It has been another long day at work.
Autopsies, tox reports, and causes of death.
I had to work on this case, even though Alexis and Samantha were kidnapped. That's all I could think about. But this case bugged me too.
A teenager was murdered. She was sixteen. Never did drugs or smoked, and was fit. She obviously played soccer or ran track. She was shot a few times in the chest, and bled out within minutes, but she still suffered.
I sigh, covering up the girl's body. A few of her reddish-blonde hairs stick out, and for a split second it reminds me of Alexis and Samantha.
God I hope they're okay.
I peel off my gloves, throwing them in the garbage, and wash my hands thoroughly.
I throw my bag together and turn towards the door, only to find someone in my way.
Javier Esposito stands with a grin on his face, his dark brown eyes shining into mine.
"Hola Chica," he says, putting a hand on the square of my back and pulling me in for a kiss.
"Hi," I say breathlessly.
He still wears his black leather jacket and badge on the chain around his neck. I think it reminds him of when he was deployed, having his dog tags. It's a sense of pride for him. For us.
He hugs me, and I sink against his chest. I wrap my arms around his neck, refusing to let go, and for a second my worry goes away.
"Hard day?" He asks gently.
I let go and gesture to the girl's covered body.
"She was so young. She reminds me of Alexis and Samantha."
He pulls me tighter against his body.
"Nothing's going to happen to them, or any of us. They're going to be okay."
"What about the stuff that already happened? I can't make that hurt go away."
"None of us can Chica. What we can do is help. They want you to be happy. So, let's do that. Let's go out to dinner. We can't do anything else right now, it's late. We've been going at it for days. You need to rest."
"So do you. When's the last time you slept?"
He seems taken aback by my question.
"Baby answer me."
"I don't know." He mumbles.
"You need to sleep. We both do."
He opens his mouth to argue, but his phone rings before he can speak.
"Esposito. Yeah. You sure? Oh thank God. When are they coming back? Oh my God is she okay? Alright. Yeah I'll see you tomorrow."
He hangs up, and leans his head back until it hits the wall behind him.
"What? What happened?"
"Castle got them. Both of them. They made it to the Embassy. Samantha's in the hospital. They hit her on the head to knock her out when she escaped with Alexis. They both have chloroform in their system but other than that, they're okay. They're coming home."
"When?"
"Tomorrow afternoon. We probably won't see them until the day after tomorrow though. They'll want to go to sleep when they get home."
I smile.
"That's great! I'm so happy they're okay!"
I hug him, in a moment of pure joy.
Suddenly, that wave of relief hits me, and my adrenaline washes away, leaving me exhausted.
"Javi, let's go home."
"Alright. We could both use the rest."
He drives us back to his loft. He told me Samantha made fun of him for it being such a man cave, but I don't mind.
We both get in bed, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me close to him.
When I wake up, Javi is sitting up drenched in sweat, an echo of a scream still on his lips.
I know he has nightmares, all the time. Lately they've gotten worse with everything that's been happening with Samantha.
I place my hand softly on his arm.
"Javi? Another nightmare?"
He nods.
He gets up to change his shirt, pushing the covers aside as he stands.
When he gets back in bed, he doesn't lay down.
I rest my head on his shoulder.
"Tell me about it?" I ask lightly.
After a few moments of silence, his voice ripples through the night.
"It was Samantha again. She died in my arms. Someone shot her."
"Hey, that's not real. She's okay now, she's safe. I'm right here."
He inhales deeply and lays back down, pulling me close again.
