinking the coffee Kate had made for him, something caught Castle's eye. It was small and near the top of the mug, but it was there.

A heart.

Kind of shaky and kind of asymmetric, as their current relationship was, but it was there.

Castle texted Kate back with shaky fingers. 'It so, SOOOO counts.'

Kate's eyes were bright when she read Castle's text. A smile lighted her tired features and, if she had been terrified of taking the next step, the rush of excitement she felt as she read the man's words had made it worth it.

"What's making you so giddy?" Kate looked up to see Lanie surveying her with a raised eyebrow.

Kate only smiled.