Hi! i just want to say thank you to all who have read, reviewed, put on alert and favorite this story! u guys inspire me to write more :D 3
Disclaimer: Don't own castle...
It's been a week; he has slept in the same bed as her. It prevents her from having nightmares. They don't talk about it. The night after they had first went to the lake, she'd tried to sleep alone, let's just say they were lucky that the local police hadn't come to check on the screaming. Apart from that, the week had been fun. They'd go to the lake most afternoons and stay a little after the sunset. One day he finally convinces her for a sleep over on the deck, with extra blankets and flashlights for each. She wouldn't admit it but she had fun, they even putted together a fire and cooked marshmallows.
They were about to start making lunch when Kate's cell rang, indicating that it was Lanie she went to the living room to pick it up, leaving Castle with the cooking. They had been alternating between the meals, insisting that when he cooked lunch she would bake something for dessert. Her chocolate cakes and cookies made him moan in pleasure every time he'd try them, reason why he had offered to cook almost every day, but failed most times, she'd known the reason as to why his offerings and pointed out that she had no desire to visit the gym more than necessary once she was in NY.
So when she left, leaving him in charge of lunch, he did a fist bump and a little victory dance before shouting to her that she had to make her homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies. She just replied with an amused eye roll, answering her phone.
"Hi, Lanie."
"Hey, girl, is that writer-boy I hear saying something about brownies?"
"Yeah, he thinks he can have cookies and brownies for dessert."
"Oh, so you have baked him your secret recipe, Should you be telling me something?"
"No, Lanie, - she said rolling her eyes – he just found the last batch of cookies I had about a week ago and he has been annoying me to bake them again, and again, and again."
"Well, you don't sound too bothered by it."
"It's not like that, Lane. I still haven't told him anything, and I won't yet."
"Hun, why the hell not? What's keeping you this time?" – She sounded a bit annoyed.
Silence...
"See?"
"I know, but I'm just not sure if I'm ready for a relationship right now. I still feel like its wrong for me to be happy with all that's happen recently."
"Oh, honey, ok listen to me: I know I didn't knew the captain as well as any of you, but I knew him well enough to know that he wanted you to be happy, to be safe. Before he was kidnapped he made Castle promise to keep you safe, he wanted you to be happy and knew that writer boy made you feel that way."
Tears were starting to form on her eyes, but she blinked them away and swallowed the lump on her throat.
"I know Lanie, my head knows and my heart does, too. I will let him know, I will, when the time feels right."
"Yeah, ok, just remember he can't wait forever, he is only human after all."
"I know, I know. So, did you just call to see if my relationship status had changed?"
"To some extent, I also wanted to make sure Castle was still alive, he kind of disappeared on us, not that I blame him"
"No, he is alive." – She said trying not to smile but failing miserably.
"Good, also, just updating you on the new boss of yours. Javi tells me she seems good enough. Not like the cap, but she has been trying to get to know everyone and has given them some space to be their goofy selves as long as it doesn't interfere with the job"
"Well, that is a relief. I just don't understand why she seemed so bothered about Ri-Castle working with the boys while I'm not there."
"Beats me, maybe there is some history between them you don't know about?"
"I think he would've told me."
"Yeah, and don't think I didn't notice your slip"
"Shut uuu-up Lane."
"You're blushing, aren't you?" – She said, very amused
"No..." – her tone gave her away
"Uhu, well anyway I think there is more to it than her being strictly by the book"
"Me too, I just can't put my finger on it"
...
After a good 15 minutes of catching up she hang up, promising her an update on relationship status as soon as it happened.
Kate went to the kitchen to find him sitting on a stool and looking at the window by the dishwasher, head on his hands and elbow on the wooden island. He looked so cute when he was deep in thought.
"How is Lanie?" – He asked, not looking away from the window.
"She is fine, updating me on Lisbon"
At this, he turned and faced her.
"So, how is she behaving?"
"According to Lanie, she is great. She even lets the boys goof around when it doesn't interfere with work."
She sat on the stool next to his, facing the window.
"Then why does it bother you?"
"I still don't get why she has a problem with you, you're my partner; we have the highest close case rates and we've prevented some pretty big stuff. I just don't get it."
He was smiling sweetly at her, touched by her concern.
"What?" – She asked, defensively.
"Nothing, I'm just happy that you care about our partnership"
"Of course I care, Rick, do you know how hard it is to train someone these days?" – She said with her teasing smile.
"Oh, ouch, I see, you're too lazy to train a new puppy. It's ok, I understand." – he said, pouting and looking at her with those big baby blues, those that made her belly flutter with butterflies.
"I'm glad you do"
The meaning wasn't lost on him.
"So, what are you cooking?"
"My famous lasagna. It goes great with those cookies of yours or the brownies, or both"
He sounded so hopeful, like a kid asking for his birthday present.
"Ok, I'll bake the cookies. – Huge smile on his face – But just the cookies! No brownies, I'm feeling lazy today."
"If I were Alexis I would be jumping up and down, but I can help with the baking, if, you'll like?"
"Nu-uh, I'm not giving away the recipe just yet, you have to earn it."
"I will, but maybe it's not a good idea. I want to keep walking to the precinct, not rolling"
That earned him a laugh from her.
…
It was a little after 4, Rick was happily eating his portion of the cookies while waiting for Kate to finish her bath, so they could watch a movie when Kate's Blackberry rang.
"Kate! Phone!" - He yelled.
"Who is it?"
He picked it up and saw the screen but there was no caller ID.
"Doesn't say!"
"Pick it up, will you? I'm still in the shower!"
"Ok!"
"Hello, this is Rick Castle"
"Oh, I was calling at Ms. Katherine Beckett" – answered the voice of a polite woman.
"Yes, this is her phone, she is currently unavailable but you can leave a message and she'll call you when she gets a chance"
"Ok, well, my name is Rose Heathway, I'm a nurse and I'm calling from Mercy hospital. Her father, James Beckett, was in an accident…"
"How is he?"
"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to say."
"Can you at least tell me if it's serious?"
"It's not too serious."
"We'll be there as soon as possible, thank you."
…
He knocked on her door a minute later.
"Kate? I need to talk to you."
"Come in, who was it on the phone?" – Her voice came from behind the bathroom door.
He entered the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to come out of the bathroom. When she did, she was in jeans and a simple brown t-shirt with a towel on her head, drying her hair with it. She looked so beautiful.
"So?"
"What?" – He asked, returning from his day dreaming.
"The phone?" – She said, smiling
"Oh, right, sorry." - He blushed, realizing he had been caught.
He grew serious when he remembered the reason for being there in the first place.
"Listen Kate, come here and sit down, please."
She followed his instructions, sitting next to him, facing him, with a really bad feeling.
"Eh, Mercy hospital called, your father was in an accident. The nurse who called said that it wasn't too serious. I've already made arrangements and there is a flight at 6. We have about two hours to pack and go"
"What kind of accident?" – She asked in shock, trying to keep herself under control.
"A car accident, they wouldn't give me any more details."
"Ok, well, I…I'll start packing" – she said blinking rapidly and looking at a ramdom point on the wooden wall.
"Yeah, me too" – He stood up and was near the door.
"And, Rick, thanks"
"Anytime" – he smiled and left.
Half an hour later they were getting the suitcases out of the house and in to the SUV, she locked the windows and door and went to the driver's seat but before she could climb up, a certain writer went to her and managed to get the keys out of her hands.
"Don't kill me! But you're not driving"
"And, why not Castle?" – She said with one of her best death glares, which made him gulp.
"You're in no condition after the news you just got, please let me drive"
"I'll let you borrow my Ferrari for a week after your father gets better?"
After a loud sigh, she accepted and hopped to the co-pilot's seat. They drove to the airport in silence. She was looking out the window, deep in thought.
At about 9 they were at the emergency room of the hospital. Rick had arraigned a car to pick them up at the airport and to have the suitcases delivered at his loft where Alexis was going to pick them up.
At the nurse's station it was Kate who spoke.
"Excuse me, a nurse, Rose …"
"Heathway" – Castle finished for her
"Right. She called me. My father, Jim Becket, was in an accident…"
"Ms. Beckett, I'm nurse Heathway, please come with me." – said a nurse, short, stocky in her fifties, with a sweet face and kind voice that was on the phone next to another nurse.
She let them to one of the patient's wings.
"He is resting now, room 345, Doctor Leon will be there with you in a moment."
After saying their thanks they went to the room in question and entered. Rick was going to remain outside, but Kate glanced at him. Silently asking him for company. He did as he was told and entered the room with her, staying in the background.
As a writer, Castle tended to describe everything he saw, to notice every detail and had the need to touch everything he could so he could get a feel of it. It was his way of describing things, and he always said that success was on the details. But when he watched Kate's face as she entered the room his focus was solely on her. He had to make sure she wasn't falling apart and if she did that he would be there to pick up the pieces.
Kate hated hospitals; the smell, a combination of bleach and disinfectant, the lifeless colors of the walls, the, so called, food. But nothing compared to the reasons of her being in a hospital. She remembered the first time she set put on an emergency room. She had broke an arm, she needed to get a cast, she was like 7 or 8, and the doctor who treated her was actually very kind, the nurse on the other hand…not so much.
Now, she was here because of her dad, the one person in her life, besides a certain writer, that she couldn't afford to lose.
She hated that even more.
A few minutes later a soft knock interrupted her thoughts. Slowly a man came in, he was wearing a lab coat and glasses, and he wasn't very tall with brown eyes and curly hair.
"Miss Beckett?"
Kate immediately stood up and faced the doctor, sensing Rick behind her.
"Yes?"
"I'm Dr. Richard Leon; I'm your father's physician."
After introductions were made Dr. Leon continued.
"Your father suffered a minor concussion and he is just resting now. We'll keep him for observation but he should be released tomorrow afternoon."
She let out a sigh of relief. Both of them thanked the doctor. She could not help but smile after he left the room to continue his rounds that night.
The room had a one person sofa where she sat, indicating with a look for him to sit there as well. He chose the arm of the furniture instead. They silently searched for each other's hands and intertwined their fingers. She wasn't even looking, like if it was a reflex now, which made him smile a little.
Five minutes later the same nurse, Rose, entered and looked to them apologetically before indicating that visiting hours were over and that they could come by in the morning. When Kate gave her a 'no way I'm moving' look, the nurse took another approach, letting her know that her father would be sleeping the whole time anyways. Kate looked at her, her father and back to the nurse again, indecision all over her face, she felt a slight squeeze of her hand and decided that the nurse was right. She went to stand up, letting go of Castle's hand and gave his father a soft kiss on the cheek.
They left and headed to Rick's loft. It was a little after 10 when they arrived. When Castle opened the door he was attacked by a sea of red hair, a bone crushing hug from her daughter that he gladly returned. It had been a week since he had seen her after all. They entered completely to the loft she let go of him and embraced Kate too, albeit a little less forceful and by fewer time, the detective gladly returned the hug.
Alexis let them to the living room and they plopped to the couch, exhausted, to say the least. It didn't go unnoticed by the girl that her father and his partner were sitting a little closer than usual without even noticing – something she was definitely glad for –, she sat on the coffee table in front of them.
"How is your father, Kate?"
Her tone showed concerned which warmed the detective's heart. That girl was such a sweetheart.
"Just a mile concussion, he'll be out of the hospital tomorrow"
"Thank God. So, what happened?"
"A car crash. He was sleeping so we won't know exactly until he wakes up"
The plural wasn't lost on Rick, either.
"Well, I'm glad that he is ok. Oh, the car brought the suitcases, I putted them on the guest bedroom, and I wasn't sure which were whose."
"Thank you, pumpkin"
"No problem. It's getting late and I have school tomorrow, so I'll be turning in now"
She said her goodnights to both and rushed upstairs to her bedroom.
Rick looked at Kate; he didn't want her to go to her place, to be alone.
"I know what you're going to say, but please, stay here tonight? The guest bedroom is all set and that way I could accompany you to…"
She cut him off with a hand over his mouth.
"Actually, I was going to ask if it wasn't too much trouble for me to stay, just tonight. I'm too tired to even take a cab."
As she took the hand of, he looked at her with widened eyes. Shock was one thing he was feeling, joy was another.
"You can stay as long as you want, Kate. Your father too if he needs to, there is always someone home so he can be looked after."
"Thank you, Rick, that's sweet of you. Let's just wait what the doc says tomorrow, ok?"
"Sure."
She didn't want to make things uncomfortable for Alexis and even though Castle had made it perfectly clear that sleeping in the same bed wouldn't, she still felt like the guestroom was a better choice. That night she wore one of his old t-shirts and a pair of Alexis sweats pants. She missed the warmth of his body but at least she did not have nightmares that night.
Review, please :3?
~AC