Castle's bed was as comfortable as it looked. Kate dressed in lounge pants and a t-shirt and slid under the comforter – there was also a blanket and flannel sheets; he clearly didn't want her to catch a chill. There were plenty of pillows. She could pile them up and be upright, or use just a couple to lay flat. At the moment she wanted to sit up, so she opted to make a little mountain of them. By the time she was settled, listing just a little to the side to protect her injured side, he was back, carrying a tray.

"Comfortable?"

"Yes."

"Hungry?"

She nodded and he walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, draping the tray over her lap and clicking the legs of the tray down on either side of her thighs to stabilize it. Lunch was a sandwich, a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a cup of jell-o. There was a cup of coffee and he'd also put a small vase with a single red rose on the tray – a sweet touch. She smiled and pulled the rose out of the vase so she could smell it.

"This is nice."

"You took care of me," he said, his eyes smiling at her but his tone serious. "It's my turn. Okay?" He didn't wait for an answer. Instead, he leaned over and pressed a kiss against the corner of her mouth. "Do you need anything else?"

"No."

"Then you eat that and I'll get you a pain pill so you can sleep."

"When are Martha and Alexis supposed to be home?"

"Any time. I sent a car for them since I wasn't sure when Lanie was going to bring you."

"You should have gone. I would have been okay with her."

"I sent a limo. My mother is going to love it."

"And Alexis?"

"She likes you. She'll understand." That made Beckett smile, and he patted her arm, glad that he'd made her happy. "Eat, Kate. I'll be back in a minute."

He left her alone so he wasn't a distraction and went out into the kitchen to get her that pill he'd promised. As he was filling her a water bottle – which he decided was better than a glass – he heard a disruption at the door and looked over just in time to see his mother walk in the door, holding a bag and looking at the workman who was repairing the door jam. Right behind her was Alexis and after her came the driver of the limo, weighed down with all the other bags.

"Put those bags anywhere, dear," Martha said to the driver as they walked into the living room. Then she saw her son standing at the sink, the light in the kitchen showing quite clearly the bruising on his face. "Oh, Richard…" She'd known he was going to be beat up – he'd warned her over the phone when he'd called her that morning – but he looked so battered and tired that it made her heart ache for him. He was her baby, after all.

"You look awful," Alexis told him, coming around the counter to hug him, but hesitating since she didn't want to hurt him. Castle wasn't so uncertain. He wanted a hug.

"It's fine, honey," he told her, hugging her close and holding her tight. He smiled over her shoulder at his mother, who had also walked over. She carefully pushed the hair back from his forehead to give herself a better look at his face, and the stitches.

"That's from the airbag?" Martha asked, frowning.

Alexis pulled away so she could see his face as well.

"Yes. But nothing is broken," he assured them. "And it looks a lot worse than it is."

"And Detective Beckett was hurt, too?"

"In the car wreck, yes," he confirmed. "But not quite as spectacularly. She bumped her head – a cut and a bruise."

Martha looked around the loft.

"But then she was shot?"

Since he'd already told her the story – very laundered – it wasn't as much of a shock as it might have been. He could dismiss his injuries as only from the wreck – even if they saw him without his shirt – but there was no pretending a bullet wound was anything but a bullet wound, so he'd told them about the diamond and how James had followed him and Beckett to the loft and about the ensuing gunfire.

"Yes."

"Is she okay?" Alexis asked. Her mother had told her the story, but it was still scary.

"She is. She's in my room finishing lunch and hopefully getting some rest."

Again, they both knew that Beckett was going to be at the house – Martha had suggested it, like Castle had told Lanie and Kate – so that wasn't a surprise, either. They didn't even ask why she wasn't on the couch, since it was obvious that with all the work going on in the living room and other areas there was no way she'd have been able to get any rest. Or privacy.

"Do you think it'd be okay if I go say hi?" Alexis asked.

Castle smiled.

"I think she'd like that," he told her. He handed her the water bottle he'd filled and the painkiller in a little paper cup. "Give her those, will you, honey?"

"Sure."

Alexis gave him another glance, checking out the bruises he knew, and left the kitchen, and Martha waited until she was out of earshot.

"Everything is okay, now, right?"

"Yes, Mother. James is dead, the diamond is recovered and all that's left is to get Beckett healed up."

"And yourself."

She hadn't missed that he was moving stiffly.

"I'm much better."

"I'll be the judge of that," Martha told him, brushing a gentle kiss against his cheek. "Why don't you go spend some time with your daughter? I'll watch things here for you."

He smiled, hugging her.

"Thank you. There's lunch, if you're hungry."

He went around the counter and headed for his room, as well, and Martha looked around once more, and then realized the limo driver was still waiting. Apologetic, she reached for her purse.

OOOOOOOOO

A soft tapping at the door made Kate look up from the soup she was contemplating. She expected it to be Castle, and was surprised to see Alexis stick her head through the doorway.

"Can I come in?"

Beckett smiled.

"Sure."

Castle's daughter walked over to the bed, looking uncertain. Beckett was sure she'd never talked to someone who was recovering from a gunshot, so she could definitely understand.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little sore," Kate admitted. "How was your trip?"

Alexis smiled.

"Amazing. Everyone was so nice." She handed the bottle of water over to the detective, as well as the little cup with the pill. "Here."

"Thank you." Beckett took a drink of the water, but didn't swallow the pill just yet. "Tell me about your trip. Did you see any place that you liked?"

The girl's face lit up.

"I-"

"Wait!" They both turned to see Castle coming through the door, and both smiled at him, which made his heart soar. "I have to hear this, too," he said. He walked over, and put his arms around Alexis, pulling her down onto the edge of the bed with him so they didn't have to stand.

Amused and somewhat touched at finding herself in the middle of such a domestic scene Kate leaned back into her pillows, but Castle gestured at her lunch tray, clearly telling her that the return of his family didn't excuse her from eating something. Martha appeared a short time later, while Alexis was telling them about the first day of their trip and Castle's mother had brought the rest of them lunch on another tray. They ate while Alexis and Martha talked, and Beckett eventually drifted off, lulled to sleep by the warmth of the bed and a full stomach.