It was quite difficult to sleep that night, Rick often moaned loudly from the pain, the bed was soaked from his sweat within a few hours. Kate just couldn't sleep, she turned over to look at Castle, usually when he slept he was peaceful, but now you could see the pained look on his face. It took a while but Kate eventually fell into a light sleep but was woken a few hours later by Rick shouting. "Shhhh" She said shaking him awake, "Rick?" She said shaking him, he was moaning and shivering. After a minute of her calling his name he woke. "Kate!" He gasped, "I'm here, its ok" She said rocking him. His bandages were soaked in blood, she got up to change them. He winced as she removed the blood soaked bandages. After the bandages she got a damp cold towel and dabbed his brow, He was still shaking. "What happened?" She asked, "They-they…" Rick paused, "They tortured me and and….. You were there but when you tried to help me they shot you…." He stopped and looked at Kate, "It was like reliving Montgomery's funeral but 100 times worse." She hugged him and rocked him back to sleep.
The next morning Kate woke early, at 6 to be precise. Castle was still asleep muttering and moaning. Kate got a fresh towel and damped it. She dabbed it on his brow and face trying to cool him down, the doctor warned this would happen and not to worry, he also said for Rick to go to a therapist to help the nightmares and it would generally help him.
She prepared breakfast for Rick, the doctor told her that he needs lots of iron and protein so she made him a sausage sandwich and a large fruit smoothie. She heard some shuffling in the bedroom so she knew Rick was up. "Kate?" He called in a weak voice. Kate abandoned the breakfast and ran into the room. Rick was lying on the floor shaking. His face was pale and he was sweating buckets. Kate pulled Rick into a sitting position so his back was against the end of the bed. Kate took out her phone, "No Kate, please don't ring 911" Rick mumbled, Kate ignored him. "Kate please, don't, I'm fine honestly." Kate dialled 911 for an ambulance. She spoke quietly into the phone after she was done she placed the phone on the bed. "Kate please" Rick mumbled, "Don't make me go back there, please. I'm fine, you can take care of me." Kate shakes her head, "No Rick, I'm no doctor." He protests, "Kate please! It's my body! I don't want to go back!" She grabs the damp towel off the floor and began to dab his forehead. He tries to bat her hand away but she just grabs his hand, holding it down on the floor with her hand. Rick groans and starts panting. "Where does it hurt Rick?" She asks knowing there's nothing she can do. "Nowhere" He says panting. Kate sighs and continues dapping his face. 5 minutes later the ambulance arrives taking Rick away on a stretcher. Kate wants to ride in the ambulance with him but he says no.
Kate, feeling betrayed stays at home to pack a bag for her and him to bring to the hospital. She also brings his laptop and charge along with both of their phone. As she's leaving she rings Alexis. "Hello?" Alexis says into the phone. "Hi, it's me Kate."
"Is it dad?!" She says, the backround noise begins to fade.
"I rang an ambulance to bring him to the hospital, he was fine but when I went to make breakfast he must have tried to get up but he fell and…" Kate stops and begins to sob.
"Kate listen to me" Alexis says in a serious voice. "It wasn't your fault, come and pick me up from collage and we can go to the hospital together, and don't worry about Gram I'll ring.
"Ok" Kate sniff "Bye" And she hung up the phone and headed towards her car.
20 minutes later they arrived at the hospital, both of them managed to keep themselves together. They reached the reception desk and asked to see Mr. Castle. They were given a room number and they hurried down the corridors getting lost quite a few times. Both Alexis and Kate were growing more and more anxious to see how Rick was doing. They finally managed to find his room just as they were about to enter Doctor Doreen came out, "Ah Miss Castle and Miss Beckett?" They nodded their heads. "Well, his health is declining a bit but it looks like he caught some sort of virus or bug while he was here, so his body is fighting the virus of and trying to heal him and it was all too much. In the ambulance he did go unconscious for a while but he's asleep now" The doctor walked away leaving them to enter the room.
Once again there were 3 chairs beside the bed, Rick was laying there taking slow deep breaths, and once again he was wearing an oxygen mask with loads of wires connected to him. "I can't see him like this" Alexis said, her chin quivering. Kate walks over to hug her, "It's all gonna be ok, he'll be playing with light sabers and pigging out on ice cream soon." Alexis laughed, thinking of what her dad was like before this bug mess started. When she came home at the weekends they would have movie marathon or go to loads of events, but then Kate officially moved in with them Alexis backed off to allow them some privacy. "Alexis" Kate said taking a seat, "I want you to know that you don't need to stay away at the weekends to give me and your father privacy." Alexis gasped, it was like she read her mind, "I don't want to be the one breaking up your relationship with your dad. I've never seen a father and daughter relationship as good as your" Alexis smiled, "Ok" Taking the seat next to her.
Over the next 3 hours they talked about everything, from books to movies to collage to boys. They had quite a good catch up session, Alexis learned more about Kate when she was in college and Kate learned more about Alexis now. Rick moaned, they instantly stopped talking to see if he was awake. He opens his eyes and looks around, then he notices the girls. "How's my two favourite girls?" He said in a raspy voice. Alexis beamed and gave him a hug, they talked a bit, Kate stayed silent. "Hey em Alexis would you give me and Kate a minute?" Rick asks his daughter, "Sure, I'll get some coffee." Alexis gets up and leaves the room. "Listen Kate, about earlier-" Kate interrupts "Rick you don't need to apologise." Kate says holding his hand, "Yes I do Kate, I was stupid and I was foolish, I was also rude," he pauses "I'm sorry" Kate smiles "Apology accepted" Kate gets up and kisses his cheek. "Lips?" he asked in a cheeky voice, Kate removes his mask and plants a light kiss on his lips and placed the mask back down, Rick gives her the puppy eyes, she shakes her head. "You need rest." Rick grunts and closes his eyes, within minutes he was asleep, Kate still holding his hand.