Chapter 12

Through Castle's point of view, everything seemed to slow down. Beckett looked like she was leaning out of the car more and more, even though in truth she was falling. Castle started to move his hand back to her leg, just as Beckett's hand began to move toward the roof of the car. But because of the wind and the fact that they were going 80, it couldn't move any faster. Castle watched in pain as the slow motion world around him did not permit his hand to catch Beckett. It looked as though she were falling faster and faster, her hand finally, with all the strength she could muster, caught the roof, but gravity didn't agree. It slipped, but Castle's didn't. He had reached her leg just after and the world sped up to normal.

"Thank you, Castle." Beckett breathed a sigh of relief and didn't object again. She aimed again and pulled the trigger twice. The wind shield of the other car broke and the glass fell in. The man covered his face and pulled out a gun. A few shots whizzed past Beckett and hit a telephone pole and stop sign. She pulled herself back in. "Gotta come up with a new plan. Can I shoot through the back window?" She asked looking around the car, Castle saw that she was thinking hard.

"Yeah." He was still worried about Beckett. "Uh. Are you okay?"

"Yes." She said still looking around, still putting together the safest plan possible. Her head stopped while looking through the back window. There was a complete silence. Then, "Get down! Get down!" Castle leaned over Emily and Beckett put her hands over head. There was a crash, and the glass fell in. Emily screamed, and began crying. Beckett rubbed Emily's cheek, telling her it would be fine. Putting her finger to her lips, she turned in her chair again, and pointed her gun through he window. She pulled the trigger three times, but missed again. Castle new that they couldn't keep this up forever. Thinking fast, he pulled down an alleyway hoping to lose them, but it was a dead end. The car came around the corner, just as Castle suspected.

"What now?" Castle asked watching the car come closer and closer.

"I don't know." Beckett shook her head.

"You always have a plan." Castle exclaimed. The unidentified car hit the back of Castle's. His head jerked forward and hit the steering wheel. Castle groaned, fresh blood on his forehead.

"Castle?" The car jerked again and his head hit the steering wheel. This time though he didn't sit up. Emily was screaming and tried to crawl out from under Castle's chest. Beckett pulled her out. "You okay, Emily?"

"Yes, mommy."

Beckett smiled, placing Emily on the floor so she could have more protection. "Castle?" She pulled him off the wheel. His face had blood dripping all over it and he was unconscious. Sudden anger swooped into her and she threw the car door open. She ran out and pointed her gun at the car ready to shoot whoever was behind them. Her face went pale and she felt sick as she dropped her gun. No one was in there. She went back to Castle's car and dialed for the captain. As it rang she realized that her arm was bleeding, and figured that when the glass crashed it cut her.

"Beckett?"

"Hey. You gotta get down here. Castle's hurt and he won't wake up. This guy was chasing us, and I almost died, I tried to shoot him, but missed-"

"Slow down Beckett. Take a deep breath. And tell me what happened."

And she did. A few minutes later Beckett was biting her nails and checking Castle's pulse every few seconds. Behind her, a tow truck was pulling the suspect's car away so an ambulance could get through to Castle. Ryan and Esposito came running into the alley.

"Beckett. You okay?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah." She reached down to check Castle's pulse again.

"The kids here." Esposito notice looking over Beckett to see her better.

"Yeah. Oh my gosh, I forgot about her." Beckett reached over and took Emily again. She clung lovingly to Beckett's neck. The ambulance backed into the ally and two paramedics came out the back with a stretcher.

"Excuse me. Please step out of the way." Said the guy holding the end of the stretcher. The other man was checking on Castle. After a few minutes they began loading him into the van. Beckett attempted to follow but the doctor held his hand up. "I'm sorry. Only family members. Are you related to Mr. Castle?"

Thinking back to the lie Castle told earlier, Beckett made a decision. "I'm his wife. And- and this is our daughter." The doctor stood back to let her on. She rode on the right of Castle, as the doctors helped him.

"Is he okay?" Beckett asked, her voice full of worry. The doctor with the name tag Chris, turned to her to bandage up the cut on her arm from the glass.

"He's going to need six or seven stitches on his forehead. And he's in a coma, right now. Stage one. He should be awake by tomorrow afternoon at the most. How did all this happen?" Asked the other one, Mark.

"We got into a car chase. The car hit us twice and each time he hit the wheel." Beckett said trying to move her hand through the pain and tape. She felt herself looking at Castle. Emily saw it and took her hand and Castle's putting one on top of the other.

"Fill bettoo." Emily smiled. And Beckett looked at Emily then squeezed his hand. Beckett thought she saw Castle smile the teeniest bit. She felt the car stop and the doors opened and she dropped his hand. Mark jumped out and helped Chris remove the stretcher from the van. Emily and Beckett followed them through the doors to the ER. Mark stopped Beckett telling her that she would have to wait in the waiting room for a while. Painfully she sat in one of the hard chairs and Emily jumped into her lap. Ryan, Esposito, Montgomery, Lanie, they all came to check on Beckett then left after an hour or so. Finally, a new doctor came out and called for Beckett. The nurse led her to a room and Castle lay on one of the beds.

"Thank you." Beckett smiled to the nurse, and she left. Beckett looked over to Castle. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, a breathing tube is his nose, and wires taped to his arm. She took a deep breath trying to keep away the tears. "Castle. I'm so sorry." She whispered.

Alexis came running in. Her face was white and her eyes wide. Beckett had expected Alexis to bombard her with questions, but she was stone faced and quiet. With one look at her, Beckett knew exactly what Alexis was wondering.

"He's fine." Even Beckett surprised herself with her tone of voice, which sounded a lot calmer than she really felt. "He, uh got seven stitches. And is currently in a coma. Most likely will wake up before tomorrow afternoon. The girl is Emily Moore. Oh. And if anyone asks she's your younger sister. I'm fine, as well." The way she was talking it reminded her of her work and the way she broke the news to her victim's family. Force of habit, she told herself.

"One more question?" Beckett nodded and Alexis smiled, acting playfully. "When did you become my step- mother?"

"Oh." Beckett laughed a little, momentarily forgetting about her worries. "Your dad told that to Social Services."

Alexis's playfulness disappeared. "Social? Oh my god. What did dad do now?" She asked, rubbing her forehead.

"Oh. No. He's helping them. Emily, didn't have anywhere to go for a couple of nights or something."

"You sure?" Alexis asked, not quite believing it.

"Yes."

Martha came in and the three of them all played with Emily and chatted until about ten thirty. That's when Martha took Alexis home. Beckett stared at Castle again and the pain came flooding back in. She couldn't help but think that Castle wasn't supposed to get hurt. She was supposed to protect him. The pain was replaced by guilt.

"Castle. I'm sorry. And I promise, I'll catch the person who did this to you. I promise." Beckett looked at Castle's nearly lifeless face and she leaned closer and closer until her lips were touching his. And she stood up. "Sealed with a kiss." She smiled. The same nurse came in.

"Ma'am? It's almost eleven. You should get some sleep." Beckett looked at Castle. "Oh, I get it. You want to be there when he wakes up. Sleep. If Mr. Castle gets up, I'll wake you." The nurse turned and left as Beckett climbed into the visitor's bed. She sat looking at Castle, and whispered goodnight to him. Then Beckett pulled the covers up and closed her eyes. She heard some quiet scrambling and felt Emily climb next to her. And together, side by side they fell asleep.

"Sh, Gram. Beckett's still asleep." Alexis whispered.

Beckett's eyes came open and, squinting in the light, she sat up and yawned.

"I'm sorry,did I wake you?" Alexis asked concerned.

"No. Don't worry." Beckett glanced at Castle. He looked the same as last night.

"Well, I was just about to make a coffee run to Starbucks. Would you like something?"

" Yeah, just a normal Latte would be great thank you." Beckett smiled.

"I'll go with you. Detective Beckett, will you call us if he wakes up?"

"Of course." She watched them leave, and turned back to the bed. Emily was still sleeping, her thumb in her mouth looking peaceful. She turned back to Castle feeling guilty again. Beckett's phone rang, but she ignored it the first couple of rings.

"Hey." Esposito said. "How's Castle? He awake yet?"

"No not yet." Beckett said. She sounded hurt and Esposito caught that, but didn't mention it. He knew about the little 'thing' between Beckett and Castle. If it was pointed out, tough, they'd both deny it almost immediately.

"So. I continued looking up Connelly, turns out some of his friends swear they've seen him coming in and out of the Manhattan Broadway, numerous times. And on a hunch I crossed his drivers license picture with the employees, actors and members. Gotta match."

"Who?" She asked turning away from the bed, as though she thought Castle would hear.

"Alistor Brooke."

"The director?"

"Yeah it's an alias. Hold- hold on." Beckett heard the smothering that usually meant a hand was covering the receiver. Through the smothered receiver, Beckett thought she heard Ryan's voice. "We got a problem." Esposito's now panicked voice came back.

"What happened?"

"CIA wants to take over the case." Esposito said. Behind him Beckett heard a large group of footsteps.