the day our family grew
Kate called off the search almost as quickly as she'd initiated it. She thanked Lakewood PD for their cooperation and gave Ryan a relieving hug before she flew out the front door of the precinct for the second time that day.
When she answered Ruby's phone call, she had no idea what she expected, but it wasn't that.
"Kate, I'm outside your front door. Where are you?" Ruby had replied, rather nonchalantly, too.
On the short drive to the loft, Kate filled Castle and Michelle in, with reassurance that she'd have Ruby call her aunt when she got home. Before that, though, she'd be finding out why Ruby had turned off her phone, ran away to New York, and shown up at the loft like nothing happened. First, however, she'd be giving Ruby the tightest hug of her life.
"Ruby!" Kate exclaimed as she stepped off the elevator and laid her eyes on the girl. They hugged, and Kate grabbed Ruby's face, making sure it was really her. "Oh, god, you're okay!" She sighed with relief. "I was so worried."
"I'm sorry," Ruby says, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry...I just couldn't stay there anymore."
Kate ushered the distraught girl into the loft, grabbing her heavy backpack off her shoulders and set it down by the couch along with her own briefcase. She guided Ruby to the couch and the girl buried her head into Kate's chest, soaking the Captain's blazer collar with salted tears.
"We were all really worried about you, Ruby," Kate says after a few minutes. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"Can you promise that I don't have to go back to New Jersey?" Ruby asks, her voice nasally from crying.
"You do need to call your aunt and let her know that you're okay," Kate says. "But I need to know what happened before I can do anything else. Ruby, did they...did someone hurt you?"
"No, it's nothing like that," Ruby assures her. "I just don't belong there."
"What do you mean?" Kate asks.
"Aside from Michelle, nobody really wants me there. Clare and the boys don't like me, in school I'm relearning things I learned two years ago, I don't really have any friends, and my new doctors changed my medications," Ruby lists off. "I don't really care about most of that stuff, except the medication has been giving me really bad headaches and nausea. Last week Michelle was at a work conference and when I woke up one morning feeling terrible, Greg still made me go to school. And then an hour later I got sick and he was mad at me that he had to leave work to come get me."
"Oh, Ruby, I'm so sorry," Kate says. "Do you know why your doctor changed your medication?"
"I don't really know," Ruby shrugs. "He said something about it working better for younger cancer patients but I think it also had something to do with insurance."
Kate sighed, "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I don't know," says the girl. "I didn't want you guys to worry about me."
"Well, too late, kiddo. We're always going to worry about you," Kate says with a smile. Dropping Castle's nickname for the girl brought a smile to Ruby's face as she wiped away more tears. "And we're especially going to worry when you turn your phone off and run away from home."
"I didn't really plan it," Ruby says. "When school ended today I just couldn't bring myself to go back there."
"I understand, Ruby. I really do," Kate sighs. "But I also hope you recognize how dangerous it was for you to come here without telling anyone."
"I was scared that if I asked to come here, they'd say no," Ruby explains. "But I am really sorry that I scared you guys."
"Hey, I'm just glad that you're safe," Kate smiles. "How did you know how to get here if you had your phone off?"
"I guess I lied when I said I didn't really plan it," Ruby says. "I didn't plan on doing it today, but I've thought about it a lot. Plus, I'm a New Yorker. I know how to get to New York."
"No one thought it was weird that a 12-year-old girl was on the bus by herself for 2 hours?" Kate asks.
"C'mon, Kate," Ruby laughs. "No one even talked to me."
"Well, I suppose I'm thankful for that," Kate cringes. "Are you hungry? I should make us dinner."
"I could eat," Ruby says. "You're a lot better at cooking than Michelle."
"Thank...you?" There's a pause as Kate finally takes off her blazer and removes her shoes. Ruby follows suit before they walk to the kitchen to decide on their meal. They gather up ingredients for chicken pasta and Kate gets to work while Ruby watches from a stool at the island.
"Do I have to go back there?" Ruby asks with a hint dread.
"I definitely won't make you," Kate says. "But I think we should talk to your aunt about you staying here for the weekend."
"I don't want to stay here for just the weekend," Ruby sighs. "Could I please move back into my old room?"
"Ruby, I would love nothing more than to say yes," Kate tells her. "But unfortunately that's not up to me. So, how about we call Michelle, and then we go from there?"
"Okay," Ruby nods. "That's fair enough."
"I'm really glad you're okay," Kate smiles. "I thought you got kidnapped or something, Rubes. I was about to initiate a manhunt across the tristate area."
"I promise next time I run away from home I'll tell you first," Ruby laughs, holding out her pinky to swear her promise.
Kate rolls her eyes with a playful chuckle. "Let's call your aunt."
Michelle tearfully accepted that Ruby wanted to stay in the city with skate rather than come back to Lakewood. With it being Friday night, it was difficult to set any drastic changes in motion, but her aunt agreed that it was best for Ruby to be where she wanted to be, even if that wasn't with her biological family. They'd figure out a more permanent plan come Monday morning.
"Castle will be home by the time we get up in the morning," Kate told Ruby as they settled on the couch for a movie. Rick cancelled his week of appearances in Chicago and scheduled a red eye back to New York as soon as he learned that Ruby was staying. He assured Kate that he'd also put in a few calls to his lawyer to get the ball rolling on Ruby's impending adoption.
"Why do you always call him that?" Ruby asks.
"Castle? Well, I suppose it goes back to when he first started following me around at work. Police officers typically go by their last name, so we just called him by his last name. He doesn't so much anymore, but he used to pretty exclusively call me 'Beckett'. I'm just so used to calling him Castle still," Kate explains.
"I like that. You both have good cop names," Ruby says. "Maltewicz-Gardener doesn't exactly have a nice ring to it."
"It's a little bit of a mouthful," Kate chuckles. "But I've definitely worked with people who did not have good cop names."
"Like what?"
"Hmm, well, when I was a traffic cop, one of the guys I worked with had the last name Stinkey."
"No way," Ruby laughs. "Officer Stinky?"
"Actually, he was pretty high in command, so he was Sergeant Stinky," Kate says. "Yours is just long, so we would probably just give a nickname."
"Like how you call Javier 'Espo' sometimes?"
"Exactly," Kate nods.
"Do you think that I'm going to be able to stay here?" Ruby changes the subject.
"I promise that Rick and I will do everything that we can for you to be able to," Kate says.
"Would I be switching back to my old school?"
"I'm not sure," Kate says. "We have lots to figure out, but we'll get some answers soon, okay? Do you want to go back to your old school?"
"Maybe," Ruby shrugs. "Or maybe I could go to a school that's closer to the loft. I'm also probably going to be behind since the school in New Jersey was teaching stuff that I learned in like 3rd grade."
"Is this your way of asking to be homeschooled?" Kate asks.
"...maybe," Ruby laughs. "I don't know! I'm just thinking about a lot of stuff."
"I know. It's a lot. But we'll figure it out together, okay?" Kate says, offering her pinky to make another promise with Ruby. The girl hooks her own pinky to Kate's and then they hit "play" on their movie night.
When Rick arrives home early the next morning, he's met with both Kate and Ruby asleep on the couch, and the Matilda title screen playing silently on loop on the TV. As he set down his suitcase and carried Ruby up to her bedroom, he was hit with a wave of serenity that felt as though his past, present, and future were colliding.
If there was ever a time that Kate was grateful for her husband's connections and status as a moderately famous author, it was today.
March 21st. Just five days after Ruby ran away from her family in New Jersey, they were scheduled for a custody hearing. Castle, as a friend of the former mayor and a few high level judges, pulled the strings in perfect order to make this happen so quickly. Kate, too, had cashed in a few favors with the courts that she'd collected over the years as a detective and captain. Together, they'd truly pulled off a miracle.
"Are you almost ready, babe?" Kate calls into the bathroom as she wiggled into her pantyhose.
"Almost," Castle says, emerging from the bathroom with the collar of his shirt popped up and a handful of colorful fabrics in his hand. "Which tie should I go with?"
"This one, maybe?" Kate suggests, grabbing the blue-grey tie with subtle red triangles. "It matches your suit coat."
"Good call," Rick says, draping the tie around his neck and effortlessly tying it with a perfect knot. "Crushed it."
"What do you think about these pantyhose? Do they look motherly or are they too rigid?" Kate asks.
"They look sexy," Castle chuckles.
"Babe, be serious," Kate sighs. "I'm not trying to seduce the judge."
"Kate, they look fine. More than fine. You look beautiful. Very warm, very motherly," Rick says, planting a kiss on Kate's forehead to help her ease her anxiety.
"We're really going to be Ruby's parents," Kate says, fighting the tears she's built over of the past two and a half months since she first met the 12-year-old.
"We're going to be Ruby's parents," Castle repeats, clasping the last cuff link on his coat. "Let's do this."
At half past 2 in the afternoon, Rick, Kate, their lawyer, and Ruby were escorted into the family court room along with Michelle and the social workers who managed the case since January. A few minutes later, the Honorable Judge Patricia Montero arrived to rule on whether the Castles should be granted custody of Ruby despite the declaration in her father's will.
"Please rise," announced the bailiff as the judge worked to her podium.
As Kate stood, her legs felt like jello beneath her, and she reached out for her husband to stay upright. Wordlessly, Castle stiffened his muscles to serve as the physical support his wife needed. Once she regained her balance, she gave his arm a squeeze, a silent gesture to thank him for always being there.
"Today, I am here to rule on the custodial status of 12-year-old Ruby June Maltewicz-Gardener of New York City, New York. Please be seated," the judge says.
Everyone in the room obeys the judge's orders and the judge begins asking questions regarding the facts of the case. She asked Kate about the day she first met Ruby, Michelle about her previous knowledge of Ruby prior to her father's death, information from both the New York and New Jersey social workers about the placement process, about Ruby's general welfare, and about the steps taken since Ruby ran away. After about ten minutes of laying out the timeline of Ruby's living situation since January 9th, the Judge finally shifted on her bench to look over to Ruby.
"Ruby," the judge says with a smile. "If you got to choose between returning to live with your family in New Jersey, or moving back to New York to live with Rick and Kate, which would you choose?"
"Rick and Kate," the girl says without hesitation.
The judge nods. "How would you feel about returning to New Jersey?"
"I really like my aunt, but I don't want to go back to New Jersey," Ruby says. "I'd honestly probably run away again."
Everyone looks at the girl with a twinge of concern at the unsolicited admission.
"I'd be sure to tell someone where I was going this time, though," Ruby adds, remembering her facetious promise to Kate.
The judge chuckles and grabs for her gavel.
"Okay, then," she says. "It is clear that while neither party has acted with negligence in caring for Ruby, it is in her best interest to be placed in the custody of Mr. and Mrs. Castle. Rick and Kate will therefore take legal guardianship of Ms. Maltewicz-Gardener, effective immediately."
Kate let out a repressed cheer of relief, realizing that she hadn't taken a breath in a solid minute. She felt Rick's arms encompass her, and she hugs him back, momentarily burying her head into his chest. They stand up and quickly scoop Ruby up into a group hug, their first hug as a family.
Michelle hovered in the background, her eyes a bit teary, but a smile filled her face. After thoroughly enjoying her embrace with her new foster parents, Ruby walks over to her aunt. "Thank you for taking such good care of me, Aunt Michelle," Ruby says as she hugs the woman. Michelle is caught a bit off guard but happily hugs Ruby back.
"Of course," says Aunt Michelle. "You're welcome to visit any time, Ruby."
"Maybe you should come visit us in the city," Ruby smiles, not meaning any slight.
"Yes, that would be wonderful," Michelle smiles.
The adults chat for a little while longer, sorting out details with the lawyer, scheduling a visit with the social worker, and finally, deciding the best way to get the rest of Ruby's things from Michelle's house. They decided that Rick would drive Michelle home rather than her taking another two-hour bus ride, and that he'd bring her stuff back to the city right away. As Rick and Michelle headed off to the court house parking garage, Kate looked down to Ruby.
"Ready to go home?"
a/n: sooo, lots going on in the last few chapters but maybe now ruby and the castles finally get to be a happy lil family :) i appreciate all of you who are reading and commenting after every update. i hope you're all enjoying the story so far!!
