Her dad left earlier this morning. She thought he was waiting for her. What if - what if things getting awkward ? What if Kate doesn't want her to come?
What if Kate getting worst and I don't know what to do ?
"Come in." A voice replied her door-knocks. She refused to believe it was Kate's. It sounded raspy. How bad is her condition ?
When she opened the door,the first thing she saw was a little kitchen.
Ah, where is Kate ? She was too excited to meet Kate.
"Here,Lex."
The voice led her to Kate's bed. Kate was smiling weakly, the eyes of love in her eyes still lit up and shined.
It's been 2 weeks since the last time she met Kate, and she never realized how much she misses the detective.
Alexis sat on the chair beside her bed...the one who smelled like her dad.
Kate looked as beautiful as ever, but Alexis noticed the paleness of her skin.
"How are you,Lex ? How's college ?"
"I'm good. College is good, too." Alexis walked towards Kate.
"Good to know." Kate replied with a smile. She felt her left hand sweating.
What the hell, am I nervous ?
"It's hard to leave Dad and you here. I feel like I was just having a family and now I have to leave."
Kate squeezed Alexis' hands. "After I get out from this hell, we're going to do what we do everyday, okay ? I'll call you every night, skype every week..."
Alexis smiled at her promise. Still, she couldn't erase the concern she had for Kate. Kate looked like she was holding something inside. "I'm looking forward to. And how are you feeling, Kate ?"
"I'm fine. Much better than yesterday."
"Liar. I know when you're not okay."
"I'm fine, Lex."
"No. No you're not. You told me that I don't have to be strong in front of you and dad. And you too, Kate. We're family."
Family. God, it felt right to say that they're family.
It was right.
"I'm fine,Lex. Really."
Alexis shook her head. Her father was right - Detective Kate Beckett is stubborn. She confessed to herself that her dad was completely amazing. Kate must be so in love with him that she opened herself. Alexis knew Kate was having a breakdown in front of her dad.
Wait, is that mean that she doesn't love me ?
Alexis knew that her father was trying,too. And that's what I'm gonna do.
"I'm fine,Lex, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. Really." Kate tried to reassuring her.
Alexis let go of her hand, and then sat on the edge of Kate's bed.
"Kate, do you mind if I hug you ?"
Kate laughed. "Why would I ?"
Kate was the one who pulled Alexis into a hug.
"I miss you,you know ?"
"I miss you."
They were bursting into laugh for saying the words they wanted to say at the same time.
"We got that sync, huh ?"
"Yeah, we got it."
Their hug didn't last long because of the infuse Kate had on her hand. Beside, Kate was not feeling as good as before. Probably because she was restless and was just refused to eat..again.
Kate was stroking Alexis' hands in silence while Alexis sunk in her own mind - something she really didn't understand : How in the world she could love someone as much as she loved her dad, Richard Castle ?
The relationship between them wasn't good back then. But something changed in her,in Kate, in them. Because of something they all hated.
Panic attack.
The woman Alexis adored and hated at the same time because of her toughness and stuborness, had a panic attack in front of her own eyes. And since then, they were all good. They talked. They became attached to each others. Kate isa part of her, the one she trusted never leave her and will always be there for her.
"Alexis ? Do me a favor ?" Kate's thin voice broke the silence.
"Yes, Kate ? What do you need ?"
"Turn off the AC...s..so cold." Kate's body was shaking. Alexis did what Kate asked as she noticed Kate's dry upper lip was about to bleed. She poured hot mineral water to the glass on the nightstand.
"Lex, d-did you hear what I s-said ? Turn off the AC. Please." Kate was trembling.
"I did, Kate, I did. I turned it off." The panic Alexis quickly covered Kate with all blankets on the bed.
Kate shivered harder. Alexis was leading the straw towards Kate's mouth so she can sip the water easily.
Unexpected, Kate drank all the water. Alexis had always known that drinking much water to an empty stomach is a bad idea. As Kate's face got paler,Alexis quickly get up and brought the bucket right in front of Kate,prepared for what comes next.
"Thank you, Lex, but I think I got this." Kate pretended to be okay.
"I know you are. But I have the right to be worried about you."
Kate didn't answer.
"Kate ? You're alright ?
Kate leaned her face to the bucket and emptied the content on her stomach as Alexis rubbing her back. It was really painful. Kate expected to see some blood, thankfully there weren't any.
"I – I'm sorry you have to see this." Kate tried to reach the tissues on the night stand and failing embarassingly.
"Kate, just stop saying that, can you ? It's okay. I actually feels like...I feels like I'm a part of your little world by letting me see how...who you are." Alexis corrected her words quickly.
Kate laughed. "You were about to say how vulnerable am I, right ?"
Alexis choosen not to answer this tricky question and changed the topic.
"I was scared, you know ? I was so scared that you might not as okay as I thought. And I'm really,really, happy to see your laugh."
Kate sighed. "I'm happy to see you too. Now let's do the thing we didn't do for a long time."
"Talk about boys ? And uhm – my dad ?" Alexis laughed.
"Yes !" Kate answered excitedly. "Or we could always talk about cats."
"What ? No. You know I'm a dog person." Alexis didn't mention her phobia with cat.
"Yeah ? Okay,then. Let's talk about boys !" Said Kate as she felt her liver hurts again.
Kate hissed in pain quietly, didn't want Alexis to see that, but somehow Alexis got it. Alexis helped Kate settled perfectly in the bed in no time.
"Not now, Kate. I have a lot to tell you, but you're exhausted and you have to rest."
Kate shook her head. "No,Lex,you don't understand. We're skyping for weeks and dying to meet each other and no, I'm not gonna sleep this fast. I want us to talk. I miss you, you know, and I mean it." The frustrated Kate rubbed her face.
"I'll be here when you wake up. We can talk later."
"No. Please. I don't want to sleep. Let's do something else, okay ? Hand me my bag, please ?"
Alexis grabbed the bag and surprised with the weight. "Kate, you carry this thing everyday ? Is it always thisheavy ?"
"Not always. It's just...the last 3 months. Since you said you might go home but you don't know when. I – I have a present for you."
Alexis frowned."Present ? My birthday was 6 months ago."
"I know, I just..." Kate grabbed a small box from her bag. "Open this."
Alexis looked at Kate hesitantly before her hand busily open the box. And there it was, a polaroid camera. Alexis gasped – she loves vintage. She wanted to buy this thing for a long time.
"This is so cool ! Thank you !" Alexis kissed Kate's cheek a few times.
Kate returned the kiss. "I'm so glad you like it."
"Of course I like it ! Where did you get this ?"
"I...When I was 18, I won a science competition and my school sent me to Los Angeles for 5 months. I was very homesick. And when I returned to New York, my mother give me this. I don't know exactly why."
Alexis almost dropped the camera. "Then why give me this ? It's your thing with your mother. Mere – Mother didn't even call me, you know ? She texted. She texted 'Happy Graduation, love!' and something like that, but it was just a text. She didn't even call. She didn't call." Her voice barely a whisper as the last 3 words spoken.
"Come here, Alexis." Said Kate as she tried to sit. Alexis sat on the edge of the bed.
"What,Kate ? What ? You're gonna tell me that you know how it feels like ?"
Kate surprised by Alexis' words. "You know I know."
"No you're not ! Your mother left you. Forever. You're never gonna see her again. But you know she loved you. She cared about you. And what about me ? My 'mother' is still here. Healthy,powerful,happy, and I don't feel like I have a mother ! Life is not fair." Alexis yelled as her tears falling down.
Kate didn't say anything because she knew Alexis was right. The only thing she could do was holding her tight.
"No, Lex. Life is always fair. If it doesn't, bad things would happen to us again and again. But it doesn't. My mother's death led me to you, your dad, your family. My mother's death led me to the 12th Precinct. Your grandfather's absence makes your dad creative. A good imaginer that made him an outstanding writer. Meredith's absence makes you strong. Makes you as perfect as you are now. " Kate's hand pointed to Alexis.
Alexis tried to not cry, but it was really hard not to. Tears streamed down her face.
" You think so ? Now tell me, what's the good part about you being shot ?" Alexis still didn't trust her, but Kate understood her well. Thankfully this one was easy for her to answer.
"When I laid on the ground, your dad confessed his love to me." Kate blushed.
"And when Stanford rejected me ?"
"You don't have to see your ex's face everyday."
"And when you leave Dad without calling him ? Was there any good impacts to both of you ?"
"Yeah. We realized that after all, we can't live without each other. It was really hard to not having your dad with me that time, but then I realized he's the one for me. It was worth it."
"And..."
"Lex, you can stop." Kate laughed a little.
But Alexis' face was still serious, made Kate regretted her laugh. "And when I treated you badly since you were shot.. is that doing any good to both of us ?"
Kate's eyes softened. "Well that was a break for you. A year without having me around, because unfortunately you'll stuck with me for a long,long,long time."
Alexis turned her head to face Kate's. "Promise ? Promise that you won't leave me anytime soon ? I mean – I understand your job and if you decided not to marry my d-"
Kate framed Alexis' face with her hand. "Always."
Alexis felt the heat of Kate's hand. It wasn't normal. "Kate, you're burning up." She placed a hand on Kate's forehead.
"Yeah ? I feel a bit feverish right now, but I'll be okay."
"Sleep,Kate. Sleep."
"Lex-"
"Stop arguing. You promised me you'll always be there. This is a serious disease, Kate."
Kate couldn't say no this time.
Alexis was staring at her mom figure with tears. Why things always hard for a good person like Kate ?
Everything was white. The color of the wall, the chair, the tie that tied feet, the floor, the desk...everything. It was really bright. She was still wearing the hospital gown. Her hands was wet, and she smell something that made her nausea.
Blood.
She squeezed her hand,tried to stop the bleeding.
But nothing was hurt.
That wasn't her blood.
"Kate, help." A voice hit her turned her head to the left, and there was Alexis,lying on the floor with her chest bleeding.
Kate tried to speak, but she couldn't.
"Help me. Please." She can hear the tears in Alexis' voice.
Kate tried to move, but she was too weak.
"Please,Kate. Help me. Please." Alexis begged.
A scream stopped Castle and Alexis from talking. They were quickly on her side.
"Kate, wake up. Wake up. Ssshh, Kate, it was just a dream, okay ? It was just a dream." Castle shook her shoulder. She was struggling against him soon. Her eyes closed but tensed in fear.
"Kate ? Please. Wake up. It's only a nightmare." Castle framed her face with his hand.
Dammit, he thought. Her temperature was really high.
"Lex, she had a fever this morning ?"
"Only warm, but not thathot."
His eyes pointed to the emergency button. Alexis pressed it quick, and went back to Kate's side.
"Kate ? Please wake up. I'm here, Alexis is here. Please."
Castle kissed her temple, stroked her hands several times until she calmed down.
Kate woke up with her left hand grasped to somebody else's. It was too big to be Alexis' , so she figured it was Castle.
"Rick ? Where's Alexis ?"
The ruggedly handsome writer kissed her knuckles.
"Sssh,I'm here,Kate." She didn't realize someone held her right hand too until she heard Alexis' soothing voice.
"How are you feeling ?" Asked Castle.
"I'm tired, and my liver hurts, and the nausea, and...Gosh, I feel awful. "
"You need me to call the nurse ?" Asked Alexis.
"No,please. What happened ?" She tried to sit, but Alexis stopped her.
"You had a nightmare, your temperature was up to 104. That was the highest you ever had since you got in." Castle kissed her forehead.
"Okay, this sounds stupid, but am I going to be okay ?"
"Of course you are, don't worry about it. It's just... If you're not getting better by tomorrow, they might move you to the ICU."
Kate panicked. "Well I don't feel feverish anymore. Is that a good sign ? Because if I'm staying in ICU that means I can only have visitor at the time they arranged, I – I don't know how to do this without you."
A/N : Oh My God, it's been a month. I'm really,really sorry to not update earlier, hope you all still here with me. Tell me if I better continue this story or not, because many readers told me that I'm good at one-shot, but not multi-chapter. Thank you for reading !