kate

Lanie walked in and moved to Kate's side. "Is she okay? What happened?" she asked the doctor.

(Hypothermia I understand? Pulmonary edema not so much)

Lanie nodded. "May I?" she asked, wanting to take over.

Lanie helped Kate into a seated position.

(I don't know what to do here? What is Lanie meant to do to fix this?)

Once Kate was seated and stable again, Lanie turned to Castle and Jim. "Why don't we talk outside? Let Alexis and Martha stay here with her a bit."

As soon as she saw Kate open her eyes, Alexis gave her a hug. She didn't want to let go. "Please don't scare me, Kate."

"I'm sorry, honey," she whispered, barely audible.

"It's okay. I love you Kate. You are my mum, no matter what."

Kate hid her tears. "I love you too, honey. Everything's..." She had to stop for air, still weak. "Everything's gonna be okay. I promise." She remembered saying the same words to her after Rick had been poisoned and looked around, holding her hand out for his without letting go of Alexis.

"Good. I really want to spend more time with you."

"I want to spend more time with you too. With all my family."

"Kate? I want to tell you something. Can I tell you?"

"Of course." She'd always made an open door policy where Alexis was concerned, that she could tell her anything and only if she had permission would she tell Castle.

"You are my mum, even if I don't call you that. And I love you. Would it be weird to say that you are a better mum than my own mum? That you actually care about me?"

She couldn't argue much with Alexis' way of thinking. Meredith hadn't been there when Alexis graduated from high school, which if she hadn't been "broken up" with Castle and hanging from the side of the building, she wouldn't have missed, and hadn't even called after Alexis was kidnapped when she had slept at the apartment for a week after, not just for Rick, but for Alexis and her nightmares. "I love you too, honey. A lot. You and Martha are my family just as much as your dad and my dad. You always have been." From the moment she stepped into Castle's apartment, she'd been included in the family, when they first became partners.

Alexis finally smiled, feeling like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Lanie tried to clear the boys out to give the family privacy and when the doctor mentioned something about the rest of them leaving Lanie gave him the look that made Javi shiver and fall in line, much less a doctor.

Castle and Jim both looked at the doctor like he was crazy. "We aren't going anywhere." Alexis was still clinging to Kate, and Martha was making herself comfortable on the chair near the bed. It was clear they weren't leaving.

Kate, for the first time, wasn't focusing on breathing but was coaxing Alexis to find a movie on the tv they could watch, trying to calm her a little bit. With everything that she and Castle had gone through over the years, it was amazing that Alexis was as functional as she was, but Kate recognized the same trait she herself had: focus on taking care of the family, on getting through it. It was what had gotten her through her mom's death, focusing on her dad and his drinking. Castle sat on the bed, rubbing his daughter's back when he heard her sobbing.

"It's okay, honey," Kate whispered. "It's okay." Her eyes connected with Lanie's outside the room, mouthing 'you gotta get me out of here'. Back in New York, back home in the apartment, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Lanie nodded and went to speak with the doctor. Jim almost felt out of place with Kate and her new family, but for some reason when he looked at Kate and Alexis, he saw Joanna and Kate. Alexis finally calmed down and closed her eyes to rest. Kate kept whispering to her, rubbing her back gently, until she was sure that Alexis was asleep. Only then did Kate actually look tired, frail.

Castle leaned over her. "Go to sleep. I'll take Alexis home."

"No. Lanie's gonna get me out of here."

"You need to sleep."

"I'll sleep at home."

"You won't listen to me, will you?"

She looked at her dad and Martha. "Can you guys give us a minute?"

"Sure," said Martha. They got up and left the room.

"Our family needs me at home, Rick."

"I know, but you need rest, and care. I'm not a doctor, I can't look after you if something happens."

"Lanie can. And it might freak Alexis out for Lanie to be there all the time, I don't know, but it can't be any worse than being here."

Castle thought for a moment. "She loves Lanie. It won't be odd, just fun. She'll want girls nights."

"She's never called me her mom before."

"Honestly, I didn't think she would. I know she loves you, but I thought she would be sad that she has a new mum."

"Now I know why you went crazy every time she hurt. Well, crazier."

"She's my daughter. I love her so much Kate. I always will."