Carry On(Castle fanfiction for recuchii, Caskett)

February 12, 2014

This is a request that I'm filling for recuchii. It worked out great, because I was already writing a Castle fic with Kate being sick, and Castle caretaking. This is part one of...I'm not sure. Please enjoy! If you could comment about what you thought, that would be awesome! Sorry if this is kind of sloppy or badly written-I try to write well, but I've got a ton of stuff going on so I'm writing for three minutes or so at a time.

As usual, even though I'd love to, I don't own the characters or situations or yada yada yada.

Enjoy!!!!

----------------/Part 1\----------------

"I brought you your coffee!" Homicide Detective and police officer on the NYPD 12th precinct Kathrine Beckett jumped about a foot in the air when Castle's voice outside her car window startled her. Quietly, she stifled a curse, then motioned for him to back up so she could open the door. She climbed out, bag in hand, before realizing that he was giving her an odd look.

"What. Do I have kale in my teeth or something?" She asked with a killer smile and a raised eyebrow, taking the coffee from him with a gloved hand. The writer shrugged, but continued scrutinizing his partner intensely.

It wasn't that she looked bad-in fact, quite the opposite. She had on black cigarette-style pants; black pumps; a cozy-looking infinity scarf; and a tan trench-coat to protect against the bitter, mid-January cold. Her hair was down, blowing in loose curls where it wasn't secured beneath her black beanie, and she looked stunning overall. She just seemed...pale. And tired. Definitely off.

"No, just...are you...um...okay?"

Kate shrugged. It was her third week back at work after being shot and losing her beloved captain within a week of each other. In fact, she'd been caught in a sniper's line of fire at Roy Montgomery's funeral. The news about his involvement in her mother's murder, along with the fact that his last stand had been for nothing and her brush with death had shaken Kate to her core.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She purposely didn't ask why, preferring to shut the conversation down as she made her way briskly to the doors.

In truth, she wasn't. Beckett knew that she was slipping. Without the sleeping pills to knock her out, she wasn't sleeping; with no appetite, she wasn't eating well; her chest wound still hurt; and being back on the job while hiding her pain and anguish was taking its toll. She'd been getting sick for a week or so, but now she was definitely starting to feel it.

Kate had woken up that morning feeling pretty lousy. Her head ached, there was a burning, scraping pain in her throat, she had a dry cough, body aches, and was starting to become congested. She'd carefully applied makeup, sucked back-to-back cough drops, and taken ibuprofen and decongestants to ward the cold off as long as possible. No way was she taking a day.

Castle rushed to catch up to her.

"Kate! Wait up!" She slowed her pace, and turned around to flash him an amused grin. "Any new leads?" His boyish face was eager. She sighed softly. Her voice was beginning to acquire a strained feel-she didn't want to talk much.

"Castle, I'll tell you when there's a lead. Will you let me check my desk?" He nodded, a bit stung by her harsh tone.

"Yeah, sure, sorry." Kate noticed the clench of his jaw, and quickly backtracked.

"I'm sorry, Castle. It's just early." She laid a comforting hand lightly on his arm, and Castle felt himself relax. The detective smiled again before turning and walking back to her desk. Castle sat down at his and watched her.

It was always nice seeing Kate's morning routine. She always did it in the same way. As usual, she didn't sit down. Instead, she checked her desk for mail before continuing to the locker room, where Castle knew she would hang her coat and scarf neatly on a hook, then place her hat and gloves in a small box for her accessories.

Today, Kate lingered a bit, carefully checking the area around her before quietly blowing her nose. Then, she made sure that she didn't look awful before walking briskly back to her desk.

Castle liked her shirt immediately. It was a thick, cable knit, cream colored sweater with a subtle scoop neck. Kate had belted it at the the waist to make it fit better with a black ribbon. He just loved watching her now, reveling in the fact that she was walking and breathing and beautiful instead of decomposing six feet under the ground.

Like every morning, Kate now sat down, opened her laptop, and checked email. Her brow would usually knit as she scrolled through ten, twenty, fifty messages, trying to decide which ones to read, which to reply to, and which didn't deserve a second look.

Today, Beckett wished she could just shut her eyes against the glare of the screen. Her head ached, and she gently massaged her forehead with one hand as she looked at the huge amount of emails.

Obviously, Castle noticed, and Beckett jerked upright as he laid his hand on her shoulder. Her "Jesus Christ!" Overlapped his "Are you alright?". Kate rested her hand on her chest, the deep inhale having hurt her wound, and tried to catch her breath. Since being shot, she was incredibly jumpy.

Castle frowned at his friend, more worried than before.

"Kate?" He asked, rubbing her back. She glared at him and shoved his hand away.

"God, Castle, don't sneak up on people like that!" She seethed. He threw his hands in the air.

"I'm just worried, that's all."

"Well, I'm fine, and I have a lot of work to do." With that, Kate began the process of answering email. Castle returned to his desk to complete the paperwork from the last case, knowing full well that Kate was hiding something.

As the hours dragged on, Detective Beckett could tell that her cold was getting worse. Instead of simply aching, her head was starting to pound. Swallowing was starting to become difficult, her body aches were becoming more pronounced, and her nose was beginning to tickle. At around noon, the tickle peaked while Castle was discussing the case, and Beckett leaned to the side and caught the sneeze in her right hand.

"Ixt-choo!" The "choo" was barely there. Castle frowned at her.

"Bless you." He said, resisting the urge to feel her forehead. She gave a sharp, thankfully dry, sniffle; swiped at her nose once, and continued talking.

"Thank you. Excuse me. Could you please state your question ah-ga-hain?" She faltered, before leaning away and repeating her earlier action. Castle couldn't resist this time.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright? You look pale." Kate fixed her steady gaze on him. Inside, she was freaking out, because she had to sneeze again and Castle would not let it slide.

"Ixt-choo! Hihh! Ixt-ch! IXT!" The last one made her ears ring as she pinched her nose. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine." She assured him. Castle frowned.

"Bless you, bless you, bless you!" He said. Kate checked her watch as she saw Ryan and Esposito leave the room. Castle did too. "Are you coming to lunch?"

Kate's stomach churned at the thought of food. Hastily, she spit out an excuse.

"Uh...I have some paperwork so, no." Castle shrugged, sighed, and touched her shoulder for a last time.

"Take care of yourself." Then he walked out, mind spinning. She seemed warm, and when he paused and looked back, Castle was almost positive that Kate had wiped away a tear.

As soon as Castle had left the room, Kate let loose with the fit of sneezes she truly needed to satisfy the cold tickle.

"Etsch! Tsssh! Ksssh! Ahh...huhh...h'ksh'huh! Psh! " When it ended, Kate blew her nose, which triggered a few wet coughs. Groaning, she grabbed her throat. The sneezes had torn and ripped into it, causing it to burn with fury. Sighing, she returned to the work.

Hours ticked by. Kate began stifling sneezes more and more often, and Castle became more and more worried. She'd become even paler than she'd been that morning, and she was sniffling with increasing frequency. Around four o'clock, Kate stood up and took her work into Captain Gates. Castle couldn't help noticing that it took her two tries to stand.

When she came back, her face clearly showed that something was wrong. It was pinched and white, and she walked to her desk briskly but unsteadily. Castle turned his head to find Ryan and Esposito staring at Kate, too.

Kate herself had her head in her hands, her elbows on the desktop. Captain Gates had chewed her out, as usual, for minuscule details on the report-a double space before a period, and a colon instead of a semicolon. How her captain had spotted those so quickly was beyond the savvy detective. Even though she was used to her captain picking on every little detail, today, Kate couldn't handle it. When she finally raised her head, she was shocked to see the three male members of her team staring at her in concern.

"Goddammit, guys, why do you insist on treating me like I'll break?" She asked. It was so annoying. No answer. "Of course the cat has your tongue now." Kate spat out, before standing up abruptly. Her world instantly tilted and she swayed slightly. Instantly, Castle's hand was on her arm. She knocked it off.

"Kate! Where are you going?" He asked. She didn't look back-just kept walking as she answered.

"To go see Lanie." Castle sat back down at his desk, frustrated. What was his friend hiding?

"That woman is something else." Esposito said, jerking his head in the direction Kate had gone. Castle nodded.

"Beckett's tough." Ryan agreed.

"She's hiding something." Castle muttered. No one disputed that.

Kate didn't go to Lanie, though. Instead, she sat down around the corner and buried her head in her hands, too exhausted to go any farther. Her heart was in her throat and her hands were trembling-telltale signs of panic. Beckett wrapped her arms around her body and forced herself to breathe gently.

*I did nothing wrong. I'm okay. Gates is the one who should be sorry-typos happen.* She sighed, consumed with self doubt. *Then again, it is an official report and Gates doesn't want to be embarrassed...oh God, what if she doesn't want me on her team at all?* Kate forced herself to stop thinking about it.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was pretty sure the cold was getting worse. The fact that Gates' scolding had gotten to her this much...combined with chills mixed with heat, led the homicide detective to think that she had a fever.

Almost as if her nose was determined to bring her focus back to itself, she felt a tingle rapidly spread. Kate snatched a tissue from her pocket, and prepared to sneeze.

"Hihh...huhh...hihh...huhhh....huh...hahih-TSCHOO! Ksssh! Tsssh! Hsssht-ksssht-tschiee!" Kate gasped as the wrenching sneezes ended. Once she got her breath back, she pushed herself into a standing position, ignoring the immediate pounding of her head, dizziness, and clenching of her stomach. She then strode back to her desk.

For the next hour and a half, Kate worked on paperwork, proofreading everything. Her head was aching and the words were swimming on the page, though, so it took a long time. She decided to type it right away-the sneezes she was stifling every fifteen minutes made the pen jerk on the page.

At last, Detective Beckett had finished the day's work. She stood up slowly and strode to the office of her captain to deliver it. Before she walked in, the pretty cop took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment. Then she knocked, and waited for a reply.

"Enter." Gates called sharply. Kate did. "Yes, Detective Beckett?"

"I finished the paperwork, sir-" Before she could continue, Captain Gates interrupted in a sarcastic tone.

"Good job, I'm so proud to have you in my precinct." Immediately, Kate felt her palms clench, but she took a deep breath and plunged on, setting sixteen pages of forms, summaries, and suspect information on her Captain's desk.

"-And I was just delivering it before leaving for thhiiih-tx! Kxtch! For the day." She said after spinning back around to face her captain. Then, Kate turned to stride out, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Detective." Gates called. Beckett sucked in a silent breath before turning around, struggling to keep her attitude in check.

"Yes, sir?" The stone-hearted woman raised an eyebrow.

"Are you alright?" Kate fought the urge to shrug, and instead kept her tone steady.

"Fine, thank you, sir." With no further questions, the youngest homicide detective ever in the NYPD strode out to her desk, sighing when she saw Castle there. "Yes?"

He crossed his arms.

"What is going on with you?" Kate didn't meet his eyes as she packed her bag.

"Nothing, Castle." The writer sighed.

"Kate, please-" She cut him off by turning sharply to sneeze.

"Hah-tch! Ktch! Tsch!" They were neatly contained, but the damage was done. *Shit. Nice going, Beckett.* She scolded herself. The frustration on Castle's face melted into sympathy and concern.

"Oh, bless you, Kate." Before she could stop him, he pressed a hand to her forehead. She gasped and shrank away, furious. His frown deepened.

"You have a fever." It wasn't a question.

"Your hands are cold." Kate said, before grabbing her bag and rushing to the locker room. She snagged her coat and scarf and hat and gloves before sneezing again. "This is getting old quick." She said, to no one in particular. In three minutes, she was driving home.

Castle had known better than to follow his friend. He was so worried about her, though. She was so pale, exhausted, and thin. With a sigh, he grabbed his own winter accessories and bag, before heading home.

------------/End of Part One\----------

I hope you liked it so far! I'll have the next installment up shortly!

February 12, 2014

Castle fanfiction! Yay! Great job; I can't wait for more

February 12, 2014

wow i aprreciate it

And i love the way its turning out. I am already stalking this post O_O

Its even better than i though cant wait for the next part, i was already waiting for this since i read you would write one *O*

February 14, 2014

Here is part two! I know it's kind of short, but I wanted to get something up! Part three will be up by the end of next week. Please comment!!!!

---------------/Part Two\---------------

Kate trudged up the stairs of her apartment building at 4:30 in the morning, wishing that the elevator was working. Her whole body ached is badly that even her skin hurt, and the chafing from her sopping jeans wasn't helping anything.

She had just spent four hours in the freezing rain, searching for a suspect in the homicide of a fifty-nine year old man after she'd shot him in the shoulder and(hopefully) foot. Somehow, the suspect had gotten out of the warehouse and gone into the forest, where the darkness and sleet made it difficult to see the blood trail. Eventually, they had taken him into custody, but not before Beckett-without a coat due to the insistence of their new captain that they couldn't add bulk, even in January where the snow was knee deep-had been chilled to the bone.

By the time Kate had finally found the man, she had been trembling so badly that her knees literally knocked together. Obviously, that hadn't helped her cold, either.

Now, she stuck her key in the lock of her door, and shuffled inside, dropping her bag by the door and kicking off her black combat boots. The detective-still shivering-moved the the bedroom, where she barely had the strength or energy to take off her soaked clothes and change into pajamas before collapsing on the edge of the bed.

Kate quickly rolled under the covers, and let herself cry. The adrenaline crash, and fear, combined with how utterly miserable she felt, had reduced her to a weepy mess.

"Huh...hih...hihhh...huhh...hih'KSH! Tshhiee! Kshiew! Tschoo! Hihh...hihh...tsch! Hih'kssssh!" She sneezed rapidly and desperately into her elbow before coughing raggedly. It was wet and congested and rattling, and reflected how awful she felt. Eventually, Kate fell into a light, dozing sleep.

She was walking through the forest, gun raised, shivering violently. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her ankle and brought her down into the snow with him. She gasped, and squirmed away, fear tearing at her insides. Then, the search light was on them. Gates was there, scolding her for being stupid enough to walk past the suspect. Esposito was cuffing the man while Ryan shook his head in disappointment...

Kate jerked awake, drenched in cold sweat. Her head was pounding and she was shaking in the cold morning air. What had woken her...? Her phone!

The cop jumped out of bed and immediately fell to the ground as dizziness hit her. She felt disoriented, dazed, confused...Beckett tried to stand, and nearly fell over again.

"Fide, thed, I'll crawl." She whispered, her voice barely audible. And crawl she did, all the way to the living room and to her bag. Ryan had left a voicemail.

"Hey, Beckett, it's Ryan. Gates called me to tell everyone that we'll be expected at the office this morning at eleven. I hope you're okay after last night!" Beckett sighed, and grabbed the door handle, pulling herself upright and fighting the urge to fall over as she swayed on her feet. She stumbled to her couch, collapsing to the seat as she wrapped a throw blanket around herself.

Kate glanced at the clock-eight. She had three hours to get herself together. Even though she didn't have much of an appetite-read,

none at all-she doubted she'd stay upright if she didn't eat something. Then coffee, makeup, shower-and tons of cold medicine. She could do this-two days until the weekend.

She padded to the bathroom and let the hot water relieve some of the aches and pains. It also helped to warm her up, and loosen the congestion packed tightly in her nasal cavity and sinuses. Unfortunately, the steam also caused her to burst into a fit of tickely, exhausted sneezes.

"Kssh! Tshh! TSCHoo! HSHoo! Hihh...kshh! Tshh! Estch! Eschoo!....hihh, hah, HUH'PSH'uh!"

Beckett turned the water off and climbed out, immediately shivering as the cold air hit her. After wrapping up in several towels, she ambled to the bedroom and changed into sweats-at least for the time being. A harsh fit of coughing quickly made her sit down on the bed as her head swam and the world tilted.

Only two more days, Kate. Then you can be sick all you want.

With that thought in mind, Beckett rose to her feet and stumbled to the kitchen to eat a bit. She made it through a dry piece of toast and half a cup of tea before she couldn't eat any more.

Thirty minutes later, Kate made herself stand and go get dressed. She flinched as the "rough" material of her khaki pants touched her sick-sensitive skin, then sat down to put on a silky navy blouse and matching khaki jacket, along with a pair of navy pumps. Padding back to the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and flinched.

She was very, very pale with redness around her nose and eyes. Dark smudges almost hit her cheekbones, and heavy bags decorated her tired, dull eyes. Heaving another sigh, Kate began the tedious process of rolling concealer and dabbing blush to disguise her illness, before applying her usual makeup.

Finally, she was ready to go. Beckett grabbed her bag and wrapped up in a black parka-style jacket, with a tan hat, scarf, and glove set, then started down the six flights of stairs she had to take.

By the fourth, she was out of breath. Finally, on the fifth, Kate paused and leaned against the wall as she coughed. Groaning, she clutched her head and throat, then resumed her walk.

Outside, the combination of cold air and bright sunlight made Kate sneeze repeatedly on her way to the car.

"Hhh'PSH'kew! Huh! HIH'ksht'ch! Ksssssh! Tsssh! Tschhhoo! Hah'kt'ch! Uh...hihh...hahh...TSCHoo!"

The last one made Beckett stumble, and if she hadn't managed to grab hold of the door handle, she would have fallen. She quickly

unlocked the door, sat down gratefully, and proceeded to sniffle and blow her way through five tissues.

"Only two more days, Kate." She muttered. "Two more days."

February 16, 2014

Part 3!!! There will be caretaking in part four! Please comment, let me know what you think, and enjoy!

V-warning at "she was trapped in a room with hundreds of trees...", and ends at "Bedckett" she croaked..."

It starts again at "Immediately, she lurched to the trash can..." And ends at "By the time Kate reached her car..."

----------------/Part 3\-----------------

Kate pulled up to the precinct and got out of her car, coughing raggedly from the temperature change. When she finally stopped, she found she had to sneeze.

"Hihhh...h'psh'kew! Ashiew!"

She sneezed a wet, desperate double into her steepled hands before squaring her shoulders and walking inside. The temperature change-the second one in under five minutes-made her cough again. Beckett groaned and rubbed her head, then her throat, then her chest. Maybe she should just go home...

"No. Beckett, you can do this." She whispered to herself, before climbing the stairs with difficulty. At least the congestion was minimal.

Castle was waiting at her desk when Kate got back from the locker room.

"Your coffee." He said, brow furrowed. Kate really didn't want it, but she took the cup anyway, resolving to dump it at the first chance she got.

"Thanks, Castle." Beckett said, before sitting down and turning on her computer.

"Anytime. Did you sleep well?" He asked. She sighed, unsure of how to answer. He'd been the one to find her and figure out how much being grabbed by the suspect had shaken her-after all, there had been a gun at her temple-so she decided to be slightly honest.

"Not particularly." She kept her tone light but slightly sarcastic. Castle frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"For the love of-yes, I'm fine." Kate replied, exasperated. Castle threw his hands in the air, about to snap back, when Captain Gates emerged from her office.

"Detective Beckett, in my office-now." Gates snapped.

Castle watched his friend go chalky as she stood, her mouth in a worried line, before shooting Esposito a questioning look.

In the office, Kate sniffed lightly before sitting down across from Gates. Her captain leaned forward, hands clasped on the desk.

"Detective, are you quite alright?" Beckett blinked in shock. This was not what she was expecting at all.

"Fine, sir."

"Are you sure? I understand that the incident last night was rather traumatizing-"

"Nxt! Ixt!" Kate pinched off two sneezes before turning back. "It was...unpleasant, but I assure you, I'm fine." She said, doing her best to remain composed.

"It's forgivable to take a day..." Gates said, a frown evident on her face. Kate blinked. Was this really "Iron Gates"? Had she actually grown a heart? Still, Kate wasn't going to admit weakness.

"Sir, I'm fine."

"Alright." With that, the conversation ended.

Gates watched her employee go with worry. It was obvious that the detective was unraveling, even to the self-pronounced "stone heart".

"Oh, Kate...." She sighed. "Please take care of yourself."

The day went by slowly for the homicide detective. She couldn't focus well, so she had to work through lunch-not that she had an appetite. Her stomach was starting to ache, and her head was pounding from stifling sneeze after sneeze. The coughing was the hardest for Kate to disguise, but she sucked cough drops and the occasional butterscotch hard candy and prayed no one would notice.

By five o'clock, Beckett was wiped. She packed up and stood up, and immediately felt dizziness crash over her. Kate grabbed the chair and took a deep breath before going to the locker room, wrapping up against the cold, and escaping to her car before Castle could stop her. Once there, she finally exploded with the coughing fit she'd been holding in all day.

"Kfffff! Kfff-kffff-kffff! TSCHoo! Kffff! Hashiew! Kffff! Kffff! Kfff-kfff-kfff...."

By the end, Beckett was struggling to catch her breath. She leaned back in her seat, tempted to shut her eyes. Finally, she drove home, struggled up the stairs, and collapsed in bed.

Castle was getting ready to leave the precinct when he heard Captain Gates call his name.

"Mr. Castle? In my office, please." His stomach turned-what had he done know? He'd thought he'd been good...

He sat down across from the captain, resolving to stay calm.

"Mr. Castle, do you know what's wrong with Detective Beckett?" Castle shook his head, shocked. That was not what he had expected.

"I think she's fighting a cold." And some demons, the writer added silently. Gates nodded, her eyes glazing as she mulled it over, before nodding again as they cleared.

"I thought that might have been it. Now, Mr. Castle, keep an eye on her tomorrow-if she's here." Castle nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Have a nice evening, Mr. Castle." Gates said, then stood to show him out. Castle smiled.

"You too, sir."

----- ----- -----

"Uhhhh...hn...uhhhhn..." Kate groaned, her head jerking from side to side in an uneasy sleep as she pressed her hand unconsciously to her stomach.

She was trapped in a room with hundreds of trees. Behind each one, she could see a gun. They were all pointed at her...each could explode and hit her again. Someone squeezed off a shot, but instead of pain in her chest, Kate only felt a roaring ache in her stomach. There was a lump rising in her throat...her mouth tasted bad...

Beckett jerked upright and clapped a hand to her mouth. It wasn't only in her dream that she was nauseous-now, in real life, she could feel the bile in her throat, her heart pounding, everything sweating in waves...

Swinging her legs out of bed, Kate stumbled to the bathroom as quickly as she possibly could, even as her vision went black and blurry. She flipped up the toilet lid and fell to her knees, grasping the cold porcelain bowl, as she heaved and retched and gagged repeatedly. Her throat burned and ached as she coughed. Finally, she shuddered and wiped her mouth with a tissue before flushing the toilet.

Kate tried to stand, rinse her mouth and splash her face with some cool water, but collapsed again. She settled for curling up against the toilet as her stomach revolted again.

"I dod't feel well..." She murmured to no one. A single tear rolled down her cheek, but she brushed it away angrily. God, Kate was so miserable. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this sick...years ago, probably. Her head hurt to much to think...

She leaned forward and retched again, producing nothing but air. Beckett wished she had changed out of work clothes and into something warmer...she needed to tie her hair back, too...but it was too hard to stand. With a sigh, she slumped forward, shivering in the cold air. Thinking straight was impossible-Kate guessed she probably had a fever.

"Hhh'tsssh! Ktsssh! Hsssssshhhhhuh! Tssssh!" She sneezed wetly into steepled hands before leaning against the wall, coughing harshly. Her stomach heaved as the coughs got more desperate, and she vomited air, saliva, and bile before leaning against the wall.

Throughout the night, Kate coughed, retched, heaved, and sneezed. Every time she got situated to fall asleep, her body would jerk her awake. Five hours after the stomach issues began, the homicide detective finally managed to fall into a restless doze on her bathroom floor.

*Brinnng! Brinnnnng! Brinnnng!*

Kate woke to the sound of her phone ringing. She pushed herself upright, and immediately gagged a bit. Nothing came out of it, though, so she stumbled to the living room.

"Bedckett." She croaked, her voice barely audible.

"Kate? That you?" Castle asked.

"Yes. What do you deed?" Kate asked, massaging her forehead. She was miserable, no, that wasn't strong enough a word...

"You coming in today?" She looked at her clock, and panicked.

"Oh...oh by god, I'b cobig id. I overslept, I'll be there as sood as I cad!" She hung up the phone, and immediately coughed harshly, barely managing to grab the counter to stay upright. Slowly. She added in her mind.

Castle frowned at the phone in his hand. She did not sound good.

Kate didn't know how, but she somehow managed to change her shirt and suit, pull on ballet flats, and brush her hair into a ponytail. Her hands shook too badly to allow for makeup application, so she simply coughed her way back to the kitchen, grabbed a water bottle, and took a sip to try to alleviate the harsh pain in her throat.

Immediately, she lurched to the trash can, thankful she had emptied it the night before last and then not thrown anything away, and heaved the water back up. Wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, Beckett went back to the bathroom and brushed her teeth.

Finally, she was out the door.

By the time Kate reached her car, she was exhausted and trembling, and unable to catch her breath. She doubled over in the front seat, sneezing miserably into her gloved, steepled hands.

"Hahh....hihh'TSSSH'iew! Tshiew! Kssshiew! Uhhhh..." Pinching the bridge of her nose, Kate finally put the keys in the ignition and drove, teeth chattering, to the precinct.

Castle was waiting for her in the parking lot. If she was as sick as she sounded on the phone, she really would need to go home. He watched as she pulled up, and felt his stomach tighten with sympathy and worry as she coughed harshly into her hand, not seeing him there as she stumbled a bit to the door.

"Oh, Kate..." He murmured, reaching towards her. She forced a weak smile, ignoring his hand.

"Hey, Castle." Her voice was barely a whistler. Castle winced as she turned to the side, coughing desperately.

"You're sick." Castle stated when she turned back.

"It's just-tsch! Nxgt-tsch! Just a little cold." The writer would have grilled her, but the way she was shaking, they needed to have the conversation inside. He opened the door wordlessly, and Kate trudged inside. Castle walked with her to the locker room, and sat next to her on the bench.

"How high is your temp?" He asked. His friend blinked.

"Dod't have ode. It's just a cold, Castle."

She looked terrible, though. Literally as pale as his white gloves, with bruise-like circles around her eyes and fever spots on her cheekbones. Her nose was red, too, and Castle saw why as she turned to the side and sneezed.

"Hihh...hit'shoo! 'Tschoo! Ihhh...hitshiew! Kssshiew!...uh, hhhh...TSSSH!" The final one was wrenched out of her, and Kate couldn't help but whimper in pain. Finally, she stood with difficulty and dumped her stuff in the locker.

"Kate, you can't seriously be working-" Castle began.

"I'b fide!" She insisted. Castle switched tactics.

"You'll infect us all with whatever plague you've come down with."

"If I was goidg to idfect you, it would have happed before the sybtobs appeared. Dow leave be alode." She tried to stalk away, but it came out more like a shiver-stumble.

Castle sighed and rubbed his forehead in annoyance. He'd keep working at her.

February 20, 2014

Thanks for the v-warning Yayyy another part! Can't wait for more—it is tbc, right?

February 20, 2014

Yay! I'm glad you like it-I'll definitely be continuing. Sorry, it takes me a few hours to write and then another two or so to edit it to posting quality because I'm not a good writer, so updates take a bit.

For some reason, I have an urge to put stomach stuff in this fic...don't know why, but I'll definitely continue to put alerts.

Thanks for commenting!

February 21, 2014

i am enjoying this a lot and just about ready for Beckett to give in to being sick...

February 22, 2014

Oh, yes, that is coming. I'm sorry that it's taking a while to get this next part up-I can't seem to get it right!

February 24, 2014

So, this isn't the best work I've done, but I feel like I need to put something up. Please let me know what you think!

FYI: V-Warning is at: her heartbeat was in her stomach

ends at: Castle watched his partner in concern

---------------/Part Four\---------------

Detective Beckett walked to her desk, still freezing cold. Her hands were clammy, she had a headache, and she just needed to sit down.

Esposito took one look at her when he walked over to deliver case information, and whistled, his dark eyes mellow in concern.

"Yo, look what the cat dragged in." Though the words were mean-ish, Kate resented the pity behind them, along with the fact that she hated that they were true. Despite her illness, she gave him her best death glare.

Javier wasn't fazed. Without her makeup, Kate looked like a little girl. Not to mention the fact that her eyes were red-rimmed and her nose tinged pink.

"Hello to you too." Beckett croaked, then immediately winced-talking hurt really badly.

"You sound like shit." Her colleague said, pulling a chair up and sitting in it. She sighed.

"I'b fide. Jusd a col-huhh, hhh'tsch! Ktsssh! Tsch'oo'oo! Atshoo! Kts! Jusd a cold."

Kate had turned as far from Esposito as possible.

He didn't particularly care-he just was worried. Gently, he touched her leg. She jerked it away. He knew that this was pushing her too far, and making it less likely to admit she wasn't okay, so with a quick internal sigh, he ended the conversation.

"Take care of yourself, kiddo, 'kay?" Esposito said, before walking away. His eyes never left his friend.

Kate moaned softly and rubbed her forehead. This day was just going to suck. She felt bad about being a jerk to Esposito-she just didn't want any more pity.

The sound of her desk extension ringing shook Beckett out of "self-absorbation" mode, and she made a concerted effort to pull herself together before answering on the second ring.

"Detective Kathride Bedckett, NdYPD." She rasped out.

"Kate? That you?" Lanie asked, her tone concerned.

"Ndo other Kathride Bedckett's, are there?" The detective croaked miserably before coughing desperately. She barely managed to turn the phone away. "Owwww..." Kate whimpered softly as the lining of her throat felt like it caught on fire. "Sorry, Ladie. What do you-hadg od-"

A rapidly building tickle made Kate put the phone on her desk before spreading a tissue across her palms and sneezing into steepled hands. They were so strong, wet, ticklish, and desperate that she didn't have a prayer of stifling them.

"At-Ksssh! KTSCH! Huhh...hihh'PSH'iew! Uhhh...at'schOO'oo! Ish! 'Tsch!-ksh!-tsch! Hihh...h'ksh'hoo!" She took a few moments to blow her nose before dizzly pressing a hand to her head as she picked up the phone.

"Well, I was gonna say that I have some stuff to tell you about Mr. Jay here, but it sounds like we'll have a new body on our hands shortly." Kate sat up straight at that, concerned.

"Who? Whed?" Lanie heard the panic in her friend's voice, and rolled her eyes before explaining.

"You! Kate, you sound like hell!" The medical examiner cried.

"Thadk you." Beckett said, sarcastically as she could manage. Lanie frowned. All teasing aside, Beckett sounded really, really bad.

"Do you deed Castle adnd I there or dot?" Much as Lanie wanted to say no, she did need Kate.

Five minutes later, Kate had stumbled down the stairs, nearly falling several times from vertigo. Each time, Castle caught her arm, and each time, his mouth pressed into a thinner line. Lanie blanched at the sight of her friend.

"Id's jusd a cold, I'b fide." Beckett explained before placing her hand on the wall as she coughed from the exertion. Lanie grabbed a chair immediately, and Castle helped Kate slump into it before rubbing her back as she coughed heavily. It was barking and heavy and congested and rattling and wet. Kate shivered at the end, too tired to do much but pretend to listen as Lanie talked.

Halfway through her explanation, Lanie broke off and stared in concern at Beckett. Her friend's focus seemed to be far off.

"Sweetie, you really should be at home." Beckett seemed to come up from underwater, her eyes blinking slowly, before clearing her throat to whisper back angrily:

"I'b fide-it's just a cold." Lanie put her hand on her hip and made a face.

"Then what did I say?" Kate began to recap the conversation, but the speaking quickly took a toll on her exhausted vocal chords, and left her doubled over in the chair, coughing too hard to catch her breath. Castle knelt by Kate and rubbed her back soothingly again until she finished.

Lanie felt horrible as her friend surfaced, her wheezing breaths audible from halfway across the room.

"It's okay, Beckett. Just breathe." Castle murmured, his concerned eyes darting to Lanie. Kate's face was white but flushed with exertion.

"I'b goidg to head back upstairs." Beckett said, standing slowly and painfully before trudging away. Castle and Lanie immediately began talking about her.

"That can't be just a cold." Castle said, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration and worry. Lanie nodded.

"She looks terrible, and sounds worse."

"Should we tell Gates to send her home?" Lanie threw up her hands and stepped backwards dramatically.

"You can-I am not gonna go there."

"Yeah, me either." Castle said, backtracking quickly. "I should go make sure she's okay."

The friends said goodbye, but each continued to worry about their sick, fading partner.

------- ------- ------- ------ ------ ------

Two hours passed, Kate's "cold" seeming to suck more life out of her by the minute. By three in the afternoon, Castle had had enough of watching Kate shiver and tremble, a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead as she struggled through her day. He'd ignored the constant coughing and sneezing-which grew more frequent and desperate as the day wore on, but when she dry heaved into a trash can after a coughing fit, he had had enough.

"You need to be at home." He said, stalking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head, opened her mouth to reply, and shuddered again. Nothing came out of it, though, so she leaned back in her chair and put her hands on her head.

"Dno. It's. Just. A. Freadkidg. Cold." She tried, her voice barely audible.

"Yeesh. Right, with a stomach bug. Speaking of which, how long have you had that, and when was the last time you ate?" He said, arching an eyebrow. His partner was up for an interrogation, though, and dodged the question.

"I'b fide." She whirled at a tap on her shoulder, and shut her eyes for dizziness to pass.

"No. No, you're not." Esposito delivered with a glare. Kate opened her mouth to protest, just as Gates walked out of her office.

"Why is there a crowd...!?" She took one look at her employee and took her hands off her hips and crossed them across her chest.

"Detective, you should be at home. In bed. Not infecting my precinct." Kate managed to not roll her eyes.

"I'b fide, sir." She insisted, before turning to the side and sneezing into a tissue she had just barely managed to grab in time. They weren't particularly messy-just desperate and harsh.

"Hihh'NXGT! Hh'psh'cht! Txnt! At-chxt! Hihh...huhh'YSHHH'uh!" The final one exploded out of the slim detective, and she groaned involuntarily.

"Bless you." Castle and Esposito chorused.

"You're not fine, Detective Beckett. This is the third time in the past week that you've sneezed in the middle of a conversation, and you look like hell."

"Add I so appreciate your coplibedt." Kate said with a sniffle, before wincing and rubbing her forehead. Gates frowned, but Kate didn't notice. She was feeling worse all of a sudden. Her hair was sticking to her forehead, her heart was pounding, her palms were clammy...and she was starting to get really, really hot. She just needed a little air.

Beckett stood up quickly, making a little noise of pain, before starting to walk away slowly. Gates looked at Castle in concern-this wasn't like the Kate they knew.

"Detective? Where are you going?" Gates asked, a frown settled on her face. Kate blinked. She didn't really remember...oh, she didn't feel well at all. Turning back around, she gave everyone a confused look. Why were they spinning? And since when did they blur together.

"Oh...I don't...I don't know..." She sighed, placing a hand on her forehead absentmindedly while the other went to her hip.

"Beckett? You okay?" Castle asked, standing up from beside her desk and coming over to place a hand on her back. Kate nodded. Everything was buzzing...

"Ub...yeah, but...I feel...fuddy-" She whispered. Maybe if she just could sleep... Then, her eyes closed and she slumped forward, falling limply but stiffly at the same time.

Castle grabbed her shoulders with one arm and her waist with the other, panic spreading through him at the way she was dead weight in his arms. Esposito was by his side in a flash, and helped lower Kate to the ground. Ryan had walked in just as she passed out, and now he dropped his folders and ran over, his face worried. They were all talking at once.

Gates immediately took control of the situation, but her pinched, pale face revealed how worried she was.

"Esposito, get something to prop her feet on. Detective Ryan, get some water for when she wakes up. Mr. Castle, fan her with these files-she needs some air." The most surprising thing happened next. Gates took off her own jacket and bunched it beneath Kate's head. Then, she placed her hand on her employee's forehead, stabilizing it, before tapping Kate's collarbone.

"Kate. Kate. Wake up, Kate. Detective Beckett, wake up please." She called over and over, loudly and clearly. Castle continued to fan fresh air towards Kate as Ryan came back with water. "Detective Ryan, get my coat from the office and put it over her, now. If she isn't up in two minutes, call emergency personnel."

Gates barked, continuing to tap Kate's collarbone.

---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Kate felt as if she were coming up from underwater. The light hurt her eyes...something was tapping her shoulder...why wouldn't they stop and just let her sleep? Groggily, she blinked and tried to focus on the face above hers. The person was calling something loudly...but it was an odd sound-faraway. She turned her head and coughed suddenly. The dizziness returned then.

"Detective Beckett. Detective Beckett, can you hear me?" A voice said, while another voice said

"Thank God she's awake." Kate blinked and croaked out an answer, her tired vocal chords protesting.

"Yes. What happed?" She struggled to sit up, but a strong arm pushed her gently down.

"Just relax, Kate." Was that Castle? What was going on? Gates seemed to sense her panic, and stroked Kate's hair to soothe her.

"You're going to be okay, Detective. Everything is alright." Beckett couldn't settle, though. She was confused and tired and she didn't feel good...

"What is goidg od?" She was clearly in distress, so Castle stepped in. He knelt and rubbed her hand, frowning at how hot it was.

"You're sick, Beckett. You fainted." It came flooding back to her then. She was sick and now her friends and coworkers knew and she was going to be sent home!

"Dno, I'b fide. Just let be up-" She tried to sit, but the world spun and went black, so she simply laid back down.

Castle was going crazy with worry. He touched his hand to her forehead-burning up. She seemed barely articulate, her speech slightly slurred.

"Shh, Kate, it's okay. You can go home after you go to the doctor-"

"Dno! I'b fide to work-htshiew! Ktshiew! Hhh'YSSH'uh! Oh, owww..." She opened her glazed eyes and stared blankly at Castle. Gates spoke up then.

"Detective Beckett, you are going home early. Mr. Castle, you too-you're taking your partner to the doctor. This is obviously not a cold, and Detective, you're not fine. End of story." Kate gave her a look so exhausted and sad that Gates softened. "Mr. Castle, you and Esposito will need to get Detective Beckett into my office. Detective Ryan, please go get Beckett's things."

Ryan shot Kate a worried, but caring look as she was lifted, chair style, up and into the office.

"Man, you never do things halfway, do you?" He murmured. Kate offered a small smile.

"Esposito, Mr. Castle, please give us a moment alone. Mr. Castle, go get your car warmed up." When both had left, she turned to her employee. "Oh, Kate, please don't think that I think that you're weak." The detective blinked in shock.

"But I ab..." She choked out before coughing raggedly. Gates noticed how badly Kate was shivering and wrapped an arm around her.

"You are one of the strongest women that I know, including myself. You survived a shot to the heart, for christ's sake! Now get some rest, and don't come back until you are well." She dropped her voice. "Take some time to battle the demons, Detective. None of this is easy." Then, she stood and unlocked her door. "Don't move until someone picks you up, got it?" Kate made a small agreeing noise, so Gates left to pick up her coat.

When she went back inside, Beckett's eyes were drooping. Victoria smiled and put her coat back on the chair.

"Don't fall asleep yet, Detective." She touched Beckett's forehead gently, just to smooth the hair, but was alarmed at how hot it was. Kate really was disoriented and groggy-very unlike her.

A knock at the door flooded Gates with relief-Castle and Esposito were there, along with Ryan.

"Come in." She said, then helped Beckett into her coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. "Feel better, Detective." Gates called as Esposito and Castle carried Kate, chair style again, to the car.

Esposito was scared, as well. Kate's head lolled against his shoulder, and she was shaking in his arms. Castle's jaw was clenched as he helped carry his partner to his car. When they hit the outside air, Beckett squirmed weakly to get away as a sneeze built.

"Shhh, shhh, you're okay." Esposito murmured, while the two men tightened their hold on their friend. Kate drew in a ragged breath, then sneezed.

"Kssshiew! 'Tschoo! Ish! Ish! Huhshoo! Hh'YSH'uh! Kkk'tsh'ch!" She coughed after that. Castle opened the door to the passenger side and reclined the seat before letting Esposito lower Beckett in. She sighed at the heat. "Thadk you. I'b so sorry." She whispered. Esposito shook his head, and stroked her hair.

"It's fine, Beckett. Get some rest-I'll visit." He said with a wink before leaving. Castle shut her door, and plugged in the address of the nearest UrgentCare. She gave him a bleary, exhausted look.

"I'b sorry." Beckett whispered before coughing. Castle felt every muscle stiffen as he listened, one hand on the wheel and the other on her leg, while continuing to drive.

Kate felt awful, and not just from the cold. Castle had to take her to the doctor, she was disgusting, and completely mortified. She was so tired, though. Beckett looked over at Castle when she feel the car stop.

"What?" She choked out in between hacks. Castle reached over and handed her a water bottle, helping to guide it to her lips and hold it there as she coughed and tried to drink. Eventually, she finished, head spinning.

"Kshiew! TSCHoo! Hihh'TSSSH'iew!" Kate sneezed an exhausted triple before leaning back on the seat. She was feeling sick to her stomach again.

Her heartbeat was in her stomach, and her palms were clammy, and there was a sour taste in the back of her mouth. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and she whispered:

"Castle, I deed you to pull over." He shot her a concerned look-she was starting to turn green. He did. She yanked open the door, stumbled out of the car, and collapsed in the snow, too dizzy to stand upright as she retched and gagged-only nothing was coming out.

Her partner immediately jumped out of the car and raced to her side. Gently, he moved her so that she was kneeling on the pavement, then held back her hair while rubbing her back.

It took ten minutes for her stomach to settle. She'd only managed to cough up a little bile and saliva. Castle lifted her and put her back in the car, noting how pale and tired she was.

Castle watched his partner with obvious concern before pulling back into traffic.

"You're so sick, Beckett." He whispered.

"'S dot that bad." She said groggily. "You cad just take be hobe..." Castle shook his head.

"What, so you can pass out, alone? I don't think so. We're here."

Kate moved her head to look out the window, and immediately stifled a moan as dizziness invaded. In a flash, Castle was by her side and opening the door. She shivered in the cold air, then sneezed.

"Hah'TSCH! KTSCH! Ahh'TSSH'iew!...uhhh..." Beckett groaned and put her head in her hands.

Castle frowned, his eyes filled with worry, before saying:

"Kate, I'm going to help you stand up, okay?" She made a little noise of agreement, and then leaned heavily on Castle as he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Just a few more steps..." He encouraged.

Beckett was overwhelmed with mortification, misery, and vertigo. She was vaguely aware of Castle helping her to lie down across a few chairs pulled together, and then not much after that.

Castle introduced himself to the receptionist, then explained what was going on. She nodded, and then told him that they would see Kate as soon as possible. He thanked her, then walked back to his partner.

The writer pulled Beckett's head into his lap, and stroked her hair and rubbed her back. She was confused and miserable, and he hated seeing her like that. He looked down when Beckett struggled to sit up as she coughed into her elbow. Castle winced at the rattling sound, and looped an arm around her shoulders to keep her upright. Her hot, clammy hand gripped the back of the chair tightly.

Kate hated coughing. It hurt her throat and her head, she was dizzy, and she couldn't breathe well. When the fit finally ended, leaving her head spinning, she grabbed a tissue and sneezed into it.

"Huh'PSH! K-TSCH! H'tshiew! Hh'tsssh!" The sneezes made her jerk forward, and she moaned softly. Castle tried to get her to lie down after she blew her nose again.

"Bless you, Kate. Why don't you lie down again?" She shook her head miserably.

"Cad't. I'll be dizzy whed I have to sit up agaid." Beckett explained, shutting her eyes. She felt terrible-why couldn't she just go home and sleep? Castle gently guided her head down to his shoulder, holding it there so that she could rest a bit. The way she was shaking scared him.

"Kathrine?" A female voice called. Richard stood, and looped an arm around Kate as he pulled her up. She instinctively grabbed onto him as she stumbled.

"Castle...dod't feel good..." Beckett whispered. The nurse was at their side in a moment.

"Here, just relax, sweetie. Come with me-that's the way." Kate leaned heavily on the nurse and Castle on the way back to a small room, where she sank heavily onto the table. Castle sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He tightened his grip when she pulled a tissue from her pocket and sneezed violently into it.

"Ah'ktsssh! H'psh'oh! 'Tschoo! HISHOO! Hiyashhooo!" She moaned quietly. Castle blessed her quietly. He just wanted to take her home and get her into bed, so she could stop shivering and simply take a nap.

February 24, 2014

i am enjoying this a lot!

March 8, 2014

Sorry for not replying sooner

But i love it and yep i am enjoying it even t v-warned parts too

Are you going to continue this?

March 10, 2014

I'm so glad you guys like this!

I'll be continuing eventually-hit a bit of writers block. I'll have another part up ASAP.

March 23, 2014

The continuation is coming soon!! Writers block just ended-I'll have it up in a few days to a week!

March 23, 2014

yay cant wait for it *O*

Wiiiiiiiii

March 27, 2014

Here is part 5! It's kind of short, but after this, she can go home with Castle and the real caretaking can begin.

-------------/Part 5\--------------

The nurse and Castle helped Kate onto the table. She was really out of it-woozy, dizzy, and exhausted. Castle sat next to her to help her sit upright more easily, and she responded by laying her head on his shoulder. The writer rubbed circles on his sick friend's back, trying to soothe her. Alissa took up her position at her computer.

"What seems to be the problem today?" The nurse asked. Castle answered for Beckett, to save her fading voice.

"She's sick." Alissa nodded.

"I thought so. What are your symptoms?" Kate sighed.

"Ub...I'b hot add cold at the sabe tibe; by throat hurts; I have a headache; by whole body hurts; add I'b coughig add sdeezig all the tibe."

Almost as if to demonstrate, the pretty cop pulled a tissue from her pocket, sucked in a soft, faintly wheezy breath, and then snapped forward, relying on Castle to keep her upright.

"Hihh...hh'TSCHoo! TSSSH! Kksssh! Tsch! Hhh...hhh'PSH'uh!" Kate whimpered softly after that fit, and rubbed her raw throat and her chest. Alissa and Castle chorused a blessing.

"Bless you!" Then, the questioning continued.

"Are there any other symptoms?" Alissa asked, her brow furrowed in concentration as she typed furiously.

Castle spoke for Kate, as she looked confused.

"Vomiting, exhaustion, dizziness, confusion, congestion in her head and chest-oh, and she also passed out." The nurse frowned, and came over with a thermometer and blood pressure cuff.

"Open wide." Kate obeyed. Castle squeezed her shoulder gently to comfort her. He hated seeing her sick. "103.8. You've got yourself one heck of a fever, detective." Alissa said. She proceeded to take the woman's blood pressure, which was low; and heartbeat, which was a bit fast. "You're dehydrated-have you been drinking?" Kate shook her head miserably.

"Dno. I haven't beed able to keep it dowd." She croaked, before lurching to the side as she coughed raggedly. Castle's heart turned over as he heard her wheeze afterwards.

Alissa heard it too, and had Kate breathe in deeply so she could listen to her lungs. Each deep breath triggered a coughing fit. The nurse checked Kate's glands and lymph nodes, and found them to be swollen. She sighed, and took a throat culture.

"Oh, sweetie, you really did a number on yourself, didn't you?" She asked. Castle nodded in concern, and pulled his shivering partner closer. "It looks like a bad case of the swine flu, along with bronchitis. I'm not sure if there's strep mixed in there, though. I'd like to send you to the hospital for a chest X-Ray, just to be sure it's not pneumonia. I'm concerned about the strain on your heart."

"Ha-tschoo! KSh-uh! Hhh'tsshoo! Shiew!" Kate sniffled miserably. Castle winced in sympathy, and handed her another tissue. She blew her nose thickly.

"Whed cad I go back to work? Cad I work frob hobe?" Alissa shook her head.

"Sorry, sweetheart, but I want you on bedrest until your fever goes away completely, and your cough gets less congested. I'd say you'll be out for at least a week-most likely more." Kate's bleary eyes widened in shock.

"But I just got back!" She cried, before breaking into another harsh coughing fit. Castle tightened his grip around her, trying to keep her from falling over.

Alissa came over and rubbed Kate's back sympathetically.

"I know, honey, but your immune system is shot, too. Just relax, and let someone wait on you hand and foot." Kate sighed.

"I live alode." Alissa frowned, concerned.

"I'm sorry, but you need to have someone with you, so you don't wind up passing out by yourself." Castle quickly spoke up.

"You can stay with us, Kate, don't worry." She drew in a shaky breath, tears glistening in her eyes. Her partner felt his heart break. Beckett was always in control, never teary and helpless and weak. A moment later, the irritation of her watery eyes caused her to sneeze into steepled hands.

"Hhihhsh! Tsch! Kssh! Tssh! Huh...hhhhpsh! Tschiew! Tssh!" They were breathy, rapid fire, and painful sounding. Beckett kept her hands cupped around her face, though. "Ub, cad I please have a tissue?" She croaked. Castle handed one to her. Kate blew her nose thickly, sniffled, and stood up to try and wash her hands.

Immediately, her already chalky face turned positively ashen, and she swayed heavily. Castle leapt up and grabbed her around the waist, and carried her bridal style to the sink. She was too ill to be embarrassed, and so washed the mess off her hands before letting her head drop against his shoulder. It was easy for him to hold her, and the writer frowned at how light and bony his friend was.

"I'll go get your discharge papers and the X-Ray orders. Just take it easy, sweetie." Alissa said with a smile, before leaving the room. Castle realized he was still holding Kate, and quickly carried her back to the table, setting her down gently once there. She sighed, and rested close to him, looking desperately uncomfortable.

"Thadk you." He rubbed her hair.

"No problem." When her eyes closed, he mouthed: "I love you." Kate smiled faintly.

March 27, 2014

:-) yes :-)

March 29, 2014

Thank you, Jezebel!

May 10, 2014

Please tell me this will be continued. I adore Castle and I LOVE THIS FIC SO MUCH! You write so well and it's a sick fic and it's just GAH. This is BEAUTIFUL! So complicated and yet still simple and true to the characters and still sneezy and sick and just yes =33

May 24, 2014

Thank you all so much for your patience-this part took a long time to write! I've been on "show-time" since February, and that meant that I was at school from 7:15 am to 10:00 pm, or later, most days. Now, sadly, the shows are done, but I have more time to write! I'll have another part up soon-I'm sorry that this one is short and late! Also, it's pretty cruddy, but the next part will be better!

V-Warning starts at "He shook her shoulder gently again" and ends at "Castle held her close". I'm sorry that the warning is so frequent in this story! I color coded it: red is start, green is end. Also, bear with me if it's unrealistic-I don't have a lot of expertise here.

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Castle glanced at his dozing partner in concern for what must have been the fiftieth time since leaving the hospital. She looked terrible-pale and feverish and beyond exhausted. The flu had knocked her flat on her back, and Castle didn't like it one bit. At least the X-Rays had come back clean-no pneumonia, at least, not yet. He was to watch her carefully, make sure she got lots of fluids and rest, and bring her back if she wasn't able to keep anything down.

He had hated the sight of his normally in control muse lying so still against him as she was given an I.V. for a few hours to get her hydrated again. Still, Rick had to keep reminding himself that the hospital had said she would be fine. All he had to do was keep her comfortable, and try to get her fever down. It was hard to keep in mind that this was just a flu, though, as he looked at how still she was resting.

As yet another shiver wracked her thin form, Rick turned the heat up. He was already quite warm, but he wanted to be sure she didn't get chilled. The shivers eased a bit, but still remained. Castle couldn't wait to get her home and into bed-he was so worried, he didn't even smirk at the phrasing of that thought.

When the light turned green, Rick turned his attention back to the road. His mind was racing, though, as he tried to figure out what Kate would need to be comfortable. Did he have flu meds? Cough syrup? Enough tissues? He just wanted her to be comfortable, and to get better.

It took another twenty minutes to get home, thanks to traffic. Kate had grown increasingly restless, groaning every so often as she tossed and turned. He was glad when he pulled into the parking lot.

Gently, he reached over and pushed her hair back off her damp forehead, wincing at the heat coming off of it. She had to be feeling absolutely terrible, and he hated that he couldn't do anything about it! She stirred, but didn't wake up. Frowning, Castle touched her shoulder and stroked it gently.

"Kate, can you wake up? I promise that you can sleep more inside."

He shook her shoulder gently again, trying not to hurt her but anxious to get her into the warm apartment. She opened her eyes slowly, looking completely miserable as she did so. Rick was about to ask if she needed him to carry her when she grabbed the trash can he had removed from his trunk and retched into it.

---------------

Kate blinked slowly as she woke up, trying to get her bearings. The brightness of the sun was stabbing her behind her eyes, she was stuffed up and achy all over, and her stomach was really upset. That woke her pretty quickly, and she reached out a shaking hand to grab the trash can as she retched. She was embarrassed to feel tears spring to her eyes, but it was all she could do to clutch the bin as she tried to throw up, if only for a little relief.

Her gagging was in vain, though-she was only dry heaving, having nothing left in her stomach. She felt a hand on her back, and looked up briefly to see Castle looking at her with anxiety in his eyes and compassion on his face.

"'M sorry..." She whispered, before gagging again as her stomach clenched. The detective had the idea that, if she hadn't been so sick, she would have been very embarrassed. As of right now, it was all she could do to keep up with how sick she felt.

A moment later, Kate shuddered again. This time, a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders, making her feel a little better.

It seemed like hours later when her stomach stopped seizing, and she was able to stop retching. In reality, only a few minutes had passed, but she was exhausted and trembling nonetheless. This was the part she hated the most-the throwing up. It was awful, and made everything else worse. With a sigh, she rested her head on Castle's chest.

-----------------

Castle held her close, rubbing her hair and massaging her shoulder as she finally was able to relax against him.

"Oh, Kate..." He sighed as she jerked as far away as possible to cough raggedly into her thin, shaking hand. It took ages for the coughing to cease, which made Castle feel extremely fidgety.

"Uhhhhn...I'm so sorry, Castle." She whispered, wincing at the pain the sound caused her raw vocal cords.

"Shh, shhh, don't apologize. Let's just get you inside."

His friend nodded, her head lolling slightly to the side before she propped it with her hand.

"Rick, I feel awful." He reached over and rubbed her back.

"I know, Kate. I know." She sighed, and huddled a little closer to him as a harsh shiver wracked her thin form. He frowned, and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Let's get you inside." He said, again. She nodded weakly, her eyes closed.

Castle turned off the car, pocketed his keys, and then opened his door and strode to the passenger side. Kate opened her door and tried to get out. Immediately, she pitched forward and nearly fell as her knees buckled from an intense wave of dizziness-she would have gone down if Castle hadn't wrapped his arm around her.

"Ugh...I'b sorry..." She croaked, before coughing into her elbow. Castle tightened his grip on her as the rattling in her chest became more pronounced, shutting and locking his car as he did so.

"Shh, shh, don't apologize." He soothed, rubbing her back gently. "Come on, lean on me."

------------------------------------------

Kate couldn't remember ever feeling this ill in her life as she stumbled her way across the parking lot, largely supported by Castle. Being out in the cold had triggered a coughing fit that still wasn't giving her reprieve, and it felt like her chest and throat were being ripped apart.

About halfway across, she started feeling like she was going to pass out again.

"Castle...deed to stop add...catch by breath..." She choked out, before continuing to cough. Lord, Beckett was cold. Her legs felt like they were about to give way beneath her. Then, she was in Castle's arms.

------------------------------------------

They moved much more quickly that way, with Castle getting his partner into the building in record time. She was shivering, and still coughing harshly. He didn't know that he had ever seen someone hit this hard by the flu, and to be honest, he had gone from concerned to scared.

He set her down when they got inside the lobby, and helped her into a chair as her breath caught and she began coughing again. Castle felt completely helpless as they sat there for what could have been only thirty seconds, but what could have been five minutes, before Kate got her breathing under control.

"Oh mby God..." She sighed, and rubbed her temples as she slumped over in the seat. Castle rubbed her back.

"You okay?"

"I'mb pea-hhh-chy." Kate gasped out before sneezing into a tissue she barely managed to pull from her pocket. "Hhgnsh! Tschhh! Hhhhghhhssxt! Hhhh..hhh...hhh'psh'huh!" She let out a soft moan, and shuddered. Rick frowned, and helped her to her feet.

"Let's get you to bed, okay?"

"Yeah." Her voice was barely a whisper.

Honestly, Castle was starting to feel sick himself. Not in a "I'm coming down with something" way, but in a "my stomach is churning with worry over a good friend" way. It felt kind of like the moment when Kate had been shot, and the months that had followed where she hadn't called. As Kate stumbled again with a violent "HANgssschoo!", Rick jerked himself back to the present and wrapped both arms around his shivering partner.

"I'b really cold..." She whispered, sounding pitiful and very unlike the usual Beckett. Kate had never been so affected by a cold before.

"I know." He murmured into her hair as they waited for the elevator.

It took forever to get from the elevator to Castle's apartment. If it had been any farther, Castle wasn't sure his partner would have made it the whole way. As it was, he unlocked the door and steered her to the couch, frowning as the wracking cough that had become all too familiar shook her again.

------------------------------------------

Beckett felt a wave of dizziness crash over her as she coughed into her elbow. She was miserable. The coughing hurt her head, made it hard to breathe, and attacked her throat with sandpaper. The spasms shook the entirety of her frail body, leaving her doubled over and wheezing slightly when she managed to take consecutive breaths between fits. It was actually scary being this sick-she felt absolutely horrible and couldn't breathe right. Just as the panic was reaching a peak level, Kate felt an arm around her shoulders and a steaming mug make contact with her hands.

When she managed to take in a decent breath again, she looked up at Castle. His eyes were kind and worried as he looked at her, and her heart melted slightly.

"Okay?" He asked, concern evident in his face and tone. She nodded almost imperceptibly, then shivered violently. "Let's get you upstairs." Another small head nod. Castle gathered her into his arms, and carried her up the stairs.

Ten minutes later, Kate had managed to change into a pair of Alexis' sweatpants and one of Martha's t-shirts, and then gotten settled in Castle's bed. She turned and looked at him.

"Castle? I dod't wadt to get your bed gerby...are you sure you dod't wadt be to crash od the couch?" The sentence was whispered, then followed by a barking, rattling cough that made the man in question wince. He shook his head.

"I don't care about germs. I've been exposed anyway-all I care about is making sure you get better."

Kate nodded tiredly, exhausted, and shut her eyes.

"Thadk you."

The writer stroked her hair, concern etched all over his face and compassion in his eyes.

"Anytime." Castle said quietly. He stayed with her until she fell asleep, before standing and hurrying to go get something on the stove for dinner. He had a feeling that the flu wasn't all he and his partner would be facing this weekend, but he knew they would face it together.

May 25, 2014

omg finally *O*

Gracias!!

May 26, 2014

:-) yay!

June 16, 2014

Just so you guys know, I have NOT forgotten about/abandoned this story! I'm working really, really hard on an update, and it will be up as soon as I can have it done! thanks for sticking with me here!

August 28, 2014

Sorry for replying late

I will be waiting for next part

October 11, 2014

I want to thank you all for your patience as I wrote this part. It wasn't coming along the way I felt it should, so I did a lot of revising, editing, trashing, starting over, and writing to try and get it "right". I think this is as good as this part is going to get, and I apologize for the long wait and the poor quality of this section.

It wasn't all the writer's block-I have had a really, really difficult couple of months, and school has compounded everything, but I'm now on the road to recovery, and starting to begin to feel okay again. Thank you so much for your support and patience! I have so much to write, and I'm working hard to get this story finished! I hope you enjoy this! Any feedback is welcome!

There is no sneezing in this part-it's interactions between the other characters, and how they are dealing with the events of the day.

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It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes when Martha walked in, announcing her presence in a grandiose way, as always.

"Richard, I'm home!" She called loudly. Castle rubbed his forehead in annoyance, and was about to wait for her to walk into the kitchen to explain the situation when she slammed the closet door open and began singing an obscure show tune-loudly. He dropped the spoon he was stirring his homemade vegetable soup with onto the counter, and raced into the front hall.

"Shhhhhh!" He hissed, clapping a hand over her mouth. Martha's eyes narrowed with annoyance. As soon as he let go of her, she started off on him.

"Richard Castle, what on earth-"

"SHHHHHHH!" He whisper-yelled. Martha rolled her eyes, but when she spoke next, her voice was soft.

"What is going on with you?" She asked, arms crossed.

"Beckett's here-she's sick, and she's finally sleeping. You are going to let her continue to sleep, which means you have to be quiet, or-" he paused "-You have to leave."

The annoyance on his mother's face quickly morphed into concern, confusion, and a bit of skepticism.

"What's wrong? Is she alright? The poor darling..."

Castle filled her in on the trip to the ER, the passing out, and her diagnosis, and his mother listened(surprisingly) with worry written all over her face.

"Thank God she passed out in the precinct-what would have happened if she had been home alone? What was Gates thinking, bringing her into a raid with no coat?" Castle shrugged. In all honesty, he wasn't sure.

"I don't know. All I know is that she's struggling."

Castle walked back to the kitchen, and sat down at the breakfast bar.

"Mother, I'm not sure what to do. I've never seen her like this." The fiery actress joined her son.

"I know, darling. All you can do is be her rock. Be here for her." The writer nodded, and the two sat in quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Martha stood and stretched.

"I'm going to go take a short nap before dinner. Wake me if you need me."

"Of course. I'll call Ryan and Esposito, and let them know how she is."

Castle grabbed his phone, and moved to sit in front of the fireplace. Ryan and Esposito had looked terrified when their boss and friend had left, but he needed to make another call first.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Victoria "Iron" Gates had spent the better part of the afternoon attempting to complete the seemingly endless paperwork from their most recent case, but had gotten very little done. She was incredibly worried about who she considered to be her best detective, and wasn't quite sure how to calm herself down enough to focus on paperwork.

In all honesty, Gates was not as heartless as she appeared. She was not someone who took lightly to the health and well being of her team, and she had been keeping a watchful eye on Beckett for three weeks. Now, she was second guessing every single choice; every decision she made; and everything she had said to her friend over the course she had been back. Kate had obviously been struggling, and Gates couldn't help but feel like she had made a huge mistake.

With a sigh, Gates took off her reading glasses and, holding them in one hand, pinched the bridge of her nose with the other. The paperwork was going nowhere-she was far too distracted to complete it.

It had scared her far more than she would admit to anyone to see Kate in that state. She had looked so weak, and so pale...and then, she had just...fallen. If Castle hadn't been there to catch her, Gates knew that her detective could have been seriously, seriously injured when her head hit the hard, concrete-tile floor. It was going to be awhile before the captain would be able to get the events of the day out of her mind, that was for sure.

A knock on the door startled Gates, and jerked her out of her thoughts. Quickly, she looked up, put her glasses on, and tried to look as composed as possible for calling for whoever had knocked to come in. Ryan opened the door, and came in, carrying a stack of papers at least an inch thick.

"The paperwork you asked to be completed, Sir." He said, and placed it on Gates' desk. She raised an eyebrow.

"It seems significantly more than what I gave to you and Detective Esposito." Ryan paled slightly and nodded.

"Beckett's is there too." He replied quietly.

Gates smiled to herself. Beckett was well respected by her "employees", though she had made it known that she considered herself to be a "partner in charge" more so than a boss; and it was abundantly clear that Ryan was more worried about her than even Gates herself was.

"That was kind of you. How did you get it completed so quickly, though? You know that I appreciate you easing her workload, but the quality-"

"We all helped, captain. Everyone took a few pages, and we got it done." Ryan cut her off, then paused for a moment before continuing. "Everyone is worried. I'm going to step out to call Castle once we're off the clock-see if he knows how she is."

Victoria nodded. She was going to do the same thing, though, granted, as soon as Ryan left her office. There was no way that she was going to be productive until she knew if her detective was alright, no matter how logical she tried to be.

"Good work, Detective. I appreciate your help this morning." Ryan gave a tight smile and head jerk, and started out. She paused him. "Ryan?" He looked back at her with raised eyebrows-a rather endearing look on him. "I know you're worried, but please don't call them yet. Castle promised to let us know how she was doing-if he doesn't call by 5:00, I'll call him and then you."

"Thank you, sir." With another head nod, Ryan left.

For the umpteenth time that afternoon, Gates sighed, and tried desperately to focus on her paperwork when all she wanted to do was hug Beckett. If she didn't receive word soon, she would call Castle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Ryan and Esposito had spent the afternoon working as effectively and efficiently as possible to complete their paperwork plus Kate's. That was more difficult to do than normal, given that both of them were shaken up from the events of the previous days and that afternoon. In all honesty, the entire 12th Precinct was reeling, much like they had been several months earlier when they had lost their beloved captain, and nearly lost Kate to a Sniper. Everyone had slipped papers from her desk, and it had been a game of "musical paperwork" to pass forms to whoever had the authority to complete them.

Around 3:45, Ryan was nearly finished with what seemed like the hundredth form.

"Hey, can you pass me another?" When he didn't get a response, he looked up in confusion. Esposito was staring off into space, leaning back in his chair, one arm crossed over his chest and a fist over his mouth-his "thinking" and "worry" pose. Ryan had a feeling that today, that pose meant both. "Espo."

His partner jerked slightly, blinked, and then looked at Ryan.

"Yo?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Hey. You okay?"

Javier sighed quietly. He was incredibly worried about Beckett. She hadn't been right for a while, and he had been trying to look out for her even as she pushed him away. He had seen how ill she had been on their raid, but had chalked it up to shot nerves, and not insisted upon driving her home. Now, he was kicking himself for not seeing how frightened she had actually been until after the fact.

"Yeah, bro. Just..." He trailed off, and Ryan took over.

"...Worried?" His partner supplied. Esposito nodded, and let out a breath.

"She scared me pretty badly today. I've never seen her look that bad."

Ryan sighed, and shifted back in his chair.

"I'm starting to wonder if she'll ever be okay again. I thought she was fine, but after seeing how shaken up she was after that raid.."

"Yeah, I feel you, bro. It just takes time. Beckett's strong-she'll get through this."

"I know, Javi." He paused for a second, staring at the phone, then shifted again to start working. "Pass me the form?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was almost 4:30 when Gates' phone rang. Immediately, she jolted upright and snatched it up to her ear.

"Gates!" She barked, sounding clipped, and more worried than she would have liked.

"Hi, it's Castle."

"Hello, Castle, nice of you to finally call-"

"I was at the ER with Beckett. They didn't have reception."

Victoria felt her stomach plummet.

"Was? Are you still there? Was she discharged? Do they know what she has?"

"The nurse at UrgentCare thought Beckett had swine flu, and maybe bronchitis, but wasn't sure if there was a complication of pneumonia or not. She had to get X-Rays to check her lungs, and then IV fluids-she was really, really dehydrated."

The captain felt her insides twist.

"How is she now? Was she discharged? What's her diagnosis?"

For once, Castle didn't fool around or take his time answering, which both pleased and worried Gates. He was very serious and to-the-point, which meant that he was concerned and partially in his own world.

"She was discharged about an hour ago; a severe case of influenza and bronchitis; and she's sleeping right now, but wasn't doing well at all before hand. I can let you know more on that this evening or tomorrow morning, if you would like."

Gates let herself visibly relax as she slumped a bit, her hand propping her head.

"Oh, thank God..." She whispered, almost to herself. "Thank you, Mr. Castle. Do you have time for a few more questions?"

"Of course. What do you need to know?"

She pursed her lips, and looked down at the list of questions she had.

"Will she need people to check on her?"

"No-the doctor expressed concern over Beckett being home alone, since she is so sick, so she's staying with me. I'll write and stay home to keep an eye out for her."

"Hmm. Alright, how long is she going to be out for?"

The writer sighed on the other end.

"At least a week out of the precinct, and then she'll be on desk duty for another after that-her cough needs to get better before she can be out in the weather, and her fever needs to break before she can get out of the house. With how poorly she's doing, I'm guessing it's going to be closer to a month before she's back to normal."

Gates felt horrible for her detective. She had obviously been pushing too hard-if Kate was this sick, she was nowhere near ready to be running herself into the ground on raids.

"Mr. Castle, I appreciate you calling. I'll be stopping by later in the week to check on how she's doing, and I'm sure Esposito and Ryan will be by sooner. Please call if you need anything, or have any news."

"I will, I promise."

She nodded.

"I know you will." After a slight pause, she continued. "If you don't mind, I need to go talk to the other Detectives. They've been worried sick."

On the other end, Gates heard a tea kettle whistle, and Castle curse in a foreign language-probably German. A moment later, the whistling ceased, and Castle got back on.

"Sorry, Captain. I-"

"I understand. Thank you, Castle. Have a good day now, and please, please call if anything changes. Please." She added after a beat.

"I promise I will. I should call Ryan and Esposito-they're off the clock now, right?"

That made Victoria smile. Technically, the detectives were, but they were both staring into the window from their desks. She mouthed "Castle", and had to laugh as they scrambled to their feet, bumping into each other in their rush to get to the office door.

"Actually, they're both here. I'll talk to them. Goodbye." She hung up the phone, and waved her worried-looking friends in. They were in front of her desk than she had ever seen, both with worried but eager expressions on their faces.

"Any news, Captain?" Esposito asked, a look of concern on his face. Ryan looked like a ghost, his face pale and eyes wide.

The captain nodded, and filled them in.

"It looks like a severe case of flu coupled with bronchitis; she was in the hospital earlier to check for pneumonia and to get intravenous fluids, but was discharged an hour and a half ago; and she's resting at Castle's house right now-apparently, it's been a rough few hours."

The two detectives shared looks that were a mixture of relief, confusion, and concern, before turning back to their boss as Ryan asked (one of) the question(s) weighing on his mind.

"Sir, do you know if-I mean, when-she'll be back?"

The anxiety in his voice made Gates' heart construct just a little bit. Maybe she should have let him call Castle...

"The earliest she'll be back is two Monday's from now, and it could be longer than that. I'll have her on desk duty until her bronchitis clears up."

"Wow...she is not going to like that!" Ryan said, eyebrows raised. Gates quirked her eyebrow.

"Well, whether she likes it or not, that's what's happening. Now, shoo-and wait until tomorrow to go bother Beckett; she needs to rest tonight."

The boys hid their smirks, and exited amid a chorus of "good nights" and "thank you's". She sighed once they were gone, the guilty thoughts that had been in the back of her mind now front and center.

I should have known something was wrong. I shouldn't have let her go on that raid. I should have let her wear a coat. I wish I would have made her rest...

With a shake of her head, Gates started to back up her bag. She wouldn't be getting any more work done today.

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Thank you again for your patience! I'm trying to write each part quickly, but I'm really busy and sort of struggling to get through the days right now, so it takes me longer than I would like to update. I hope you enjoy!

Carry On(Castle fanfiction for recuchii, Caskett)

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