If you're new to the universe...Start with Medical Attention and then Family Practice. And so begins part three...

Urgent Care

Third Installment in the Medical Attention Series: New York City was in a state of panic but he couldn't think about that right now, all he cared about was making sure his family was safe. S3 AU

Chapter One

She was zoning out while eating breakfast and for once, she couldn't blame the kids.

They'd both slept well last night - finally.

A long night of tying up loose ends on the latest homicide had left her lacking in the sleep department, and her morning coffee hadn't quite kicked in. It was going to be a long day ahead if she couldn't wake up. She looked down at the newspaper and realized she'd been reading the same sentence over and over.

Not exactly promising.

Taking another long sip from her mug, she listened for any indication that anyone else was awake - the silence was promising. All night and not a cry or a peep from her little girl.

Maybe Charlie had finally learned the art of sleeping through the night, but she was doubtful. She'd been spoiled by Liam - he'd slept through from twelve weeks - and she had thought her daughter would be like her big brother.

Charlie had other plans.

Most nights, she was a night owl. Almost two years old and her little girl was normally wide awake at all hours of the night, keeping Rick company while he tried to work on the sequel to Heat Wave. He called Charlie his 'mini muse' and he'd tell Kate that their daughter helped him sort out difficult plot points during his late night writing binges. He'd claimed that she would smile when she approved of an idea and smack a drooly kiss on his lips, but when she hadn't liked something she'd stick her tongue out and shake her head.

According to him, she rarely disagreed with his ideas.

She was a daddy's girl, through and through. While Rick would argue that Charlie was a carbon copy of her in the looks department, in actuality their daughter was just like him.

Full of life, full of energy, the girl loved with her whole heart.

And everyone loved their little girl.

Kate smiled into her coffee mug, the caffeine finally working its way through her system.

Everything was near perfect in their lives, so if that meant an occasional sleepless night, she'd take that minor sacrifice in a heartbeat. Not everyone was as lucky as they were; a happy family, completely head over heels in love.

Lanie, especially, couldn't help but tease them constantly about how sickeningly adorable they were while claiming full responsibility for their relationship. She would never stop; Kate was convinced that setting the two of them up was her proudest accomplishment to date.

Their lives had been entirely chaotic since that fateful meeting, but now that Rick had sold his share of his medical practice and was solely focused on writing and their family, life was calmer. They'd hit their stride. And even though he might not be a practicing doctor anymore, it didn't mean that she wouldn't still don the little nurse's outfit and call him doctor on an occasional night between the sheets.

Her mind drifted to a couple weeks ago when Martha had had the kids and they'd had a rare night to themselves. He had been a little overzealous and ripped the costume.

That had been a good night.

Heat flooded her cheeks as she got lost in the memory. She needed to make sure to buy a new one for future nights…

"Mommy?"

The sound of Liam's voice made her jump. She hadn't even heard him come down the stairs.

"Hey, buddy. What are you doing up already?"

"The sun's awake and so am I," he recited, crawling up onto the seat next to her and reaching forward to touch her cheek. "Why's your face red?"

Her sweet, curious boy - he'd make a great detective someday, never letting the slightest detail slide at the inquisitive age of six years old. Though times like these, she wished he was a little less observant.

"My coffee warmed my cheeks," she said with a smile, before leaning forward to brush a kiss onto his forehead. "Did it sound like your sister was still sleeping?"

"Charlie was talking to herself." He giggled and scooted into her lap, cuddling close. Obviously her quiet morning was over, but she'd take cuddle time with her kids over that any day.

"She was?"

"Yeah. She does that. Do you think she sees dead people?"

Rick.

"Wha- what?" she asked, her eyes widening, before shaking her head. "No, no she's just being a baby. You used to do the same thing when you were her age."

"Do you think I saw dead people?" He looked up at her with such an innocent expression, like he really was worried about the possibility. Trying to ease his concerns, she carded her fingers through his wild bedhead hair and shook her head again.

"No, baby. No one is seeing dead people."

She loved her husband. She did, but if he let Liam stay up late watching movies like The Sixth Sense again, perhaps she'd be investigating his homicide.

The day was over in a flash, soaking up family time with a trip to the zoo and lunch in the park. It was surprisingly warm for the end of February and for being raised in the city, Liam and Charlie loved being outdoors. All the fresh air must have worn them out because they were both in bed shortly after dinner. And she was walking on eggshells, praying that their little night owl stayed asleep.

Rick met her in his office where she was curled up with her new fuzzy throw blanket on his worn leather couch. It was her favorite place to decompress at the end of the day. The space was warm and every inch of the decor eased her mind, reminding her of Rick.

Normally he'd bring her a glass of wine and they'd cuddle together and watch a movie or an episode of some HBO show that Rick swore was all the rage.

Tonight she was still on call for three more hours so she'd have to settle for his special hot chocolate instead. He handed her the mug with a smile and a kiss on her forehead before he slid onto the cushion next to her. Allowing the ceramic to warm her hands for a second, she took a small sip and placed it on the table next to them.

"Can you believe our luck?"

"What do you mean?" Kate sighed, adjusting herself and sinking against his side as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"You're on call, but we've made it all day without a case."

She craned her neck, looking at him with a smirk and an arched eyebrow.

"You mean, I've made it all day without a case." He opened his mouth to defend himself but she wouldn't allow it, placing two fingers over his lips to silence him. "Just because you've gotten approval to follow me around for the next Nikki Heat book doesn't mean you're suddenly a cop. Doctor and writer are enough professions for one man."

"It's just inspiring to watch you work, watching my muse in action."

Muse.

Kate bit back a laugh and turned to nip at his shoulder. He loved calling her that.

"Enough with the muse talk, babe. Anyway, I thought I always inspired you? Now, it's only when you're working a case with me?"

His eyes grew wide and panic flashed across his expression. Sometimes she couldn't stop herself from taking the opportunity to mess with him.

"No, of course not. You're -" She couldn't hold back her laughter any longer. "Oh. Ha ha , very funny."

"You got so flustered. It was too easy."

"Fine, but you have to admit that I'm helpful -"

The words were no sooner from his lips before her cell phone started to ring, causing her to groan and nudge her forehead against the wall of his chest. He had jinxed their perfectly relaxing evening at home. Reaching for the offending device, she took a breath and reluctantly answered the call.

Rick's face, however, was lit up like a kid at Christmas.

"Beckett," she barked into the receiver, listening to dispatch as they recited the details and address to the latest homicide. "Okay, be there in fifteen."

She narrowed her eyes at him as she pocketed her cell phone.

"What?"

"You're actually excited." She threw the blanket off of her lap and dug her toes into the rug. Turning her head to look out the office window, she noticed the rain, not heavy, but it was sprinkling.

It wasn't cold enough for snow, but this wouldn't make the late night body drop anymore pleasant. She skulked toward the coat closet to find her black boots and her newest trench with Rick practically bouncing at her heels.

"Helping you with cases is fun," he said, helping her into her coat. She spun around to face him and her expression must have been serious enough that it caused his to fall.

"Rick, someone was murdered. It's not exactly fun."

"Okay, true." He held up his hands before placing them on her arms with a small squeeze. "But helping solve the case and catching the bad guy -"

"I totally understand why peds was your calling," she said, with a slight turn of her lips. "Sometimes you're like a nine year old on a sugar rush."

"And yet you're madly in love with me."

"Despite my better judgment," she teased with a quick wink before leaning forward and brushing her lips against his. "Are you staying with the kids tonight or can Alexis stay?"

"I'll go run up and check. They're both sleeping, it's pretty much the world's easiest babysitting job."

"Shh! Will you stop jinxing everything tonight?" She smirked and swatted at his ass as he moved to talk to his eldest.

"What good would I be if I didn't make things interesting?" he asked, running up the stairs.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Their life was definitely interesting.

The rain made everything slick, the street painted with a jet black shine with fog billowing from the sewers. It was just eerie. Everything about tonight felt that way.

Pulling up to the crime scene, she felt a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. Rick would claim it was some psychic sense, but she never believed in any of that. He was a scientist by trade, but she was still the one that focused on logic. He always believed in the unseen and the mystical. She believed in facts.

Except for right now.

She had an awful feeling about this case as she killed the engine.

"Hey?" he asked, placing his hand against her knee. "Are you okay? You look really pale all of the sudden."

With a shrug, she took a deep breath. "I don't know. Maybe it's something I ate, I just feel off." There was no time for this. Weird feelings aside, there was a victim who deserved justice and she needed to focus. "I'll be fine," she said, reaching for the door handle and hurrying out of the car.

Rick intercepted her on the sidewalk, stopping her from turning to the crime scene by cupping his palm against her elbow and tugging her back.

"Kate?"

"I promise." She leaned forward on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his cheek. "Let's just get this over with and maybe I can lie down for a bit afterward."

He nodded and followed her wordlessly toward the yellow police tape, his silence only confirming his worry. In all the time she had known him, he was rarely silent.

She offered him a hesitant smile before ducking beneath the tape; the closer they got to the scene, the worse she felt. Her heart was racing, the feeling of dread almost overwhelming.

Maybe she was coming down with something. She took another deep breath, trying to calm her mind.

And that's when she saw the victim.

Peaceful.

Blonde.

Beautiful.

Her eyes met Lanie's and the look of horror on her friend's face confirmed her worst fear. This wasn't just another case, another murder…

It was happening again.

3XK was back.

tbc

Thanks for reading!

I know this is a bit different for this universe, but I'm excited for the journey and I hope you all enjoy it.

Alex, Jo and Esther. xoxoxo