Once she was sure her daughter was gone Beckett picked up a few items to store in her bag before she walked out into the hall. "Let's go," she said to Darnley as he was walking up to her. She recalled he'd taken the second guest bedroom while she'd been busy, and she asked, "Are you set?"

"I am," Darnley replied. "Will the dogs be okay?"

"Someone needs to come back and feed them around six," Beckett told them as they went down the stairs to the foyer.

"I can do that," Skye replied. "But when we return to the hospital I'll ask if you can take that second bed in the room."

"What if-" Beckett started to say.

"I don't think you need to worry about it," Darnley replied as they went out to the car. He wasn't surprised when Beckett just looked at him as they were standing at the doors and he sighed saying, "We took you the long way around, there some media from the city in the front of the hospital."

"For my daddy?" Julia asked in surprise.

"For him," Skye said with a nod.

"You really think they'll give me that second bed?" Beckett said as she didn't say anything until they were inside the car.

"They will, I'll speak to them," Skye said.

With a sigh as she leaned back against the seat Beckett said, "I guess my pregnancy will provide some advantage I desperately need."

"Good way of thinking," Darnley told her, smiling as she did when he looked back at her though it was swift. He already knew what she was thinking of and he nearly sighed in disappointment as there'd been no word from the hospital that Castle had woken up. He wanted to point out to her there hadn't been any word he was worse but knew she wouldn't want to hear that at all.

When they were back in the hospital Beckett stopped at the nurse's station asking the woman behind the desk, "Has there been any change with my husband?"

"No ma'am, his last check was the same as when we first took him to the room," the nurse replied.

With a nod Beckett walked with Julia over to the room and she let her daughter run ahead to the bed.

"We might step out Katie," Jim said as he went to where his daughter stood while Julia said hello to her father on the bed.

"Please, the girls need to get some fresh air and I don't want them sitting here staring at their father," Beckett told him.

"What about you darling? You'll need fresh air yourself," Martha said. "Especially for the baby."

Though she wanted to protest Beckett finally sighed and said, "I should do that after dinner."

"Which you'll eat in the cafeteria," Jim said.

"With your father," Martha added.

"No," Jim told her. "With Patrick… maybe Skye though I'm sure she'll want to go with us."

Beckett couldn't help bristling a little at them planning what she exactly she would do but she knew they meant the best for both her and the baby. "Alright, I'm going to guess you two will be staying?" she asked.

"Ask the girls, they might want to eat with you or us, but they know they'll come home with us," Jim said.

"Ms. Beckett, you have more visitors," the nurse said, knocking on the door.

"Is it Mayor Foster?" Beckett asked.

"And Chief Davis," the man replied.

"Let them in," Beckett said.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that ma'am, there are too many people here," the nurse told her.

"Is there a little girl with them?" Beckett asked.

"Yes," the nurse replied.

"We'll go out, let them see Richard," Martha said quickly.

"Come on, Dad's friends are probably worried about him too," Alexis was telling her little sisters as they'd been listening to the conversation.

"Yeah, I want to see Mari too," Julia said.

"Is Dani here?" Eliza asked hopefully.

"Go and see sweetie," Beckett said, leaning down and kissing her forehead as her youngest was sitting next to Castle on the bed.

"I… should we go with?" Darnley asked as the others were leaving.

"We who? Skye's probably outside with them," Beckett said. Before her friend could say anything, she leaned over and tenderly brushed her lips against her husband's before sitting on the edge of the bed to look over at the doorway to wait for the Fosters and Davises.

Rebecca was the first to come in and she went to her friend, embracing Beckett as tightly as she could saying, "We tried to call you but you never answered so we had to come and see if Rick was okay."

"You can now," Beckett said, knowing that was a thank you for allowing them into the room. She moved out of the way and let Rebecca see her husband before David was embracing her and she said, "I'm glad you came."

"It looks like everyone's here… but what about from the city?" the mayor said, slightly awkward after hugging her.

"They're working on a case now," Beckett replied. "They caught it today, so they'll have to wait until they finish to come see him. Also, Lanie's backed up with things at the ME so…"

Lily had been walking up to her friend and she hugged her as soon as she had reached her, holding her tightly and saying, I'm so, so sorry Kate. I know everyone's probably telling you that but believe us that we mean it. We don't want to see Rick hurt."

Beckett went over to Brad then; the one person outside of the family that had known her husband the longest; and saw he was looking at Castle with a troubled expression on his face. She touched his arm and couldn't help the sob that escaped her lips when she felt the chief shake hard once.

"How…" Brad started to say before he paused as his voice broke. "What's wrong?"

Taking a deep breath Beckett told the four what was wrong with her husband and she said, "Dr. Bell is optimistic but…"

"The crash was bad, he was… never mind," Brad said quickly.

"Bounced around?" Beckett guessed. When the chief nodded once she told him, "He has a bad bump to go with the bruise on his head; I thought that happened." She went to her husband and held his hand, letting the four greet Darnley as she watched him for a moment to try not to think of how bad the accident might have been.

"Are you staying here?" Lily asked, going back to Beckett after she'd spoken to Darnley.

"Yes, I can't stay away," Beckett said. She looked at her friend and said quickly, "But I'm not staying twenty-four seven."

"You won't be here that long," Lily said.

"I think everyone's in agreement," Darnley commented. "As long as she's here he'll get better faster."

"You don't think your blood ceremony would help out there?" David asked.

"We shouldn't have told you guys about that," Beckett said, running her thumb over the back of Castle's hand.

"I'm getting a little thirsty, I'll be back," Darnley told everyone.

"Do you think you can check and see where our daughters are?" Beckett asked him.

"Of course," Darnley replied.

"We're not going to stay too long," Rebecca said.

"We don't want to really intrude," Brad replied.

"You won't be," Beckett said. "You aren't now. And I know Rick would agree with me about that."

"Are you talking to him," Brad asked.

"You can, he has to hear us," Beckett said firmly.

With a nod Brad placed his hand on his friend's shoulder; after looking at Beckett to make sure it was alright; before he said, "Rick, you have a wife and four kids who'll want you back so… you better or I'll make you play William Tell."

"Something they joked about when they were kids," Lily murmured to the Fosters who looked confused.

"And I want you back here; we all do," Brad said before he stepped away. Looking at Beckett he breathed out and told her, "If you need anything-"

"I know, just visit when you can, I want him to hear everyone he knows," Beckett interrupted with a slight smile. She then hugged them before they said goodbye to her husband and when they left she got up on the bed before carefully laying on the side of it. She did as the girls had done, pressing against Castle's side and whispering, "He's right Rick, we want you home. Even our little one."

Hearing something at the door Beckett tried to look back but was unable to so she said, "Patrick?"

"It's me, stay there," Darnley said, closing the door. "Everyone's outside in the garden; it's extensive so you and I are walking around after dinner. Oh and great news, they're letting you take the other bed."

"I'm glad Skye's so skillful at negotiating," Beckett said, smiling slightly as her friend appeared walking around the bed. She studied him and asked, "What is it?"

"I didn't say anything to you Rick, but I've been busy trying to make sure Kate's okay; which I'm sure you'd want me to do," Darnley said seriously to Castle. He studied the man and his friend who looked very strained even though she was pressed against his side. He sighed and said, "You're going to hear this repeatedly, but you need to come back to Kate and your kids; all of them." He turned his attention to his friend and asked her, "You think if he hears it enough he'll listen?"

"I think so," Beckett replied with a small smile.

"Want me to unpack your things?" Darnley asked her.

"Sure," Beckett replied.

"Even your unmentionables?" Darnley asked, thinking Castle would want him to try and make her laugh. But his heart broke a little when she just gave a weak chuckle and he said, "I know how to handle them."

"Go ahead," Beckett replied.

Going over to the bag that was on the window seat Darnley opened it and he said, "What's this?"

"Don't look in there," Beckett said simply, watching him. "That's the journal Rick kept when he was on his book tour. I wrote an entry when our trip was almost over." She knew; from his expression; that he was wondering why she packed it and said, "It's not what you think; I want to… to write to him right now."

"Oh sure," Darnley said quickly, trying to sound agreeable to the idea. "You can show him what you were feeling and everything when he wakes up."

Beckett smiled a little before she sat up and said, "He did the same for me with his earlier entries."

Handing over the journal Darnley went back to her clothes before he said, "I wonder at the closets," as he took her stack of clothes that were all together to it near the front door.

"I'm sure it's for families," Beckett replied absently as she was looking at the journal and running her fingertips over her husband's handwriting. "I feel…" she began to say before trailing off.

"I know," Darnley said as he'd turned to see her doing that. "Write that to him the second you start in there," he urged her.

"Not yet," Beckett said, hearing a group of people walking down the hall outside. She got down from the bed after kissing Castle's cheek and walked to the doorway as her daughters appeared in it first. "How was the garden?" she asked them.

"Pretty, can we show Daddy when he wakes up?" Eliza said hopefully.

Knowing that was also a question as to if Castle had awoken by then Beckett told her, "We will." She hugged both girls as they looked very disappointed and said, "But for now what would you like to do?"

"We need to go for the moment," Alexis said. "We volunteered to cook tomorrow," she said to her stepmother's questioning glance. "And we're all going to get food for this week."

"Do we have to get my lunches?" Julia whispered.

"I forgot to call Peter's mother," Beckett said with a groan. "Listen," she said. "I also forgot to call Ms. Grey to let her know Julia's not going to be able to go to dance class."

"You don't want to?" Jim asked. "I could take you honey."

"No thank you," Julia replied, shaking her head firmly. "I want to be with Daddy as much as I can."

"I can call Ms. Grey," Jim told his daughter. "What about school?"

"They're staying with me, so I'll have to help them with their lessons," Beckett said.

"We all can do that," Louis said.

"Thank you," Beckett said, smiling at the young man. "So the school and Ms. Grey and if their teachers will give them their homework."

"We can do that here?" Julia asked.

"You will," Beckett said firmly. "But what I was also going to say, eat here in the cafeteria tonight and have dinner at home tomorrow."

"Will you eat Mommy?" Eliza said as she hurried to her mother to hug her tightly.

"I will," Beckett replied. "But before you guys head home for the night so you can stay with your daddy then."

"I'll join her," Darnley said before looking at Skye.

"I'll be with them," the investigator said. "You two have dinner together."

Beckett then said goodbye to the others, telling the girls they would be back as soon as they finished getting the groceries home. Once they'd left she turned to Darnley and breathed out saying, "I need a favor."

"Anything," he replied.

Before Beckett could speak the nurse came in with another behind him, that nurse carrying the flowers that Castle had gotten for her. She directed the woman to put the vase on the bedside table and said to Darnley, "He picked this up before he went to the market earlier."

"It's unique," he told her.

"He wanted the meanings to take precedence over the colors. But I was going to say I need something to drink-" Beckett said before she was startled as he almost jumped up. She smiled for a moment and said, "Take your time."

"You're going to write in that journal, aren't you?" Darnley said.

"I'd like to," Beckett replied.

"Alright, then when I come back tell me a story about the two of you," Darnley said firmly.

"I will," Beckett said before he left. But before she reached for her husband's journal she went to the bed and kissed him gently, caressing the top of his head tenderly. She did that for a moment and then turned to the bedside table where she'd stored the book taking it out and opening it again. For a time, she looked at the handwriting before she turned to the pen that was also in the drawer with the journal and took it out to begin writing as she looked up at her husband from time to time so she wouldn't forget that she was writing to him.

December 9th

Rick when you read this again I hope you'll know that I was here in your room while I wrote this. I keep looking up at you… I guess partly to see if you'll wake up and then because I don't like this. I want to talk to you directly love but obviously I'm not going to be able to now.

I need to tell you that we're waiting for you, hoping you'll open your eyes again. And though the baby is so small it needs you here with us too. I need you here with us, I can't stand seeing you like this and I wish I could do something to wake you up. But because I have to leave that to your doctor I'm writing my frustrations out here.

I should write about something else now though. I keep remembering the kiss we shared before you left and I can still feel it on me, your lips on me. And I got your flowers, they were found in the car and I am touched but I'd exchange them in a heartbeat if you were back. But I have them here in the room with us and I'm looking at them now… I suppose you'd call it a sort of talisman in the hopes that you'll wake up.

Are you dreaming my love? You must be because I can see even here your eyes are going back and forth.

Beckett paused, and she took a moment to gather her thoughts before she began to write once more, feeling tears starting to roll down her cheeks as she did.

I have to tell you Rick that I love you and I can't think of tomorrow not knowing if you'll wake up. I love the life we have together, and I need that. And I have been looking forward to our baby so much because of how we were when we conceived it. So passionate and greedy for one another. It was how I wanted us to do that and now we have it you need to be here for this baby's birth.

Come home to us my love, we need you here. I need you here because I can't imagine life without you.

"Are you okay?" Darnley said after he had walked in to see Beckett nearly slamming closed the journal.

"Yes just… I was all over the place with what I was writing," she said with a heavy sigh. "I wanted to tell him how I felt about him, and I was talking more about wanting him to wake up."

"Which you do," Darnley said easily, handing her a bottle of juice. "Try again later you're probably frustrated now right? And I was going to come back so you needed to finish before that."

With a nod to indicate he was right Beckett put away the journal before she got up on the side of the bed and said, "You don't still want a story, do you?"

"Actually, I do," Darnley said as he sat down on the window seat so they could look at each other. He looked at Castle and said, "I was hoping."

"I know," Beckett said, taking her husband's hand and squeezing it gently. "I kept looking at him while I wrote."

"Listen Kate… if it's too hard for you to tell me then maybe I can wait," Darnley said, watching his friend caressing her husband's cheek.

"No, I want to," Beckett told him seriously. "And I remembered something I can tell you."

Standing up when he saw Beckett was placing her husband's hand on her abdomen Darnley said, "You-"

"I'm fine, I just want him to know even though he's out right now," Beckett replied.

"His eyes are moving," Darnley said as he watched the man.

"I saw, he has to be seeing something," Beckett replied.

"Is that normal?" Darnley said slowly.

"I'll ask the nurse," Beckett assured him. "Are you going to sit?"
"Not yet," Darnley said.

"Okay, this was four years ago," Beckett told her friend as she tore her gaze away from her husband to Darnley. "God that seems like it wasn't that long ago," she said, softly laughing. "But it was the night after Eliza's first birthday and after the girls were asleep Rick took me outside down to the water with a blanket."

"Star gazing?" Darnley asked.

"Yes," Beckett said, smiling. "At first, eventually though he let me know why we were out there exactly," she told him, recalling that night very easily as she related to him hers and Castle's discussion that night.

"See?" Castle told his wife. "It's absolutely perfect. No clouds or anything."

"I followed you out here Rick," Beckett told him with a smile. "I don't think you need to sell me on it anymore."

"Alright," Castle said. "Help me with this," he told her before they shook out the blanket and set rocks on it before they sat down together, and he immediately lay down. "I wasn't kidding about looking at the stars," he told her with a smile.

Laying down herself Beckett looked up to the sky and could see Castle was right, without any cloud cover they could see a lot of stars and she smiled before she spoke. "Why else are we out here?" she asked him.

"For this," Castle replied easily. He knew that his wife was looking over at him and said, "You're missing it love."

"I saw already," Beckett said simply though she turned her head back and looked up. "What are you thinking about doing tomorrow?" she asked him.

"I have no idea," Castle replied. "I guess we should do something all together since everyone needs to head back to the city."

"I was thinking we should let the girls go together with their big sister," Beckett told him.

"And us?" Castle asked as they looked at each other.

Smiling Beckett said, "You should take my dad to the golf course."

"And you and my mother?" Castle said.

"I'll ask her tomorrow," Beckett said simply. She looked back at the sky, watching the stars before she said, "If she wants to see her friends or something on her own-"
"You can go to the spa with Rebecca," Castle said. When his wife turned her head again to look at him he smiled widely and said, "Surprise?"

"Why don't you include your mother?" Beckett asked him, not surprised he'd come up with that.

"Good idea… alright I think I will," Castle replied. "Let's just hope that they'll let you go at the last minute."

"Which they've done before," Beckett pointed out to him.

Nodding Castle said with a smile, "Don't stay too long."

"When I said the golf course I meant take my dad to lunch at the club house too," Beckett replied, reaching over and entwining their fingers. "Alexis can take her sisters to lunch and your mom and I will do something too."

Castle nodded, studying her before he couldn't help saying, "What are we going to do next year?"

Beckett laughed and said; to her husband's inquiry of what was so funny; "I expected you to start asking yesterday."

"I was having too much fun really to think about it," Castle replied, smiling at her.

"Let's wait and see what Eliza might like then," Beckett replied before she looked up at the stars again. "I can't believe she's a year old already." She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and she turned her head, seeing her husband was sitting up. She rushed to do so herself before asking, "So why did you really bring me out here?"

"Hard to keep anything from you," Castle replied. He grew serious and reached over to her, so he could take her hand before he said, "Have you thought about the possibility of us having another child?"

Beckett wasn't all that surprised at the question, but she took a moment to answer before her husband was interrupting her.

"I've thought about it and I would absolutely love to have another kid with you," Castle said.

"Just one?" Beckett asked him.

"Four kids are enough," Castle replied. "And since I'm not really having the baby I can't make that final decision. I'm just telling you that I would love to if you did as well."

Waiting to make sure he was finished speaking Beckett said, "To be honest I haven't thought about it myself; I've been busy focusing on Eliza. But," she told him as he was about to speak. "When she's older I can consider the idea."

"I was going to tell you that you can decide," Castle said quickly. "I just wanted to let you know."

"So if I take… six years or-" Beckett began to say.

"You know when you'll want to decide for sure," Castle interrupted her. He smiled when she looked at him with her eyebrow slightly raised and he shrugged saying, "I thought about how I was going to tell you this already."

"Okay," Beckett replied. "And I'll tell you when I'm ready."

"Perfect," Castle replied with a nod before he leaned over to her and kissed her gently on the lips. When they parted he looked into his wife's eyes and said, "We should go inside."

"I don't think we really need to," Beckett replied, smiling. She leaned into her husband and they kissed tenderly though they were lingering a little longer than before. When they parted she murmured to him, "I love you Rick."

"I love you too Kate," Castle said seriously before he almost threw himself against her, knocking her back against the blanket though he hadn't wanted to do that.

"I'm fine," Beckett told him hurriedly when he pulled away looking concerned. She brought him back down to her and they were soon kissing hungrily before they slowly parted to get their breath back. When they'd done so she said, "I wonder why you're so eager."

"And you're not?" Castle asked jokingly before he leaned down and kissed her again. He lingered for as long as he could and very slowly pulled away before helping her up.

Beckett thought for a moment that her husband was going to say something but when he merely took her hand she smiled and let him lead them up to the house with the blanket in hand.

"It took you four years?" Darnley asked carefully when his friend had stopped speaking.

"It did but I was really unsure at the time if I wanted another child just yet," Beckett replied.

"And then you decided," Darnley said.

"It wasn't like a light switch and I was suddenly okay with the idea of having one more baby," Beckett explained. She looked at her husband and told her friend, "Seeing him with the girls; and Alexis too; just reminded me why I'd had Eliza with him."

"He is a good father," Darnley said, getting the other chair in the room and sitting on the other side of the bed.

"Patrick how can you be here? You have two kids and your husband-" Beckett started to say as she studied him.

"He understands I told you… or I should have if I hadn't," Darnley told her reassuringly. "And I'm not planning on staying for that long, he'll wake up in time."

"I hope you're right," Beckett told him.

"I am, you know I'm right Kate," Darnley said. He watched her studying Castle's face and he said, "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking if he can hear us then does that influence him at all?" Beckett replied.

"It might. He was put into this state, right?" Darnley asked. When she nodded he told her, "Then he has the chance. Like you said the doctor told you this is so he can heal."

"His knee was hurt during the crash," Beckett said softly.

"Not badly though," Darnley said, looking at her in concern.

"No but I worry about him being able to walk after," Beckett said. "Or if he'll be permanently affected."

"Did you ask the doctor about that?" Darnley said.

"I didn't, I was too much in shock the last time she spoke to me," Beckett replied.

"You can ask her now," Darnley said, nodding to the door behind her.

Looking over her shoulder Beckett saw that the doctor was there, and she said, "Did you hear that at all?"

"I did," Bell replied. "And his knee wasn't injured so badly that he'd have a permanent defect," the doctor said, checking Castle's dilation in his eyes. "He seems to be seeing something."

"That's okay, right?" Darnley asked.

"It is, it's a good sign really," Bell replied. "And he looks to be stable still. I'll check on him later this evening."

When the doctor had left Darnley said, "Good sign."

"I know," Beckett replied. "We're only at the beginning though." She saw he was looking at the bed behind him and she asked, "What is it?"

"We'll have to push this up against Rick's bed for you," Darnley told her with a smile. "I know you want to be against him as close as possible."

Beckett was going to tell him he didn't need to bother but she stopped herself from speaking as she knew he was going to make sure it was done. "He's… I love him," she said suddenly.

"He knows," Darnley told her as he knew she was speaking more to her husband than him. "Listen, I'll be right back."

"There's a bathroom here," Beckett told him, knowing why he said that.

"I'll be back," Darnley replied with a smile. "It's yours for the time being."

Beckett nodded and watched him go before she turned to look at her husband again. Studying him closely she leaned over and brushed her lips to Castle's again as she whispered, "I love you Rick." She knew it was foolish to expect an answer, but she couldn't help feel some disappointment when he remained still. She could see that his eyes were moving back and forth under the lids before pausing and starting up again. "What are you seeing my love?" she whispered.

Since she couldn't know Beckett gave into her exhaustion coming from hearing the news about her husband and seeing him as he was; as well as trying to deal with the emotional toll that day was taking. She lay against his side again pressing close and hoping whatever he saw in his unconscious state, she was there with him at the very least.