Hi again. Thanks for being so patient while I worked on school stuff for a few weeks. The thesis is turned in, all 12,000 plus words of it. Such a relief to have that out of the way so that I can focus on this story again! Hopefully, this chapter has a little bit of everything in it: fluff, suspense, romance, and angst. The movie I mention in this chapter, Once, is one of my absolute favorite movies of all time. If you haven't seen it yet, you need to watch it immediately. I listened to the Oscar-winning song from the movie's soundtrack "Falling Slowly" on repeat while I wrote this chapter. It makes good accompaniment to the story if you are into that sort of thing.

Rick's mouth dropped open in shock, momentarily speechless. He dropped to kiss her forehead and whispered in reply, "A hundred minus one day, huh? Sounds good to me."

Two and a half days later, Castle and Beckett had settled into a comfortable routine. Lanie came to the hospital every morning before work to drop off coffee and danishes for Castle and to check on Kate's overnight labs and general well-being. Occasionally Esposito accompanied her on these early morning visits. Since the shooting, it seemed that everyone had been brought closer together. Lanie and Javier were no longer even attempting to hide their relationship or the fact that while Esposito hadn't officially moved in with Lanie, he was spending more nights at Lanie's apartment than he spent at his own.

Jim usually appeared around lunchtime, eager to make sure that his daughter was getting plenty of rest and being well taken care of. Rick soon learned that Jim wasn't the most talkative of the bunch, so their time together was often spent reading the paper or watching bad daytime soaps. Afternoons brought visits from Martha and Alexis. Alexis took the subway directly from school to the hospital, often lugging an insane amount of textbooks with her in her quest to stay ahead on her homework so that she would be accepted to Stanford. Kate usually crashed in the early afternoon, worn out from the morning visits and the various tests and procedures she was still being subjected to on a daily basis. Castle liked to take advantage of this quiet time in order to work on his writing while Alexis methodically worked through her Calculus homework and Martha sat memorizing a script for her latest off-off-Broadway play.

Kevin and Jenny usually stopped by in the early evening when they got off of work. Many evenings they were joined by Lanie and Esposito. Kate was anxious for any updates on her mother's murder case and the subsequent shooting, so Ryan and Esposito filled her in on the leads they'd run down. So far though, it appeared that progress was at a standstill as all leads seemed to detour down one dead end after another.

Through it all, Castle had been Kate's rock. Her constant. He'd simply refused to leave the hospital, leaving her bedside only for the shortest periods of time in order to shower in the doctor's locker room or to grab something to eat from the cafeteria. Kate had half-heartedly urged him to go home and get some rest on more than one occasion. But Castle had seen through what she was saying to the fear in her eyes, and he knew he couldn't leave her. After having several iterations of this debate, Rick finally managed to shut down the topic for good with a simple statement.

"Look Kate, trust me when I say that I'll sleep better here than I will at home. I promise." Rick had stated calmly.

"Rick, that makes no sense. Even I'mfinding it damn near impossible to get any rest in here, what with the noisy monitors, the lights that they never turn off, or the nurses barging into my room at all hours of the day or night to check my vitals. Why on god's green earth would you say that you'd sleep better in the midst of all this?" Kate had asked in mock exasperation.

"Because as long as I'm here, I can see with my own two eyes that you are okay. You think I'd be able to sleep at home not knowing if you were in pain or trying to get up without the nurse's help or doing one of the seventy-five other things you are currently banned from doing but are just stubborn enough to attempt on your own?" Castle's once calm voice shook slightly as he looked to Kate with flushed cheeks, breathing hard.

"Oh," was all Kate was able to mutter, looking away to avoid Castle's intense gaze as she was reminded all over again how much he loved her and of the hell that he'd been through in the past few days. She took a deep breath and started again. "Rick, I..."

"Shh, I know, Kate. You don't have to say anything," Rick interrupted, the tension leaving his face and being replaced with one of his trademark grins. The smile didn't quite reach his eyes, but given the circumstances, it was a pretty good imitation of the old, carefree Rick.

Kate smiled back, relieved that Rick understood her so well that there was no need to apologize or explain. "I was just going to ask you what movie you wanted to watch on Netflix tonight," Kate replied with a smirk.

It had taken them nearly thirty minutes of browsing and arguing to settle on a movie. Kate requested no comedies since laughing hurt. A lot. And Rick had vetoed every action movie or thriller that Kate suggested until Kate finally realized that he was vetoing any movie that might contain gunfire and stop suggesting anything in that genre. They'd finally settled on Once,a sweeping romance that featured the lead singer of one of Kate's favorite bands The Frames.

Castle spent a few minutes fiddling with cords and wires before he'd managed to hook his laptop up to the plasma flatscreen television hanging in the corner that definitely wasn't hospital issue. Yesterday, Kate had made a conscious decision to simply stop asking where all of the luxury good and services were coming from after she'd been given a cashmere robe to go along with her plush and not at all hideous dressing gown. One day, when she was recovered and back to work, she'd find a way to thank Castle for all the time, effort, and money that he'd spent on getting her the best care available, but for now, Kate was simply grateful.

Once Castle started the movie, he walked back to Kate's side, intending to reclaim his usual perch on an overstuffed recliner by Kate's bedside. But Kate had other ideas. She looked at him with an unreadable expression before patting the mattress beside her. Castle raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Kate, I...are you..." he stuttered. But Kate just smirked back at him, her look both simultaneously teasing and pleading.

"Don't make me ask again, Rick," she said with a hint of a smile.

That was all it took. Rick rose to his feet, still looking unsure as he tried to find the best way to lower himself onto the bed without disturbing the mess of wires and leads that surrounded Kate on the bed. "I don't want to hurt you," he said, suddenly anxious and uncertain.

"You won't. You would never..." Kate replied reassuringly. She slowly and carefully slid her body to the left to make more room on the bed, wincing only slightly as one of the many tubes pulled slightly as she shifted. Rick carefully lowered himself onto the bed beside Kate. Slowly, she shifted back towards him in the dim light, resting her head against his chest and snuggling against him like her favorite pillow. Rick smiled and let his left hand rest near the nape of her neck as he lazily ran his fingers through her hair.

Kate sighed contently, feeling truly safe for the first time since the Captain had been shot days earlier. In that moment, Kate forgot that she was in a hospital, that there was an assassin roaming the streets of New York bent on killing her and anyone she loved, and that it still hurt to breathe, laugh, or move. Instead, as she settled into Castle's arms to watch the movie, she pretended she was at her apartment on a date with the man she loved.

It took Castle a bit longer to relax. For the first few minutes, he breathed shallowly through his nose, afraid that if his chest moved up and down too much, it might hurt Kate. But he quickly realized that hyperventilation was not a viable option for the remainder of their relationship, seeing as he got dizzy after a few minutes of breathing that way. So, he finally started to breathe normally, but still kept his body tense, waiting for any small sign that Kate was uncomfortable. As he listened to her breathing even out into a slow, regular rhythm, he felt his body finally begin to relax, the tension of the last few days pouring off his body in waves at the feel of Kate's body in his arms. The feel of her breath against his cheek and the warmth of her skin against his lulled him into a state of tranquility and he lost himself in the story and music of the movie.

They were barely halfway into the movie when Castle heard a soft snore from Kate. He looked down and couldn't help but smile at her face that was so unguarded, childlike, and open in sleep. He could easily watch her sleep for hours. But Kate had caught him watching her sleep yesterday and she'd admonished him for being creepy and threatened to take out a restraining order if he didn't cut it out. But it was a loving threat, or so Castle was choosing to believe. With difficulty, Castle tore his gaze from Kate's face, placing a gentle kiss to her temple before he muted the television and turned off the beside lamp. He glanced at his phone before closing his eyes and was surprised to see it was barely 10 PM. Kate wasn't scheduled to get her next dose of medications until 1 AM, meaning that there was a possibility that both of them could get some much needed, uninterrupted sleep. Castle brushed a stray lock of hair off Kate's forehead, whispering "Goodnight Kate" in the dark before closing his eyes and giving into sleep.

Kate was running, faster than she'd ever run before. But as she pounded against the dew-dampened grass, her lungs burning from the effort, she knew it would be too late...

Kate heard drums, the rhythm pounding in time with the beat of her heart. They were at a funeral. Someone important's funeral judging from the volume of people in attendance. Kate was in her police uniform. So it must be a cop's funeral, she realized. She was there to do something important, but she was so tired and heavy that it was hard to focus on anything other than putting one foot in front of the other. She sensed, rather than saw the eyes on her. Everyone was staring, waiting for her to do something. But what? Why didn't they just tell her what they wanted?

She looked around, growing slightly dizzy from the heat of the sun burning overhead. She wanted nothing more to plunge into a body of water, allowing her body to be cooled and made weightless by the water. But there was no water in sight. Without knowing why, she began to walk towards a podium, feeling more eyes on her as she did so. She stood and looked out over the crowd, seeing a sea of faces but not recognizing anyone. She glanced down at the podium, hoping to receive some clue about what she was to do next, when suddenly it came to her. She began to speak, words tumbling free of her mouth, carried by a river of rising emotion.

"Roy Montgomery taught me what it meant to be a cop. He taught me that we are bound by our choices. But we are more than our mistakes. Captain Montgomery once said to me that for us, there is no victory, there are only battles. And in the end, the best you can hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you are very lucky," Kate paused momentarily, swallowing back tears as she sought someone's eyes in the crowd. Her eyes found his, cool, blue pools that relieved the steady but growing burn from the sun overhead. He held her gaze steadily, communicating without words everything she needed to hear and feel in that moment, giving her the strength to go on.

"And if you are very lucky," she repeated for emphasis. "You find someone willing to stand with you."

She took a deep breath, her chest burning with the effort as she sucked in a lungful of the thick, hot air. She was starting to feel unsteady on her feet again, but worse still, she was suddenly filled with a nameless dread. Something bad was going to happen. And only she could stop it. But what was it? And why couldn't she remember?

Suddenly, a glint from a nearby stone caught her eye. She squinted in the bright light, trying to make out a shape. And in the split second before the muted pop of a suppressed rifle hit her ears, she knew. And just like that, Kate was running, faster than she'd ever run before. But as she pounded against the dew-dampened grass, her lungs burning from the effort, she knew it would be too late...

Rick was awakened by a piercing scream. His eyes flew open to see Kate struggling fitfully against him, her eyes closed but tensed in pain. Or was it fear? Within seconds, he'd switched on the bedside lamp and started trying to wake Kate.

"Kate? Kate honey, wake up. It's okay. Shh, you're just having a nightmare. Kate, look at me." Castle tensed as Kate continued to struggle weakly, her eyes still closed tight as she fought invisible demons. He took her face in both of his hands, his eyes widening in shock as he felt the incredible heat seeping from her pores. "Shit," Rick swore as he held Kate still against the mattress with one hand while reaching for the call button with the other.

Kate was on her knees, the dampness from the grass seeping into her uniform pants. The scent of blood, acrid and pungent, invaded her nostrils, making her feel nauseous and dizzy. The heat from overhead continued to intensify as the sun beat down on her mercilessly. She bit her lip and looked down at her partner.

"Rick? Oh god...no, no, no...Don't...I'm sorry. I tried to..." she stuttered out in a panic, watching as her partner paled beneath her hands as she tried helplessly to stem the flow of blood. She gazed into his eyes that had once soothed her with their cool blue depths. But now, they burned with anger, piercing Kate more than a bullet ever could with the force of his accusation. She had failed him. Kate swallowed hard, trying to think of way to make things right again, before Castle's eyes slid shut and suddenly the world was gone, leaving behind only blackness.

Castle tensed as Kate cried out his name. He looked down, hoping that she was finally coming back to him, but was shocked to see that her eyes were closed and she appeared to be trapped in her own private hell.

"C'mon Kate...wake up. You're okay. I'm here... Just please Kate. Open your eyes," Rick all but begged, wiping at the tears that were pouring from Kate's closed eyes.

With a gasp, Kate broke through the blackness into the dim light. The first thing she saw were the same blue eyes that had haunted her only moments earlier.

"Kate? Oh thank god... It's okay. You're okay. You had a nightmare, but you're safe," Castle reassured, stroking her sweat-dampened hair from her boiling forehead.

"Rick? You're okay? I thought you...I though you were...I thought he sh..." Kate stuttered over the words, unable to speak her fears aloud, irrationally worried that just speaking it would cause it to come true.

"I'm okay...everything's fine, Kate," Castle whispered, hugging her tighter, ignoring the dampness against his chest from a mixture of tears and sweat. He kissed her gently on the temple and pulled back, gazing at her carefully. "Hey, besides the obvious, how are you feeling? You feeling bad again? You're really warm, Kate," Rick stated worriedly.

"Yeah...I'm hot...and kind of cold? I don't know, Rick. I just feel awful," Kate admitted tiredly.

"Are you hurting anywhere in particular?" Rick asked.

"My chest, I guess. Headache too. What's wrong with me?" Kate asked, looking at Castle with half-lidded eyes. The terror had started to abate, leaving behind only a bone-weary exhaustion. She was just so tired that every movement took nearly superhuman effort.

"I don't know, Kate. I think you are running a fever, but that's all I got at the moment. We'll just have to wait for Amy to tell us what's going on. I called her just a second ago," Rick responded wearily.

As if on cue, Amy hurried into the room, trailing a vitals machine behind her. She took one look at her patient and the rumpled bed and knew something was wrong. She could see Kate's face was flushed and damp with the unmistakeable sheen of fever, and her eyes were wild, tired, and pained.

"What happened?" Amy asked tersely as she fit the blood pressure cuff around Kate's arm and began to inflate it. Next, she slid a thermometer under her patient's tongue, looking back at the display and watching in alarm as the numbers chased upwards much too quickly.

Rick rubbed a rough hand over his face in frustration. "I don't know... She was sleeping and she started having a nightmare. It took me a few minutes to wake her up though. She's burning up, Amy," he spoke flatly.

Amy started to speak but was interrupted by the beeping of thermometer. She and Rick glanced at the display simultaneously.

Rick's eyebrows shot up and his stomach dropped as he read the display. 103.7. And Rick's only thought? "Shit."

This seemed as good a place as any to end it. Not exactly a cliffhanger since we know what's wrong with Kate, but things are tense nonetheless. I promised myself I'd be as realistic as possible with Kate's injury and with a gunshot wound in an unsterile environment, infections are almost to be expected. But I was also glad that I got to add in a little fluff and lightness before everything went to hell again. There will be more interaction between Rick and the other secondary characters in the next chapter. In terms of updating again, I'm thinking about a week. I'll try for sooner than that, but I've got to turn in mid-term grades for my gazillion students by Wednesday and I need to update a few other WIP stories. In the meantime, I'm excited to hear what you think of the newest chapter.

And if you aren't already following me on Tumblr, what are you waiting for? I posted a chapter tease on Tumblr this afternoon and am thinking I'll start posting more chapter excerpts as I work to build anticipation. Follow me at place-that-ive-been-dreaming-of(dot)tumblr(dot)com. Be sure to stay hello if you stop by. I don't bite, I promise. Hope you all have a fabulous week.