Post by cal54382 on Aug 22, 2014 7:23:07 GMT
Castle walked into his apartment, finding Alexis and Martha were both not home. He was glad for that, since he wanted to have some time alone with Kate. It was the first night she had off in a long time and they had decided that his place would be better than hers. A cough echoed from the hall and Castle turned to see if it was his family. It was a young girl, a few years older than Alexis, and she was holding some of his better known items, things that had been mentioned in articles over the years, as well as one of his shirts.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Castle asked gently.
She looked at Castle and then beyond Castle. "You're the girl in the dedications."
Kate nodded. Her hands were outstretched, trying not to frighten the girl. "I am." Those dedications that she loved so much had been the cause of a lot of friction as well, a lot of unwanted attention. The girl was hardly the first.
"Sweetie, how did you get in?" He was thinking that maybe she was a friend of Alexis'.
"You're Nikki Heat."
Kate shook her head. "No, honey, I'm not. I'm just Kate." She saw something that Castle didn't and it scared her. "Why don't you put down the knife? And then we can talk, okay?" She tried to keep her voice calm and even. Although the girl was Alexis' age, Kate could see that she had problems, a lot of problems, and, little by little, was trying to walk closer and closer to Castle, just in case.
"Stop moving!" the girl shouted suddenly. She moved toward Castle. "Please, stop moving."
Castle did as she said, starting to worry about what the girl had in mind.
"Okay. Okay." Kate stopped. "What's your name?"
"Jasmine," she said slowly.
"Jasmine, that's a pretty name." She forced herself to slow her breathing, remain calm, in control. "I think we should sit down and talk. Can we do that?"
Jasmine shook her head. "You don't need to be here. Just he does."
Castle went white with fear. He took a step back and reached for his phone. The next happened in slow motion and yet all too quickly to be stopped. Jasmine came at Castle with a knife, managing to scratch his arm before Kate reached her. The next thing anyone knew, Kate was the one on the ground with the knife embedded in her.
"Kate!" Castle screamed as he dialed 911 and tried to stop Jasmine from hurting anyone else.
Jasmine stepped out of his reach, knowing she was in big trouble. She ran from the apartment and disappeared. Castle didn't care, he just wanted the love of his life to be okay.
"Kate? Can you hear me?" he whispered.
Jasmine ran into Alexis on her way out, almost knocking the girl down. The part of her that had been handed down from her grandfather and father, had rubbed off being around Kate, began to run, not after the girl, but upstairs to the apartment. "Dad? Daddy?"
"Alexis! Help! Get me some towels!"
Alexis ran to get towels and a pillow to try to keep her elevated. "We have to leave it in." The knife seemed to be sticking straight out of Kate's body all by itself. "We have to leave it in," she repeated. "Did...Did you call 911? Lanie?"
"An ambulance is coming. She has to be okay, she has too."
She didn't ask what had happened. At that moment, she didn't really care. She wanted to curl up into a ball and rock until everything was okay again, but she knew she couldn't. "She's got clothes here. I'll pack her a bag, then call Gram, the guys, and her dad."
"Th...thanks honey. I appreciate it. Kate will too. Just, sweetie, you have to stay with me, okay? I don't want you to get hurt too." Tears were flowing down his cheeks, and he couldn't stop himself from sobbing.
Kate coughed, her lips turning red.
"Kate? You're gonna be okay, I promise. I'm so sorry."
She wanted to take the knife and pull it out, but she was too weak and, even if she wasn't, knew Alexis was right. To pull the knife out might mean she would bleed to death and she didn't want to die. She couldn't leave him.
"I'm so sorry honey. I love you so much. I'm sorry."
The sirens came and it took all Alexis had to convince them her dad should ride with Kate; she knew that there was no chance of her going with them. "It's okay. Esposito and Ryan will pick me up on the way. It's okay. I'll be right there." She worried what would happen before she could get there though.
"No... I don't want you hurt too." His lips trembled before he gave in. "Okay."
She kissed his cheek and watched helplessly as her parents were driven away. She'd never thought of Kate as her mother before, but she was more mother than Meredith had ever been.
Ryan and Espo arrived just after the ambulance left. "Alexis?" Ryan said.
"I don't know. I came home from school and a girl was running out with blood all over her hands. When I came up, Kate was on the floor and Dad was...Dad was with her. I don't know what happened. He...He wasn't where I could ask him."
"Okay. Come on, let's get to the hospital. We'll come back later for this."
"Gram and her dad are supposed to meet us there." She grabbed the bag and hurried out with them.
Ryan nodded.
*********
Lanie had already made it to the hospital, about five minutes after Kate and Castle arrived.
"Lanie! Thank god you're here." Castle stated immediately.
"Excuse me, who are you?" Castle asked gently.
She looked at Castle and then beyond Castle. "You're the girl in the dedications."
Kate nodded. Her hands were outstretched, trying not to frighten the girl. "I am." Those dedications that she loved so much had been the cause of a lot of friction as well, a lot of unwanted attention. The girl was hardly the first.
"Sweetie, how did you get in?" He was thinking that maybe she was a friend of Alexis'.
"You're Nikki Heat."
Kate shook her head. "No, honey, I'm not. I'm just Kate." She saw something that Castle didn't and it scared her. "Why don't you put down the knife? And then we can talk, okay?" She tried to keep her voice calm and even. Although the girl was Alexis' age, Kate could see that she had problems, a lot of problems, and, little by little, was trying to walk closer and closer to Castle, just in case.
"Stop moving!" the girl shouted suddenly. She moved toward Castle. "Please, stop moving."
Castle did as she said, starting to worry about what the girl had in mind.
"Okay. Okay." Kate stopped. "What's your name?"
"Jasmine," she said slowly.
"Jasmine, that's a pretty name." She forced herself to slow her breathing, remain calm, in control. "I think we should sit down and talk. Can we do that?"
Jasmine shook her head. "You don't need to be here. Just he does."
Castle went white with fear. He took a step back and reached for his phone. The next happened in slow motion and yet all too quickly to be stopped. Jasmine came at Castle with a knife, managing to scratch his arm before Kate reached her. The next thing anyone knew, Kate was the one on the ground with the knife embedded in her.
"Kate!" Castle screamed as he dialed 911 and tried to stop Jasmine from hurting anyone else.
Jasmine stepped out of his reach, knowing she was in big trouble. She ran from the apartment and disappeared. Castle didn't care, he just wanted the love of his life to be okay.
"Kate? Can you hear me?" he whispered.
Jasmine ran into Alexis on her way out, almost knocking the girl down. The part of her that had been handed down from her grandfather and father, had rubbed off being around Kate, began to run, not after the girl, but upstairs to the apartment. "Dad? Daddy?"
"Alexis! Help! Get me some towels!"
Alexis ran to get towels and a pillow to try to keep her elevated. "We have to leave it in." The knife seemed to be sticking straight out of Kate's body all by itself. "We have to leave it in," she repeated. "Did...Did you call 911? Lanie?"
"An ambulance is coming. She has to be okay, she has too."
She didn't ask what had happened. At that moment, she didn't really care. She wanted to curl up into a ball and rock until everything was okay again, but she knew she couldn't. "She's got clothes here. I'll pack her a bag, then call Gram, the guys, and her dad."
"Th...thanks honey. I appreciate it. Kate will too. Just, sweetie, you have to stay with me, okay? I don't want you to get hurt too." Tears were flowing down his cheeks, and he couldn't stop himself from sobbing.
Kate coughed, her lips turning red.
"Kate? You're gonna be okay, I promise. I'm so sorry."
She wanted to take the knife and pull it out, but she was too weak and, even if she wasn't, knew Alexis was right. To pull the knife out might mean she would bleed to death and she didn't want to die. She couldn't leave him.
"I'm so sorry honey. I love you so much. I'm sorry."
The sirens came and it took all Alexis had to convince them her dad should ride with Kate; she knew that there was no chance of her going with them. "It's okay. Esposito and Ryan will pick me up on the way. It's okay. I'll be right there." She worried what would happen before she could get there though.
"No... I don't want you hurt too." His lips trembled before he gave in. "Okay."
She kissed his cheek and watched helplessly as her parents were driven away. She'd never thought of Kate as her mother before, but she was more mother than Meredith had ever been.
Ryan and Espo arrived just after the ambulance left. "Alexis?" Ryan said.
"I don't know. I came home from school and a girl was running out with blood all over her hands. When I came up, Kate was on the floor and Dad was...Dad was with her. I don't know what happened. He...He wasn't where I could ask him."
"Okay. Come on, let's get to the hospital. We'll come back later for this."
"Gram and her dad are supposed to meet us there." She grabbed the bag and hurried out with them.
Ryan nodded.
*********
Lanie had already made it to the hospital, about five minutes after Kate and Castle arrived.
"Lanie! Thank god you're here." Castle stated immediately.