Reborn in Castle (TV show)

The next few hours passed slowly. Nurses checked her vitals, changed the fluids in her IV, and reminded her to rest every time she tried looking toward the hallway for too long. Kate drifted in and out of shallow sleep, though every dream pulled her back toward the tunnel.

Sometimes she heard Adrian's voice echoing through the dark. Sometimes she saw the ceiling collapsing again. Most of the time, she saw Travis leaning over her through the dust, looking exhausted and hurt while he still tried to make her stay awake with a smile.

When she woke again, it was already noon.

Captain Montgomery arrived first. He entered with a coffee in one hand and a file tucked under his arm, though he set both aside the second he saw Kate awake and watching him from the bed.

"You look terrible, Beckett," Montgomery said as he pulled a chair closer. "That's the closest thing you're getting to a compliment today."

Kate managed a weak smile. "It's good to see you too, Captain."

Montgomery sat down and looked at her for a moment, his expression more serious than usual. "You scared everyone, Detective. You made a dangerous call, went into that tunnel before backup arrived, and nearly got yourself killed."

Kate lowered her eyes. "I know."

"From what I heard from Officer Liam, you saved him, and they chased you into the tunnel. But still, you'll get the lecture later for making everyone worried," Montgomery continued, his voice softer now. "Right now, I'm just glad you woke up."

Kate looked back toward him. "What happened after the explosion?"

Montgomery leaned back slightly and folded his hands. "ESU cleared the lower tunnels over the last few days. They found some survivors, hidden rooms, old records, and enough evidence to keep half the department busy for months. Some of those people down there had been missing for years."

Kate's expression tightened as she remembered the frightened figures wandering through the dark.

"Keller is in custody," Montgomery continued. "Federal agents are already reviewing his old companies, the trafficking routes, the false records, and every name Father Keane put in that diary. This case turned into something much bigger than we expected."

"And Adrian?" Kate asked quietly.

Montgomery's face changed just enough to answer before he spoke. "We haven't found him yet. We found evidence that he was injured in the blast, but no body."

Kate looked toward the blanket covering her legs. "He planned to kill the entire squad that was supposed to go in."

Montgomery sighed. "We'll find him and nail him so hard that he won't see the day of light again."

Kate nodded slowly, though her thoughts had already returned to Travis.

Montgomery noticed. "He's stable, Beckett. The doctors keep saying he's stubborn enough to annoy them, which sounds exactly right."

...

Ryan and Esposito came by later that afternoon, both carrying bags and looking like they had spent the past four days running on coffee, panic, and bad vending machine food.

Ryan stopped beside the bed and let out a breath. "You have no idea how good it is to see you awake."

Kate looked between them. "You two look worse than I do."

Esposito pulled a chair closer and sat down with a careful sigh. "That's impossible. You've got the hospital gown and everything. Nobody beats the hospital gown."

Ryan smiled faintly. "We brought you pudding, but the nurse said you can't have it yet."

Kate looked disappointed. "That's cruel."

"It's chocolate pudding," Esposito said, holding the cup up just enough for her to see. "We'll protect it until you're ready."

Kate looked at him. "You're going to eat it before I get better."

Esposito placed one hand against his chest. "That accusation hurts me deeply, Detective."

They talked for a bit before duty called.

...

Lanie arrived after Ryan and Esposito left.

She stood just inside the doorway for a few seconds, her hands tucked into the pockets of her coat. She looked tired, and there was none of her usual easy confidence in the way she watched Kate from across the room.

"Hey," Lanie said quietly. "How are you doing?"

Kate looked at her for a moment before answering. "Like I got shot, exploded, and then lectured by three different people."

Lanie gave a small laugh, though it faded quickly. "That sounds about right."

She stepped closer to the bed, then stopped near the foot of it. For a few seconds, she looked like she had something important to say and no idea how to begin.

"Travis saved you," Lanie said at last. "I know you already know that. I just needed to say it out loud."

Kate's fingers tightened lightly around the blanket. "He almost died because of me."

Lanie shook her head slowly. "It's not your fault. And he made his own choice, Kate. That's who Travis is. He sees someone in trouble, and he throws himself into it before anyone can stop him."

Kate looked toward the window. "I hate that he did that again."

"I know," Lanie said softly. "But I also understand why he did."

Kate looked back at her, and for a moment neither woman said anything.

Lanie glanced toward the doorway, then lowered her voice. "He's going to pretend he's fine when he wakes up. He'll make jokes, dodge questions, and act like he can walk out of intensive care tomorrow."

Kate's mouth pulled into the faintest smile. "That definitely sounds like him."

"Don't let him do it," Lanie said, her eyes shining now. "Make him rest and accept help. Make him understand that people care about him."

Kate held her gaze for a long second before nodding slowly. "I will."

Lanie looked relieved and sad at the same time. She reached down and squeezed Kate's hand gently.

"You scared me too," she said. "Both of you did."

Kate squeezed her fingers back as much as she could. "Thank you for coming."

Lanie nodded once, then stepped away before the tears in her eyes could become harder to hide. "Get some rest, Detective. I'll see you later."

"Lanie," Kate called. "Do you still...?"

Lanie stopped for a moment and rearranged her thoughts. Of course she still loves Travis, but due to her past, she locked those feelings somewhere deep inside her heart. Now, after almost losing him, she realized how stupid she was. But now, he's with Kate, and both of them love each other. He even threw himself into danger to protect her. So, Lanie didn't want to ruin their happiness. But what about her feelings and her messy past? Everything just became too complicated.

She turned back with a smile. "Still what?"

"Don't play with me," Kate said.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that both of you are happy," Lanie said before walking out.

...

By the time evening arrived, the hospital had grown quieter.

Jim went home to take a shower.

The lights outside Kate's window had shifted from gold to gray-blue, and the hallway traffic had slowed to nurses, doctors, and distant wheels moving over polished floors. Kate had spent the last hour staring at the clock, waiting for the moment somebody would tell her she could finally see him.

When the nurse came in with a wheelchair, Kate sat up straighter despite the pull of pain through her body.

"Easy, Detective," the nurse said as she helped Kate move carefully from the bed. "You're only getting ten minutes."

Kate nodded, gripping the armrests while the nurse adjusted the blanket across her lap. "Ten minutes is enough."

The ride down the hall felt longer than it should have.

Every turn brought another set of doors, another quiet station full of machines, another reminder that this was real. Kate kept her hands folded tightly in her lap while the nurse pushed the wheelchair toward intensive care.

When they stopped outside Travis's room, Kate's breath caught in her throat.

The nurse looked down at her. "He's still unconscious, but he's stable. You can talk to him if you want. Sometimes people hear more than we realize."

Kate nodded slowly. "I'd like that."

The nurse opened the door.

Travis lay in the bed beneath soft hospital light, surrounded by monitors and quiet machines. Bandages covered part of his upper body, and bruising shadowed the side of his face, though the steady rise and fall of his chest was the only thing Kate cared about.

He looked far too still.

Kate hated how wrong it felt to see him like that.

The nurse rolled her closer, then stepped back toward the doorway. "I'll give you a few minutes."

Kate reached for Travis's hand slowly, careful around the IV line and the bruises across his knuckles. His hand felt warm beneath hers, and that small warmth nearly broke something inside her.

--[NovelPhoenix is 2 chapters ahead from SH. Reborn In Castle (Tv Show) - Unknownmaster - NovelPhoenix> Direct link]

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