29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Early the morning after her breakdown about Roy's death, Kate had two new visitors with a message to deliver.

"Hey, Beckett," came the almost unison greeting.

"Karpowski, Vasquez," she answered, surprised.

"We won't stay long; but before you go home, we thought we'd give you a head's up about a couple of things."

"We wanted to see how you're doing anyway, so when the acting captain said somebody should fill you in, we volunteered.

"Fill me in on what?"

"Well, starting with the mail…"

"What mail?"

"A ton of it," Vasquez answered. "It started coming in the day after you were…um…"

"It's okay, Vasquez. You can say it. I was shot."

"I don't even like to think it. Anyway, the mail is from everywhere, and it just kept coming in at the precinct. There were a lot of postcards, which were read, of course. Sorry. They were all saying how sorry they were that this happened or wishing you a speedy recovery. There was one snarky anti-cop note; but it wasn't really threatening, just annoying. Most of the unopened letters are likely to be the same…a few bad apples among the good wishes. I wouldn't be surprised if Castle didn't have another ton from fans, since you're his wife. It's all been bagged; and since the guy escaped, it's being sent through security before you get it. They don't want him to get to you some other way. The first of it should be at your place sometime tomorrow.

"But why…"

"Beckett you've been big news," Karpowski told her. "Haven't you seen any of the coverage?"

"No. Lanie mentioned it, but I didn't want to watch. I'm living enough of what happened already. I definitely don't need to see myself getting shot if that's any part of it." Looking at her husband, she asked, "Have we even had the TV on?"

"I hadn't thought about it, but no. I don't think we have."

"The two of you are confined to this little room, and you haven't even turned on the TV? What have you been doing? Sorry. None of my business."

"I've been sleeping a lot. I don't know what kind of mischief he's been up to while I was napping," Kate teased.

"I'll have all of you know that I've conducted myself admirably." Castle insisted.

"I'll want evidence, Castle," Karpowski shot back with a grin. "Anyway, you might want to check social media, too. The news anchors don't have but so much to work with, so they've been speculating. And, of course, the twitter verse and such is buzzing with its own theories. The biggest speculation is that your mother's death and the attempt on your life are connected. If there's any truth to that, maybe whoever hired this guy won't be stupid enough to keep coming after you right now. Another attempt would make even bigger headlines and bring more interest in exposing him. Her? Them?"

"From your lips to God's ears," Castle muttered in the background.

Then there's the possibility of the FBI getting involved, since it seems to be connected to the guys Montgomery took down," Vasquez cut in. "I hear Lockwood had surveillance pictures of you in his room a while ago. Then he's back, and he's killed, and there's another hired killer right on his heels gunning for you at a police funeral? Not much room to think coincidence there. So, since Lockwood crossed state lines into New Jersey…" She stopped and shrugged. "FBI people came in to talk to the acting captain, and he managed to put them off until the new captain takes over next week. From what we hear, she's straight from IA, tough as nails, and absolutely by the book. Sounds like the precinct is going to be a different place."

"I guess Ryan and Espo are keeping you up to date on finding the guy. From what they tell us, there's not much there, though." Karpowski said.

"They were here last night, and that's what they told us, too," Castle agreed.

"We all thought, in case the press starts throwing questions at you, you might need to know some of what's going on in the world outside."

"Thanks for the head's-up." Kate answered. "My preference would be sneaking out the back door and ignoring it all, but it's nice to have time to put a plan together."

"I'll call my publicist and have her help us think it through. This kind of thing isn't Kate's idea of fun under the best of circumstances, let alone now."

"I've got to say, you're looking better than I expected," Karpowski told Beckett mischievously. "Not your best, but pretty good under the circumstances."

"Thank you?" Beckett looked amused.

"Hurry up and get back to work, Beckett. We need another strong woman to help us stand up to this new captain." Vasquez told her.

"I'll do my best," Kate promised.

"Got to get to work. You take care of her," Karpowski said to Castle."

Before he could answer, Kate told them, "I couldn't ask for better."

"What she said," Castle answered with a grin, pointing to his wife as the two women were leaving.

"Letters…Twitter… I don't think I want to know," Kate said after they were gone, looking worried.

"If all that is going on, I'm surprised Paula hasn't called me. Looks like you might officially be a celebrity."

"Great," she answered, none too pleased. Looking toward the ceiling, she whined, "Please let this hospital stay count as time served on my fifteen minutes."

"With that kind of public response, we might need to make some kind of public thank you statement before we leave here. After that, we can stay home and ignore the reporters. I'll talk to Paula and find out how crazy it could be."

"If we have to do it, can it be really short?"

"I can do the speaking if you don't want to." He looked at her mischievously. "You could hide out until it's over…or just sit beside me and look pretty."

"Sit?"

You don't think the hospital is going to allow you out of this room except in a wheel chair and accompanied by security, do you?"

"No way I'm going in front of cameras in a wheel chair. No. Just…no."

"There may not be a choice other than to sneak out the back way and hope they don't find us."

"Door number two, please.

"Let's talk to Paula. She's good at these things."

The doctor was there shortly after the two policewomen had visited during their pre-work hours. He told Kate that she was progressing better than expected, her tests all looked good, and that, unless something unforeseen happened, she could go home the next morning. Kate was elated. It almost balanced her dread about the publicity…and Castle was just as pleased.

"I guess I need to call Paula right now," he said after the doctor left.

"Call the family first and tell them they're going to have to put up with us again," Kate answered happily.

"Want to call your dad and let him deliver the good news?"

She nodded and smiled, holding her hand out for the phone he offered. Her father's number was already showing on the screen.

"Hey, Dad."

"Katie? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. It is. I get to go home tomorrow. Will you tell Martha and Alexis we're coming home?"

"I'll shout it from the rooftop if you want. This is great news." There was quiet noise in the background, and Jim's voice said, "She says they'll be home tomorrow." That was followed by a squeal of delight from Alexis and a "Wonderful!" From Martha. "What can I do to help? Do you need me to bring some things home before you leave?"

"We haven't had a chance to talk about plans yet. I found out this morning that there's been a lot more publicity about this than I was aware of. Rick is going to call his publicist for advice on how to handle it. After that, we'll call again."

"Whatever you need, Katie. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. Thanks, Dad. Bye." She handed the phone back to her husband. "Thanks for thinking of calling my dad first."

"If it were me, I'd want…" His voice trailed away, and he looked uncharacteristically shy at her adoring look.

"I'm really glad I have you, Richard Edgar Alexander Rodgers Castle."

"Me, too, Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle."

"Now, call Paula. See if she can see a graceful way out of this publicity nightmare."

"There's where you and Paula are going to differ. She generally goes with 'There is no bad publicity'."

"Well, let's see how she feels about that after she's been shot by a sniper."

"I'll make that point. Do you feel up to a short meeting this afternoon?"

"I guess that would be easier than working it all out over the phone."

After a conversation with Paula, Castle informed Kate that his publicist was juggling her afternoon schedule to accommodate being at the hospital with them. "I'll be sure the afternoon watch knows it's okay to let her in. Since she reorganized her schedule for us, she wouldn't take too kindly to being turned away."

Paula arrived after lunch, shortly following the change in guard duty. As they would for any high profile situation, the hospital's PR department had another press event scheduled for the doctor, announcing Kate's release from their care; so Paula decided it was best to coordinate with them to confine the publicity to a specified short time and to a limited area within the building. She wanted Kate and Castle to each make very brief statements thanking the public for their support. After that, they could get Kate into a waiting car and take her home. Esposito and Ryan already planned to stand morning watch and accompany them to the car to ward off the worst elements of the press. Castle protested that his wife wasn't up to a public appearance, but Paula suggested they decide the next morning and still sounded hopeful. The publicist also mentioned an increase in fan mail since the shooting, and Castle told her he would see to it that it went through a security check.

With the exception of her annoyance and concern about the publicity, the rest of Kate's stay was routine; and she and Castle looked forward to her discharge the following morning. They found time for another shower and had washed her hair before the family came to visit that evening. Since her hair was clean for the possibility of cameras the next morning, the family took all the shampooing paraphernalia with them, along with anything Kate and Castle wouldn't need after that night. That left the couple with no more to take home the next day than what would fit into Castle's duffel bag.

The discharge process for Kate began early. A press conference with Dr. Kovaks was scheduled for eleven, so the staff was taking care of Kate's final tests and the ensuing paperwork as quickly as possible to coordinate her release with the doctor's time in front of the cameras. Paula had encouraged Kate to make a statement, but Dr. Kovaks strongly stated his opposition to that when he examined Kate and spoke to them that morning.

"Let your husband make a brief statement, Mrs. Castle. He's done a lot of this. You don't seem as comfortable with it, and additional stress of any kind is the last thing I want for you. Besides that, while the press is confined, your security team can take you to your car. He can join you there."

"Door number two?" Castle asked, remembering her earlier statement.

"Door number two…please," she answered.

Justine had adjusted her schedule to be there when the couple left that morning, so she was there when Kenny delivered the paperwork to Kate and started giving the couple discharge instructions. They worked with one another while covering the information about what to expect and how to handle post discharge necessities at home, and they both seemed pleased to hear that there would be a nurse at home for at least a few days. Since her shift was over, Justine took charge of Kate's wheelchair and, flanked by Ryan and Esposito, walked with Castle to the nearby elevator. The press conference was set up in a corner of the lobby, and the press was already waiting when the doctor entered the area, followed by Castle.

The doctor spoke first, telling his audience of Detective Beckett's release from the hospital and a brief indication of the progress she had made. When he paused, one journalist shouted, "Has Mr. Castle been here? We haven't seen much of him."

Dr. Kovacs released a short burst of a laugh, then he answered with a friendly smile in Castle's direction, "There's a reason for that. The only way we could get rid of him was to discharge Mrs. Castle from the hospital." The press members chuckled as Castle smiled unapologetically. Dr. Kovaks added one more statement before stopping. "Mr. Castle asked to make a brief statement; but it will be brief, and there will be no questions. Mrs. Castle…Detective Beckett…was severely injured barely a week ago, and she should not be kept waiting."

Castle took the doctor's place at the microphone. "My wife and I need to thank the trauma team and the rest of the staff who worked with us after the surgery. The care and the understanding about the need for security was over and above the call. Kate was surprised…pleasantly, I should add…at the outpouring of goodwill in her direction and would like to express her appreciation for the supportive messages from so many people. We also need to publicly thank the officers and detectives from the twelfth precinct, a large number of whom volunteered their own off-duty time during the past week to provide security for the woman they've known for years as Detective Beckett. Their generosity is something neither of us will ever forget. Now, I need to take my wife home. He turned, shook Dr. Kovaks's hand, thanked him, and left the press behind with a wave.

When Castle reached the town car, Michael and Justine had helped Kate get in the car while the boys stood watch. Ryan and Esposito managed to block Kate from the view and possible threat of the lone cameraman who had caught the fact that she was being helped to slip out of the hospital unnoticed. Castle slid carefully into the seat with Kate, trying not to jostle her too much, and Michael closed the door behind him.

"Stop being so careful, Rick. You're on my good side. Let me lean against you. I'm not going to be that comfortable on the way home anyway."

He slid closer, and tentatively put his arm around her shoulders, his wrist behind the shoulder on the injured side. "Tell me if it puts too much weight on your incision."

"It's keeping the incision away from the seat. It's good so far. And I like your arm around me."

"Me, too." He kissed the top of her head and sighed contentedly. "We're going home."

"I can't wait."

They heard the driver's door close; then the car was started and Michael pulled out of the hospital pick-up circle and toward the street.

"Take the path with the fewest potholes, Michael. I'm sure you know where most of them are by now."

"I'll be careful," he promised.

"Thank you," Kate answered.

The ride home was a bit slower than usual, and as smooth as a ride through Manhattan streets could reasonably be. As they moved through the streets, Castle noticed that Kate became a little more tense.

"Are you in pain?" he finally asked.

"No more than at the hospital."

That was what he expected, but he didn't say anything. He'd ask later, after they were home...and alone. He expected it could be something she would rather not discuss with an audience present.

"The nurse will be at the loft this afternoon. If you don't think she's going to work out, the security company has a second option lined up. If we're satisfied, she'll move into the guest room and be available around the clock for a few days. I want to be sure we didn't miss anything in the instructions before we left the hospital and that I don't miss anything that might call for medical attention.

Kate huffed a little laugh. "I doubt that's going to be a problem. As careful as you've been so far, I'll be surprised if you don't call for an opinion if I have a hangnail."

"Oh, you don't have one of those, do you," he teased with mock concern.

"Shut up," she answered with a grin.

Michael was suppressing his own grin up front, but couldn't contain a small, upward curl of his lips.

Back to business, Castle continued, "If it looks like we don't need a nurse for more than three or four days, we'll let her move on. If we need her, she's available for the week. The flexible time is figured into the fee. I've worked things out with Eduardo and security so there's no outward indication of where she's going when she comes in. She'll appear and be here until she's gone."

"It still amazes me that you turned out to be such a planner."

"I have to keep you guessing. Can't let you get bored with me."

There was a little gasp from Kate as they went over a bump in the pavement.

"Sorry, Miss Kate. I couldn't avoid that one."

"Don't worry. You've done better than I thought possible," she assured him.

When they arrived at their building, half a dozen more off-duty officers and detectives from the twelfth had arrived to assist Ryan and Esposito in blocking the reporters who had gathered in front of the building after hearing that Kate had been discharged from the hospital and was on her way home. Michael stood at the open car door, and the other members of the precinct formed a barrier that allowed them to shield their detective from view, both providing security and giving her the dignity of not being seen struggling to leave the car. Castle employed the technique the physical therapist had suggested for helping Kate out of the vehicle, and moved her toward the wheelchair Eduardo immediately brought to the car.

"No. I want to walk into our home," she protested.

"Do you remember how long it took to cross that hospital room? If you try to walk from here, it might be dark by the time you got to the loft," Rick teased. "I'll push you to the door, and you can walk inside; but you aren't ready for walking this far yet. You'd be so winded you couldn't enjoy being home."

"Fine," Kate grouched. "You get to drive. Michael, he's trying to take your job."

The other members of the twelfth smiled at one another as they watched the exchange between their stubborn colleague and the writer who had wormed his way into feeling like one of their own.

"It's good to have you back, Miss Kate. Darrell sent his regards." Michael said with a touch to his hat to indicate his respect.

"Thank you, Michael."

Michael stood at his post with the door open, helping block the view from the reporters until they were ready to move the wheelchair. The group from the twelfth divided their efforts to both hold back reporters and provide security cover on the way to the building.

Once in the building, Kate looked at the colleagues around her and nearly shed tears. She stoically confined it to a sheen of moisture in her eyes and said. "I don't know what to say, guys. I just… Thank you isn't …"

In true cop spirit, one of the men said, "Just hurry up and quit slacking off, Beckett. Get yourself back to work."

That lightened the mood, and Beckett grinned at them. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm working on it. Thanks guys."

With varying good-byes, the men left, Ryan and Esposito remaining in the lobby.

"You all squared away?" Esposito asked.

"I think so," Castle answered. "You want to come up?"

"We'll just walk you to the door and leave your family to get back together." Ryan nodded his agreement. "Lanie had a call this morning, but she said she'd like to stop by tomorrow if you feel up to it," Esposito told Kate. "She said she'd call first, though."

Eduardo pushed the elevator button, Castle thanked him for his help with all the arrangements for getting Kate home, and the three detectives and the writer got in the elevator and got out around the corner from the loft.

When they reached the door, Kate reminded her husband, "You said I could walk in on my own."

"Then let's get you on your feet." He first opened the door, then helped her out of the chair and steadied her.

By then, Martha, Alexis, and Jim were gathered at the door in anticipation.

"We'll leave you to your family, Beckett," Ryan said. "I know Castle has security in place. See you soon."

"Thanks, guys," both Castles answered in unison and with similar sincerity as they left, all four lifting their hands in parting… Kate's not lifting quite as high as the others.

"Kate, you're walking," Alexis greeted enthusiastically as her stepmother walked slowly into the loft. "I'm so glad to have you home." She looked hesitant but hopeful. "Is it okay to hug you?"

"Gently, but yeah…please. I've missed this."

"Me, too."

"Is getting bear hugs on that check list somewhere?" Kate asked, smiling.

"If it isn't, we'll put it there," Martha answered, moving Alexis aside for her own gentle hug. "Welcome home, Darling."

Jim stood next to Martha and she moved out of his way. He held out his arms, and Kate said, "Hey, Dad," just before melting her good side against him with tears falling. She rested her head against his shoulder and he looked to Rick, who understood the questioning look in his eyes immediately.

"Around her waist," he advised.

Jim wrapped one arm carefully around Kate's waist and placed the opposite hand on the back of her head. "Welcome home, Katie Bug," he said softly, kissing her head, tears in his eyes as well.

Seeing her tears, Castle was concerned. "Kate, are you okay?"

"It's a daughter thing, Dad," Alexis assured him. "You can be strong for just so long, but when your daddy puts his arms around you, it's okay to cry."

He pulled his own daughter into his arms, and seeing the look of pride on Jim's face, he said, "You're welcome to stay as long as you want, Jim. We can all have a hand in helping Kate get better."

"The other women of the house have already issued that invitation. They also made up the other guest room for the nurse. I told them I'd stay a few more days, Katie…if that's okay with you."

"It's fine with me, Dad," she sniffled against his shoulder. Uncharacteristically admitting weakness, she added, "I'm really tired."

"It's about time for your medication, too," Castle said. "Do you want your dad to take you to our room while I get your meds?"

Kate just nodded.

Martha stroked her hand over Kate's hair and said, "Get some rest, Darling. We'll talk later."

Alexis took Kate's hand and squeezed it. "I'm so glad to have you back home."

"I love you, too, Honey," Kate answered.

Castle was already getting the medication from his bag. "Alexis, would you get Kate a bottle of water from the fridge?"

She met him at the door of the study with the water. "I'll be back in a few minutes, he promised.

Jim had helped Kate sit down on the bed, and Castle sat down beside her with the pills he brought. He opened the bottle of water and dropped the pills in her hand, passing her the bottle after she popped them in her mouth.

After swallowing, she asked, "So, is this how it's going to be? The two of you tag teaming me through everything until I finally lose it and kick both of you out?"

"You know you love us both too much to kick us out," Castle protested.

"Tell you what," Jim said with a grin. "You rest for a while, maybe get some sleep; and I'll make you one of those really evil grilled cheese sandwiches I used to make you when you were sick."

"And you love my tomato soup. I'll make some of that."

The full Beckett eye roll came out in full force, but it was followed with amusement. "The prosecution rests."

"I think we lost, Jim," Castle observed.

"It does look like the evidence is against us," Jim agreed.

"Okay, I'll lie down," Kate answered, "but when I get up, I'd better smell tomato soup and see evidence of sandwich prep."

"Alexis made your favorite cookies, too," Jim reported. "I'll let Rick get you settled."

"Let me help you get into bed. I have a bunch of different pillows. We'll find the ones that make you most comfortable," Castle told her. "Be right back." He returned with a couple of boxes with pillows of assorted sizes and shapes, and they found a couple of wedges that took pressure off his wife's ribs and incisions.

"Where did all this come from?"

"Some of the mischief I got into while you were napping," he answered playfully as he arranged the covers and kissed her forehead. "Now get some sleep. I'll get to work on the soup."

"It could be worse."

"What?"

"My two favorite men in the world liking each other enough to be such a good tag team."

"We'll try not to overdo it. Promise."

"Love you."

Kate slept most of the afternoon, so when she woke up, the family had a comfort food dinner of grilled cheese, tomato soup, milk, and cookies.

The nurse had arrived earlier in the afternoon, and the family already felt comfortable with her. She was there for dinner as well, so there was time for her to talk to Kate.

"Tell her about yourself," Castle encouraged the nurse, a woman who reminded them a bit of Justine, but with a little more of a no-nonsense edge to her personality.

"I'm Meagan, she said, introducing herself to Kate. Before I was a nurse, I was a Marine; so I'm going to get you started on your PT routine, too. When I leave, someone else will take over that job. I have at least as much combat training as you do, so it should be safe for your family to be out of the house when I'm the only one here. Your husband has other security in place anyway. I have a soft side for my patients…right up to PT or severe stubbornness about what's in your best interest. Then you may not like me anymore."

"Sounds good…except for the PT and stubborn part," Kate answered, taking a liking to the woman right away. Then she turned to Castle and grinned. "She's staying, right?" And he nodded.

When they went to bed that night, Castle kissed his wife and slipped into bed fully on his side. He reached over and took her hand and asked what had her so tense in the car that afternoon.

"It was so loud. All the sounds and flashes of light…so many people all in motion near the car. It made me nervous. I don't know why."

"If it still bothers you when we go in for the visit with the doctor in a couple of weeks, we can spend some time in the Hamptons. The beach house is pretty quiet, and we have some good memories there. We can start with short walks in the direction of the beach and work up to some of our long walks gradually."

"That does sound nice, but I don't think I want to make that trip until my ribs are better."

"We'll take things at your pace. Any time you're ready.

The next couple of days began to fall into a pattern of people in the loft coming and going for their daily activities, Kate's PT and nursing checks, and Castle trying to keep himself from hovering. He did get some writing done, and Jim was back at work almost full time. Alexis dragged a large bag of mail into the living room while Kate sat on the sofa, and they started reading through the large number of letters and cards wishing the detective well, thanking her for her service, and expressing hope that the perpetrator would be caught.

The third day she was at home, Castle received a call from the doorman and there was a knock on the door, but Alexis didn't recognize the face she could see through the peephole.

Castle went to check and pulled the door open right away.

"Jordan Shaw? What are you doing here? Not that we aren't glad to see you," he backtracked.

"Like everybody else, I heard that Beckett was shot, and I was in town. Just thought I'd see how she's doing. Is this a bad time?"

"No," Kate answered. "I'm not exactly involved in a flurry of activity yet…other than reading all this mail. This bag came this morning. There was another one like it yesterday, and I think there might be another one. It's hard to believe this many total strangers took time to do this. I'm holding on to anything that sounds off, but there aren't many of those."

"Paula says there's another one at Black Pawn," Castle commented. "They've sent that one to security, too."

"Come and sit down," Kate invited, and Jordan sat down in a chair across from her.

They talked a little while, Castle popping in and out of the conversation. They touched on Kate's progress, Castle's heroics, the couple's marriage, Jordan's family, and a few other subjects spoken of just as briefly. Then Jordan looked serious.

"I'm actually here to tell you we may have a line on your shooter. I can't share anything right now, and it's a tenuous connection at best; but from what I hear, your guys haven't found anything to follow. I know from working with you, if there was anything there, they would probably have found it. What we have isn't evidence from your shooting, more of a connection to another case that my team is keeping low key. We think it involves the same man. The FBI wanted to take your case and Roy Montgomery's from NYPD, but that was vetoed from somewhere higher up for some reason. Right now, it looks like nothing is coming of it. I just wanted you to know, if anything comes of this connection, I'll pass on what I can."

"I appreciate that, Jordan."

"Not too many women in this business. Gotta take care of each other." Standing and picking up her purse, she added, "My plane leaves in three hours, and I still need to take the car back to the office to meet my ride to the airport. If I get moving now, I should get home in time to have dinner with the family today."

"Forgive me if I don't walk you to the door?"

"I probably wouldn't forgive you if you did. Take care of yourself, Beckett."

"Thanks for stopping by."

"Castle, you take care of yourself, too," Jordan said quietly from just outside the door of the loft. Taking care of somebody else the way I'm pretty sure you're taking care of Beckett and the rest of the family takes a toll. Be sure you get enough rest, too."

"Thanks, Jordan. I will. And thanks for the visit. I could tell Kate enjoyed seeing you, even before the possibility of something on her shooter came up."

"I have a lot of respect for somebody who leads a team as effective as hers. She deserves what I can afford to give her. You do understand I can only do that if it doesn't compromise the other case?"

Castle nodded. "And I'm sure Kate does, too."

Jordan nodded in response. "See you." And she rounded the corner to get on the elevator.

Later that evening, after dinner, Castle answered a call.

"Mr. Castle, I'm a friend of Roy Montgomery's. I'm calling about Detective Beckett. We need to talk."