A/N: Just wanted to say thank you for the overwhelming response to the last chapter. Really, from the bottom of my heart, I really appreciate all your support.

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

Someone Like You

Chapter 22

He felt the world stop.

As a writer, he had used that expression several times to convey a reaction for both really good news and really bad ones. He had always thought it was just a figure of speech that was incredibly exaggerated and overused by writers all over the world. He had never thought he would actually get to experience his world stopping and he never, ever wanted to experience this again.

When Esposito's words sank in and their meaning registered in his mind, he felt the blood drain from his face. For a few seconds, he was in shock and felt numb, incapable of reacting. There was a suspect chase and gunfire broke out. They had all been wearing their vests – thank God for small favors, he thought fervently – but Kate had been hit nonetheless. The amount of blood caking Esposito's white shirt was disturbing and all he could think about was that it was Kate's blood. All of that red stain on his shirt and on his hands, it had all come from the woman he loved.

"Castle, you with us, bro?" The detective's voice broke through the fog in his brain and he blinked.

Kate had been shot.

Holy Mother of Christ.

"Where's my mom?" A shaky, quiet voice came from his right. He looked down and found Tyler's wide, scared eyes looking back at him, his face ashen with fear. "What happened to her?"

Rick opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out. He didn't know what was going on; he didn't know where she was or if she was even alive. All he could focus on was the blood on Esposito's shirt. Kate's blood. Suddenly he felt like he had just been punched in the guts, his breath coming out in gasps.

"Castle, come on, bro. Let's sit down." Esposito interrupted the loud chaos in his mind and guided them to the waiting chairs.

"Hey, Castle. You got here fast, man." Ryan commented, jogging towards them, holding some clean scrubs for his partner. "Here. You should go change." The Hispanic detective nodded his thanks and excused himself to the bathroom.

"Where's my mom?" Tyler asked again, louder. "Where is she? I want to see her." Two fat tears escaped his eyes as he tried to run off after Esposito and that finally snapped Rick out of his daze. He grabbed the boy around the waist and held him close. "Let me go! I want to see my mom!"

"She's with the doctors now, Ty. They're going to try to fix her up, alright?" He whispered to the struggling boy in his arms. "But we have to wait here. Can you do that?" He crouched down to his level and touched his chin. "Come on, buddy. Deep breaths." He tried to give an encouraging smile as tears continued to run freely down Tyler's cheeks.

"I just want my mom, Rick." He sobbed and threw himself into Rick's arms, hiding his face on his chest. Rick hugged him tightly, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

He looked up at Ryan questioningly and the detective pointed to his arm and head. He felt the ground disappearing from under him again, but Ryan shook his head before he could get too alarmed.

"Just a graze." He pointed to his head again and Rick let out a heavy sigh in relief and closed his eyes, the world spinning dizzily around him.

"And her arm?" He asked quietly, picking up Tyler and standing up.

"Through and through." The younger detective explained and Rick nodded, sitting down with Tyler in his lap. He looked to his left and found Alexis chewing on her bottom lip nervously, her little hands gripping tightly the armrests of the chair she was sitting on. "They took her inside immediately and told us to wait out here." Ryan added and sat down next to her. "Hey, Lexi." He nudged her lightly with his elbow and she looked up at him, scared.

They had developed a great friendship over the past few months. Alexis liked both Ryan and Esposito, but Rick knew Ryan was her favorite and was thankful that the detective was making an effort to distract her.

"Hey, pumpkin. Why don't you go get a soda with Uncle Kevin and Ty?" He suggested, feeling Tyler's grip around his neck tighten.

"But I want to stay here. I want to see Kate when she gets out." She said with a small voice, her hands still gripping the armrests so tightly that her knuckles were white.

"I don't want to go. I want to see my mom." He heard Tyler mumble against his neck and sighed. He wanted to get the kids away for a minute so he could find out what had really happened and how bad Kate's condition was. Right now, he had to look calm and collected for the kids' sake, but inside he felt like someone was squeezing his heart so tight that it was hard to breathe.

"It'll probably still be a while, buddy. Why don't you guys go, get something to eat? It'll be good for you, I promise. And when you come back, I promise you we'll stay here until we can see your mom. Alright?" Tyler still looked skeptical as he wiped the stubborn tears away from his cheeks.

"Promise?" He asked quietly, his childish shaky voice making him sound even younger.

"Cross my heart." He assured him and held out his pinky finger. Tyler nodded and linked his own with Rick's. "I'll be right here when you guys come back. Okay, Lex?" He turned to his daughter and reached out, prying her fingers away from the armrest. "Okay, sweetheart?" He asked again and she nodded.

"Come on, Ty." Alexis stood up and reached out her hand to Tyler. Rick watched as the boy swallowed hard and took her hand, standing up as well. With a sigh of relief for this small mission accomplished, he looked at Ryan, who just nodded at him.

"I'll distract them for a while." He offered a small, comforting smile and Rick nodded gratefully, hiding his face in his hands when the kids were finally out of sight.

A bullet grazed her head.

God, she could have been dead right now. One second, one wrong move and she could have died with a goddamn bullet in her head. One second and he would have lost her forever. He knew that wasn't what had happened, but he couldn't stop his overactive imagination from conjuring up images of what could have happened today. Her fixed, glazed eyes staring up at the sky, blood tricking down from the wound in her forehead. He could see everything so clearly it made his heart nearly stop.

A world without her. His life without her. He couldn't even fathom that possibility anymore. And Tyler. What would happen to him if Kate just didn't come home one of these days? She was all the boy had; no wonder he was so terrified of losing her, even at such a young age. He felt a tear escape his eyes and wiped it away quickly. He couldn't do that now. He had to stay calm for the kids. She hadn't been shot in the head. It was just a graze and she was going to be fine.

But that wasn't her only injury, he remembered suddenly. She had been shot in her arm too. He had done his fair share of research on gunshot wounds for his books and he hoped it had been a clean hit, through and through, like Ryan had said. Closing his eyes, he prayed to whatever higher power that was listening that she would be able to recover without any lasting damage. He knew how gunshot wounds could be tricky and messy, especially if it hit a bone on the way. He hoped she had gotten lucky and it had just been tissue damage.

"You okay, bro?" He heard Esposito's voice and looked up. The detective had changed into dark blue scrubs and Rick was relieved that he didn't have to see Kate's blood on him anymore. "She's going to be fine, you know. It could've been a lot worse, but she was lucky." He put a hand on Rick's shoulder.

"What the hell happened?" he asked, his voice coming out hoarse.

"We got a hit on the APB on the vic's cousin, remember?" He started and Rick nodded. "It was at a warehouse not too far from here, but he wasn't alone. Somehow, he knew we were coming and when we got there, the bullets were already flying. She got hit just as she was getting out of the car." He shook his head, running a hand through his short head. "The son of a bitch got away while we were helping her and calling an ambulance." He took a deep, steadying breath. "I thought she had been hit in the head when I saw her, man. All that blood… I thought this is it. We're going to lose Beckett." Rick closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control as Esposito's words conjured up that horrible image of her lifeless eyes staring back at him. "But she was talking and yelling at us to go get the bastard." Esposito laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Then she passed out."

"What did they say when you got here?" Rick asked quietly and Esposito shrugged.

"They rushed her in and a nurse told us to wait here. I was trying to get a hold of you since she got in the ambulance. What were you doing here, anyway?"

"Alexis had an appointment and Kate had asked me to pick up Tyler from school." He took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the wall. "God, I can't believe this happened. I just…" he swallowed hard and closed his eyes. "I need her to be okay."

"She's going to be fine, bro. Probably will be out of commission for a while and that's going to piss her off, but she'll be just fine, you'll see." Esposito patted his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him and Rick nodded.

They remained silent for a few minutes until a doctor called out for Kate Beckett's family. They both jumped up immediately and rushed to the doctor. Rick was grateful it wasn't Josh. He had no idea if he would have been able to handle that situation.

"How is she?" He asked anxiously and the doctor gave him a comforting, reassuring smile.

"She's stable. Got a few stitches on her forehead and just got into surgery now. First we had thought she wouldn't need it because there was an entry and exit wound on her arm. But after reviewing her X-rays, we found out she has a fracture so we're going to need to set it." The doctor explained, his gray hair falling on his eyes as he took the cap off.

"But she's going to be fine?" Rick asked, his hands closed in tight fists in an attempt to control his emotions.

"Oh, yes. Definitely. She still has a long recovery ahead of her and she won't be able to return to work for a while, but she'll be just fine. Rest and physical therapy and then she'll be as good as new." He smiled at them and shook their hands. "I'll come let you know as soon as she's out of the OR."

"Rick!" Tyler's voice interrupted the doctor and the boy rushed to Rick's side, his eyes searching his anxiously. "How's mom? Can I go see her?"

"That's her kid?" The doctor asked and Esposito nodded. "Hey, buddy. I'm Dr. Phillips, your mom's doctor. What's your name?" he crouched down to Tyler's level and the boy leaned against Rick's side for support.

"Tyler." He answered quietly. "Is my mom going to be okay?"

"She'll be just fine, Tyler. You'll have to take care of her for a little while, but she'll be able to go home with you very soon." Dr. Phillips reassured him and he nodded, biting his lip.

"When can I see her?" he asked timidly and Dr. Phillips stood up, smiling down at him.

"I'll come get you as soon as she gets out of surgery, alright?"

"Alright. Thanks, Dr. Phillips." He let out a sigh in relief and Rick wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He felt Alexis lean against his other side and smiled down at her, hugging her close to his side.

"Thanks, Dr. Phillips." Esposito said and Rick nodded at the doctor, finding himself unable to speak just then.

Leading the kids back to the chairs, he sat down heavily with both Tyler and Alexis seeking comfort from him. He wrapped an arm around each of them placed a kiss to their heads, swallowing hard.

She was going to be okay.

It was hours later when they finally were able to see her. Technically, only family could go in, but Rick had managed to convince them that the only blood relative present at the hospital was Kate's 8-year-old son and he would not leave him alone. Kate's father was still on his way to Manhattan and would be there soon to stay with Tyler, but in the meantime, Rick refused to leave. In fact, he refused to leave altogether. He wasn't going anywhere tonight, not until he could see her and talk to her and kiss her and tell her he loved her over and over.

His mother had come by to pick up Alexis and, after much convincing from his part, his daughter finally agreed to go home with the promise that his mom would bring her back to see Kate first thing in the morning. That had been about an hour ago. Now, he took a deep breath, trying to find the courage to enter Kate's room with Tyler. Dr. Phillips explained what they were going to see and that it looked worse than it really was. He felt Tyler squeeze his hand tightly and tried to smile down at the boy to give him some sort of comfort and encouragement. He looked so scared.

Finally, he had no choice but to follow the doctor into the room. The sight that greeted his eyes was not as bad as he had braced himself to be, but it was still out of a nightmare. Her left upper arm was in a cast that ran all the way down to her hand and she had a huge bandage wrapped around her head, covering her forehead. She looked so pale and small and sick that he felt almost sick to his stomach. Tyler's strong grip on his hand was the only thing anchoring him to reality at that moment.

"Can I touch her?" The boy asked quietly after the doctor had left them alone in the room.

"Gently and on her good side, okay?" Rick answered, reaching out to run his fingers on her right arm, trying to convince himself that she was really going to be okay.

"I thought she was going to die." Tyler confessed in a whisper and Rick turned to him, his hand never leaving Kate's skin. "When I saw all that blood on Uncle Javi's shirt… I thought she was dead." He finished, not being able to prevent the sob that escaped him. Rick pulled him in for a hug, picking him up when the boy wrapped his arms around his neck tightly.

"She's okay, Ty. She's alive and right here with us, see?" he turned the boy in Kate's direction and reveled in the fact that her chest was rising and falling in a steady rhythm. "She is breathing and she's going to be able to go home with us soon. I promise you that." He pulled back slightly and brushed his tears away. "It's okay to be scared, though. I was terrified."

"I just don't want her to die. She's my mom." His voice was still shaky as he mumbled against Rick's neck.

"I know, buddy, I know." He soothed the boy and sat down on the small couch to the right of the bed. "But we're going to take care of her and she'll be back to kicking butt in no time." He promised him and rubbed soothing circles on his back until he felt Tyler's breathing even out.

He stayed with Tyler on his lap, holding the boy close and watching Kate breathe just a few feet away. The steady movement of her chest was fascinating now that he had come so close to losing her. He didn't even want to think about what could have happened. If he did, he was going to lose the battle against the knot in his throat and he couldn't do that with Tyler there. She was okay and alive and she was going to recover and everything would be fine, that was all that mattered.

A while later – he fell asleep and lost track of time – he looked up to find Kate's tired green eyes staring back at him. She gave him a small, exhausted smile and he felt his chest tighten with all the feelings that were bubbling up inside of him. Slowly and very carefully, he laid Tyler down on the couch and stood up, making his way to her side.

"Hi." She whispered when he grabbed her hand, bringing it up to his lips.

"Hi." He whispered back and felt overwhelmed just by the sound of her voice. "How are you doing?"

"Everything hurts." She admitted, biting on her lip and he squeezed her hand.

"Let me go get the nurse." He offered, but she shook her head, her hand holding him in place. He sat down on the edge of the bed slowly, careful not to jostle her, and touched her cheek.

"Just stay with me for a little while." She asked and he nodded, leaning down to touch her lips with his in a gentle kiss. "How bad?"

"You were shot. The bullet broke your arm on the way in. They took you to surgery to set the fracture." He explained and her eyes searched his frantically for answers.

"And…" she swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "My head?" she asked quietly and he felt the tears well up in his eyes again.

"You were so very lucky, Kate. So lucky." He brought her right hand to his lips again. "It was just a graze. You're going to be just fine. It's going to take a while, but you're going to be okay."

"How long?" She threaded her fingers through his and he kissed her skin again.

"I don't know specifics yet. But a few months, at least." He closed his eyes and nuzzled her hand, refusing to sever their connection now that she was here, alive and awake.

"Damn." She cursed quietly in frustration and untangled their hands to touch his cheek, wiping away a tear. He hadn't even realized he was crying. "Hey, it's okay, love. I'm right here." She whispered when another tear made its way down his cheek.

"You scared the hell out of me today." He choked out and kissed her hand again, when she ran her thumb over his lips. "Don't ever do that again."

"I'll try my best not to." She told him and he stood up for a moment, pulling a stool closer to her bed. Sitting down again, he rested his chin on his arms, his head now level with hers. "How's Tyler?"

"He was so brave, Kate." He smiled at her, leaning in to kiss her again. "But he was terrified. Cried himself to sleep. He'll be alright, though. Now that you're okay."

"God, I never wanted him to see me like this. Ever." A tear escaped her eyes and he brushed it away with his thumb.

"It calmed him down, knowing that you were alive and okay. He had to see it for himself." She nodded and was about to say something when a nurse entered the room. After a quick checkup and another round of pain meds, she left them alone.

"Thank you for staying with him." Kate said quietly and he nodded, holding their joined hands against his cheek.

"No place I'd rather be." He whispered and leaned in to capture her lips with his in a loving kiss. "I love you. Don't ever do this to us again." He said against her lips and she nodded sleepily.

"I won't." He watched as she tried to fight against the pull of the meds and brushed her hair back, careful not to touch her forehead. "I love you." She murmured and he smiled at her, relieved, as sleep took her under.

A/N: Thoughts?