Previously in our story
Setting her mind to the task at hand, she started to turn to leave when her gaze fell on her love (victim) once more. She bent down, pulling his left hand to her, eliciting a loud, pain filled moan from Castle as she moved his broken and torn arm. She wiggled his wedding ring off and dropped the hand to his side, ignoring the agony she was inflicting on him. Walking up the stairs, she stopped at the garbage can and dropped the ring in. Then, turning towards the door, she walked out, she needed time to think. She now had just one purpose in mind, to make Richard Castle a widower.
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The trip to Elizabeth McAgee's house had taken only about 20 minutes, but it seemed like days to Kate. She was silent throughout, only nodding on occasion to acknowledge instructions and reminders. As they made the final turn onto the quiet street, Captain Gates grabbed Beckett's full attention. "You're staying with me. We'll go in, but we go in together." She raised her hand to stop Kate's protest, "We don't know what we'll find in there. If this McAgee is as obsessed with Mr. Castle as we think she is, you'll be a prime target if she turns violent."
Beckett wanted to protest but had to admit that the Captain was correct. If McAgee was in love with Rick, she would see Kate as standing in her way.
The teams deployed to surround the house, then on the captain's signal, charged into the small house. Calls of "NYPD" and "Sheriff's Department" first rang out through the halls, followed by calls of "Clear!" as each room was entered.
A deputy called Captain Gates to one of the bedrooms, inside was the chair with restraints where Castle had spent his first night in the house. Kate fought back tears as she looked at the empty room, afraid to think how scared Rick must have been and where he might be now.
At the same time, Esposito and Ryan had discovered the basement door ajar with a light on downstairs. Slowly, the two partners descended the stairs until they got a good luck at the nightmare below.
"O my, God!" Ryan softly swore as Esposito screamed out, "Down here! He's down here!"
Beckett raced out of the bedroom and down the hall following the path of Esposito's cry. Getting to the open doorway she heard Ryan call on the radio, "We need EMT's in the basement, NOW!"
Flying down the stairs, Beckett saw her friends in a cage, bending over a man whose legs were the only part visible on him. The two friends parted as she came closer to let her get to her husband. Castle had been badly beaten, that much was certain. His left arm was bent at an awkward angle just above his wrist. His back, neck, shoulder and arm were shredded with what looked like deep, wide whip marks. The back of his head was also bleeding although his hair covered the source of the blood.
Crouching down, Kate tentatively extended a hand toward Castle, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Rick, Babe, we're here. Just hold on." He was breathing, that was good, but it was the only positive she could take from the situation.
The paramedics stepped into the homemade cage asking the detectives to step back and give them room. Esposito gently pulled Kate away from Castle, "Kate, let them work." She put up a token resistance before leaning into her longtime friend as he and Ryan led her out of the cage where Captain Gates was standing. When she had come down, Beckett did not know.
"See if you can find the key to these cuffs," one of the paramedics ordered. Esposito started searching the room as Ryan pulled out the key to his cuffs. With some finagling, he was able to open the cuff holding Castle to the bed frame. The four detectives then had to move again as a stretcher came down the stairs. Castle cried out several times as the paramedics moved him, as gently as they could, to lie on his good side on the stretcher, tightening the straps as loosely as they could while still securing their patient.
Ryan and Esposito helped them maneuver the stretcher back up the stairs and out to the waiting ambulance before Gates squeezed Kate's arm and let her climb in beside her husband. The wail of sirens left the men and their captain standing speechless and stunned in the driveway of the house.
They were so locked onto the retreating vehicle that none took note of the small, brown haired woman standing in the crowd across the street.
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Walking back into the house, the team intended to begin searching for evidence of McAgee's whereabouts when they were summoned back into the hallway. Going into what they assumed was the master bedroom they were shocked by what they saw. One full corner of the room was a shrine, of sorts, to Castle. Tons of pictures lined the walls, not just of Castle, but Alexis and Martha as well. There was a bookcase filled with his books, and not just one copy of each, but multiple copies. Pulling some open, the team discovered that they had been autographed. Some dated back years before Castle started working with the NYPD.
On one wall, along with pictures and articles of Castle, there were pictures of their suspect with Castle. Some were actual photos, others were obviously photoshopped.
"Look at this one," a deputy called them over to look at one picture. It was a clipping from a magazine of Castle and Beckett announcing their engagement. Kate's picture had been butchered. The wedding announcement right next to it had been similarly torn to shreds with the word "BITCH" written over Kate's picture.
"Get security to the hospital. I want both Castle and Beckett under 24 hour guard til we find this psycho." Captain Gates wanted no chances taken with her people again.
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Kate was going to wear a hole in the waiting room carpet. It had been two hours since the frantic rush into the emergency room, a rush that ended for Kate when security stopped her from entering the trauma area. In that time, the preceding hours had played and replayed in her mind over and over again. From the time she received Nicholas McAgee's call to the discovery of Castle's beaten and bloody body to the present, she relived them all in her mind.
The ambulance ride had been surrealistic. Castle had been put on the stretcher lying on his side, the paramedics had wanted him on a backboard since they were unsure of his injuries, but Castle's agonizing screams each time they moved him changed their mind.
The ride to the hospital had seen Kate with her hand on his lower leg while the EMT tried to stabilize his patient as best he could. Castle had moaned or cried out with every bump in the road and every touch of the attendant's hand on his flayed back.
She had been told nothing since they arrived. At first she wanted to stay with him, now she just wanted answers. She had resisted calling Martha or Alexis until she knew something, anything, but knew they should know as soon as possible. Leaving the waiting area she started back towards the nurses' station only to run into Captain Gates, Esposito and Ryan on their way in.
"Any news?" Esposito asked.
Kate just shook her head sadly. "I was just going to check…again." She looked ready to burst into tears again. Her friends and Captain wrapped their arms around her, giving her comfort by their presence.
"Mrs. Castle?" A nurse called out to them. She was petite, her graying hair poking out from under the surgical cap she wore.
"Yes!" Kate was so relieved to have someone talk to her but terrified of what she was going to learn.
"I can take you to see your husband now."
With one last look at her team, Kate turned to follow the nurse. "How is he?"
"Doctor Holland will talk to you." The nurse explained as she led the way back to the trauma unit of the ER, "I can tell you your husband is stable, he's sedated and resting."
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Kate wasn't sure what to expect when she walked into Trauma Room 2. Castle was still lying on his side, he was hooked up to more monitors and IV lines than she could count. Approaching slowly, she was relieved to see Castle's face looking serene almost boyish as he typically did in his sleep. Bending over, careful not to dislodge any of the attached lines, she kissed his head, her tears falling in his hair.
"Rick, Rick I'm here. It's all over. You're going to be okay." Kate buried her face in her husband's hair not even trying to control her emotions. Regaining her composure after a minute, she straightened up to take a better look at him.
There were three shaved spots on his head that showed stitched wounds, bandages covered his back, neck and shoulder but bruises showed underneath. His left arm was bandaged, splinted and supported on a pillow.
Giving his forehead one more kiss she looked up at the doctor waiting impatiently for her attention. Dr. Michael Holland was one of the best trauma surgeons in the state; he could have worked at any hospital in the city but chose to stay closer to his hometown. He was good, and didn't hesitate to tell anyone who asked.
"Mrs. Castle," he began, "I'm Doctor Holland. I've been put in charge of your husband's case."
Kate nodded, acknowledging the doctor. She continued to run her hand through Castle's hair.
"Your husband has sustained substantial injuries. The ulnar bone of his left arm is fractured just above the wrist. His left shoulder was dislocated and he appears to have been struck multiple times with a piece of wood that was splintered and produced the deep cuts in his back and arm." Kate closed her eyes, she had seen the injuries, the details only heightened her pain. "There is evidence of other injuries. Your husband was shot with a taser gun, repeatedly. Additionally it looks like he was malnourished. I doubt he'd eaten in days."
Kate shook her head, her nightmares paled to the truth of Castle's suffering. "Will he recover?" She needed to know.
"Physically, he should fully recover although scars will remain. However, he will need some counseling after this is over. When someone is subjected to this type of trauma…"
"I know, doctor." Kate interrupted him. "I've had experience. I know someone, someone good. We'll take care of that end."
Holland looked taken aback by the woman's assertion of understanding. He was not used to a victim's family being so accepting of a suggestion of psychological help, but then again he did not know her history.
"Okay," he continued, "We're going to continue to monitor Mr. Castle here in the trauma center for a few more hours before moving him to ICU."
"Thank you, doctor." Kate leaned back to kiss Castle once again, "My mother-in-law and step-daughter are on their way. Can we leave word with the desk to let them back here when they arrive?"
"Of course, we'll take care of that."
Turning away from Dr. Holland, she cradled her husband's head in her hands, unwilling to let him go. She knew she should call Martha and Alexis and give them an update, but she couldn't let him go just yet.
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