Esposito was the first one up and after rolling out of the warm bed occupied by Lanie he wandered into the living room where Rosie was curled up under a blanket on the couch. He bypassed her going into the kitchen he picked up the phone and called Ryan.

"Ryan" He could tell by his partners voice that Ryan was still asleep.

"Hey Man, Do you feel like having breakfast with Rosie, Lanie and me? We need to talk"

"Does breakfast include pancakes?" Esposito rolled his eyes he sounded like Rosie.

"Yes Rosie bullied them out of me"

"I'll be over" Esposito hung up then went to the couch to wake up Rosie.

Lanie was still asleep when the bouncing on the bed woke her up. She opened her eyes and Rosie grinned at her.

"Hey, You've got to get up Javier is making his famous pancakes" Lanie smiled at her and sat up in the massive bed.

"Here I will help you into the wheel chair" Rosie offered standing and pushing it close.

Lanie gave her a grateful smile and slid into the chair as they headed for the door Rosie spoke and even though she was behind Lanie she could hear the smile.

"So, Did you sleep well last night?"

Esposito had just served Lanie her first plate of pancakes and Rosie was well into hers when the doorbell rang. He didn't turn from the stove just yelled.

"It's open"

Ryan came in and Rosie smiled jumping to her feet.

"Ryan" She went around the table and he smiled opening his arms for a hug carfeul with his right arm which was still in a sling.

"Rosie Posie, What are you going here?" She gave him a tight hug and then pulled away with a worried look.

"What happened?" Ryan glanced at his arm.

"Oh, It's nothing really. I am fine just hurt in the same explosion as Lanie" Rosie backed away and glanced at Lanie briefly with a bright smile.

"Come on, Javier is making pancakes" She went back to her seat and Ryan sat down.

"Yeah he invited me over" Esposito set a plate down in front of Ryan and gave Rosie a pointed look and smile.

"I had a reason actually I need to run something by you" He told Ryan. Ryan shoveled in a mouthful of pancakes and Lanie didn't blame him. They were every bit as good as Rosie said they were.

"Rosie came over last night. About got her head blown off but she had a good idea" Esposito sat down beside Lanie with his own plate and Ryan grinned at Rosie.

"Our Rosie had a good idea? Nah" He teased.

"Yeah, Why did the building blow up?" Esposito paused in his eating and looked at Ryan when he asked.

"Because there was a bomb" Ryan replied.

"Yeah but why? The body was dumped no identification why go to the trouble?"

"Maybe the body was there for a reason. Maybe the bomb wasn't for the body" Ryan offered and Esposito nodded.

"We got to see Beckett" They said in unison then they stood.

"Lanie, I'll be back Rosie can stay with you" Esposito said going around the table to the door Ryan walked around to give Rosie a quick hug.

"I'll see you at the movies this weekend" He promised as they both breezed out of the apartment.

Rosie shook her head as the door closed then when back to her pancakes.

"Does this happen often?" Lanie asked and Rosie shrugged.

"Yeah, Usually"

They ate in a comfortable silence until Lanie spoke.

"Why do you call Ryan by his last name? You guys seem so close I just found that odd"

"Oh well, I suppose it's because that's what Javier calls him so it's just normal I never really called him anything else. At first it was because he was older and a cop but now I'm used to it, why do you call Javier by his last name?"

"Well, Because we're only friends after all and I guess I'm used to it from work"

"Yeah but you're not at work now. You're in his bed" Rosie grinned and winked she looked at Espositos plate of pancakes then shrugged and took it and began eating his as well.

Ryan was sitting on the edge of Becketts desk Esposito was standing beside him. Castle was sitting in his usual chair.

"So who do you think the bomb was intended for?" Kate asked and the other two men shrugged.

"I don't know but did the I.D. come in on the victim yet?" Esposito asked and Kate reached across her desk for a file as she spoke.

"No, Not yet. We released his picture to the press see if we get any hits he wasn't in the missing person data so he can't have been dead long" She was looking in the file as she spoke.

"Maybe the killer stole illegal fireworks and needed rid of them so he used them to blow up the body" Castle spoke up and the other three gave him disbelieving looks.

"Alright, I'll look into other bodies that have been found unidentified and the overkill see if anything pops. Ryan you're due back tomorrow don't forget" Ryan nodded and stood. Esposito turned to Kate as he spoke.

"Hey, Just keep Lanie and Me in the loop" They turned to leave when Kate called to him.

"Esposito?" He turned around and Ryan went to wait by the elevator.

"Yes?"

"How is Lanie?"

"She's fine. I think she's a bit shaken up still about what happened"

"How are you doing? Are you taking care of yourself?" He looked at her and she could tell he wasn't she shook her head.

"Lanie wouldn't want you to get sick because you weren't taking care of yourself. I know she needs help and you want to help her. Everyone see how you look at her and it's no wonder why but you need to take care of yourself too" He nodded but didn't say anything.

"Is that all?" He asked and Kate smiled.

"Can't wait to get back to her huh?" He smiled too and she laughed motioning for him to leave.

They hadn't been gone long when Castle spoke.

"You're very observant detective" She was reading a file and pretending not to be interested.

"Why is that Castle?"

"Because you notice the way Esposito look at Lanie" Kate smirked and stood walking towards the file cabinet.

"Castle everyone notices that" She opened a drawer and he came over to lean against it beside her.

"Really? So tell me something. How is it that you notice they way he looks at her...but not the way I look at you"

She felt heat rush to her cheeks and she shut the drawer a little harder then was necessary she opened another one and pulled out a file flipping it open and staring at it she cleared her throat and spoke.

"How exactly do you think you look at me?"

"The same way Esposito looks at Lanie. You decide" She looked at him and he gave her one of his gorgeous smiles.

"Well, I didn't say he looked at her in any special way" She lied and turned taking the file with her. Castle caught her arm pulling her back.

"Come on Kate. You know what I'm talking about" She pulled her arm loose not at all liking the look in his eyes and she walked back to her desk leaving him over by the cabinet.

"Well there's that plane into the mountain call off the search no survivors" He mumbled to himself before following her.

Ryan headed for his apartment and Esposito waved as he turned off and headed for his. He had to smile at how much faster he walked home now that she was there. He had to use his key to get in and he was glad that Rosie was smart enough to lock the door after he left.

Rosie was sitting at the table and Lanie was sitting there as well they were laughing at something and smiled at him when he came in.

"Hey Big Brother, I was just telling Lanie here that this weekend after the movie Mom wants you guys to come for dinner. I was thinking maybe you could crash at the house...like old times?"

"We'll see Rosie" Esposito promised.

"Well, I'm going to get going I'll see you this weekend Lanie" She smiled and waved Esposito walked her to the door.

"Bye Javier" She gave him a hug.

"Bye Rosie. I'll call you and let you know what's going on this weekend. Don't take the subway home or a bus alright? Promise me you'll get a cab" She rolled her eyes but smiled and nodded.

After making sure his door was locked he took a deep breath and walked back into the kitchen Lanie smiled at him.

"Hey, I was wondering if maybe you could help me with something?" She was talking quieter then usual and he nodded.

"Anything Lanie"

"I would really like to take a long bath. Soak a little in the tub"

He was floored. Heat rushed from his head to his toes and he stared. Surely she didn't want him to help her into the bathtub.

"I just need help getting in to the bathroom and getting towels is all" She quickly added and he relaxed slightly.

"Yeah, That I can do"

So he pushed her wheelchair into the bathroom started the water and got down towels all without letting his mind stray to far into the place it so desperately wanted to.

"Do you need anything else?" He asked and she smiled.

"No, Thank you" She reached for her sock and he watched from the door way a little before going around to the front of the wheel chair with a sigh.

"Lane, Let me help you" He knelt in front of her shaking his head.

"I can get ir really" She tried but let him take off her socks.

"You're here so I can take care of you. Let me do it" He insisted.

He removed her socks and knee brace then put her leg down and decided to stop while he still could.

"I'll just be in the living room if you need me" He went to stand but got only to his knees before she stopped him with a hand on his arm.

"Esposito, I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I'd be lost without you"

He didn't move and she smiled a little her hand slid from his forearm up his arm to his shoulder. He froze for just a second and then he did it, He leaned forward and kissed her. She didn't move at first it happened too fast and she didn't have time to react. He framed her face with his hands and kissed her gently. After a second she moved her other hand sliding up his chest, He started to pull away and she followed him keeping contact as long as she he leaned closer to her she made a little noise and he forced his lips against hers a little harder.

The phone rang. Loud and shrill from the kitchen and he froze a second before pulling away, He pulled back and looked at her before clearing his throat and standing.

"Lanie...I...I'm sorry I don't know what came over me" He shook his head and she lost her smile before shrugging.

"it's ok, Don't worry about it" She looked away and he moved around her towards the door.

He closed the door and she sat there a second she touched her fingers to her lips and looked at the tub with a sigh she suddenly didn't feel like a bath.

He pulled the phone off the hook and answered with a frustrated sigh.

"Esposito""

"Hello, Mr. Esposito this is Dr. Millers office calling to see how you were feeling"

"Oh, Uhm, I'm doing fine"

"Any pain or numbness?"

"No, Nothing. Look I really can't talk right now"

"Well, Is your medicine working?"

He didn't say anything and there was a pause on the end of the line before the woman spoke again.

"Mr. Esposito are you taking your medicine?"

"Yeah, It works wonders. I really go to go"

"Alright we just wanted to make your follow up we realize you came in the other day but you should only need one more look over"

"That won't be necessary"

"Suit yourself. Have a nice day sir" He hung up and prayed Lanie hadn't heard his phone conversation. The last thing he needed right now was he pitying him.

When she at last came out of the bathroom she wouldn't look directly at him and his heart sunk. She must think he was some kind of animal but now. He wondered how she got dressed and back into her wheel chair herself then decided that was probably what took her so long.

"Would it be alright if I used the phone?" She asked like she was afraid of him and he felt lower then dirt.

"Of course you can. You know you're welcome to whatever you want. Lanie...I'm sorry I don't want things to be weird"

She gave him a small smile and looked away. He went to retrieve the hand held phone for her and when he handed it to her she spoke.

" I know. I'm sorry, I don't want things to be weird either" She took the phone and he sat down on the couch.

"May I ask who you're calling?" She smiled.

"Kate, I got to tell her something" He got a sick feeling it was him she wanted to talk about and he smiled.

"I'll just step out for my mail and give you some privacy" He smiled and stood leaving as quickly as he could and she dialed Kates number.

Kate answered on the second ring.

"Beckett" Lanie didn't hesitate.

"Kate, He kissed me"

"Lanie?"

"Of course it's me who else would be calling you"

"So, He kissed you and?"

"It was...amazing" Kate laughed on the other end.

"See, I told you he likes you"

"Yeah but now he's acting odd. He said he doesn't want things to be weird and we should go back to normal I don't know if I can"

"Men are complicated, Look at Castle. Just hang in there Lanie"

"Yeah uhm Kate..."

"Yeah?"

"He called me Lane. I know it's not a big deal but I liked it and nobody ever called me anything but Lanie or Dr. Parish before"

She sounded stupid and she knew it like a high-school girl with her first crush but that was how he made her feel.

"Well , Tell him give him a hint Lanie. Let him in. Look I got to go but I'll call you later on I promise"

"Alright, Thanks for listening"

"No problem. You listen to me vent about Castle all the time" Kate hung up and so did Lanie just as the door opened.

Esposito smiled at her as he came in and set the mail on the counter.

"Did you talk to Kate?"

"Yes, Thank you"

"Is there anything you want or need before I start dinner?" She smiled and took a chance.

"Yeah, You can call me Lane from now on if you want too. I liked it"