Richard Castle was going out of his mind. He had been pacing the attendings' lounge for the past three hours and he needed to do something, or go outside for some fresh air but he was scared to leave the room in case the doctors would come to see him.

The phone in his hand was still warm from all the phone calls he had to make. He had called Kate's father first, hoping he hadn't heard it in the news already but he remembered Kate saying something about him going on vacation in Italy with a friend so he left a message on his voicemail, as much as he hated to do that.

His second phone call was to Kate's best friend and New York M.E., Lanie Parish. She was now on her way over and, this time, Castle didn't argue. She had been in the ambulance with him months ago when Kate had been shot and she had been the first one to fight for her friend's life; the mention of Kate being in another accident had torn her apart and she couldn't just stay in New York and wait for news.

He then called Gates and she was to meet with detectives Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan, Kate's other partners, to inform them of the situation while he called home. Her mother had offered to fly all the way here to support him but he had refused, stating that she had to be there for his daughter Alexis.

His daughter had been distressed at the news of Kate being involved into another accident but she promised to stay put and made Castle promised in return to call as often as possible with updates.

Castle had just gotten a text from Lanie telling him she had boarded the plane when Meredith came in and purposefully walked up to him. "Mister Castle? Hi, I'm Dr Meredith Grey."

He typed back 'doctor's here' and shoved the phone in his coat pocket to meet her, recognizing her from when they had arrived at the hospital. "How is she?"

"Come on, Mr. Castle, let's sit." Meredith gestured for him to take a seat as well and she could tell that the man was barely hanging on by a thread. "She's okay, surgery was a success."

Castle released a breath he didn't know he was holding and felt his eyes tear up at the news he had been praying for. "Good. God, that's...thank you. She's going to be okay? How extensive are her injuries?"

Meredith glanced down at the chart she was holding before meeting back the writer's anxious ones. "Katherine's left scapula is broken, she's got two fractured rib on the right side and three on the left. They probably broke since the cartilage holding them is still a little weak from when she had surgery the last time."

"There was minimal internal bleeding and it was probably due by receiving the other man's knee or hand in her side when they fell so we took care of that. Her pelvis is bruised and yes, bones can bruise. Thankfully it didn't crack or got displaced, and neither did her hips so she's just going to be sore for a while. Um, Doctor Sloan took care of the lacerations on her ankle, thighs and hips. He's the best cosmetic surgeon there is and he said the scars would practically become invisible with time. Her left wrist is broken as well but the fracture was clean so we put it in a cast and it'll be fine."

"Oh," Meredith smiled at Castle, keeping this bit of news for the end so he had something positive to hang on to. "She has a hairline fracture above the occipital lobe but there isn't any swelling in the brain so far, which is really good. We'll still have to watch her closely for the next forty-eight hours, but that's about it. Now, we had to intubate her before going into surgery because of her collapsed lung but she should be able to get off the ventilator in a few hours, once her lungs are strong enough to breathe on their own. "

Castle stared hard into the doctor's blue eyes, and didn't know if he should hug her or kiss her. Settling for the first one, he leaned in and wrapped her tightly in his arms, grateful for Kate's luck and her doctors' kindness. "Thank you."

Meredith smiled and glanced down curiously when she felt an incessant vibration coming from the man's jacket pocket. Castle smiled sheepishly and pulled out his phone to find twenty-three text messages from Lanie. "That's her best friend. I'm not sure what to tell her."

"Well, my advice would be to keep it simple. She's okay, fractured scapula and ribs, cuts. Extremely lucky to be alive and to not being more severely injured," Meredith told him and stood up as her pager went off. "We'll come and take you to your girlfriend as soon as she's out of recovery, okay?"

"Oh, um, she's not my girlfriend," Castle corrected her but Meredith saw the desire in his eyes. She grinned apologetically and checked her pager as she juggled with her other charts, but Castle's voice made her stop a few feet short of the door. "Dr. Grey?"

"Yes?"

"It's Kate. If you want to be on her good side, call her Kate, not Katherine, or especially not Ms Beckett. And believe me, you don't want to be on the receiving end of her pig headed temper."

Meredith made a note on the chart and smiled gently. "Okay, got it."

The phone vibrating once again, startling Castle. Meredith was gone and he was left alone once more, but waiting a while longer wasn't as agonizing as much anymore. Because she was okay. She was alive. Glancing down at the phone, Castle took a deep breath and answered. "Esposito, hey man."

Cristina, Alex, Lexi and Jackson were already seated and eating in the hospital cafeteria when Meredith joined them several minutes later. "Hey, you started without me."

"Stop smooching your husband in the radiology department and you'll be on time next time." Alex smirked and expertly avoided Cristina's hand when she tried to smack him on the back of the head.

"Shut up, Alex, I was with Richard Castle." Meredith slumped on a chair and stole Cristina's sandwich, and took a huge bite of it before her friend could grab it back.

"Ooh, I love his books!" Lexi exclaimed excitedly, but one stern glare from her half-sister calmed her down. "How is he? I can't believe that he and the detective that inspired his Heat novels are here in this hospital."

Cristina nodded and held her hand over Meredith's face and stared until the blonde rolled her eyes and gave her back her sandwich, although it was more than a few pieces of crusts now. "He's got some nerves, that's for sure," she said as she dropped the bread in her tray.

"How come?" Jackson asked curiously as the tall, tanned resident with a shaved head leaned on the table to hear about their VIP patient. The fifth year residents exchanged a look and glanced at their friends and colleagues, silently determining who would have the honor to talk first.

"He nearly bit Bailey's head off when she asked him to move on the tarmac. He was like 'you're the one who has to save her so why the hell aren't you moving yet?' And then he stood up to her when she refused to let him stay in the room." Cristina said with a smirk, poorly imitating Castle's voice.

Alex scoffed and nodded in appreciation as he took a sip of his soda. "Dude's got balls."

"He's actually really nice. I mean it's obvious that they're more than just partners even if he denies it, but he really was upset by his friend's accident," Meredith pointed out, and Lexi waved her hand frantically in front of her as if it could help her swallow faster.

"They aren't together? Really?"

"Nope. He corrected me when I mentioned Detective Beckett being his girlfriend."

Lexi was shocked as she looked between her female friends and colleagues. "But it is so obvious he's in love with her, I mean his Heat series? That is one heck of a love letter. And that sex scene..."

Meredith and Cristina echoed Lexi's moan and all three blushed, their eyes suddenly averting their male counterparts. "What?" Jackson choked on his salad, his baby blue eyes bulging as he stared to his girlfriend. "Lexi?"

Pagers beeped all around and all three girls jumped on their feet, saved by the bell. "I need to go check on Detective Beckett."

Cristina grabbed Alex's bottle of water and smirked, running after Meredith. "I'm coming with you!"

Lexi looked like a deer caught in headlights, her eyes wide and unblinking as she searched for an excuse. "I'll, um, I need to...um... go over there."

Jackson watched his girlfriend leave, a pensive frown on his face. "Do you think that..."

"Dude, don't."

"But-"

"Sex scenes in books are for chicks, okay? I mean, seriously, what kind of name is Rook anyway? Just forget about it." Alex mumbled and cursed when his pager beeped as well. "Damn."

"What?"

Alex shoved his pager in his pocket and pushed his chair to stand up. "Dude who almost killed the cop's crashing again."

The resident was almost out of the cafeteria when Jackson realized what Alex had said. "Karev! How do you know his name if you didn't read the books?"

Alex Karev only turned around and fell into a jog through the surgery wing to go and find his patient, a smirk on his face.

Two hours later, Beckett had finally been transferred to ICU and Castle was sitting by her side, his hand intertwined with Kate's. He noted with great relief that she didn't look as bad as he had feared; not that she could ever look bad, that would be impossible. But her face was thankfully unmarred saved from some bruising on her forehead and cheek, and if it weren't for her unusually pale features and the breathing mask covering part of her face, Castle almost could've believed she was sleeping peacefully. Almost.

The battery of machines surrounding her bed betrayed the woman's medical condition. The heartbeat monitor and breathing machine were creating a soft but artificial sense of peace for Castle, as every beeping and hissing sound were reminding him that she was alive.

Castle was concerned about how Kate would react once she woke up and realized that she would be in for another undetermined stay in the hospital, and would most likely have to go through another round of physical therapy. The writer was mostly worried though about how she'd react once it dawned on her that she'd have a whole other set of scars to deal with. Even if he had been told they'd most likely fade completely over time, Castle was worried the repercussions they would have on Kate.

His eyes kept going from her face to the rest of her body and he could only imagined the beating her body had taken for the second time in less than six months, the sheets covering her bruised limbs and bandages keeping him from seeing anything. The only hint he had regarding the violence of her fall was the massive bruise and swelling covering her shoulders. They couldn't move her around too much because of her broken scapula so they hadn't tied her hospital gown in her back, instead letting it rest just above her chest and leaving her shoulders uncovered.

She would undoubtedly be embarrassed about it when she woke up but Castle didn't care. He'd be there to take the heat, because that's what he did. He wouldn't leave her alone this time, even if she was to tell him the same cowardly excuse about needing time. She was in for a hell of a fight if she thought he'd leave again.

A pressure on Kate's back brought her back to consciousness an hour later. The pressure quickly became unbearable as the burning sensation spread to her whole body and she gasped painfully, her back arching from the bed. The move only aggravated the pressure on her broken scapula and a low groan escaped her lips just as she felt hands on her. Her eyes snapped open but everything was blurry, and it took her a moment before discerning the voice. Castle? "Ugh."

Meredith and Derek were in the hallway talking when they heard the monitors' warning alarms coming from the detective room, and Richard Castle's anxious voice attempting to calm down his friend. Both quickly jogged the ten feet separating them from the patient and walked in as Castle was doing his best to calm his partner down. "What's going on?"

"She just woke up and she won't stay still." Castle didn't take a look at who entered the room, his eyes only leaving Kate's face a second when he recognized the second voice. "Dr. Grey."

"Mister Castle." The woman greeted him as she moved next to him and put a soft but firm hand over Kate's thigh to prevent her from lifting it further. "Hi Kate, I'm Dr. Grey. I'm sorry you're in a lot of pain right now but we're going to take care of that, okay?"

She smiled warmly when clouded sienna eyes were staring back at her and she moved her hand to adjust the breathing mask over the detective's face. "Dr. Shepherd here is going to give you something to make you feel better, but while he does that try to keep still and not move your legs, okay? Just lie down, relax and try to keep as still as you can." The speech was standard protocol and, if it usually helped calming down the patients, the challenging glare Meredith got from Kate made her revise her future choice of words. A glance at her husband and she knew that Derek had thought the same thing. From the looks of it there was much more Kate Beckett in Castle's Nikki Heat character than they could've ever guessed.

Kate's features relaxed as the painkillers ran into her bloodstream, her limbs stilling except for her right hand that was still clutched tightly in Castle's hand. Her eyes were still dazed and glassy but she could focus somewhat more clearly on the other occupants of the room. "Is it better?"

The detective's weak nod relieved Castle, who sighed deeply and leaned down to softly pressed his lips on her forehead. "Thank you." He whispered to the doctors when he looked at them. Castle glanced between Meredith and the other doctor curiously, noticing immediately that there was something special about them. "Oh," Meredith caught on and she walked back to Derek as she spoke, "Mister Castle, this is Derek Shepherd. He's the head of neurology here."

"Neuro?" They all turned to the sound of the muffled voice that came from the bed. Kate's eyes were heavy and breathing seemed difficult for her but she was still awake and she was staring straight at Derek. "Yes. But no worries, my being here has nothing to do with your condition. Your brain is perfectly fine."

Kate closed her eyes and, after some effort from her part, reopened them and squeezed Castle's hand. "He...must be...here for...you...then." She croaked and there was the tiniest hint of a smirk on her lips when Castle laughed and squeezed her hand back. "Keep talking like this, detective, and I'll leave you alone with them and their poking around."

It was Meredith's turn to smirk when Castle winced, having seen Kate's fingers pinched Rick's hand, but she hid it by turning her head and writing down the patient's latest vitals on the chart. "Do not even think I haven't seen you." Castle teased her when she looked back at them.

Derek grinned in amusement as he stepped closer to them, taking it out a thing flashlight out of his front pocket as he did so. "Not that I want to hold him to his threat but now that you are awake, it unfortunately really is time to ask you to step aside a few minutes while we check Katherine and have a nurse come in to change her bandages."

"It's Kate, by the way."

Derek shot Meredith a curious look but she only shrugged. "She prefers Kate, not Katherine. Am I right?" She asked the woman in question and grinned when she received a surprised but affirmative nod. "And I'll do the bandages. The nurses are prying enough as it is, no need to have them here snooping around more than they have to."

"Very well then. Kate, it will only be for a few moments and we'll let Mister Castle here as soon as we're done."

Castle didn't want to leave and, judging by the panicked look on Beckett's face, she didn't want him to go either. The writer was somewhat shocked that Kate wanted him there and he had to admit that he was more than pleasantly surprised. "Do you want me to stay?" Kate's rasped 'yes' was all he needed and he looked up expectantly at Meredith, who was staring back at them uncertainly. "Um."

"I promise that I will in no way be in your way or comment on your work nor will I try to look at something I'm not authorized to. Oww!"

"Just...shut it, Rick." Kate whispered. She would have rolled her eyes if they had been open but it was already taking her everything just to remain awake, so she settled for pinching the man's hand again.

"She's feisty." Derek mouthed to Castle with a chuckle before turning over to Kate, who was openly glaring at him. It didn't have the expected effect considering she was heavily sedated and clutching her partner's hand as if it was her only life line, but Derek got the message nonetheless. "Fine, you can stay but if Bailey finds you here, I had nothing to do with it."

Forty-five minutes later, Meredith was finally done and was carefully finishing wrapping Kate's thigh with sterile gauze when her pager vibrated against her hip. She lifted her scrub shirt to see from who it was and smiled when she saw it was from Derek. "Your husband?"

Meredith's head snapped up at the quiet comment from Castle. The writer had been silent ever since Kate had fallen asleep after getting another dose of morphine to help with the pain. Castle was sitting near Kate's head and had one hand stroking delicately her arm while the other rested close to her head, his features pale after witnessing firsthand the exact damages the detective's body suffered. "Yes."

"Dr. Shepherd?"

"Were we that obvious?" Meredith asked, her face suddenly serious and concerned. "I am so sorry if we did anything that made-"

"Dr. Grey-"

"Please, call me Meredith." She smiled easily, amazed at how down to earth the famous novelist was. He was the complete opposite of what she had heard about him, and she wondered if his encounter with the NYPD detective had something to do with it.

Castle echoed her smile but his was strained and made only for her benefit. "Fine then, Meredith. You didn't do anything wrong, I just noticed the way you guys shared looks and how you moved around each other. Plus, matching wedding bands."

"Oh right, of course. Okay, well I'll go for now but I'll be back in a few hours to check on her. Is there anyone you need to call, or somewhere to be? We'll take good care of her in your absence."

Castle shook his head vehemently, and the look he got in her eyes told Meredith there would be no way to make him leave the hospital anytime soon. "Lanie, her best friend I told you about, she should be here soon. Once she gets here I'll go to our hotel to grab some things. It's not that I don't trust you, I mean you're already far better than her doctor from last time, but I'm not leaving her. No this time."

Meredith had the feeling there was much more to the story, but she didn't want to impose and she had other patients to see, so she acquiesced and reminded him about coming back soon, and to ask for Lexi or Cristina if he needed anything.

Castle shifted his eyes back to Kate once the doctor was gone, and exhaled a shaky breath. He was already weighing different options for when his partner would be released from the hospital, even though it wouldn't likely happen for at least several days. Plans were formed in his mind as he watched her sleep, eager yet dreading for when she would wake up again.

Thoughts? Comments? R&R!