Hey guys! So, I'm finally giving writing fanfic a shot. I hope you guys enjoy it! I don't consider myself much of a writer, but I'm enjoying writing this.

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Painful Truth

Chapter One

Castle paced around the hospital lobby. He never thought something this tragic would happen. It was just a normal day, so how did it go so wrong?

The doctor came out. He walked over to Castle, who had brought her in himself.

"Have a seat, Mr. Castle," Dr. Davis instructed.

Castle sat down on the chair, and Dr. Davis followed.

"So, how is she doing, Doctor?" Castle inquired.

"She's in considerable pain; it's going to take her a while to recover. Given her lean body, someone should watch over her care at home. I presume you live with her?"

Castle was shocked that he had assumed. "No, we just work together, that's all."

"Uh huh…" Dr. Davis continued. "So does she live by herself?"

"Yes she does."

"Then I advise that she stays with you, or someone else she knows well. There is no way given her condition that she can live on her own for the next couple weeks. Does she have family?"

"Yes, she does have her father."

"All right, she could stay with him."

Castle paused before asking a question. "So, how bad is she?"

"Her spinal cord got hit a little, but it's nothing major that would cause pernament damage. Her abdomen was hit hard, so it will take the longest to recover. In particular, her liver was hit the hardest, which got a little bruising. Her stomach was slightly affected with bruising as well from the way she was hit by the car. She also had some internal bleeding in addition to all the bruising. Luckily with the timely response we were able to minimize the effects of the internal bleeding. Knowing her body, though, I say it's best she's under some assistance in healing. The damage may not be permanent, but it's serious based on her physical state and well-being."

Castle stared in horror. Never in his life would he have thought that the impact did that much damage. Surely she didn't look like she was in that much pain. Then again, she was a tough woman.

"I'm gonna go call her dad and let him know about this. You have his number?" Dr. Davis asked.

Castle paused a little, not expecting that question. "Uh, no, actually. But I'm sure she has it on her cell phone."

"No good. Cell phone's not functioning."

"Then call the precinct, I'm sure Montgomery would know."

"Thanks." Dr. Davis got up to call her work place, leaving Castle by himself in the hospital lobby. Castle stayed sitting this time, only he bounced his right leg in anticipation.

About fifteen minutes later, Dr. Davis came back.

"I called her father. He would love to take her in, but he's away and would not be able to do so. That leaves you to take care of her. Would you be willing to do that?" After a quick pause, Dr. Davis added, "I would give you all the infomation you need to take care of her properly."

"Of course," Castle said with no hesitation. "What would I need to do?"

"She'll need proper bed rest, more than anything. She also needs to be sure to eat the proper food, in particular foods high in vitamin C. I'll write you up more detailed instructions, as in good food for her to eat, when she's ready to leave. For now, you can go home, because we want to monitor her behavior and be sure she's stable enough before we release her."

"Understand," Castle replied.

During the ride back to his apartment, Castle kept going over the scenario in his mind. He wanted to forget about it, but it was like a plague that wouldn't go away.

As he swung the door open, Alexis and Martha were in the kitchen, almost as if they were waiting for him.

"Hey Dad!" Alexis called out.

"Hey," was all that Castle could muster at the moment.

Alexis knew something was wrong. The tone of his voice and the look on his face gave it away. "Is something wrong?"

Martha turned her head to see what was going on. She wanted to make a dry quirk, but after seeing her son's face, there was no way she could.

Castle walked his way over to the counter to talk to them. He took a deep breath, then said the heaviest two-word phrase from the entire day. "It's Beckett."

the first chapter disappeared on me before I had a chance to read it. now I'm looking forward to the third!

You are off and running with a good start to this one. I can't wait to read more!

unniw: Glad you got to catch up with it and that you're looking forward to it!
ShutTheFrontDoor!: Thanks! Glad you're looking forward to it!
rkcaskett: Thanks! Glad you're looking forward to it!
mikaaeleyy: Yes, they were walking when they got it. The place wasn't too far from the precinct.
castleobserver: Glad I got a good start! Let's hope it continues to stay good!
Nev827: Glad I got your interest and piqued your curiosity. Hope you continue to enjoy it.
Widget: Your wish has been granted!
Kalliope: Glad you like the story! Your wish has been granted!
Volleyg: Glad you're loving it! Your waiting for Chapter 3 is over!
FanCastle-NY: Glad you're loving the fanfic! And it's finally Sunday over here, so here's the update!
Silent Readers: Thanks for reading!

NOTE: So, this ending may not be the traditional cliffhanger, but trust me, there are more chapters to come. You can't always have a nail-biting cliffhanger, in my opinion. Hope you enjoy the next installment!

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Chapter Three

Castle opened up the door to his apartment. Beckett walked in as he held the door open for her, but only because she didn't want to be rude and refuse to go in.

"Castle, what's going on?" Beckett asked when they were finally in the apartment and able to focus on one another. She had been asking that question the whole way up, but Castle wouldn't say. She also tried to see if she could walk back out and get a taxi back to her apartment, but Castle kept too close an eye and grip on her to let her do otherwise.

"The doctors want me to look over your health while you recover from the accident," Castle finally replied when they were safe in the apartment. He knew this battle would work better on his ground, more than anything.

"Castle, I can look after myself. Now please-"

"Doctor's orders, Beckett. You are to stay here and rest up. Martha and Alexis will take good care of you, as will I."

"Castle, really I can-"

"No, I can't leave you alone-"

"Yes you can, now please let me-" Beckett said as she headed for the door.

"No, I can't." Castle interrupted as he grabbed her wrist. Again.

"Yes you can." Beckett said as she turned her head back, stopped in her tracks.

"No I can't, Beckett-"

"Castle-"

"Please Kate." He had that look on his face, the one that showed he cared. Almost puppy dog eyes, but not completely and fully there.

Beckett sighed a little and diverted her eyes. For some reason, she could see where this was going if she kept up her act. While she did want to take care of herself, and she knew she could, Beckett only knew this would get them nowhere. When she was ready, her gaze went back on Castle. "Okay, I'll stay here, but only because it was the doctor's orders." She didn't like giving in so easily, but she knew if Castle was insistent on something, it would be best to listen. He could be just as stubborn as she was, and this seemed like one of those times.

Castle let go of his grip on her wrist as she turned to face him again. Beckett had submitted, so there was no need for him to hold her down anymore. Plus, if she did try to leave, he had her spoken word that she would stay. No way he would let her forget about that, but then again, Beckett probably wouldn't forget it herself.

Alexis appeared at the top of the steps and saw that her dad had come home with Beckett, as he said he would. "Beckett!" she called as she came down the steps to see her.

"Hey Alexis!" Beckett replied.

Shortly thereafter, Alexis joined her dad, standing by his side. Castle put his arm around her shoulder and did a one-arm hug, even if it was more of a squeeze. Alexis smiled playfully in response to this gesture.

Beckett let Castle and Alexis have their father-daughter moment when a thought entered her mind. "So, if I'm staying here, where will I be sleeping?" she inquired.

"Since we are lacking any extra beds, you will be staying in my bed."

"Castle, I-"

"No, I insist. I will sleep down here on the couch. Heck, I've fallen asleep in my chair while writing."

"It's true," Alexis verified.

Beckett was still slightly hesitant. "Are you sure you don't mind me staying in your room?"

"Please, it's the least I can do for you."

Beckett paused, then nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, Castle." She was the guest, and seeing how willing he was to give up his room, she didn't want to be a rude guest. If there was anything her mom taught her about being a guest in someone's house, it was to be respectful of the host's wishes.

"So it's settled. You will rest up in my room. But first, you need to eat." Castle walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. As it turned out, there was some fruit salad left over from Alexis' picnic the day before. "They didn't want the fruit salad, Alexis?"

"No, apparently a lot of people brought fruit. Of course, my friends had some, but still."

"Do you mind if I give some to Beckett as a snack?"

"Dad, of course I don't mind! That's why I brought it home – so we could enjoy it."

Castle pulled out a couple bowls and scooped some of the fruit salad into them. He served one bowl to Beckett and another one to Alexis.

"All right, I gotta go upstairs for a bit, but I'll be back." Castle kissed Alexis on the top of her head. "Be in bed by eleven."

"Dad, I've told you: I'll be in bed by ten-thirty. School night, remember?"

Castle smiled as he walked away. Going up to his room, he made sure it was Beckett-proof. No porn collection, nothing too revealing… Everything Castle wanted to remove he put in a cardboard box, which then got slipped into Martha's bedroom under her bed. It was his favorite place to hide items of that nature.

Once that was done, he went back down to tell Beckett the news. "Everything's all set for you to settle into my bedroom."

"Thank you Castle," Beckett responded. While she had stayed in Castle's place one night before, no thanks to that awful explosion she managed to survive, it was nice to see that she was still welcome.

Castle had seen Beckett had finished her fruit salad. "I'll take that if you're done." Beckett gave him the bowl, and he put it in the sink to get washed.

It had been a long day, so Beckett decided to go upstairs and go to bed. "Night Castle. Night Alexis," Beckett stated as she stood up. She climbed the stairs and then crawled into bed. The hospital had pretty much exhausted her, even if she didn't do much work there. Shortly after, Beckett drifted off to sleep.

Castle had quietly climbed the steps behind Beckett. He wanted to be sure she was comfortable. He quietly looked on through the door creak, and smiled when she was sleeping soundly.

Castle crossed paths with Alexis as she was going to bed herself. Castle proceeded to lay down on the couch. With a pillow and a blanket he grabbed from his bedroom before, he soon drifted off to sleep on the couch, as he said he would.