She knew.

This whole damn time she knew.

He should really leave. He wants to leave, but he finds himself stuck, staring at her through the glass as every fantasy he had of them being together shatters, tearing at him as the pieces fall.

He stands there stuck until he hears the door on the other side of the glass click shut, his eyes buring at the edges. But he won't let himself cry over her. He won't. He swallows down the thickness in his throat, turning to leave, only to find her standing in the doorway, her shoulders sagging, a hand covering her mouth.

Her eyes are pleading as he pushes past her, hand dropping to her side.

"Castle."

The break in her voice almost gets to him, the sharpness of it trying to fight its way in. He won't let it. He needs to get out of here.

He's swinging his coat on as the elevator doors graciously slide open. He strides in, punching the button for the lobby. He doesn't want to, but he steals one last look before the doors shut. She's just standing there next to her desk, staring at him, her mouth working, but no words come out.

When Castle disappears behind the elevator doors Kate springs into action, grabbing her coat off the back of her chair. She heads straight for the stairs, taking three at a time, her long legs easily handling the gap. She bursts into the lobby, her breathing heavy and swings her head toward the elevator. There's no way she would have beat him, no matter how slow those things are. She must have just missed him though.

It's cold out. She pulls her coat tight as she pushes her way outside, ready to run in which ever direction he may have gone. She doesn't have to look far. She hears someone scream, or maybe she's the one screaming, the sound of metal hitting flesh vibrating through the air. A group of people have gathered, someone is yelling for help. Someone else is calling 911. No one seems to have noticed they're standing in front of the 12th Precinct.

"Castle!" She pushes everyone out of the way, because she knows. She just knows it's him.

He's sprawled out on his back, blood pooling underneath his head. His leg is skewed in such a way that it has to be broken.

She pushes her way through the crowd, her detective voice taking over as she waves her badge in her shaky hand. She drops down next to his head, a choked sob escaping her chest. His eyes are open but he's not looking at her. She calls his name repeatedly, hears sirens in the distance.

His head finally flops in her directions, his lips moving, but quiet. She cradles his head in her hands, careful not to move him.

"I love you, Castle. I love you," she whispers as he loses consciousness, she hopes the words slipped through in time.

He hears a loud steady beep, sounding in time with the pound in his head. He also feels fingers dancing along his brow, combing through his bangs. It feels nice.

He lets out a long sigh, regretting it immediately, a pain shooting through his chest. A hand tightens over his, a voice fighting its way through the fog.

"Castle?"

She sounds scared. Good.

He fights the heavy weight of his eye lids, squinting through the brightness.

"Hey, Castle. Oh my God, hey."

She cants forward, her hands bracing his neck, lips skipping over his cheeks. She pressing a kiss to the side of his nose, a soft sigh slipping free. She looks relieved.

"Hi," she says through tears, a watery smile cracking her face. "You scared the shit out of me. Out of us. Alexis is on her way. Your mom went to get some coffee."

She's rambling. It's cute.

Castle's throat feels like sandpaper and the anger is still bubbling just below the surface. But she's still cute. He wishes he could just turn it off.

Only…there's a small ray of light, an eye in the storm raging inside him. She told him she loves him. Right? That happened? The memory is hazy at best, but it's there and it feels real. Her hair falling over him as she whispered the words all while the darkness pulled at him. The words he thought he'd never hear from her.

She's looking at him expectantly, her elbows by his hip, hands cradling his, her lips against his knuckles. She looks in love. Glowing, actually.

He licks his lips, surprised by the effort it takes. How fast was that cab going?

"Did you mean it?" He manages to scrap out.

She looks confused, her face questioning. He thinks about brushing it off, pretending it didn't happen, but he can't. How would he be any better than her? He's not going to stay quiet anymore. Something's got to give.

"You said you love me. Did you mean it?" He gets out through gritted teeth, part pain and part frustration. He can feel his heart speeding up, which can't be good, but he has to know.

"Of course I did, babe." Babe?

"Let me go get a nurse. I'm supposed to let them know when you're awake," she murmurs.

Kate leans forward, brushing a kiss to the corner of his mouth. He startles against the contact, body tensing, the pain unbrearable.

"I'll be right back," she breathes against his cheek. She lifts up from her chair, her back popping. She must have been sitting there awhile. He follows the line of her torso as she turns towards the door.

He gasps, a grunt of pain following closely. Kate whips back around .

"Rick, what's wrong?"

He catches his breathe best he can.

"Beckett, how are you pregnant?"