"Mother, I'd like a word with you!"
From his tone, Martha knew that she'd been discovered for meddling in her son's personal life and he didn't sound too happy about it. Okay, old gal, time for some quality acting. Martha entered the office to see Rick pacing in front of his desk. "What is it Richard?"
Rick stopped pacing briefly and fixed Martha with a scathing look. "You can stay out of my personal life to start."
Martha assumed an innocent expression. "What personal life?"
"Oh, come on. Kate? Surely you had a hand in that."
"And what happened between you and Kate?" Might as well dig for something juicy to fill in the story.
Rick stopped pacing again and leveled a glare at her. "The clown?"
Okay, time to deflect. "How is Mackenzie? Did she have a nice birthday party?"
Rick leaned against his desk and let out a sigh. Drumming his fingers on the underside of the desk, a smile came to his face. "Wonderful. She was just glowing as she told me about it. Even as sick as she is, she just sparkles with joy in everything. She even saved me a piece of chocolate cake."
"Quite an achievement." Martha couldn't help but smiling. Her plan had worked as well as she'd hoped. Her son was smitten with both of them. She tried to determine his emotions and level of commitment as Rick stared off into space, reliving some memory.
"What am I going to do?"
"About what, Richard?"
Rick refocused and looked annoyed at Martha. "About Kate."
"Is she angry about the clown?"
"No, she was very happy."
Martha watched him blush and congratulated herself. She could tell that something had happened between them, and judging his reaction, Kate had shown some affection. This was a delicate moment. Richard Castle had to be led gently; otherwise, he would bolt. "Did she not take good care of the children?"
"No, she did an excellent job."
Martha was growing exhausted of his limited answers. "Oh for heaven's sake Richard, what did she do?"
"She knew exactly how to handle Aiden and the talk they had was amazing. It's like she can read our hearts and minds without even trying."
"Perhaps you should offer Kate a position here then."
Rick pushed away from his desk and started pacing again. "I already did, but she turned me down...No, that's not exactly true. She didn't believe I was serious at first, and she said she'd consider it."
"If she took good care of the children, isn't angry and hasn't turned down the job, then what is the problem?"
Rick stopped walking and dropped his head in thought a moment. "We danced in the hospital, and then later, she kissed me."
Martha made a mental note to do a little happy dance later. "Was unpleasant?"
Still looking down, Rick drew a little circle on the floor with his foot, his voice a bit sulky and hesitant. "No, it was-" Rick trailed off unsure of how to describe his kiss with Kate.
"A little too pleasant?" When Rick didn't answer, Martha prodded again. "She's a very beautiful woman, Richard. No one could blame you for being attracted to her."
Rick exploded into motion and raised his voice. "But that's just it! I blame me. I've had no problem resisting physical attraction before, but she makes me feel... so... so...I don't know." He stopped walking again and hung his head.
"I wasn't referring to her physical beauty, although she's not exactly lacking in that area. Kate has something inside that this whole family needs. How do you feel about her?"
"Confused! When I'm near her, I feel invigorated and yet calm at the same time. She drives me crazy, but I can hardly bear to be away from her. I can't stop thinking about her. She's the most remarkable, maddening, frustrating, challenging person I've ever met. I feel so alive when I'm with her! Like I'm...falling...in.." Rick turned to face his mother, the conflict written heavily in his expression. "I don't want to feel this way with anyone else. I made a promise, Mother. I can't betray Kyra this way."
Martha decided to pull out the big guns. "What if the situation were reversed? What if you had died that night? Would you want Kyra to raise Aiden and Alexis without a father, even if she met someone who could give them a father's love and guidance?" Martha placed her hand on his shoulder. "Would you really prefer that she remain alone and miserable, even 4 years after your passing? I think Kyra would be happy to have someone like Kate taking care of her family." Martha turned to leave but stopped at the office door. "And I do mean the whole family." With that, Martha left a pensive Richard Castle alone to think.
Rick returned to the hospital sometime after 10. Alexis slept peacefully, cuddling the plush, white bear, so he decided to work a little before bed. He'd just ventured out into the hall to find a cup of coffee when he saw Kate talking with another family down the hall.
He busied himself with the vending machine while he quietly observed her. She held the woman's hand as she softly explained where they could stay while their son received treatments. She patiently listened to their concerns, offering encouragement and assisted them in finding all the appropriate paperwork for their insurance. The level of empathy she demonstrated amazed him.
By the time she finished talking with them, they had visibly relaxed before leaving to join their son.
"Castle, can I help you find something?" He realized that he didn't really have an excuse for lingering in the hallway and stammered an answer.
"Well, I wanted a cup of something before bed. Would you like to join me?"
She agreed and in a few minutes, she sat recounting how she got the job at the hospital. "When Mackenzie got sick the first time, I was so lost in the medical jargon. I wanted to make good decisions, but didn't know how. I felt helpless and hated the feeling. I decided I needed to learn and fast, so I begun researching and studying everything I could get my hands on."
"When did you start here?"
"Dr. Davidson pointed me in the right directions in the beginning, and then when Mackenzie got sick again, he hired me part-time." Rick didn't respond immediately. It sounded innocent enough, but he felt strange at her references to Dr. Davidson. Was there something between them? She certainly seemed friendly with him in the emergency room. Kate pulled him out of his jealous contemplation.
"Of course, working here I discovered more than just peace of mind..."
"What's that? The torture racks or the sexy scrubs?"
She hit his arm playfully. "No. Meeting people from all walks of life taught me that people really are all the same - doctors, businessmen, construction workers, authors..." She looked pointedly at him and gave him a wink, and then got serious. "Illness or injury is a great equalizer. Once a child is hurting, all the differences between us melt away, and all that matters is getting that child well."
"Well I'm certainly glad for your help with Alexis. I think you're very good at what you do."
"Thanks. It's a career with a purpose. I find it very fulfilling. I just wish we didn't have to struggle as much." Kate yawned. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm about to turn into a pumpkin, so I guess I'll call it a night. Thanks for the talk, Castle."
He stood as she rose to leave. "My pleasure. Thank you for the company."
After she walked away, he looked down at his unfinished coffee and sighed, wondering if he'd be able to concentrate at all when all he could think about was the woman down the hall.