CH47

It is now the next day: (June 4, 2001)

The next update will likely not be until Monday. Sorry. I hate not updating daily.

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Rick awoke and tried to open his eyes, except doing that was giving him a headache, so he stopped for a minute. During this moment he realized that he was warm, just a little too warm and that one of his arms was trapped.

Rick's first thought was that he had been captured and restrained. Southeast Asia was always hot and not the most hospitable of places so that explained why he was warm.

Might as well start to get a handle on where he was, so he willed his eyes open. He was in a small room which was no surprise. Next he noticed that his room had windows which made no sense. If he was being held prisoner, why were there windows?

Trying to move one of his arms got him to look down his body. He was bare chested and there was a woman draped all over him. From what he could see, she was thin with long brown hair.

Next he noticed that he had a tube that was delivering oxygen to his nose and he could make out the sound a machine beeping, which seemed to match his heart rate.

There was a door and a wall filled with windows on the opposite wall. Rick also worked out that he was lying down in a bed with his head slightly elevated. None of this made any sense at all.

Had he been injured during his capture? That kind of explained the room he was in since it felt like a hospital. Why would they tend to his injuries? Then it occurred to him that he had made it back to the sub and had been transferred to a hospital in Japan. He began to relax a little. Not hearing any sounds of combat also helped him think hospital in Japan.

Why was there a woman in his bed? Looking around some more he noticed that there was a holster that had a weapon in it. A naval hospital would have guards who had weapons, but where had this woman come from?

The door suddenly opened and in walked a heavy set black woman who instantly started smiling. She walked over to the machine that was next to his bed and studied it for a time, before turning to face him.

"Both of you are the cutest things. Anyone who would defy hospital policy about visiting hours and sleep in that uncomfortable bed all night with you must love you a lot." Rick watched her shake her head.

"You two had better hurry up and get married before half the staff comes in here to take you away from each other. I'll tell the doctor that you're awake and that your fiancé is still here." Rick watched her smile and walk back out of the room.

"Fiancé!?" Rick's mind had a lot of trouble with that word, which caused him to stare up at the ceiling.

It was like watching a movie in his mind. "It's why I love her with all my heart… I have a question for you. My mother raised me to be a gentleman and the Army beat dedication and commitment into me… I want to ask you for your permission to marry your daughter.

I can't imagine my life without her in it anymore. We've bought a house together and decorated it to match both our styles. I'm well aware of the age difference and in the beginning it bothered me a lot.

It's just that Kate is 20 now and is far more mature than her age suggests. As she ages that difference will look less and less." Rick looked at the man's face and didn't see much reaction.

Rick's eyes widened. "The woman in his arms and in his bed was named Kate and he had asked her father for permission to marry her, because he loved her with all of his heart," Rick told himself in his mind.

AND THEY HAD A HOUSE TOGETHER!? Except he lived in a 2 bedroom apartment with practically no furniture didn't he? Plus he lived alone, single and childless.

Then another movie played itself out on the ceiling of his room. "You owe me an answer to my question, Castle," Kate had pointed out the very next day while they were eating. While Rick was glad that Kate was still here with him, her question wasn't one he was looking forward to answering.

Rick slowed down eating his lunch and took a deep breath. This was going to hurt and it was an old wound that he was sure was never going to heal.

"I think only my mother and maybe a couple of others know anything about this, so I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself," Rick asked of Kate getting her to nod her head.

"Kyra ran off to England and after that I joined the military. It was looking like a good career move and I was good at it, made my way up to Sergeant First Class in record speed. Might even be an officer by now, but who knows. Might be dead just as easily." Rick noticed the look Kate gave him after that remark and it was touching and sweet of her.

"Even in the military I started writing. When I wasn't deployed or training I was off writing. Took a lot of teasing from my friends about it. Ranger Rodgers the writer. They made it sound like a Saturday morning cartoon, like Dudley Do-Right or something. It was all in good fun so it didn't bother me any. It didn't hurt when I would find them reading it after it came out either." Rick paused and could see Kate smile while she slowly ate her lunch.

"After my accident with my knee, I was discharged for medical reasons. It was about then that I started feeling sorry for myself. My military career was over and writing was just a hobby; I had never really intended to pursue it as a career. Being a writer full time just wasn't stable enough for me. Drilled into my psyche I suppose.

I was sulking and feeling bad about myself, deep into my personal pity party and eating up my bank account at the same time.

Then Mother introduced me to someone. She was pretty enough, however mostly she was vibrant and fun and nothing seemed to get her down. She was always on the go, didn't slow down for anything or anyone. You kept up or you got left behind.

Meredith was her name, Meredith Lee. We dated and went to parties, some of which she would bail on at the last second because she would get a call to come in for an interview for a part or commercial or whatever.

Meredith was or is an actress. She was serious about it too. She was going to succeed and have her name up in lights. Everyone was going to know her name.

Problem was she was also shallow and self absorbed. I was beginning to learn there was only room for Meredith in her life and no one else. I had finally made up my mind that while she was fun to be around and the sex was fast and exciting; she just wasn't what I was looking for.

The fun was over and I needed a job and start making money again. It was about then that Meredith showed up at my door screaming at me that I had gotten her pregnant. Being pregnant was going to ruin her career. She was going to lose at least a year of chances and disappear of people's radar. Have to start all over again from scratch.

Next thing I knew she slapped me and stormed out of my apartment and stopped taking my calls and was never home when I went to see her. I wasn't really sure what I was going to do, but my mother had raised a good son, or so I thought anyway. I'd made up my mind that I was going to ask her to marry me.

That's what you are supposed to do right? Offer to support her and give support to your child?" Rick paused and saw that Kate had stopped eating lunch and that Kate was now breathing hard, like she just knew what was coming next.

"I finally caught up to her a couple of weeks later, and was forced to listen to her shriek at me for what I had done to her. She had no intention of marrying me, now or ever. And the baby didn't matter anymore; she had taken care of it on her own."

"I was too shocked at the implication and the next thing I knew I was being shoved out of her apartment and had the door slammed in my face." Rick could see the look of shock on Kate's face as tears that she was trying to wipe away rolled down her all too lovely face.

"I made it back to my place pretty much on auto-pilot, not really knowing how I had gotten there. It was hours later and far too many shots of Scotch imbibed that my mind worked out what 'taken care of' meant."

"Meredith had gotten an abortion and killed our baby, so that her career wasn't ruined."

"I woke up the next morning to a splitting headache and a destroyed apartment. Everything I owned was damaged or broken in some way. I had no recollection of ever having done anything except cry while drinking. It looked like a bomb had gone off."

"Bookshelves were broken on the floor, lamps, dishes, glass everywhere, nothing was spared."

"I assumed it was me that had done it. It certainly sounded like something I would do after working out what Meredith had told me." Rick started blinking back the tears that hadn't come since Meredith had told him. Somehow now they were trying to make an appearance after 2 long years.

"I just, …Never get to see my own child. Never watch it grow up. Never get to hear the word Daddy." The tears were flowing fast now and Rick was finding it hard to breathe. "She killed it before it even had a chance. …Just killed it." Rick didn't know when or how but somehow he had his arms around Kate without ever having to move and simply broke down on her.

He had told Kate everything and obviously had asked her to marry him. Rick also noticed that he had tears running down his face after remembering that day. Meredith had killed their baby!

Suddenly Rick had another memory. This time it was a naked Kate whispering into his ear. "I would never kill our baby Rick, never."

Rick was breathing heavily; he could feel his chest rising and falling as he remembered something personal and dramatic. Rick felt the woman in his arms wake up. She raised herself up and looked at him with pure love in her eyes.

"Rick, you're awake! Thank god." Kate lifted up and started kissing Castle all over his face. "How do you feel babe? I've never been so scared, I thought I had lost you." Kate gave Castle a quick kiss on the lips and settled down to just hold him close.

Rick could feel her shaking as she snuggled in close. Rick didn't know what to say or do, but he had to start somewhere. "You must be Kate, I presume," he murmured.

He felt the woman in his arms suddenly go stiff. "Rick?" her shaky voice called out. She lifted her head and looked at Rick. "What do you mean, presume?" Kate searched his eyes and didn't see any love for her in them.

That was enough to get Kate to get out of his bed. She stood there looking at him. "You… You don't know who I am, do you?" Kate was getting scared. She watched Rick shake his head. A new nightmare was beginning.

Kate couldn't catch her breath. She felt as though her life was ending as she watched the man who held her heart reject it. "Rick no, please no. Please tell me you know who I am, please?" Kate's tears ran down her face.

Kate shook her head and backed up towards the door. "You don't remember that you love me?" Her breaths were coming faster. This just couldn't be happening. "You proposed to me." Kate held up her left hand to show Rick her ring that he had given her.

"Please baby, tell me that you remember." Kate pleaded as her knees started to give out; she was on the verge of a break down.

Rick was having his own break down. He felt like he was breaking a promise. Something that he had promised using all of his heart. What Rick wanted to do was scream. It was wrong, this was all wrong.

Rick suddenly sat up straight with sudden force. It was only then that Rick started screaming very loudly. "Castle what's wrong? Rick, talk to me." She took hold of Rick but he just sat there screaming.

She was suddenly forced out of the way when two nurses and a doctor with a cart came charging in. "What's going on, tell me what is happening!" Kate demanded. She couldn't move. Didn't want to move. She couldn't watch Rick die and wanted to be there to save him at the same time.

The three medical personnel were talking rapidly with each other. Kate just stood there as they helped Rick lay back down on his bed. He was quiet again and looked to be asleep.

"We were forced to sedate him to keep him quiet and prevent the possibility of him hurting himself. We'll be taking him downstairs soon to perform an MRI on him. It's possible that the stroke may have done some damage," Kate was told as she watched them bring in an orderly who wheeled him out of the room.

It was only as they were wheeling him out that Kate noticed one of the FBI security detail had opened the door and stepped inside. He left with Castle. She slumped in the chair and sobbed.

Kate was being shaken awake. She turned her head to look at whomever it was. "How is he doing darling?" Martha asked, dressed and looking like she did not long after Kate had seen her at home.

"Martha?" Kate was confused. "I… They took him to get an MRI," Kate told her, not remembering if she had been told the results or not.

Now it was Martha's turn to look at Kate puzzled. "Richard has been here since I arrived just a couple of hours ago, dear. I watched you climb into his bed and go to sleep next to him. He has never left this room," Martha explained.

Kate was very confused. Just what was Martha talking about? "What..." Kate didn't know what to ask or say.

"I didn't hear from you for a couple of hours so I called a taxi and was allowed in the room after being frisked by those men outside the door just as you got into bed. I decided to leave you two alone and sat down and watched," Martha explained.

"You… Castle didn't… " Kate stopped talking when she felt a hand suddenly running its fingers through her hair. She turned her head. "Castle?"

Kate saw Rick smiling at her. "Hi," he whispered.

"Castle!" Kate rose up and kissed his face while fighting back the tears. "You remember me?"

Rick looked at Kate funny. "Um, yeah." He looked confused. "Mother." Rick saw her just past Kate.

"Hi kiddo, how are you feeling?" Martha didn't understand Kate, however her son was awake.

"My head hurts like I have a hangover." Rick started looking around. "Why are we in a hospital?" He realized that he didn't remember getting there. He also found that he had a clip on his finger, a needle in his arm, and an oxygen line at his nose. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?" Kate asked and began silently praying.

"We were outside of Bracken's election headquarters when I started walking across the street, and now I'm here," Rick explained.

"You were injected with Nuke, babe and started having a seizure right on the sidewalk. I did what I could and called for an ambulance," Kate informed him and watched as Castle opened his eyes very wide and reached for his upper arm area to search for the injection site.

"It was actually here." Kate moved his hand a little lower.

"Who… ?" Rick stopped because his mother was here and she really didn't need to know this.

"I'm going to go find some coffee or tea, since my throat is a little dry." Martha touched both Rick and Kate before turning to leave.

"You don't have to leave Martha." Kate wanted her to stay; Rick was her son.

"I can hear a classified FBI story coming. I may be old but I'm not senile," Martha smiled.

"You are not old Martha," Kate countered, which earned her a hug from Martha. "Thank you dear, but I still hear a story you can't tell me coming. I'll be right back, after I get strip searched by your two eager beavers at the door," Martha teased, which gained her a glare from Kate since she knew Martha was exaggerating.

Martha had no sooner left when Jordan Shaw walked in. "You're both here and both awake, good." Jordan stepped up next to both of them. "How are you feeling Castle?"

"My head still feels like it is ready to split open, but otherwise fine" Rick admitted.

"That's good. You and Cindy Gardner are the only two to recover from being injected with Nuke so far. I caught a plane as soon as I heard and checked in with the field office before coming here."

"I have a lot to tell you two, are you up to listening?" Jordan asked, her question mostly for Rick.

"I only just woke up so you should probably hurry before I tire and go back to sleep," Rick warned her.

"I'll be quick then. First we haven't found much new on Neil Anderson. We have nothing on why he was selected to be injected with Nuke, though to be honest we don't know why any of the others were selected, much like Cindy Gardner," Jordan began.

"Second we have managed to ID the men who broke into your home and were killed." Jordan was ready to continue however Rick's sudden outburst stopped her.

"WHAT!? When did this happen? What do you mean broke into our home and were killed?" Rick was shocked and stopped looking at Jordan and turned to look at Kate.

Kate put on a "Please don't be angry with me" look. "I haven't had time to tell you yet Castle. You've been out of it for several hours."

"Beckett has already managed to find out who injected you with Nuke, however she found him dead of an overdose of Nuke. The local police are handling that case. If I read her statement correctly, from there Beckett went home to check on a Martha Rodgers," Jordan mentioned and waited, since she didn't know yet how or why Kate went home instead of back to the hospital.

"My mother," Rick informed Jordan. That actually answered one of her unspoken questions as to why Kate had gone home instead of to the hospital.

"Seems not long after she arrived your home was invaded by three armed men. One of them we found dead right in front of your security panel. It appeared that he hacked into it to turn the system off allowing the others to enter without setting off the alarm."

"We found another dead in the kitchen with the third dead in the hallway just outside of the kitchen. By the look of the locks, we believe that each picked the lock on one of the three entrances into your home."

"We also found, by following the local police, the car they used to drive to your home. We have taken the car and are presently researching where they got it. We have managed to ID the three men… " Jordan is interrupted.

"DEAD!?" Rick said again and looked at Kate.

She looked guilty. "I had no choice, Rick. They were there to kill Martha and maybe me." Kate didn't want him to be angry with her. However, all Rick did was to pull her down so he could kiss her head.

"I'm so sorry Kate, I'm so sorry." Rick knew what your first kill took out of you. That a piece of your soul had been sacrificed and that you were now forced to live with it for the rest of your life. You had killed someone.

Jordan simply stood in silence, already knowing what the cost of killing someone was, along with wondering just how many people Castle had killed while as a Ranger.

"The one in the kitchen was Hal Lockwood, the one at the front door was Hal Morrison, while the one on the hallway was Mike Zunino. Any of these names mean anything to you two?" Kate's reports hadn't mentioned that she recognized any of them.

Kate shook her head. "They mean nothing to me, I'm afraid I can't help you any." Rick answered Jordan truthfully. Even in his Ranger days he had never heard those names.

"Hal Lockwood is a known hired killer. We've suspected him in the past however we've never been able to make anything stick to him. The other two are simply hired muscle. Like Lockwood, none of them have been convicted of killing anyone.

We're presently working on who hired them," Jordan told them.

"My money is on Bracken," Kate almost whispers. Jordan's face clearly said "Why?"

"Neil Anderson is dead and he worked for Bracken's election campaign. He may have seen or heard something that he needed to be silenced for. Castle is injected with Nuke right outside his campaign headquarters. The person who injected him is found dead from an overdose of Nuke. Immediately after that our home is invaded by three men, who were either after Martha, myself or both of us."

"It's way too many coincidences for me to swallow. Bracken is involved somehow, I just don't know how. Is he the drug designer or simply someone who is in league with the drug designer?"

"If he isn't the one who is making Nuke, how does he know the person who is?" Kate just knew Bracken was involved in this somewhere, just not how deeply he was involved. Did he stop at Neil or did it go deeper? Bracken obviously knew how to get Nuke since he had some in his office."

"I knew I was going to like you two." Jordan was smiling.