"I can't believe this dog. What has gotten in to him?" Johanna said, returning to the huddle. By the time she had caught the retriever he was half way down the hill chasing ducks in the pond.
"Frankly I'm surprised he can still run like that." Alexis said.
"You'll be fine. There's no dirt in the wound so no chance of an infection. But not like it would matter." The nurse said half joking. She finished patching the wound and went back to her station, leaving the family to themselves.
"Why wouldn't it matter?" Kate whispered. She didn't want to seem nosy. It wasn't any of her business really.
"My father's paralyzed from the waste down." Alex whispered.
"How?" was all Kate could manage.
"He… there was an accident." Alex stammered out. Kate decided to leave it at that.
"Well I'm wet so I really should be going." Johanna said. She held out her hand for Kate. "It was a pleasure to meet you."
"Yeah I should be going to." Alexis said.
"The pleasure was mine." Kate replied, shaking both their hands.
"Goodbye Kate." Castle said. He fought it, but the intimacy they once shared remained. He once looked back over at her as he was being wheeled away, and she spotted it from the corner of her eye. Why did she feel something towards him she thought. Although she didn't know what that something was.
"Well, I guess it's my turn to go." Alex said, getting up. "So tomorrow?"
Kate fought back her inner smile, but it still reached the surface. "Tomorrow." She replied.
"Dad!" Alexis yelled, coming into the room. "We had some time so we thought we'd stop by before work." Both Johanna and Alexis were met with an empty room.
"Where could he be?" Johanna asked. She was confused. For years her father doesn't talk, doesn't move, and now he's just wandering around talking to whomever he pleases.
"I'll give you one guess." Alexis said, pointing out the window. There was her father, in a wheelchair, next to that woman, Kate. That didn't sit right with them. It felt like they were being cheated on. What was so special about her?
"Of course I remember you." Kate said. She had stolen his words once again. Could it be he thought, did she really remember? Could there still be a chance to save her? "I got to meet a famous novelist, I had to write it down."
"Oh." Castle managed. What else was there to say? Out of disappointment he looked down and remembered why he came. "Here, I got you some coffee." He said handing her the cup. "I didn't know what you liked so I just went for it."
"Thanks." Kate said. She took a sip, trusting it was still hot. "Hmm. No this is amazing. It's perfect." She smiled just like the way she used to and it brought happiness back to his grin.
"I thought you might say that." Castle said. All at once, the world seemed to stop as their gaze met. Each beat of their heart began like a song in their ears. Like two parts of a whole calling out to one another, wanting to be complete. They were silent, knowing that a word would break the spell
"Well looks like Dad made a new friend." Johanna said. The two peered out the window, but Alexis was focused elsewhere, she didn't even hear her younger sister. "It's been a long time since I've seen him smile like that."
Everything was silent. The two just paused, bearing witness to the scene. "No it's not possible." Alexis muttered out loud. She couldn't stop the pieces from fitting in her head. "I have to talk to the nurse. Stay here." She left leaving Johanna wondering what the hell was going on. "Nurse, that woman with Alzheimer's, Kate. What's her last name?"
"Hmm let's see." The nurse said. She hurried behind her desk, taking a seat at the computer. "Well that's weird. She doesn't have one listed."
"What about next of kin?" Alexis asked.
"None." The nurse said.
"So who's floating the bill?" Alexis asked.
"I'm sorry it's an anonymous donor." The nurse said. Alexis looked a little disappointed, but she wasn't about to let this go.
"Thank you." Alexis said. As she made her back to the room, Alexis began to formulate a new plan. "C'mon Johanna we're leaving." She said snatching her sister. She dragged Johanna back down the hallway, through the entrance, and headed towards the parking lot.
"But we didn't even see dad yet." Johanna said. She wasn't resisting, but she wasn't exactly being cooperative either.
"I need your help." Alexis replied. It caught Johanna's attention. "We're going to do some digging."
"Well I should get going before my son gets here." Castle said.
"No you should stay. I mean he's your son." Kate said. He's your son too Castle thought. But that's something he would never tell her.
"He's coming here to see you, and plus I don't want to be the third wheel." Castle said. "Huh…A third wheel in a wheelchair. That's new." He chuckled at the stupidity as Kate's inner smile came to the surface yet again.
"Good afternoon." Alex said. He arrived about an hour later, but this time no Kevin.
"Good afternoon." Kate replied. She sat quietly, letting the fall wind gather up her hair. It was another peaceful day.
"So anything new today?" Alex asked.
"Umm…No." Kate responded. For some reason, she didn't want to tell Alex about her morning coffee with his father. It was something personal, something he didn't need to know about.
"That's too bad." Alex said. She suddenly felt trapped like she had been caught in her lie. What if he had already seen his father? "Then what are you going to write in here?" He said, handing her a journal. The book was a leatherback with gold piping and a hardcover. It was relatively small and fit nicely on her lap. "I thought you could use it. Like a daily journal. To remember the things you don't want to forget, the way you want to remember them."
Alex remembered her demeanor towards her life briefing every morning and it kept him up all last night, thinking of how irritated he would get if people informed him of his own preferences. Then again it would irritate anyone to not remember who he or she was. So this was his solution for her.
"I don't know what to say." Kate said. She was reaching for words she couldn't find. "I love it. Thank you." Alex glanced at his father's window to see if he was watching, but the curtain was drawn again. He looked back at the elderly woman and he could see it. The dominoes just wouldn't stop following. She was his linchpin.
"You should've told them." Lanie said.
"I tried. I just…" Castle said. He was definitely struggling with his decision.
"You just what? You just put your tail between your legs and ran away like a coward? Cause that's what it sounds like to me." Lanie said. It hurt to hear it, but she was right.
"I just couldn't find the words." Castle said. It was hard to admit. Here he was, a man who had made a living off the English language, and he couldn't find the words to come clean.
"Castle, your children grew up a third of their lives without her. Now she's back, and she doesn't have much time left. They deserve to know. Kate deserves to know." Lanie said.
"But… " Castle replied.
"But nothing." Lanie interrupted. "They need to know, and you can't protect them forever."
"I hate it when you're right." Castle conceded. He drew open the curtains, as to say 'this concludes our meeting.' The afternoon sun streamed through his window, bringing a gentle light to his room.
"Honey, I'm always right." Lanie said, half joking.
"You know I think I can make her remember." Castle said. He stared out the window at Kate like so many times before. She laughed with Alex and the picture was so surreal. Memories of lazy days back at the loft flooded back and Rick could remember when he used to make her laugh like that. All those tender kisses they shared, all those passionate nights, and all those precious moments he would never forget.
"Castle, the odds of her remembering anything are small." Lanie said. She was sad to say it, but she had to. She was the voice of reason.
"Isn't that what the great love stories are about? Beating the odds?" Castle said. And then she smiled, but not because it made her happy. But because it was hopeful, and because if any love story could brave the storm, it would be theirs.
"I've been meaning to ask you a question." Alex said. He waited for Kate to understand he was serious. She nodded, giving him the go. He chose his words carefully knowing it was a touchy subject. "From what you've told me, you have something called retrograde amnesia. Now you said, the doctor's give you a profile to read every morning. About how there was a fire, about how you were in a yearlong coma, and that you were left to the system because no one claimed you. I just want to know, how did you do it? How do you survive all that alone, and still smile?"
"Well the Alzheimer's helps" Kate said, jokingly, but Alex didn't laugh. He just sat quietly, knowing that what he wanted to hear was to come. He just needed to give her the time to work it out. "In that profile there's a letter I wrote to myself. It recounts when I was left to the system, and how volunteer doctors, therapists, all of them tried to help me, but I couldn't remember anything. But I had something, something that got me through every frustrating day, and every lonely night. When I was found, there was a locket around my neck and inscribed on the back was 'To Kate. You make the mundane extraordinary.'" Kate pulled the locket around her neck into view and held it up for Alex to see. The white gold heart laced with crystals sparkled in the autumn sun. "The edge is broken, so it doesn't open, but… It's proof. That at some point, someone somewhere cared about me, maybe even loved me. It's what gets me through the day."
Alex didn't speak. I mean how could you respond to that. But he did grab her journal, take out a pen, and scribble something onto the first page. He handed it back after he was done, and Kate couldn't help but peek at it. The first line read 'I care about you. Always, Alexander Castle.' "You're an amazing woman Kate."
She could only manage to mouth a thank you. Eventually visiting hours were over, and as Kate settled into bed, she decided to write in her new journal. She recounted the events of her day, from morning coffee with Rick Castle to her afternoon chat with Alex. That's when she remembered the locket around her neck, and as she clicked it open she wiped the pictures glass clean with her thumb. There it was, a photo of her in her younger years, in a wedding gown no less, with a man, she presumed to be the groom. The look in both their eyes, it was undeniable. It was love. A love even she could see. Alex could have her stories, and any secret he wanted, but this, this was hers. This was her secret, her hope. She didn't want Alex asking questions about the man in the photo. She didn't want to know. She didn't want to know if he was alive and that he moved on, or if he got married to someone else. She had settled in her mind, that this man in the photo died in the fire. He died loving her. And that was enough.
I hope you enjoyed.
Writing this story has got my head confused. I'm sorry if it doesn't make sense. I don't know, I'm just making it up as I go along.
Please Review.
Tell me what you think.
From what I'm thinking right now, It's only going to be maybe like 5 more chapters.
All rights belong to their rightful owners.