Castle: finding my savior

Chapter 18

Brayden was sleeping soundly in his room while Kate and Rick are taking In The living room. They had lots to discuss and some of it wasn't going to be easy. Rick had offered wine and Kate accepted and now they were sitting on the couch, facing each other, talking.

"So yeah, Royce wants to see Brayden and I'm not 100% sure about that." Kate had just gotten done explaining what happened at the coffee shop, and Rick already wanted to kill the guy.

"Well, I support your decision Kate, whatever it may be, and onto Brayden, he really wants a father figure,he expressed that to me tonight." Rick paused and continued. "He was scared that I was going to leave you and him and that I wouldn't come back."

Kate frowned, she felt so guilty for not being able to give bray a father figure and was upset that he was having these kind of trust issues and thoughts about Rick leaving them, "what did you tell him?" Kate asked hiding her discomfort from castle.

"I basically said that I wasn't going anywhere and that I'd would always be here for him no matter what, and I know it's a bug promise Kate, but I mean it, even if something happens between us, I'm not leaving that little boy out to dry."

Kate's eyes started to tear up and she hugged Rick, tightly. "Thank you, so much." With her face still buried into him Rick spoke.

"Kate, there's one more thing I want to talk to you about." Kate pulled away and kissed him, long and passionate before letting him speak again.

"What about?"

"Cochlear implants, for Brayden." Kate just looked at Rick, completely shocked.

"What about them?" She managed to say.

"Have you ever considered them for him?"

Kate looked at Rick dumbfounded, "Rick, of course I have, he's my son, I've looked Into everything for him."

"Then why-"

"They're too much money for me to afford, Rick, that's why he doesn't have them ok?" Kate stands up and grabs the two empty glasses and goes to the kitchen. Castle sighed, he didn't know this was that touchy if a subject for Kate, or he would have brought it up differently.

"Honey," he followed her into the kitchen. "I'm sorry for bringing this up, but I thought that maybe together, we could give him that, the gift of hearing."

Kate turned around and looked at Rick, "babe, that's sweet and all but there's a lot of ricks and money issues and there's just a lot."

"I know Kate," Rick grabs her hands in his, "that's why we can do this together, we can do reasurch, talk to specialists, I'll get the best one." Kate just looked at him and shook her head, her eyes filling with tears again.

"I can't ask you to do that Rick, pay for all that, the sugary, the equipment, recovery, and I couldn't pay you back, not even over time, I just don't have money for it."

Rick places his hands on Kate's back and pulls her closer to him. "I'm not asking you to pay me back or anything Kate, I can afford it, and so why not give it a shot? I love that little boy Kate, and I'd do anything for him." Kate paced her head on ricks chest and cries softly, not knowing what to think.

Kate was so grateful for this man in her life, she couldn't imagine her life without him now, and her she didn't know how to convince herself of that. She still had her doubts, and part of her believed she will always have those doubts.