26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

When Castle returned to the hospital early the next morning, Kate was asleep; so Jim met his son-in-law outside the door, and Castle set his bag on the floor as they talked a little way down the hall.

"When she woke up the last time, she moved more than she had before and stayed awake a little longer. She wasn't entirely herself, but she seemed more alert," Jim reported. "She looked like there was a lot of pain when she tried to move, though. I think she's beginning to realize the extent of her injuries."

"Has she asked yet…about the surgery…the damage from the bullet?"

"No. I think she ran out of steam before she got there. They gave her more pain meds, and she's been asleep ever since."

"I guess I get news breaking duty, then."

"It's probably better for it to come from you anyway. I've never seen her trust anybody the way she trusts you. She'll probably ask more questions if it's you."

"We promised each other honesty. That's all she'll ever get from me." Castle paused for a moment. "I think it's good that she's more aware of the pain. Not that she's in pain, just that she's more aware of it. I was getting worried that she hadn't moved more…and I was even more worried that she hadn't asked about her injuries. That isn't like her at all. She usually wants to know every detail of everything."

"I was beginning to worry, too. Shock, maybe? Her body went through a lot. We're lucky she's even…" Jim stopped and kneaded his forehead with his fingers for a moment, and was fighting the threatening tears. "Rick that's my little girl that bullet ripped through. She may be grown and independent and stubborn as a mule, but she's still my little girl."

"I know, Jim. I know." Castle put his hand on Jim's shoulder in sympathy and squeezed gently as he spoke. "I'll bet you haven't more than dozed off a time or two all night. Why don't you head home and rest a while? Alexis's exams start today, so she'll be at school. Mother will be there, but she won't bother you. If you just want to sleep, she'll understand."

"It must be hard for her to watch all of you going through this."

"She's adopted Kate, you know…loves her like her own. She's been so strong for the rest of us; but after Alexis went to bed last night, she finally let some of it out." He released a little chuckle and ran one hand over the back of his neck as he admitted sheepishly to his father-in-law…in a whisper only the two of them would hear, "She actually tucked me in last night."

Jim chortled quietly. "You know, I think I understand that. I'll bet you tucked Alexis in, too."

"Yeah. But she's sixteen. That's a little more reasonable."

Still smiling, Jim patted Castle's arm. "I'll leave you in charge now. See you tonight."

"Bye, Jim. Thanks."

"Who's that?" Vasquez asked Carter as she arrived to stand her shift at Kate's door.

"Beckett's dad," Carter answered as they watched Castle pick up the bag he had brought with him and head their way. "The man even gets along with his father-in-law."

"Morning, Vasquez, Carter, Morley."

"How's she doing?" Vasquez asked.

"Even drugged and half-asleep she made me go home last night, so it looks like she's making progress," he quipped, and all of them grinned. "She's got a long way to go, though," he added more seriously.

"You know all you have to do is call if you need anything, right? I mean it. I owe her a lot." Taking a deep breath, she added, "LT should be here any minute, and we'll do the changing of the guard."

"If there's a ceremony, let me know," Castle teased. "I'll come and watch."

"Go take care of your wife and leave us alone, Castle," Carter ordered good-naturedly, and Castle gave him a friendly slap on the arm as he passed him on the way into Kate's room.

Once Castle was in the room, Carter filled Vasquez in on who should be in or near Kate's room, etc.

After closing the door, Castle put his bag down near the chair next to Kate's bed, then he leaned over to kiss her forehead gently enough to avoid waking her. "I love you," he whispered before he sat down and took a notebook and pen from his bag to start writing.

About half an hour later, Kate showed signs of waking up, so Castle put down his notebook and watched his wife as she slowly roused from sleep.

He was the first thing Kate saw when her eyes opened.

"Hey" she said sleepily.

"Hey, yourself," he answered.

"Watching me sleep again?"

"Yeah. Never gets old," he said with a smile that could be heard in his voice.

"Still creepy, Writer-man."

"I hear you stayed awake longer last night."

"A little bit. I sat up a little while, too. It hurt. Tube in my side…hurt no matter how I moved."

"That should be out in a day or two, but you're probably going to hurt for a while yet."

"Would you raise the bed a little more, and get me some water? Then you can tell me exactly what's wrong with me."

"So bossy," he teased as he raised the bed to sit her up a little bit more and left the control where she could reach it if she wanted it. He waited until she had winced, and moaned, and whimpered quietly, and adjusted until she was in a position she could tolerate.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

"I don't think so. Just give me a minute to catch my breath."

"Ready for that water now?" he asked after she seemed settled.

"I think so." She looked drained already.

He poured fresh water in her glass and held the straw for her to take several sips then kissed her lips, going back for another little peck.

"Does your throat still hurt?"

"Not much anymore, but it's hard to take a deep breath."

"There's a reason for that," he answered as he waited for her to take another sip, and then he put down the glass when she waved it away.

"Tell me," she said resignedly. "Don't leave out anything. I need to know what I'm up against."

He told her everything. "Kenny told me yesterday that you're going to get a visit from PT today to show you some breathing and coughing techniques to help your lung expand."

"So you're telling me part of my lung was removed?" She sounded appalled.

"You did hear the part where the doctor said you can function normally without it, right?"

"And how long will it take until that happens?"

"Two or three months…or so. You'll probably be on desk duty when you go back to work. You're not supposed to be lifting heavy things for a few months, and I'm pretty sure shooting a glock or taking down bad guys wouldn't be on a list of recommended activities, either."

"So I'm out of commission all summer?"

"Yep. And stuck in a houseful of Castles, all trying to take care of you." There was a good-natured groan from the patient, which brought on a chuckle from her husband. "We'll try to dial it back a little, but you know how we are."

"Yeah, I do. And when I can move a little easier, the fact that I love all of you so much may be the only thing that saves you."

"We all love you, too. We'll take our chances."

"Seriously, though, that means months of PT, right?"

"Probably."

"And the guy who shot me?"

"In the wind so far."

"That means I still have a target on my back."

Castle hesitated before answering.

"Truth, Rick," she said gently. "We promised each other…always the truth."

"That's why all these guys are standing watch. I texted Esposito and Lanie an update, and Ryan called me. He said the acting captain is giving them all the resources they need. They just don't have much to go on."

"Then you're not safe around me. Neither are Martha and Alexis. When I leave here, I should go somewhere without any of you."

"No. If the guy who's been hiring assassins wants to know where you are, do you think he'd hesitate to use us to find out? It wouldn't make that much difference if you left. And we promised each other no running if things get tough. This wasn't what we had in mind, but still… No running, Kate. We do this together.

Sitting back and taking a deep breath, he observed sadly and sarcastically, "Well, this conversation must have been an uplifting way to start your day."

"Yep. Awe inspiring," she answered in kind, adding more brightly, "But the kiss was good."

"Just good? Not awe inspiring?" he teased.

"I'm not ready for awe inspiring yet."

"Then I'll save it up for when you are."

"About the conversation… I've already hired security…people I've worked with before. And I'm working on finding a live-in nurse we can trust for a week, or whatever we need, after you're home…someone who can show me how to take care of you. The security firm is helping me with that, too."

"More of your guys?"

"Yeah. Old friends/colleagues" he answered. "We go back a long way." He watched her as she seemed to take in all the new information.

"You're staring. I must look awful."

"Considering I spent time a couple of days ago wondering if you'd live through the night, you look beautiful to me."

"Well, I guess that proves it. Love is blind."

Justine was about Castle's age and rather motherly, and she came in as Castle was grinning at Kate and Kate was giving him a lovingly indulgent look.

"Looks like I missed something," she teased, smiling as she checked monitors and the IV. "I see you're sitting up on your own this morning. How bad is the pain?"

"It hurts."

"She never admits it hurts. It must be bad," Castle reported.

"It's almost time for your pain medication. Are you ready for it now?" the nurse asked.

"I'll wait a little longer," Kate answered, although obviously getting more uncomfortable. "I have to face it sooner or later."

"And it begins," Castle intoned as if narrating a sci-fi movie.

"What begins?" Justine asked, amused at the drama.

"Whatever challenges her, she stares it down until it blinks; then she goes after it tooth and nail. She's going to beat this."

"Sounds like you have a proud husband, Mrs. Castle."

"Always," he answered, and Kate smiled.

I'll be leaving in about half an hour. Do you need anything?"

"I'm a little hungry," Kate told her. "You said I could have clear liquids this morning?"

"Sure. I can get you some chicken broth. If you keep that down, Kenny can bring you some crackers with something later. One step at a time. Be right back," she promised before leaving.

Looking down at her hand, Kate looked concerned. "Where is my wedding ring?"

"I have it…and the medals from your uniform. They're at home waiting for you."

"I can't believe I just noticed."

"You had good reason not to. Your eyes haven't even been open that much for the last couple of days."

Justine came back in with the broth, and promised to check back in before she left; and the couple sat in comfortable silence interspersed with brief pieces of conversation as Kate drank the broth in small sips.

The doctor came in during his rounds and sounded satisfied with her progress. Kate asked a few questions, including when the tube could be removed and was told it might be as soon as the next day. He also benevolently agreed that Castle could be with Kate "as much as the two of you can stand it". To Castle, that meant he was moving in with his wife for the duration of her stay.

When Justine came back, Castle insisted that Kate should have the pain meds; and that time, Kate didn't argue. The bed was readjusted, Kate readjusted to the least uncomfortable position she could find, and it wasn't long before she was asleep again.

She slept most of the morning, so Castle was free to make more arrangements for her safety and his peace of mind. He caught Justine as she was about to leave after Kenny arrived and asked to speak to both of them. Taking them into Kate's room and closing the door, he mentioned the security concerns again, He had noticed that few people other than the doctor had been working in Kate's room…and said he would like to keep it that way.

"I know this is asking a lot; but I trust the two of you, and I'd like you to be assigned to Kate for the rest of the time she's here. That's going to affect your schedules, and if you have something important planned, I'll understand. I didn't want to speak to your supervisor about it until I had your permission…didn't want to put any undue pressure on you. I can request that, on the days you're already assigned to work, Kate is included in your patient assignments. And I'll offer to cover the cost of having you here for her on the days you aren't assigned to work. I'll also add a bonus to help you enjoy your time off when you finally get it."

The two nurses looked at each other in surprise.

"That works for me," Kenny told him.

"Yeah. I can put in a few extra days, too," Justine agreed.

Castle smiled and added conspiratorially, "I have to warn you, though, she doesn't like to be confined or to feel weak. She may not be as easy to work with when she isn't sleeping all the time."

Both the nurses chuckled and said they could manage.

"Good," Castle answered with a smile. "I'll go ahead and speak to the nursing supervisor…see if that can be worked out given the security concerns. It helps the guys at the door to know exactly who should be in here. Thank you both." He opened the door, and Justine left. Kenny checked on Kate and told Castle he'd be back later to change her bandages.

He spoke to the nursing supervisor, and was later told that arrangements had been made as he requested. Then he checked on Kate, assuring himself that she was still sleeping soundly before he took coffee orders from LT and Vasquez and made a quick trip to the coffee shop downstairs. He returned with coffee and pastries and went back to sit near his wife and enjoy his coffee while she slept.

xxxxx

On that same day, Michael Smith returned from a trip out of the country and checked his mailbox, finding a package from his old friend, Roy Montgomery. Looking at the files in the package and Roy's letter of explanation, he knew that Roy had left him in a precarious position. The man named in the files was a powerful man, and from what he read, a merciless one as well. When he checked the backlog of newspapers the doorman had held for him, he was shocked at the front page story that told him his friend was dead…and even more shocked to learn that the woman Roy had asked him to protect had already been shot by a sniper…at Roy's funeral. He had no desire to be involved, but he owed his friend a big favor, even if Roy was no longer around to know it would be collected. He picked up his phone, thought better of it, and took a burner phone from his desk drawer. After a deep, resigned breath, he called the United States congressional offices and asked to speak to the man with whom Roy had asked him to make a bargain for Beckett's safety. He wondered how Roy Montgomery, a young man he had known as such a sensible human being, had managed to get himself into such a disastrous situation.

xxxxx

Around noon, Castle was talking LT and Vasquez and saw a new pair of familiar faces coming toward them…Lupinski and Demming.

Demming started the conversation saying, "If either of you doesn't want me here, I can have a replacement take over in a few minutes; but I wanted to help out."

"We both appreciate that. I'll be sure Kate knows you're both here," Castle answered, shaking his hand. "Thanks for offering the option, though." He shook Lupinski's hand as well and thanked him for being there.

"How is she?" Demming asked.

"Progressing slowly. In a lot of pain, but facing it head on. The doctor seems satisfied."

"Hell of a thing," Lupinski said, shaking his head. Shooting her in front of that many cops."

"Sends a hell of a message, too. Whoever hired the shooter must be damned sure of himself." Anger was creeping into Castle's voice.

"How are you holding out?" Lupinski asked.

"As long as they let me stay with her…"

"You ready to take over or you want to get some coffee or something?" LT asked the two newcomers, giving Castle a moment to get past the feelings that were obvious to the two people at the door.

"We stopped for coffee on the way, so we're ready," Lupinski told him.

"Okay, then we'll fill you in and be on our way," Vasquez answered before turning to Castle. "You remember, Castle…she needs anything, you call…after she's home, too."

"I will. Thanks guys."

The two officers each lifted a hand in parting as he opened the door to his wife's room and closed it behind him. Castle sat and half dozed in his chair, and Kate woke slowly about fifteen minutes later.

Castle's head bounced up after he nodded off again, and he saw his wife smiling at him. "Are you watching me sleep, Mrs. Castle?"

"Never gets old," she answered. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He stood and leaned over the bed to kiss her. "Water?"

She nodded, and he took care of that. "Do you want to hold it? Am I hovering too much?"

"Let me do it next time." In frustration, she took in a deeper breath than she had since the surgery, and she winced in response. "It's sad when taking a deep breath or holding my own water glass feels like a victory."

"You've got this, Kate. One small victory at a time. But it's probably going to tax your patience."

"It's probably going to tax your patience, too. You know patience isn't my best virtue."

"Not touching that," he answered mischievously.

"Good plan." Pausing a moment, she said, "I should try sitting more upright again."

"Do you want help?"

"I need to do it myself. You'll just have to let me gripe and whine while I get there."

"Okay. Just tell me if there's something I can do."

She nodded, reached the short distance to where Castle had left the control on her good side, and raised the upper part of the bed a little at a time. When she had finally reached where she wanted to be and adjusted to a tolerable position, she had cried out quietly and whimpered a few times, and there were tears in her eyes…and threatening in Castle's.

"I hate seeing you in pain," he told her.

"I know, but I need to do it on my own. I know you want to call a nurse for pain meds, but if I'm going to hurt for a while, I need to work up to tolerating it."

"Yeah. But if I could get in there and do it for you, I would."

Before long, Kenny came in to change the dressings on Kate's incisions, which required more extremely uncomfortable moving on Kate's part. Castle asked to watch what Kenny was doing, saying he wanted to be able to change the bandages without causing her too much discomfort when she got was back home. He watched as Kenny first changed the dressing on the large incision around her side, and he listened as he was told what to look for in terms of possible problems. Then the nurse took care of the area around the chest tubes and changed the dressing on the bullet's entry wound on her chest.

"I'm lucky to still have her," Castle observed quietly after seeing all the wounds.

"You're definitely lucky to still have her," Kenny agreed seriously.

"Thanks for the instructions."

"No problem. Anything else you want to know, just ask."

"He's never been shy about that," Kate assured him, looking uncomfortable, both in terms of pain and in terms of Castle seeing her wounds.

Kenny smiled at her comment. "Now that you're awake and alert, we're going to set up your pain medication so you have control of when you want to use it," he told her. "You're getting it for a reason, so use it when you need it. It's set up so you don't get too much at a time, and it's timed between doses so you can't use it too often. I'll be back in a minute with what I need to set it up." He left, planning to be right back. Before he could get back, though, he was called to help another nurse with a more critical situation involving another patient. That time gave Kate and her husband time to have a necessary conversation.

"Are you okay?" Castle asked. "Well, at least sort of okay? It looked like that hurt."

"It did."

"Do you need anything?"

"I'm cold. A hug would be nice, but that would hurt, too."

"Kenny should be back any minute. We'll ask him for an extra blanket. Maybe I could sit beside you, and you can lean on me. You think that would work? It isn't quite a hug, but I could hold your hand."

"Sounds nice."

"Yeah, it does."

Kate was quiet for a long moment, then said quietly, "I'm gonna have scars, Rick. Judging from the size of that first bandage, one of them is going to be big and ugly. The others won't look too good, either."

"I don't care about the scars. I still have you."

"But…"

"But nothing. You don't seriously think it's going to matter to me, do you?"

"I don't know. No. I think I know you better than that."

"You think? Is that a little doubt I hear, Mrs. Castle? 'Cause I just saw what's under those bandages. It won't get any worse than that…and you notice I'm not running for the hills. I'll tell you what. After the scars have faded and they aren't looking too angry, you can decide what you want to do. If you want it for yourself, we can find the best plastic surgeon in New York and see what can be done. But if you consider it because you think I'd want you to, don't. You don't need to go through another surgery for me. I love you; and with or without scars, you're the only woman I want." After she looked at him more insecurely than usual, he asked, "If I had a heart attack and had to have bypass surgery, would you love me any less or look for somebody else if I had a big scar down the middle of my chest?"

"No," she answered emphatically.

"Then you should understand."

"Okay," she answered appreciatively, "I got it." Then she paused briefly and said, "God, I love you."

He got up from his chair, scraping it a bit on the floor when he stood, kissed her forehead, then her lips, and got a little hum in response.

"How is Alexis doing? Did she seem worried about her exams?"

"You remembered that?" he asked standing next to her bed and taking her hand in his, elbows resting on the side rails. "You sounded so sleepy when she was here that I wondered if you would. She said the two today were the easy ones. She should be finished by now and could barely wait to get here to see you afterward. She's been wearing the ring you gave her at our wedding ever since she got home yesterday, and I doubt it's coming off again until you're better."

"You spent some time with her last night?"

"Yeah. I took good care of our girl for you."

"Who took care of you, Rick? I'm not there. I can't take care of you right now. And you always take care of everybody else first."

"Neither Mother nor Alexis have complained about how much time I'm spending here because they know that's what I'm doing…taking care of me."

"And how is that? By sitting in uncomfortable chairs for hours at a time, taking a shower in a little hospital bathroom…all to be able to visit me for ten or fifteen minutes at the most?"

"I'm here seeing that you're alive and improving, seeing what's being done for you, being close by if anything happens... That takes care of me. I need to be close…to see for myself that I didn't lose you."

"Rick…"

"I've never seen you accept help when you need it for yourself. Part of it is the stoic cop thing, and part of it is just Kate and everything she's been through. And God forbid you'd consider asking anybody for help. You don't even ask your dad for much of that. But you trust me when you need somebody…ask me for what you need. Do you have any idea how special it makes me feel to know that, as strong and independent a woman as you are, you chose me to be allowed to see you when you aren't as strong as you always look? To be the one you trust when you need someone…to be the one you spend your life with?" He paused for a moment, drew in a deep breath, and finished his thought. "You're still taking care of me, Sweetheart."

"Move that rail down and sit with me. I don't care if it hurts."

He chuckled and lowered the guard rail on her good side. Then he sat down gently on the side of the bed, put one hand at the top of the mattress to avoid moving her more than necessary or putting any weight against her, and kissed her cheek.

"I want to go home. Maybe after they take these tubes out, I'll stage a breakout."

"You can't do that."

"Why not?"

"You have no clothes here."

"Hmmmm… I guess wearing a bloody uniform in the halls might upset people when I leave."

"You don't have a uniform, either. Just that hospital gown. You'd have to go on the run with that sexy little butt hanging out."

"Did you take my uniform home, too?"

"Ummmm…just the medals," he answered hesitantly. "They cut your uniform away when they took you to trauma, but they made sure to save the medals."

"Oh."

There was silence for a moment, as the significance of that statement permeated the atmosphere around them, and then he removed the cannula from her nose, pushed it down under her chin, and kissed her long and slow…and very gently.

When he heard Kenny opening the door and coming in offering explanations and apologies, he quickly as possible moved the cannula back to her nose, and they smirked at each other like teenagers who just missed getting caught by their parents.

"It might not be a good idea to sit on her bed yet, Mr. Castle," the nurse told him. "I'll need you to move so I can set this up. This will give Mrs. Castle a little more control of pain."

Castle stood and moved out of the way. "She'll like that. I married a control freak."

"He feels safe way over there," Kate teased.

Kenny grinned at the exchange as he worked. "You can have clear liquids again. Would you like broth, juice, a soft drink…maybe jello?"

"The broth was good. Justine said I might get some crackers this time?"

"And she's been cold," Castle added. "Could we have an extra blanket?"

"No problem. I won't be so long this time," he said as he left.

"You should go home tonight and sleep in a bed," Kate told her husband."

"Nope. I brought clean clothes, a notebook and pens, and my iPod and iPad. The doctor said I could stay as long as we could both stand all the togetherness, and you said 'For better or for worse'; so you're stuck with me. I'm moving in."

"I suppose worse things could happen."

In response to her concern when Kenny brought what passed as Kate's meal, Castle promised her he'd get something for himself while she slept. Kenny left the room and closed the door, and she ate as she talked to Castle.

xxxxx

Lupinski and Demming watched as a colorfully dressed woman confidently walked in their direction. Suddenly Demming asked "Is that Martha Rodgers?"

"Sure is."

"My parents never missed anything she did. They took me along a few times when I was old enough. She's good. Wonder what she's doing here?"

"You didn't know? That's Castle's mother."

"And who's the good-looking redhead with her?"

"Castle's daughter, Alexis. From what I understand, he raised her on his own after his first wife walked out on them."

"Wow. Must have been tough. How old is she?"

Lupinski laughed. "High school, so watch it." Taking a good look at the man beside him, he asked, "You really thought there wasn't much to Castle, didn't you, Kid?"

"Maybe."

"When I first got here, I had my doubts as to why they kept him around, too, but he's a good guy. I've worked with him a couple of times, and he'd have made a good detective. Hey, Ms. Rodgers," Lupinski greeted Martha as she arrived within earshot. "I'm Detective Lupinski from the twelfth."

"Ah, yes. One of the helicopter pilots if I remember correctly."

"Not one of my best work moments, I'm afraid."

"I imagine my father had something to do with that," Alexis chimed in.

"Well, it was his helicopter."

"And you are?" Martha asked Demming.

"Detective Tom Demming. Nice to meet you, Ma'am. I come from a family of your fans."

"It's always nice to meet someone who enjoys my work. Thank you both for keeping watch over my daughter-in-law," she said, shaking their hands. "I'm not sure what any of us would do without her."

"Is it okay for us to go in now?" Alexis asked hopefully.

"Of course. Sorry to hold you up," Demming answered as he opened the door for them.

After the door closed, Demming asked Lupinski, "You're a helicopter pilot? Castle owns a helicopter?"

Lupinski laughed again. "One of those remote control jobs. Beckett gave it to him for Christmas, and he brought it with him."

"He flew a toy helicopter around at work?"

"It was Christmas Day. Beckett had volunteered for Christmas Day duty before they got married, and he came and spent the day with us. He found a place that was open on Christmas and had 'em deliver food, too. All the work got done, but it still felt like a holiday. He flew us an announcement that there was food in the break room. Perfect landing right on my desk. Then he let some of us fly it, too." Lupinski smiled at the memory.

Demming laughed. "And you said Beckett bought it for him?"

"That's what he said. She even took a turn flying it."

"Beckett? At work?"

"Only that once. It was pretty slow that morning."

Demming smiled and shook his head in disbelief. "I'm kind of sorry I missed all that."