32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Through the next three weeks, Kate was healing and feeling stronger. There was still some residual pain, but it was manageable; and it was getting easier to take the deeper breaths required for pushing her level of physical activity forward. As minuscule as they were in relation to what she was accustomed to, she had started referring to her physical therapy sessions as workouts; and she seemed to relish every small, new addition Meagan allowed. She could now do the same amount of walking when they went for the next doctor's appointment and not expect to come home completely exhausted again…tired maybe, but not bone deep exhausted. She and Castle had taken walks in the building, even included one flight of stairs the last few times. In the past week, they had started taking short walks outside, and it was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking for her. After being safely cossetted away from the outside world, first in the hospital and then in the loft, for so long, the noise and commotion of city streets and the constant proximity of strangers was disconcerting for her…not something that anyone had expected would bother her.

Castle had asked Meagan to stay to work with his wife's physical therapy, to help her get back to normal activity without hurting herself. Meagan had seen Kate's determination and frustration with her limitations, and it was obvious that he might have cause for concern; and she had agreed immediately. The two women related well to one another…one a decorated former marine, the other a decorated police detective…both fully understanding the physical and emotional strength it takes to do their jobs well in occupations that are still for the most part a man's world, and both earning respect there. If Meagan didn't know her job well, the security company would never have hired her; but, more importantly, Castle had noticed that Kate was willing to listen when the other woman made a comment or a suggestion about her recovery time. That alone was worth anything he had to pay for her services. He had already talked Meagan into spending time with them in the Hamptons while they were there and would happily keep her around as long as necessary.

The security team had seen nothing to indicate a problem, so at the end of one month from Kate's discharge from the hospital, Castle hesitantly accepted Smith's word that they were now safe and cancelled most of their security services. Remembering Smith's warning not to talk outside their home about things important to their privacy, though, he still had someone come in at random times to sweep the loft for anything suspicious. He hated feeling even mildly paranoid, but he didn't intend to take chances. If all went well, after Kate's upcoming visit with the doctor, they would be leaving for the Hamptons the next morning; and his security people would be there first thing to meet them with a report when they arrived.

"Hey. Are you ready for breakfast?" Castle asked as Kate came into the kitchen from their bedroom.

"Yeah. I'm excited we're going out for that."

"We've already made it to the coffee shop on the next block a couple of times."

"But this feels different for some reason. It feels like we're about to take a big step forward. Maybe because I know we're leaving for the Hamptons tomorrow if the doctor approves. You do think he will, don't you?"

"I do. You've made a lot of progress in the past three weeks." He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her. "You look good, by the way," he said mischievously. "I noticed this morning in the shower that you're filling out your birthday suit a little more. I think you've gained back most of the weight you had lost, and you couldn't afford to lose that much weight. That should make the doctor happy. And don't worry. The no bra thing isn't obvious at all." With a little smirk, he added, "And it's a kind of a turn on to be the only one who knows."

She kissed him back and said, "Well, you're the only one I want to turn on."

Smiling happily, he said, "Let's go while we still have plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast." He called their driver to let him know they were on the way down, and the town car was waiting when they reached the front of their building. Being honest with himself, he felt the same thing his wife did about turning a new corner, and it felt like it called for the car service, not a taxi.

They enjoyed their breakfast out. Their unhurried time was wrapped in a cloud of good food, good conversation, and anticipation of good news from Kate's doctor.

She arrived at the doctor's office breathing much more normally than the last time, and the report after her evaluation was as good as they had expected. They were already imagining the sight and sound of the ocean when they left.

"How are you holding out?" Castle asked as they approached the town car.

Darrell held the door, smiling and touching a hand to his hat as Castle ushered his wife into the car and slipped in beside her.

"I'm good…as long as I can sit down now and then," she answered. "Any short trips you'd like to make while we're out?"

"Feeling adventurous today, are you, Mrs. Castle?"

"Feeling a little freedom. It's nice. I promise not to overdo it and worry you this time."

"A little shopping for the trip…new bikini or something?" His eyebrows were in motion as he spoke.

She laughed. "I could use a couple of pairs of shorts. And I won't even need you to help me in and out of anything."

"That's supposed to be a plus?" he teased with a bit of a grumble. She laughed; and when Darrell was back in the car, Castle gave him directions to a store he knew Kate favored.

They did their shopping, opted for lunch out at a little restaurant a couple of doors down from the store, and went home in good spirits.

Martha was there when they arrived at the loft, observing as they came in. "You both look happy. Does this mean we're cleared for the Hamptons tomorrow?"

"It does," Kate answered with a happy smile. "And I was feeling well enough that we did a little shopping and had lunch on the way home. New shorts for the beach," she said, pointing at Castle, and he lifted the bag he was carrying and wiggled it at his mother.

"That's all you came home with?" Martha scolded. "Katherine, you married a multi-millionaire. Alexis and I need to retrain you in the philosophy of retail therapy. Clearly you haven't grasped the concept yet."

"It's all I needed."

"There may be no hope for you," Martha answered, shaking her head dramatically.

Castle just chuckled and took their purchases to their room.

Kate had her phone out and was texting when Castle returned. "Letting my dad know the appointment went well…and that we won't be here for a while after tomorrow," she explained. "He had a meeting this morning. It's probably over by now, but I didn't want to interrupt with a phone call…just in case." Looking at Castle sheepishly, she said, "I think I'll lie down for a little while. I really enjoyed this morning, and I didn't overdo as much as last time; but I'm kind of tired. Good tired. You made the morning feel special."

He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a firm kiss before he let her go, saying, "It felt pretty special to me, too. Get some rest. Packing to do, and a long drive tomorrow."

Martha watched her son as he watched his wife walk to their room. "You both feel like things are turning in the right direction, don't you? It's been too long since I've seen either of you look… I'm not sure how to describe it, but it translates as optimistic."

"About time we can start feeling that way again, don't you think?" he asked, turning toward her.

"Yes, it is," she answered, giving his arm a loving squeeze. "Alexis will be thrilled that the appointment went well. She can hardly wait to get Katherine to the beach house again."

"All of us have some good memories there. It's where we started building this family…the one I've always wanted."

"I'm happy for you, Richard. Hell, I'm happy for all of us. You finally found the right woman. But the best part is that you finally look happy…deep down happy." She took in a long breath, released it, and said, "Well, enough of this maudlin chatter. I need to see the realtor about a building for the school, and I don't want to be late. I wouldn't want to have to reschedule and miss the trip to the Hamptons tomorrow."

"I'm going to get out the luggage so we can pack when Kate wakes up. Didn't want to jinx anything by being packed too soon."

"I think Alexis is hiding her suitcases. I caught her packing a couple of days ago in spite of you."

He laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me. I was interfering with her innate need to be prepared. You should hit the road, Mother. Traffic was bad on the way back this morning. Will you be home for dinner?"

"I'm planning to. Shall I pick up Italian on the way home so we don't have to mess up the kitchen tonight?"

"Good idea. That gives the rest of us more time to get ready for the trip, too."

"Well, fortunately, I only have a few things left to pack. I started a couple of days ago without you, too." She patted his cheek and swept out of the loft.

xxxxx

When Alexis came home from spending the morning with some friends before leaving for the rest of the summer, Castle took the opportunity to visit the precinct. He called Ryan first to be sure the boys were there, then went in to the twelfth, hoping to get a glimpse of the new captain before he left.

Ryan and Esposito welcomed him in as usual and others on the floor came over to speak to him and shake his hand or called out from their desks as well. Several of them asked about Beckett and sent their regards.

When things settled down, Esposito offered information. "We still got nothing on Beckett's shooting, man. It's like this guy disappeared in a puff of smoke."

Ryan gave a little snort. "He didn't even leave a puff of smoke."

"Well, he did…sort of," Esposito amended. "We got some DNA, but we haven't been able to do anything with it. There's nothing in the system. If he gets careless again, we can match it now, though."

"With all the if's that come with that possibility, Ryan's probably right. Not even a puff of smoke."

Esposito took Beckett's file from the drawer, dropped it on his desk, and opened it. "You can see how little there is to go on. We have a ton of witness statements from the funeral, statements from everybody we could place as having access to Montgomery's body, his family, his funeral arrangements, you name it. Nothing there. You want to take a look…see if anything catches your attention?

The new captain had been watching since Castle entered the room. She had let it pass at first, but then Esposito opened a police file and was giving the man access to it. She stormed out of her office, high heels clicking and a look on her face that was every bit as intimidating as Beckett's.

"Detective Esposito, would you care to explain to me why there's a civilian standing at your desk being given access to a police file?"

"Castle, this is Captain Victoria Gates. Captain, this is…"

"I know exactly who this is, and my question still stands." Looking at the file on the desk, she added acidly, "Being allowed access not only to a police file, but his wife's shooting case at that. Any of that flies in the face of procedure."

"But Castle has worked with us for the last three years as a consultant."

"Consultant. Please. He's been following Detective Beckett around for research…or so he says. I know you had an arrangement with Roy Montgomery, but I don't see your muse here, Mr. Castle; so there's no need for you to be here, either. And, even when she's back, I don't need some dilettante writer with nothing better to do hanging around my precinct and getting in the way. Have I made myself clear?"

"Crystal," he answered stiffly. "Nice to meet you, too."

He turned to the boys. "I actually came by to tell you that tomorrow I'm taking my family to the Hamptons for the rest of the summer. Call if you have some time off and would like come and visit…Lanie, too." Turning back to the glaring captain, he added icily, "And if you have any interest at all in anything other than getting rid of me, I'm able to tell you that one of the department's best detectives saw the doctor this morning and is making solid progress in her recovery." He then turned and walked away without allowing time for her to answer.

She also turned and stalked back to her office. Nobody was happy about the meeting.

Esposito's phone rang just as the captain's door closed more firmly than necessary, and he and Ryan gladly put away Beckett's file, holstered their weapons, and left for the crime scene, catching up with Castle on the way out.

"That was just wrong," Ryan said as they fell in step with their friend.

"Yeah. She's a piece of work." Esposito agreed. "We'll put in a good word when we can, but it may be good you're in with the mayor."

"I really shouldn't even look at it. Kate's been leaving it alone, and I don't want to accidentally say something to set her off. She needs to concentrate on getting better." He paused, looking thoughtful. "I'm not planning on giving it to her any time soon. I don't think I even want it in the house, but sometime before we get back to town, can you get me copies of anything new since just before the sniper…and under the radar? I don't trust anybody anymore. But only if you can manage it without getting yourselves into trouble. I don't want to cause you any problems. I'm guessing nobody wants to tangle with Gates. A stick drive would be good. Easy to tuck away. Beckett is going to want to know sooner or later, and I'm pretty sure Gates won't let her work on it. We're both staying away from it for now, but if we have a copy when she's ready…"

"Yeah, Castle. We know both of you," Ryan said with a grin, and he slapped Castle's arm with the back of his hand. "We'll see what we can do, and we'll hold on to it until you ask."

"Crime scene waiting. Gotta go. Good to see you, Bro'. We'll be in touch," Esposito said as he got in the car. Ryan waved before he opened the door and slid into the driver's seat.

Castle walked down the block to his car and sat for a minute or two, gripping the steering wheel in anger. He didn't want to take the anger home with him. Kate would know, and he didn't want to tell her yet what she'd be walking into when she went back to work. Alexis was at the loft. Kate seemed fine when they got home…just a bit tired. His mother was bringing dinner. He had clothes at the beach house and didn't need to pack as much as they'd need for Kate, so he didn't rush to get back. He gave himself some time to calm down first. He was also concerned that he had asked for the files. That was going behind Kate's back, and he'd have to tell her what he'd done sooner rather than later. But if they looked at anything, it should be in the privacy of their home. Maybe he'd get another computer he could keep off the grid…something intended only for storing files and working on projects he didn't want anyone to know he had. He'd start looking into that.

He felt himself calming down, stopped at Kate's favorite coffee shop and bought two coffees and a hot chocolate, then headed home. A few minutes later, he balanced the drink carrier as he opened the loft door and announced himself and his gifts as he entered. He handed Alexis a hot chocolate made just the way she liked it, then turned to Kate and said, "Your coffee, Detective," and watched her smile. Their fingers lingered against one another a little longer than necessary, and they had one of their coffee moments.

"Things will be normal again one day, won't they?" she asked softly.

"Yeah. They will," he answered. "Mother is bringing dinner so we don't have to clean up the kitchen as well as pack."

"I don't have to pack."

"Should I cover my child's ears?" he whispered. "Although I wouldn't mind if you had no clothes, it might traumatize the teenager."

Kate grinned. "Our girl already helped me. My suitcase and another bag are in your office…ready to go. You're the only slowpoke."

"I'm going to enjoy my coffee, then I'll do something about that," he answered and sat down at the breakfast bar. Kate sat down beside him and bumped his shoulder gently.

"Excited about tomorrow, daughter? Grams said you were packing two days ago."

Alexis moved to the end of the counter nearest her stepmother. "I'm excited about the beach and excited that Kate gets to see somewhere besides a block or so of our street and a doctor's office. It feels…"

"Like it's going to be good to get back to where we all started feeling like a family?" her father asked.

Alexis looked a little self-conscious, but she nodded. She twisted the opal ring and glanced over at Kate. "I remember helping Dad hide this ring until he decided when to give it to you."

"That's a nice memory," Kate answered. "When he gave it to me is a good one, too. And giving it to you was pretty special. I remember worrying that you might think it was silly…or not enough because it was originally given to me."

"It was perfect," Alexis assured her, and Kate took her hand and gave it a loving squeeze.

"What time are we leaving?" Kate asked.

"Is eight too early?"

"Not if your suitcase is ready," she teased.

"Nag, nag, nag," Castle answered with his signature smirk. "I'm going."

xxxxx

Kate observed as other people took charge of loading everything, refusing to let her help with any of it. "I guess I'm lucky I got away with carrying my purse."

"That's only because you took the small one," Castle answered, handing the last bag to Michael to put in the trunk.

"I don't understand why we needed a limo. Don't you usually drive your own car?"

"I want you to have room to lie down if you get tired. Darrell is driving the Mercedes and riding back with Michael."

"All this is so I'll have room to lie down if I want to?!"

"We'll all be more comfortable. There are four of us. And I could order breakfast and have it waiting in the car. We're celebrating your newest taste of freedom. Just get in and enjoy it, woman."

"Woman?"

Martha was already in the car, and Alexis got in as her parents pestered each other. Alexis took Kate's hand and pulled her toward the car.

"Get in or we'll never get there," she insisted.

"Sorry Alexis," Kate answered. "You coming, Castle?' she asked over her shoulder, and he just smiled and followed her into the limo.

They shared the breakfast Castle ordered for the trip, talked about what they planned to do for the summer, and pointed out landmarks that told them how far they were from the house. During the second hour of the trip, Kate wasn't taking part in the conversation as much as usual. It wasn't long before her head was leaning to one side, and finally she was leaning against Castle's shoulder.

"Hand me your pillow," he said, gently rousing her.

"Hmmmm?" she mumbled.

He reached across her, grabbed the bed pillow they brought along for her, put it in his lap and patted it in invitation. "Lie down. You'll be much more comfortable."

She leaned sideways and put her head in his lap, lifted her feet to the wide seat of the car, and adjusted her position a bit; then a couple of minutes later she turned over to rest on her back instead. That didn't last long either. Finally she turned facing away from the women across from her and settled down again. "Sorry, Ladies. I know that isn't my best side, but this is more comfortable.

"You don't have a bad side, Beckett," her husband declared. "I've been watching that side of you since the day I met you, and it still looks fine to me." After a long moment, he asked mischievously, "Are you comfy now?" After hearing a nondescript little sound of contentment, he said, "When I was a kid, a friend of mine had a puppy; and he'd turn in circles like that until he finally found a comfortable spot."

"You calling me a dog, Rick?" she asked, popping the "k" at the end of the word a bit harder than usual, and heard chuckles around her.

"Stuck your foot in it that time, Richard."

Castle laughed, too, and his wife complained, "Be still. My pillow is moving."

"I only meant you were as cute as a puppy."

"Good save," she answered, patting his stomach but never opening her eyes. "Love you, Writer-Man."

"Love you, too, Detective," he answered as he ran his fingers through her hair and massaged her scalp.

Once Kate was asleep, she was oblivious to the others talking around her. She didn't wake up until the car reached the stop-and-go traffic near the house.

"Thanks for being my pillow," she said sleepily as she sat up. "Sorry to desert everybody," she said to Martha and Alexis."

"That's okay," Alexis answered. "Now you might have the energy to unpack and maybe walk down to the beach. I can help you if you want."

"You're really ready to make your nest and set up residence for the summer, aren't you?"

"I guess so. It's so different from the city. I love it here."

"Me, too. So, we'll unpack first, make it home, and decide what to do after that."

The limo pulled up in front of their house, followed closely by the Mercedes, and Darrell and Michael helped get all the luggage inside.

Castle stood with Kate near the front door and told her, "You don't have to unpack right now if you don't feel like it."

"I know. I also know that, if it weren't for having to take care of me, you and Alexis would have been here a lot earlier in the summer. The whole summer so far has been all about me. It's time for me to do as much as I can to make it all about Alexis. She hasn't once mentioned the beach or made me feel like a burden, and I can see now how important this place is to her. So, I'm going upstairs to unpack and put things away right now. She wants this to immediately feel like our summer home, so that's what she gets. After that I'm going to walk down to the beach with whoever wants to go and soak up the smell of the ocean, and the roar of the waves, and the sunshine, and the breeze…and the peace…and you. None of that will ever be the same again without you."

Castle took her in his arms and gave her a long, loving kiss. Alexis came bounding down the stairs about that time, stopped in her tracks, and rolled her eyes. Then she grinned joyfully and turned, bounding back up the stairs again. It already looked like home.