smallfandomfest entry 2
Title: On My Watch
Author: remorseful_rain
Fandom: Caslte
Pairing/Characters: Javier Esposito/Kevin Ryan
Rating/Category: PG
Prompt: “While working a case together, Ryan gets badly injured.”
Warning: Hastily written and possible oocness.
Esposito figured if either he or Kevin went down it would be in a hail of bullets. He’s also figured he would be the one to take the hit, giving his partner the chance to live.
He didn’t think their partnership could come to an end off the side of a fire escape. Yet there was Kevin, sprawled among New York trash a story below a faded red and rusty fire escape ladder. Esposito stood frozen, not really feeling the chipping paint biting into his hands as he peered at his partner in disbelief. Quickly he backed up and took off the way he had come, determined to get to Kevin as soon as he could without injuring himself.
Beckett and Castle were kneeling down in trash by the time he’d ran down the stairs.
“Did you call an ambulance?” Esposito panted.
Castle nodded.
“What the hell happened?” Beckett snapped.
Esposito just shook his head as he dropped down next to Kevin and grabbed a limp hand. “We were chasing the guy and Ryan goes around the corner and the next thing I know he’s down here and the perp is nowhere in sight.”
He earnestly searched his partner for any sign of injury. There wasn’t anything he could see and that made it all the worse. There could be internal injuries, concussion deffinitly, but there could be internal bleeding hell Kevin’s neck could be broken. Without Kevin being awake to tell them what hurt it could be anything.
Esposito would‘ve liked to say he was okay he wasn’t worried, he knew his partner would be fine. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. They had been on the force together for seven years and lovers for little over two. This didn’t seem the way “Till the wheels fall off” would’ve ended. He couldn’t lose Kevin.
Esposito hadn’t even noticed his hands start to shake until he went to wipe the sweat out of his eye, because men don’t cry, they don’t break.
“Esposito.” He looked up into Beckett’s understanding face. “He’s going to be fine. We both know how hard his head is, it’s probably just a bump.”
Esposito nodded absently.
“I think I hear the ambulance.” Castle muttered and trotted over to the opening of the alley. “Yep here they come.”
The sirens wailed and echoed off the stark brick walls, and Esposito hoped they had come in time.
**
The doctors had assured him that Kevin had only suffered a moderate concussion, three cracked ribs and a fracture to both bones in his left arm. The trash haphazardly thrown in some back alley had probably saved his partner’s life. Esposito felt that if he had been doing his job better; his partner wouldn’t been laying on a hospital bed in a room with a perfect view of the parking lot in the first place. He had been told Kevin could most likely go home tomorrow and after a few weeks rest he’d be back to normal.
Esposito sat uncomfortably contorted in a hospital chair, gripping Kevin’s hand tightly in his own. Guilt weighed on his shoulders, and now that Caslte and Beckett had left to interrogate the man they’d been chasing, he could let his shoulders sag. He hadn’t even been the one to catch the guy; it had been some uniformed officer. What good was he when he froze Kevin fell and couldn’t catch the bastard that pushed him off the fire escape?
With a sigh Esposito laid his head down next to their entwined hands. Two years, just for them to end up like this. What a sorry pair they were. They both had known the possibilities going into their relationship, the odds… the odd had always been against them. Despite that, they found away to beat the odds and stay alive another day. Today had come close to being that day. Esposito gave Kevin’s hand a squeeze. What a mess.
“Javi?” Kevin’s confused and week voice snapped his head back up.
“Kevin.” Esposito breathed in relief.
“What happ’nd?” His partner mumbled.
“You thought you were supper man and jumped off a fire escape.” Esposito teased.
“Really?”
He couldn’t put much effort into his charade, “You were pushed of it by our perp.”
“Oh, I don’t really remember anything.” Kevin murmured waking up more.
“It’s probably for the best. You landed on a pile of thrash, saved you life.” Esposito twined their finger tighter.
“I suppose. What’s the damage?”
“A concussion, three cracked ribs and a broken arm. I’d better be the first one you let sign your cast, no letting Castle in first.”
They both look down at the white temporary cast.
“It’s not your fault you know.” Kevin just glared as Esposito gave him his best ‘what are you talking about’ look. “You had no idea that guy would go crazy and shove me off a fire escape.”
Esposito shook his head, “It doesn’t matter I should be able to stop this sort of stuff from happening.”
“We both know that’s a bald faced lie. You know that in our line of work is impossible. We don’t know where the next guy will be coming from.” Kevin glared before he let lose a yawn.
“I froze.” The words clawed their way out of his throat. Esposito hated admitting he was weak, but Kevin deserved to know. “I saw you lying there and I froze. I couldn’t even chase after the guy.”
His partners hand tightened against his. “Javier, look at me. Do you think I would have been much better? Matter of fact I would’ve probably jumped down after you, making things worse.”
Esposito gave Kevin a half hearted smile and a quick kiss on the forehead, “Thanks.”
“That’s what I’m here for remember?” Kevin mumbled around a yawn.
“Get some sleep, a nurse will be coming by soon to make sure you still know who, what, when, where, and how you are.” Esposito chuckled.
“’Kay. Javi?”
Esposito looked expectantly at his partner.
“’Till the wheels fall off Javi, ‘till the wheels fall off.”
Author: remorseful_rain
Fandom: Caslte
Pairing/Characters: Javier Esposito/Kevin Ryan
Rating/Category: PG
Prompt: “While working a case together, Ryan gets badly injured.”
Warning: Hastily written and possible oocness.
Esposito figured if either he or Kevin went down it would be in a hail of bullets. He’s also figured he would be the one to take the hit, giving his partner the chance to live.
He didn’t think their partnership could come to an end off the side of a fire escape. Yet there was Kevin, sprawled among New York trash a story below a faded red and rusty fire escape ladder. Esposito stood frozen, not really feeling the chipping paint biting into his hands as he peered at his partner in disbelief. Quickly he backed up and took off the way he had come, determined to get to Kevin as soon as he could without injuring himself.
Beckett and Castle were kneeling down in trash by the time he’d ran down the stairs.
“Did you call an ambulance?” Esposito panted.
Castle nodded.
“What the hell happened?” Beckett snapped.
Esposito just shook his head as he dropped down next to Kevin and grabbed a limp hand. “We were chasing the guy and Ryan goes around the corner and the next thing I know he’s down here and the perp is nowhere in sight.”
He earnestly searched his partner for any sign of injury. There wasn’t anything he could see and that made it all the worse. There could be internal injuries, concussion deffinitly, but there could be internal bleeding hell Kevin’s neck could be broken. Without Kevin being awake to tell them what hurt it could be anything.
Esposito would‘ve liked to say he was okay he wasn’t worried, he knew his partner would be fine. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. They had been on the force together for seven years and lovers for little over two. This didn’t seem the way “Till the wheels fall off” would’ve ended. He couldn’t lose Kevin.
Esposito hadn’t even noticed his hands start to shake until he went to wipe the sweat out of his eye, because men don’t cry, they don’t break.
“Esposito.” He looked up into Beckett’s understanding face. “He’s going to be fine. We both know how hard his head is, it’s probably just a bump.”
Esposito nodded absently.
“I think I hear the ambulance.” Castle muttered and trotted over to the opening of the alley. “Yep here they come.”
The sirens wailed and echoed off the stark brick walls, and Esposito hoped they had come in time.
**
The doctors had assured him that Kevin had only suffered a moderate concussion, three cracked ribs and a fracture to both bones in his left arm. The trash haphazardly thrown in some back alley had probably saved his partner’s life. Esposito felt that if he had been doing his job better; his partner wouldn’t been laying on a hospital bed in a room with a perfect view of the parking lot in the first place. He had been told Kevin could most likely go home tomorrow and after a few weeks rest he’d be back to normal.
Esposito sat uncomfortably contorted in a hospital chair, gripping Kevin’s hand tightly in his own. Guilt weighed on his shoulders, and now that Caslte and Beckett had left to interrogate the man they’d been chasing, he could let his shoulders sag. He hadn’t even been the one to catch the guy; it had been some uniformed officer. What good was he when he froze Kevin fell and couldn’t catch the bastard that pushed him off the fire escape?
With a sigh Esposito laid his head down next to their entwined hands. Two years, just for them to end up like this. What a sorry pair they were. They both had known the possibilities going into their relationship, the odds… the odd had always been against them. Despite that, they found away to beat the odds and stay alive another day. Today had come close to being that day. Esposito gave Kevin’s hand a squeeze. What a mess.
“Javi?” Kevin’s confused and week voice snapped his head back up.
“Kevin.” Esposito breathed in relief.
“What happ’nd?” His partner mumbled.
“You thought you were supper man and jumped off a fire escape.” Esposito teased.
“Really?”
He couldn’t put much effort into his charade, “You were pushed of it by our perp.”
“Oh, I don’t really remember anything.” Kevin murmured waking up more.
“It’s probably for the best. You landed on a pile of thrash, saved you life.” Esposito twined their finger tighter.
“I suppose. What’s the damage?”
“A concussion, three cracked ribs and a broken arm. I’d better be the first one you let sign your cast, no letting Castle in first.”
They both look down at the white temporary cast.
“It’s not your fault you know.” Kevin just glared as Esposito gave him his best ‘what are you talking about’ look. “You had no idea that guy would go crazy and shove me off a fire escape.”
Esposito shook his head, “It doesn’t matter I should be able to stop this sort of stuff from happening.”
“We both know that’s a bald faced lie. You know that in our line of work is impossible. We don’t know where the next guy will be coming from.” Kevin glared before he let lose a yawn.
“I froze.” The words clawed their way out of his throat. Esposito hated admitting he was weak, but Kevin deserved to know. “I saw you lying there and I froze. I couldn’t even chase after the guy.”
His partners hand tightened against his. “Javier, look at me. Do you think I would have been much better? Matter of fact I would’ve probably jumped down after you, making things worse.”
Esposito gave Kevin a half hearted smile and a quick kiss on the forehead, “Thanks.”
“That’s what I’m here for remember?” Kevin mumbled around a yawn.
“Get some sleep, a nurse will be coming by soon to make sure you still know who, what, when, where, and how you are.” Esposito chuckled.
“’Kay. Javi?”
Esposito looked expectantly at his partner.
“’Till the wheels fall off Javi, ‘till the wheels fall off.”