When Castle woke next the sliver of outside that could be seen around the heavy curtain had started to lighten the room a little. He didn't move, waiting until his tired mind told him where he was and reminded him of why he was there. Only then did he stir, slightly, and when he did, Beckett did, her arms automatically tightening a little around him and her hand coming up to cup his cheek.

"It's okay," she whispered, not quite awake. "I'm here…"

His heart skipped a beat at the concern in her voice – even sleepy as it was – and he turned his head to look at her. She was cradling his head and shoulders against her own body, his cheek pressed against the gentle swell of her breast in a position that was far more intimate than any other they'd ever shared, and his arm draped over her stomach, holding her in a light embrace. He felt his heart seem to skip another beat, not for the same reason, and he closed his eyes for just a moment to allow himself that intimacy that she normally wouldn't be comfortable with. Her hand brushed his cheek again, and she murmured another reassurance, but she definitely wasn't awake.

He couldn't remember any bad dreams, though – at least not once she'd forced him to go to bed – so she'd been able to keep them away like she'd promised, and he felt pretty good for having had a chance to get some real sleep. He'd have to think of some way to thank her for that once the whole mess was figured out. As it was, though, he needed to get up and take a shower and maybe he'd even make her breakfast.

The moment he moved away from her, though, it woke her completely, and her eyes opened. He could see the concern in them – especially as close as he was to her – and he gave her his best smile to tell her that he was okay.

"Good morning, Detective," he murmured.

Beckett frowned, and he could tell the moment she realized the position they were in, because she tensed for just a moment before she relaxed again. Of course, he didn't have his head against her, or his arm around her, so it wasn't as close as it had been a minute before.

"Are you okay, Castle?" she asked, and to his delight she brushed his hair back from his forehead. Maybe she wasn't as awake as he thought she was?

"Yes. Thanks to you." Now she flushed just a little, almost certainly at the tone he'd used, but he ignored it so she could, and he leaned over and pressed the gentlest of kisses against her temple before pulling away completely, with a groan of pain at the aches in his body. "I'm going to go take a shower…"

"You can't," she told him, sitting up. "You'll get your stitches wet."

"A bath, then," he compromised. He'd seen the tub and it was big enough to soak for a while. "Do you want the bathroom before I hog it?"

She nodded and stretched, and then rolled away from him and out of bed. Castle lay back against the pillows and watched her leave the room before he looked at his watch. It was only a bit after 6am, so there was a lot of morning still ahead of them. He didn't know what kind of morning routine she had, but he liked to take his time waking up. However, he did want to make breakfast so she wouldn't think that the cooking was something he expected her to do, so he rolled out of bed, too. With a lot more creaking and groaning and even mumbled swearing than she'd managed it with.

By the time Beckett came out of the bathroom, Castle had a pot of coffee going and was rifling through the fridge. He looked up when she came into the kitchen.

"Eggs?"

"Sure."

"Scrambled?"

"Okay."

"Bacon?"

"Yes."

"Hash browns?"

"Toast?"

"Okay."

He waved her out of the kitchen and with a smile she let him. Instead, she went to the TV and turned it on to a morning news program before walking over and sitting down at the kitchen table.

"You look better today," she noted. "How do you feel?"

"I ache a bit," he admitted. "But my head doesn't hurt like it did and only my arms feel like they're going to fall off, now."

"Good." She watched him crack the eggs and scramble them with some milk and other ingredients before putting them on the stove. "Do you want any help?"

"I'm good. Thanks."

"Do I have time to shower?"

"Sure."

"You're okay?" she asked, and this time she wasn't talking about needing help in the kitchen.

Castle nodded, his expression unreadable just then – or maybe she just wasn't awake enough yet to understand what it was telling her – and he shooed her away from the kitchen with a soft smile.

"I'm fine, Kate. Go ahead."

Beckett went and gathered some clean clothes and headed for the bathroom. She didn't take as long as she normally would have – cold breakfast aside, she didn't know how much hot water there was and wanted to save some for Castle's bath – but she did feel pretty good when she finally came out, dressed and ready for the day.

Castle was just getting breakfast on the table, and he poured her a cup of coffee and set it down in front of her when she sat down.

"Thank you."

He smiled, and gave her a little bow.

"You're welcome."

Beckett already knew that he was a pretty good cook, so she wasn't surprised that breakfast was delicious. She ate hungrily, enjoying the fact that it wasn't a roll and a cup of coffee – her normal weekday fare – but she also watched him to make sure he was eating well, too. He was moving slowly, and it was obvious that his shoulders were causing him some trouble, but he ate what he'd dished himself, and even managed seconds.

"Did Esposito and Ryan say what time they were going to come over?" he asked, refilling her coffee cup.

She shook her head.

"Probably after nine or so. You have plenty of time to soak in the tub."

"Sounds good."

"Are you done eating?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Then go ahead and go take your bath. I'll clean up the dishes."

"You don't mind?"

"No."

Castle didn't argue with her – which told her that he really wanted a chance to get clean. Instead, he got a change of clothes from his bag and headed for the bathroom. Beckett heard the water running, and finished her coffee while she waited for his tub to fill. Only then did she make a dishful of hot, soapy water. She did the dishes and put them away, and then went into the bedroom and made the bed and straightened up a little before going to the couch to watch the morning news programs.

More than an hour after he'd gone into the bathroom Beckett heard some splashing and a curse. She winced, figuring that he had just dragged himself out of the tub using those sore arms. She heard more splashing, and another curse and a little more splashing. Frowning, she got up and went to the bathroom door, knocking on it lightly.

"Castle? You okay?"

"Yeah." The voice on the other side of the door didn't sound okay. It sounded annoyed and frustrated.

More splashing, and now that she was close enough to hear better, she also heard a groan and another curse.

"Kate?"

"Yeah?"

There was a long moment of silence, and a little more splashing, and then she heard another groan, this one just as frustrated if not more.

"I can't get out of the tub."