Hi guys! A quick update today. Here is the first part of a transition chapter, after all these emotions. Stay tuned for the next ones, and thank you for your feedbacks! xxx
More than two hours had passed. It was completely dark outside and it was still raining. The storm wouldn't end. Some hailstones were even hitting the windows.
The candles set in the living room and the kitchen as well as the chimney fire Rick and Kate had light were warming up the manor. A delicious aroma of vegetables and meat from the kitchen invaded the living room. It could have been a normal stormy Saturday night between friends, sitting next to the chimney fire, listening to music and playing games…
But it was a completely different situation for the people in the manor.
The stress, the wait and fear were among them, at every second.
They were only on borrowed time, they knew it.
Another lightning tore the sky when Lanie Parish took off her stethoscope. Kneeling in front of the couch were Kevin Ryan was lying under a wool cover and a bandage over his abdomen, Lanie put her equipment away and turned to Jenny who had been sitting next to the couch since the end of the operation.
"His pulse is better. He seems stable. Considering the bandages, I don't think the wound is open, that means his tissues reacted well and there's no infection. It's a miracle considering the way I had to operate," she said softly.
"So, he's out of danger?" Jenny asked, her tears dry although everybody knew she could fall into again. Lanie stood up and stared at her.
"That's not what I'm saying, honey. He reacted well to the surgery and as long as he sleeps like that, it's good sign. But I only gave him a few more hours, Jenny. Without hospital care, there won't be any miracles," doctor Parish said honestly. Jenny nodded and smiled though. She gave her a hug directly.
"It's great though. Thank you so much for what you did", she whispered as she hugged her. Lanie smiled and stroked her hair before she let her go.
"I only did my job."
"You know it's more than that," Jenny said with emotion. "I want my baby to know his/her father. And I want to have the opportunity to tell Kevin the news…" she added with a shaky voice.
Lanie smiled softly and wiped her cheek where a tear had fallen down to. She was also hoping from the bottom of her heart that would happen.
Some footsteps were coming from the stairs a few meters away.
Kate Beckett, followed by Richard Castle and then Javier Esposito were coming downstairs. The two detectives had guns and were holding candles to light up the way, as Esposito's flashlight was still out of battery and they couldn't recharge it without electricity.
After Kevin's urgent operation, Kate had told them about the intruder she had met upstairs a few hours ago. Then, Rick, Javier and her had decided to check on the 2nd floor thoroughly.
Martha and Alexis, who were cooking something to eat in the kitchen, turned their heads towards them when they arrived to the living room.
"Ok, we checked everywhere," Kate said to everyone. "Nobody's here. And we closed every door and window."
"Are you sure?" Martha asked.
"Kate, I remind you everything was closed too when you went upstairs the first time," Lanie said.
"Don't worry Lanie. We checked and double checked. Everything's closed." Rick replied as he put his candle on the table of the living room.
"Yep, we shut the blinds and locked the rooms so that any access to the windows is sealed. However, as we still have no clue of how he could get into the manor, let's be careful. No one goes upstairs, understood?" Esposito said, looking at every one of his friends.
Jenny and Lanie nodded.
"No need to tell me twice," Lanie said, scared at the thought of imagining herself alone in this dark long corridor.
"Since I know somebody was there, the same for me," Alexis stammered, behind the kitchen's counter.
"I hear you, darling," her grandmother sighed as she stroked her back.
"What if we need some clothes? Our suitcases are still there…" Jenny wondered.
"We took them all out of the rooms before we locked them. They're still upstairs in the corridor but we'll get them down here," Kate replied.
Jenny nodded as Esposito glanced at his best friend, still resting on the couch.
"How is he doing?"
Lanie shrugged.
"Without hospital care in the next hours, I don't know exactly if…if he's going to be okay," she managed to say. She knew Javier and Jenny wouldn't like her answer. But that was the truth. Kevin Ryan's future was uncertain.
Kate sighed heavily.
"It makes me sick…we don't have enough spare wheels to fix even one car..."
"Added to the fact that even Gina's car had all its tires slashed. The bastard did plan everything", Rick said wearily.
"If he thinks he's going to get out like this," Esposito smirked. "Castle, how far from here is the nearest village?"
"I think it's Wainscott…" the writer said after a few seconds.
"Yes, right, I remember we passed it when we came here," Kate said as she shared a look with Lanie.
"How far is it? 15 kilometers?"
"A little bit more…more than twenty," Rick corrected.
"And we have no cars", Kate sighed as she shared a look with Espo.
"You don't have bicycles?" Javier asked Castle.
The writer shook his head.
"We brought them to New York for Central Park's cross…we were terrible by the way," he said, sharing a look with his daughter. Alexis smiled softly, remembering the event.
"We still have legs," Esposito said as he shrugged. "We can walk."
"What?" Kate reacted, raising an eyebrow.
"I said, we'd walk."
"I heard that. Are you serious?"
"Of course I am!" he said, offended. "I'm ready to walk all night under the rain if I need to, to get some help. I won't let Ryan die," the latino said, determined.
"Javi, I know you have good intentions, but it's too dangerous with the weather, and it's too far. It will take you more than a night." Kate replied.
Javier raised his eyebrows.
"So what? You prefer staying here, doing nothing?"
Kate shook her head.
"That's not what I'm saying. But it's not reasonable. Lanie, how long does he have?" she asked her friend.
Lanie glanced at Kevin, still unconscious, as she crossed her arms.
"If he's regularly hydrated, and if he's still stable…maybe one more day…but I'm not sure. I couldn't examine him more properly," she admitted.
"But you think he can hold on one more day?"
"As long as he doesn't have infection…he did well until now and his blood pressure is good considering all he went through," Lanie nodded.
"All right. So I think we must wait until the morning, just a few hours", Kate said.
"You're serious?" Javier asked.
"If Kevin can wait, better not split," she said, nodding.
"No need to split, I can go alone, I can reach Wainscott by running." Esposito said.
"With no lights, under the storm?" Kate asked.
"A few drops won't stop me. And for your information, I'm not scared of the dark, I'm a big boy," he replied. Lanie shook her head with a heavy sigh.
"Great, if you plan to get run over and your body catch pneumonia!" Lanie said, irritated by his stupid idea.
Esposito stared at her and was about to say something but Kate interrupted him.
"For your information, not only the storm and the dark, but there's a maniac outside, Espo! Have you already forgotten?" she said.
"Maybe he's gone…"
Kate and Lanie let out a bitter laugh at the same time.
"Oh yeah, and where is he? Taking a warm nap in Gina's car?!" Lanie smirked.
"Lanie is right, Espo. And I'm sure he won't leave like that. If you think about it, he killed Gina, shot Ryan, cut the electricity, slashed the tires of the cars, and he even found a way to get into the manor even if we don't know how. Do you seriously think he's going to stop now?"
"That's why we better find some help," Javier said.
"This is crazy," Lanie sighed, shaking her head.
"The girls are right, Esposito…I think he's only waiting for one thing…that we split so we get weaker," Rick interrupted.
"Exactly," Kate nodded. "And you're telling me you want to go alone in the dark to find some help? For your record, we don't have any flashlights and almost no ammo…that's a very bad idea", detective Beckett said, persuasive.
Javier Esposito said nothing but sighed. He couldn't deny it.
"You know it well, Javier, splitting is always a bad idea. We better stay together, taking care of each other," Castle added.
"I know, you're right…" the latino admitted with a sigh. "It's just that I don't want him to die and then tell myself we could have done something to prevent it," he said as he glanced at Kevin.
"No need to say I agree…" Jenny whispered, feeling shivers down her spine at the thought she could lose him.
Next to her, Kate softly stroked her arm.
"He won't die, Jenny. We'll do everything we can. But if we split tonight, it will only get things worse."
"I know, don't worry", Jenny replied.
"So, in your opinion what shall we do?" Esposito said.
"We wait until the morning. We check on Ryan's condition, and some of us keep watching over while the others sleep. Then we make shift. And tomorrow, at the first rays of light, we go get some help." Kate decided.
"I'm okay with that," Esposito nodded.
"Me too," Castle said.
"That's the best thing to do. As long as we stay together, we're safe," Kate added.
.
to be continued...