Castle sat in the back of the cruiser between Martha and Alexis, holding their hands. There was an air of tension and yet mutual comfort and love. For half the journey nobody spoke for fear of opening Pandora's Box.

Martha had been studying her son's face. Well-versed in the expressions of Richard Castle, she knew she couldn't let him stew for the remainder of the ride to the E.R. "It's not your fault, Richard."

Young Alexis was shocked to hear that those were the first words to enter the silent vehicle. She had been focused on the traumatic event only from her own perspective and hadn't yet truly considered what it was her father was going through – not seriously. She turned her head to face her dad with the same calculating expression Martha had been wearing for the past few miles.

When Castle didn't respond, didn't make eye contact, but merely flicked his eyes and clenched his jaw ever so slightly, Alexis surprised even herself by moving into the role of comforter. "Dad, Gram's right. You know that, right?"

As his daughter spoke to him, Castle's face softened just a bit, but he had no sufficient words in him to respond. So Martha continued, "You were there for her when she needed you most. You spotted the sniper. You alerted her to the danger. And you tried to save her. There is nothing more you could have done. Don't blame yourself."

At that point three wayward tears fell from his face. Unwilling to speak yet about it, he just sat there between two of the three women in his life that made him whole. Their comfort and understanding allowed him to keep the demons of his mind at bay – a little. The next thing he knew, Officer Cooper had reached their destination and the quiet moments of the past eight minutes were quickly forgotten in the chaos of this new environment.

As he exited the car with his family Castle began wildly looking around to find recognizable figures - someone with information on Kate's whereabouts and condition. His eyes scanned the perimeter quickly, but he was distracted by a squeezing of his left hand. Martha had reached for him to tell him that she and Alexis would be around, and there was no need for him to stick tight to them for the foreseeable future. But before she could finish her statement, a hospital employee beckoned the three newcomers to follow him.

After being led through some of the white-washed, sterile hallways of the hospital, they promptly arrived at a communal area for the E.R. It was there that they were reunited with many familiar faces from the 12th precinct, Lanie, and Jim Beckett.

"Well?" Castle's first word since leaving the cemetery didn't even really need to be spoken.

"She's back there and they're working on her. Still in critical condition last I heard. Really, we don't have much to go on and I have no authority here to get more detailed information," Lanie explained. "However, we did contact Josh who appears to have been on shift. He's not allowed to so much as touch her due to their relationship, but he's able to access files and talk to those in charge more easily. He said he'd come back shortly and let us know exactly how she is."

"When?" Castle demanded.

"As soon as he comes back, Castle. We're in this together. I'm certain Josh will-"

Speak of the devil. Josh came confidently striding out some double doors nearby while Lanie was finishing up her response. At once all eyes were on the man in scrubs before them.