Caskett

Chapter 3

Lanie took Beckett to the hospital, worrying the whole ride that she would hurt her friend even more than she already was. Kate didn't speak the entire time. She ignored the raging pain in her ankle and focused her gaze out the window. The pain did not keep her from moping about her situation with Castle. The pain from her situation was greater than the physical pain she felt in her throbbing ankle.

She thought and she thought. She thought about all the different ways that she could attempt to make things better with Castle but then inevitably started to think of all the ways those plans could crash and burn.

Her thoughts consumed her. Everything around her became simply trivial and frivolous compared to the thoughts that stormed her mind.

She was snapped back to an unhappy reality by the shaking of a frantic Lanie. While Kate was lost in her own little world, Lanie had arrived at the hospital. She informed her that they had arrived but revieved no response from the detective, inciting panic. She reached out to her best friend and shook her shoulders frantically to snap her back to reality.

"Kate, girl. We are at the hospital. Let's get inside." A concered Lanie said

Beckett wordlessly limped out of the car. Lanie rushed out of the drivers side to her friend, worried.

"I will be fine, Lanie. You domt have to be here." She turned her eyes to Lanie's. She was not convinced.

Kate gave meekly gave her an attempt at a convinving smile, only to be urged toward the entrance by Lanie. They entered and were immediately greeted by annoyingly cheery nurses. Lanie set her best friend down in the waiting room amd went to the front desk to fet the papers, sending several nervous glances in her best friend's direction in the process.

As Beckett sat alone in the uncomfortable waiting room chair, her mind was once again swarmed with the unfortunate, emotionally draining thoughts of her situation with her partner.

Lanie returned from the desk with papers and began asking Kate questions.

"How bad does it hurt?" She asked as one of the questions

"On a scale of one to ten, I would say it is a high five."

On a normal day the pain would be registered as a seven or eight, but today, the physical pain that she felt was masked by her devasing emotional pain.

Beckett could not help but ask herself, Why does this hurt so much and when will it stop?