It was Lanie who ended up taking Castle to Beckett's place. Kate waited around once she'd been cleared to be released to see how Castle's x-rays turned out and to watch as the doctors gave him a final check up to make sure it was safe to release him. The x-rays showed no broken bones in Castle's face – and no cracked ribs, which had also been somewhat a concern – and a battery of tests showed that his shoulders hadn't been injured further by the rope ordeal – although they hurt even through all the medications he was dosed with. Cutter had given the final okay for Castle to be released – as long as he had someone to stay with him (or take him home as Kate intended) and had made sure that Beckett knew to call him or the pharmacy if there were any questions about the medication he was being prescribed – or if she had any about the ones that she was given.

So Beckett had left to go get some groceries (since Castle's comment had been fairly accurate) and Lanie had been the one to wait for Castle to be released and had taken him to Kate's. He hadn't been much company, mainly he stared out the window still looking a bit dazed – not that she expected much more than that. She was just glad he was mobile enough that he'd be able to walk himself to the apartment. One of the nurses had dressed him in the jeans and button up shirt that Esposito had brought for him, with slip on shoes that would keep him from needing to bend over any more than necessary.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him as they walked in Beckett's place. Kate hadn't finished her shopping, but she'd told Lanie she wouldn't be long. Parrish had honestly replied that she didn't mind watching him, and she could take as long as she wanted.

"Sleepy," Castle answered, kicking his shoes off clumsily at the door.

"Bed or couch?"

"Bed."

He turned and unerringly headed for the bedroom, and Lanie wondered if she should offer to help him get settled. She decided to get his things put away, first – shaving kit went into the bathroom and the clothes they had for him (which were mainly just things to sleep in since there was no way he was going to be up for anything too strenuous) went on the coffee table for now – and then she'd see if he needed help. When she walked into the bedroom, however, he was already in bed and seemed to be asleep. A trail of discarded clothing, however, brought up something that she hadn't anticipated when she'd planned to help him; judging by the clothing he'd dropped on his way from the door to the bed, he wasn't wearing anything under that blanket he'd crawled under.

"That's Beckett's problem," she mumbled to herself immediately. Of course, it wasn't, though. Castle was sleeping on his side, and his doctors had been pretty adamant that he sleep on his back to avoid injuring those shoulders with any weight on them, and that he sleep slightly inclined. She grumbled and walked over to the bed, checking Beckett's pillow supply as she did so. She piled all of them against the wall, and then very carefully nudged the writer, hoping he wasn't already deeply asleep. "Castle?"

"Hmm?"

"You need to roll over."

"I'm sleepy."

As Beckett had already discovered, he wasn't completely coherent when being waken – and that had been without the painkillers in his system.

"I know, but your doctors want you to sleep on your back."

"Are they here?" He didn't even open his eyes.

She sighed, debated whether to just hand the problem over to Kate when she returned and decided that with the headache Beckett was carrying around, she probably didn't need the added stress of manipulating a reluctant patient into the right position.

"Roll over for me."

"I'm tired, Lanie…"

He sounded tired, too.

"Just do it."

Castle mumbled something she couldn't understand, and his body tensed as he tried to push himself over onto his back, and Lanie caught him by the bicep to help. It only took a moment of shuffling for them to get him into her pile of pillows, but he was sweating by the time they'd managed it. Painkillers could only do so much, she knew, and it had still hurt him. He didn't complain, though. Instead, he closed his eyes against the pain and tried to catch his breath. Parrish brushed his hair back from his forehead, but was careful to be gentle.

"Go back to sleep now," she told him, softly.

"Is Kate back, yet?"

"Not yet. Go to sleep."

"Okay." She started to move away, and he caught her hand, unerringly. "Lanie?"

She turned back and saw that he'd opened his eyes again. They were a little too bright for normal, but he wasn't having trouble focusing and that was a good start.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She smiled, and squeezed his hand lightly, before setting it back on his stomach.

"You're welcome. Close your eyes… when you wake up, Kate will be here."

He did what she said, closing his eyes and after a remarkably short time his body relaxed, telling her that he'd fallen asleep. Lanie watched him just a moment, watching his chest rise and fall and making sure it was steady. Satisfied, she picked up the clothes that he'd left where they lay, put them on Beckett's dresser and then went back out to the living room, leaving the door open in case he woke and needed something.

OOOOOOOOO

Beckett arrived home to find Lanie sitting on her sofa watching TV. She was a little surprised – she'd expected Castle to be sleeping on her couch – but didn't say anything since she was loaded down with several grocery bags and was more concerned about dropping the gallon of milk that was hanging off of her pinky. Only when Lanie had come to her rescue and had helped her get the bags on the counter did she bring up her houseguest.

"How's he doing?"

"He's asleep in your bed. I hope that's okay."

Beckett shrugged.

"It'll probably be better for him in there."

There wouldn't be so many distractions that might keep him awake. She fully intended for him to get as much sleep as possible. It was the best way to heal, after all.

"Probably." Lanie hesitated, but decided that Beckett would find out he wasn't wearing anything, and while she'd love to be a little fly on the wall when that happened, she had other things to do that day. As long as she wasn't needed here. "Are you going to be okay with him? How's your head?"

"It aches a bit," Beckett admitted. "I'll probably put the groceries away and then get some more sleep myself."

"If you need anything just give me a call – or call Javier and he can call me."

"I will. Thanks."

Kate watched as Lanie left, and then finished putting away the groceries. She'd gotten far more than she normally did, and the sight of her fridge so full was definitely not normal. She grabbed up a bottle of water and looked at the wall clock. Castle would be on a regular regime of painkillers until he was aware enough that he could decide how often he needed to be dosed. He was still a while away from the next pill, so she figured she'd check on him, make sure he was comfortable and then sack out on the couch for a while. She walked over to the open door and peeked in. He was sleeping in the position that the doctors had told her they wanted him in, and she walked over to the bed.

Beckett frowned at all the bruising on his chest and lower arms. The signs of the torture he'd been put through was unsettling, and she sat down on the very edge of the bed and reached for his hand – ostensibly to examine the marks on his wrists made by the ropes, but really just to have an excuse to touch him.

"Kate?"

Chagrined that she'd roused him when he so desperately needed to sleep, she squeezed his hand very lightly. He hadn't opened his eyes and she wanted to keep it that way.

"Shhh… go back to sleep."

"You won't leave me?"

"No. I'm here."

"I'm tired."

"I know. Go to sleep."

She could tell he was fighting sleep, she just wasn't sure why. Even he knew he was tired.

"It's dark…"

"I'm here."

Beckett leaned over and softly kissed his ear. His face was too bruised for her to go anywhere near just then. He felt it, though, she knew, because he relaxed a little.

"Stay…"

She hadn't planned to. The couch had cushions and a throw blanket that would serve fairly well for what she needed. But he needed her, and he was just miserable enough to ask for what he needed instead of trying to pretend. Beckett slipped her shoes off without letting go of Castle's hand, and then slid under the blankets with him.

And froze. She'd known he didn't have a shirt on, but she hadn't expected that he wasn't wearing pants – or at least boxers. She started to move away, and he reacted to the instinctive knowledge that she was leaving him by tightening his hold on her hand and rousing again.

"Kate?"

"Where are your-" she stopped, knowing that if she started that conversation he was going to wake up. Instead, she did her best to bring the sheet in between his body and hers, and then she cuddled up against his side, trying to find a part that wasn't too bruised to lean against. "I'm here…" she whispered. "Go to sleep."

Surprisingly, he did. Almost immediately. Even more surprising, considering the situation she'd found herself in, she did too.