A/N:
Just because I am determined to overcome the negativity, and because I have a few very persuasive friends and an awesome beta, I am posting this chapter early. Just a few notes here before you read the chapter. Please read: The first part of this is in Josh's POV, if you are a Josh lover, please turn back now. :) ABMS stands for (American Board of Thoracic Surgery). This isn't the very last of his role in my story but I am wrapping it up. The last line break switches to Castle's POV. The end is in sight for this lovely story that I have enjoyed writing, still several chapters but I wanted to give you a heads up. The next chapter will feature Castle's final release from his heart doctor, and I am sure you all know what that means. :) Thank you to Ally for the beta and for sticking with me, to my awesome cheerleaders, to the ficathon promoters for all they do and to all of you for the follows, favorites and especially the reviews. Your support continuously fills my heart with joy! Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own them as I have stated, but I am telling you, these characters practically write themselves.

Chapter 23: A Silver Lining

At first he really had just wanted to apologize to her, but when she text him back and mentioned that she was still with him it went right through him. He's not finished talking to her and he's determined to get her to meet up with him so that maybe he can get her back. He'll apologize to Kate, but in his opinion, Castle got what he deserved. She was answering him earlier but he's sent several texts since he got out of surgery and she's not responding. It's making him mad, frustrated because if she was answering him earlier then she could answer him now.

He's just about to head out to lunch when there is a knock on his office door. He glances at his phone again and growls in frustration before tossing it aside and walking over to open the door. His eyes widen in surprise as he's met with the very serious faces of the Hospital Director, Dean of Medicine and the Director of the ABMS.

"Gentlemen, I was just about to head to lunch, what can I do for the three of you."

The Hospital Director answers for the three of them. "Dr. Davidson, please have a seat, there is a serious matter we need to discuss with you."

He glances back and forth between the three men, wracking his brain for what this could possibly be about. He turns and heads back to his seat, waiting as the three men take a seat of their own after shutting the door behind them.

The Hospital Director leans forward and places a folder on the desk in front of him. "Dr. Davidson, I'm sure you are aware of the strict policies this hospital has on the way our patients are treated."

"Yes Sir, I am aware, what does this have to do with me?"

"Why don't you open that file and take a look. See if it will refresh your memory a little."

He leans forward and picks up the file, his look of confusion fading the moment he opens it. There are several photos inside the file, photos of him and Castle and it's obvious by looking at them that the conversation is heated. His heart begins to race as he glances at the pictures and then back at the three men in front of him.

"Do those pictures jog your memory any?"

"Yes Sir, this was a patient of mine, Mr. Castle. I treated him when he was brought in after being shot."

The Dean of Medicine speaks up next. "What we are wondering is, why these photos seem to portray a very heated conversation between the two of you?"

He tries to think of something he can say to get himself out of this. He never imagined that someone would find out about his confrontation with Castle.

"Mr. Davidson, this is a very serious matter. I'm going to give you one chance to tell me the truth."

"With all due respect gentlemen, these are just some pictures, they don't prove anything. I was having a conversation with Mr. Castle and someone thought it would be funny to take some pictures. That's all this is."

The Director of ABMS, who has been quiet until now, turns on the IPad he's been holding and places it on the desk so that all of them can see the screen.

"After receiving those photos from an anonymous source, I was contacted by this hospital and asked to come in and review this video footage." He presses play on the video and Josh watches in horror as every second of his conversation with Castle plays across the screen. When the footage ends, the director turns off the IPad and turns his attention back to Josh. "This is something that can't be overlooked, Dr. Davidson. It goes against every oath you took as a doctor and violates many policies of this hospital."

He grips his desk in anger as the reality of what's happening hits him. "So what does this mean? You don't know the story behind that conversation; he had it coming to him. It was a personal matter."

"Personal matter or not, this was not the way to handle it. He was your patient and your actions are inexcusable. As the Director of the ABMS, I'm sorry to inform you that your license has been suspended. In six months you can file an appeal for re-in-statement, but the chances are highly unlikely."

The Hospital Director addresses him again as the other two man stand and exit the room. "I suggest you take these six months to reflect on your choices as a Doctor. I've called in a surgeon to take your place; you can pack your things now."

As the door closes behind the men, he's left to face the consequences of the choices he has made.

It's their last week in the Hamptons and although they're both a little nervous about going back to the city, the excitement of things going back to normal is helping to balance them. Kate had woken from their nap last week to find a few more messages from Josh, she was surprised that he hadn't contacted her again, especially since she hadn't answered him, but she had shown the messages to Castle and then deleted them. Hopefully he got the message that she had no desire to see him again.

The week passes by relatively quickly and before they know it, they're packing up her car to head home. He's been released from the cardiac rehab center and although he still feels the burn sometimes, his strength is back to one hundred percent. Twelve weeks of hard work and it's finally paid off. Dr. Wood as agreed that he's doing very well handling the PTSD episodes with Kate and that as long as they talk about them he should be fine. He's agreed to see Castle any time he needs him and to come to the city periodically to check up on him. Although the physical healing process is complete, the emotional one will still take some time.

She takes his hand as they get into the car and pull out of his driveway. Their time at this house has brought them closer in so many ways and although she's sad to leave it, she's even more excited for what the future holds for them. They make small talk for most of the ride, just enjoying each other's company. It's not until they are close to the city that Castle brings up a subject they've yet to discuss.

"So I was thinking, I know that this thing with us is still new and I don't want to pressure you, but we've spent the last three months together and it's been amazing. I was wondering if you'd move into the loft with me."

It takes her by surprise, she has enjoyed spending the last three months with him, but she never really gave much thought to moving in with him when they got back. She wants to be with him, there is no doubt about that, but maybe it's a little too soon to be moving in together.

"Castle, I uh, I know that we've been pretty much living together, but this is just a little too soon for me. I'm not saying that I won't ever move in with you, but I need some time okay?"

He's silent for a few minutes and she glances nervously at him, hoping that he's not too upset with her for turning him down right now.

"I understand, Kate. It's just that, every time I have had an attack, you've been right there with me. What if I have one and there's no one to help me and I can't talk myself out of it?"

She squeezes his hand, knowing that he's nervous about being away from her. "It will be okay, we can fill Martha and Alexis in on how to help you through them. I'm not saying that I'll never stay the night with you again; I just need to keep a place of my own for now. Please don't take that the wrong way. You can do this, Castle."

His next words are barely above a whisper and she almost misses them. "I hope you're right."

"Everything is going to be okay, you're so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I'm not leaving you, and things are good with us, I'm just not ready to move in yet."

"Okay, but you'll consider it and tell me when you are, right?"

"Yes Castle, when I'm ready you'll be the first to know."

She pulls up to his loft and helps him get his bags, smiling at him as they step onto the elevator. When they open the door to the loft, they're met with the smiling faces of all of their friends and his family. Their echoes of, "Welcome home" fill the loft and a large smile breaks out over both of their faces.

His mother and daughter are the first to approach them. "Oh Richard, I'm so glad you're home. It's been entirely too quiet around here without you." She hugs him and then turns to embrace Kate. "Katherine, darling thank you for taking such wonderful care of my son, he's lucky to have you." She laughs and hugs Martha back. "I'm lucky to have him too."

Alexis holds on to him a little bit longer, wiping at her tears as they fall onto his shirt. "Daddy, I missed you so much, I'm so thankful that you are better." He hugs her tighter and motions for Kate to join them. She wraps her arms around Castle and his daughter, smiling when she feels one of Alexis's arms wrap around her waist. "We missed you too pumpkin; Kate took good care of me. I'm back and I'm almost good as new." She turns her head to look at Kate and smiles at her. "Thank you for helping him through this, it means more to us than you'll ever know."

"There's no place that I would have rather been, Alexis." They stand there a few minutes longer and then break apart to greet the rest of their friends. The boys and Lanie are there as well as Kate's dad. Castle makes his way over to the boys and starts chatting with them while Kate goes and talks to her dad.

"Dad, thank you for coming, I'm sorry I haven't called you over the past few months, things have been pretty crazy."

"It's ok Katie, Lanie called and filled me in and kept me updated on things. Rick needed you and I'm glad you finally realized that you need him too."

She smiles and hugs him again. "Thanks Dad, he really is an amazing man. He saved my life and I can never repay him for that."

"I'm forever grateful that he saved your life as well, but judging by the way he's looking at you, I think you're repaying him already." She glances over to find Castle watching her from across the room and if she ever questioned his love for her, it would all fade away right now. He comes for her then, and wraps his arm around her waist as he shakes Jim's hand with the other.

"Mr. Beckett, thank you for letting me hold your daughter hostage for the last three months."

He chuckles and Jim joins him before his face turns serious again. "You saved her life son, and I can never thank you enough for that."

Castle gets this look in his eye that conveys exactly what he would do to save Kate's life and then he holds her a little tighter against him. "I'd save her life again and again; she means the world to me."

She turns her head into his chest and breaths deeply, fighting back the tears that he so easily pulls out of her. He wraps his other arms around her and hugs her tightly to him. "I love you," she whispers into his chest. "I love you too, Kate."

She catches up with Lanie, the boys and her dad while Castle spends some time with his mother and Alexis. After a few hours her dad says his goodbyes with a promise to meet them for lunch soon. The boys say their goodbye too, claiming that they have to go finish some paperwork at the precinct and mentioning that they can't wait to have Kate back there with them.

Alexis and Martha elect to go get dinner for everyone while Kate and Lanie say their goodbyes. They're laughing about something when Castle appears next to them and kisses Kate on the cheek.

"Hey Lanie, can I talk to you for a second before you leave?"

'Uh sure Castle, I'll see you soon, Kate."

She hugs her friend and watches curiously as Castle follows her towards the door. She carries his bags into his room and then pours herself and Castle a glass of wine while she waits for him to return. It's been weeks since she's had any wine and since Castle finally got the all clear from the doctors, a welcome home glass of wine, seems appropriate.

She can hear Castle and Lanie talking, but she can't make out exactly what they are saying. A few moments later she hears the door shut and he joins her in the kitchen.

"What do we have here?" He motions towards the glass of wine on the counter.

"Well I thought in honor of you being officially healthy and healed again that we could have a welcome home glass of wine."

He picks up his glass and motions for her to follow him towards the couch. "I like your way of thinking, after twelve weeks of no alcohol, minus that little slip up, this tastes heavenly."

She smiles at him as she sinks down onto the couch, humming her approval as she takes a sip of her wine, he's right it does taste heavenly.

"So you're not going to ask me what I was talking to Lanie about?"

"Are you insinuating that I'm a jealous girlfriend? I trust you Castle, if you want to tell me then you can, if not then that's okay too."

He wraps his arm around her should and draws her closer to him. "I wanted to thank her for saving my life. I know that she kept me alive in that cemetery until the paramedics got there. She's a really good friend and I owe her for that."

"You're right, she is a good friend, I'm so glad she was there for us that day. You're a sweet man, I'm glad you thanked her for that."

She leans her head on his shoulder, relaxing into him as they enjoy their wine. It's not long before Martha and Alexis return with dinner and they eat together and enjoy catching up. Once they've finished, Alexis clears the table and then joins them all in the living room. It's getting dark and Kate wants to head back to apartment soon to get her things unpacked. It's going to be strange sleeping in her bed alone after weeks of sleeping beside him, but she needs some time to herself.

Castle starts the conversation they need to have with his mother and daughter before she has a chance to.

"So listen, I know Kate and I filled the two of you in on my PTSD attacks. They aren't as frequent as they were in the beginning, but there's always a chance for them. This will be the first night of me sleeping alone since Kate came to the Hamptons. We just want to fill you in on how to help me through them if I have one."

They both nod and listen as she fills them in on the tips that Dr. Wood gave her for helping Castle through them. She can sense his worry about not having her there and she rests her hand on his knee as she finishes talking.

Alexis seems to be in sync with her dad and is the first to speak up. "So what if Gram and I can't get him to calm down, what if you're the only one who can?"

"I think that things will be fine, he knows you both better than he knows me, so you'd be good at calming him down, but you can call me anytime any of you need me."

"Okay, thank you for filling us in on how to help him."

She smiles and stands up, walking over to where Martha and Alexis are sitting to hug them.

"Thank you for letting me be the one to help him, I really appreciate you both being so accepting of me, especially after everything that I've put him through."

Martha accepts her hug, talking as she does so. "Katherine, you've proven yourself to us more than enough, and my son loves you. That's all that matters to me."

They finish their goodbyes and both women leave the room to give her and Castle a little privacy.

She takes his hand and pulls him up off the couch, wrapping her arms around him once he's standing. She waits until his arms come around her before she speaks. "Castle, these past few months have been a roller coaster, but the best part of it was that I got to spend every moment of it with you. I got to watch you fight to be the man that you were before you got shot and you beat it; you proved how strong you are."

She leans in to press her lips to his, just a soft touch before she continues. "I am so thankful for you and I am so glad that we are together. I promise you that when the time is right, I will move in here with you and we can take that next step. Until then we're going to keep moving forward. If you need me, no matter what time it is, you call me and I will be here okay?"

He smiles at her and pulls her tighter to him. "Thank you, Kate. Thank you for everything, I can't tell you how happy I am to finally be in this with you. You're an amazing woman and I am the luckiest man in the world to have you. I'm going to miss sleeping beside you tonight, but I promise I will call if I need you."

She returns his smile and rubs her hands up and down on his back. "I'm pretty lucky myself. And I was thinking, since you have your appointment with your heart doctor tomorrow, why don't you call me when you get the all clear and maybe you can come stay the night at my place?" She winks at him and presses herself closer to him, making sure that there is no space between their bodies.

"I think that sounds like a fantastic idea, there will be no interruptions and I can finally show you just how much I want you."

She leans in until her lips are just millimeters from his and whispers her next words to him. "And I can be as loud as I want, sounds like the perfect ending to me." Then her lips are on his and she's kissing him goodnight and leaving is the last thing she wants to do.

Each time she talks herself into walking to the door, he draws her back to him and by the time she finally musters up the strength to pull away from him she's questioning her decision to not move in with him. She reluctantly unwraps herself from him and pulls on his hand so that he will follow her to the door.

She turns and kisses him one last time, savoring the feel of his lips on hers. "I'll see you tomorrow Castle. Go get released tomorrow and then call me, okay? Sleep well tonight, you're going to be fine. I love you."

He still looks nervous about her leaving but he smiles at her and she knows he's going to be okay. "I love you too, Kate. I'll see you tomorrow. Text me when you get home so I know you're okay?"

"I will, goodnight." She turns and looks back at him as she steps onto the elevator and he smiles at her until the doors close and she can't see him anymore.

He tells his mother and Alexis goodnight and head into his room. He places his phone on the table by the bed and heads to take a shower. It feels good to be back in his loft and he lets himself relax under the hot spray. He finishes up a few minutes later and dries off before dressing for bed and returning to his room. He notices a voice-mail icon as he sets his alarm for the next morning.

He doesn't recognize the number so he pulls up the message and hits play.

"Mr. Castle, this is the Director of the New York Presbyterian Hospital. It was recently brought to our attention through an anonymous source that an unpleasant encounter occurred between you and one of our doctors. Dr. Davidson has been reprimanded and after consulting with the Board of ABMS his license has been suspended until further notice. We apologize for this experience and if there if anything I can do you for you, please don't hesitate to call me. I hope your recovery has been successful and wish you the best."

He listens to the message, his eyes widening in surprise when he hears the subject of it. He can't help but wonder who the anonymous source is that brought the argument with Josh to the administrations attention. He laughs to himself, thinking that although he wasn't going to pursue anything on the situation with Josh, after the text messages he sent Kate, he kind of deserves this. He saves the message on his phone so that he can let Kate listen to it tomorrow.

Everything is finally falling into place. He got the girl of his dreams, he feels one-hundred percent better and he's back home. The man who tried to ruin things for them as soon as they got started, has been put in his place and tomorrow after talking to his heart doctor, he finally gets to make love to the woman of his dreams. It's all proof that even though there will always be storms, and there will always be battles that will test you in every aspect, at the end of the day, there is always a silver lining.

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