Orange
By Alasse Fefalas
"Here you go, Kate," Castle said, offering her a glass of iced orange juice as he sat down beside her on the bed. "Richard Castle's special hand-squeezed orange juice. I had to mutilate about 4 oranges just to get this much juice."
Beckett grunted as she struggled to pull herself up the bed into a sitting position. Taking the cold cup, she smiled gratefully at him. "Maybe I should have drank more so I wouldn't have come down with this flu," she sniffed. Her nose was red, as were her cheeks and neck, and her eyes were slightly puffy.
"Well, it IS the flu season and half the precinct is down with it. I'm surprised you didn't catch it sooner," Castle said, taking the empty glass from her and putting it on her bedside table.
"I only got it when Ryan accidentally sneezed at me. I haven't had time to get a flu shot this year because of all the cases coming in," Beckett said, massaging her head slightly. Glancing at Castle, she added, "And whenever I'm free, I'm usually with you."
"Oh so you're blaming me now, are you?" Castle laughed as his hands started making slow circles on her shoulders, loosening the tight muscles underneath the warm skin.
"Oh, so you did get the hint," Beckett chuckled. A soft moan escaped her lips when Castle's hands rubbed a particularly tight knot in her back.
"I did invite you to get a shot with Alexis and I but you were the one who opted to stay late to try and finish the case," Castle reminded her.
"Yeah, wasn't a very smart move, was it?" Beckett frowned.
A series of coughs left Beckett heaving for air as Castle rubbed his hands up and down her back, making soothing sounds. Pushing back the covers, he gently guided her back under the sheets. Noticing she was shivering slightly, he placed his hand on her forehead to estimate her body temperature.
"You're still running a fever," Castle frowned. Standing, he opened a drawer, grabbed a towel and went to the bathroom to dampen it. Walking back to the room, he gingerly placed the folded towel on her head. "Feeling better?"
"Not really," Beckett laughed quietly. "But having you here makes it a lot better."
"Well, that's a relief!" Castle joked. "I'll make you some more orange juice in the morning. Boost your immunity a little bit more." Walking around the bed, he climbed under the sheets and beside the brunette.
"Wait, you're not sleeping here on my bed... are you?" Beckett asked, alarmed. "You're going to get infected!"
"Don't worry! I got a shot remember?" Castle said confidently, scooting closer to her.
"Doesn't mean you won't ever get it. It only reduces your chances of getting an infection, Rick," Beckett said, shaking her head slightly.
"I know," Castle said seriously. "I'm not leaving you here alone while you're sick."
Sighing, Beckett smiled softly. "Thank you, Rick, for being here."
"Always."
A/N: And there it was, the second installment in this series of one-shots! A little short, but I hope you still enjoyed it. Thank you so much to those who reviewed/followed/favourited! School's starting soon so I may not have much time to write but I promise to finish all seven one shots! Until the next chapter, then. Reviews are much appreciated! Thanks for reading!