Title: STICKS AND STONES

Summary: Kevin Ryan Whump (A to Z) – starts when he is an officer and continues on as he becomes a detective in narcotics, undercover in the mob, and a detective in homicide.

A/N: I'm back! Sorry for the delay in posting but this past year has been very difficult for me. One such difficulty is losing all my research and work from my last computer, which I never recovered. So, as you can guess all the chapters I had written for this series (and others) were lost. Luckily, I have begun writing again and I have used this opportunity to improve on past ideas and chapters that I had once finished. All in all, the experience has been as educational as it has been trying.

That being said, I hope to continue to update this story semi-regularly now that I have my feet beneath me once more. Also, a big thanks to everyone who messaged me about this story; you guys really encouraged me to write again as opposed to scrapping the whole project. Thank you!

This series is an A TO Z story set. As such, expect a total of 26 chapters (or more if I decide to do an epilogue or sequel).

Disclaimer: Why do I even bother?

Chapter 11 – K is for Katar

"Okay, let's call it a night," Kate Beckett instructed her team as she leaned back in her stuffy office chair and stretched. "We can finish the paperwork in the morning."

"We can finish the paperwork? Is that the royal we, Beckett?" Kevin Ryan asked the senior detective, quirking an eyebrow. "Because we," he motioned his hands in the air to indicate his partner, Javier Esposito, and himself, "know that you actually mean me," he pointed to his own chest.

Javier covered the lower half of his face with both his hands, desperately trying to hide the smirk that was forming. Kevin desperately looked at him for support but the Hispanic shook his head. "Leave me out of this," he intoned as seriously as he could.

Kate only rolled her eyes at the young man's dramatics. "No, Ryan, I mean we." Then she smirked. "You might have to fill out the paperwork but I still have to sign it."

"Golly," Kevin huffed, "She has to sign it!" He turned to look at his partner whose face was trying, and failing, to remain schooled. "Did you hear that? Poor Beckett has to sign the paperwork."

"Well, there's a lot to sign!" Kate defended. Playfully pouting, she continued, "And my hand cramps easily."

Kevin squawked at the last comment, sounding very much like a strangled bird. At the unexpected noise Javier lost all composure. He gripped his stomach as a loud burst of laughter erupted from him. The forcefulness of his mirth almost knocked him out of his chair. Hurt by not being taken seriously, Kevin threw his hands in the air in defeat before slumping onto his desk, face buried in the aforementioned, unfinished paperwork.

After a few minutes, after Javier calmed himself enough to hold a conversation, Kate suggested that the team go out for dinner and a beer. At the remark Kevin's head lifted itself from off the desk so he could carefully gage Kate's sincerity.

"You buying?"

"Yes, Ryan, I'm buying."

"Got your wallet, with cards and cash this time?" he asked skeptically.

She sighed, "Yes." She even opened her purse to give him witness to the amount of cash she had.

"Then yes, dinner and beer sounds like a great idea. But," he held up a finger accusingly, "don't think of this as a bribe to get me to do your paperwork."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she smiled in reply.

~o~o~

The sun had just set when the team pulled up outside the Dugout, a well-known sports bar that was frequented by cops. After parking, Javier and Kate started to cross the street when Kevin spotted a pharmacy at the other end of the block. Remembering that he had to pick up a few things for his apartment, the younger man excused himself, telling the others he would be just a few minutes and that they could continue without him. Shrugging with indifference, Kate and Javier continued on and entered the bar as Kevin strode away in the opposite direction.

Unfortunately, after collecting all the items he needed to purchase, Kevin had an exceptionally difficult time trying to find an employee that would ring him out. After at least ten minutes he was finally able to pay and leave the pharmacy, bag in hand. Just then his cell phone started to ring. Looking at the displayed name he rolled his eyes and answered. "Look Espo, I am a minute away from getting there, keep your pants on."

"I was just checking to see if you wanted us to order for you, the waitress is here now," Javier responded indignantly.

"Well, I-" Kevin started to say until a noise of a nearby trashcan - one that was tucked into the alley he was walking passed - toppled over. He stopped mid-sentence and looked around, clearly startled. He peered down the alley, thinking he had seen something big moving.

"Ryan?"

"Sorry, I thought I saw something."

"Geez, paranoid much? So, what do you want to eat?"

"Can you wait? I'll be there s-"

Another noise erupted from the same direction as the first. Concerned for his well-being, Kevin swiveled around to witness a black-clad figure emerge from behind a dumpster wielding a sharp, knife-like weapon. Taken completely by surprise, the Homicide detective had no time to draw his sidearm. His only choice was to drop his shopping bag and cell phone and try to defend himself from the imminent attack by other means.

~o~o~

"Ryan?" Javier rolled his eyes as his young partner once again stopped before finishing his sentence. He was about to make a joking remark about Kevin's inability to concentrate when he heard the sound of the cell phone clattering to the ground, still connected to the call. "Ryan? Hey, Ryan!" He waited, no response. "Kevin!"

But then, barely over the clamor of the noisy bar, Javier could hear the sound of a scuffle and muffled curses. Without waiting to inform Kate what was happening, the Hispanic shot out of his chair and ran toward the entrance. Confused and concerned by her teammate's actions, Kate rushed after him.

"Esposito?" she worriedly asked.

Recognizing the tone in her voice, Javier turned his phone on speaker. The sounds of a struggle could be clearly heard. Nodding to each other in silent agreement, the two exited the bar and hurried toward the pharmacy that Kevin had been supposedly coming from.

~o~o~

The dagger slashed down, glinting off the light of a street lamp located just outside the alleyway. Kevin automatically threw his arm up in a defensive action to ward off the blow and deflect it away from his face. He cursed loudly as it easily sliced through his lower right forearm. The assailant was at least a foot taller than the detective and appeared to be extremely proficient with hand-to-hand combat. However, Kevin was a fighter. He wasn't about to let his attacker gain the upper hand.

The man – if he was in fact a man like Kevin assumed – clearly didn't have any experience with knives because he continued to slash the air between them, allowing Kevin to jump out of the way of each blow without actually making contact. Regrettably for Kevin, the attacker was purposefully driving him further and further into the alley, away from the main boulevard. And, since Kevin's full concentration was going toward not being stabbed, he was unable to look behind him as he scampered backwards.

Then, suddenly, after a particularly wide swipe, Kevin's back foot caught the previously toppled trashcan, causing him to crash to the ground.

In a heartbeat, the man was upon him. Kevin attempted to once again protect his face by raising his hands above his head, but this only resulted in knife wounds across both his palms. The painful sting of the lacerations shocked the downed detective into offensive action. Using his feet, Kevin kicked the other man backwards. Benefitting from his assailant's inability to attack, the young detective scrambled to his feet before the man could regain his balance.

The pair wearily circled each other, knowing that the fight could mean their lives. Kevin was wholly prepared to defend himself against fatal attack. There was no doubt in the Homicide detective's mind that this man was here to kill him. After all, the assailant did not demand for his money or phone and he didn't flee once he saw his prey was capable of fighting back.

In a desperate attempt to get the upper hand, Kevin allowed the other man to advance closer. Once the man made his move, Kevin put up his arm once more to deflect the downward swing of the dagger as he stepped toward his attacker. He ignored the pain that flared when his skin was sliced and, using the momentum of the man's swing, he gripped the assailant's wrist with enough force to make him drop the knife. It was then, at the detective's unpredicted action, that the man's hood fell away from his face to reveal a large, all too familiar, Asian man: Thomas Quaid.

Kevin gasped, shocked by the former Narcotics detective's sudden appearance. Taking advantage of his ex-partner's surprise, Quaid scrambled to pick up the discarded knife to regain control of the situation. Kevin pulled himself out of his stupor and swept his leg around Quaid's, connecting solidly with his knee. The Asian man dropped to the ground but didn't drop the weapon he had picked up. Gripping it securely, Quaid plunged the knife deep into Kevin's right thigh, causing him to cry out in agony. Grinning wickedly, the ex-detective shifted his grip on the weapon and twisted it. Kevin screamed again. But before he could remove the knife and finish the kill, several shouts and the sounding of running feet echoed from the mouth of the alley as the cavalry rapidly approached.

"See you around, Kev," Quaid whispered into the younger man's ear before vanishing, leaving Kevin alone on the floor of the alley, hands gripping his heavily bleeding thigh.

~o~o~

The sounds from the still connected call were the only indication that Kevin was still fighting against whomever, or whatever, had prevented him from reaching the bar. As seconds slipped by the noises of the struggle were getting further and further away. The Hispanic was at his wits end; neither Kate nor Javier could spot Kevin on the street.

Desperate, Javier almost turned to run in the other direction, thinking he was possibly mistaken by the direction Kevin had originally walked. But, before he could get very far, he slipped on a plastic bag that was discarded near an entrance of an alleyway. While cursing at the bag's existence Javier noticed a very familiar cell phone that lay on the ground next to the bag.

"Beckett!" he called out to the senior detective.

Kate stopped running toward the pharmacy to see Javier stopped before a darkened backstreet, holding Kevin's cell phone. She quickly hurried back toward the Hispanic when both detectives heard a sharp cry of agony echo down the length of the alley. Reacting instantly, both drew their guns and flashlights, calling Kevin's name as they hastily sprinted passed a large dumpster. Another scream answered their calls. Kate flashlight's beam exposed a darkly clad figure fleeing while Javier's picked out a trembling figure of a man lying on the ground.

Javier ran to his injured partner. "Kevin!"

Deciding that she wouldn't be able to catch the assailant even if she tried, Kate opted to call dispatch and emergency services, requesting an ambulance.

Dropping to his knees next to Kevin, Javier assessed the younger man with a sweeping gaze. Blood covered both his hands and drenched his right arm. But the most concerning, visible injury was the knife that stuck out of his friend's leg. A sense of urgency gripped the Hispanic. "Kevin, move your hands," he quietly ordered. "Let me look."

"Take it out!" Kevin growled, moving his hands, tears of pain spilling down his face.

"You know I can't," Javier snapped. "Do you want to bleed out!?"

Kevin attempted to respond but Javier was having none of it. The Hispanic quickly removed his jacket and pressed it on either side of the knife wound.

"Fuck!"

"Sorry," Javier unapologetically replied. "But I need to get this bleeding under control."

Frantic to tell his partner who is attacker was, Kevin tried to speak, "Javi, it was-"

Javier pressed down even harder, effectively cutting off his answer. "Don't talk," he ordered. "You can tell me what happened later."

"But-"

"For the love of God, will you just listen to me for once!"

Kate reluctantly stayed away from the two men. She kept her gun out just in case the attacker decided to return and finish what he had started. There wasn't really anything else she could do for Kevin that Javier wasn't already doing. The jacket that Javier had been using was already soaked through so he cast it off. And, in the spur of the moment, he pulled his t-shirt over his head and wrapped his around the dagger and applied pressure.

"For fuck's sake, Javi!"

"Shut up, Kevin!"

"Any excuse… to take your shirt off…"

"I swear to God, if you don't stop talking I'm going to knock you unconscious." Javier glared at his partner to emphasize his point. "Please, you need to save your energy," he said much more softly.

Kevin witnessed the fleeting look of pure fear flash on his friend's face before he could hide it. He knew a knife to the thigh wasn't good, but from the look Javier had briefly given him he inferred it was worse than he had imagined. Kevin leaned back and closed his eyes. "Shit," he breathed through clenched teeth.

"Kevin, stay with me bro. Open your eyes for me, come on," Javier coaxed, frightened when his partner had slumped back, eyes screwed shut. "That's it," he sighed when Kevin reopened his eyes.

Suddenly the loud, piercing sounds of sirens could be heard as an NYPD squad car and ambulance arrived at the scene. Kate rushed out of the alley to direct the EMTs to the injured Kevin. Javier looked up to see the familiar face of the emergency personnel he had met when Kevin was in a car accident a little over six months ago. "Jacob…"

"What happened?"

"Knife in the thigh, it's still in there. I've tried to stop the bleeding. He's got multiple cuts to his hands and his right arm but I was more worried about his leg."

"Alright," Jacob turned to address the male EMT with him. "Get the gurney." Looked back at the Hispanic detective and said, "Don't move; keep pressure on the wound."

"Okay."

Jacob promptly opened the large first-aid kit he carried with him from the ambulance and pulled out some gauze and pressure dressing. Rather than taking away the t-shirt Javier had already been using to stop the blood, Jacob simply laid the gauze on top before wrapping the dressing around the leg, securing the bundle to Kevin's leg. The EMT then spoke to his patient, "I'm going to start an IV and give you some pain meds. Then we'll give you an oxygen mask."

"No neck brace?" Kevin joked weakly.

"Not this time," Jacob smiled. He secured the IV and gave Kevin some morphine before hanging a bag of saline and handing the bag for Javier to hold. Next he slipped the mask over Kevin's face. "We're going to move you onto the gurney now. I need to make sure the knife doesn't move so please remain as still as possible."

Kevin nodded in response.

Javier, Jacob, and the other male EMT carefully lifted the bleeding detective onto the gurney. After, Kevin was wheeled into the back of the ambulance. Javier and Kate quickly exchanged words before deciding that Javier should be the one to ride in the back with his partner. Kate agreed to follow them in the car once she directed the forensic photography and collection of evidence by CSU at the crime scene. Thus, the Hispanic climbed into the back of the emergency vehicle. Jacob closed the door and the ambulance peeled away from the curb, lights and sirens going off.

Kevin was in a world of pain. His hands stung while his right arm and leg throbbed as if they had their own heartbeats. There was a distinct feeling of extreme dizziness. Images blurred together and swirled around, making the detective even more nauseous. Squeezing his eyes shut, Kevin reached out for his friend, knowing he was there with him. "Javi?"

"I'm here, Kevin." A warm hand engulfed his bloody, cold one, squeezing gently in reassurance.

"I think I'm dy-"

"No, don't say that!" a sob responded, cutting him off before he could finish.

"Bro, please…"

"No, you don't get to do this! You don't get to give up!"

"…not giving up…" came the strangled reply.

"Sure sounds like it to me. You are not going to say goodbye to me right now, not while we are in the back of a fucking ambulance. I won't let you!"

"Javi-"

"No, bro, don't even think about it."

"…not saying goodbye…"

"Then what are you doing? Wait, don't answer that. Don't talk. Save your energy." Javier ran his hand through his hair, not noticing the blood that transferred into his short brown locks. "Just hold on, bro." He grabbed both of his partner's hands with his own when Kevin's eyes suddenly slid shut and his body went limp. "No, no, no. Kevin, don't do this, stay with me!" Javier looked desperately at Jacob.

"He's just unconscious; he's still with us. Don't worry, he's a fighter," the EMT assured him.

Javier reluctantly nodded before turning to look back at his unresponsive friend, silently praying that everything would be all right.

~o~o~

When the ambulance arrived at the hospital, the gurney was instantly surrounded by a horde of medical personnel. Doctor Don Nickles was once again on duty and immediately recognized his patient from when he was in the hospital suffering from burns and smoke inhalation. "Detective Ryan, can you hear me?" he inquired loudly as he jogged alongside the moving platform bed towards the trauma room. He received no response.

Jacob quickly stepped in and supplied the doctor with all the information he needed. "Superficial lacerations to both hands; two deeper wounds to the lower right arm; knife lodged in the right thigh. He's tachycardic; Pulse 142; Resps 41; BP 67/45. He's had a liter of saline, 100% O2 and five ccs of morphine." Doctor Nickles nodded, taking the chart from the EMT. Meanwhile, the medical team carefully moved Kevin onto the ER gurney so the EMTs could clear away their equipment.

Doctor Nickles started to bark orders, "Page the on-call surgeon ASAP. Get me U+Es; FBC; Glucose and cross match for four units of blood. Set up for a central line and get me arterial blood gases. Insert a Foley." In a matter of minutes Kevin had a new line in his neck and had multiple tubes of blood taken for testing. "What's his BP?"

"Blood pressure 60/40," a nurse responded.

"Make sure that O2 is set to 100%," instructed Doctor Nickles, "Get five ccs of dopamine and bag of blood hung!"

A surgeon suddenly burst into the room. She was middle-aged with dark hair and even darker eyes. "Don, what you got?"

"Penetrating knife wound to the right upper thigh, knife still in, possibly involving the femoral artery. BP 60/40, O2 stats dropping."

"Alright, let's move him to the OR. We need to get that bleeding under control or we're going to lose him!"

Doctor Nickles handed over his patient into the capable hands of the surgeon. Removing his bloodied gloves and taking a deep breath he exited the trauma room and emerged into the packed waiting room. "Is anyone here for Detective Ryan?"

"Yes, I am. Detective Esposito," the Hispanic introduced himself. "And this is Detective Beckett," he motioned to the brown-haired woman standing next to him.

The doctor shook both of their hands before addressing the bare-chested male. "I'm Doctor Nickles, the ER physician that treated him. Detective Ryan has been taken up to OR to have the knife removed."

"Is he going to be okay?" Kate spoke up, voice trembling slightly.

"He's in critical condition. Kevin has lost a lot of blood; we believe that there may be some damage to the femoral artery, which will need to be repaired. I'm sorry I can't give you any more information right now, but if you head up to the OR waiting area his surgeon, Doctor Colleen Spencer, will update you when she can. I could also probably find you a spare shirt if you would like it."

"Thank you, doctor," Javier responded before ushering his teammate out of the ER waiting area to go to the OR waiting room instead.

The two NYPD detectives sat silently in the less crowded, quieter room, praying Kevin was strong enough to make it through surgery. Kate contemplated calling Captain Montgomery and informing him of the situation but just as she was about to make the call the police Captain phoned her. He had heard the news from an on-duty officer who had given him a call. He informed Kate that no fingerprints had been found on scene so they had to wait until Kevin could recount what had happened until they could proceed with the investigation. Kate thanked Montgomery for the news and, before they hung up on each other, the Captain wished Kevin a hasty recovery.

A few hours later a raven-haired woman approached the waiting area. "Detectives," she addressed them. Kate and Javier immediately stood up. "Please sit down," she gestured to the chairs they had just been in before taking her own seat. "I'm Doctor Spencer. Detective Ryan made it through surgery but I won't lie to you, his heart stopped during the procedure but we managed to get him back quickly. The knife cut the femoral artery but had actually also blocked the cut as it was pushed passed the artery into muscle. It appears to have been twisted in the wound, which made it slightly more difficult to remove. But if the knife had been removed on scene he most likely would have bled out before the ambulance arrived. We've carried out a repair on the artery and torn muscles. Unfortunately, the knife was not a normal dagger. One of my nurses identified it as a katar, a sort of push dagger meant to rip out the muscle when removed. We were lucky enough to remove it with minimal damage. I believe that he should regain full mobility of his right leg but he might require physical therapy to regain all his strength."

"Is going to be okay?" Javier asked.

"He's currently on a ventilator. He is extremely weak from blood loss and is still receiving transfusions. His condition is critical and, as cliché as it sounds, the next twenty-four hours are critical. If he can survive that then he has a very good chance of making a full recovery."

"He'll make it," Kate asserted without even a trace of doubt in her voice. Javier nodded in agreement.

Doctor Spencer smiled brightly at the confidence displayed by Kevin's teammates. "You can go and visit him in ICU in a little while. A nurse will come out and get you."

"Thank you, Doctor Spencer."

She briefly shook their hands before exiting toward the OR.

The two didn't have to wait very long until a nurse came and directed them to Kevin's room in ICU. Kate and Javier didn't really know what to expect but they were still shocked by what they saw. Kevin looked dead, so much so that they had to remind themselves that he was, in fact, alive. The young man was extremely pale. Each of his breathing was contracted through a tube that was inserted into his throat. A thick bandage could be seen from beneath the covers of the hospital bed. There were similar dressings around his hands and right forearm.

"I forgot all about the cuts on his hands and arm. I didn't even think to ask the doctor about them," Javier said.

"We were kind of worried about the knife in his leg," Kate stated.

"The wounds on his hands aren't deep, the two cuts on his lower arm required forty stitches between them, but they didn't do any nerve damage as far as Colleen can tell," a voice said from behind them.

Turning around Kate and Javier can face to face with Doctor Molly Luka. Javier greeted the blonde woman before questioning what she was doing there.

"I requested to be Kevin's supervising doctor."

"Why would you do that?" Kate asked, not knowing the relationship the detective and doctor had.

"Kevin's my friend," Doctor Luka responded. "Whenever he's here he always seems to make his way into my hands. I love seeing him but at the same time I hate it because it usually means he's the one in trouble."

"I see."

"Why don't you all go home and get some rest? I'll call you if there's any change," the female doctor offered. However, she wasn't surprised when both refused. "Well, at least go and get cleaned up. There's a locker room just down the hall. Here," she handed Javier her key card so he could access the showers. When he tried to refuse she responded, "Any friend of Kevin's is a friend of mine."

Javier thanked her before proceeding down the hall. When her teammate had left Kate spoke up. "How's he doing?"

"Doctor Spencer didn't tell you?"

"Well, yes, she did. But seeing him…"

Doctor Luka smiled sympathetically. "He's holding his own. Just sit with him, talk to him, and let him know you're here. I'm pretty sure he'll appreciate it." The blonde squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as she walked out of the room before returning with a new bag of blood to hang. "I'll be in and out. But if you need anything, feel free to press the call button."

~o~o~

Thirty hours passed since Kevin had been settled in ICU following his surgery, and he showed absolutely no sign of waking up. Kate and Javier took shifts in the hospital while the other would remain at the precinct diligently searching for clues about their teammate's attacker. Unfortunately, as Captain Montgomery had informed them before, the scene was devoid of any DNA or physical evidence that could hint at the identity of the mysterious man. People from all departments - Homicide, Narcotics, Organized Crime - and even some uniformed officers, wished Kate and Javier well as they sent notes and gifts to their fallen friend in the hospital. It didn't surprise either of the detectives that Kevin was a friend to almost the whole precinct. The young man was affable and personable. And he seemed to work in or with every department at one time or another.

Into the second day of the young Homicide detective's hospitalization, Captain Montgomery declared Kevin's case to be put on hold. Because the department was unable to continue the investigation until Kevin woke up, Montgomery ordered Kate and Javier to 'hospital duty'. He claimed that he would have no use for them during the next few days so he sent them home.

It seemed like a blessing to the detectives but a curse to the hospital staff. Kate and Javier were constantly in and out of Kevin's room, disregarding all visiting hours. Both were afraid to leave their partner, for fear he would wake up alone. They relentlessly questioned Doctor Luka and Doctor Spencer about Kevin's condition, treatment, and recovery. Doctor Spencer continuously informed them that, given the extent of blood loss, Kevin would wake up on his own time. She tried to assure them that he was recovering – after all, they had been able to remove the ventilator since Kevin was now able to breath on his own.

Almost forty-eight hours after the initial attack Kevin began to move in his comatose state when a nurse was cleaning his wounds and changing the dressings. Doctors were notified and it soon became apparent that Kevin was responding to pain stimulation. Doctor Luka adjusted his pain medication and stopped administering sedatives.

A few short hours later Kevin finally opened his eyes. It took the injured man a few minutes to discern his location. The beeping of his heart monitor, along with the dull throb from his arm, hands and thigh, helped him distinguish exactly where he was and why he was there. Turning his head slightly, he caught sight of Kate and Javier's slumped, sleeping forms. Both occupied impossibly small, uncomfortable chairs. Several empty cups - now completely devoid of coffee - were strewn about his bedside table next to numerous Chinese take-out containers. It became glaringly obvious that his two friends had been camped out for quite a few meals at his bedside. Kevin debated if he should wake his teammates or not. He could tell they were tired and needed sleep but at the same time he wished to talk to someone about his situation.

However, the answer to his pondering came in the form of Doctor Luka: the blonde-haired woman had spontaneously decided to check in on her patient only to find him wide-awake. "Well, hello there, Kevin!" she voiced softly so as not to wake the sleeping detectives. "How are you feeling?"

"Sore," croaked Kevin.

Doctor Luka smiled wistfully and said, "I bet! Here," she grabbed a cup from the bathroom and filled it with water before dropping a straw in the liquid and bringing it to Kevin's lips for him to drink. "Not so fast," the female doctor scolded when Kevin began gulping down the water. "There you go. Better?"

"Yeah thanks." A pause. "How long…"

"…have you been here?" Doctor Luka finished. Kevin nodded. "Two days."

"How bad?"

"You lost a lot of blood and needed several stitches to close your wounds. You had lacerations on your right forearm and hands. When you came into OR you still had a knife sticking out of your right leg. Your femoral artery was damaged so Doctor Spencer, your surgeon, had to repair it. Unfortunately, the knife used on you was a katar. It's a dagger with a short, wide, triangular blade that can damage more surface area than a regular knife. The katar tore some the muscle in your leg. Because of this, you will have to go through some physical therapy to regain full mobility."

"Will I have a limp?"

Doctor Luka shook her head. "It's doubtful, luckily very little of your muscle was damaged. But you will have nasty scar."

Kevin sighed in relief, grateful that he would be able to return to his duties at the 12th precinct without having to worry about a permanent disability.

"You're doing really well, Kevin," the female doctor stated, looking over his charts. "You'll be moved out of ICU tomorrow morning and then I'll send one of our physical therapists to see you to discuss the best way to get you mobile again."

"Thank you," the young man replied. Doctor Luka nodded before examining his leg wound and, then, eventually leaving to check on her other patients. Kevin's sight slowly drifted back to his teammates, neither of which had moved from their sleeping positions. Glad that they were finally getting some rest he decided to join them. And, slipping his eyes shut, he drifted into a peaceful sleep.

Kate and Javier woke an hour later. They didn't know that Kevin had been conscious until Doctor Luka informed them. Upset that they had missed the event, the two detectives began to discuss about how they were to approach the issue of Kevin's attacker when he woke up again. After several minutes Kate and Javier didn't realize how loudly they had been talking until Kevin woke back up.

"Will you shut up? I'm trying to sleep," the injured detective murmured.

The two were stopped their argument.

"Wha- Kevin?"

The man in question opened one eye to look up at Kate, who had spoken.

"Hi," he waved weakly.

Javier grinned. "Hey, bro."

"It's great to see you awake," Kate supplied.

Kevin gave a strained smile. "Great to be awake." A pause. "Will you raise my bed?"

"Of course," the Hispanic voiced.

The two then proceeded to assist their friend find a comfortable sitting position. However, when Kevin was adjusting the placement of his injured leg he accidentally applied too much pressure around the wounded area. He winced when a flare of pain broke through the medicated numbness and raced up his leg. Javier noticed his pained looked and asked, "Are you in pain?"

"I had a knife, no, a katar, sticking out of my leg! Of course I'm in pain. I'm not in a hospital or taking medication just for shits and giggles." Kevin scowled, noticing the grin that began to break out on Javier's face. "Wait, what is that? Are you smiling, Esposito, because I'm in pain? Because, if you are, that's totally not cool, bro."

The Hispanic shook his head. "I'm smiling because you're talking again. Two days without a lame movie reference or silly rant about paperwork, I kind of missed it." He paused and threateningly pointed his finger at his partner. "But if you ever repeat that to anyone. I will deny it."

"I have a witness," Kevin stated, gesturing towards Kate.

"Oh no, leave me out of this!"

The three shared a quiet laugh before the room grew somber. Kate and Javier settled back down in the chairs they had vacated. The two fit detectives then shared a look that did not escape their teammate's attention.

"What is it guys?"

Kate swallowed, "We have some bad news."

Kevin straightened himself. He shakily ran his bandaged hand through his hair, fearing the worst.

Kate looked at Javier before continuing to speak. "We went through the scene of your attack with a fine toothed comb and we couldn't find anything to give us the identity of your attacker."

Kevin furrowed his eyebrows.

She continued, "We're really sorry, Kevin. The case has gone cold…"

"But," Javier interrupted before Kevin could say anything, "It would be very helpful if you could describe to us what exactly happened in that alleyway."

There was a long pause before the injured detective drew in a shaky breath. "Quaid," the young man quietly mumbled contemplatively, more to himself than anyone else.

Kate leaned in closer. "What did you say?"

"Call Montgomery," Kevin forcefully demanded, his voice rising in urgency. "And tell him Thomas Quaid is back!"

~o~o~

Captain Roy Montgomery was in his office when he received the call. At first he was overjoyed to learn Kevin had woken up but his positive mood was quickly dissolved at the utterance of the former Narcotic detective's name.

"Sir," Kate voiced over the phone. "Who is this guy? Ryan refuses to say anything but his name."

Ignoring the question, the police Captain stood up, gripping the desk phone tightly in his hand. "Don't move and don't press the subject," he commanded. "I'm coming to you. Let Detective Ryan know I'm on the way."

"Yes, sir," came the puzzled tone of the senior Homicide detective. "See you soon… I guess."

Without saying another word Montgomery slammed the phone down and grabbed his jacket. We walked over to an overflowing filing cabinet and grabbed a large folder. He placed it in his briefcase and exited the office, locking the door behind him. On his way out of the precinct he happened to run into Officers Elizabeth Webb and Todd Walker. He informed them of the current situation and requested that they accompany him to the hospital as moral support and possible protection. Both readily agreed.

A half hour later the three pulled into the hospital's parking lot and entered the building. Captain Montgomery was forced to explain his visit was due to official police affairs when they were denied access to the ICU because it was after visiting hours. A nurse eventually showed them to the room Kevin was staying in. When Montgomery entered the room he was relieved to find a flustered - but awake - detective surrounded by his two questioning teammates.

"Detective Ryan," he said, announcing his presence. "It's good to see you alive and well."

"Alive, yes. Well, no."

Montgomery grimly smiled, understanding the given response. "Hopefully you'll feel better when you see who I brought along," he said, stepping out of the doorway to reveal who was behind him.

"Elizabeth! Walker!"

"Hey, Mad Bull!"

"How you doin', kid?"

Kevin genuinely smiled and laughed at his two old friends. He beckoned them closer and began animatedly talking to them. As Montgomery looked on, amused, Kate and Javier approached their Captain.

"Sir, what's all this about?" Kate questioned.

"Yeah," Javier spoke up, "Why did you bring some uniforms here?"

"They're for Ryan's protection and moral support."

"Protection?"

"Moral Support?"

Captain Montgomery gazed at the two concerned detectives before him. Then, looking passed them he made eye contact with Kevin. The young man morosely smiled and nodded his head, silently giving permission. Accepting the approval of the wounded man, Montgomery said, "Walk with me."

The three exited the room and wandered off toward the ICU waiting area.

"Sir," Javier said, taking a seat across from his superior. "Who's Thomas Quaid?"

The Captain sighed heavily before taking out the thick file he brought with him from his office. "You are familiar with the fact that Detective Ryan worked in Narcotics before transferring to Homicide…"

Kate and Javier nodded.

"…Well, when he first became a detective he was assigned to do mostly undercover work on account that he could easily pass as a college student. During those days his partner was Detective Thomas Quaid."

"Partner!" Kate gasped.

"Quaid had been working undercover in the Flying Dragons, out of Chinatown."

Javier spoke up, "They mostly smuggle heroin, right?"

"That's right. Quaid was familiar with the language and the behavior of the Asian gangs because of his childhood and Asian roots. So he was placed as an infiltration point. After about a month of work, Quaid had gathered enough information to put away several key members of the gang. A deal was set to go down so we sent in Detective Ryan as an enforcer with mob ties to 'oversee' the transaction between the two gangs. But Quaid informed S.W.A.T. that the deal was off but he didn't tell Ryan or his superior officer…"

"He was dirty?" Kate asked.

"It turns out his only cousin was in the gang – last of his family. So he flipped to save his cousin, Doug, from going to jail. Well, at the meeting he turned on Ryan and revealed to the gang that he was an undercover officer. The gang jumped on him and beat him up pretty bad. Quaid stopped them from killing Ryan by claiming that they should set the warehouse on fire to get rid of the evidence and the body. So they tied him up, set the place on fire, and left him to die…"

"Wait," the Hispanic detective interrupted. "How did Kevin get out? He was probably in no condition to escape."

Montgomery nodded. "Luckily an ATF agent was investigating a tip about the same gang, the Flying Dragons, selling unregistered firearms. When he figured out what was going on he signaled his backup before everyone left to continue the deal elsewhere. So in the end, Ryan was rescued and the deal was busted. However, Doug Quaid was shot during the raid and died. As such, Thomas Quaid went underground. I assumed that he wouldn't hold a grudge against Ryan for the death of his cousin, and it appeared that way until now. I fear that Quaid might try to attack Ryan when he learns that he didn't die from the knife wound."

Both Kate and Javier sat in silence, absorbing the story they had just been told. They were truly horrified to learn that Kevin's supposed partner had betrayed him in such a way.

The Captain handed over the file he had been holding. "Here's all the information we have on Thomas Quaid. Every once and awhile IA reopens the case but the trail has been cold for a couple of years."

Kate gazed at the photo on the top of the folder. "Well, at least we have a name and a face…"

Montgomery stood, excusing himself from the two detectives presence. The Captain then wandered back towards Kevin's room to check on him. Kate and Javier remained in the waiting area, carefully reading the file placed before them. It contained several personal pictures and information pertaining the ex-detective. Similarly, it held old BOLOs and APBs along with police records about the failed undercover operation. Eventually, the two teammates reached a significant sheet that held Kevin's police statement, attached to it was his medical report from the hospital. While reading, Kate covered her mouth with one hand, silent tears running down her cheeks. Javier clenched his fists out of pure rage until his nails pierced his skin and drew blood. After what seemed like hours the two finally finished going over the report. Shocked by what they had just read, they vowed to catch the bastard that had, not only once, but twice, attempted to kill their friend.

Once they calmed down Kate and Javier closed the file and slowly returned to their teammate's room. Both wholly prepared to offer comfort and consolation.

~o~o~

"The physical therapist stopped by this morning," Kevin told his partner. "He says I'll be stuck in bed for a week before they'll even think about releasing me. Unfortunately, I won't be able to use crutches," he gestured to his bandaged hands and arm, "So I'll need help walking until my leg has enough strength to operate on its own."

"How long do you think you'll need to recover?" Javier inquired, casually leaning on Kevin's hospital bed.

"It'll be at least a couple of weeks before my arm is healed enough to use crutches, then it will probably be another couple of weeks until I regain full strength in my leg. I won't be cleared to go back in the field for at least six weeks."

"That sucks, bro."

Kevin shrugged. "I'd rather take my time recovering instead of having a permanent limp." Javier nodded sympathetically. "By the way, where's Beckett? I thought she would have visited with you…"

"Yeah, well, she's hell bent on hunting down any leads about the whereabouts of Quaid."

"Oh." The younger man deflated slightly, flinching slightly at the mention of his ex-partner's name.

"Hey," the Hispanic detective said calmly, crouching so he could be at Kevin's eye level, "We're going to get this guy. Don't worry, the best detective team in the NYPD looking into it."

Kevin furrowed his eyebrows. "I didn't know Logan and Cage were on my case," he stated, naming the department's most incompetent detectives. Logan and Cage were infamous at the 12th precinct for misplacing evidence, arresting the wrong persons, or simply never arresting anyone. Any case that was to cross their desk was sure to go cold.

"I meant us, you idiot." Javier swatted his partner's shoulder warningly.

"I knew that."

"Sure you did."

The duo fell into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying each other's company. After a while Kevin fell asleep, but still Javier remained, protectively watching over him. They would continue to search for Thomas Quaid but the man had better hope the NYPD caught him before Kevin's teammates did, because then there would be no guarantee that he would make it to jail alive.

A/N: Kind of an abrupt end but it fits. I already wrote way more than I thought I would write for this chapter. In fact, I think it might be the longest chapter so far…

As you can tell, I tried to jam a lot of my old characters back into this chapter. I didn't want anyone forgetting about them seeing as they are an important part of this series. And, before you ask… Yes, Thomas Quaid is going to be a reoccurring theme throughout this series. So expect him to make a few more appearances. As every Castle season has one overarching subplot that continues throughout most of the season, THOMAS QUAID will be my subplot. He is Kevin Ryan's archenemy… if he were to have an archenemy.

For those who were asking, Richard Castle is going to be introduced into this series in the next chapter. I want to clarify that Kevin's police career, which this whole saga is based off of, is far greater than the Castle Universe. Thus, it is crucial to only introduce characters when it fits into the timeline. Thus, now that Kevin is fully integrated into the Homicide detective team, we can have Richard Castle enter stage left.

In case you were wondering: Katar - it is a dagger-like weapon that is characterised by its H-shaped horizontal hand grip which results in the blade sitting above the user's knuckles. Unique to South Asia, it is the most famous and characteristic of Indian daggers.

I have been working on this series for the past several months. About half of it has been already written or all the plots have been outlined.

Some of my plot points slightly contradict with the Castle universe, but none of the major ones (possibly just small side comments or remarks made during the show).

Please review.

Coming Soon: L is for L.D.S.K.