Last time

Chapter 3

"Katherine, darling..." Martha entered the bedroom with a low-pitched voice intending to wake Kate. But there was no need of that because Kate was already sitting on the bed buried in the sheets that surrounded her. Her eyes were barely open, tired, tortured, heavy, and Martha quickly concluded that she had probably spent most of the night like this without even thinking about sleeping."Katherine, you can't do this to yourself..."  "Yes, Martha, I can't, I can't be in our bed without him" Her voice was small, quiet, barely audible as she fussed with the sheets and rose from the bed she had shared with him yesterday morning, where she could feel his warm touch...and now it was just the cold, empty side of the bed where his scent could still be smelled, but that familiar scent faded from her nostrils more and more. Good morning, my beautiful lady every time her gaze fell on his side of the bed, she would hear his morning raspy voice speaking to her so clearly and realistically. "Ready to go visit Dad?" Another redhead peered through the room door and asked impatiently. Alexis. She stands in front of the room door, clutching something tightly in her hand and pushing it closer to her chest. She wants to be strong, strong for herself, for Gram and for Kate, but no matter how much she tries to cover up, the lump of fear that floats in her eyes was still very noticeable. And how will it not be? The person who was always there for her, who would always catch her before she fell, her dad now doesn't remember her name at all... "Okay ready to go!" Martha tried to brighten up the already gloomy and depressed atmosphere by tossing in with her classic highly noticeable tone, but without any success, Kate and Alexis both stood at the door with their eyes bent to the floor, waiting for Martha to come, so they all together head for the hospital where Rick was. "Alexis, what's that?" Martha's words broke the awkward silence of driving through the streets of New York, pointing to something that was in Alexis's arms and looked like a framed photograph. "Nothing...it's just...maybe dad remembers if he sees this..." From her lap she revealed a photograph that everyone knew very well, the photo that usually stands on Rick's desk and that he liked to look at when he missed his little girl....Alexis was 3 years old at the time the photo was taken, it was one of those walks in the park that dad-daughter duo would go almost every day. Martha had a great inner struggle trying to keep that faint smile on her face and not let the tears take control as she watched her granddaughter’s eyes slowly become occupied with tiny tears. Just like the doctor said, each of them took or wore something by which Rick remembers them to try to trigger his memory...

//at the hospital//

"I assume you came to visit Mr. Castle" Dr. Mendiaz stated as he was just coming to Rick's room and got three nods in return. "We just got him back to the room because we did an MRI in the morning, so I think he's asleep now but let me check "A middle-aged doctor with a very strong Spanish accent and a nameplate read  Dr. Mendiaz explained and slowly, quietly made his way into Rick's room, thus confirming his previously spoken words, really Rick's head laying still on the pillow, his eyes closed, and his breathing calm and relaxed just as it should be while sleeping. After clarifying that Dr. Milanov, one of their neurologists, is just reading the outcomings of Rick's MRI, Dr. Mendiaz allowed that in the meantime, while waiting for the results, all three can stay with Rick, but of course with the caveat that they must not rush or overdo anything because patience is crucial with patients who have experienced brain damage trauma. "Kate" Beckett winced when she heard Martha's use of shorter version of her name. "Alexis and I go get something to eat for us and Richard when he wakes up" Elder readhead explained and quickly she and Alexis disappeared down the hall.
She got up from the chair she was sitting in and came closer to Rick's bed...Her hand in an instant slowly came to the top of Rick's hand. Richard Castle, male, 1.4.1969 It was written on a hospital bracelet on Rick's left wrist. Her hand remained in the same position for a while doing small, gentle circles over Rick's still hand..."Mhm" First she felt stirring and heard a soft murmur and then the monitor that monitored Castle's heartbeat picked up the pace....His blues shutting open, coming across her hazel-greens..."Hey" She spoke first, still not moving her hand from his, but neither did he try to escape her touch, which gave her some vague and indescribable hope that all would be well again. That's a good sign, isn't it? But even if he wanted to say something, he didn't have time because just seconds after Rick opened his eyes, Dr. Mendiaz made his presence in the room. "Good morning, Mr. Castle" He greeted and now Castle was fully focused on a face that currently was much more familiar to him than Kate's. "We got back the results of your MRI and I can say that I am pleased with what I saw" He addressed Castle, giving a quick but readable "we'll discuss it later" look to Kate. "Can we try something, Mr. Castle?" "Sure!" Castle shoot without any hestision after Dr. Mendiaz asked. "Okay let's start like this..." "What's your name?" "Rick" Castle answered somehow half-offended, ph, of course he knows his own name, why do countless doctors keep asking him such questions?! He thought to himself, while the next Dr. Mendiaz's question did not distract him from that thought. Hope in Kate's eyes grew more and more with every correct answer Castle gave to the doctor... "And what's her name?" Dr. Mendiaz's finger pointed to Kate. "Um...uf...I...she...I-I don't know!" Castle half yelled because he was nervous and angry at himself for not being able to give an answer to such a simple question. "You're doing good, slowly everything will come back to you, just let’s not rush" Dr. Mendiaz gave one consoling smile before exiting Rick's room, leaving him to rest a bit now because he knew, although it didn’t seem that way, this was quite a strain for Rick’s still not completely recovered brain. "Mhm...ya" Castle's head dropped back on pillow with visibly disappointment look displaying on his face. "Dad!" Alexis ran through the door straight into his arms when she and Martha came back and immediately noticed that he was awake. Her head buried in his neck, his nostrils filled with the scent of her hair shampoo and at that moment his lips began to mutter something... "What?" All three women asked after his incomprehensible murmur in Alexis's hair. "Alexis" He repead his words louder this time "You...you remember??" Alexis brust out with the biggest smile possible. "Of course, I remember my own daughter" He uttered these words completely normally, as if there was no big deal about it at all and that was probably the reason for his great confusion when two readheads began to squeal in happy voices, giving him countless hugs, and he himself did not understand why such a great pomp when he just said Alexis's name. "Richard, kiddo, you're back!" Martha took her son's hands in hers and used the nickname she always called him "Of course I am, mother, why wouldn't I be?" Back? What she mean back?? He was here all the time didn't he?? Martha's words created even greater confusion in Rick's head, but his lips soon widened into a smile as he watched the indescribable happiness in the eyes of his mother and daughter that he guesses is caused by that one word he uttered. "Rick, what about me?" A trembling and quiet voice managed to break through the sound of Martha's and Alexis's joyful laughter which now filled the room. "May be some of our family friends?" His eyes shone with pure innocence as he tried to remember, he was really trying and this family friend thing was just one of the assumptions that came to his mind in trying to remember. He really didn't mean anything bad and he really had no idea who that woman might be...even though she told him yesterday that she is his wife, his brain simply refused to accept that fact. Richard Castle, the writer, New York, Alexis and Martha was all he knew and could remember for now...marriage was nowhere in his mind, so it was impossible for him that this woman here is his wife. But exactly that family friend shot with all its force in Kate's ears. "No?" He asked  gently, when he noticed that the tears were slowly but surely starting to take over those hazel-green eyes that were looking at him. Even tought in his head she was a complete stranger, he was hurt to see that he had caused someone's tears to flow. She shook her head weakly and suggested a negative answer, but without a word spoken, because she knew that if she open her mouth, her voice would break and tears would start to flow even more...She found no more strength to stay in the room and look into the eyes of the man with whom she had spent the most beautiful moments of her life and he doesn't even remember her name now, let alone anything more..."Katherine" "Kate" She caught the attention of both readheads as she rushed to the door, her hand covering her mouth, trying to hold little sobs coming out of her mouth unnoticed, tears streaming down her cheeks one after the other. "I just..." She tried to speak, but the tears were stronger and wouldn't let her, it was probably also the thing of her hormones went wild cause of the pregnancy, but that pregnancy that was supposed to be the happiest period for Castle and her was currently the last thing she could think about. "Sorry" Castle's soft murmur was heard, his otherwise deep, strong voice was now replaced by somehow weak, quiet, and a little frightened one. He made her cry so hard without even knowing why and he himself couldn't look at her so broken. She just left the room without saying anything else, because she just couldn't. "Richard don't!" "Dad!"Alexis's and Martha's terrified shouts spread through the hospital room, but he just ignored them and continued to convulsively tear the IV connector and all the other wires he was connected to... Kate, who was currently leaning against the hallway wall, was almost mowed down by two doctors who were sprinting down the hall, holding whistling beepers in their hands...