The Death (TDPOV)
I had been watching Katherine for quite sometime, since I went to pick up her mother. The poor woman, was so desperate to go back to the living world, but couldn't and sadly I couldn't help her either. Before I delivered her soul, she asked me to watch her Katie, look who she asked, to the death herself; she probably wasn't feeling great of the head, am I right?
The poor Katie, or Katherine, as I preferred to call her, became suicidal after her mother's death. The poor girl, that I watched became a woman, dealt with her mother's death the best way she could: drugs, sex, successes and cutting herself.
If I prayed, I would have prayed for her soul, but sadly I didn't.
I couldn't count with the fingers from my both hands of how many times I was almost sent to pick up her soul, the girl appeared that couldn't be happy until she killed herself doing dangerous stuff.
I couldn't tell you how many times that I watched her bleed from her words, I have to confess now that I found it so beautiful, the way her skin would appear when she cut it, the way the blood would drip, and the way the blood would drain between her fingers. So many times I almost had to get her because she let herself bleed too much but the destiny, or some kind of force, would make the bleed stop.
I didn't know when or why or even how, but some time in the middle of those 18 years that I had been watching her, I started loving her, loving her so much.
When sometimes she would pass out from the blood loss, I would stood there, divided between wanting to pick up her soul so I could tell how much I loved her and hold her for a few seconds or minutes; or wanting her to live, and keep watching her for a few more years without telling her how much I loved her.
That time, was the first word in 8 years. I missed seeing the blood dripping from her word and her fingers. I stood there above her, looking at the pretty pale face, I envied her so much. How could she be so pretty and so broken at the same time? I was afraid of touching her, her soul was almost leaving her beautiful body,and leaving a beautiful corpse behind.
I could feel her almost with me. Her lips so purple, so perfect; her hair, spread around her head like a black crown. Her words standing out on her pale skin and the newest word, end, so beautiful, so red, sitting on her hipbone. Sadly, it wasn't bleeding anymore since Katherine was incapable to keep carving it. I was almost giving up on resisting the temptation of touching her but someone got her before me.
Richard Castle (RCPOV)
When Kate said that was her fiancé calling my heart sank; they have been fighting a lot in the last months, something that she once confessed me that didn't used to happen. I felt bad for her, the engagement of a year crumbling down in front of her eyes without a good reason. But Kate never appeared sorry about it, in the rare moments where she would tell me about it, her eyes would shine, like the end of her engagement was an accomplishment of some kind.
In the last 3 months I had probably fell in love with her, but at that time I wasn't sure. The character based on her had almost a complete book of the many that were to come; but I still hadn't told her about it.
When she left, I sat there staring on the other side of the booth; like it could bring her back. Her scent, cherry or something like that; was still on the air; indicating that, indeed, she was sitting there a few minutes ago.
I waited one hour and half to call Kate to make sure that everything was okay; I called many times without success. I started to get worried, Kate always answered her phone. Maybe she was having make-up sex, I thought, but I couldn't believe Peter could last that long; because if he did, I couldn't compete with him, not that if they were together I would try to compete.
After calling 30 min non-stop I was getting extremely worried, trying to find a solution to discover if she was alright I remembered that she had a best friend called Lanie Parish who worked as a medical examiner. I called the morgue of the city trying my lucky; I didn't know if they could give me information or anything but appeared that I was lucky, Lanie Parish herself was on call and I was fast transferred to her "office":
"Doctor Parish, who am I speaking with?"
"Hi, I am Richard Castle. I am Katherine Beckett's friend."
"Oh… I know about you! So, why are you calling me?"
"I am worried about her, we were drinking when Peter called; they fought over the phone, Kate said she was going home and they were going to talk, that was 2 hours ago."
"Maybe they are doing make-up sex."
"Look, as a man, it is impossible for him to last more that long."
"Maybe they are sleeping."
"Lanie, we both know that if that was the case, she would have woken up with the phone."
"Sadly, you are right. Meet me in her apartment in 15 minutes, I have her key."
"Hum… I have never been there, text me the address?"
"Sure. See you there."
"See you."
Lanie Parish (LPPOV)
When Richard said she hasn't been answering her phone, I knew it. Plus the information that she fought with Peter just confirmed my worst fear, she had cut herself again; I really hoped that Kate wouldn't go at that path again because the first time was hard to save her and maybe, the second time would be impossible.
I raced to her apartment, almost afraid of what I would find. When I got there, Richard was already at the lobby, waiting for me to give the clear to the doorman to let him in.
"Hi Richard, nice to meet you." I said handing him my hand to a handshake.
"Hi Lanie, call me Rick, please. And nice to meet you too." He said giving me a handshake.
"Okay Rick, let's go check on our girl."
"Yeah." He nodded with a serious expression, oh boy, my friend Kate had obviously a new admire.
I opened the door and couldn't hear a sound in the apartment; also I didn't find any sign of struggle.
"I will look in the bedroom, maybe she isn't with her clothes on." I said to Rick while I walked towards the bedroom.
"Okay, if you need help just call me. I will look around here."
"Sure."
When I entered the bedroom I still didn't hear a thing, Kate wasn't in her bed, I walked in the closed and found nothing, and I kept walking. When I arrived at the bathroom, Kate was there lying naked in the pool of her own blood, the blade, her fucking favorite blade that I tried so many times to throw away, was lying by her side. I didn't know for how long she had been there. She looked so pale, with her lips so purple. She looked one of the many cadavers that passed through my table every day.
"Did you find her? I didn't find her anywhere here." I heard Rick says from the kitchen, snapping me from the shock of seeing my best friend, again, like that. I crouched by her side and felt her pulse, it was there but weak.
"Rick, call an ambulance! Fast!" I screamed from the bathroom.
"Wha-what? Why?"
"Just call Rick, fast!"
"Okay, okay."
While he called I went to Kate's closet and took one of hers silk robes, a bra and panty. Using all my strength, and being careful, I started putting the bra, panty and robe on her. It all would be soaked in blood when I finished but at least she would be dressed.
My clothes were starting to also get soaked in blood, but I didn't care, my eyes were trained on the task on my hands, to dress Kate.
I could hear somewhere Rick talking to somebody, when I was finishing putting Kate's panty I saw it, the new word that she engraved on herself. End. Of what? Her life? I never thought Peter meant that much for her to kill herself, and if she wanted to kill herself she knew better ways. Probably she just got lost in the "joy" from the cutting and forgot to remember that she was also in fact, a human.
"Hey Lanie, they are here. Let them do their job." Rick said pulling me out of my thoughts after I had finished dressing her.
"Yeah, of course, sure." I said getting up with Rick's help.
I saw the paramedics carry Kate away. When I was leaving the apartment with the paramedics I remembered that she would need her documents so I took my purse and hers.
"You can follow us to the hospital if you want Rick." I said looking at Rick's worried face.
"But I didn't come with my car."
"Here, take mine. It is parked just outside the building. The black Mercedes."
"Okay."
In the ambulance they started the blood transfusion and cleaned the cut, the bleeding had stopped quite some time. The time passed slowly and fast at the same time, the tears threatened to fall but I held them inside.
In the hospital I gave Kate's information and insurance number; they asked me to wait in the waiting room while they organized Kate.
"Hey Rick." I said when I entered the waiting room to find the Richard Castle on verge of crying. I would probably never get used to him being Kate's personal friend.
"Wh-What happened Lanie? I don't understand. I was with her a few hours ago and now she tried to kill herself?"
"She didn't try to kill herself." I said with a tired smile and sure of me, I had seen that scene a few times in the almost twenty years Kate and I were friends.
"Yes, she did. She was on her own pool of blood and had a blade by her side."
"I can't tell you Rick; let's leave to Kate to tell you what happened when she wakes up. The bleed came from something you couldn't see because of the robe."
"What was underneath it?"
"I can't tell you, sorry. If you want, you can go home; I will wait Kate wake up."
"No, I can wait. Shouldn't we call her father?"
"Hum… better not."
"Are you sure?" He said worried.
"Yeah, I am pretty sure." Jim here was the last thing Kate needed.
We waited for one hour, Rick never left my side, and the poor man really liked Kate and was genuine sorry; after some time our silence became uncomfortable. Rick was the first to say something.
"So, did you think they broke up?"
"Yeah, she doesn't have a ring on her finger."
"Did you think Peter did whatever is that happened to her that you don't want to tell me?"
"No, I am sure that what happened to her wasn't Peter." I said angry. I was divided between being worried about Kate and being angry. She knew that once she did it again, she couldn't stop. We had been on that road before, so why she would do something like that?
"Okay" He said almost like he didn't believe my answer.
We waited the rest of the time in our uncomfortable silence; we knew that whatever word we spoke could break the content mood which had fallen upon on us. When the doctor showed us the way to Kate's room I found myself playing nervously with my nails while at the corner of my eyes I could see Rick playing nervously with his watch.
At the room, Kate laid there pale, with her lips a shade of purple.
"Katherine should wake up soon." The doctor informed us before leaving.
I sat at the chair by the side of the bed and took Kate's hands between mine; still a bit cold but soon she would be warm again, I hoped. Rick stood at the door, looking at Kate like she was a ghost. When is the first time that you see Kate, a strong, smart, successful and independent woman on that state, in a hospital bed appearing so weak, it is shocking. You ask yourself: "how could someone so strong appear so weak?" and Rick was probably asking himself that question trying to wrap his mind around what was in front of his eyes and they way he knew Kate.
I snapped from my thoughts when I felt Kate's had squeeze mine lightly, I looked at her and saw her eyelids shake, trying to open.
"Hey girl, you scared me." I said with a sad smile when she opened her eyes and looked at me.
"Hi." Kate said with a tired voice.
"Hello." Rick said waving his hand at her and coming closer.
"Castle? What are you doing here?" Kate said surprised by Castle's presence.
"I got worried about you; you didn't answer the phone, I thought something had happened to you. And clearly I was right, something happened."
"Who found me?" Kate asked worried since when she passed out she was naked.
"I found you dear, no need to worry about the boy seeing you lady bits. But we need to talk; I can't believe you would go on that path again, you know how hard last time for you to stop was."
"Lanie, isn't the right time to talk about it, you know." Kate said indicating Rick; he got the message and started coming up with an apology to leave.
"Hum... Kate, I have to go. It is late. Alexis has school tomorrow and everything. I will come to visit you tomorrow." He said and kissed Kate's cheek and mine and leaving.
"Now that he left, we can talk. Girl, why would you do something like that?" I said looking at Kate's eyes and with an angry voice for her to understand that I didn't like her attitude.
"I had to give Peter a proper goodbye. I was a bad girlfriend and fiancée for so long, the least I could do for him was to give something that he loved so much. You don't know, but he loved my words; he would pass the fingers throw it and whisper every word with such devotion." Kate whispered to me with her eyes shining from tears.
"Girl, if he loved or didn't love, it doesn't matter. You shouldn't have done it. When you do once, you can't stop."
"This time is only this one. I won't do again."
"Kate, you used to say that all the time."
"But this time is true; this was a goodbye to Peter. I don't even have any more space on my thorax. I am stronger now and smarter than I was at that time Lanie; I will go to the therapist three times at week just to be sure that I won't do it again."
"So why do it? If you knew the consequences, the troubles it would bring. Why do it Kate? And why did you let the bleed go on for so long? What if Castle didn't get worried?"
"I already said why I did it; I was saying a proper goodbye to Peter. I will go for help so I don't repeat it; don't worry Lanie. I am not naïve anymore. And I forgot how good I felt and lost control of myself, which was why I let the bleed go on for so long. But like I said, don't worry, won't happen again. Tomorrow I will leave here, after my body produce the blood that he lost, schedule with my therapist the sessions and everything will be fine."
"Okay then, if you say so. What happened with Peter? I don't see your ring."
"Ahh Lanie, we had been fighting since I got out on the paper with Richard. The relationship has been hell; he was very possessive of me, and… I don't know. He wasn't the Peter that I fall in love. Today, he called me being an arrogant ass again and I couldn't deal with it anymore; so I ended it."
"I am glad that you ended with him; I never liked him."
"I am starting to think that I never loved him, you know, maybe I was creating this feeling trying to fool myself or something like that."
"I knew it! But let's talk tomorrow, rest. I will be here when you wake up."
"Okay, love you Lanie. Thank you for saving me again."
"Anytime darling, anytime"
I rested my back and my head at the back of the chair and closed my eyes. Soon, I drifted to the world of dreams with Kate.
I know that I tried something complete different with the death POV, I really hoped that you didn't hate it! I am a big fan of the book "The book thief" and I saw at this part an opportunity to use the idea of the book. Like I said at the chapter before, IF YOU FEEL THE NEED THE CUT OR HURT YOURSELF IN ANY WAY, PLEASE LOOK FOR HELP!
Any way, review if you can! I love hearing your opinion. If many of you don't like the idea of the death, I won't bring it again in the future.