90. Chapter 90

Chapter 90

"Talk to me, JD. What's going on?"

The younger man sounded distressed, speaking a bit more quickly than usual. "I don't know yet. I just got here. My granddad is in the hospital, and the doctors are with him now. A car barreled up onto the sidewalk in front of JDF as he was leaving about an hour ago and hit him. The manager at the store said it looked more like the side of the car threw him against the wall…didn't hit him head on; but she said he grabbed his chest right before he fell. She…Fran, called me after EMS got there. My parents are somewhere in Europe, but neither of them has answered the phone yet." There was a pause as he breathed in an unsteady sounding breath, and he added hesitantly. "I left them a message, but there isn't any other family to call, so it's just me. You said I could call if…"

"Where are you?" Castle asked. After getting the information he needed, he assured JD that he and Kate would both be there as soon as they could arrange babysitting for Jamie. Then he called Meagan and went to change clothes.

Alexis arrived at the emergency room before the other Castles did, and she spotted JD pacing in front of the windows at the far side of the large ER waiting area. She took a deep breath, sighed, and walked over to him hesitantly.

"JD?"

"Alexis?" he asked in surprise.

"I hope you don't mind that I'm here. Dad called because he knew I was closer than they are, and he said it sounded like you could use a friend," she explained. "I've always enjoyed your grandfather, and I wanted to be here for both of you…if you want me to be."

He held out his arms, and she willingly moved closer and gave him a hug.

"Thank you for coming. I really needed a friendly face…somebody who knows me." He didn't let her go right away, and she made no move to leave him.

"When will your parents be back?"

"When Dad called me back, he said they're not coming, at least not right now. Dad said Granddad didn't need them…something about me being the only one he needed. It's my dad's father. I don't understand why he'd say that. They said to let them know what happened, that they'd come home if it was really bad."

"Sorry, JD, but I think I hate your parents."

JD made a nondescript sound, maybe of agreement, from where his cheek rested on the top of her head.

"Let's sit down and you can tell me what's happened so far," Alexis suggested.

He led her to a short row of chairs near the window where there weren't too many others close by, and they sat to talk. "If your dad told you what happened, there really isn't much more to add. I haven't been here too long, Grandad's with the doctors right now, and nobody has told me anything yet."

"Then we'll just wait until they do."

About ten minutes later, Castle and Kate arrived, and JD stood as they approached him. Castle pulled him into a fatherly hug, saying comforting words, and Kate followed with a hug of her own before they sat down with him and asked if he had heard anything.

"Nothing. They said they'd come and let me know."

"Did they offer to let you go back with him?" Kate asked. "You're an adult, and you're family. They should allow that."

"I've never had to do this. I didn't know, and I guess I was too distracted to think to ask."

"Do you want to go in and be with him?" Castle asked.

"I'd already be there if I'd known I could. Granddad's always been there when I needed him."

"Then let's see what we can do." Castle approached the woman in charge at the desk, who appeared to be several years older than Kate. He looked at the woman's name badge and said with respectful charm, "Excuse me, Janet, but this young man's grandfather is being examined right now, and he'd like to be with him. Can you help him work that out?"

Taking his cue from Castle, JD stated, "My grandfather is John Danton Farnsworth, Sr., Ma'am. He was hit by a car and may have had a heart attack. I'm another JD Farnsworth. My parents are out of the country, and I'm the only available relative to be with him at the moment…and he's important to me."

"I'll see what I can do. If you'll take a seat, I'll call you as soon as I can contact someone working with him."

As they walked back to their seats, JD asked, "Would you go in with me when they let me see him, Mr. Castle? I don't know what condition Granddad is in, and I've never had to deal with hospitals for anything like this. If I didn't know I had the right to be with him, I don't know what else I might miss. And you and Mrs. Castle have had a lot more experience with this sort of thing."

"Unfortunately, you're right," Castle answered ruefully. "If they allow it, I'll be glad to stay with you as long as you want me to."

JD just nodded, and Alexis took his hand and held it in both of hers, just sitting with him, providing support.

A few minutes later, someone came out and spoke to the woman at the front desk, and Janet waved JD over. "You can go on in now. Jason over there will take you to your grandfather," she told him, pointing at one of the male nurses.

"I'd like Mr. Castle to come with me," JD stated firmly. "I'm new at all this, and I might need his advice."

"That's why you looked so familiar," Janet said, looking delightedly at Castle. "You're on the cover of some of my favorite books." Then she pulled herself together after her fangirling and said, "Sorry. It was just a surprise. Mr. Castle, are you also related to Mr. Farnsworth?"

"No. I'm a friend of the family. Since JD was alone in this, my family came to keep him company."

"If the younger Mr. Farnsworth is sure his grandfather won't object…"

"I'm sure my grandfather won't mind."

"Then Jason will take both of you to him."

Castle thanked her, then quickly leaned and whispered, "The brunette over there…that's my wife and my inspiration for Nikki Heat, and the redhead with her is my daughter." The woman answered with as close to a giggle as she could manage without looking completely unprofessional, and Castle winked at her, saying, "Thank you very much for your help. All of us appreciate it," and he hurried off with JD.

"Looks like your father has his charm campaign going again," Kate observed with a smile.

"Nothing new there," Alexis answered mischievously. They sat quietly for a couple of minutes before Alexis hesitantly said, "Kate?" When her stepmother looked up, obviously having recognized the serious tone of her child's voice, Alexis asked, "How do you know you love somebody enough to make a commitment?"

"That's likely to be a little different for everybody, Honey. And I may not be the best person to ask. I was a one-foot-out-the-door kind of girl for a long time."

"I never thought I'd have trouble with it, but I think maybe it does scare me. With Ashley, I was more idealistic. I think I realized that not long after it was over, but JD was real. Maybe Ashley had more to do with it than I thought, or maybe seeing Grams and Dad after…well, a lot of things…" She hesitated again before asking softly, "What was different enough about Dad to change your mind?"

Kate was slow to answer, seeming to be thinking through her words before using them. "We were attracted to each other from the beginning, but that kind of attraction doesn't necessarily build a long-term relationship; and long-term isn't something I'd ever been good at anyway…and then there was page six to consider. Once I got to know your father, though, we got along well most of the time. The other part of the time, we drove each other crazy…still do now and then. But I could see that he was a good man, someone I could respect, and someone I knew would respect me…someone I trusted enough to talk to him about things I wouldn't even mention to anyone else, let my guard down sometimes. Trust was hard for both of us then, and trust is an important factor. But we were already friends…already cared about each other. Then I realized that when he was happy, it lit up my world, and when he was hurting, I hurt just as much. The times when he was in physical danger, I thought my heart might explode with the fear of being without him. Then, when he held me the first time, it was like coming home…like that was the place I had always belonged and I'd just found it. He was always there…supporting, forgiving, loving. I think I knew I loved him way before I was brave enough to let myself admit it, and I wanted to be a better person for him…to be able to give him as much as he gave me.

"And you do. You're everything he needs. I can see it…everybody can see it.

"He's everything I need, too. So, any special reason you're asking?" Kate asked gently.

"When I first got here, JD was still glad to see me. As awful as I was when I left him, he held his arms out for a hug, and he looked so lost and alone I wanted to cry." She paused a moment. "Then he just held me like he needed it, and let me hold him, and rested his cheek on my head like he used to." There was another little pause. "And it felt like I was home after a long trip away…like the world was the way it ought to be again. And I just wanted to take care of him." There were quiet tears falling then, and Kate pulled Alexis into her arms while her child's tears fell. "Have I ruined everything, Kate? Do you think it's too late?"

"Too late to change your mind?" Alexis nodded, and Kate smoothed her hand over Alexis's hair before she answered.

"JD is a lot like your father, I think. He loves deeply, and hurts just as deeply. If he forgives as easily as your dad, maybe it isn't too late to change your mind…but only if you're absolutely certain that's what you want to do. If you're not, it's better to leave things as they are, not give him false hope. If JD wants to try again, you can start by doing everything possible to let him know it's worth the effort. But let whatever is happening with his grandfather settle out first. Then talk to him and see what he thinks. Until then, he could use a good friend who cares about him and understands how important his Granddad is to him."

"I can be that."

"I know you can," Kate answered, holding her stepdaughter for another moment before handing her a tissue. "You know, we're probably going to be out here for a while. I'd like some better coffee than we're likely to get from that little pot over there, and I'd like more of it than those miniature cups will hold. Shall we go and look for decent coffee? Looks to me like you could use some right now."

Alexis nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Wonder if the object of your father's charm campaign would like some, too? She's been pretty busy," Kate noted. She stood, picked up her purse, and said, "Looks like she's having a rare moment when no one is asking her a question or harassing her over something out of her control. She walked to the desk with Alexis, and said to Janet, "From what we've seen, you've barely had time to breathe since we got here. We're going to get some coffee a grade or so higher than the machine in the corner, and we'd be glad to bring some for you…or hot chocolate or tea. What would you like?"

"Really? That's so nice of you. I'd kill for a really good cup of coffee right now. Oh, wait. I didn't mean that. You're a homicide detective, aren't you?" Her almost giggle rose to the surface again, and Kate and Alexis laughed with her. "Mr. Castle pointed the two of you out after I realized who I was talking to."

"Don't worry about it," Alexis chimed in. "Dad and Kate fully understand the feelings that go along with being under-caffeinated."

"Now, what can we bring you to ease those homicidal thoughts?" Kate asked. "I'm not on duty tonight, and I'd like to keep it that way." That brought another laugh and a coffee order. When they returned about twenty minutes later with the largest cup of coffee the shop sold, they were called saints and witnessed a thoroughly blissful look on Janet's face as she took the first sip.

"Well, it looks like we just cemented ourselves into her good graces," Alexis commented.

"Yep. Our good deed is done for today."

"I think being here for JD is the real good deed today. I'm glad he called Dad. He really doesn't have any other family to call." Then she grinned and added, "Other than Aunt Eugenia, and I don't see that phone call happening anytime soon."

Kate chuckled, remembering the stories. "JD was still looking pretty lost when we got here."

Alexis nodded. "He's scared, and his parents aren't coming home unless 'it's really bad'." She said the last few words with air quotes and disgust. "He's supposed to call them when he knows something more."

"I guess there's some sense in that. But your dad and I would be booking a flight in an instant if it were Martha. In all fairness, though, we don't know that his parents aren't already looking into international flights."

"We don't…but I'd take bets they aren't," Alexis answered. "You'd think they'd want to be back just to take some of the pressure off their son. I don't understand how the child of a man like Mr. Farnsworth could be so uncaring toward his own family."

"I don't know, either, but we'll be around for whatever JD and John need. We like his grandfather as much as you do."

When Castle and JD reached John Farnsworth, they did not find a happy man. He was cooperating with necessities like the x-rays, tests, and scans he'd already had; but he hurt, and he was grumpy.

"Granddad," JD called as he entered the room. I was so worried about you."

"I'll live, boy. But it's not much fun right now."

Fran said you grabbed at your chest before you fell and passed out. We thought you'd had a heart attack." He leaned in and gave his grandfather a careful hug.

"I guess it probably looked like that...old guy grabs his chest and passes out. That crazy driver must have knocked the wind out of me. I grabbed at my chest because I couldn't catch my breath…kind of panicked. I guess my body took over the breathing after my head hit the wall and I passed out."

"Is anything broken?" Castle asked lightly from the doorway after he could see that John didn't seem to have life threatening injuries.

"Rick, what are you doing here?"

"I told JD to call if he needed us, and he did that. Since he didn't know how badly you were hurt, I'm came to keep him company. He wanted me along for advice if he needed it."

"Thank you for that. I appreciate it…and I know JD does."

"What's wrong with my grandfather?" JD asked the doctor.

"Well, I can tell you with certainty that he didn't have a heart attack," the doctor answered, and he smiled at JD's look of relief.

Castle smiled, too. "Well, John, at least with that look of relief on his face, you know the boy isn't just here waiting to see if he gets his inheritance yet."

"I'll need to talk to you about that later, JD," John Farnsworth said to his grandchild. "Now don't go looking all worried on me again. You don't get it anytime soon if I have any say in things. I'm planning to be around a lot longer…if they ever let me out of here. If they don't, you might as well go on and take it now," he grouched and glowered.

"Well, don't plan on going too far on your own for at least a couple of weeks," the doctor responded. That leg isn't broken; but I've told you it was a close call, and you're going to have to stay off it for a while.

"Will he need a wheel chair or crutches?" JD asked.

"A wheel chair. His arm was injured, too, sprained badly. And he has a concussion. It could have been a lot worse. He was a lucky man to have come out of it with no more damage than this. Because of the concussion, we're going to keep him overnight, just to be on the safe side."

"Grown man here. Still in the room," John reminded them acerbically.

"JD turned to his grandfather with a grin. "Stop being an old grump, Grandad. I asked him a question, and he answered me. You were here when he told you all this. I wasn't."

"Watch your mouth, boy," John answered, but he smiled back at the grin on his grandson's face in spite of himself.

"If I'm going to help you out until you can get somebody else to come in, I need to know what to expect," JD reminded him.

"Your parents aren't coming home, are they?"

JD's demeanor sobered, and he shook his head, not looking up.

"They probably won't even call me, but you don't need to be embarrassed about that. It's not your fault. It's theirs…and mine. I need to talk to you about that, too…tomorrow maybe, when I'm in better shape than right now. Rick, if you're willing, I think I'd like you to be here for that, too."

"Whatever the two of you need, John. I know how it is to have a very small family."

"But you can count on everybody in yours," he answered cryptically before he was interrupted.

"We have a room for you, Mr. Farnsworth," the doctor told him after speaking briefly to a woman who had just called him to the door.

Shaking John's hand, the doctor excused himself to move on to another patient, assuring him that nurses would see that he was settled comfortably into his room. One of the nurses told JD and Castle they should move to the waiting room near where Mr. Farnsworth was being assigned.

Stepping out of the room as the nurses prepared to move JD's grandfather, Castle told JD, "I'll be back as soon as I let my family know what's going on; and if they can, they'll probably want to see John for a few minutes before they go home."

"I'll be in the waiting room until you get back. I should know where he'll be by then."

Castle returned to the waiting area of the emergency room and took Kate and Alexis to JD.

Once John Farnsworth was settled in a hospital room, JD joined him, and John asked that Rick come, too.

"While they were moving you, I called Mom and Dad to let them know what the doctor said, and I told them what you're going to need. They told me to see that you got it. And Dad said what he did when I talked to him the first time. He said I'm all you need now. I don't understand that."

"Tomorrow, JD. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Right now I'm just too tired."

"I'll be around for at least a while longer. Do you feel up to seeing Kate and Alexis for a couple of minutes before they head home?" Castle asked.

"Alexis is here?" John asked with a smile.

Alexis heard him and peeked in the door. "Hi, Mr. Farnsworth," she said shyly, as if afraid she might be reprimanded.

When she and Kate approached the bed, John took her hand and smiled at her, though. "It's been too long, Honey. I've missed seeing you. You doing okay?"

"I think I'm supposed to be asking you that," Alexis answered.

"Hi, John," Kate said from behind her. "We just wanted to see that you're really okay. If you need anything, let us know and we'll take care of it. Anything at all."

"That includes me," Alexis added.

"Does it include those cookies you made at Christmas?"

"Granddad!" JD scolded.

"What? You have to take your opportunities where they show up. How else do I get more of those cookies?"

Everybody but JD laughed. He turned and said, "Alexis, you don't need to make cookies."

"Can't blame a man for trying," John answered with a teasing smile, but he was looking tired.

"Kate and I should go and let you get some rest. We'll check in tomorrow," Alexis promised.

"I'll look forward to it," John answered.

"Get some rest," Kate advised. "Believe me, you'll need it for recovery. Voice of experience. I'm glad it wasn't any worse than this."

"Thanks, Kate. I appreciate your being here."

She squeezed John's wrist in sympathy, and Alexis waved as they both left; and Castle followed them into the hall and gave Kate the car keys.

"I'll stay with JD at least a little longer, overnight if he wants me to, and take a cab home. He's twenty-one, but he's still basically a kid who's worried about the only relative he has that he can count on. He needs his friends right now."

"Another of the reasons we all love you, Mr. Castle," Kate told him and placed a lingering kiss on his lips.

"Love you, too, Mrs. Castle," he said, and returned her kiss. Grabbing Alexis's head, he pulled her to him, said, "I love you, too, Pumpkin," hugged her tight, and planted a firm kiss on top of her head. "On my way to bring you and Alexis up here, I talked to Mother, Kate. She said she can arrange to be at home tomorrow morning until you get back from the precinct. So Jamie's covered if I'm still here.

"I was going to talk to her before Meagan left tonight to see how to plan tomorrow, but thanks for taking care of it," his wife answered.

"I'll see you when you get home after work tomorrow, if not before."

"Take care of JD, Dad," Alexis said as they left.

When Castle went back to John's room, he found him asking his grandson to see if he could get him something to drink other than water. "Even if they let me have it, I don't want caffeine, he was saying. I want to be able to sleep."

"How about lemonade?" JD asked. "You always liked that."

"That sounds good. I can see you about to offer, Rick, but let the boy go. He's younger."

JD laughed. "The cafeteria should have it. Be back before long,"

When JD was out of sight, Castle sat down next to John's bed, crossed one leg over the other knee, leaned back, and asked, "Why do I get the feeling you wanted him out of the room for a few minutes."

"Not much gets past you, does it?" John released a long, sad sigh. "That boy is the most important thing in the world to me, and I feel so bad for him. On top of this car accident scaring the kid half out of his mind, I have to figure out how to tell him that his parents have been stealing from his education fund. That's why they aren't bothering to come home right now. They're angry that I'm cutting them off in a few years."

"They did what?" Castle asked incredulously.

"Stole from their own child. I had enough in that fund to pay for JD to be in school long enough to have a doctorate from any school in the world he wanted it from. They were working with my accountant. The accountant would get a cut every time he worked out a payment to them. Between them, they had pared it down to not a lot more than what it would take to pay for JD's undergraduate degree from Columbia. I guess they thought as long as the bills for Columbia were being paid, I wouldn't notice. And they were right."

"I don't know what to say. How did you find out?"

"Somebody at the accountant's office accidentally caught the tail end of a conversation between my son and my accountant, suspected, and had enough respect for me and the business to let me know to check. I went to the head of the accounting firm, told him what I suspected, and he looked into it and found it was true. When I asked you for the name of your accountant, that was the reason. Your man, Tyler, is handling my accounts now, too. Bad memories at the other firm. My son…" John heaved another deep sigh. "Johnny's always spent his money by the time he's seen it in his bank account. I can't say I haven't been disappointed in him, but I never expected anything like this. I'm sure he took it from there because he knew I wouldn't refuse to replace JD's college funds. They know I'll take care of anything that boy needs."

"I'm sorry, John. I can only imagine how much that hurts."

"Yeah. I was hoping things would work out between JD and Alexis. He enjoyed being around a family that acts like a family…told me what Alexis said about adopting new family members now and then. He fell in love with all of you. Hell, if I thought Martha could be wrangled into another marriage, I might have asked her by now just so you'd adopt me into your quirky little family, too."

Castle chuckled. "I have to admit, I was beginning to hope it would work out between Alexis and JD, too. I never imagined I'd think anybody was good enough for my daughter, but your grandson is pretty good son-in-law material. He grew on me. I care about him, too. Not our call, though, John. They have to make it work…or not."

"Too bad, huh?"

"Yeah," Castle agreed.

"Anyway, I wanted you to know what's going on. I've told Johnny he no longer has access to any of my accounts or JD's. I had established substantial trust funds for him and for JD. JD has one. Johnny had two. One was available for him at thirty-five, and he and his wife blew through most of that with no provisions for their son's education; so I set up the college fund for them to manage for JD a couple of years ago when he entered Columbia. Theoretically that was only for JD. There's another trust that was available to Johnny in a couple of years when he's fifty. I foolishly thought he'd have it figured out by then, but I've seen my attorney and reworked that. He gets half of it now and the other half is invested for him. He gets that five years from now, and he's on his own after that. He has to figure it out himself…sink or swim.

"This accident reminded me that I may not always be here for JD, and he has a lot of respect for you and your family. Rick, if you're willing, I'd like you to mentor him if I can't. His father certainly won't do him any good. You and I both earned our sizable amounts of money through our own abilities, and then we shepherded it well. Other than Johnny's trusts, everything I have goes to JD now. I think he can handle it when the time comes, but he's going to need guidance from somebody he can trust. I think you and your attorneys and accountant can help him. He seems to have good sense and integrity. Looks like that skipped a generation in my family."

xxxxx

The next morning, John's head didn't hurt so much. He felt a little better, and Castle went to get coffee and pastries to allow John to talk to his grandson alone. When he came back, JD looked stricken, and Castle put everything down on the table at John's bedside and again enveloped JD in a fatherly hug. That was when Alexis came into the room with the cookies she had made when she went home with Kate the night before.

Like Castle, she put them down on the same table, turning her entire attention to JD as he pulled away from her father.

"I'm going to take a walk," JD said fuzzily. "I'll be okay, Granddad. I just need to clear my head…see if I can make some sense of all this," he said as he walked out the door.

"Go with him, Honey," John said to Alexis as he lost sight of JD in the hall. "He needs somebody he can trust."

"I don't know if that's me anymore," she answered sadly.

"If it helps to know it, he blames himself for everything…said he broke your trust and pushed you too hard. I don't know what your side of the story is, but right now he needs somebody he can trust; and that's you, whether you think so at the moment or not. I'm in no shape to follow him. Don't leave him by himself right now."

Alexis turned and walked quickly out of the room, by now nearly half the length of the hall behind JD and his long strides.