Be Ours
He leans down, bracing his hands on the back of the hospital bed and the side rail, dropping a kiss on her cheek. Al runs past him, bouncing off the edge of the mattress before trying to scramble up onto the bed next to her mother. He helps the girl up, watching her clamber her way up to snuggle against the pillows before he turns. The other man grins, shaking hands as he juggles the bouquets of flowers tucked into his arms. Congratulatory words are exchanged before he steps into the hallway.
His shoes click lightly on the tiles of the hall. It's overwhelming. He thought that maybe – maybe – it would become easier to handle, to understand but it just isn't.
The nursery is around the corner, one wide window allowing passerbys and new parents to peek in and see their little one. His eyes scan the little cribs, the rows of blankets squirming in the carefully controlled room. Tiny fists waving angrily at the ceiling.
"First time?"
He starts, glancing at the nurse standing at the door to the nursery. She's holding onto a clipboard, duck stickers covering the back. More animals dot her scrubs right down to the bright green rubber clogs. "No. Second."
"Which one's yours?"
He scans the newborns' nametags, narrowing them down by blanket color. "The gorgeous one there," he says, pointing. "Looks like her mother."
"I'll bring her out. Give me a sec."
A minute later, the same nurse reappears with the infant in her arms. "Here. Congrats," she says with a wide smile before ducking back into the nursery.
He should bring her to the room, let the rest of the family meet the baby girl. But he needs a moment, leaning against the cream colored walls and cradling the girl in his elbow. Her eyes are closed, fists curled against her cheeks, skin soft as he brushes the back of his knuckle over her forearms. She's been quiet, not hardly a peep when she was born. And even now she's silent with just the gentle rise and fall of her tiny chest as she sleeps.
"Hey, pretty girl," he whispers, smoothing his fingertips over her head. "You ready to go see Mommy?"
She doesn't wake, smacking her lips a little in response.
He pushes off from the wall, strolling back toward the room. It's noisy inside – at least four people crowding into chairs and corners – but the baby only snuggles deeper into the blanket.
Everyone quiets, though, when he walks in, eyes turning to meet his. He transfers the girl to Kate's arms, going over Al's head.
Kate squeezes his arm, tugging him back to whisper in his ear, "Thanks, Dad," even as her husband claps as silently as possible to get the people's attention.
"Everyone," Castle says, grinning at the bearer of the baby as he tucks himself into the side of the bed so that he can ruffle Al's hair, "we'd like to introduce Harper."
And as his daughter, son-in-law, and first granddaughter all grin while the others come over to 'awww' over the newborn, Jim Beckett leans over to Castle, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Don't know how you're gonna top a baby for next year's Valentine's Day gift."
"Oh, there's the usual," Castle says, unable to take his eyes from his family next to him to speak to Jim directly. "Flowers, chocolates, promises I don't intend to keep. But seriously. Who needs gifts when we have this little Valentine present every single year?"