Days Like These 5/? by elizagoth7, R
Beckett looked up at the white board, hands braced on her lower back. The chain of evidence seemed to point to one Calvin Clark. He had murdered his wife and another man after catching them together in bed. The man’s body had been less a certain body part and the wife had been positioned in a store display window, with loud, angry graffiti surrounding her.
Clark had been admirably good at playing the cat and mouse game, fooling everyone into thinking he was a grieving husband. Upon further investigation however, more and more things began to point to Calvin Clark. A judge had granted Beckett a warrant to search Clark’s office and it turned out the paint used at the wife’s murder scene had been found suspiciously on a set of clothes that were found in his desk. It was enough to arrest him and serve a warrant to look through his apartment for more evidence to convict.
“Hey Beckett, we’re heading out to pick up Clark. You coming?” Esposito asked, hoping she would decline.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there. No one goes in until I get there, I don’t think he’ll go quietly.” Nodding, Esposito followed his partner out of the bullpen.
With one final look at the white board, Beckett turned to Castle sitting at her desk, wincing slightly.
“Everything okay?” he asked, worried.
“I’m fine. My back is just bugging me today, but Dr. Fielding says that’s normal.”
Castle stood and pulled her into his arms, massaging her lower back lightly. Her head dropped to his shoulder, glad no one else was in sight, and she sighed gratefully.
“They won’t think any less of you if you don’t go, you know,” he said quietly.
“It’s my case. I can’t just stop working because I’m pregnant. That’s not how it works, Rick and you and I both know it.”
“Okay,” Castle relented.
“Let’s go finish this up so we can get you home. You and Thumper need a good night’s sleep.”
Too tired to argue, she nodded against his neck before pulling away and heading out to their car.
Outside Clark’s apartment they donned their bullet-proof vests, Beckett sighing when she noticed how tight hers was getting. After a mild protest, Castle agreed to wait in the car while they arrested the man.
The apartment was a five story walk up, and the three detectives entered, guns drawn and ready for anything. They reached Clark’s door in short order and Ryan banged on the door, announcing their presence. Esposito noticed Beckett lower her gun and bend over, bracing her hands on her thighs and take a few deep breaths.
“You okay Beckett?” he asked, keeping his gun at the ready. She nodded, recovering a moment later.
Esposito kicked the door down and they rushed in, finding Calvin attempting to escape out his window and down the fire escape. The three detectives gave chase, with Beckett and Ryan running back down the stairs, while Esposito pursued Clark down the fire escape.
He ran past the squad cars and Castle watched Clark get tackled, his lanky frame scraping on the pavement. Ryan burst out of the doors, shortly followed by Beckett as Esposito was cuffing Calvin. Castle watched him scowl as Esposito started reading him his rights, then Ryan help haul him to their car.
The writer got out of the car, noticing Beckett’s steps falter as she walked toward him. A moment later he watched her collapse to the ground, doubled over in agony. She bit back a scream as Castle ran to her, calling her name.
“Kate! Kate, honey, talk to me. What’s wrong?” he asked, falling to his knees beside her. Esposito noticed what was going on and left Ryan to finish loading Clark himself.
“It hurts,” Beckett managed to gasp as she clenched her jaw against the pain.
“Okay, we’ve got to get you back in the car,” Castle said, as Esposito came to stand slightly behind him.
“Do you think you can stand up?”
Beckett shook her head as she curled further into herself.
“Alright.”
Castle leaned forward, putting one arm behind her back and the other behind her knees, attempting to lift her. She cried out and he put her back down, running a hand through his hair.
“We need an ambulance,” he said, looking to the detective behind him. Esposito frowned, grabbing his hand.
“What the?”
Castle looked down at his hand, feeling his heart stop when he saw the crimson color that covered his hand and snaked up his coat sleeve.
“Get her in the car man, we’ve got to go now,” Esposito said, sprinting back to Ryan and telling him to book Clark.
Castle took off his coat, wrapping Beckett up and lifting her, fighting tears as she screamed.
“I know, I’m sorry,” he said, hurrying to the police car where Esposito sat behind the wheel.
He slid into the back, careful not to jar Beckett anymore than was needed and shut the door. Cradling her in his arms, Castle pressed a teary kiss to her temple, whispering assurances in her ear.
“It’s Thumper,” she murmured, trying to keep her glassy eyes focused.
“Something’s wrong.”
“Shh, it’ll be okay. We’ll get you to the hospital and you and Thumper will be fine,” Castle rambled, feeling the tears running down his face.
Beckett fell into a semi-conscious state as more color drained from her face, leaving her skin in a cold sweat, while Castle prayed for the first time in longer than he could remember. He rested their joined hands under her vest on the baby bump, glad he could feel it through the layers she wore.
“Hang on darling,” he whispered.
“Daddy loves you.”
Clark had been admirably good at playing the cat and mouse game, fooling everyone into thinking he was a grieving husband. Upon further investigation however, more and more things began to point to Calvin Clark. A judge had granted Beckett a warrant to search Clark’s office and it turned out the paint used at the wife’s murder scene had been found suspiciously on a set of clothes that were found in his desk. It was enough to arrest him and serve a warrant to look through his apartment for more evidence to convict.
“Hey Beckett, we’re heading out to pick up Clark. You coming?” Esposito asked, hoping she would decline.
“Yeah, I’ll meet you there. No one goes in until I get there, I don’t think he’ll go quietly.” Nodding, Esposito followed his partner out of the bullpen.
With one final look at the white board, Beckett turned to Castle sitting at her desk, wincing slightly.
“Everything okay?” he asked, worried.
“I’m fine. My back is just bugging me today, but Dr. Fielding says that’s normal.”
Castle stood and pulled her into his arms, massaging her lower back lightly. Her head dropped to his shoulder, glad no one else was in sight, and she sighed gratefully.
“They won’t think any less of you if you don’t go, you know,” he said quietly.
“It’s my case. I can’t just stop working because I’m pregnant. That’s not how it works, Rick and you and I both know it.”
“Okay,” Castle relented.
“Let’s go finish this up so we can get you home. You and Thumper need a good night’s sleep.”
Too tired to argue, she nodded against his neck before pulling away and heading out to their car.
Outside Clark’s apartment they donned their bullet-proof vests, Beckett sighing when she noticed how tight hers was getting. After a mild protest, Castle agreed to wait in the car while they arrested the man.
The apartment was a five story walk up, and the three detectives entered, guns drawn and ready for anything. They reached Clark’s door in short order and Ryan banged on the door, announcing their presence. Esposito noticed Beckett lower her gun and bend over, bracing her hands on her thighs and take a few deep breaths.
“You okay Beckett?” he asked, keeping his gun at the ready. She nodded, recovering a moment later.
Esposito kicked the door down and they rushed in, finding Calvin attempting to escape out his window and down the fire escape. The three detectives gave chase, with Beckett and Ryan running back down the stairs, while Esposito pursued Clark down the fire escape.
He ran past the squad cars and Castle watched Clark get tackled, his lanky frame scraping on the pavement. Ryan burst out of the doors, shortly followed by Beckett as Esposito was cuffing Calvin. Castle watched him scowl as Esposito started reading him his rights, then Ryan help haul him to their car.
The writer got out of the car, noticing Beckett’s steps falter as she walked toward him. A moment later he watched her collapse to the ground, doubled over in agony. She bit back a scream as Castle ran to her, calling her name.
“Kate! Kate, honey, talk to me. What’s wrong?” he asked, falling to his knees beside her. Esposito noticed what was going on and left Ryan to finish loading Clark himself.
“It hurts,” Beckett managed to gasp as she clenched her jaw against the pain.
“Okay, we’ve got to get you back in the car,” Castle said, as Esposito came to stand slightly behind him.
“Do you think you can stand up?”
Beckett shook her head as she curled further into herself.
“Alright.”
Castle leaned forward, putting one arm behind her back and the other behind her knees, attempting to lift her. She cried out and he put her back down, running a hand through his hair.
“We need an ambulance,” he said, looking to the detective behind him. Esposito frowned, grabbing his hand.
“What the?”
Castle looked down at his hand, feeling his heart stop when he saw the crimson color that covered his hand and snaked up his coat sleeve.
“Get her in the car man, we’ve got to go now,” Esposito said, sprinting back to Ryan and telling him to book Clark.
Castle took off his coat, wrapping Beckett up and lifting her, fighting tears as she screamed.
“I know, I’m sorry,” he said, hurrying to the police car where Esposito sat behind the wheel.
He slid into the back, careful not to jar Beckett anymore than was needed and shut the door. Cradling her in his arms, Castle pressed a teary kiss to her temple, whispering assurances in her ear.
“It’s Thumper,” she murmured, trying to keep her glassy eyes focused.
“Something’s wrong.”
“Shh, it’ll be okay. We’ll get you to the hospital and you and Thumper will be fine,” Castle rambled, feeling the tears running down his face.
Beckett fell into a semi-conscious state as more color drained from her face, leaving her skin in a cold sweat, while Castle prayed for the first time in longer than he could remember. He rested their joined hands under her vest on the baby bump, glad he could feel it through the layers she wore.
“Hang on darling,” he whispered.
“Daddy loves you.”