A/N: I am so so sorry I took so long to update this. I really hope you guys are still interested and that you like this chapter. Personally, I feel like this is mostly a filler chapter and a whole lot of nothing happens. But I hope you like it anyway. Thank you for being so patient with me.

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine.

Someone Like you

Chapter 23

Kate opened her eyes, startled. The light was shining brightly through the blinds and made her close them again immediately, throwing a hand over her face. When she did that, however, a sharp pain shot up through her arm and she winced, a painful moan escaping her lips. Opening her eyes again, she looked around the room, feeling disoriented for a moment, not recognizing where she was. Her entire body hurt and she still didn't have a clue of what exactly was going on.

A moan that sounded awfully like a wounded animal interrupted her thoughts and she turned her head to the sound. Tyler was sleeping in what looked like a really uncomfortable small couch, his body curled up in a fetal position. The frown on his forehead was what really worried her, though. Then the sound came again and she realized it had been what had woken her up in the first place.

Tyler was having a nightmare.

Everything came back to her in a rush. Kissing Rick goodbye as he left to go pick up the kids from school, going out with the boys to pick up a suspect.

Getting shot.

That blinding pain when the bullet tore through her arm; then feeling her head burn and the blood soaking her hair and dripping down onto her neck and vest. Thinking she was going to die. That Tyler would become an orphan.

No wonder he was having a nightmare.

Sitting up slowly, she waited a few seconds for the dizziness to pass. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and sharp jabs of pain were shooting through her arm, but she didn't care. Her son was hurting and she needed to get to him. Swallowing hard at the sudden nausea that seemed to take over her, she tried to anchor her eyes on something solid, breathing in and out to quench the overwhelming need to throw up. Once she felt confident she wasn't in any immediate danger of emptying her stomach, she carefully swung her legs over the side of the bed, stopping again when she felt her head spin. God, this was frustrating. She breathed through her nose for a few seconds, wondering where Rick was, before slowly putting her feet on the ground.

That was when she realized she was hooked to a variety of monitors and IV stands, which meant she was pretty much trapped. Letting out a heavy sigh, Kate felt her heart clench when Tyler moaned again, his small hands closed in tight fists. Seeing no other choice, she resorted to calling his name. She tried once, twice, three times, but he didn't stir. She was already considering the possibility of ripping all those monitors and IVs off of her to get to her son, when he suddenly opened his eyes.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes looking around the room with so much fear that she hated herself for making her little boy go through something like this.

"Ty?" she called out to him quietly, so not to scare him further. His eyes immediately found hers and she wanted to cry when she saw the recognition flash across his face as tears spilled out onto his cheeks. "Hey, baby." She offered him a teary smile and he was by her side in a flash.

"Momma." He gasped, his body shaking as he awkwardly tried to climb onto the bed as fast as he could. When he finally made it, he threw his arms around her as Kate tried to stifle a gasp of pain. "I thought you were dead." He was shaking so hard, the tears flowing freely down his cheeks, that she ignored the pain and hugged him close with her good arm, biting hard on her lip to keep from crying with him.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm right here with you. I'm not going anywhere, I promise." She kissed his messy brown hair, but he could only sob against her neck. "Tyler." She ran her fingers through his hair gently. "Hey, look at me."

He did and the terrified look in his eyes broke her heart.

"I saw Uncle Javi's shirt and he told Rick something happened to you." He took a deep breath, brushing away his tears with the back of his hand. "There was so much blood, mom. I thought for sure you'd died." Another sob escaped his lips and Kate hugged him closer, a tear finally escaping her eyes.

"I'm right here and I'll be just fine real soon, baby." She soothed him and he snuggled closer, hiding his face on her neck. She could still feel his tears on her skin. "Rick told me you were really brave." She whispered in his ear and felt him nod. "I'm really proud of you."

"What happened?" He asked after a couple of minutes, his fingers playing with her hair hanging over shoulder.

"Broke my arm. Got a cool cast just like the one you had, remember?"

"It's much bigger, though." He reached out and touched her cast lightly. It covered almost her entire arm.

"That's because it's broken in a different place than yours was." She explained, relieved that his tears were finally subsiding. "But I'll be fine soon, just like you were. Just have to take it easy for a little while."

"Does it hurt?" His voice was so quiet, so afraid, that she pulled him tighter against her side.

"A little, yeah." She said and he nodded seriously.

"Am I hurting you?" He asked suddenly, pulling away from her, and she shook her head.

"No, baby. Don't worry. I want you here with me, alright?" She reassured him and he nodded again, resting his head on her shoulder.

"What about your head?" He asked quietly and Kate sighed. She would never tell him just how close to leaving him she had come yesterday.

"It's just a scratch." She told him softly and felt him relax against her side, sighing.

"I'm really glad you're okay, mom. I was so scared." He confessed, hiding his face on her neck again. "Rick stayed with me and told me you were going to be just fine." He sighed and then added as an afterthought. "But I was still really scared you were going to die. I don't want you to die." He mumbled against her skin and she kissed his forehead, lying back down on the bed and bringing him with her.

That was how Rick found them a few minutes later. Kate looked up at him when she heard the door opening and offered a small smile. He was juggling a cardboard tray with three cups, two other packages and flowers. Kate chuckled at his obvious struggle, but was touched by his thoughtfulness. Tyler turned his head to look at him and sat up to go try and help.

"No, I got it, Ty. Don't worry." He smiled at the boy and Tyler went back to his previous position, hugging his mom close. Rick smiled at the scene and set everything on the small table next to her bed. "Hi." He whispered, finally leaning down to give her a good morning kiss.

"Morning." She whispered back against his lips. "I was wondering where you were." She commented when he pulled away to squeeze Tyler's shoulder comfortingly.

"Asked your nurse if you could have some real food instead of this hospital crap and she said that as long as it wasn't junk food, you were free to eat whatever." He helped her sit up slowly and pulled the chair next to her bed to sit down. "So, I got you a cup of coffee, just the way you like it." He winked at her, handing her the steaming cup of coffee. It smelled heavenly. "And I got you a croissant to go with it."

"This is wonderful, babe. Thank you." She took a sip and moaned at the amazing taste. The caffeine entering her system was already clearing her head. When she looked at him again, he was watching her amused. "What?" She asked, confused, and he shook his head.

"Nothing. Good to see you're okay, love. That's all." He smiled at her and turned back to the goodies he had gotten. "Ty, I got you breakfast too, buddy. Come on." He ruffled his hair and Tyler sat up, swinging his legs over the side of Kate's bed. "Hot chocolate and a bear claw. How's that?"

"Awesome. Thanks, Rick." The boy gave him a genuine smile and accepted his share, immediately taking a bite of the bear claw.

"Knock, knock." They heard Martha's voice and turned to the door where she had poked her head in. "Can we come in?"

"Of course, Martha. Come on in." Kate smiled at her and chuckled when Alexis burst into the room past her grandmother. "Hey, Lexi." She offered the girl a smile and set her cup of coffee on the table.

"Are you feeling better, Kate?" She asked, a nervous tone to her voice. "I was really worried."

"I'm fine, sweetie. It was just a scare." She reassured her and Alexis nodded, leaning against her dad's side.

"Are you going to let people sign your cast, mom?" Tyler asked, eating the last of his bear claw. Kate shook her head, amused.

"Manners, young man. Don't talk with your mouth full." She tried to give him a stern look, but failed miserably. "And we'll see."

"I totally want to sign your cast." Rick piped in and Kate turned to him with a glare. "What, I do." He shrugged and heard his mother laugh.

"Leave the poor girl alone, Richard." She chastised her son and walked over to Kate's bedside. "How are you doing, darling? Quite a scare you gave us."

"I'm okay. Just a broken arm." She offered Martha a small smile and felt tears welling up in her eyes when Martha leaned down to give her a light kiss on the forehead. The gesture was so like her own mother used to do that she felt her heart ache with grief.

"Well, I'm really glad you're okay." She squeezed her hand and Kate blinked back the tears that were threatening to escape. "We can't stay long. Have to take the little one to school."

"Speaking of which, aren't you going to school today, Ty?" Kate brushed his hair away from his eyes and lifted an eyebrow at him.

"It's the last day today, I'm not going to miss anything." He gave her a puppy dog look and she rolled her eyes.

"Okay, fine, you can skip school today. But don't get used to it." She added when he grinned happily at her. "You should go home, though. Take a shower, get out of these stinky clothes." She tickled his side and he squirmed away, laughing.

"Mom!" he complained, through his giggles. "I don't smell."

"You still need to take a shower, kid." She ruffled his hair playfully.

"Can I come back and visit after school?" Alexis asked her and Kate looked at Rick questioningly.

"Sure, pumpkin." He kissed Alexis' forehead. "You should go so you won't be late." He told her and she nodded before giving him a hug.

"Can I…" She started, turning to Kate, but hesitated. "Can I hug you?" She asked timidly and Kate smiled at her sudden shyness.

"Come here, sweetie." Kate said and Rick picked her up, setting her down next to Kate, who reached out her good arm in invitation.

"Easy, Alexis." Rick cautioned and the girl hugged her so very carefully that Kate had to bite her lip to hide a smile. Kissing Alexis' hair, she held her for a moment.

"Kate?" The girl whispered in her ear and Kate pulled away to look at her. "Don't scare us like that again, okay?" She said quietly and Kate smiled, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead.

"I promise I'll try my best not to." She told Alexis and the young girl nodded seriously, taking her promise to heart.

"Alright. I'll be back later." She hugged her one more time and jumped off the bed. "See you guys later." She waved at her father and Tyler while Martha gave Kate's hand a squeeze.

"Hang in there, kiddo." She said and Kate nodded.

"Thanks for stopping by." She smiled at them and had to fight to prevent a yawn from escaping after they left. Tyler looked equally sleepy after having breakfast and was already settling against her side again.

Sighing, she leaned against the pillow Rick had put behind her back and placed a kiss on her son's hair gently. They were all silent for a few minutes as Rick quietly sipped his coffee, apparently not wanting to disturb them. Before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Hours later, she woke up from her second nap, surprised to see it was already dark outside. Her father had stopped by earlier, giving Rick the opportunity to go home with Alexis for a while. Tyler had stuck around for a little while longer, until her dad finally convinced him to go home for a few hours. He agreed on the condition that he would be back to have dinner with his mom. After everyone left, Kate tried to watch some TV, but everything on was boring and the pain in her arm was really taking a toll on her. It was a relief when the doctor came in to check on her and ordered another round of pain meds. He said, however, that even though she was recovering well, he wanted to keep her in the hospital one more night, just to be sure.

She was completely frustrated about that, even more so when she found herself alone and unable to tend to her most basic needs like go to the bathroom by herself. When the nurse came in, she accepted her assistance, but couldn't help but feel embarrassed and helpless. Frustrated that she couldn't do anything – even read a damn magazine because it kept falling off her lap – she decided to give in to the pull of the pain medication and take a nap.

When she woke up, Rick was sitting on the small couch, typing away on his laptop. Apparently sensing that she was awake he looked up at her and smiled, saving whatever it was he was doing and putting the laptop on the couch, before making his way to her bedside and making himself comfortable on the chair.

"Hey." She whispered and he smiled at her, propping his elbow on the bed, his head on his hand.

"Hey yourself." He reached out and touched her thigh, gently caressing it through the thin sheet that covered her body. "How are you doing?"

"Tired. Sore." She sighed and he gave her thigh a comforting squeeze. "I'm glad you're here, though."

"I'm glad you're here too." He winked at her and she chuckled. "You really scared me this time, Kate." He confessed and she looked away for a moment.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, but he shook his head.

"No, don't be sorry. It wasn't your fault." He sighed heavily before continuing. "It just put things in perspective, you know? About how dangerous your job really is and that's what scares me the most. That someday – god forbid – you won't be so lucky like this time." She reached out and took his hand in hers, lacing her fingers through his.

"I can't promise it won't happen again, Rick. It comes with the territory." She lifted their joined hands to her lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of his.

"I don't want to lose you." He murmured, standing up to sit next to her on the bed. "I can't lose you." He touched her lips with his in a gentle kiss, sucking lightly on her bottom lip. Her hand touched his stubbly cheek to hold him there as she allowed him to deepen the kiss. She knew she wouldn't be able to do all the wicked things to him that were running through her mind for a while, so she would take what she could get for now.

"I'll do the impossible to always come home." She whispered against his lips and rested her forehead on his.

"Deal." He gave her a small smile and kissed her again, before settling on the bed next to her. Kate smiled at him gratefully and leaned against his side with a happy sigh. They were silent for a few minutes before she turned back to him, placing a light kiss on his neck.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked quietly and felt him turn to look at her.

"Anything."

"If…" she hesitated, not knowing how to say it, and looked down at their joined hands on her lap. With a heavy sigh she bit her lip before continuing. "If something ever happens to me… would you take care of Ty?" she finished, feeling completely insecure about the enormity of what she had just asked him.

"Hey, look at me." He let go of her hand and touched her chin, making her eyes meet his. "Kate, you don't even have to ask." He rested his forehead on hers and she closed her eyes. "Let's hope nothing ever happens to you, but in the off chance that it does, of course I'll take care of him."

"Thank you." She whispered and kissed his lips softly.

"You guys are stuck with me and Alexis and my mom, love. No turning back now." He grinned at her and she laughed quietly.

And that was all the reassurance she needed.

A/N: Thoughts?