Castle and Beckett: Always

Chapter 30

The next morning Castle woke up at 7 AM very thirsty. He went into the kitchen to get a water from the fridge. He opened the bottle and began to drink it, when he heard screams and moans coming from the bedroom. Castle ran into the room to see Kate thrashing in bed having a nightmare. He quickly woke her up and pulled her body up against his. "Thanks," mumbled Kate. "How about you go check on the twins? It is almost time for their breakfast. While you feed them, I'll make you something to eat." suggested Castle. "Okay," she replied as she climbed out of bed. While Kate fed the twins, Castle decided he would make her a huge breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, pancakes, fruit salad, and of course, coffee. As he was dicing the fruit, Kate came downstairs. When she saw the knife she began to get flashbacks of being cut by Tyson. She fell to the ground shivering and crying. Castle quickly put away the knife, turned off the burner where the bacon was cooking in a pan, and knelt to the ground to comfort his wife. When she stopped shaking he put what he had prepared so far on a plate for Kate to eat. She had lost a few pounds when she was taken, so Castle wanted to make sure she was still healthy. While she ate, he went upstairs to dress the twins. Then he brought them downstairs and placed them in a playpen with some toys. Kate finished eating and put her plate in the sink. She then sat down on the couch and buried her head in her husband's chest. "Kate?" asked Castle. "Mmmm," she replied. "What can I do to help you?" he asked. "What do you mean?" Kate questioned. "How do I help you get over your abduction?" he clarified. "I don't know," she replied. Castle figured she would say that she was fine, so he was glad that Kate didn't pretend she was perfectly normal. "After your shooting, you mentioned that you were seeing a therapist to help with your PTSD. Do you want to see him again? You can say no if you want, but I feel helpless seeing you hurt and scared when I can't do anything to help." said Castle. "That is a good idea," replied Kate. "I'll go call him." Surprised but pleased, Castle went upstairs to talk to Alexis while she made the call. "Alexis?" asked Castle as he knocked on her door. "Come in," she replied. "I am going to ask Gram to come over and babysit the twins while I help Kate get ready for an appointment. Is that alright?" asked Castle. "Of course! I haven't seen her in a while," replied Alexis. "Okay great! I just figured I should check with you first. I also thought after we left, you might want to talk with her," he said. "Dad?" asked Alexis. "What?" Castle asked. "How is mum?" asked Alexis "You mean Kate?" Castle asked confused. "Yeah," she clarified. "She keeps having flashbacks and nightmares. I am warning you, don't pull out anything shiny or sharp, because she will have flashbacks of being cut with a scalpel. Kate is going to go see a therapist, so hopefully she will recover before she has to go back to work," replied Castle. "Alright," said Alexis. Castle went back downstairs to call his mother and ask her to come over. After he finished calling her, he went back to the living room to find Kate holding Johanna, massaging and kissing her tummy. He smiled and thought about how great of a mother she was. "I called Dr. Burke, and made an appointment for 11 AM," said Kate as she picked up Cosmo and handed him to Rick. "Alright. I asked Martha to come over and watch the twins while I help you get ready," said Castle. "Plus, I thought her and Alexis might want to see each other." "I want to take the twins with us," said Kate. "Okay," replied Castle. "Can I help you wash your stitches before we go?" "I suppose," said Kate. "I am kind of embarrassed with all my bruises and don't want you to be hurt by seeing them." "You don't need to be enbarrassed. I'm not going to judge you Kate, I am your husband and I love you more than anything. Always," replied Castle. "I love you too," said Kate. She leaned over and gave Rick a kiss which quickly escalated into a tongue battle. When she pulled away, they were both panting. "Do you.." started Castle. "No sex," interrupted Kate. "I'm not ready." "That is not what I was going to say," said Castle. "I know you aren't ready. I wouldn't be either if I were you." "Oh, well what were you going to say?" she asked. "I don't remember," replied Castle and they both burst out laughing. The doorbell rang, so Castle put Cosmo back in the playpen and went to go answer the door. Martha was at the door, and she quickly entered and headed over to the twins. Kate put Jo back in the playpen next to her brother, and went to the bedroom with Castle. She picked out what she wanted to wear to see Doctor Burke since she was still in pajamas. Kate headed into their master bathroom with Rick at her heals. "I want to help you wash your stitches and your body," he said. "I know," replied Kate. Castle filled a medium sized plastic container with hot water, and poured in some bubble bath liquid. "I think you should lay in the tub, and I will wash you," suggested Castle as he gestured to the soapy water and the washcloth in his hand. Kate locked the bathroom door, and began to take off her clothes. She felt very uncomfortable, but didn't want to say anything to her husband. When she stood there in a robe with just underwear and a bra underneath, she glanced over at Castle. "Kate, I'm not going to hurt or judge you. I just want to help," he said calmly. Kate nodded, took off the bathrobe, and slipped off her underwear and bra. She then walked over to the tub and climbed inside. She stretched out her legs and let Rick glide the warm soapy washcloth over her bruised body and stitches. Kate closed her eyes and tried to relax as much as possible. After about half an hour, he had cleaned almost every inch of her body. "Kate?" asked Castle. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Do you want to wash your privates?" he asked. She nodded and took the washcloth from her husband's hand. Kate washed down there, got out of the bathtub, and dried herself off with a towel. She got dressed as Castle took a shower.

Once she got dressed in yoga pants and her NYPD sweatshirt, Kate went to check that Martha was taking care of her children without any difficulties. She picked up Cosmo and gently bounced him up and down on her knee. "How are you doing Katherine?" asked Martha. "Umm.. I'm doing okay," replied Kate. "You don't have to act like you are perfectly fine, you know. No one will judge you, we just want to help. It doesn't make you seem weak. Everyone has bad things happen to them and sometimes they need a little guidance," said Martha. "I know," said Kate. She handed Cosmo to Martha and went back into the bedroom. Kate heard the water still running in the bathroom, so she figured Castle was still taking a shower. She had to go to the bathroom, so she opened the door to see her husband stepping out of the shower completely naked. Kate freaked out when she saw his body and started shaking and screaming having flashbacks of being raped. Castle quickly slid on a pair of boxers and tried to quickly dry himself off, so he could try to comfort Kate without getting her clothes wet. Upon hearing the screaming, Alexis ran downstairs to see what was going on. She found Martha downstairs who was taking care of the twins. "What is going on?" asked Alexis. "I don't know," replied Martha. Alexis went into the bedroom and spotted Kate on the bathroom floor shaking and screaming. She walked into the bathroom, and saw her dad slipping on a shirt, and walking over to Kate. "Kate sweetheart," said Castle. "Your in the bathroom and everything is okay." She was still shaking, crying, and screaming, until Castle gave her a kiss on the lips. Kate immediately calmed down and opened her eyes. She saw Alexis and Rick looking at her with worried eyes. She sat up and said, "Thanks." "Always," replied Castle. He helped her stand up, and walked her over to the bed. Alexis went upstairs to get Tesa, and bring her downstairs to sit next to the twins and visit with her grandmother. Kate was very embarrassed that she freaked out. Castle felt bad that she was scared of him, and hoped that Dr. Burke would be able to help.