Chapter 3 – Don't let me go (ghost writer 77)

Chapter 3 – Don't let me go

Richard Castle ran as he never did before in his life. Bursting past people and almost crashing into objects, he sprinted down the corridors of St. Mary's hospital, all the while replaying Esposito's words in his mind.
"Rick, we're at St. Mary's… Kate's been shot."
Numbness arrested his senses while dread and horror engulfed him as the sentence sunk in. He did not let Javier finish and dropped the phone before rushing out the door.
On his way to the hospital, Rick's mind went back to the morning's events; he and Kate had an argument about his latest book tour just before she left for work. She was not happy that it would be four weeks long and he was upset that she would not be joining him. For the past few days, they had both been edgy – Rick was under pressure because of his book launch and Kate had difficulty with the case she was working on. Eventually, it all came to a climax and blossomed into a full-blown fight that morning. Now, all of that did not matter. It was insignificant and trivial and pointless.
'As long as she's okay. As long as she's okay.' The thought ran through his mind like a fervent prayer. He came to an abrupt halt at a nurses' station causing the occupant to jump a little at his sudden presence.
"I'm looking for a Kate Castle, or Beckett or Detective Beck-" he spurted out; his voice cracking with fear and his eyes wide with intense anxiety.
"Castle!" Rick quickly spun around at the sound of his name and saw Esposito and Ryan in the waiting area. Ignoring the nurse's attempted reply, he hurriedly made his way to the two men.
"Is she okay? Where's Kate?" Panic stifled his voice as the questions followed each other in quick succession.
"The doctor is examining her, but-" Esposito started to answer, but was interrupted by Rick.
"You said she got shot. Is- is she okay?" Rick asked, his eyes darting between the two men pleadingly.
"She's fine, Castle. She had her vest on, but a bullet grazed her upper arm, so they're just looking at that," Ryan answered, patting Rick's shoulder.
"Don't worry bro, Beckett is a tough cookie," Esposito added, plastering a smile across his face even though it did not reach his eyes. A corner of Rick's mouth unwillingly curved up when Javier referred to Kate as a 'tough cookie'.
Rick let out the breath he had been holding and bent forward, resting his hands on his knees while his head hung downwards.
"Oh thank God" He breathed, closing his eyes momentarily. "Wha- what happened?" he asked standing up.
"We went to arrest the perp and the stupid SOB – without warning – opened fire. Unfortunately, a civilian got in the way and well Kate jumped in front of her and…" Ryan's voice trailed off, clearly still affected by what happened.
"She saved the woman's life," Esposito continued, his voice suddenly full of emotion.
"Shit..." Rick commented, his face contorting at the thought of his wife being shot at. "And the bastard who did this? What happened to him?" he asked, fury suddenly rising from the pit of his stomach.
"He got a bullet in the head," Ryan answered flatly.
"Beckett shot him," Esposito added grimly. Rick sighed and ran a hand over the back of his head and neck, turning his eyes to the floor.
"I- I'm gonna go see where is," he said quietly after a few moments while the two detectives nodded in response.
As he approached the nurses' station for the second time to find out where Kate was, he noticed a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. When he saw her, Rick once more abandoned the nurse mid-sentence, and quickly made his way towards his wife who was standing a few metres away down in the corridor. She had just come out of the examining room and became aware of someone walking towards her. A considerably paler Kate let out a relieved breath and smiled tentatively as Rick swiftly walk/ran towards her. Upon reaching her, Rick enveloped her - without words - into a tight embrace; pulling her slender frame impossibly close to his larger one.
"Thank God," he murmured into her hair while placing quick, tender kisses on her head, forehead and temple. Pulling away slightly, he framed her face with his hands and locked his eyes with hers.
"You scared the hell out of me, KC," Rick stated simply; his voice quiet, but filled with raw emotion. Kate diverted her eyes to his chest with a sigh and rested her hands on his forearms.
"I'm sorry, RC. I didn't mean to scare you," she replied softly, gazing up at him and noticing his strained expression. "Or, you know, get shot at today," Kate added sarcastically with a slight smile in an effort to lighten the mood. Rick did not return the smile, but instead leaned forward to meet her lips in a soft, but lingering kiss.
"C'mon, let's get you home." He placed an arm around her shoulder and a hand on her injured upper arm causing Kate to wince in pain.
"Ow!"
"Oh! Sorry!" Rick exclaimed, immediately releasing the hold he had on her arm. "Please don't hurt me," he added after a few moments. He gave her his best puppy-dog look, causing Kate to role her eyes at him as per usual.
"You're forgiven. Just remember, you have to be nice to me now. I'm not a well woman." Kate smiled at him despite herself; a flicker of playfulness back in her voice.
"I'm always nice to you," Rick replied with a slight pout, taking her small hand in his and giving it a squeeze. Even though his facial features indicated a smile, his eyes betrayed the fear that had gripped his heart.
Katherine Castle was his 'one-and-done' and Rick knew that if he lost her, it would devastate him beyond recovery.

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"I'm gonna take a shower. Why don't you order us some Chinese or something," Kate said, flashing her husband a tentative smile. Instead of making a typical Caslte suggestion - laced with sexual innuendo - of taking a shower together, he only meekly nodded in agreement. They had just arrived home, both feeling weary and emotionally drained; albeit careful not to reveal what they felt to one another. The ride home had been quiet with both of them engrossed in thought. Kate replayed the events of the day in her mind, while Rick was contemplating the 'what ifs'. She also noticed that he was was touching her more than usual, almost as if he was making sure that she was really alive and well.
Kate dragged herself upstairs to their bedroom; grateful to have a few moments alone with her thoughts. She stepped into the bathroom and started to remove her clothes which reeked of gunfire and blood. Ignoring the tears that began to blur her vision, she slowly undid the buttons of her shirt while staring at nothing in particular on the wall. It was only when she was standing under the scorching hot current of water that it hit her - she took someone's life today and almost lost her own. As the realisation set in, uncotrollable sobs tore through her body until she was sitting on the shower floor clutching at her knees for comfort.
Meanwhile...
Rick sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the faint splashing of water coming from the bathroom. He only came in a few moments before, not to interrupt Kate, but just, frankly, to be nearer to her. Not for her sake, but for his own peace of mind. While absent-mindedly scanning the room, a large wedding photo of them on the wall caught his eye. Looking at the two blissfully happy people in the picture, Rick's lips briefly pulled upwards. They had so many dreams and plans for the future – taking long vacations on exotic islands, buying a house along the French Riviera and, eventually, raising a family. They also made promises. 'For better or worse. In sickness and in health. 'Til death do us part.'
"Til death do us part," Rick murmured out loud before being shaken from his thoughts at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Kate, wet-haired and clothed in a bathrobe, stepped out and saw her husband sitting on the edge of the bed. They looked at each other for a few seconds before she went over to sit next to him in silence. After a few moments, Rick took her hand in his and weaved their fingers together.
"You almost died today," he said softly, looking down at their intertwined fingers while gently rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.
"Unfortunately for you, the guy was a bad shot." Rick's head snapped up and he stared at her for a moment.
"Richard, I'm fine-" Kate started in a softened tone seeing his reaction and placed her free hand over their interwined ones.
"Esposito told me that you jumped in front of someone," Rick interrupted her, his eyes drilling into hers. He was bizarrely angry with her that she put her life at risk for a stranger.
"Yeah... If I hadn't, she would have been shot. I was doing my job-" Kate nodded slowly, her eyebrows knitting briefly as she spoke.
"You could've gotten killed," he retorted angrily, looking at her intently. Kate's expression softened, as her eyes drifted downwards. A few moments passed by before she looked up at him again, her eyes suddenly moist.
"I know what happened. I, I know better than anyone how close I came to dying today... But, Rick." She placed a hand on his cheek. "-I didn't. I'm right here"
"I should have been with you today-" He looked up at her, his expression serious.
"You're here now," Kate interrupted, taking his face in between her hands. "I don't need you to save me or protect me or stop bullets for me... I need you to love me," Kate continued in a whisper, her plea barely audible. "Just love me, Rick." She leaned in for a slow, deep kiss.
He broke from the kiss and started to tug at the belt of her robe; his movements slow and deft. Keeping eye contact, he slid the robe off her shoulders to reveal her bare skin. He moved towards her neck and shoulders, placing feathery kisses on her collar bone, up her neck and along her jaw line; all the while pushing her down onto the bed. The usual playfulness and laughing were replaced by silence and gentle caresses.
After a few minutes, they were both naked with Rick hovering over his wife. He studied her lovely features closely while tracing the outline of her jaw with his fingers. Kate slinked her arms around his neck, pulling him down towards her.
"I love you," Rick said softly as Kate wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. The traumatic events of the day seemed to disappear in this moment as they slowly moved in unison, making love.

Tonight they were not Richard Castle or Detective Beckett, but simply Rick and Kate - friends, partners and lovers.

_________

"Wow, I didn't realise I was that hungry," Kate commented after taking the last bite of her chow mein. Rick, with his elbow propped on the counter and his head resting on his hand, was watching her. They were in the kitchen sitting at the kitchen table top, finally eating the Chinese take-out he had ordered two hours before. Kate had one of Rick's dress shirts on, while he was only in his Sylvester and Tweety boxer.
"Why do you think I almost ordered everyting on the menu?" Rick grinned at her; the usual playful glint in his eyes seemingly recovered. Kate only shook her head at him and smiled, before growing thougthful again. He noticed the change in her demeanor and frowned.
"Hey, what's going on inside that pretty lil' head of yours?" He took hold of her hand, smiling slightly at her.
Shaken from her thougths, Kate returned a tentative smile, unsure how to proceed.
"Uh, well,.. life is short and... we can't predict what's going to happen next," she started, running a hand nervously through her hair. "Sooo... I, I was thinking that we should maybe... you know start to." She took a breath before continuing. "Add to the Castle family." Kate looked up at him expectantly, biting her lower lip and arching her eyebrows slightly. A grin teased Rick's lips, not sure that what he was hearing was real.
"Do you mean we should get like a puppy or a kitten?" He asked, playing dumb while Kate gave him a longsuffering eye-roll. "Or, Detective, is this your way of saying that you want to make little Castle babies with me?" A teasing smile spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around her waist.
Kate stepped closer to him and moved her arms around his neck as a bright smile engulfed her features.
"Yes, I'm saying that I want to make beautiful little Castle babies with you... Starting right now." She broke from his hold and dragged him, by hand, laughing up the stairs.

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Picture, you're the queen of everything, as far as the eye could see under your command.

I will be your guardian when all is crumbling, steady your hand.

P. S. the title of the chapter is a from a beautiful song by the Fray, 'Never say never' and the lyrics at the end of the chapter was taken from the song.