The messages were piling up. Trees had been slaughtered in the making of meaningless condolences, written and sent to him in hordes as if they could bring Liz back. The phone kept ringing and ringing incessantly. Caleb had answered the calls in the first few months, thinking that he would hear from Liz even though he knew he would never hear her voice again.

Now he didn't respond to just about anything, or anyone. Only Rachel now, and a few Castle staff who came and went regularly to collect the empty bottles had any visual confirmation that Caleb was still barely alive, hanging on to his sanity by a thin, spinning thread.

"Go to her then. You can tell her I'm still alive." Maybe she would stop bothering him then. Both mother and daughter might stop coming to him and leave him in peace.

"Go. Get out of my room."