27. Before the Storm

X~~~X

For the next two days Kate mostly did one thing, sleep. She woke only to take the medication that was always lying ready on the bedside table, along with water and food which she never touched and she was only leaving the bed to use the bathroom. The second time she'd woken after arriving at Castle's loft Jamie was gone and for a moment she panicked until she saw the piece of paper lying on the pillow next to her.

Don't worry

Took Jamie upstairs

She was crying

Didn't want to wake you

Rick

She almost sobbed, a strange noise escaping her throat that didn't sound like her as she clutched the paper to her chest. She'd slept through her daughter's cries. She didn't even want to think about what would've happened if Castle hadn't been here. He'd been right, she would have been in no state to take care of Jamie right now.

He'd checked on her regularly, reassured her that Jamie had only started crying when he had checked on them and he'd taken her with him, so Kate could sleep. He was sure she would have woken otherwise and it helped. He brought Jamie with him from time to time, but Kate never managed to stay awake for long. Whatever she'd caught, it held a tight grip on her. She hadn't been this sick in years.

All those time they barely exchanged more than a couple of words, he was polite, respectful and although she could clearly tell that he was still mad at her he tried not to show it. But she knew it was only a matter of time until he would un-call the truce between them - It was just the calm before the storm.

Friday afternoon Kate woke to the laughter of Alexis and Jamie in the living room and dragged herself out of bed to see what got the two girls so excited, since she was finally starting to feel better.

She found them on the floor, both tackling Castle who desperately tried to free himself from the two girls, climbing on top of him. He caught sight of her first, "I see someone's up," he stated and turned Jamie's head towards her mother who was leaning in the doorway to his bedroom.

"Mommy," the little girl shrieked, struggling off Castle, kicking him in his most sensitive parts.

"Ouch," she heard Castle whine, his face scrunched up in pain and Kate had to stifle a laugh, before all air left her lungs as well when Jamie ran into her. Obviously her daughter's recovery had progressed much faster than her own.

"Hey Baby Bird," she laughed breathlessly, before picking her daughter up with shaky arms. "Are you feeling better?"

Jamie nodded, snuggling into her mother's arms as Kate watched Castle getting off the floor and walking towards her.

"How are you doing?" He asked, noticing that she still looked pale and a bit shaky, but at least she was up, her eyes clearer than they had been for the past three days.

"Slightly better, thank you," she answered honestly and offered him a smile, which he didn't return.

"I have soup," he offered instead, taking Jamie from her arms as he could see she still had trouble supporting her own weight and placing the girl down on the floor where she immediately sought out Alexis, before Castle made his way to the kitchen.

Kate followed, hauling herself up on one of the barstools and trying to use her fingers to brush down her hair that certainly looked like hell after over two days in bed without a shower. She suddenly felt insecure about her appearance, the whole scenery was way too domestic, but Castle didn't seem to mind. He placed the soup in front of her, handing her some bread as well along with a glass of water and she had to admit it smelled delicious, her appetite returning for the first time in days.

"Thanks," she nodded and slowly started to eat, making sure her stomach could take it.

She had retreated back into Castle's bedroom shortly after she'd finished the soup and had falling asleep, knowing Jamie was well and safe. But now she was wide awake and felt well rested for the first time in days. One look at the alarm clock told her it was half past twelve at night and Castle's loft was totally silent.

For a moment she considered what to do, before swinging her legs out of the bed, making her way into Castle's bathroom, in desperate need a shower. Or better yet, a bath because his big bath tub was way too tempting not to use.

Fifteen minutes later she sank into the hot water and sighed deeply, this was heaven. It had been so long since she'd had taken a bath, it almost felt like another lifetime. And as she thought about it she realized that it actually had to be years ago, before she moved to Stanford, when she still lived with her parents.

The wide selection of Castle's bath salts quickly turned the bathroom into an oasis of jasmine and lavender. And reaching for the Ipod she'd found on one of the sideboards, she was surprised to hear Coltrane's Spiritual playing when she put in the earplugs and pressed play. She loved Coltrane. Heaven, it's simply heaven, were her last thoughts before she rested her head against the brink and closed her eyes.

Castle woke in the middle of the night, hungry. He needed a moment to orientate himself, still not used to sleep in the guestroom though it had been the third night in a row.

Stumbling out of bed and down the stairs he was surprised to see light shining out through his bedroom door into the living room. He stopped on the bottom of the stairs, considering his next move before taking a detour, neglecting the fridge for a couple of minutes longer to check on Kate.

He rapped against the door frame, the door only partly closed but he didn't get an answer and so he slowly stepped into the room.

"Kate?" He whispered, but still there was no answer.

He looked around, finding the bed empty and a new source of light coming from under his bathroom door.

"Oh," he muttered into the silence of his bedroom, feeling a bit stupid and out of place waiting for her while she was in there. But now that he was already here he would just wait and see how she was doing. Maybe she needed something.

He waited and waited, starting to worry slightly when she didn't emerge after ten minutes. Not very gentlemen-like, he pressed his ear against the bathroom door to see if he could hear something, but there was nothing. Not a single sound.

His writer's imagination already provided him with a worst case scenario, Kate on his bathroom floor, blood everywhere after she had fainted and hit her head on the sink or something like that.

He knocked, trying to get a hold of his panic, but didn't succeed when he still didn't get an answer.

"Kate?" He raised his voice, knocking again louder this time. Still nothing.

Enough, he thought as he decided to push open the door and stumbled into the bathroom just to find her very much alive and unharmed in his bath tub. Her eyes closed, her breathing even and her breasts, just above the water line. He gasped and that was the moment she must have noticed something, since she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him.

"Castle!" She shrieked, her arms flying up, covering her chest, the sudden movement causing water to splash over the brink, the earplugs dropping into the water. He quickly looked away, raising his hands.

"I'm sorry, I knocked - you didn't answer - I," he stuttered. "I - was worried," he got out, still not moving.

"Castle!" She shrieked again and he looked at her, saw her flushed cheeks, gorgeous, she was gorgeous. "Castle!"

"Huh?"

"Get out," she demanded, waving one arm to get him moving.

"Right, sorry." He stuttered, finally turning and leaving her alone.

The door closed behind him and after catching her breath and coming back to her senses, she had to laugh.

She stepped out into the living room, dressed in a fresh pair of yoga pants and a NYPD hoodie that was way too big for her. She found him standing in the kitchen, preparing what looked to her like a sandwich.

"Hey," she announced her presence and his head shot up, eyes wide and embarrassed.

"Kate, look I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," he sighed. "But you weren't answering and -,"Kate held up her hand to stop his rambling.

"It's okay," she chuckled. "I just didn't hear you."

"Okay," he seemed to relax.

"Thanks for checking on me," she added. They had enough on their plate as it was, she didn't want to add another awkward and embarrassing moment.

He offered her the first real smile in days and nodded. "Do you want something as well?" He asked suddenly and pointed at the sandwich in front of him.

"That'd be nice, thanks." She replied, realizing that she was starving.

He nodded and prepared a second one, while Kate sat down on his large couch, pulling her legs up and under her, her wet hair in a messy bun. He slowly made his way over to her, handing her the plate with her sandwich, contemplating to retreat upstairs and leave her alone.

He was angry with himself for what had happened earlier in the bathroom, not that he'd walked in on her - that was mainly embarrassing -, but that his body had reacted so obviously to her naked form in his bath tub. He didn't want to feel attracted to her, not now when he was mad at her. She'd hurt him. He didn't want to go soft on her just because he was a man and she was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met. Even now without make-up and after three days in bed with a fever she still looked gorgeous and he couldn't think like this right now.

He turned, determined to leave, but her words stopped him.

"Castle, we need to talk." She spoke softly, her voice unsteady and nervous.

His whole posture changed, his face suddenly cold as stone. He didn't want to, didn't want to deal with it, fearing what he might learn, but his mother had been right about one thing when he had talked to her on the phone, there was always a story and he needed the story.

"Okay," he finally agreed, sitting down in one of the armchairs as far away from her as possible, "Talk."

X~~~X